#again too many antis are not nice and that's putting it VERY lightly

[kuramirocket]

It makes me laugh and a little nervous that at least two antis have interacted with my posts. Granted, it was non proship posts so unless they looked at my bio they wouldn't know I am a proshipper. Especially since I don't really use a 'antis dni' on my stuff unless I make a post specifically about proshipping stuff to go in the proship tags for the community.

I appreciate the interaction, but considering how hostile most antis are, yeah.

It's a shame to cut potential interactions; with people liking and maybe actually reblogging my original posts, but I also don't want to get harrassed and deal with that bs, u know.

[roostertuftart]

I know you're the Kyle expert, but I knew a guy who thought Stan would be an incel. Thoughts?

Hmmm. Idk, I've seen that float around and I don't really get it?? Like, I can sorta get it more than when people seriously say it about Kyle. Stan definitely seems to fall into more... Viewing girls sort of in that perhaps lightly internally sexist way than Kyle seems to, of having some sort of unintentional separation between boys and girls that makes him kind of view girls as very different types of people friendwise, if that makes sense. Like, say he was dating a guy- I don't think much would change in terms of the guy being an extremely close friend who's been elevated up an extra level to romantic. But Wendy isn't really like that. She's not Stan's friend outside of their relationship.

And okay, that's not to say Kyle is a bastion of anti sexism himself, ESPECIALLY noting earlier seasons, but Kyle doesn't really seem to act the same way Stan does when interacting with girls?? His early season sexism felt more innocent and childish, something he's definitely grown out of now. It was less built on this deep internalized toxic masculinity and more like the "eww cooties" ideas that happen a lot with young kids. Obviously division based on traits like sex is not good under any circumstance, but it doesn't seem to have carried on much in his modern view of girls. Nowadays Kyle just seems to view girls far more equally even when divided from them, and cares more about listening or hearing out where they're coming from and understanding their frustration with sexism, for example. While he doesn't really have many close female friends (and really none of the boys actually do besides Stan), his behavior doesn't really shift at all to trying to be gentlemen-y or something around women, denoting a very equal level view of them.

But, in Stan's defense, we see him interacting with the girls way more than Kyle, and I think him having dated Wendy, interacting with her friends, etc etc over the series gives us way more to work with in that area than we get to with the more or less far in between hints we're given with Kyle. One thing that I think may impact this for me is also kind of that the few times we HAVE seen Kyle's attraction to girls play out, putting aside Leslie bc oh boy was Kyle blindly simping there, he doesn't seem to be as quick to focus on like... I guess vaguely sexual aspects like the other boys, which leads to him just seeming to objectify women less (Not to say that being sexually attracted to someone is inherently objectifying, but there is more of an overlap with people who are drawn by looks and engagement in objectifying behavior).

And then there's how Kyle has reacted to being rejected, and I know the big one is Super Hard PCness that everyone likes to point out as Kyle being a "nice guy", but in actuality, he was extremely graceful in how their relationship ended, moreso than he needed to be with the horrible things Heidi said to him, and only flipped out after being bullied and teased and harassed by virtually the whole school, Cartman and Heidi especially. It was definitely not anger purely because he didn't get a girl he liked, it was anger that someone he'd trusted and tried to help so swiftly turned on him and humiliated him for no reason at all, that once again he was being put down by Cartman, and that everyone else treated him poorly as well, Stan included. There's also Rebecca who Kyle just... Kinda let go. Like, we don't really see much of his reaction but there's nothing to tell us Kyle was angry their relationship was broken off, so I'm counting it at least a little. There's Nichole too, who once again we don't really straight up see Kyle's reaction to her breaking up with him. But we do see how he treats her, how much he tries to find stuff they have in common to talk about, how his only anger of their relationship not working is Cartman's blatant racism and lies about him purposely made to sabotage any chances he does get with this girl that he likes. It's not anger towards whatever choice Nichole makes here, it's anger about Cartman's needless and morally egregious interference. I know this is a low bar to pass in whether a character is decent to women, but Kyle just repeatedly not behaving badly over his breakups is a big tell to me. So often we see male characters act like assholes just because a girl doesn't like them or a girl broke up with them or something. Even with Stan, in fact, we've seen this play out. I mean. He's pretty okay too but we did see him tell Wendy she was a bitch for dating someone else. This is from early seasons, that I wouldn't solely use as evidence Stan is a crazy sexist even now, but it plays a part in this conversation on whether or not you can more accurately call Stan Marsh the incel-ish one of the two.

Okay, but like. Why am I even talking so much about Kyle here when you're asking about Stan? Well, I honestly think that the duality of them as characters reinforces the ideas of what the other is like to the audience, and this leads into a LOT of the extremes the fandom will push them into (the fem/masc debate, the nerd/jock debate, etc etc) and likewise it does so here. When we see Kyle being kinda more normal around girls, even though it's rare we see him like that at all, it makes Stan seem all the more awkward when in reality, he kind of isn't that bad at all?? He's pretty normal with girls for a boy his age, though he could be a bit less of a dick sometimes. I do think he sometimes has this huge focus on looks, and that can be... Not great, but it's not to a horrible evil incel-ish degree by any means, and I'd argue for his age he's a pretty good guy to, say, Wendy- Not that he can't improve a LOT but Idk, his shittiness comes off more as "dumb little boy is sometimes a jerk to his friends" to me than "secretly hates and disrespects women".

But y'know, at the end of the day, Kyle and Stan are more alike than people think about many of these things, this being one of them. Whether or not Kyle or Stan are better with how they act to women is hard to say. I can see why people would be able to twist Kyle into being incel-ish even if I don't really personally think it's based accurately on the information we've been given. I can see even moreso how someone might be able to with Stan, and while I do think there's at least a bit more of a leg to stand on him having some issues with internalized sexism, I don't think it's accurate with the information we've been given either. Neither of them are really incel-ish to me.

Honestly, if they were dealing with the issue of not being able to find a partner, they'd probably mostly internalize it into self blame and feel bad about themselves but not really broadly blame other people. Stan might slump into a depression or put his focus elsewhere, Kyle, if wanting a partner badly enough (I don't think it's ever been his first priority and I doubt it ever will be) would make efforts to fix the problem by figuring out what's putting people off about himself and try to figure out how he can fix it rather than lashing out. (Also I already lightly touched on why I don't think Kyle would redo his actions in The List right here over not being able to get a girlfriend lol)

[moonctzeny]

Work for it

Part II: Promotion

pairing: coworker! johnny x reader

other members as background characters: haechan as johnny’s assistant

genre: smut

warnings: explicit smut, semi-public sex, spit in mouth, pussy slapping, throatpie (omg I got so embarrassed writing this down)

word count: 5,792

summary: “One of your co-workers, the supervisor of the Sales Department John Suh, is arguably the hottest man you’ve seen in your life. You try to act on your crush but he is just plain oblivious to your efforts, but you won’t stop until your fantasies come true”

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

Work for you was living hell and no, it wasn’t for the normal reasons. You had a nice job as an intern in the Financial Department of a company, and with your hard work getting recognized, you were looking forward to being offered a permanent position soon.

Today was no different. You had made sure all your files were organized, calls made and deadlines in check. All you had left to do was look over a report in the office of none other but the man who was causing your suffering. Mr. Suh.

Mr. Suh, or Johnny as he insisted on being called, was the supervisor of the Sales Department but he didn’t let it get to his head. He was extremely friendly, willing to help his subordinates and brought a smile to everyone’s face. Working with him would be amazing if there wasn’t one little problem. He was the sexiest man you had ever seen.

Now, now, you weren’t some middle schooler. You came into this company committed to get the position you deserve, not beg for some man’s dick. But when he first welcomed you in the main elevator, tall height, hair pushed back and with a face of godly facial structure, you almost pressed the stop button so he could take you right then and there.

You brought some files along and ascended the stairs that lead you to his office on the top floor. It would be more convenient if Mr. Suh sent the report downstairs with his assistant and your best work buddy, Donghyuck, but you insisted on paying him a visit, saying something about how a little work out never hurt anyone.

When you saw Donghyuck at his desk, he didn’t even look up from his laptop, pointing at the door instead.

“Put your panties back on. He’s on the printing room”

You rolled your eyes at his comment, used to his teasing about your crush on mr. Suh and headed out for said room at the end of the hall. Johnny was hunched over a machine, shaking it from side to side.

You knocked lightly on the already open door to announce your presence, and he turned around, flashing you his killer smile.

“y/n, hello! I was just trying to get you a copy of the report, but the damn printer seems to be broken again.”

You tried to tell him that it’s okay, that you can use the printer from your floor downstairs, but then he bent over trying to locate the cause of the malfunction, giving you a perfect view of his ass in his fitted tracksuit. Rutting the machine around, he thrusted his hips forward, letting out the occasional grunt, and you took a mental picture for later. He must have shaken something a bit too hard, because ink started to spill out of the cartilage.

“Aww, it’s dripping everywhere”

He had the sleeves of his shirt rolled up, and you couldn’t help but stare at how veiny and strong his arms looked as he pushed down. Your mind wandered off, imagining how nice it must feel to have him on top of you, applying this kind of pressure with his pretty hands around your neck as he-

“y/n? Are you ok?”

“Uh-um yes! Sorry Mr. Suh, it’s been a hard day”

It’s been your cute ass that made it hard for me to function around you was what you actually meant. He winked your way, and you were almost sure he did a double take on a skirt you wore that he had complimented before.

