#This track got me out of a bad mood more times than I can count

[dreampsychosis]

My favourite songs of 2023. Diving by Bombay Bicycle Club & Holly Humberstone.

[alexanderwales]

"I don't think I could have the relationship with you that you have with me," she said. She was very casual about it, and I was immediately on the defensive.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

She put the book she'd been reading down. "It's just, the way you've described it, and the vibe that I get, I don't think I could do it how you do it."

"I still don't know what that means," I said.

"You're always doing this like ... micro calculation thing," she said. "You weigh your words. You try to time things. You have never once called me up while I was at work, or asked me for something when it was inconvenient for me, and you check and double check that you're not being a nuisance."

"And ... that's bad?" I asked.

"No, I love that about you," she said. "It's very kind and considerate. I know that if I tell you I'm not in the mood to hang out, you'll apologize and not push it. If you suggest that we get pizza and I say I'd rather have Korean BBQ, you fold instantly and we get Korean BBQ. I like that. I get the things I want. But it seems like an exhausting way to deal with people."

"I want you to be happy," I said with a small voice.

"I am happy," she replied. "You're great. You remember when we first got together I was like 'hey, look, if you want pizza, we can get pizza, it's just not what I'm in the mood for', and you kept insisting that you didn't care, that you would rather have me follow my needs? And I just thought, 'you know, maybe I should just trust that's what they actually feel'. And it is, as far as I can tell. There's not some secret part of you that wants me to break your way."

"You think I'm ... a simpering coward?" I asked. Even as I said it, it felt too accusatory, the wrong thing to say in the situation.

"Whoa, no, not at all," she laughed. "I think you do all that stuff because ... I don't know, you want to? Because otherwise why would you do it? It's how you are with every aspect of your life, you're a tryhard. I mean you said to me that you wanted to reclaim the term. Your relationship with me is that you're a tryhard (affectionate)."

"And you're ... not?" I asked.

"I'm not that way with anyone," she replied. "You know why I hang out with you so much? It's 'cause I like you. Most days, I am very much in the mood for you, and if you ask for a meetup, I'll say yes, and if you don't ask for one, then I'll ask you first. And for you ..."

"What?" I asked.

"It's like ... you're keeping track," she said. "You want to make sure that you're not sending me more messages than I'm sending you. You're balancing social micro stuff that I don't pay attention to. You're consciously monitoring how much each of us has said and making sure it's the right number of words or whatever."

"It's really not about the number of words," I replied. "It's more ... making sure that social and emotional labor is equitable, that there's a good rhythm to the conversation. I don't think you'd get good results by tracking word count."

"But see, I don't do any of that," she said. "I talk because I feel like talking. I listen when you need to vent because I like you and it feels good to give you an outlet. I mean you are undoubtedly putting in a bunch of work, and for me, there's no work. That's all I meant, really."

"You've thought about it," I said.

"Oh, I'm just reading this book, and there are two characters like us in it, and I was like 'yes, exactly', and then 'that would not work for me'." She shrugged.

"And if I stopped 'putting in the work'?" I asked. "Would we still be ... friends?"

"See, I don't know," she said. "Because that's never who you've been. You're asking me if I would still be friends with you if you changed your personality and how we interact with each other. Maybe? Probably? Who knows? Maybe we'd be better friends somehow. Maybe we're just two basically compatible people, and every time you've ever worried about anything it would actually have been completely fine."

"Or maybe it's load-bearing," I said.

"Maybe!" she replied with a smile that slowly faded. "You okay?"

"I'm thinking," I said. I didn't know if I could verbalize what I was thinking in a way that would be palatable.

"Do you not like being this way with me?" she asked. "Because I have never asked you to. I've made my preferences known, but if you've been bending yourself into knots and feeling a burden, then ..."

"No," I said, because I knew it was what she wanted to hear. "No, I like the way things are between us."

"Good," she smiled. "I do too."

[vegan-peppermint]

Your Boyfriend's Bed

Pairing: Hoodie x Masky'sGF!Reader

Fandom: Marble Hornets

Genre: Smut MDNI

Word count: 1.7k

Warnings: Cheating, creampie, rough sx, P in V

Summary: Your boyfriend is a B, but his best friend's there to take your side.

Author's Note: After a three-year hiatus, I finally found the inspiration to write again—thanks to this incredible fanfiction. It sparked something in me. I can’t recommend it enough, so please show the creator some love. Their work is the reason I’m writing again after all this time. This fic is inspired by their masterpiece, so I highly encourage you to check it out first!

________________________________

More often than not, you were a collateral victim in your boyfriend and his friend’s fights. Tim and Brian were too close for your liking, they had a great co-dependency going on way before you came in the picture. If Brain was in a bad mood, so was Tim. If you got in a fight with Tim, Brian was giving you the silent treatment as well as taking sides without hesitation.

It was more than you bargained for, not realising getting Tim as a boyfriend meant taking responsibility for his grown-ass best friend as well. But you managed. With each month that passed in your relationship it was getting easier for you, to the point it was almost natural to consider them both in every action you took. 

Weirdly enough, you so much preferred for them to be mad at you instead of at each other. Whenever their balance wavered they started acting batshit crazy. Tim confessed some details about their ‘alternative’ life after- what, a year in you relationship? 

You didn’t fully grasp what he meant by their “alter egos” or their nighttime escapades, but you quickly realized you didn’t want to. You had your suspicions, of course. You weren’t blind. But as long as they didn’t outright spell it out for you, you could continue living in blissful ignorance. It was easier that way, and you convinced yourself that you were okay with it.

But today—today was different. Today, things had escalated to an entirely new level.

Tim was screaming at Brian, who was cloaked in that damned creepy hood that made him look so unsettling. Tim's anger seemed to grow by the second, and when “Hoodie” (as you suppose you should call him now) refused to react, it only fueled Tim’s rage.

You tried to calm him down, talk to him or something- anything.

A strained, guttural laugh escaped Tim, trembling with anger. He started explining to you how you do not even begin to understand what has happened, how you should just shut up and not get involved- his voice full with disdain, every sentence designed to belittle and assert his supposed superiority. 

Now you are not the one to get angry easily, but this time- this time something in you snapped. You were done being talked down to, done being made feel small or pathetic for just wanting some peace.

“No wonder he would not bother to have your back when you act like such a prick.”

“Oh, just shut up you bit-,” his words faltered as he caught himself mid-sentence, swallowing the insult faster than a politician trying to cover his tracks.

You cannot recreate what was spoken after that word for word, just that all hell broke loose. It was no longer a fight between Tim and Brian- no, it wasn’t just them anymore. It was you and Hoodie against Tim. You were screaming and throwing your every angry complaint you had been holding in for far too long. And Hoodie- Hoodie of all people- was backing your every word, every statement. However, Hoodie’s remark is what really sealed and shipped Tim’s whole spirit.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a girl so frustrated with her boyfriend in my life, Masky. Can only imagine you’re lacking in some aspects.”

The words hit harder than anything you had said. They were cold, calculated, and aimed straight at the core of Tim’s pride. The room seemed to hold its breath, and for a moment, Tim stood there, trembling with the weight of the accusation. His face twisted in disbelief, but the damage had already been done.

What followed between the two of them was pure madness. Shouting, shoving, items flying off shelves—everything seemed to spin out of control. Pushing, pulling, voices rising higher and higher, until the tension reached a breaking point. Tim’s eyes flickered with something darker, something unstable, before he turned to grab his mask and stormed out of the room, slamming the door so hard it shook the walls.

Well, this has happened this morning. You realise you could’ve done things differently, not taking sides or waiting for their fight to end before starting your own. That was your mistake. But leaving you hurt and angry with only Hoodie to comfort you was his.

________________________________

You were on all fours on your boyfriends bed, face buried in his pillows. Hoodie’s gloved hand pushed down on your back arching it more- your ass rising higher. 

Your clothes were littering the floor from the doorway to the edge of the bed, the cold air tickling your bare skin. Your eyes landed on the wardrobe’s mirror showing your helpless reflection with Hoodie’s tall frame behind you. He was completely dressed from his boots to the black mask that covered his face- he was glacial. 

His left hand- formerly on your back-  grabbed your hip harshly. He dragged the other painfully slow across your side- from ass, to waist and finally around your breast. You whimpered at the harsh feeling of his gloves palming your tits. 

“So sensitive…” he sighed. The nub was hardening against his touch making it easier for him to pinch or gently twist your nipple. 

You inhaled sharply trying to steady yourself but being met with Tim’s smell wasn’t helping. “H-Hodie...” you whined. 

His hands left your body and you heard his pants zipper opening. You tried to push yourself on your forearms, an instinct to turn around and see what you were dealing with, but before you could make a move a firm grip grabbed at the back of your neck. The sharp tug sent shivers down your spine as Hoodie yanked your head back. With a swift flick of his wrist, he let go of your nape only to have his fingers dart into your hair. His grip was certain and precise. “You’re way to eager to get on another man’s cock.” Your face was shoved once again back into the mattress. 

He was watching you excitedly as he brushed his tip across your folds- a groan escaping his lips when he felt how wet you already were. There was something primal about knowing you belonged to someone else yet he got to claim you as his right now. 

“Be quiet now,” he instructed sliding his cock inside you. You tried your best, you swore you did but he was so- big. Your eyes rolled upwards and your fingers gripped tightly at the sheets as you tried your best not to scream. His cock pressed deeper and deeper inside your cunt, stretching you in ways you did not even imagine possible. “You moan like a whore,” he growled with a final push. You felt your face blushing in shame- he talked to you in ways you would've never allowed your boyfriend, but on his lips those words felt so natural; almost like praises.

“Shh, shh,” he murmured, the sound gentle but insistent. You were already panting and crying just by the size of him. He gave you a moment to adjust to him being balls deep inside your aching cunt but your whines wouldn’t stop. He leaned over you, the rough material of his clothes scratching your soft skin. His hand reached to the side of your face, you thought he wanted to wipe away the tears that were sliding down your cheeks. He chuckled, his hand covering your mouth instead. “I’m gonna fuck you senseless, sweetheart.” 

________________________________

“Fuck, fuck- fuck! Feels so- Agh!~” 

You were screaming so fucking loudly. Your head was bumping to the ruthless rhythm of Hoodie’s thrusts. His fingers left red marks all over your ass, your hips- he was tugging at your body merciless, squeezing and scratching every inch of skin he could find. 

With trembling hands you tried your best to hold onto the bed frame as Hoodie was rutting into you from behind. His balls were hitting your swollen clit so hard- again and again and- “Am so close- so close, so close!”  Jaw was hanging open, you were gasping for air. 

“Fucking whore,” Hoodie sighed grabbing your neck with one hand, the other searching for your open mouth. “Bet he never fucked you this good, eh?” He gave a sinister chuckle as he shoved his fingers down your throat. You followed his cruel pull falling back on his torso. He was squeezing at the sides of you neck reminding you how little and vulnerable you are right now, “You only breath right now- scream and cry- you only feel this good because I allow you to.”

You whine taking him even deeper, his cock slaming your walls faster. His fingers explored your mouth pressing down your tongue, his grip thightend. 

“I could snap your neck right now, you know?”

You cry out loud in desperation, surrenedring control to him completely. Your eyes shut in anticipation, every muscle in you tightens-

“Say who you really belong to, who fucks you like a bitch in heat,” he snarls. “Say my name.”

And you do. Over and over again you do as your gummy walls squeeze around his length unbearably thight, waves of pleasure wash all over you. Hoodie’s hands allow you to gasp for air just for a second as they move under your arms grabbing you by the shoulders. His sudden body weight pushed you on your belly, fucking you deeper into the matress. His thrusts grow sloppy and desparate with no regard towards you- he was fucking you like a fleshlight.

“I’ll pump you so full of cum, MY cum-” Muffled sounds rose from deep in his chest, you were able to hear his clenched teeth through the sharp breaths he took. “Breed you so good you’ll be ruined- Fuck-” he whimpered. “Ruined for Tim,” his thrusts are brutal and harsh and- so goddamn overwhelming. 

His cum shots in hot strings, his member twitching inside your ruined cunt. His hands pull you closer and hips push further trying to get as deep as possible- deeper than Tim at least. 

You felt bad for comparing but the way he feels on top of you, in you- he fucked you in ways your boyfriend never could. When you tried to shift he grabbed a fistful of your hair forcing your head back. With lazy motions he started fucking his cum deeper.

“I didn’t tell you you could fucking move yet.”

//

This is my first fic since, what- 2021? Wow. Crazy.

I'll keep on writing my usual content as well, but creepypastas and gore-y stuff has always been something I wanted to write but never felt confident enough before. Anyways, feel free to request or send me any message, I came back from my hiatus! Never thought I'd say that lol.

[ahgasegotarmy116]

Just Take It | Bonus Drabble 2

Summary: Jungkook gets mistaken as your father but jumps at the opportunity to show them exactly who he is to you. Pairing: Inexperienced f!reader x Best Friend's Dad Jungkook (20 year age gap) Word Count: 1.6K~ Warning: Suggestive language but nothing crazy lol a/n: So this is another ask by an anon and it was something I'm sure y'all have been curious to see so I figured why not make it a little longer 🤭 p.s. written in one sitting so barely edited Start from the beginning

"Here you go!" the lady at the register says, handing Jungkook one of the shopping bags.

She had been looking at the both of us, no doubt trying to figure out our relationship but went with the one that might seem the most logical with an age difference as big as ours.

"You're lucky! I wish my dad would still buy me clothes at my age. I miss those days where I wouldn't have to worry about anything, especially money" she says, no doubt trying to make conversation while she folds the rest of the clothes and places them inside the second bag

"No you see he's not my-" "She does call me Daddy but I can assure you, I'm not her father" Jungkook jumps in, wrapping an arm around my waist and pulling me closer, making things a lot more intimate than they had been before.

"I- um-" I stammer but Jungkook decides to make matters worse, looking to gain my confirmation. "Right Bunny" he says, placing a kiss on my neck and making me shudder, completely mortified by this whole situation.

"Oh would you look at the time! We better get going if we want to make it to that thing in time" I say while shaking off his embrace, trying to get away from here as soon as possible.

When I reach out to take the second bag Jungkook gets to it faster and already has a comfortable grip on the handle. "It's okay baby, I got it" he says, going out of his way to sound sickeningly sweet but also extremely intoxicating at the same time.

I smile painfully at him and squeeze out a quick thank you to him and the poor cashier and hightail my way out of there.

"I'm sorry sir I shouldn't have assumed" the girl apologizes but Jungkook tones down the playful nature and assures her that he understood where she was coming from.

"It's alright. I just like to embarrass her when I can" he admits and she laughs, understanding our dynamic just a little bit more. "Have a good day sir" she say, wrapping up the conversation and he returns the sentiment and thanks her for her help.

When he finally decides to leave the store he saunters out to me, his eyes clearly showing his continued amusement from the little spectacle he put on back there.

"I hate you" I pout and he chuckles in response. "Why do you have to do that every time?" I question, dragging out the last word and it only gains me and even more playful Jungkook.

"Because you look so pretty when you're looking at me like that" he says, placing both bags in his left hand and using his right to pinch my cheek, no doubt warm to the touch from the embarrassment I couldn't help but feel back there.

"Let's just go" I say, rolling my eyes at him and making my way out of the shopping center, him following with a bounce in his step before he catches up to me and grabs my hand, making me stop to look at him.

"Let me make it up to you yeah?" he say, the once playful eyes changed to one's full of hunger. I can feel my cheeks start to warm up again, this time from desire instead of embarrassment because I know exactly what's in store.

I don't bother to dignify his words with a response and simply continue on my quest back to the car but the fact that I've held onto his hand and made sure he was following me still made him chuckle, finding me absolutely adorable.

"That eager huh?" he asks and I huff in response. "I'm done with being in a bad mood today so you've got a lot of work to put in mister" I grumble and he laughs at my reasoning, knowing deep down I'm buzzing with excitement. 

"Don't I always?" he says and I stop in my tracks, glaring up at him, "So you think I'm a piece of work huh?" I growl and he holds back his laughter, finding my efforts of being intimidating so endearing. 

"No, I just love taking my time with you" he says, caressing my face and making my sour mood start to fade away, "Isn't that right Bunny" he says, leaning down and placing a chaste kiss on my lips leaving me wanting him even more. 

"Shut up" I say and stomp away, done with his teasing and needing him to put his money where his mouth is. If he's claiming he wants to make it up to me then he's doing it in a very strange way. 

"You know I thought this shopping trip was supposed to be fun and make me feel better" I say once he's finally caught up to me right before I take the crosswalk to get to the parking lot. "I'm having fun. Aren't you?" he teases, acting completely oblivious making me even more upset. "No, I'm not" I say through gritted teeth. 

"Come on Bunny you know I'm just teasing" he says popping the trunk and placing the bags in it before closing it and going to open my door. 

"Hey" he say, grabbing me by my waist and pulling me close, "You know I love you right?" he says once I've cuddled into his chest and I nod, breathing in his scent which always brings be a sense of comfort. "I love you too" I mumble and he kisses me on the forehead before letting go and opening my car door. 

"Let's go home okay?" he say and I nod walking closer but before I'm able to sink down into my seat he smacks my ass. "OW! What was that for?" I whine, rubbing the spot he abused as he dryly chuckles. "That was for rolling your eyes at me back there Princess. Think I wouldn't notice huh?" he says in a deep taunting voice that he knows can push me into submission. 

I shake my head and he gives me a mischievous smile before telling me to get in the car. 

"I thought you were supposed to be making it up to me" I pout once he gets in the car beside me. "Don't worry Darling, once I'm done with you, you'll forget that you were even mad at me to begin with" he says so casually, making my stomach do a flip, my thighs always clenching together, thinking about what lies ahead.

"Just let Daddy take care of you yeah? Gonna make you feel all better" he teases and although I act like I hate it when he talks to me like that, I know he'll always make good on his word. "Don't call yourself that" I groan, trying to hide how easily the simplest words can make me so needy. 

How has he trained my body to react to him so well. I guess it's my fault for letting him have his way with me time and time again. After all, he was my first and I wouldn't want it any other way. 

"You okay baby?" he asks, concerned that he's truly made me upset from how I had spaced out for a second there. "I'm okay" I say plainly and he nods, putting the car into drive and starting on our short journey back home. 

"Thank you Daddy" I say playfully making him choke on his spit, not expecting me to call him that since I had been so against it just moments ago.

"For what?" he questions through coughs and I can't help but laugh. "For all of the things you bought me today" I say and he leans over and grabs my cheek, turning me to face him to share in a sweet kiss while stopped at the red light. 

"You're welcome baby" he says, rubbing his nose against mine before pulling back and sitting properly in the drivers seat, placing one hand on the wheel and the other on my thigh as we continue on our journey once the light turns green. 

"Don't think you're getting away with not showing me how pretty you look in them once we get home though" he says squeezing my thigh and and letting me know exactly what he meant but he chooses to voice it anyway. 

"Need to fuck you in that babydoll nightgown I got you" he growls, "Been thinking 'bout it since I saw it" he growls and I feel myself getting even more wet with every sinful word that drips from his lips. 

"You can't just say that" I say, hiding my face in my hands and he chuckles, using one hand to spread apart my thighs with ease, rubbing a finger along my clothed center to see the damage he's already done.

"Baby's so worked up that she could probably cum from my words alone huh?" he taunts and he doesn't let up the entire time, making me absolutely helpless against him. He knows exactly how I want it and he lets me know that I'm not leaving to bed today, or tomorrow and maybe even the next day. 

"Gonna fuck this little attitude right out of you" he says, pulling into the garage and shutting it behind us. "Upstairs. Now" he commands when he turns off the car and opens the trunk to pull out the bags, making sure to bring up everything because he meant what he said.

Wouldn't be surprised if some of the lingerie doesn't even last a day. But then again it never really does... 

Series Masterlist   

Taglist: @jkslipppiercing @trina864 @kaitieskidmore97 @goddesofimortality @coolbluedude @00frenchfries00 @bangtans-momma @coralmusicblaze @pastelpinkjoon @joonwater @marvelbun @j3nni-rs @evidive @beomieboi @forevrglow @jesssssmaybankk @teugiie @chaconnelatte @whoa-jo @snehal @xumyboo @mindurbuzznezz @diorh0seokie

Join my Taglist!

