#WOW i wonder who stole my joke and SENT IT TO ME IN AN ASK...... plagiarism on the day of our lord nonetheless..........

[aminta]

how many licks does it take to get to the center of a foot

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[finelinevogue]

Can you do a bad boy Harry blurb because he is my weakness and I would do anything for him? Thank you.

hun bad boy harry is ALL of our weakness. that man is kryptonite. anyways let’s do a lil blurb for something that might become a lil series - lemme know what you think?! im thinking maybe strangers to fuck buddies to lovers hmm??

You had been on your third fourth jack and coke by the time you saw him.

Burning, lustful, emeralds for eyes. Hair that was so messily unkept that it looked so put together. Black t-shirt. Black jeans. Black shoes. His aura was dark, but his smile told you otherwise. The dimples that were carved into his face told you he was hiding a completely different person behind this exterior, which is why he was so enticing. You saw a piece of yourself in him. Your outfit was a lot like his; black upon black, but it was veil to keep your true self protected. Hidden. You’d exposed yourself before and it hadn’t gone too well for you. The lesson had been learnt.

Other lessons, like ‘stay clear of bad boys and danger’ were much harder to learn. This moment being a prime example of that.

“Another round?” His voice was not as you expected. It held gravity and strength. It was holding so much behind it, you could tell.

“No thanks. I think i’ve drank my poison for the night.” You countered back and turned to look at him for the first time up close.

Fuck, was he perfect.

His cupid pink lips. The freckles on his nose. The slight signs of a permanent frown line to his upper forehead. He was just… wow. You suddenly felt like he could put Brad from Sex/Life to shame - a recent show you’d watched where you’d questioned your entire existence and entire future existence. You could sense there was so much behind his emotionless front too, just waiting for someone to take the risk and divulge in him completely.

He leaned his arms on the bar, letting the weight of the bar-top hold him up. The way he stood let his arms bulge from his tight t-shirt, expressing the veins and concentrating muscle making him look like a Greek sculpture, let alone a human - beautiful - being of a man. He was so carefree in his body language and he definitely didn’t shy away when you caught him checking you up and down.

“Yeah? Well i’m staying for one more round and I kinda hoped you would too.” He waved a hand for the bartender to come over, standing up properly now. He towered over you, even with you sat high on a barstool. He was intimidating and powerful, and you liked that.

“What can I get for you?” The bartender asked, wiping down the counter you two sat behind as a good-willed gesture.

“Whiskey. Neat.” The mysterious hunk of a man ordered, nodding his head in thanks to the man but before he could go off anywhere you quickly added in your own drink too.

“Another jack and coke too.” You said, causing the man to turn and smirk at you only for you to then do the same. “On his tab this time.” He chuckled at you for being so bold and demanding, but didn’t resist nonetheless as the bartender walked off to fulfil your order.

“Jack and coke?” He sounded surprised, but also not.

“Disappointed. You want a girl who drinks pink gin or white whine?” You teased, sucking on the end of your straw from your previous drink. He looked at your mouth, watching the way your lips danced with the straw and the way your tongue licked the remainders of a previous drink away. The sight was so minimally sensual, yet it sent his body into overdrive.

“No, but why? Are you offering, darling?” The way he spoke so smoothly had you weak at the knees, so you were grateful you were sat down.

“I’ll be whoever you want me to be.” You kept eye contact with him as you spoke, biting down once on the straw for added effect - until he snatched it away. You didn’t expect him to be so quick with his movements, but as he stole your straw he kept his face close to yours.

“I’ll keep that in mind.” He whispered hotly against your face, before leaning back again. Just in time, your drinks came and both of your thanked the bartended. Watching him put your straw back into your new glass, you weren’t expecting him to lean over and take a sip from your mix. He hummed in delight, looking up at you as he leaned back to sit closer to his drunk.

“And?”

“Tastes like you.” He chuckled before facing back forwards to watch the passing bartenders and crowds of people in this thumping club. “You have a name, darling?”

“Obviously, but why should I give it to you sweet cheeks?”

“Sweet cheeks?”

“Seems only fair, what with you calling me darling don’t you think?”

“No.” That made you stop drinking your drink and look at him abruptly, to find he was already waiting for your stare, “I don’t play fair.”

You thought he was joking about the whole thing, but the look in his eyes told you a completely different story. He was angry and frustrated, a combination in your history that doesn’t mix nicely together. At least not as nicely as jack and coke. If you were ever going to get this guy to reveal at least an inch of himself you were going to have to obey his rules, even if they were slightly indifferent to you.

“No more sweet cheeks then. Sorry.” You blushed, turning away from him to stir through the liquid in your glass.

You had never really been one to apologise to people. Never really had the need you. You’d always kept yourself to yourself, although that not always being most helpful. Apologising, you thought, made you seem weak. Turns out you’re weak for not. Manners make you stronger, build you to be a better person and strengthen you to me mentally stronger.

The crowds of youths and strange elderly people swarmed the sweaty room, making you sweat more than you would like. Still, the room had atmosphere and reminded you that your life was very much alive. You were very much alive.

“Sorry what?” You realised the guy had said something next to you, but you’d completely missed what. Apologising, again.

“It’s uh Harry.” He cleared his throat midway through speaking. You understood that he was nite telling you his name and you could tell he wasn’t lying by the sincerity in his eyes, the same way he could tell you weren’t lying about yours.

“Y/N.”

“Lovely name.” He smiled at you when you caught his eye, making you grin back.

“Well I like yours too.” You nodded, trying to repay a compliment even if it was slightly lacking something special.

“Mhm,” he laughed, throwing back the rest of his drink, “you come here often? I haven’t seen you before.”

“I come when I need a release.”

“Oh I bet.” You didn’t miss the words he boldly spoke. You like him. Harry had spark and he was passionate. You could feel the lust radiating from him body like a heatwave and you craved it all so badly.

“I also come when I shouldn’t.” You finished the rest of your drink, returning your mouth to your straw whilst looking at him. Harry was now standing so close to you that your head was tilted back ever-so-slightly.

“So you’re disobedient.” He asked, reaching his hand forwards to take the straw of your mouth and putting it down on the side. The distraction was unnecessary and, quite frankly for Harry, a real dick-hardener.

“I like being punished.” You spoke quietly, as if the walls weren’t vibrating from the loudness of the music amplifiers.

“Are you here right now even when you shouldn’t be?” Harry asked, licking his lips and looking between yours and yours eyes. He was having a hard time focusing on which one he found more perfect. Your eyes were full of treasure and wonder, but your lips. God, were they so kissable. Too kissable.

He wanted to make your lips bleed from lust.

“Yes.”

“And so you’re going to be punished for it, you say?” Harry’s torso was getting dangerously close to your chest. His head tilted down so he was only inches away from yours, allowing you to smell the whiskey on his breath and the perfume on his body. He was sensory overload.

“Mhm.”

“By who?”

Now that was an interesting question.

You chuckled, invasive and repulsive thoughts running through your head, as you stood up out of your seat, standing tall in your high heels and yet even still you were small in comparison to Harry. In a good way though.

Too bad you had to cut it all short.

“Find a pink gin lady, Harry. She’ll be easier than me.” You picked up your jacket and your bag, swinging it over your shoulder. You tap his shoulder as you round the chair, giving him a half-hearted smile before leaving.

[heyitssmiller]

Clandestine: Chapter Nine

Another cliffhanger? Me? Nah. 

All characters belong to @lumosinlove

@donttouchmycarrots is the best and I love her so much. She also inspired a lot of this chapter’s angst, so it’s not all my fault this time! <3

CW: violence, blood/injuries, guns/gun violence

Clandestine Masterlist

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Sirius woke up alone. This in and of itself wasn’t unusual, until he remembered the events of the night before. Wandering hands, soft, needy sighs, and warm lips that kissed him and kissed him and kissed him. He rolled onto his stomach and smothered himself with his pillow to hide the smile that took over his entire face, heart beating giddily in his chest. That happened.

Holy shit.

But that begged the question: where was he?

Sirius stayed in bed for a few moments, thinking that maybe Remus was coming back, but then he got too impatient and crawled out of bed to go searching. If he was camped out in front of that laptop again this early… but no. He was standing in front of the stove, prodding at the contents of a frying pan. The smell of coffee reached Sirius and he smiled again as he entered the kitchen, making sure his footsteps were loud enough for Remus to hear - that way it wasn’t a surprise when he came to stand behind Remus and wrapped his arms around his waist, hooking his chin on his shoulder to watch what was happening on the stove. 

A general rule of dating a spy - don’t sneak up on them. It tends to end badly.

“Morning.” Sirius mumbled, turning his head to press a lingering kiss to a tendon in Remus’ neck and smiling against warm skin. Remus hummed, leaning back into Sirius’ chest and angling his neck to give him better access. That simple, innocuous motion stole Sirius’ breath. Remus didn’t trust easily - Sirius could understand why, given everything he’d been through. But there he was, relaxed against Sirius, eyes closed, completely trusting. Sirius wasn’t exactly sure what to do with something so precious, but damn he really didn’t want to screw this up. So he continued to place kiss after kiss to Remus’s skin, finding a ticklish spot right below his ear that made him laugh and squirm in Sirius’ arms before he shoved him away, a wide, happy smile on his face.

Had Sirius ever been this happy before? He doubted it.

“So what’s for breakfast, chef?” He asked, peering at the frying pan. Remus turned the stove off and grabbed plates from the cabinet by the fridge while Sirius grabbed silverware and napkins. It was incredibly domestic. Sirius couldn’t get enough of it.

“Scrambled eggs, toast, and coffee. Nothing gourmet, but it’s the best I can do.” He answered as he scooped eggs out of the frying pan and grabbed toast from the toaster, then handed the plate to Sirius. They took their plates to the tiny kitchen table, along with the coffee and creamer and jams before sitting down to eat.

It was… nice. Their relationship had changed a lot the night before, but it was easy - a seamless transition from friends to more. He’d always assumed there would be some awkwardness with a big change like that, but it felt normal. Remus still teased him for how he took his coffee, Sirius still kicked him for it. They went over their plans for the day and what they wanted to get done. The ease of it all made Sirius wonder just how long they’d been teetering over that precipice.

It also made him feel guilty, how happy he was when his brother was still trapped with the Snakes and Finn still missing. Remus seemed to recognize his shift in emotion and smiled sadly, reaching across the table to tangle their hands together.

“We’re going to figure something out.” He said quietly before taking a sip of coffee, not once letting go of Sirius’ hand but playing with his fingers absentmindedly. It made it a bit tricky to eat, but Sirius couldn’t say he minded one bit.

He hoped Remus was right.

***

“Update?” Talker asked as soon as Remus and Sirius entered the office, looking tired. He kept pace with them as they walked, eager for a response. He and Finn were pretty close, constantly cracking jokes and trading jabs and playing pranks. But then again, Finn was a very outgoing guy - he was pretty close with a lot of people.

Sure enough, as they rounded the corner they found a gathering of people outside Remus’ office, all friends. All worried.

And a stranger standing next to Kasey, watching them as they approached. Red hair, brown eyes, faint freckles.

Remus didn’t have to ask who he was.

He stuck his hand out for the agent to shake. “O’Hara.”

Alex shook his hand briefly, soulful eyes a myriad of warring emotions. “Please tell me what the hell is going on.”

Remus looked at him, then the rest of the people around his office. They all needed to know what was going on, but he felt like Alex deserved the chance to hear this on his own, without the prying eyes of a bunch of strangers.

Sirius seemed to know exactly what he needed. It was like a sixth sense. “Lions, to the conference room! I’ll tell you what we know.” He gave Remus a warm smile, one that he was helpless to return. Last night was… blinding, as strange as it sounded. Sirius was all he could see now - the bright, expressive eyes, full, addictive lips, and wow he needed to get off this train of thought quickly. He had important things to do today.

Sirius seemed to know exactly what was on his mind. His smile turned secretive and sly before he shot Remus a wink and led the way to the conference room, leaving only Alex. Remus looked at him, then jerked his head towards his office. Alex followed after him and instantly sat down in one of the extra chairs, eyes never leaving Remus. He looked tired, worried, desperate for answers.

Remus sighed, an ache in his chest. He couldn’t imagine what it must be like for him, dealing with his younger brother being kidnapped. If it was Jules, Remus would lose his mind. “Let’s just start at the beginning, ok?” And so he did. He went over the general premise of the mission, what they’d done so far, and what went wrong. Alex listened quietly, taking it in.

When they were finally caught up Alex leaned back in his chair, raking a hand through his hair - a motion that was so Finn that Remus had to hold his breath for a second before releasing it. “So do we have any leads? What’s the plan?”

“We’ve got three possible locations. We’re going to try to narrow it down and then send in the two operatives we’ve already got in Slytherin.”

“Finn’s partners.”

There was something about the way Alex said that. The wrinkle in his brow, eyes hard and unflinching. Unforgiving. Remus gave him a look, keeping his voice neutral. “It was a freak accident, O’Hara. Not their fault.”

He wasn’t brave enough to tell the agent how much of that fault rested on his own shoulders. He was basically in charge of this mission. He’d been the one in charge of planning, giving them the go-ahead, looking out for signs of danger. There were signs of the op going bad - he could see that now, in hindsight. But hindsight was always 20/20, wasn’t it?

And now he was sitting here, explaining to the brother of the agent he let get kidnapped that they didn’t really have a solid plan. They were still scattered and struggling to recollect themselves after that disaster of a mission. What exactly was he supposed to say?

Alex ignored his earlier attempt at placation. “You’re telling me that your plan is to send one agent and a rookie safe-cracker into Snakes headquarters and break my brother out? That’s all you’ve got?”

“The rest of us are already on their radar. If we sent in other agents-”

“Bullshit.” Alex growled, leaning forward dangerously. And really, Remus couldn’t fault him for any of this. Their bond ran deep, apparently. “You’re taking down the Snakes anyways, what’s wrong with pushing up the timeline a little? We don’t need to be covert anymore, we need to be dominant and aggressive.”

“That makes your brother collateral damage,” Remus reasoned. “We go in guns-blazing, the first thing they’ll do is make it a hostage situation.”

Alex sighed, his shoulders slumping and all the fight leaving him in a split-second, frustration rolling off him in waves. “Fuck.”

“We’ve got an ex-Snake on the team and a guy on the inside. Potentially,” he felt like he had to add, because he still wasn’t sure what to think of the younger Black brother. Sirius trusted him, sure, but was that enough?

One wrong move and they could lose three agents. This required precision and cunning, not hot-headed recklessness.

“We’re going to do our best to get him out of there.” Remus finally finished, trying to instill confidence with just the words. Alex just smiled sadly.

“Good media answer, right there.”

Remus’ phone buzzed twice in his pocket, signaling an incoming message. He fumbled with it for a second, then looked down at the screen. “Well, I might have a better answer in a few minutes. One of his partners says they’ve got news.”

Remus just hoped it was finally some good news.

***

Logan was still pacing - back and forth, back and forth. It wasn’t a stressed pace this time, exactly. His stride was longer, full of pent-up energy and restlessness. Leo was switching between watching him and reading the messages Regulus sent the night before to Loops and Sirius, who were both listening intently.

“So let me get this straight.” Remus said through the computer speakers. “Regulus said he’d turn off one of the cameras that overlooks a side door, sneak you two in, and then help you get both him and Finn out?” He and Sirius were sitting close together at the conference table, sneaking glances at each other when they thought no one was looking.

Leo smiled knowingly. Good for them.

“Yeah.” Logan said as he continued to pace. “Get in, get them, get out. Simple.”

“Well,” Leo said, stretching out the word and watching Logan’s eyes snap to him. Yeah, he wasn’t going to like this. “According to Reg, one of Riddle’s flash drives is there too - in a safe in his office. Logan can get Finn, and I can-”

“No.”

“Logan,” Leo sighed, giving him a look. “After we get Finn out, they’ll put that place on lockdown. We won’t get another shot at getting this drive and you know it. Plus Riddle’s not even there right now. It’s the perfect opportunity.”

“When did he even tell you that?” Logan asked, staring at him incredulously. “I don’t remember this at all.”

“That would be because I’ve been texting him this morning because I knew you’d react like this.” Leo rushed to finish his sentence and be heard over Logan’s loud dissent.

“React how? Logically?”

“Over-protectively.” Leo corrected, watching the aggravation return to his pacing again as he grumbled something under his breath. “If we get this drive, that only leaves the ones Lestrange and Riddle have on them. Reg said he could probably grab the one Bellatrix has - he can replace it with the fake I slipped into his pocket at the gala-”

“Nut, you can’t be serious.”

Leo glared at him. “It’s a perfectly solid plan.”

“And it’s dangerous!”

“Are you forgetting what our jobs are?” Leo asked with an incredulous laugh. “Everything we do is dangerous.”

“Leo.”

The blond looked to the laptop, where Sirius and Loops were looking back at him. “Back me up here.”

Remus glanced over at Sirius, then back to Leo. “It’s risky, but if you feel like you can do it-”

“I can.” Leo said, no room for argument. The kid who was nervously drumming his fingers against his thigh and staring off into space before his first mission was long gone, replaced by a calm, confident agent - who still drummed his fingers on a regular basis, but who was self-assured and comfortable with his role. Logan wasn’t exactly sure when that had happened, but he was proud nonetheless - even if he was still terrified.

“When’s Reg going for Lestrange’s drive?” Sirius asked, in a similar state as Logan. Worried, but knowing he was fighting a losing battle. This was happening whether they liked it or not.

“She puts it in the same spot every night before she goes to bed, so he’ll grab it right before we get there when she’s already asleep. If we go really early in the morning - like really early - everyone should be asleep, save for a few.”

“They’re cocky like that,” Sirius added, “No one’s ever been dumb enough to try to break in, so they won’t be as prepared for it.”

Leo frowned, not sure whether to take offense or not. “Thanks?”

“So how long do you think getting into the safe will take?” Remus asked, keeping all of them on track, as usual. The steadiness and predictability calmed Logan down, just a little.

Leo shrugged. “Don’t know, depends on what kind of safe it is. Reg doesn’t know.”

“So you’re going in blind.” Logan finished, anxiety churning in his gut. That calmness had lasted all of three seconds. He didn’t like this. There was so much that could go wrong; it was risky enough sneaking in to get Finn out of there, but adding this on top of it? What if one of them got caught? What if all of them got caught? What if Regulus wasn’t as trustworthy as Sirius claimed? What if they were just walking into another trap?

What if, what if, what if. There were too many variables to this, too much at risk.

He’d never really hated his job before. In the past he’d loved the suspense, the intrigue, the unpredictability. He’d grown up wanting a career that had action and adventure, just like the movies he and his sisters used to watch. Now all the things he used to love were the things that were stressing him out the most. But then, he’d never had partners before - definitely not partners he was halfway in love with.

He was starting to hate this job now.

Leo’s voice brought him back to the conversation. “Not really. It’s either going to be a digital safe or manual. I’d crack a digital safe the same way I cracked the ones at the banks, and manual safes are kind of like giant locks. I just feel for the sticking points and do the math.”

“There’s math?” Sirius asked, looking disgusted. Logan thought back to Finn saying the exact same words, all three of them squished together on the bed with a nature documentary playing in the background, warm and content and relaxed. No stress, no sense of impending disaster, no one missing.

He wanted that again, more than anything.

He felt like this wasn’t the way to do it, though. Which was ironic, seeing that he was the one who usually wanted to be reckless. That was his M.O. - the rough, hotheaded agent who wasn’t afraid to take some risks. He completely changed his tune when those risks endangered his partners.

He couldn’t lose them - either of them. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if...

But arguing against this rescue mission was like leading a horse to water - pointless. The only thing left to do was to prepare. So Logan tuned the conversation out and started planning for every possible outcome he could think of. He wasn’t going to be left just reacting, not this time. He was going into this with every last detail mapped out, every potential misstep accounted for, every contingency plan organized in his head.

He wasn’t going to let anything go wrong. He couldn’t.

***

The alarm Leo and Logan had set was essentially useless, seeing that it found the two of them already awake, going over the plan in their heads. Logan stretched his arm out to shut it off, then rolled over to look at Leo. Blue eyes were already staring back, alight with optimism- a stark contrast to how Logan was feeling. He just hoped tonight wasn’t the night he would be disappointed.

“We’re going to get him back.” The blond said, no sleepiness to his voice as he softly leaned in to kiss Logan sweetly, then more enthusiastically. Logan let himself get lost in it for a while, a heart-wrenching distraction, accepting kiss after excited kiss with a sigh against soft lips. He took the lead a second later, pushing Leo back into the mattress and pressing their chests together, getting as close as he could manage and relaxing into the warmth.

“And then we’ll all be together again.” He added after a while, trying to reassure both Leo and himself as he kissed a dimple and earned a smile, bright in the early-morning darkness. “And we can finally have that talk.”

Leo hummed happily and pulled him down for one last lingering kiss before shimmying his way out from under Logan and getting to his feet, hair an absolute mess from a night of tossing and turning and Logan’s hands. Logan felt strangely proud of himself for that.

“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.” Leo chanted, dashing to his suitcase to grab clothes. His enthusiasm visibly shown in every action - brushing his teeth, pulling on his shoes, grabbing his tools. Logan soon found himself dressed and ready to go, turning his earpiece on and testing his mic. His gun was loaded and ready, a comforting weight at his hip. Leo’s voice echoed in his ear as he tested his mic, loud and clear. His tools were all packed up and smuggled away in his pockets, determination written across his face.

They were going to get him back.

Logan pulled up the directions to the address Regulus had sent them and they hurried to their car, blasting the heat as high as it would go to try and defrost the windows. The clock read 4:13 am as they pulled out of the hotel parking lot and headed down the street.

The drive was tense with anticipation and nerves and adrenaline. Leo’s leg never stopped bouncing from the passenger’s seat as he stared out the window, clearly lost in thought because it was still pitch black outside - he definitely wasn’t looking at anything. Logan kept his eyes on the road ahead and his thoughts on their mission, going over the details one last time as the navigation app instructed him to turn right.

The building they were infiltrating was on the very outskirts of Slytherin, somewhat secluded and run-of-the-mill. If Logan wasn’t sure this was the right place, he would never have guessed this to be a Snakes’ building. Which was probably exactly what they were going for.

Logan drove straight past the building, continuing down the road for a while until he figured they wouldn’t raise suspicion. He put the car in park, switched the headlights off, then turned to face his partner.

“You ready?”

The resulting grin was luminous. “You know it.”

Logan nodded, nerves gnawing away at his stomach, and got out of the car. He and Leo snuck around to the southeast side of the building where they found a door, the light above it flickering occasionally. Leo sent Logan a look, then rapped on the door with his knuckles twice.

A few seconds passed by, then the door opened silently. Regulus Black stared back at them, face as impassive as always. The two agents stepped inside without another word, watching as Regulus closed the door behind them and locked it before turning to face them again.

