#Your feedback on everything I tagged you is priceless!

[atlantis-area]

TAEMIN - Artistic Groove & WANT (Music Core, 190216) Happy birthday, @wantbytaemin! 🥳🎉🎀

[amysteryspot]

Between These Four Walls - Thomas Shelby x Fem!Reader (NSFW/+18)

Requested: No

Fandom: Peaky Blinders

Pairing: Thomas Shelby x Female Reader

Summary: “You liked the attention,” Tommy stated, taking his time to shed his jacket, carefully hanging it on a nearby chair to work on his cufflinks. She laughed, observing him from her spot on the bed. One bare leg on top of the cotton sheets that covered the other one all the way to her waist. “And you liked the claim, so what?”

Warnings: Smut and swearing (NSFW/+18).

Word Count: 1047 (in theory)

A/N: Just me ignoring my requests and doing what my brain pleases. I blame it all on @blinder-secrets, to whom this one-shot is dedicated, because their blog always gives me ideas that I can't ignore: I really, really hope that you liked this and that it makes your week a little better. This was loosely based on this ask (I have a feeling that I should credit @shelbyblinded for the idea, and here is the gifset mentioned on the ask, for context if you want) and explores the afterwards of the interaction between Tommy and Michael. Hope you enjoy it. Feedback is always appreciated.

(Y/N) = Your Name

English is not my first language and this wasn’t proofread by a beta.

If you want to be tagged in my stories, just send me a message.

(Y/N)’s smile was pure mischief, disguised as bashful playfulness in her angelic features.

“You liked the attention,” Tommy stated, taking his time to shed his jacket, carefully hanging it on a nearby chair to work on his cufflinks.

She laughed, observing him from her spot on the bed. One bare leg on top of the cotton sheets that covered the other one all the way to her waist.

“And you liked the claim, so what?”

Tommy tried to suppress the smirk from appearing on his lips. The image of Michael’s shocked expression when he told his cousin that he and (Y/N) had been fucking was priceless. And he didn’t even know half of it.

(Y/N) was Michael’s friend—from the village he was raised after being taken away from Polly, from the time he was still Henry. They lost contact after Michael came to Birmingham, and met again, by chance, a little before Tommy’s wedding.

At that time, Tommy had Grace and didn’t care about the girl hanging from Michael’s arm at the ceremony. Then, Grace died and he had a lot to deal with—the priest, the Russians, the grief—that the last thing on his mind was the country girl fooling around with his cousin.

Things changed right after Michael left for America. His cousin hadn’t had the time to talk to (Y/N) before leaving, and one night, she came looking for him on the Garrison. She caught him in a bad day—wrong time, wrong place—Tommy took his anger out on her and was more than surprised when the girl didn’t even flinch at his harsh words. The night ended with her body pressed against his and the wall of one of the back rooms.

One-time thing, he had said to himself. Except that it wasn’t.

He liked the challenge, liked that she was younger than him, that she didn’t take any of his shit, and how she felt under him. It was intoxicating, made him forget about the problems, and something that was meant to be a one-time thing became a regular thing. Soon he lost count of how many times he had been seeking her out, to clear his head.

When Michael fucked it all up in America and came back, Tommy thought that whatever he and (Y/N) had would end as it had begun—out of the blue. Until she appeared at his office in London one night, wearing nothing but lingerie underneath her long black coat.

“Have you talked to him?” Tommy asks, nonchalantly, as he continues to undress.

“He tried, I said that we had nothing to talk about after everything. He can go talk to his American wife now.”

“That’s why you’re here?”

Tommy looked at her, she was frowning, the hint of worry clear on her eyes. She got up on her knees, the sheet falling down and revealing the peach-colored negligee—his favorite, he noticed—and crawled to the end of the bed, sitting on her calves, facing him.

“You think this is a rebound?”

He ignored her question, and the slight hurt in her voice, placing the pocket watch and arm garters on the table, then taking off the waistcoat.

“Tommy, look at me.” (Y/N)’s tone was firm, and he complied, turning around and walking to her. She got up on her knees, hands resting on his chest as she looked him dead in the eye and said, “You really think that what we created in these past three years was just a distraction for me? That I would throw all of this out the window just because Michael came back from America?”

“Wouldn’t hold it against you. The two of you had something going on way before I’ve properly met you.”

“And by properly met me you mean pressing me up against the wall in the backroom of your pub and having your way with me?”

Tommy rolled his eyes, but there was a smile on his lips and (Y/N) took advantage of this moment of weakness to start unbuttoning his dress shirt, looking innocently at him and biting her lower lip.

“I don’t want Michael, not for a long time. Wouldn’t have wanted him back even if he was not married to some American gold-digger. I want you,” she breathed against his lips, freeing him from the braces, “Or I wouldn’t have let whatever it is that we have going on continue for this long.”

“Yeah,” he asked, kissing her lightly, “Don’t want a guy your age?”

“No, I want the old man that knows how to touch me like no guy my age ever dreamt off.” Pulling his shirt out of his pants, (Y/N) made quick work of throwing it around the room, lips meeting his for a hungry kiss as she did the same thing with his undershirt. “The one who is ruthless dealing with the business but it’s all soft with his son. The old man who makes me beg for him to touch me and makes me want to be his.”

“All mine?” He asks, leaning in to press her body against his, lips searching for hers as they both fall into bed.

“All yours,” she confirms, eyelids heavy with lust, and something else that Tommy choses to ignore for the moment, fingers dragging the thin fabric of her negligee all the way up and out of her body. He curses under his breath after realizing she’s wearing nothing under the delicate piece. “I like being yours,” (Y/N) confesses, breathless as he kisses down her neck, “between these four walls.”

“Just between these four walls?”

“Well, maybe between some other walls as well,” she teases, bringing his lips back to hers, legs wrapping around his waist, making them both moan against each other lips with the friction. “But we both know that outside these walls I am my own woman.”

“I don’t mind that.” Tommy breathed against her skin, before getting rid of his pants and undershorts the fattest he could. His eyes closed for a second when he pressed his body against her again, skin on skin this time. He slipped into her in one swift motion, groaning at the feel of her so wet and inviting. “As long as you are my woman between these walls.”

.

Taglist: @stressedandbandobessed7771 @internalmess3 @captivatedbycillianmurphy @theshelbyclan

[starlitvalyria]

glasses;

© credits to the author, i found on pinterest. if you own it, let me know so i can add your @

bucky barnes x reader

part one ⸺ part two ⸺ part three

Summary: bucky shows how proud he is of you

Word count: 372

Warnings: curse words

Author's note: I'm so sorry for taking so long, i don't even know how to apologize.

it made me so happy seeing people requesting new chapters of glasses, all the support makes my day. thank you so much, guys. i hope y'all like this end <3

english it’s not my first language, so I’m deeply sorry for any mistakes or inconveniences. xoxo, lola

masterlist

join my tag list here

my requests are open!

Working for days straight without any rest is the key to destabilize any person.

hearing F.R.I.D.A.Y called out your name after days of hard work to put her back online made you really happy. that meant you could finally rest.

Everyone in the compound was more relaxed now that the AI was working again. Tony went home after three hours, but you decided to stay in the lab for more two, hours making sure everything was right.

Bucky was super worried about you, waiting for you to break. he was fucking happy when you didn't. he just wasn’t expecting to have to drag you out of the lab.

it had been five hours since F.R.I.D.A.Y was back, and just now you were in the comfort of your bedroom. (after hearing bucky complain a lot and literally beg you to take a break).

Bucky watched every step you took, you hadn't had a break in ten day and you were really stressed out.

you and bucky were cuddling in the bed. you had a book on your hands, wearing your big ass glasses and a baggy shirt that you stole for your boyfriend. and he was just admiring you, stroking your hair gently and planting kisses in the back of your neck.

"you know, doll?" his raspy voice caught your attention, so you rose your head from his chest, meeting the ocean blue eyes.

"you are fucking brilliant, I'm so proud of you" a smile spread on your lips. "I'm serious, you're incredible" he continued. He cupped your cheek and kissed you slowly "and Tony's face when he realized that you knew his tech a little bit better than him was priceless" you both laughed and then started to stare at each other smiling. 

the silence in the room was comfortable, having Bucky's eyes glued into yours was comfortable too. but you broke the silence to thank him, his words meant much for you.

"thank you, my love" bucky smiled at you, and then he kissed you again. 

the night followed like that, bucky saying how amazing you were, and kissing you at every opportunity he got. nothing could make you happier.

having bucky could wash away all the stress in your body

©deadivyy

feedback is appreciated, please, drop a comment to let me know if you liked it.

support the blogs!

🤍

tag list: @acciosiriusblack @amelia-song-pond @aliceforbes @natyvwe @watersofmars @allforkook @depranxiouswaffle @avoxzy @kaitieskidmore1 @iwannabekilledtwice @marvel-diaries @mxltifaves @lifeofafangirlfandom @stevieintheimpala @katherinelecter @fabulouskk01 @wehrleining @auromalima @agentpretoria @x0xchristine @mscalliewrites @iilwjbb @mardema @mollysolo

if your name is crossed it means i can't tag you, pls contact me if you want to be removed or have you url changed in my tag list

[misslilli]

Hope you guys are not too busy with Fictober 😄 thank you, as always, for your amazing feedback!

Felix Felicis

MSR. AU. PG-13. | tagging @today-in-fic | read on AO3

Chapter 26 - A Pivotal Peppermint Mocha

[ DS ]

He respects my wishes, of course he does, and I don’t see him before or after Thanksgiving break, except for a few glimpses from afar, across the school yard or at the farmer’s market. As time passes, each time I see him, it gets less and less painful and my funk begins to lift. My kids at school breathe a sigh of relief and my friends stop tiptoeing around me. The nights get easier, too, and I manage at least a few hours of shut-eye.

I just got home from school, a little earlier than usual and I can hear the girls chatting and laughing in the kitchen.

“…and then Squirrel rolled her eyes and said: ‘But Felix, that’s impossible, no-one can stuff 100 marshmallows into their mouth, not even your dad!’ I get such a kick out of this kid, he insisted over and over again that Moose could do it and he’ll prove it to her. You should’ve seen the exasperated look on Squirrel’s face!”

What the hell? That conversation is eerily familiar because I’ve just had it this morning at recess. Why the fuck are they referring to us as Moose and Squirrel?

They jump about a mile as I step into the kitchen, guilty looks plastered all over their faces. Sarah, who just told the story, starts to speak first. “Uuuh.. hey D, you’re home early…” My hands on my hips, I give them each a long, hard stare.

“Who. The Fuck. Are Moose and Squirrel?” They share a look I can’t decipher and Holly pulls out a chair.

“You better sit down for this, D.” I do as I’m told and glance around the table, waiting for someone to start explaining what’s going on.

Sarah and Holly both make it clear by silently staring at Alex, the calm one of our group, the one they trust can explain in a way I won’t kick their asses afterwards.

Alex folds her hands in front of her and takes a deep breath. “Okay. I’d like to preface this with stating that everything we did was done with love and because we care about you and your happiness.” ‘Oh goody, I can’t wait to see where this is going…’

“We’ve been talking about Moo- Mulder a lot at our Friday night dinners and we could tell that you liked him. When nothing happened and no-one made the first move, we thought we’d give fate little pushes in the right direction.” I stare at her, starting to panic.

“Oh God, what did you do? Is anyone else in on this thing? Is he in on this whole thing?”

“No, no, no-one knows except for us. And Miss Hannigan, but only because we needed her help with the costumes and we swore her to secrecy.” I snort, you can’t swear the town gossip to secrecy.

“So the Halloween costume was your doing? That we went to the town fair in a couple’s costume?” Alex nods. “What else?”

“Just little things, I swear. Remember when we were at the Farmer’s Market and we all had various errands to run? We saw Felix and Mulder were heading over, so we scattered to give you some alone time.” Which led to our first quasi-semi-let’s not call it a date-date, yes I remember.

“So what’s the Moose and Squirrel business then?”

“Well, since it was all a secret operation, we needed codenames. Sarah came up with a play on the first letters of your last names and we thought it was cute, especially since there’s such a big height difference between these characters too. This was how Operation: Bullwinkle was born. Of course, after the basketball fiasco, we called it off… are you mad, D?” I sit in silence for a while, taking in the things my friends came up with to set Mulder and I up.

They eye me anxiously, trying to gauge my reaction and if they should run for cover right about now.

“No, I’m not mad. It was actually a really clever secret operation and I’m kind of sad it didn’t work out the way we all wanted.” Holly lifts her shoulders, relieved that I understood that they didn’t mean to cause any harm.

“Never say never, D.”

—————

[ FM ]

My mom has taken Felix with her while she’s out grocery shopping, which gives me a good part of the afternoon to leave the house and roam the streets. A good way to clear my head. It’s the first week of December, but New England hasn’t been graced with snow yet, just a misty cold that seeps into your coat and straight through to your bones.

My hands are freezing because I forgot to take my gloves, so when the green logo of the local Starbucks catches my eye, I go in to warm up and get a cup of coffee.

Usually, I avoid this place like the plague, I don’t possess the fast decision making skills required to choose from the 999 combinations, just to have a cup of freakishly overpriced coffee.

I can barely get through the door, the place is jam packed and soon, I can smell why. Peppermint Mocha season starts today. The prospect of standing in line for hours almost makes me turn back, but something stops me from leaving.

Most of the people are holding a cup in their hands gleefully already, so I push my way through the crowd to where the line starts. When I reach it, I find myself dumbly staring at the back of a fiery head of hair, a shade I’d recognize anywhere in the world and in the most crowded places.

Shi-hit, does this break the ‘giving space’ rule? No, I’m just getting a cup of coffee on a cold winter day, no big deal. I don’t even have to talk to her. Yeah right, who am I kidding?

—————

[ DS ]

I’m way too excited about the start of Peppermint Mocha season, so here I am, in a place packed with people, patiently waiting in line to finally get my hands on that glorious to-go cup of Christmas Spirit.

I’m next in line when the person in front of me turns a little too quickly, making me take a step backwards to let them pass, bumping into the person standing behind. I mumble a “I’m sorry!” over my shoulder and freeze when I hear a familiar voice respond with an “Don’t worry about it.”

Counting to ten in my head before I turn my head, I come to face with a grinning Fox Mulder, who adds “Fancy bumping into you here!” His silly pun elicits the first genuine smile I’ve given in weeks.

“Technically, you didn’t bump into me, I bumped into you.”

He grins even wider and nudges my shoulder with his index finger. “There. So, I’m new in town, what’s good here?”

I order my Peppermint Mocha with sweet cream foam and an extra espresso shot while he pretends to gag, he orders his black coffee to my snort and the barista’s comment on what kind of first name ‘Mulder’ is. We move to stand at the end of the counter to wait for our coffees.

“Sometimes, I just want to tell them my name is Bob, just so I don’t have to explain Mulder or Fox to another barista.”

“Don’t ask me how many time’s I’ve been Donna, Danny or Dinara and one time, Daniel. I think they do it on purpose. At least yours is easy to spell, Eff - Oh - Ex.”

“Oh I bet you were a regular hit at the spelling bee, with those mad skills of yours!”

“I’m a woman of many talents, Bob.”

The barista calls out our names, ‘Peppermint Mocha for Daisy, black coffee for Mouldy’ and we reach out to accept our respective cups. Pushing out way to the crowd, we continue our conversation.

“Daisy? That's not even remotely close to my real name… but Mouldy is freaking priceless!” Her giggle at their slip up almost makes it worth it to have a shitty first name.

“Yeah, yeah, make fun of the guy with the funny name. I kind of like Daisy, though, it’s a pretty name!”

I’m so happy to see that we turn to head in the same direction, strolling along the crowded sidewalk, sipping our coffee. I have to walk pretty fast to keep up with his long strides.

“It is, yeah! So tell me, Eff- Oh- Ex, how much flak did you have to take way back in the day, when “What does the Fox say?” came out?” I shudder at the memory.

“They didn’t tease me with it. Much. Just a lot of ring-ding-dingalinging. It became a thing in my friend group, whenever they asked me something, they’d add ‘So what does the Fox say?’. It went on a long time and they still do it sometimes, when we get together, just to drive me nuts!”

“I hope for your sake that Felix never discovers that song, he’d have a field day!” Oh God, she’s right. Must keep him away from it at all costs. At my panic face, she laughs an evil laugh. “We do listen to a lot of music at recess…”

“Oh no, you wouldn’t!” I point an icy finger at her. “Promise me you wouldn’t!”

“Well, it does have a lot of educational material in it, with all the animal sounds…”

“I’ll have you know that you hold my sanity in your hands, handle with care!”

“I hear they have a lot of fun pills at the asylum, maybe I’ll come visit so you can sneak me some!”

We come to stand at the junction where we have to part ways and she raises her cup.