See, it’s not like you never thought of making a move on Johnny. You knew he was single, and he even told Donghyuck that he thought you were cute. Romantic relations between coworkers was not a rare thing, but the way everyone around here respected him made you nervous to approach him. No matter how many people fell for his charming personality and his visuals, he was never part of the company’s gossips and you knew the reason. The guy was denser than a brick wall.

You tried testing the waters with him, taking the light flirting a bit further, but he never seemed to catch the point. Maybe he was so used to getting this kind of attention that he dismissed your attempts as just friendly banter.

But you weren’t ready to give up.

“Sometimes I like coming here to relax. This place is usually so nice and quiet. It gives you privacy to do so many things”

What you said must have piqued his interest, since he gave up on the printer and turned his attention to you instead.

“Things, that the company wouldn’t approve of doing in here?”, he said in a lower voice than before and your throat felt dry when you answered him.

“Yeah. It’s just, we wouldn’t get caught in here, you know?”

“Oh, I know exactly what you mean”

He took two steps towards you before lowering down to whisper closer to you.

“I actually know a place that has even more privacy than this room. I usually go there alone, but it will be so much more fun with you”

Droplets of sweat had collected on his temples as a result of his physical activity earlier, making his words sound so much more enticing. He looked around, checking if anyone was standing in the hallway, before whispering again.

“This will be our little secret, ok?”

You swallowed hard and nodded, ready to get your world rocked by John Suh. He reached for something in his back pocket, but instead of a condom, he whipped out something you’d never expect.

A pack of cigarettes.

“I told everyone I’d quit but the stress gets too much sometimes, you know? I didn’t remember you smoke, though”

Oh my god. Oh my god, you were so stupid. All this time you thought you coaxed him into a steamy, clothes-on, ass on the printer quickie and he meant sneaking you out for a guilt-drenched cigarette break??!!

“Right! You didn’t remember that I smoke because.. because I don’t! ...Anymore. I mean, I quit, just like you. And you know what Mr. Suh, we shouldn’t succumb to the needs of the flesh! Fight back to our bad habits and get healthier! Together!”

He was frozen in place, dumbfounded by your sudden anti-smoking monologue.

“Wow y/n I didn’t know you were so serious about this. Very impressed by your spirit though.” He patted you on the back before picking up the report from the printer and getting to the door. “I’ll tell Donghyuck to print this for you and deliver it to your desk. Won’t take too long, alright?”

And just like that, he managed to leave you in the printing room alone, horny, and one report down.

 ——————————————————

 The next morning at the office was as typical as any other, with the difference that it was raining cats and dogs. The low that was centered over the area caused continuous storms, the rain and moody atmosphere making it impossible for you to keep your eyes open.

You headed over to the kitchen to make a cup of coffee, already the second one of the day, when you saw a very familiar someone occupying the coffee machine.

“Mind if you make me a cup too Mr. Suh? I hear you make the best coffee in the office”

He chuckled at you, instantly recognizing your voice.

“It’s my pride. I do love coffee” After turning on the machine he looked at you finally, a serious look on his face. “Listen, y/n, about yesterday, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have tried to drag you down with me like that. You were right about the cigarette thing. I’ll quit for good”

You blinked at him, trying to grasp the ridiculousness of the situation and feeling a bit sorry for guilting him like that.

“It’s ok Mr. Suh don’t worry about it. No big deal”

“Oh and, please, call me Johnny. You make me feel a thousand years old. I’m not that much older than you.”

“Yes Mr.- Johnny”

Just at that moment, a lightning struck, making you jump in place. You glanced at the window, or rather the stormy mess outside, and sighed.

“Chose the wrong day to forget my umbrella huh?”

“You want me to drop you off?”, he offered, immediately making you panic.

“No no! It’s okay. The metro station is really close. It’s fine if I get a little wet anyways, I won’t melt, I’m not made of sugar”

You cringed a bit at your nerve-induced blurting, but it would all be gone in a second.

“You’re sweet like sugar though”

He poured the now brewed coffee on both your cups and you just stared at his movements in shock. Did he just? Initiate the flirting? And called you sweet?

Ok, this is it, you thought.

“Do you like sugar?”, you asked him seductively, making your arms touch. You had to take advantage of this opportunity. The ride home suddenly didn’t sound like such a bad idea.  

“Oh no thanks I drink my coffee black”

Looking at the clock on the wall he picked up his cup and took a sip, striding out of the kitchen and leaving you speechless, much like yesterday.

“I’m late for a meeting. See you later, y/n”

You groaned as you watched him walk away, pouring an excessive amount of sugar in your drink.

“That’s not what I meant...”

 ———————————————————

 Meetings usually meant making sure you had enough battery on your phone to silently play your favorite game, while you heard some old guy in a suit blabber on and on about the most boring topic on earth. Usually you’d be complaining about why they just had to take away valuable time of your day to talk about an issue that could very easily be briefed in a mass email, but not today. Because today, the man of honor who got to do all the talking, was Johnny.

To anyone else, you looked like the most eager intern in the company, taking in every single word that came out his mouth. In reality, you were just immensely turned on by his fluent English, his new suit, and his ability to capture everyone’s attention. You had no idea what he was talking about, but you could listen to him talk all day about how “Results are important” and “Taking a more aggressive strategy is vital”.

A sudden noise made everyone turn to the exit door, only to see that it was just the cleaning lady that had dropped her bucket as she was going down the stairs. You felt Donghyuck, who was sitting next to you as always, nudge you with his knee.

“Oh look, she brought a mop for your drool, how nice of her”

“I’m not drooling”, you whispered back with a glare, shoving him with your elbow.

“Right”, he chuckled, “you’re ready to get on your knees for him right now”

It was really hard to get the picture that Donghyuck had painted out for you off your head for the rest of the meeting. You pathetically rubbed your thighs together to get the slightest feeling of relief, and tried to mute out Johnny’s sexy voice with no avail. When the meeting was finally over, you walked out of the meeting room along with everyone else, when you saw Johnny catch up with you.

“Hey y/n”

“Hi Johnny! Nice presentation up there”

He beamed up at your compliment and you wanted to coo at him for looking so cute. His aura changed a color when he replied to you, turning solemn.

“Thank you. Glad to see you’ve finally dropped the formalities with me”. I can drop my panties too if you want, you thought to yourself, but you only smiled at him when he managed to leave you speechless once again. “Is it wet?”

Wet? Fuck, was Donghyuck right? Were you really so caught up on eating Johnny up with your eyes that he noticed? That he realized you were so turned on by him? He saw your confused expression and tried to futilely explain.

“Is it wet? Down there?”

You were losing it. Was he really asking you that in front of all your coworkers? Your face couldn’t possibly get any hotter, feeling as if you were burning up with a high fever. You realized you hadn’t said a word back.

“E-excuse me?”

“Wasn’t the cleaning lady going downstairs earlier to mop? I figured you’d know if the floor was still wet. Since your office is on the bottom floor”

Get your mind out of the gutter, y/n. Quick, say something already! Stop staring at him like a lost puppy!

“Uhh no I don’t know actually. I’m sorry, I have to go”

You turned swiftly on your heel to walk away from him, and save yourself from any further embarrassment.

If Donghyuck was here to witness this, you’d never get to hear the end of his teasing.

 ———————————————————

 You didn’t expect an email like that from the Sales Department. You were at your desk, minding your business when you got the notification, almost choking on the gum you were chewing on.

 y/n,

I have something very confidential to show you in my office. I think you’ll be very pleasantly surprised. Bring your sexy ass over here at 16:00 sharp.

Johnny Suh

 You must have re-read those 30 words about a thousand times to ensure you weren’t making things up. You freshened up your makeup, thanking the gods of sex that you decided to wear cute underwear this morning. All the things you were daydreaming about since your first meetup at the main elevator, were finally about to happen. Fidgeting around in your seat, you felt yourself getting wetter thinking of all the nasty things Mr. Suh was planning on doing to you in his office.

It was 16:25 when you walked up the stairs, not brave enough to make a man like Johnny wait. All his assistants were gone, probably send off somewhere to avoid having them hear your little unprofessional tête-à-tête.

You walked into his office, the door slightly open. He was sat on his chair, the back turned to you and you started to feel nervous. You didn’t notice he had changed his hair. And wasn’t he wearing a different suit this morning?

“Um Johnny? You asked to see me?”

He tsked at you, turning around.

“16:28? I thought you had more of a backbone than that, y/n. Also thought you’d come in here naked. Disappointing.”

The smug smile, the teasing voice. Donghyuck.

“The email was fake wasn’t it?”

“Luckily for you, yes, I was the one who sent it. I mean, seriously. This ugly brown suit for a dick appointment with Mr. Suh?”

When you graduated university with honors, you didn’t think you’d one day be charged with the murder of a company’s assistant. But right at his moment, as you grabbed the stapler from the desk and walked over to him ominously, you thought it was all worth it.

“Lee Donghyuck, after I’m done with you the only dick appointment you’ll make is with the ER doctor, to get these staples off your balls”

He got up, panicking, and started to back away from you.

“Somebody save me, please, mom!”

You were ready to grab him by his tie and fulfill your threat, when you heard someone clear his throat at the door. And this time it was the real Mr. Suh.

He had his arms crossed, a smile appearing on his face as you shoved your friend away and immediately dropped the stapler from your hold.

“You know, you two are always wasting time over here, messing around. Maybe I should punish you”

Oh god yes, please do.

It was Donghyuck’s deadpan expression that made you realize that you had actually said that out loud. Johnny raised his eyebrows incredulously.