“I’ve got Bellatrix’s drive,” he said, so quietly that Leo and Logan had to lean in a little to hear him. “Snagged it about twenty minutes ago and replaced it with the fake. She’ll never know the difference.”

“Perfect.” Leo grabbed Logan’s forearm, eyes bright and intense. “You go get Finn, I’ll grab the drive. Meet you back at the rendezvous.”

Logan still didn’t like the idea. He didn’t like the thought of being separated. “Leo-”

“No one’s out this early, it’ll be the easiest grab of my life. I’ll be careful - I’ll be so careful, Tremz. You gotta trust me.” He pressed their foreheads together briefly and Logan allowed himself that one moment to close his eyes and press back, inhaling deeply. He still smelled like the hotel’s shampoo, clean and citrusy. After all this, Logan didn’t think he’d ever be able to forget the smell - or the memories that came with it. He couldn’t quite figure out if that was a bad thing or not. Because on the one hand, there was stress and kidnappings and hurt. But on the other hand, there was exciting, brand new kisses and falling asleep in his arms and the comfort of just being with him.

“Make it quick, ok?” he said finally, reluctantly leaning away and meeting blue eyes. Leo nodded, giving his hand a squeeze, and turned to set off down the hallway. Logan only allowed himself half a second to look after him - if he watched any longer, he just knew he’d start chasing after him, blindly following an angel and not caring where he was going. He’d probably follow him anywhere, if he could. He faced Regulus again instead, who was looking decidedly awkward. Logan just raised an eyebrow at him and motioned for him to lead the way.

His heart hammered louder and louder the more they walked, excitement and worry and adrenaline snowballing together and making his head spin. He could hear Leo’s quiet breathing through the coms, measured and steady and constant like the tide pushing and pulling against the shore. That, more than anything he tried to tell himself, calmed him down.

They reached a nondescript door and stopped in front of it. Logan glanced at Regulus, then back at the door. This was it. Finn was on the other side of that door. He was a paradoxical combination of excited and terrified of what he’d find on the other side of that door.

“I’m just going to wait out here,” Regulus said, moving so that his back was against the wall. “I’ve already witnessed you all soft and mushy tonight - I don’t think I can handle seeing it again. I’ll keep an eye out from here.”

Logan sent him a grin, incredibly pleased with himself and completely unashamed.

He took one last, deep breath and opened the door.

The sound of the door must have woken Finn, because the first thing Logan saw was the shifting of shoulder and back muscles as the redhead sat up with an annoyed grumble. “What the fuck is so important that you feel the need to wake me up this early?” He demanded, reaching up to further tousle his hair as he swiveled around to face the door. Their eyes locked and Finn froze, staring at him with his mouth agape and wide, wide brown eyes, one of which was blackened and swollen. There was blood at the corner of his mouth, dark and distracting. Logan’s breath left him in a rush, like he’d been the one punched in the face.

“Lo,” Finn whispered, that one syllable barely loud enough to reach Logan’s ears. He sat up straighter in an instant and continued to stare, as if he couldn’t quite believe his eyes. “Logan?”

That was all it took to spur Logan into action. He crossed the room in five quick paces and then he was on his knees in front of Finn, reaching for him hesitantly. Finn practically launched himself at him, arms around his neck and holding tight - almost bruisingly. Logan didn’t care. He’d gladly take the bruises if it meant having his partner in his arms again. It hadn’t even been that long since Logan had seen him, but it felt like an entire lifetime. He hugged Finn closer, probably holding him too tight, before leaning back and looking him over. Frantic hands passed over skin and clothing, feeling for injuries.

“You ok?” He asked, reaching up to tilt Finn’s face so that he could examine the black eye and split lip. Calloused fingers traced gingerly over constellations of freckles, marred by purples and greens and yellows. “God, Finn-”

Finn laughed a little, reaching up to still Logan’s hand and pressing it to his stubbled cheek instead. Logan could feel his smile against his palm and melted. “I’m ok. It looks worse than it actually is, I’m sure.”

You’re still gorgeous, Logan thought as he swiped a thumb across his cheek. He wanted to drown in the sight in front of him. Finn wasn’t great but he was ok and considering the circumstances, that was all Logan could really ask for. He was still livid, of course. And the ones who’d hurt Finn would get what was coming for them. That much he could guarantee.

“You shouldn’t be here.” Finn murmured, still leaning into Logan’s touch. Logan just shook his head firmly, eyes serious. How did Finn expect him to leave him behind? He clearly had no idea just how little they could function without him, the gaping hole he’d left in his absence.

Finn looked over Logan’s shoulder, then back to Logan with worried eyes. “Leo?” He asked and let Logan help him to his feet, favoring his left leg. Logan tightened his grip on his biceps and steadied him before answering.

“Currently? In Riddle’s office cracking a safe.”

Leo’s voice, calm and even, came through the coms. “Tell Finn I said hey.” Logan grinned.

“He says hey.”

Finn looked offended. He leaned closer to the mic Logan was wearing at the collar of his shirt, making the brunet still. The expression on his face - a comical combination of panic and turned-on - made Finn smile as he spoke. “You’re breaking me out of here after I was kidnapped and the only thing you can think of to say is hey?”

“Well, I was planning on saving the sentimental shit for when I actually see you.” Leo said distractedly from his spot on the floor in front of a truly ancient safe, rotating the dial slowly and feeling for the last remaining sticking point. “It’s good to hear your voice, though.”

He heard Logan relay the message to Finn, and then Finn’s resulting coo. Leo laughed under his breath at the sound right as the safe opened with a loud click, opening to reveal nothing inside but a blue and gray flash drive.

“I can’t believe this is the only thing he keeps in a safe like this.” Leo grumbled, reaching forward to make the switch-

Right as the office door opened.

Leo whirled around, slipping the real flash drive into his pocket as he faced whoever had walked in on him.

Unnatural yellow eyes stared back.

And a gun was pointed at his chest.

He could tell Riddle recognized him from the party by the curl of his lips that formed the beginnings of a smile. Cold dread washed over Leo at the bizarre sight. He wasn’t sure anyone had seen the leader of the Snakes smile before. If they did, they hadn’t lived to tell the tale. Leo’s heart raced as all he could do was stand there and stare. His gun sat heavily at his hip, but he knew reaching for it would only speed up the inevitable. He stayed still.

Leo’s partners were still talking over the coms, happy and ignorant of the situation going on right down the hall from them. As Leo stared down the barrel of a gun, he thought maybe it was for the best. Riddle wouldn’t react well to breaking Finn out of here, he knew that much. At least this would be a good distraction - if Riddle was focused on him, he wouldn’t be focused on his partners. Maybe they’d be able to get out of here before Riddle even realized the real reason Leo was in the building.

He’d rather die than give either of them up. He was a little scared at the honesty behind that statement… and the likelihood of it happening much sooner than he’d hoped.

Riddle adjusted his sights without saying a single word, finger against the trigger. Leo sucked in a harsh breath and braced himself.

Bang.

[ice-cream-writes-stuff]

¤~°Scary Monsters! Screaming Halloween Show: Spooky Sweet°~¤

(Y/N) and Yuu felt the warmth of the sun on their backs as the two walk to Ramshackle. The two quiet as Grim chatters about on Yuu's shoulder. "Yuu, um.. Where exactly were you from before Twisted Wonderland?" The female dorm leader asked her vice dorm leader.

(Even though she thought Yuu would be suited much better as dorm leader.)

Yuu shrugs his shoulders lightly so Grim won't fall. His left hand and right hand carrying two bags, while (Y/N) carried the other bags with ease. "To be honest, I'm not really sure.. I don't really have time to think about it."

Yuu said plainly to (Y/N)'s question.The (h/c)-nette hummed in response. Not minding the young males simplistic wording. Instead she just smiled at him, "I'm from (Y/H), well... From what I remember."

She answered simply, like Yuu. "Huh. Really? I think I remember a place like that on the map, I don't think I've ever been there." (Y/N) (e/c) eyes widen, "maybe I could show you around if you ever visit! I think you would like it."

Yuu nods, smiling back at his crush. "Sure, I wouldn't mind." (Y/N) ruffled Yuu's head, his locks turning slightly messy. The male huffs at her antics as Grim laughs. "Sorry, couldn't help myself, you look cute when you pout. Kinda like Riddle!"

The female joked, Yuu only shakes his head as the two were finally on NRC grounds. Grim hops off Yuu shoulder and fly to Ramshackle without the two. Chanting that he wants to eat tuna. "Grim..!"

Yuu calls out to the furball, who didn't hear Yuu. "Fnga!! A monster!" Grim cries as a paper dragon was covering the Ramshackle grounds. Not seeing the students scattered around the area. Working diligently on decorating the whole place.

(Y/N)'s mouth turns into a excited grin, while Yuu looks at it confusingly. Not knowing of the spooky event they would soon participate in!

_______________________________________________

(Y/N) hears a knock on the Ramschakle dorm, curiously. She gets up from her spot on the couch and goes to open the door. Unlocking the front door, the female looks around the area. Not a single ghost, person, beastman, fae, in sight. Only a lonely brown package at the bottom of the floor.

(Y/N) picks up the box carefully and takes it inside. When walking to the lounge room, the three ghosts that lived in Rambschakle float down stairs to see what's up. (Y/N) sits back on the couch, with the average sized box sitting on her lap. "Did you three order something?" (Y/N) asked undead friends, the three shook their heads.

"I wonder what's in it?" One of three spoke up."Maybe it's something from the headmaster?" (Y/N) nods, "it could be.." She mutters quietly to herself.

(Y/N) opens the package with hesitation in each of her movements. A piece of (color) neatly folded fabric was in the box. "Huh?" Taking the fabric out, it reveals to be a lot more fabrics!?? (Y/N) and three ghosts look over the first piece of cloth and fabrics that had been in the box.

While the other colorful fabrics still sat at the bottom of the package. "Why is this here..?" (Y/N) asked, holding the (color) cloth up in front of three ghosts. "It must be left overs from the Diasomnia dorm!" The chubby ghost shouted in glee.

"Oh, right! It was probably for their costumes for the Halloween event!" The young female said, but was still puzzled. "Where did this even come from..?" "It came from the box," the smaller ghost said. "Right.. what I meant was, who sent it here?"

Pouring out the fabrics from the box to see if there was a note, or a price tag, nothing was there. "Strange.." The slinky ghost said as he rubbed his chin. (Y/N) could agree with that, but she was more drawn to the cloths scattered around on the couch. A idea pops in her head as she folds up the cloths and lays the dress on the couch.

"I think I got a idea on what to use this for. You three, please protect the stuff on the couch and watch over Yuu and Grim. I need to get some stuff from Mr. Sams shop!" (Y/N) ran out of Ramshackle and tried not to knock into the paper dragon that Senior Vanrouge and his other dorm members worked on.

Not seeing Yuu's confused stare from one of the Ramshackle window's. Once she had returned, she had a pumpkin in one hand. A bag in the other. "It's time to REALLY get into the spirit of Halloween!" (Y/N) placed the pumpkin on the counter and heads up stairs to Yuu/Grims room.

Not before taking the "mystery" box with her.

______________________________________________

It was finally Halloween week! The decorations and costumes were ready. The Halloween committee had decided to drop by Ramshackle to make sure everything was in order. "Wow, everything looks great!" Kalim said with enthusiasm as his ruby eyes shined.

Mallues turns a bit smug after Kalim priase. "Thank you, the Di dorm worked very hard on this." Lilia chuckles at the dorm leader and his haughty tone. Cater takes a few pics, while Deuce looks around. "Where's (Y/N), Yuu and Grim? Shouldn't they have met up with us now?"

"Maybe something came up?" Epel said, looking around the area as well. Vil sighs, "being fashionably late is not something you should do." Jack ears perk up as footsteps came towards the group. "I hear something, I think their on there way here."

Jack was most definitely right about that! Grim came to the group first before the dorm leaders. "Nyaha! Stare at the AMAZING Grim and his awesome costume!" The little feline shouted in pride and glee. His little hat tipping a bit.

"Grim! You're a ghost for Halloween?" Deuce questioned Grim, the furball gives a toothy grin. "Of course!" "What about the others.." Idia asks quietly.

A tired sigh escaped a familiar vice-prefect. Yuu showed a few steps behind Grim. "Hey guys, sorry for being late." Yuu apologized, yet the student didn't look exactly like himself at all! Yuu was dressed up today.

Yuu wore loose white shirt and a slightly grayish vest that had a tail coat attached behind him.The vest had small spider web designs that were a light shade blue, even some at the tail coats end. A pair of simple white pants and shoes. Yuu hair was rather messy, but looked very fluffy.

The final touch was a blue bow-tie that wrapped around his neck.

"You two look great!" Cater said as he started to take a few photos. "Not bad, Yuu!" Deuce says as he pats his friends back rather harshly. Yuu does his best not to double take and nods at his fellow first year.

"Thanks. You should tell (Y/N) and the ghosts that. They worked hard on them."

Almost like a genie being called. The female appeared before the group. "I'm glad you guys liked it." The (h/c) haired female said. "I had no clue what to do durring costume making, I'm greatful the ghosts had helped out."

The dorm leader says bashfully, rubbing the back of neck. "So.. What do you think!" She said with smirk, a creepy gleam in her eyes. The Halloween committee stares at her with awe.

(Y/N) wore a (f/c) dress that had bits of rips and tears. A few peices of uneven fabric hanged off her dress, almost like someone had clawed at it. Splashes of fake blood covered some areas of the dress. A simple white sash was also on her dress, covered in hints of fake blood as well. The sash said "Queen" on it in pretty hand writing.

A plastic tiara was placed crookedly on her head head. Her hair (styled/same). She held a knife in her hands that was drenched in fake blood. "Pretty cool right?" (Y/N) asked the the group.

A confident smile on her face as she waited for someone to respond. Surprisingly, Idia was the first to talk. "You look so.. MOE!" Idia fanboys internally at her costume.

Azul doesn't comment on his friends wording, he just stares at (Y/N) choice of outfit. "What was your thought process for these costumes, (Y/N)?" Jade asked for Azul. Even if the Leech brother was also in slight shock. Which was uncommon to him most days.

(Y/N) swings the knife around, like she was playing hot patato with it. But stops after Jade asked his question. "Er.. well you see. In Yuu's and my world, there was a story or song.. I can't really remember which?"

"But, it was a song about girl who wanted to become the "queen" of her dance that her school was having. Though someone stole her dream and she went on a murderous rampage during the party. Her name was Sarra, I think.. It's a bit fuzzy trying to remember. Anyway, I was inspired by it and then made these costumes with the ghosts help!"

(Y/N) explained, yet Vil looks at her with confusion. "Where did even get those clothes?" Vil gestured to her dress and Yuu's outfit. "I found them outside of Ramshackle. I think it was leftovers of from the Diasomnia dorm?"

"The rest I bought at Sam's shop using some of my paycheck." Yuu overheard her and looks at (Y/N) with worry. "Oh, I see." The handsome vampire said, walking over to her. Vil gently grips her chin, looking over her face.

"Hmm." He hummed, caressing one of her cheeks. "You need to put on some make-up." Vil says as he let's go of her. Pulling out a tiny tube of lipstick, he carefully applied it to her lips.

"I'll put on the rest once we are inside." Not caring for the hateful or unhappy stares of the Halloween committee. Vil goes back to Epel side. The first year looks anywhere but his dorm leader. His fists clenching tightly.

Kalim joyfully jumps over to (Y/N), "you look so pretty! And scary too!" Caring very little on how close they were. The fake werewolf holds her arm as he bombarded (Y/N) with sweet compliments. Cater steps in front of the two.

"(Y/N)-Chan~ Mind if I take a pic of you? Your super scary cute right now!" The female nods as Cater starts snapping a few photos. Hashtaging the pics under, super cute, NRC Halloween event! Cater then takes a selfie as well after, "thanks (Y/N)-Chan!"

"I think it's time to get going." Jack tells the group. Everyone agreed and started to walk to the main campus. Yuu and (Y/N) stayed in the back of group. "You didn't tell me you used your paycheck."

Yuu said as he stared at the female straight in the eye. The (h/c)-nette hurriedly says that she still has enough money for other necessities the three might need in the future. But Yuu only shakes their head, "I could of pitched in." "No way Yuu, you already used most of your Madols on groceries. You need to relax once in awhile and let me treat you!"

Yuu still was not convinced, (Y/N) sighs at him. "We can talk about this later. Right now, I want you to enjoy yourself tonight!" (Y/N) said with a determined, but a pleadding look in her (e/c) eyes. Yuu goes silent, though finally caved in. "Alright.."

"Good, cause I didn't want to abuse my power of dorm leader to make you." (Y/N) jokes, in her head she was cheering for her victory! Yuu gave her a small smile. (Y/N) grasps his hand as the two try not to lose the group.

The End!

(Alright. So I decided to add Yuu in this one because I think Yuu needs more love and free time. They keep dealing with so much stuff, so they need a break! I choose Sara Berry for (Y/N) outfit as a spooky easter egg. Grim and Yuu are her victims, so I gave them ghost costumes! Anyway, Happy Spooky Month! 👻 🎃🃏🍭🍬🍫🎇🎆)

[sherrybaby14]

Moral of the Story

Summary:  Steve’s girl likes to party all the time and he’s at his wit’s end.  Then he meets you.

Pairing:  Steve Rogers x female reader.

Warnings:  Alcohol, Smut, ANGST

Words:  5k

A/N:  This is for the wonderful @captain-rogers-beard​ challenge. Congrats Doll!  My prompt was “Party all the Time” by Eddie Murphy.

   The music was a bit louder than you would have liked, but at least the song was catchy.   You sipped on your drink as you watched the dance floor, your friend’s waving you over.  

   With a smirk you shook your head and lifted your drink, far too sober to dance.

   “I think they want you to join them?”  A voice boomed in your ear.

   You did a jump as you turned to see a gorgeous blonde next to you.  

   “I don’t want to spill my drink.”  You ran your hands down your now wet dress.

   “Oh Jeez, I’m so sorry ma’am.”  He reached for some cocktail napkins. “Let me buy you another.”

   “It’s okay.”  You began to pat your dress dry.  “It’s probably better on my clothes than down my throat.  I don’t drink often.”

   “Me either.”  He gave a warm smile.  

   “Then why are you in a nightclub?”  You turned to the bar, trying to block out the loud music and not have to yell so much. “Here to pick up women?”

   “A friend invited me.”  His gaze went to the dance floor.

   You followed it and saw he was looking at a dark haired man.  You couldn’t see his face because it was being covered by a gorgeous brunette.  She pulled away and you blinked a few times, she had to be a model, a perfect ten.  

   “I think your friend is going to get lucky.”  You turned back to see his jaw clench up.  

   “Yeah, it looks like it.”  He looked away, there was a pain in his eyes.  “If I can’t buy you a new drink how about a cup of coffee?”  

   “Oh, I don’t think they sell coffee here.”  You shrugged.

   He erupted in laughter and you glanced around, not noticing the punch line.  

   “There’s a diner a block away.”  He leaned against the bar.  “Open twenty four hours.  I know I’m a stranger, but I could get out of here and by the looks of it so could you.”  

   “I’m game.”  You put your glass on the bar and started walking to the door.  

   “I’m Steve by the way.”  He held out his hand.  

   “I know who you are.”  You smiled.  “I think the whole world knows who you are.”  

   A confused look spread across his face.  The brisk nighttime air made your arm get some goosebumps, but you let out a sigh of relief when the music died down.  

   “That’s not the reaction I get from most people who know who I am.”  Steve grabbed his chin.  “Maybe I should grow a beard again.”  

   “Would you rather I asked for an autograph and a selfie?”  You raised an eyebrow, then put the back of your hand to your forehead.  “Oh Captain my Captain?”

   “Alright, I get it.”  Steve laughed.  “So what’s your story?  I guess your the one whose the stranger here.”

   “It’s not like I know everything about you, just the headlines.”  You winked.  “Workaholic, I love my job, it keeps me busy.  In my free time I do the basics,  read, watch movies, attempt and fail at the newest workout craze.”  

   “Pilates man.”  Steve pulled the diner door open.  “It’s a lot harder than it looks.”

   “I fall in every yoga position.”  You followed Steve as he slid into a booth.  “Zumba was fun, but I’m lacking in rhythm.”  

   “You?”  Steve’s eyes went wide.  “You look like you would be a great dancer.”

   “I’m great at a lot of things.”  You flipped over your mug.  “But bad at more.”  

   “I’m really bad at board games.  I flipped the board last time I played Monopoly.”  Steve leaned back in the booth.  “But I am amazing at tic-tac-toe.”  

   “Oh yeah?”  You reached in your purse and pulled out a pen, drawing the lines on a napkin.  “Prove it?”

~~

“Even with all this coffee and stimulating conversation.”  You brought your hand to your mouth to stifle the yawn.  “Exhaustion is setting in.  I’ve got to get to bed.”

“How far do you live from here?”  Steve reached for his wallet.  “It’s almost 4 am.  Can I walk you home?”  

“Four am?”  You hadn’t checked your phone since you told your friends you were safe after vanishing, that was five hours ago.  

Sure enough the device read 3:56.  

“Damn.”  You grabbed a menu.  “Might as well order breakfast then.”  

Steve looked shocked, but then nodded in agreement, not pulling a menu. The server took notice and came over.  

“I’ll have a meat lovers skillet, side of country gravy, sub American cheese, eggs over easy, wheat toast?”  You but the menu back.  

“I’ll have the same.”  Steve leaned forward.

“Really?” The waitress was confused. “Not the usual?”

“I’m being adventurous tonight.”  Steve winked.  

“Okay.”  She walked away.

“I like the way you know what you want.”  Steve leaned back.  “Kind of no nonsense.  It’s refreshing.”  

“I wouldn’t say that.”  You laughed.  “Maybe when it comes to diner food at 4 am.  I’ve been eating my whole life after all.”  

“So why isn’t there anyone special in your life?”  Steve almost seemed fidgety.  

“There’s lots of special people in my life.”  You smiled.  “I’m very close with my parents, my siblings, have some great friends I’d call family, my coworkers are amazing too.”

“That’s not what I meant.”  Steve’s eyes showed a strange wave of vulnerability.  

“No reason.”  You wished you had a better answer.  “I’ve dated plenty, had some serious partners, some not so serious.  I guess I’m picky? What about you?”

“The friend who invited me to the club tonight, it was the girl.”  Steve gave a pressed smile.  “We were very serious, she broke it off about two months ago.  Wanted to try being friends.  I agreed to give it a go.  I don’t see how it’s going to work.”  

The perfect 10 brunette.  Your heart started to ache for the man.  He was heartbroken.  It was all over his face, body language.  Everything clicked.  

“What a bitch.”  You brought your hand to your mouth and looked at him with wide eyes.  

He laughed and you relaxed.

“There you go, being honest and direct again.”  Steve put his elbows on the table.  “I don’t think people can be friends with exes.  It’s not in the cards.”  