“Have a good day, Mouldy!”

“You too, Daisy!”

—————

[ DS ]

I think about the strange but fun encounter all the way home, the world didn’t end like I thought it would when we met again and it was a rather pleasant conversation. Like a conversation between long-time friends, even though friendship is not exactly what I’m looking for here. But it’ll have to do, for now. It’s just nice to talk to him again.

[jawritter]

Just A Dream...

Writing Prompt 17. Love Is Overrated.

Winchester Fantasies 1000 Followers Challenge. @winchester-fantasies​

Warning: Unrequited love, angst, some language, fluff if you squint, I think that’s it.

Pairing: Dean x Reader, Sam x Reader (just friends)

Word Count: 1757

A/N: As always all mistakes are mine! Please don’t copy my work! Feedback is golden! Hope you guys enjoy this one!

Want more? Check out my Masterlist!!

****MASTERLIST****

Sitting on the hood of Baby you look out over the slew of people that were filtering in and out of the bar that the Winchester’s had talked you into coming to in order to “celebrate” another successful hunt. 

The only problem was you didn’t feel much like celebrating. 

Sure the hunt had gone great, and with the track record, you all seemed to be having it was very nice to have a win for once. 

A simple Vamp nest, in and out, no casualties, no near-death experiences, just a simple, head rolling, vamp kill.

It was a pretty large nest at that, about 12 Vamps. All dead before they even knew they were under attack thanks to Dean who not only had reflexes like a cat, he seemed to be getting even lighter on his feet with age. You couldn’t even figure out how that was possible, but he was a Winchester, and they were the best, so you weren’t surprised by very much when it comes to their abilities anymore; you just learned to just roll with it.

Most of the time you’d be right in there with them, drinking, hustling pool, or just blowing off steam in general, not this time. 

See, you had a problem that you didn’t really know just how you were going to handle.

Over the past three months that you’d been living with the Winchesters, you had fallen for Dean pretty hard.  Something in this life you knew that you shouldn’t do, so you had to figure out what exactly you were going to do about it. 

Were you going to run? Because you’d gotten pretty good at that over your lifetime of hunting. 

Were you going to tell him that you had feelings for him, or even make a move, risk getting turned down, and kicked out of the bunker that was now your home? That didn’t seem like a wise move on your best day. It wasn’t like a stable place to crash was easy to come by in your line of work, so you really didn’t want to screw that up.

So, you found yourself out here, away from Dean and that blonde that was currently attached to his face. It was easier to sit out here and people watch feeling sorry yourself, than to face the fact that whatever you decided to do about your feelings for Dean, it wasn’t going to do you any good tonight. He obviously planned to be otherwise engaged for the evening, and didn’t have time to hang out with you; even though he called you his “best friend." 

Right now you don’t feel much like a "best” anything. You felt like the second choice. 

“There you are! I was looking all over for you,” Sam said, leaning against the hood of Dean’s beloved Impala next to you with his arms crossed, looking you over with a smirk on his face that told you Sam might be slightly tipsy. 

Tipsy Sam was your favorite version of  Sam because he just had no filter. It was a rare jewel to witness, and you welcomed the distraction and the company. 

“Yeah, I needed some air,” you lie to him, as you both watch a couple of local idiots fight over the very chick that you saw inside not five minutes ago kissing the bartender… 

Oops…

 Maybe you should tell them?… 

Na, they can figure it out on their own. You needed entertainment anyway.

“Needed fresh air, or need to get away from my brother, and his new friend for the evening?” Sam said, giving you a knowing look, and nearly making you fall off the hood of Dean’s car. 

The look on your face must have been priceless because it threw Sam into a fit of hysterical laughter. 

“Don’t give me that look Y/N, I’ve known for a while now. You’re not as smooth as you think you are at hiding it,“ he said, wheezing as he tried to catch his breath. 

You cursed under your breath, you covering your face with your hands and hoping the ground would open up so that it could swallow you whole. Should you pack your shit when you get back to the bunker, or just leave right now?

"Hey, it’s okay, Dean doesn’t know I promise you,” Sam said, sliding onto the hood next to you and throwing his arm over your shoulder.  “The man isn’t exactly what I’d call observant when it comes to things like this, but I see the way you look at him, I can tell. You might be surprised if you tell him you love him, how much he loves you too, he’s just too scared to say it." 

You look at Sam for a moment wanting more than anything to believe what he was saying was true, but just not able to convince yourself it was. 

”Love is overrated,“ you tell Sam, sliding down the hood and standing on your feet. "Your brother doesn’t love girls like me. He loves girls like that blonde he’s with right now. Girls he can blow off some steam with, and then leave in the morning. No attachments, no consequences." 

Ignoring Sam, who was calling your name, you take off walking back toward the hotel you’re staying at with the boys to pack your things and be gone before they come back to the room. 

You didn’t want to give up your home, but you couldn’t sit around with Sam knowing how you felt about his brother, because you knew he was probably back at that bar right now telling Dean all about it, and when Dean came back in to either give you the sympathy, ‘I love you, but as a friend only’, or 'you need to leave because this just isn’t going to work,’ you’d already be gone. 

Even though you were strong, you just couldn’t handle the rejection you knew was coming. 

Not from him... 

No from Dean... 

When you got back to the room you started throwing your stuff into your bag as fast as you could. You were hoping you’d have everything packed, and be long gone when Sam and Dean got back to the room. 

Apparently, you weren’t going to be so lucky, because as soon as you threw your last shirt into your bag you heard the distinct rumble of the Impala outside the door. Car lights flooded the mostly dark room as you stood by the bed, holding your breath, and waiting for the storm that was sure to come. 

You didn’t even have time to turn around fully when the door to your room burst open, and Dean practically fell through the door. 

The two of you stood stock still as you stared each other down, his emerald green eyes boring into your y/e/c eyes. His jaw set tight as he looked at you. You committed it to memory, the way his eyes sparkled in the dimly lit room because you just knew he was about to throw you out. 

His eyes traveled down to your bag on the bed, then back up to you. Swallowing hard he looked at you like you had literally just kicked his puppy. You hated it. The silence was thick, and heavy in the room, and it was more unbearable than the impending rejection. 

"Dean you have to say something.” Your voice came out barely above a whisper, but in the silence, it felt like a scream. 

Dean came into the room, and closed the door behind him, closing the distance between you in just a few short strides. The look of a man on a mission replacing the hurt look that was there moments before. 

Without a word, Dean grabs your face in his hands, crashes his lips into yours, putting all he had into it. There was so much emotion attached to it that it was almost overwhelming, love, passion, hurt, tenderness, fear…. All things he wanted to say, but just didn’t know-how. His tongue gliding over yours as he deepened the kiss, determined to kiss away all the hurt, and rejection he’d caused you over the time you’d spent with him. 

When he finally pulled away your wold was spinning, his hands still on either side of your face, his eyes piercing yours, staring into what felt like your very soul, his chest heaving as he fought against emotion you couldn’t really even read. 

“You can’t do that. You can’t just say love is overrated, and then walk away just to run away from me.” 

You looked down at the floor fighting against the tears that threatened to spill past your defenses. Your heart is so fragile right now that it was afraid this wasn’t real. Like it was a dream and any moment you were going to wake up disappointed, and heartbroken. 

“Dean.." 

"Sh, let me finish,” Dean stopped you mid-sentence by placing his thumb gently on your already trembling lower lip. His touch is more gentle than you ever imagined it would be like you were some precious glass, and if he wasn’t careful you’d break. 

“Sweetheart, I’m crazy about you, but how are you going to let me show you that if you run away before I can get the chance."  

His arms wrapped around your waist and pulled you tight against this strong chest, his lips traveling down your collar bone as his hand slipped under your shirt, brushing lightly against the skin there.

"Y/n…." 

"Y/N!!” Dean’s voice called from somewhere far away… 

That couldn’t be right… 

Dean was right here….

With a violent gasp, you sat up, finding yourself on a cold, dirty warehouse floor, Dean shaking you in an attempt to wake you from whatever had happened to you. Your body aches as your vision focuses on those beautiful green eyes that you loved so much. 

“There she! Damn it sweetheart I thought I was too late!” Dean said in a huff, pulling you into a tight hug. You were confused, One minute you were in a motel room, kissing Dean like you had always wanted to do, now you were here. In the middle of a cold, dark, filthy warehouse feeling like you’d been sucked dry then ran over by a Mack truck.

“Dean, what happened? Where am I?”

“You’re in Dallas, Texas. Remember? We were hunting that Djinn. It captured you in hospital last night when we were investigating the body? It doesn’t matter though, it’s dead, you’re safe, now we can go home.”

You sat there while your heart shattered at your feet. 

It was a dream… 

It was all just a dream….

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

Tag List: 

@deanwanddamons​​ @imabitch4jensen​​ @rvgrsbrns​​ @bi-danvers0​​ @onethirstyunicorn​​ @i-love-superhero​​ @akshi8278​ @alanegaming​ @magssteenkamp​ @lemondropirwin​

[mercurial-madhouse]

So many of your short fics came to mind for me, but I do think that most memorable will be the part in Christmas idiots where Clifford leads Harry to find louis outside and That absolute fear Harry feels that Louis might not make it. That need to do everything he possibly can to try to help and save him. Oh my word the cold fear that made my veins icy as if I were Harry finding him out there!!!!

Oh my gods, love. This is such beautiful feedback for me. Being able to write an evocative scene is something to strive for! Evoking terror in a Christmas fic that is very clearly tagged as a happy ending is a feat! So having a specific example where I absolutely nailed it is priceless! Thank you so much! (And I love that you called it Christmas Idiots! XD)

****************************

From this post.

[thisuserlovesnayeon]

hello everyone! well i dont know who i mean by “everyone” considering my blog is basically an echo chamber for my own thoughts and feelings but nevertheless hello! as you may have seen already loads on your dash, everyone’s whipping out the end of year shoutout posts thanking the people who have made this dark hellhole seem a bit brighter. im going to do the same - so to all the people tagged below thank you very much for your services to my mental wellbeing!! as an avid fanfic consumer i will say the amount i interact with said fanfic writers is quite atrocious - something I hope to improve in the new year. so without further ado, here are some people id like to say thanks and well done to!

🌟 @starrychannies - thank you for being the first skz blog i decided to follow since stanning!! your fics are so beautifully written and you just have this way of writing that fills me with what i can only describe as warmth and love. the little details you put in and how you write the characters (both skz and the reader) is what keeps me coming for more. its like i feel a genuine connection with the characters that rarely occurs in fics it seems and im very grateful for your talent - along with the memey gifsets and picures of course! i genuinely hope 2021 is a gorgeous year for you!

🌷 @akinnie75 - where on earth do i even begin!!! i remember stumbling across your blog on a sunny june afternoon and suddenly it was time for dinner, id read all of your fics multiple times and i could barely remember that the BTS members werent really princes or ghosts or even sociology majors! the way your stories cascade across the page like a giant waterfall is something i havent seen in literature for a really long time. again, im a sucker for characterisation and you absolutely nail it every single time. thank you so much for the work you produce and once again i hope 2021 brings you joy and happiness.

⛩ @chenle - if we’re talking about blogs that fed my skz addiction, it would be a crime not to mention you. i literally vivdly remember sending you an ask saying I dOn’T eVeN kNoW wHo StRaY kIdS aRe YoUr FiCs ArE nIcE tHo and look where we are now. i can sense 2020 was a tough one, as was the case with so many people and whilst a part of me is sad you are no longer writing, i am mostly very grateful for the vast expanse of fics and ideas and stories and headcanons and everything else you blessed your cult with. i sincerely hope you can take this opportunity to rest and rejuvenate and whatever path you choose to take i will support you all the way.

🎨 @ofkimtaehyung - although i mentioned my avid consumption of fanfics, i do enjoy the occasional gifset and fanart too. whilst im past my brief tryst with BTS (she says 👀👀) one would have to be blind to ignore the immeasurable talent you hold. how you manage to manipulate music videos and photoshoots into concert ticket stubs, movie posters and broadway leaflets is honestly beyond me. BTS are already 7 of the most handsome ethereal men to exist and your sublime editing means they end up looking even more heavenly. i hope 2021 brings rewards for your work because it is seriously amazing!

⛓ @anqeluv - your changing aesthetics as well as the 2020 kinktober masterlist were all that i needed to be drawn in. the way you write the filthiest things in the most simple and eloquent manner is severely understated. lots of people tend to go overboard with the ~naughty~ scenes but you keep it the perfect balance of classy and downright filthy which is much appreciated. im very excited to see that you are possibly considering writing for ateez as well - who are one of my newer fav groups! i very much look forward to all that you will bring in 2021 and hope you are safe and well.

🐈 @chaoticminhos - it was priceless that pulled me in and all the rest of your gorgeous fics that have kept me here! and boy am i not complaining. you have such a gentle (ironic for someone called chaos i suppose) way of writing in my opinion, that keeps things flowing and simple without unnecessary embellishments and i just adore it. priceless, in my humble opinion, is such a classic that i keep coming back to. i sit back in awe at the quiet progress of their relationship every goddamn time (as though im reading it for the first time) and im very grateful for the experience. i hope 2021 brings you lots of light and positivity.

there are so many other blogs that have helped me get through this year - whether it be with their creative content like fics, their personalities and jokes shared on their blogs or even advice given to their anons. im sorry i couldnt mention everyone, but do know that if i follow you you hold a very special place in my heart and im very grateful to all of you content creators. people dont appreciate what you do enough, and instead of offering feedback and compliments you get attacked by rude anons demanding more of your work, regardless of what your personal situation might be. you dont deserve this at all and i do hope people have worked on their manners during quarantine now that we have had the time! anyway, to close off, even if you havent done anything this year, im still incredibly proud of you for making it this far. whether we’ve talked before or not (we probably havent im a bit of a hermit i’ll be honest), my inbox is always open. if you need a friend to joke with, a shoulder to cry on, someone to vent to - im here. have an absolutely amazing NYE and lets make 2021 our year!!!!!

[itsreigns]

Hypothetically

Eddie Diaz (9-1-1) x Reader

Eddie and (Y/N) team up to rescue a woman and a man in trouble after an earthquake. Will they get out alive?

(A/N): This has some ties/similarities to the episode but it isn’t strictly equal. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! If you wanna get tagged, let me know.

When you got up this morning, you had absolutely no idea of what was about to happen. You had just arrived at the station, when all the alarms started going off. 

An earthquake was rocking the city. 

Yes. A 7.1 earthquake is hitting Los Angeles. 

Chaos and panic are officially installed. Everything, and everyone, is collapsing. 

You ended up with Eddie on a hotel. Or what used to be a hotel. Because now it literally looked like the Pisa tower. And unlike the tower, this one really is on the verge of falling.

You were carefully searching through the hallways with Eddie, when you find a blonde young woman, pressing herself tight against the walls and some furniture, hanging on tight for her life. Also, an older man, dressed in his robe, only secured by a glass window. But he was pressed against it by a huge storage furniture. And a couch. And a table. It sure didn’t look good. 

There’s a weird vibe in the room, and even though you can’t figure out what it is, you can feel it has nothing to do with the earthquake. It’s exactly when they start going off on each other that you realize that the earthquake actually helped the woman. 

The man in the robe tried to seduce and have the woman, who is his employee, joining him in the shower. Gross. 

“Oh, he definitely deserves what he’s getting.” You think to yourself, and Eddie briefly glances at you, giving you a knowing look.

Eddie gets the rope ready, so you head to the woman, while he slowly tries to join the man. 

Everything was going kind of smooth with the rescuing of the both of them. You have just handed the rope to the woman so she put it around her, and Eddie is trying to get to the man, when suddenly, the structure starts squeaking.

“Don’t move!” Eddie instructed cautiously. “Don’t breathe.” 

The glass starts cracking and Eddie tries to create a solution to push the man away from the glass as quickly as he possibly can, as you hold on tight to the rope holding both Eddie and the woman.

 And when you think nothing could go worse, it does. An aftershock hits.

Suddenly, the glass breaks and Eddie can’t do anything but watch the man fall, followed by all the furniture he was trapped with. This all quickly followed by the rope untying itself from around the woman’s waist.

“Eddie! Eddie! Eddie!” You yell nervously, alerting him.

He quickly reacted and jumped in, holding her merely by her hand, as she hangs outside the window.

You can’t do anything because the room is very inclined, so you do what you can, holding on tight to the rope and securing Eddie.

“Give me your other hand.” Eddie says to the woman, clearly exhausted by the effort.

You try to maintain your position steady, using your legs and arms to pin and support yourself.

With much effort from the three of you, you managed to get both Eddie and the woman, who you learned was named Ali, safe. 

But you’re still in high risk, so you start making your way down the building, as slow, and as patiently as you could.