“Oh, so you want the overtime?”

“S-sure why not? Not like I have anything better to do on a Friday night”

Your friend rubbed his palm over his face, cringing at the situation you got yourself in.

“Please, stop talking, I beg of you”, he murmured, when Johnny spoke up again.

“Well in that case, will you leave me and y/n alone to discuss some details?”

Donghyuck nodded, closing the door behind him and it seemed like he took all the oxygen along with him.

Johnny sat on his desk, whipping out some files for you. It might sound stupid, but the email, though fake, had put you in a certain mood, and having him sit so close to you wasn’t helping your situation.

“I will only give you the run down but please ask the supervisor in your department to explain further”

You tried listening to him talk about your overtime, you really did. But the way he was sitting on his armchair with his legs spread out, was practically begging you to do what Donghyuck had suggested yesterday and get on your knees already. You’d tell him to continue his work, challenge him to try and keep typing on his laptop as you’d palm him through his slacks. You’d wait for him to get a bit impatient, licking him over his clothed cock until it felt like it would rip from the fabric. He was definitely big, and you wondered whether you could take him. You’d put him in your hand and start sucking on the tip, then lick your way down to his base. Maybe he would have to take a call, and you would make it a goal to distract him by fitting him all inside your mouth, hitting the back of your throat. His little office slut.

“y/n. Get under the desk. Right now.”

His voice brought you out of your daydream but his words triggered another one. It felt like the world around you was shaking. Did he just ask you to get on your knees under the table? Could he read your thoughts? “y/n can’t you feel the earthquake? Get under the desk”

When you realized what was happening, you wished that the earth would just swallow you whole already, taking away the embarrassment with you.

Donghyuck met you outside. He had evacuated the building along with everyone else, happy that the small earthquake got them an extra five minutes of break.

“Did Mr. Suh pick you up in his strong arms like your knight in shining armor and save you?”

“Don’t talk to me I’m still mad at you”

He turned you around to face him, his lips pouting at you cutely and it was really hard to resist his doe eyes.

“I’m sowwyy I was just trying to help you out!”

“Help me out with what?”, you sighed, tuckered out, “he clearly doesn’t want anything more with me”

“Oh yeah? Is that why he hasn’t stopped checking out your ass ever since you left the building with him?”

You turn your head to Johnny’s direction, just in time to see his eyes shift from you and Hyuck to the floor. Maybe your friend was right. Did Johnny actually like you after all but was really just that oblivious to your crush?

“All I’m saying is”, he continues, “that you need to be clearer with him. He is the supervisor of another department than yours, he obviously won’t act out anything unless you give him the green light”

You nodded at him, a feeling of determination coursing through you. His words reverberated in your head until break time, planning out your seduction. You knew that there was no way you would be able to concentrate at work unless you gave it a shot with Johnny, even if it goes terribly wrong. Tomorrow, you promised yourself.

 ——————————————————

 And tomorrow did come, finding you right outside his office door. Taking long, confident strides, you walk past Donghyuck who for once, was speechless, eyes widening at your appearance.

Johnny’s favorite skirt hug your hips, garters barely peeking under it. Your shirt was a bit tighter than usual, an extra button undone, revealing your cleavage. The room was filled with the clicking sound of your high heels, that were as uncomfortable as they were sexy. It was barely considered work appropriate but you didn’t care. You hoped you’d manage to at least grab his attention, then let your talking do the rest.

Taking a deep breath, you knock at the door, slowly opening it. Johnny was typing away something, looking delicious as always. Your voice was way more sensual than you’d usually let it be in the workplace.

“Johnnyy~, good morning. I’m here for that file I need?”

He had his eyes still glued on the laptop in front of him, his tone as bright as ever.

“y/n! I would send Donghyuck over you didn’t have to- “

He finally looks at you, his eyes quickly moving from your chest to your skirt, only to stay for a bit longer on your legs. He seemed a bit taken aback, his breath hitching in his throat but he shakes his head lightly, regaining his stature.

“-you didn’t have to come all the way up here”

“I know”, you mewl, picking up a pen from his desk and clicking it closed, letting the tip rest on your bottom lip, “I just missed you”

You saw him stare at your mouth before he cleared his throat, coolly sitting back on his chair.

“I think you’ll take this back when you stay for your overtime tonight”, he laughed, too friendly for your liking.

“No, no. I would never get tired of you, Johnny. Besides, I have a great stamina”

“That’s good! Being mentally strong is very important in this business”

Ugh, take a hint already!

“Well, yeah, but physical strength is important too. You know, I’ve followed your footsteps and started working out. I can go on for hours”

His eyebrows lifted up at your statement, “Yeah? And you followed my footsteps?”

“Well, everyone in the office has noticed you’ve been hitting the gym lately, especially me. Maybe, you could show me some of your workout exercises later?”

He stayed silent for a moment, like he was contemplating his answer and you swore you saw the faintest blush on his cheeks. His answer, however, would disappoint you.

“I was thinking of organizing an online group aerobics class, actually. I think Yuta from my department might be interested in hosting it”

The feeling of defeat was written all over your face. You were done. Smiling politely, you told him it sounded like a nice idea and asked for the file. You felt so angry at yourself for listening to Hyuck’s advice, every painful jab your heels gave your feet seeming deserving.

Donghyuck saw you leaving the room and would follow you to comfort you but he fully understood your frustration. Since you left the door open, he had witnessed everything, and boy was he furious.

He barged into Johnny’s office unannounced, scowling at him. Boss or not, he had to give him a piece of his mind.

“Are you seriously that blind?”

Johnny blinked at him, surprised at his unexpected appearance.

“Excuse me?”

“Are you seriously telling me you didn’t get that y/n was flirting with you?”

“R-right now?”

Donghyuck licked his cheek with his tongue, getting gradually more and more frustrated. “Yes! Right now! The hottest woman in the office was basically throwing herself all over you and you didn’t even ask her out?”

Johnny was shocked, fumbling for an answer, “I thought- I thought she was just being nice”

“Nice??”, the younger man screeched then took a deep breath to calm down, placing both his hands on his boss’s desk.

“With all due respect dude, but either you fuck her, or I will”

 ———————————————————

 Nothing could make the horrible feeling you felt from your embarrassing incident earlier worse right? Wrong. Because it was Friday and you still had to go through with that overtime you had stupidly agreed with.

All your coworkers from your floor were gone, no one crazy enough to willingly work on a Friday night. You saw them all leave one by one, internally cursing them for their luck. The office was especially hot tonight and you were suddenly glad for choosing that skimpy outfit to wear today, even if it didn’t fulfill its original purpose.

In your deep concentration over the files scattered on your desk, you almost didn’t notice the shadow next to your office’s door. You could recognize these broad shoulders from miles away.

“Johnny, you didn’t go home yet?”

“I’ll leave soon, just wanted to give you some tips your supervisor noted for the work you’ll do tonight”

He smiled warmly at you, but his eyes held something you hadn’t seen before. Slyness, mischief maybe? You didn’t have much time to think about it anyways, because in a moment he was standing over you, next to your desk.

“You see, the loss of this week’s sales…”, he started, lifting the sleeves of his shirt up and revealing his veiny arms that you so adored, “...it’s much bigger than you think”

You gulped, your throat suddenly dry. His voice was deep, seductive, eyes staring right into yours.

“Y-Yeah?”

“Yes. Doing all this paperwork, it’s very… hard. And it’s so hot in here, right?”

He kept his gaze on you, loosening the tie he wore around his neck. Was this your mind playing games with you again? You weren’t sure but he looked so good you couldn’t help your body from responding to him.

You got up from your seat, resting the side of your ass on the desk to be closer to his height. “If I got it right, you suggest that maybe you need to stay around for a bit? Help me out?”

He nodded, coming closer to you. You couldn’t stop gawking at the way his chest filled up his shirt so nicely, not caring if you were being obvious anymore. He was standing almost between your legs, and you could feel his breath fanning your face.

“It’s going to be tiring, but if you follow my orders you’ll get to finish. Think you can take it?”

Was it his suggestive words or his plump lips that made you feel so lightheaded? Either way, you wanted to dive in, to finally taste him. But you just had to ask.

“Johnny?”

“That’s my name”

“We aren’t talking about finance, are we?”

He stepped even closer, situating himself between your thighs that you gladly opened for him.

“Fuck no”

The way your hands grabbed him by the neck and pulled him into a kiss, was almost animalistic. Johnny kissed you back with almighty force, open mouthed and breathing heavily. With the dominance that characterized him and a bite on your bottom lip, he pulls you up on your feet by the ID that was hanging from your neck. He tasted like smoke and mint gum.

“I thought you’d quit smoking?”

You felt his right hand grab your throat and he broke the kiss, forcing you to look at him. It wasn’t the pressure to your air flow but his eyes that had you on edge. The usual golden flecks adorning his orbs were hidden behind his dilated pupils. “I’m just a man. There are some things I can’t resist”. He dipped his tongue into your mouth, making you feel like you’re in a fever dream with the way all your fantasies were coming to life. “Open up”, he growled against your lips and you obey like you promised to. He spit in your mouth, in a manner so dirty it had your knees shaking.

You started unbuttoning his shirt, wanting to see more of him. Starting with running your hands over his raging heartbeat, you continue down his abs and end up fumbling with his belt. Johnny helped you, springing out his cock and, damn, he may be half hard but that was the biggest dick you’d ever seen in your life.