Feel free to fill out the form or just comment on any of my fics to be added :)

[ad0rechuu]

ᝰ MY OH MY. ━━ (029) balloon flowers versus roses

WORD COUNT. 1038

WARNINGS. a little timeskip from last chapter but only a couple days, yelling, arguing, just some pretty serious and mean spirited insulting, i was in really bad mood when i wrote this but let me just say again that this fictional and i know yj is better than this :]

credits to @ari-shipping-stuff for being my beta reader / writer <33

SUNWOO WAS NEVER the target of the bet nor did he create it. Honestly speaking, it was never his issue at all.

Yet as he walked out of the familiar elevator, he felt like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders since the last time he'd stood in that very same spot.

The bet wasn’t technically his issue. Neither was your relationship with Yeonjun. But he could not have helped but insert himself in the very middle of it. It came down to the most important person in his life. What was he supposed to do?

Not many friends, especially best friends, would be this overjoyed that their dearest friend's relationship ended. Sunwoo, however, wasn’t like most friends. Because if it was up to him, he would lose the title of being solely your best friend as soon as humanly possible.

A smile took over his face as he turned the corner, his eyes fondly looking down at a bouquet of flowers— the very same flowers you got him too.

He hadn’t brought the balloon flowers in for any particular reason (even if he spent a greater part of the night researching the best florists near him). At first, confessing to you was on his mind. But eventually, he decided that after just coming out of a relationship like the one you had, maybe getting into another one right away wasn’t on most people’s wishlist.

And giving flowers with such a romantic meaning as a congratulatory gift for a breakup wasn’t ideal either.

So he decided that the fact that they might make you smile was enough reason for him. His own smile grew imagining your face already.

He looked up in front of him. A familiar figure making its way up to your door caught his attention.

As quick as his smile had grown, it dropped instantaneously, seeing the other visitor raise his fist to knock, roses in his free hand.

“Don’t!” Sunwoo exclaimed, his voice echoing through the empty corridor.

Yeonjun stopped in his tracks, rolling his eyes as recognition settled in.

Yeonjun straightened his back and sent a quick glance at the door before eventually facing the other man. Sunwoo walked towards him with an unreadable but dark expression on his features.

The former only chuckled, pushing his hand through his hair.

“Kim Sunwoo! Don’t you have a knack for always showing up on time to ruin the moment?”

The black, curly-haired boy move one step closer.

“I’m serious. Don’t knock. Don’t show up in front of her. Don’t attempt to get her back for the sake of a stupid bet. Don’t do that her.”

“Who are you to tell me what to do? You don’t know anything.” Yeonjun scoffed, crossing his arms.

Sunwoo paused for a few seconds, clearly in thought. He then reached into his pocket.

“Is it because of the money that you keep doing this? I was always under the impression that you were more than well off, but if you really need the money, I’ll give you everything I have. If it means you’ll stop hurting her and leave her life forever.” He said, looking down at the wallet before offering it to Yeonjun.

His expression changed from annoyance to pure anger. He roughly pushed Sunwoo’s hand down, speaking with the same rough caliber.

“Like I said, you don’t know anything. Stop talking like you do.” His hand came up to his beautifully sculpted face, pinching the bridge of his nose. “It’s not about the fucking money man. I really do love her!”

“Yeah, right! How can you say that? I mean, you have done nothing but lie, cheat, and use her! You don’t love her. You just don’t want to lose the power you have over her!” Stepping even closer, the boy holding purple flowers now also raised his voice. “I bet you don’t even know what love is to her!”

“Oh, and you do?”

“Yes! Yes, I do! Better than you ever will.”

Both of their voices bounced off the walls. In any other context, Sunwoo would be worried about getting scolded for possibly disturbing your neighbors. But he was too busy shooting an icy glare at the boy in front of him.

As Yeonjun looked away first, a part of Sunwoo wanted to celebrate the tiny victory internally. But a sarcastic laugh took his attention.

“You think you know everything just because of your silly little crush on her, don’t you?”

“What?” Sunwoo’s eyes widened, blinking a few times as if it would make sure he heard him correctly.

“You thought I didn’t know? Ha! Everyone knows. I mean, you follow her around like a lost dog. She probably does as well.” Yeonjun smirked, at the shock at the other one’s face.

Balling his fist, he tried to recollect himself and attempted to ignore the implications of his words the best he could.

“N-None of your relationship was even real ever since the second bet! Despite that, I can give her the love you weren’t able nor deserve to give her. I truly love her!”

“None of it was real. Yet she was kissing my lips. She was going on dates with me. Despite everything, she still chose me, and she will again.” He clenched his jaw, spitting words like venom, made to burn deeply. Normally, Yeonjun wouldn’t go this far but anger took over after Sunwoo’s confirmation in form of a confession of what he knew already deep down. “But even if she doesn’t, did you truly think that you had any semblance of a chance, ever?”

“She’s never ever going to see you that way and you are never going to be worthy of her. You’ll be nothing but her friend until she inevitably gets tired of you and ditches you.”

This time, Yeonjun was the one who stepped closer, tongue as sharp as an arrow, not even stopping at the obvious nauseating heart break on Sunwoo’s face.

“Because you two are simply not on the same level like me and her are, she’ll never love you.”

Before Sunwoo get a word in, the two boys heard the door creak open, making both of them look up at the figure standing in the doorway.

‹ PREVIOUS ᜊ NEXT ›

NOTES. hehehhehehehhehehehehhehehehehhehehehe

make sure to participate the ask them anything event, it’s very important to me : it’s okay if you already send an ask tho, feel free to ask as many questions as you desire whenever you think of one

TAGLIST. @tocupid @leo-seonghwa @seonghwaddict @starryunho @yuyusuyu @kodzumo @felixsramen @aapplepii @juhakutie @gyumibear @alixnsuperstxr @atinyinateezverse @nyukyusnz @ghstzzn @blueresides @shakalakaboomboo @haechology @ahnneyong @atinycafe @i-luvsang @nasangel @asherthehimbo @marvelahsobx @blue-rainydays @the-swageyama-tobiyolo @evilsailorsenshi @allisonleannn @sunkitti @koizekomi @ms-no1kpopstan @marsvillee @tubatu-wari-wari @jazminethecreator @mitchko11 @daegale @wonwootakemyheart @ksywoo @dearly-somber @hxnnibxns @luvvsnae

[lady-of-tearshed]

Get him back

Platonic!Liam Mairi x Reader

Inspired by the song "get him back!" By Olivia Rodrigo

Summary: Liam would do absolutely anything for Sloan. Even listening to her spilling tea about her... rather hot best friend shitty lovelife.

Word count:

Warnings: very slight violence.

A/N: Let's be honest, Liam would totally be the type to love hearing out to her sister spilling tea to him. And he would do anything to help her baby sister out.

Liam almost jumped off the chair of his desk when Sloan slammed the door of his bedroom open, crashing down onto his bed in an annoyed grunt. He knew he wouldn't need to ask what was wrong, so he just got up and closed back to the door slowly, making sure the joints hadn't been shattered by his little sister's sudden entrance.

He laid down beside his sister on his bed, ready to hear about whatever had put her in such a shitty mood. “Is it wrong to read your best friend’s journal?” Sloan kept staring at the ceiling, biting her lower lip just like she did after doing something bad when they were children.

He turns his head and smiles gently at his sister, knowing how caring she was towards her… incredibly attractive friend. “Well… was it a matter of making sure she's safe?”

Sloan exhaled a deep sigh. “Well… kind of. She's not talking since he dumped her. And she'd been acting really… weird lately. I was worried, and she wouldn't open up to me when I asked her…” She groans and throws her hands to the ceiling in annoyance. “She wrote that she wanted to get that bastard back!”

He sat up abruptly, his pulse fastening and his voice slightly raising an octave. “She wants to get him back?!”

Unfortunately for Liam, Y/N seemed to have an annoying attraction to the worst masculine specimens there could be. Plus, as she said plenty of times, Liam was “a good friend to her, a brother figure”…

Yeah. He knew he'd never get a shot with this amazing girl… Plus, Sloan would probably pin his balls to the wall if he ever made a move on her best friend. “Well… that's what she wrote in her journal…”

Sloan turned her head to his brother, giving him the eyes. The pleading eyes… She even added a little pouting lip. Whatever Sloan was about to ask him, he knew damn well he was already doomed to accept whatever it was about. “Please talk her out of it, she always listens to you!”

Liam groans in answer and sit up on the bed. “Fine. I suppose I can try to stop by her room to… try putting her back on track.” Sloan sits up too and swings her arms against his brother’s neck. She gives him a big smooch on the cheek, making him chuckle at her baby sister's childish behavior. “Ooooh thank you! You're my best big brother!” “I'm your only one.” “Exactly my point.”

He rolls his eyes at her teasing, and walks out of his bedroom to stop by Y/N's room before classes start. He makes sure to stop by the cafeteria to pick them both up coffee and muffins, for breakfast. That way it'll give them more time to talk.

He passes by first year cadets, every one of them, mostly girls, looking over at him as if he was some kind of fallen angel. Probably because of his prominent rebellion relic showing off fully because of that fitted black t-shirt he was wearing. And the fact that a second year was walking through the halls of first years…

He tried to brush it off, and walk directly to your door, knocking on it with his foot, since his hands were full with you guys breakfast. You open up the door, your nose buried deep into the book you were currently reading. Your eyes shift up when you realize that the same standing in your doorway was much larger and taller than your roommate's, Sloan. “Liam? Is everything okay? Did something happen to Sloan?”

He chuckles and your body relaxes at the sight of breakfast in your friend's hands. You put your book down on the desk beside the door, and help Liam empty his hands. “Everything and everyone is fine. I just decided to bring over breakfast. Figured we could… talk.” She nods, taking a first sip of her coffee and moves to the side to let Liam in.

“Thank you, Liam. Actually, yeah. I wanted to talk to you too about um… something.” He nods, feigning innocence as if he didn't already know what was wrong. As if Sloan didn't just burst panicked into his room this morning when she snooped into your things and read your journal.

He puts a comforting hand on her shoulder and smiles softly. “You know… I know that… things are hard after a breakup and that sometimes we have doubts…” You frown and shakes your head. “No I- Actually, I'm really over him and I wanted your help to-” You stops in your track and gasps, throwing him an accusatory finger.

Liam tenses, but quickly relaxes when a playful grin spreads onto Y/N’s beautiful lips. “Sloan snooped into my things again, did she?!” You burst into laughter at Liam’s awkwardly scratching the back of his head. This sibling duo was impossible… “She must've thought I wanted to get him back for other… reasons.”

Liam chuckles, feeling incredibly awkward in the situation her sister threw him in. “What..?” You chuckle and finish up your coffee in a swig before filling your mouth with the muffins he bought. “Yeah! I wrote in my diary that I wanted to get him back, but for… revenge purposes. And I wanted to ask for your help, actually.”

He leans forward on his chair, elbows resting on his knees. “Listening.” You grin and stand up, clapping your hands. “Alright! So first, I want to make him really jealous. And for that part, I need your help. I need us to… fake date.” He raises a brow, confused. “Fake date? Sloan will kill my ass.” “Oh shush, she's your little sister and my best friend, she can't be that scary!”

He sighs and leans back into his chair, contemplating the situation he got himself into… “Alright. Deal. We'll fake date. But… you said first… what are the next parts?” You grin mischievously, then add. “Oh… the next parts are my parts… the fun parts. I'll make him lunch, poison him, kiss his face with an uppercut, and break his heart again and again, just like he did to me.” You finish up your muffin and wipe the crumbs on your shirt.

You walk to exit the door, Liam too stunned to say anything. “Oh. And once I'll be in second year, and have the right to send letters, I'll make sure to write one to his mom to tell her how her son sucks. Good day, Liam!” You shoot him a pretty smile before heading out of your room to attend your classes, as if you did not just confess to him that you'll make this man suffer from worse tortures than in RSC classes.

Sloan really had nothing to worry about her best friend… But that guy needed to. Though he totally deserved it.

A/N (again): This is just a quick little something that flew out of my mind just... Now. I'm currently reading Crescent City, so I'll probably post some content about this fandom soon. 💕👀

[sabo-has-my-heart]

Hey there! Hope everything's going great

Sooo I had a request:

I had this thought about what if s/o and op men had a little argument on something and they decide to give silent treatment to each other for a while, they still do stuff together like going shopping for stuff with the crew but this little incident happens where a guy flirts with s/o infront of their partner and she (yep female s/o) says she's single XD

Like a headcanon on how they would react to this? It can be a funny one

I'd specifically like sabo, law, zoro and coby for this!

Thank youuuu so muchhhh if you'll do this take care! ^^ ♡

I included Ace in this as well because I love him. Sabo, Law, Zoro, Koby, Ace.

Warnings: arguments, threats, almost violence, heartbreak, hurt/comfort,

Word Count:1720

     Your fights never got this bad, never got out of control like this. Normally, you were able to work it out, or at least take some time to cool down first. But you’d both been in a bad mood, both said things you shouldn’t have, both been rather stupid to be honest. It should have been a minor argument, should have been simple grumbling followed by comforting hugs and cuddles, maybe a nap. Instead, it had ended up with you both storming off in an even worse mood than you’d already been in, it had ended with you both giving each other the silent treatment, and with extremely high tensions whenever you were together. Few, if any, of your friends said anything, not wanting to get caught up in your fight or be on the receiving end of your wrath, but the tension was getting uncomfortable… well, more uncomfortable. A simple shopping trip with the others, that’s all it was. Get some supplies, look around, it wouldn’t be the two of you alone, so it’s not like it would be uncomfortable silence the entire way, you could both talk to someone who wasn’t each other. It had been while you’d been in a clothing shop, looking at various clothes that he approached you. Tall, handsome, with a gorgeous smile.

     “Hey there, beautiful. Noticed you looking at these. If I may be so bold, I think this would look much better on you.” he said, holding out a beautiful dress. Running your fingers over the fabric, you smiled, you did look good in this color, maybe it was worth at least trying on.

     “Tell me how I look?” you asked, taking the dress, the man following you towards the dressing rooms. As soon as you stepped out, the man was taking your hand, kissing the back before helping give you a little spin.

     “You look dazzling. I was wondering, if a beautiful woman like you would perhaps join me for dinner? That is, unless you’re already taken.” he said, giving you another thousand watt smile. You hesitated for a moment. The two of you hadn’t talked in well over a week, or had it been longer? You were both too busy fuming to keep track, still stubbornly refusing to talk to each other.

     “No, I’m single and I’d love to accompany you.” you said with a soft smile.

Sabo

Head immediately whips around to look at you.

Heartbroken and angry.

Single? Was this your way of breaking up with him?

Immediately marches over, tells the guy you’re actually taken and then drags you away.

Pulls you somewhere secluded so you can talk.

Totally pins you to the wall.

Calls you both stubborn and says that the fight was stupid.

He’s angry because of the guy but he’s also super scared of losing you.

Pulls you close and holds you, telling you you’re his and that he won’t let some stupid fight change that.

If you don’t apologize for the fight or want to break up, his heart will 100% shatter.

He’s lost enough, you were the ray of sunshine in his life, he can’t lose you too.

Doesn’t actually say anything though, just walks away.

You can’t tell if he’s angry or sad from the way he leaves.

Won’t talk to anyone unless necessary for days and completely avoids you.

So, so heartbroken, absolutely cries when he’s alone.

Thinks he has to be strong for the Revolutionary Army though, so will put on a smile around others.

If you both apologize.

Refuses to let you go after that, if you let him, he’ll absolutely carry you everywhere, but if you don’t, he won’t let go of your hand. At. All. 

Super possessive all day.

Pulls you into his room to sleep with you. 

I hope you don’t have to get up in the middle of the night, because he won’t let you go.

Seriously, wrapped completely around you, holding you tight, you just are not going anywhere.

Steals or buys all sorts of gifts for you. Anything he thinks you might like. 

Even if you’re both at fault, he’s trying so hard to make up for the fight.

Law

Excuse me, what?

Straight up shambles the guy away, like as far as his room will allow. 

Super duper pissed.

Demands to know why you said you were single.

If you say that you’re breaking up with him, his heart will break. 

Not even kidding, will storm off to the Polar Tang, lock himself in his room and cry. 

If you say someting like ‘he was acting like you weren’t together anymore’, he’ll freeze up

Had he really been that stubborn and stupid?

Shambles you both back to the ship and holds you close.

Tells you that he can’t lose you.

Surprisingly sweet. Is this really your Law? Because he’s being way too affectionate.

Absolutely makes it up to you. Takes you back out shopping, if you so much as look at something with vague interest, he’ll either buy it or steal it for you.

Takes you out to a very nice (secluded) dinner that night. Holds you close all night, like, I hope you don’t mind sleeping in his bed with his arms wrapped around you, because it will happen.

Doesn’t let you out of his sight the entire time you’re docked.

Zoro

Almost slices the entire store (and the guy) into pieces.

You’re WHAT?

So, so, so angry.

Also scared, though he won’t admit it.

Scares the guy away.

Picks you up, throws you over his shoulder, and takes you back to the Sunny.

You can’t tell if he’s more angry or hurt as he looks at you.

Simply states that you’re his.

If you tell him you aren’t and that you’re breaking up with him.

Just storms off.

Goes to his gym and starts working out to try and blow off some steam.

Spends an unusual amount of time in the gym from now on. 

Can’t look at you because it hurts too much. 

Still totally loves you.

He doesn’t even insult Sanji for days.

If you forgive him.

Wraps his arms around you and holds you close.

Just stays like that for a while.

Keeps an arm wrapped around you all day as you go shopping.

In so much debt to Nami now because he borrowed so much money.

Isn’t able to buy you everything you look at, but if you express any sort of desire over it, he’ll buy it.

Keeps you close for weeks. He’s training? Well, I hope you wanted to watch him work out. He’s taking a nap? You’re taking a nap too. 

I hope you don’t mind sleeping in the boy’s dorm because Nami absolutely will not let him sleep in the girl’s dorm.  

Koby

Immediately rushes over to you.

Are you serious? Does this mean you’re breaking up with him? He’s so, so, so, so sorry.

Completely ignoring the guy as he takes your hands in his.

Eyes are so hurt and scared and a little desperate. 

Begs you to forgive him.

If you break up with him.

Absolutely starts tearing up then and there.

Quietly walks away as he starts crying. Returns to his room and starts sobbing. 

Beats himself up for getting into the fight in the first place. 

SO different from his usual self!

Just super quiet and downcast. 

It’s like he reverted back to when he was working for Alvida but without the hope for something better.

His rank and abilities totally suffer because of how heartbroken he is.

Like, everyone is wondering, is this really the same Captain Koby?

Does eventually, sort of bounce back, but is super focused on only work.

If you forgive him.

Clings to you, just wrapps you in a huge hug, apologizing over and over.

Still crying a little but so, so relieved. 

Buys. You. Everything!

Seriously, I hope you plan to look at the ground the entire time, because if you even glance at it, he’s buying it, trying to make things up to you.

Even if he knows it’s both of your faults, he doesn’t care, he feels like he needs to apologize and make it up to you. 

Spoils you rotten for weeks.

A little meek around you for a bit, but does perk up and return to normal after a bit. 

Cuddles with you whenever possible. Like, if he has even a minute to spare, he’s got his arms wrapped around you. 

Ace

Literally lights on fire as he stalks over to the man.

Almost lights the guy on fire.

Not sure who to feel more sorry for. Ace for feeling so scared and heartbroken or the man for being so terrified.

Pulls you away immediately. 

As soon as your somewhere secluded, he wraps his arms around you and doesn’t let go.

Apologizing over and over.

Please don’t leave him, he’ll do anything, whatever you ask.

If you don’t forgive him. Stands there in stunned silence while you walk away. 

100% crying.

So, so despondent as he walks back to the Moby Dick. 

Locks himself in his cabin, refuses to come out.

Barely eats and Thatch has to deliver it to Ace because Ace won’t come out. 

Nobody hears his sobbing, but it’s a miracle he doesn’t die of dehydration. 

You were the best thing to happen to him.

You think he was depressed over his past before?

1000x worse now.

Absolutely thinks he’s trash for losing you.

Doesn’t necessarily bounce back, but returns to his commander duties again.

If you forgive him.

Holding you even tighter.

Can’t stop himself from crying into your shoulder.

So, so scared he was going to lose you.

Once he manages to gather himself together again, he takes you back to the ship. 

He doesn’t buy you everything but that’s because he just wants to hold you.

You spend the entire week simply cuddling with him. 

Will not let you go. Eating dinner? You’re in his lap. Sleeping? He’s holding you tightly like a teddy bear. Just relaxing? He’s cuddled up with you.

I hope you don’t need to train, because he won’t let you go long enough to do so.

