#abby has to get all of her words out at once or else she forgets immediately
Explore tagged Tumblr posts
Text
Rusty: *sobbing* I have no idea what youâre saying, is this Russian, what is happening rn
Abby:
#abby has to get all of her words out at once or else she forgets immediately#and rusty has an auditory processing disorder#my oc rusty#my oc abby#fox ears#random information#inncorrect quotes#my ocs#my original characters#my original story#original character#my oc edits#art
5 notes
¡
View notes
Text
MAY YOUR DEATH BE SWIFT
slowburn ellabs fic set four years after santa barbara
early updates on ao3 @ josmarch
chapter 4
summary: abby taking care of sick ellie, domestic lev & abby life, just cute simple things
The weather outside looked like rain, but Abby knew Lev needed some time out of the house. These days he seemed restless, like sitting around would cause him harm. She thought it was a result of a lot of things: being outcast from the only society he had known, losing his sister, and working as a slave until Abby managed to get both of them exiled and sentenced to a sure death. He still didnât know Ellie was the reason they were alive today. It had been four years, but she knew the past weighed on him as it did her. They were working through that together.
The pair of them started out from the house on foot. They had walked back from the gas station where theyâd found Ellie last night, and they were used to walking most places. Abby and Lev made their way towards the main town, which was around a half mile from where they lived. Even in the shade, the late May weather was warm. Abby took off her windbreaker halfway through the short journey, revealing an array of healed but obvious scars made by a switchblade adorning her arms. Sheâd gained back some of the weight sheâd lost in California, but she was a bit more lean as she hadnât been working out as regularly. She was still in peak physical condition, and an asset to the town.
Both Abby and Lev were comfortable in each otherâs presence, some relationship between maternal and sibling. They could sit for hours without saying a word, and be content. Theyâd been walking in silence for sometime before Lev finally spoke. âWhy are you being so nice to her?â
Abby had given it some thought. Lev wasnât aware of her research into Ellie, and she didnât want to disclose all of it now. After Santa Barbara, Abby needed to know who Ellie was. The dialogue theyâd had in the theatre in Seattle had become a blur, but she recalled it then. It was easy to piece it together once she had some semblance of an idea. Before Abby had deconstructed her preconceived notions of loyalty sometime around meeting Lev, she likely wouldâve taken this grudge to the grave. Something in her had shifted. Lev cleared his throat, and Abby said, âI donât know.â
âDidnât she kill your friends?â
âI killed her father,â responded Abby, shaking her head. âI used to think everything was so black and white. This or that. I donât know anymore.â
Lev looked curious. âRegardless of knowing, I think she has an effect on you.â They walked on, and he clarified, âGood or bad, Iâm not sure.â
Abby wasnât sure either. She also thought that she was thinking about it a little too much considering she was usually one for routine. Nothing in Santa Fe had been interesting since sheâd settled here with Lev two years ago. At least, nothing disrupted her morning breakfast and falling asleep on the couch reading and her mind. She was beginning to wonder if she regretted going out for late night hunting that resulted in saving someone sheâd tried to forget.
âShe seems sick. I donât want to be the one to shoot her if she turns out like everyone else.â Lev sounded serious.
âIf youâre really worried, you can stay with your friends for a few nights. It would do you some good to get out of the house.â
Lev shrugged. âIâlll talk to Carmen once we get to town. Iâd rather stay with them than get infected by your friend.â
âWe arenât friends,â Abby rolled her eyes.
âSame difference,â Lev replied. âStill weird that youâre helping her.â
They made it to town, then, so Abby dropped the conversation. It wasnât something she wanted everyone else to hear. These people didnât need to worry about the decisions she made. She hoped that Lev wouldnât share anything about the situation, but she knew she didnât have to hope, because they trusted each other enough.
The two of them went their separate ways once they were down the main street: Lev to his friends, and Abby to the armory. An old gym on the west side of the small town was home to the defense operations, and itâs where she reported her patrols. Overseeing the armory was Grace, a skilled sniper in her mid-thirties. She was a widow, having lost her husband in Dallas just two years prior. On her way into the gym, Abby held the door for a woman her age, and the woman thanked her by name.
âJust the person I was looking for,â said Grace as Abby entered. Grace was standing at the front desk, interrupting the conversation sheâd been having with the man behind it.
âGlad we found each other,â Abby said. âIâve got news for you, too.â
âYou first. Walk and talk, Iâve got to meet with the new recruits in a few minutes.â
Abby joined Grace in walking towards the outside training grounds, through the back of the gym. âI think thereâs a horde headed our direction. That old gas station had a bunch of infected, but Lev and I just checked it last week.Thereâs indications more are on the way.â
âMaybe we should start checking more often,â said Grace. âBut youâre probably right about the horde. Iâll make sure everyoneâs on the lookout.â
âThanks,â Abby said. âYour turn.â
âIâve got a new assignment for you, if you want it. The Johnsons had a small house fire last night. Nothing major, but itâs going to take some time to repair, and theyâre both elderly. Weâre planning to move them closer to the outskirts, but didnât want to leave them out there alone.â They were approaching the training grounds now. âWould you do a routine patrol around the area daily? Just to make sure itâs clear. We donât need infected in this town.â
Abby nodded. âYeah, of course. Just get me the address.â They reached the training grounds, where five young men were standing and talking amongst themselves.
âYou got it. See you soon.â With ease, Grace transitioned from saying goodbye to teaching a class. She put on a blank expression and studied each of the boys, who fell silent under her gaze. Abby left, then, determined to find Lev and get an update on where he would be staying.
Her efforts fell short and the sky grew darker in the distance. Abby knew the window of time to get home before the storm was closing, so she made the executive decision to head back home. Lev was with his friends, he was eighteen years old, and he was capable of both walking back later and defending himself if necessary. She was still getting used to him going off and doing his own thing.
Abby made it back right before the downpour began. She closed the door behind her, and immediately stopped in her tracks, noticing an absence in the living room. Ellieâs bag was on the floor beside the couch, but there was no sign of the woman. She wasnât in the kitchen, either. Abby always had her gun on her, and she was prepared to use it if this really did go badly.
She decided to check the bathroom first, which felt like the most rational place. She knocked on the closed door. When she got no response, she called, âEllie?â Nothing. She opened the door, and sighed. There was Ellie, sitting on the floor, head back against the wall, looking quite feverish. Abby put her gun away. She went to Ellie and knelt down, studying her. She raised her hand to Ellieâs temple with the intent of gauging her temperature, but Ellie swatted her hand away.
âJesus, Ellie,â Abby rolled her eyes, trying again. She succeeded, and then sighed deeply. âYouâre really burning up. Come on, Iâll get you some water.â
Abby stood up and held her hands out in case Ellie wanted some help. Ellie sat there until she noticed Abby was offering, and she stood up on her own out of defiance. Abby left the bathroom, waiting for Ellie to follow behind. After a minute passed, Abby went back in. Ellie was still standing there, looking at her reflection in the mirror. Abby imagined she was talking to herself, convincing herself to get to the couch without assistance. Sheâd done the same once.
Abby went to Ellieâs side, and silently offered to guide her. Ellie shook her head. Abby sighed, fed up with the Miss Independent routine. âJust let me help you,â she said. Ellie finally gave in.
Once in the living room, Abby led Ellie to the couch. She helped Ellie lay down, and covered her with a blanket. She went into the kitchen and brought a glass of water out, and put it on the ground by the couch. âWater,â she said. âYou should drink some when youâre able.â Abby stood up. The sound of heavy rain droned on in the background. âThe storm will probably last all day.â
Ellie said nothing, so Abby turned and went into the kitchen to make herself something to eat. When Abby came back through the room, Ellie was asleep.
The rain lasted the rest of the day as expected, so Abby spent it inside. She had been wanting to reorganize some things in her room, and she took the time to do it now. When the rain lightened up a little, she got a radio call that gave her the address to the home where the Johnsons were temporarily residing. She left right before dark, walking the short distance. She did a sweep of the area, and saw no infected. She made her way back home as night fell.
This simple routine had become her life now, and it felt good. She had grown up in these societies, and this one felt the most stable out of the three sheâd been a part of. This one had no wars, no loss like sheâd known before. Abby had been up against a few rogue individuals, but none strong enough to threaten the town. Everyone in Texline was happy and healthy, as much as they could be. Even Lev seemed comfortable, and theyâd had problems with finding a settlement in the years prior.
Back home, Abby made her final meal of the day and checked on Ellie. Abby had to admit she almost looked peaceful while sleeping. Her features softened when she wasnât endlessly lost in thought or stubbornly standing her ground over something minor. And, when she wasnât trying to kill Abby, she was admittedly beautiful.
Loyalties had meant everything to Abby once. There was no wrong that could not be set right, no nuance between the black and white. As sheâd gotten older, sheâd become more aware of her biases. Something in her past was enraged at the idea of Ellie in her home, but something in her future dismissed the anger, so Abby went back down the hall to her room, resolved to carry on in her efforts.
30 notes
¡
View notes
Text
The Fnaf Movie was a Nightmare
No really-
Spoilers for the movie ahead....
So I have a theory, but its going to take a few different pieces to put together first. I'm pulling from both the games and the movie, but the books are largely untouched in this idea:
The Timeline:
Something that I noticed throughout this movie was how out of sorts everything seemed to be. The movie takes place after the bite of 87 (which we know because the pizzeria is shut down and all of the main kids have already been murdered), and yet the story also takes place before Afton was spring-locked (an event we know happens in Fnaf 1 when the pizzeria is still fully operational). This timeliness doesn't make sense, as it implies that the movie simultaneously happens before and after Fnaf game 1.
Micheal:
Something else that got me thinking was Micheal. In the games Micheal Afton has 2 younger siblings. He lost his brother to a mysterious force when he was a kid, in a method that made him feel responsible. This being the bite of 87, when he held his brother up to Freddy, who then malfunctioned and clamped down of his brother's head killing him. The Micheal we are introduced to in the movie doesn't give us a last name, but he has a shockingly similar backstory. He is the oldest brother of 2, and he also lost his younger brother to a force he had no control over but feels responsible for: he was kidnapped while Micheal was meant to be watching him, and subsequently was murdered by William Afton.
Vanessa:
If we take a look at the Vanessa we are introduced to in the movie, she claims to be William Aftons child. In the games, Aftons daughter was killed by circus baby when she scooped her up. In the movie, it is pointed out that Vanessa was afraid of the spring locking mechanism of a suit in the corner of a storage room, which had a very similar to the design and layout of Circus Baby. Why was it blatantly pointed out that Vanessa looked scared of the suit, rather than just her warning Micheal about the springlocking mechanism? We'll get to that in a second.
Children killing children:
Another thing that messed with me was the idea that the main cast of animationics would try to kill Abby (Movie Micheals younger sister). In the games, no main character animatronic has tried to kill a kid. The only evidence we have of that is in the Nightmare Animatronics, which were fear based experiments that didn't actually involve the main cast, but rather their look alikes. My thought is that Micheal in the games blames Afton for his brother and his sisters death, and by extention the animatronics too. These animatronics were responsible for the killing blows dealt to his siblings afterall. So it makes sense for him to fear that the animatronics are out to get Abby, and are being somehow controlled by Afton.
Dreams:
Finally, my biggest thought is that throughout the whole movie we are introduced to a dream theory that you never forget any detail, and you can unlock it as long as you know how to search for it in your dreams. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to really be resolved. But something that is important to note is that we revisit this idea over and over again, that people can unlock details that they have seen in the past by looking in their dreams.
Nightmare:
At the end of the movie, the last thing we hear after the credits roll is the creepy detached robotic voice that once spelled S.A.V.E.T.H.E.M in the fnaf mitigames, spelling out the word N.I.G.H.T.M.A.R.E
So whats going on here? Messed up timeline, Micheal sharing a shockingly similar backstory to Micheal Afton, Vanessa being simultaneously dead in the games but alive in the movies, yet fearing the very same thing that killed her in the games, dream-scape talk, and a creepy voice spelling the word Nightmare?
My theory that would explain all of the above points is that this movie is a nightmare that the game Micheal Afton is having. He is going into his dream scape to find something, but is remembering things wrong. He did lose a brother to William, but not through Kidnapping. He is removing himself from his Afton name to try and process everything that happened to him and his siblings growing up. Vanessa doesn't make sense because she isn't real, but rather an idea of what she would be had she grown up. The timeline is off because in dreams nothing is linear, it's all a jumbled mess.
I've been writing this for an hour and it's like 1am so I'm sorry if it's a jumbled mess, but I thought this was a pretty cool idea!
#fnaf#five nights at freddy's#five nights at freddy's movie#fnaf movie#dream theory#Micheal is Micheal Afton?#i watched this opening night and wrote this immediately afterwards#its 1am#and i am ready for bed#please reblog and add your thoughts!#theory#fnaf theory
3 notes
¡
View notes
Note
Alright Iâm curious how did you assign each role?
Yee, thank you for indulging me lol đ
All of this is based on the descriptions from the Soldier, Poet, King uquiz.
AJ: The Soldier
AJ has been acting out and fighting the world for as long as she can remember. Her parents cared more about getting high than taking care of their own daughter, so they left her alone to the whims of the world to be raised by strangers, to face her troubles on her own. She learned very quickly that sharp words and swinging fists were the only way to get by without anyone's help. She's always angry; at herself, at her parents, at the world. She doesn't let herself rest or drop her mask or get close with anyone else. It's all an act, to protect her heart from taking a beating, but it's still all she's ever known.
Abigail: The Poet
Abigail has felt lonely since the accident that killed her mother, father, and older sister all at once. Others have cared for her, and they've been kind, but she's never felt like it's her place, she's never felt like she's good enough for people's love. Her confidence died with her family, but she doesn't let that stop her from giving other people the love, the care, the happiness she doesn't think she deserves. She wears her heart on her sleeve, but sometimes it doesn't feel real. She throws herself into her work, works herself to the bone, because at least she feels useful when she has something to present to the world.
Abby: The King
Abby has been following orders every single day of her life, ever since she was old enough to listen. She was a child, but she wasn't ever given the chance to have a childhood because she had a duty to fulfill. She did as she was told, expectations piling on her shoulders, and now that she's free she doesn't know what to do. She thinks that she has to save the world because that's all she's ever known. Feelings are roadblocks, so she locks them all away. They called her The Ghost Agent and now she calls herself Mirage and she thinks they're fitting names because sometimes she forgets that she's human after all.
#i saw the trend and wanted to do something with it#and these matches were just too perfect to pass up#abigail hayden: tasm oc#abigail hayden: spider man oc#abigail rogers: mcu oc#answered#Ali đŚ
1 note
¡
View note
Text
I've rewatched s1 twice in the last month (once to make my partner watch the show and once when we turned it back on from the beginning for noise), and the more I watch how Buck and Abby shifted from being casual friends, to hook ups, to something serious and long-term, the more I want to cringe at how Bobby participated in that.
The thing is, Bobby was right in the pilot - they aren't a family. He isn't Buck's father. He fills that role, in a way, but not so much so that his advice shouldn't be taken with a grain of salt.
Buck specifically says he doesn't want a relationship that's so "adult" - Abby has to take care of her mother, and he understands that, but he's still allowed to be hurt that he's getting blown off. Let's not forget that Abby was 42 and Buck was 26. As much as their dynamic fascinated me, that's a big gap. Buck was entirely in the right to say "hey, actually, I'm still young, and I don't know what I want out of life yet, but I know I don't want to jump into this serious, adult relationship when just being more casual at the start of it is hurting me and not serving me the way I want a relationship to serve me at this point in my life."
You know, in not so many words.
And yet, Bobby pushed him into it. Buck said he doesn't want this kind of deep, committed relationship, and Bobby pushed him into it anyway. Bobby told him to grow up and enter this very adult relationship - again, with a, not inherently bad, 16 year age gap. And @cassnottiel said something that kind of boils down my feelings about this situation, specifically, when I was talking to them earlier:
"I think Bobby acts like a preacher when he talks to Buck, but I don't think Buck realizes because he has faith in Bobby. he doesn't realize that Bobby might be wrong."
And, here's the thing, again, I love their dynamic. I love Buck having that older and wiser figure in his life, that advising father that he really didn't have growing up. But yeah. Bobby is wrong sometimes. He's flawed, just like everyone else. As a father, he's not perfect. As a boss, he's not perfect. As a human being, he's not perfect. But no one considers that, maybe, the advice he gives might be imperfect, too.
And maybe this is something I'm more sensitive to, as an aroace person who does headcanon Buck as being somewhere on the aromantic spectrum, but that entire arc makes me really uncomfortable. Because as someone who has said that I don't want a serious long-term relationship, if someone's response to that was that I don't actually know what I want and I just need to grow up, as someone in my mid- to late-20s, and bite my tongue and go along with what's expected... I'd feel like garbage.
Aside from Buck being allowed to have his own opinions about what he wants, and how inappropriate it was to have his boss that involved in his personal life in the first place, it's just... rude. And it led to Buck getting attached to the idea of Him&Abby. He got attached, because "I don't want this" wasn't a good enough excuse for someone else, because he was pushed into a relationship that he outright said he didn't want, and then when Abby could turn around and say she didn't want that relationship anymore, that she needed to go off and find herself instead (which is entirely fair, she's completely allowed to want what she wants, and yeah, for most women in their 40s that's not someone decades younger than them), Buck was the one who got hurt and felt abandoned all over again.
And yeah, that's not entirely Bobby's fault, I'm not saying it is. But the thing about giving advice that he just didn't get in s1, and what makes their relationship early on so flawed, is that he didn't actually listen to Buck and what he was saying. Instead, Bobby pushed his own opinions and values onto someone else, and disregarded everything Buck was telling him because he didn't agree with it and brushed him off as just being too immature to know what he wanted.
it's occurred to me that my hottest take might have nothing to do with Buck's romantic relationships and everything to do with how his parents fucked him up so bad that even his relationship with Bobby is deeply flawed...
#alex says things#evan buckley#bobby nash#911#i have so many thoughts on this i'm so sorry#i've been talking myself in circles about it all day#also cass was so real for saying that tbh#like yeah... bobby absolutely preaches a lot of his catholic values onto buck early on#and it makes me cringe even though i've seen the growth they both go through
52 notes
¡
View notes
Text
Oh (e.b.)
Summary: buck runs into his ex fling, taylor kelly, leaving you to feel like nothing but a second choice
AN: inspired by the winter finale of 911
You were a catch. You were smart, had a good job, beautiful. Guys were lining up to date you and yet the man you wanted to be with didnât want you.
It seemed to everyone around you that the two of you were meant to be but to Buck, it wasnât that obvious. He didnât see how you looked at him, didnât hear how you talked about him. Clearly, he didnât know how you felt about him.
So, you stuck it out. You put your feelings on the back burner and just decided to be his friend. If he wanted to be with you, he would.
But you couldnât ignore the feeling in your chest when he told you he was having dinner with Taylor Kelly.
âWe got to talking at that call and then Albert said him and Veronica were having dinner and I just, called and asked if she wanted to come.â Buck explained. âAnd she said yes?â You asked.
âYeah, she seemed on board. Maybe this is the universe telling me something.â He said. âThe universe? Youâve never believed in that stuff.â You told him. âBut this is Buck 3.0. Iâm all for a change.â Buck answered. âWhen is this dinner again?â You asked. âWednesday at 6.â He said.Â
âOh.â You muttered quietly. Wednesday was your birthday. And it seemed that Buck was caught up in bettering himself and finding someone that he had completely forgotten about you. But you had enough trying to remind him and get him to see that you were right there the whole time.Â
You swallowed the lump in your throat as you looked at the mug in your hands. âYou okay?â He asked. âUh, yeah. I think Iâm gonna head home. I have a long shift tomorrow.â You said, rising from your seat.
âYou just got here.â Buck pointed out. âBuck, I just, I gotta go.â You said in a more stern manner. He looked at you with furrowed eyebrows and watched you leave his apartment.
You let out a large sigh as you got in your car before the tears came.
How were you so unlucky that the guy you were head over heels for, wanted someone else? He wanted someone else so much, he forgot about her birthday. When you were right there through everything? You were there through Abby leaving, Ally breaking up with him, the lawsuit against the department, his parents, everything. And yet you were left on the back burner.Â
You always put his feelings above your own, not because you felt like you should. But because you cared about him and if he was happy, you were happy. Though, the more you thought about it, the more you realized that he sometimes didnât give you that same courtesy.Â
Your day was like the day from hell. Everything that could go wrong in your line of work, went completely wrong. To make matters worse, you had lost one of your favorite patients. She had stage 3 leukemia but she never let that change her personality.Â
She made going to the hospital after shifts worth while because at least you got to spend time with her. But the cancer was too aggressive for the chemo and she died in her sleep that night. You tried not to let losses get to you but she had been your patient since you started volunteering at the hospital. You were really hoping youâd see her remission but the universe had other plans.Â
All you wanted to do was lay on the couch with Buck and just cry. You got in your car and dialed his number, getting a few rings before he picked up. âHey, you!â He greeted you. âHey, do you maybe want to come over later? Iâve had the worst day. I lost a patient and-â You started before he cut you off.Â
âIâm sorry, Y/N, I canât. I have a date tonight, trying to put myself back out there.â He said. âI can come over after.â He added. âNo, forget it. Itâs fine.â You said. âYou sound upset.â Buck said. âIâm fine, Buck. Enjoy your date.â You replied before hanging up the phone.Â
Since that evening, you had been avoiding Buck like the plague. On shifts, you wouldnât talk to him. Sticking to Chimney and Hen like glue to avoid any conversation with Buck.Â
You went so far to ask to ride in the ambulance to calls, rather than in the fire engine like usual. It wasnât odd for you to be in the ambulance because you were an EMT but you usually rode with the rest of the team.
âDoes anyone know why Y/N wonât ride with us anymore?â Buck asked his crew. âAre you that dumb?â Hen asked. âHen,â Bobby started. âItâs because of you, dude.â Eddie answered. âMe? What did I do?â Buck questioned. âWell, you blow her off all the time, completely ignore her feelings and ditch her for dates and youâre so oblivious you canât see that sheâs totally in love with you.â Eddie explained. âWhen you were hurt in the hospital, she didnât come to work for days because she didnât want you the throw a clot. She had to work triple shifts just to make enough to pay her rent because of all the days she missed sitting with you. Did you ever thank her for that?â Bobby added. âWell, no, but-â He started.Â
âAnd when she lost her favorite patient, Emily, did you ask her if she was okay?â Bobby asked. âI-I couldnât I had a date. And she didnât say it was Emily.â Buck said, trying to defend yourself. âIf you donât reciprocate her feelings, thatâs fine. But sheâs your best friend. And as her best friend, you are supposed to be there when she needs you. She shouldnât have to explain herself.â Bobby concluded. âYou also forgot her birthday.�� Chimney added as they all got out of the engine.Â
The rest of his shift, Buck tried getting you to talk to him. But it was always, âIâm busy, Buckâ or âCanât talk, weâre working.â Heâd given up when he tried to stop you after a call and you had given him a look he had never seen before.Â
The guilt was eating him alive. He was a terrible friend to you and he thought being with you was a pipe dream. Until Hen and Eddie told him you loved him. But regardless of your feelings for him, you had done so much for him and he didnât realize it until you were gone.Â
That night, Buck went over to Taylorâs to gain more perspective on what he could do to fix what he royally screwed up.Â
âI donât know what to do. She hasnât talked to me in weeks. Weâve never gone this long without talking.â Buck explained to Taylor.
âWell, you did forget her birthday. And not give it a second thought that she was hurting over the loss of a patient.â She said. âThatâs not helping.â He replied. âYou asked for my help and Iâm being honest. You really hurt her. She almost got evicted because she was so worried about you. The first person she wanted to be with after her friend died was you and you went on a date instead.â Taylor said. âI know. I tried to talk to her but she wonât answer any of my calls or texts. She wonât even look at me anymore.â Buck said.Â
âYou are so stupid sometimes.â Taylor laughed. âWhat?â Buck asked. âShe has feelings for you. Why else would she get so upset? If she only saw you as a friend, you would be getting screamed at not avoided.â She explained.
âEveryone keeps saying that but thereâs no way Y/N has feelings for me. Sheâs...perfect. Perfect doesnât fall for damaged goods.â Buck rebutted. âTrust me, she loves you.â Taylor told him. âAnd do you love her?â She asked. âOf course I do. But being with her seemed like it was too good to happen so I tried to move on. I guess I tried so hard I ended up hurting her anyways.â Buck answered.Â
âThen tell her. And do a whole lot of graveling while youâre at it.â Taylor said.Â
Buck quickly left the apartment and got into his car driving like a bat out of hell. When he arrived at your apartment, he didn't even bother to park in the parking stall correctly, his main focus was just getting to you.
When he finally reached your door, he knocked on it rather harshly and heard the sound of your urgent footsteps coming to find out who it was.
"Buck? What are you doing here?" You asked. Buck couldn't even find the words to answer because he was more focused on what you were wearing.
You had on a formed fitting red dress, your hair was curled and flowing over your shoulders and you looked beautiful.
"Wh-Why are you dressed like that?" He stammered. "I have a date." You answered. "You have a date? With who?" Buck asked. "Emily's brother. We became close when Emily had chemo and after she died we kept in tough. Why are you here?" You questioned.
"Don't go on the date. Please, for the love of god, don't go on that date. Because I love you, Y/N. I was too stupid to see it until you weren't around anymore. And I was terrible to you. I was supposed to be your best friend and I was so worried about my own life I dnd't even ask you how you were doing and oh my god I missed your birthday." Buck rambled.
"Slow down, Buckley, and talk to me at a normal rate, please." You said.
Buck took a deep breath and looked at you intently. "I'm in love with you. I-I always have but being with you always seemed like a pipe dream because you're perfect. You have always been perfect and you know that I'm not." Buck explained.
"Exactly. I've seen you at your worst and I still love you but even as your best friend you never gave me the time of day. Missing my birthday to go to dinner with Taylor Kelly. Brushing me off after Emily died because you had a date." You laughed bitterly. "I have stood by you no matter what. But god forbid I need you once in a while." You added.
"And I am so sorry, Y/N. You have every right to be upset with me, I'm upset with me. I'm pissed off at myself because I didn't realize what I had until it was too late." Buck replied. "Evan, do you understand the situation you just put me in? I get to go on a date with a great guy, one who actually pays attention and then the man I've been in love with for years, shows up at my doorstep to tell me he loves me back." You started.
Buck's facial expression fell, fearing the worst and anticipating you telling him that you'd moved on and he was too late.
"And I have to call that guy and tell him that I can't make it. Because the person I actually want to be with is right here." You finished.
The light in Buck's eyes returned at your words, looking at you with a gentle smile.
"Really?" He asked. "Yes, really and please don't make me regret it. You've screwed up a lot lately, let's not add us to the list." You said. "So there's an us now?" Buck questioned. "I-If that's okay with you." You stuttered. "It's absolutely okay with me." Buck said with a smile.
"I guess I got all dressed up for nothing." You sighed, letting Buck inside your apartment.
Buck was quiet for a moment as he watched you take your heels off and your earrings, placing them on the table by the door. "Then let's not make it for nothing. Let me take you out on our first official date." He said.
"Besides, I need to see you in that dress more often." He added a smirk on his face. "Alright then, Buckley. Take me on a date. You have a lot to make up for." You smiled, offering him your hand.
Buck took your hand in his, happily, and held you steady as you put your shoes back on. âTrust me, Y/N, itâll be the best date youâve ever been on.â He said.Â
In the moment, you laughed at his words but after the date had concluded and all was said and done, it had indeed been the best date you have ever been on.Â
#imagine#911 imagine#911 lone star#911 fox#evan buckley#evan buckley imagine#evan buckley x reader#evan buckley oneshot#oliver stark
822 notes
¡
View notes
Text
safe (with you)
s5 speculation based on the new bts because idk how to be normal about this
3,049 words
AO3 link
By the time they pull into Eddieâs driveway Buckâs hands still havenât stopped shaking.
He vividly remembers that day he spent driving around Los Angeles with Abby, searching for her mom, the day they saved the little girl in the pool. He remembers the way he lined his hand up with hers and told her that the first couple of weeks on the job he couldnât keep his hands from shaking with the adrenaline. But Abby was good at compartmentalizing; her hands never shook.
Buck still hasnât learned how to do that with the people he cares about. Heâs beginning to think he never will.
Eddie had been held hostage for under two hours and made it out unscathed, and yet Buck couldnât get his fucking hands to stop shaking. He felt like a wire with the coating stripped off, ripped down the middle, frayed open, ready to spark and catch fire at any moment. But heâd been feeling like that a lot lately if he was being honest. Not that anyone asked.
And he didnât expect anyone to because everyone else had their own problems and it was his job at the moment to just pull his shoulders back and keep it together. That was all he was supposed to do. He could do that.
âUh, let me get your bag,â Buck mumbles as Eddie opens his side door to climb out. He switches the engine off and jumps out before he can see the glare Eddie shoots in his direction.
He still feels it anyway.
âI can get my own bag,â Eddie says, his tone flat. He feels too tired to argue but thereâs an energy vibrating under his skin that he hasnât been able to shake since they pulled up to the scene and he found himself staring down the barrel of someone elseâs gun. Itâs making him irritable and jumpy and all he wants to do is climb into bed and forget.
Buck doesnât even grace him with a response, pulling both of their bags out of the back seat and slinging them over his shoulders, glancing once at Eddie before marching towards the front door.
âNothing even happened to me, Buck,â Eddie calls after him, following on his heels. âIâm fine.â
Buck still doesnât say anything as he pulls out his ring of keys and unlocks the front door. He slips off his shoes in the entryway and drops both of their bags by the couch. Eddie follows him into the kitchen.
âBuck - Buck, come on man you donât have to take care of me Iâm-â
âStop telling me that youâre fine,â Buck growls suddenly, spinning around to face Eddie. âI am sick and tired of hearing it. You got shot, Eddie, okay? Five months ago you got shot and you started having panic attacks and you hid it from me.â
Eddie blinks at Buck for a second, shocked, before his brain kicks back on. Being around Buck is one of the easiest things for Eddie to do, but the moment Buck starts to care too much, when he starts to push - either with wide eyes full of nothing but love and care that make him want to crawl into himself and never come back out - or like this, with venom and anger that coat the underlying fear and worry, it becomes hard.
He defaults to anger. He wishes it wasnât so easy but itâs the one thing heâs been prepared to do his whole life; fight.
âI wasnât hiding it from you. I was managing it on my own.â
âYouâre my partner.â
âYeah, and it wasnât about work,â Eddie stresses, feeling antsy. He turns away from Buck and takes a couple of steps around the corner. He needs to put some space between them. âIt was personal, okay? And I dealt with it.â
âRight,â Buck said, voice dripping with the kind of bitterness that Eddie can feel creeping onto his own tongue. âBecause you donât panic anymore, right?â
Eddieâs eyes flick down. The familiar sensation of bile laced with the accusation of liar rises in his throat and he struggles to swallow it down. He still panics; he just didnât think anyone noticed.
âI can handle it on my own,â Eddie says quietly.
âWhen are you going to realize that you donât have to?â Buck pleads, leaning against the counter opposite Eddie. âWhen are you going to let me help you?â
âI donât need help,â Eddie says, retreating back and looking anywhere but at Buck. God, he was just trapped at gunpoint for nearly two hours can he catch a fucking break? He feels like he canât breathe.
âEddie.â
âIâm fine.â
âEddie, you got shot.â Buck is begging him to talk about it, screaming practically. And heâs been screaming for weeks, months, doing all but dropping to his knees in front of Eddie and begging him to open up and talk to him about it and Eddie gets it but ultimately. Ultimately.
Eddie wishes Buck would shut up.
You got shot, remember?
He wishes he could make him shut up. He wishes he could make Buck leave his apartment and get back into his jeep and drive to his own place and never fucking talk about any of this again. Because of course he remembers getting shot. He remembers all of it.
He remembers standing out in the middle of the street thinking about hopping into the ambulance with Charlie right before a bullet ripped through his one good shoulder. Thatâs four times now. He remembers hitting the hard cement and feeling the blood pool under his body, remembers the familiar sickly feeling that comes with the realization that youâre losing too much blood, before you start to lose your grip on the world around you. He remembers staring across the pavement at Buck and thinking it would be okay, because Buck was okay.
He remembers waking up in the hospital, drugged up and confused and searching for blue eyes and a blood-splattered face. He remembers waking up to Ana smiling down at him with watery eyes and he remembers the way she barely concealed her disappointment when he immediately asked for Buck - but he was passed caring at that point. He remembers the day he had to wait, slipping in and out of consciousness, Ana making occasional small talk, until he was finally cleared for more visitors, and Buck came rushing into the room like a vision of something holy, his face clean, his smile bright.
He remembers the moment Buck said he wished he had gotten shot instead and when Eddie slipped back into another drug-induced sleep the only words on his mind were no, not you. Never you.
He remembers sitting on the edge of the hospital bed with Buck, the distance between them too much and not enough at the same time. He remembers struggling to find the right words, fumbling to find his footing, feeling stripped bare as he told Buck that he loved him. But the words came out you act like youâre expendable, but youâre wrong instead.
He remembers never feeling so cracked open and vulnerable in his entire life and it was terrifying. So he did what he does best and he retreated into the shadows and licked his wounds in private and put himself back together as best he could so that the next time someone saw him they didnât look at him as if he were about to break.
And maybe it was a shit job and he still felt like he was barely held together by string most days but he was doing fine. He was back at work and Christopher was still happy even without Ana around and he was making it work.
So he didnât give a damn if Buck thought he wasnât doing enough. He didnât want to relive the shooting again, he had moved on. He was fine.
He was fine.
Or at least, he was fine up until 7 hours ago when they got a call to an office building that turned into a goddamn hostage situation and Eddie spent the better part of an hour with a gun to his head.
He was fine.
He was fine.
âEddie, Eddie,â Buckâs voice is loud and sudden in his ear and Eddie startles, staring up at him. He blinks a couple of times before he realizes that heâs on the floor and that Buckâs kneeling over him.
âIâm sorry, Iâm sorry,â Buckâs saying over and over again. âI shouldnât have pushed you, fuck, Iâm sorry.â
Fuck. Another panic attack.
Maybe he canât pretend that heâs fine anymore.
âBuck,â Eddie says. Buckâs eyes fly to his and Eddie feels the bile rise again when he realizes Buck is crying.
This isnât the first time tonight that Buck has cried. Over him.