He chuckles at your widened eyes but instead of making some cocky remark like you expected he leans down, leaving soothing kisses on your jaw. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you”. He continued his kisses to your neck, all the while unbuttoning your shirt. Leaving it on you, he pulls your boobs over your bra and starts playing with your nipples. The tingling on your breasts was tightly linked it the one on your heat and you decided you needed more.

You took his fingers from your chest and placed them between your folds. Johnny cursed out with how wet you were for him, and started rubbing circles over your clit, occasionally dipping the tips in your entrance. He kept at it, relishing in your moans and he would have ripped his tight little skirt off of you if you were in his bedroom. The build up sexual tension along with the semi-public setting made you close to losing yourself in him. You just needed a push, and Johnny was more than happy to give it to you.

“You’re gonna cum for me. That’s what you wanted wasn’t it? Why you got all dressed up like that?”

“Yes, for you, fuck Johnny”

“Come on, let it all out. Cum so I can fuck the hell out of this tight pussy of yours”

You came all over his fingers, grabbing his arms for support. He gave you a moment, wiping the tears off the corners of your eyes while kissed you slowly. When you started kissing him back with a refuelled passion, signalling that you were ready for what he had to offer, he was back, rougher than ever.

He petted your pussy, collecting your wetness and spreading it all over your folds. You jumped up when you felt him slap over your clit, the lines between pain and pleasure from the overstimulation blurry.

You knew Johnny was strong, but the easiness with which he lifted you from the desk onto your armchair shocked you. Spreading your knees as wide as the cushioned seat allowed you, you stuck your ass out for him. He gave your ass a little slap while you waited for him to slip on a condom. He came prepared, you thought, probably planned on doing this from the moment he stepped into your office.

Johnny filled you up completely, your hypersensitivity making you feel his thickness in all its glory. He started off slow, careful of your tightness, but as he picked up the pace, your vision was all stars and constellations of pleasure. You must have moaned too loudly, because he stopped his thrusts and, in a moment, you felt him shove his tie inside your mouth.

“There’s still some people in the building, remember? Or do you like my cock so much that you don’t even care if they hear?”. You couldn’t muster an answer so you just kept drooling through the fabric your teeth bit into. Your pussy was dripping onto the leather, your wetness allowing Johnny to sink even deeper inside you. The feeling was so overwhelming that you opened your mouth wide in a moan, almost dropping his tie in the process.

You reached out your hand behind you to grab one of his arms in desperation. “I’m so close, so close, don’t stop”. He stared back at you with a crazy look on his face, and pinned your hand back on the headrest in front of you. Lifting one of your legs in the air, he starts fucking you so rough you thought the chair was going to break.

Your second orgasm hit you hard, your trembling body making it clear his size got too much for you. But there was no way you’d let him leave this office without cumming.

You climb down from the chair and got on your knees in front of him. Grasping his cock from the base, you started leaving open mouthed kisses on his balls first. You suck one in your mouth and glance up at him with the most innocent look you could muster, the contrast to your actions driving him insane. Johnny leans his weight on his hands positioned on your desk, letting you work your magic.

Returning on his tip, you ran your tongue in kitten licks on the slit, teasing him. An eyebrow raise from him compelled you to behave, pushing him all the way down at once. It was almost as if you pressed a button at the end of your throat with the way it triggered a guttural moan from him. He weaves one hand through your hair to keep you in place for a second longer and you gag. His dick pulls out, and the string of saliva falls over your white shirt making the fabric look see through. The sight of your lipstick on him, your watery doe eyes and your nipples poking through your now wet shirt was divine. He pushed past your lips again, and this time you made a good use of your tongue. You quicken your pace, his shaky groans and sharp gasps letting you know he was nearing his release.

Grabbing both his flexed thighs, you concentrate your breathing though your nose and deepthroat him again. Johnny growls, hips stuttering and eyes fluttered closed in delight. Warm liquid runs down your throat, almost choking you, but you take it all, relishing in his grunts and the way he moans your name.

After you catch your breath he bends down, planting a gentle kiss on your lips and offers a hand to help you up. You buttoned up in an awkward silence, not exactly sure what should be said after a session like that in a place like this.

“So, I’m guessing Donghyuck told you about my little crush on you?”

“Yup. You should thank him”. He smiles at you sweetly, pinching your cheek lightly and then moving his thumb in circles over the skin. “You also should have told me”

You rolled your eyes, “Not like I haven’t tried to! How much more obvious did I have to be?”

“I’m sorry! It’s just- you’re so pretty and I didn’t wanna be another one of the creepy guys that probably hit on you in the workplace”

Smiling at his thoughtfulness, you chose to forgive him and reached up for another kiss. He engulfs you with his long arms, and you push some hair off his eyes, admiring their softness.

“How about, I let you finish up here and we go for dinner after you’re done?”

“I’m not sure how I’m gonna concentrate after what we did”

“I’ll cover for you, but I can’t promise you that I’ll stop myself from distracting you”

[high-functioning-lokipath]

Star Trek - Leonard "Bones" McCoy x reader - Southern Charm - Words: 3,556

A/N: While I did write this with TOS in mind, I do believe it is fairly AOS compliant as well. Enjoy!

"Lieutenant Commander Y/N L/N, Chief Medical Officer of the Starship Serenity."

"Welcome aboard the Enterprise, Doctor L/N. I'm Captain James T. Kirk. This is my first officer, Commander Spock and our CMO, Doctor McCoy. We're looking forward to having you as the first trainee in the Starship Exchange Training program."

"Pleasure to meet you all. And I'm looking forward to it as well," You replied, stepping off the transporter pad. You gave the Captain a handshake, the First Officer a Vulcan salute and then turned to the grumpy looking CMO.

"How old are you?" He demanded to know.

"Old enough," You assured him, crossing your arms. "Why do you ask?"

"Just don't see many youngsters like you with that rank," He trailed off, leaving the statement open ended.

"Well, I happen to be an outlier. Or haven't you heard of that, Doctor? Besides, I'm not that young," You replied, curtly. You didn't often become confrontational this quickly but questions on your age and suspicions on how you got your rank were a sore spot for you.

"Just because I have to train you doesn't mean I have to like it," McCoy grumbled.

"I never asked you to." You quickly grabbed your bag that was transported with you and walked to the doors. Just before you stepped out to the hallway, you turned back around. "Captain, Commander, have a good evening. I am looking forward to working with you two over the next few weeks. Don't worry, I know where my quarters are. Doctor, I will see you at 6."

As you unpacked your bag, you thought over what happened in the transporter room. You had really been looking forward to this training and you had heard many great things about the Doctor. Of course, you had also heard he was a bit of a grump, but you hadn't thought it was this bad! You decided to stay in your room for the rest of that evening, as it was already late when you arrived, and try for a fresh start in the morning.

"Are you out of your mind? I'm a doctor, not an assassin!"

"I was simply saying, Doctor McCoy, that Starfleet medical personnel are completely untrained in self defense techniques! We are trained to save lives, not take them. That I completely agree with. But we must also be trained how to defend and disable. Defend ourselves, disable our opponents. Otherwise we may become a hindrance to any away missions we get assigned on!"

"Look, even if you're right, and you're not, when would we have the time to train?" He yelled. "Have you ever been to medical school? Do you know how stressful that is?"

"Of course I went to med school! I happened to graduate top of my class! And I remember very clearly how stressful it is! But they need to make it work! Even another month would be enough for most!"

"Another month?" He screeched. He raked his fingers through his hair and rubbed his forehead. "Look, I have plenty of training to defend myself in the field. Let's just agree to disagree and get this over with."

"Alright, Doctor," You sighed. The first 2 weeks of training slowly passed with the only change in attitude being on your side. You'd gotten to disliking the Doctor as much as he disliked you. Every day you trained was near constant arguing and insulting.

Unbeknownst to you, Kirk had started taking bets from the senior crew members on when in the final week you two would get together. Whoever won would get 3 days vacation. The current bets on Kirk's paper were:

Uhura: As she steps on the transporter to leave Thursday

Scotty: Monday

Chekov: End of shift Tuesday

Sulu: Beginning of shift Wednesday

Spock: At precisely 07:35 in the evening Friday

Kirk looked oddly at Spock when he submitted his estimate. "Spock, you do realize she is scheduled to leave Thursday afternoon."

"Yes, Jim."

"So why-"

"I have my reasons."

"Logical, I'm sure."

"Quite. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm needed in engineering."

"Ok, Spock. But don't get your hopes high about any vacation!"

Monday: Scotty's Day

You got up early and headed down to the rec room to get breakfast. Usually you had breakfast in your room but this morning, oddly enough, Scotty had invited you to join him for breakfast. Once you entered the rec room you mentally groaned. Of course McCoy would be there!

"Good morning, Scotty," You greeted, walking up to his table which was unfortunately right next to Kirk, Spock, and McCoy's table.

"Aye! And an even lovelier morning with you here, lassie!" You blushed slightly, surprised at the engineer's comment.

"Oh please!" You scoffed. You were about to walk away to the replicators to get your food when Spock cleared his throat.

"I believe Mister Scott is correct, Doctor. Your hair and makeup accentuate your natural beauty quite well."

"Spock!" You, Kirk and McCoy gasped at the same time.

"Look here," You finally said, gathering your composure. "I appreciate a compliment here and there but really! I'm going to go get my breakfast and I don't want to hear one more peep out of any of you when I return! Understand?" They all nodded and stuck to their word, not another compliment for the rest of the day.