Whitebeard eventually has to order him to return to him commander duties because he’s so busy clinging to you.

[fuckinthewholetown]

Fallingforyou - Matty Healy Chapter One

I’m kind of shitting myself posting this but, it is what it is. If you think it’s shit, feel free to tell me, but please be nice or I will cry. I’ve also only skimmed over this so if there’s any typos, please tell me so I can fix this.

Tags: Slight angst, swearing, mentions of religion, gay, probably bad writing

Word Count: 2309

As much as you love touring, you’re the first person to admit it can get repetitive. Wake up in a random hotel room, get to the venue, sound check, perform, and repeat.

However, today is different. Today you’re performing a sold out show at Wembley Stadium to 90,000 people. This is the day you’ve dreamt about since you were five, giving one woman performances to your parents in your living room. And the cherry on top is you get to do it with four of your best mates.

Your day starts off as normal, doing your skincare routine in a hotel bathroom in the heart of London. You’re living the dream. That is until you hear a knock at your door. As you’re walking over to answer it, you pull your hair out of the makeshift pony tail it was in previously. Before you could fully open the door, it barges open and your guitarist and best friend Maddie O’Connell storms into the room.

“We need to talk.” She says, pacing back and forth.

“Ok, calm down. There’s absolutely no reason to be this stressed. Take a crystal.” You say, pulling some green agate out of your bra. You’re met with no response, just a deadpan stare. “Noted, not in a crystals mood. What’s up, this is the best day of our careers, it must be something big to get you this stressed.”

“You have to look me in the eye and promise that you’re not going to freak out” She says, sitting down on a seat in the corner of the room.

“I promise. Unless you’re shagging Matty Healy or Harry Styles, then I revoke that promise”

“Not exactly… It’s Ross” She says, refusing to look you in the eye. You stay silent, internally freaking out but refusing to break the promise you made to her. She takes this as you not understanding what she’s on about “Ross Macdonald… The bassist of the”

“Yes, I know who you’re on about!” You say, cutting her off before she can say anything else and send you into even more of a mental breakdown. You stand up, now it’s your turn to pace the room. “You’re fucking the bassist of my favourite band and you just conveniently don’t tell me until 5 hours before the biggest show of our careers? I love you to death, but you need to get better timing babes”

“I know,” she says, still refusing to make eye contact with you, “and we’re not fucking. Well, we are but it’s more than that. I like him, and I think he likes me.”

“How long?”

“Six months…”

“Six months!” This information is enough to stop you in your tracks, “you’ve been shagging the human equivalent of Jesus for 6 months and you forgot to mention it!”

“I’m sorry! I knew you’d freak out because you’re a big fan and I wanted to make sure it was serious before I got your hopes up. However, I’ve kinda been forced into telling you.”

You sit back down, confused over her last statement. “What do you mean forced into telling me? If one of the girls is secretly a bitch and forcing you into this, we can become a group of four. I’m a big boy, I can sing and play an instrument at the same time.” That half joke is enough to make her finally make eye contact with you.

“It’s nothing like that, the girls don’t know yet you’re the first person I told. I’ve been forced into telling you because they’re coming tonight, all four of them are watching the show.” And that statement is the straw that broke the camels back, you’re officially freaking out.

“What? They’re watching us tonight? All four of them are watching us? Oh god, I have to look Matty Healy in the eyes knowing I’ve read the dirtiest tumblr fanfiction about him. I read one of him as a priest, oh god I’m going to hell!” You say, putting your head into your hands. Maddie on the other hand does not see the seriousness of this situation and bursts out laughing.

“Him as a priest? Didn’t strike you as the religious type.” A chuckle escapes your lips as you finally return the eye contact.

“I went to an all girls catholic school actually, I love Jesus.”

“You came out of that school with minor alcoholism and even more gay than you were when you went in, I think Jesus would be disappointed.” She quips back. You laugh, standing back up from your slight mental breakdown.

“I’m happy for you, I really am. When are they getting here?”

“Just before sound check.”

“Before sound check?” You respond, falling back into your mental breakdown. “That’s in less than an hour. I’m meeting my celebrity crush and your new fuck buddy in less than an hour? Get the fuck out, I need to do a full face in 20 minutes!”

You all but push her out the hotel room, scrambling to get ready for the biggest moment of your life.

After somehow managing to do your hair, makeup, and put on a hot ass outfit in under an hour, you walked into the green room at Wembley Stadium. What met your eyes was what could best be described as a sight out of 16 year olds you’s wet dream. All four members of The 1975 sat around the table, gossiping about who knows what. As you walk in, the room goes silent. Luckily, your bandmates are there to quell the awkwardness. The pianist of your band, Sienna Turner is the first to speak.

“Boys,” She says, standing up and dragging you by the forearm into the circle, “this is Y/N!” You were expecting to be met with blank stares, but instead the boys jump up to greet you, tackling you into bear hugs. It’s a warm welcome off everyone. Well, mostly everyone. The man you’ve loved since you were a teenager stays sat in the corner of the room, closed off and refusing to even acknowledge your existence. You figure it’s probably just him being an introvert, so you go over to introduce yourself personally.

“Hey.” You say, hoping for any kind of response. You don’t get one. No acknowledgement, no hey back, not even a snarky comment, he just ignores you. This is not how you imagined this day would go.

“Damn,” you follow up, “I knew you’re an Aries, but I didn’t think you’d act so much like one.” You let out a slight chuckle. He, on the other hand, does not find this so funny.

“Good God.” He responds, rolling his eyes and taking another sip of his drink.

He hates you. The man you’ve been enamored by for almost 10 years despises you. The only possible explanation is he’s seen your private TikTok reposts of endless thirst traps of himself. Nevertheless, you had a show to do. And if there’s on thing you can do despite external feelings, it’s fucking shit up on stage. You nail sound check, sounding better than you ever have. Probably a mix of adrenaline and frustration over the fact that your childhood crush seemingly hates you for absolutely no reason.

You exit stage after sound check, immediately going back to the green room to get ready for the actual show. As you’re getting your makeup and hair done, conversation flows. You and your friends are talking to the boys as if you’ve been friends for years and you didn’t just meet them an hour ago.

“So, Y/N. You’re into like crystals and shit aren’t you? What’s that like, I don’t really get it.” George says, turning all eyes on you.

“It’s not for everyone, but I find comfort in manifestation and things like that. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think incense will cure cancer but keeping rose quartz in my bra definitely isn’t going to hinder my love life.” You laugh, trying to keep your response brief.

“Bullshit.” Comes from the corner of the room. The first words you’ve heard from Matty since your brief conversation earlier in the day. The room falls silent and you feel a red hue cover your face. The longer the silence, the thicker the tension in the air. You clear your throat, trying to restrain yourself from going over to him and giving him a black eye.

“Like I said, it isn’t for everyone. I was cleansing my room once and my mum thought I was smoking weed. When I told her what I was doing, I think she’d have preferred if I was doing drugs.” Everyone starts laughing and the room erupts into conversation again as if nothing happened. Every so often, you catch a glimpse of Matty in the corner of your eye. He never seems to move, his phone in one hand and a beer in the other. As you zone out of the conversation, your mind moves to deciphering why on Earth he could hate you so much. Nothing comes to mind, you’ve never met him before and you’ve definitely said nothing bad about him publically. Quite the opposite in fact, as last year a drunk video of you singing Robbers went viral on TikTok.

You zoned out for so long, before you knew it it was time to go on stage and perform the biggest show of your life.

“Ok girlies!” Ava Fletcher, the drummer in your band and also the member you’ve known the longest, speaks up. “This is it. No pressure but there’s 90 thousand people out there who’ve come specifically to watch us, so if we put on a shit performance our careers are probably over. But absolutely no pressure, just have a good show.” You laugh, leaning into the group hug you do before every show however this one felt different. The sense of adrenaline and fear within the group was unlike anything before. There was a lot riding on this show, and if you fucked it up a lot of people would be disappointed. However, all of these feelings are washed away when you’re wrapped into a hug by George.

“Blow their fucking minds out their.” He whispers into your ear. All feelings of nervousness are washed away when you realise you’re being hugged by the drummer of your favourite band. You go around, being given motivational speeches by every member of the band. Well, almost every member other than, you guessed it, Matty. He encouraged every member of your band except you, walking off before you could get to him.

The beginning of every show is always the worst. Hearing the roaring crowds increases your heart rate tenfold, but the stakes are even higher for this show. With one last group hug, you put your in ears in and run on stage, ready to start the show. As the show goes on, you occasionally glance side of stage to where the boys are standing. Everytime you make eye contact with them, they give you an encouraging smile or thumbs up. Matty on the other hand continues to evade eye contact, choosing to watch a different member of the band. However that didn’t stop you from putting on one hell of a show, and that’s what you did. You blew the metaphorical roof of that stadium, it was arguably the best show you ever did. The adrenaline high you had once you ran off stage couldn’t be ruined, even by a moody former celebrity crush.

The moment you exit stage, you’re immediately crushed by a massive group hug involving your band and the boys. Despite all of this, the only thing you can focus on is the hand around your waist. It’s Matty. You don’t think he meant it, instinctively putting it there when he was dragged into the hug. Nonetheless the area he was holding felt like it was burning under his touch, his calloused hands leaving marks on the skin underneath them. The group hug is cut short when he pulls away, clearing his throat slightly and going back to cradling his drink.

You do the rounds, talking to everyone backstage and discussing the nuances of the show and how amazing the audience were. This repetitive conversation continues until you get back around to him. You expect to be met with no eye contact, maybe an eye roll if you were lucky, but what happens next surprises you.

“You did alright out there, Princess.” The confusion on your face is palpable, at both the nickname and his sudden talkative nature. “Princess, like Princess Kida from The Lost City of Atlantis. It’s funny because,” you cut him off.

“Our band name is Lost Atlantis, yeah I get it. It’s funny.” You respond, a dead pan expression on your face. The tension was obvious, you could cut it with a knife. That is until Moon Dixon, your bassist, comes up behind you and wraps you in a hug.

“We’re all going back to Maddie's place to have a few drinks, you joining us?” She says, mostly to you but including Matty in the conversation as well.

“Yeah, let me get into something less sweaty and gross first though.” You laugh, trying to hide your disappointment as he walks off to join the rest of his band.

Get over yourself, you thought to yourself as you walked back up to your dressing room. Just because Mattys a dick doesn’t take away from the fact that this is the best day of your life. You just performed your biggest show ever, and three out of the four members are lovely. But despite this, you can’t get the curly haired man out of your mind. You see him every time you blink. How have you gone from badass pop girlie to pathetic simp in the space of three hours?

Chapter Two

[lovejosephquinn]

LANA 🖤 I see your requests are open. May I request reader having a super long day, like ACHING bones and all she wants to do is sit down. So lovely caring Joey offers her a seat…on his face 😇 (no me self projecting hehe) ily 🫶🫶

NADIA 🖤 I GOT YOU. ALSO ILY.

Under 18's DNI. Word Count: 1.8k

Groggy, unsettled and aching; that was your mood. A bad mood if you could put it bluntly. Work had been over demandingly busy today, you had taken at least 3 sets of pain killers to numb the pain, attempted not to clock watch as time would certainly go slower, you got your head down and got on with it, constantly chanting to yourself you got this, get it done and go home. Problem was there was a grand total of 9 hours of the 'getting it done' to do.

As usual, you were in the biggest rush to return home to your safety and sanctuary, where nobody could disturb you. You dropped your keys at least twice trying to get them into the door to unlock it, giving yourself a few choice words before taking a sharp breath and endeavoured to complete what was probably the easiest move you had made all day.

You stomped through the door, making your presence known, slumping down your bag into the corner of the hall way, dropping your jacket over it and sluggishly dragging yourself into the living room where the sound of life filled your ears. The sweetest view made you feel an inch calmer when you saw the back of his head, a swift turn of it brought you face to face with the utter delight of your boyfriend's features carefully analysing your mood.

"Good day darling?" Joe asked.

"I feel like death so um, no." Your bottom lip pursued to poke out, you almost looked like a dramatic child throwing a tantrum over something so small.

"What can I do to make it better?" Joe reached out his hand toward you, initially you took two steps forward and then halted back into a stood position, arms folded deciding against the embrace of your significant other trying his best.

"C'mon baby, you're home now." Joe mirrored your bottom lip puffing out before standing to his feet and making his way over to stand in front of you. Keeping your arms tightly wrapped, he snakes his arms around you, letting your face fall into his chest where he soothes from the back of your neck down to the small of your back, small subtle kisses adoring the top of your head as he gives you a gentle squeeze of reassurance.

"You're stressed." Joe mentioned.

"You don't say." You replied muffled, being borderline suffocated by Joe's t-shirt. He pulled back to get a better look at your face, bringing his hand to stroke against your cheek.

"I just want to sit down." You sighed out a combination of relief to be able to breathe properly and hoping that you would get your wish.

"Where?" Joe smirked, an eyebrow raising and head tilting slight. The cogs in your head turned until the penny dropped.

"Where do you have in mind?" You decided to play dumb.

"A chair?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"I need something a little more comfortable than that." You looked down slowly before bringing your eyes up to bore into the beautiful brown ones that met yours, batting your eyelashes perfectly.

"I'm sure I can stretch to finding you a pillow." He laughed, your arms returned to their folded position.

"Fine, fine. I have a better idea." Joe did a little hop skip and a jump, landing backwards onto the sofa, slouching ever so slightly.

"How about here?" The wink was wicked and you were already beginning to feel better about the aches you had earnt from work and were more cautious of the aches that seemed to form stronger below. Joe pointed toward his face, making you bite down onto your lip.

"Hmm, my favourite seat." You were a shirt flirt, but he seemed to eat it up, so it wasn't an issue.

"I'm so glad you decided to wear that little slutty skirt today." Joe licked his lips, swallowing saliva practically already tasting you.

"Slutty?" You stopped in your tracks.

"You know how I feel about you in that skirt, haven't fucked you in it so many times for nothing." You both simaltaneously giggled.

Joe made grabby hands at you, advancing you to come closer to him before you sat on his lap, straddling over his waist. He progressed to slouch downward. "Let me take care of you, baby."

"You always do." You moved yourself toward his knee, bringing yourself down to leave an inch of space between your mouths. Joe pressed his lips to yours quickly, they moved in unison smacking together, partially through desperation and partially through lust. You pulled back and when Joe opened his eyes, they looked starved. They sparkled a different type of way, the one that you only saw when he wanted to do naughty things to you.

You hovered upward whilst Joe made work of your underwear, pulling them over your ass and downward, your fingers met half way for you to rid the rest of them before returning back to him.

"You're stressed and I'm hungry, maybe we can help each other out." It's true. Joe was just as a terrible a flirt. A match made in heaven.

You clambered up over him, leaning your knees against the top of the sofa, his fingers gripping into your thighs to keep you up right whilst you adjusted yourself. You didn't even need to sit right down before you felt Joe's muscle reach up from no where, taking his own sample of your sweet juices, the tip of his tongue licking a stripe right through your slit. Your whole body clenched, you felt breathless at first contact, you was not sure how he managed to make you feel so amazing before he had even truly begun.

"Taste so fucking good, my girl." He moulded his finger tips into the fat of your thighs before moving the tip of his tongue against you again, this time brushing right up against your clit. With a hum of appreciation, Joe mustered all the saliva he could in his mouth before pushing down on your thighs to gesture for you to get comfortable.

You were spread perfectly, enough for him to dig in straight away. Joe's hands let go of your thighs and moved up to your hips, flattening out his tongue so your cunt massaged against it back and fourth, his hands moving your body like a puppet for his own enjoyment.

"Ugh fuck." You moaned, throwing your head back, your hands landing on top of his messy curls.

"Mmm." Joe groaned, man handling you further forward so he could reach for your clit, his lips cupping against the aching bud as he sucked furiously, his tongue poking through to flicker against it in a circular motion.

You tugged erratically at his hair, your fingers ravelled around the strands, urging him to go further. "Don't stop." You whimpered, the feeling becoming all too much too quickly. Joe knew how to hit the right spots all too well with you, your body was a temple to him and he knew his way around you. Joe shook his face against you, his lips creating an almost vibrating motion against you, the shock of electricity ran through the entirety of your body within seconds, sending you over the edge. You came with all your might, crying out Joe's name with an almighty roar. Joe lifted you up, letting himself take a breath, using all his muscle to keep you hovered in the air.

"Fucking hell babe." Joe let out a mischievous chuckle. "I think you've got one more in you."

"I-" You didn't even get chance to give him a straight answer before Joe stood his tongue to attention, bringing you down and planting his muscle straight through your entrance and slotted it inside of you.

"Oh my g-" You jolted forward, his thumbs creasing into your skin not letting you go too far, pushing you up.

"Stay." Joe breathed out. Your hips were slightly brought up and then down again and you were bouncing slight against his face until his face was firmly buried and he created a steady rhythm and began to ride his face intermittently. The over sensitivity had you feeling all over the place, squirming and not knowing where to put yourself.

Joe's moans were apparent yet distorted, his own bulge twitched every time you moved a certain way. He snaked one hand up toward your back, whilst the other found it's way through a small gap to lead itself to your clit, the rubbing intensified the sharp feel of the way his tongue felt inside of you. You pushed all your weight against him, taking everything you could get which gathered a whole new meaning of sensitivity rushing through you. "J-J-Joey." You couldn't muster anything more, the combination of his tongue and two fingers pressed against you were enough to make you want to cry.

"Y-y-yes b-a-baby. I'm going to-" His fingers stroked so perfectly through the slick that coated the outside of your cunt, it was a messy situation going on below but it was fucking worth it. Joe pulled out of you just as you were about to cum, his tongue flattening against you once more as you rid against midway of his muscle, your body gave way within seconds after as you bellowed out a not so audible string of curse words.

Your cunt squirted out into his mouth and Joe tasted and swallowed all that you had to give, humming and showing major appreciation to your perfect 'party trick'. His hands returned to your hips, pulling you up to offer you a safe attempt of getting off of him so that you didn't give way too quickly.

"Joseph fucking Quinn." You gave your boyfriend a peck full of thankfulness. "You never cease to amaze me."

"I aim to please, beautiful." He leaned in for a more passionate, short lived kiss.

Joe moved you over to the side of the sofa beside him, you were close to leaning into him for a cuddle but were met by the warm patch where his ass sat. He stood before you, offering his hands out, making those cute grabby hands again.

"Come on gorgeous girl, time for a bath. I'll make us dinner whilst you relax and then we can get the comfy blankets and I'll let you rant to me about your shitty day."

"No need. All is forgotten." You smiled gleefully.

"It is?" Joe returned the sweetness of the smile you offered.

"Because of you."

You still took Joe's hands, you still took the warm bubble bath complete with candles and a glass of wine. You still ate every single bit of food that your man had prepared for you. You still had a lovely cuddle on the sofa and talked about anything but work to keep your mind off of what was now in the past. There was one thing that he missed, the part where you returned the favour once you had gotten in bed.

[diagnosedpsychosis]

Heyo!!! 😁 I’m not sure if your still taking requests but I've had this idea for a little while.

Could you do Aaron × BAU f!reader where they are having an argument and something had happened in the field and when they got back home (originally his place) they got into a heated argument and Aaron says something to reader like "why did you even coming here with me if we're just going to fight" which the reader responds by saying "would you rather me to go out into the field and not come back to you?" And when Aaron doesn't answer (out of shock or surprise) reader takes it the wrong way and as his answer and leaves which he then regrets what he said. The next day in the office reader won't even look or talk to him and in the field reader is more careless and takes huge risks because of what Aaron had said.

It could possibly end with reader getting an injury and is in the hospital and in fluff or hurt/comfort. However you see fit is perfect!!! 😊

Im in a big mood for some angsty shizz and I have asked a couple different writers about this just to see what different perspectives and ideas they can create with it. So if you are able and willing i would love to see what you put together for this. If not that's perfectly fine too! Thanks luv 🫶🫶🫶

Hiiiii, I'm always open to requests and up for a challenge so thank you so much for this!!! I'll see what I can do for you <3 I hope it's okay.

Word Count: 5k

__________________________________________________

You knew going after an unsub much bigger than you on foot, and alone was a bad idea, well.... you knew it now. But at that moment, the only thought that had crossed your mind was that if you let this man get away, men and women would never stop suffering at the hands of him. You had found him by fluke, so it was now or never.

You weren't expecting to be tackled from behind, I mean, you had been chasing him, right? He was in front of you. But somewhere you'd lost track of the man and just kept jogging in the direction you knew he'd gone in, so when he tackled you from behind it was a complete surprise and you hadn't had enough time to put you hands out in front of you to support your fall.