âIâm so sorry, Eds,â Buck says again, his voice worn, and Eddie remembers him screaming. For him. âI just almost lost you again and Iâm so fucking sick of it. I canât keep doing this.â
âIâm sorry,â Eddie says because he doesnât know what else to say.
Buck stares at him for a second, eyes wild, before he squeezes them shut and stretches his legs out in front of him, settling down on the floor across from Eddie.
Itâs dark in Eddieâs apartment, the only light spilling in from the entryway, cloaking the two of them in warm dim light.
Eddie always found it easier being honest in the dark.
âIâm scared too,â He admits quietly. Buckâs eyes look too blue in the dark.
âI know. Iâm sorry Iâve been so pushy. I justâŚI never wanted to make what happened about meâŚbut I can see you struggling and itâs like - the only thing I know how to do is push. I can see it eating away at you.â
âI want to forget it ever happened,â Eddie says quickly, honestly.
Buck licks his lips. Nervous. âI get that. ButâŚignoring it doesnât mean it never happened, you know?â
âIt justâŚfeels easier.â
âItâs killing you, Eddie.â
I was never meant to live this long anyway, is on the tip of Eddieâs tongue - but thatâs too dark. Too much. Too honest. He shoves it back down.
One day somethingâs going to take him. Maybe itâll be a bullet, maybe it wonât. Maybe itâll be the crushing guilt heâs carried ever since he was a kid, too young to learn what that kind of guilt felt like.
âAt least Chris will be taken care of if it does,â He says before he can stop himself, before he can remind himself that thatâs something he shouldnât say out loud. The pained look on Buckâs face feels like a slap in the face.
âWhat about you?â Buck grinds out, voice still hoarse. âWho the fuck is gonna take care of you - now?â
Eddie shrugs, âI can take care of myself.â
âBullshit,â Buck snaps. âFull offense but Iâve seen the way you care for yourself.â
âItâs what I do, Buck,â Eddie says, leaning his head back against the cabinets and squeezing his eyes shut. âItâs - I can handle myself. I canâtâŚdo this to anyone else. It was too much for Shannon - hell, even as a kid I was too much for my parents. I canât.â
âLet me take care of you,â Buck says quickly and earnestly and the words shoot straight through Eddieâs heart. He couldnât.
âNo,â Eddie starts, sitting up straighter.
âEddie, I canât lose you,â Buck says with enough conviction to shut Eddie up for a second.
Because some part of Eddie has always been aware of the lengths to which Buck would crawl through fire and rain for him - because thatâs who Buck is. Buck is the guy who puts everyone else before him, who will always put his life on the line first. Not because he wants to be the hero - but because he never thinks his own life is important enough to stop and consider the consequences.
Or at least, thatâs what Eddie thought. But Eddieâs seen him hesitate more lately. Heâs seen him pull back, actually listen to Bobby. And Eddie thought it was the will that was holding him back. And that was almost enough to soothe the constant ache in his chest.
But then Eddie got taken hostage. And it was like they were on that street again. And Eddie watched the fear strike Buck like a bolt of lightning, lighting him up from head to toe, nervous electricity in his veins. He saw the raw determination in his eyes, the devotion and instinct at war with responsibility and promise.
For a second, among the buzz at the base of his skull and the shrill ambiance of police cars, swat, and the ambulance, it hit Eddie. It wasnât Buck being Buck. It was Eddie. It was Eddie that turned off every switch in Buckâs brain but his inherent instincts. It was Eddie in danger that broke him.
Eddie had never seen it before. And heâs been trying his damned best to shove it in the box labeled DO NOT TOUCH along with all of the other shit heâs been ignoring for the last five months.
It seems like itâs all coming out tonight.
Buck continues, âI donât. I donât want to do this without you. I canât. Five months ago you sat with me in the hospital and - everyone always tells me that Iâm reckless, you know? Or that Iâm dumb or that I donât think or that I want to be some hero. But youâŚyou didnât say any of that. And - and you made me feel like I was important. Like my lifeâŚwas important. Is important. And I needed that, Eddie. So bad.
âLet me do the same thing for you,â Buckâs on the edge of begging again. âWhat do I have to do for you to realize that youâre important? That I need you? Because I do. God, Eddie, I need youâŚâ
Eddie stares at him, wide-eyed and frozen in place. Heâs never been loved like this before, has he?
Because thatâs what this is. Thereâs no denying it anymore. Thatâs what Buck and Eddie do. They love each other. With some sort of deep-running unbreakable devotion that wraps around them constantly and pulls them closer and closer together.
Thatâs what Eddieâs been fighting all these months. The closeness.
Because it was easy before - to keep getting closer to Buck because it was safe, it meant they cared about each other, it meant that Buck would do his best to get Eddie home to his son and if all else failed Chris would have someone who loved him, who would look after him. That was good. That was safe.
But when the shooting happened and I have your back turned into I canât live without you and Eddie realized that what he thought was a contingency plan that he had been slowly and methodically setting up was actually a living breathing family that theyâd built - and all of a sudden the only way he ever wanted to live his life was with Buck and Christopher safely by his side - it wasnât safe anymore. It was dangerous.
Eddie had been fighting so hard to keep Buck at arm's length so he could protect this system that he had come to rely on. Because now when he looked at Buck all he could see was the love and devotion reflecting back at Eddie. And that was terrifying.
Because Eddie had opened himself up to being loved before. And that ended in years of separation, divorce, and ultimately Shannonâs death. Maybe Eddie didnât believe in signs - or maybe he just wanted to keep pretending the signs werenât there. Because he was fairly certain that if the universe did send signs then Shannonâs death was the ultimate sign of them all, a symbol of what Eddie did to people.
He didnât want to let Buck love him because he didnât want to risk losing Buck.
But he is risking losing Buck the more he pushes him awayâŚheâs risking breaking Buck. And ultimately heâs risking breaking himself. Because he canât do this without Buck either.
âI need you too,â Eddie says, his voice barely a whisper. âIâm sorry. I didnât mean to - Iâm sorry. Iâm just - Iâm scared, Buck. Iâm so scared.â
Heâs crying. Itâs like a dam broke loose with the quiet admittance and now itâs all coming out. Heâs scared. Heâs frightened. Heâs terrified. Heâs in love.
Buckâs crowding into his space, shoving himself up onto his knees between Eddieâs legs and crushing their bodies together, his long arms wrapping around Eddie and pulling him into his chest, tucking his head under Buckâs chin until he feels safe, protected, in Buckâs arms.
âIâve got you,â Buck whispers into Eddieâs hair. Just a couple of hours ago they were in this same position, on the grass outside the office building, just after Eddie was released and SWAT rolled in. Eddie thinks that the safest place on earth might be right here in Buckâs arms.
âI canât lose you either,â Eddie croaks, hands clawing at Buckâs back. âI canât.â
âYou wonât,â Buck says with the stubborn confidence thatâs inherent to Buck. And Eddie believes him, he does. âWhatever you need, Iâve got you, okay?â
âI need you.â
âYouâve got me. You always have, Eddie,â Buck whispers, pressing a kiss to the top of Eddieâs head.
I love you is what he wants to say. He wants to say it every day; when Buck walks into the locker room and greets Eddie with a private smile like itâs not 6 am and heâd rather be anywhere else, when he bumps Eddieâs shoulder as they walk to the truck, when he pulls his helmet off after a tough call and holds eye contact with Eddie just long enough to communicate are you good?
Maybe he canât say it just yet.
Maybe this isnât the right time or place.
But he thinks Buck knows. And he thinks - no he knows, Buck feels the same.
Maybe one day theyâll get there.
But tonight itâs enough to just hold each other, to feel the solid, warm reminder that theyâre alive.
Itâs enough, for now, to just be together.
#all i do now is write speculation#911 spoilers#my fic#if this is all over the place it's bc i was all over the place while trying to write it all day yesterday#if it's riddled with errors no it's not <3#my other wip that i was almost done with before this consumed me: am i a joke to you?#google doc titled: oh boy
163 notes
¡
View notes
Text
Death of Heroes
Because not even Neil can outrun the ephemerality of men.
Renee is the first one to go.Â
Nearing sixty but never reaching it, she is outlived by Abby and Wymack. At least Stephanie Walker is waiting for her at the gates of Heaven, but for the rest of her Foxes, the loss is heavy.
Itâs cancer. Leukemia.
It started with the bruises from her sparring matches with Andrew not healing very well. Then not at all. After decades of maintaining these monthly meetings, of keeping her body healthy, Renee finally has to give it up. She knows something is wrong, and she knows that these sessions wonât be of any help, now.
Then the extreme fatigue starts. Still, Renee doesnât do a thing about it. Or at least, she lets life go its own course. She looses weight, which she already doesnât have much of. But then the nosebleeds begin, and itâs no use telling Allison to stop worrying. The diagnosis is unsurprising, yet still shattering. And itâs not a good prognosis either, but itâs still not bad enough for the doctor to give up the Five-Year survival plan.
Renee has to speak up. Ally, I donât want to do this. She has to put her foot down. Allison, my love, itâll be okay. I wonât get better, you and I both know that. But it can be okay. It can still be good.
Renee doesnât get treatment. Renee doesnât tell anybody, except Andrew. Because Andrew knows, somehow, that she made a terrible, irreversible choice. Because Andrew only deals in truths. Because Andrew is Andrew, and just as he needed her all those years ago, she needs him now.
A little more than six months pass, with less and less outings from Renee and more and more excuses from Allison, and Renee gets sick. Really sick. It starts like a regular cold. Then it looks more like the flu. And suddenly itâs pneumonia, and respiratory difficulties, and lung failure. Sheâs in that hospital bed, wearing that gown, breathing in that mask. Renee finally nods to Allison, giving her consent.
Ally makes the call.
Only Andrew and Dan make it in time.
Renee Walker goes out like a light.
The Foxes, who had once upon a time been used to murders, life-threatening schemes and acts of extreme violence, had never really known Death itself. The simple, yet inevitable fate of human lives. Of going quietly into the night. Itâs all so quiet. So anticlimactic. Itâs so quiet, too quiet, too heavy with silence. This time, there is no one to blame, no one to punish, no one to take responsibility.
Itâs just life. Itâs just death.
Wymack and Abby canât believe that one of their Foxes, on of their kids, left before them. Reneeâs Korean roots made her look barely a day over forty, which made it all so much worse. Reneeâs death takes a toll on every single one of them. Because itâs Renee, the best of them. Because all her papers are in orders, her will to date, her wishes known; just as when she was alive, she leaves no chaos behind her.
There is nothing and no one to be mad at, except life.
In the cemetery where Stephanie Walker is buried, Andrew buys a large lot of land. (Large enough to one day welcome all the Foxes) The tomb is moved over there, and Reneeâs name is added. A tree is planted above her scattered ashes. Itâs very small, very fragile, but with the years, it grows strong.
For the first time, the Foxes realize that, despite going through Hell and back in their youth, they are not immortal. There is nothing to be done about that, but it hurts. It hurts to lose their angel this way, so soon, so suddenly. It hurts to lose, period. It feels like a failure, like giving up. They lost her. They lost.
But somehow, they gained something else they might never know about. Renee might have been the only religious one among them, but that didnât stop her from becoming their Guardian Angel. Because somehow, from then on, the Foxes were spared.
Let me show you.
Just as Bee had a few years before Renee, Abby, then Wymack, simply die in their sleep, no fight, no agony. None of them have to see another Fox go before them. They donât have to go through that indescribable ordeal ever again. They are spared the pain.
Then decades pass, enough for the remaining Foxes to grow very old, and live very long. Not infinitely, but long enough.
Matt is the next one to go.
Matt has worked hard all his life, both mentally and physically. It comes to no surprise, then, that arthritis chose to invade his body. For the first few years living with the diagnosis, natural medicine and osteopathy are enough to keep the pain at bay. It doesnât stop Matt from doing anything. He babysits his 9 grandchildren with Dan every week; he goes on roadtrips with Dan every summer; he goes on a light jog with Dan every day.
Itâs just that one day, itâs not enough anymore. Slowly, almost imperceptibly, the pain becomes too much for Matt to do his day-to-day activities. And really, the pain, he could take; it was an old friend, a familiar feeling, almost like a sixth sense.
It was the mental toll of it all that he couldnât take. To have to say no to seeing his grandchildren. No to driving around endlessly and aimlessly for hours. No to waking up in sync with Dan every morning, and no to their routine, and no, and no, and just- not living.
For the first time in a long time, Matt doesnât want to do this anymore.
But he does, still. He smiles, and he lies, and he tries to will away the pain.
It all comes down to one afternoon, when he takes his painful walk of the day around the neighborhood. There are three little kids playing Exy in their driveway, when suddenly a ball escapes their racquets and rolls down in the street. The smallest kid runs after it, runs and runs and runs, without looking. Kind of like Neil, Matt thinks to himself before his body acts of his own. The kid doesnât see the car, and the car doesnât see the kid. Matt sees both.
The BMW is going way over the limit, its sleek black sides reflecting the sun too brightly. Despite his pain, despite his age, despite his now slow reflexes, Matt leaps. He screams at the kid to stop and turn around, to let the ball roll away, but to no avail.Â
Matt pushes the kid away in time for the car to hit him instead, and only him.
The rest becomes a blur, but the final verdict is as such: broken hip, shattered leg, probably wonât walk ever again, even with surgery. The doctors and surgeons warn Matt that with his age, his pre-existing condition, and his drug history, surgery might kill him. But Matt refuses to be bedridden for the rest of his already miserable life. Dan knows that. She knows that he has to try. Knows that he might not pull through. She also knows that Matt wants to go, has wanted to for a while now.Â
She calls Neil. She calls Allison. From there, all the Foxes are bound to get the news. Matt promises to wait until their arrival before going into surgery. In the meantime, the nurses start a morphine line, after warning the couple very strongly about the side effects and the risks. But Matt is in pain, terrible pain, and itâs a compromise to wait for his Foxes. It takes about a week for all of them to come to his bedside, with Nicky being last, coming all the way from Germany. Neil and Allison barely leave his room; Dan doesnât at all. The others take turns, leaving as much space for Mattâs kids and grandkids as their hearts can allow.
The open spot for Mattâs surgery is on a Friday.
Matt Boyd does not make it to Friday.Â
The morphine is too heavy on his heart. It was a possible outcome, not as alarming as the upcoming surgery, but... Matt had secretely wished to go ever since and- maybe, up there in Heaven, someone heard him...Â
Dan and Matt had had a mutual understanding, that it was okay, but it doesnât make it any more easy to let go.Â
Two months into Mattâs departure, Allison moves in with Dan. She walks her through every stage of grief. She grieves all over again herself, too. But they make it.
Same goes for Andrew with Neil. Neil doesnât know loss like this. Death like this.
And yet. And yet. Deep, deep down, Neil is scared. That after all his years of running, and fighting, and lying, he wonât get that peaceful ending Matt was granted.
But Neil lives.
And Nicky leaves.
A few months after Matt, he and Erik simply stay in the States. They say itâs because they want to be close, because they donât want to miss anything, because they donât want to risk a Fox leaving without a chance at saying goodbye. Because Nicky misses his Aaron and his Andrew.
Which are all valid and true motives. Itâs just not the whole truth.
Nicky has dementia. Alzheimerâs, to be precise. Diagnosed about a year ago. Itâs not bad yet, but- Itâs the endless back-and-forth between the house and âder Supermarktâ because Nicky forgot what he drove there for in the first place. Itâs forgetting words in all the languages Nicky speaks. Itâs freaking out at all the Germans speaking German, because Nicky sometimes believe he is still living in America. Itâs not finding the Columbia house and panicking when Nicky canât get a hold of Andrew or Aaron.
Itâs hard, itâs heartbreaking, itâs terrifying, but itâs manageable.
Once Nicky and Erik settle back down in North Carolina, they both wonder how long itâll take before the twins figure it out, because there is no way Nicky is telling them, but he also knows nothing can get past his twins.
And heâs right. Between Aaronâs acute knowledge of Medicine and Andrewâs reknown lie-detector skills, it takes about 14 days for them to take Nicky hostage and demand the truth.Â
As the year comes to an end, Nickyâs dementia doesnât seem to progress that much. He seems to escape the worst. He doesnât forget anyone. He doesnât become aggressive, doesnât go missing, doesnât lose any function of his body. Without looking too closely, Nicky is simply getting old.Â
The twin girls he and Erik adopted get to move back in for a little while, having lived in the U.S. all their lives and seeing their parents fly to Germany after their retirement. They know, too, and try to make the most of it. They are lucky. They are so lucky. Nicky is a miracle patient.
In the end, though, itâs Nickyâs body rather than his mind that gives out. Once you reach a certain point in time living with the disease, but without the general complications of it, eventually the brain has trouble managing all the organs of the body. So instead of forgetting to eat, or forgetting names and faces, sometimes your brain doesnât remember how to make your heart beat. Or how to make make your lungs breathe.
Nicky Hemmick stops breathing in the middle of the night, after having wished his twin daughters goodnight, texted his other set of twins goodnight, and kissed his husband goodnight. Nicky had thought, then, that it was indeed, a good night.
Just as he had remembered his Foxes until the end, he was remembered by them as the big-hearted lover that Heaven had just gained as its new angel.
Too soon after him, though, itâs Allisonâs turn.Â
Itâs not that sheâd simply been waiting around for the day she could be reunited with Renee. She just didnât understand why her Foxes kept leaving, and why she was still stuck here without her other half.Â
She didnât just wait, though. She helps Dan out with the grandkids, and sometimes the grown-up kids too. She volunteers a lot. She gives back to the Columbia community, and all around the world. She travels to places sheâs never been, places that remind her of Renee, but are void of painful memories. She empties their bucket list, and much more. The last thing Allison has yet to do, the only thing left to do, is mending her relationship with her parents. Or parent. Singular. In spite of everything, including the death of her husband, Francesca Reynolds was still standing strong at the head of the Reynolds empire. 100 years old was nothing when you lived in spite.Â
In a twisted way, Allison believed that maybe her mother was the last piece she needed to mend before she was allowed to go. That despite being gone for years, Renee was still there somewhere, looking out for her and making sure she didnât have any regrets.Â
So Allison accomplished the unthinkable, the unimaginable, the impossible. For the first time in decades, she flew back to the Reynolds estate and spoke to her mother. In person.Â
It was not the emotional reunion Renee might have hoped for, but it was a reunion still. That was more than enough for Allison. They didnât talk about the big things. The important things. But they talked. They talked. And they scheduled another talk.Â
Back home with Dan, Allison embraced her friend and let the tears fall. She was grateful for her friend, but both of them knew that these were not the arms Allison wished to be held in. She went to rest a bit before dinner, and she tried to imagine how it would feel like to have Renee hold her again.
For someone as loud, as present and as strong as she was, Allison Walker slipped quietly from time.Â
When Dan found her, she could only smile tearfully. She played with her hair one last time as she called her Foxes.
Allison left Dan in charge of her finances, and so she took over her charity duties and went above and beyond to honor her friendâs memory. Her sister.
Dan thought she would be next. She wished, she hoped, she prayed to be next.
She wasnât.
Kevin was.
He might have been the biggest and hardest loss to weather. It wasnât a feeling that could be explained. As painful as it had been to lose Renee, and Matt, and Nicky, and Allison, losing Kevin was... the great and terrible 10, as theyâd say.
Kevin should have died way sooner. His liver should have given out because of all the alcohol it had endured in Kevinâs youth. His heart should have given out because of all the stress it had faced for most of Kevinâs life. All the bad things that could happen with old age should have happened to Kevin, but they didnât. They didnât.Â
Death came knocking one day, and politely asked him if he would please follow them, and Kevin simply took it as a sign that his time was up.
That day, Kevin had felt a numbing pain in his chest all morning long. Used to little injuries here and there, he hadnât thought anything of it. And he certainly wasnât about to worry his doctor of a husband...Â
However, as the sun reached itâs highest in the sky, Kevin couldnât really hide his pain any longer. He had lain down on their couch for a bit, but he couldnât seem to get back up. It was too exhausting. So he called for Aaron, as loud as he could in the state he was.Â
As Aaron stumbled into the living room, Kevin tried to use his softest voice to inform his husband of the situation. Aaron immediately called an ambulance, and when the vehicle took them both away, he reached for his phone again to make, once again, a terrible call to their Foxes. But through his oxygen mask, Kevin reached out to grap his wrist and whispered, with difficulty, just Neil... just Andrew...
Because hereâs the thing: Kevin loved his Foxes, and his Foxes loved him back. Immensely.Â
He loved them so much he had married one, with another one of them as best man (Neil), another as his husbandâs (Andrew), and yet another one as their celebrant (Renee).Â
They loved him so much that it was only short of worship by a hair or two. And Kevin knew that. He loved Dan like a sister. And by extension, he loved Erik like a brother, too. And he loved all the Foxesâ children and grandchildren like his own, despite never being a parent himself.Â
But Neil and Andrew... There were no words for what they were to him. He knew that he wouldnât have to talk them through it. He knew they would be the only ones strong enough and close enough to hold Aaron up in case it all turned to shit the moment he passed the hospital doors.Â
And being the History nerd he had always been, Kevin had written letters, a long time ago. To his Foxes. Most of them had left before him, and so he could never give them their letters, but Dan, and Erik for Nicky, could still have those letters. Kevin poured everything into these letters. It had taken him years, ever since Reneeâs departure. He wrote, and threw away, and started again, until he got it right. Nine letters, for his nine Foxes. Andrew knew about it. Heâd give Nickyâs and the upperclassmenâs to Dan and Erik, and theyâd understand. Kevin didnât want them to be there, at the very end of it all. He just wanted Aaron. And Neil. And Andrew.
Those three had letters waiting for them, too. Andrew would hand them over a month later. But he would never open his.
Andrew and Neil arrived just before 1 PM. Kevin was hooked on all sorts of IVs and still had the oxygen mask on. His heart monitor was beeping very, very slowly, erratically. He was still Kevin Day in all his gloriousness, but he was much more Kevin, their beloved Kevin.
On one side of the hospital bed, Aaron never let go of Kevinâs hand. On the other side, Kevin removed the mask and weakly motioned for Neil to take the other hand. But Neil was stunned. Frozen. So Andrew came up behind him, and held Kevinâs hand.Â
It would be the first, and the last time.
Just as Neil finally sprung into action and went to put a hand on Kevinâs shoulder, feeling his wiry muscles and his fragile bones underneath the hospital gown, Kevin closed his eyes.Â
The heart monitor began flatlining.
Neil looked at the monitor, then to Kevin. He looked at Andrew, then back at Kevin, and then at Aaron. His eyes couldnât stay focused on one thing. He was still hoping. He was still refusing.
Aaron lowered his head. Kissed Kevinâs hand.
Andrew held on tighter to Kevinâs other hand. Gripped the back of Neilâs neck.
Kevin took Deathâs hand, which felt a lot like Aaronâs, and Andrewâs, and Reneeâs, and walked away.
Aaron unplugged the monitor. And called it.
Time of death: 13:01.
It took exaclty one month, day for day, for Aaron to leave as well. They called it the Broken Heart Syndrome. On the surface, Aaron had held it together. But Andrew knew. He saw. That he was losing him as well.Â
Some could say that, by handing over Kevinâs letter, Andrew killed his brother. But those who would say that didnât even begin to understand the complexity of the bond between twin brothers. Especially not the Minyards.Â
Because what Andrew really did, with that letter, was gifting Aaron with relief.
Peace. Quiet.Â
Love.Â
Aaron could exhale, now. He would see Kevin soon, now.
And so in the same room, in the same bed as his husbandâs, Aaron Minyard forced Deathâs hand and demanded to see Kevin again.
And then there were three.
Dan lived for so long that she started to fear outliving her children. She felt old, so old. In her head and in her heart. She did not believe in a God, but she often found herself praying to someone, anyone. She did not believe in angels and demons, but she often wondered how long they would keep her from Death.
So she waited. For the days to go and the nights to pass. She barely ate anymore. She barely moved. She was only feeling okay when she slept outside, in her chair in the backyard, the sun shinning on her beautiful face. She could sleep for hours there, surrounded by her lively garden. The wind swayed her skirts, the trees whispered in her ears. It was okay.
And at the same time, it wasnât.Â
She was tired. She was lonely. Even Erik, a couple of years ago, had gone to rejoin his husband. Neil visited her at least once a week, but he still had Andrew. He couldnât understand, nor could he stay away from him for too long. He would miss him too much.
Every year she celebrated another birthday, and every year she blew her candles wishing they were her last.
And at last, her wish came true.
Dan was expecting one of her kids to come by in the afternoon. The Carolina sun was shinning quite hard on her, so she had placed her chair in way that let the sunlight hit the back of her head, turned away completely from her house. Her daughter knew exactly where to find her when she arrived, and so she didnât wait for a response to her presence before making her way down into the garden. She had called her mother multiple times, and had assumed she was sleeping when she hadnât answered.
Dan was not sleeping.
Dan Wilds had left this world, the sunlight pouring down on her like the radiant goddess that she was.
Being one of the last Foxes, it took a day before Neil and Andrew got the news of her death. They donât get involved in the funeral preparations, but they show up. And thatâs enough.Â
People donât really bother them anymore, so they can bid farewell to their Captain in relative peace. They come by Danâs house aftwerwards, too, and help her kids out with everything. Yes, even Andrew.Â
Danâs death makes them reflect the most.
About the Foxes. About each of their departures. How they all lived a good and long life. How they all died a good and quiet death.Â
They think about how they were always the ones nearing death, always fighting to stay alive. About how they died a million deaths before the age of 18.
They think about how they are the last ones standing, even after everything.Â
They survived. They lived.Â
(They loved)
Neil and Andrew should not have gotten this far. They should not have lived this long. They shouldnât have. But somehow, somewhere above, someone has watched over them and made sure that they didnât get the ending they shouldâve had, but the ending they deserved.
Neil and Andrew donât really want to die. They donât really want to live on either. But they take every day that they are given, to be with each other, to mend their hearts still, to breathe.Â
They take every breath they can.
They wonder who will leave first. Who will have to say goodbye and stay behind, who will have to wait.Â
Itâs a fear neither of them had ever thought theyâd have. Not like that.
And itâs only a matter of time before they get their answer. They are, after all, getting very old. It is both a blessing and a curse.
After decades of partnership, Neil and Andrew still go to bed the same way they did when they were eighteen. Both facing each other, their hands joined in the middle, their nose a breath apart.
After decades of peace, Neil and Andrew still wake from sleep at the slightest abnormality.
Which is why the minute Neil Josten gives out his last breath, Andrew awakes.
Neilâs hand in his is still warm and his skin is still soft. His hair, although completely white for quite some years now, still have that bronze glow to them. Theyâre still curly, and soft to the touch. Andrew passes a hand through them before resting it on the back of Neilâs neck.Â
He looks at Neil like itâs the first time, tries to memorize every detail of his beautiful face. He rubs circle in his skin, and takes in everything that was, that is Neil. His husband. His junkie. His rabbit. His pipedream. His lover. His love.
Andrew doesnât move from their bed.Â
When he has finally spoken everything that he feels to Neil, from the safety of his mind, Andrew moves closer to him so their foreheads touch and noses align. He takes Neilâs lifeless hand again, and kisses it. He sets their hands back down, between the two of them, and looks at Neil one last time.
And slowly, Andrew Minyard closes his eyes, forever.
#all for the game#andrew minyard#neil josten#aaron minyard#kevin day#renee walker#allison reynolds#dan wilds#matt boyd#nicky hemmick#erik klose#aftg#aftg fic#tfc#trk#tkm#the foxhole court#the raven king#the king's men#andreil#kevaaron#renison#danmatt#dan x matt#nicky x erik#death of heroes#major character death#david wymack#betsy dobson#abby winfield
534 notes
¡
View notes
Text
Silent bloom
Pairings: Finn Collins/ Reader Bellamy Blake/reader
Warnings: swearing, and character death
Chapter: 2.03
"They want you. If we want a truce, we have to give them Finn."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Raven asked, stepping forward.
Clarke avoided making eye contact with any of you, "Thatâs their offer."
"Thatâs not an offer," you snapped. "Thatâs a death sentence."
"Itâs punishment," Finn squeezed your shoulder lightly as he brushed past you. "For what happened at the village. Blood for blood."
â
Murphy walked towards where Finn was standing with a complex look on his face. "Hey, man. Byrne actually gave me a gun. I guess we really are screwed, huh? Look, we kicked their asses last time. Weâll do it again."
Finn looked at him blankly and said, "A lot of people died last time."
You chewed on your bottom lip as Bellamy and Finn continued talking, completely zoning out. Would the grounders really take Finn as a trade? The thought made your stomach turn. Your biggest fear right now was that someone would betray Finn and turn him over.
Hearing Clarkeâs voice, you looked up again, to see Finn and Bellamy walking in another direction.
"Hey," Murphy said, stepping forward. "Any orders for me, princess?"
The blonde glared at him, "stay away from me."
You were surprised at the look of hurt on his face. "Just trying to be helpful."
It was obviously by the venom in Clarkeâs voice that she blamed Murphy for what happened in the village. "You were with him at the village."
"I tried to stop him."
"Not hard enough!"
"You know, you want to start blaming people, Clarke?" Murphy stepped closer to her. "He wasnât out there looking for me, was he? Itâs not my fault he went batshit crazy."
He was out there looking for you.
You stepped in between them, stopping this before it went any further. "Enough! Both of you. Clarke, go do whatever it is you need to do. Yelling, and arguing isnât helping anyone."
You watched Clarke walk away before turning to face Murphy, who looked slightly guilty. "What?"
"IâŚI didnât mean it was your fault."
You shrugged, pretending his words didnât strike a nerve. "Whatever, we have more important things to think about. Like how the hell we are going to save Finn."
"Heâs a dead man walking," Murphy raised his hands defensively when you raised your brows at him. "What? Iâm only pointing out the obvious."
You looked back towards the fence, and slowly walked towards it as the chanting got louder. You felt a lump at the back of your throat, as tears threatened to spill from your eyes.
Murphy stood beside you, "jus drein jus daun, Jus drein jus daun."
"Blood must have blood."
You looked back around to face Abby, and Jaha who were talking to some guards. "You donât trust them, do you?"
"Do you?"
Murphy scoffed at your comment. Of course he didnât. Nobody who has been screwed over by them should.
"Well, angel eyes, if we leave it to them, we are definitely screwed."
"Yeah," you agreed. Besides Abby, none of them would care what happened to Finn. "Weâre going to need a miracle to happen."
â
"Whatâs the plan?" You asked, stopping beside Finn.
"The dropship."
Clarke shook her head. "You know that this is the safest place for him right now.â
"It isn't if they're turning on him," Bellmay pointed out. "We can protect him at the dropship until we figure this thing out. Grab your gear and meet at Raven's gate in five minutes. Sheâs already working on cutting the power to the fence."
Bellmay was right. Going to the dropship would probably be the safest place for him right now. It would also give you time to try and figure something else out.
"Okay," Finn nodded. "But nobody's coming with me."
You frowned, "of course we are. This isnât up for discussion."
Clarke pressed her lips together. She still didnât seem convinced that it was a good idea. "We are surrounded by Grounders."
"It will be easier if we split up." Noticing others starting to shout at a Finn you gripped his arm as Bellamy knocked the boy called Gruff out. "We need to go, now."
â
You nervously gripped the gun tightly, praying you didnât make too much noise as you walked through the forest.
"I know Iâve said it before, but-"
"Shh," you stared at Finn wide-eyed.
He has been mostly silent since you caught up with him, and now wasnât the time to start talking. You knew by the look on his face that he wasnât going to let whatever was on his mind go.
"I was scared... when you disappeared. I thought Iâd never get the chance to say Iâm sorry, and I needed you to know that I love you."
"Finn," you stopped walking and turned to face him. "We have talked about this. None of it matters now, all that matters is getting you through this. We find a way to save you, and then we rescue Monty and Jasper, along with everybody else who the mountain men took." You let out a small laugh, "Who would have thought it would be grounders that saved me from them? "Ironic, huh."
"What were they like, the grounders who took you?" He whispered.
"EhâŚgood as far as kidnappers go. They gave me clean clothes, food, and water." You let out a sigh, "I was afraid they were going to torture me like they did Murphy."
âYou have a soft spot for him."
"No I donât."
For the first time in a long time, you saw Finn smile, "Oh my God, you have a crush on him."
Him teasing you reminded you what life was like back on the ark before everything went to shit. It made you almost forget when you were in the forest in the first place.
You shoved Finnâs arm playfully, "shut up. I just feel bad for him."
"You do like Bellamy though."
You shot Finn a look, "letâs not."
"Heâs a good guy, heâd keep you safe. Iâm sure of it."
"And whoâs going to keep you safe from me? Because once this is all over, I have no issue raising hell if you donât stop teasing me, Collins."
"What do we do after the dropship? Where do we go? You think the Grounders will just leave when they find out I'm gone? Is this the best way to help our friends inside Mount Weather? "
You gave him a sympathetic smile, "will figure this out."
The last thing you remember seeing is the horrified look on Finnâs face as a loud yelling came from behind you.
â
You let out a loud groan as you sat up. Looking around, you were confused. The last thing you remember was walking in the forest.
"Y/N," Clarke knelt down beside you. "Take it easy when you sit up. You got knocked out."
Of course you did.
"Howâs your head?" Finn asked as he helped you stand up.
"Never been better."
"It will be another neat scar to add to your collection," Murphy shrugged.
You ignored his comment as Finn spoke to you in a hushed voice. "When you went down... I thought you were dead. Because of me."
"Finn," you say softly. "Iâm right here."
"Iâve killed so many people."
You shook your head, "things that we've done to survive... they don't define us."
"What if you're wrong? What if this is who we are now?"
Not knowing what to say to comfort Finn, you pulled him in for a hug at the same time that Bellamy rushed into the drop shop. "We got company!"
"Oh fuck. Weâre surrounded."
As everyone made their way to the outside of the ship, Bellmay stopped to face you. "Iâm glad you're okay. You had me worried for a moment."
"Thanks. But honestly, Iâm still worried."
â
"Theyâre not moving any closer."
"Staying out of range. Probably waiting until it's dark."
Murphy looked up at him, "If we hit them now, at least we'd take them by surprise."
You wouldnât admit it out loud, but Murphy's idea made sense. You didnât like it, but he did have a point. "The problem is, we don't even know how many of them are out there."
Murphy rolled his eyes, "Iâm not hearing any better ideas, Daisy."
Raven stepped forward. "Weâll give them something."