“I’ve never tried.”  You were more of the it’s done it’s done type.  “My philosophy is look forward.  The future.  Thinking about the past, it’s a dangerous trap.”  

“I’m starting to think the same thing.”  Steve’s eyes lit up.  “She is a big party girl, I mean, she’s a model so sometimes its a networking thing.  But I never really fit into her life.”  

“Wait, were you guys like a tabloid couple?”  You tilted your head. “Can I read all about your breakup on instagram?”  

“No!” Steve rolled his eyes.  “That was part of the problem.  I think she wanted that.  Being with me could elevate her career and it made me feel used, so I wouldn’t allow public photos. There’s a few that leaked, but nothing confirming our relationship.”

“Wow, you celebrities are a different breed.”  It never once crossed your mind to post about who you were having coffee with.

“I am not a celebrity.”  Steve wagged a finger at you.  

“Oh I’m sorry.”  You brought your hand to your chest.  “Historical figure.”

Steve cracked up.  His laugh was infectious and you joined, chuckling away.  

“Without being too forward young lady,” Steve reached out and grabbed your hand, sparks shooting down your arm.  “Could I have your telephone number?”  

You knew he was bating you for a joke.  But you preferred the natural type.  

“Yes.”  You reached for your phone, breaking the hand touch.  “You can have my number.”

~~

Noon hit and you forced yourself out of bed, six hours of sleep was doable.  You began to make your mental checklist of projects for the day while you brushed your teeth.  

There was a giddy ness in the back of your mind over last night.  He was a cool guy and it was a fun time.  Your brain started to think about work.  You had to call your parents and check in, probably explain to your friends about where you went, you would leave out the Captain America angle.  

You grabbed your phone and your jaw about hit the floor.  There was a text from Steve already.  

Are you going to say good morning?  

You didn’t think you would hear from him for at least a few days.  It made you smile and wiggle as you sat on the bed.  

Good morning!  Or afternoon?  

Before you set the device down the reply bubbles started to form.   You parted ways seven hours ago.  It was a Saturday.  This was unexpected.   The bubbles disappeared and then reappeared several times.   You were on the edge of your seat.  

Then your phone started to vibrate.  You almost threw the thing, seeing Steve’s name pop up. Instead your smile grew as you slid it to answer.

“Was good afternoon not appropriate?  Technically it’s 12:15, that is literally after noon.”  You tried to stifle the excitement.

“You want to have a beer with me tonight?”  Steve’s voice was just as sexy over the phone.  “I would say dinner, but I know you had some things to take care of.  There’s this sports bar I love,  I promise I won’t spill anything on you and coffee keeps us up too late.”  

“I’d love to.”  You didn’t see a point in trying to act coy.  

“Great, nine o’clock?  I’ll text you the address.”  Steve’s smile carried over the phone.  

“Sounds like a plan.”  You ran your hand over your hair and wondered if you could get away without washing it.  

“Have a great day.  I”ll see you tonight.”  

“Bye.”  You clicked off the phone and did a little happy dance.  

You didn’t see that one coming.  

Your phone lit up with Steve’s message right away.  You sent a thumbs up emoji.  To your surprise, Steve responded:

Emojis, it’s like hyrogliphics are coming back?  Why did we skip the sonnets?

You didn’t even think before responding.

You: Shall I compare thee to a Summer’s Day?  Thou art more lovely and temperate.  

Steve: Sonnet 18, one of the greats.

You: I stole it from Clueless.  

Steve: What’s Clueless?

~~

You woke the next morning, at your normal 8 am.  Even more thrilled with the date from the night before.   It was fun.  It was a fantastic time.  Of course the texting all day long made the conversation flow right to person-to-person.  

“I can’t sleep until noon tomorrow.”  You stood up from the bar stool.  “Plus I hit my three beer maximum.  Maybe once I know you better you can meet four beer me.”  

“You’re guarded in the strangest ways.”  Steve beamed at you.  

“Me?”  You were shocked.  “I’m an open book. Nothing to hide.”

“Well would this bother you then?”  Steve cupped your cheek and before you could react his face leaned in.

Warm lips met yours.  You melted into him, your body felt like it was floating.  Nobody in the bar paid you any attention as his tongue slid into your mouth before pulling out.  A little moan came forward when he pulled away.  

There was a devilish grin on his face as he grabbed your hand and kissed your knuckles.  

“Let’s get you an Uber.”  

All you could do was nod in a numb state.  This amazing man kissed you.  It was like a dream.  

You were all smiles as you rolled out of bed, straight to the bathroom.  Sundays were your lazy day, but you missed too much yesterday that you had to squeeze some work in.  It wouldn’t be too much.  

When you left the bathroom you grabbed your phone.  Your heart exploded when you saw there was already a text from Steve.  

Today you can say good morning.  I have faith.  

~~

Steve Rogers was perfect.  Three dates in a week, not including coffee night.  Every other day he wanted to see you.  He made you laugh, listened to you, was always available.  Sent you little comics you found funny.   You giggled at the last gif he sent you of a puppy eating bubble.

You: I’ve got to head into a work meeting.  I’ll text you later.  

Steve: Knock ‘em dead.  

Supportive too.  You smiled as you slipped your phone into your pocket.  It had only been a week, but you couldn’t remember the last time you connected with someone this way, if ever.

“You’re smiley.”  A coworker bumped you with her arm.  “It’s almost like you have a glow.”

“Just a happy person.”  You shrugged.  “How is your son doing? Any luck on that math test?”

“Oh he did much better!”  Your coworker dropped her shoulders in relief.  “That tutor was worth every penny.”

She continued to talk and you tried to listen, but your thoughts kept drifting to Steve.  This was the best week of your life.

~~

The meeting got your adrenaline pumping.  You left and went straight to your office, typing away the e-mails, ready to get the new project off the ground.   It was almost time to call it a day, the sun was starting to set.  

That was when you picked up your phone.  Two messages from Steve.  Fuck.  Guilt set in.  

How was the meeting?  

Everything okay?

You grabbed your phone and started typing.

You: Sorry work got crazy.  Major project.  Just leaving now.  

Steve: Do you want to over to my place for dinner?  Unwind?  I can have a meal and some wine for you, straight away?  

Unwinding with Steve sounded perfect, plus you were more interested in the version that didn’t involve a meal.  

You looked down at your work clothes, your makeup probably long smeared off,  but did that matter?  Steve didn’t seem to care about your appearance.  He wanted you for who you were.   And right now that sounded perfect.

You: Do you have ice cream?  

Steve: Oh my freezer is overflowing.  Any flavor you like.  Popsicles too.  

You: I’m in.  Text me your address?  

~~

Every other time you arrived at a paramour’s place for the first time you were nervous.  Not this time.  Your brain played a slide show of the last week.  The way Steve listened, hung on your words, followed up with questions.  He made you feel like the most important person in the world.  

Your past experiences taught you that people were either fantastic talkers or listeners.  You prided yourself on being both, but Steve seemed to fall in that same category.  

With a strange confidence you hit the buzzer for his apartment.  The door unlocked and you walked up the stairs, speeding up with each step.  

When you got to his floor you spotted him hanging out the door, waving at you.  This was going to be the hard part.  

“Before I step inside, I have to let you know something.”  You rehearsed this in your head a few times.  “Work was insane today, and I know tomorrow is Saturday, but I have to put in a few hours.  This happens about twice a year, not a common occurrence.  But as much as I want to, I can’t spend the night.”  

“Okay.” Steve nodded and held the door open.  “Again I love your honesty.”  

You walked in to see all the only lights on in the apartment two candles on the clothed kitchen table.  Your heart started to sink at the thought he’d put into it, but then you noticed the meal set out at each end and began to laugh.  

“Full disclosure,  all I had was some TV dinners.”  Steve came behind you and wrapped his arms around your waist.  “And there’s no ice cream or popsicles.  But I can think of something I want for dessert.”

You spun around and put your arms around his neck, pulling him in for a deep kiss.   He reached underneath you and scooped you up.  You wrapped your legs around his waist as he carried you, deepening the kiss.  

Nothing had ever felt so right in your life.  It was as if the cosmos had brought you together.  

“You’re too perfect.”  You pulled away as he dropped you on the bed.  

“You’re a one-in-a-million.”  Steve’s breath was heavy as he started to pull at your clothing.  

Hands were everywhere, lips randomly touching whatever skin they could.  Shoes and socks flying off with pants and shirts.  You shoved his boxers down as he unhooked your bra, the feeling of your bare chests pushed together making you shudder.  

Steve grabbed your panties and yanked them down as you settled back on his bed.  On your back, legs spread, knees up.  His arm encircled your thigh as he began to kiss.  You moaned and fisted the blanket, lifting your pelvis up inviting his mouth.  

He wasted no time and began to devour you. You tried to pay attention to what he was doing, but you couldn’t keep up.  Was that his tongue? His lips?  You cried out when something slid inside of you.  

“FUCK!”  Your body convulsed around his mouth.  

Your chest heaved while your brain tried to keep up with the pleasure.  Steve kept licking, touching, working you.  Everything was frenzied.   Your head collapsed to the side and you tried to regain control.  

“I knew you were primed.”  Steve kissed up your stomach.  “But you have one more in you.”  

He climbed until he was over you, his cock lining up with your entrance.  Never had you came that fast from another person.

Steve pushed forward and filled your aching pussy.  You squealed and grabbed onto his shoulders.   Rolling your body against his.  

“That’s it.”  He nipped at your neck.  “You were meant for me.  Never felt this way before.”  

You grabbed his face and pulled his lips to your own, enjoying the taste of yourself on him while he railed into you.  He returned the kiss and sped up.  Slamming his cock, teasing your clit while your g-spot came to life.  

There was no hiding your moans and his grunts as your bodies melded together.   Your breath started to tighten, and then your muscles started.  The edge came fast and you flung yourself over.  

Your head went back into the pillow as your screamed,  it was impossible to tell if your vision went black since the room was too dark.  But Steve let out a grunt and pulled out of you.

Instead of blowing all over your stomach he pushed your head down.  You slid down the bed and opened your mouth.  

His aim was perfect and for the second time you tasted yourself, enjoying the way he finished in your mouth, letting your lips wrap around his tip.  Drinking him all down while your body shook.  

“I think I’m falling in love.”  Steve pushed forward before pulling out and landing on his back.  

You nodded, breathless as you curled up to him.   He wrapped an arm around you and pulled you close, kissing the top of your head.  

You ignored the tears forming in your eyes, fighting them away.  If pure happiness existed, this was it.  How did you get so lucky?

~~

Steve: I’m going to hug my pillow all night wishing it was you.  

You glanced at the clock, it was already approaching midnight.  

You: I’m sorry I couldn’t stay.  Thank you for a wonderful night and a gourmet meal.

Steve: Get some sleep.  I miss you.  

You: I miss you too.

You grabbed your pillow.  If Steve was pretending his was you, maybe you could do that same.  A huge smile on your face as you drifted off.

~~

You woke with a smile.  Maybe Smiley could be your new nickname.  You grabbed your phone eager to see what Steve had sent. To your surprise, there was no message.

All week long you’d woken up to messages.  You smiled even bigger, maybe you’d finally worn him out and the man needed more sleep than you did.

You rolled out of bed to brush your teeth, thoughts filled with nothing but Steve.

~~

Work was so intense, you turned your phone off.  No distractions.  When the team broke for lunch you flipped it on, your heart racing to see Steve’s messages.  When the screen came to life you saw nothing.  

Maybe it was wrong?  Messages glitched sometimes.  You clicked the app open, all you saw was your last message.  It said read at 12:03 am.  

You shrugged it off.  Steve knew you had a big work day.  He was being respectful.  You thought about texting him, but you had to get back to it and didn’t want to come off as needy.  It wasn’t like you could text him all afternoon.  

~~

The project finished an hour early, 4 pm on a Saturday.  Everyone gave themselves a round of applause and you did a lazy golf clap as you reached for your phone.  

Your heart exploded when you saw a message from Steve.

Steve: How was your day?

You: Good.  I have so much to tell you!

There was no bubble response, or read receipt.  You stared at your phone.  Maybe turning it off had been a bad idea.  

After saying goodbye to your colleagues and walking to you subway stop your phone dings with a message.

Steve: Can we meet for coffee?  

You giggled.

You: Why not dinner?  The real kind this time.  It was a big day for me!  I want to celebrate, you can supply dessert again.  

Steve: Coffee.  Now?  First night?

Maybe he had a big day too.  He’d been so supportive of you, it was due to return the favor.

You: Sure.  I’ll be there in twenty.  

You headed to the other subway line, more than eager for a sleepover tonight.  

~~

When you arrive at the diner you scan it, not seeing Steve anywhere.  Maybe you beat him here.   You were about to grab a random booth when a man in a black hoodie, baseball hat, and sunglasses sticks his hand in the air.  

You smile, wondering if this is some Avenger’s mission.

“Are you going as the Unabomber for Halloween?”  You slide into the booth.  “I couldn’t even recognize you.”

“There’s no easy way to say this.”  Steve cracked his jaw.  “Ashley called me last night.  Very upset.”

“Whose Ashley?”  You blurted out the first thought that came to your mind.

“My ex.”  He let out a huge sigh.  “She’s a mess.”

“The bitch from the club?”  You were a little interested in the drama.

“She’s not a bitch.”  Steve put his hands on the table and your blood ran cold.  “She has some problems.  She is working on them.  And we have a lot of history and she needs my help.”

“Oh.”  You felt like your soul floated out of your body.

“You’re so perfect.”  He reached out and grabbed your hands.  “But she needs me.  You don’t need me.  We have a lot of history and I owe it to her to try.”  

“Oh.”  Everything went numb.

“I wanted to let you know in person and before things got too serious.”  Steve squeezed your hand.  “If I could take back last night, I wouldn’t.  It was perfect,  you’re perfect.”

“You already said that.”  Your voice was getting tight.  

“But I mean it.”  He pushed the hood off his baseball cap.  “I can’t leave her.  Without me, I mean, you saw her at the club that night.  She’s a disaster.”  

The tears started to boil in your throat they were so deep.  You yanked your hands away, thoughts flying to wild to speak clearly.  You didn’t know if you wanted to scream at him or plead with him to pick you.  

“I hope we can stay friends?”  He let out a sigh.  “I mean, you’re amazing and you made me so happy this past week.  Probably the happiest I’ve been in my entire life.  You’re smart, and witty, and beautiful, and you’re everything.”

The way he said week hit home.  It was only a week.  Not a month, not a year.  Just a week.  A lot of digs ran through your mind, ways you could make a joke, ways you could state your feelings.  But instead you said one thing.

“Sure.”  Your brain started to scream at itself.  

“That’s such a relief.”  Steve dropped his shoulders.

“I had a really long day.”  You stood up from the booth.  “Talk soon?”

You didn’t look back as you ran to the door, the tears spilling over. With a shaky hand you pulled out your phone, screaming at yourself for being so stupid to develope feelings, but smart enough to do one thing.  You highlighted his contact and clicked delete.  

~~

Friends, family, whoever would talk had to listen to you cry.  You didn’t hold back for them.  You made sure they alternated duty.   You even took a week off of work.

“If I would have stayed that night, would he have ignored her?”  You sobbed to your best friend.  

“No hunny.”  She ran a hand through your head.  “No.  You got caught in a weird game.”  

~~

Steve: How do you kill a circus?

It’s a random number not saved to a contact, but you know that’s the first text you get from Steve.  You know the punchline, but rather than responding you delete it.  The last thing you want is to memorize his number.  

You would’ve broken down and sent some very dumb stuff you would’ve regretted.  It’s only been five days.  He should send his girlfriend those jokes, not you.  

~~

Three days later you get  another.

Steve: How are you?

You think about deleting it, you think about screaming you broke my heart, acting cool like you’re busy, or just gushing about how much you miss him and what a great guy his is.  

You: Fine.

Steve: Glad to hear.

You don’t hesitate to delete the thread.

~~

Steve: I miss you.

Your heart races.  It’s been two weeks since the night you had the best sex of your life.  The tears sting your eyes.  You’ve been apart longer than you were together.   Did he realize he made a mistake?  Was he coming back to you?

You start typing: I miss

But then you stop.  No.  You had to frame this right.  State it right.  But what was there to do? Yell at him into loving you?  Did you love him?  Your heart hurt like it had, but this was wrong.  

With a shaky finger you highlighted the number and moved it to block.  The sobs came again and you cuddled your phone, regretting your choice.

~~

The day you hit the month mark you were trying not to think about Steve, but then the celebrity hit:  CAPTAIN AMERICA ENGAGED!  It ran all over the headlines.  

Him and his fiance were plastered everywhere.  You couldn’t escape.  It hit you then.  You were a rebound.  You were nothing.  A temporary step on his life path.  It hurt.  It hurt more than anything.  No ice cream could repair the hole one week with Steve Rogers had created.

~~

“I’m glad we got you out tonight.”  Your friend poked you in the side as she screamed in your ear.  “What’s it been, months since you’ve been in a club?”

“Yep.” Two, but you tried not to think about how your last time in a nightclub ended, how it could derail your life.  “But I’m here.”

You still hated the loud music.  Memories of a sports bar with Steve tried to come forward, but you buried them before they could.  

“Let’s dance!” She grabbed your hand.  

“Not yet.”  You yanked it away.  “In a few drinks.”

“I’ll wait with you.”  She settled next to you.  “But that dance floor is inviting.”

The bodies were moving and you scanned the area.  Your eyes bulged when you spotted a familiar face, tongue down a mouth.  

“Is that…..is that Captain America’s fiance?”  Your friend grabbed your arm,  you never told them the mysterious Steve’s last name.   “She’s not kissing Cap.”

She pulled out her phone ready to take a picture, but you put your hand out and lowered her arm.  

A wave of clarity rushed over you.  

“His girl wants to party all the time.  He buys her champagne and diamonds.”  A weird smile settled over you.  “He thinks he can fix her.”

That was the problem.  You didn’t need fixing.  And if you ever did you would figure it out for yourself, with the support of people around you.  Steve hit the nail on the head when he said you didn’t need him.  You never would.

“Go dance.”  You gave your friend a playful spank on the ass.  

For the first time in two months you felt like yourself and turned back to the bar hoping to block the music.  

A finger tapped your shoulder and you looked up with no jump.

“It’s loud in here.”  A handsome man with dark hair looked down at you.

“There’s a coffee shop a block away.”  You stood up.  “Can I buy you a cup?”

“Yes.” He nodded and set his drink down.  

“What’s your name?”  You yelled over the music.

“Stephen.”  He was right behind you.  

“Do you go by Steve and what are your thoughts on needy women?”  You pushed open the door to the club.

The air was hot and you rolled your shoulders back, embracing the lack of obnoxious music.

“If I went by Steve I would have introduced myself that way.”  His intense eyes glared at you.  “And I am a surgeon.  Everyone I encounter is needy.  I don’t have time for it in my personal life.”

You stifled your laughter at the response.   At least Steve had taught you to speak your mind.  Having a flashback to leaving the bar with him.  

“Well Mr. Stranger,  I will never need you.”  You grinned at him.  “Except for good conversation and occasional support.”

“It’s actually Doctor Strange.”  He chuckled.  “I think that’s the first time I laughed in months.”

“Tell me about it...literally.” You kicked at the sidewalk.  “How do you kill a circus?” 

The man scoffed at you and then wiped off his sleeves.  

“You go for the juggler of course.”  

[halzore]

For @nelba, I hope you have a wonderful 2021 and a nice and snowy rest of 2020. I had a lot of fun writing this little scene, with hopefully a clone you like!

Tagging @starwarssecretsanta and thankyou @lilhawkeye3 for organising this and bringing some extra seasonal cheer in a pretty tricky year

disclaimer I cannot write titles for Shit, please excuse me while I scream.

Word count: ~2000

Warnings: So much fluff I think i just suffocated.

Without further ado:

FOX^2

“That’s it. Get up.” Thorn had burst into Fox’s office, irritation etched on the man’s features. Fox’s head barely moved from the mountain of data pads, focus tuning out his brother’s arrival.

“Get up!” Thorn repeated. Fox looked up from his work, vexed by the interuption. “You’re going on the beat.”

Thorn was flurrying around the room, trying to dismantle the precarious pile of data pads and bother Fox into moving. Fox was not buying it.

“I’m not going on the beat.” It was a statement, matter-of-fact. No one would have argued with Fox. Except for Thorn. Thorn turned around to his brother, copping the determined stare and matching it with a grin. He waved a paper in front of Fox’s nose.

“According to this signed override form from Marshall Commander Cody, you are.” Thorn was too proud of himself, a shit-eating grin beaming across the room at his peeved brother.

“I’ve got paperwork, I can’t go.” Fox gestured at the scattered data pads, in a last ditch attempt to rid himself of his persistent co-commander.

“You. Are. Going. On. Beat.”Thorn had marched himself around the back of Fox, lifting him up by the shoulders, out of his chair, dragging him along behind. “Now.” Thorn thrust him out of the door and locked it from the inside.

Fox stood in the hallway, he had not had enough caf for this. He turned to the locked fort calling through it.