You hit your head hard, your vision going blurry for a moment as you struggled to breathe under the weight straddling you. He was big and could easily overpower you, you both knew it. His hands flew to your neck as he squeezed, trying to crush your throat under his hands. You gasped, and wheezed, kicked and clawed at him, but he just sat over you with a large grin, knowing your life was in his hands and he was going to take it.

So when the gunshot cracked and he stilled on top of you, for that brief moment where his brain still ticked and his heart still beat, he wondered how he hadn't realised you had been distracting him with your kicks and your gasps, all so you could reach for your gun. The bullet came from your gun. The bullet that put an end to his reign of terror. A single bullet, that saved countless lives.

You hadn't even been able to take a heavy drag of air, or relax for a single second knowing you were no longer in danger before police sirens blared and uniformed officers trudged through the forest, torches on high as they searched for you and the unsub.

"Y/n?" The first voice you recognised was Derek's. You noticed a hint of panic in his tone as he searched for you, unsure if you were close or not.

"Over here" You called, barely able to get the words as the literal dead weight on you rested over your chest, robbing you of air. You heard heavy shoes against the ground and twigs and leaves crunch under weight before Derek broke through a bush, his torch landing on you.

"I got them" He yelled loud enough that his voice echoed and even Aaron who'd been so many hundred metres, panic searching for you heard him and ran in the direction of his voice. Derek jogged over to you, letting out a relieved sigh at the sight before him. You were alive, and the unsub wasn't.

"You owe me a drink for how worried sick you made me" Derek frowned down at you, wiping the sweat from his forehead and placing his hands on his hips to catch his breath.

"Yeah, sure. Now are you going to help me, or leave me here under this rock all night?" You wheezed, relieved to see Derek crack an amused smile, an airy laugh bubbling out of his throat as he bent down to help you.

"You push, I'll pull" He ordered you, eyes jumping back to yours as you scoffed.

"No, you push and I'll pull" You joked, not needing Derek to tell you to push, as if that wasn't what you wanted. Derek rolled his eyes, a smirk on his mouth as he counted down from 3. The second 1 left his mouth, despite being sore and having no energy you pushed with all your might, and with Derek's help were able to roll the unsub off of you.

The second his weight left your chest you doubled over, coughing uncontrollably as air suddenly flooded your lungs. Derek was quick to help pull you up, slinging your arm over his shoulder, his hand rubbing circles on your back as he helped move you away from the unsub and officers flooding the area. He pulled you off to the side before sitting you an a dead tree stump.

"Hey, you alright?" He asked, crouching down to your height and pushing your hair back out of your face. You nodded your head, before immediately stopping as zaps of pain made you groan.

"Yeah, I just hit my head a little hard" Derek frowned before moving his hand to the back of your head, eyes jumping back to yours as he met a wet spot.

"I think you're bleeding."

"What?" You gaped, letting Derek pull you up and sling your arm back over his shoulder as he helped guide you back through the forest.

"Medics are already here, we'll get you checked out" You thanked Derek for finding you and helping you so much. You even shared a couple jokes and laughs with him, but the moment you broke through the forest your face was wiped of its smile.

Standing beside the ambulance, was a very grumpy looking Aaron in a black polo and FBI vest. To anyone else he looked like he did all day, every day- frowning, and bored. But you could tell that his eyebrows being a tiny fraction more furrowed meant he was mad. Being able to read your boyfriend was both a blessing and a curse. Derek helped you over to him, before quickly dipping and leaving you alone with your fuming boyfriend.

"Aaron-" You started to say, but he was quick to cut you off, arms flexing as he folded them over his chest.

"Save it. We'll talk later" He snapped, causing you to rear back at his tone. You knew he would be angry about you taking on an unsub alone, but you didn't know he'd be this angry.

"Are you really that angry-"

"I said save it. Now hurry up and get checked so we can leave" You watched, lips slightly parted at Aaron clicked at a paramedic to give you attention, before he turned around and stormed back over to one of the SUV's. What had been confusion over Aaron's tone quickly turned to anger on your part as well. Of all the people to judge you for running after an unsub alone, Aaron had no right, not when 7 out of 10 decisions he made in the field were stupid.

"You've got a concussion and some bleeding at the back of your head. I'd suggest going to the hospital to get it properly patched up. There's only so much I can do here" The paramedic who had been checking you informed you. You offered the man a tight lipped smile as you stood up and off the side of the ambulance.

"Thank you" You told him before walking off to meet the rest of your team who'd been waiting in a circle at the front of the SUV's.

"Hey" Derek smiled as you stopped beside him. He raised his hand to your head and ruffled your hair like a dog.

"How's your head, Fred?" He asked, and your eyes flew to Aaron who was watching you with a frown, waiting to hear all the injuries you'd gotten. The longer you stared at him, the less you felt like telling the truth, knowing he'd use it against you in an argument. You glanced back at Derek and smiled.

"All good."

"Great. Let's get out of here. I want to go home" Emily smiled, patting your arm before everyone split up between the cars and headed back to the bureau. You were grateful for a local case so you wouldn't have to endure hours of tension on the jet, but at the same time maybe that's exactly what you needed between you and Aaron- time for him to calm down, and time for you to sooth the concussion.

Despite Aaron being your boyfriend, Derek had been the most supportive on of your team. He'd found you, helped you, worried for you, and hesitantly left you at the ambulance, so it wasn't surprising you stuck to him like glue for the drive back to Quantico, not that he minded. It gave him more time to check that you were 100% okay.

When you got back everyone was quick to grab their things before leaving and heading home for the night, excited to sleep in their own beds after a tiring case you'd all worried would go unsolved, but it hadn't, thanks to you. You tried to leave quickly before Aaron could intercept you, but of course, you can't always get what you want.

"My place" Aaron huffed from behind you, before quickening and lengthening his strides until he passed you, refusing to glance back as he stormed to his car. You got in your own car, watching him drive away before you even started the ignition. You wondered how he'd react if you just didn't go to his. He wasn't your boss outside of work, he couldn't order you around, but there was no doubt in your mind that if you weren't at his soon after him he'd call and text every last person in his phone that you had connections with, just to hunt you down and find you.

So you followed him, and soon reluctantly pulled up out the front of his apartment building. You got out, walked inside and took the elevator to his floor before slowly walking down the hall and stopping in front of his apartment door. You didn't even need to knock, because in seconds the door opened and there stood a much too unhappy Aaron.

"I hope the wind doesn't change" You tried to ease the tension, offering a half smile, it wavering as Aaron rolled his eyes and turned around, leaving the door open for you to come inside.

"That's your coping strategy? Making jokes?" He scoffed as you clicked your tongue against your teeth, closing and locking his apartment door behind yourself. You followed him further into his apartment, stopping and watching as he filled a glass with water.

"It's much more fun than what you're doing. Aaron, you're being overdramatic" He let out a laugh before turning to look at you. You took a small step back, not liking the look on his face or the tone of his voice. You wished you'd never driven to his, because you knew just by looking at him he was going to be the mean Aaron you hated tonight.

"Oh, am I?" Your own joking smile fell from your face, quickly mirroring the frown on his face as you nodded your head, subtly grabbing the stool beside you when you felt yourself become slightly dizzy. You were sure you didn't actually have a concussion. A headache, sure, but not a concussion. All you needed was some ibuprofen and you'd be fine.

"Yeah, you are. You're being overdramatic and you're being totally unfair. You know if it was the other way around I'd never give you as much grief as you're giving me right now" You raise your voice, pointing an accusing finger in his direction.

"Maybe cause if it were the other way around you know I would've made smarter decisions than you did tonight" You scoff in disbelief at the utter bullshit coming from your boyfriends mouth.

"You know for a fact you're just as hot headed as me, Aaron. You make just as many stupid mistakes and you get just as injured, so don't try to lecture me about 'smarter decisions' cause you know that's a load of crock" You hated how he spoke and treated you during arguments, like you weren't his equal. Like every decision he made was perfect, and every on you made was a mistake.

Aaron brings his hands up, dragging them down his face as a loud, irritated groan echoes around the apartment. "Far out, I shouldn't have told you to come over after a once in a blue moon field day for you. Why did you actually even come? You don't follow 95% of my orders, but what? You do now?"

"What would you rather Aaron, me going out into the field and still coming back to you, even if it is to fight? Or me going into the field and not coming back to you?" Your question stuns Aaron into silence and out of the ever consuming rage he'd felt. All that pent up anger dissipates at the picture you've painted in his head. One with a reality where you don't come home to him. It didn't matter if after every case you fought, all that mattered was that you came home with him every night, safe and healthy.

The silence you had stunned Aaron into rebounds right back at you. Your shoulders sag and your eyes burn as you stare at the man you loved, not saying a single word in response to the hypothetical you threw at him. Not a single word. Not a single word to let you know he of course wanted you to come home to him, instead his deafening silence twisting your brain to think the opposite.

Was he tired of you? Is that why he was so quiet? Because he couldn't figure out a way to tell you he didn't want you to come back to him, so he was going to let you answer that question for yourself?

You didn't know what the hell his silence meant, but all you did know was you were tired, angry, hurt, and a little heart broken. You didn't know what else to say, so instead opted to say nothing. Quickly, you stormed past Aaron, shoulder knocking his hard as you ripped open his front door and slammed it behind you as you left.

If he didn't want you coming home to him, then there was no point staying. It took Aaron all of 30 seconds for his heart to start racing, the pit of his stomach churning in a sickly rhythm as guilt consumed his every being. Of course he wanted you to come home to him, you were all he wanted and all he'd ever need, it was the image you'd put in his brain that he didn't want following him. One where you and him weren't together. One where he went to bed and woke up alone. One where all the love he could possibly feel for another- for you, went to waste.

Aaron felt like an asshole for not having answered you. He knows now that you would've overthought his silence, and knew you'd be thinking Aaron was at home, wishing you two weren't together anymore. In your mind, you'd probably already broken up with him, and that was quite literally the last thing he wanted.

Aaron grabbed his car keys with every intention to hop in his car and drive by your house, and if you weren't in, he'd spend all night driving around the city until he found you. But when his phone dings with a notification of a new, urgent case, he hops in his car, knowing despite how you may be feeling, nothing could keep you away from an urgent case.

Aaron was first at the office, soon followed by Spencer, then Emily, then JJ, and then Dave and Derek who'd been out together being each others wingman.

"These serial killers couldn't even give us one night?" Emily groans, rubbing her eyes tiredly after having been awoken by a phone call with a deeply apologetic Penelope on the other end of the line.

"I had laid down literally 3 minutes before Pen called" JJ huffs, pushing her hair out of her face and behind her ears.

"Somebody better be getting tortured" Dave mumbled under his breath, Derek snorting behind him as everyone started making their way into the conference room. All seats but one where quickly occupied, and Derek was the first, after Aaron to notice your absence.

"Where's Y/n? She get your call?" Derek asked Penelope as she stood in front of the case TV.

"Yeah, I already started briefing her over the phone and sent her the files. She said she was going to stop off and get coffee for every one so to meet at the jet" It was the little things about you that everyone loved. How thoughtful and giving you were, even if it was just coffee. But the fact you knew this would be hard on everyone and personally stopped off to grab coffee to help them all out, made them love you just that little bit more.

The team was quickly briefed before immediately heading out to the jet. You and the team were desperately needed in Florida for a case where first born daughters in large families were being kidnapped in the middle of the night. No bodies, but a lot of evidence of a scuffle at all the crime scenes. So far 5 girls were missing and the last two happened within a night of each other.

When the team got to the jet you were already inside, a paper travel coffee cup with each persons name at their respected seats they tended to stick to. You had placed Aaron's cup at the seat against the back wall window, and despite the fact you usually sat next to him, you were sitting on the couch to be as far away from him as you could. Reid's cup was in your place and Aaron instantly noticed the moment he stepped onto the jet.

You were thanked as everyone took sips from their hot coffees and sat down, Aaron reluctantly sitting down despite the fact his eyes were trained on you not looking at him. He wanted you beside him, but he knew it'd take a lot more than an apology. Besides, the last place he wanted to beg for your forgiveness was in front of the team.

He'd do it... but he didn't want to. So instead he decided to give you space, saving a chat for the first chance you two get to be alone. Quickly everyone started talking about the case, ideas bouncing off each other one after another for the whole duration of the couple hour flight.

When you all landed you got off with Derek, refusing to spare Aaron even a glance. You were ignoring him and that was the way it stayed the whole time the team were in Florida.

There were numerous times Aaron tried to pull you aside to talk but you'd quickly come up with an excuse, or you'd brush him off, pretend you couldn't hear him and go and talk to someone else. It was clear to everyone there was trouble in paradise, but they wanted not input in it so they let you two do your thing all the while working the case.

You even refused to share a motel room with him. When you'd gotten to the motel on the first day Aaron had gone to grab your bag to take it up to the room he assumed you'd be sharing, but before he could you snatched it off the ground, grabbing Emily and JJ's hands before dragging them up to the room you'd stolen a key from Derek to.

Aaron didn't know what to do and spent all night on his back thinking about you. The few hours he did get of sleep were restless and filled of nightmares of realities where you didn't come home to him. Nightmares, not dreams.

You had all made some serious ground breaking damage on the case over the last few days and knew who the unsub was. You'd all put vests on before hopping in the SUV's and driving to the unsubs house.

You knew you shouldn't have been there, getting ready to step out into the field. Since you'd hit your head hard on the last case you have been having intense, painful headaches that sometimes made it hard to see, hear or breathe. Your head has sat heavy on your shoulders and the only relief you get from the almost constant pain is the few hours of sleep you've been getting, other then that it is 24/7 and only getting worse.

Every time you almost regretted not taking this case off and just going to the hospital like the paramedic had told you, you think about the young girls taken from their homes and how much input and time you'd spent trying to find them. Sure, your team was more than capable of working this without you, but you liked to think your presence genuinely made a difference.

So when Derek pulled the SUV up beside the unsub's house, you pushed the thought of your headache aside and jumped out with everyone else, even if too much movement made you feel like you were about to collapse.

Derek pointed you and Aaron around the house, telling you both to go out back and clear the space. Despite still wanting to be nowhere near Aaron, you did what Derek told you to, for the sake of the case and the lives of the girls.

You two snuck around out back before you placed your hand on the back door knob, about to open the door when Aaron stopped you with a hand on your waist, pulling your attention to him.

"Y/n maybe I-" You cut him off, not knowing what he was about to say and not caring. Now was not the time.

"Save it, Aaron" You threw his words back in his face from when you'd taken the unsub down all by yourself. His shoulders sagged as he slowly nodded his head, looking back to the door waiting for you to open it and take charge. You heard the front door slam open and followed in suit, you and Aaron storming into the house and splitting apart.

"FBI-" You'd barely managed to yell before your body was slammed against the tiled wall of the bathroom you'd walked into. Your head met the tiles, vision going blurry as you crashed down to your knees right in front of the unsub. It had felt like your brain exploded inside your head, sending a shock wave of goose bumps and shivers over your body as you struggled to get back to your feet.

You didn't need to worry about protecting yourself though, because right before the unsub could come for you again three gun shots rang through the air. The unsub froze before collapsing in front of you, revealing Aaron lowering his weapon in the bathroom doorway.

"Y/n?" Left Aaron's mouth airily, panic washing over his face as he stepped inside the room and around the dead unsub before kneeling down in front of you. Your eyes were shut tightly, chest heaving as you tried to gulp up as much air as possible. Aaron brought his hands up to your jaw, lifting your head so he could see your face- your pained face. Aaron lightly moved his hands to cover your ears for a moment.

"I need a medic" Aaron yelled, but with his face turned away from you so it didn't echo right into your ears and put you in more pain than you were already in. Aaron looked back at you, tucking your hair behind your ears before lightly massaging your neck with his hands, trying to put your focus on something else.

"Where does it hurt, honey?" He asked quietly as you turned your face, dropping it into the palm of his hand. A pained whimper left your mouth as you leant into him, unable to support yourself.

"Everywhere. God, everything hurts" You groaned, head falling forward and against Aaron's chest as you fought for air. Your head was pounding from your second concussion of the week, and you struggled to talk and breathe, having been winded by the unsub body slamming you against the bathroom walls.

"Please step away, Agent" A paramedic calmly asked Aaron who let go of you reluctantly, pushing himself back up to his feet. He stood frowning, hands clenching and unclenching as he watched the medic talk to and guide you through a few exercises.

You were hurt and Aaron felt like it was all his fault. He felt sick looking at your face scrunched up in pain. He grimaced at the whines and sharp intakes when the medic touched somewhere too sensitive. He took a step back when the medic asked if you'd gotten a concussion recently.

"Yes" You huffed, Aaron's lips parting as his eyes darted between your face and your shaking hands. Aaron felt like he was going to vomit.

He absolutely hated himself for the way he acted just less than a week ago, and the argument you'd had. He should've been proud that you, his tough girl, took down an unsub all on your own, but now all he was thinking about was how hypocritical he'd been and the fact his anger had blinded him from seeing you weren't okay, and that you'd really been hurt.

You had been hurt and he didn't take care of you. He didn't deserve you, was the conclusion he'd come to and he didn't know what to do about it- fight for you and prove he can be someone who deserves you, or let you go and find someone a thousand times better than him.

"She's got to go to the hospital. She's got a concussion and a possible broken rib" The medic had turned back to Aaron who released a heavy deep breath despite the fact his heart was hammering so fast it threatened to burst out of his chest. Aaron wanted to step forward and reach out for you. He didn't care who was around, he was ready to drop to his knees for you, but a few medics walked into the room and helped you out of the unsubs house and into an ambulance.

The team barely talked to Aaron as they got into the SUV's and followed the ambulance to the hospital, not because they thought it was his fault that you'd been hurt, but because they could see he was blaming himself. So they decided to give him some space in hopes he'd come to his senses and realise it wasn't his fault.

The whole team sat in the waiting room of the hospital, everyone except for Aaron dozing off after the first couple hours without an update of your condition. The second a doctor emerged and looked in the teams direction Aaron was on his feet and walking over. He remained extra quiet not wanting to wake the team after an exhausting case but mainly because if you were alright for visitors he wanted to see you- alone.

"How is she?" Was the first thing Aaron asked making the doctor smile as she nodded back at the room you were in.

"She's alright. You're Aaron I presume?" He nodded, frowning slightly as he wondered how the doctor knew his name. She read the look of confusion on his face and offered him a smile as she stepped away from the door.

"She's been asking for you for about an hour" Aaron's heart swelled, chest heavy as he thanked the doctor and walked over to the door of your hospital room. He opened the door, stepping inside before shutting it quietly behind himself. He turned around and the second his eyes met yours he was at your side.

No words were spoken as he leant down, wrapping his arms around your shoulders, hand holding your head against his chest as he deeply breathed you in. You raised your hand, gripping onto his arm and closing your eyes, basking in the warmth and comfort of his chest.

"How is it that you're the one who's hurt yet all you can do is ask about me?" Aaron mumbled into your hair, finally able to relieve the weight in his chest and breathe now that he has seen you're alright with his own eyes. You chuckled into his chest before wincing, hand dropping from his arm and immediately pressing against your broken rib.

Aaron leant back at the sound of your wince, taking your face in his hands and pushing your hair back out of your eyes. You smiled up at him the whole time, your argument not even in the back of your mind as you thought about how happy you were to see him.

"Doctor ratted me out, huh?" You asked quietly, Aaron's lips twitching up in a tiny smile as he glanced over your face, making sure you were okay.

"Yeah, she did" He replied before sighing and letting his head fall against your shoulder. You both enjoyed each others company in a moment of silence, though you could hear Aaron's brain ticking.

"I'm okay" You whispered, raising your hand to his head and running it through his thick hair.

"I know, you're my tough girl. I just worry" Aaron responded, pressing a kiss to your shoulder before pulling back, his dark eyes meeting yours.

"I'm so sorry, honey. For everything. I had no right to get mad at you the other day, and I know that. It's just...you and Jack are all I've got and the thought alone of losing either one of you-"

"It's okay, Aaron" You cut him off, cupping his face in your hands as his eyes bounced back and forth between yours.

"No, it's not though. I was an asshole, the way I treated you, the way I spoke to you. You deserve so much better than that and I promise I'll do everything in my power to be the person that deserves you" You hated seeing Aaron beat himself up over your argument. You felt petty and childish for having turned your back on him all week. All you wanted was to put it past you.