Bellamy looked at her, confused. "All they want is Finn."
Raven looked away from the rest of the group, as her eyes landed on Murphy. "Finn wasn't the only one at the village."
"You canât be serious! We arenât handing anyone over to the grounders."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Raven, I came here to protect him. You were the one who wanted me to come." A hurt expression crossed over Murphyâs face. "You... Thatâs why you asked me to come along."
The brunette glared at him. "Enough Grounders saw him at the village. Theyâd believe he was the shooter."
"Sick bitch!" Murphy spat.
Clarke tried to calm her down. "Raven, you don't mean this."
"You know what they do to people?" you said, stepping towards her. "They want Finn, nobody else. We canât protect him if we are fighting among ourselves.
Raven ignored what you said and pointed her gun towards Murphy. "They want a murderer, we'll give them one."
Hell no.
You shared a knowing look with Finn, before moving to step in front of Murphy. "Raven, this is insane! Put it down."
"Daisy, move out the way, I donât want to hurt you. Murphy drop your weapon!"
"Raven, stop this before somebody gets hurt!" You yelled back at her. You knew deep down she wouldnât actually shoot you, but you werenât so sure about Murphy.
Ravenstill refused to lower her weapon, "I said drop it."
"Stop! Stop!" Finn pushed her hand down so the gun was no longer pointed in your direction. "We're not doing this. Theyâve got us surrounded. The only thing we can do is stay. And defend this place. Murphy?"
"Yeah?"
"Go upstairs with Daisy. You two watch the rear. I'll take the lower level. You three, take the front gate. Thatâs the plan. All right?"
As Murphy walked ahead, you hugged Finn again, saying, "Weâve got this."
"May we meet again."
"We will." You pulled back from him, "I better go make sure nobody else tries to kill him."
"Yeah. Be careful."
â
When you joined Murphy, he glared at you. "Are you insane?"
"What are you talking about?"
"You stepped out in front of me! Raven could have shot you!"
Taken aback by his yelling, you shuffled uncomfortably. "She wasnât going to-"
Murphy cut you off, "you donât know that. Donât ever do something like that for me again. Ever!"
You turned and faced the other direction, to avoid looking at him. Why was he so upset? You were only trying to keep everyone safe.
Hearing yelling, you quickly made your way towards the other side of the ship. "Whatâs happened?"
Bellamy looked at you with fear in his eyes. "Finnâs handed himself in."
â
You stood on the edge of Camp Jaha by the gates, squinting. Grounders were putting a large post into the ground. "What is that?"
"Itâs for Finn," Clarke confirmed. "They want us to watch."
As others talked about what to do next, you noticed Clarke getting ready to leave. "What are you doing?"
"Iâm gonna talk to the commander."
"Okay," you stepped beside her. "Iâm going with you."
Bellamy stared at you both. "What else do you have to say?"
You sighed. "I don't know, but we need to try."
Raven stepped in front of you. "Give me your hand. If she won't let him go, kill her. Things will go crazy, and we'll grab you and Finn. Daisy, you and Clarke have to help him. I owe him my life."
Before you had a chance to say anything, Raven slipped a small knife into your hand.
â
As you and Clarke walked into the commander's tent, a grounder stepped forward and pressed a spear up against your chest.
Clarke seemed to know who the grounder was. "We are here to talk to your commander. Let us through."
Looking down, you noticed small drops of blood appearing on your top. The grounder has cut you.
"Let them pass," the commander said before looking you up and down. "You bleed for nothing. You cannot stop this."
As Clarke pleaded with Lexa to spare Finnâs life, you noticed Ada standing guard. When she noticed you walking toward her, she frowned. "You are here to beg for the traitor's life?"
"Finnâs my friend. He did an awful thing, something he canât undo, but torturing him wonât bring anybody else back."
"He killed Zelda."
"Iâm sorryâŚ" you whispered. "Itâs all my fault. He killed all those people because he thought they had taken me."
"You canât save him, blood must have blood." Ada said harshly. "If you try to save him, all of your people will die."
Tears spilled onto your cheek. You turned to face the commander, "can I say good-bye?"
The commander paused for a moment before nodding. You were surprised that she was allowing you to talk to him, but you didnât have time to overthink it. It was probably because of Clarke anyway. You needed to help him. You couldnât let Finn die by the death of 1000 cuts.
You rushed towards Finn, and kissed him. "I love you, Finn, I never stopped."
"Iâm scared."
You wiped tears from his cheek. "Youâre gonna be ok. I wonât let you suffer." You kissed him once again, before showing him mercy. "Youâre ok."
"Thanks, Daisy."
Stepping back, the only sound you could hear was your own sobs, mixed with Raven's screams, as you stared at Finnâs limp body.
Season two
#the 100#the 100 season two#Finn Collins x reader#Finn Collins x you#Bellamy Blake x reader#Bellamy Blake x you#slow romance#slow burn#John Murphy x you#John Murphy x reader#the 100 fanfiction#finn collins#Bellamy Blake#John Murphy#Raven Reyes#Clarke Griffin#bellamy the 100#murphy the 100#heda lexa#lexa the 100#Bellamy Blake/reader#finn collins/reader#John Murphy/reader#Bellamy Blake/you#Finn Collins/you#John Murphy/you#grounders
105 notes
¡
View notes
Text
Distractions pt. 2
leroy jethro gibbs x reader
tw - mentions of shooting, sex, other things in a ncis episode
an - this is a part 2 to the first chapter. i might do a part three with more action between Gibbs and reader. but i already have some drabbles and a adding reader to a episode planned đ¤Ť
âSo, when did you get back?â Your old friend, Elise, asked, the both of you sitting in your living room the day after your night at the bar.
You had previously went to Gibbs house and he helped you rest for a while there, both of you letting your feelings out, but you didnât know if he thought you would remember because you were drunk when you admitted it.
âNot too long after I told that bartender I was leaving,â You replied to her. She was finally asking about you after bragging about her very sexual night with the bar owner.
âWho took you back? Did you go back with someone at the bar?â She had a teasing tone at the end, wanting to mess with you a bit and get all the details.
âNo, there really wasnât anyone at the bar. I just got a coworker to drive me back. Speaking of driving, shouldnât that cab you ordered be here soon?â You tried to change the subject, and luckily it was perfect timing.
âOh right!â She shot up from the couch and rushed over to where her suitcase is, forgetting about you for a moment before waddling back in the too-high, high heels. âBye! Thanks for letting me stay,â She grabbed the suitcase and left your apartment, allowing you to finally take a breath.
But you could only breathe in the peace for so long until your phone began to rang.
âWhere are you?â The stern, deeper voice said into the phone, on the other line. You recognized the background noises of other people, figuring the person was probably somewhere public, or listening to the TV loudly.
âIâm at home? Why does this matter?â You asked getting off of the couch and moving to the kitchen to go and grab a glass of water, all of a sudden feeling a little parched. Gibbs did give you some medicine this morning.
Once you woke up, on the couch... There were pills and water right by your side and he came down at the perfect timing, motioning for you to drink it. He then went to make coffee for the both of you, but once you noticed the time, you made him drive you back to your apartment.
âDo you not look at clocks?â Gibbs sneered, and you could hear him yelling someoneâs name yet it sounded a little fainter, maybe he moved the phone away.
âI do. Iâm fine on time, whatâs your problem?â
âYouâre supposed to be at work.â
âNo, I told you I was coming in late, like a week ago,â You remind him, specifically remembering how you planned to drop your friend off at the airport, not knowing she was going to get someone else to drive her. But, it was no use still coming in normal time, might as well take the break.
âWell, that doesnât matter, a petty officer was found dead and weâre supposed to go and investigate. So, get your lazy-ass up and meet us at the address Kate sent you.â
âGot it,â You hung up the phone, rolling your eyes at your bosses usual antics. You figured he probably didnât really mean the kiss, so you locked away those feelings and got yourself ready to go and investigate.
You were able to meet Ducky and Palmer, driving the large truck, at a stop so they could pick you up. Not your first choice, but the other agents were already too far to pick you up, and Ducky was always so kind to go out of his way.
âHello, dear Y/n,â Ducky greeted with a smile, getting out of the truck to let you slide into the middle.
âHey, Ducky. Palmer,â You greeted, moving in. âMind catching me up to speed with whatâs going on?â
And so they did. They told you about Petty Officer Liam who was found dead, apparently gunshot to the head, in a ditch near a cross.
Once you made it onto the scene, a news reporter, police, the sheriff, and the rest of your team all swarmed around where the Petty Officer was.
âDucky, L/n, you two finally made it,â Gibbs voiced, watching the three of you walk down the small hill to where the cross and not to far the body was.
âPalmer ended up turning to the wrong road,â Ducky responded.
âYou told me the wrong street!â Palmer explained, carrying down the bag Ducky needed and some other things to soon move the body.
âNow, now, Palmer,â You sent him a little look, soon walking over to where Todd and DiNozzo was.
âHow was last night little drunk,â DiNozzo greeted, putting on his last gloves and handing you a set.
âShut up DiNozzo,â Kate commented soon turning to you. âDid you end up getting laid?â
âLord knows Y/n needs it,â DiNozzo added, laughing after his little sentence which let Kate to punch his shoulder.
âI donât need it. I got home fine, no need for you to know, you just ditched me. So, donât expect me to help set you up with that girl on the same floor as me, anymore,â You finished putting on your glove and grabbed the wallet near the body.
âHolding a lot of cash?â Kate asked, moving over by you to peer over your shoulder. âMaybe he was getting mugged and it went wrong,â
âThe cash is still here. So, it probably wasnât a mugging,â You answered, then grabbing a card that was present. âBut it might his death could have something to do with this bar, seems like he has a lot of used coupons and receipts to there,â You reveled, pulling them out and handing some to Kate while putting the wallet into the bag.
Ducky and Palmer continued to check out the body to figure out that the cause of death was some sort of drug and not the gunshot, it was made to look like that. They would have to take the body back to be able to know for sure, so thatâs what they did.
You took some pictures with DiNozzo and Todd and soon head back to Gibbs car, taking the front seat while the other two took the back. It was normal for you to take that seat, but at this moment it seemed odd.
âWhen we get back I want you to contact his wife DiNozzo, L/n and Todd will do some research about the bar you two found out about it,â
When arriving back to the office you and Kate quickly got to it and found out that in order to get in you had to go in as a couple. Kate talked to some people who had formally went there and one other friend of the petty officer that died and was able to figure out that there was a more secretive area apart of the bar where certain couples were only able to go.
None of the people could specifically say what went on, but figuring that out could lead to you and the other special agents to figuring out who exactly killed the petty officer.
âGibbs,â Kate spoke, you and her walking over. âTurns out in order to get in you need to go as a couple and then if you say a certain co word, youâll be able to get in to the underground part of it,â
âOkay, what did you find out DiNozzo?â He turned to DiNozzo who was walking over.
âFound out some passwords to things, hoping probie can then go through and figure out what the password for getting in tonight would be,â
âWho will go undercover?â
âDiNozzo and Todd I want you to stay with Liamâs wife and children, make sure that the person who killed Liam wonât go after this family if Liam still owes him something. L/n and I will go undercover tonight while Probie will be able to patch us all four together,â Gibbs commanded.
âWith DiNozzo, really,â Kate looked at him and Gibbs just sent his regular stare. âOkay, DiNozzo it is,â She walked over to the man who was talking to the âprobieâ.
âUh, Me and Kate could just switch Gibbs,â You told him, standing oddly by his desk.
âNo, you and me will go undercover, youâve done undercover work before,â He quickly told you, standing up. âGo get ready and Iâll meet you back here. Dress up nice,â
So thatâs what you did, you left to travel back to your apartment and threw on a nicer dress, still short enough to run if needed but long enough to hide a gun that would be holstered to your thigh. You did your hair, leaving it down, and a light makeup look. You figured out a fake name, Leah Molane, and Gibbs as well, Frank Hater.
When he arrived you looked at him with a small smile, trying to take in his nice outfit for the occasion, and for a moment it seemed like he was trying to do the same. The car ride was fairly silent besides going over your plan.
âWere you able to get the fake IDâs?â You asked, sitting in the passenger seat and messing with your nails a bit while Gibbs drove to the bar.
âDiNozzo knew a guy, and I refuse to ask more,â He laughed a little and handed you your fake idea from his pocket.Â
The two of you soon arrived to the bar, it was fairly easier than what it originally sounded like. You showed the man your IDâs and Gibbs snaked a hand around your waist, pulling you into his waist a bit more.Â
He was able to find a open table and helped lead the way there. While walking you took a look around, while scoping you found a lot of normal things like couples making out, dancing, drinking, yet the mirror opening up as a door and three people disappearing into it caught your eye. You made it to your seat and the two of you sat right next to each other in the booth.Â
âWhat you got McGee?â Gibbs asked into his watch, it looked like everyone was busy doing their own thing to pay attention to the older man who was speaking into his watch.Â
âAbby was able to find out the drug that was put into Liamâs drink that killed him. It changes the original drinks color yellow, so donât drink anything yellow,â
âWe could figure that out on our own,â Gibbs grumbled a little underneath his breath. âWhat else do you have? That better not be it,âÂ
âItâs not Gibbs,â Abby now spoke. âWe figured out the code to get to the downstairs area!âÂ
âAnd what is it?â
The both of you could hear some arguing on the other line, which just seemed to annoy Gibbs more.Â
âItâs, uh,â McGee coughed. âItâs âsex vaultâ boss, I think because its a drink name on the menu or because they have a section where couples can go and have, uh, se-â
âEnough McGee, I just needed the code,â Gibbs turned off his device allowing McGee and them to hear what he was saying. Gibbs turned to you and leaned a bit, his lips hovering over your own. âIt would be good for us to kiss now, so we donât blow our cover,â
âMakes sense,â You hummed, your eyes connecting with his own as you looked up at him.Â
âJust pretend itâs just us, like yesterday,â He whispered, before his lips were on yours and moving at a fast pace. It was so much more passionate than the last time.Â
âThe two of you know this is a VIP area, right?â A woman walked over, the gum in her mouth being obnoxiously loud.
âYeah, obviously,â Gibbs responded, moving away from your face and grabbing your hand. âWeâll take two âsex vaultsâ,â He told her and the woman went scurrying back off behind the counter.Â
âBoss, we found out that there is another Petty Officer that frequented that bar often. His name is Denup and he served the same time that Liam did, DiNozzo is asking Liamâs wife about him and Abby is doing some research on him,â Mcgee spoke into the device that was in yours and Gibbs ear.Â
âGot it,â Gibbs mumbled into the watch and soon the woman walked back over. âFind out more and be quick,â
The woman came and beckoned for the both of you to follow her to where the mirror you saw open earlier was.Â
âLiamâs wife said she didnât have too much on Denup but we were able to find a type of journal Liam was keeping with tons of money, it looks like in the journal there are stats on sports,â DiNozzo spoke this time.Â
âDenup is also not doing too well finacially, we were able to get ahold of his wife and ask her a few questions. We learned heâs taking on some extra jobs,â Kate spoke now.Â
âAbby, Denupâs prints might be in the system, run them with the ones we found on the wallet,â Gibbs quiclly spoke into his watch once the woman left you both. You looked around at a few people chatting and watching the games, there was another smaller bar down here, multiple TVâs, some tables, and a pool table.Â
âWhen doing bets in settings like these, who usually takes care of handing out the money?â You asked Gibbs.Â
âThe bartender,â He answered.Â
âThey also said Denup was taking on extra jobs and doing bad financially. What if he is a bartender here and has been scamming people?â
âLiam found out and threatened to reveal what he was doing, which would ruin his chances of getting out of the hole,â Gibbs realized what you were saying.Â
âExactly, but it seems like something is missing. If Denup was doing this on his own, how could no one else catch on? And how is he not out of the whole already. Iâm going to assume there are many bets that happen down here, so where is some of that money going?â
The two of you walked up to the bar and took a seat at the two stools that were placed in front of it.Â
âYou both thinking of making a bet?â âNot with him,â You laughed, pointing to Gibbs. âMan loses all of them, is a loser in general. But what about you, do you lose? Whatâs your name?âÂ
âJust call me Denup, thatâs what most of the people down here do. Now what would you like, a drink or some cash?â
âIâd like to get.a little tour of your selection back there,â You smiled, getting up from your stool and moving to walk around the corner.Â
âGibbs, his prints match the wallet, but Liamâs ID has a different print itsself,â Abby revealed, once again, speaking into the device in the both of your ears. Gibbs nodded to you, giving you the confirmation to arrest the man.Â
Gibbs stood up and pulled out his ID. âDenup, NCIS, youâre under arrest,âÂ
Denup grabbed your arm harshly, pulling you into his side and grabbing a knife, sticking it to your throat. âLouis!â You heard Denup yell, and watched Gibbs spin around, just in time, to watch another man reach into his pocket, grabbing a gun. Gibbs quickly shot him in his shoulder, the man dropping the gun. You used this opportunity of Denup being in shock to reach down to your thigh to grab the gun and quickly aim it at the mans toe. He dropped the knife yelling, giving you enough time to kick it away and for Gibbs to toss you a pair of handcuffs he had in his pockets.Â
âJust NCIS folks, please go back to your drinks,â You said to the shocked people around, you handcuffed Denup and pulled him off the ground. âI know your toe got shot or whatever, but do you think you could at leas try to walk out of here?âÂ
You and Gibbs left the bar, informing the team you caught the suspects and the police were at the front of the bar, ready to take them into custody. Gibbs told everyone they could go home and offered to take you back since you went together.Â
âSuccessful date night I would say,â He joked once the two of you were in the car and on the rode home.Â
âFor sure, got a kiss and arrested two murdererâs,â You laughed.
âI hope you know that just because I like kissing you I wonât soften the papers youâll be filling out tomorrow,â He looked over to you with a calm smile playing on his lips.Â
âI could never,â You smiled back. âI do expect you to now be buying me a coffee though,âÂ
âIf thatâs all I need to do, it doesnât sound like the worst thing,âÂ
#ncis x reader#ncis fic#ncis fanfiction#ncis fandom#ncis#leroy jethro gibbs#gibbs x reader#gibbs#gibbs x y/n
212 notes
¡
View notes
Text
Sweet Tooth - One Shot
a/n: dentistrry is here!! I only researched a couple of things, so if youâre in the dentistry/medical field please donât come for me if things are inaccurate, itâs just a fic, you know? This ia really cute, sweet, datey fic, so I hope you enjoy! Feedback and reblogs are super helpful! (not proofread) Consider buying me a coffee if youâre able!Â
Warnings: fluff and smut (the word molested is used, nothing bad happens or has happened to the main characters, itâs just mentioned during a conversation)
Pairing: Harry x OC
Words: 18K
âDad, I can go by myself.â Abby groans to her father.
âI have to make sure everything gets billed correctly. Your dentist said only two are impacted, so only half is covered my medical and the other half is covered by dental.â
She huffs out a sigh, but nods her head as they enter Tufts Medical Center. Abby was finally getting a consult for her wisdom teeth. Perhaps at the age of twenty she felt a little late to the game for this, but her mouth had only started to hurt a little this past year. She was a little nervous about being knocked out for surgery, but she also just wanted her mouth to feel better. It was the summer before her junior year of college, so now was the perfect time to get it done. Abby and her dad make their way through the building, and get to the floor they need to be on.
âAbigail Simmons.â Her dad says to the receptionist and she nods.
âSomeone will be out for her shortly. Did you have her most recent x-rays sent to us?â
âYes.â Her dad says, and they both go to take a seat.
Abbyâs leg was bouncing and she was chewing on her bottom lip. It was just a consult, there was really nothing to be worried about.
âAbigail?â Her eyes widen as she looks over at the person who just said her name. He had a toothy smile and was wearing a set of blue scrubs. She and her father both stand up. âHi, Iâm Harry, you can follow me.â He smiles to the two of them as he leads them to the consult rooms. He gets Abby situated in the dental chair. âJust so you both know, I am a student, but a competent one, which is why one of the other nurses isnât here, but one of them will come by shortly, and so will the doctor.â He sits down on the stool and wheels over to Abby as he puts his gloves on. âHeard your mouthâs been sore, huh?â
âY-yeah.â
âShe called me at school in tears.â Her dad says and she glares at him.
âCollege student?â Harry raises an eyebrow and looks back at the computer to review her x-rays. âHow old are you?â
âTwenty.â Abby says.
âYour teeth are, like, really straight. Did you have braces?â
âWhen she was in middle school. She stills wears her retainer.â
Harry and Abby both look at her father and blink. He was really starting to piss her off. She could answer for herself.
âWell, youâve got a very good girl here, donât you, Mr. Simmons? Listen, uh, this is going to take a few minutes. I need to look at all of her teeth and confirm the ones that are impacted and if the other two have room or not. Thereâs another waiting area right over there. Iâll call you back over once the doctorâs here. Would that be alright?â
âItâs justâŚAbbyâs really nervous-â
âDad, please, Iâm fine.â
âAlright.â Her dad sighs. âIâll be right over there.â
âBit of a helicopter you have there.â Harry smirks at her.
âThank you for getting rid of him. I bring myself to the doctor all the time, but for whatever reason he was adamant about coming to this.â
âItâs major surgery I donât blame him.â Harry grabs a bib to put around Abby. âSo, you go by Abby?â
âMhm.â She blushes as he clips the bib in place and adjusts her hair.
âIs it true, are you nervous?â
âA littleâŚmostly about the surgery, not so much about the rest. Iâm not one of those people thatâs afraid of the dentist.â
âNo worries, love, youâll be in good hands with us.â He smiles. âIâm gonna put the chair back now, alright?â
âOkay.â
The chair slowly goes back, and he situates a pair of sunglasses onto her before fixing the light over her eyes.
âCould you open up for me as much as you can? Iâll try to be as gentle as possible since I know youâre experiencing a lot of discomfort.â
She nods and opens up wide. She feels his pinkies enter her mouth and feel around her gums. She winces a few times when he brushes up against the back of her mouth. She hears him whisper sorry a few times. Abby tries to focus on anything else. She focuses on how green his eyes are, and how seemingly perfect his skin is. Her mind wanders to how people get skin like that. Whatâs his routine? How could she get skin as smooth? Does he see a dermatologist regularly?
âOkay, Abby, Iâm gonna out the chair back upright, and go grab your dad and the doctor. Hope that didnât hurt too much.â
âIt was fine, thank you.â
Abbyâs dad, two nurses, Harry, and the doctor all come over to her to discuss her teeth. She definitely needed all four removed. They settle on a date for her to come back and have the procedure done, and Harry gives her the rundown on how to prep for the surgery.
âWeâll see you in a couple of weeks, Abby.â Harry smiles.
âYouâll be here?â
âYou bet.â
Even though she was nervous as fuck to go under, she was almost excited to see the handsome dental student again. At least it was something to look forward to.
//
Abby had an early morning surgery, and she had to stop eating the night before. So she was exhausted and starving, not to mention she was a ball of nerves. Her dad drove her in for the appointment, and assured her heâd be there afterwards.
âAbby?â Harry comes out all scrubbed up and ready to go. She stands up and waves back to her dad before going with him. He brings her over to a consult chair and types on the computer. âAlright, whatcha have for breakfast?â
âN-nothing, I havenât eaten since dinner last night.â
âGood girl.â He says without looking at her. âAnd what about a midnight snack?â
âHarry, I havenât eaten since dinner last night.â
âYou remembered my name?â He asks as he turns to her, and she blushes.
âSort of hard to forget the British guy that told my dad to go sit somewhere else.â She smirks, and it makes him laugh. âWill you be in the operating room?â
âYup, Iâll be there the whole time. Iâm the hand holder.â
âThe hand holder?â
âMhm, while theyâre helping you get to sleep Iâll be holding your hand, making sure youâre alright. I also get to put the IV in your arm.â
âLucky you.â She deadpans and it makes him laugh again.
âWhat are you in school for?â
âPsychology. Iâd like to be the type of doctor that doesnât have to deal with all this.â She gestures around the room.
âHelping people on a whole other level, I see.â He nods.
The doctor comes over, and she must have gotten asked about four more times if she had eaten breakfast. She gets settled in the chair in the new room where sheâd be operated on. She watches as Harry gets the IV in her arm, and then he holds her hand, just like he said he was. He was wearing a mask now, but she could tell he was smiling.
âDonât worry, Abby, the next time you wake up these nasty teeth will be gone.â
She nods at him and squeezes his hand as they get the oxygen hooked up to her nose. His thumb rubs the back of her hand as a nurse puts the mask over her mouth, and her eyes slowly start to droop. The last image she has is Harryâs hand in hers.
When Abby wakes up, her eyes immediately well up with tears as she looks around the room. She sees her dad sitting in a chair reading a magazine, and she sees the IV still hooked up to her arm. She makes a whining noise and her dad looks over at her.
âHey, youâre awake.â He smiles. âEverything went really well, honey. You did great.â
After about ten minutes a nurse comes in and takes the IV out. In her daze she tried looking for Harry, but she couldnât find him. She was so delirious she could barely walk, and her dad had to help her to the car. She just wanted to say thank you to Harry for holding her hand, but she never got the chance.
//
Several years later, Abby had finished her masterâs degree in counseling, and just finished up her licensure program. She already had a few different job opportunities lined up. The one she wanted most was at a local university at a counseling center. Being a student in todayâs age was tough, and Abby wanted to be someone they could open up to. She had done extremely well in her postgraduate internship, so she had impeccable recommendations. She just needed to narrow things down to what school she wanted to work for, and that ultimately came down to benefits. She ended up going with UMASS Boston. It was a school a lot of her friends attended, so she sort of knew the campus, it was easy enough to get to by train, and the benefits were great.
After getting the first semester under her belt, Abby was feeling confident in what she was doing. She was truly helping students. Sheâd even be able to go for her PhD for free after she had six months under her belt. With winter break underway, Abby was getting caught up on some self-care, which meant going in for her annual cleaning.
âHello, this is MidCity General Denstistry, may I please speak with Abigail Simmons?â
âThis is she.â
âHi, Abigail, this is a call to remind you of your appointment this week.â
âRight, Wednesday at 3PM?â
âCorrect, and I have to inform you that your usual dentist, Dr. Morgan, has recently retired.â
âOhâŚI mean good for her, I just liked her a lot.â Abby chuckles.
âDonât worry, our new doctor, Dr. Styles, is amazing and everyoneâs really like him so far. Heâs taking over all of Dr. Morganâs patients.â
âOkay, that should be fine. See you Wednesday!â Abby hangs up the phone and puts an extra reminder on her phone so she wouldnât forget.
On Wednesday, she checked in and was brought into the back by a nurse, Marie. She was the dental assistant that would be doing her cleaning, nothing out of the ordinary. Although, Abby was starting to get aggravated because Marie kept sticking the pick into the same tooth in the back of her mouth. She hears Marie sigh.
âAbby, it seems like you may have a cavity. Dr. Styles will be able to confirm it. Let me polish you up, and then Iâll go get him.â
Before Abby has a chance to respond, Marie was already polishing her teeth. She was left to lay back in the chair while Marie went to get Dr. Styles.
âHello, Miss Simmons.â Abbyâs eyes widen when she hears his voice. He sits on a stool and wheels over next to her. âIâm Dr. Styles, nice to meet you.â He extends his hand to her and she takes it. âMind if I take a quick peak at everything else before I inspect this possible cavity?â
âN-no, go ahead.â
âThank you, open wide for me.â
She does so, and he sticks his gloved fingers into her mouth, feeling around her gums, and making sure everythingâs alright. Next he grabs the tools and does a quick inspection of her overall mouth before poking at the tooth that Marie said was the problem. Abby notices how he hum along to the music playing on the radio. It was almost soothing.
âOkay, Iâm gonna hit the button so you can sit up.â He says to her. Marie moves the light, and Abby takes the sunglasses she was given off. Her eyes widen again when she gets a good look at him.
Abby had come into contact with a lot of people in her life since the time she was twenty. It would be odd to remember someone that helped with her oral surgery, but too much was adding up. A man with a British accent, the same green eyes, and he was in the dental profession. She was finally going to get a chance to thank him.
âYou have a cavity.â He sighs.
âIâve never had one in my life.â She shakes her head.
âHappens to the best of us.â Dr. Styles chuckles. âAre you eating a lot of sweets?â
âUm, well, Iâm a counselor at UMASS Boston, and I tend to suck on jolly ranchers when Iâm meeting with students. Helps remind me to just sit and listen and not interrupt.â
âAh, thatâs a pretty good trick. Maybe try sugar free gum?â
âNo, gum gives me a headache.â She shakes her head. âI prefer to suck than to chew.â
âRight.â He swallows. âMaybe try sucking on some mints then?â
âSure, I can try that.â She smiles at him.
âGood girl.â He smiles back at her. That just sealed the deal it was definitely him. âMarie here will help you set up an appointment so I can take care of this for you.â
âYouâll be doing the procedure?â
âMhm, youâre stuck with me nowâŚunless you want to switch to another doctor, which I hope you donât. Hope youâre not missing Dr. Morgan too much.â
âNot as much as I thought, thatâs for sure. UmâŚthis may be a weird question, but did you happen to be a student at Tufts Medical Center?â
âI was! Itâs where I went after I got my bachelorâs. I can perform oral surgery, but I much prefer doing stuff like this. Can fill a cavity in my sleep. How did you know I went there?â
âIâŚthis is going to sound so weird, but, like, six years ago youâŚheld my hand when I got my wisdom teeth out.â Harryâs eyes widen at that. âNormally I wouldnât remember someone so well, butâŚitâs not every day I have a British doctor.â
âOh, wow, you remember me doing that?â
âYeah, and we left before I ever got a chance to say thank you for keeping me so calm. SoâŚthanks.â She blushes.
âI wishâŚI wish I remembered that. They often had me as the hand holder. How nice for our paths to cross again, huh? Promise to be just as good a dentist as I was at holding your hand.â
âThatâs all I could hope for.â She smirks, and it makes him chuckle. âRight, well, Marie, please help Miss Simmons set up her appointment with me so we can get this cavity filled.â
âSure thing, Dr. Styles.â Marie says as she makes a few clicks on the computer.
Just like that he was gone. He had grown into quite the handsome man since she last saw him. Not that he wasnât before, but he looked more adult now. She wondered how much older he was than her. More importantly, she wondered if he was single.
//
It was about a week later when Abby came in to have her cavity taken care of. Marie was the dental assistant again which brought Abby some comfort. Marie gets her prepped in the chair as they wait for Harry to come into the private room.
âAlright, good morning, Miss Simmons.â He says brightly.
âYou can just call me Abby if you wantâŚâ She says shyly.
âOkay, Abby, it is. Letâs fill this cavity, yeah?â He sits on the stool and wheels over to her. âGotta give you a spot of nova cane, but before I do that we have to numb the area a bit, so this little thing that looks like a lollypop is gonna go in.â Abby nods. âOpen up for me.â She does so. âGood girl, thank you.â He places the numbing stick inside her mouth and she scrunches her face. âI know, it doesnât taste very good, sorry.â He stands back up. âIâll be back in about five minutes.â Â
True to his word, Harry comes back five minutes later, and takes the numbing stick out of Abbyâs mouth. Next he has her open up so he can administer the nova cane. He tells her she might feel a slight pinch, and she accidentally grabs onto his thigh.
âS-sorry.â Abby says as she takes her hand off him. âI may not be afraid of the dentist, but I really donât like needles.â
Harry and Marie share a glance, and then Harry looks at Abby.
âMarie, would you mind handling the nova cane so I can hold Abbyâs hand?â
âSure thing, Dr. Styles.â
Harry hands the needle to Marie, and then Harry grabs onto Abbyâs hand. He smiles softly at her, and sheâs able to focus on him and not the needle going into her gums. Marie says itâs all set, so Harry gets back into position with the drill.
âIf it hurts, just let me know and we can numb you a bit more.â Harry says to her. âItâll be over before you know it.â
Abby pinches her eyes closed the second the drill comes into contact with her tooth. Thank god Harry was wearing a mask because he couldnât help but smile at how cute she looked. Luckily, Abby didnât suffer too much. The procedure didnât take too long, and she was sitting upright before she knew it.
âYou did great.â Harry smiles at her. âSo, that side of your mouth will be numb for a bit. Give it a few hours before you eat anything, avoid hot foods.â Abby just nods her head along, too embarrassed to speak because she knew she would sound stupid. âHave you made your appointment for your next cleaning?â She nods again. âGreat, Marie, Iâm just gonna go over another few things with Abby, feel free to go on your break.â
âOh, alright. See you in six months, Abby.â Marie smiles, and leaves the room as Abby waves to her.
âI actually already went over everything with you. IâŚuhâŚjust wanted her to step out.â Abbyâs eyes widen at that. âI was actually wondering, um, if youâd like to go out for coffee sometimeâŚyou know, when you can have hot liquids again.â He blushes and so does she. She nods yes at him quickly. âYou do? Great, um, can I have your number then?â Abby frantically reaches for the phone in her pocket, unlocks it, and then hands it to Harry so he can add his contact. âIâll call you in a couple of days so we can set something up, yeah?â
She smiles and nods as she takes her phone back. Her heart was fluttering. She felt like she was in a dream or something. Coffee couldnât come soon enough.
//
Harry called Abby a couple of days later, just like he said he would, and they agreed upon what coffee shop they should meet up at on Saturday. Her mouth was feeling much better, and she was really excited to see him. She was still in shock that he asked her out in the first place. She thought sheâd have to wait another six months to see him again.
He got to the coffee shop first, and decided to wait outside for her. He smiles when he sees her and they step inside.
âItâs on me.â He says. âGet whatever you like.â
âOh! Thatâs so nice of you.â Abby blushes. âThanks.â They each order and grab a table to sit at. It was too cold outside to go for a walk.
âI just want to preface by saying Iâve never asked out a patient before.â Harry says to her.
âSoâŚwhy ask me out then?â
âI just found it really endearing that you remembered me, and all you wanted to do was say thank you to me for doing something so simple.â
âHarry, I had just turned twenty, I was practically still a kid. I had never gone under or had a surgery before, I was petrified. My dad was just as nervous, you were the only thing that calmed me down.â
âSo, that would make you roughly twenty-six now?â
âYes it would.â She smiles as she takes a sip of her coffee. âHow old are you?â
âIâll be thirty-two next month.â It was an age difference both of them might have been against those years ago, but not now. They were both well into adulthood, had their careers, and had some life experience under their belts. âItâs killing me that I donât remember you.â
âItâs really okay. Youâve probably seen so many patients. Iâm sure years down the line I wonât remember every student Iâve met with.â
âRight, you said youâre a counselor atâŚ?â
âUMASS Boston.â
âAnd how do you like doing that?â
âI love it, honestly. I feel so bad for these kids, they have so much on their plates, under all this pressure. Itâs really brave of them to come ask for help, so I like giving them a safe space. Some meetings are more serious than others, so itâs never boring. I feel like Iâm doing something worthwhile.â
âThatâs amazing. Feel like I do better talking to people in small spurts, thatâs whatâs so great about being a dentist. People canât strike up small talk when youâve got your fingers in their mouth.â He laughs and so does Abby.