Tuesday - Chekov's Day

Your shift had gone fairly well. Training with Doctor McCoy was finally becoming almost bearable and there hadn't been any major disasters. "Doctor, was there anything else you needed me for today?" You asked, stepping into the open doorway of his office.

"No, you can go if you'd like," He sighed, not lifting his eyes from his PADD.

"Is something troubling you, Doctor?"

"Just a lot of paperwork, darlin'," He said absently. You blushed brightly and he quickly tried to correct himself. "I mean, Doctor. Sorry." He finally looked at you, face as red as yours. You nodded and attempted to make a hasty exit but you ran into a gold blur.

"Oh! Ezcuze me!" Chekov quickly said, helping you up. "I'm wery sorry! Are you hurt?"

"Only my pride, Pavel," You replied, dusting yourself off.

"What in blazes happened out here?" McCoy yelled, stomping out.

"Oh nothing, Doctor," You assured him.

"Well watch where you're going next time!" He ordered. With that he marched back to his office and closed the doors. You sighed and wished Chekov goodnight before leaving.

"No vacation," Chekov mumbled softly before leaving Medbay too.

Wednesday - Sulu's Day

You walked into Medbay to start your shift only to find Sulu already there. "What are you doing here so early?" You asked. "Your check-up isn't for another 45 minutes."

"I wanted to make sure I got here on time. You know how it is on the bridge sometimes," He chuckled. You nodded and chuckled lightly. You checked the schedule on the PADD and noticed the Ensign before him had cancelled.

"Well, Sulu, you just managed to get an early appointment. Step on up!" You had him sit on the nearest biobed and grabbed your Tricorder. As you started running over the usual check-up points, Dr. McCoy walked in.

"You're here early," He commented. Sulu nodded and you explained what happened. "Alright. Y/N, I'm going to leave you to it. I have a headache this morning and I think I'll just sit in my office for a bit with the lights down." You looked at him a little better, noticing how exhausted he looked. His hair was a mess and there were dark bags under his eyes. He may be a pain but he was still human and you felt for him.

"Did you need me to get you anything, Doctor?" You asked. He shook his head but groaned at the movement. "Just comm me if you need anything." He made a noise of agreement and you went on with Sulu's checkup.

Thursday - Uhura's Day

"Good morning, Y/N," Uhura greeted you in the turbolift on your way to Medbay.

"Good morning, Uhura," You replied abit sadly.

"You alright, sweetheart?"

"I'm going to miss you all. I love my ship and my crew, don't get me wrong, but," You trailed off, unsure of how to explain yourself.

"You don't feel like family there?" She filled in. You nodded slightly. "Oh honey, I understand. Don't feel bad, alright? Who knows! Maybe you'll get a transfer one day even!"

"That would be nice I guess," You admitted. The doors swooshed open and as you stepped out, Dr. McCoy walked by.

"Doctor L/N," He said, sounding somewhat frustrated. "I need you to gather all the anti-toxin hypos we have."

"Of course. Is everything alright?"

"Spock just told me we're going on a mission tomorrow. He should have told me at least 2 days ago. The new colony on Oliza 6 sent out a distress call about 1 week ago saying that something was wrong. They said some of the younger people were having strange reactions to some of the foods."

"That's odd. Isn't the food on a planet usually tested first?"

"Yes but apparently they forgot to test on the younger adults. Blasted regulations. Test one adult you've tested them all." At this point you had nodded a silent goodbye to Uhura and started walking with Doctor McCoy down the hall. "Let's see if we can't find out what's on that planet and run some tests of our own. Might save some time."

"Doctor?" You said, somewhat hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"I do have to go back to my ship this afternoon. I," you paused. McCoy had finally started to be nice with you and now you had to go. You didn't want to upset him again on your last day. "I'll help as much as I can on the tests of course, Doctor, but I-"

"No, no," He said with a sigh. "I didn't realize it was Thursday." He smiled slightly and put his hand on your shoulder. "If you tell anyone what I'm about to say, I'll have to kill you," He joked. "Your work has been excellent. Your skill set is beyond your years and please don't take that wrong. You've impressed me." You blushed at his praise. "Of course, I still don't agree with the extra combat training," He added. You rolled your eyes and he chuckled. "But I guess you're not so bad."

"Well thank you, Doctor. I, uh, I guess I'll get the hypos for you now."

"Oh, um, yes, thank you," he replied somewhat awkwardly. The rest of your shift went about the same. You and the Doctor awkwardly dancing around each other. Eventually, though, the time came for you to finish packing, and leave the Enterprise.

As you headed to the transporter room, Uhura came running up to you with a small package in her hands. "What's this?" You asked.

"Oh, just a little going away present that a few of us put together for you."

"That's really sweet of you. Thanks so-"

"Bridge to Lt. Uhura," The Captain's voice rang through her comm.

"Duty calls!" She exclaimed. "Keep in touch!"

"Will do!" You replied, heading off to the transporters. Once you got there though, you saw Scotty talking to the Captain through the comm. He seemed upset about something.

"But Captain! I-"

"Scotty, we need to help that colony. There's no time."

"Aye, Captain. Scott out," He sighed. "I cannae believe 'at."

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, lassie. I'm so sorry! The Captain just got an emergency message from Oliza 6. We're heading there straight away."

"So I'll be staying another night?"

"At least." Your brows furrowed in thought. While you did want to get back to your ship to start your transfer application, a few more days here was not all that bad.

"Ok," You replied. Scotty seemed surprised. "I'll just take this back to my room and then head to Medbay. They'll probably need me handy."

"Aye. I'll let the Captain and Doctor know." You nodded in reply and headed off. When you returned to Medbay, you could have sworn you saw a look of relief on McCoy's face.

"Doctor L/N," McCoy said. "I'm putting you in charge of Medbay for the time being." Your eyebrows raised in surprise. "Jim's put me on the landing party and you technically are the next ranking medical officer on this ship."

"Well, thank you, I guess," You said. "Have you made any progress on the tests?"

"I believe so," He pulled up some test results on his PADD and showed them to you. "The hobgoblin ended up helping me but he was actually of some use." He looked around furtively. "Don't tell him I said so though."

"I promise," you said seriously. You stared at each other for a moment before you both broke out into a fit of laughter.

"Really though, the fruits on Oliza 6 seem to be causing a buildup of adrenaline in their systems causing aggression, anxiety and heart problems."

"Hm, interesting."

"That's what the hobgoblin said," McCoy grunted. You chuckled and he finished explaining their plan to administer hypos to everyone. The comm suddenly whistled.

"Bridge to Dr. McCoy," Uhura said.

"Yes, Lieutenant?" He replied.

"The Captain is preparing to beam down now and would like you to meet him in the transporter room."

"Alright, I'm on my way." You followed the Doctor as he gathered a few last minute items from his office. When he grabbed his phaser from his desk you couldn't help yourself.

"Doctor, that phaser is last year's model. Didn't you get your new one?"

"Oh, must not've. I'll ask Scotty for one." He grabbed his communicator and flipped it open. "McCoy to Scott."

"Scott here. Whaddya need, Doctor?"

"L/N said my phaser is old. Got a new one for me?"

"Sure do, Doc. I'll have her all polished up for ya when ya get to the transporters. Just remember, this one's a wee bit more powerful than the last. She's got a bit of a kick!"

"Don't worry, Scotty, I'm sure I can handle it. McCoy out." You looked worriedly at him because, knowing his views on defense training and based on what he said, this new phaser would throw him for a loop.

"Doctor, perhaps you should just stay with your old pha-"

"Doctor L/N," He said stiffly. "I do not want to hear anything more about training. I am perfectly capable of defending myself. Please do not worry yourself. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a mission to attend to. Do you think you'll be able to handle Medbay while I'm gone?"

"Of course, Doctor McCoy," You snapped. You heard the Medbay doors swoosh closed and sighed, leaning on he's desk in his office. You closed the office doors and locked them, needing a moment to gather yourself. "Gah! That man is so annoying!" You yelled to yourself. "If he doesn't get himself killed on this mission-" you left your threat unfinished. "Oh! I could just kiss him," You seethed. "I mean, kick." You paused, mid-pace, and shook your head vigorously. Your brain had apparently taken a left turn without telling you. "Did I seriously just-and now I'm talking to myself. Ok, Y/N, get yourself together. You'll figure it out later." You finished your little pep talk and headed back out.

The first few hours were fine. One or two clumsy engineers with a few cuts and bruises. A sniffle here and a headache there. It was actually somewhat relaxing. You decided to be a little helpful and got some paperwork done for Dr. McCoy. As you sat in his office tapping away on your PADD, you found yourself lost in thought. You hoped he wouldn't be upset that you did some extra work for him. "That's not what I asked you to do, Doctor!" You mocked under your breath. Chuckling slightly you continued your quiet monologue, "Oh wouldn't he be upset if I ran a report on him. He definitely is overworked. He'd come in here, yelling and screaming in that adorable southern accent of his, and he would proba-" You interrupted yourself again. Staring off for a second, realizing what you just said. "Adorable? Good grief. I'm either unconscious or demented."

The rest of the shift went fairly well and you heard that the landing party was making good progress too. Finally you turned everything over to the night shift doctor and went to your quarters to get some rest before your shift began again in the morning. Your sleep that night was restless, though, and when your alarm went off you didn't think you had slept a wink.

Friday - Spock's Day

"Good morning, Doctor L/N," one of the nurses greeted you as you walked into Medbay.

"Good morning," You replied tiredly. "Anything on the schedule?" You asked as you got a cup of coffee from the replicator.