Just as you’re reaching the bottom floor, the building gives in a bit, a screeching noise echoing loudly in the room. Suddenly, you trip on a pile of debris, falling down the stairs.

“(Y/N)!!!” Eddie yells helplessly, running down the stairs quickly, Ali following him.

You can’t bare the excruciating pain you’re feeling on your chest. It’s so hard to breathe.

“Oh my God.” Ali panics as she finally reaches you. 

“(Y/N)! You’re good, you’re good, I’m right here.” Eddie says soothingly, trying to sound calm so he doesn’t get you even more worked up, as he kneels beside you and takes your head in his hand. 

“I c- can’t breathe. It h-hurts.” You mumble, your voice barely hearable. 

“Don’t worry, I got you, ok?” He assures you, caressing your cheek gently. You nod faintly. “You trust me, right?”

“With m-my life.” He gives you a small smile before picking you up in his arms. “Ugh!” You moan in pain as he does so.

“I’m so sorry, baby. I have to move you, we need to get out of here. Stay strong for me, ok?”

“O-okay.” 

The building keeps on giving in every second, but Eddie manages to get you and Ali to safety before it collapsed.

“I’ve got a firefighter down! Need the paramedics!” Eddie shouts as he runs with you in his arms towards an ambulance parked near the building. 

The paramedics have the stretcher outside so he could easily place you down on it. Once he does, he takes his helmet off, dropping it to the ground, then runs his hands down his face as he watches the EMT’s put you inside the ambulance so they could start analysing you. 

Bobby and Buck join him, and noticing his distress, each of them gives him a comforting hug.

“Is she going to be ok, Bobby? She is going to be ok, right?” He asks, his voice slightly breaking as he does so. 

“She is strong, Eddie. She’ll get through this.” Bobby replies, assuringly as he watches the EMT getting of the ambulance to come meet them. “How is she?”

“We don’t know the extent of her injuries, we need to get her to the hospital.” The EMT says in all honesty, patting Eddie on the back before heading to the driver’s seat. 

The ambulance’s engine roared, but it didn’t drive off immediately. Suddenly, the back door opens. It’s the other EMT. “She’s asking for you.” He affirms, staring at Eddie.

Bobby nods at Eddie, giving him the permit to ride with you to the hospital. “Go ahead. We’ll meet there.”

Eddie’s chest gets heavy as he steps inside the vehicle. Instantly softening as he locks his gaze with yours. You shoot him a small smile, trying to comfort him.

He responds by cupping your hand with his, caressing it with his thumb gently.

A few hours later, you’re finally resting in your hospital room. Eddie had just joined you five minutes ago. You’ve talked for a bit, he asked how you were and everything, and now you’re both just sitting there in silence.

“Thank you.” You say, breaking the silence.

A genuine confused look crosses his face. “For what?” 

“For saving me.”

“You don’t need to thank me. Ever. Especially not for taking care of you.” 

“I do need to thank you. I mean, you-”

“You really don’t. You should know by now that I’d do anything for you.” He stares at you, letting what he said settle down before continuing. “And I don’t do it so you can thank me, I do it because I... “ He trails off, taking a deep breathe. “Because I love you. And I don’t know what I’d do without you in my life.”

“Eddie…”

“You don’t need to say anything. That’s just...the truth. And you needed to know. And I needed to tell you, so I can move on.”

“Move on?” You reply, shocked. “I mean, you want to move on?”

“I mean, shouldn’t I, uh, move on?” He asks, his brows furrowed in confused. “I mean, I don’t want to, but I feel like it’s what I need to do. Because you know, you don’t, uh-”

“Who told I don’t?” You cut him off quickly. The look on his face was priceless. “What if I do?”

“Are we talking hypothetically here or…?”

“No, we’re talking facts.”

“So, does that mean that…”

“Yes, I love you too.” You finally admit. He sits there, mouth hanging open as he stares at you. 

“Really?” He asks with a dumb (but very cute) look on his face. 

“God damnit, Eddie, just kiss me already.” 

Give me some feedback please?

[missinghan]

「 works of 2020 」

rules: it’s time to love yourselves! chose your 5 (or so) favorite works you created in the past year (fics, art, edits, etc.) and link them below to reflect on the amazing things you brought into the world in 2020. tag as many writers/artists/etc. as you want so we can spread the love and link each other’s awesome works!

tagged by: @chaninfused

tagging: @jeonginify @etherealino @lixiefe @wingkkun @neoskidz

I think I wrote a decent amount this year, so here’s my top 5 :D (parents do lie when they say they don’t have favorites)

‣ illicit & priceless | bang chan

well, I was pretty hesitant about this one since there are hundreds of mafia aus in the fandom already and I didn’t want it to be a typical one where the mc got kidnapped and unintentionally joined the mafia. but the feedback and reactions were surprisingly good! looking back, I gotta give myself a pat on the back for all of those actions-packed scenes and how their relationship evolved. eventually humans would want to kill each other, but these two... no matter how much they fought, no matter how bad things got, their bond only grew stronger at a reasonable pace. (i miss writing decent stories like this one smh)

‣ countless skies upon me | lee minho

( extending blurbs: a tender feeling, a wedding catastrophe, love someone back to life, everything to me )

I was also dubious about this one—my very first attempt at writing fantasy. I’m pleasantly surprised with how it turned out. It’s definitely not the most detail-oriented work of world building since I’m a relative newbie with this genre, and the plot was a little above average but I’m quite happy with my descriptions here. also, the mc and minho’s dynamic really warmed my heart (weird to say since I planned it out myself). and I was really happy to expand this universe a little bit more and write a few more supplementary blurbs for the rest of the characters.

‣ back to me | han jisung

I don’t talk about this fic a lot but it was probably my first proper dive into writing angst. truth is, the plot wasn’t that great, it’s doable, it does the job. but something still draws me to go back to it every now and then. I really like how I could pinpoint the mc’s conflicted feelings here. like when one makes a hateful vow in the eye of the storm only to realize it’s too late at the end but the painful part is, their loved one is still willing to hold onto their hand at the end of the line. it definitely can be improved but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

‣ aria of an assassin | lee minho

I’ve always wanted to write something platonic for the longest time. and I’m not mad at how my first attempt turned out at all! the only thing is I wish I could have gone into depth about the mc’s past a little more. but this fic holds a special place in my heart because I self-project a lot (I mean a lot) here. I’ve always struggled to ask for help and often sink into myself (the mc) and at the same time, it absolutely pains me when people do that, it makes me want to help them no matter what it takes, even if they push me away, especially that (minho).

‣ in the eye of heaven | bang chan

the main point to get across from this fic is that: not everyone is happy with a happy ending. and I gotta say I’ve gotten a little better from my last attempt at angst. I like the fact that Chan didn’t choose the route of doing absolutely nothing when the hurtful truth is laid out right before his eyes. I like that he’s flawed, that’s what makes him so human. he knows that he’ll be hurting either way and there’s absolutely nothing that he can do about it.

[axwalker]

The trade 13

Synopsis:  Liam is running for Cordonia’s presidency. To assure his victory, Constantine makes an arraignment behind his back for him to marry the rich ambassador’s daughter: Alexis O’Brien. Due to her father’s threats, she has no other option than to seduce Liam Rhys. But what happens when she falls in love with his best friend? (AU)

Pairings: DrakexMC

A/N: I took some liberties with Leo’s and Liam’s characters. In this AU their age difference is two years instead of six, and I made up their middle names.

I’m using Grey’s Anatomy prompt asked by @mskaneko​  : If you love someone, you tell them. Even if you’re scared that it’s not the right thing. Even if you’re scared that it’ll cause problems. Even if you’re scared that it will burn your life to the ground, you say it, and you say it loud and you go from there. (In bold) 

I love to picture FC when I read fanfic so I added a mood board with mine at the beginning. 

Warnings: I love drama and chaos so this will probably get a bit dark. In this chapter there is mention of rape, if you get triggered by this issue, don’t hesitate to send me a message and I’ll be glad to explain what happens without reading it. A lot of angst and heartbreak

NSFW 🍋🍋🍋

Please note that this is my first series and English is not my first language. I really love ALL kinds of feedback.  Don’t hesitate to comment!

Disclaimer: Some of the dialogues and settings as well as most of the characters belong to Pixelberry (except for Alexis O’Brien and her evil father George O’Brien JR).

To catch up: Masterlist

Thanks to @pedudley​  my awesome beta reader, your comments and encouragement mean so much.  And of course, to @mskaneko​ for this beautiful mood board, and all the other great edits and mood boards 💕💕  Love you girls!!

Tags: @burnsoslow  @mskaneko​ @drxkewalker @pedudley @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore @pug-bitch @lauzales @desireepow-1986 @yukinagato2012 @kingliam2019 @i-bloody-love-drake-walker  @speedyoperarascalparty @drakewalker04 @ac27dj @ravenpuff02@msjr0119 @texaskitten30​ @loveellamae​ @texaskitten30​

March 2003

Constantine had been preparing for this day since the revolution had stolen him the throne that was his by birthright. After the monarchy had been overthrown, he had sworn to himself that he would be back to rule his people one day, so he had spent the last nineteen years of his life building a strong political career. And, there he was, about to become Cordonia’s third democratic president. He smiled at the irony, all that blood spilled by the revolutionaries had been for nothing. One way or another, he had been born to lead his country.

His eyes drifted to his two sons. Leo and Liam, so similar in appearance but with such contrasting personalities. 

Liam was sitting calmly next to his stepmother, not a hair out of place, his suit perfectly ironed. Leo was the opposite. Despite Regina’s efforts, Leo’s hair was all over the place and he wasn’t wearing a tie anymore. Constantine scoffed; they were going to appear in live television in a question of minutes.

“Leonard Alistair Rhys, could you care to tell me where your tie is?”

Leo jumped at the mention of his middle name. He knew it meant trouble. Plus, he hated it, he had been given the dreadful name of an old, forgotten ancestor, while Liam shared his middle name, Fabian, with one of Cordonia’s greatest kings.

He answered smugly despite the fear his father inspired in him. “I left it in my room, it didn’t suit my wild personality.”

Liam laughed quietly to his brother’s answer.

Constantine snapped his fingers at Jackson, his personal bodyguard. “I need a tie for him, now”

Then he turned to his oldest son. “You may think that this is simply about the tie, but it is not. It’s what the tie represents.” He arched one brow scornfully “You will never achieve anything important, Leo.  You have no discipline, no self-control, no respect. The monarchy was abolished because of nobles like you. I couldn’t see it back then, but they had a point. If the revolutionaries had lost, you would be an heir right now. The next Cordonia’s king. A terrible thing for our country. But thanks to the new democracy your brother who is far more capable and responsible than you can lead this country one day if he applies himself and works for it, as I did. I was against the revolution, but thanks to you I realize now, that they were right”.

Leo’s fists clenched; he was trembling with rage but didn’t reply anything. He was used to his father’s contempt and sourly remarks. He had been his favorite target since he was a little boy and his mother had left, something his father blamed him for. Leo didn’t cry, he had never given him the pleasure of his tears before, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to start now.  

Jackson came back minutes later with the tie.

“Put this on, now, Leonard. We will talk about your punishment later.” Constantine barely looked at his oldest son for the rest of the ceremony.

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

After the scandal exploded, Leo Rhys left the ballroom discretely through a backdoor. As he loosened his bowtie, he smiled to himself, the look in his father’s eyes had been priceless. He couldn’t help but feel slight remorse thinking about Liam. Frankly, he would’ve liked to avoid hurting his younger brother, but Liam had interfered with his destiny to be the next Cordonia’s king, so he had become collateral damage. It was too late for regrets anyway, it was done, the wheels were in motion.  

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

Franz and Mara took Alexis and the Rhys outside the ballroom, followed by Rashad, Maxwell, and Drake.

When they reached a private room far away from the public’s curiosity, Constantine turned to the three friends.

“This is a family matter, leave us alone. I’ll call you if I need you, Drake.”

Drake’s eyes drifted to Alexis’s face. His heart tugged seeing how hard she was working to keep a strong facade, he needed to be there for her.

“I need to be here, Constantine. I’m the Chief of Staff of Liam’s campaign, this concerns me too.”

Liam stared at Drake, fully aware of the real reason behind his concern. “You heard my father, Drake. This is a family matter.” He entered the room and closed the door behind him.

“Fuck this!” Drake was about to barge into the room, but Maxwell stopped him on time.

“Do you think she needs the two of you fighting right now?”

“You know Constantine as well as I do, Maxwell. He’s going to blame her for everything. She has been through enough!”

Maxwell placed his hand in Drake’s shoulder. “I know you don’t want to hear this, but Liam is there. He won’t let Constantine hurt her. You’re just going to make everything worst Drake. Please, wait here with us.”

Drake sighed and leaned against the wall.

Constantine was so furious that he needed a minute to gather himself. Alexis had become a huge liability for his son’s campaign. In spite of her father’s money, Liam had to get rid of her. Regina served him a scotch that he gulped down.

“Could you care to tell us what you were doing in your underwear with Tariq, Alexis?”

She took a deep breath and answered in a calm, poised voice, “I was about to take a shower when Tariq barged into my room and tried to attack me. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Liam took a step towards Alexis placing his arm around her waist. “I was there that night, father. Alexis is telling the truth.”

Constantine scoffed looking around the room. “Where the hell is your father?”

Alexis chose to tell him a version of the truth. “He wasn’t feeling right, he had to go back to Cordonia City.”

Constantine answered angrily “He’s like the rats and the cockroaches that leave the sinking boat before anyone else, isn’t he?”

“There’s no need for insults, father.” Liam raised his hands. “We will deal with this ourselves.”

“Don’t you understand, Liam? Your chances to get elected just got cut in half. And all thanks to this … this whore.”

Liam was a man that rarely lost his nerves, but at soon as he heard his father’s words, he cut the distance between them in one step and took him by the lapels of his tuxedo’s jacket. “You say another word against my fiancé, and I swear to God, I’ll forget you’re my father. Do you understand?”

Regina squeaked. “Liam! Stop, please!”

Both men stared at each other until finally, Liam let Constantine go.

The older man went to the bar and poured himself another scotch. Then he turned around with a mocking smile in his face. “I would love to see if you defend her so ardently after I tell you why she has agreed to marry you.”

Liam looked at Alexis and saw how pale she had turned. “Alexis? What does he mean?”

“I’m sorry, Liam I…” Alexis couldn’t find the words to explain to Liam what was happening. 

Constantine was faster than her.  “George confessed a few days ago that he was pressuring his daughter to marry you for political reasons. Alexis accepted because, apparently, she needs money.”

Alexis couldn't believe her ears. “What? That’s not true! You and my father were both pressuring me, and it wasn’t for money.”

“But they were pressuring you”. Liam’s voice was cold and steady.

“Liam, please I-“

“Do not believe a word that comes out of her mouth, Liam. You need to break up the engagement now. This little whore has done enough damage as it is.”

Liam didn’t even think about it. He raised his fist and punched his father in the jaw.

Regina gasped in shock. “God, Liam! What are you doing?”

“Liam is confused, Regina.” He turned to his son rubbing his jaw. “If you want to believe her, it’s your problem, but she lied. She doesn’t want you, the only thing she cares about is being First Lady.”

Liam turned to Alexis. “I just want to know if you only agreed to marry me because your father asked you to.” Before she could answer, he raised his right hand. “Just say yes or no, Alexis.”

She looked at him directly into his eyes, unable to lie to him any longer. “Yes.”

Liam felt something breaking inside of him. “I see. I knew you were not in love with me yet, Alexis. But I thought you felt… something. I didn’t know you were doing this only to help your father’s political ambitions.” He looked at her with utmost contempt “Please, leave”

“Liam, let me explain.”

“Didn’t you hear me? Leave. Now.” He turned his back to her, refusing to break in front of her.

She tried to approach him, but Regina got in the middle.

“It’s better if you leave, darling. Don’t make things harder than they already are.”

Alexis turned around, feeling angry and defeated. She left the room furiously slamming the door on her way out.

Drake and Maxwell looked at each other and followed her.

“Blossom! I’ll go look for the car with Rash and meet you here. If you go through the front door, those so-called journalists won’t let you leave.”

She stopped walking and nodded. Drake went next to her, he needed to hold her and make her understand that she wasn’t alone, but he would have to wait until they were alone, another scandal would destroy her.

“Lexie, are you okay?” He brushed her hand with his fingers.

She hugged herself “No, I’m not. Liam knows everything.” Her eyes watered, Abigail was the only thing in her mind. “I can’t talk right now.”

“Go with them to Ramsford. I’ll drive there in my jeep. It’s better if we don’t leave together.”

“No, Drake. Don’t worry about me. They have a crisis inside, and Liam is going to need you.” She knew that if she threw one look at him, she wouldn’t be able to hold her tears any longer, so she jumped into Maxwell’s car without turning around.