âHow long have you been at MidCity for?â
âLikeâŚsix months, I think. I like it a lot, everyoneâs really nice. Marieâs my favorite assistant, though, sometimes her kids come in and theyâre really cute, and her wife bakes the best brownies.â
âSheâs usually the one to do my cleanings, I like her a lot too.â
âCan I ask why you chose jolly ranchers to suck on? I mean, how many students are you meeting with? You must go through a ton.â
âI do.â She blushes in embarrassment. âI got them when they were on sale after HalloweenâŚIâm definitely going to try the mints like you said.â
âGood, Iâm glad.â He smiles as he takes a bite of his bagel.
âSo, how does a doctor such as yourself not already have a girlfriend?â
âGetting right to it, huh?â He smirks and she nods. âMedical school takes up a lot of time, and then when I first started as an intern, I was constantly overworked. I was doing surgeries left and right, I was too exhausted to try and make anything serious work. Then I decided Iâd rather be working at a practice. I still do a lot of teeth pulling, but not as much as I was. And now that things have slowed down a bit, I just havenât met someone Iâve wanted to be serious with.â He shrugs. âWhat about you?â
âSame thing, sort of.â She giggles. âGrad school was a lot, and then interning was a lot. Now Iâm just really settling into my job. I survived the first semester, now I feel like a pro.â
âThatâs a good feeling to have. Is your commute long?â
âNot really, I just take the green line to the red and Iâm there. Obviously the trains can be unpredictable, but it beats having to pay for a car and car insurance. What about you? Are you in the city, or out in the suburbs.â
âOh, Iâm in the city. I drive to work, though, Iâve got my own parking spot at the back of the building.â
âWell, we canât all be so special.â She smirks.
âNo, I suppose not.â He smirks back at her. âHowâs your tooth feel, by the way?â
âOh, itâs fine, thanks. Youâre really good at your job. It was nice of you to hold my hand when Marie did the nova cane.â
âI felt so bad that you were scared.â He reaches across the table and places his hand over hers. âWhen you grabbed onto me I knew I had to do something.â
âGod that was embarrassing. I would have felt so violated if someone did that to me.â
âItâs not like you grabbed my dick, Abby, itâs alright.â He gives her hand a squeeze.
âRight.â She lets out a nervous laugh. âSo, do you work a standard Monday through Friday at MidCity, or how does all of that work?â
âYup, pretty much.â He takes his hand away from hers. âI mean obviously if thereâs an emergency we have to cancel appointments, but for the most part we leave spots open for surgeries so people are able to book those easy enough. I usually pop by the cleanings in between cavity fillings and other stuff.â
âWhat made you want to become a dentist?â
âWell, I knew I wanted to work in the medical field, but selfishly I didnât want the long hours at hospitals. I donât have to be on call, like, I donât have to worry about emergencies in the middle of the night. Not often, anyways.â
âI feel like I would get grossed out looking at teeth all day.â Abby chuckles.
âItâs not as bad as you think. I try to separate the teeth from the person. Like, I was able to give all new teeth to this recovering meth addict. She had this incredible story, and I knew I had to help. She had been sober for five years, but no one would hire her because of her teeth. Now sheâs working a corporate job doing great.â
âOh, wow, thatâs amazing.â
âYou must have some great stories with your students.â
âYeah, Iâve really bonded with a few of them. Sometimes they just need someone on their side, you know? A lot of them are first in their family to go to school, so theyâre doing a lot on their own.â
âThatâs a lot of pressure.â
âYou have no idea.â
âWell, itâs good they have a nice person like you to help them.â Harry smiles warmly at her and she smiles back. âWould you, um, would you be interested in going out for dinner some time?â
âIâŚyeah, Iâd love to.â She blinks a couple of times. âIâm free most nights right now because weâre on winter break.â
âYou donât have to go into your office at all?â
âI just answer emails from home.â Abby shrugs.
âSweet deal.â Harry grins. âSo, how would Thursday night work for you?â
âThursday works great.â She smiles.
They both throw out all of their trash and step out of the coffee shop. They share a gentle hug, and go their separate ways. Harry said heâd call in a couple of days to let her know where heâd be taking her, and she was beyond excited.
//
Friday night, Harry picked Abby up in front of her building. When he saw her, he got out of the car to open the door for her and she giggled.
âThatâs a nice coat.â He says to her.
âThanks, I got it on sale at L.L. Bean back in August. Keeps me nice and warm.â
âOh, I love shopping there! Once in a while Iâll take the drive up to New Hampshire to go to the actual store to get the really good stuff. The boots I got from there for the winter will last a life time.â
âYeah, itâs just good quality stuff. I usually get a decent coupon in the mail or online.â She chews her bottom lip. Clearly Harry had a little more money than she did. âWhere are we eating?â
âYouâll love it, itâs this nice Italian place at the North End. I remember you said Italian was something you liked when we spoke on the phone.â
Abby smiles at him and he looks at her briefly to smile back. He finds a place to park, somehow, and they walk towards the restaurants. She hadnât been to the North End in a while since most of the places were expensive. Harry puts his hand on the small of her back as they walk in, and he tells the hostess he has a reservation. She leads them over to a table for two and he pulls out the chair for her.
âSo, howâs your week been?â Abby asks him.
âPretty good, fit this one person with a new tooth, did a couple of crowns. Same old, same old.â He shrugs. âHow about you?â
âGood, I did some virtual sessions with some students who are having shitty winter breaks. I went into the office for a team retreat, and then I updated some spread sheets.â She chuckles.
âThatâs nice of you to do virtual appointments.â
âItâs all part of the job.â
âGood evening, folks.â A waiter comes over with water and a basket of rolls. âIâm Parker, can I start you off with any drinks or appetizers?â
âAbby, would you care to get a bottle of white for the table?â Harry asks her.
âOh, sure, thatâs be great. Would Pinot Grigio be alright?â
âItâs perfect. A bottle of Piniot Grigio, please.â He looks down at the menu and furrows his brows at the appetizers. âCalamari?â He asks her and she nods. âCalamari, Parker.â
âSounds great, Iâll be back in a moment with the wine and to take your dinner orders.â
âThe calamari here is excellent, itâs lightly fried in peanut oil so it doesnât feel heavy.â
âWhat do you recommend for an entrĂŠe?â
âEverythingâs good. What are you in the mood for?â
Abby looks down at the menu and her eyebrows raise at the prices.
âMaybe just one of these pasta dishes.â
âDonât do that.â
âWhat?â
âDonât get the cheapest thing on the menu. Get whatever you like, itâs my treat.â
âHarry, this is gonna be really expensive.â
âI wouldnât have brought you here if I couldnât afford it, please donât worry about it.â
âO-okay, thenâŚmaybe the steak tips with the pan seared peppers.â
âIf thatâs what you want then you should have it.â Harry smiles. Parker comes over with the bottle of wine, and pours the first two glasses for them. âIâm really glad we could do this tonight.â He grins. âIâŚfound something when I was going through some old things the other day.â
âOh?â She raises an eyebrow as she sips on her drink.
âIt was killing me that I couldnât remember you, but then it hit me.â He reaches into his back pocket and pulls out a card. âIâve never been so thankful to be a packrat in my life.â He opens it and smiles. âDear Harry, I never got a chance to say thank you when you held my hand before my surgery. I figured Iâd drop this off when I came in to have my stitches removed. I hope this finds its way to you. Youâre going to be a great doctor someday. Sincerely, Abby Simmons.â He smiles at her as he places the card back in his back pocket.
âYouâŚyou kept that?â
âIt wasnât often I got cards like that, so I kept it, and once in a while when I needed a pick me up Iâd read it. As soon as I re-read it the other day I completely remembered you. I even remembered telling your dad to go sit in the other waiting room.â
âOh my god.â Abby chuckles. âThat was the greatest thing I had ever seen. Think that solidified the crush I had on you.â
âTelling your dad to basically leave you alone?â
âYeah.â She smirks. âSuper hot to see you be so sure of yourself and confident. Plus, he was really pissing me off, talking over me and answering for me.â
âWow, so I guess Iâm the one that away, huh?â He smirks.
âYou certainly were. Although, I hadnât thought about you in quite some time. Itâs crazy that you ended up becoming my dentist.â
âVery crazy.â Parker comes over with the calamari and tells the two heâs going to put their orders in now. Harry watches as she sticks her fork into a piece and takes a bite. âYouâre really cute, you know that?â
âIâll take your word for it.â She smiles. âThis is really good.â
âIâm glad you like it.â
The rest of the date goes really well. Abby and Harry continued to joke around and flirt. It wasnât until the check came that she felt a little uncomfortable.
âHow much is it?â She asks him nervously.
âWouldnât you like to know?â He smirks and slides his card into the slot, letting Parker take it. âWould you like to walk around for a bit, maybe get some dessert by the water?â
âThat sounds great, but only if I can pay for dessert.â
âDeal.â He smiles.
Harry holds Abbyâs hand as they walk through the little park by the water. Even though it was cold out, it was still a beautiful night. They duck into a gelato place for a little dessert. They decide to split something, which ends up being insanely romantic when Harry lifts his spoon to her lips. She makes a show of it as she takes a bite, licking her lips after and everything. He holds her hand during the drive, and lets her pick the radio station. He gets out and walks her up to the door once they get to her building.
âI had a lot of fun with you tonight.â She says to him.
âMe too.â He steps closer to her. âDo you see a third date in our future?â
âDefinitely.â She nods. âDo you like bowling?â
âLove bowling. Are you, um, free Saturday night?â
âI can be.â She smiles. âPick me up around seven?â
âItâs a date.â He smiles. The two stand there awkwardly for a moment, unsure if they should kiss or not, so instead Harry opens his arms for hug, and she wraps her arms around his neck. She kisses his cheek, and then he kisses hers. âIâll see you Saturday, Abby.â
âSee you Saturday, Harry.â
//
Harry was on cloud nine the next day at work. He couldnât stop thinking about Abby, her smile, her laugh, the little beauty mark she has under right eye. He thought she was gorgeous, charming, and kind. Normally heâd never get involved with a patient, but he couldnât help it with her. He thought it was so sweet that she remembered him after all this time, and he felt so relieved that he remembered her.
âYouâve had this dreamy look on your face all week, whatâs with you?â Marie asks Harry while theyâre eating lunch.
âIâŚsort of met someone, and weâve been out a couple timesâŚsheâs great.â
âThatâs great! Anyone I know?â
âUmâŚwell, you know Abigail SimmonsâŚâ
âOf course I know Abby! Oh my god, is that why you asked me to step out of the room when you filled her cavity?!â
âI didnât wanna ask her out in front of you.â
âHarry, since when do you date patients?â She whispers.
âNormally I wouldnât, but it turns out I met her a long time ago. When I was a student at Tufts I assisted in removing her wisdom teeth.â
âOh, wow, thatâs incredible.â Marie blinks. âWhen are you seeing her again?â
âTomorrow night. Weâre going bowling, how fun is that?â
âShould be really fun.â Marie grins. âLook at you, putting yourself out there. Now Leigh and I can stop trying to set you up.â
âIâm excited about her. Sheâs got such a cool job too. I canât wait to keep getting to know her.â
//
Since they were going bowling, they could easily just take the train, so Harry takes a cab to Abbyâs building Saturday evening. He was wearing a nice pair of jeans and a sweater under his jacket. She comes down the stairs in her long coat, and a Patriots hat on top of her head.
âHey.â He smiles at her, taking her in for a hug. âHow are you?â
âGood.â She smiles up at him. âHow are you?â
âGood, great, actually.â He takes her hand and they walk towards the nearest t-stop. They both swipe their Charlie Cards and hop onto the next train. Â
âI hope youâre okay with candle pinsâŚIâm not good with the big balls.â Abby says to him as they hang onto the same pole of the crowded train.
âI love candle pinning.â He chuckles. âNo worries.â
They get to the bowling alley, are given a lane, and get their shoes. Abby takes her hat off and fixes her hair, and then unzips her jacket. She had a pair of jeans on with a red turtleneck. Abby was a short, curvy thing, and Harry absolutely loved it. When Abby first met Harry back when she was twenty, she was a tiny size two, but now she was a comfortable size eight and was fully embracing it. She was healthy, and that was all that mattered.
âDo you want anything to drink? I could get us a pitcher of beer.â Harry says to her as they settle into their lane. âI could get us some pizza too.â
âThat sounds great, thanks.â She smiles as she slips her shoes on.
âBe back in a tick.â Harry goes over to the snack bar and gets two slices of pizza and a pitcher of beer. âHere we are.â Harry fills two of the plastic cups up with the beer, and hands one to Abby. âShall we?â
âMhm, I already set up the score sheets.â She shows him the large sheet of paper. âNot that I care that much about the scoreâŚitâs just fun to keep track.â
Abby bowls first, knocking most of the pins down, and then gets the rest on her second throw. Harry couldnât help but smile as he watched her to do a little jog and hop as she threw the ball down the lane. He goes up next and immediately gets a strike.
âWoohoo! Go, Harry!â Abby says as she takes a sip of her beer. âI donât think Iâve ever gotten a strike before.â
âI could show you how if you want.â
âIsnât it just luck?â
âNope, itâs all physics.â
âAndâŚyouâre good with physics?â
âHad to take it during pre-med, I even tutored for it. Come on, Iâll show you.â Abby gets up and grabs one of the balls. Harry goes behind her, and puts his hand on one of her shoulders, moving her hair so he can speak closer to her ear. âOkay, so what youâre gonna want to do is walk a little closer to the line, swing the ball back, and let it fly.â
Abby turns slightly to look up at him. Her cheeks were flushed. She nods at him, and does exactly what he said to do, and she gets the strike.
âOh my god!â She squeals and throws her arms around him. âI canât believe that worked! Youâre amazing!â She kisses his cheek.
âYou did great! Nice to know youâre good at following directions.â He winks at her and grabs his next ball.
After three rounds of bowling, and two pitchers of beer, they both head out. They take the train back to the stop nearest to Abbyâs apartment, and Harry walks her home.
âI had so much fun tonight, Harry.â
âMe too, Iâm glad you suggested bowling.â They both stop in front of her steps. âCan I see you again next weekend?â
âIâd like that.â
âMaybe if itâs not too cold we could go ice skating at Frog Pond.â
âOh, Iâd love to do that! I have my own skates and everything.â
âPerfect.â He smiles and steps closer to her. She looks up at him with her big brown eyes. He didnât think brown eyes as beautiful as hers existed. âAbby, can I kiss you?â He asks softly.
âYes.â She nods and smiles up at him.
He cups her cheek and leans down to her. His lips press to hers, and he uses is other hand to cup her other cheek. Itâs soft and gentle at first, it grows a little needier as she presses her body to his, but she stops him from walking up the stairs. She pulls away first and blushes.
âUm, well, goodnight.â She says to him.
âYeah, goodnight.â He rubs the back of his neck. He was sorting of hoping sheâd invite him up. It was the third date, after all. Maybe she was a fifth date kind of girl, which he had to respect. âIâll call you at some point during the week. Iâve got a few different surgeries, though, so if you donât hear from me a lot thatâs why.â
âNo worries.â She shrugs. âIâm getting ready for the students to return, and I have some meetings to go to, some seminars, so Iâll be busy myself. Wanna just plan for next Saturday?â
âSounds good to me.â He leans again to kiss her again, and she happily kisses him back.
âOkay, goodnight for real.â She giggles and walks up her steps. She waves goodbye as she goes into her building and he sighs.
Abby sighs happily as she gets into her apartment and squeals. She immediately texts her best friend everything about her date with Harry. She was so excited about him, and couldnât believe he was actually interested in her.
//
They texted here and there during the week. Abby got a little brave and sent him a mirror selfie of her dressed up for work, and he sent one back of himself in his scrubs ready to go in for surgery. Her jaw nearly dropped when she saw him. She had seen him in scrubs before, but it was ages ago. He filled them out so differently now. Plus, the thought of him being a doctor just did things to her insides that she couldnât even describe. He thought she looked gorgeous in her pin striped slacks and blouse. He couldnât but think about how lucky each student was that got to sit and talk with her.
Harry was exhausted by the end of the week. He must have extracted over a dozen teeth, filled a stupid amount of cavities, and put on ten different crowns. He couldnât wait to see Abby Saturday. He asked her to go to the pond a little earlier in the evening so they could get dinner afterwards. The decided to just meet at the pond. She was easy enough to spot now that he knew what her long coat and Patriots hat looked like.
âHarry.â She smiles when she turns to see him. They hug and share a quick peck on the lips. âDid you catch up on some sleep?â
âI did.â He sighs as they find a bench to sit down on to put on their skates. âBeen looking forward to seeing you all week. Howâd your seminar go?â
âOh, it was great! It ended up being more of a training, I have a new certification too.â
âThatâs amazing, good for you. Iâm constantly going to lectures and stuff to stay up to date. Iâve published a couple of things too to some medical journals.â
âThatâs so cool! Once Iâve been at UMASS for six months I can start taking classes for free. Iâm gonns go for my doctorate, so hopefully I can start publishing some work too.â They both stand up and make their way into the rink. Abby puts her hand out for Harryâs and he takes it as they start to glide on the ice.
âThatâs great that they have a program like that for you.â
âI know! I was super happy when I saw that in the benefits package.â
They skate around the rink a few times, enjoying the music that was playing. Harry guides them over to the side for a little break. He presses her against it, his hands going onto the railing, caging her in. She looks up at him, and he leans in to kiss her. She tugs on his coat to pull him closer, and the kiss deepens slightly. Abby really liked kissing Harry. He always tasted like mint, probably because he was constantly chewing gum, and his lips were insanely soft. She starts smiling and so does he, and he presses his forehead to hers.
âDo you feel like going to eat now?â He says to her.
âYeah.â She nods.
They end up going to a Mexican restaurant not too far from the pond. They each get margaritas and laugh a lot. Harry talks about what itâs like to extract teeth during a surgery, and Abby asks if people ever want to see their teeth afterwards. He asks Abby how she copes when she has to deal with a heavier situation at work, and she says her little Shih Tzu, Marvin, helps make her day a lot better.
âThatâs nice your apartment allows pets.â He says to her.
âYeah, heâs only, like, nine pounds, if that. Heâs so cute, do you wanna see a picture?â
âOf course!â Abby pulls out her phone to show Harry a few pictures of Marvin, and even a selfie she took with him. âHeâs so cute, and so are you.â
âThanks.â She giggles.
âHe looks like a little stuffed animal.â
âHe really does.â
âWhy a Shih Tzu?â
âTheyâre really smart. Theyâre tough to train because theyâre so stubborn, but once they get a little older they start to listen, and theyâre pretty self-sufficient alone during the day. Although, sometimes I sneak him into the office.â
âHow old is he?â
âAbout two. Do you have any pets?â
âNah, Iâm not home enough to take care of anything else. But I love dogs, I think theyâre great.â
âWell, maybe at some point you can meet little Marv.â
âIâd like that.â
They square up the tab and Harry walks Abby home once again. They kiss for a while outside her front door. He desperately wanted to feel her tongue on his, but she wouldnât open her mouth up. His hands squeeze at her hips, and she tugs on his jacket like she had done earlier.
âWell, I better get up inside.â She says against his lips and he hums his response as he continues to kiss her. She giggles into him. âHarry.â She smiles and steps back from him.
âSorry, I just really like kissing you.â
âI like kissing you too.â
âWhen can I see you again?â
She takes her phone out to check her calendar.
âAre you free on Friday?â She asks as she furrows her brows at her screen.
âI think so. We could go to dinner, if you like. Thereâs this really great Chinese place in China Town that I love going to if youâre interested.â
âThat sounds great, Harry.â She smiles. âIâm looking forward to it.â
âMaybeâŚum, maybe we could meet up for lunch, or something at some point during the week.â
âDo you have time for something like that?â
âIâm sure I do. I can look at my calendar and let you know which day works best.â
âOkay.â She nods. âIâd love to meet up for lunch.â
âGreat.â He leans in to kiss her again. âHope you and Marvin have a good night.â
âOh, we will. Heâs probably antsy for me to get up there and give him all the cuddles I can. Text me when you know which day works for lunch.â She smiles and heads inside.
Harry couldnât believe a little dog was going to be getting all of her cuddles tonight and not him. She was slowly killing him. He respected that she might want to take things slow, but to still not invite him up? He sighs and orders an uber back to his condo, hoping heâll be able to fall asleep easily, and not stay up thinking about the girl who was slowly creeping her way into his heart.
//
Abby was able to meet up with Harry on Tuesday, but only for a quick walk, which she thought would be a great opportunity for Harry to meet Marvin. She gets his sweater and harness on, leashes him up, and out the door she goes. Harry was standing outside her building, in his scrubs, and a jacket, with two hot chocolates.
âThank you.â She smiles and takes the warm drink from him. âHarry, this is Marvin.â
âAw.â He pouts, and squats down to put his hand in front of Marvinâs nose before he pets him. âNice to meet you little guy.â He looks up at Abby. âHeâs even cuter in person.â
âRight? Iâm really excited we could get out for a little bit today. He loves when I can take him for a good walk.â Harry stands back up straight and they all start walking. âWere you in surgery today?â
âYeah, early this morning, and Iâve got another one later this afternoon. Didnât make much sense for me to put my other clothes back on.â
âYou look cute in your scrubs.â Abby says, a blush creeping onto her cheeks.
Harry nudges her and he looks down at Marvin.
âHeâs pretty quiet, huh?â
âHe was yappy when I first got him, but heâs calmed down a lot. First summer I had him I spent a lot of time training him. Pretty much taught him not to bark unless someoneâs trying to break in.â
âYou must be good with discipline then.â
âI try to be. Although, Iâm more of a fan of positive reinforcement.â They pull to the side as Marvin takes a tinkle near a fire hydrant. âGood boy, Marvin.â She says and gives him a kibble as a treat. âKibbles are great treats. Canât get fat off what he normally eats.â
âThatâs really smart. Have you, uh, been laying off the jolly ranchers?â
âOh, Iâm sorry, Dr. Styles, I didnât realize we were in your office.â
âAbbyâŚâ
âIâve been trying to, but I have a horrible sweet tooth. Theyâre the only candy I really eat. Whatâs the harm?â
âYour teeth rotting out?â
âOkay, good point. I mean, I havenât had nearly as many since Iâm not really meeting with students right now, and Iâve already gone out and bought a ton of mints for the next semester.â
âGood girl, thatâs what I like to hear.â
âWhat do you say to your male patients?â
âPardon?â
âItâs justâŚyou say good girl a lotâŚdo you do that with all your female patients, and if soâŚwhat do you say to your male patients? Also, Iâm an adult woman. Do you say good girl to all adult women?â
âAbby.â Harry chuckles. âI think Iâve only ever said that to you.â
âOh, fuck off, I bet you say it all the time.â
âI really donât.â
âThen why me?â
âYouâre cute, and I tend to be a flirt sometimes.â
âYou consider calling me a good girl flirting?â She stops short and he turns to look at her.
âI do.â He nods, a smirk growing on his lips. âDo you want me to stop saying it to you?â
âN-no.â
âAlright then.â He grins and they continue walking until they get to Marvinâs turn around spot, and make their way back to Abbyâs building. âIâm glad we got to meet up for a bit. Still on for Friday night?â
âDefinitely.â She goes up on her tip toes to kiss him goodbye and inside she goes. Harry left her with butterflies in her stomach.
//
Harry was really hoping tonight would be the night something more happens between him and Abby. He just wanted to feel her body on his. He drives to her place around seven Friday night, and he waits outside the car for her.
âHello, beautiful.â He says to her as she steps outside.
âHey.â She smiles and kisses him. He opens the door for her and he jogs around the other side to get back in. He takes her hand in his as she drives towards China Town. âHow was your day?â
âGood, really busy, but good. I tend to get a lot of kids on Fridays since itâs an easy day for them to miss school.â
âI bet the little kids love you.â
âThey do, I like being goofy with them.â They get to the restaurant, and are seated. âDo you want to share a few things?â
âSure, that sounds good.â She smiles. âI hardly ever come out here, howâd you find this place?â
âWhen I was at Tufts I used to come to China Town all the time since itâs close by. I got sick of eating at all of the same places, so I decided to come around here and branch out. This is obviously nicer, but I like it a lot.â They decide which dishes they want to share, and tell the waitress when she comes over. They both also order a couple of drinks. âThe semesterâs starting soon, right?â
âYeah, on Monday, actually.â
âOh, wow! Do you feel ready?â
âFor the most part.â She nods. âThe first week is usually quiet, and then I start to get booked out. Thatâs how it was last semester, anyways. I already have some of my regulars from last semester on my calendar for next week.â
âI bet theyâre excited to see you, I know I would be.â He places his hand over hers and gives it a squeeze. âAbby, um, after dinnerâŚI was wondering if youâd like to come back to my place for a bit.â
âOh, thatâs so sweet of you to offer, but I donât want to leave Marvin for that long.â She takes a sip of her drink. âAnother time, though.â She smiles and he nods at that.
A food runner brings their dishes over, and luckily nothing feels awkward, but Harry was sort of hoping that sheâd offer to have him over after dinner instead. They both enjoy the food, and share a few laughs before heading back to Harryâs car. When he pulls up to her place they both linger for a moment.
âThanks again for dinner, Harry, I had a great time.â
âMe too.â He looks at her. âCan I ask you something?â She nods yes at him. âAre you, uh, seeing anyone else? Itâs okay if you are, we never said this was exclusive, I guess Iâd just like to know.â
âNo, Iâm not seeing anyone else. I would have told you if I was dating around. Are you seeing anyone else?â
âNo.â
âOkay.â She smiles. âGood to know.â She leans across the console to kiss him, and he kisses her back. He turns his body more so he can cup her jaw. âAre you busy tomorrow?â
âIâŚI donât think so, I mean, just usual weekend errand type stuff. Might be grabbing drinks with some friends in the evening, why?â
âI was just thinking maybe, um, you could come over for dinner, but if youâre busy-â
âI can cancel. I can get drinks with them any time.â
âDonât be silly.â She smiles. âWe can do it another night. Weâll figure it out. I better get upstairs.â She pecks his lips. âGoodnight.â She gets out of the car, leaving him speechless. He wanted to rip his hair out at this point.
//
âHarry, how things going with that girl youâve been seeing?â Greg asks him as they sit in a booth at the bar.
âYeah, you still like her?â Lenny asks.
âThings are going well.â He nods. âBut I canât seem to figure her out. Weâve been out, like, six times and she still hasnât invited me up to her place. I invited her back to mind last night, and she said she didnât want to leave her dog alone for long.â
âHave you kissed?â Greg asks.
âYeah, weâve kissed plenty of times. We just havenât done anything else. I mean, we donât need to jump right into bed, but itâd be nice to do a little more.â
âI get what youâre saying, man.â Lenny says. âMaybe sheâs just nervous.â
âI didnât think I was giving her a reason to be.â Harry sighs. âShe invited me over tonight, but I stupidly told her I had plans with you lot.â
âWhat are you doing with us then?! Go pick up some dessert, and go get your girl!â Greg says.
âI canât just show up at her placeâŚIâll look like a stalker. What if sheâs not even home?â
âSo text her.â Lenny shrugs. âSee if sheâs around and ask if you can stop by. Tell her youâre at bar in the neighborhood.â
âBut Iâm not. Sheâll know Iâm lying.â
âDude, just text her and see if sheâs around.â Greg says.
Harry takes out his phone and types out a text. He hesitates before hitting send.
Harry: Hey, Abby! Are you home? Iâm finishing up with my friends a bit earlier than I thoughtâŚmaybe I could bring some dessert over?
Abby: Hey! Yeah, Iâm home, snuggled up with Marv. Iâd love it if you came by, especially if thereâs dessert involved lol
Harry: Great! I can be by in about 30 minutes
Abby: sounds good! See you soon
âAlright, Iâm gonna go up to the bar and get a lava cake to go. Thanks for being so cool about this guys.â
âNo worries, H.â Lenny says. âGood luck.â
Harry races to Abbyâs once heâs gotten the cake, and she buzzes him in. He knocks on her door, and she opens it for him.
âHey.â She smiles and steps aside. âCome on in.â
âThanks.â He pecks her cheek. âHope you like chocolate lava cake.â
âLove it.â She takes it from him. âSoâŚthis is it. Itâs just a studio.â She blushes. âBut the kitchen is its own area, which is nice.â
âItâs great.â He smiles at her. âYouâve definitely utilized the space.â
Thereâs a large monitor mounted on the wall, a desk underneath it with Abbyâs laptop, and an HDMI cord connecting both. Thereâs a small couch a few feet back, and then her bed is up against the opposite wall. Everything was neat and tidy.
âI use this wireless mouse as a remote, and I have a Fire Stick.â She says. Marvin comes trotting in from the kitchen. âMarv, you remember Harry. Iâm just gonna stick this in the kitchen. Feel free to make yourself comfortable.â She walks into the kitchen as Harry sits down on the couch. Marvin jumps up to sit in his lap.
âHey, little guy.â Harry pets his head and scratches behind his ears. Abby comes back out. She looks really cute tonight. She was wearing glasses, her hair tied to the side in a braid, leggings and an off the shoulder sweater. âHope Iâm not intruding on your cozy evening.â
âNot at all! Iâm really glad you texted, actually. Did you have fun with your friends?â
âI did, yeah.â
âAre they dentists too?â
âMhm, we lived together while we were in medical school. Lenny and Greg.â
âWhere do they both work?â
âAt other practices around the city. Gregâs actually an orthodontist. Theyâre both junior partners, though, Iâm the first of the three of us to become a senior partner at a practice. Guess that was the one good thing about Dr. Morgan leaving MidCity.â
âYouâre so successful.â She bites her bottom lip and looks down at Marvin in Harryâs lap. âLook at that, youâre here five minutes and he already liked you better than me.â She reaches and takes Marvin from Harry, snuggling him to her chest before putting him on the ground.
âI didnât know you wore glasses.â
âOh, I donât. Theyâre just blue light blockers.â She takes them off and sets them on the side table next to the couch. âThey help a lot when Iâm on the computer for a while.â
âAh.â He nods.
âWhatâs your place like?â
âIâve got a condo, uh, itâs a three bedroom, but I use one as a home office.â
âWow, good for you.â
âDonât get me wrong, I didnât always get to live so comfortably.â
âYouâve earned it, I bet you work really hard.â She smiles.
âIâm sure you work hard too.â
âTrue.â She nods. âBut Iâm paying off loans, and this is all I can really afford.â
âItâs a great place.â He assures her. âI wish the studio I had when I first started out was half as nice as this. I certainly didnât keep things as neat as you.â
âOh, I just rushed around to clean things up before you got here. It was a mess.â She laughs.
âIâm glad you were cool with me coming by.â He puts his hand over hers, rubbing his thumb along the back of her hand. âIâve been having a great time with you this last month.â
âMe too.â
âMy birthdayâs next weekend, andâŚum, a ton of us are getting together at this pubâŚIâd love it if you could come.â
âOh! Sure, would it be Saturday?â
âYeah.â
âIâm there, Iâd love to go. Thatâs so nice of you to invite me.â She leans in and kisses his cheek.
He looks at her, his eyes locking in on her lips. He leans in and presses his lips to hers. Her arms go around his neck to pull him closer, her fingers tangling with the curls on the nape of his neck. His arms wrap around her, hands splaying on her back to have her chest pressed to his. He lightly sucks on her bottom lip, and she opens up wider for him. He nearly groans as he licks into her, finally. She tugs on his hair as her tongue molds to his. One of his hands slides down her back and around to the front of her stomach. He just about reaches the band of her leggings when she grabs his hand, and moves it to her hip. He gives a squeeze and she whimpers into him. He plants kisses along her jaw to her earlobe, nibbling on it gently until he kisses on her neck. He mouths at her skin before sucking on her and she gasps.
âDonât leave a mark.â She grunts, and she feels him nod against her skin. âH-Harry, is this the only reason you wanted to come see me tonight?â She blurts out and he stops to look at her.
âWhat? No.â He shakes his head. âI genuinely wanted to see you and split that cake. AndâŚI meanâŚyeah, Iâve been wanting to do a little bit of this.â He runs a hand through his hair. âI like you a lot, Abby, I canât help it.â
âI like you a lot too.â She gives him a soft smile. âWe can keep kissing.â
âAre you sure?â
âMhm.â She nods and brings her hand to the back of his neck to pull him back to her. This time she nibbles on his bottom lip and his hands go to her hips, squeezing and kneading. âMm, but I donât wanna go any further than thisâŚnot yet anyways. I hope thatâs alright.â
âOf course it is.â
âI justâŚsort of wanna see where this is going before something so serious happens between us.â
âI get it.â He smiles. âI know youâll be worth the wait.â
//
Harry: hope the first day of the semester has been treating you well!
Abby couldnât help but smile at her phone. She knew Harry was extremely busy at work, so the fact that he took a moment to text her meant so much. The only thing was he texted her during a staff meeting, and her colleague Maya noticed her goofy smile.
âAbby, how was your break?â Maya asks her after the meeting.
âIt was good! Um, I sort of started seeing someone.â
âShut up! Thatâs amazing, who is it, howâd you meet?â
âHis name is HarryâŚheâs, um, my dentist.â
âOh, my, a doctor?â
âYeah.â Abby nods. âWe actually met years ago when he was still a student, and he just so happened to take over for my other dentist who apparently retired. Itâs been a little over a month. Heâs super nice, and funnyâŚand heâs really fucking handsome.â She says the last part quietly.
âGood for you. Do you have a picture of him?â
âThereâs one on the practiceâs website. I havenât, like, taken a selfie with yet. Although, I wish I had when he took me ice skating.â She pulls up MidCityâs website on her phone and shows Maya.