“Thorn, I need my helmet.”

~~~

The beat was pretty quiet, it usually was. Fox had to admit that it was nice to have some air, even though Coruscant wasn’t particularly well known for the freshness of it’s air. Leaning against his speeder, he absent-mindedly listened to his police scanners as he scanned the streets for miscreants. His mind wandered to the pile of work sitting back at headquarters, making little lists of what he had to fill in and when. He was so far away in his work that he didn’t see you barrel down the street.

Your feet were carrying you as fast as they could, your running form weakened by the small bundle you held close to your chest. Your eyes were fixed on the little nose pointing out of the material, it’s round eyes peering up at you. You didn’t notice the plastoid covered man getting closer and closer until you rammed into his chest plate.

Your chest was heaving, bent over, one hand holding the bundle to your chest the other placed firmly on you knee. The clone trooper hovered for a moment, his bucket turned towards you in intrigue.

“Uh, ma’am” You looked up at the clone.

“Ah shit..” You bundled your little friend closer to your chest and turned away from the officer. Fox looked at you, his eyes scanning trying to sus out the scene although you couldn’t see that.

“What have you got there.” Fox carefully enquired. Your face had guilt written all over it, eyes searching desperately in the Courscanti air for an answer, when none came, you squared up to the officer, trying to give off an air of confidence.

“I can explain.” You unwrapped the little bundle you had been clutching at your chest. A little red snout popped out, followed by two dark but inquisitive eyes. The red fur wrapped around the little creatures face, except for it’s chin and chest, where it was contrasted by a crisp white.

“You see, I was walking down the alley behind my work, and I saw a rather dodgy gentlemen.” Fox was half-listening still looking incredulously at his own namesake. “I saw him try to palm this little beauty onto some back-street crim, and I knew the little guy was in trouble.”

“So you stole a fox, off an illegal smuggler.” Thorn was definitely never going to hear the end of this.Fox would never let Cody get away with this. The commander of the Courscant guard, back on beat for one day and this. “What were you going to do after that?” Fox took a deep breath as you wriggled on the spot, your face settling in a nice cringe.

“You see, I hadn’t thought that far…” You trailed off, your eyes focussing around back the way you came.

“And…” Fox prompted

“And that.” You pointed at the angry man walking unnaturally fast towards you and the clone, before you wrapped the fox up again, turned on your heels and began to run away from your pursuer.

“Hey! Wait!” Fox called after you, he drew his pistol and set it to stun. He sent a blue ring towards the angry man, before turning around to catch up with you. You were a decent runner, but not good enough to outrun the likes of the GAR’s finest. A strong hand grabbed your free arm. “Wait.” He said more softly now. Fox took his helmet off and clipped it to his belt.

You let out a laboured sigh, admiring the clone’s handsome face.

“Thankyou.”

“Just doing my job,” He stretched out his armoured arms towards you. “How about you hand me that little guy and I’ll keep your little vigilante action to myself.” You gave the clone a little blush as you handed over the fox.

“What’s your name trooper?” Your hands, now they were unoccupied, hand gone to fidgeting with your hair.

“Fox.” A shocked silence followed.

“Your joking.” You scoffed at the man before you. “No way.” Fox’s mouth gave a little uptick, a smirk. “You’re serious” An amused disbelief shone in your eyes as you began to laugh at the wild situation you had gotten yourself into.

The fox wriggled in Fox’s arms. You took a step back admiring the image.

“Well, Fox, there is no way this day can get any weirder, so I must ask.” Fox’s eyes were trained directly on you as one hand scratched the head of the animal in his arms. “Would you like to go to dinner with me tomorrow?”

Taken aback by the question, and by the ease of the deliverance of the question, Fox took a moment to regroup. He seemed to mull it over for a few moments, all the while your stomach was doing flips and you swore that your heart had got loose of it’s casing. Fox looked at you again, a small smile creeping across his features.

“Yeah sure, why not.” You beamed up at the man, before writing you comm channel onto a little slip of flimsi you found in one of your pockets.

~~~

Fox stood in front the mirror in the barracks. Behind him, Thorn and Thire were gossiping as usual.

“I can’t believe it was a Fox.” Thorn shook his head. “It could have been any animal in the galaxy.” “Nice hair, ori’vod” Thire chuckled, earning himself an approving punch from his brother. Fox looked in the mirror, his hair slicked in an unnatural way. Why did this have to be so hard, why did Thire say that Fox’s hair was too unkempt for a lady. Fox sighed, wondering if he should bail. He didn’t want to, but going out for dinner, in public, without his armour, sounded worse than going on the beat.

At least you would be there, the little firecracker he had met for fifteen minutes. Hopefully that would make it worth it. Behind Fox, Thire and Thorn continued to chat shit as Fox continued his scrutiny.

“Would you two shut up and help me out.” Thorn and Thire looked at their older brother. “Would she like this?” Fox asked as he moulded his hair into the sixth new hairstyle fo the night. Thire grinned, Thorn facepalmed, before releasing their critiques.

~~~

He was standing outside the restaurant you had picked for what seemed like an eternity, his eyes peering into the streetlight lit night, searching for your face. He was beginning to wonder whether you had stood him up, when you came walking purposefully over to him.

You looked amazing, your hair was done differently than last time Fox had seen you, a semi-formal outfit that was dazzling. You looked ethereal.

“Wow…” Fox’s mouth was agape, ogling at your presence.

“Your jaw is supposed to close there buddy,” you gave his chin a gentle push to where it was supposed to be. “Sorry I was late, the taxi service is so unreliable around here and I didn’t want to walk.”

“I’m just glad you made it.” Fox smiled a little, before you lead him inside.

The restaurant was like a little garden, surrounded by pot plants of every colour and variety. Creeping vines crawled up perfectly placed metal bars that separated the tables into their own little private areas. There were a few wooden seats up by the bar, all of which were filled by humanoids and aliens of all species. The restaurant was bustling, a lively electric energy that buzzed through the place. You and Fox found your seats that you had booked earlier, they were over, just off from the bar.

Both you and you clone date regarded the menus, scouring for options to suit your culinary needs. It was after the second drink you shared with Fox that you noticed something was wrong. A blue Twi’lek man sat on the end of the bar in silence, glaring at the back of Fox’s head. You nodded you head over Fox’s shoulder and he glanced in that direction quickly. The Twi’lek noticed, moving up from the bar and over to your table. Fox instinctively reached for his pistol and cursed when he couldn’t find it.

Fox had stood up now. You as well, waiting for the tense scene to unfold.

The Twi prowled forward, disdain emanating from his entire existence. He moved in closer to Fox and you could see him shift his feet to a better stance. There was a stone cold silence, charged with a violent static. All the patrons and staff had turned to look at your small corner of the restaurant.

The Twi didn’t move, Fox waited with bated breath. A sound, followed by a wet sticky substance landing on his face.

“Republic scum.” It was a deep grumble from the Twi. He stood a head taller than Fox, who didn’t move, trying to diffuse the situation. Anger bubbled up from within you, a distaste settling in your mouth causing a sour expression on your face. You cracked you knuckles, took a deep breath, walked around the table, never breaking eye contact with the Twi and placing yourself between Fox and the irritator.

“What did you say?” You voice was low too, carrying danger. The Twi returned your glare.

“I asked you a question,” you repeated. Again, the Twi didn’t respond. You moved right up close to the blue alien, to the point where you could smell the alcohol on his breath.

“I said, Republic Scum.” The Twi’lek repeated.

“Brrrr. Wrong answer.” You broke the tension, by sending your knee straight into the man’s groin. The restaurant descended into chaos as the Twi tumbled to the floor. You felt a hand wrap around your arm and pull you towards the exit. All the action blurred together until you were out in the street just you and Fox.

You walked along silently for a few minutes.

“Trouble really has a knack at finding you doesn’t it.” You blushed, it wasn’t the first time someone had said that to you.

“No.” You corrected. “Unfortunately, I seem to find trouble. Thanks for getting me out of thier.” Your tone turned apologetic. “I shouldn’t have done that, put you in that position I mean.”

Fox turned to look at you.

“I’ve never had a civvie stick up for me like that before.” A sort of sadness settled in your chest at the revelation. You slipped you hand into Fox’s entwining your fingers as you kept walking.

~~~

Fox wished he didn’t have to let go of your hand as he made it to the front door of your apartment. Despite the event of the evening, you had grown on him quite a lot.

“So I guess I should say goodbye.” He stood close to you, hand still in yours.

“Only you have to, or you could come in? I could make you a hot chocolate.” A small smile played on your features as your eyes seemed grow wider in plea.

“One hot chocolate sounds good.” Fox conceded.

He settled on the couch as you babbled away about your family, friends and life whilst bustling in the kitchen, making the hot chocolate. Steam poured off it as you brought it into the room. You placed one in Fox’s hand before plonking yourself next to him on the couch. You drank in a comfortable silence as you watched the speeder’s whizz past in the coloured lights of a coruscant evening.

“Ah, you have a bit of froth there.” You reached up, a little tentatively, to wipe some from underneath Fox’s nose. Your cheeks reddened as your hand came to rest on Fox’s cheek. Fox put his drink down on the table in front of him and reached up and placed his hand over yours. “Thanks for a wonderful night Fox.” It was quiet, nervous, the vigour from earlier in the night vanishing in the midst of the butterflies in your stomach.

“We will have to do it again sometime.” Fox leaned, the tip of his nose tickling yours. An unspoken invitation, an energy, Your heart pounded in your chest as Fox brought up both his hands to cup your cheeks. You lips met in a tender moment, savoured by the both of you. Fox pulled away.

“I really have to go, but I’ll see you soon, that’s if you want.”

You offered him a warm smile. “Of course I want.”