"No. Just a couple of vaccines that the nurses can take care of."

"Good. I'll be in the office if you need me then."

"Are you alright, Doctor?"

"Fine. Just couldn't sleep last night."

"Oh, I understand. I'm worried about Dr. McCoy too. As I understand, the reaction the youths are having is fairly viol-"

"I am not worried about the good doctor!" You yelled, angrily. "Just in case you didn't notice, he's not exactly my type. And even if he was, that is no concern of yours, nurse!"

"Permission to speak freely, Doctor?" She asked with a slight smirk.

"Of course," You replied, rubbing your forehead. "I'm not the dang Captain." She giggled lightly before replying.

"That's exactly what McCoy would say. No go get some rest. We'll hold down the fort, Doctor." With that she walked off to get a few things prepped for the day. As you walked into the office and sat down, you thought about her observation.

"Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit."

A few hours later, after a short nap and another cup of coffee, you were reorganizing the supply room when Scotty called through on the comm. "Doctor L/N! We're gonna need a team down here immediately! The captain and Dr. McCoy were injured and we're beaming them aboard right now!"

"Ok, Scotty, we'll be right there, how serious is it?" You replied. Chills had run up your spine when he said Dr. McCoy had been injured but you kept yourself focused.

"The Captain's not too bad. I think he said a broken arm. Doctor McCoy though. He's in pretty rough shape."

"Alright. L/N out," You signed off. You started to grab emergency supplies and sent the emergency team down to the transporter room. Just like Scotty said, McCoy was in critical condition by the time you saw him. He was completely unconscious, had multiple broken ribs, a broken right arm, a fractured left leg, and a concussion. After about 3 hours in surgery, he was finally patched up. You looked at the chronometer and saw it was about 3 in the afternoon. Deciding that you needed to talk to him as soon as he woke, you opted to sit guard on a chair next to his bed.

"Doctor L/N?" A nurse called out. You opened your eyes with a start. Looking at the chronometer again you realized another 4 hours had passed.

"Has he woken up?" The nurse nodded. "Well why didn't you wake me?" You whisper yelled, not wanting to wake him now.

"For the same reason you're whispering now. He didn't want to wake you." You shook your head and looked back at him sleeping on the biobed. "His vitals are good and he will likely make a full recovery in about a week."

"Oh no! This doctor is getting a prescription for some real R&R for at least a month. He's been far too overworked." You immediately grabbed the PADD with his chart information and put him on medical leave for a month. The nurse smiled at you and shook her head.

"You know, you're technically off duty now. You can head back to your quarters."

"I think I'll stay here a bit longer," You said slowly, a blush rising to your cheeks.

"I thought so," She nodded. You settled back down in the chair and got a bit more paperwork done on your PADD. Looking at the chronometer again you saw it just turned to 7:33pm. You heard a groan from the bed and saw the Doctor waking up.

"Well hello there, darlin'," He smirked.

"Hello, Dr. McCoy," You smiled.

"Oh for Pete's sake, would you please just call me Leonard!"

"I'll consider it," You grinned. You stared at him for a moment, realizing again just how scared you had been.

"You alright, Y/N?"

"I was just so scared, Leonard," You admitted. "I wasn't sure if I'd ever be able to tell you-" you stopped mid-sentence, nervous to continue.

"Tell me what?" You decided to chance it so you bent over and gave him a quick kiss. Standing up quickly, you looked away embarrassed. "Well, I'm not sure I understood. Can I hear that again?" He smirked. You smiled and leaned forward again for another kiss. You vaguely heard the doors open but neither you nor Leonard paid attention.

"So, any plans for your 3 days vacation, Spock?"

[pillow-anime-talk]

mistletoe. {pt.2}

synopsis: Killing cursed spirits with Satoru, winter prom with Metori and sincere conversation with Juuzou.

# tags: scenarios; christmas!au; current relationships & crush culture; romance; fluff; a bit of angst; sfw

includes: female reader ft. satoru gojou {jjk} + metori saiko {saiki k. no psi nan} + juuzou suzuya {tokyo ghoul}

part one {click}

— SATORU

“... Y/N-chan, on the left!”

“... Hey, hey! Look up, sweetheart!”

“... Oi! Behind you!”

“... Behind you too! Kick their asses, Satoru~!”

“... YEAH! Here’s my super strong girl!”

You two have been in the forest; for over twenty minutes you dealing with killing smaller or larger curses that frightened mushroom pickers or wild animals. You had a lot of fun doing it, all the time competing to see who killed more evil creatures. Of course, your boyfriend was winning so far, by three, but how could you know that some of them would come out of the forest litter, literally letting the white-haired man kill them all in a few seconds? Well, but at least you killed about twelve curses yourself, and that was a really nice result.

On the one hand, you enjoyed spending time with Gojou like that, because it was very rare for the two of you to be together on a mission, but on the other hand... It was the time of Christmas that you wanted to spend in your own home, surrounded by delicious food and desserts, hot wine or beer, loved ones, including your boyfriend’s cute students or your mutual friends. From a long time, that is, from the moment you became a sorcerer, you didn’t spend any holidays, birthdays or anniversaries as you would like. There was simply no time and energy for it because every day, apart from some Sundays, you worked to make life better for vulnerable people. It wasn’t a bad job, but sometimes... when you looking at ‘normal’ couples you envied their ignorance to the fact that some evil had appeared around them. You envied them that they could spend their free time together doing stupid things or relaxing in front of the TV.

So you sighed softly, raising the hand in which you held the small pocket knife. Small as your anti-curse tool was, it was also extremely effective and dangerous. Therefore, you cut the throat of one of the evil souls without any problems, thus defeating the last enemy.

“Ahhhh. Finally...! You’re not hurt, baby?” The young man said in a cheerful voice, and you shook your head in disapproval. Second later, you cleaned the little knife and then, hid it in one of the pockets of your black pants. “Would you like to get some hot chocolate and cake?”

“Huh? Have we finished all our work for today?” You asked in surprise, and the man just bit his lip with joy, putting his finger to his mouth after a while.

“Yes, although you forgot one thing, love.” You raised an eyebrow at his amused words. However, Satoru quickly got rid of your unawareness as soon as he raised his right hand and pointed at something above with his index finger. For a moment you were sure that he meant a curse that hadn’t been killed before, but as it turned out, it was mistletoe growing on one of the tall trees; you were surprised that during the fight he was able to additionally notice a small, green plant. Anyway, you just chuckled lightly as you stood on your tiptoes and tugged at the twenty-eight-year-old by his jacket.

You were happy that at least this one, very sweet Christmas moment could happen to you during the winter season. Thanks to this, these holidays weren’t so bad and devoid of spirit.

— METORI

Every year there was a winter prom at your school; it was the third time for you, while for Saiko, who only joined your class this year, it was something new. Of course, he was skeptical about it from the start and generally discouraged by the very idea of ​​spending time with all PK Academy students, classmates and teachers. That’s why he immediately told you that if you want to go to the prom, he can arrange whatever prom you want; he literally said if you wanted Beyoncé he could call her.

But you just smiled warmly and said that school party is enough for you and you really like it. So he couldn’t refuse you... after all, the gray-haired young boy had a huge, indescribable weakness for you. Plus, even though you’ve been dating for a few weeks, Metori still couldn’t understand how... gentle and simple you were. You weren’t interested in luxury, his money, where his father worked. Instead, you asked every day if he had breakfast, if he would like to go for a walk with you, if he would like to come to you for dinner because your mother cooked a delicious Mexican dish. It was something new and nice for a teenager who had grown up in prosperity and splendor throughout his life. It didn’t bother him, but the prom... it was quite strange and mysterious. But he agreed, so he couldn’t take his words back because he didn’t want you to get sad or disappointed.

Thus, he bought a new, well-fitting and expensive suit – one that would fit perfectly with your delicate dress, which at the same time matches to the color of your shiny eyes. He also paid for new shoes, a watch, and a hairdresser visit, but even that couldn’t compare to your soft, natural blushes and the sweet facial expression you gave him when he came to your house with his butler.

“... You’re stressed?” You asked quietly as you sat in the car and he squeezed your little hand between his much larger ones.

“I’ve just never been at a prom... public... especially at school.” He muttered, and though he turned his head, you could see a hint of blush on his nose and both cheeks. So you chuckled lightly as you cuddled up against his shoulder.

“I’m pretty sure you’ll like it.”

The school hasn’t changed much; only a few holiday decorations have been added here and there. However, the gymnasium took your breath away because it was magically decorated. But before you had time to take your seats on the other side of the door, your physical education teacher stopped the two of you.

“Couples enter after payment.” Mr. Matsuzaki said, and the Santa Claus hat on his head added to the charm of his muscular figure.

Of course, Saiko was already taking out his wallet, but you quickly stopped it, pointing in a specific direction. It was, obviously, the smol mistletoe, which was the aforementioned entry ticket for couples who decided to show up at the ball together. So you smiled slightly at your boyfriend and he looked at you confused.

“What is it?”

“O-Oh, you never kissed under the mistletoe?”

“Kissing under it has any meaning?” He asked, still surprised, and you just moved closer to his face, stealing a short, really sweet kiss.

“It’s a tradition, love. You have to kiss under every mistletoe if you notice one.” You said happily and then thanked the teacher for going inside the gym.

Of course, Metori in his head was already calculating how many tons of mistletoe he should buy so that you could continue kissing him as sweetly as you just did.