"You don't need to do anything else. You're already there. I know it's scary, me being in the field, but it's also scary for me every time you're out too. No matter what, I trust you'll come back to me. Now it's your turn to trust I'll come home to you...if you want me to" Aaron couldn't fight the laugh of disbelief that bubbled out of his throat as he stared at you like you had two heads. Wasting no time, he took your face in his hands and brought his mouth down against yours hard.

"I would scour every inch of the globe for you, if one night you didn't come home to me. I love you so much, Y/n" Aaron always knew exactly what to say to make you putty in his hands. You kissed him back just as hard, and just as desperately, ignoring the pain from your broken rib.

"I love you too, Aaron."

[alouiadina]

Hangster oneshot ideas (pick whatever inspires you)

1) Bradley is upset and Jake acts like a complete goofball to cheer him up

2) It's 3 AM and you're blasting loud music and your music taste is great but I HAVE PLACES TO BE TOMORROW, YOU JERK

Title: Anniversary

Word count: 1,860

Bradley seemed to have woken up in a bad mood. 

Jake could practically feel the tension radiating off of him. He had barely said two words to Jake after they had both woken up, and when he asked Bradley if he was okay, all he got was a noncommittal shrug and a mumbled "yeah."

It was now a few hours later, and Bradley hadn't said more than a sentence to him the entire morning, and even then it had only been one word answers.

Jake couldn't help but worry. This wasn't like Bradley at all. Normally, if something was bothering him, Jake would use his usual tactics of corny jokes and funny stories to try and cheer him up. And if all else failed, he would make a complete fool of himself just to get Bradley to laugh.

Jake playfully nudged Bradley and flashed a mischievous grin. "Hey BradBrad," he teased. "Why couldn't the bicycle stand up by itself?"

Bradley's response was a withering glare before he turned to walk away. Undeterred, Jake quickly followed after him. "Because it was two tired!" he called out, a small hint of desperation creeping into his voice.

This time, Bradley stopped in his tracks and turned to face him. But instead of the usual smirk or eye roll that greeted Jake's jokes, Bradley's expression remained stoic and unamused. "That wasn't funny," he deadpanned.

Jake's smile faltered slightly, but he refused to give up. "Oh come on," he persisted, his voice filled with determination and a hint of desperation. "It was hilarious!" 

But Bradley's expression remained stoic and unchanging, a blank look still fixed on his face. Jake couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment.

"Alright," Jake sighed, determined to make Bradley crack a smile. "That one didn't work, let me try another." He cleared his throat dramatically. "What does the nosey pepper do? It gets jalapeño business."

But even this witty pun failed to elicit a reaction from Bradley, who simply turned around and walked away once again. Jake trailed after him persistently, determined to make him crack a smile at least once. 

"Okay okay," he conceded. "That one didn't work either. How about this one: did you hear about the guy that got hit on the head with a can of soda? He was lucky it was a soft drink." 

Jake waited expectantly for Bradley's response, hoping that this time he would finally break through his defenses and make him laugh.

Bradley turned around to look at him, and his gaze was icy and piercing, making Jake feel like he had struck a nerve. "Go away, Jake," Bradley seethed, his voice laced with annoyance and frustration. Jake could feel the tension between them growing thicker by the second.

"Oh come on," Jake chuckled nervously. "Don't tell me you're not laughing at any of those." 

But Bradley's glare only intensified, leaving Jake feeling like he was walking on thin ice. He shifted uncomfortably as Bradley's cold and final tone seeped into his bones. "I said go away," Bradley repeated, his words sharp and cutting.

Feeling rejected, Jake took a small step back as Bradley shoved past him, his shoulders hunched and his face twisted with frustration. "Just leave me alone, I'm not in the mood."

"Bradley-" Jake started, wanting to explain himself, but was cut off by Bradley's angry outburst.

"Just shut up already, Jake!" Bradley interrupted, his eyes flashing with anger. "I don't want to hear anymore of your stupid jokes or stories or whatever the fuck else you're gonna say. Just leave me the fuck alone."

"Bradley, listen, I-"

"No, you listen," Bradley interrupted him, his eyes narrowing. "Just because you think you're so fucking funny doesn't mean you have to try and force your jokes onto everyone else, alright?"

Feeling hurt and confused, Jake took another step back as Bradley continued to berate him. "But I just wanted to-"

"I don't care what you wanted," Bradley snapped, his voice laced with irritation. "Stop trying to be so damn funny all the time. It's annoying as hell and I'm not fucking laughing."

And with that final insult hurled at him, Bradley stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him with such force that it shook the walls.

Stunned and unsure of how to process this sudden outburst, Jake stood rooted to the spot, his mind racing. What had he done wrong?

He tried to recall the last twenty-four hours, trying to pinpoint exactly what he had done wrong. But the more he thought about it, the more confused and hurt he felt. Had he done something to upset Bradley? Was he not supposed to tell jokes today?

Frustrated, he let out a small sigh and sat down on the couch, staring at the floor as he tried to collect his thoughts. He hated seeing Bradley upset like this. Maybe he should apologize.

A nagging voice in his mind suggested that he should just leave Bradley alone. Maybe he didn't need Jake's constant presence. But the thought of not being there for Bradley made Jake's heart ache.

He glanced towards the front door, feeling torn between giving Bradley space and wanting to check on him. What if he was making things worse?

After what felt like an eternity of wallowing in self-doubt and guilt, Jake pulled out his phone and dialed Bradley's number. It went straight to voicemail, causing a wave of panic to surge through Jake.

Jake's voice trembled as he spoke into the phone, his heart heavy with worry. "Hey, BradBrad, it's me, Jake," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "Um... I'm sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to upset you. I was just trying to cheer you up. Please call me when you get this."

As Jake ended the call, a gnawing sense of unease settled in his chest, weighing heavy on his heart. 

Time dragged on slowly, an eternity passing with each second that ticked by. Agonizing worry consumed Jake, leaving little room for anything else in his mind.

Unable to shake off the creeping anxiety, Jake found himself dialing Bradley's number again. His voice was strained and laced with concern as he spoke into the phone.

"Hey, it's me," he said, trying to keep his voice steady. "Look, Bradley, I really am sorry. And...I'm starting to get really worried. Please just call me back and let me know you're alright. I love you."

Jake hung up the phone and slumped, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm his racing thoughts. But the worry and helplessness still lingered, clinging to him like a suffocating fog.

Another hour passed, and still nothing from Bradley. Jake was beginning to panic. What if something had happened to him? Without a moment's hesitation, he frantically punched in Bradley's number once more.

"Hey, it's me, again," Jake repeated, his voice laced with worry. 

"Where the fuck are you, Bradley? Please, please answer me," Jake pleaded, his voice trembling with fear. As the call went straight to voicemail, Jake's panic intensified. He could feel his chest tightening, his breaths coming in short gasps. Tears threatened to spill down his cheeks as a sense of helplessness washed over him.

"I don't know what to do. Just call me back and let me know that you're okay," he continued, desperation creeping into his tone. "I love you," he whispered before ending the call.

Closing his eyes, Jake took a deep breath and buried his head in his hands. He sat there for what felt like an eternity, lost in his own despair.

"Bradley, where the fuck are you?"

Jake didn't know what to do.

Each passing minute felt like an eternity, and the hours dragged on like endless days. He was about to call Maverick when he heard the front door open.

"Jake, I'm home."

Relief flooded through him as he looked up to see Bradley standing in the doorway, looking slightly disheveled and exhausted. His eyes were red and puffy from crying, but other than that, he appeared unharmed. Jake's legs moved on their own accord as he rushed towards his partner, enveloping him in a tight embrace. 

"You're okay," Jake whispered, holding Bradley close as if afraid to let go. "Thank god you're okay. I was so fucking worried about you. You weren't answering my calls, and I didn't know where you were, and I was so fucking scared, and-"

"Jake," Bradley interrupted him. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. You were only trying to make me feel better, and I was being a dick, and-"

"It's fine," Jake replied softly, reaching out to take Bradley's hand in his own. He could feel the tension in Bradley's grip, the tremble of his fingers. "You were just having a bad day. I should apologize too, I shouldn't have tried to get you to laugh when you clearly weren't in the mood. I was just trying to be there for you, and I guess I didn't realize that it was just making things worse."

A somber smile graced Bradley's lips as he pulled Jake in for another hug. "You were just trying to cheer me up," he said sadly, his voice cracking with emotion.

Jake held him tight and then pulled away, giving Bradley a concerned look. "What was it that was bothering you so much today? Did something happen?"

Bradley hesitated, his eyes flickering nervously around the room. After a moment, he spoke softly. "Yeah, um... It's just... Today is the day my mother died." He swallowed hard and looked down at his hands. "I guess I wasn't really in the mood to be cheered up."

"Oh." Jake's own eyes widened as the realization hit him like a punch to the gut. "Shit, that's today? I didn't- I'm sorry. I didn't know, I shouldn't have-" His words stumbled over each other as he scrambled for an apology.

"Jake," Bradley cut him off gently, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's okay. Really. It's not your fault, you didn't know. You were just trying to make me feel better."

"But if I had known, then I wouldn't have-" Jake's voice caught in his throat.

"I know," Bradley replied calmly, his voice filled with empathy. "Which is why I shouldn't have lashed out at you like that. It wasn't fair of me to take out my grief on you." He paused for a moment before continuing, "I'm sorry."

A small smile tugged at Jake's lips as he squeezed Bradley's hand gently. "Hey, it's okay. You're hurting and I understand that. I forgive you."

Bradley gave him a small smile back, and squeezed his hand in return.

"You know," Jake said softly. "If you ever want to talk about her, or about anything, you can always talk to me. I'm here for you."

"Thanks, Jake," Bradley replied, a genuine smile crossing his lips. "But, right now, I just want to sit on the couch with you, and watch a shitty movie, and eat some ice cream."

"That," Jake chuckled, pulling Bradley closer and wrapping an arm around his waist. "I can definitely do."

[sl-newsie]

American Woman (Thomas Shelby x American OC) Ch. 15: A Dangerous Game

On the way back from the race we stop by the Garrison so Arthur can pick up some liquor for the house.

“Won’t take long, lads. Just a few bottles. Tommy’s been downing them like there’s no tomorrow.”

The other Shelbys head to a hidden side room to discuss private matters. I suppose I’ll just sit at the bar-

“Jesus!”

I whip my head around in time to see Grace burst through the door. She barely notices me and storms off towards the back staircase.

“Grace, what’s wrong? Did-?”

“Thomas Shelby, that’s what’s wrong,” she answers sharply before stomping upstairs. “Ask him.”

Strange. I know Thomas can be emotionally detached and isn’t always the happiest, but he does know how to treat a lady.

“Let’s go, Steenstra!” Arthur calls from the front door.

“Coming!” 

Maybe I can get more answers back at the house.

“How was your first horse race?” Finn asks when we enter the hallway. 

“It was… brief,” I try to pull my thoughts together. “Unfortunately I didn’t even get to see the race take off.”

“That’s too bad. Maybe you can catch another one some other time.”

Finn’s bouncing on his heels and I can tell he’s antsy for another lesson. I guess there’s nothing else to do now. It’s starting to get dark and I’m in no mood to cook.

“How about a nature walk?”

Finn scrunches his nose. “At night?”

“You’d be surprised at what you can find at night. Ever see a firefly?” That keeps his attention. “Go wait outside and I’ll grab my coat.”

Finn picks out a flashlight and heads out the door despite Arthur’s disapproval.

“‘S dangerous at night, Steenstra.”

“Relax, Arthur,” John waves it off. “There’s a Peaky Blinder ‘round every corner. They’ll be safe. I’m off to put the kids to bed.”

Arthur sets the whiskey bottles on the counter and pours himself a glass. “Let’s see how long these can last.”

“Don’t count on it.”

Thomas’ voice snaps my attention to the hall behind me. His wrinkled suit gives reason to believe something happened after the race, but I don’t pry. Arthur just rolls his eyes and walks off to his room, downing the glass of whiskey.

“Evening, Verena. Enjoy the race?”

“What little I could. What happened to Grace? I ran into her at the Garrison and she had the look to kill.”

The Peaky Blinder doesn’t seem fazed. “She didn’t look it to me. She’s the one who asked if I thought she was a whore.”

His words stop me dead in my tracks. “Oh God. Thomas. Did you…?”

“I told her everyone is a whore, we just sell different parts of ourselves. She should’ve known what she was getting into when she agreed to work for me. He got mine, I got his.”

This business goes far beyond my jurisdiction and I’m glad it does. How can he have the audacity to even think such a thing?

I keep a stern frown and fight the urge to slap his arrogant face. “You son of a bitch. You did a whore swap? Against Grace’s wishes? I don’t blame her for being upset!”

He seems confused by my outburst. “Don’t get a bee in your bonnet. I didn’t do anything with his woman. We just talked. Call it getting soft, but I changed my mind and went back to trick Kimber into thinking she has Syphilis before he could do anything serious.”

This back and forth routine is giving me a headache. “Same pattern, every time. You do something so incredibly stupid and then counteract it.” I unhook my coat from the wall and strut to the door before Thomas can utter another moral riddle for me to decipher.

“Why are you so uptight about it? It’s not like I offered you up-”

I pivot before I reach the door and stare him down with a glare mother would be proud of. “Thomas Shelby, do you think I am a whore? That I would belittle myself so low? How dare you. How dare you assume the lowest standards of all women. I thought you were better than that.”

I leave him to stew on that. That Thomas Shelby is going to drive me up the wall, I swear to God. I shall have to offer some comfort to Grace, despite my subtle jealousy for her attraction to Thomas. 

“Pst!”

The hushed voice leads me to the door leading to the bull ring where all the real action takes place. Through a small crack I see Finn’s face peeking out.

“Finn, what are you up to?”

“Shh! I’m hiding!”

Call me bewildered but this little game seems like the perfect opportunity to distract from today’s events. “Oh! Can I join you?”

He cracks the door open wider and we both peer out into the dim hall. Outside we hear Thomas and Polly chatting about another family meeting. After a while everyone files out and the doors are shut. Now all that’s left is one of the bookkeepers.

“What are we waiting for?” I whisper to Finn.

“You’ll see.”

A few more minutes go by. Finn’s not one to invite friends over so what-?

The door opens and a group of men sulk inside. These men aren’t Peaky Blinders. What the devil is going on?

Finn steps out for them to notice and one of them pats his head. “Good boy.”

“Finn, who are these men-?!”

Another man whips out a pistol and corners me against the wall. “Quiet, bitch!”

The gun leaves my pulse racing. “Put that down! What on Earth are you doing here?”

“We’re taking back what’s ours!” The brute sneers and turns to the others. “Search everywhere!”

My fighting instincts want to sprint for the gun hidden in my purse. But that would take too long. I’ll be shot dead in seconds. The only other option I can think of is distraction.

“Finn!” I hiss at the young Shelby, who’s idling by the door. “Finn, go get Thomas. Now!”

He does as I say and slips outside. I don’t know what or who compelled him to let these men in here but I’m not just going to stand by without a fight. 

“I don’t know who you are-” 

Slap!

My cheek starts stinging from where the man hit me. “I said quiet! We know you’re the Shelby’s housekeeper so act like one and shut up!”

Another man roughly grabs my hands and starts to bind them with twine. No, I don’t think so! I knee him in the crotch and duck to roll behind a desk to avoid the fired shots. 

“Get that bitch!”

If I could just get to my gun- AH!

“Verena! Verena? Is she coming around?” A distant voice asks.

Huh? What happened?

My eyelids flutter open and I find myself sprawled out on the dusty floor surrounded by the Shelbys. The whole room’s been ransacked. Tables and chairs are thrown everywhere.

“Jesus Christ. What the bloody Hell happened here?” John asks as he examines the rubble.

“The Lees, all of them.”

“They’ve taken everything,” Polly grumbles.

I catch Thomas’ eye and he seems to drop all other concerns as he approaches and kneels down to me. “Did they hurt you?”

“No,” I answer firmly.

“Did they rape you?” 

“If they’d tried they’d be dead.” There’s something else I notice about the room. “Wait. They left these.”

Thomas looks to where I’m pointing and examines the tool.

“Wire cutters? Why would they do that?” Polly asks. 

Thomas spreads out his arms. “Nobody move. I think they’re playing a game.”

Polly and I share confused looks. “Game? What game?”

“Back in France, whenever we gave up ground from the Germans we’d set traps and leave behind wire cutters as part of the joke.”

Thomas’ eyes search around the room. “Somewhere in here is a hand grenade.”

Polly’s eyes widen and she too looks around. “Holy Jesus.”

“Attached to a wire. Don’t move anything, don’t touch anything,” John cautions us. “Verena, do you remember anything? Maybe where they might have hidden it?”

“No.” Thomas shakes his head. “If it was in here it would’ve blown by now. It was my name on that bullet. The trap’s set for me.” He looks over to where I’m still sitting on the floor. Does he look guilty? “And unfortunately you happened to be here.”

“But I wasn’t alone. Didn’t Finn come find you?”

Something sparks in Thomas’ eyes. “Where’s Finn?”

My breathing stutters. Where is Finn? Didn’t he follow everyone back here? Apparently not because Thomas rushes out the door to find him. 

“Verena, where are you going?” John asks when I stand up to follow. 

“I don’t care if it’s not proper for a lady to be involved with this. Finn’s in trouble and I will not just sit back and wait to see if he’s safe.”

We all follow Thomas out in one big search party. Where would Finn have gone-?

“Finn. stay exactly where you are.”

Thomas’ voice leads us to the garage where the car is parked. Finn is seated in the front holding the steering wheel.

“I was pretending I was you,” he smiles proudly at his older brother.

“Which door did you open to climb in, Finn?”

“I didn’t. I climbed in.” Of course he did.

Thomas approaches the vehicle slowly. “I want you to climb out exactly the same way you came in, understand?”

The young Shelby gets a giddy smile and all but ignores Thomas’ instructions by pushing the driver door open.

“No Finn-!” Thomas sprints over and pulls Finn out just as a ticking sound starts. “Clear!”

He picks up the grenade and hurls it out into the alley, causing a loud explosion to spread hot flames across the earth. John jumps in front to shield me from the blast.

My already-jumbled nerves triple my heart rate. “Oh my God.”

But Finn is safe now.

“That’s why you should never pretend to be me,” Thomas explains to him. “Ok? Ok?”

Thomas must be proud for his younger brother to admire him but at the same time I can tell he doesn’t want him in too deep either.

“Alrighty, time for a drink,” Arthur grunts and the others start walking back. 

“Time to clean up.”

Perfect. More chores. Can’t this family go one week without fighting?

“Are you ok, Verena?” Finn comes up. “‘M sorry. ‘S my fault those blokes got in.”

“It’s alright, Finn. As long as no one was hurt.”

Both him and Thomas frown. “But you-?”

“My own health does not compare.”

Thomas wants to follow up but decides to stay quiet. Thankfully Finn wanders back to the house and leaves us alone.

“I don’t know why he’s even allowed to be involved,” I say sharply. “Yes he’s a Shelby but just look at what could have happened.”

“I know, I know.” Thomas sighs. “‘M… ‘M sorry about earlier. And now you were almost killed-”

“Thomas, relax. Like I said, I’m more concerned about other things rather than my own well-being.”

“Why? Anyone who’s not out for their own self-interest is lying. We all want something.”

I exhale deeply to calm my temper. “Yes, but not all of us are driven by it. My wants are trumped by God’s purpose.”

We stand in silence for a time, listening to the foot traffic. As hard as I try to see the positives this place will always point out the violence tied to it.

“On another note, John’s getting married now,” Thomas says after a while.

“Can’t say I’m surprised. He’s always telling me about how his kids can be a handful. They need a proper mother. So who’s the lucky bride?”

He huffs. “Lizzie Stark. It’s a joke.”

“Why’s that?”

“Because she’s a whore,” Thomas states plainly.

At this point I’m not fazed by his blunt words. “Aside from Polly, Grace, and me, is there anyone in Birmingham who isn’t?”

“It’s not just that. She’s the whore I told you about earlier, the one I’d been seeing.”

So it’s back to therapy mode now. “But you’re passed that now. Is she a decent person?”

“She’s a whore. What do you expect?”

God this man can be stubborn. “Maybe whores have feelings too. Will she make a good mother?”

He kicks a stone down the alley and lights a cigarette. “John thinks so.”

“So trust his judgment. If she’s what he thinks the kids need, then go with it. She could be nice.”

I can’t tell if my words reach Thomas at all. He just finishes his cigarette and starts walking down the opposite end. He makes no gesture for me to follow so I stay put.