You followed him to your doorframe, where you wrapped him up in your arms. “See you soon Fox.”

~~~

Fox walked into the barracks with a huge grin. Thorn ran to catch up with him.

“So, how was it.”

“Perfect.”

Thorn began to ask a number of intrusive questions. Fox ignored him. Nothing could ruin this night for him. A thought crossed his euphoric mind, he reminded himself to thank Thorn. Maybe he should go on the beat more often.

[thatonerandomfan4]

Madness Combat: Just Bros Being Dudes

AO3 Link:

(Hhh This Took A Long Ass While Lmao)

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Fandom: Madness Combat

Characters: Deimos, Sanford, Hank (Briefly), Jebus (Briefly), Tricky (Briefly)

Platonic Or Romantic?: Romantic Sanmos

Summary: Just A Normal Saturday In Nevada For The Boyfriends, Sanford And Deimos. They Also Share Their First Kiss With The Help Of Hank And Tricky Thanks To A Text Message. Also Deimos Makes A Lot Of Jokes, If You Know Them Then Congrats. :) If Not, That's Ok.

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The Sound Of The Alarm Clock Went Off At 8:00 AM, Causing Deimos To Wake Up From His Slumber. He Sat Up From The Sleeping Position He Was In And Yawned While Stretching Before Hitting The Snooze Button And Rubbing His Eyes. Looking Over To His Side, He Noticed Sanford Was Absent From His Side Of The Bed. It Was Cold, So He Had Been Probably Gone For A While Now. It Was Done Nicely Compared To The Smaller Man's Side Of The Bed, Which Was Very Messy.

Deimos Knew San Liked To Wake Up An Hour Or Two Earlier Than Him All The Time. He Did That Even If They Weren’t Being Bothered By The L33t / A.A.H.W (Agency Against Hank Wimbleton) Groups Anymore. Deimos Slipped On The Closest Pair Of Slippers He Had By The Bed And Headed Toward The Kitchen. There He Heard Pans Being Set Down On The Stove Or In The Sink To Be Washed Later And Bacon Sizzling In A Pan.

Sanford Was At The Stove Making Breakfast While Whistling One Of Their Favorite Songs. That Favorite Song Happened To Be Poker Face By Lady Gaga, Deimos Would Always Sing And Dance Happily To It While Sanford Watched And Laughed During Their Breaks In Between Missions. Deimos Instantly Smiled At The Sight Of His Boyfriend Being In A Good Mood On A Morning. Everyone Knew Sanford Wasn't Much Of A Morning Person, He Was Only Cheerful When He Knew He Was Going To Have A Good Day.

It Always Was Fun Going On Missions Together And Then Getting To Relax With Each Other Afterwards. They Loved To Chat And Goof Off With Each Other All The Time. The Smaller Man Quietly Shuffled Into The Kitchen Being Careful Not To Distract The Man Cooking And Sat Down In A Chair. Ford Smiled And Flipped The Pancakes In The Pan. San Turned Around To See His Beloved Boyfriend Sitting At The Table.

Sanford, Smug: “Enjoying The View, Dee?’

Deimos, Jumping In Surprise And Hiding His Face In Embarrassment: “U-Uh What? Yeah, I Like Roses. I Mean What-”

Sanford, Giggling A Bit: “What? Anyway, How Many Pancakes Do You Want?”

Deimos: “Ooo, Can I Have 4?”

Sanford Nods And Turns Around, Walking Back To The Stove To Continue Their Breakfast. Deimos Watched His Boyfriend With Love In His Eyes. Dee Loved Watching His Boyfriend Do Anything; He Even Has A Whole Photo Album Full Of...Just Sanford In Battle Poses, Laying Down, Sitting, Ect..

Sanford Knew About Deimos’s Pictures. He Didn’t Really Mind, It Was Just When They Got Posted Online And Girls Were Coming To The Posts and Simping For The Man In The Bandana. Cut Back To Deimos Looking At Sanford With Love In His Eyes, Dee’s Tablet Vibrated On The Table.

Deimos Quickly Picked It Up, And Saw It Was From Hank. His Panic Died Down A Bit, And He Just Stared At The Notification. Like Sanford, Hank Liked Getting Up Early So He Can Get Things Done. One Of Those Things Would Be Making Sure Tricky Wasn’t Eating All The Food In The Fridge. Tricky Normally Has To Be Fed At Least 8 Times A Day To Ease His Chaotic Nature For A Few Minutes At Most. Then Jebus Has To Look After Him For Safety Reasons.

--------------------------------------------------

Hank: Deimos. Are You Up?

Hank: Deimos? It's 7:04 AM.

Hank: ?

Hank: Deimos??

Hank: Oh Yeah. I Forgot You Like To Sleep In

Hank: You're Probably Going To Wake Up At 8:30 AM, As Always.

Hank: Anyway, I Just Wanted To Say Tricky Misses You Guys. He Keeps Talking About You And He’s Wondering If You 2 Can Come Play With Him Later Today Or Tomorrow.

Hank: He's Happy You Two Are A Couple Now. He Bought A Gift For You Too.

Hank: Well….He Stole It, Then I Had To Pay For The Damage….AND The Gift

Hank: Also, Quick Question….Have You 2 Even Kissed Yet?

--------------------------------------------------

There Was Silence For A Good 3 Seconds Until Deimos Screamed, Startling Sanford. The Tablet Fell On The Table Before Ford Could Even Reach His Boyfriend. The Man In The Bandana Hugged His Boyfriend To Calm Him. Ford Thought It Was Some Fangirl Who Messaged Him And Sent Something Gross As That Happened Very Often. He Took The Tablet To See For Himself, And Snorted When He Saw The Message. He Looked At Deimos Desperately Trying Not To Laugh At What He Saw.

Sanford: “You-” *He Quietly Giggles, Trying Not To Embarrass Deimos On Purpose* “You’re Screaming Because We Haven’t Kissed Yet?”

Deimos: “Well- I- Yo- We- He-”

He Was Immediately Silenced By His Boyfriend’s Lips Making Contact With His. They Stayed Like That For A Few Minutes Before Sanford Pulled Back And Got Back To The Stove. Deimos Just Sat There In Shock, His Face All Hot And Red. That Was Their First Ever Kiss, And Deimos Wanted To Be Involved Too. Just Thinking About It Made Him More Flustered. He Must've Been Spaced Out For A While Because When He Looked Up, Sanford Wasn't There. He Checked His Tablet Again And Saw A Notification: A Text From Hank.

--------------------------------------------------

Hank: Lol. Sanford Told Me You Screamed When I Asked.

Hank: That Probably Was Really Funny In Person

Hank: If Only He Recorded It.

Hank: *[One Attachment Sent]*

{Hank: He Didn’t Answer My Question. Did You Guys Kiss Yet Orrr?

Sanford: Well Yes And No. You Embarrassed Him Lol. It Was So Funny Haha

Sanford: He Screamed When He Saw Your Message, Then I Kissed Him.

Hank: Pfft- Are You Serious?! Wow Lol

Sanford: Yeah Lmao. Made Me Throw A Pancake At The Ceiling. It Was Mine Too :(

Sanford: Good Wasted Pancake :(

Sanford: *[One Attachment Sent]* {Image Description: A Gray Tiled Ceiling With A Medium-Sized Pancake Smacked In Between 4 Tiles.}

Hank: XD}

Deimos: I-

Deimos: YOU!! >:( THAT WAS YOUR FAULT HANK J. WIMBLETON!!

Deimos: YOU MADE HIM WASTE HIS PANCAKE. THAT WAS YOU!!

Deimos: YOU FUDGING BULLY >:(

Deimos: I'LL HECKING FIGHT YOU!!

Hank: XD

Hank: Yeah Right Lol. I'll See You Later

--------------------------------------------------

A Couple Minutes Pass And Sanford Taps Deimos On The Shoulder. Dee Turns Around To See His Boyfriend Fully Dressed. A Pile Of Clothes Was Placed In The Seat Next To The Shorter Man. Deimos Could Only Assume It Was His Clothing, As Hank Did Invite Them Over To See Tricky. The Smoker Popped A Cigarette In His Mouth And Left To Get Dressed. Once He Got Back, He Put His Cigarette In The Ashtray And Got Sanford Greeted With A Kiss. Well 2, One On The Forehead And One On The Mouth.

Deimos: “You Know, You Could’ve Waited Till I Was Ready For The Kiss.”

Sanford: “Why? It Would’ve Been A Year Or Two If You Said You Were Ready. That’s Basically How Our Relationship Started. Everyone Knows That, Ev-EVEN TRICKY KNOWS!”

Deimos’s Face Just Heated Up, He Knew That Was True And Couldn't Argue. After That Chat, Sanford And Deimos Got In Their Car And Headed To The Base. Deimos Was Messaging Hank During The Entire Ride. Hank Was Teasing Deimos A Lot About The Kiss, And How Deimos Reacted When It Was First Brought Up. Deimos Yelled-Texted At Hank Again, Causing The Man In The Red Goggles To Laugh Again. Dee Put His Tablet Away Once They Got To The Base. Of Course, None Other Than Hank Himself Was There To Greet Them And Welcome Them Back In.

They Passed The Savior, Jebus, Who Was Reading A Book, Supposedly A Bible Or Something He Could Find Lying Around. He Was Sitting At A Table With Red Wine In A Fancy Glass And Biscuits On A Plate. Deimos Wondered If Hank Told Him About It, Since He Received A Teasing Look. Sanford Just Thought Nothing Of It, And Wanted To See If Tricky Had Actually Changed Since Their Last Encounter With Him.

Once They Approached Tricky's Room, Or Area (Whatever You Would Call It), They Saw Signs Like 'Caution: Beware The Clown', And 'Do Not Enter Unless You Are Hank'. They Were Also Greeted By The Sound Of Someone Eating Something Viciously.

Looking From The Glass Window On The Wall, They Saw The Clown Filling His Face With All Different Kinds Of Food. He Stopped To Grab A Drink, But Got Distracted By Seeing Hank With Sanford And Deimos. Tricky Immediately Ran To The Glass And Smacked His Face Against It, Causing Ford And Dee To Jump Back.

Tricky Smiled In Delight After Seeing Deimos And Sanford For The First Time In A Long While. He Waved Through The Glass, Then Rushed To The Speaker. The Faint Sound Of Someone Yelling 'HAAANNK!' And 'VALID. FRIENDS' Could Be Heard Through The Speaker. The Door Suddenly Opened Slowly, The Smell Of All Kinds Of Foods Plus Blood Pouring Out Of The Opening And The Cracks. The Clown Immediately Jumped Out Of The Room, Startling The Trio.

Tricky: "SANFORD! HANK! DEIMOS! FRIENDS! VALID. YES."

Hank Actually Smiled Upon Tricky's Entrance, He Patted The Clown's Head Twice And Let The Other 2 Do The Same Thing After. They Talked About Everything That Happened, And Caught Up With Each Other. Jebus Entered The Room Half Way Through The Conversation And Joined In. They Chatted For Hours, Tricky Was The One To Point Out The Time To Everyone. Sanford Said That He And Deimos Had To Leave, As It Was Late (11:12 PM).

They Said Their Goodbyes Before Ford And Dee Headed Out. They Stayed Silent In The Car, Just Thinking About How Much The Others Have Changed. Tricky, Who Has Become More Friendly And Takes Baths. Hank, Who Is More Calm And 'Married To A Blender'. And Jebus, Who Has More Control And Is Starting To Learn Dad Jokes.

Deimos: "I Had Fun Chatting With Them After A While. I Just Wish Candice Was There With Us, I Miss Her."

Sanford: "...We Didn't Know A Candice."

Deimos, Grinning: "I Know Candice. I've Known Her For A While Now."

Sanford, Not Falling For It: "Good For You. Is She Nice?"

Deimos: "....Y-Yeah…...Although Her House Really Smells Like Updog. It's A Problem."

Sanford: "......Really?"

Deimos, Pushing The Joke: "Yes, Especially The Kitchen. It Really Reeks Of Updog. It's Disgusting, Bleck"

Sanford, Sighing And Smiling: "What Is Updog?"

Deimos, Giggling Like A Child: "Nahat Much Wh-"

Deimos Couldn't Finish His Sentence Because He Was Laughing. Sanford Just Snorted And Smiled, He Always Knew How He Could Get His Boyfriend Lost In Laughter. Even If A Joke Wasn't Really That Funny, Deimos Could Be Laughing For An Hour. He Absolutely Loves Jokes Of All Kinds And It Doesn't Matter Who Tells Them. By The Time They Arrived Home, Deimos Was Still Slightly Giggling And Wiping A Tear From His Eye.

Sanford Carried Deimos Into The House, As The Man In The Visor Finished His Giggling Fit. Ford Set His Boyfriend Onto The Couch And Started Getting Ready For Bed. He Left Dee Some Comfy Clothes To Slip Into For Bed. About A Couple Minutes Later They Both Were On The Couch In Pajamas (Or Just Clothes They Never Wear To Work).

Deimos: "Why Weren’t You Laughing At The Joke, Sanford?"

Sanford: "The Joke Wasn't That Funny, Deimos. You've Heard It Over One Hundred Times Already."

Deimos, Giggling Again: "But..It's Funny."

Sanford, Trying Not To Smile: "It-It's Really Not."

Deimos, Now Full On Laughing: "I- It Was Funny When Hank Fell For The Candice Joke." *He Smacked His Side While He Laughed* "It Hurt Like Hell, But It Was Worth It!"

Sanford, Smiling But Trying Hard Not To Laugh: "Oh Right I Forgot About That."

Sanford Then Let Deimos Cuddle Against Him As He Laughed Again. He Only Laughed Harder When Sanford Yelled, 'It's Not That Funny!'. Eventually, Ford Was Laughing As Well With His Boyfriend. They Laughed Until They Eventually Fell Asleep. Today Was A Good Day For Both Of Them, And They Were Happy They Could Spend It Together, Like Old Times.

[lobanri]

i wrote a -shitty, tbh, but it wouldn’t stop haunting my shower time- richie tozier’s stand up post-canon thing, on a everyone lives au. i lost the thread a bit near the end, so i’m putting it up here and maybe i’ll post it on ao3 at some point. enjoy.

-

So I’m guessing- and I’m probably right, which is decidedly not how my guesses tend to go- that a lot of you came here to see if I could offer a better explanation than the tabloids about what happened last show, because (voice changes to a higher pitched, mocking voice): ‘Richie, what the genuine fuck was that’, (voice switches back.) right?

Well gee! Am I ever here to answer. And also maybe to give a stand-up performance whose entire script I threw out in favour of, like, maybe four jokes I scraped together with what’s left of my brain.

But! Explanation first. 

Okay. (short pause.) So. Imagine you’re me, the fantastic -that’s a joke in itself, right there- Richie ‘Trashmouth’ Tozier. You’re about to go out and perform in front of, okay, maybe not that many people, but still a good number, and you’re like, only a bit nervous. And then.

You get a phone call. 

It’s an unknown number. It says so, right there on the screen of your phone that’s all smudged and disgusting and maybe a little bit cracked ‘cause you keep dropping it doing dumb shit.

(again, his voice changes to a higher pitched, mocking voice)

“Oh Richie, was it someone you knew?” (voice switches back.) Of course not, dumbass, that’s why I said unknown. Duh. 

But on with the tale. 

Now, am I the type of person that answers unknown numbers? Normally, no. If your phone got stolen and you’ve ever called me from a burrowed phone about it, now you know why nobody picked up. But remember, I was about to go out into the level of hell that is an audience- not that I don't love it, I do, but being stared, and occasionally laughed at for around an hour is not what most people find a relaxing afternoon experience. 

So I picked up. Thought it’d maybe be a wrong number that would leave the other person feeling very awkward and me only slightly less so. Maybe I’d get an idea for a joke, who knows.

Suffice to say, given the whole clusterfuck that was my last show, it wasn’t a wrong number.

I pick up. I go, “Hello, who is this?”, because that’s what you say when you answer a call.

The other dude goes “Hi Richie, it’s Mike.”

In my head, I go ‘oh’. So first, apparently this is not a wrong number! Second, Mike? I don’t know any Mikes, who’s Mike?

Third, I go “Oh, shit.”

Now, have you ever noticed that a lot of comedians talk about their childhoods a lot? I’ve realized that they do this for one of three reasons; either their parents are funny, they had very fun childhoods, or they had a lot of therapy. I don’t talk about my childhood because none of those applied to me, and also because I repressed like a full 90% of it from trauma. I now have a therapist, which means I can tell you people some of it. Also because most of it came back from repression-land right there and then, because turns out I do in fact know a Mike!

Mike my childhood friend! From my childhood gang!

...The same childhood I happily repressed for twenty seven years, in fact.

Mostly from trauma.

Now you might realize that it’s literally two minutes until I have to go out in front of all you lovely judging strangers who have expectations of me already!

I certainly did. So did my agent- lovely man, genuinely hates me so much- who nevertheless had to send me out like some poor lost lamb sent to be sacrificed at the altar. So I come out- not in that way, but keep tuned to that- 

Oh wow that was loud. We’ll get to that, don’t you worry. Now that’s going to be fun. If you haven’t seen Twitter, have fun figuring this out.

But let’s try to keep this mess chronological -big word for me, I know, I stole it off some other guy.

I come out, and then I can’t remember my joke, and I can’t remember my name, and I don’t remember where I am, but turns out I can remember the time my friends and I found a corpse!

So anyway, I puke on stage.

Glamorous way to end a show, I know, but in my defense I was pretty busy. 

I’d like to make a segue here- who here grew up in a small town?

Yeah? Okay, this entire bit is for y’all. The rest of you big city folk can just check your phones or whatever.

So I grew up in a small town in Maine, called Derry. Pretty quaint, didn’t have much, there was one arcade, one pharmacy owned by a pedophile, one old abandoned -extremely haunted- crack house, and like a couple tiny stores. My friends and I used to hang out at the quarry and at that same old house, which was cool at the time and gross in hindsight.

I’ll tell you what it’s most known for; it’s the child murder capitol of the entire United States.

Oh, that’s some silence there. Are you perhaps uncomfortable? Maybe wondering if you heard that right? I’ll repeat it louder then.

IT WAS THE CHILD. MURDER. CAPITOL. 

OF THE ENTIRE UNITED STATES.

AND I GREW UP THERE.  A CHILD.

Is it clearer now why I repressed that entire experience?

So. Derry. Terrible, terrible, racist, homophobic, sexist Derry. Would I have loved to never go back? Yeah, of course. Who would?

This idiot. And his entire gang of childhood friends. Because Mike called us and went ‘Hey, could you guys come back? It’s important.’ And we went, because Mikey literally never asks for shit, so clearly this was going to be terrible. If Mike was on fire, I’m pretty sure he’d take care of it and then never mention it again.

I’ve mentioned the others a couple of times before- of course, Mike, who’s a librarian in Derry- or was, but that’s later. But, there are seven of us in our little Loser’s Club! That is the actual name, by the way. Seven Losers.

 Even if Stan made us think that was wrong, because while my reaction to remembering Derry was to puke, his was to fake his death. Yes. If you can believe it, he literally fucking faked his death to get out of that reunion.

I’ll move on a bit so I don’t spend the rest of the show dissing Stan the Man and his extreme as fuck reactions- would you believe that this man is an accountant? Like, what the fuck? Now whenever I see an accountant I wonder if they’re the type of person that would fake their death to get out of things and it’s fucking with my head every time I have to go to the bank. 

Okay. Seven- six not counting me, we’ve talked about Mike, and I’ve already said why Stan wasn’t there- we’re left with the weirdest group you’ve seen; Ben Hanscom, or Handsome really, that man got so hot, who’s a famous architect, Beverly Marsh, Bevs, very famous fashion designer -hell yeah she is actually my friend, I know, it’s weird- William Denbrough, Big Bill himself, horror author with terrible endings, leader of out weird gang, and last but the very opposite of least Eddie Kapsbrak, risk analyzer, the most germaphobic person I’ve met, who also wore fanny packs while we were kids. The last part tells you very little about him but I feel like I have to mention it from time to time, because he’s hot and all now but in my head he always had a fanny pack and it freaks me out a bit to see him without one. I also made ‘your mom’ jokes at him all the time, mostly for attention but also because sometimes he’d snap back and just verbally gut me like a fish, and I? Loved that shit.

For those of you that look like you just came to a realization, yes. You’d be right. But we’re just gonna ignore it for now, because some of the others didn’t get it yet, and I’m not gonna hold your hand until you do, I feel like I’ve dropped enough hints already.

Where was I? Oh, yeah.

They’re all hot and I hate it. How come they get to grow up and get muscles and I get to grow up to look like a beanstalk with some fucking bug-eyes and a shitty party city wig? I used to call Eddie “Eddie Spaghetti”, but then turns out that the actual noddle here was me all along.

Well. I’ll get the reunion out of the way and move to the important part; what did Mike call us there for? The answer may not surprise you, given that we were in fact in Derry, but guess what? If you thought ‘child murder’ you win nothing at all, but you’d be right. There was in fact a serial killer! Who was, uh, also… a cannibal. 

Terrible, right?

But you’d think ‘this sounds weird’, right? Some unknown dude is killing and eating people, yes, but what does that have to do with lil ol’ me?

Now’d be the time to point out that Bill’s little brother Georgie disappeared twenty seven years previous and turned out to have been literally murdered and possibly eaten along with like, some other six or seven people. And at the time, Big Bill made us all go along to go look for him. In the sewers. While we were also kids. Y’know, like those other kids that got killed.

Big Bill was charismatic, but that doesn’t mean he was the wisest guy, okay. And we were also dumb and young, so that was pretty much all it took.

Thing is that we, uh, …did actually end up finding a serial killer in the sewers. So.

Who was it? Henry Bowers. Our middle school bully. To those true crime fans that recognize the name, yeah, that Bowers.

It didn’t turn out to be that much of a surprise that our bully was the dude killing people, actually, because he was the most fucked-up kid I ever met. He broke Eds’s arm and tried to carve his name on Ben, which is genuinely fucking nuts, right? Like, what? The everliving fuck? I think he liked to kick puppies.

Now, this time around, you’d think it was some fucked up copycat or something? Nope. Dude escaped to try again, this time dressed as a clown. 

You think I’m joking here? He literally dressed as a clown to kill people. I could not begin to tell you why. 

He can’t tell you, either, because he’s currently, uh, sort of dead. As in, someone buried an axe in his spine and he died. 

In my defense-

(louder)

 he was trying to kill Mike and you’ve already heard that I’d go back into Derry for him, so. 

If you’d wondered why I came back really late, yeah, that was part of it.

The other part is that before dying he managed to stab Eddie Spaghetti in the face and make us go into that one old ass, extremely haunted crack house- don’t ask, I don’t know either- in which an entire beam fell on him. I’m genuinely baffled at how this didn’t happen earlier, because this was literally our childhood hangout spot. But karma or fate or whatever caught up with us, so it did. 

By the way, he’s okay now. We all thought he was gonna die first, of course, because how the hell else do you react when a dude’s been impaled right in front of you? He didn’t. But when we all thought he was gonna die in front of me, holding his hand -him included- he looked at me in the eye and, with all the strength his failing body could muster up, he said:

“I fucked your mom.”

So does it come as a surprise to anyone that we’re dating now? 

[viltrumitesuperboy]

Owl Letters Part 1 (Draco x Male Hufflepuff Reader)

This can be read even if you’re not a Hufflepuff. I know, “why the fuck is there another part” cause i’m a DUMBASS thats WHY. Used the italicised parts of the request. I will consider doing the second one in the future. 

Here’s part 2.

Requested by: (draco) anon

1. Being sent/finding anonymous love letters & Draco reveals it’s him 2. Draco constantly winks and flirts with the reader in the great hall/class 3. Reader crushing on Draco, but refuses to admit it bc of Draco’s attitude towards others. He catches on & reveals a sweeter, gentler side

Word count: 1485

"Seriously, what are you looking at?"

You turn to your friend with a huff.

"Nothing! Just zoning out," you muttered.

"Does zoning out include thinking about Draco Malfoy?" Elliot snickered.

You glared at him, then looked back down at your book with a blush.

"Oh, I think (Y/N) fancies someone!" whispered your other friend, Violet, as she leaned over from the Slytherin table.

"Go back to your house before you get in trouble, Violet," Elliot hissed.

"Fine, but you know I can get in a good word with Malfoy. He and I are close," she boasted.

"But you make fun of him?" you questioned.

"And have you seen him retaliate?"

You and Elliot gave each other a shrug in agreement. You reached across the table and shooed her away, and she pushed off of the bench to go back to her spot. A professor turned towards her direction before she was seen.

"I don't know how she does it," Elliot growled. "I think she's the only person in the entire school not to get in trouble."

"You're forgetting the Mandrake incident," you supplied. "And potions. And when she sent Malfoy a Howler telling him that he left his book in the common room."

You and Elliot smiled before breaking into a fit of giggles, going back to your studies. Naturally, yours consisted of looking at Draco from your strategically chosen seat where he was in your line of sight. He was too busy either talking to his own friends or studying, but you hadn't realised that his friends were not and took notice in your staring.

"Malfoy, I think someone fancies you," Blaise mumbled, his eyes trained on his quill.

"Really? Is it your quill?" Draco replied sarcastically.

"Take a look at the Hufflepuff table."

Draco turned around and scanned the Hufflepuff table behind him from his left to right with a piercing gaze. His eyes landed on you, and you quickly looked ahead of you with a jerk of your head. You started to whisper to your friend, who he knew to be Elliot.

"(L/N)?" Draco scoffed. "You must be joking. He would never speak to me even if I tried."

"Maybe it's because you made fun of his friend Kingston," Pansy sighed.

"Since when?!"

"Since you said he was muggle-born and he came right back at you with his family of wizards."

Draco huffed, a light blush forming on his cheeks in embarrassment.

"I've changed. And not many families have wizards and witches of all houses. How was I supposed to know?"

"Maybe stop being such a bloody arse and judging people," someone said.

Violet dropped into the small spot between him and Pansy, who quickly moved over to make room.

"Look, Draco. For some reason, my friend really likes you. And I have a feeling you like him too, since he's probably the only person you've never even slightly insulted. It's possible he sees something under your rude facade. Figure it out."

Draco was silent as she returned to her spot, once again narrowly avoiding getting caught by a professor. His eyes trained onto your blushing form, watching as you magically sent a crumpled up paper at Violet's head. Pansy waved her hand in front of his face, and he snapped back into reality.

"What?!"

"I said, Blaise and I have an idea," she smirked.

Receiving letters was your connection to the outside world. As much as you loved Hogwarts, you needed to know what was going on outside of your studies. Your muggle family members kept your parents in touch with the muggle world, so your life still included making fun of the Kardashians and looking forward to the latest films.

A letter from your parents dropped onto the table in front of you, and you grabbed it in excitement. You opened it quickly and began to read it to yourself.

"Elliot, they said they have a gift for me! And after I haven't heard from them in weeks," you said.

"I got a dumb toy," he sighed. "Oh wait, that's for you."

You both laughed, and he put away his own things in the box as you looked at the stuffed toy.

"This niffler is adorable! I'm keeping it forever."

You hugged it to yourself with a smile, and stole a quick glance at Draco. He was facing your table this time, and you locked eyes with him. You both looked away almost instantly.

"Hey, Malfoy's watching me," you mumbled. "Do I look dumb with this toy?"

"No way. He's probably just wondering what it is, growing up in a world of magic. If he thinks you look dumb, he'll have to answer to me," Elliot vowed.

"And Violet!" Violet said, hopping into the spot next to Elliot. "Hey, looks like you have another letter."

One of the last few owls swooped down to drop you a letter. You watched it leave with the others. You picked up the letter and examined it, finding only your name on it.

"What if it's cursed? There's nothing on this."

"Just open it!" Violet said. "We'll be right here to protect you."

You gave her a look before slowly opening it. You breathed a sigh of relief when nothing happened. The letter was well-written in a neat cursive, with clear ink lines from a new quill. It was pretty much just compliments for you and your dedication to learning magic. It warmed your heart and you couldn't help but smile as you read it.

"It's signed as a secret admirer," you said, showing it to Elliot and Violet.

"Wow, they sound dumb," Violet said without another thought.

"Stop, it's so sweet," Elliot scolded. "What if it's Malfoy?"

"It's not his handwriting," Violet said, still scanning the letter.

You and Elliot stared at her. You could feel yourself dropping a little, but not enough that they could tell.

"What? I get notes from him sometimes. And I'm not the one who has a crush on the most unlikeable wizard in all Hogwarts history."

"Hey, he is likeable!" you exclaimed defensively. "The main reason I like him at all is cause he really does care about people. I've seen it."

Elliot gave you a skeptical look, and Violet just went back to her seat. Eventually you had to leave the dining hall for classes.

When you started Care of Magical Creatures with Slytherins, you realised just how bad some students could be around animals. It was easy for you because you liked animals, but it seemed some people were really bad with them. More specifically, Draco Malfoy, who couldn't get near an animal to save his own life. He sat next to you that class, strangely enough, and you didn't speak to him because you didn't need to. Right after class, he stopped you as everyone was grabbing their belongings.

"(Y/N)? Do you mind if I could ask you for help? For this class?" Draco asked quietly.

"Malfoy asking for help? Your pride must be hurt," you quipped, giving him a small grin.

"Oh, it is. But I mean it," he muttered, tapping the strap of his bag.

You motioned him out of the classroom as you made your way to your own classes. You walked slowly with him, standing a bit to the side of the hallway.

"Start with your own companion. Bonding with whatever pet you have, magical or not, is the first step for any animal. Maybe give it something it'll enjoy, like some food. Meet me outside the Hufflepuff common room this weekend, and tell me how you've done."