Rashad, Maxwell, and Alexis arrived at Ramsford after a long, silent ride. She got out of the car and after thanking the couple, went to her room.

Abigail. She didn’t even know how to contact her, how to warn her parents. Her daughter needed her and, once again, she had failed her as she had done when she had been born. Alexis paced around the room, incapable of staying put. Her eyes were puffy and swollen after all the tears she had spilled on her way back from the engagement party.  She couldn’t believe that everything was over, but Liam was too sad, too disappointed and he wasn’t going to forgive her. Maybe if she offered something else to her father, he wouldn’t harm Abigail. She was willing to do anything he asked of her if that meant to keep her daughter safe.

“O’Brien let me in.” Drake knocked at her door. 

“Don’t worry about me, Drake. I’m fine.” Alexis was terrified about what could happen to him. She could only imagine her father’s revenge after Drake had beat him up.

“I’m sorry, but I won’t leave you alone. I will sleep outside your door all night if I have to.”

She debated with herself a little longer, torn between the urge to see him and the need to protect him.

When she finally opened the door, he approached her and cupped her face to wipe her tears away. Then, he pulled her to him enveloping her with his strong arms, making her feel instantly safe. Despite that, or maybe because of it, she began to cry again. Drake's heart broke at the sound of her small sobs. He rubbed her back as he talked to her.

“Shhh, everything will be fine, baby. I promise. Cry all you need to cry but know that I will do whatever I have to do to fix this.” He placed small kisses on the top of her head. “I promise.”

“How?” She spread her arms wide. “There’s nothing we can do. Liam hates me now, so it’s over. Over. My only solution is to beg my father for forgiveness and comply with whatever he asks now.”

Drake shook his head furiously “No! There’s no fucking way that’s going to happen, O’Brien. That man is seriously deranged! Only god knows what he’s going to ask from you now! Forget it, I won’t allow it!”

She glared at him “I’m sorry but you don’t have a say on the matter. You have to understand that Abigail is my priority and I will do everything it takes to keep her safe. I don’t even know where she is Drake, I can’t even warn her...her mother.”

He cut the distance between them taking her in his arms again. “Well, you have to understand that you’re my priority and I will do everything it takes to keep you safe. I’m serious, Alexis, anything it takes.” He cupped her face with both hands and looked at her. “I love you. We’ll find a solution together, but now you need to eat something and rest, you seem exhausted.”

“I love you too, Drake” She said as he wiped another tear off her cheek.

“Would you let me stay here with you, Lexie?”

“Yes, I’d like that” She gave him a small smile.

God, he loved her so much. “Perfect, why you don’t go get ready for bed. I’ll go to Beaumont’s kitchen to get us something to eat.” He took off his jacket and his bowtie before leaving the room.

She took a long shower. When she came back to the room, Drake had lighted the bedroom’s electric fireplace and had put some sandwiches and a bottle of whiskey on the small coffee table. Alexis had changed into a huge t-shirt with the inscription “Everything I need to know I learned by watching 80’s movies” printed on it and a pair of mini shorts. He blushed, remembering how soft her long, tanned legs felt around him.

He cleared his throat before speaking. “What’s your favorite?” He pointed at the t-shirt, grinning.

She looked at him. “I know what you’re trying to do, Drake. I really appreciate it, but nothing is going to take my mind off of Abigail”

He got close to her “I know how worried you are. I do. And I promise you that tomorrow we will spend the day trying to figure this out together.” He rubbed her cheek with his thumb. “But you won’t solve anything tonight, O’Brien. Please eat something and try to rest.”

They sat on some cushions in front of the table and started eating the grilled cheese sandwiches he had made, in comfortable silence.

“Back to the Future,” Alexis said. 

He looked at her “What?”

“My favorite 80’s movie, Back to the Future.”

He grinned. “Chicken, Mc Fly”

She squinted at him. “Nobody.Calls.Me.Chicken”

They both laughed locking eyes for a few seconds. He placed a strand of hair behind her ear before speaking again.

“Mine is Indiana Jones.”

She giggled. “Figures, Walker”

“Why?” He asked, puzzled.

“Why? Seriously?” She smirked “A movie about a lonely, hot-headed hero that protects everyone around him?”

He chuckled.“I don’t need to protect everyone around me, O’Brien. Just you.”

She sat in his lap and gave him a soft kiss. “Thank you for everything, Drake. I don’t even know how I would’ve dealt with all of this without you.”

Drake smiled at her. “There’s nothing to thank me for, Lexie. I love you.” He gently rubbed her back. “Now, let’s go to bed, you need a good night of sleep.”

She rubbed her eyes. “I don’t think I can sleep now, I’m too anxious.”

He kissed the top of her head, before speaking. “What if I look for a movie on Netflix? You might fall asleep watching it, baby.”

Alexis shrugged. “It can’t hurt.” 

Drake grinned at her, placing a small kiss on her nose. “Perfect, Lexie.”

She began to undo the covers when she saw him taking off his clothes. 

“Are you giving me a strip show, Walker? Because I don’t have any dollar bills.” She smiled.

He chuckled. “Get your head out of the gutter, O’Brien. I’m not going to sleep all night in a fucking tuxedo.”

“Hey, I’m not complaining,” Alexis teased. 

They went to bed together. Alexis snuggled against Drake and he held her while they watched “Back to the future 2”. Both of them enjoyed the intimacy, the proximity to the other. Drake revealed in the sensation of having her in his arms. He swore to himself that he would never let her go again. An hour later, he smiled content, Alexis had fallen asleep. He watched her for a few seconds, admiring how serene, and peaceful she looked. After placing a loving kiss on her forehead, Drake turned off the computer and put it on the bedside table. Then he went back to bed and carefully pulled Alexis against his chest, he needed to feel her close to him, safe and sound in his arms.

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

Hakim knew that restoring the monarchy was the right measure for his country. Thirty-five years ago, when he was young and idealistic, he had been one of the few nobles involved with the revolution but now he saw the errors of his ways. Democracy hadn’t solved the numerous problems Cordonia had, worse than that, it had added several more. Corruption was a sickness at every level of the state and liberal ideas like gay marriage or abortion rights were threatening the conservative values he cherished so deeply. The old noble houses like his continued to rule in more ways than one but they were losing more and more power every day and depended on the elections. Of course, he had considered forming an alliance with Godfrey Amaranth but that would only have fixed the problem momentarily, and he needed something permanent. Something that would bring the monarchy back, along with all the old titles. He sighed thinking about his father the old Duke of Castelraillan and how that title would be inherited by Ezequiel one day.  

Hakim remembered the day he had approached Leo Rhys to help with his plans. The idea was actually quite simple, he would help Leo claim his right as an heir to the old Monarchy and in exchange, Leo would have him as his closest advisor. Hakim wasn’t worried, he knew Leo since he was a small boy, as long as he had enough women and scotch, he would be easy to manipulate. The first step was to ruin the reputation of the candidate highest in the polls, Liam Rhys. It was a pity, Liam would have made an extraordinary king in other circumstances. The second was to create a scandal big enough that it would make everyone question their democratic leaders and the third, well it was the most extreme but undoubtedly the most effective of the three.

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

Alexis laid down restless with her eyes open, she had slept exactly three hours before a nightmare had woken her up. Fortunately, Drake was still asleep, he was exhausted and worried about her, he definitely needed the rest. Drake’s concern for her filled her heart, no one had ever cared so deeply about her before. Liam might’ve thought he loved her, but the truth was that he didn’t even really know her. Of course, that didn’t help diminish her guilt. Alexis knew that she had deeply hurt him, and she wasn’t going to forgive herself. She rolled over to look at Drake, and couldn’t help the smile forming in her lips, she had never imagined she could love someone with such intensity before meeting him. She stroked his face with her hand, and he opened his eyes.

“Hi,” he looked at his phone. “It’s only 4 o’clock, Lexie. You can’t sleep?”

She ran her hand through her hair “There are too many things on my mind. I’m sorry that I woke you up though. Go back to sleep, Drake.”

He lifted his upper body with an elbow and leaned down to kiss her. She tugged his hair and soon the soft kiss became hungry, passionate.

“I need to feel you, Drake.”

He slid his hand under her shirt, her naked skin underneath was unbelievably soft. “I need to feel you too baby.” He pulled her shirt over her head, the smell of cherries washing over him.

“Fuck, Lexie you’re gorgeous.” He ran his hands all over her body, almost desperately. When he finally found the hem of her short, he softly stroked the skin under it, locking eyes with her, enjoying how her breath hitched with the mere touch of his fingers. He lowered himself, covering her stomach with soft kisses, savoring her soft gasps, until he reached her lower belly. He carefully undid the knot of her shorts and pulled them down with her underwear, as he kissed the inside of her thighs, her knees, her calves. She was lost in his touch, barely able to moan. Then he made his way up kissing the length of her legs all over again until he reached her core.  

She wasn’t able to think anymore. “Oh god!” Her voice sounded raspy, foreign.

“You make me insane, Lexie” He took his time kissing the hot skin around her core, taking pleasure on how wet she already was. He sank his head on her until his tongue found the little nub inside of her making her moan harder. Drake thrust two fingers inside of her curling them as his tongue continued to pleasure her and she came hard, losing all control of herself.

When he felt her become undone under his tongue, he couldn’t take it any longer. He placed himself over her, as desperate as he was to enter her, he took a second to watch her. She looked like a goddess with her messy hair framing her beautiful face and her eyes closed as she tried to stabilize her breath again.

“Open your eyes baby” He whispered, and she complied, her already brown eyes, darkened with lust.  

-For me. That look is only for me- he thought, feeling himself grow harder.

Drake didn’t stop looking at her for a second as he positioned himself over her entrance, teasing her with the tip of his cock before slowly sinking into her.

“God, Drake! I need you!”

He growled at the sound of his name falling from her lips. He thrust into her as she moaned his name over and over again.

“Come for me, Lexie,” he whispered, and she moaned again. Sliding his arm under her back, Drake pulled her closed to him and pounded mercilessly into her, capturing her lips until her walls clenched on him. Soon, Alexis was too far gone to care about her screams.

“DRAKE! DRAKE!”

“That’s my girl.” He growled coming right after her.

He held her close to his chest, their bodies covered in sweat as they tried to even out their breath, and he noticed her eyes fighting to stay open.

“You need to sleep, baby” He laid down wrapping her body with his arms and kissing her nape.

She felt her eyes closing. “I love you, Drake”

“I love you, Lexie.” He whispered before falling asleep next to the love of his life.

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

Regina Rhys wasn’t used to making important decisions on her own, she had always let others, especially her husband to make them for her. That was the reason why she had kept quiet when she had found out that Constantine was trying to buy a wife for Liam. A few days later, she had heard a conversation between George and her husband and had discovered that they were blackmailing Alexis into accepting their deal. Regina ignored the secret they had over the poor girl, but it had to be dark because she had barely protested. For all those reasons, she had been tempted to defend Alexis the night before, but she knew her husband would never forgive her and she definitely didn’t know how to confront him, so Regina had decided to wait until the morning to speak alone with the man she considered her son.

Liam hadn’t slept all night, his mind was consumed by her and all the moments they had spent together. If he was true to himself, he had to admit that she had never really told him that she loved him. She had been kind and gentle, but a wall had always been there between the two of them. He couldn’t understand why he felt such a powerful need for her, for someone that was so clearly not interested in him and so obviously…infatuated with someone else. He threw his glass furiously against the door. It was his fault. Everything had been perfect until he had decided he liked her too. Liam knew Drake was a womanizer, just like his brother. And even if he thought he was in love with her, eventually he was going to get tired of her as he always did, and she would end up sad and alone. Not that her fate mattered to him anymore. Liam took another tumbler from the cabinet and poured himself a glass of scotch.

Regina found him in his office, nursing the glass. “Good morning, Liam. I brought you a cup of fresh coffee.”

She removed the scotch from his hand and gave him the mug, squeezing his shoulder.

She cleared her throat trying to summon her courage. “I want to tell you something about Alexis.”

He looked at her expectantly.

“Your father and George were blackmailing her. I know it isn’t money, Liam. They mentioned an old secret. Your father told George that she had asked him to stop the engagement because she didn’t want to hurt you. I think you should go and talk to her. I’ve known the ambassador for a long time now, and there is nothing he wouldn’t do for money or power, including hurting his own daughter.”

“I don’t think I should talk to her, Regina. She doesn’t care if I love her or not” His voice sounded hollow, hopeless.

She approached him, placing her hand in his shoulder “Liam, If you love someone, you tell them. Even if you’re scared that it’s not the right thing. Even if you’re scared that it’ll cause problems. Even if you’re scared that it will burn your life to the ground, you say it, and you say it loud and you go from there.”

“I already did, and it didn’t change anything.”

“I’m only telling you all of this because I think you deserve to have all the information, what you do with it, only concerns you, Li.” She rubbed his shoulder and let him alone so he could think.

Drake felt her absence as soon as he opened his eyes. He sat on the bed and found her wrapped on a blanket watching absentmindedly through the window.

“Hey, Lexie.”

She turned her head towards him. “Hi, Drake”

“Come to bed, baby”

Alexis went to him and sat on his lap looping her arms around his neck. She rubbed his stubble with her nose. “You’re so handsome in the morning”

He teased her. “But only in the morning.”

“Yes, you lose all your charm at noon, like a reversed Cinderella.”

They grinned at each other, but he noticed that her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “What were you thinking over there?”

“Abbie … and Liam”

He furrowed “Liam?”

“Yes, how sad he seemed last night, all because of me”

“Because of both your fathers, O’Brien.”

“I accepted the offer and no matter the reason, I hurt him.” She sighed “And Abbie, she will be eleven years old soon, what if she never gets to ...”

Drake lifted her face up to him and locked eyes with her. “Hey! Look at me, Lexie. I swear, I would keep you two safe.” She tried to shake her head but he cupped her face. “I swear it on my life, okay?” He kissed her softly “This morning I thought about contacting Damien, he’s a friend of mine in New York and he’s a PI. He’s the best there is, and I’m sure he will help us find her. I promise I’ll help you fix this.”

“And my father?”

“I will deal with him.”

Alexis was about to respond when her phone rang. She saw the name and the screen and answered immediately

“Hi, Liam.”

Drake stood up from the bed and angrily started to dress. He didn’t want to hear their conversation; he knew how it would end. If Liam was as in love with Alexis, his Lexie, as much as he was, he wasn’t going to go without a fight.

She finished her call and sat next to him on the couch. “He wants to talk to me in person. He asked me if I could meet with him today at noon at his office”

Drake cocked his brows as he asked the question he already knew the answer to. “And you accepted?”

Alexis hugged herself. “You know I did, Drake.”

He answered bitterly. “Yes, I forgot that we were just friends, O’Brien”

Her heart sank at his words. “Drake, please. Don’t do this now”

He shook his head. “I know it’s difficult for you, Alexis, but it’s damn hard for me too. Can’t you see that I die every time that I have to see you two together?” He raised his voice “Every time he touches you, I want to fucking kill him. He was my best friend, and now I want to end him every single time he dares to look at you.”

She approached him and rubbed his face with her small hand. “You know, I love you, Drake.”

He took her hand between his closing his eyes. “Yes, I know you do now.” He muttered.

“What does that mean?” Alexis asked, glaring at him.

He took a sharp breath. “It doesn’t matter, Lexie”

She took his head between her hands. “I love you, Drake, you have no idea how much.” She stood on her toes and kissed him tenderly. “I will never, never, stop loving you. Please, never forget that”

“I know, baby, I know” He kissed her forehead “I’m sorry. Let’s focus on Abbie right now”

She smiled at him.

“What, O’Brien?”

“I like it when you call her Abbie”

He smiled back at her “We’ll find her, Lexie. I promise”

They decided that she was going to ask Maxwell to lend her a car so she could go to Cordonia city by herself. He would go later, so no one could see them arrive together.

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

Alexis steadied her breath to calm herself before entering Liam’s office.

“Hi, Liam” His heart skipped a beat just hearing her voice.  

“Alexis, sit please”

She sat on the couch he was pointing at.

“Something to drink?”

“Do you have whiskey?”

He scoffed “Yes, I do”

He poured a whiskey for her and a scotch for him before sitting next to her on the couch.

“I talked to Regina, she seems to think that my father and yours are blackmailing you”

She gulped her whiskey before speaking. “Yes, they were, they are. I don’t know how much Constantine actually knows, but he’s definitely aware that my father was forcing me.”

He spoke with an icy tone. “With what exactly? What was so important that it was worth your happiness and mine?”