“Where are you off to now?” I call after him.

“Planning a switch with the Gypsies to go against Kimbel.”

Gypsies. I don’t know much about their business because Uncle Colon doesn’t either. He made a peace agreement with them to keep a distance. “Can you trust them?”

“On my mother’s side we’re kin. That should help them trust me.”

That can be a perk… Then again family ties are also methods of holding grudges. Oh well. After all that’s happened today I really need some time to relax. I get back to the house and head straight for my room. After a warm bath and donning a fresh nightgown I finally sit down on my bed for some embroidery.

“Um, Vernea? Do you have a moment?” 

I always have a moment. “You doing alright, Finn?”

He stays leaning against the doorway and contemplates what to say. “Tommy said not to be like him. But he’s always been a role model to me.”

I can see how this complicates things. Thomas does have admirable traits but at the same time can be an example of what not to be. Contradictive, as usual. 

“Sometimes in life we look up to people when we only know half their story. Not everyone is someone to admire, Finn. Sometimes you need to search yourself and decide what kind of person you alone want to be. That may not be the answer you’re looking for but it’s my honest answer. Is there anything else I can help you with?” Finn shakes his head, deep in thought. “Alright. If you don't mind, I'd like to retire for the night. Goodnight.”

Thankfully Finn gets the message and shuts the door on his way out. Deep breath. Between my conflicting emotions for Thomas and the Lees attack I certainly need a good night’s rest. 

[screamingcrows]

mob boss!Pantalone x hitman!reader in fast bullet points

MINORS AND AGELESS BLOCKS BACK AWAY - you will be blocked

Note: This has been rattling around in my brain and I needed to flush it out. This is a very watered down version compared to how dark it is in my mind. Mostly because a lot of the heavy stuff would take too much setup compared to my energy level.

Warnings: dark content, guns, murder, violence, manipulation, coercion, gore, brief allusion to noncon, female reader, 'little girl' used once as petname, vague torture mention,

See any tags you don't enjoy? Don't read beyond this. Simple as that

Pantalone is a mob boss and you're his most priced hitman. Came from bad circumstances, got into worse company and ended up owing the wrong people a lot of money.

Luckily, you met Pantalone. And who would he be to turn down a young woman desperate for protection and help?

Turns out you have quite the flair for subtlety and one hell of an aim. His favorite mix of young, talented, and obedient.

He always assures you that taking someone out is a last resort. Reserved for the truly vile and irredeemable. And you trust him, you've yet to catch him lying after all. It's just…

There are a lot of bad people? A lot of dirty work to do. And suddenly you've killed more than you want to count.

What about that guy last night? With a little kid who came in and saw your target their father in a pool of their own blood?

Pantalone tries to shield you that much is evident. But you start noticing the cracks in his smile. How the little gifts and words of affirmation only come when you've been a little too distant.

You steal some cash from Pantalone that night, the moon your only witness as you bolt towards a promise of freedom in a new city.

Freedom lasts about four days before his men have tracked you down and dragged you back. They ripped out your fingernails in the car on the way, something about "making sure a feisty kitten is declawed"

"I'm disappointed in you. And you of all people should know what happens when someone disappoints me," he glances down at the pistol in his hand, letting out a tired sigh.

He offers you a deal to pay back what you'd taken. But just paying it back with cash wouldn't be enough. No, he had no real use for that.

His eyes hold no small amount of disgust as they look down at the shiny metal reflecting your bruised body. Your lip was bleeding, as was your left temple, that eye too swollen to properly open. Skin on your wrists raw and bloody from the rope. One of your shins broken. His gloved hand grabs your chin and yanks your head up to look at him, his expression cold and detached. Before you can plead for mercy he's already shoved the barrel past your lips, his nose crinkling when you try to scream around it.

"Usually this would be it. But I'm in a good mood. And it pains me so see my little girl like this"

You'd work it off of course. His smile too wide paired with those cold eyes when he assures you that it "won't be like that"

Pantalone just wants you back where you were. With the exception that you don't get to leave unaccompanied anymore. And you only take orders directly from him. Which means you have to stay at his mansion of course, he doesn't have the time to seek you out, you'll be ready at his disposal when he needs.

Promises you'll negotiate your freedom once the debt is repaid, and when has he ever lied to you?

The deal he has you sign doesn't specify the nature of his orders. But you'll find out soon enough exactly what he had in mind.

And so what if he deliberately provided the chance for you to run once he'd begun suspecting you were having doubts?

You were his now, and the ends always justify the means

[gretavangroupie]

Crave (Chapter 1)

Word count: 10.4k+

Pairing: Josh x Female Reader

Summary: After pushing the girl you love into the arms of your best friend, you're left regretting your choices.

Warnings: 18+ as always, language, drinking, sexual situations, smut, fluff.

Crave Playlist

A/N: Special shoutout to my beta, my co-writer, and my dear friend @gvfjess none of this would be what it is without her touch.

.

.

.

JOSH POV

It’s been a long day. The longest day, and it wasn’t even over yet. 

The night before spilled into the earliest hours of this morning, your time spent twisted in between the sheets with the woman you’ve been waiting for. The sound of your alarm blaring would come too quickly, harshly pulling you back to reality.

Today when you wake up though, you feel like you’re still in a dream. Your eyes flutter open to find her still curled next to you, her fingertips running across your body causing goosebumps to rise in the places left behind. You take a deep breath and the remnants of her perfume clouds your senses. You are absolutely positive it does not get better than this. Starting your morning this way is enough to get you through today’s session. With the promise of seeing her later, you head to the studio, hoping that you’re not the last one there. 

The entire drive you can’t help but smile from ear to ear, reminiscing on the events from the night prior. You replay her giggles, you wish you could hear that sound every day for the rest of your life. Your cheeks start to heat thinking about the way she got brave after a few drinks. Beginning to touch you more often, intentionally brushing her thigh against yours, moving her face dangerously closer and closer to yours while staring at your mouth. You hope these memories will stay in your mind forever, like a film, just for you to press play when you need it. 

Finally you arrive to the studio and realize that you are in fact the last one there, but you don’t dare explain why. The smile plastered to your face should explain enough. As you step into the sound booth, everyone stares at you questioningly. 

Jake stares at you, silently asking what you’re so chipper about, you responding in your head, and as if he could hear you he raises his eyebrows with a nod. 

Sam looks puzzled sitting on the couch, not caring enough to pry, and Daniel…won’t even look at you. 

What’s eating him?

“Well, are you ready to get this over with?” Danny asks the group.

“Let’s do it.” Sam replies.

The day goes relatively smoothly. You re-record the chorus of a song, as Sam sits at the mixer. Danny comes over the intercom, “Josh that sounded like shit, lets re-cut it.” He says harshly. 

“Um, typically its me criticizing myself…and I thought that was a pretty good take…” you reply defensively.

“No, it wasn’t, just do it again.” He snaps.

What the hell? Apparently he is still in a mood. He was quiet at the bar last night. 

“Okay, Sam, can you run the track back please, seems I am ‘doing it again’...” You say snidely. 

After a little bit of back and forth, things seemed to mellow out for the rest of the day, but you can tell something has Danny pissed off, and you have all been walking on eggshells around him all day. You decide to confront him as you begin to wrap up for the day.

“Hey man, is everything okay, you seem…volatile.” You question.

“Oh, no Josh everything is just perfect, really…” he says sarcastically.

You give him an insulted look and shrug your shoulders, walking away.

Jeez, whatever it is, he does not want to talk about it. Fine.

You brush it off and decide to move on. You’re still reeling from the best night of your life, you aren’t going to let your moody friend put a damper on it. You don’t deserve to deal with his bullshit anyway, it’s not like it’s your fault he’s having a bad day.

You feel a twinge of nervous excitement in your chest as you realize you’ll see your girl shortly. There is no better feeling than seeing her after a long day, but this time it’s different. She really is your girl and now that you’ve had her, you’re never letting her go. 

Okay, Josh. Just have to play it cool with the guys for a bit, let them warm up to the idea. Maybe I’ll start flirting in front of them a bit. Let them see us in action so it’s less of a surprise.

As you get in your car the nerves begin to fill your chest. The drive over isn’t too long, part of the reason you always go there. At first it was just easy to go where Jake and the guys wanted to go, but then as you got to know her… it changed. You wanted to go there, you wouldn’t think of going anywhere else. 

Why are you so nervous? You see her every single day… You were naked in her bed together less than 12 hours ago, get it together man.

As you roll into the gravel parking lot, you take a deep centering breath, throw your door open and step out. The rest of the guys pull up around the same time, rowdy as usual, ready to have a drink and unwind. 

You all clamber inside the front door, the little bell ringing over head, a sound you’ve grown to love. As everyone rushes straight to our usual table, you look over to the left and there she is, both hands on the bar top, leaning against it with a smile as she sees you all coming in. 

She is so breathtaking. I hope she never stops greeting me with that smile, it’s intoxicating.

“I’ll grab the first round boys, the usual?” You ask, as they continue walking, nodding their heads in agreement.

Ready to rip the band-aid off, you walk over to the bar with a sheepish smile on your face. Holding your hands together nervously.

Somehow she is even more beautiful now than she was before. 

“Hello, doll…” you say with a smile, finally making eye contact with her.

“Well hello stranger…” she says playfully, giggling out of obvious nerves, her cheeks blushing slightly. 

“Sounds like we are all up for the usual tonight.” You say.

“I think I can do that.” She says reaching over to grab a few glasses.

“Did you guys have a good day?” She asks, making the drinks.

You bring your hands up to cradle your cheeks, your elbows that are placed on the bar top supporting the weight of your head. “Yeah it was…an interesting day for sure.” You reply, pondering.

“Really? Why does it seem like a bad thing?” She asks.

“Ahh, just band stuff… not everyone got to wake up to you this morning.” You reply, flirting a little.

You see her swallow and blink forcefully.

Okay, maybe laying it on a little too thick, reel it back dude. She hasn’t even said anything about it yet, you need to slow down.

“Well, I’m sure these will help…” she says pushing the drinks forward.

You smile at her and nod, taking the drinks back to the table and setting them down. Trying not to overthink whatever interaction just happened.

Hoping to deescalate some of Daniel’s tension you pat him on the back and hand him his drink.

“You did great today dude, this is gonna be our best one yet. I just know it.” You say.

He picks up the glass and throws back the entirety of the Whiskey.

Damn, I haven’t even sat down yet…

“You good, Daniel? I haven’t even taken a sip yet…” Sam laughs as he brings the bottle of beer to his lips.

“Yeah man… didn’t get much sleep last night. Counting on a whiskey slumber tonight.” Danny replies, with an edge on his voice.

Jake shoots you a curious look, and you slightly shake your head insinuating that you have no idea what’s going on. Sam looks at you the same way.

Why would I know?

Suddenly you see Sam’s face change as an idea crosses his mind. 

“Hey, pretty lady!” Sam stands up and yells across the bar, hoping to grab her attention. Her eyes landing directly on him, never faltering.  

“My friend Daniel here, needs a refill, already! I think there was a hole in his glass. Why don’t we do a round of shots too, I think we could all use a night of fun.” he wiggles his eyebrows and laughs as he sits back down. 

She nods her head and begins making the shots, lining up the glasses and pouring in the alcohol. She then mixes a few more drinks, shaking the metal shaker, looking directly at you, a sudden warmth creeping across your chest. 

You turn back to the guys, so not to be obviously staring at her. 

“You really just cant go one night without making us all suffer, huh Sammy?” Jake jokes.

Sam shrugs his shoulder and bounces his legs excitedly as she begins to walk over to the table with the tray.

“Alright! Hey! Have a shot with us!” Sam pleads with her, she looks torn on whether she should or not, you can see it on her face. 

What is up with her tonight? Just this morning you were on cloud nine. Or at least you were… is she regretting it already? 

“Here, you can have mine. Doesn’t mix well with my beer.” Jake says, handing her his glass.

Sam raises his eyebrows as he begins his toast, “To the best bartender around…” 

Everyone tips their shot glasses back, swallowing down the spicy liquid.

“Bartending isn’t the only thing she’s known for around here, huh?” Daniel says, under his breath.

What the fuck does that mean?

Daniels eyes are staring daggers directly into her, and she looks shocked at the harshness of his statement, you still unsure of what is going on. He is practically shaking with anger.

You can’t let him attack her, he can say whatever he wants to you, but not her.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You ask confrontationally.

“Well, I mean she is pretty good lay, too. At least I think so… What do you think, Josh? Saw your car at her apartment before the sun came up this morning. Did she fuck you so good? Fuck you right to sleep? She’s good at that.” he asks pointedly at you, letting out a small scoff.

What? How would he….wait…Her and Danny? They hate each other….oh god. 

When would they have gotten together? How long has it been going on? Why does it hurt as bad as it does? Why is he doing this now? In front of the guys? Fuck this.

Trying to ignore the pain in your chest and your mind racing a million miles a minute, you narrow your eyes at him.  

“Danny. I think you need to shut your fucking mouth. Now. Before you say anything else that you’ll regret. We can talk about this in private. Not here.” You snap at him.

“No, I think we should all talk now. That way Jake and Sammy can know what they are getting themselves into if she tries to go four for four with us.” He replies, bitterness lining every word.

Holy shit, he is really trying to cut her deep. He is pissed.

“Go on… Tell them how we’ve been fucking for weeks. Sneaking around after hours… 

Pretending to hate each other, while we fuck our brains out behind closed doors. Tell poor Josh here, that he isn’t the only one who has been inside you lately. Whore…” he says, practically spitting venom. 

You feel a pang in your chest as the words leave his mouth. 

Weeks? How did you not know? 

You slept together… why didn’t she…say something. Oh god, I told her how bad I’ve wanted her. That I’ve been thinking about it for so long. This explains why she is acting the way she is. It wasn’t supposed to happen. At least not in her mind. 

You look to her as the shot glass in her hand falls and shatters to the floor. Her breathing is rapid and her eyes beginning to fill with tears. Despite your anger and embarrassment you want to grab her, steal her away from this. But you cant, your head is spinning and you aren’t sure what to do but you know that you absolutely cannot let him talk to her like this. Not ever. You quickly stand up and tower over Danny, getting as close to his face as you can.

“Don’t you ever speak like that to her again. Especially here?! Where she fucking WORKS?! This is exactly why you will never be with her, dude. You are a fucking dick. Why would she want to be with someone who isn’t even man enough to treat her with respect?  Get a fucking grip. This conversation is finished, the three of us can continue it elsewhere.” You yell, overcome with emotion.

You feel tears forming in your own eyes, you can’t tell if it’s because you’re mad, hurt, embarrassed… maybe all three. Her eyes meet yours for a second before you tear them away from hers. 

You don’t want her to see you upset. 

How could you be so stupid to think she wanted you the way you wanted her. 

Struggling to get the words out you turn to your twin, needing to get out of there quickly,

“Jake, can you get the tab? I need to go.” you manage to say, unable to hide the emotion in your voice.

Jake nods and motions towards the door, you know he can tell that you’re upset, feel it even. He doesn’t dare ask. You throw back the rest of the drink in your glass, grab your keys off the table and walk straight out the door without a look back.

As you reach your car you fling the door open and get inside slamming the it behind you.

“Fuck” you yell, hitting the steering wheel with both hands. You place your elbows on the wheel, resting your head in your hands. You sit there just for a moment, trying to process everything that just happened.

She’s been sleeping with Daniel for weeks. She didn’t tell you and slept with you. Danny found out and he is furious. Well, now you’re furious. How did I get into this mess?

You throw the car into reverse and back out of the parking lot, tires spinning as you leave. You see Sam and Daniel walking to Sam’s car as you pull into traffic.

God, I cannot believe I was so stupid as to think her and I would ever be anything. I should have never told him to go after her. He must have done it… the one time he actually listened to you…

Speeding down the interstate, the music blaring from the speakers is interrupted by a phone call. Jake is calling. You blow out an exasperated breath, knowing exactly what he wants. 

“Hello.” You say blankly.

“Josh… what the fuck?” He asks.

“I have no idea. I thought… I didn’t know they were…this whole thing is fucked.” You reply.

“No, I know you didn’t know. I didn’t know either. None of us did. I mean, what the fuck are you doing leaving her like that? I thought you liked her?” He replies.

“I don’t know, seemed like the right thing… I don’t know….fuck…I just couldn’t stay there. I would have said something I didn’t mean and I do like her, I have always liked her. Last night we finally… we came together and I thought she wanted me too…but now, I don’t know up from down. ” You say, struggling to explain.

“I think she does, she was a mess when I was closing out. I think you need to go back. Talk to her, figure this shit out. You and I both know Danny isn’t going to do it. She needs someone, and I think it’s you.” He says imploringly.

You breathe a long sigh out, tapping your fingers on the steering wheel checking the time on the clock.  You whip your car around, heading back to the bar, knowing that Jake is right.

“Alright, fine.” You reply.

“Good, you call me if you need anything. I am going to call Sam, see if he is tending to Daniel’s fire or if I need to step in. We can’t let this shit come between us… I think you know that.” He says scolding you.

“I fucking know, Jacob. I’m not a child. If I thought things were in jeopardy I wouldn’t be going to her, I would be going to him. I’ll talk to him, okay? Just let me talk to her first, figure things out and then I’ll talk to him.” You reply.

“Alright, good luck brother.” He says ending the call.

You smash the red phone button on your steering wheel, making sure the call ended. 

You can’t help the hot tears that fall from your eyes, littering your pants with tiny wet spots. You can’t believe the dramatic turn of events that have happened today, waking up feeling on top of the world and ending the day under the weight of it. You are upset with her, with him. 

You pull back into the parking lot, it’s empty apart from her car. 

Maybe I should go in? Jake said she was a mess, I shouldn’t let her revel in it.

No. Wait for her to come out. Give her some space. What am I even going to say? I am so furious. 

I just need to talk to her. Just need to hear it from her. Give her a chance to explain everything. Maybe it didn’t happen the way I think it did. Maybe I’m jumping to conclusions.

You tap your fingers on the center console impatiently, just waiting. Replaying everything that happened, tears continue to leak out of the corner of your eyes. 

You really thought she wanted you. You thought last night was it, the turning point you had been waiting for after so many weeks of flirtatious conversations and innocent touches. I guess it didn't mean to her what it meant to you.

You don’t know how long it has been, you have been sitting here for what feels like an hour, watching and waiting to see the door open. Finally, it does. You immediately jump out and see her approaching, her hood up on her coat. Her face is red and splotchy. She has definitely been crying and is still clearly upset over everything. You lean against the front of your car, giving her the option on whether she wants to talk. She doesn’t say anything, you’re not sure if her silence is because she has nothing to say or she is afraid she will lose it again. 

“You think we can talk? You manage, almost a whisper. Something about her disheveled appearance leaving you breathless.

“I don’t think I am good company right now.” She replies, gripping the cuffs of her coat nervously. Even when you’re upset with her, you can’t help but find everything she does absolutely heartwarming.

“Please. We really need to talk. Tonight.” You beg, hoping she will just take the chance to tell you everything from her perspective. Even if it is the last thing you want to hear, you need the closure. Maybe it will help you move on. Or at least try to… Maybe she will surprise you, tell you that her time with Daniel was a mistake, and you’re the one she wants. 

Snap out of it. Feeding those delusions is not helping anyone. 

She looks at you for a minute, contemplating her options.

“Okay, you can come over to my place…God Josh, I am the one who should be begging for you to talk to me. Not the other way around.” She cries out, clearly dealing with internal conflict just like you are.

“Let’s just talk when we get there.” You say reassuringly as you step back into your car, starting it and following her out.

The drive there you prepare yourself for what is likely to be a hard conversation. You need to hear it from her though. It’s the only way. The time spent with your thoughts causing your anger and sadness to bubble up, not sure what emotion you’re feeling most. You want to be mad, and you are. But ultimately you’re just upset. The amount of grief you have over a relationship that never even began overtaking the animosity you have towards her and Danny. 

You pull into the empty parking space next to her car, and walk up the stairs to her door. She fidgets with the key and unlocks the door, immediately shedding her heavy layers on the table near the door.

She throws herself onto her couch and holds her head in her hands. You can tell she is beating herself up pretty badly.

“Josh, I…” she stops.

You sit down next to her and place a hand on her back, just trying to help her relax a bit. You realize how deep in this you are, still needing to comfort her when you feel like you have a knife in your own chest. 

“I need you to tell me everything. I don’t care about what happened, but I need to hear it from you. Please.” You say, tears nearing the brim of your eyes, threatening to spill over.