You waved him off as you turn to go to your own class, knowing he went the other way after weeks of sharing the same class. You then caught up to Elliot to tell him what happened.

"I can't believe he asked me! And I didn't even act nervous!"

"Aren't you one of the top in the class?"

"Because everyone else dislikes animals of any sort, but that doesn't count!"

Elliot sighed and pat your shoulder, then his eyebrows furrowed. He pulled a piece of paper that wasn't in the main, larger pocket and handed it to you.

"This doesn't look like your handwriting."

You looked at it and read it quietly to yourself. It was addressed from the "secret admirer" and had more reasons as to why they liked you, which included your appearance as well as your personality and humour.

"There's something else in there," Elliot said, and pulled out a small container of Glacial Snowflakes.

"I love those!" you exclaimed, grabbing it and inspecting the packaging. "We should check if whoever gave this did something to it."

"That was my thought exactly," Elliot laughed, taking it from you carefully. "I'll let you know by the end of the day."

"Elliot, you're such a good friend."

"I'm your best friend. Now let's get to class."

[roseworth]

All Was Golden in the Sky

Description: Flynn Rider was 13 the first time he saw the lanterns. They were everything he thought they would be and more. What he didn't expect was for them to change his outlook on life. (Title inspired by "When the Day Met the Night" by P!ATD)

Word count: 2322

Relationships: Lance & Eugene, Rapunzel/Eugene

AO3

Flynn was 13 the first time he went to Corona.

He was excited to finally go somewhere where no one knew him as Eugene. In Vardaros, there were plenty of people that still thought of him as “poor orphan Eugene.” He hated it. He didn’t want to be known as an orphan, he wanted to be known as a legend.

That’s why he liked going by Flynn Rider. Flynn Rider was rich and famous, Eugene Fitzherbert was neither of those things.

He and Lance had just left the orphanage a few days ago. He planned on going back eventually, he just wanted to see more of the world than an orphanage. He also figured that they could get some nice things in Corona. They had heard about some big festival happening, and when they found out it was only a few days away, they decided to sneak out and go.

They were immediately met with crowds of people. Flynn had never seen so many people in one place. Might make it easier to take some things off their hands, he thought. If people were bustling around, there was no way they would notice a few dollars gone from their pocket. Lance and Flynn had done a little bit of thieving before, just some pickpocketing here and there, but Flynn wondered what it would be like to take something big. It’s not like any of those rich people would miss it.

Lance nudged him out of his thoughts and pointed to a shop across the street. Flynn squinted at the sign. “A Sweet Shoppe?”

Lance nodded. “Come on, when was the last time we had something good?” he said, walking towards the shop.

Flynn started following. “So what’s the plan?” he asked. Lance shrugged.

“I guess we’ll just take it and run,” he answered.

Flynn sighed. “We’ve been in this kingdom for 5 minutes, we don’t need the guards on our trail already.”

“Well, do you have a better plan?"

He hesitated, trying to think of something. “What if you distracted the owner while I took the candy?”

“See, now we have a plan! That’s called teamwork.”

“What? But I made the plan!”

“Yeah, and I was the one that decided to go to the Sweet Shoppe. So it was a team effort.”

Flynn rolled his eyes. They made it to the door and walked in, and he immediately felt out of place. Most of the other kids here were dressed in nice clothes (well, nice compared to the rags that the two of them were wearing). The kids there all had their parents with them, too. He watched as a kid tugged on her mom’s hand as they looked at the chocolate sculptures on display. His stomach flipped a bit watching these kids interact with their parents, but Lance was focused on the food.

He was ready to put the plan into action before the owner came up to both of them. “How do you boys do?” he asked. “I don’t think I’ve seen you here before. I’m Monty, but most people call me Uncle Monty.”

Flynn started to smile. He started to feel bad that he was planning on stealing from this man. He seemed to be nice, and he wasn’t trying to kick them out. That’s when he came up with a new plan. He glanced at Lance, who seemed to be thinking the same thing.

“Hi, Uncle Monty. My name’s Lance, this is Flynn. We came all the way from Vardaros for this festival.”

“We’re from the orphanage,” Flynn added, hoping to score some sympathy points.

“And we just really wanted some candy… because we’ve never had any before,” Lance sighed dramatically. That was mostly a lie, they had had candy before, but only on rare occasions.

However, it seemed to be working on Uncle Monty. “Well, gosh, I’ve got plenty of candy here, just take your pick!” he exclaimed.

Flynn did his best to make his eyes tear up. “But we don’t have any money…” he said sadly.

“No problem, it’s on the house!” he told them. “Everyone could use a little sweetness in their life.” Lance and Flynn smiled at each other and thanked Monty as they went to grab some lollipops. Then, they sat down near the cash register to continue talking to Uncle Monty.

“So what’s this festival for?” Flynn asked. “I know there’s something with the lanterns and the princess, but what does she need the lanterns for?”

“Oh, see, the princess was taken from her family as a baby, and now the king and queen send lanterns into the sky so she can see them and return someday,” Monty explained.

“Do you think she’ll see them?” Lance asked.

Monty shrugged. “We can only hope.”

Lance and Monty soon changed the subject, but Flynn couldn’t stop thinking about the lost princess. For all anyone knew, she could be dead, but they still threw this party to try to find her. He wondered why anyone would want to steal a baby in the first place, and he wondered what you would do with a stolen baby.

What was so great about a stolen baby anyways? If the kidnapper wanted a baby they could have just gone to the orphanage, there are plenty of kids there. What makes a princess baby better than any other baby, especially if the baby doesn’t even know she’s a princess?

He thought about Flynnagan Rider. In one of the books at the orphanage, Rider saves a princess from a fire breathing dragon, and the whole kingdom rejoices. The princess even offered Rider gold, but he said no because he just did it to save her.

Flynn wondered if he could do the same. Maybe he would find this princess and save her from whatever lizard monster or witch that trapped her, and the whole kingdom would regard him as a legend just like Flynnagan Rider (though if they offered him gold he wouldn’t turn it down like Flynnagan did).

He shook his head at himself. He couldn’t get his hopes up. The princess was probably far away by now, and everyone only knew her as a baby. He didn’t know how long she had been gone, but she definitely didn’t look like a baby anymore. If she didn’t know she was the lost princess, no one would.

“Flynn?” Lance said snapping him out of his thoughts. “You’ve been quiet for a while, that’s not like you,” he joked. “Whatcha thinkin’ about?”

Flynn smiled and shrugged. “Just enjoying this lollipop.”

Flynn and Lance spent the rest of the day talking to Uncle Monty. Monty looked out the window as it started getting darker. “You boys better get going if you want to get a good view of the lanterns. You never forget the first time you see something like that.” The boys thanked Monty for the candy, then were on their way to find a good spot, preferably in a large crowd. They planned to make some money off of this trip too. Just like they had done during the Empyrean Showers, they would wait until the lanterns were in the sky and do a bit of pickpocketing while everyone was distracted.

Suddenly, he looked up and saw a lantern in the sky. As soon as he saw that one, lanterns started raising all around him. “Wow,” he said. Lance was looking up too. The sky was entirely lit up with these lanterns. It looked amazing.

His mind wandered back to the princess. The king and queen were willing to do all of this for their daughter because of how much they cared about her. The people of Corona sent out hundreds of these lanterns into the sky because they all cared about this baby that they hadn’t seen in years.

It made him think about his parents. He had always thought of them as rogues like he wanted to be, and that they would come back to the orphanage soon enough. But seeing this made him think that wasn’t meant to happen. The king and queen worked so hard to find their daughter, and his parents had left him at an orphanage.

His parents didn’t really love him. He hadn’t exactly made himself hard to find, that’s why he always came back to the orphanage. He was ready for his parents to come back to get him at any moment, but seeing how much effort the princess’s parents put into finding her, he realized that his parents didn’t care.

His eyes started to well up with tears, but he quickly blinked them away. He’s Flynn Rider, Flynn Rider doesn’t need anyone. All he needed was money and fame. Flynn Rider, legendary thief. He liked the sound of that. And once he stole enough that he didn’t need to steal anymore? He would get himself an island all alone. He still wouldn’t need anyone, he’d have his own island. With lots of money. And maybe girls.

He and Lance had both gotten distracted by the lights and didn’t do any pickpocketing, but Flynn was thinking past pickpocketing now. No orphan pickpocket was ever thought of as a legend. “Hey Lance?”

“Yeah?”

“What would you say if we didn’t go back to the orphanage? And started stealing more instead?”

Lance grinned. “I would be on board. Lance and Flynn, legendary crime duo, right?"

Flynn nodded and grinned back. But he and Lance wouldn’t be a duo forever, Flynn Rider didn’t need anyone else. Every man for himself, he thought.

**

“What are you thinking about?” Rapunzel questioned, slightly nudging his side. Eugene had been silently staring at the lanterns for a while. They were sitting in their boat as the lights floated in the sky, his arm around her as her head rested on his shoulder. Eugene turned to her and smiled. “Just thinking about the first time I saw these lanterns.”

“When was that?”

“I think about 15 years ago. It was the first time Lance and I went to Corona. It was… bittersweet.”

“Why bittersweet?”

He sighed. “It was the first time I think I truly understood my parents weren’t coming back for me. I saw what your parents were willing to do to find you, and I realized that my parents weren’t even looking for me.”

“Eugene…” she said softly, grabbing his hand.

“It’s alright, though, that’s when the “sweet” part of bittersweet comes in. Because of that, I realized that I wasn’t gaining anything waiting around at that orphanage, so that’s when Lance and I decided to go out on our own and start living life,” he said. “If that hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have met you. Plus, meeting you did end up leading me to meet my dad, so it all worked out in the end.”

Rapunzel frowned. “I still don’t like the thought of little Eugene giving up all the hope he had, even if it did lead to us meeting. I would live in that tower for the rest of my life if it meant you could live a happy life.” He gave her a small smile.

“Sunshine, I’m the happiest anyone could ever be because you’re not living the rest of your life in that tower.”

She leaned further into him and smiled, but she couldn’t get over the fact that Eugene stopped dreaming because of a lantern ceremony thrown for her. But it didn’t matter what happened in the past. They couldn’t change it, they could only love each other in the present. They were there, and they were together watching these lanterns for the fifth time in a row.

“You know, we’ve probably been watching these lanterns together for years without knowing it,” Rapunzel thought out loud.

Eugene looked at her. “What do you mean?”

“You said you were watching these lanterns 15 years ago, I was at my window watching them too. We were watching the same lanterns for years before we met.”

He laughed. “Well, when you put it that way, maybe we really were meant to be. Along with the hundreds of other people watching, too,” he teased.

She rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean,” she retorted with a smile.

“What’s even better is when I first heard what happened to the Lost Princess, I decided I would be the one to save her. It was gonna be an epic Flynn Rider quest, save the damsel in distress and earn the gratitude of the kingdom.”

She giggled. “Was the real quest everything you dreamed it would be?”

“Well, I gotta say, when I played it out in my head I didn’t think I would die. Not to mention, I’ve been the one in distress far more than you,” he quipped.

Rapunzel laughed again, then lifted her head up to kiss his cheek. They fell into a comfortable silence as they continued to watch the lanterns light up the sky. She thought about how every lantern in the sky was released by someone. Each person had their own story of why they were there and what the lanterns meant to them. The lanterns were more than just her way home, it was a way of connecting for all of Corona.

She looked at Eugene. He was her dream and the love of her life, and it all started because of the lanterns. She didn’t want to think about where they could both be right now without these lanterns. Too much of life is spent on “what ifs,” and all she wanted to focus on was “now.” Right now, she is happier than she ever thought anyone could be, and didn’t even want to imagine her life differently.

“I love you,” she said, beaming. She didn’t know how to tell him everything she was thinking, she hoped those three words encapsulated it enough. Given by the look he gave to her in response, they did.

“I love you too, Sunshine.”

[soyeahitsmiddleearth]

Hi! I really love your work! could you write something about bilbo and his so who fought with him and the company went home and they had a family? After one day Gandalf Thorin Kili and Fili maybe even Dwalin decided to visit them only to see a cute little red hair girl running inside bilbos house chucking saying “Pa! Visitors visitors!” Or something? Them: omg bilbo actually had a family a big happy family please 😤this would make me so happy, I rarely find any fanfics of him so thank you ✨💗✨

—-

You had never intended to fall in love with someone during the journey to help reclaim Erebor.

Naming your future kids after some dwarves was also not on the agenda.

But one thing that you had fully intended for, is revisiting said dwarves once it was all over.

Of course, the one thing on your list that you actually intended to do is the one thing you didn’t do at all, but having them come to you actually might be even better then what you originally had planned.

After your journey to Erebor Bilbo Baggins confessed his more than friendly feelings towards you.

At first, you thought you had been dreaming (and if you were you never wanted to wake up) only to realize that you were, in fact, awake, and gaping like a fish out of water.

Obviously, you told him that you return those feelings and would love nothing more than to be with him back in the Shire, and that’s exactly what the two of you do.

You return to The Shire and he gives you a place to call home, and eventually, get married.

The ceremony was beautiful and emotional, and if it weren’t for the rebuilding of Erebor your dwarven friends definitely would’ve come to visit, but unfortunately they didn’t.

A letter came in for you and Bilbo a while ago that promised the presence of some of the original 13 dwarves you’d traveled with, and while you were nervous to see them for the first time in years, you’re also excited.

You and Bilbo had three lovely children, the eldest being 5, middle being 4, and the youngest at 1 and ½.

One girl and two boys, and naturally you named your boys after Fili and Kili (more or less), and your daughter you named Thora (a tribute to Thorin since you couldn’t very well give your daughter such a masculine name lest she get teased).

It may seem a little silly to name your children after three dwarves who you only knew for a year, but truthfully that year felt more like a life time. And when you cry, bleed, and see someone in their worst moments, it’s only natural that you would share a bond closer than brotherhood.

You and Bilbo love them in your own way, and there’s nothing that would make you feel otherwise.

Thora is your oldest, and she loves to boss her brothers around unsurprisingly. Meanwhile, Fillion is your second oldest and Killian your youngest. It’s funny in some ways how perfect it all ends up being, but you think it’s nice anyways.

Bilbo is rushing around the house making sure everything is clean and ready for their arrival while you hold Killian and his siblings play, and it’s really a funny sight.

He’s running around like crazy, straightening things, moving them, placing blankets over other things; it’s pretty cute, honestly.

The sweet dear has been excited about this moment for weeks now, stocking up on food and cleaning nonstop, and now that the day has arrived it’s as if all his excitement and stress over the past while has all come rushing back down on him at once.

“Bilbo, my dear please, if you keep running around like that you’re going to make yourself dizzy.” You say with a lighthearted smile, rocking back and fourth with the small child still nestled in your arms.

Said hobbit halts all frantic movements at the sound of your soothing voice, and once his shoulders relax and he stops speeding around, you walk over and hand Killian off to him with a smile on your face. “Isn’t that much better?”

The small hobbit child lays his head on his fathers shoulder and closes his eyes like the sleepy baby he is.

A fond smile works its way onto your face, but before you can comment on how cute it is, there is a knock on your door.

You and Bilbo are in the pantry so you’re not visible to the door, but you don’t have to look out the window to know who it is.

At first, you don’t move and only look at Bilbo, but Thora takes yours and Bilbos silence and stillness as a sign for her to open the door.

She runs over happy and yells, “Ma! Pa! We’ve got visitors!” Before opening up the door.

“Oh, my! Who is this?”

You know that voice.

You step out of the pantry and smile brightly, “Gandalf!” Before running over to greet the elderly wizard joyfully.

“Ma? Who is this?” Thora asks, looking up at you as she goes to hide behind your skirts shyly.

“Oh, my sweet girl this is the very man who introduced me to your father!” You reply happily, lifting her up in your arms and setting her on your hip while you move out of the way for Gandalf to come in.

Only to realize he’s not alone.

They must’ve all traveled together, because just behind the wizard is Thorin, Fili, and Kili.

Your smile brightens exponentially and you call for Bilbo, “Well, will you look at that! They’re all here at once!”

Bilbo comes speed walking around the corner with a smile on his face and Killian still clutching onto him, “You’ve all made it just on time!”

Thora starts to squirm and kick so you can put her down, and as soon as she’s back on the ground she runs off to Fillion who is peeking out at everyone from behind a wall, his shyness very apparent at the moment.

“Y/N! Bilbo!” Kili calls with a large grin of his own, stepping in after his uncle and brother with his arms outstretched.

Right away you and your hobbit go in for hugs (putting Killian own on the arm chair for a moment since he’s a big boy), and once all the embracing and niceties are done with you close up the door and offer up the coat rack incase they want to rid themselves of their heavy jackets.

Bilbo stands in front of all of them, looking up at the three with excitement shinning in his eyes, “You made it.”

“Well, of course we did. We tried our hardest to be here on time, you see.” Thorin explains, placing his hand down on Bilbo’s shoulder. “My nephews were overwhelmingly excited.”

“I should hope so. Free food has always been their favorite.” You joke, pausing when you feel a little tug on your dress.

You look down and see Fillion half hidden by your skirts, and you lean down a bit, “Don’t by shy, Fillion, say hello.”

“Fillion?” Fili asks suddenly, looking down at the young hobbit with a smile brightening his face. When Fili looks at him he runs off.

“Yes, I hope you don’t mind. We stole some of your names- more or less.” Bilbo replies, rocking back and fourth while he holds Killian.

“Some of our names?” Kili asks hopefully, looking between the two children they have yet to learn the names of.

“Right, this little dear,” you pause while you pick up the youngest of your 3 children again, “Is Killian, and my sweet girl over there is Thora.”

Gandalf chuckles at the obvious parallel between your children’s names and the three dwarves left in awe over the namesake of the little babes, but he doesn’t stick around and instead heads toward the kitchen.

“Y-You named your child after me?” Kili asks with wide eyes filled with no small amount of shock or joy.

You nod your head and laugh, bouncing him on your hip a few times much like you did with Thora. “I’m afraid so.”

The smiles on their faces are full of delight and it makes you feel warm and fuzzy on the inside, and Bilbo feels the same way.

Kili stares at Killian for a moment with no small amount of fondness, and so you slowly ask, “Would… you like to hold him?’

A moment of silence passes by before Kili nods his head eagerly and holds out his hands for you to pass off the small hobbit to him. And you do just that.

Killian is so small in his hands it makes you laugh happily, and when Kili looks at him, your son just looks up at him in return for a moment before laying his head on the dwarfs shoulder much like he did with Bilbo. Kili turns slowly with him to look at his brother and uncle, absolutely ecstatic, as he whispers giddily. “Look!”

Fili steps closer and looks down at the small boy, then over at you and Bilbo who watch on fondly, “You really named your children after us?”

“We did.” Bilbo confirms, looking over to Thorin who has been rather quiet.

The expression on his face can only be described as calm euphoria, and when he notices you and Bilbo looking at him expectantly. “Forgive me, I’m just in awe at the moment I’m afraid.”

Thora walks back over with a tight grip on Fillion, smiling up at you when she drags the shy boy over, “I got him, momma.”

“Thank you, Thora. Now, come say hello to Thorin, Fili, and Kili.”

She smiles up at the dwarves with a toothy grin, waving before grabbing her brothers hand and making him wave too, “Hello!”

Thorin leans down and pats her head gently, “Hello my dear, I am Thorin.”

She’s quiet for a moment before her eyes become all big with wonder, “The king from the stories my Da told me?”

Said king glances over at Bilbo with a raised eyebrow, and Bilbo’s face becomes slightly red while he nods. Once Thorin has confirmation he looks back at Thora and nods as well, “It appears so.”

“W-Wow!” She gasps, covering her mouth with her little hands, “Did you all really fight a dragon?” She asks with a whisper, looking over at Bilbo, “I think he made that part up.”

“No, it’s quite true. A grand, red beast by the name of Smaug that could breathe fire. Your father outwitted him when we sent him in to find my Arkenstone.”

Fillion, who is hiding behind your dress again, looks up at you with wide eyes, “Ma, did you hear that?”

“I was there too, you know.” You chime in with a pout.

“But of course! How could we possibly forget about the brilliant healer Y/N?” Kili adds with a chuckle, having since taken a seat on your chair with Killian sitting in his lap.

“That’s more like it.” You grumble, leaning down to pick up Fillion who giggles when you lift him so suddenly. “Hear that, my son? Your mother is just as amazing as your father, this time.”

He nods his head and looks back over at Thorin and Thora, his shyness dissipating while he listens in on Thorin’s description of the event with Smaug.

Fili walks over and looks down at you and Fillion with a softer smile, “Hello.” He greets your son gently, not wanting to scare the poor boy.

Fillion looks up at him nervously for a moment, glancing at you; but when you only offer a reassuring smile and dip your head forward, he says hello back. “M-My name is Fillion.”

“And mine is Fili.” The blond responds with that same soft expression on his face.

The young hobbit giggles lightly at that and mumbles, “That sound’s like my name…”

“It does, doesn’t it?” He muses, reaching up to pat his head lightly. “I think it suits you.”

“Really?” Fillion asks with big eyes again, looking over at you with a smile.

“Aye.” Fili responds, dropping his hand back to his side.

“Fillion, would you mind if Fili held you?” You asks quietly next to his ear, giggling quietly when he nods eagerly and reaches his hands out towards the dwarf.

Fili takes him without hesitation and lifts him up to sit on his shoulder, laughing a bit himself when he squeals happily and kicks his legs.

And then there’s a loud shriek.

You turn quickly and see that Killian is laughing quite heavily.

Killian is holding onto Kili’s fingers while said dwarf dips him down and pulls him back up again, each time he does it drawing a fresh wave of giggles from the small boy. It’s quite a cute sight, and it fills your heart with warmth.

Bilbo walks over to you now that the attention of your children has been stolen away from the two of you and wraps an arm around your shoulders, pressing a kiss against your cheek gently, “I knew they would love them.”

“Who? The kids, or the dwarves?” You joke, laying your head down on his shoulder.

“Whichever comes first.”

A moment of silence passes by while you watch them all interact with your kids like natural fathers themselves when a thought suddenly strikes you.

“We’re going to have to check their pockets before they leave.”

“Oh, certainly. I think Kili is already trying to see if Killian will fit in his jacket.”

[derangedangel]

Beautiful Distraction part III

Summary: You’re dealing with the fallout from Klaus finding out you lied about how you met

Word Count: 1,559

Author’s Note: Wow, I actually post something when I said I would and it’s the next/final part to a series. 

Part I Part II

Here you were again. Back on a lounge chair at some fancy hotel pool side. Puerto Rico was nice, but, and you hate to say it, you missed Klaus. You weren’t exactly busy in San Juan, so you didn’t have anything to occupy yourself from thinking about what happened. The fallout kept replaying over and over in your head. You wondered what would have happened if you just came clean to Klaus before Damon spilled the beans. You shook your head dismissing the thought. You can’t change the past, and Klaus didn’t give you the opportunity to explain, so there was no point. 

You adjusted your sunglasses on your face and laid back deciding to just take in the last remaining moments of sunlight for the day. Your eyes were closed but you suddenly felt a shadow fall over you, blocking your sun.

“Can you move,” you asked before even opening your eyes. “You’re blocking my s-,” you said but cut your self off when you realized who was standing in front of you. “Klaus?”

“Hello, Y/N,” Klaus smiled softly as he stood directly in front of the sun, so there was a halo around him. It was kind of ironic, seeing as how most people thought of him as the devil.

“What are you doing here? How did you find me,” you asked sitting up.

“You did say you were going to San Juan,” Klaus replied.

“Yeah, but there are hundreds of hotels here. You just happen to find the one I’m staying at?”

“I have my ways,” Klaus said smirking.

“Well, congrats. You found me,” you said leaning back into your seat, avoiding eye contact with him.

“I wanted to talk.”

“Last time we saw each other, you weren’t very keen on me talking.”

“I know and I should have,” Klaus said as he took a seat on the lounge chair next to you. “I was upset. I don’t let many people get close to me and when Damon said you were sent to keep me busy, I wasn’t thinking about anything else other than the fact that you were a ploy in one of his schemes. I’m a prideful man who just found out the woman I fancied deceived me. At least give me the benefit of the doubt.”

You quickly sat up and snached your sunglasses off your face. “Did you do me any benefits by kicking me out of your house butt naked in nothing but a bed sheet,” you asked angrily.

Klaus’s eyes fluttered to the ground in embarrassment. “That’s not my proudest moment, but I-”

“You embarrassed me Klaus,” you said somberly. “Do you know how it felt having Damon drive me to his house in nothing but your bed sheet, and wait for my clothes to come?” 

“I should have handled it better, but when Damon said you were just sent to distract me, I felt foolish. I was embarrassed in my own home.”

“I understand that, but you couldn’t have even given me five minutes to explain?”

“Not in that moment. I was upset. And if you did explain, I wouldn’t have been interested in what you were saying. I only cared that Damon used you to get to me. That I failed to see you were a diversion in one of the Salvatore's schemes.”

Your shoulders slumped and you turned in your lounge chair so you were facing Klaus now. “Fine,” you said rolling your eyes. “I get it. I am sorry you had to find out that way though. I did mean to tell you.”

“Well, I am here now. So tell me,” Klaus replied leaning back so your faces weren’t so close. His hands clasped together in front of him as he sat across from you.

“Well,” you said trying to think of where to start. “I owed Damon a favor. He called me up and said he needed me to distract some old vampire.”

“An old vampire,” Klaus repeated, a glint in his eye.

“Oh, shut up. You know you’re ancient,” you teased before you continued. “Anyway, he just said I needed to keep you busy at the bar while he and his friends got something from your house. Klaus, I promise I had no idea it was you who I was distracting,” you said placing a hand on his knee to know you were being sincere. “If I knew it was you, or any Mikaelson for that matter, I would have stayed in Miami.”

Klaus’s unrelenting stare had you nervous but you hoped he believed you. He wouldn’t have just come all this way to hear you lie to him.