“Almost eleven years ago, I was … attacked and I got pregnant. Obviously, I wasn’t married, so my father wanted to avoid a scandal. He was ashamed of me.” She took a deep breath refusing to cry in front of Liam. “When my daughter was born, I had to give her up. My father knows where she is, and if I don’t do what he says, he … well my daughter won’t be safe anymore”

Liam couldn’t believe what he was hearing, he settled his glass on the table and took Alexis’s hands, squeezing them softly.

“I’m so sorry, my love. I can’t even begin to imagine what you have been through” He wanted to hold her but he wasn’t sure that she would accept it. “Can I hold you?”

Touched by his concern, she nodded. “Yes.”

Liam took her in his arms trying to erase the past, trying to make her understand how much he loved her. It was comforting and kind, but she couldn’t feel the same sense of security she did when she was held by Drake.

Liam broke the embrace and looked at her. “I’m here for you Alexis. I told you I loved you, and I wasn’t lying. If you want to, we can still get married.”

“Even knowing that I … that I’m not in love with you?”

He took her chin between his fingers. “Yes, I want to help you, and I will. I imagine that your father wants to control the commerce we have with America.”

She nodded

“And he wants us married as some sort of guarantee for him”

“Yes, your father told him he would convince you to give him all the access he needs”

Liam stood up, his hands tightened into fists.

“I want to marry you, Alexis, more than anything, but we can’t let our fathers control our lives.”

“I know, Li, but I have no option, if we go against him, he will harm Abigail. That’s her name.”

“I’ve known George my whole life. I know he would.” Liam took her hands again and kissed them softly. “Marry me, Alexis. Marry me and I swear, I won’t let him harm you or your daughter. We will make them think that I will go along with their plans, but we will be looking for her and gathering evidence against them. I’m sure we will defeat them at the end. Together.”

Alexis didn’t have another option. As much as she loved Drake, she had to accept. “I can’t even begin to thank you, Liam.”

“I’m only going to ask you one thing, Alexis.”

She looked at him expectantly.

“That you try. That you really try to fall in love with me. I promise I won’t pressure you. I won’t be expecting anything from you on our wedding night, or any other night for that matter. Not until you’re ready. But, other than that, I want us to be a real couple, I want you to be honest with me.” He rubbed her cheek with his thumb. “I want us to go in dates, and get to know each other better.” He lifted her chin to him “And for that to happen, I need you to stop seeing him, for good. Can you do that, Alexis?”

Her heart tugged, learn to live without Drake would be the hardest thing that she’d ever have to do, after giving Abigail up. But Alexis will do it for her.  

“Yes, I can. I just need to talk to him one last time.”

Liam shook his head “I don’t think it’s a good idea”

“I’m only telling you because you want me to be honest, but I will talk to him one last time, whether you like it or not Liam. He deserves to hear it from me”

“When?”

“I’ll go to his office now.”

He poured himself another scotch. “I’ll be waiting here.”

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

Drake was unable to work or focus on anything related to the campaign. All he could think about was Alexis, and her discussion with Liam.

Suddenly, he saw her standing at his door.

He stood up to join her.

“Come in, O’Brien” He was about to ask what had happened with Liam, but he saw it in her eyes.

“He wants to marry you.”

She nodded. “He wants to help me, but he wants us to try to have a real marriage.”

Drake scoffed. “Of course, he does.” He pulled her close to him and kissed her, only her lips at first, but after a few sweet seconds, he let his tongue rub hers, at first softly, almost delicately but fast the kiss became hungry and burning. She parted from him, panting.

“He asked me to stop this, us. He’s going to help me, but in exchange he wants me to stop seeing you.” Alexis took a deep breath. She was going to need all the courage, she could muster. “Drake, listen to me. I need you to quit this job that you hate so much, and finish your veterinarian degree.” She rubbed his cheek. “I need you to live your life and forget about this horrible world.” Her eyes were filled with tears but she forced herself to keep talking. “If you love me, if you really love me, please just leave me here and try to be happy with …with  someone else, anywhere else.”

He shook his head. He wasn’t going to lose her. “I told you before that that’s not happening Alexis. Forget it.”

“Drake, we can’t be together. We just can’t.” She wiped her tears with the back of her hand. “It kills me too but If I have to live my life seeing you being miserable here, I won’t be able to do it, and if I leave with you and something happens to her, I’ll die.” She was openly crying now. “Can’t you see that no matter what I choose I lose something?”

His chest tightened “I know, baby.” He kissed her front.

Liam hadn’t been able to wait in his office for more than a few minutes. The jealousy was killing him. He decided to go to Drake’s office when he got to the threshold and saw him holding her, he approached them almost shaking with rage.

“Do not touch her!”

Alexis gasped “Liam, it’s fine. We’re just talking”

“She doesn’t belong to you, Liam” Drake balled his fists

He tapped a finger into Drake’s chest. “She sure doesn’t belong to you either”

“Get your fucking hands off of me, asshole!”

Liam took Drake by the lapels of his jacket “Or what, Drake. What are you going to do?”

Drake took a swing at Liam connecting his fist with Liam’s jaw, so the blond man hit him back “I’m going to kill you”

Drake grappled him and they fell together to the floor.

Alexis yelled. “Fuck! I can’t take this anymore. Stop or I swear I’ll fucking kill you both myself!”

Both men stopped, panting. Liam threw her an apologetic look.

“Alexis is right, we can’t keep going like this” He turned to her. “We need to talk, darling. Please leave us alone.”

She nodded “I will, just please don’t kill each other”

Drake looked at her cleaning a drop of blood from his swollen lip “Don’t worry, Lexie. We won’t”

Drake stood up from the floor and extended his hand to Liam.

Liam took it .“You still punch hard.” he rubbed his chin.

“You haven’t lost your magic touch either”

Liam sighed “I guess you know everything about Alexis’s story”

“I do,” Drake replied simply.

“I can help her, Drake. I have the resources to do it, and if we marry her father will back off.”

Drake scoffed. “He’s a fucking monster, he won’t just back off. He will keep on asking things because he knows she will do anything for her kid.” He smiled “When she loves someone, she’ll do anything for them”

Liam poured himself and Drake a whiskey. “I love her, Drake.”

Drake gulped his glass. “I know, Liam. I love her too”

“I will help and marry her, but we need to try to be happy, and that won’t happen if you stay here. We were friends, almost brothers, for a long time. I’m asking you for that friendship and for the love you have for her, to leave.”

Drake didn’t want to renounce to her, she had become everything to him, but he wondered if that gave him the right to be an obstacle to her happiness. Right now, she loved him but if he left now, maybe one day she would be able to be happy with Liam. The thought of them together was almost unbearable, but he didn’t have a real choice. He reminded himself that her happiness and safety were the only things that really mattered to him if that meant that he would have to look out for her from afar … he would do it.

“And the scandal?” Drake asked.

“I’ll ask Alexis to give a statement to the press of what happened that day with Tariq. I’ll be there for her. I’m sure they’ll believe her. In any case, Franz and Mara have investigated and they found other women that he has attacked and that are willing to come forward.”

Thinking about Tariq made Drake’s blood boil. “And that asshole? Have you found him?”

“Franz has some leads, apparently he’s in America. In Los Angeles. I swear to you I’ll find him, and he’ll pay for what he almost did that day.”

Drake nodded. “I’ll work in your campaign until you find a replacement for me. After that, I’ll leave.” He took a sharp, painful breath. “If she has to marry you, she deserves at least the opportunity to try and be happy.

Liam placed his hand on his friend’s shoulder. “I appreciate it, Drake-“

Drake raised his hand interrupting him “I mean it, Liam. Make her happy, she deserves…” He stopped himself “She deserves everything, give her everything.”

Liam stared at Drake stupefied “I didn’t know how much you actually cared for her, Drake. I promise I’ll do anything in my power to make her happy”

Drake stared at his former best friend “I don’t care for her, Liam. I love her. I’m crazy about her. She’s the only reason I’m leaving. Her”

Drake stood up and left the office, Alexis was waiting outside. He looked at her one last time, trying to take her all in, trying to print her image in his brain so he would never forget one single part of her. He had never felt anything so painful before. 

They locked eyes for a few seconds, both understanding that it would be for the last time. Both trying painfully not to take the other in their arms. Alexis felt like something inside of her was dying at that moment. 

Finally, Drake shook his head and left her there, broken.

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

George entered the rich mansion limping, he also had a swollen eye and a fat lip, all of it, courtesy of Drake Walker. The butler took his coat and walked him to the room where the meeting was being held.

Hakim cocked his brows when he saw the injured ambassador enter the room.

“Is everything alright, George?”

“Perfect. Let’s go straight to the point.”

Hakim nodded. “As my daughter told you, I and some other important people have formed an alliance that will overthrow the democracy. Our plan is to restore the monarchy and give the throne to his rightful heir, Leo.”

George looked at Hakim with obvious contempt. “Leo Rhys? Please, Hakim. Even his father thinks he’s a useless drunk.”

“He is going to give this revolution what it needs, a real cause. There are a lot of royalists in the streets, and they will follow the real heir blindly. Plus, Leo is very easy to manipulate, we will marry him with someone adept to the cause”

“Like your daughter?” George smiled thinking about all the nights he had shared with the beautiful brunette.

“My daughter just ended her engagement, she’s not ready for another one. But we’ll find someone else, someone from an old noble house.”

The American ambassador raised his hands smiling. “It was just an idea”

“The real question is why do you want to join us. Your daughter is about to marry, Liam Rhys”

“After what she did with that Tariq his chances to be president are almost zero, and I need to be in the winning team. I would contribute with money to fund your little movement and you already know what I want in exchange of my…help” He sneered. “And don’t worry about my daughter, we can still use her as an advantage, I‘m sure that I can convince her to help us betray Liam Rhys, she will give us anything we ask.”

Hakim furrowed. “How can you be so sure?”

He gave him an arrogant smile. “Believe me, Hakim, I know. There’s just one more thing I need.”

“You’re already asking us to control all our commercial deals with America. What else could you possibly want, George?”

“Kiara told me the last stage of your plan. I know you are planning to attack Liam Rhys’ headquarters the day of the election.”

Hakim looked at him, thinking that George was going to ask for protection for his daughter, but the rich ambassador had someone else in his mind.

“Well, that day no matter what happens, I need you to kill Drake fucking Walker first”

[drakewalkerfantasy]

WIP Wednesday (Ethan x MC)

I just wanted to check if anyone is interested to be tagged. I didn't write for Ethan for awhile. Please leave your feedbacks. I really would appreciate it. I will tag some OH (Ethan x MC) writers also to get some feedback. If you want you can DM me them :) but no pressure. So here it goes Snippets from chapter 11 rewrite. I still very far from ending it. 

Warning: This is AU where Beckett Harrington is MC's best friend and also surgical intern/resident.

So below goes two snippets for Ethan x MC, Chapter 11 rewrite. Will tag in reblog as tumblr doesn't work for me.

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

For a moment she closed her eyes, taking a couple of deep breaths. Her mind involunterily going to her best friend remembering the technique he once taught her. The memory too painful to hold back tears. And her teeth dug even deeper into her lower lip cutting through the soft delicate skin. It took everything in her to try and suppress the soft sobs from escaping her throat, when she heard his voice ringing clearly in her head.

“Zeroing in, push everything out of your mind, concentrate on something that is important and dear to you. What will hold you in a moment. Will calm you.”

His voice calming her, steadying her breathes. Her eyes are closed, and she easily followed the steps, pushing everything out except of what was important and dear to her. Beckett's voice inside her head flowed effortlessly, bringing her to the happiest moments of her childhood. The freckled face of the boy next door appeared in front of her eyes. The one who encouraged her and supported even through every stupid mistake she made. Who was there for her every time she fall down only to help her to get up. Who never told her “I told you so” even when she deserved it. And the one who was there for her when her heart was broken over and over by the man she loved.

The man she loved... Diana whispered, her voice just barely audible. Her eyes flew open looking back at the window, watching Ethan already on the phone giving orders. His strides abrupt, his hand racking nervously through his thick hair, and his shoulders sunk as if heavy weight of the world was placed on them.

Her mind focusing on him, remembering and holding onto memories that they made together. Memories that were priceless to her, memories that she would never want to forget, no matter how painful or happy they were. Her eyes closing, taking a steadying breathe.

The first memory is the first night they spend together... Just two of them in the hotel’s shower, when their eyes met for the first time. The wolffish grey meeting ocean blues. Their fingers intertwined and her name leaving his lips like a prayer, joined by his just a second later with a moan.

Another memory rolled over her and another meeting only five years later in a hospital’s hall marked the day when they reappeared suddenly in each other lives. The day when they got drawn once again into the whirlpool of feelings they once felt and never were able to forget no matter how hard they tried to drown them away...

The first code blue... Donahue’s... Baseball game... The coffee house... The supply closet and her panick attack... Dolores... All of that was the beginning of something new... something that was leading them to the final step Miami, to the moment when their lives would be divided forever on before and after the way they would never expect it to happen...

The child of surprise... their little bean that was conceived the first night in Miami when they finally stopped resisting... when they finally were ready to turn the page in their lives and move forward not afraid anymore and more than willing to take the leap... the day she found out she was pregnant was the scariest day in her life, but the day she dumped the news on Ethan became the most happiest. And she was sure that nothing ever could top that... how wrong she was...

A couple of weeks later New Year's Eve came and here, just before the first bells rang and the first burst of fireworks lit up the night sky, under the whirling snowflakes, he proposed. The promise of forever and more... the happiest memory that should be her happily ever after with the man she loved... with the man who loved her.

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

“Ethan...,” tried Beckett, watching how Ethan’s eyes becoming misty and his body shaking almost failing apart in front of everyone. He felt how his own brain started to buzz, and he looked at the patient in front of him. The patient Diana insisted of taking because she believed in him... the patient those chest was already wide open.

“She will need you,” said Ethan finally able to put himself together, watching how conflicted emotions ran through young resident’s face. “She will want you there,” chocked he, while Beckett tried to steady his hand and cut into patient’s ruined lung. A dark trickle of blood filled the cavity.

“Crap! Suction,” exclaimed Beckett, watching how his intern acted quickly before looking at him questioningly.

"Beckett ... are you okay down there?" Ines’s kind voice crackled through intercom, and he knew that it was pointless to deny what everyone already knew. The fact that he wasn’t okay clearly imprinted in his features, when he shook his head not trusting himself to speak. The usually rational voice inside his head now was silent, and he was so worried for Diana, that he was ready to run out of the operation room the second he knew that something was wrong.

“Yes... no... Dammit...,” cursed Beckett. His hand squeezing the scalpel firmer, trying to ignore the painful twist in his heart when he thought about Diana out there probably fighting for her own life, when he tries to safe someone else’s... failing her ones again. He could feel the guilt taking over him, but he could do nothing about that as nobody else in Edenbrook had any experience with this surgery except him and Dr. Tanaka. So no matter how much he wanted to be there for both Diana and Ethan, he couldn’t. And it was the hardest decision he ever made, and the one he probably would regret.

[queen-of-deans-booty]

Can’t Buy Me Love

Characters: Dean Winchester x Reader

Word Count: 1,668

Warnings: just fluff

Summary: Growing up, you never had enough money to get what you wanted, but you always got what you needed. Dean provides you with what you need which is all you could ever again.

Squared Filled: Can’t Buy Me Love by The Beatles for @spnsongchallengebingo // snowfall for @spndeanbingo // it’s better to give than to receive for @as-the-saying-goes-bingo // snowfall for @spngenrebingo // soulless!sam for @spndarkbingo // a cabin in the woods for @spnclassicbingo

Fandom: Supernatural

Beta: none

Author’s Note: If you have any requests, please send them in!

Feedback the glue that holds my writing together

Tags at the bottom

Whoever said money doesn’t buy happiness, they were completely right. Sure, it can buy things that bring joy temporarily, but true happiness doesn’t have a price or a label. Growing up, you had to learn that the hard way. Your family never had much money so you had to resort to other things to make you happy instead of a puppy, a bike, or other toys the other kids had.

In high school, your mom didn’t have enough money to take you to prom so all of your friends pitched in to get you a ticket. It was bad enough that your prom dress was your Sunday nice dress your family made you wear when going to church, you didn't need pity from your friends on money issues.

Nonetheless, you learned to enjoy what you have and to make the most of it. True happiness comes in the form of relationships--families, friends, and boyfriends. Dean Winchester gave you more than you could ever ask for. He provided you with stability, a home, trust, and most importantly… love.

I'll buy you a diamond ring, my friend If it makes you feel all right I'll get you anything, my friend If it makes you feel all right 'Cause I don't care too much for money Money can't buy me love

“There is no service out here,” you called out, waving your phone in the air by the window. “I don’t know when the snow will clear.”

“That’s okay. I got Baby in the garage. It’s a good thing if you think about it. We have the whole place to ourselves,” he grinned, wrapping his arms around your waist. Turning around to face him, you leaned against his body and inhaled his scent.