— JUUZOU

You put two cups of hot, beautifully fragrant chocolate on the table; one was with two white marshmallows and the other with six. Of course, it was easy to guess which portion was for Juuzou and which was for you. Nevertheless, you smiled gently and then sat down next to the white-haired boy, staring at him out of the corner of your eye.

“... About what did you dream, Juuzou-kun?” You asked softly, taking the purple cup between both hands. The warm ceramics pleasantly burned your all fingers, which made you breathe blissfully. “Of course, if you don’t want to, you don’t have to tell me. We can just sit in silence and drink our sweet cocoa.” You added after a brief second so as not to put unnecessary pressure or general stress on the nineteen-year-old.

“It’s no big deal. I dreamed about my mom.” He admitted hesitantly, also taking his dark-green mug. “When I woke up and looked at the calendar I realized we had Christmas time and... Well, my mom never gave me any, not even a small gift, nor did I ever spend that time like other children my age. It hit me a bit. Not that I regret it, but... what Christmas really is?” His short speech made you look at him with a very sad expression on your face and after a quick while you just put your warm chocolate on the table, getting up from your wooden chair and walking to a random cupboard in your smol kitchen.

This year you didn’t have time (because of work) and no idea (because of fatigue) for presents for loved ones, and even more so for the unexpected guest – Suzuya, who loved to sleep in your house because, as he once said, ‘He felt at your place very safe’, but you managed to come up with a little surprise fastly; you wrapped a red ribbon that was in the cupboard with needles and scissors around an unopened box of nut cookies. You also managed to find a piece of paper and a black pen, so you wrote a concise but sincere wishes to the inspector, which ended with a tiny heart and a star. Out of the corner of your eye, you also noticed the mistletoe lying next to the clock, which was a little joke your dear friend had made to you two days ago. So you took everything and went back to the quietly sitting Juuzou, smiling slightly at him, even a bit silly.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t think about gifts before, but... I hope that’s enough. After today’s work, we can go to the gallery or the park to see the decorated Christmas trees, you will surely like them. Happy Holidays, Juuzou. I hope next year will be a good one for you.” You said shyly as you handed him ribbon-decorated cookies. At the sight of them, the boy only blushed, then looked at your other hand, which was still gripping a little twig. “Ohh... it’s... such a small tradition where you get a kiss under the mistletoe.” You picked up the plant and then placed it over the white-haired young man’s head, bending down after a while and giving him a short peck on the left, smooth cheek. “Merry Christmas once again.”

“Merry Christmas to you too and... thank you for that.”

You only smirked, reaching for the mug of already cool drink. However, you weren’t disappointed in drinking the cold cocoa, because the honest, slightly timid smile of the boy you liked from the beginning of your work at CCG warmed your whole body better than any other hot chocolate, tea or coffee.

[damn-stark]

For however long we have left

Porco Galliard x Marleyan!reader

Requested by anon “Hi! Can I request a Porco x Marleyan soldier reader where Porco is a bit hesitant to develop the relationship further because of how he views her as having no future with him due to how Eldians are perceived? Sfw or nsfw works. Thanks and just ignore if you don’t want to do this 😊”

Warning- Violence, angst, fluff

———-

There was never a difference between Eldians and Marleyans to you. However many times Marleyans, and your own family told you they were nothing but devils, you never viewed them like that. To you they were like everyone else, they were just like you. Your best friend was an Eldian. The guy you liked was an Eldian.

So to you there was no difference.

“Hey, y/n!”

You lift your head to see Gabi running towards you, leaving the rest of her friends behind just to jump on you and wrap you in a hug, the force of the impact almost throwing you off balance.

“Hello, Gabi. Happy birthday.”

Said girl jumps back down to the ground and looks at you excitedly with her big brown eyes. “So what did you get me?”

“Gabi you can’t say that.” Falco corrected her as he and her other friends caught up; albeit also getting ignored.

“It’s okay, Falco,” you assure the little boy, seconds later getting your attention stolen by one of the approaching young man behind him; “Hi Porco,” you smile sweetly.

His eyes, that you noticed he tried to keep off you, instantly turned to you at the sound of his name, it took him a moment to fully break from his stupor but once he did, he replied to your greeting. “Hey, y/n.” His lips tug into a smile, but he’s quick to hide it by looking away.

“So what about my present?” Gabi presses, pulling your attention away from Porco.

“Oh, yeah here.” You hand her a bag and she throws you a quick excited thanks before she and her friends run off to open her gift by the lake, leaving Reiner, Porco and you to slowly walk after them alone—“hello, Reiner, it’s good to see you here, I would’ve thought you’d still be out.”

Reiner shakes his head. “No, I got sent home for now, I’ll return soon though.”

“Pieck didn’t get sent home?” You ask, noticing she wasn’t falling behind.

“No, I don’t think she’ll be returning anytime soon.”

“Oh,” you sigh, frowning slightly and unable to keep your bestfriends well-being off your mind; even if she was a Titan shifter, you worried for her. Just like you worried for Reiner and Porco—“what about you Porco? Aren’t you getting sent out soon?”

Said man looks at you to answer. “Yes, I think I’m being sent out with your unit.”

You smile brightly and meet his gaze. “That’s good, now I’ll have good company on our way there. As sweet as the kids are, they can get annoying.”

Porco scoffs and smirks. “I’d be lucky to even get to talk to you.”

“I’ll make time for you.” You assure him, making him blush slightly and making Reiner walk off at the sight of the two of you flirting with each other; “The generals say that the war might be over soon. Or at least one of them. So I was thinking that after we returned, we could do something. Just the two of us.”

Porco swallows thickly and his eyes search yours for a moment; trying to search for an indication of a joke. He crosses his arms over his chest and tries to act nonchalant. “I don’t know. You’d really want to?”

You express a lighthearted scoff and nod, “of course.” You scratch the back of your head and stop to look at the lake that was now a few feet away, you feel your heart flutter and a warm heat burning your face. The silence that had fallen over the both of you made the tension grow stronger and your confidence falter. You would have never thought he'd take it so lightly. As much as the two of you flirted, teased each other and shared lingering looks, neither of you made the first move, you just kept your affection for each other untalked and simply just as if neither of you felt a thing for each other.

For you it was because of the war that was currently going on, but for Porco, it was reasons unknown. You wanted to know, but you also didn’t want to push it. You just hoped you’d talk about it. Although you just couldn’t hold it anymore.

So with that in mind, the feeling of raindrops falling on your hand breaks you from your train of thought and pulls your eyes back to Porco; to really explain what you meant by hanging out after the war. “But I do hope it’s okay if it’s as a date, and not just as friends.”

Porco’s head snaps to you and he looks at you with an unreadable, narrowed gaze. He remains silent and drops his arms back to his side, looking to the ground and seeming to search for his thoughts there. It only made you increasingly more nervous, it made you doubt and spit out once for all what you felt to ease the tension.

“I like you Porco. As more than friends and I have for a long time, I just didn’t want to say it until after our current war, but I…” you pause briefly as you see his light hazel eyes flicker to you. You wanted to read what he thought, but his face remained hardened, almost as if he was angry. “...I couldn’t hold it any longer. I want to be with you.” You grab his left arm and his gaze remains intent on yours. “You’re always so nice to me, and thoughtful, even if you try to act tough, you’re always so sweet. I appreciate that.” Your lips tug into a soft smile and you take a step closer, unbothered by the pouring rain and increasingly darkening clouds. “I think you’re very handsome and I just want to see where this could go. Where we could go.”

Porcos face softens and his eyes fall to your lips after your confession, he takes a step closer, as if wanting to close the gap left. But he stops before his lips could touch yours. Instead he looks at your arm around his, just below his armband and his hardened expression returns. He pulls away and scoffs, turning his softened gaze into a cold glare that matched the cold rain falling over the both of you. He rips his arm from your grip and his words turn bitter.

“I don’t need your pity. I know what you and your people think of me. I’m just another devil to you, so whatever you’re trying to do, stop.”

You gasp and watch him with a shocked expression, forcing your eyes from revealing what you truly felt at his words. Instead you just utter his name, as if that was going to help. “Porco.”

“Why?” He continues sharply, pinching his eyebrows together and trying to remain angry even if your current expression made him falter. “What future do you see in us, huh? I’m a Titan shifter, a devil, and you’re….you’re a Marleyan. If you haven’t noticed, our people hate each other.”

“I don’t hate you,” you mutter, “Porco, what our people think shouldn’t matter, we might be from different sides, but I don’t see it that way, why can’t you understand? I love you.”

Porco gasps and whatever act he tried to put up, fell and his face and eyes softened. That same innocent and sweet look in his eyes returned and he rose his hands to grab your arms and pull you in for a hug, or a kiss; his eyes fell to your parted lips again, but just as he was going to step in, he took a further step back and he moved a hand to brush his soaked hair out his eyes, then dropping his hand to fist them at his side; completely looking away from you.

“I’m sorry but I can’t return your feelings. I can’t bring you down with me. You don’t belong here. We can’t be together.” Porco begins to turn away, stopping to add a last comment. “Plus, I know that the moment you see me in my Titan form, you’ll change your mind; I’m doing this for your sake, y/n.”

Before you had the chance to argue, he completely turned his back to you, leaving you to be swarmed by Gabby and the rest of her friends. Leaving you heartbroken and cold under the pouring rain.

——

*MONTHS LATER*

“There's just one anti-Titan artillery left,” you inform your general whilst you drop back to the ground. “They’re just down to a few soldiers left, I can sneak towards them and throw a bomb to take them down!”