“I know,” Klaus said after a long pause.

“You know,” you repeated confused taking your hand off his knee. “Know what?”

“Damon told me.”

“Damon Salvatore told you,” you said pointing at him, “Klaus Mikaelson, that he called me up to distract you so he could steal from your home,” you asked in disbelief. 

“A few days after our last encounter, Damon approached me at the Grill. He explained your part in his plan, and told me you had no idea who you were dealing with.”

“Why in the hell would he do that,” you asked shocked at your old friend’s actions.

“I was under the assumption that he felt guilty for our fall out. He made sure I knew you were only helping your friend. Might I add that I do find your loyalty to him admirable.” 

You looked down in disbelief. “I can’t believe he did that.”

“If I wasn’t there I wouldn’t believe it myself, but rest assured, Damon did tell me. He also told me where I would most likely find you.”

“Wait a minute,” you said looking back up at Klaus. “Damon, told you he stole from you, and you didn’t rip his heart out of his chest?”

“I will admit I was tempted. But it took quite a bit of courage to come to me and admit that. So I held off on splitting his head from his body... for now. Also, I’m sure that would have upset you, which is not something I want to do again.”

“It would have,” you said nodding.

“Although, I cannot promise the next time your friend does something treacherous, he’ll come out of it alive.”

“I suppose that’s fair,” you said shrugging.

There was brief pause in the conversation where you didn’t know what to say next. Did Klaus come all this way just to explain his side of the story? That didn’t seem like the Klaus you used to hear stories about. Honestly, you were surprised you were still alive after all this.

“So, now that we’ve discussed our sides in this mess, will you accompany me back to Mystic Falls,” Klaus asked hopeful.

Your eyebrows shot up in surprise. Of everything you thought he was going to say, that definitely wasn’t it.

“I don’t know, Klaus. I told you I don’t do small towns. Plus, Damon’s my friend and I don’t want to be in the middle of whatever you two have going on.”

“I don’t wish to get you involved in my business with the Salvatores, but I can make sure Mystic Falls is worth your wild with me.”

“Is that so,” you asked, a cocky grin on your face.

“As long as you’re with me, you’ll have the world. And as soon as I’ve completed my task in Mystic Falls, I’ll take you wherever you want to go.”

You considered Klaus’s proposal for a moment. Since you left Mystic Falls he was all you could think about. And now here he was asking you to go back with him. You only knew Klaus for a month, but if he had this effect on you in such little time, you couldn’t even fathom what more time would be like.

“Hold on. If you’re here, who’s making sure those idiot teenagers aren’t up to something?”

“I’m sure whatever they’re doing, my brother Elijah is quite capable of handling it.”

“You think he can handle it for another two days while you’re here with me,” you asked grinning mischievously.

Klaus smirked at you in response. “If that’s what it takes for you to come back with me, he’ll have too.”

“Good,” you replied smiling before you leaned in and pulled Klaus into you by the collar of his Henley to kiss him. Klaus’s hand reached up to hold your face as your lips glided over his.

You began to laugh into the kiss before you pulled away and Klaus looked at you questioningly. “That’s the first time a woman’s laughed while kissing me.” 

You shook your head giggling. “It’s not you. I was thinking about something I said to Damon in an argument.”

“If you’re thinking about Damon when we’re kissing, I must be doing something wrong,” Klaus said.

“No,” you shook your head laughing. “It’s just after we left your house and I was yelling at him, I joked about me telling you that how we me was a lie, but if it wasn’t for Damon, we would have never met in the first place so we should be thanking him. He’s never going to let me live this down,” you said shaking your head.

“We’ll have to send him a fruit basket to thank him when we get back.”

[ladypaulsvn]

Hello! Can you write something for Ally with “Do you still like me?” “Don’t ask me that.” Maybe she and reader dated when they were younger and it didn’t work out but they cross paths again, please? Have a good day :)

Ally Mayfair-Richards x Reader

Word Count: 2,402

Summary: You bump into Ally, your high school sweetheart gone wrong, at a grocery store in your home town.

a/n: don’t kill me.

You didn't want to be here, back in this town that made you miserable for 18 long years. You hated your home town, and your yearly visits for the holidays were no exception. As much as you loved your family, this town had too many bad memories.

Including your first love, who stole your heart, then smashed it. Ally. The two of you had dated all throughout high school, yearning for the future and your life together outside of this miserable town.

When Ally told you that she got accepted into a college across the country from you, you weren't phased at all! You loved her! You could do long distance. You thought Ally felt the same, until things started slowly falling apart.

She seemed as excited as you were, and kept up the facade as you both moved across the country from each other. You made sure to fly out to see her once a month, or once every two months if life got extra busy with finals or a build up of work. You called every day, or at least texted. You told her everything, just as you always had.

Things crashed and burned the time you decided to surprise her for her birthday. You had told her you wouldn't be able to see her this year, you had so much going on and weren't able to get off work. You thought you had tricked her pretty well!

So it was much to your surprise when you arrived at her apartment, a gift in hand, to find her in bed with another woman. You couldn't process what you were seeing and your heart immediately broke in two. Ally called after you, but you simply dropped her present and ran.

She tried to fix things with you. Apologize, tell you that it was a mistake. That she was drunk and it wasn't what it looked like. But it was exactly what it looked like. You broke up with her. And you hadn't spoken to her since.

It was 10 years since then, and this year, things were a bit on the brighter side. The weather seemed to be better than past years, your family wasn't fighting as they usually were which was a plus, and the house was decorated more than it had ever been. It seemed like the perfect holiday.

This morning, you were sent out on a small grocery hunt. It was a bustling Monday morning a few days before Christmas and everyone was out, picking up last minute presents and ingredients for Christmas dinner. Your mother needed a pie crust, that’s all.

You skimmed down the isle, why were pie crust so damn hard to find? You walked slowly, passing sugar, cake mixes, flour, sprinkles until finally! Pie crusts! You picked one with a graham cracker crust and turned around, giddy to get back home and help your mother bake your favorite, a coconut cream pie.

Smash.

You crashed right into someone. "Oh i'm so sorry!" You said, picking up their basket and handing it to them. Your eyes went wide as you recognized her features. "Ally?" You whispered. Her face was riddled with shock as well.

"Y/n? Wow! I never thought I'd see you again." She laughed, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. You smiled, "Yeah, how strange. What are you doing in town? I thought you were across the country?" You asked, rocking on your heels.

"Oh yeah, I am! Just visiting the family. Usually they come out to Cali but this year they wanted snow." Her laugh brought back a million memories. "What about you?"

"Oh, same deal, kinda. I always, um, come here for the holidays." You we're getting anxious. "How's your mother?" She asked and you cursed internally. Why was she doing this?

"Oh um, she's fine. I got this pie crust for her actually, were making co-" You held up the pie crust.

"Coconut cream pie?" She cut you off with a smile. You nodded, laughing, "Yeah. Coconut cream pie."

"Those were always my favorite. Your mother was such a good baker." Her smile was warm and bubbly. Just as it always was.

You stood in silence for a few seconds. "Would you like to..." She bit her lip as she trailed off. "Like to what?" Your heart was racing.

"Get a coffee, maybe?" You could see the hope in her eyes, so you nodded. "Sure."

***

Why the hell had you said yes? You texted your mother that you were meeting up with a friend for coffee, and you'd be home with the pie crust soon, before cranking up your car.

You sighed as you buckled your seatbelt. You really were stupid, weren't you? The drive to the coffee shop was under 5 minutes, it was a small town after all. You immediately saw Ally closing the door to her car and locking it with a button on her keys. You took a deep breath. You could do this.

You parked and made your way inside the small shop, searching for her brunette bob. You spotted her at a window seat and she seemed to spot you too, waving you over.

"I ordered for you, I hope you don't mind." She said as you sat across from her. You shook your head in response. You looked up the ceiling, the rafters were exposed as they always were. Cobwebs drifting between them. It had been forever since you sat in this spot.

"So..." Ally pursed her lips "Do you have a partner? Work? Kids? What's up in y/n's world?" Her boldness caught you off guard.

"I don't have a partner, actually. But I'm working on my second doctorate right now." You said and her eyes went wide. "Second?"

"Yes. I have one in Psychology and i'm working on one in Criminal Justice." You shared, proud that you seemed to impress her.

"That's very impressive y/n." She said as a waiter came by and handed you both your respective coffee's.

You took a sip. "Thank you."

"I can't say i've done anything nearly as impressive but I am married... That counts for something right?" She laughed and held up her hand, a sparkling ring attached.

"Oh wow, that's amazing Ally. Do you have any kids?" You asked and she nodded.

"A boy. His name is Oz. Hold on I have a picture." She pulled out her phone and showed you a picture of a little blonde curly haired boy with glasses.

"He looks precious." You smiled and she thanked you.

"This coffee is terrible." She leaned across the table and whispered, causing you to laugh. "It really is. The Blue Jay has gone down hill." You joked and her laughter filled the air again.

"Definitely. Remember when we used to come up here every Saturday morning?" Ally asked and you reminisced on the past.

"Then we'd go down to the pond." You added and Ally smiled at your remembrance. "I haven't been to that pond since... well since we last went there I guess." Ally frowned.

"They were good times Ally." You reminded her and she smiled again. "Yeah, good times." She looked to her cup of coffee, stirring it with the little stick.

"So you really haven't found anyone?" Ally looked up again and you were taken aback by her question. "Well uh, no. I don't think i'd have a reason to lie about that." You laughed.

"I did see someone for a couple years though. Ended a year or two ago now, so It's not something I think about the daily or anything." You explained and Ally nodded.

"What were they like?" Ally asked and you wondered why she had such an interest in your love life. She had a husband, and a child.

"Well, she was really nice. Her name was Lana and she was a reporter, wrote a lot of articles. We traveled a lot together. She was really fun and addictive but she wasn't the type to settle down. When things got pretty serious, she dipped. Not that much of a story, really. Just a little chunk of my life that had a lesson to learn I guess. Like us." You told your story and Ally listened intently, soaking up every word.

"Like us?" She asked and you nodded. "Yeah. We were a lesson. Something I had to go through to grow as a person. Not every relationship is meant to last a lifetime, Ally. You've just found that person already. Mine is out there still." You were open and honest and Ally was dazed by it. "Yeah... a lesson."

Your phone dinged. Your mother texted, asking if you'd be much longer. "I think I may have to go Ally, I'm sorry. You know how impatient my mother is." You told her and she nodded, understanding.

You thanked her for the coffee before leaving the shop, heading back to your car.

"Y/n!" You heard Ally's voice across the parking lot as she jogged up to you. "I'd really like to catch up more. Can we meet up another time before I have to leave back home?" She asked and you contemplated.

"Here. Take my number and think about it. Text me." She handed you a piece of paper with a smile before walking back inside the cafe.

***

When you got home, you helped your mother bake the pie and spent the night hanging out with your family, almost forgetting the eventful day you had, seeing Ally.

You were in bed, about to fall asleep when you remembered she had given you her number. You laid there for awhile, going over your options in your head. Did you really want to see her again? After all this time?

It wasn't so bad today. She seemed to really want to see you. Maybe one more time couldn't hurt...

You punched her number into your phone and hit dial. Within three beeps, she had answered. "Hello?" Her voice was upbeat. "Hey Ally, it's y/n." You said, suddenly regretting your choice.

"You realize its 10 pm right, y/n?" She laughed and you checked the time, shocked. "Oh wow, I'm sorry. I didn't realize. But hey! You picked up." You said and heard her laugh. "You got me there. Did you decide if you wanted to meet up again?" You could almost see her biting her lip through the phone, a nervous habit she always had when you were together.

"Um, yeah. I'd like to meet up again." You said before you could stop yourself. Well, there's no going back now. "I'm so happy you said that! I was thinking maybe we could go out by the pond? Like we used to." She suggested and your breath caught in your throat. That damn pond.

"Uh, sure Ally. When'd you wanna do that?" You asked, nervously twirling a piece of your hair around your finger. "Are you free tomorrow?" You thought for a moment. "Yeah, i'm free." She giggled through the phone at your response. "See you tomorrow then, goodnight y/n."

"Goodnight Ally." She hung up shortly after. You plugged your phone in before switching off your lights, curling up in your bed. You really hoped this wasn't a mistake.

***

The next morning, you met Ally by the pond like you used to all those years ago. You would sit on the giant rocks and spend hours upon hours talking about anything and everything.

The two of you had been here for awhile, sharing a bag of jellybeans and a couple beers. It was like high school all over again.

"Remember yesterday?" Ally asked and you laughed, "If I didn't, I think that'd be a problem I needed to get check out."

"No I mean like, our conversation at the Blue Jay. You said that we were a lesson, and that I had found my person already but yours was still out there." Ally explained and you nodded.

"Yeah I remember, what about it?" you asked, curious as to what she was thinking.

"Well.. it had me thinking and if i'm honest, I don't know if my husband really is that person for me." Ally said her thoughts aloud slowly, gaging your every reaction.

"Why do you think that? I mean, you married him for a reason, right?" You asked, confused. "It felt like the right thing to do at the time. I was pregnant and he was such a nice guy, is a nice guy. I just...” Ally added.

"You just, what?" You guided her and she sighed. "I'm not happy. I'm content, but I'm not happy." Ally's volume was nearly a whisper.

"Ally I... I'm sorry you feel that way." You tried to comfort her but you were met with silence.

Ally stared out onto the water, "Do you still love me?" Ally asked and you were dumbfounded. "Love you?" You choked.

"Love me." She nodded. "Don't ask me that Ally. Please don't ask me that." You shook your head. "Where the hell did that come from?" You asked, finally looking towards her.

Her face was still towards the pond, her side profile on display. "I never stopped loving you... y/n." She whispered, swiping away a tear that fell from her eye.

"Ally... please." You begged. You didn't want to have this conversation. "Don't do this right now."

"The one and only time i've ever truly been happy, especially in a relationship, was with you y/n." Ally turned to you, visible tears raining down her cheeks.

"Ally I can't do this. You're married for fucks sake." You said, standing from the rock and you could see the panic rush through Ally as she stood to stop you.

"N-no no! Wait wait wait please y/n I'm sorry I didn't want to scare you away I just needed you to know that-" You could hear Ally behind you as you turned and grabbed her face with both hands, crashing your lips into hers.

You pulled away. "Ally. I have always, and will always love you, but you're married. I need to go now." You said as Ally stood frozen, a hand on her lips as she watched you walk away.

She didn't bother to stop you now, she knew you wouldn't stay. She just hoped that the universe would bring you back to her again, let her have just one more chance.

tags: @8plasma @poulengp @zamoimagines @wholesomeslut @natasha-danvers comment to be tagged in future works <3

[okamirayne]

Hi Rayne!! Just finished (yet another) re-read of BtB, and I don't think I've cried this hard in a long, long time - it was very cathartic. But, feels aside, I was wondering if you could tell us a bit more about Karibi? She's fascinating and I'm just dying to know more! (Sorry if this has been asked before!!)

Hi there, my lovely Anon!

Apologies for the delayed response. Aw, luv.  Always so, so chuffed to learn someone has revisited the series and even more touched to know it hits you in the feels <3.

But, feels aside, I was wondering if you could tell us a bit more about Karibi? She's fascinating and I'm just dying to know more! (Sorry if this has been asked before!!)

Karibi! <3 Firstly, no, this hasn’t been asked before, so imagine my excitement regarding an OC ASK -- can you picture it? TREBLE IT. XD 

Another dear Anon asked about Naoki in a previous ASK and I thank you for your expressed interest in Karibi! It’s a funny one because I have two Karibi OCs -- the edited version I inserted into BtB and the original, original version. Given that we’re talking about BtB Karibi...let me rewire my character brain a moment and firmly draw a line or two...or twelve....

Right! A Third War orphan, Karibi grew up in the orphanage outside of Konoha and proved to be quite a handful over the years given her feisty nature, constant escape-attempts, insistence on dressing and behaving like a boy (for which she earned consistent bullying and beatings), and her rough-housing free-for-all scraps with other kids -- as well as her routine habit of stealing food from the kitchens to give to a stray dog who constantly hung around the outskirts of the orphanage. It was easier for her to attach herself this dog than other kids who came and went, just like the voluntary care-givers. Her mischief-making, stealthy tactics, “never stay down” stubbornness and streetwise attitude soon caught the attention of a retired Konoha ANBU veteran (a patron of the orphanage) who interrupted a violent fight between Karibi and a group of local boys who’d stoned the dog to death. Observing how fiercely she fought (always getting up when knocked down) despite being outnumbered and beaten, the ANBU veteran recognized her potential, promptly adopted her, and trained her in ninjutsu, genjutsu and chakra control.

Their relationship was close, until it wasn’t.

Advancing quickly through the academy and ranks – winning zero friends along the way – she was soon put forward for ANBU by her adopted father, who immediately cut his ties to her, damaging an already tentative trust. Intended as a solo agent, she was immediately assigned to a 3-team ANBU unit named Team Yokai consisting of herself, Genma, and Naoki (Captain).

Enter in, bonding.

It was here, after a lot of boundary testing and testosterone busting, that she finally formed some hard-won emotional attachments after beating Genma and Naoki bloody in taijutsu combat – taunting them constantly to get up (“seven times down, eight times up”). While she was promptly one-upped by both in ninjutsu, her genjutsu prowess brought her right back onto an even keel with them both. Perfectly balanced, respect began to form between them – then friendship – which later led to a lover’s trine between the three of them. This was intense but short-lived; Karibi soon recognised that though she loved them both, she preferred women and also realised Genma and Naoki’s feelings for each other went a hell of a lot deeper than ‘close friends with benefits’. She knew they’d fallen for each other before either admitted it to themselves, let alone each other.

The three of them were inseparably close.

They were more than her friends or comrades – they were her family.

They kept each other going.

Karibi allowed Naoki to establish a permanent telepathic link with her whereas Genma only allowed it during missions and in the bedroom. Karibi kept her mind open to Naoki always, though he never intruded until years later after being listed as Killed In Action.

His death blew a hole in their world.

Their team was dismantled.

They would not accept another Captain.

To make matters worse, due to the unbroken telepathic link and the resulting ghost of Naoki’s presence in her head, Karibi never truly believed Naoki had died and her adamant ‘denial’ of this ‘fact’ created a heart-breaking rift between her and Genma.

This rift between them grew darker and wider as Genma turned to solo deep-cover missions and Karibi turned to drink when she wasn’t neck-deep in assassinations and a failed “could’ve been” relationship. And then one day the edge of all the smashed glass bottles in her life looked very, very tempting.

Genma found her, just in time – the first time at least.

Treated and cleared of suicide risk, Karibi was soon diagnosed as schizophrenic given the “voice” of her dead Captain in her head and this threatened her position in the ANBU – but her brokenness caught Danzō’s interest.

After a failed attempt to recover her relationship with her civilian lover and unable to mend the rift between herself and Genma, she signed on for a ROOT initiation mission – which sadly finished what she’d started with the bottle – though it was an impulsive and sudden decision rather than a deeply pre-meditated one. She disobeyed orders when sent into a child-trafficking operation being run out of an orphanage. This was a trigger for her. Rather than complete the ROOT mission of kidnapping a couple of kids for ROOT grooming, she murdered her ROOT partner and slaughtered the “nuns” who were supposed to be taking care of the children rather than indenturing them into the sex-trade to raise funds. When the ninja traffickers showed up, she lit the building on fire, and while the children escaped she made damned sure not one “piece of trash” running the trafficking ring got out alive.

She went down fighting in flames.

Her death was the final crippling blow to Genma. He went to Mizugumo immediately after that. Then he went to his own personal hell before Kakashi met him there in ANBU’s gutter and helped drag him out of it years later, saving him from the same fate as Karibi when he almost identically mirrored the blaze of glory tragedy with his suicide attempt in Tanzaku years later.

Random Trivia:

Karibi loved dogs and often kept an eye out for Inuzuka women looking for a bit of rough and tumble.

She dealt with a lot of possessive shit from Naoki. He was very possessive of his family/lovers and was only just about able to accept Karibi being intimate with others, even after he’d stopped sleeping with her. Genma always joked that Naoki only accepted her activities because her preference was for women, not men.

Karibi, like Naoki, felt strongly about the abuse of children, given certain illicit incidents she’d witnessed at the orphanage -- she and Genma understood Naoki’s childhood trauma and were the only ones who could handle him when he flew into a rare rage

Her favourite catchphrase was “seven times down, eight times up” (“Nana korobi, ya oki” which means “Fall down seven times, stand up eight.” It means choosing to never give up hope, and to always strive for more.)

While her ANBU step-parent/mentor abandoned her in the end, she retained the green knit scarf he gifted her (the only gift she’d ever received from him other than her training and removal from the orphanage)

She began to fall for a civilian woman -- the scariest thing for her, other than losing her teammates.

Karibi’s top value was “resilience” and never giving up – which made her suicide attempt so painful for Genma to accept

She turned to Naoki for help retrieving memories about her parents – this enabled him to perfect his own kinjutsu to reverse memory erasure

She had a plethora of ear piercings and a tattoo Naoki inked on her hip

She loved various green teas

She had a crush on Kurenai – round about the same time Genma did, which made for an interesting competition between them….and a somewhat unfair irritation towards Asuma.

She was a bit of magpie in the ANBU and stole items on missions, donating them privately to the orphanage

She loved berry-picking and was very well-versed with poisons

Genma gave her chickenpox and she gave him hell for it

She almost managed to shove a spinning top up Genma’s ass – almost.

Genma accidentally broke her baby finger playing “thumb wars” and it never set properly on the joint, causing her to have a crooked little finger

Most of her illusion/genjutsu techniques focus around folklore creatures and light, which came in handy on missions dealing with highly suspicious village folk

Her dream goal was to one day be Goei Shotai to a female Hokage – a dream Genma later lived out for her when Tsunade came into power

Naoki was with her telepahtically when she died, as Genma was with Naoki when he died -- in that way, Karibi was not as alone in death as Genma always feared.

Wow, that was LONG.  Sorry, Anon! I absolutely love character-writing and development....I get carried away even if most of their story never makes it into the actual written piece. Thank you for asking about Karibi, I hope this insight gives you some answers! <3

[babyboy-bangtan]

The Moments In Between Chapter 2

As you become close friends with BTS, you begin to realize that the feelings you have for them are slowly turning into something you’re not ready to deal with. Unbeknownst to you, the same is happening to them.

✦ Pairing: Sub!BTS/Female Reader ✦ Word Count: 2K ✦ Rating: M ✦ Warnings: None. ✦ A/N: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of my imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Dialogue spoken in Korean is bolded and italicized. Read on AO3 / Chapter 1

A Little Bit Closer

When Jungkook offered you to exchange numbers, you had no idea what was going to come next. You sincerely wanted to keep in touch with them because they really struck you as incredibly sweet people that would make amazing friends, so before you left them and maybe blew your chance to contact them again, you threw caution to the wind and told them what you wanted. Jungkook's reaction took you by surprise; his eagerness was both shocking and incredibly endearing. But what you truly hadn't expected was Jimin to text you before Jungkook could, and because he stole your number from him as well. He tried to deny it, but Jungkook confirmed it immediately once you asked him. He hadn't even realized Jimin had your number until you mentioned it.

God, Jimin— that little minx. That's truly the best word you can find to describe him. He's constantly walking the line between trying to push your buttons and then turning into the cutest person ever so you won't say anything to him, and you can't deny you are having a lot of fun texting with him. He keeps sending you selfies of his outfits and asking you if you think he looks pretty, to which you obviously can't reply anything other than yes, of course. He's beautiful no matter what he wears— they all are. Jimin feels like the spice to counteract Jungkook’s pure sweetness, and god knows that if it wasn't for the fact that you're just friends�� and you barely know each other— you would have already bent him over your knee and taught him a lesson.

But, of course, you can't do that. So you have to settle for figuring out which buttons of his you can push yourself, which actually isn't really hard to do. He might have figured out himself that you basically melt every time he or Jungkook send you cute pictures or act cute when they video call you— no one can blame you for that, they are precious— but you also figured out that he tends to be all bark and no bite. He likes to flirt, but if you say something back he gets flustered immediately. Not to mention that if you compliment him when he's not expecting it he gets 10 times more embarrassed than normal.

You phone vibrates on your kitchen table while you pour yourself a cup of coffee, and when you see that it's Jimin and he sent you a selfie, you can't help but smile to yourself.

Speak of the devil.

       Hi noona, do you like it?

That word, noona, keeps making your stomach do a somersault every time you read it. Jungkook asked you early on if it was okay to call you 누나 and explained what it meant— even going so far as kindly writing it using the English alphabet so you wouldn't be confused. You said yes to him, but Jimin just started using it shortly after, without any warning or saying anything about it. You assumed he saw Jungkook using it and started using it himself, but you can't truly be sure. It's not like it matters, anyway, because you sure as hell don't mind to be called that. The idea of an honorific they use for older women is something that, for some reason, is really appealing to you. You don't want to sexualize a word that you know has no sexual connotations in their culture, but you can't help but be reminded of another word you've been called in the past— one you absolutely loved to be called.