âHoly shit! He is handsome.â
âItâs going really well too. Heâs met Marvin, and he invited me to his birthday party this weekend.â
âWow, so youâre gonna get to meet his friends already?â
âI guess so.â She smiles. âThe only thing isâŚdo I get him a gift? And if so, what do I get him? I feel like it should be casual because everythingâs so new still, but if itâs too casual he might think Iâm not as into him as I am.â
âShit, yeah, thatâs a tough one.â Maya steps further into Abbyâs office. The girls were close, so they were used to talking about personal things. âHave you slept with him yet? You could wear something for him to unwrap.â
âNo, we havenât.â Abby sighs. âIâm trying to take things slow with him because I really like him. Weâve made out a couple of timesâŚâ
âSoâŚis that a no?â
âI donât know, birthday sex as a gift? I feel like thatâs soâŚclichĂŠ or something? Plus, I feel like heâll be expecting it. I want it to feel more special than that.â She bites her bottom lip in thought.
âOh! Have you been out to eat with him much?â
âYeah, a ton, why?â
âDid you notice him order any specific types of alcohol?â
âYeah! On our first real date he had this really nice bottle of white wine ordered to our table. It was delicious, and he loved it. I remember what it was, I could just get a bottle of that and a card, right?â
âI think thatâs a totally acceptable gift. Itâs sentimental, so it shows you put some thought into it, but also casual enough to show youâre not a psycho.â
âExactly.â
Abby: youâre so sweet! Itâs been a little busy with meetings and stuff, but other than that no fires to put out. Thanks so much for thinking of me, I hope youâre having a good day too! đ
//
Harry didnât want Abby to walk into the pub by herself, so he said heâd pick her up on his way. She insisted he didnât need to, but he insisted that he did. She had a black dress on with black tights and blue heels. She zips up her long coat and runs her fingers through her hair. Her phone buzzes with a text from Harry that heâs downstairs with the uber. She takes a deep breath, grabs her gift, and heads downstairs.
âHappy birthday.â She smiles and gives him a peck on the cheek.
âThanks, beautiful.â He opens the door for her and goes around to the other side. âIs that for me?â He points to the bag sheâs settled into her lap.
âMaybe.â She shrugs a shoulder.
âYou didnât have to get me anything.â He places his hand on her thigh.
âI said maybe, so this could easily not be for you. I guess youâll find out later.â She side eyes him and it makes him laugh.
âHow was your first week back to campus?â
âExhausting.â She sighs. âBut I caught up on sleep this morning. Everyone was excited to see Marvin.â She chuckles. âAnd it was good to see my friends and students.â
âThatâs good.â Harry smiles.
âWhat about you? How was your week?â
âBusy. I had four different surgeries, a ton of cavities, and a fuck ton of cleaning check ins. I think a lot of college kids were getting in their bi-annual visits before going back to school.â
âOhhh, yup, I bet thatâs what it was. Is there ever a time of year youâre super busy?â
âI would say summers I do a lot of wisdom teeth removals, so I get bogged down there. Everythingâs pretty consistent, though.â
âSo, whoâs going to be at this party?â
âMy friends Greg and Lenny, who are very excited to meet you.â Harry smiles and gives Abbyâs thigh a squeeze. âSome people from work, you know Marie, and Dr. Morganâs going to be there as well. Some other med school buddies will be there. Iâm only thirty-two itâs not really a big deal.â He shrugs.
âIâm excited to meet your friends too.â She smiles. âAnd itâll be good that Iâll know a couple of people so you wonât feel like you have to babysit me.â
âAw, babe, I wouldnât feel like that. I wouldnât leave your side if thatâs what you wanted, no worries.â
She nods and smiles nervously at him. He just called her âbabeâ and it filled her tummy with butterflies. The driver pulls up in front of the pub, and Harry gets out first so he can open Abbyâs door. She smiles at him as he puts his hand on the small of her back to lead her inside.
âThere he is!â Greg exclaims. âHappy birthday, H!â The two hug.
âThanks, mate, this is Abby. Abby, this is Greg.â
âItâs nice to meet you.â She says to him.
âSame to you, youâre even lovelier than Harry described.â
Abby giggles at that, and Harry leads her over to the coat room. It seems the whole pub had been rented out for his party. There was a small table for gifts, so she sets hers down.
âWow, you look amazing.â Harry says, rubbing his hands up and down her arms.
âThanks.â She smiles and leans in to peck his lips. âWanna introduce me to some other people?â
âYeah, come on.â He takes her hand and leads her back to everyone.
Abby gets introduced to Lenny, and some of Harryâs other doctor friends. She then gives Dr. Morgan a big hug, and she says hello to Marie and her wife. Harry gets Abby a glass of wine, and much to her surprise, he keeps his arm hooked around her waist for most of the evening. He clearly wanted her close by. His friends were kind, not at all arrogant, which was a tad unexpected since there were a lot of people with deep pockets in the room. Maybe doctors werenât as snotty because they also had large student loan debts. They engaged her in conversation, asking about her work, and why the heck she wanted to spend her time with Harry, which made a lot of people laugh. Harry lit up when he was explaining how he and Abby actually met ears ago, and he talked about the card she had sent along to him, making her blush a bit. Everyone found the story to be quite endearing.
âAre you having a good time?â Harry asks Abby as they go up to the bar together.
âI am, your friends are great. Are you? Itâs your birthday.â
âIâm having a wonderful time, even more so since youâre here.â He kisses her cheek and hands her a new glass of wine.
A tray of cupcakes is brought out, and everyone sings happy birthday to Harry. He blows out a few candles and thanks everyone for coming. The cupcakes were delicious, clearly from a nice bakery. Harry notices Abby getting a little bit of frosting on the corner of her mouth, and before she can grab a napkin, heâs catching it with his thumb and sucking it into his mouth. Her eyes widen as he winks at her.
âTh-thank you.â She says, clearing her throat.
âDonât mention it.â He pecks her lips. âI was wondering somethingâŚâ
âWhat is it?â
âWould you like to come home with me tonight? I thought it would be nice to spend some time alone after being so social.â
âOh, um, yeah, Iâd like that.â She nods.
âWill Marvin be alright without you?â
âYeah, my, um, neighborâs kid is actually watching him tonight. Sheâs a great pet sitter. IâŚI told her I may not be coming home tonight, so sheâs fully prepared for a sleepover.â
Harryâs smile grows, and he kisses her again. After making the rounds to say goodbye to everyone, getting their coats, gathering all of the gifts, the two get into an uber to head to Harryâs condo. Thereâs a doorman that says hello to Harry and gives Abby a warm smile. She follows him through the lobby to the elevators. They step inside, and Harry hits a number on one of the higher floors. He leads her to his door, and he gets it open. She follows him into his living area, and they set his gifts down. He takes her coat for her, and hangs it up in his front closet.
âThis isâŚa really nice place.â She says as she looks around.
âIâll give you the full tour in a moment, Iâve been dying to open your gift all night.â
âOh.â She blushes. âItâs really nothing special.â
He gives her an unconvinced look, and grabs the bag he remembers her bringing. They both sit down on the coach, and she watches him reach inside.
âA card, classic.â He smirks and sets it aside. He reaches back inside and pulls out the bottle of wine. âThis is one of my favorites! How did you know?â
âI remember you ordering it when we went to that Italian place.â She smiles and he hugs her.
âMind if I open it, or have you had enough for the night?â
âIâd love some.â
âGreat! Just hang tight.â
Harry goes into the kitchen with the bottle. While sheâs waiting patiently on the couch, Abby hears music come on. She sees a Bluetooth speaker light up, he must have turned it on from his phone. He comes out with two glasses of wine, and hands her one as he sits back down.
âThank you.â She says as she takes a sip.
âNo, thank you. This was really nice of you. Youâve got a great memory.â He takes a sip and sets the glass down on a coaster on his coffee table. She does the same. âMy friends adored you, by the way. Iâve already got the texts to prove it.â
âIâm glad I made such a good first impression.â She inches closer to him.
He reaches to tuck some hair behind her ear, and he leans in to kiss her. She wraps her arms around his neck, and opens her mouth for him. One of his hands falls to her thigh as the other one cups her cheek. Her fingers work their way into his hair, and he squeezes her hip.
âAbby.â He breathes, and moves to kiss on her neck, just under her earlobe.
She lets her heels fall off as she pushes him back farther on the couch. She moves to straddle one of his thighs, and she brings her lips back to his. His hands move up and down her back until they reach just above her bum. She grabs his hands and moves them down to her ass. He groans into her as he squeezes, loving how plump she is. She kisses along his jaw and to his neck, and she rolls her hips down onto his thigh. He raises it to help press into her. She whimpers into his neck, and he cups her cheeks so sheâll at him.
âDo you wanna take this to the bedroom?â He asks softly.
âI donât wanna go to sleep yet.â
âI didnât think you did.â He smirks.
âNo, I justâŚI mean, if we go in thereâŚthatâs all Iâll want to do.â
âSleep?â She nods her head yes. âOh.â
âHarry, Iâm sorry.â She sighs. âI know itâs your birthday, and you were probably hoping for someâŚstuff to go down between us, but I think we should wait a little longer. Is that okay?â
âAbby, I wasnât expecting us to do anything. I mean, if we had of course it would have been nice, but itâs okay.â He assures her. âIâm just happy you wanted to come back with me.â
She leans back in to kiss him, and they continue to grope each other as they kiss. Their tongues swirl around each other, and she continues to rock back and forth on his thigh. She lets him puts his hands on her breasts, and he kneads them through her dress. He moves her to lay down on the couch and he settles himself between her legs as he hovers over her. He kisses on the tops of her breasts that were now spilling out of her dress. He sucks and bites on the plushier areas, eliciting a moan from her.
âH-Harry, maybe we should cool it before you turn me into a leopard.â
He chuckles against her and pecks her lips before he sits up.
âWould you spend the night?â
âIâd love to.â
He helps her up off the couch and leads her to the bedroom. He flips the switch for the lights, and her eyes widen. His bedroom was neat, almost a little too neat. She raises a suspicious eyebrow at him.
âIâŚum, have a housekeeper.â He clears his throat. âLet me just grab a few things for you. Iâm assuming youâll want something to sleep in?â
âPlease.â She chuckles, watching him move to his dresser for a tee shirt and pajama bottoms.
She follows him into his en suite as he opens the closet inside to look for a spare washcloth and toothbrush. He sets everything down on his double vanity and smiles at her.
âUse whatever you need, beautiful.â He kisses her cheek and steps out to give her some privacy.
Abby strips herself of her clothes, and then washes her face. She brushes her teeth, runs her fingers through her hair, and then puts on the clothes Harry set aside for her. They were so soft and smelled just like him. She sighs happily and makes her way back into his bedroom. He smiles at her and stands up from the bed.
âGet comfortable, Iâm just gonna do my thing.â He tells her and she nods. âThereâs a spare phone charger on that side of the bed if you need it.â He points to the right side and she smiles.
When heâs done in the bathroom he comes out in a pair of plaid bottoms, but heâs gotten rid of his shirt altogether. He was littered with tattoos which really surprised her. She thought he only had the one little cross on his hand.
âWhen did you get all of those?â She asks as he gets into bed with her.
âAll of what? Oh! My tattoos? Years and years ago, when I was a stupid teenager.â He chuckles. âHavenât added to the collection in a while.â He looks down at himself. âDo you, uh, not like tattoos?â
âNo! I think theyâre really cool.â She furrows her brows as she scans his chest. âTheyâre so interesting.â
âThanks.â He smirks.
âDid they hurt?â
âSome more than others. You sort of get used to it after a while. Iâm assuming you donât have any?â
âNo.â She shakes her head. âJust a few piercings.â
âYeah?â
âMhm.â She tucks some hair behind her ear. âGot my cartilage, and three holes in each lobe.â
âNoticed those, I love the earrings you wear.â
âAndâŚâ She pulls the blankets back a bit and pulls the shirt sheâs wearing up slightly to reveal her belly button. âGot this done when I was twenty-two. I always wanted one and said fuck it.â
âItâs cute.â He smiles as he admire the jewel attached to her naval. âNow that had to have hurt.â He says as she puts her shirt back down.
âIt honestly wasnât as bad as I thought. It was just a little pinch, the guy took really good care of me. I was a little light headed after, and it was sore for a few days, but other than that it was fine.â
They stay up talking for a bit until they eventually fall asleep. Abby had moves to rest her head on Harryâs chest, and thatâs how she fell asleep, to the smooth rhythm of his heartbeat. Harry couldnât remember the last time someone spent the night in his bed and it didnât involve sex, there was something sort of sweet about not doing anything and still be able to fall asleep together comfortably. Maybe there was something to this taking it slow thing.
The next morning, Abby woke up being spooned by Harry. His breath was fanning over the back of her neck, and he had a leg between hers. His arm was strung across her lower stomach lazily. She grabs her phone and sees that itâs about 8:30. She yawns and wiggles a bit to adjust herself. She feels his lips press a kiss into the back of her neck and his arm tightens around her stomach.
âYou awake, darling?â He coos and it nearly makes her melt.
âMhm.â Itâs all she can manage to say.
âGood morning then.â He kisses the back of her neck again.
âGood morning.â She rolls over to her other side to look at him and he gives her a sleep smile. He leans into peck her nose, and he rubs at her side.
âSleep alright?â
âYeah, did you?â
âMhm.â He nods. âIâm gonna wash up and then make us some breakfast, how does that sound?â
âSounds amazing, Harry.â
He gets up and makes his way to the bathroom. When he comes out heâs thrown a shirt on, and Abby gets up to freshen up herself. She washes her face and brushes her teeth, putting her bra on under the shirt he had given her so she wasnât putting on a show for him. She comes out to his kitchen and smells fresh coffee. She wanted to roll her eyes as she saw him using a French press.
âHope you like hazelnut, itâs the only flavor Iâve got.â
âItâs perfect. Got any creamer?â
âMhm, in the fridge.â He points to it and she opens it up, grabbing the creamer on the top shelf. It was pretty much full.
âI donât use it myself, mostly keep it for guests.â He pours the coffee into two mugs.
âAh, and do you have guests often?â
âNone that Iâd want to have a sleepover with, if thatâs what youâre asking.â He kisses her cheek, and she pours the creamer into her coffee. âNow, what can I make you? What do you like for breakfast?â
âOh, nothing fancy.â She shrugs. âWhatever you feel like making is fine.â
âEggs and toast?â
âWorks for me. Can I help?â
âYou can help by just having a seat.â
Abby smiles and sits down on one of the stools at Harryâs kitchen island while he works to get the eggs out of the fridge. He ends up making scrambled eggs for the two of them to keep things quick. It was a pleasant breakfast. Abby thought it was cute that Harry genuinely read from the morning newspaper. She was resting her chin on her palm watching him.
âAnything interesting going on?â She asks him.
âNah, itâs all negative.â He sighs as he flips a page.
âCould I have the funnies?â
âSure!â Harry finds the chunk with the comics and slides it over to her.
âThanks, I used to look forward to this every Sunday when my dad would pick up The Globe.â
âWhat was your favorite?â
âThere was this one called Opus. There were all these different characters, and the story was pretty linear, which I thought was cool. I actually saved the last comic strip in a scrap book. The main characters, Opus the penguin, had gone missing or something and he was trying to find himself. It really tugged at my heartstrings.â
âSometimes I forget not all of the funnies are just for kids.â
âIâm also partial to Family Circus, and I loved Zits.â
Harry smiles and goes back to reading the paper. He liked going over the sports and arts sections most. Abby helps him clean up the dishes and then she goes to get dressed.
âDo you want some sweat pants to wear so you donât have to put all of that back on?â
âNo, Iâm okay. Iâm just gonna put the dress on.â
âWonât you be cold without the stockings?â
âIâll be alright, but thanks.â
âLet me at list drive you home.â
âOkay.â She nods.
The ride was comfortably quiet as Harry kept his hand in Abbyâs. He pulls over to the side to stop in front of her building, and they look at each other. Smiles grow on both of their faces.
âYou already know what Iâm going to ask.â He says to her.
âI know, but I wanna hear you say it.â
âAlright, when can I see you next?â
âHmmâŚwhat about Tuesday night? We could go to a movie. Tickets are cheaper on Tuesdays so we can splurge on snacks.â
âI like the way you think. Iâd love to go to a movie. You pick, and just tell me what time I need to meet you.â
âSounds good.â She leans in to peck his lips. âTalk to you soon.â She gets out of the car and heads up to her apartment. Chrissy, the teenager watching Marvin, was sitting on her couch watching TV. âHey, Chrissy. I already paid you on Venmo.â
âI saw! Thanks so much.â She stands up.
âThanks for watching him all night.â Abby scoops up Marvin and cuddles him to her chest. âI hope he wasnât too much trouble.â
âNot at all, he was great. He was my little study buddy.â
âPerfect. Well, enjoy your Sunday. Tell your parents thanks too.â
âI will, have a good day.â Chrissy heads out and Abby sets Marvin back down.
âAlright, Mummaâs gonna take a shower and then sheâll take you for a nice, long walk, sound good?â Marvin yips excitedly at her. âSâwhat I thought.â
//
Harry was fucked. He was running late and couldnât get to a phone because he was in the middle of a surgery. Of course the one time thereâs a few delays and complications he actually has somewhere to be. He was supposed to meet Abby at 6:45PM, it was already 6:30, there was no way in hell he was going to make it. He did his best to stay focused so he could do right by his patient. By the time he was done it was 7:45PM. He tried to call Abby, but her phone went right to voicemail.â
âShit.â He says to himself.
âDr. Styles.â Marie says. âYou should change, youâre still scrubbed up and you have blood on you. Go home and shower, sheâll understand.â
âI just wish sheâd turn her phone onâŚâ
âMaybe she went to the movie alone.â Marie shrugs. âShe could be one of those good people who actually turns their phone off.â
âRight, yeah. Iâm gonna freshen up here, and then Iâm gonna try to catch her outside the theater.â
Harry does just that, using the hospital locker room to have a quick shower. He rushes to the movie theater and waits outside. The movie they were supposed to see should be wrapping up any moment, so he goes into the lobby to watch for her. Hopefully she was actually there.
Abby throws out her trash and walks towards the main lobby. She was just turning her phone back on when she saw Harry standing there with a very apologetic look on his face. She sighs and walks over to him.
âIâm so sorry.â He starts. âI tried calling as soon as I could, but your phone went right to voicemail.â
âI turned it off when the previews started.â She chews on her bottom lip. âWhat happened?â
âMy last surgery of the day got delayed, and then there were some complicationsâŚeverythingâs fine now, but it wasnât an easy extraction. I had to really take my time, Iâm so sorry. I swear this wonât happen a lot.â He looks down at his shoes and then back to her. âWas it a good movie at least?â
âIt was alright.â She sighs. âWould have been better if I had someone to make comments to.â She nudges his shoulder.
âHow can I make it up to you? Are you hungry? We could-â
âI already ate, itâs okay. I know you didnât do anything on purpose. Itâs getting late, so Iâm just going to head home.â
âI feel terrible.â
âDonât.â She smiles. âShit happens.â
âLet me at least take you home, I drove here.â
âSure.â She takes his hand in hers as they walk out of the theater. âAre you hungry?â
âStarved, actually, but I can just eat when I get home.â
âDonât be silly, I have leftovers. You can come up and eat if you want.â
âIâd like that.â
Once theyâre up in her apartment, Harry plays with Marvin while Abby heats up her leftover stir fry and rice. She hands Harry the warm bowl and they both sit down at the small table she has in her kitchen.
âIs it hot enough?â She asks him.
âItâs perfect, thank you.â He eats a little and then looks at her. âI really do feel terrible that you waited and had to sit aloneâŚâ
âItâs really okay. Itâs not my first time going to the movies by myself.â She shrugs. âIâm pretty independent.â
âI just donât want you thinking this is something thatâs going to happen a lot. Itâs so rare for a surgery like this to not be timely.â
âIâll take your word for it.â She gives him a reassuring smile. âItâs really sweet you still showed up at the theater like you did. Weâre together now, thatâs all that really matters.â
Harry finishes eating and cleans up his bowl. He stands with his hands in his pockets by the door and she stands with her arms crossed. Neither were sure what to do. It was really too late to hang out any longer since they both needed to work the next day.
âAre you free Friday night?â He asks her. âWe could go to dinner if you like.â
âSure, that sounds nice. Wanna say seven?â
âWorks for me. Iâll pick you up then.â He caresses her cheek and kisses her. They both linger for a moment before letting go. âGoodnight.â
âGoodnight.â She sighs after he leaves. It sucked being at the movies alone, but it meant the world to her that he still showed up at the end. It really showed his character, and for that she was grateful. She was still trying to gauge what kind of guy Harry was, and she had finally come to the conclusion that he was a good one.
//
âTwo months and still nothing?â Greg asks Harry one Sunday evening as he and Lenny came over to watch the hockey game.
âYeah.â Harry sighs as he sips on his beer. âI mean, donât get me wrong, I love kissing her and, and sheâs let me touch her over her clothes, butâŚI donât know, sheâs not as desperate and grabby as I am. What if sheâs just not as into me?â
âI donât think sheâd be seeing you still if she wasnât into you.â Lenny says. âHow old is she again?â
âTwenty-six, why?â
âWell, maybe sheâs hoping for things to be a little more official before she goes all the way with you.â
âDefine official.â Harry mutters.
âMaybe she wants to know if youâre her boyfriend.â Lenny states.
âGod, do you really think sheâs hung up on some stupid label? Weâre dating, weâre together, I think thatâs pretty clear.â
âRemember when I dated that younger girl? She was, like, twenty-three?â Greg says and the guys both nod. âWell, she wanted to know what the status was after a few months. Obviously it didnât work out because of the age difference, but these things matter to the younger women. They wanna know what to refer to you. Boyfriend is a lot easier to say than having to say the guy Iâm seeing.â
âSo, you have to ask yourself, do you want to be Abbyâs boyfriend?â Lenny asks him. âIf you donât see things working out long term with her you should break it off.â
âI definitely donât want to break it off. I really like her, and I like spending time with her.â He runs a hand through his hair. âIâm going to her place on Thursday for dinner, maybe we can talk about it then.â
âYeah? She cooking for you again?â Greg asks.
âMhm.â Harry smiles. âShe really likes cooking for me, I donât know why. I donât mind it, she always makes something delicious.â
âDo you ever cook for her?â Lenny asks.
âSure.â Harry shrugs. âWe take turns.â
âThatâs good, those things should definitely go both ways.â Greg says. âI bet you she just wants to make sure youâre not going to up and leave the second she lets you hit it.â
âI donât know why sheâd even think Iâd do something like thatâŚâ
âMaybe sheâs been burned in the past.â Lenny shrugs. âHave you had the ex talk?â
âNo.â Harry shakes his head. âIt doesnât seem like something weâve needed to talk aboutâŚbut maybe we do.â
//
Thursday night Harry goes over to Abbyâs with a bottle of wine and a box of chocolate chip cookies. He liked bringing dessert the times she made dinner for him.
âHey.â She smiles and kisses him once heâs inside. She mustâve had a long day at work because she was still in her work clothes. Most times when Harry came over she had already changed into comfier clothes. âHow was your day?â
âIt was good, how about yours?â He hands her the wine and cookies and follows her into the kitchen.
âLong.â She sighs. âI had some heavier appointments today.â She blinks a few times. âIâŚI cried with a student today.â She looks at him, tearing up.
âOh, baby, Iâm so sorry, come here.â He opens his arms for her and sheâs comforted by his embrace. He rests his chin on the top of her head. âAre you allowed to tell me what happened?â
âYeah.â She sniffles and looks up at him. âThis male studentâŚhe had a rough go of it in high school. A teacherâŚmolested him, and it was this whole thing. Heâs from a small town in Vermont so everyone knew. He came here to get away from it, you know? Make a fresh start? Heâs started to see this girl that he really likes, and heâs petrified of her finding out, and heâs not sure if he should just tell her or if he should keep it to himself. But heâs afraid she might find out anyways somehow. I felt terrible. I mean, what kind of sick fuck uses their position of power over a kid like that, you know?â
âThatâsâŚawful, beyond awful.â Harry frowns down at Abby.
âI just couldnât keep it together, especially when he started crying, so I cried too. Then we both started laughing, and he was able to calm down and we talked about things more.â She steps back from Harry and wipes under eyes.
âI guess the upside is that you created such a welcoming environment that he felt safe enough to be so vulnerable with you.â
âYeah.â She nods. âI suppose thatâs a silver lining, thanks.â She smiles. âAnyways, weâre going to meet bi-weekly now just for little check ins.â She sighs and moves to stir the pot of pasta thatâs on the stove. âIâm making pasta and meat sauce, hope thatâs alright.â
âItâs great, Abby. Can I do anything?â
âNo, everythingâs just about done. Um, would you actually mind taking Marv out quickly for me? He just ate and I havenât had a chance to take him out to do his business.â
âYou got it.â
It wasnât Harryâs first time taking Marvin out, so he really didnât mind. He leashes him up and takes him down to the street. Marvin does his business, and Harry gets him back upstairs. By the time he comes back, Abbyâs plated up dinner, and gotten the wine open and poured.
âThank you.â She says to him, and leans down to pat Marvinâs head. âReady to eat?â
âMhm, thank you for cooking.â
âOh, it was nothing.â She smiles. âI like when we get to have dinner together.â
âMe too, babe.â He takes a bite of food and moans. âThis is amazing, Ab.â
âThanks.â She blushes and takes a sip of her wine. âHarry, um, thereâs something IâŚwellâŚIâm just gonna come right out and say it.â She takes a deep breath as he looks at her. âAm IâŚam I your girlfriend?â
Harryâs concerned face softens into a smile.
âIâd like you to be.â He says to her. âI was actually going to bring this up tonight, guess you beat me to it.â
âOh.â She says, a little surprised. âWell, good, okay.â She nods and takes a bite of food.
âI like you a lot, and I know itâs been a couple of months. Iâm still having a great time with you.â
âSame here!â She assures him. âI just, you know, I donât know what to tell my friends sometimes when they ask about you.â
âWell, now you can tell them about your boyfriend, yeah?â He smirks. âWhen do I get to meet these friends, hm? Youâve met all of mine.â
âThatâs true.â She chews her bottom lip. âWell, I could arrange for a night out at a bar some weekend. We all love going out to dance and stuffâŚâ
âSounds like fun.â
âYouâd be into something like that?â
âSure, why not?â
âYou just donât exactly seem like the type of person who would enjoy going to a stuffy club with a ton of drunk people.â
âHey, I know how to hang. Set it up and Iâll be there.â
âGreat, Iâll text them.â She smiles, her body was buzzing with excitement. Harry stands up abruptly and comes over to her side of the table, cupping her jaw. He slots his lips over hers, sucking on her bottom lip and then letting her go before he sits back down. âWh-what was that for?â
âJust wanted to give my girlfriend a kiss.â He shrugs, a smirk forming on his lips.
âOh.â Her face had to be beat red at this point. They look at each other and smile. This time itâs Abby who decides to be bold. She gets up and sits on his lap side saddle. She grabs her phone and opens up SnapChat because it was better for taking selfies.
âWhat are you doing?â
âWe hardly have any pictures together. Now that youâre my boyfriend thatâs going to change. Smile.â She says to him, and he does as she says, taking a very cute picture.
âSend that to me?â
Abby presses her lips to his. Getting through dinner was going to take a little longer tonight. Â
//
Harry could, in fact, not hang. It was midnight and he was fighting to stay awake. He wished Abby had planned their big night out with her friends for a Saturday not Friday. It was a long week, and Harry just wanted to go to bed. He thought her friends were interesting. There was Billy, Abbyâs absolute best friend. Billy happens to be trans, which Harry didnât care about at all because Billyâs life was none of his business. Then there was Amy and Gina, Abbyâs roommates from undergrad. They were all getting along fine, but the club was loud, packed, and sticky. Abby was having a good time, though, so what could he do?
âAnother drink, Harry? Next roundâs on me.â Billy says to him.
âOh, no thank you. Think Iâm gonna cool it.â
âCool it?â Amy scoffs. âThe night just started. Ab, hold old did you say he was again?â
âDonât tease him.â Abby hooks an arm around Harryâs waist. âHeâs thirty-two, a doctor, and he had a long week.â She looks up at him. âYouâve last two hours, go home if you want.â
âAre you sure?â
âYeah, Iâll call you tomorrow.â She puckers her lips and he kisses her.
âIt was really nice meeting all of you. Weâll have to do it again sometimeâŚmaybe on a night I didnât have two different surgeries.â He kisses Abby again. âText me when you get home so I know you got back safe?â
âWill do, bye, babe!â Harry heads out, and Abby looks back at her friends. âHeâs cute, right?â
âVery.â Gina says. âHe seemed like he was having fun at the beginning.â
âHeâs just tired.â Abby sighs. âWe should have waited until tomorrow. He really is a lot of fun.â
âIâm sure he is.â Billy says with a smile. âSo, you really havenât slept with him yet?â
âNo.â Abby shakes her head.
âWhatâs the hold up?â Amy asks.
âI just havenât felt ready.â Abby shrugs. âHeâs a really good kisser, though, so I know Iâm close to getting there with him.â
âYou havenât even sucked his dick?â Gina asks.
âNo, but Iâve felt it. We grind on each other a lot. But I always have us stop before it gets to be too much.â
âIâve literally never known you to not want to fuck a guy youâve been seeing.â Billy says.
âI knowâŚI justâŚit all just feels like a dream come true still, and Iâm afraid that once we do it something will go wrong and weâll stop seeing each other. I have no idea why I feel like that, but I do.â Abby says.
âHeâd be an idiot to let you go.â Amy says. âDo it when youâre ready, but I think I speak for the three of us when I say we approve of him.â
âThanks, that means a lot.â The four share a group hug and go back out to the dancefloor to enjoy the rest of their night.
//
It was a rainy Saturday at the beginning of April. Harry told Abby to bring Marvin over to his place so they could get cozy for a lazy day of watching movies and being cozy. She happily accepted. The two of them really needed a day to relax. Abby was booked solid at work right now, and Harry was starting to get booked out with more and more wisdom teeth appointments. Harry liked when Abby would bring Marvin over. He had gotten a little dog bed for him and some toys. Harry even got him a little food and water bowl.
Abby was really falling for Harry. He made her feel safe, and he was beyond considerate. She also couldnât believe how patient he was being. They were together three months, just entering the fourth, and they still hadnât had sex yet. She knew he wanted it, of course, and she really wanted it too.
They were curled up on the couch together while Marvin was snoozing on his little dig bed. Neither had ever watched The Mindy Project before so they were binging it. Abby couldnât believe what she was about to do, but she couldnât help from blurting it out.
âHarry?â She looks up at him.
âYeah?â He looks down at her.
âIâŚI love you.â His eyes widen as he looks at her, his mouth falling open. âOh my god, itâs too soon, right? IâŚIâŚIâŚâ Before she can ramble on anymore, heâs kissing her, hard.
âChrist, Abby.â He presses his forehead to hers. âI love you too.â He kisses her again.
âReally?â
âOf course I do. You couldnât tell? Iâve got your picture framed on my night table, and Iâve got all this stuff here for Marvin, and I keep your favorite snacks in the pantryâŚâ
She moves to straddle him, pushing his shoulders back into the couch. She slots her mouth over his, and he holds her close to him. She sucks on his bottom lip, making him groan.
âHarry, bring me to your bedroom, now.â
âY-you wanna go to sleep?â He looks at her confused.
âNo, I want you to fuck me.â She looks at him with dark eyes.
âReally?â
âYes!â
He doesnât question her again. Instead, he lifts her up and quickly carries her down the hall to his bedroom. He gets her on the bed, hovers over her, and starts by getting her shirt off. His eyes widen when he sees the lace bra she was wearing. He furrows his brows as he gets her leggings off. He glares at her when he sees that her panties match her bra.
âWhat is it?â She asks innocently.
âThereâs this old saying that goes along the lines of if the girlâs wearing matching underwear, then sheâs the one who decided to have sex.â Abby blinks at him. âWere you planning for this tonight?â
âI was hoping.â She sits up on her elbows. âIâŚIâve been fucked over before, and I really wanted to make sure I knew how we felt about each other before we did this. Iâm sorry that I made us wait so long.â
âDonât be sorry, baby.â He caresses her cheek. âIâll admit I was a little frustrated in the beginning, butâŚIâm sort of glad we waited. Itâll be more special now.â
âExactly!â She beams at him. âCanâŚcan we get back to it now?â
He chuckles and takes his shirt off and pants off. He hovers over her and kisses on her neck and chest. He reaches behind her to unhook her bra, and tugs it away. His lips wrap around one of her nipples, and he licks around it. He sucks on her, and it makes her moan. He licks over to her other breast, and sucks on her other nipple. She pushes his head closer to her chest and tugs at his hair. He kisses and nips his way down her soft tummy. She lifts her hips as he tugs her panties off. He opens her legs and sucks a bruise into her thigh. She gasps at that and groans. He licks a flat stripe up her slit and to her clit. He does this a few times, just to get a good taste of her.
He looks up at her as his tongue flicks back and forth on her clit. He presses a hand on her pelvis and pushes up so he can see her better. He sucks on her clit and she moans out. His fingers work around her folds, feeling her wetness, and then he slides his middle finger in. He gets his ring finger in as well, and starts to pump in and out of her. He moans into her as his hips rut against the bed. She grabs at his hair as his fingers start to rub against her front wall. Abby starts panting and breathing heavier.
âFuck, Harry, please donât stop!â
He groans into her as his answer, and keeps doing everything exactly the same to help get her there. Her hips move along with his face, and her body starts to feel warm all over. She cries out as she comes to her release. He retracts his fingers, and he sucks on her wet center before sitting up. She catches her breath and smiles at him. He smiles at her and gets his boxers off. She whimpers when she looks at his hard dick. She crawls towards him and wraps her hand around him. She kisses his tip and wraps her lips around him.
âGod, Iâve been dreaming about this.â He groans as his head rolls back while she starts to bob up and down on him. She goes down enough to choke on him, and then she pulls off. âDo you want me to use a condom?â
âNo, Iâm on the pill. I wanna feel you.â
He nods and gets back onto the bed with her. She opens her legs back up for him, and he rubs the head of his cock along her folds and clit. Her hips press up towards him in anticipation. He slowly presses into her, and her mouth falls open.
âJesus, youâre so fucking tight.â He grunts as he bottoms out.
âMove.â She tells him. âMove, Harry.â She whines, and he starts to rock in and out of her. She clutches at his biceps and digs her nails in. âOh my god.â She moans.