“True. Thank God Sam got sick,” he chuckled.

“What are we going to do here? I know this is an old Hunter’s cabin, and there’s enough food to last a week, but what are we going to do?”

“I know what we can do,” he started to say.

“No, not that. Well, maybe later,” you winked.

“No, well, yes, but that’s not what I’m talking about. When was the last time we were able to have a proper snow day? Let’s go play in the snow!” he laughed.

“In what clothes? We’ll freeze.”

Dean thought for a second before untangling himself from you. He stalked to the hall closet and opened it, grinning when he found what he hoped was in there. He grabbed two big furry coats that would easily keep you warm in the frigid air. He held them up with the same grin, and you couldn’t help but giggle at his child-like attitude.

Regardless, you two put them on and trekked outside for a fun day in the snow. Having the coats on was better than having nothing even if you were kind of cold. Still, memories like this were priceless, so you had to snatch them up whenever you could grab them. You’ve never played in the snow before, and it was clear that Dean hadn’t either, so you two just screwed around until it became a game of tag.

Dean was it, and you ran like hell away from him. It was hard due to the snow being up to your knees, but you had fun. Your legs were getting cold, and you hoped to God that the cabin had hot water. Otherwise, you’ll have to dry by the fire.

Dean ran at you as fast as he could lifting his legs higher than you to get those wide strides. He caught up to you in no time, reaching out to grab at your coat. The snow was thick and puffy which didn’t provide a very sturdy platform to begin with. Dean accidentally tripped, taking you down with him. Letting out a shriek, you fell down first and Dean landed on top of you.

Your hair was splayed all around you, and your normally pale skin was almost as white as the snow. Your cheeks were tinted rosy pink as well as the tip of your nose. Dean supported himself by his arms as he stared down at you lovingly.

“You’re so white,” he laughed. Reaching up, you placed your icy fingers on his cheeks without warning. He yelped and reared back from the shock of it.

“And you’re… still tan. What the fuck, Winchester? How are you still warm?”

“I’m a big man,” he smirked.

“My big man.”

“Come on, I know of a way to quickly warm you up,” he grinned, helping you to your feet.

I'll give you all I've got to give If you say you love me, too I may not have a lot to give But what I've got I'll give to you I don't care too much for money Money can't buy me love

“You had no right to do that to me!” you screamed, slamming your jacket on the library table.

“He was going to kill you! I did it to save your life! Uh, you’re welcome by the way,” Dean scoffed. Sam had gotten out of the crossfire as soon as he could because this was an argument between you and your asshole boyfriend.

“I could have handled that myself! You know how important this kill was for me! You never think before you do, Dean,” you groaned, rolling your eyes in protest.

For over a year, you’ve been tracking a certain monster that had gotten away from you since you first had a brawl with it. Because it slipped from your grasp, it started killing people as a way to taunt you for not killing him before. It’s been your goal for a whole year to get this guy and kill him, and when you finally fucking do, Dean takes the kill right from under you.

“I’m sorry, okay? But I was thinking of you!”

“Yeah, well next time don’t. Okay?” you spit, stomping away. What you did hurt him, you knew that, but you were pissed enough as it is. He was only trying to help, and the important thing is, is that the monster is dead and not hurting anyone else. Dean tries to give you everything he possibly could and rarely asks for anything in return. He was only trying to help you, but in your angered stated, you couldn’t see that.

It took some time for you to calm down, and when you did, you were already asleep in your shared bed. Dean entered the room as quietly as possible to see the covers off and away from your body. He knew how easily you got cold, so he gently raised the end of the blanket to cover your entire body. Despite the fight, he still loves and cares for you.

And he knew you felt the same way.

Say you don't need no diamond rings And I'll be satisfied Tell me that you want the kind of things That money just can't buy I don't care too much for money Money can't buy me love

“Sam! Stop!” you screamed, ducking to avoid the knife that he threw at your head. Ever since he came back from the pit with Lucifer, he lost the one thing that made him who he is: his soul. Without a soul, he was just plain mean if he got angry. When he was happy, he was still dull and didn’t care about anything, but at least he wasn’t trying to kill you.

A hunt had gone wrong and he got frustrated that it didn’t go his way. He thought you were the cause of why it went wrong so he decided to take his anger out on you.

“If you hadn’t stepped in, then maybe those people would still be alive!” he yelled, grabbing yet another knife to throw at you. The whole Bunker was a mess because he had been chasing you for the last hour and a half. In order to get to you, he had to take care of Dean first which is why he was passed out on the bed from where Sam knocked him out.

“Sam! It wasn’t my fault! Stop!”

Sam threw one more knife at your head, and you barely missed it. It got so close to your ear that you heard the whoosh of metal as it passed by. Before he could try and get another one, Dean rammed into his side and tackled him. Jumping at the sudden appearance of the intruder, you witnessed both brothers fighting each other for different reasons. All Dean needed to do was to distract his brother long enough for you to make your escape.

“Go! Get out of here!” Dean yelled. Jumping into action, you leaped over both brothers to get to the exit but looked back at your boyfriend. He would give his life up in order to protect you, and because of that, you knew you couldn’t leave him. Thinking on your toes, you grabbed the nearest item to use as a weapon. It was a book, but a heavy one at that.

Running at Sam, you swung the book down on his head as hard as you could. He grunted in pain and slumped to the floor, laying limp at his brother’s feet. Dean panted and looked at you before sliding his eyes to the book in your hands.

“Really? A book?”

“What?” you looked at the cover. “European myths on Tricksters really kill.”

“You didn’t have to do that,” he grunted as he got up.

“We’re in this together. I love you so much and you’ve given me more than I can imagine.”

“I love you too,” he smiled.

“Now help me drag your brother to the dungeon room until we figure out how to get his soul back.”

“Yeah, good idea,” he nodded, grabbing a leg while you grabbed the other one. True love means a lot of things, especially when it means dragging a knocked-out sasquatch across the Bunker’s concrete floor.

Wanna get tagged? Add yourself to this document! If your tag doesn’t work, find out why!

@flamencodiva @pisces-cutie @wingedcatninja @mersuperwholocked-lowlife @spn-dean-and-sam-winchester @kiwihoee @thefaithfulwriter @li-ssu @babypink224221 @winchesterweirdo @jennazeise @calaofnoldor @emoryhemsworth @miraclesoflove @xxboesefrauxx @kendall-michele @winchest3rbros @deanmonandnegansbitch @nahigm @sandlee44 @bluedazefangirl @a--1--1--3 @paintballkid711 @musiclovinchic93 @mrspeacem1nusone @essie1876 @thelazywitchphotographer @notyourtypicalrose @scarletmeii @fuckwby​

[shibalen]

♡ matchup for @imissleeandluke

hello! i am so sorry for the wait, i ended up in some rather unexpected situations ^^; anyhowdies, i think i've found nice matches for you!

(will add the 'read more' once tumblr desktop stops its shenanigans)

|| Kuroshitsuji: i match you with . . .

Undertaker

My first thought and I stick with it 100%. (External?) opposites attract type of situation? Firstly, Undertaker is too eccentric to be put off by your antisocial behavior. Once he takes an interest in you you're already strapped up and in for the ride.

What pulled him to you most was how closed off you were. He was immediately intrigued and wanted to know what more there was to you. Though given his sketchy mannerisms it was no surprise you didn't trust him at all for a while.

He's just as stubborn as you are and clever to say the least though so you two gradually began getting along. Eventually you realised you have more in common than you could have imagined!

It's a good thing you're interested in horror because being with this man means seeing plenty of gore among other horrifying things–it's a package deal.

He lOvEs your sense of humor, it's one of his favorite traits about you! He's not too different in that aspect, and we know he appreciates laughter so being with you never fails to make him giggle. Dirty jokes, sarcasm - lay it all on him. He's glad to have someone to finally find his jokes funny too.

You tease each other so much some might question if you're a couple at all. You both have already agreed to let them use their imagination instead of giving a straight answer.

Saying he was delighted to learn about your childish side is an understatement. Whenever you act like it, in a good or bad way, he'll find it cute and just chuckle to himself and join you.

Y'all play tag and hide-n-seek in the funeral parlor, it's chaotic. And speaking of, if you're not getting pranked you're in on one with Undertaker oof–

Sing for him while he's working and he'll hum along. He really likes hearing your voice and as much as he'd think it'd funny to ruin it by intentionally singing badly, it's more worth listening to you sing.

Be careful though, he'll try to take your hobby for shopping to his advantage. Whenever you go out for fun he'll try to convince you to get him a long list of stuff that's a pain to carry. No matter how he tries to seduce you into it you have to firmly refuse otherwise he will keep at it.

"It's good exercise~ I'll give you an award later~ You get one book from my archive~" etc.

The closest thing to competition you will have are corpses, so you don't have to worry about anyone stealing him from you -w-y

Though sometimes when you get mad at him for being too wrapped up in work, he'll only tease you further by melodramatically talking to his "guests" aloud.

"Dear me, I think she's ignoring us. What a shame. Why do you think that is, hmm? Could it be . . . jealousy?"

He has so many nicknames for you. Darling, dear, doll, sweetheart, poppet . . . Your rections to them are priceless to him.

He will ask you to bake cookies for him but you've already stopped accepting his each and every request because you know he'll just eat everything by himself. He loves your baking that much.

On other days Undertaker will bake for you and have you guess what he used for a secret ingredient. oh boy.

You both are no doubt a mystery to many but that doesn't matter to either of you. I suppose that's one of the reasons why you fit so well together?

Runner up: Mei-Rin

|| OHSC: i match you with . . .

Haruhi Fujioka

It was ultimately your strong moral centre as a Griffindor that made me put you together. Haruhi would love you for not letting something you stand for be walked over. That, plus your personality and interests? It's safe to say she's whipped.

Haruhi is more an ambivert but she definitely understands your dislike towards socializing, at least partly. Some people can be very annoying. So, unless it's necessary, she won't insist you go anywhere or talk to people you don't want to.

In some situations she'll be like your representative in communication and it's adorable. She doesn't mind at all, as long as you're content and comfortable ♡

There was likely a painfully long period of friendship before you two got together, and an even longer period of acquaintance-ship prior to that. At first you talked just to discuss some schoolwork but gradually grew closer as time passed. Haruhi liked you more and more as she got to know you and was very patient with you opening up to her.

She first noticed your independance and honesty (as a Griffindor). Having been surrounded by spoiled rich people for so long, Haruhi saw those traits as a breath of fresh air! She was honestly a little taken aback later seeing your childish side but bounced back quickly, learning to accept and love it. She'll be there to watch your back in case you might go overboard.

She takes playful teasing well amd might even strike back, but your dirty jokes will never fail to make her blush /// (it's funny cause it only happens when you make them)

She doesn't entirely understand your tendency to get jealous easily, being more laid-back. That being said, she never makes you jealous on purpose! If it somehow happens anyway and she notices you're feeling down because of it, she immediately gives you her attention.

Later when you're alone together she tries to make up for it. She makes you sweets and your favorite hot drink and you spend the remnants of the day enjoying a nice indoor date, watching horror movies while snuggled up, reading, singing karaoke, just the two of you.

Sarcasm duo™ that's all.

While you tend to be stubborn Haruhi's more peaceful so you don't have to worry about intense fights. She'll give in 9/10 times because she hates arguing with you. You're so important to her🥺

Take her shopping with you! She's so used to saving up so with your help she'll be able to loosen up a little every once in a while. At the end of the day she'll be grateful, you both will be laughing to your hearts content and you get to see one of the most adorable smiles directed only at you.

Baking dates at your place are frequent! You teach her some handy tips and tricks and she shares her mother's recipes with you. Kisses while getting bits of batter or cream off the other's face are super sweet ♡

h e i g h t d i f f e r e n ce

You two wearing matching sweaters is too powerful a concept. If you do it, the boys in the host club won't be able to handle it and neither will I. It's too cute💀

Alongside with being a couple, you'd be best friends. Your relationship would be built on strong, mutual trust and respect. Haruhi feels so lucky to have you!

Runner up: Kaoru Hitachiin

thank you for requesting and i hope you have a lovely day! also, any feedback you might have is always be appreciated ♡

[dontshootmespence]

The Fate That Befell Me

Chapter One - Hot Child in the City

Written By: @heycasbutt and myself

The click of heels against the polished cement floor was the only indication that Holden Ford wasn’t alone. He lifted his head from the thick file on his desk to see you pouring a cup of coffee across the room. 

“Agent Ford.” You smiled warmly and held out your hand. He took it tentatively as though he thought he would break you. “I’ve heard so much about you.”

“And you are?” He smiled, rounding the desk and sliding his hands into the pockets of his neatly pressed slacks. 

“Dr. Y/L/N,” You stated, taking a sip of the tepid coffee in your hand and perching on the edge of the desk behind you. 

“I’m, well, you know my name. You can just call me Holden,” The young agent took a step toward you, his eyes darkening. Probably the lighting. “So, Dr?”

You nodded, “Yes. I just graduated a few months ago from the University of Virginia with my PhD in Psychology and a special emphasis in Abnormal Psychology.”

Holden’s eyes seemed to widen in disbelief as you choked back a small laugh. 

“What was it you were looking at when I came in, Agent F-Holden?” You laughed uncomfortably and shifted your weight between your feet. 

“Oh, this? It’s the file we have on Ed Kemper. It’s not much, but I think with a few more visits we’ll have something solid to stand on.”

“Why don’t you show me?” You pried, pushing off the desk and sliding the file off of Holden’s desk. The manila was cool against your hands, you slid a stray chair up to the desk and motioned for Holden to sit next to you.

“So..Kemper. He’s one intimidating motherfucker.”

You laughed softly at his slip of the tongue and watched as the young agent went beet red next to you.

“Literally and figuratively?” You quipped.

“Exactly,” Holden laughed, absentmindedly laying a hand on your knee as he dragged his finger down the page.

The comings and goings of fellow agents, the soft clacking of a typewriter, the distant ring of a telephone. It was all background noise as you listened to Holden. Watched his eyes light up when you interjected with an opinion or asked a question. His curiosity, his drive...it was intoxicating.

                                                              ---

“You’ve interviewed the co-ed killer?! Are you out of your fucking minds?” Shepard exclaimed, vein popping prominently against the side of his neck. “Did anyone sanction this?” He knew the answer. He just wanted you all to dig your own graves. 

Holden was a great agent - innovative, bright, driven, but his social graces left a little to be desired on occasion. “Sir, what we are doing can bring us insight into the criminal mind so that we can prevent this kind of thing from-”

“Spare me the bullshit,” he spat. 

Glancing to the side, you saw Bill attempting to swallow back whatever he was thinking. Holden on the other hand looked like he wanted to vomit out whatever was going on in his brain. 

“You will stop this immediately! Do I make myself clear?” Immediately, Bill nodded, though you could see the hesitation in his eyes. Even Holden agreed, at least to Shepard’s face. But you couldn’t. Not when this would make a difference in the entire field of law enforcement and criminal psychology. As you opened your mouth, you felt Bill put his hand on your shoulder, walking both of you out of Shepard’s office before anything else could be said.

“Bill, what the fuck?” You asked in a hushed whisper as you left the office. “You know this information can change the field. Just because Holden can’t formulate a thought in front of an authority figure doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be lobbying for this.”

Holden side-eyed you, offended. “I can too formulate a thought.”

“Only in front of people you perceive as equals. Then you apply that way of thinking to everyone you meet and not everyone responds the same way.”

You were pretty sure he mumbled bite me under his breath, but you let it go. This wasn’t about ragging on him, this was about making a difference in your field. “We need to lobby for this.”

“Did you see him?” Bill asked, gesturing toward Shepard’s office. “We back talk anymore and his head is going to pop off.”

“Holden?” You asked, hoping he might back you up now. 

“Maybe we approach him at a later date.”

“Good to know I’ve got the biggest balls of the three of us,” you replied, annoyed as you turned on your heels and walked back into Shepard’s office without waiting for an invitation. 

“If you’re here to talk about those interviews Agent Y/L/N, I will have you transferred.”

“Fine,” you said, not giving a shit. You were tired of men not listening. “But I’m going to say my piece then. You said our job is to put these people in prison right?”

“Yes. That is our job, Agent.”

“But you also said we need to quote, get ahead, of these guys. Well, how do you suppose we do that unless we understand why crazy, depraved people do the disgusting things they do. We can’t. We need to study them. Only then can we figure out what drives the sick and deranged so that we can spot future killers.” You caught your breath, realizing you hadn’t taken a breath since you walked back into his office. 

Holden and Bill came up on either side of you, not saying a word as Shepard bit his tongue in thought. “Fine, but you are limited to working on weekends and anything and everything you do will be cleared by me. Understand? You can set up in the basement.”

Vindication. You saw Holden give you a slight smile.