“It was never supposed to be like this, Josh. It just… happened. and now…” she stops again, her eyes also filling with tears. 

“I know…” you reply, just hoping that offering a piece of understanding will help her get it out. “I really wish you would have said something to me last night. I never would have said the things that I said if I had known. It didn’t have to be this way.” You say, not trying to add to her pain but hoping she will understand that she should have told you what had happened between them before you shared your feelings and took things to the level that it went. 

“I thought it was just going to be the one time, and I thought he did too. But every time we would see each other…. I think we both knew that it was never just the one time.…I guess it really all started at the bar.”

Were we in the same room? All I ever saw was Daniel being an ass… How does he still get the girl after acting like a complete dickhead? 

“At first everything was so normal. You all would come in every night, you’d order your drinks, we would small talk and that was it. Somewhere down the road you started to become my friends. Each of you in your own ways. Sammy, the dramatic jokester always down for a good time and a song, Jake the very serious problem solver, the voice of reason within your group, and someone I could count on to keep things in check when it began to get too rowdy. And you, my shoulder to lean on and a friend I could always talk to about anything, you were a constant each night. I would look forward to your turns to get drinks knowing I would always feel warm after our conversations, whether they be 5 minutes or 25.”

You were my constant too. All I ever saw was you. If only you knew how many hard times you got me through by just the thought of speaking to you for a minute or seeing your smile after a shit day. You will never understand what you mean to me.

Shaking your head from your thoughts you refocus, and listen.

“Then there was Danny. I wouldn’t say we ever became friends, we were hardly acquaintances.… In the beginning he wasn’t mean, he was just, quiet, almost shy.  Somewhere along the way something happened…. Feelings began to form right under our noses. Every night, stealing glances at each other. His eyes lingering on mine for just a little too long. We both felt it. We were like magnets to each other. I think we both denied feeling it for so long that it got lost.”

I guess I did notice them looking at each other a lot… I thought they were both just being hyper aware of the other’s presence, trying to avoid one another at all costs. How stupid am I to not realize what it actually was.

“He had a girlfriend and I was still relatively new in town, I was trying to settle in… One night it changed. You remember… he got so drunk, he was trying to fight people, calling me names… I know now, he was just hurt, looking for someone to blame.”

I remember it well, the first night I felt like I had to protect you.

“After kicking him out that night our dynamic changed. He was no longer watching me from across the room, instead he was glaring, and I would return it. It became an obsessive need to match his energy. His words cutting me, so I would cut him right back. We both craved it. I could just tell. I started to see a fire in his eyes each night he would walk into the bar, he craved the toxicity of whatever it was we were dancing around. So we continued, every night being as hateful as we could to each other.”

You feel a pang through your heart. Your stomach is in knots and you aren’t sure you want to hear any more. You know you need to though, to understand the depth of this connection they share.

How could she not see me? Not notice me longing for her, too? Why could she only see him? Why would she want him? With his hateful words and impulsive actions, when I have so many beautiful and tender words waiting… just for her. Only for her. I could write a million words about her and it would never be enough. 

You swallow down the pain in your chest, and try to focus on what she is saying. 

She is so beautiful, you don’t understand why she couldn’t just want you like you wanted her. She has so much to offer that Danny will never see…never value like you do.

“A few weeks ago, a guy came into the bar and I was talking to him. Things were going good… I thought he might have liked me. But then something I have never seen in Danny made its appearance. He was…jealous. He lied to the guy and made him believe something that was the farthest from the truth. Was awful about it too. He just couldn’t stand the thought of someone else having me. He wouldn’t admit it at the time, but I see it so clearly now.” She says through shaky breaths.

You remember this, that night. She was so upset, you talked to her for a while afterwards, but you see now that her anger was rose colored.

“I was so furious at him that night. I knew I was going to go straight to his house and smack him right across the face. But when I got there, with all my courage gathered up, I froze. I could hardly even remember what I was doing there. I remembered I had his house key from when I house sat, so I told him thats why I was there. He had just showered and he was only in a towel. It was the first time I really ever looked at him like that, you know? The first time I ever really saw him.  His hardened, mean facade turned playful and alluring, just for a split second, and I liked it. I was attracted to it.”

You know. You know right then. She loves him. The way she’s talking about him, its so… clear. Anything you thought she might have felt for you, couldn’t have been real. It had to be the alcohol. You should have known better. Thousands of screaming fans, but the only face you ever really saw was hers. But she hasn’t seen yours in the same light.

“My head was spinning. I rushed straight home, the whole way convincing myself that was I was feeling wasn’t what I thought. Replaying every hurtful thing he ever said in an effort to stifle back that feeling. That was the night I knew that things had really changed between us. It was shifting, to something else. Something more. I can keep going but I don’t want to say too much, I don’t want you to be upset. I know this is a lot….”

You snap back quickly, “No, keep going. I need to know.”

“You texted me the next day, and invited me to come to your party at your house. I didn’t think I was going to go, but something convinced me I should. I wanted to go, simply because you had asked me. I was happy to hear from you outside of the bar. I knew he would be there, I was nervous, but knew I had this underlying craving to see him. So I decided that if I was going to go, I was going to make it interesting.” She says.

Another blow to your chest.

I thought you came for me. When you texted me you were coming I couldn’t stop smiling. Jake asked what I was so happy about but I gave him some bullshit excuse about just being excited to be social. I tried on what must have been 15 outfits before I found one I thought you would like. I wore my favorite cologne. I was sure that was the night I was going to tell you how I felt after all this time. 

“After what had happened the night before, I knew that things between us were going to heat up. The build up was finally reaching the apex. The entire night our eyes never broke from each others. Silently calling for one another. Each of us with different people, just wishing it was the other. We could both feel the electricity in the air between us. I decided that I was going to really push his buttons. I acted on the feelings that I was feeling, knowing he would cave. I knew I had him, I could make him do anything I wanted. Finally, he snapped. He drug me out of the party and took me back to his house.”

Your breath catches and you feel your self wincing almost outwardly from the pain of her words. 

He did it? He actually took her for his own? How could your own best friend not see that you were in love with her? 

“We both knew we shouldn’t be doing it, but we just couldn’t stop. How could two people who have been so awful to each other end up in this situation? All night we fed off of each other, using each other like a drug. We were addicted. It was harsh and vile and wonderful. We both knew things wouldn’t go back to how they had been. We snuck around for weeks, lying straight to all of your faces. Slowly the hatefulness started to wear away, the hate fucking became regular fucking, maybe even something more. His feelings were shifting, and he was still pushing them back….”

A heavy sigh leaves your chest. 

What a fool, the most beautiful girl in the world, and he still won’t commit to her. 

What a mistake. I would never let you go…

“Right before you all left for the UK we had a big blowout fight, and he told me that we would never be anything more than what we were in that moment. That he would never be with a girl like me. It killed me, I thought we had gotten past it. Because I mean, wasn’t he with me? We were fucking? Anyways, the only thing I could do was to fight him back. I said something I didn’t mean and we didn’t speak after that. Not the entire time you were gone.”  

Every night you would think of her face, while she dreamt of the guy sleeping above you, and you had no idea. The guy who was fucking groupies while this beautiful girl just waited to hear from him. 

You feel sick, and your breathing becomes shaky again as you listen.

“The night you guys came in after you got back was the first time we had spoken or seen each other in weeks, but the spark was still there. I could see it in his eyes no matter how much he tried to pretend it was gone. I overheard you all talking about him getting with a groupie and the way he looked at me when he knew I heard… I thought I had been shot. I couldn’t even comprehend why I was so hurt. I was sad but couldn’t let him see that. As far as I knew he had moved on from whatever we were doing.”

You nod your head to show her you’re still here, still listening. 

“But you were there to pick me up, to make it go away. I will never be able to tell you how much that meant to me. It was the most beautiful night I’ve probably ever had, even with all the alcohol. You were perfect and gentle and tender. Everything I ever wanted for myself Josh, really.” She cries. 

It meant everything to me. I will never let it go. It may have been the best night of my life, just to be followed by the worst. 

“But something wasn’t right. Somewhere in the very back of my mind, I was still wanting him. Wishing for him to come around. Hoping he would realize that maybe the feelings he was stifling back were something more.”

When will I ever be enough…

“I think a part of me has always known that we would end up together, but ignored it, and hoped it would die down. But it didn’t. In fact that part got bigger, more needy. Desperate for him. Constantly longing to be near him. I wish more than anything that I didn’t feel this way about him. I know it’s wrong, every part of me knows I shouldn’t feel this way. But I do and I cant push it back anymore. I haven’t ever felt like this about anyone. I just wish it could have been different. I wish it could have been you Josh, I really do. But it’s him, it’s always been him.”

It will always be you for me, my beautiful girl. Always.

Swallowing the lump in your throat you nod your head that you understand, because you do. You understand that she loves him, he probably loves her too. You have to let her go to him, but you also have to tell her how you feel, how you’ve beenfeeling. It’s now or never. Your heart is beating out of your chest, you’re almost sure it’s loud enough to be audible. You take a deep breath and begin.

“Every night we come to the same bar. Do you know why?” You ask.

“No.” She whispers.

“In the beginning, it was because of convenience, a quiet place to go with good drinks… Towards the middle it became comfortable, a familiar face to always greet us and a place to relax, and somewhere around the end it became my escape. Where I could walk in and forget my outside life, knowing I would see you there.

Every night when we would walk in and I would see you, every minuscule inconvenience of my day would be gone. You were just so beautiful and refreshing. So easy to talk to and connect with. I pined for you from across the bar for as long as I can remember. Everyone knew it. Sam, Jake. Everyone except you and him. But I couldn’t bring myself to make a move, couldn’t risk losing it. My safe place. 

The day I invited you to that party, I thought maybe I would be able to tell you…I saw you and him inside. The way you were looking at each other. I think I knew then too. He came to me outside, he was worked up, anxious… a mess. I knew then he felt the same way about you that I did, so I did what any good friend would do. I put my feelings aside, I told him to go get you. He didn’t understand how I knew, but I did, because I saw you the same way he did. The way he looked at you… it was the same way I did. But you didn’t see me, you were too busy looking at him. I didn’t know you went home with him that night. I don’t know how I didn’t see it coming. I basically forced it to happen. ” you say,  tears close to falling.

The biggest mistake of my life so far. I basically pushed you into his arms. 

Her eyes are searching your face, looking for any emotion to cling to.

“Josh, I…I’m so sorry…” she says, grabbing your hands, rubbing her thumbs across your knuckles. The feeling of her skin on yours, twisting the knife deeper in your heart. Taking another breath you continue. 

“For weeks I tried to work up the courage to tell you at the bar, but I never could, especially knowing how Danny felt that night. You two were always arguing and you would always seem upset and I just wanted to comfort you. I knew the timing wasn't right. We left for the UK and I thought about you every single night. I would lie awake in my bunk imagining your smile waiting for me at the bar when I got home. I almost texted you a few drunken nights, always reigning myself back in. I was afraid you wouldn’t feel the same. 

The day we got back I couldn’t wait to get to the bar. To see you. To be close to you. 

You know what happened next. While I know now that it shouldn’t have happened, I am glad it did. If it was my only chance to have you I will never regret taking that chance. I only wish you would have told me beforehand. It seems we are in a mess now and I’m not sure how we fix it. ”

It shouldn’t have happened, but I will never, ever forget it.

“Josh, I care about you so much and I wish things could have happened differently. I’ll never be able to tell you how badly I wanted it to be us. I’ll never be able to tell you how sorry I am that it  isn’t us. You’re kind, thoughtful, intentional. You are everything I should want and need in a partner. I would be so lucky to ever have you, in any lifetime, but I think in this one I end up with someone else. This story doesn’t have a happy ending for us.” She says, tears flowing down her cheeks.

I wish it was us. I so badly need you to see yourself how I see you. Worthy of only the best and sweetest kind of love. Not this. You deserve everything. But you deserve to be happy, and if this is it…. I will be the bystander.

You reach up and swipe away the tear away from her face.

“I know. I knew as soon as I saw your face tonight, he may as well pulled your heart out right there. I knew you loved him.” You manage.

“Josh I don’t love him?” She replies shocked.

You know she just doesn’t understand her feelings yet. It’s clear to you though. As painful as it is to admit, she talks about him like he puts the stars in the sky, even after all of his faults. The same way you talk about her. 

“But thats the thing. You do. You always have, you just haven’t realized it fully yourself yet. When he enters the room, your cheeks flush. When he talks to you your breath catches in your throat. You bite your lips and lean closer to him, and him to you. When he tells a story, you are captivated, hanging on his every word, even from across the room. Shit, you just talked about him for twenty minutes straight… I know what it feels like to be in love, but now I can say I have seen it too. You just spent so much of your time and energy fighting with each other that you never stopped to ask yourselves what was fueling the hate, what kind of tension it was. All along it was what would eventually turn into this. If you feel like even a tiny bit of that is true, you’ll go to him. He loves you too, I know he does.” You reply.

How could he not? 

You can see the panic, the relief setting in on her face at finally being able to put a word to the feeling. It crushes you.

 It should be you, not him. You’d give anything to be in his shoes. 

“Oh god. Everything is such a mess…everything is ruined.” She cries.

“It’s not, it’s only really just begun. You are an amazing woman, any man on Earth would be lucky to have you, even for five minutes. But like you said, your story doesn’t end with us, it ends with him. I will never understand, but I know somehow that this is the right thing.” You say.

I truly will never understand why for once it couldn’t be me. What am I doing wrong? What am I missing? 

“I think I do love him. I don’t know when it happened, but it did. Neither of us wanted this. This wasn’t part of the plan. I don’t even know how to fix it…Oh god, and Jake, and Sammy…they hate me too. I could see it on their faces…” she says nervously.

There it is, the words to end it all. She does love him. I need to get out of here. I need to go lay down and pretend this entire night didn’t happen. 

You place a reaffirming hand on her shoulder, gripping it slightly.

“I will smooth things over with them, leave that part to me. Jake was just feeling what I felt. It's literally in his DNA. Sam is Daniel’s best friend, he will be on his side first and foremost. But you know he can’t stay mad about anything. I will talk to them both. Things will be okay. You just need to fix it with Daniel.” You say confidently, you know you just have to explain to Jake and he will take care of Sam.

“But won’t seeing me with him… I don’t want to hurt you Josh.” She whispers.

I am already hurt, I don’t know if it gets worse than this.

You know she needs you to help her down the right path, so you gather your courage and tell her. 

“Seeing you happy is what matters the most to me. Do I wish it was me? Of course. But just know, I will be watching and at the first sign of him not treating you right, I will be there to put him in his place and take you for my own.” He says, with a soft smile. “So go. You need to tell him everything you just told me. All of it. Bring the fire with you. Hold his ass accountable, never let him talk to you like that again. About pissed me right off. Be mad at him, yell at him, but mostly, tell him you love him. It’s time.” You say.

“You heard him tonight…. He doesn’t want to see me. He wants nothing to do with me.” She says doubting herself.

“Is that why your phone has buzzed two times since I have been here?” You ask with a smirk.

She runs to her phone and a tiny smile crosses her face and you know. 

“He may not be blood, but he is still my brother. I know him like I know myself. This is why we had to do this, tonight. We needed to do this, so you could go to him without the burden of this.” You say gesturing between the two of you, standing up, and pulling your coat on.

“I forgive you, and I’ll always be here for you. But please, go to him and fight for this. One day I will have my great love story, but this one is yours.” You say.

I wish it was our love story my girl. You deserve this love, not whatever misconstrued love he is offering. Deserve anything you want. 

You grab your keys off the table, taking one last look at her beautiful face, pulling her in for a kiss on the cheek, the only way you can have her now. Releasing her and stepping out the door, shutting it gently behind you.

Alone, again.

You walk down to car, taking refuge in the cold cab. Waiting to let the tears fall until you pull away. 

This is the right thing.… You are doing the right thing. She loves him. You have to let her try. 

Gripping the steering wheel you fight through the tears to make it home. You keep saying that over and over in your head. Trying to convince yourself that you didn’t just make another mistake by giving up the fight and pushing her right back to his arms, again. 

When will it be your turn? How are you supposed to move on? Anyone else doesn’t hold a candle to her, and now that I’ve had her… I’m fucked. 

As you pull into the driveway you put your car in park and immediately go inside. It’s late and you know you have to go to the studio tomorrow. You turn the shower on the let the water warm up and you look at yourself in the mirror. Your eyes are bloodshot and your hair is a mess. You look like you have been through it. You find yourself replaying what Daniel said tonight, and how he must have thought you did what you did on purpose. You might be pining over his girl, but you would never do that to him. He is your brother, and if you had known they were already getting together you would have never allowed the night to go where it went, no matter how badly you craved it.

Fuck, I need to talk to him. Maybe tomorrow at the studio. Unless…Surely he wouldn’t no show… Right?

Shedding your clothes you jump into the scalding hot shower, hoping to wash away the night and the hurt that came with it. As the water cascades down your face you think of her. How her face looked when she cried, the slight shake of her hands when she was talking. The emotions radiating off of her body.

You push it from your mind and finish your shower, quickly changing and getting into bed. You pull the string on your lamp and plug in your phone. Closing your eyes, begging for sleep to take you away, but it doesn’t. 

You toss and turn all night, the conversation from tonight replaying over and over in your head. Her words on an endless loop. 

 ‘I’ll never be able to tell you how badly I wanted it to be us.’

It doesn’t matter, your actions speak louder than your words, and you chose him. I still wasn’t enough, even if deep down you knew that it should have been me. 

You toss and turn the rest of the night, sleeping in small increments when the loud blaring of your alarm pulls you from the longest stretch you were able to manage. 

You only have about two hours until you need to be leaving and you are already dreading it.  You pull yourself out of bed and begin your morning. Well, afternoon at this point.

A while later as you sit on the couch you think about what the day will be like today, and your mind wanders to Danny. You shoot him a quick text, testing the waters.

You: You’re coming today, right?

Daniel: Yes.

You: Ok.

Okay, well at least he replied and he’s coming.

Throwing your phone on the coffee table, you try to read more of your book but you just cant seem to get her out of your head. So you let her stay, just for a while.

.

.

As you open the door to the studio, you are the last to arrive as usual. As you step into the sound booth all of them go silent on their conversation and stare at you. 

“Oh come on… what? I am only 10 minutes late this time!” You say, thinking they were talking about you being late. There is a weird energy surrounding everyone, but you know that things are probably still a little tense from last night. 

“You ready to get started?” Jake asks, changing the subject.

“Let’s do it, did you listen to that sample?” Daniel replies.

“Yes, sounds better. Let’s start with that.” Jake says.

You look between the two of them and then over to Sam who has a smug look on his face. You raise your eyebrows at him and he shakes his head slightly.

Ok…something is definitely up.

You wait all day for the blowup from Daniel, but it never comes. He seems to be acting fairly normal, which can only mean one thing. She went to him last night. It would explain all of it. Although you shouldn’t be surprised, you did tell her to. 

Wrapping up the session you are all sitting in the mixing booth chatting when Sam speaks up.

“Sixty’s?” He asks.

“I’m in.” Jake says, placing his guitar in the hard case, clipping the locks.

“Yeah, I will meet you guys there.” Daniel replies.

“Okay, twist my arm…” you joke. When in fact you are dreading stepping in there today, knowing that something definitely has transpired between the two of them.

As everyone gathers their things and head out the doors Daniel grabs your arm, stopping you in your tracks.

“Josh, we need to talk.” He says.

“I know, I was hoping to avoid it though.” You reply with a smile. Really hoping to brush it all under the rug and head out to drink your sorrows away. You’re not sure you can handle hearing him talk about her after the conversation you endured last night. 

“I’m sorry about last night man, I was so heated. Didn’t occur to me that you had no idea.” He says.

“No, I didn’t know and I’m sorry I slept with your girl. I would have never…. You know… If I had known…” you stammer. Looking for the right words.

“Thank you. For talking to her last night. I owe you everything for sending her back to me.” He says, letting out a relieved breath. 

I should be happy for him, I can tell he is genuinely happy right now. He loves her too. But fuck, it should be me. 

“Brother, I would do anything for you. I knew she loved you 5 minutes into our conversation. She told me everything I would ever hope someone would say about me one day. I told her she needed to go tell you all of that. I’m guessing everything went well?” You ask, hoping for more information but trying not to pry.

“It did…more than well. I just don’t want there to be any hard feelings between us. I love her, but dude I love you too. Need you both.” He says with a hopeful smile.