âFeels good?â
âFeels amazing.â She bites her bottom lip. âGo harder.â
âYeah, want me to fuck you hard?â
âFuck, yeah, really give it to me.â
He gives her a wicked grin, and then pulls out of her. He flips her onto her stomach and slides back in. He grips the back of her neck, and his other hand rests at the base of her spine. He takes a deep breath, pulls out almost all the way, and then snaps his hips back into her. She gasps, and he does it again. He smacks her ass, and continues to fuck into her hard. The hand at the base of her spine slides around to her clit and he rubs it. It doesnât take her long to lose it again. He pulls out and sits up against his headboard. Abby sinks down on him as he grips her hips. They move in sync together as she rides him. She licks into his mouth and they both moan. His hands grab all over her body, unsure of where he liked squeezing the most. He fondles her breasts for a bit before deciding to stick with her ass.
âYouâre so fucking beautiful like this, Abby.â He says as he kisses on her neck. âI want you to come for me again.â He snakes a hand between them so he can rub her clit again.
âFuck, yes, oh my god, Harry!â She grinds faster on him. âI want you to come inside me.â
âShit, fuck.â He moans out and they come at the same time. âFuck, Abby.â He breathes and kisses her, sucking on her bottom lip. Her fingers tangle back into his hair.
âWas it, um, worth the wait?â
âOh my god, of course it was. I wanna fuck you over and over.â He smirks at her and she giggles.
âI think that can be arranged.â She pecks his lips. âWould you ever want to, um, tie me to the bed?â
âOh, baby, if I didnât love you before.â
#sweet tooth#harry styles#harry styles one shot#harry styles imagine#harry styles x oc#harry styles smut#harry styles fluff#dentist!harry#dentistrry#harry styles oc#harry styles fic#harry styles fanfic
817 notes
¡
View notes
Text
Til death do us part | Helmut Zemo
Bodyguard AU! đś
Gender neutral reader
Collage by @realremyd
Here's the part where I stir up trouble because it's me and you know this by now.
Warnings: Mentions of threats, death, and suicide. I'm sorry if that's triggering. It's just mentioned.
[Previous chapter] - [Next chapter]
Part 11
You hadn't returned to the Baron again last night, and he hadn't called for you either. You managed to avoid him for the rest of the day.
Today, however, was a new day, and you couldn't keep avoiding him. You put on your stoic face, kept your mind on the job, and made your way up to his office.
At breakfast you had been joined by Natasha and Clint down in the kitchen. It was clear bt the way Clint was looking at you that Natasha had brought him into the loop.
"Why did you tell him?"
"I didn't. He has eyes, too. He can see it just as clearly as anyone," she states.
Clint grins.
You glare at him.
Clint just shrugged and agreed with her. He was the only one to tell you anything alone these lines:
"I think you should open up to him. Sure, you didn't get off on the right foot, but I think he likes you. Really. Maybe give him a chance?"
You chose to ignore that statement and get on with your work. If no one else was going to take their job seriously, then you had to be extra serious for them.
His life was still in danger.
You knock on the door, taking a deep breath as you waited for his reaponce. It cane moments later.
"Enter."
If only his voice didn't send shivers down your spine everytime you heard it.
You enter his office, barely looking at him, and make your way over to where you normally stand. However, you had noticed the way his desk was organised.
Much like yesterday, there was a tea set on a tray. It was a different set to yesterday's. These cups were a pale green and each one a a small pink rose painted on either side of the cup. The teapot had a dozen little roses around the top where the lid sat.
It was a pretty set. Once again, simple, but classy.
He poured two cups again.
"Please, join me," he spoke softly.
You did not want a repeat of yesterday. You remained standing.
Noticing that you hadn't made a move, he gazes up at you with gentle brown eyes. His lips are pulled into a soft smile.
You knew you shouldn't have looked at him, but now it was too late. Those dark eyes are luring you in, and don't forget that smile.
Why did you suddenly want to kiss him?
You swallow thickly, keeping eye contact with him as he continues to look at you with a smile.
"Please."
The way he speaks is so soft. He very clearly wanted you to join him. You hesitate.
"I'm on duty, sir."
"I want you to join me."
You look at the empty seat across from him. The tea would get cold if you didn't join him. Right, yeah, that's why you're going to sit down with him, you didn't want the tea to get cold.
You move over to the chair and take a seat, not looking at the way he was smiling at you now.
A plate of cupcakes sits between you. He takes one.
You look at the sight. Seeing the Baron with his dainty tea set, a cupcake, and a bright expression on his face, he looked so happy and relaxed.
You rather liked this side to the Baron.
You pick up the cup and sip from it. Another delicious tea from his collection. You won't mention how you knew he had a collection of different flavoured tea in a box downstairs in the kitchen.
You smiled at the thought of it though.
It made you feel like you had discovered something about him. A little thing he likes that he doesn't share with anyone else.
Except you, of course.
"How many tea sets do you have?" You ask, now forgetting all about that professional head you had tried to put on earlier. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to humour him.
He smiles widely at you.
"I have six as it stands. I do like to look at others, but I only get the ones that really catch my eye."
You have no idea what was going on with Helmut. The man was beyond pleased. You had initiated a conversation with him. You wanted to talk to him. He couldn't believe it. Perhaps he hadn't offended you as much as he thought after all.
Now, he just had to keep you talking.
"Six? Goodness. Do you use them all?"
"Yes. I switch between them," he grins.
"I'd like to see the others."
"All in due time."
You smile softly.
His heart could literally beat out of his chest right now. He made you smile, and you weren't even trying to hide it.
Feeling a little more willing to be less... stuck up, you reach out and grab one of the cakes.
This pleases him further.
You both eat the cakes and drink the tea. You let yourself smile openly around him.
You were accept he wanted to spend time with you. You wondered if he would indulge you in some information.
"May I ask you something?"
He looks at you with a big gentle eyes. His lips curl in the smallest of smiles.
"Of course."
You put down your nearly empty tea cup and sit up straighter.
"Will you tell me about the group who are after you?"
His smile fades. He hadn't expected that question. To be honest he wanted to keep them as far from mind as possible, but he supposed he did owe you an explanation after everything you had been through.
"They call themselves The Agent Association. John Walker founded it when I retired from the army. He is part of the reason Sokovia has been suffering, when he brought his little gang here to try and recruit me."
"Recruit you? What did he want you for?"
"I have many skills under my belt. I believe he wanted to use me."
"And you turned him down?"
"Yes. I had just left the military. I was ready to return home and settle down. He didn't like that," Helmut's voice became sad. Something struck you and you realised that this went so much deeper than just that.
"What happened? What did he do?"
Helmut looks at you. During the next few moments of silence he was debating on if he should share everything with you. He trusted you, it more came down to if he could bring himself to tell you what happened.
"Baron?"
He wants to tell you. He wants to share what happened to him with you. The reason he had been so cold before you came along.
"There was a woman. She was beautiful. I fell in love rather quickly with her, and she promised to wait for me. He promised I would marry her upon my return and we would live here together. I didn't know she knew Walker. As it turned out, he was in love with her too."
You were suddenly felt with dread.
"Helmut?"
That was it. That was the first time you had used his name. He stared at you, caught off-guard by the way it sounded from your lips.
You hadn't seemed to notice what you had done. Clearly you had been so comfortable with him, you had just let it slip.
He gathers himself.
"Heike. That was her name. She wasn't here when I got home. Three days and no word. I had feared she had chosen him over me, but it was a week later when I heard what had happened."
You felt uncomfortable.
"Heike had passed away. Her family hadn't known I was home, so that's why I hadn't heard anything yet. I was devastated. Two days of being locked away here in mourning with a broken heart, Walker showed up. He broke down my door, he marched up to my room, and then he proceeded to attempt to kill me."
You stare wide eyed, lips parted, mind blank.
"Walker thought I was fine reason she was dead. That she couldn't take choosing and ended her life. I wanted him to kill me. I wanted to be with her in death. He didn't do it. He dropped me and left. I didn't hear from him in years, but one day he shows up with his agents. He wanted to prove to me he had power and influence. Sokovia began to decline and it was because of him."
Helmut had taken notice of how you were leaning forward, listening intensely.
"He's trying to kill you because he thinks Heike killed herself over you?" You ask, whispering softly.
He nods.
"That's awful."
You get up and walk to his side. You place a hand on his shoulder and let it rest there.
"It wasn't your fault."
He turns his head to where he sees your hand. He looks at it. Your touch feels warm, even through his blazer.
"Wasn't it?"
"Of course it wasn't... or are you saying it was?" You ask, softly.
He shakes his head.
"I don't know. What if she had?"
"Do you want my honest opinion?" You ask, looking at him seriously.
"Please."
You kneel down beside him, hand still settled on his shoulder. You meet his eyes with your own.
"If she had ended her own life, I don't think it was over you. By the sounds of it, she was in love with you. She promised to wait."
"Then what do you think happened?"
"Walker. He's trying to kill you, very nearly had twice at this point. Maybe this goes deeper than you think. You're taking it from his word and not your own investigation. Considering all that happened, he isn't a wise form of information."
Helmut places a hand over yours and looks you in the eye. He swallows, letting your words sink in. Your kindness toward him is enough to spur enough confidence in him.
He brings your hand to his lips and kisses your knuckle gently.
He doesn't miss the shocked expression on your face. Startled, you take your hand back and stand up, but you don't walk away.
Already, he misses your touch.
He's not sorry for what he did, even if your reaction hurt him a little.
"Walker will not bring you harm. As your bodyguard I vow to protect you and see this through. I will not stop until Walker is stopped too."
Helmut looks at you with so much longing. His heart feels full. He smiles.
And I vow to protect you. I will not let him hurt you too. Walker will not hurt the people I love again.
He just can't bring himself to say it out loud.
Zemo no longer cares if it's your duty to protect him. He will not let you get hurt by the hands of Walker again.
When the time comes, the Baron will rest and the Colonol will come out to play.
I promise.
@thesuitkovian @justfangirlthingies @belle82devart @zemosimp420 @anteroom-of-death @silverlambcaptain @that-stupid-head-tilt-thing @lieutenantn @daniielbruhl @awesomesauce-abbie @latenightartist-author @lazygurl05 @rumblelibrary @nonamec0s @shura-gorl @ginger-abreu @caligrl1992 @livvyshmiv @luciadiosa @vverliebt @tatooineisdry @charistory @somethingthatsaysbubbles @apparrio @alex-the-nb @thewrongkhristol @hb8301 @the-chaotic-cow @mssennimatilda @uncomfortablebagel @fictionlandslanddreams
94 notes
¡
View notes
Text
The Hunt
Luna has won the Halloween Hunt two years in a row and she is going for a third with Harry as her partner, the problem well they donât really get along.Â
Word count: 10,761
A/N: Luna, I hope you love her like I do. She was a joy to write. Iâm very excited to share so please come and share your thoughts with me. It really means the world to me. Thank you to Gianna (@hunflowersâ) for hosting this wonderful Halloween challenge. I hope you enjoy. (prompt: youâve got to be kidding me).
Halloween.Â
The one holiday that Luna is excited to take part in with her friends, finding even the tackiest of activities fun and a joy to do. Luna and Caleb went to the pumpkin patch last weekend and spent the day drinking cider and eating cinnamon donuts. The pumpkin carving was a whole other story that ended with one smashed pumpkin and a grumpy Caleb.Â
Luna has spent every Halloween with Caleb for as long as she can remember. From first becoming best friends when Luna and her family moved in next door to Caleb at the age of six to now, age twenty-one going on four years of living together. Much to their parents' disappointment, sparks never did fly for them. Not that Luna ever thought there would be; Caleb just didn't do it for her no matter how handsome he was. Â
This Halloween, just like previous ones, they were going as a pair. Their first Halloween at age six, they went as Power Rangers, Luna the yellow and Caleb the blue. It was their most memorable one and has the picture hanging in their living room for reminiscing purposes. Last year Caleb decided on Ghostbusters, and they killed it. Being university students means low money in their bank account, so they went thrift shopping a lot that year.Â
Halloween 2020, it is her turn to pick. Luna decided they would be going as Princess Buttercup and Westley from The Princess Bride.Â
A true classic that will forever live on, yes, it may be a romantical pairing, but Luna has begged for this for years, and now is their time to shine. She pulled extra shifts at the tattoo parlor she works at as receptionist to get authentic costumesâthe red dress of dreams.Â
It's Saturday night, there is a Blue moon, and it's Halloween.Â
It is time for their third annual Halloween Hunt, where her group of friends pair up and set off to find clues to win the grand prize of a crown, some cash, and bragging rights for a whole year. Luna has won it the last two years with Caleb on her side, and she is ready to do it again.Â
Luna stares at herself in the mirror. The gown is elegant and rich with details. The long red, billowy sleeves with a fathered cuff. A high neckline and falls into a loose, pleated skirt. The dress is tied off at the waist with a gold pattern belt. And to top it all off, the beaded crown on her brown curls. The color of her hair the only inaccuracy of the costume. The crown shines more she feels with her darker hair than the original Buttercup.Â
Her makeup is minimal, only having used mascara for her long eyelashes she likes having curled. It makes her brown eyes that much nicer to gaze at.Â
She grabs her wallet and keys that she will be leaving with Caleb as his look was blessed with pockets, and she does not want to stick anything down her bra for the entire night. She takes the stairs two floors down as they meet at Mitch and Oliver's apartment, who happen to live in the same complex.
To start the hunt, the host will let everyone get into partners before dispersing the first clue, and the first couple to make it to the final location at midnight will be crowned the winners.Â
They really are in for a fun night.Â
___
Walking in, she sees the apartment somewhat decorated, not much, purple string lights hanging over the large tv they have. Small orange pumpkins scattered around the room. The excessive amount of fake spider web in every corner of the house. Mitch has always said, why to decorate if you're going to be the one cleaning it up. Oliver did not think the same way; she imagines his room looks like the inside of Spirit Halloween.Â
Mitch greets her with a drink. It's water. He smiles at her costume before wandering off. She sips the cold water, never one to drink on such an important night. Also, she's wary about drinking growing up; her dad made her start driving at the age of fifteen because he liked drinking when they went over to her uncle's house on the weekends. He wasn't an alcoholic, but he did drink too often, and instead of putting her and her brother at risk, he taught her to drive. This is why now, she will instead be the designated driver than the one having the drinks. Tonight, she needs a clear head to win.
Luna moves past the kitchen, eyes searching for Caleb in his black outfit and mask, but she stops dead in her tracks once she meets his gaze.
 It's a shock.
Caleb is dressed in slim black pants, a white dress shirt, a messy done blue tie, an unbuttoned black blazer, and completing his look is the signature beige blazer. He looks incredible, but not at all how he was supposed to. He winces when he sees the expression on her face.Â
Sheâs upset. He didn't even warn her. Not a single text or call.
There has never been a reason to break tradition, but here they are doing just that.Â
"They asked me to host," Caleb says as he steps toward her. Luna manages a nod. She changes her direction and goes across the room to sit alone on the windowsill, leading to a small flower patio. Caleb looks like he wants to head over, but she knows her well enough; it's best to leave her alone.Â
As Luna gets lost in thought, she doesn't acknowledge that everyone else has slowly arrived, the chatter getting louder. She also is oblivious to the lingering eyes on her. If she had looked up, she would have met Harry's concerned gaze.
"Hello friends, thank you for gathering with us here on this day of spooks and horror." Caleb stands on the study coffee table to get everyone's attention on him. "This year, you may not pick your partner. No, there will be random draws."Â
"Let's hope this makes Luna lose this year," Oliver shouts, getting lots of cheers in response.Â
Luna rolls her eyes at the banter but lets a smile overtake her face because she knows no matter who her partner may end up being, she will be a winner.
Caleb announces how only five of them will pick a name and how it has been decided it will be Mitch, Daniel, Charlotte, Abby, and Luna, who will draw a name.Â
She is third to pick a slip, not opening it up until the last two receive theirs. She doesn't focus on the others as they begin to search for their partners because Caleb is shuffling over to her looking sheepish.Â
He pulls her in and wraps his arms around her, giving her a big squeeze. Long and hard enough to leave her out of breath. A sloppy kiss on her cheeks, she is quick to wipe away on his coat, not at all wanting to dirty her dress, at least not yet.Â
Those hazel eyes are hard to stay mad at, and he knows it. Luna can count all the fights they've had on one hand.
"Whatever, you owe me." She bumps his shoulder.Â
He nods, quick to agree. "Name your price."
Luna opens up the folded slip of paper.Â
HarryÂ
"A new partner." She whispers, not looking up, hoping if she stares long enough, the name will change.Â
Caleb leans in and smirks at the name. "That I can't do. You know the rules."Â
She furrowed her eyebrows. "There were no rules until today."
Caleb laughs. "Everyone partner up if you haven't already."
Mitch is already chatting with Oliver, and she knows they will give her a run for her money. These two get on so well, but their weakness is that when Mitch gets a lead, he forgets to address it to his partner most of the time, leaving them separated and lost.Â
Justine is with Abby, and honestly, she has no worry over them. Abby is a hard person to partner up with, always wanting to lead even when she has no clue what is going on.Â
Calvin is with Daniel, and honestly, she knows they are not competition. Calvin told her the clues confused him.Â
Mason and Charlotte, she was hoping to partner with Charlotte. That being her closest friend right behind Caleb. She's a music major, meaning their time together is always a joy. Luna singing a random song and Char telling her random facts she knows about the said song. Luna is not sure how good Charlotte and Mason get on, but only time will tell.Â
As she sees everyone paired up, she scans the room for Harry. She doesn't spot him, but she does see Pirate Roberts, better known as Westley, her other half. He's wearing a black shirt that has a lace-up front with a matching pair of pants. The mask and headscarf add a touch of mystery, while the sash and gloves put the finishing touch to the look. As much as she hates to admit it, he looks good.Â
"You've got to be kidding me." She says, looking him up and down in disgust.Â
Harry scoffs, now standing in front of her. "Guess that means I'm stuck with you."
"Yeah, you can lose the mask now."
"No, I don't think so. Makes my eyes pop." He bats his eyelashes at her.Â
She ignores him, moving on to an important question. "Who were you supposed to dress with?"Â
"Charlotte." His stupidly, charming English accent responds. "She asked me last week, then told me she was doing Ghostbusters with Mason. Her costume is done too nicely to be done last minute."
This is a setup.Â
She knows because Charlotte helped her alter the dress's length so that it didn't drag on the floor as she walked, and in return, Luna helped sew Venkman on her suit.Â
The only question is, why would they want her matching with Harry if they don't get on well at all, not even a little bit. Every interaction leaves with one of them storming off, not to brag, but it seems to always be Harry.Â
"Well, at least you were warned. Caleb didn't even tell me." She shares. "Had me walk in to see him dressed as an angel."Â
"Castiel, right?" Harry says, a bit uncertain.
Luna nods, surprised he knows, thinking this might be their one connection to break the ice. "He posted on his story who he was dressed as." She spoke too soon.Â
"You're saying you don't know Supernatural."Â
"No, sorry." He says, not sounding apologetic.Â
Luna shoots him a fake smile before looking away. "He can't be my partner; it's a disrespect to my morals."Â
Her only response is laughter. She wasn't joking.Â
"You know the rules, baby," Charlotte says, arms around Mason's waist. Luna narrows her eyes at that, mentally reminding herself to check in with Char about that.Â
How had she won two years without knowing any rules?Â
"Well, I'll still kick all your asses with Dobby on my team." When meeting Harry's eyes again, she smirks, his face shocked, not sure if she was insulting him.Â
"Right, do not mess up our chances of winning." Her voice was deep and threatening. At least she hoped that's how it sounded.Â
"I would never" Harry looks down at her with a smirk on his pink lips. "But I need motivation, so what's in it for me."Â
Instead of responding with half of the money because that much was obvious, what else would he want? She looks him in the eyes. "I'll kiss you if we win," Luna tells him sarcastically, and before Harry has a chance to respond, Caleb is walking over, handing them their first clue of seven.Â
Head to the place no one ever cleans
Harry scratches his head. "That's confusing."
"It's the bathroom. Specifically, the toilet." She hands the clue for Harry to put away, making her way there.Â
"You sure?"Â
Luna doesn't bother replying, pushing first to the bathroom, wanting to get a move on. It's going to be a long night if he keeps questioning her.Â
Harry opens the door and jumps back, he's startled at the sight in front of him, but Luna nudges him aside to take a look and is left impressed.
There is fake blood on the mirror, "You're next" written sloppily. What startled Harry was the body bag in the tub, bloody transparent curtains hanged to make it seem like a messy murder.Â
"There's not a body, right?" A slight tremble in his voice.Â
"Of course not. No one is a fan of jump scares her." She eyes his face. "Especially you."Â
Luna picks up the skull sitting on top of the toilet tank, and taped underneath is the second clue.Â
"That was too easy," Harry tells her, already heading out of the apartment, not waiting for her to read the clue knowing this one will lead them outside.Â
You may sit, you may stand, you may push, but one must never jump.
"Who even made these?" Harry scoffs. "It's awful."Â
She chuckles, agreeing because they do stink. "Caleb. The host has to do them all for each group. Talk with owners of shops and all. It's a long process." Luna explains to Harry as she reads the clue once more. "I'm surprised I never noticed how busy he was the entire month."Â
"It's what happens when you're self-absorbed." He mutters.Â
"Ouch." She feigns hurt, hands over her heart.Â
Harry rolls his eyes, not wanting to deal with her any longer than he has to. He has no clue what that clue is pointing to. He looks over at Luna, who has gone quiet.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Harry exclaims.
"Where is the headscarf? You're messing up the look." She pouts, and Harry would never admit it, at least to her, but she looks adorable.Â
"I took it off. It messes up my hair."
Luna stares at his hair. "Looks as messy as always.'
He gasps. "It looks fantastic, trying this new serum to make it shine."
"Sorry to break it to you, but I don't think it is working." She scrunches up her face in disgust.Â
"Well, your shoes don't match." He yells.Â
She looks down at her Molly metallic leather platform boots that give her five-four self extra height. "My boots are badass. Buttercup still kicks ass in these." She twirls and begins walking away from him.Â
"Luna, for fuck sake, where are you going." Harry rushes after her.Â
"We've got a hunt to win."Â
For someone of her stature, she sure has a fast pace. It seems as if she never slows down, effortlessly moving around pedestrians. All while Harry mumbles apologies as he trips over a person's shoe.Â
"The clue." He clears his voice. "How'd you crack it."Â
"Easy after a few reads. It's the swings at the local park."Â
Harry nods. "That doesn't explain how you knew."Â
"Caleb uses things in his life, and if you know him well enough, you can crack it. He's an open book, one talk with him and you'll know his grandparents' name and phone number. He loves sharing everything." Harry motions for her to continue, all while keeping her fast pace, leaving him a little wounded. "As kids, our parents' one rule at the park was that we could never jump off the swings all because one time Caleb and I were going so high I jumped and almost flew past the sand pile and landed on the concrete. No one broke a bone, but we could have."Â
"You and Caleb must have given your parents a hard time."Â
"Not really, we were angels."Â
"Hard to believe."Â
She kisses her two fingers before placing it over her heart. "Scout's honor."Â
"You were in the girl's scout."Â
"Well, aren't you nosy Miss Rosy." She rolls her eyes. "The town didn't have the girl's scout, so when Caleb joined, I made a presentation for Ulysses. He was the man in charge, and I impressed him. He accepted, and no one questioned me."
"Impressive," Harrys tells her, genuinely meaning it.Â
"Now shut up, Styles. You have too much information, might have to go kill you or something if these things get out."Â
"And here I thought we were becoming friends."Â
"Nope, let's keep it that way."Â
Harry shuts up, letting the chatter of late-night stragglers fill in the silence. Luna is stopped by a girl their age looking for directions to a party. She is happy to help, giving the girl extra detail to make sure she doesn't get lost. She goes as far as giving the girl her phone number to know she made it there safely.Â
Luna is an enigma.Â
"I thought you hated all humans, but I see I was wrong."Â
Harry is such a jerk that she doesn't bother responding. No, she does something much better. She stops walking, sticking her foot out, knowing how oblivious Harry is. He trips, almost falling to his face, but to some miracle, he manages to right himself without a scratch.Â
He adjusts his mask, brushing off the dirt he acquired at the bottom of his pants. "Well, that was mean.
"I thought it was rather kind, knock you off your pedestal." She grins at him, walking away again.Â
Harry mutters something under his breath, making sure she isn't able to hear him.Â
Luna decides to bring back the conversation of what started their night, his costume. "Why are you even Westley? You don't have the blonde hair for it."
Harry scoffs. "Says the girl with the brown locks of hair."
"The wig was itchy, besides my natural hair is pretty." Her hair is excellent, and she knows it. It's mid-waist, and she does hair therapy to keep it healthy. After Caleb's sister-in-law introduced her to natural hair products, a significant improvement. It added a shine she never had before. She is always paid lots of compliments on her hair. It's enchanting.Â
Harry looks at her before staying quiet. He kicks a rock as he walks. "Blondes are overrated."
Luna ducks her head, letting her hair frame a curtain around her face wanting to hide the blush he managed to get out of her.Â
Finally, reaching the park entrance, the swings a distance away. They stop, neither of them making a move follow the path.  Â
"You could just stay here, and I'll text you when I'm done," Luna tells him.Â
Harry is quick to rebut, "I'm smart, I can help."Â
"I didn't say you aren't smart. It's just I know you don't like me, so why spend the time with me?"Â
That's far from the truth, Harry thinks to himself but doesn't deny it. "Together, we're winning this together." He gives her no room for argument walking to the swings.Â
Luna nods to herself; she's going to be okay. Maybe the night will start to get better.Â
Harry is opening up the clue as she approaches, and he holds it out further, allowing her to read it.
You walk by me, never give me a second glance. Now tonight, I dare you to give me a chance.
"That doesn't sound great," Harry confesses.Â
"You alright, with a bit of darkness?"Â
Harry nods his head, yes, but he has no idea what's coming next.Â
___
Standing in front of the house, Luna feels a chill run up her spine. It's not like she's never seen this house because she had. She grew up in the town and walked past the lonely house that wasted away day by day as she made her way to school.
"This place is creepy," Harry mumbles, standing next to her.
The grass is brown and unkempt; dried leaves scatter the path to the home's stairs, a crunch under their feet as they approach. She walks slow, counting her steps, and at unlucky thirteen, they reach the first broken step. The wood looked as if someone took a hammer to it, having random holes done. The windows are filled with spider webs and dust, no way to look in. The door was red and had scratches. As if someone small had clawed to be let in.
"Sure you want to go in, Luna." Harry looks at the door in fright. "You can admit you got the wrong location. You can't always be right."
"Look, Styles, I know I'm right."
Harry begins to sweep around to make sure no one is watching them break into an old abandoned house. She leans against the rotting wood, there's a chance she might fall through, but she's always up for the risk. In doing so, she shuts her eyes for a second, and a memory pops in her head; it causes her to let out a chuckle, startling Harry. He whips around to shout at her, but the smile on Luna's face makes him stop. He's never been privileged to a smile so intimate.
Before Harry can even ask her what's got her smiling, she is already talking.
"Caleb and I had our first kiss on these steps." Luna's eyes shift down as if the memory begins to play in front of her."
"With each other?" Harry asks, wanting confirmation.
"Yes, Caleb swore he was in love with me in the sixth grade, and I told him he was insane. The feelings were not mutual." She assures, wanting to get her point across. "We were walking home from school one day, and I, as the brains of the duo, told him we had to check out the house. I swore we had our own Boo Radley after reading To Kill A Mockingbird. He was going on and on about how he swore his love for me." She turned to look at Harry. "I looked at him, put my hands on his shoulders, and put my lips to his. He stood there shocked, and once I pulled back, he grinned." Luna deepens her voice. "So, I don't love you like that."
Harry chuckles, enjoying the story. She's not even sure why she began to tell him. "I was like yeah, you idiot, I see you as a brother. My mom could not stop laughing when I told her. My dad not so much." She stood up straight, took three steps to the door, grabbed the rusted doorknob, and it twisted open. There was a loud creak as she pushed.
"In we go, Farm Boy."
Harry shakes his head, mutters "As you wish." He hopes she missed that.
He steps in; first, his eyes quickly sweeping around the house, a doorway to a living room, another leading to what he assumes would be the dining room, and right in front of them a spiral staircase leading to the second floor where they might venture to if they don't find the clue in the main rooms.
"Right, together," Harry tells her.
"Awe, don't be scared, Styles. I'll protect you." She reaches out to pink his cheek.
He swats her hand away. "You'll be the one needing it."
"Don't count on you being my savior then?"
"Not ever, Buttercup."
They walk the first floor and find nothing. It's quite dull, nothing that stands out of place. Nothing haunting, really. A bit of a disappointment. They approach the stair and see footprints. This must be the correct way. She lets Harry lead. Once at the top, they see footprints are leading left and right. Harry nods left, so she assumes he means she has to go right.
It was not what he meant.
As Luna makes her way to the door at the end of the hall, she turns to see Harry entering the first room. She should turn back and go with him. She thinks about it for a second and decides it's best not and continues on.
Luna enters the boy's room. There is a race car bed, with white drawers full of stickers on either side. Everything is dusty, can feel the twitch in her nose. She approaches the bed when a paper catches her eyes on the corner of the dresser filled with different kinds of dinosaurs. It is their clue. It reads
If you wish to find me, you must go to the place where the choice of sweets is never-ending.
Luna smiles gratefully to have found it. She'll figure it out with Harry, she decides. The quicker she is out of the house, the better. As she folds the clue, she hears the door slam shut. It makes Luna jump.Â
She approaches the door and twists the knob, but nothing happens. Luna keeps pulling and nothing; she's slowly but surely beginning to freaking out.Â
Maybe Harry was playing a joke on her. That had to be it.Â
"If you think this is a good prank, you're wrong." She yells, eager to hear his deep laugh before opening the door. But instead, she is met with silence.Â
"Styles, open the door." Her voice firm, anger slowly taking over." Still nothing. "Haha, you've had your laugh; let me out."Â
The panic is beginning to set. Harry didn't lock her in; he's on the other side of the house.Â
"Harry?" She whimpers.
Meanwhile, Harry, no clue in hand, stands at the top of the stairs staring at a mirror frowning at himself. He looked for Luna, but it's as if she disappeared. He has come to the conclusion that she has finally left him.Â
Luna, not sure what else to do, begins to scream his name. The tears streaming down her face in panic. She just wants out. That's all she wants.Â
She pounds on the door, her throat hurting from the loud screams she's let out. The tears making it hard to keep on going; with one final knock, she lets herself slide to the floor.
Harry was about to descend the stairs when he hears a pounding on a door. It gives him chills; as much as it frightens him to go check it out, he has a gut feeling he has to. He goes right, the original way Luna went, and makes his way to the closed door. He takes a deep breath before turning the knob.Â
Nothing happens.Â
He takes a step back before pushing all his weight into the door, causing it to fly open. Harry scans the room quickly but sees nothing until he looks down and sees Luna hugging her knees.
Harry is quick to react. He's on his knees in front of her. "Luna, love, it's me, Harry. You're okay."Â
She slowly lifts her head. "Harry." She croaks.
"Yes, it's me."
The tears begin once more. "The door was jammed. I was calling for you." She throws her arms around him wanting to be close, needing comfort even if he may not want to give it.Â
"Thought you left me once you got the clue." He confesses as he runs his hand through her hair, he might have always wanted to do it, but not like this, never like this.Â
"I'm not that mean, am I?" She looks up at him through her long thick eyelashes. A tear runs down her cheek.
He brings his hand up and gently wipes it away. "No, you're sweet and sassy and perfectly you. Not mean. Ya, hear me."
Luna nods.Â
"Let's get out of here, okay. We need to figure out the clue now. Can't do it without your brains." He smiles at her dimples on display.
Luna smiles, he helps her out, and they walk out, Harry guiding her with a firm hand on her waist.
Once outside, the cold autumn wind hits them, and it's like Luna can finally breathe again. Harry guides them all the way to the sidewalk, where she hands him the clue.Â
If you wish to find me, you must go to the place where the choice of sweets is never-ending.
"Sweets? There's a candy store, right?" Harry isn't sure, remembering seeing one.Â
"It's named Annie's Sweets. Two streets from the library."Â
"Well, lead the way, Buttercup." Harry links their hands together and begins walking forward is surprisingly the right direction. Luna stares down at their intertwined fingers, and it feels nice.Â
Maybe, she's just a little touch starved.Â
Luna is quiet, trying to think of anything but that moment she had in that house. She's going to give Caleb a lot of shit for that one.Â
As they walk, Luna notices their hands are still together before pulling away. "Sorry."Â
Harry shrugs. "Don't mind."
Luna frowns and looks straight ahead as they walk; he's confusing. Why is Harry acting sweet? A little too sweet. She intertwines her hands together in the front wanting the feeling of his hand in hers to disappear.Â
"Are you going to tell the others about my crying? I get it if you do. Good story to get a laugh at me." She mumbles the last words.Â
Harry grabs her arm, stopping her. She slowly raises her head to meet his eyes through the eye mask. His green eyes soft but filled with an emotion, she can't place. "I would never, what happened was not a laughing matter, this, all this tonight will stay between us, you good with that."Â
Luna nods.
Harry clicks his tongue. "Verbal response."Â
Her brown eyes go wide. "Yes, I'm good with that."Â
Luna can't hide her surprise, and she knows Harry can see that. He's never acted so kind to her. It's a bit weird, but it beats the back and forth remarks. She's also sick of this façade of disliking him. It's exhausting now that she thinks about it. The banter is fun, but it always ends when it gets taken too far. Â
"Harry, I know you hate me for some reason," She clears her throat before continuing. "But it's exhausting all the arguing. I'm great at it, but we've been at it for the two years we've known each other. You can keep hating me and not talking to me. I'm used to people not liking me. You won't be any different. We can co-exist in the same group."Â Â
Harry scoffs, "You still don't get it."
She frowns. Get what? "You never gave us the chance to be friends. I'm giving you the chance to cut all ties while staying in the friend group." It's the most straightforward plan. It's honestly perfect.
"Luna, stop."Â
She continues on. "Harry, seriously, you make me miserable, and I make-" He turns around, causing her to almost crash into him.Â
"I like you." Luna knows the surprise is written all over her face. Harry's face is serious, no dimples insight and all his emerald eyes tell her is that he is full of frustration. "I like how beautiful and kind you are. How you don't let anyone walk over you and how you always manage to be the smartest person in any room."Â Â
"Oh."