Although by the looks of it you were about to get chewed out by Bill for getting him put away in the basement after more than 20 years in law enforcement.

Oops.

                                                             ---

To protect and serve. It was so cliche it was almost worthy of vomit. But whatever, it was the truth. When someone came from your background, it was only natural to want to protect others. It was what you’d always wanted - to be part of the FBI. Ever since you were a kid, you knew that was where you were going to end up, because you weren’t about to settle for anything less. 

Now that you were here though, you kind of wanted to vomit. Tench was well-known throughout the Bureau, a stand-up family man who worked his ass off and put away some of the worst. Working with him was a privilege. And you had received that privilege. Hopefully, you wouldn’t vomit on his shoe. Tentatively, you knocked on the door, talking through it after he didn’t answer for a moment. “Special Agent Tench?”

“Special Agent Y/L/N,” he greeted warmly, hand outstretched. “Come in.”

He was different than you imagined. Softer. You imagined him having a tougher exterior. Being a hard nut to crack so to speak. Maybe you couldn’t always rely on your own upbringing to figure other people out. Maybe that was judgemental. Well, you weren’t perfect. A work in progress. “Special Agent Tench, it’s-”

“Bill,” he said informally, pulling out a chair for you to sit in. God, you hoped you didn’t blow this interview. 

“Bill,” you replied, the name feeling almost disrespectful but it was what he wanted. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am for the opportunity to interview here.”

“We are looking for someone to transcribe our interviews and another to give us a different perspective in a law enforcement capacity. But we need to weed out the people that are here to gawk and stare at the lust murderers and the like. Can you tell me what started you on the path in law enforcement?”

Wincing, you laughed uncomfortably. “Well, Bill. How much time do you have?”

                                                             ---

Bill lit a cigarette as the heavy metal doors of the elevator opened into the cold, menacing basement. 

“Back to the bottom of the totem pole I guess,” he grumbled, picking up his box of belongings and heading towards the menacing green door at the end of the hallway. 

You trailed behind him like a dog with its tail between its legs.

Bill turned around, taking in your conscience-stricken features and Holden’s incredulous expression.

He turned the key in the door as his stocky frame began to shake with laughter. “I’ve been here 23 years and never have I seen Shepard make that face. That was priceless. But you owe me a coffee for getting me banished...and not the bullshit Bureau coffee.”

“Fine,” you replied, a weight lifting from your chest. 

“But you know I was right.”

“Shut up.”

@stunudo @geekgirlofarchangels @suckdrugsdoass @nicolee-avery @ultrarebelheart @dorianfiftyshadesof-gray @cheesecakewritingappreciation (couldn’t tag your other account) @poppynightingale @starryrevelations @outoftheframework @iammusicaltheatretrash @dreammywitch @ladygrey03 @x-gambit-x @everybodywantstobetouched @santosmariane @cornishdawn-blog @shutupandlearn @mother-of-fandoms-250 @preposterousy @rominatrix

** Please leave feedback consistently (maybe every other or every two chapters). Tagging takes more time than you would think and neither @heycasbutt or I want to take the time if people don’t tell us what they think. @heycasbutt and I wrote this together, so if you like it, tell us! Inbox us and we’ll love you forever.

[nazariolahela]

Something Domestic: Chapter 2

A/N: Hey y'all! This is a new TRR AU I’ve been working on. This story is told in first-person narrative, from Riley’s (MC) POV. There will likely be smidges of canon in this, but not too much. Thanks for reading, and please leave feedback, and/or if you would like to be tagged.

Catch up here

Series Tags: @burnsoslow @aworldoffandoms @dcbbw @ladyangel70 @texaskitten30 @sunandlemons @jlynn12273 @drakesensworld @badchoicesposts

Synopsis: When Riley Brooks takes a new job as a nanny for the affluent Rhys family in New York’s Upper East Side, she assumes she’s just going to care for the children of the couple who hired her. But instead of just school pick-ups and afternoon snacks, she also finds herself spending time with Liam, the handsome divorced dad. Can Riley control her feelings for Liam while still performing the job she was hired for?

All characters are the property of Pixelberry Studios. Thanks for allowing me to borrow them.

Chapter Summary: Riley gets the grand tour of her new employer’s home.

Madeleine walks me through the rest of the penthouse, showing off each room. We make our way to the second floor where the bedrooms and bathrooms are located. The second level has the best view, in my opinion. At the top of the stairs, the floor splits into two wings. Down the west wing, she points out a playroom, and Charlotte and Philip’s rooms, a large bathroom with a soaking tub, and a walk-in shower that’s probably bigger than my entire apartment.

There are doors on either side of the bathroom that lead to the kids’ rooms. We continue down to the end of the hall to the guest room, which has its own half bath. The size of this room makes me think it’s the master bedroom, except for the tiny bath. Looking around, I notice a book and a cell phone charger on the nightstand next to the bed. There is also a bathrobe hanging on the back of the door. This room looks pretty lived-in for being a guest room, and I wonder to myself who else is staying here. 

Making our way back, we head down the east wing of the penthouse, and she shows me Liam’s office and the master suite. In the middle of the tour, Madeleine’s phone buzzes and she excuses herself to answer it. Letting my curiosity get the best of me, I slip in through the slightly ajar door to see the most amazing sprawling master bedroom with a four-poster bed. There’s a massive walk-in closet full of designer clothes and shoes.

A single framed photo sits on one of the nightstands. I make my way closer to inspect it and see that it’s a wedding photo. Awkward.

I inspect the photo. Liam looks like the happiest man in the world. Of course, Madeleine isn’t smiling. I’m pretty sure the woman is incapable. I step away from the photo and examine the rest of the bedroom.

To the left, is the five-fixture en-suite master bath. A sliding glass door leads out to a triple-wrap terrace where a fire pit sits in the middle of an eight-piece outdoor sofa set. The view from the balcony is absolutely stunning. The New York skyline sits in front of me like a priceless painting. I slip through the sliding door and make my way across the balcony. As I take in the view, I peek over the railing to see the bustling street below. A girl could get used to this.

“Enjoying the view?” A voice says from behind me, and I jump. I turn around to find Liam standing in the doorway, watching me. Good lord, this man is stunning. I need to control myself if I'm going to be working for him.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be out here. Madeleine was giving me a tour, and she had to take a phone call.” I say as my cheeks burn.

He smiles at me, shaking his head. “No biggie. She got a call from work so she asked me to finish giving you the tour. But it seems you’ve already found your way around the place. What do you think so far?”

“This place is incredible. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted in a home.” I say, turning back to stare out at the cityscape. I feel him behind me, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand.

“It is a pretty spectacular view,” he says, striding across the balcony toward me. “One of the reasons we bought this place is because of this. I fell in love with it the minute I saw it.”

I nod, looking around the balcony. “I can see why.” I don't even know how much he paid for this place, but it’s totally worth it. Note to self: Look up the value of his home on Zillow later tonight. I turn to him, “The place is amazing. Even though it's so spacious, it feels so cozy." I pause. Do I bring up the guest room? I don't know why it's necessary, but before I can stop myself, I blurt out the question. "Uhmmm..one more thing. Just curious if anyone else is going to be living here. I noticed the guest room looks like someone’s been staying in there.”

His body stiffens and he looks down at the ground as his hand rubs the back of his neck. “Uh, yeah. That’s actually what I wanted to speak with you about earlier, but the kids were in the room.”

I cock my eyebrow at him. “Oookay?”

He takes a deep breath and his steely blue eyes stare into mine. God, I could get lost in them. His voice wavers as he speaks. “Madeleine and are in the middle of a divorce. That’s her room.”

My own baby blues widen. Well, this just went from zero to awkward AF in about 2.5 seconds. How did I not notice that beforehand? The cold looks she shot him during my interview. The way she sat separately from her family. The martini at 11 o’clock in the morning. “Oh...I see,” I reply, averting my eyes back to the skyline.

“We haven’t told a lot of people yet. The tabloids don’t even know. The only people who know are our families and close friends. And, well you, now. We’re hoping to make this as civilized as possible without upsetting Charlotte and Philip too much. Once everything is finalized, we’re going to tell the kids and she’ll be moving out. In the meantime, she stays in the east wing with the kids.”

“So, what’s up with the wedding photo on the nightstand?”

He sighs deeply and runs his fingers through his hair. “I guess I haven’t gotten around to putting it away yet. Part of me hasn’t accepted that our marriage is over.”

I swallow, not entirely sure how to respond. He's opening up to me, and I don't know how to comfort him. Come to think of it, why does he feel the need to tell me this? I'm not family or close friends. I'm just a stranger. His kids' nanny, actually. I understand why he thinks this is important information for me to know, considering I’m going to be a part of his family’s lives for the foreseeable future, but it seems so personal. I wonder to myself, not daring to ask what happened. As if he’s reading my thoughts, he answers my question. 

“She cheated on me. Slept with some stuffy suit from her PR firm. Rashad or something like that.” He turns to me and I catch him watching me out the corner of my eye.

Holy shit. Talk about a scandal. My heart breaks for him. I think to myself how someone could do something like that to someone they supposedly love. Especially someone as good looking as Liam. Even when he’s heartbroken, he looks so kissable. Damnit, Riley. Stop it. This is bordering on inappropriate. The man’s wife betrayed him and he's your motherloving boss, you horny bitch! I push the thoughts back and nod. “I'm sorry to hear that. Forgive me for overstepping, but why are you telling me this?”

He laughs in a rich, deep tone, the sound reverberating through my body. “Well, since you’re practically a part of our family now, I figured that you should know. I’m sorry if it feels like I’m pouring my heart out to you. I just wanted you to be aware of the situation in case it comes up.”

I give him a weak smile and rack my brain, thinking of something to change the subject with. Think Riley, think. After what feels like forever, I speak up. “So, other than your kids and your company, what do you do in your spare time?”

A grin spreads across his face. “Not much since the kids were born, but my best friend Drake owns a tavern a few blocks from here called The Double Tappe. I try to get down there once a week for a drink.”

“Oh my god! I love that place,” I reply. “It’s my favorite Happy Hour spot.” It’s more than that though, It’s practically the hottest dive bar in town for the under-30 crowd. I grin recalling that Hana and I spend every Friday night there sucking down $5 Whiskey Sours and singing karaoke. I rack my brain, trying to think if I’ve seen him there before, but given that I’m some form of intoxicated most of the time, it’s no use.

He nods. “Yeah, it’s gotten pretty popular over the years, much to Drake’s dismay. For a guy whose business thrives on customer service, he’s not the most outgoing person.”

“Drake,” I say to myself, trying to picture him in my head. “Wait... Dark brown hair, always wearing flannel and turning his nose up at anyone who orders something other than whiskey?”

Liam chuckles, “That’s the one. He’s kind of a stickler when it comes to a good spirit. I told him when he opened the place that not everyone drinks whiskey, but he didn’t want to hear it. He almost had to close the doors a few years back because he refused to serve any other drinks. Thankfully, he came to his senses and expanded his menu, but it took a little kicking and screaming for him to get there.”

I giggle. “Well, I’m glad things worked out for him. His bar is great for broke postgrads like myself. Great atmosphere and the drinks are cheap.”

“I’ll be sure to pass that along,” Liam smiles.

We both stand there listening to the sounds of the city before my stomach rudely interrupts. I smile and look at the time on my phone. It’s already past noon and clearly, I’m starting to get hungry. “Well, if there’s nothing more to show me, I suppose I should take off. Thank you again for this opportunity. I'm really looking forward to getting to know you and your family."

He reaches over and places his hand on my arm to stop me, then pulls it back. "Hey...if you don't have plans, how about we go get a bite to eat?"

I eye him warily. Did he really just invite me to lunch?  He's extremely attractive, but he's also my boss. One lunch won't hurt, right? However, what would the agency say if they found out I was taking private lunches with employers? As I wage an inner battle with my thoughts, he clears his throat.

"I'm sorry. That was inappropriate. I don't want you to think I'm making a pass at you. I know how seriously you take your job."

I smile back at him. "Oh, no. It's fine. I'm actually supposed to meet my roommate in a little while. Umm...but I'll see you bright and early Monday morning."

He smiles and leads me back inside through the penthouse and back to the elevator. As I reach the foyer, I turn back to him and catch his eye. His gaze bores into me and my breath catches in my chest. Why do I suddenly feel flushed? Before I let my hormones take over and do something stupid, I extend my hand out and shake his. "Okay then. See you on Monday!" I say again a little too enthusiastically. The elevator door dings and I exhale, thanking the Gods for getting me out of this awkward situation. As I step in and turn around, I catch him smiling at me as the doors close. 

Once the elevator makes its descent, I pull out my phone and immediately dial Hana. She picks up on the second ring.

"Hey! How did it go?"

Hoo boy, that's a loaded question. Do I tell her about the last sexually-charged hour? Shut up, Riley. It wasn't like that. Was there really chemistry between us or is it all in my head?

"Great! How about you meet me at our spot in half an hour and I'll tell you all about it over lunch?"

Her bubbly reply rings through the speaker. "Can't wait. See you soon!"

I hang up the phone and take a deep breath. When the elevator stops, and the doors glide open, I gather my thoughts and stride out into the lobby. The same receptionist is still at her perch, still catching up on her celebrity gossip.

Hmm...I notice that Liam and Madeleine are on the cover of her magazine with their children, looking like the perfect family. I frown as I think about how their situation really is. The receptionist looks up from her magazine, side-eying me as I wave goodbye and make my way out the front door to the busy sidewalk outside. 

I stop for a moment and take a deep breath as the city buzzes with activity. I wave for a cab, and as one slows in front of me, I reflect on the last hour. Did all of that really just happen? Something about the way his eyes sparkled when he talked to me. I wonder if he felt it too. Either that or I totally imagined it and that’s just how looks at everyone. Maybe that's why Madeleine cheated.  No, Riley. You don't know the whole situation so stop making assumptions. I swing open the cab door and climb inside. As I give the driver the address to the restaurant, I look back at the building and say a silent prayer for my sanity.

[horansqueen]

AM Conversations : chapter 12

A Niall Horan fanfiction ; rated MA

CHAPTER 1 || CHAPTER 2 || CHAPTER 3 || CHAPTER 4 || CHAPTER 5 || CHAPTER 6 || CHAPTER 7 || CHAPTER 8 || CHAPTER 9 || CHAPTER 10 || CHAPTER 11

NOTES:

-one chapter is her pov, the next is his. -4.4k. -im sorry, i never proofread, i hate it. -there WILL be smut. but not only smut. -this is a romance, comedy, smut story. -for the summary, check my MASTERLIST.

- IF YOU WANT TO BE NOTIFIED WHEN THIS IS UPDATED, I THOUGHT I COULD START A TAG LIST SO LET ME KNOW. IF YOU’D RATHER BE NOTICED IN PRIVATE, MESSAGE ME TOO PLEASE!

- there will be smut added soon, just thought i’d give a fair warning!

- i’m having a hard time finding 2015 Niall gifs so i may add 2016 gifs instead. if you want to propose me any PLEASE message me. youll make my day!

- thanks to all of you who answer my questions about this story (like who you ship her with and such) it means the world to me!

-please, message me, give me feedbacks, it would mean sooo much to me!

Chapter 12 : His chapter

NIALL

I woke up the next day and turned around in bed, bumping slightly into Liv and pulling her closer to me. Most of the time, i prefer to stay alone in bed but with her, it was different. There's a point you can reach with someone where you feel better when they're around than when they're not, and she was the only one I ever reached that point with. I did have girlfriends before, some I really liked, and even one or two I probably loved, but feeling at ease with someone in moments you would normally enjoy being alone was in a different category.

"More sleep." she just muttered in a whiny but low voice, making me chuckle lazily.

"M'not getting up either."

I felt her arm slither around my waist as we faced each other and lazily, I ran my fingertips on her back, making her whimper low. I probably fell asleep again and when I finally woke up, I knew it was late. I turned around and reached for my phone on the bedside table, grimacing when I realized it was almost noon.

I turned back to my best friend and shook her slightly but she remained limp and it made me chuckle. I knew she was hard to wake up and I thought about just pushing her out of bed but it reminded me of the day before, when I caught her with her hand in her panties, and I just cleared my throat, shaking her a bit harder and trying to push the thought away.

"Liv, come on wake up." I let out low, near her ear.

After a few more seconds, she moaned and used one of her hands to push me away.

"Let me sleep, okay?" she mumbled, keeping her eyes closed and making me roll mine.

"It's almost noon, we missed lunch."

"So what?"

This time, she turned on the other side, her back facing me, and I couldn't help but smile. It was a bit annoying but also very cute.

"If you don't wake up now i'm gonna have to look through your bags to find your clothes." I explained, grinning wide. "What do you need? A shirt? Pants? Panties maybe?"