“Ah, you cant get rid of me that easily. No hard feelings. Love her hard, she deserves it.” You reply, grabbing your stuff and nodding towards the door. Both of you getting in your cars and heading to the bar.

You pull up at the same time, parking and walking in together. Its strange to think that just last night you could barely look at each other and now here you were horsing around walking through the front door. You look over and she isn’t there. She must be off tonight. 

Sam and Jake are already seated at the table, giving you both strange looks when they see you both on such friendly terms.

As you sit down, you break the ice. “Oof. I am ready for a cocktail. Who’s buying?” 

After a minute of silence Sam is the first to give in. “Alright fine…” he jokingly stomps away to the bar to grab the first round.

As he’s ordering the drinks you hear a bell, indicating someone new has entered the bar. She walks in and immediately your stomach is full of butterflies at the sight of her. You can tell she feels uneasy, not wanting to make eye contact with the table yet and walking faster than usual. When she finally approaches the table, you try to make her feel more comfortable.

“Ahhh, there she is. If you can’t be serving us, your company is the next best thing.” You say with a smile that she returns back.

I will live with being just friends for eternity if it means I get to continue to see that smile on your pretty face.  

She takes the empty seat next to Daniel, placing a kiss on his cheek as he puts his arm around her bringing her in closer.

Like a lightning strike through your body the sadness hits you. You knew it wouldn’t be easy to see them together, but you weren’t expecting it so blatantly. 

Sam returns with the round of drinks for everyone. “Alright you bastards,” he starts while handing everyone their drink of choice. Once everyone has something in hand he raises his up to the ceiling.

“To all of us getting along again, and to whatever fucked up things happened staying in the past. All that matters is that my brothers are happy.” He says making the toast. You all nod your heads and take a drink. Danny places a kiss on her forehead and you turn your head pretending not to notice but you do. 

I’m not happy Sammy, cant you see that?

Fuck it, let’s get drunk. 

Playing it off, you pat Daniel’s shoulder ensuring to him that there are no hard feelings. The only feeling you are really feeling right now is heartbroken.

You turn to Jake who has his eyes fixed on the door. You can sense his emotions shifting and notice Sammy become tense as well. You look over as the door is closing behind her. 

Olivia? Holy shit…

“Well… to what do we owe this great pleasure?” Sam asks sarcastically as she approaches your table.

“C’mon Sammy, after all the years we’ve known each other THAT is how you greet me? I’m hurt.” she lets out a dry laugh and focuses her attention to Danny. 

He is in shock, he has gone rigid and you can tell he is nervous. 

This is not going to go well. Don’t fuck this up, Daniel. 

HER POV

“Hi, I’m Olivia. I’m sure Daniel has told you all about me…” she reaches her hand to yours and shakes it dismissively.

Olivia? The Olivia?

“So what are you doing here?” Jake asks her in a very questioning tone.

“I’m in town for work, thought I might find you all here…did you miss me?” she asks, staring directly at Danny.

He doesn’t reply, he is still shocked. The entire table is obviously uncomfortable, unsure how to handle this conversation. 

“Anyways, just thought it would be nice to…catch up… see what’s new, although I can see a few things are definitely….new.” she says pointedly.

You look to Josh, and he shakes his head staring directly at you, trying not to draw attention. Danny is rigid underneath you, a warmth rushing over his skin. He removes his arm from around you and folds his hands in his lap, the sudden panic growing in your chest is enough that you feel like you need to remove yourself from the situation for a moment and collect your thoughts. 

“I’ll be right back.” You announce, Josh’s eyes never leaving yours. He can tell you’re anxious. Danny doesn’t even look at you as you walk to the bathroom.

As you walk into the bathroom you shut the door and lock it behind you breathing heavily as you lean over the sink. You look at yourself in the mirror.

He loves you. He wants you. Not her.

Why does it feel like you are trying to convince yourself?

You smooth out your hair, and fix your clothes trying to regain your composure. The last thing you want is for her to think you are intimidated. 

You clear your throat and walk out of the bathroom, only to find that your seat has been taken.

What is going on? 

Don’t make a scene. You know your place in Danny’s life. We just fixed things, we love each other.

You lock eyes with Josh and you see him bite his lip as he realizes your seat is now taken. He quickly grabs another and pulls it up next to him, nodding for you to sit. 

As you reach the table you sit down next to Josh, and he leans over and whispers in your ear when no one is looking.

“You’re okay, just talk to me. She’ll leave eventually.” He says.

You nod your head and listen to him ramble. Danny’s eyes cut to you a few times. You can tell he is stressed out, but not enough to do anything about it. In fact, he hasn’t spoken a word to you since she walked in. 

She doesn’t leave, she has made her self very comfortable within the group, reminiscing on old times and laughing. You are feeling really uncomfortable and Josh can definitely sense that, placing his hand on your back and trying to talk to you separately to not be a part of their conversation. 

Your knee begins to bounce anxiously at the fact that Danny is allowing this to continue.  All of this. 

Shouldn’t he ask her to leave? Things with you two were still a little rocky to be in this kind of situation. 

Then she starts her questioning. 

“So Daniel, how long have you two been seeing each other?” She asks, almost sarcastically.

“A few weeks now…” he says looking at you with a small smile.

“How did you meet?” She asks.

“She is actually one of the bartenders here.” He answers.

Josh’s hand grips your shoulder, in silent support.

“Oh… I see.” She replies with a disgusted smirk.

I would like to smack that grin right off of your face, bitch. 

Sam quickly changes the subject. “What about you, Olivia? Still chasing people around trying to find anyone desperate enough to have you do their social media?”

You smirk to yourself. 

One point for Sammy.

“Actually, Samuel, I am working with a great team now. I run socials for a few bands. Really moved up since I worked with you guys.” She snaps.

Jake scoffs. “Well good for you.”

You can tell there is definite tension between her and the guys. She hasn’t even dared talk to Josh, let alone look his way.

As the conversation drifts else where you turn to Josh. “I think I’m gonna go, this is… weird.” You whisper.

“No, don’t go yet. Please…” He begs, “Lets go up to the bar and sit for a minute? One drink, then you can go?” He asks.

How could you say no to him? Especially after the day you put him through yesterday.

“Okay.”

“We are gonna go get another drink? Anyone want anything?” He asks, and before anyone can even open their mouths he says “No? No one? Sounds good!” And he ushers you off to the bar.

You both take a seat and you breathe out a deep sigh of relief.

“Fuck, that is really awkward… Danny hasn’t even spoken to me since she walked in.” You say, staring at your empty glass.

“Here’s the thing about Olivia…she… had this... hold over him for so long… I don’t know if she ever really got her claws out of him. He thought she was it for him. She broke his heart, was super hateful to all of us… it ended really badly. He was messed up for a while… I don’t know what has come over him tonight but its like she has got him back under her spell. I’m sure as soon as she leaves things will go back to normal. Don’t sweat it, sugar.” He says, patting your shoulder.

“But Josh, isn’t that kinda… fucked up?” You ask. “I mean… just last night he told me he was in love with me and now he is sitting, talking and engaging with his ex girlfriend? Right in front of me... as if I’m not there?” 

“Oh it one hundred percent is…” he says before you cut him off.

“Bruce…. We need shots… please.” you ask practically begging.

“Two Fireballs, por favor.” You say. 

He grabs two shot glasses and pours them up sliding them to you. 

You clink your tiny shot glasses together and drink them down, hoping it will get rid of the anxiety in your chest. 

“What is she doing here? What does she want?” You ask. 

“She said she’s here for work, but… more importantly why did she come to this bar that she knows we would be at? She is here to cause trouble as usual. Without a doubt. ” He says.

You let out a deep sigh. 

“I should have known. I couldn’t just have one uncomplicated thing in my life.” You say.

His hand grazes your back. “It doesn’t have to be complicated.” He says.

You know what he means. You know he could give you that. Deep down you know you have feelings for him, but they are nothing compared to what you feel for Danny.

“I know.” You mutter. You look over your shoulder to see Danny still talking to her. 

“Okay, I think I’m going to go. I don’t want to be here anymore.” You say defeatedly.

“Can I walk you to your car?” He asks, sounding hopeful. You don’t deserve him...

“Sure, let’s go.” You say, grabbing your bag and heading for the door.

“Aren’t you going to go say bye to Daniel?” He nods his head in the direction of the table, your eyes travel and see Danny. Still next to her, hasn’t moved an inch.

“No.” You reply, pushing the front door open and stepping out into the cool air.

.

.

.

.

[g0nta-g0kuhara]

I was replaying ch5 last night and which got me thinking. The truth of the outside world impacted everyone really badly, right? Shuichi was so depressed he didn't get out of bed for days. I assume it was similar for Himiko as well, seeing as she was fairly depressed from the start of the killing game. But what about everyone else?

I think Kiibo probably had a similar reaction, considering his mood when they all finally met up at the dining hall a few days later. But I feel like it was probably really weird for him, feeling more depressed than he had probably ever felt in his entire life but his inner voice screaming at him to get up and move forwards, to always strive for hope above all else. But the despair of the outside world was so bad that he couldn't listen. What was the audience thinking, their stand in being so depressed that he wouldn't listen to them anymore? Not to mention what a terrible experience for Kiibo.

And for Maki, it seems like she was able to get up and move around pretty well. She was the one who got Shuichi to the dining hall that morning, and mentioned passing by the exisal hangar as well as finding the flashback light in the dining hall "that morning", so it seems to me she's been patrolling the academy for both of the days Shuichi was out for the count. I think because of her assassin training and her already difficult life, she was able to compartmentalize the end of the world really quickly, though I'm sure it would weigh on her eventually if she was given the chance to Stop Moving.

But the thing that made me stop in my tracks was Tsumugi. Did she have to Roleplay being depressed for two days? laying in her bed not moving to get the appropriate look but the whole time trying to figure out a way to fix the mess Kokichi had just made of her killing game? But having to be SO careful because Maki or Kokichi could find her if she tried to leave her room to do anything. Outside of the stress of her plans falling apart, can you imagine how boring that'd be?

I also can't really figure out for sure if the audience Knew that Tsumugi was the mastermind. Because if they didn't, she'd have to put so much more effort into her performance of being depressed not only for eventually rejoining with her "friends" but also for the audience. But this is something for another post.

[serenanight87]

The Star of Sadistic Wishes (Interrogator x Reader, pt. 2)

A/N: Hello everyone I am back with another part of my Closetland story. He is just so demanding and wants to be the spotlight of all your Rickmas dreams. I am using the “Star of Wishes” prompt for this one. He seems to get very descriptive on what he wants to say from his point of view, so it is a long one. Now onward with the work. Hopefully this will be well received as well.

Oh, you may also want this link for the music that is played during a part of this. You know to get fully immersed in the scene.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISqjyIdmZQs

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Warnings: Smut, Con/Non-Con yet again if you squint, BDSM references, Dom/sub play, Bondage, Graphic Description of Photos.

If you are under 18, please remove your eyes from this. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now I get to have my fun. Let’s see if this will get little girl’s peach nice and juicy.

As I hide in the shadows, I await for her to awaken. I have taken painstaking care to set the scene just right. It is dark with red and green mood lighting to create that Christmas Joy feeling.

Little does she know, this will be more joy for me than her. Or maybe it will be equal if she is as bad of a little girl as she claims. However, if the pictures we have are anything to go on, this will be delicious for all.

I didn’t use my normal “interviewing” table this time. No, the time of year called for something special. And she seemed like a special case. I have had this in my inventory for a while and I finally have the perfect moment to use it.

I have her strapped down to an upright table in the cutout shape of a Christmas tree. Her hands were handcuffed together at the top as if she was already praying for release before we even got started. I have her legs spread and tied with string in a squatting position with a seat near the bottom of the tree for her to rest on. Of course if she does it will stretch out her shoulders and cause extra pain. She was also decorated so lovely in Christmas lights and dressed so beautifully for her role. A golden nipple cutout bra that was big golden stars, one for each breast. Along with a matching set of crotch less knickers with one gold star in the front. With her head topped with a golden star tiara.

She will be the Golden Star of my Sadistic Christmas Tree. I wonder if all my Christmas wishes will come true and I get all my presents this year? I chuckle softly at myself for this inside joke.

With the spotlight switching from red to green to white, I wait patiently for her to awake to start the show. This will be my best Christmas production yet. She just makes me feel extra festive for some reason. Maybe her feisty attitude or her trying to degrade me with the pretty boy comment. I don’t know but I feel this need to make it an experience she will never forget..along with getting the confession I need, of course.

I see a slight movement of her head that brings me back to the present. I see her eyes begin to flutter open with a groan filled with grogginess and slight pain. She has been hanging there for a time but not enough to cause extreme pain. I checked her restraints to make sure not to cause damage…yet. You have to play with your food carefully, you know. Her eyes are wide open struggling slightly in her restraints trying to get a good look around.

“Hello?”, she asked. “Is anyone there? Look you can stop with the dramatics. I know nothing and I am a part of nothing. This is also starting to get really old and annoying.”

We will see if you are still singing that tune soon, my sweet. Showtime!

I start the track off of a Christmas song, “Up On the House Top”, that was just fitting for this scene and watched as it began to unfold.

‘Santa Claus comes tonight.

No more days to count, but the even longer wait begins.

The suspense of having to wait from bedtime till morning.’

Yes, kids from all over the world will say their prayers and go to sleep knowing for when they wake up, the little fat man with the long white beard will have stopped by their houses and left the answers to a wish from the most wonderful magical sack there ever was.

‘Ho, ho, ho

Ho, ho, ho

Up on the housetop

Ho, ho, ho’

As the song played the lights flashed about in red and green along to the music. There was a projector screen in front of her where she could see all of the pictures we had been taking of her through the years to be able to pin this story on her. Her meetings with people we didn’t even know, the parties she held in her home, even the production of some of her products she sold out of her small business. All these different pictures played that she has probably already seen from the others. But I found some more interesting ones to include in the reel that she doesn’t know we have. Some of her deepest, darkest secrets that she keeps hidden.

‘First comes the stocking of the little Nell

Ol’ dear Santa fill it well

Give her a dolly that laughs and cries

One that can open and shut its eyes’

As this lyric played the pictures began to flash on the screen, her eyes widened in surprise. I then hear a moan of pleasure from what she sees.

Yes, little girl, we know all about your deviant tendencies. Every little dark thing that you thought you did in the shadows we know about it too.

We are very thorough in our research of our “interviews”. Just some don’t want to use such information. They find it too crass to use such information when they just want to get the straight facts.

No creativity or innovation. No vision. This is the art they can create with human emotion if they would just be open to it. How the others are lacking.

As the lyrics played it showed her dressed in a doll dress bent over someone’s lap with her frilly knickers down to her knees. The following pictures played out the scene as her being spanked till cherry red on that bottom along with some of them having her legs kicking.

That is a behavior I will have to correct. She will take her punishment like a good girl and not be disrespectful with her body. She will learn discipline. However, it does look like she is enjoying herself from the glistening between her legs. I may have find out how she tastes.

The pictures pan around to the front to show her crying due to the pain. Or is she laughing…sometimes they look the same to me.

‘Look in the stocking for little Bill

Oh just see what a glorious fill

Here is a hammer and lots of tacks

A whistle and a ball and a whip that cracks’

As I watch the pictures continue, there she is in another position, bent over in restraints being fisted. The pictures pan around to her front see the nipple clamps she has on with a look of complete delight on her face. Which at this moment is the complete opposite of what she has right now. The look she is giving now is of complete horror.

Then the pictures change again to her on a St. Andrews cross taking a long bullwhip for her punishment. The beautiful stripes that decorate her skin. I so want to go and lick every one of them just see what her skin tastes like. This picture though seems to get her attention the most. The present her screams and begins to struggle harder in her restraints. I smell the fear coming off of her but, it can’t hide the arousal she has already permeated the room with.

As the song ends, the lights go out with the white spotlight left on her. I sneak to the door. I make it seem like I am just coming in and have not seen a thing. The lights go completely dark as I open the door and turn on the light.

“It is always so dark when I come in here to work,” I stated as I swagger back into the room with my briefcase and back in my full suit again. “I just don’t understand why they have to scare you people so much…Well, well, well…am I interrupting something?”

She just stares at me in fear as I give her a little smirk. The look then changes to complete anger as she continues to struggle more to get free. She is very angry and I have a feeling she’s about to let me know just how much.

“You bastard!”, she cried. “You have me strung up like some decoration for your amusement and make me watch this filth you put on! How did you get those pictures? Who do you know that would know such things about me? I need answers damn it!”

“I honestly have no idea what you are talking about,” I said. “I just came in to see you in this position looking like you were getting your Christmas wishes of receiving treatment from my partner. Hence why I asked if I was interrupting something. But since he is not here, I assume that would be a no?”

“You’re damn right it is a no!”, she screamed. “I just woke up like this in the dark when this corny Christmas music started playing showing very incriminating photos of me. Mind you were also taken without my consent! I demand my legal representation and I demand it now!”

“Look, like I just said I just came in here to this. I am very sorry for anything the others may have played on you but this was not the plan of how this interview would go,” I said.

That was a partial lie. This really isn’t the original path I had for this time but it just organically became this glorious sadistic wet dream. I love when a good thing just comes together.

“Well, I should hope not!”, she said. “I mean you are very good looking but I expect a few dates before we would hit this point in a relationsh-.” She stopped herself mid word. Her eyes stared at he floor now. She didn’t mean to say that much obviously. This just got very interesting. I watched her give the most prettiest blush that could rival the cherry red of her ass from the picture earlier.

“Okay, there must have been a mix up in rooms or someone pranking me or you or both. We can get this all straightened out through some reporting once we are done with this,” I said.

“That sounds great and all but that doesn’t undo the mortification I feel right now! Now can you please get me down so we can get done whatever it is you have planned, pretty boy?”, she asked.

“Not just yet,” I said as I looked to be pondering. “You know I think this a good time to take a page out of my partners book. You did say earlier that you may enjoy his time more than mine so maybe we can try something he would do. One moment, don’t move now.”

I left to go to the bag that I had hid earlier in one of the wall drawers. This will have all the fun tricks that I need to make this a wonderful scene with my new sweet. I come back over humming, “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.”

“He knows when you are sleeping, he knows when you’re wake,” I sing softly under my breath. “He knows if you’ve been bad or good. So be good…for…good…ness…sake.” I finished the lyric slowly as I turn back around to her. I slowly saunter up close to her. So close we breathe in each other’s breath.

“Please,” she begs so prettily. “Don’t do this. I was just joking, ya know. Trying to catch you by surprise, have some fun, ya know. Like, ha ha funny. You know I have been in here for a while, I have to find my amusement somewhere. Please don’t hurt me. I’m sorry if I made you angry.”

“Oh, you didn’t anger me and I don’t plan on hurting you,” I stated calmly. “Oh no, my plans are far from that. I only plan to reward you for giving me what I require from you. You get to decide if there is pain involved when you choose to disobey me.”

She starts to struggle even more with fear of the eventuality that is coming to pass. But the smell of arousal is still strong. So I know she is very much a willing participant even if she tries to hide it. This is getting more and more delicious for me. I have to keep my head level though and not let the excitement of the moment get to me. I can’t rush this. I have to build it and form it into the ultimate peak to then release the oh so sweet release for both of us. Time and patience is needed for this delicate part of the process.

Remember this is part of my investigation. This is just one of the perks, not the whole part. Stay focused on the work.

“Okay, you had your fun. You made your point. I shouldn’t have made fun that you were too nice and not scary. You are definitely showing that now. You are the big, bad wolf of scary. Now can you please let me go?”, she pleaded.

“Oh no,” I said. “We have only just begun. We will having so much more fun between the two of us. I feel that this time we have had together has made us grow so much closer. So now you will just lay back, relax, and I will explain the rules of our little game. Are you ready, little girl?”

She stops struggling, leans back, and waits for further instruction. I give one of my smirks. I step back to get ready for the rules of our game.

This is going to be so much fun for both of us, my sweet. Just wait and see.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Okay, before the pitchforks come out and everyone gets ready to drag me into the town square, there is a part 3. I was trying to get it all but it would have been really long. I’m in the process of writing it now to have it ready before the end of the year. If you want to get someone, my hubby told me to tell you nothing about a third part. Anyway, the next one will be finale of this diva’s performance as far as I know. He very much knows what he wants. I will be blending 2 prompts together for the last one. I hope you enjoyed this addition that I never planned on but just happened.

@deepperplexity @vulnus-sanare @mamawolfsmith87 @snowblossomreads