Harry likes her. Her. He likes her, and this was his way of interacting with her. He said she's smart, but honestly, nothing is making sense. She's confused; how does she feel? How long has he felt like this? Has it been since they were first introduced?Â
Harry stands there staring at her, trying to see her give him any reaction, but all he gets is a blank stare. He clicks his tongue. "Alright." He turns on his heel and begins walking again.
Luna stares at him, walking away before shaking herself out of her thoughts and hurrying after him.
___
It's silent.
The quietest it's been all night, and she doesn't like it, but she's also not ready to address the bomb he dropped on her.Â
At the start of the night, Luna believed he hated her. That he had hated her for the longest time only to find out he actually liked her. There is no way she'll bring it up, at least not yet.Â
She cuts the tension in the way she knows best.Â
"You could have at least grown the stache." He looks over at her, confused, not sure about what she just said or how she is brushing aside what he said. "The mustache adds to the character, and well, you don't have it."
Harry gasps. "I like my smooth face." She lets out the breath she was holding, thankful he went along.Â
"Is that your way of saying you can't grow facial hair?"
"I can."Â
She shrugs and nods. "Sure, Jan."
Harry is about to go off on her, but Luna runs ahead to the candy store entrance, walking in and letting the door shut behind her.Â
He walks in after seeing that the store closes in twenty minutes; he finds Luna chatting with the cashier. He recognizes her as a girl he had in his intro to Psychology. She dropped out eight weeks in. He remembers because he lent her notes once and she had left coffee stains on them. As he reads on her name tag, the girl- Amy- was kind enough to pay him five dollars. Both girls don't acknowledge him, more into the conversation of Luna's costume and how pretty she looks in a crown. If Harry didn't know any better, he'd think Amy was flirting with her. Harry smirks but doesn't say anything waving at the girl before filling himself a bag of candy; he deserves it after all.Â
"Amy was telling me Caleb came in a few days ago. Asked her on a date and they'll be going out next week. She thinks he's a proper cutie. Did you know her?" Luna tells him as she grabs the small tweezers to get a few sour gummy worms.
"Had her for a class first year, but she dropped out." Harry is focused on getting a few cherry sours in his bag.Â
"Psychology. She was going through a rough time when she did it. Not that she ever needed the course. She's a theatre major now."Â
"How do you know her?" He really is curious now, as she talks about her with familiarity.Â
She drops a few Swedish Fish in the bag, sneaking one in her mouth, chewing it before moving along to add Tim Tams; he's never known for a candy store to have those. Then again, he's never been in this one. "She's my cousin. A year younger than us."Â
"Why hadn't Caleb met her then if you've been friends for so long?"Â
"God, you're a curious one, aren't you." She closes her bag and follows Harry as he fills his. He's going for Red Vines, nice and easy to snack on; Luna likes those only for movie nights for some bizarre reason she doesn't know. "I'm a protector of hearts. Amy is the sweetest person you'll ever meet, a real-life princess. Amy has been the sunshine in my life since she was born. I know Caleb, and he's going to fall in love with her, mark my words. I think they are a perfect match, but I also know not to meddle, which is why I wanted them to meet on their own."Â
Harry smiles down at her. "Didn't know you could be so sweet, Buttercup."Â
"Only to very few people."Â
Luna places her bag on the scale, but her eyes go wide as she meets Amy's across the counter, realizing she doesn't have any money on her. Before she can even think about asking Harry, Amy saves the day. "Both your bags are covered. He knew whoever got this clue would most likely be buying, so he took care of it, more than enough actually."Â
Luna rolls her head to look at Harry. "He's too kind."Â
"What did the clue say?" Amy asks curiously.Â
Harry and Luna's eyes go wide simultaneously. "Shit." He whispers before whipping out the slip of paper that led them there. "It says If you wish to find me, you must go to the place where the choice of sweets is never-ending."Â
"The Pucker Powder!" Luna shouts, rushing over to the middle of the store where the machine of different flavors of powdered candy stands. There the clue is, under watermelon, Caleb's favorite. "I got it, Westley."Â
Harry makes his way over to her waiting for her to read it, but Luna gestures for Amy to come listen as well, and she happily skips over. That's when Harry notices her costume; she's dressed in relaxed fitted jeans, a plain black t-shirt, and a faded brown leather jacket with leather boots. A charm hanging from her neck. "What are you dressed as?" He's confused.Â
"Dean Winchester." She answers cheerfully.Â
Luna feels Harry turn to look at her waiting for an explanation. "She's paired up with Caleb, He's Castiel, and she's Dean and together they are âDestielâ. A long-loved ship in the fandom of Supernatural.
He smiles. "You look great."Â
"Don't worry, Ames, the reason we aren't friends, is that he doesn't watch."Â
"It's not for everyone, Luna," Amy tells her before nudging her to read the clue.Â
You swim to the bottom to find the other side but never come back up.
"Sound like the lake," Harry suggests. âOnly source of water here.â
Luna nods, agreeing with him, as they head to the door. She stops, suddenly remembering something. "Do you need us to walk you home? You know how I feel about anyone walking out alone, especially tonight."
Amy blushes, looking down. "Caleb offered to walk me home, you know it's close by, and it's still a while until midnight."Â
"Say no more, sweets." Luna leaves and follows behind Harry, as he now leads the way.Â
___
It's a half-mile away, not too far but enough to have them silent for a while as they set a steady pace.Â
Harry quite likes conversing with Luna and decides to ask her a question that's been on his mind since he saw her back at the apartment.Â
"Why this costume, why Buttercup?"
Luna runs her hands down the front of the material, feeling the softness against her hands. "It was my favorite growing up. Still is, honestly. It's a nice story that gives you a bit of everything, romance, friendship, and adventure. Each character was on an adventure, and it brought them all together. Also, because I'd read it to Caleb during lunch breaks, we didn't feel like playing with others. I'd read because he had dyslexia and he grew a distaste for reading." Luna smiles fondly, thinking back to those simpler times.Â
"I watched the movie for the first time last year."Â
"Did you like it?" Her voice was full of curiosity.Â
"Loved it." He tells her.Â
She smiles, his answer filling her with joy. "Favorite part?"Â
He hums, thinking it over for a second. "When she pushes him down the hill and finds out he's actually Westley."Â
"Because he yells as you wish, rolling down." She grabs his arm in excitement, finishing the scene for him.Â
Luna realizes what she's doing, and quickly let's go, muttering a small apology. "You're a romantic, Farm Boy."
"Not the first person who's told me."Â
The walk to Orchid Lake continues in silence. A comfortable one, each one lost in their own head. Luna keeps playing one moment in her head, the moment Harry confessed his fondness of her, but it doesn't make sense. She replays every one of their interactions, and there is not one moment that stands out to her that proves he likes her. Harry introduced himself the first time but never once pursued a friendship or anything more. Luna is so lost in thought she doesn't realize they've arrived as she bumps into Harry's back as he stopped at the entrance.Â
She walks ahead, and instead of walking to the trail in front of them, she goes right and takes a seat on the bench, it's a bit wet due to the mist filling the air, but she doesn't mind.Â
"Uh, it's this way." Harry points, wanting to get a move on.Â
Luna makes no moves to stand. She runs a hand down her face before letting it drop to her lap. "How is it that you hate, and you like me?" The question slips out before she can stop herself.Â
Harry sighs, knowing the conversation is happening now. "Don't hate you." Harry is now standing in front of her, mask in his hand, wanting her to really look at him. "But, you hate me."Â
Luna shakes her head, no. She's never hated anyone, she might have disliked Harry at one point, but honestly, they might have just misjudged each other. Harry gives her a look, one that tells her to be honest.Â
"Okay, I didn't like you, but can you blame me?"Â
"No, I understand completely." Luna stares at him, her eyes now locked with his. Â
Harry lets out a deep breath. "I think you're an amazing person. You're kind and smart. Always volunteering to help others. You help set up study sessions for everyone." Luna keeps her eyes on him, not giving him a single expression. "Was mad you didn't treat me that way when we first met." He confesses.Â
She nods, letting it sink it. "I've always included you, never not invited you."Â
"I mean, you didn't try to get to know me."Â
"Harry, I did when we first met." Luna is sure of this.Â
"No, I would remember." He exclaims.Â
"I'm not that memorable to you, it seems." She rolls her eyes. "Let me paint the picture for you. We are all hanging out in Mitch's apartment when you arrive a little later than the rest of us. A girl is hanging off your arm, not an inch of space between you. Kiersten, does that name ring a bell, Styles?" Luna knows it does. It's his ex, the only one she knows of. "She was rude to me the first time we met, when we were introduced to each other. You stood there and let her do that. Insulted me, and I was fuming. Mitch said you were a kind person and to give you a chance but letting someone treat someone else badly right in front of you, I wasn't so sure."Â
Harry stays silent, letting her go on. "The second time we met, she made fun of Charlotte's outfit, and you just sat there. Char cried in the bathroom and then headed home for the night. From then on, I was neutral with you, not giving you anything to move forward on. The last straw was when it was Friday movie night in my apartment, and she tells you it's lame seeing movies together and that the apartment was trashy. You stood there, nodding along, and as soon as I saw you alone for a second, I let you know we wouldn't be friends because you were different than I expected.â Luna tries to calm her breathing, no point in losing control over the past. She's let it go, well, some of it.Â
"She was bad. I broke up with her that night."Â
"That's not the point. Even in doing that, you didn't apologize, but you did already decide on how you were going to keep treating me."Â
Harry has no right answer because he was wrong. He messed up. "I'm sorry, I'm truly sorry, and I'm sorry my apology is so late, but you do deserve it. No one should ever put up with someone else's crap, Luna."Â
"Thank you, I appreciate that."
"Honestly, I feel terrible. I think I did it because you didn't treat me like the others and-" Harry stops.Â
"Yet you never questioned why. You just acted, and well, I reacted."Â
Harry sighs, upset that they could have been friends by now, heck even something more maybe.Â
"Wait, Harry."Â
"Yes, Luna."Â
"What was your' and'?" She stands up, not sure what it could be.Â
"Uh, I was going to have a conversation with you to see why you never talked to me and had worked up the courage to also ask you on a date, but I heard you were dating Calvin, so I sort of got jealous and well, yeah."Â
"We went on one date." She emphasizes. "No sparks. Who even told you?"Â
"Abby."Â
"Makes sense; she was jealous that Calvin asked me out. Seeing as he never once flirted with her. We're civil, but deep down, she doesn't like me." Luna isn't sure what went wrong with that friendship.Â
They both let out deep breaths, thankful to have everything out in the open now, nothing hidden. A step forward.Â
"I'm not that person," Harry tells her, needing her to know.
She smiles at him. "I know. You proved that today."Â
"I hope I haven't offended you with my remarks." His smile was sheepish.Â
"You haven't."Â
"Luna," Harry chastises.Â
"Okay, you have, but we can move past because it turns out you're actually really nice." She lowers her voice to a whisper. "And cause you like me."Â
Harry blushes, his cheeks now a rosy red and not from the cold weather. "I plead the fifth."Â
"Harry," She teases.Â
"Lips sealed."
"Doesn't work if you confessed earlier." She reminds him.
Harry chooses to ignore her. Letting her words fall silent on him. "I know we have to get going, but can I do one thing before we do."
Luna nods, not sure what he wants to do. Harry takes a step forward until he is standing right in front of her. He pulls her in for a hug, his arms around her waist. She slowly raises her hands, being as gentle as she can about it. Their height difference makes her smile; her head reaches just under his chin. She hated it before, but now, in his arms, it's actually quite lovely. He's warm and not as firm as she thought he would be; it's like she's hugging a big teddy bear.Â
Harry leans back, looking down at her, a shy smile on her face. His eyes flicker to her lips and back to her eyes, leaning in for a moment before stepping back. He clears his throat. "To the lake, Buttercup."
___
There's no fear as she walks to the bridge where the clue should be. It's dark, not much light guiding them besides the moon. Harry wanted to turn on his flashlight, but Luna knows it's best not to disturb their eyes with such a harsh light.Â
Luna knows this path like the back of her hand. She comes here every morning, sometimes before sunrise, either for a run or walk but in the summertime, she'll even go in for a swim. The lake is well cared for by the community. There is just one house in the back of the property, and the old couple living there love the visitors. They teamed up with the university to set up students to be tour guides, and it's an excellent part-time job. There's a lot of good here.Â
She's sure the clue is on the bridge because one time, Caleb got Luna so mad that she shoved him in. She can't even remember why she was angry, but Caleb surely does. She would bet her life on it.Â
It's a wooden bridge, a bit old as it creaks under each step taken. It's low, as it sits on the side of the lake, four feet deep at most. She takes a lookout at the lake, the water showing a beautiful reflection of the bright full moon above their heads.Â
Luna picks the paper taking a step closer to Harry so that they can read it together.Â
"I was the embodiment of every writer's worst fear: A cliche."
"That's a book quote." Luna recognizes it, but not a single book comes to mind. "Let's head to the bookstore. It's fifteen minutes from here, but we can make it in ten."Â
Harry lets her lead. They know time is counting down, not once having stopped to look at the time. Harry feels they might be falling behind with all the stops in between the clues, but he knows better than voice out his worries.Â
"Do you recognize the quote?" Luna asks Harry to hand it over to him."Â
Harry reads it over twice. "No."Â
"I know it, but I can't figure out where. I've read one too many books." She crosses her arms across her chest in frustration.Â
"Maybe it's one that you've read to him," Harry suggests.Â
Luna looks up at him as if he just hung up all the stars in her name. "You're right. He set this all up."Â
It's one she begged him not to make her read, but he gave her an offer she couldn't resist.
Luna picks up her pace; she's close to running but stops herself from doing so.Â
"Wait up, it isn't going to run away." Harry huffs out. He thought he was in shape, but tonight has proved him wrong. It could also very well be the boots.Â
"Farm Boy, put those legs to work!" She shouts, not at all looking back at him. She didn't have time for that.Â
"I'm tired," Harry groans. "We've walked a lot.âÂ
"Please, we'll get something to eat after we win." She throws him a smile over her shoulder, and Harry happily returns it.Â
"Deal." Luna is surprised at how quick he was to recover now next to her. She would have thought he was okay if it weren't for the deep breaths he was taking. "It can be our first date."Â
Luna falters in her step. She recovers just as quickly, hoping Harry did not notice. It seems like he didn't. "Great joke, get serious." It's weird; she's feeling butterflies in her stomach at the prospect of what could be with Harry, a date. It doesn't sound so bad, but it's not her focus.Â
Luna misses Harry frowning. He was serious, but he also understands they just came to a truce of sorts less than an hour ago.Â
Walking into Read to Dream, the first thing Luna does is scan the clock. There are forty-five minutes until midnight. That is plenty of time to reach the last destination after retrieving the final clue.Â
The bookstore is a family-owned place. Mrs. Bennet, the owner, will be sure to pass it down to one of her grandchildren. Seeing as her children didn't take an interest, but dear Clara has. Clara is Mason's younger sister. She recently turned seventeen, meaning she's now allowed to close shop independently, seeing as her grandmother lives right above.Â
The bookstore is what everyone likes to call an organized mess. There are many books on shelves in their respected genre and ordered alphabetically. Still, there are also books on chairs that no one ever seems to touch, the books on top of the bookcases that don't fit, and the books in the back that are stacked in rows in a rainbow color because they don't have a specific genre. Luna spent many summer days here, this was her first job at fifteen, wanting to have more liberty and Mrs. Bennet was kind enough to hire her on. From time to time, she comes in to have tea with her or even volunteer her time around. It's one of her happiest places.Â
"Hello, tootsie!" Luna bounces over to Clara going around the counter to give her a hug.Â
"Lunes, it's great to see you. You look gorgeous. Red is definitely your color." Clara gushes.Â
"Thank you, I'd love to chat more, but I'm on the hunt for a book." Luna turns to scan the store as if it would stand out to her.
Clara nods. "That I can help with.â
"Gone Girl"
"Three aisles down, second row."Â
Luna quickly thanks her, and Harry follows after her. Harry's stuck on the fact that she seems to know everyone they encounter. He's never seen a person as social and kind as her.Â
"You read Gone Girl aloud to him." Harry finally processes the information that was given a few minutes prior.Â
"He paid me to." Luna defends.
"How much?"Â
"In lunch for an entire semester." Luna finds the book and begins to flip through it knowing it must be stuck in there.Â
"Fair."Â
"Got it!" Luna cheers. She pulls it out and hands it to Harry. He opens it, and that's when her eyes catch sight of the second piece of paper. This one is pale yellow, meaning it's not a clue and specifically for her. Luna slips it under her sleeve, careful not to have it fall out.Â
Evil lurks at midnight. I invite you to join me when they begin to rise.
The cemetery. A chilling place to end the night, but a perfect place to be crowned winners.Â
"It's a twenty-minute walk from here," Luna informs Harry, putting the book away and heading to the front.Â
"I've never been to the cemetery." Harry decides to tell her.Â
"It's not as creepy looking as you would think."Â
"Don't believe you," He mutters.Â
They say goodbye to Clara and begin the walk to the final spot of the night.Â
"Ready to win?" She smiles up at Harry, buzzing with adrenaline, knowing how close they are.Â
"Yeah, I am."Â
As much as Luna wants to run to the cemetery, she wants to enjoy the last alone time she will have with Harry. She knows they are going to be friends after this. She lets herself fall behind a few steps and pulls out the slip of paper. She unfolds it, and it reads, "You can thank me by making me the man of honor." She blushes, but Caleb might be right, and she honestly hopes he might be. Luna can deny how she feels all she wants, but tonight proved something there, something he saw long before she did.Â
Something that had been hiding there for quite some time. Â
This could very well be the night that changed it all, the story they tell their grandchildren. That stops her letting out a gasp loud enough to grab Harry's attention. A few hours ago, she couldn't stand him and now is thinking about a future with him, and all Luna wants to know is how she let these feelings grow without really noticing.Â
"You alright, Luna?" Harry looks concerned.Â
No future talk, not now, at least. First, they will win, and then they both can go from there.Â
"Luna, love. Times ticking." Harry teases.Â
Luna starts forward once more, not having noticed how close they actually are from the entrance. She passes Harry and is now running. "Pick up the pace, Farm Boy." She's gaining lots of distance from him.Â
"You can't beat me, Buttercup," Harry says, beginning to catch up, now right behind her.Â
Luna lets out a loud laugh causing her to slow down. "We're on the same team, Westley."Â
Harry laughs, pulling ahead, but grabbing her arm, making her run even faster. They turn the corner, and that's when she sees Caleb's car and knows the entrance is right ahead where he has to be waiting.Â
Caleb is leaning against the rusted golden fence. Evergreen Cemetery, the name on the arch staring down at them. Caleb raises his head, looking away from his phone as he hears footsteps hitting the pavement.Â
"Inconceivable!" Caleb shouts as Harry and Luna stand in front of him, out of breath but smiling. "You have arrived with ten minutes to spare, but I hate to inform you-" Luna's smile drops, and Harry can only frown, a profound bit of sadness forming in his stomach.
Caleb bends over, laughing. He wishes he could have recorded that. "I'm only playing. Of course, you won."Â
Luna punches his shoulder. "Jerk."Â
"Hey, be nice," Caleb backs away, his hands up in defense. "Winners aren't mean."Â
"They are if it's to their best friend." Harry laughs, knowing Caleb deserves the well-given punch he received.Â
"Honestly, I wasn't too sure you'd win, considering you two aren't- or weren't the best of buddies." Caleb nods his head to their connected pinkies. Harry blushes but makes no move to pull away. Luna tries, but Harry tightens his hold, and well who is she to fight him.Â
"Look who's here," Caleb says, looking over their shoulder.Â
It's Mitch and Ollie rushing over, a frown on both their faces as Luna and Harry step to the side so Caleb can adequately thank them for being the first losers.Â
Mitch scoffs, a smirk forming on his face. "No surprise, they won. Harry would do anything to see Luna smile."
Harry's cheek goes red, but Luna carries on her conversation with Caleb feigning as if she didn't hear a word Mitch said.Â
As time clicks closer to midnight, the teams begin to trickle in. Daniel and Calvin come in with five minutes to spare. Mason and Charlotte right on their heels, and at 11:59, barely making it on time are Justine and Abby. There were many mixed emotions as they found out Luna and Harry were the winners. A few eye rolls (Abby) and lots of cheers.Â
Caleb has quieted everyone down, as it is now time to crown the winners, and Luna is buzzing with excitement. She might not have won with Caleb by her side, but Harry was just as great as Caleb, if not better.Â
"I am proud to crown Luna and Harry, the winners of the Halloween Scavenger Hunt 2020," Caleb yells, having everyone break out into collective cheers. Luna blows kisses to her group of friends, a large smile on her face.Â
Charlotte steps forwards and places a jeweled crown on her head. Luna thanks her softly and watches as she does the same to Harry. He bends down so that Charlotte doesn't need to reach up to place it on him. He has a broad smile on his face, he glances at Luna, causing her to go a deep red, but all he does is give her a cheeky wink. Caleb hands over two yellow envelopes, Winner, written on the front, and in each is the $250 prize money.Â
It's $500 total, but it's split because of groups. She's not sure who decided everyone put in $50 to get a nice prize out of it instead of just bragging rights, but Luna was thankful for whoever did.
"Speech, please," Caleb says, backing away to stand with the others. Â
Harry nods at her asking if she'd like to go first, but she shakes her head no. He clears his throat and puts on a charming smile, always quick to dazzle a crowd. "This year, I was not expecting to partner up with the best at the game, but I am glad she drew out my name. Luck was honestly on my side." He turns his head to find Luna already staring at him. "I can happily say that I'd do it all over again with Luna by my side." Shoots her a smile before locking eyes with their friends. "As now reigning three-time champion, I'm proud to have been at her side. Her brains and my looks won us this hunt." He fakes a hair flip causing Luna and Caleb to let out a giggle simultaneously. She nudges him gently, shaking her head at his antics.Â
Harry smiles at her waiting for her to now start hers. She blushes under his intense gaze wishing he'd direct it elsewhere.Â
Luna knows they are waiting for her to share, but she's stuck in a trance staring into Harry's emerald eyes. She thinks back to the evening's start in Mitch's living room and the promise she made to Harry if they won.Â
Without thinking twice, she steps close to Harry, closing the small distance between them. Luna brings up her right hand to gently cradle his cheek and as for permission. He gives her the slightest nod, and in the next second, her lips are on his. Harry reacts quickly, wrapping his arms around her waist, needing her close, not all believing it's actually happening.Â
Harry's lips are soft, his mouth tasting like cherry from the gummies they bought earlier in the night. The butterflies in her stomach are going crazy, trying to find an escape. Harry lets out a small moan. That's when she knows it's time to pull away. Luna rests her hands on his chest, feeling how fast his heart is reacting to the kiss.Â
Luna turns to face her friends, not caring how they were all witnesses to their first kiss. "I told Harry if we won that I'd kiss him, and well, I'm not one to go back on my word."Â
Caleb cheers and starts to clap, not at all trying to hide his excitement. Everyone else joins in the hollers, only getting louder, causing Luna to drop her head to rest on Harry's chest as she takes in her friend's excitement, knowing the teasing will soon be next. Harry has not removed his hands from her waist, liking how close she is. Luna doesn't mind it either. It feels quite nice. Â
"Alright, let's head to the diner where we'll buy the winner's food." Caleb begins ushering everyone to the cars. He got Amy's help bringing over Mitch and Charlotte's car which is how they will be leaving, finally the end to all the walking.
Luna and Harry are still wrapped in each other's arms, not at all ready to move. Caleb is waiting for them at the small cobblestone entrance.
"We'll meet you there." Luna knows they have no transportation, the diner being close to their apartment that is a good two miles away.Â
Caleb nods, stepping closer to toss his keys to her. She catches them with ease. "I'll be riding with Mitch."Â
They watch the two cars drive away before turning her attention back to Harry.Â
"What a night."Â
She nods in agreement, happy that the hunting is over and can now relax.Â
"Favorite part?" Harry asks.
She thinks it over for a second before responding, "The haunted house."
"Really." Her answer really surprises Harry, and he doesn't try to hide it.Â
Luna shrugs. "Think that's what broke the tension between us; otherwise, we'd still be bickering." Getting locked in a room was not fun, but Harry coming to look for her and help her showed her a side she hadn't seen before. It was worth it, but would most definitely not do it again. "And yours?"Â
He leans down to whisper in her ear. "When you kissed me."Â
Luna nods, "That was a nice moment, huh."Â
"Care to do it again?"Â
"Only," Luna pauses before leaning close to Harry. She feels his breath against hers, mixing together. "If you would agree to dress up with me next year."Â
"Done deal." Harry answers. His lips are on hers once more. Harry has a hand on her cheek, deepening the kiss, not ever wanting to pull away. "We could be Noah and Allie from The Notebook."
Luna breaks the kiss. "Gross, please take that back."Â
"What's wrong? It's my favorite movie."Â
"Why?" Luna asks in disgust. "Allie cheats on her fiancĂŠ. Sure, they have true love, but cheating should never be condoned, especially in a love story. Sure the book showed their growth and maturity, but you're not talking about the book. I shall not do it, not ever."Â
"Guess you just won our first fight, Buttercup." Harry smiles.Â
"First? We've had over five hundred!" Luna tells him. "Now, kiss me again because I won."Â
"If we're kissing after each fight, then I owe you over five hundred." Luna shuts Harry up by connecting their lips. She knows kissing Harry will never get old, neither will these pointless arguments that will be forgotten seconds later.Â
"Enough of giving these dead people a show. Let's go eat."Â
"As you wish."Â
Luna gasps, pressing her right hand against her heart dramatically. "Are you saying you love me?" She clears her throat, scrunching up her face in apology. "This might be a little awkward then." She points between them both.Â
Harry stops walking, throwing his head back, letting out a loud groan of frustration. "You're a pain in my ass."Â
Luna giggles. "Would you want it any other way?"
Harry grins, looking down at her soft brown eyes. "No." He responds honestly. Â
Pinkies linked together, bumping into each other randomly to see who stumbles the most, Luna and Harry walk out of the cemetery forever thankful for this Halloween night.Â
I love you!Â
Thank you for reading, come chat the hunt with me
#harry styles#hunflowershalloweenchallenge#harry styles x ofc#harry styles fic#harry styles story#harry x luna#harry x original character#halloween fic#harry styles imahine#harry styles x oc#harry styles writing#harry styles angst#harry styles fluff#harry styles fanfiction#enemies to lovers#harry styles fanfic
280 notes
¡
View notes
Text
the one where someone doesnât know who kevin day is, pt. 5
part one two three four
extra kalton content
games are over for the rest of the winter, and since winter break doesnât officially start for another week it means that kevin spends most of his time at daltonâs apartment.
which, to be frank, isnât any different than normal.
what is different, is that now kevin has much more free time to worry about meeting daltonâs family. how did he let himself get roped into staying there for a week?
oh right. because heâs trying to be a good boyfriend. and being a good boyfriend means doing this for dalton because itâs important to him. thatâs probably why itâs stressing him out.
kevin flinches when a carrot hits his cheek. âcome back to the present, will you?â
he drops his head back against the sofa. âsorry. i zoned out.â
and when dalton is dropping him off at his class for his first final of the semester, âare you okay?â
kevin shrugs. âiâm nervous about meeting your family.â he looks at daltonâs lap instead of his face.
dalton puts the car in park and leans over the center console to kiss his cheek. he stays there for a moment. âi know it wonât help to say thereâs nothing to worry about, but itâs still true. theyâll love you because i love you.â
oh.
oh.
what?
âwhat?â kevin drags his stare up to daltonâs face. heâs smiling, he knows exactly what heâs done.
and dalton takes kevinâs face in his hands. âi love you. and i donât expect you to say it back, and me saying it probably isnât helping to make you less nervous, but thinking about me loving you is probably nicer than thinking about meeting my family.â he kisses kevin. âyou gotta go, kev.â
kevinâs mouth is still hanging a little, and when he drags himself out of the car he leans into the open window. âyou-youâre just gonna spring that on me and leave?â
âyep. and youâre going to think about it when youâre doubting yourself taking this exam.â he puts the car in drive, and blows him a dramatic kiss. âtext me when youâre done?â
âno- i mean, yes, but-â
âgood luck, love you!â and he drives off.
kevin watches his car until it turns the corner, and tugs at his hair before going inside.
he may have failed his exam, he may not have. he canât really tell. either way, he lies a little to dalton when walking out. just got done, still have to wait for the class to end the exam before we can leave.
that kinda sucks. just txt me when ur done
kevin doesnât know who to call, but his thumb eventually lands on abby.
âhey. are you okay? i feel like you never call me,â she laughs, and kevin grimaces. he should do it more often, then.
âiâm just stressed about something and⌠youâre the only person i thought to call.â he sits on a nearby bench outside his building. before abby can say anything he gets back to it. âdalton said i love you this morning and i donât know what to do about it.â
âwell, kevin, you donât have to do anything about it. you can say it back? if you feel the same way?â
he does. he thinks. does he? is it just him thinking he should say it back because itâs the nice thing to do? he and thea never said it.
kevin shakes his head. his relationship with thea was toxic and a little fabricated.
kevin freezes. heâs never said i love you to someone and meant it. he takes a deep breath. heâs so fucked up. he knows heâs fucked up and it makes his head spin, but he canât dwell on it because more of his reality would crash around him, and heâs already working through enough of it with bee behind the scenes.
âkevin?â
âiâm here. i donât know if i feel the same, yet.â
âi know. you donât have to say it. you can wait until youâre ready, or you donât ever have to say it if you never feel it. he seems nice, i mean, iâd surely think that heâd be okay with you waiting?â
why did he call her? no one really knows his relationship but him.
he calls dalton. âiâm out, now. can you take me to the stadium?â
kevin shoots on an empty goal, hounding balls at cones for whatâs probably close to two hours before the door opens.
wymack looks at him expectantly. âremember when betsy said you shouldnât be spending more time here than necessary? like you did last year with the god-awful night practices?â
kevin plants the end of his racquet to the ground. âi had a lot on my mind.â
wymack retreats back through the hall. kevin follows. âshould i be playing dad or coach right now?â
kevin doesnât think heâll ever get used to him saying things like that. about being his father. itâs not like he ever thought of him as just his coach, the day he found out that david wymack was his father thatâs all heâs been able to think of him as in his head. the reality of it is just⌠different. shocking, even now.
âboth?â wymack turns, an eyebrow raised. âdalton told me he loves me. i canât say it back yet, so i donât know what to say to him when i see him.â
he crosses his arms. âhey, dalton, you know iâm basically head over heels for you as anyone can tell, but i canât say i love you yet because iâve got shit up here that i need to settle first.â and after a moment. âtoo coach?
kevin shrugs. âitâs what i expected.â
itâs close enough to what he tells dalton, too. just without the head over heels and softer wording of âiâm fucked in the headâ.
and he feels a little lighter when dalton kisses him and tells him itâs okay. âi told you you donât have to say it. are you uncomfortable with me saying it again? do you want me to wait?â
and he doesnât want to- or know how to say no, i need you to keep saying it until i believe you. i need you to keep saying it so i donât forget. so that i know you mean it.
instead, he shrugs. heâs been shrugging so much lately. heâll turn into neil. âi like hearing it.â
âkay.â dalton smiles. âi love you, then.â
he wasnât planning on telling dalton anything past that, but then they start making out, and dalton lies him down, and he panics. âhey.â he says.
dalton has his lips on his neck. âhey.â
âno, hey, stop, d.â and heâs off of him quicker than he can comprehend.
âare you okay?â
âyeah,â he breathes. âno, iâm fine, i justâŚâ he sits up. âi⌠canât say i love you yet because iâve never said it to anyone.â
âiâve only been in two other real relationships before this, thatâs okay-â
âno, i mean.â he sighs. âwhen i was... with the ravens, you know... saying i love you, or even like, oh love you man to a friend just... wasnât something that-that we did. especially the way i was raised, i may have said it to a friend once or twice. but i donât...â he looks up, and dalton feels pain in his chest from the pure vulnerability in his eyes. he slides his hands up gently to kevinâs face as he whispers, âi donât think iâve ever said i love you to anyone and meant it.â
âhey,â he whispers back. âthatâs okay, kev. thatâs okay.â he hugs him and kevin takes the biggest breath ever as he tucks his face into daltonâs shoulder.
and two weeks later, kevinâs standing on the porch of the miller family home in bowie, maryland.
he glances down at the address in his notes. this is the right one.
he should have let dalton pick him up from the airport. he knows he feels bad about it, but he didnât want him to see how nervous he was.
he knocks on the door.
it opens after a few moments. a girl almost his height stands inside the door, and kevin panics. âhi.â
but she grins. âhi! youâre kevin! come in!â she steps back and itâs so fucking warm in the house compared to outside. âiâm so excited youâre here, dalton told us all about youuuâ she coos as she leads him further into the house. dalton is shouting as he runs across the kitchen to turn down the stove to stop something from boiling over, and when he turns he grins.
âkevin!â he very obviously tries not to run over to hug him, and almost lifts kevin off his toes. âhow long have you been here?â he whispers.
âtwenty seconds.â
âoh good. okay. how was your flight?â he shrugs. âokay, cool, uh, letâs take your bag to my room.â
dalton kind of rushes them downstairs. his room and a spare bedroom are the only ones down there, and when he shuts the door behind them he takes a deep breath. âiâm sorry. iâm really nervous. my familyâs kind of loud and my sisters are those people who just kind of act like theyâve known you for a while within five minutes of meeting you, so they probably wonât care to be weird in front of you. and my dad acts real tough and heâll do the dad thing from movies and hammer youâ kevin has no idea what heâs talking about. âum, and my sisters are annoying and if they bitch at each other just ignore it- itâs just what they do. and i just-â
âdalton itâs fine!â kevin shrugs out of his coat. âyou forget iâve lived with andrew, nicky, and neil. every awkward or tense moment is created because of them.â
he also knows how to school his expression in strange situations. again, heâs grown up in the spotlight.
so dalton leads him back upstairs where his mother is standing at the stove and his two sisters are at the table leaned close and whispering. they stop and both turn when the boys come up. âsorry, stole him for a second. um, mom, this is kevin.â
âoh, call me anne. itâs so nice to finally meet you! daltonâs told us plenty.â
âyou as well. iâm just glad i was able to come out here this winter.â heâs got on his press smile on instinct. heâs so nervous, he feels like heâs sweating.