She turned around again, ending on her back and I looked down at her as her eyes fluttered open. The look on her face was priceless and when she grimaced, I started laughing. My eyes roamed on her and I noticed that the shirt she was wearing was all twisted and ran up slightly, exposing her belly button. Quickly, she pulled on it and finally sat up with a sigh.

"Fine, fine, i'm up." she pointed out, rubbing her eyes. "Don't touch my panties okay? You've seen too much of them already."

Immediately, the image of her in her panties, sitting on this exact same bed came back to my mind and I blinked a few times to get rid of it. Seriously, it was getting ridiculous.

"Maybe we could leave that in the past." I proposed, getting up too and grabbing some of my own clothes to dress up, my back facing her.

"I'll stop mentioning it when i'm over it."

We remained silent but I heard her get off the bed and glanced as she was searching in her bag, grabbing clothes randomly and walking past me to get in the bathroom. The door closed and I stared it it, motionless, for about a minute. The conversation we had had the night before was nice, right? Then why did I feel like she was annoyed with me?

I quickly dressed up, my back facing the bathroom's door just in case, but I ended up being ready before she was and I sat on the edge of the bed to wait for her. When she walked out, I noticed she was trying to avoid my eyes and for some odd reason I couldn't explain, it hurt me more than it should have.

"I hope they left food for us." I groaned low as we walked to the kitchen.

Harry was the only one left and I raised my nose at the simple sight of him. His lips curled when he noticed Olivia and he walked closer, hugging her a bit too tight for my liking.

"There's some food left but since you're the last ones up, i'm afraid you two are gonna have to wash everyone's dishes."

Liv glanced at me and I shrugged. I never hated washing the dishes and it normally doesn't take much time. Plus, it would mkean spending time with my best friend so I was fine with it.

"Oh and uhm, the dishwasher is broken."

"Great."

Liv seemed a bit irritated but her face was funny and I let out a chuckle, getting closer to her and putting one of my arms around her shoulders. I brought her closer, kissing the top of her head as I held her a bit too tight against me. She groaned but didn't try to push me away as I started laughing.

"No problem, Harry." I replied, still looking at Liv. "It'll be fun!"

He sent me a smile but his eyes quickly moved on her for a few seconds. His grin turned into a soft one and he took a step closer, squeezing gently her upper arm.

"Okay, join us at the lake when you're done?"

We both nodded and with one last glance at her, Harry was gone. I let Liv go and grabbed the salad bowl with me, bringing it back on the table while she took the chicken that was left. She glanced at the pans and grimaced again, making me laugh even more.

"Don't be a baby."

"We'll be cleaning around while they have fun at the lake." she pointed out, letting herself fall on the chair next to me with an exaggerated sigh.

"We'll have fun too!" I argued, nudging her lightly with a smile before putting salad in her plate. "Besides, you'll be spending time with me!"

She turned to me and I expected a banter to start but she simply sent me a fond smile and tilted her head. We stared at each other for a few seconds and I winked at her, moving my chin in her plate's direction.

"Come on, eat." I told her. "Then we can join the rest of them. And Harry."

I raised my eyebrows a few times at her to tease her and she didn't chuckle like I expected her to.

"And Maya." she simply replied, putting some chicken in my plate and avoiding my look.

I wanted to tell her it was different because she actually had feelings for Harry while I didn't have any for Maya. Of course, I wouldn't be against having sex with her but I could also live without, especially if it would make me avoid an awkward conversation about dating. I didn't want to hurt her and I also didn't want to use her or anything, and the best way to avoid confusion was to not do anything.

"I thought we could party tonight maybe?" I proposed, trying to change the subject. "Maybe you could make some jello shots again?"

She let out a chuckle, her mouth full of salad, and I glanced at her with a smirk.

"Yea, I could do that. We'd need to go buy a few things but it's a good idea." she agreed with an other small chuckle as a smile remained on her lips.

I was glad I could make her laugh, especially that I felt like something was bothering her. Every time she mentioned Maya, I felt bitterness emanating from her and I didn't know how to interpret it.

"Do you have something against Maya?" I just asked after a few minutes of silence.

I tried to make it casual, like the question wasn't a big deal, but I could feel her tense next to me. She stopped eating and put her fork down, leaning against her chair. I knew she was trying to decide of the good words to use in her answer and I just waited, I took my plate and hers, bringing them to the counter and turned around, leaning against it. She sighed and rubbed her eyes before getting up too and bringing the rest of the dishes and putting them in the sink before placing herself right in front of me.

"She... is gorgeous. Also, she sounds smart, and she's a kind person. Pretty much the total opposite of that other girl you're shagging."

I opened my lips to answer but stopped myself. I couldn't really disagree, I knew Heidi was not a beautiful person, at least, not inside, but that was also not why I was seeing her. She had qualities and I was immediately drawn to her when we met but after a while, I noticed a lot of things that bothered me. Things I didn't really want in a friend, I had to admit.

"I don't know, Nee." she let out with an other sigh, shaking her head slightly, pushing locks of her messy hair behind her ears. "I guess she's everything I've ever wanted to be. And it makes me jealous."

I was slightly surprised by her words and I raised my eyebrows. Liv has always been someone honest who would say things how they are, and she never really was ashamed of her feelings, but I never thought she could be jealous of someone like that.

I wanted to reassure her, tell her she didn't need to be jealous because she was beautiful, smart and kind too. That her personality shined through every single pore of her skin, that she glowed... but I didn't. I just frowned and licked my lips as she took a step closer.

"Come on, let's wash the dishes so we can enjoy our day too, yea?" she added before I could say anything.

She started filling the sink with warm water, adding soap in it, and I just stared at her as she did so. I never ever thought my best friend could feel threatened by the people I was hanging out with and I was taken aback by the realization.

"Remember the other day, when I brought you in front of the mirror at home?"

She stopped everything she was doing and I waited. The only sound was water filling the sink and I held my breath until she nodded. Her back was facing me but I knew her eyes was closed. I took a step closer but kept my hands to myself, shoving them in my pockets.

"It was true, you know." I just pointed out. "You are beautiful. You don't need to compare yourself to anyone."

The truth was, I always thought my best friend was cute, but nothing more. Her beauty wasn't as obvious as a girl like Maya, it was true, but I came to realize that she was beautiful in her own way. Maybe it started being obvious after I had that dream about her, it was possible. Or maybe I just finally opened my eyes to the fact that she was not only my best friend. She was more than that, and defining her as just that was wrong.

"I could tell you that Harry thinks you're beautiful but I don't want you to think your beauty depends on some guy's opinion." I just added with a shrug, grabbing something to dry the dishes. "It doesn't."

Silence fell between us and eventually, she moved again and started washing plates and glasses, handing them to me as she was done. I felt bad for making this whole thing awkward but I thought it was an important discussion and knowing that my best friend felt like shit about something like that bothered me more than I thought it would. We worked about ten minutes in silence until she started filling the sink again.

"Maybe you put a bit too much soap, don't you think?" I asked with a chuckle after she added more, making it foam up quite high.

She laughed too and brought her hand, grabbing some foam before turning to me and blowing on it. I jumped when it reached my face and she laughed more.

"You're gonna pay for that!"

I quickly moved behind her as she was trying to escape and slithered my arm around her waist, holding her flush against my body, her back against my chest, before grabbing foam too and bringing it to her face. She made a weird noise with her mouth, trying to get rid of the foam that most likely got on her tongue and I laughed more as she struggled, trying to push me away.

I saw her search around with her hands and finally grabbed the tap of the sink. To my surprise, it could be extended and she quickly brought it over her shoulder, splashing water on my face before I could do anything. I let out a curse word as I took a step back and looked up at her as a smirk appeared on my lips. She had turned around, her lips parted in surprise at her own behavior, and I just stood in front of her, soaking and dripping on the white tiles of the kitchen.

"You," I said, passing one of my hands in my wet hair. "are so dead..."

She held her breath but I quickly took a step closer to wrap both my arms around her. She let out a short and high-pitched scream, bringing her hands over her face and making me laugh. I grabbed water from the sink and splashed her with it as she screamed a few more times, bringing her shoulders up. I finally took a step back and started laughing at her. She was drenched, way more than me, and it was a sight to see.

"You're a little fucker, Niall James Horan! I swear you're gonna..." she took a step my way but slipped on water on the floor.

I reached her just in time to save her from a fall and helped her get her balance back as I kept laughing.

"See what happens when you use my whole name?" I pointed out in a low tone, my mouth close to her ear.  "You started it."

She grimaced and i laughed a bit more, holding her arm as we walked until the carpet of the living room. It felt good to feel my feet sink in the soft fabric and I moved a bit further before my eyes moved up at her. Immediately, I held my breath at the sight. Her shirt was a pale blue color and It was now see through and stuck to her chest in a way it seriously shouldn't. I had to mentally slap myself to start breathing again. I had seen my best friend almost naked plenty of times, so why did this specific sight made me breathless?

"Now, I have to change." she sighed, looking up at the kitchen's floor. "And we need to clean."

I cleared my throat and looked at the mess we made, scratching slowly the back of my head.

"Go change, I'll clean it."

I didn't even have time to turn to her when I felt her arms around me and her wet chest against mine. She kissed my cheek grossly and I groaned as she chuckled.

"Thanks!"

I tried not to look at her but I heard her run down the hall and close the door of our room behind herself. I let out the air I didn't even know I was holding and swallowed hard, trying to put this in the back of my head.

It took me about ten minutes to wipe the floor and when I was done, I walked to our room to get changed too but this time, I knocked a few times.

"Are you naked?" I asked, raising my eyebrows. "Or like, busy masturbating?"

The door swung open and my eyes met her wide open ones. I noticed she was talking on the phone and I smiled when I realized the person on the line probably heard what I said. I hoped it was not her father although I knew the man and I was pretty sure he'd find it funny coming from me. I was always the one he asked to protect her, take care of her, and make sure she was happy. Every single time we left somewhere together, he'd pull me aside and give me the responsibility to check on her but he really didn't have to. It was always my priority to make sure she was safe.

I walked in the room as she kept discussing with the person on the phone and took my shirt of, searching through my stuff for a dry one and putting it on. I knew I shouldn't but I tried to listen to her conversation to find out who she was talking to. It was just out of curiosity and I finally turned around to look at her.

"Na, thanks, we're good, not really in the mood to swim. We both had enough water for today."

Her words brought a big smile on my lips and I chuckled low.

"We're gonna go buy a few things for the party tonight, is there anything you'd like me to get?"

I raised my eyebrows, realizing she was most likely talking to Harry, and I even if I shouldn't, It felt good to know she had chosen to spend her afternoon with me instead to go join him. I stood in front of her, my hands in my pockets, and waited for her to hang up. After she did, she sent me a smile and raised her eyebrows.

"Love the shirt." she pointed out, grabbing her wallet from the bedside table.

"I know you do, loser." I laughed, remembering she was the one who bought it for me a few years ago. "Did Harry want us to buy anything?"

She nodded, looking down at her phone as I heard the sound of my own voice coming out of it.

"You should change that." I pointed out, referring to the sound she chose that notified her of a new text message. "It's so weird that you used a One Direction song. One with my voice, too. What would Harry say?"

She rolled her eyes, typing an answer quickly on her phone without even looking at me.

"He doesn't care." she explained, making me wonder if they had actually talked about it.

"And what does he say about you masturbating in our room while everyone was ready to eat?"

She looked up at me and I tried to contain a laugh when I saw the mean expression she was sending me.

"He didn't hear." she mentioned. "And if he finds out, i'm gonna know you're the one who told him!"

                                                          -------

Liv and I brought back pizza for dinner along with all the things we had bought for the party. A bunch of random snacks and many bottles of alcohol were waiting on the kitchen's counter and we all sat on the floor of the living room to eat. Everyone started chatting in small groups and I ended up sitting next to her, handing her a slice of pizza before I grabbed one for myself. She crossed her legs but I noticed both of her knees jumping as she ate. She looked happy but I wasn't sure I had noticed her doing that kind of things before. Did I just never see it? I shrugged off the question and handed her a beer. She sent me puppy eyes and I laughed, opening it for her and handing it to her again. She grabbed it and took a long sip before eating some more.

"I hope these games end up being less awkward than our last 'truth or dare' game." I pointed out with a laugh, letting what was left of my pizza fall in the carton.

"I guess it can't be as bad, there's too many of us, it can't end up being too personal." she pointed out with a shrug.

Her eyes roamed around and landed on Harry. She stopped moving and her lips parted slightly and I frowned before realizing he was in deep conversation with Maya. He was leaning over her, smiling down at her, and she suddenly started laughing.

I suddenly felt extremely bad for her, especially after what she told me she felt towards Maya but at the same time, who could really blame Harry, knowing that me and her were close too? I let my hand slip on her thigh, squeezing it gently and brought it back to clap in my hands.

"Okay guys, it's time to play!" I turned to Harry. "Could you go get the jello shots? And more beer."

He nodded once and got up, disappearing in the kitchen as I kept talking.

"Anyone have any ideas?"

"Truth or dare?"

"No!"

I laughed at Olivia's immediate and impulsive answer and shook my head.

"We played way too much." I just explained. "Maybe later, let's start with something else."

"Spin the bottle?" Maya proposed, tilting her head as she looked at me.

"M'afraid the couples wouldn't appreciate." I clarified, raising my nose.

"Okay about about the voting game?"

We all turned to Gemma who was sitting on the couch and I raised my eyebrows, inciting her to say more. She smiled and moved closer, licking her lips.

"Okay so we ask a question like, who is most likely to do this or that and we all have to pick the person in the room that we thing would fit. Then we compare the answers and the person who gets picked the most can guess who voted for them and why."

I chuckled, noticing Liv was now up and looking in a drawer. She started giving post-its to everyone along with pen and I waited until she was back next to me to nod.

"Sounds nice, i'll read the papers outloud." I proposed, taking my cap off and putting it in the middle of the room to gather everyone's answers.

Harry came back and we all started taking shots while Gemma grabbed her phone, reading outloud the first question she found online.

"Who lost their virginity at the youngest age?"

I quickly scribbled Harry's name and threw it in my cap as my best friend was doing the same. After opening all of them, I counted that Harry got 8 out of 11 of the votes and let out a short laugh.

"Heyyy." he complained with a frown. "13 is not that young to lose your virginity!"

Gemma shook her head and closed her eyes, bringing her hand to her face.

"Yes Harry, yes it is." Lottie laughed with a frown too before rolling her eyes.

"I'm sure my sister didn't vote for me and uhm, Liv."

My best friend's lips curled and she chuckled.

"Sorry I did vote for you." He parted his lips in surprise exaggeratedly and she laughed more. "One time you were drunk and you literally related it to me minute by minute."

Everyone started laughing and I let my head fall down as my shoulders shook. I was trying not to laugh too much but it was so Harry-like and I couldn't help it.

"Next question!" Harry let out a bit too loud, trying to change the subject even if i was well aware that he adored the attention he was getting.

"Okay, I've got one!" Louis let out, his eyes on his phone. "Who has seen the most people in this room nude?"

I had to look around the room for this one but it was tough and it took longer for everyone to put their answers in my cap. The answers were quite different and I finally looked up at Harry, shaking my head a few times.

"You and I got the most votes." I pointed out, moving my chin in his direction. "How many people in this room have you seen naked?"

He frowned, his eyes moving from one person to the other before he ended up looking at me, making me chuckle again. I had a good idea of the number he was going to tell.

"Four?" he let out, unsure. "Excluding myself."

I saw Livia roll her eyes and she sighed loud enough. "I'm guessing these four persons are your bandmates and your sister?"

Harry smirked and just shrugged, leaning against the couch and crossing his ankles, his legs spread on the carpet.

"You haven't seen me naked!" Gemma argued, throwing an empty cup from a jello shot at him.

"Heyyy, we used to take our bath together!" He whined, dodging it with his elbow.

It fell on the carpet as Harry chuckled. He glanced at it and picked it up, making it turn between his fingers.

"We were babies!"

"It still counts!" he let out, throwing the small cup back at her and making her laugh. "Niall has seen more naked persons than me."

I held my breath and realized he probably thought I had seen Maya naked, for the simple reason that he thought we had sex together. I was not sure I wanted him to know and I glanced at Liv, wondering if I could count her. I had never seen her completely naked, it was true, but I had seen a lot. The thought made me shiver slightly and I sighed.

"I've seen four, too."

I felt suddenly guilty for the lie I had just professed and my face started to burn. I had seen Harry, Louis and Liam naked, that was true, but I hadn't seen anyone else without clothes and I didn't really want to talk about it. Should I just correct myself immediately and deal with the questions it would bring? After all, it was just a stupid game and it could be considered a white lie, right?

I saw Harry glance at Liv and then look back at me. I knew he thought the fourth person was Maya and I was not going to tell him otherwise.

"Well, that's a surprise."