But there's no point thinking about that know. You've been single for a while and you suspect you'll stay that way for the foreseeable future. You know how hard it is to find someone who's into the same things as you, and added to that it's almost impossible for you to trust someone and believe they're not using you or trying to gather information about you they can sell to whatever news outlet is willing to pay the highest price. You could try and date another actor, but your last relationship left quite a mark on you and you're not sure if you can believe that if you date an actor again he won't end up wanting the same thing your ex did— something you simply won't be able to give him.

So, for now all you can do is focus on yourself and your work, and hope that maybe one day you'll find a person whose desires and needs are compatible with your own.

Right now, though, you need to reply to Jimin.

He sent you a mirror selfie of himself in a simple dark suit with a white shirt— and as usual he looks like a damn work of art. Instead of replying, you find a mirror selfie you took of yourself yesterday, when you went to try the suit you're wearing for the premiere of your movie tomorrow.

       Hi Jimin, what do you think about mine?

It's a tight fitting one that you're wearing with high heels, and you have a shirt with the top button undone underneath it.

When he doesn't immediately reply, you laugh to yourself and start drinking your coffee, knowing very well that you are definitely going to be the winner this time.

"What about this one?"  Jimin asks Taehyung, who is sitting next to him on the floor with his chin on Jimin's shoulder to look at his phone better.

"The other one looks better."  He replies, using his own finger to go to the picture Jimin showed him before.

"Yeah, I think so too."  Jimin agrees, opening his conversation with you and sending it to you, along with a simple message.

       Hi noona, do you like it?

He knows he looks good— he's wearing his suit for the Billboard Awards— so now it's just a matter of waiting and seeing how you respond. He feels butterflies on his stomach at the thought of what your reply might be— but he doesn't have much time to think about it because you text him back quite fast.

Taehyung is right behind him still, waiting for your response expectantly as well.

"Wow." He says when Jimin opens your reply. "[Y/N]-Noona is so pretty."

Jesus Christ.

Instead of answering his question like he thought you would, you sent him a picture of yourself wearing a suit as well, and Jimin feels like he was just punched on the stomach.

Whenever he thinks about what his ideal woman is supposed to look like, the first image that comes into his mind is scarily similar to the one you just sent him.

"What are you going to reply?"  Taehyung asks, itching to know how the conversation will go. He knows Jimin, and he can already tell he got really flustered just now.

"I need water."  Jimin replies instead, leaving his phone on the floor and getting up so he can walk to the other side of the room to get a bottle.

Taehyung looks at the phone Jimin left on the ground, which is conveniently unlocked with your conversation still open.

He shouldn't do it— but he can't help himself.

He takes a picture of himself making a V with his fingers and smiling in the cutest way he manages— and then sends it to you.

       Hi noona. I'm Tae

Your response is fast.

      Hi Tae! 💙 Where did Jimin go?       He's drinking water       You are very pretty!       😂 thank you Tae, you are very pretty as well!       Thank you nooskhdsb

"What are you doing?"  Jimin suddenly asks, taking his phone back. "What did you say?"

"Nothing bad, she knows it was me."  Taehyung says, shrugging his shoulders.

      ??       Tae?       It's Jimin, sorry for that       Boo, I wanted to talk to him some more       And me? :(       You're okay too, I guess       Noona! 😭       I'm joking! 😂 You're so cute

Jimin gets really shy at that, and he struggles with knowing how to reply.

"You're not saying anything back?"  Taehyung asks, staring at Jimin whose face is bright pink.

"I don't know what to say."  He whines, dropping the phone on his lap and covering his cheeks with his hands to cool them.

"I'll reply."  Taehyung snatches the phone from him and takes another selfie, but this time he's smiling to the camera with one hand on his cheek and his eyes closed. He knows from Jimin that you like cute pictures, so he's doing his best to look as cute as he can.

       Hi noona, I'm back        Tae! I missed you!

"What did she say?" Jimin asks, moving to Taehyung's side to read what you texted him. "What? She never says that to me! Give me that."

       Noona, you never say you miss me :(        Jimin?       I'm getting whiplash from this conversation

"Namjoon-Hyung!"  Jimin yells to him, who is sitting down on the other end of the room, still eating after their dance practice.

"What?"  He yells back, not bothering to look up from his phone.

"Can you tell me what this means?"  He holds up his phone, and Namjoon looks up for a moment.

"Well, bring it here, I'm not going over there."  He says, taking another bite of his food.

Both he and Taehyung get up and walk up to him, and Namjoon leaves his own phone so he can see what Jimin is making a fuss about. Once he reads the messages, he can't help but snort.

"Ah, Hyung— don't laugh. Just tell me what she meant."

"I'm getting whiplash from this conversation? That?"  Jimin and Taehyung nod. "It means that it's kind of overwhelming that you're switching who texts her so often."  He gives back the phone and goes back to his own. "You should just text her from your phone instead."  He tells Taehyung with a shrug.

"Oh, I should."  He agrees, grabbing Jimin's phone and much like he did to Jungkook, he saves your number for himself.

He then gives it back to Jimin, who wastes no time in sending you a selfie of him pouting and looking very, very sad.

      Say you miss me too noona 😭       You're right here 😂       :(

Taehyung is busy filming a video of himself saying annyeong over and over again while doing different cute poses with Jungkook— who apparently joined him while Jimin was distracted— hugging him from behind, and he can't help but wonder about the way you talk to them both and the way to talk to him.

He has read some of your conversations with Jungkook so he knows you're constantly praising him and are incredibly sweet to him, and it seems like that is going to be the case with Taehyung as well. But when it comes to him you're different, which is not to say that you're not also sweet to him— you praise him and compliment him a lot as well— but you add a little bit more teasing to the sweetness. Well, quite a bit more. He can't deny he enjoys provoking you, but he really wishes he knew what's on your mind when you see what he sends you, and if maybe your thoughts when you read his messages are similar to his own.

Stop.

It's pointless to think about that.

       To answer to your first question: that suit looks amazing on you.

"Ah, damn it."  He mumbles to himself, feeling his heart hammering on his chest. It's dangerous that you can cause this kind of reactions on him.

       Thank you noona 💕 You too

He can't write much more because he doesn't know what else to say— he might make a fool of himself if he tries too hard to come up with a better reply.

If you can do this to him through text only, Jimin isn't sure about what you'll be able to create in him when they finally see you again. But both sadly and luckily, it seems like that won't be happening any time soon.

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed and stay safe!

[a-secondhand-sorrow]

Inevitable

(read on a03)

They found each other in middle school.

It’s funny, isn’t it, how people tend to come into your life at the time they need to. Leave your life, too. They’d both had friends in elementary school, if not many. But once puberty hit and they were all thrown into a new, different building from the one they’d populated for the last six years, those friends disappeared in a puff of smoke, quickly enough they each questioned whether they’d existed in the first place or if they were just a trick of the eye and a well-placed mirror.

Computer labs, in middle school, were better. Or bigger, at least, and the teachers didn’t hover over each person as though the second graders would manage to break the desktop monitors from the early 2000s. And, of course, no one who was anyone every purposefully spent time there.

And so of course Evan and Connor met there, in sixth grade. Not met, exactly, as they’d already known each other from six years of being in the same school and vaguely in each other’s classes, but they spoke for what was probably the first time.

“Are you going to type anything?”

Evan startled, his eyes moving away from where they’d been locked on the computer screen as his mind traveled. To his surprise, Connor had wheeled over from where he had previously been seated across the computer lab and had chosen to stop about a foot from Evan’s own wheely chair. His permanent frown made his brown eyes appear harsher and colder than Evan would have liked to see.

“Sor-uh, sorry? What?”

Connor nodded to the computer screen, where a cursor blinked in and out of existence on a blank word doc. “Your document. You’ve just been fucking staring at it for like, fifteen minutes.”

Evan, still an elementary schooler at heart, internally jumped at the curse word but tried to keep it out of his face. “Yeah? I, uh. I’m not following.”

Connor’s stare was obscenely judgemental. “So are you going to write anything?”

“I was going to!” Evan said, a sudden wave of defensiveness surprising him a little. “I just? I’m not really sure what to write.”

His new companion sighed. “All right. What do you want to read?”

“...What?”

“What do you want to read?” When Evan made no sign that he understood, Connor sighed again, kicking one foot across the floor. He accidentally sent himself flying back a little in the process, but he slid back forward using his other foot pretty quickly. “I watch this YouTube channel, and they have like, art tips or some shit, right? And they always say that if you don’t know what to draw then you should draw what you want to look at. It’s the same with writing, I bet. So,” and with this, Connor propelled himself forward so his right elbow rested on the table right next to Evan’s left, “what do you want to read?”

Evan thought for a moment. He wanted to read a lot, quite truthfully, but he didn’t know how much he could trust Connor with. Accepting his status as an outcast, he decided to tell him the truth. It couldn’t do too much damage.

“I want to read encouragement.” For once, his voice didn’t waver at all.

“Encouragement?”

Well, too late to go back.

“Yeah. ’Cause, you know, this whole having no friends and spending all of my free time in the computer lab thing sucks, but I need to tell myself it won’t last forever because if I don’t I’ll go insane.”

He didn’t mean any of it as a joke, and it was more of a nervous ramble than anything else, but Connor laughed and Evan found that he rather liked the sound.

“Alright, then. Encouragement it is,” Connor decided. “Start it off. A note for yourself.”

He stole the keyboard and keyed in a ‘Dear Evan Hansen.’ Evan was surprised that Connor knew his last name, but Connor shoved the keyboard back before he could question it.

“Uh, okay,” Evan said, and he spoke as he typed. “Today wasn’t an amazing day, and it hasn’t been an amazing year.”

“Wow, encouraging,” Connor muttered under his breath, forcing his hands onto the keyboard over Evan’s. “But you won’t be stuck in this shithole forever, so at least that’s going for you.”

“Connor!” Evan practically squeaked. “The school reads these things! You can’t swear!”

Connor just rolled his eyes and passed the keyboard back to Evan.

The two continued on, passing the keyboard back and forth between them for each sentence. It wasn’t really encouraging by any standard, as they’re mostly just complaining about how bad their days have been, but in the end, Evan laughed and Connor smirked while they headed to the printer, one letter with a nested haiku hidden inside later. And as Connor presented the paper to Evan with a mock-bow, he spoke again.

“You know, you’re wrong about one thing.”

Evan’s heart almost stopped. “What?”

“You do have a friend,” Connor said. “Me.” A look stole across his face, his cheeks dropping. “If..if that’s okay.”

Evan nodded once, and Connor gave him a half smile-not the smirk of before, but a smile that seemed genuine, a peek of sunshine in a cloudy expression.

Connor and Evan came into each other’s lives at exactly the right time when they each needed it most. Maybe it was inevitable that they would have found each other, or maybe they were just very, very lucky. Evan certainly thought that he was lucky to have Connor with him throughout the trench of middle and high school.

And so time marched on, and nothing was certain or easy but it was still easier than it had been. Being with Connor was easy in a way that it wasn’t with any of his previous friends. He didn’t feel like he had to apologize for existing around Connor, much as he wanted to sometimes. Because it didn’t feel unnatural and uncomfortable to be around him as it often did with anyone else; being around him felt as easy as breathing, and even when his lungs failed him and closed up in anxiety, Connor was there.

They still wrote notes to each other. They were, as Connor said, “fucking nerds,” and so they kept up the tradition, sometimes to each other and sometimes to themselves. They seemed to know which letters were okay to read and which were for the other’s eyes only; Evan’s frequent encouragements to himself were sometimes read by Connor and sometimes left alone, something he endlessly appreciated. And together, they rolled their eyes at Cynthia’s or Larry’s or Heidi’s skeptical looks when they gently prodded the two about their romantic interests or all the time they’d been spending in each other’s rooms, attempts that were surely meant to be subtle but were anything but.

Evan found himself watching Connor in those times. He’d learned to read Connor quickly, looking for each shift in expression with a practiced eye. But his expression then was almost unreadable. His best guess was that Connor didn’t really care. He didn’t, either. He could handle the questions and skeptical looks, since all his time with Connor was truly time he cherished for the comfort he felt in their moments together, even when they didn’t speak. He was just happy to have a friend, and he thought - knew - that Connor felt the same way.

(he ignored the growing feeling in the pit of his stomach, a great mass of tangled vines and leaves that seemed to latch itself to his skin. he told himself it was just nerves, that creeping feeling around his heart. he believed it, too. because he and Connor were meant to be best friends and best friends only.)

They spent nearly all of their time together at school and at home, and inevitably they accompanied each other on their respective family trips. Heidi had much less time off work than either of the Murphy parents did, so Evan found himself many a summer Friday packed in the car with the whole Murphy quadruple on the way to the beach an hour or so away from their town. Too afraid of getting carsick to use his phone or read on the ride, he mostly passed the time chatting with Connor and Zoe. Evan and Connor often had difficulty sustaining conversations with each other in front of other people, but Zoe didn’t seem to have this problem; she always managed to keep Evan chatting about different music genres or astronomy facts or canceled TV shows from the early 2000s. Connor usually didn’t seem to mind it, but it must have been weighing on his mind somewhat, enough that he couldn’t push it away with his normal excitement over getting to drag Evan into the ocean for half a day.

“Do you like my sister?” Connor said softly one Friday, facing directly out to sea. He dug his feet into the soft sand as a tiny wave met his ankles. Evan almost missed it, but he realized what Connor was truly asking a moment later.

“What? No, I, no, that’s ridiculous, I, uh, I mean-” he shook his head rapidly. Connor didn’t appear sated. “Zoe...Zoe is great. But I’m not, I don’t think that I…she’s more like a sister to me than anything else.”

Connor didn’t seem to know what to say. He further dug his toes into the sand.

“Why?” He finally said. “Zoe is great. She’s...probably perfect for you in every fucking way.”

Evan furrowed his brow. “Why are you asking me? Did she…”

“No,” Connor rushed to clarify. “No, I don’t think she does. She didn’t ask me anything, anyway. I just…” Evan let Connor scrounge for words. “I’m wondering why you don’t feel that way when there’s someone right in front of you who’s practically the fairy tale happy ending you probably dream about.”

It wasn’t the most eloquent phrasing ever, but Evan understood what Connor was getting at. He gazed at the back of Connor’s head a few feet in front of him, and instinctively, he found himself smiling at the reality of the boy in front of him. He finally pushed forward through the wet sand and reached Connor’s side, standing shoulder to shoulder.

“I don’t know,” he said finally, running one hand over his short, coarse hair. He chanced a shift of his gaze towards Connor. The light caught on his high cheekbones, giving him an almost ethereal look. “I can’t, I guess I just can’t control things like that. Maybe if I could turn it off and on, I would feel like that...like Zoe was perfect for me. Like she and I were destined to be together.”

He saw Connor swallow roughly.

“But I can’t. And Zoe is fantastic, but I don’t like her like that. I don’t think she and I are destined to be anything more than friends. People come into our lives for a reason, you know? And I don’t think that’s hers for me.”

And they were quiet for a moment.

“Little too feminine for your type, I guess,” Connor finally muttered, eyes scanning out over the horizon where the sea met the sky. Evan felt a laugh bubbling up in his throat, and he backhanded Connor’s shoulder without looking at him directly.

“Hey!”

“What?” Connor said, finally meeting Evan’s eyes. The sudden, sharp focus in them made Evan’s breath catch in his throat. “It’s the truth.”

“Yeah,” Evan said, trying to keep his voice even. “Maybe it is.”

That was the closest they’d ever come to confessing anything; even in the bright, unforgiving sun, those four words felt much larger than they really were, and he almost regretted them. They somehow seemed more dangerous in the light of day than they did when whispered under covers in the comforting darkness of nighttime. But he didn’t regret them (couldn’t, really), because the smile that Connor smiled in response was brighter than the sun reflecting off of the sandy waves. Waves that crashed into their ankles moments later, cold and harsh and salty, and it was then that Connor laughed, the sound high and clear and fitting softly into Evan’s ears.

And into high school they marched, equally unsure of what they would face. Mostly the same as middle school, but they had each other from the beginning. They didn’t have every class together, but they had enough that they could get through the day. Connor learned that sketching helped to calm him after a day of school and Evan relearned that nature helped him. Connor joined him most days in Evan’s backyard, despite his pollen allergies.

Evan, in true Evan style, had grabbed assorted flowers as the two walked home from school and had begun to twist them into a vague crown shape. He didn’t really know how to, but it was coming out all right. He sat with Connor in a tree in his backyard, occasionally glancing up to Connor to see his progress on another sketch. He couldn’t see what the sketch was, only a few vague shapes and lines, but he didn’t know much about drawing anyway. He was mostly just glad to have Connor with him. Smiling softly, he plucked up a small blue flower and tucked it behind his ear.

“Is that a flower in your hair?” Connor said. He must have looked up from his sketchbook just in time to see it.

“Yes,” Evan said simply. “Would you like one?”

Connor snorted.

“What?” Evan demanded. “It matches your aesthetic.”

“Oh, yeah. Flowers are so punk rock, Evan.”

“Punk rock,” Evan mocked just under his breath. He was rewarded with a pencil hitting him in the shoulder a moment later, followed by a grunt of annoyance from Connor as it immediately fell to the ground.

“I shouldn’t have done that.”

“That’s what you get for your violence, Con. Karma.”

“Where’s your karmic retribution for forcing me outside at the height of allergy season?”

Evan shrugged. “I’m too nice for it. My karma balances out.”

“That figures.” There was a pause, and Evan thought he’d be able to finish his flower crown in peace, but Connor’s voice called “hey, catch!” before he could.

Immediately Evan’s pulse skyrocketed, heart in his throat. A book dropped into his lap, nearly making him drop his flower crown. He almost fell from the tree in an attempt to grab the book before it could slide from his lap, but in the end, both he and the book made it just fine, only a few years off of Evan’s life total. Evan ran his thumb over the edge of the sketchbook, where a yellow sticky note protruded slightly.

“Jesus Christ,” he finally said, when he regained air in his lungs. “You know I can’t catch. Why would you do that?”

Connor shrugged. “To see you jump.”

Evan glared as best he could against the sun.

“Well,” Connor said. “Open it.”

Evan thumbed it open to the sticky note indicated page. He was immediately accosted with his own face staring back at him, followed by an angle he could assume was what Connor could see of him while they both sat seated in the tree. He was out of breath again, but this time he just didn’t know what to say. He studied his own face; it had the same big, open eyes, skin shaded and dark and smooth against his cheeks and forehead, lips parted just slightly and turned up in the barest of smiles. And in the second he just looked relaxed more than anything, completely at peace in his environment. That idea, him calm and settled, nearly brought tears to his eyes. Instead, he looked out towards his house and smiled. He inhaled once, and once again, trying to work through the heavy feeling over his heart and chest.

“Oh my God, Connor. These are...really good.”

“Well, I had a great subject to study.”

Evan can feel his cheeks darken at that, but luckily Connor doesn’t have a great vantage point to see it. He shifted on the branch in order to get a better look at Connor. He, too, appeared relaxed. Evan held the sketchbook in one hand and traded the completed flower crown into that hand as well, passing both up to Connor. “C’mon. Show us that Fae blood.”

Connor’s mouth twisted into something half smile, half grimace. “No, no thanks. No need to pay me for my work. Just leave it.”

“C’mon, Connor,” Evan whined. “Please?”

They held eyes for a moment, and Connor nodded. Grinning triumphantly, Evan watched as Connor lowered the flowers onto his head. The sun behind Connor’s head seemed to dip just behind it, giving all of Connor’s long hair the impression of catching fire with all of the light it reflected. Connor looked almost otherworldly, and Evan caught himself marveling at the fact that Connor even existed, and that he had the good fortune of knowing him. Of being allowed to force him to wear a flower crown, he thought with a smile. He felt that same pressure return to his chest, and he found himself thinking that he’d quite like to be on that branch with Connor, soaking up the light, soaking up Connor’s body heat, pressing closer to him.

He didn’t like the idea of having that feeling, much as the feeling itself made him feel a type of lightheaded happiness that made the tips of his fingers feel tingly. No, he didn’t like having the feeling, because he knew that Connor didn’t have it. And if Connor knew that was how Evan felt...

The first day of senior year was when Evan felt like he could burst with the feeling. Even just looking at Connor hurt, as though despite his black jeans and gray sweatshirt he was filled with all the light of the sun. He found himself in the computer lab, pouring it all out into a letter to himself.

“Well this is fucking weird, isn’t it?”

Evan’s heart jumped up into his throat. He spun in his wheely chair, his eyes automatically connecting with Connor’s. Of course Connor had known where to find him. He stood quickly, crossing Connor’s path and making a beeline for the printer.

“What is?” He said finally.

“Being in a computer lab. I mean, it’s not 2005 anymore. I forgot this place fucking existed.”

Evan shrugged. “I don’t know. I kind of like it. I mean-“ and he ignored the wave of nostalgia that crashed over him, the memory of Connor’s elbow next to his own at eleven years old so clear and strong that he could feel it, “remember when we used to hang out in the middle school lab?”

“Do I ever,” Connor muttered. He crossed the room in a few long strides, turning so his back leaned against the table and his shoulder was nearly against Evan’s own. Evan didn’t look at Connor, instead choosing to wait for the impossibly slow printer to print his letter to himself. “Hey,” Connor said, his voice impossibly soft. His hand reached over and settled at the corner of Evan’s jaw, which tensed out of habit. Connor didn’t pull away. He gently guided Evan’s face to look at his own. “Are you okay?”

A nervous flurry erupted low in his gut at that question. “What, I, uh, I mean-why do, do you ask?”

As Evan reached for the paper in the tray, Connor shook his head a little bit. “You’re avoiding me. You have been all day.” He swallowed roughly. “You won’t look me in the eye.”

Evan didn’t deny it.

“Did I - God.” Connor cut himself off, closing his eyes for a moment. He reopened them, immediately focusing back into Evan. “Please just look at me, Evan.”

And Evan did. He looked into the eyes that had been beside him for almost seven years, the deep brown eyes he’d once viewed as harsh and cold but now saw untold warm, wild pools of color inside of.

“Are you okay?” Connor said, his lips moving in a new way, as though each word was difficult for him to say.

Evan opened his mouth, closed it again. He tried to speak again. “Yes.”

Connor’s eyes flickered down for the briefest moment. “And if I read that letter, I’d be able to see-”

“You won’t read it,” Evan said, his voice sharper than intended in his desperation. “You won’t take it.”

A muscle worked in Connor’s jaw. “No. No, I won’t.”

Evan nodded once, slowly.

Connor’s eyes still searched his, but he couldn’t break eye contact, not anymore. Truthfully he was okay, but he wasn’t when Connor was that close to him, when his thoughts scattered in a thousand different forbidden routes. He couldn’t think with Connor’s touch, couldn’t think anything but a thousand things he wasn’t supposed to think about his best friend. He didn’t want to hurt Connor anymore. He couldn’t decide what to do, and the impulsive part of his brain, the side that wasn’t actually impulsive but was rather in tune with some plan Evan must have secretly had for years, was rapidly taking over.

Connor’s eyes flickered down to Evan’s lips, hesitant and pained but full of so much longing that Evan felt his own heart ache.

And then Evan kissed him.

It felt inevitable, in some roundabout way. Like some cosmic path led them to that point, with Connor’s lips pressed to his and his hand splayed along his jawline and their hips digging sharply into each other’s. Like no matter how often they claimed straight-laced, testosterone-prone innocence, they’d end up right there. Maybe they’d professed friendship and platonic feelings to make themselves feel less guilty, and maybe they’d inevitably end up as more like they were destined to be. Maybe they were bound to be more than they could ever be, entwined in a way that others didn’t think of as natural.

And Connor kissed him back, and it all felt inevitable, like finally feeling a wave crash around his ankles when he turned his back to the ocean and could only hear the approaching water rather than see it. It felt inevitable, but Evan didn’t particularly care whether it should happen or not. For once, the list of things he cared about began and ended with one thing, and he had that right at his fingertips. The pressure of Connor’s body on his, all sharp angles contrasted to the soft way his lips pressed to Evan’s, drove away any other thought or desire or care he could have. He pulled Connor closer to him and felt his cheeks heat at the noise, almost feral, that Connor made when Evan parted his lips to allow Connor’s exploring.

And he kissed him and he kissed him back, and that was more than enough, more than he could have ever imagined.

They broke apart later, and as Evan’s eyes drifted open and he saw the light catch on Connor’s eyelashes and begin to reach his eyes, he unfurled the paper from his grasp and grabbed Connor’s hand with his free hand. He pushed the letter into Connor’s fist and closed his fingers around it. Connor didn’t seem to be able to tear his eyes away from Evan’s, but after a minute he lifted the letter up. Evan studied his face as Connor’s eyes zipped across the page at superhuman speed, as they always did. He recognized the expression on his face, finally, for the first time in a while. The corners of Connor’s eyes had crinkled in amusement, but he could see the happiness flicker a little towards the middle of the page. Evan mimicked Connor’s earlier nervous reaction, one hand twisting his shirt and his chin dropping closer to his chest. He felt Connor’s soft hand at his jaw again, tilting his head back up so he could look in Evan’s eyes.

“I would never think that,” Connor said, the slight flicker of anger making the different browns of his eyes stand out from each other in stark contrast. “Evan. I would never think that. I would never think those things. You’re—” his voice cut off, seemingly of its own accord. He continued, and his voice was a little stronger. “You’re the best goddamn thing that’s ever happened to me. Jesus, Evan. You’re the only good thing. I could never think that about you.”

Evan didn’t miss the way Connor’s voice wavered towards the end. As Connor leaned in and gently pressed his lips to the corner of Evan’s mouth, he felt his arms move of their own accord and wrap themselves around Connor’s shoulders. Connor hugged him back and Evan buried his head into the base of Connor’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

Connor laughed. “For what?”

“I don’t know,” Evan said, still whispering. “I don’t know. I thought that you, when you knew how I- I’m just sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Evan felt a warm, gentle pressure atop his head for just a second. He realized it was a kiss a moment later. “Don’t ever be.”

Maybe it was all inevitable.