âiâm carmen, this is bella!â the girls wave from their spots at the table, and before he can say hello carmen speaks up again. heâs not complaining. âso you play exy? bella plays exy.â bella elbows her. âwhat!â
âi really donât. i joined intramural at school so my friend wouldnât be alone. iâm really bad.â
ânot terrible, he could teach you some moves. heâs incredible.â now kevin shoots dalton a look. âwhat.â
âno, itâs okay, i mean i know who you are.â kevinâs stomach drops a little. ânot like- i know that youâre famous for exy, i donât like know you.â
kevinâs trying hard not to regret coming. why did he think he could act normal with someone elseâs family?
but surprisingly, things smooth out after a few more minutes of painstaking conversation. granted, after kevin meets daltonâs father after comes home.
âkevin day. itâs a pleasure to meet you, sir.â heâs proud of his handshake, but mr. miller doesnât pay it any mind.
âgeorge. nice to meet you.â he nods, and grabs a bottle from the fridge. âbeer? dalt, you get him a drink?â
kevin stiffens as he sits back at the table. âi donât drink, sir.â
george frowns for a moment. he doesnât remember how old dalton said he was. âyouâre not underage, are you?â only three years younger, right?
âno, i just donât drink.â anymore.
âfair enough.â he sits back at the table, and gestures towards his face. âsee youâve got a tattoo. why the face?â
âdad!â carmen is doing homework on her laptop, but looks up with a shocked look on her face. âdonât be rude,â she mumbles.
âiâm just asking!â
kevin honestly doesnât know who to go by, but he feels his dad is the right route. âitâs a cover up. the one under it was a cocky premature thing with... uh, my, my-â
âhis kind of brother.â kevin wishes carmen would butt out. but he has to play nice.
âoh! iâm sorry, i thought dalton said you were an only child.â and his dad actually seems sorry that he got his information wrong, despite it not even coming up yet, that kevin feels bad. he balls his fists under the table.
âwe werenât related. i just grew up with him. my family situation is... complicated.â
george holds his hands up after a speedy glancing at dalton. kevin thanks god for whatever face dalton must have made at him. ânot my business to intrude. forget i asked about the face.â
and then things smooth out. they eat dinner, and kevin helps put dishes into the dishwasher to boost his morale with anne before joining dalton and his sisters in the living room. he sinks into the couch. dalton looks bored at what bella has on, the history channel, but kevin zones in on it. he tends to watch it a lot when andrew and neil arenât there. or while heâs doing homework.
an hour in, both kevin and bella are enamored by whatever segment theyâre playing. when dalton gets up to grab a drink, carmen smiles to herself and tosses a mini pretzel at bella, it lands on her sleeve, but she doesnât notice.
she shakes her head. she does the same to kevin. it lands in his hood, and when he doesnât move to take it out carmen leans forward.
dalton walks back in and lingers when he sees her. âyou ever watch these two watch the history channel?â he frowns. what? âyou could cut the sexual tension with a knife!â
bella snaps and kicks carmen. dalton rolls his eyes and sits with his head in kevinâs lap. carmen looks at him with a challenging brow. dalton isnât going to let her win her little experiment.
he leans up and kisses kevinâs chin. âwanna go downstairs?â
kevin slides his hand into daltonâs hair, looks down at him for a moment. âsoon. thereâs still twenty minutes left.â
daltonâs jaw drops. carmen cackles.
at least heâs fitting in.
the rest of kevinâs trip to maryland at daltonâs family home are when they go to NYC for a day, and when he and dalton are just lounging around at the house and kevin says i love you
#kevin day x dalton miller#the one where someone doesnât know who kevin day is#kevin day#kevin#bisexual kevin day#dalton miller#oc: dalton miller#the foxhole court#the foxes#exy#aftg#all for the game#the raven king#the kings men#palmetto state foxes#palmetto state university#palmetto state#ravens#moriyamaâs
259 notes
¡
View notes
Text
Dive| Part 10 | jjk
<Masterlist>
Pairings: Jungkook x y/n, Yoongi x oc
Word Count: 4.6k
Series Description:  Camping with your ex, sounds horrible right? The camping trip was  planned and payed for long before y/nâs shitty boyfriend broke up with  her. Her best friend Abby, Yoongi, Taehyung, Jimin, and Jungkook are there to make sure she has an amazing time. However, sharing a tent with  a smoke show like Jungkook is bound to lead to some complications.
Warnings: language, *this chapter mentions mentally abusive actions* *Very clingy/Jungkook and oc*, mentions of sex. For real... seriously CLINGY.Â
â¨â¨âď¸â¨â¨âď¸â¨â¨âď¸â¨â¨âď¸â¨â¨âď¸
They were attempting to be quiet but, their hushed tones were far from hushed. Youâre awake now, eyes still closed as you process your current surroundings. You focus on the conversation that is seemingly between Jungkook, his cousin, and what you assume to be his aunt. She thanks him a countless amount of times and he tells her that it was no problem an equal amount of times. A hint of annoyance in his tone, but she clearly didnât detect it at all. Then his cousin says something that you can barely make out, whispering being something she clearly comprehended; unlike her mother and Jungkook.
âWeâre supposed to talk today, ill let you know what happensâŚâ His voice veers off as if he suddenly became nervous.
âShe cares about you Kook, I can tell. You care about her too, right?â she mumbles, no longer trying to whisper.
âA lot,â Is all you hear him respond with. His cousin giggles and tells him one final time not to stress and that everything will work out. She thanks him for the umpteenth time and they finally leave.
You wonder what time it is, laying there fully coherent but for some reason scared to open your eyes. After laying there for awhile and playing out every possible outcome, you decide to âwake up.â Pulling yourself up into the sitting position, your pupils adjusting to the small amount of sunlight coming in from the windows.
âGood morning,â His voice is like honey, as he lifts his coffee cup to his lips. âDo you want some coffee?â
A soft smile and a nod have him gathering a cup and pouring the liquid gold into it. After telling him that youâll take it black, he walks it over to where you are on the couch. You take it into your cold hands, sighing after taking a drink. Holy shit you were hungover.
You sit in silence long enough to wonder why it suddenly felt odd. You had so many things you wanted to say but couldnât formulate the proper way to bring it up.
âThanks for letting me stay the night,â you murmur, his large doe eyes peak up from his mug.
âOf course,â He answers, his face freezes when he realizes he doesnât know what to say either. Or maybe, like you, how to say it.
Things go quiet again, you hear the birds chirping outside and the slow morning flow of traffic. You adjust yourself so that youâre facing him directly, your legs crisscrossed beneath you. His hair was fluffy, tame, but fluffy. The area around his eyes is slightly swollen and you wonder if he got any sleep last night. Mindlessly you set your mug down on the coffee table and you start moving across the couch to where he is. You still donât know what or how to express what you need to but maybe you donât need words. His eyes flick to yours, at first, he looks panicked then it quickly changed to relief. A smile pulling at his lips as he leans forward to set his mug next to yours. With his hands free, he sits back as you straddle his sweatpants clad lap. You take a deep breath, drinking in his morning beauty as his hands find their way underneath his shirt that clung to your body, resting on your hips just above the waist band.
When your eyes meet his, you forget why you worried at all. A wave of complacency rushing through your veins. With him you felt safe, with him you had no worries. Your fingers delicately push their way through his fluffy locks, letting your nails lightly scratch his scalp. His eyes close instinctively as he exhales deeply. As his head falls backward, your eyes are drawn to the center column of his throat. Fantasizing about how good it would look decorated in your love bites.
Before you can act on it, his words are pulling you from your heed.
âIâm really sorry that I made you upset last night, I should have told you what was going on so you didnât worry,â his eyes meet yours and theyâre filled with regret.
âWell I appreciate your apology, but Iâm the one who should be apologizing. I guess I was just⌠confused, it hurt seeing you with someone else obviously.â you explain softly your fingers steadily raking through his hair.
He hums at your words, his fingers delicately brushing along your spine. Fire spreading from the tips of his fingers through your cold body. His brows shoot up, âI wish it wouldnât have happened, but I learned something because it did,â his head tilts to the side as he drinks you in.
Staring into his whiskey colored orbs longer than you should have, âWhat did you learn?â
âI learned that⌠seeing you cry is something I never want to do again. I only want to make you happy, never sad,â He reaches up to cup your jaw, his eyes scanning over your face frantically.
Looking away from him, you feel your eyes start to well up. He inhales quickly before adjusting beneath you, âNo⌠no, what did I say? I didnât mean to maâŚâ he starts to panic, wondering what he said wrong.
âRemember when we were camping? And you told me I was the most beautiful thing youâd ever seen in your life, Â and I started to cry?â You chuckle. He reaches up to wipe away your tear. His body visibly relaxes when you compare the situations.
âMhm, and you told me that no one had every talked to you like that,â his voice is quiet. You have to swallow the lump in your throat when you realize he remembers that moment as clear as you do.
âWell itâs true, ya know? I donât know if Iâve ever been properlyâŚloved,â You start to explain, âAt the same time, I donât know if Iâve ever felt this way about anyone else. You make me feel like Iâm crazy. Thereâs something about you thatâs so intoxicating to me. Iâve never experienced having someone care about me the way you do or pay attention to me the way you do. Itâs all so new to me, Iâd be lying if I said that Iâm not terrified.â
When you look up at him, heâs nervously chewing the side of his mouth. You laugh through your nose, leaning forward to press your lips to his. When you start to pull away his lips chase after yours. He kisses you a little more passionately this time as his hand wraps itself around the back of your neck pulling you down to him again. Breathlessly you pull apart, his hand still holding you close as your forehead rest on his.
âIâve never been in this deep for someone, y/n. Iâve never cared about someone as much as I do you. I donât know why. I canât explain why I have these feelings for you but, I do. You make me so happy, and you bring a peacefulness that Iâve never felt before. I fucked up once, and I promise you that I will never do anything to hurt you ever again. Like I said⌠only want to make you happy.â
Your tears are mixing with his, and you canât stop them from coming. You know that everything heâs telling you is true. You know that even though he hurt you, he didnât mean to. You know that if you allow him too, he will love you with all of his heart for the rest of his life.
âI know we were going to talk about this tonight, but I canât wait anymore, âHis voice was shaking, almost as if he was unsure of the words that were about to be spoken. He sits up tall so that his face is mere inches from your own. He swallows hard, and his nerves start to rub off on you.
You raise your brows giving him a gentle smile as your fingers slide down to the back of his neck, silently telling him that he didnât need to be nervous. He exhales loud in response.
His hands quivering as they rest on your sides, âI want to be with you. I want to be all yours, and I want you to be mine. I know what I want, and I donât want you to be confused about anything anymore. Will you be my girlfriend, y/n?â
Your chest tightens with every confession that leaves his lips. The overwhelming feeling to scream or yell or cry. His eyes scanning your face for an answer, a hint, anything to ease his nerves.
Your voice is shot, so you nod aggressively. Tears shaking off of your face. Before you can get your full response out his lips are on yours fervent and passionate as his fingers lace in your hair on the back of your head to pull you closer to him.
He pulls back to take you in once again, âIâm sorry, Iâm just having a hard time believing that youâre finally mine.â
You giggle as he pulls you in again kissing you slower this time, taking in the details to remember this specific moment and the exact way he feels. He wonders if he should tell you he loves you. He wants to, he wants to scream it from the roof top. He was honest about never being this deep. Part of him thought he may never know what it felt like to be in love. Up until you, it was short relationships that were always one sides and lacked something vital. Up until you, love didnât exist. To him, you were love.
âSo, does this meanâŚwe can get breakfast instead of dinner? Iâm literally starving to death,â Your stomach groans rip through the silent room. Jungkook instantly starts to die of laughter.
âYes baby, Iâll make you some pancakes, sound good?â He shakes his head, giggling at your dramatic head nod.
Sitting across from him as you eat breakfast, reality set in. Everything felt surreal. Every fiber of your being was ready to dive into what ever was in store for you and Jungkook. As much as you convinced yourself that you were ready for the next step, there was no denying that you were terrified of giving your heart to him. Obviously, the sexual attraction was there, but you wondered if that was part of what was making everything so intense for you.
Jungkook was an anomaly to you in so many ways. He was caring, attentive, and insanely attractive. The most dangerous thing about him, however, was his ability to bring you to your knees; literally and figuratively. He was like a sex God that you couldnât say ânoâ to, because why would you? During your time away from him, you wondered how you would feel if you hadnât allowed yourself to be with him sexually. The automatic intimacy was something about your relationship that made you miss it; made you miss him.
âWhatâs on your mind?â His voice is laced in innocence as he cocks his head to the side. Stacking your plate on top of his. You have to laugh at his innate ability to see through you. Another reason it was so hard to deny your chemistry.
âI guess, I was just thinking about us,â your bottom lip is instantly sucked into your teeth as you look away from him.
You hear him hum as he stands to put your plates in the sink, âAnything you want to share?â he asks. You can tell heâs somewhat anxious by the way he avoids you. His back turned away from you as he fidgets with the dirty dishes in the sink. You stand and wrap your arms around the back of him.
âNothing bad, I donât think at least⌠just maybe want to take things⌠slow.â You mumble into his back, feeling his quiet chuckles rumble against your cheek. He turns in your arms, brushing your hair behind your ears before cupping each side of your head.
âIâm listening,â He smiles.
You take a deep breath as you explain how you feel. Ultimately ending by telling him that you want to wait awhile before the two of you do anything sexually.
âItâs not like I donât want to, I just think itâs smart if we maybe slow things down a bit. The way we should have at the start. I like you a lot Jungkook, and I want to be confident that we exist outside of our sexual attractionâŚâ you ramble, his attention on you never faltering. âDo you hate me now?â
His eyes scrunch together, appalled that you would ever assume that he could hate you.
âI could never hate you,â He presses his lips to your cold nose, âWhat I feel for you is way more than sex. But I get that I need to prove that to you, and I will. I think that if that if itâs something you need from me than I will go as slow as you need me to.â
âYou promise youâre not mad? Or upset?â you ask him quietly, swallowing hard. He lightly grips your chin, pulling your face up so that youâre looking at him.
âBaby⌠why do you think I would be mad?â He asks, his voice is soft and concerned.
âI-I donât know,â your chest starts to tighten, and tears start to build up in the corners of your eyes, âBen would get mad if I didnât want to. He always made me feel guilty because I made him wait three months before we had sex. He said he didnât mind at first, but he did.â
Jungkook wraps his arms around your shoulders pulling your in close. His face red with fury. If he thought he had reasons to hate Ben before, now he had motive for murder. He lifts you up, setting you on the counter so he can stand eye to eye with you.
âLook at me baby,â he demands softly, âI would never make you feel guilty for not wanting to have sex with me. You are so much more than your body and I need you to know that. We can take things as slow as we need to take them. I want you to trust me completely, I will never hurt you.â He pleads, begging for you to believe that he was someone different.
Tears building in his own eyes now, guilt of his own words and actions weighing even heavier. He knew that he hurt you when you overheard his conversation with Ben, but it was so much more than that. You let your walls down for him, and he completely let you down. He pulls you into him tighter this time. Understanding how vital it is for him to love you properly. To show you how incredibly special you are to him.
Your conversation ended there. You both moved to the couch, deciding to watch a movie while you cuddled with one another; not quite yet ready to let one another go.
âAbby is going to lose it when she finds out weâre actually together.â You murmur into his chest with a giggle. You feel his chest shake when he starts to laugh quietly.
âYeah Jimin and Tae have been making bets on if and when it would happen.â
âAssholes,â You shake your head, rolling your eyes at their immaturity. At the same time you cant blame them for finding a way to make your roller coaster of emotions somewhat entertaining for them.
âAre you going to Jiminâs movie night tomorrow?â
âYeah, should we tell them then?â you ask
âMaybe⌠or maybe we should have some fun with it?â He grins down at you.
âIâm listeningâŚâ You tilt your head on his chest to look up at him.
âWell if Jimin and Tae are betting on us, you know Abby is playing along too. So, what if we tricked them. When we show up tomorrow, we not only act like were not dating⌠but as if we have no feelings at all. Theyâll be so confused.â He giggles.
âWhen do we tell them?â you bite your lip, weighing out the scenario in your head. You know theyâll be pissed but thatâs what makes it intriguing.
âMmm⌠I guess when we leave? Unless they catch on before that.â He shrugs, looking down at you.
âTheyâre gonna be pissed,â You giggle raising your brows.
âI know,â He laughs, clearly thatâs the point for him.
âAlright lets do it.â
Movie night comes faster than expected. You almost fucked up the plan by  wearing Jungkookâs sweater over your leggings. Last minute you had to run inside and switch it out for one of your own. You and Jungkook ride together, deciding that youâll go inside a few minutes before him. Youâll tell everyone that you took an Uber if they ask.
âRemember, pretend I donât exist.â Jungkook reminds you, as he pulls into the parking spot. You glance over at him, nodding your head. His sharp jawline on full display as he chews at his bottom lip. His tattooed arm flexing as he adjusts his grip on the steering wheel. He reaches down and puts his car into park. As soon as he does you instantly reach across turning his head to look at you.
âYou say that like itâs going to be easyâŚâ You mumble as you drink in his facial features, the mole just under his lip begging to be kissed. His lips start to pull into a smirk. Without thinking you push yourself out of your seat and over to his lap. Straddling him with one leg on either side of his. His eyes follow your every movement, his breath hitching when you finally make yourself comfortable. His hands naturally reaching behind you to cup your ass over the thick material of your leggings.
Finally facing the truth, you will never get used to the way he looks you. His dark caramel colored eyes reminding you of Whiskey in more ways than one. The way they warm your entire body from head to toe, or the way that they make you want to risk it all; never thinking about the consequences. Completely and utterly intoxicating.
You lean in kissing his cheek with a feather light touch, his eyes never leaving you. With your fingers just below his jaw, your lips dance along his cheek, closer and closer to his plump lips. Both of you letting out a sigh of relief when you finally reach them. Your lips fitting together as if they were made for each other. His tattooed hand suddenly comes up to your neck pulling you desperately closer. His tongue teasing your bottom lip just before he decides to let it slide inside. Your tongues tangle together for what feels like a century, until he pulls away, trapping your bottom lip in between his teeth as he does.
âFuck, I donât know if I can do this,â He giggles as he tries to regulate his breathing. You giggle as you leave a trail of kisses down the side of his neck. You know itâs not helping the situation but if youâre not allowed to talk to him or look at him for the next 3 hours you needed to get in what you could now. With one final, long, kiss to his lips you open his car door to let yourself out.
âItâll be worth it,â You giggle, realizing his hand was still holding onto yours. You look at his lap realizing that you caused quite the situation. You wince, biting your lip as you look at him with sorry eyes. âIll go inside and let you figure that out,â You giggle as you start to walk away.
âI thought you were supposed to be sweet?!â He yells out sarcastically, only making you laugh harder.
It was harder than you thought it would be. Not because you desperately wanted to snuggle up to Jungkook on the couch, but because between Tae, Jimin, and Abby; you couldnât catch a break. The second you were in the door they were on you like bats out of hell. Asking you every question under the moon about you and Jungkook and your impending status. You immediately excused yourself to the restroom, claiming you had to pee the entire way here. Once you were away you texted Jungkook telling him to come inside so they would stop hounding you. You knew they wouldnât talk about it if you were in the same room.
Conveniently, Jungkook walked into the apartment as soon as you walked back into the kitchen. You smiled at him, then quickly excused yourself to the living room to sit and wait for the movie to start. Jungkook follows your lead, sitting directly across the room from you. His eyes meet yours for a brief second, and you wish you had the ability to read his mind. The not so quiet whispers from the kitchen catch your attention. You have to giggle a bit at how overdramatic they were being. No doubt, they were confused. If it werenât for Yoongi yelling out for them to join everyone in the living room, they probably would have stayed in the kitchen trying to figure out what was happening.
They all file into the room, their eyes casually flicking from you to Jungkook. Abby cuddles up to Yoongi, her eyes tight on you. You avoid her at all cost, knowing she would try to communicate through her eyes. Jimin sits with Jungkook and Tae plops down next to you. His innocent smile playing on his lips as he turns his head and looks you up and down.
âYou doin okay?â His brow lifts as he asks you.
âUhm⌠yeah?â You giggle, scrunching your brows as you adjust the cover that lays over your body, âAre you?â you smile.
He looks over at Jungkook, who is seemingly immersed in whatever is on his phone screen.
âIm⌠good.â He answers, his brain still trying to put the pieces together. Jimin is talking to Jungkook but it doesnât look like heâs getting the answers he wants. As Yoongi presses play on the movie, all of the questions come to a halt. You can still feel Abbyâs eyes burning into your head. Midway through the movie you can tell theyâre all texting one another, each of their phones going off at the same time.
Your phone goes off a few minutes laterâŚ
Kookie:
He keeps asking me and I keep shrugging my shoulders. Heâs losing it⌠this is so funny.
Wait awhile to respond, theyâre watching.
Controlling your reaction on your face was harder than you thought it would be. You calmly set your phone down, resting your head on the couch. A few minutes later you decide to go to the restroom, pulling your phone out to text Jungkook back.
Y/n:
Yeah theyâre for sure losing their minds.
⌠this is kinda hard.
*send*
You glance at yourself in the mirror, fidgeting with your appearance. A risque thought comes to your mind. You know you shouldnât but, at the same time, you canât think of a reason not to. You quickly take your hoodie off of your body and slide your leggings down your legs. Adjusting the waistband of your panties, then adjusting your girls in your bra. You sit on the edge of the bathroom counter, making your ass look fuller than it actually is. After playing with angles, you decide to take your bra off since he can see your tits from this angle anyway. After a few tries you finally capture the perfect picture.
Plopping down on to the couch, you wait a few minutes until you see Jungkook take his phone out of his pocket. Hiding your phone, you quickly press send, and adjust yourself so you can see his reaction. His eyes suddenly widen as he rearranges himself on the couch. His eyes flick up to yours, making your chest burn with a simple look. His pupils are blown out as he gnaws on the corner of his mouth anxiously. He pulls a pillow over his lap and waits a few more minutes before responding.
Kookie:
Baby doll, this was not a part of the plan.
I cant stop mentally undressing you now.
 As you read the message, the corners of your mouth lift into a cocky smirk. The pillow over his crotch tells you everything you need to know. As the movie comes to an end, everyone starts to talk about their weekend plans. Jungkook is quiet as his eyes are locked on you. His leg bouncing beneath him, as he leans on his elbow. You pick up your phone trying to decide on the words to say. As your fingers ghost over the screen, you canât seem formulate what you want to say to him. You slowly look up and when you make eye contact with him, your mind is made up.
You slide your phone into your hoodie pocket, as you slowly push yourself off of the couch. Jimin going on about weekend plans in the background, but you and Jungkook are in a world of your own. As you walk across the room, you donât notice when the room goes silent. Jungkook instantly perks up when he realizes whatâs happening. Straightening his posture, he moves the pillow on his lap, and you take its place. Straddling him as if no one is in the room. Leaning into him, you gently slide your fingers through the hair at the base of his neck pulling his face up to yours.
Both of your smiles disappear when his lips hit yours, pressing into you for longer than he should have. When you finally pull away your rest your forehead against his.
âHi,â you whisper.
âHi.â He smiles.
âWHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING!â Abby and Jimin scream nearly in sync with one another. You and Jungkook both start to die of laughter, as you adjust yourself to sit in his lap facing the others.
Taehyung, Jimin and Abby staring at you like you have three heads.
âAre you⌠are you together? Officially?â Abby throws Yoongiâs arm off of her so that she can stand up.
You look at Jungkook, and you both nod.
âFinally! For fucks sake. It took you long enough.â Yoongi groans out of nowhere, expressing the thoughts that were on everyone mind. The whole room erupts into laughter, and snide comments about how cruel we were to trick everyone. Abby and Jimin expressing their annoyance with not being called immediately.
âWe just thought it would be funny. We know you guys have been placing bets on when it would happen, âJungkook says as his arms tighten around your waist, pulling you in closer to him as he buries his nose in the crook of your neck.
An overwhelming feeling of contentment washes over you. Jungkookâs lips lightly brushing against your shoulder as if he needed to make up for the time that he wasnât able to. His fingers laced with yours as his thumb brushes the back of your hand. It felt so natural. Even everyone around you had seemed to move on, clearly it felt right to them too.
His lips trail from your shoulder up to your ear, moving your hair out of the way, âNo one will ever wonder if weâre together anymore. From now on, everyone will know that youâre mine and Iâm yours.â Â
â¨â¨âď¸â¨â¨âď¸â¨â¨âď¸â¨â¨âď¸â¨â¨âď¸
Taglist:
@cainami @carolsummerlove @zeharilisharaban @jikooksgirl19 @fallen-for-luke @madygswich @sugalarity @lofikooâ @ggukkieeee @peachy-bhun @megs58298 @kawaiiayasan @ jeonchan26  @ambersaesthetics��� @hopekookiesâ @rumpucis @iaintnohollybackgirl
A/N: THANK YOU for your patience on this chapter. There will be one more chapter (maybe two) after this one! I got a new job and life has been hectic. Please let me know what you think! (let all of your favorite writers know how much you love their work! We appreciate it more than you know!)
#Jungkook Fanfiction#jungkook#BTS jungkook#jeon jungkook#Jungkook fluff#Jungkook smut#bts fanfiction#bts fanfic#Jungkook fanfic#Jungkook angst#jungkook x y/n#bts x you#jeongguk smut#jeongguk#Jungkook imagine#Jungkook one shot#Jungkook x reader#jungkook x yn#bts smut#bts fluff#bts angst#bts imagine#bts one shot
184 notes
¡
View notes
Text
files
penelope garcia x spencer reid x derek morgan
a/n: this one goes out to the irl who asked me, when i told her that i wrote cm fanfiction, if it was sexually explicit. i panicked and said no. i lied, abbi. i lied so hard.Â
also, idk if anyone has noticed, but iâve been using ~capital letters~ in my writing recently. figured it was time to take myself more seriously lolÂ
tagging @spencers-renaissance!Â
content warnings: SMUT!!! sub!spencer, naturally. dom/sub undertones but nothing explicitly kinky...and then some fluff :)
word count: 1533
in which spencer is horny, canât focus, and loves his partners
Spencer doesnât know why he feels this way. Itâs rare for him, the feeling of not knowing, but today, he just doesnât know. His cock has been hard, straining against his pants all day. Heâs sensitive, every move he makes sending a jolt of energy through his body.
So for the day, he sits as close to his desk as possible, chair rolled almost completely underneath. The angle makes it a little awkward to do his paperwork, but Spencer figures thatâs better than his co-workers seeing his boner.
Besides, heâs hardly making any progress on his paperwork, anyways. Because of his unfortunate, leaky predicament, Spencer works much slower than usual. Â Every once in a while, he checks the clock, realizes how little progresses heâs made, and huffs in frustration. It makes Emily side-eye him, but she doesnât say anything. Spencer is grateful for that, afraid if he opened his mouth to talk to anyone that he would betray himself.
Of course, the only person who clocks Spencer is Derek, who keeps sneaking glances at Spencer and walking by his desk every once-in-a-while to ruffle his hair. Once, he tugs gently on the soft locks, and Spencer whines. Derek laughs, and shoots Spencer a wink on his way back to his own desk. See, Derek--who, at times, knows Spencer better than himself--knows that this is all his fault; his fault for kissing Spencer on the neck before they left for work and his fault for holding his thigh the whole drive there.
Derek, Spencer, and Penelope are notorious for staying late at the office. Every day, Spencer overworks himself trying to finish extra paperwork, and Derek just stays to get a bit more of his own work done and to keep an eye on Spencer. Usually Penelope gets lost in her online game, only checking the time when Derek leans in her door frame and tells her itâs time to go.
Today, when itâs time to pack up and leave, Derek grabs Spencerâs bag for him, staring expectantly at the younger boy. Spencer looks up at him with a sheepish pout. Due to his unfortunate, horny circumstance, he had been far too distracted to finish all the paperwork he had set aside to finish for the day.
âI have to stay,â he says softly, gesturing to his messy desk.
âReid, câmon, itâs late. You can finish at home,â Derek argues.
Spencer sighs, running his hands through his hair. âIâll be distracted. You and Penelope just go. Iâll take the metro.â
Derek sighs, resting his hands on Spencerâs shoulders and massaging. Spencer whimpers at the touch, jerking away and turning to focus on the file in front of him.
Derek sits on the edge of Spencerâs desk. âHey,â He starts, gripping Spencerâs chin gently to get him to maintain eye-contact. âWeâre not going to leave you here by yourself. Iâm gonna go sit with Garcia, you come get us when youâre ready to go.â
Spencer nods and rubs his eyes. âOkay. Okay, bye, love you.â
âI love you too,â Derek replies softly, pressing a chaste kiss to Spencerâs forehead, then retreating to Penelopeâs office.
And Spencer works. He works diligently, trying to ignore the ideas of Derek and Penelope in her office, just feet away from him. And then itâs dark and the AC has kicked off and itâs so quiet and Spencer is down to one file, and itâs a big one, and he just doesnât know if he can do it anymore. Heâs so horny and so ready to go home. All of his focus is, frustratingly, flying out of the window. Derek and Penelope burst into roaring laughter, and Spencer can hear it through the walls.
With a sniffle, Spencer stands for the first time in hours and pads to Penelopeâs office. He knocks, but pushes the door open before anyone inside has time to respond.
âHi,â he says, head hung, and Penelope spins around in her chair to face him.
âHi, baby, whatâs wrong?â she coos, opening her arms. In lieu of responding, Spencer awkwardly tucks himself into Penelopeâs lap, wraps his legs around her waist, and rests his head on her shoulder.
âYou finish those files?â Derek asks, scooting his chair up next to the pair and rubbing his hand across Spencerâs back.
âNo,â Spencer says through a frown. Derek and Penelope exchange a look. Thereâs a moment of silence that lapses between the three. âC-can I..â Spencer starts shyly, beginning to carefully rock his hips against where they rest on Penelopeâs.
Derek threads his fingers through Spencerâs hair and pulls his head back gently, but firmly. âUse your words, baby boy.â
Spencer lets his mouth fall open, gasping in a breath at the friction heâs created. âPlease, can IâŚâ Spencer searches for the words. âI just wannaâŚâ He lets out a whine. âJust wanna cum,â he mumbles. At this admission, Derek chuckles and lets Spencerâs head go. At the freedom, Spencer immediately moves to bury his face in Penelopeâs exposed cleavage.
âHi, sweet boy,â Penelope murmurs with a chuckle, migrating her hands to his waist and helping his hips create a rhythm against her own. âGood boy, Spencer,â she soothes, revelling in the soft whimpers heâs emitting. Derek leans back in his chair, watching as they move together in sync.
âYouâre gonna get your pants all dirty, Spence,â Derek remarks, raising his eyebrow playfully. Spencer turns to face him with a pout, but speeds up his hips. Soft moans fall from his lips as his cock ruts against the inside of his pants. Pre-cum coats the inside of his briefs, but Spencer canât find it in himself to care. In fact, he loves it. The idea of being filthy and coated with his own mess turns him on more.
âYouâre doing so good, baby boy,â Penelope reassures, tugging both the front of her dress and her bra down slightly to grant Spencer more indulgent access to her breasts. Spencer hums against the skin of Penelopeâs chest. âThank you, thank you,â he gasps, pressing wet kisses along her nipples and whimpering when she hisses at the pleasurable contact. Â
âIâm surprised you havenât cum yet, Puppy,â Derek says, the nonchalance in his voice only serving to work Spencer up more. âUsually youâre so quick and easy. Especially when babygirlâs got her tits out.â
âBe nice to him,â Penelope says, playfully chastising Derek. âAnd my tits!â
Spencerâs moans increase in frequency, and he can tell heâs close. âKiss, please, kiss,â he requests through a whine, peering up at them.
Derek loops his arm around Penelopeâs neck and pulls her in for a soft, slow kiss. Spence watches intently, coming undone at the tender affection with a high-pitched moan that sounds a lot like a warbled âoh.â His hips stutter until his release paints the inside of his pants, and Derek pulls away from Penelope.
âThank you,â Spencer says, eyelids low with exhaustion. âGonna go finish my last file now.â
âNo. Enough, kid,â Derek says, pulling Spencer up out of Penelopeâs lap and holding him to his chest. Spencer, on instinct, wraps his legs around Derekâs waist. âWeâre going home and getting you cleaned up. Iâll finish the file and bring it back tomorrow.â
Penelope kisses Spencerâs pouted lips softly. âLove you,â she sings as a reminder, pulling out the end of the word âyou.â
âLove you too, Penny,â Spencer says. Â
---
Derek really doesnât mind taking care of Spencer. He knows Spencer wonât do it himself, and he loves Spencer, so itâs okay. Enjoyable, even. And sure, Spencer is a stubborn pain in the ass sometimes. (Derek swears if Spencer eats ramen noodles out of a styrofoam cup instead of just cooking a meal one more time, heâll explode.) But on nights like these, where the three of them--Derek, Spencer, and Penelope--come home, and Spencerâs too tired to think of anything else but his partners, Derek forgets about the stubbornness.
Spencer, half-asleep, lets Derek undress him from his soiled clothes, clean up over his sensitive cock, and put him back into a pair of much more comfortable pants.
âDer, I donât like these pants,â Spencer reminds him quietly, gesturing to the ankle. âTheyâre too tight around my ankle, it makes me nervous,â he says. Derek, ever the diligent boyfriend, finds another pair with no elastic around the ankle, helping Spencer step into those instead. He hums gratefully. Derek kisses Spencer softly, rubbing his cheekbone with the pad of his thumb.
When Penelope emerges from the bathroom, patterned pajama set bright in the dim room, Derek peppers her face with kisses. âGoodnight, my love,â he tells her, as he does every night before, and as he will every night after.
Spencer squirms from where heâs sat on the edge of the bed, reaching out for Penelope. She wraps her arms around him tightly, pulling him down to cuddle against her.
âGoodnight,â Penelope says. âSpence and I are cuddling now, youâre invited.â
Spencer curls up against her chest and pulls the comforter up to his chin. âCome, Der,â he pleads.
Derek leans over and kisses both of them on the nose once. âI would love to cuddle, babies, but I have a file to finish.â
#morceid#morcia#spencer reid fanfiction#spencer reid smut#derek morgan fanfiction#derek morgan smut#derek morgan fluff#penelope garcia#spencer reid#derek morgan#criminal minds fanfiction#criminal minds#cm
190 notes
¡
View notes