“No, it’s too dangerous, best we wait for the Titan shifters to show up.”

You scoff and begin to follow after him as he walks from you. “No, one hit and any of the Titan shifters can get killed!”

“And you’ll kill yourself in the process!” He argues as he swings back. “No! You’re staying put.”

The general walks off, and leaves you behind; making you climb back up to poke your head out of the trench, groaning as your idea didn’t leave your mind. Instead of following orders as you should have done, you jump back down to swoop the bombs gabby had built and race over the trench, ignoring the kids' protest and the rest of your fellow soldiers; just hearing your own thoughts.

Just one hit and we’re one step closer to winning, one step closer to home.

Without a second to fully think of your actions, you sprint towards your target undetected by the enemy, showing your toughest face and hiding your fear; you avoid even looking back. All you do is fix the bombs in your arm and look to the enemy trench, to the anti-Titan artillery and then light the bombs once you’re at a good distance. Again not looking back and instead throwing the object in your hand and waiting.

Waiting for the end. You’d never manage to reach your trench, or reach somewhere safe, the explosion would take you out along with them.

But you can’t let it bother you, instead you spin back around on your heels and try to run back, even if you’d never make it, you shut your eyes even if it blocked out your view. You waited and thought of only one person.

Porco.

You wanted to forget him, but you could never. In fact as you thought you were going to die, that’s all that invaded your mind; the memory of his smile, and his childlike behavior when he was around the kids, when he could take a break from fighting. You remembered his eyes and how pretty they were when the light reflected on them. You remembered how close you were, how nice he was with you before he cut you off and acted as if he didn’t know you.

You made Porco your last memory and waited. And waited.

However death never came, you heard the explosion, but didn’t feel the fire burn you and take you out. You didn’t feel anything but a breeze as you were suddenly swooped off the ground. All you felt was...rough and warm skin around you. When you slowly peeled your eyes open you saw a pale and huge chest.

“What the hell?”

You looked up and saw more human features, you saw blond strands that belonged to a beard. It had taken you a moment, but it then hit you.

It was Porco.

A happy and relieved smile twitches on your lips and before you could think of anything else, you’re being moved and seeing light again; you see Porco in Titan form as he moves his hand and you along with it to come face to face with his Titan form.

He didn’t do anything, he didn’t try to get out of his Titan, he just looked at you. He waited to see if you’d show fear like most people did at the simple sight of him. But you did no such thing, instead you smiled softly and reached to gently touch his white armored face. Showing him that he was wrong before, and that this part of him didn’t change your mind, or frighten you.

You liked him no matter what. You loved him no matter what.

He looked behind him and you instantly thought he was going to just drop you and leave you, but he then put you down and suddenly steam came out of his nape and seconds later he came sliding down his Titan. Showing you his angery expression.

“What the hell were you thinking?! That you’re some type of god or something?!” He shouts angrily, pointing his finger at you as he stomped towards you. “You could’ve died if I wasn’t close! You’re lucky I was even here!”

You try to match his anger, but in a reality you weren’t at all upset. You were relieved. This is the first time in months that you had seen him, you had no news on him in the past few months, all you knew was that he had to go somewhere else the moment you landed on enemy ground. So, all you were now was relieved and happy.

So instead of arguing back, you leaped forward to wrap him in an embrace. Not caring what he had said to you before.

Your actions surprised him and he had trouble knowing how to respond. He was completely frozen.

“Thank you, Porco.” You break the silence, moving your arm to wrap them around his neck, not feeling him return the embrace and wanting to break away. But before you could his arms wrapped around you.

“You’re an idiot,” he murmurs, “you could’ve died.”

You pull away and just as you’re going to talk, he cuts you off.

“We’ll talk later.”

——

“That was so cool!” Gabby exclaimed as she fell by your side. “You just ran and ran and threw that bomb like a badass!” She jumps into the air and pumps her fist to the air with an all too happy grin on her face. “I—”

“She was an idiot.” You hear Porcos voice join your small group. “She could’ve died.”

“Yeah,” you grumble, “you said that already.”

“Well I thought she was cool.” Gabby contradicts him. “Don’t listen to him y/n.”

You scoff, “yeah I might have to take your word on that.”

Porco scoffs and he rolls his eyes, pulling you to the side and just throwing Gabby a short excuse that has her and her friends leaving the both of you alone. And before you could give him a chance to say anything, you speak first. “If you’re going to say that I was an idiot back there, you already said it. Twice. So just save it.”

“No,” Porco sighs, “it’s not that. I just wanted to apologize for what I said to you a couple months ago. I didn’t want to hurt you, but I just didn’t understand why you liked me, why you weren’t scared of me. I still don’t understand.”

“I already told you why,” you explain, slightly lowering your head to meet his gaze. “I still feel the same way, that hasn’t changed, you know. And seeing you as Titan didn’t scare me, or change my mind, I want you to know that.”

“And yet,” he continues in a quiet voice, “I still won’t have long with you even if I do love you and want something with you. My time is limited.”

You cup his cheek and lift his face, showing him an assuring smile. “It doesn’t matter, I’ll be with you for however long you have left.”

“Are you sure?”

You nod, “I’m sure.”

[thusspoketrish]

Words Are Very Unnecessary

TW: Dark fic; Angst; mental illness; mention of past suicide attempt; implied self-harm; scarring; psychiatric ward; unethical medical practices/harm; inappropriate patient/doctor/staff interactions; shifting tenses

Created for the prompt Pretend for @drarrymicrofic

Title taken from Depeche Mode’s Enjoy the Silence

3.3K words. This is something that I may consider coming back to expand on in the future. READ ON AO3.

A heartwarming thank you to @starlitsilvereyes for the thorough beta!

When Healer Robins announces that Harry will not be carrying out his final rotation at St Mungo’s, he’s shocked. He’s done everything he can within the last few months to prove himself capable: he’s completed his clinical rotations with commendations, he’s saved lives, he’s brought coffee and donuts in from his favourite bakery in Diagon every Friday, and he’s even played nice with the first-year Trainee Healers. But as Healer Robins announces his fate, Harry not only feels the bottom of his stomach fall—he can practically feel the smug smile burning a hole into the back of his head from his colleague, competitor, and overall pain in his arse, Blaise Zabini.

“I’m sorry Harry, but Blaise has already proven quite successful with some of the patients in Janus Thickey. I’m afraid that if we remove him, many of the patients will respond negatively to the change,” Healer Robins says, aiming a warm smile at Zabini.

“And you have a muggle vehicle, that James Bond-looking thing, am I right, Harry?” Zabini asks.

Harry turns to face him. He hates to admit it, but Zabini looks attractive in the lime green robes—but everything about him is stylish, with his broad shoulders, his fancy clothing under his robes, his stylish haircut. Too stylish for a Healer, Harry thinks glumly, staring down at his beat-up trainers he’s had for three years now. Harry grimaces as the other man smiles widely at him. He’d wager his entire Gringotts vault that Zabini has charmed a tooth to twinkle when he smiles like that.

“Yeah, why?” Harry grunts. He doesn’t want to show just how disappointed he is over missing out on the Thickey Ward, but he’s never been that great at compartmentalising his feelings.

“You’ll need one where you’re going,” Healer Robins says.

--------

As soon as Harry pulled his sleek black ’52 Jaguar XK-120 (a result of his quarter-life crisis earlier in the year) into the driveway of St Peter’s Asylum, the 16th century estate sends a chill up his spine. He exits his car and ambles around the property for a while, wanting to gain a better sense of his new work environment. There’s a 25-mile-long anti-Apparition ward surrounding the property and no Floo Network connection. Everything about the property felt duplicitous. The beautiful large bay windows were covered excessively with sharp, pointy metal bars, stained-glass depicting religious iconography were covered in grime and spiderwebs. The columned archway framing the front entrance has cracks in them and are covered in rotting foliage. Behind the estate is a crematorium where ominous black smoke currently poured from the vents, spilling upward into the grey sky. He should have known then that something was amiss.

After a confusing meeting with Head Healer Madison, a quick introduction to the nurses and orderlies, Harry is shown to his small, gloomy office. Settled in, when he finally glanced through the files of his new patients, he nearly spilled his coffee on the pile.

He did not expect to see Draco Malfoy on his rota.

He can recall the last time he saw Malfoy, right after the trials, when Harry’s testimony wasn’t enough to save him completely from time in Azkaban, but anything after? He can’t. He does not recall exactly how much time Malfoy served—had it been three years or four? Did he receive early release or was that his father? How had Harry simply put Malfoy out of his mind after everything they had both been through? How had Zabini not warned him Malfoy would be in a psychiatric ward? Did he even know?

All these questions left a sour taste in Harry’s mouth. He had asked Healer Madison to give Malfoy’s file to a different Healer due to the conflict of interest, but there were no other Healers that would take Malfoy, and so Harry was left with a quandary: either help Malfoy or they’ll send him back to Azkaban, untreated, to serve out the rest of his sentence.

Malfoy’s file was as depressing as Harry imagined it to be.

Malfoy was considered a permanent resident on the ward, but the history is muddled as to why he’s been labelled permanent if his psychiatric care was part of his early release requirements from Azkaban. The threadbare treatment plan had no end goals or date to reintegrate Malfoy into Magical society. The file simply read of an attempted suicide in Azkaban, manic depression, and tendencies towards excessive violence to not just himself but those around him when angered—this was one of the reasons Healers refused him care. He had apparently injured the last three, one almost fatally. He’s been kept heavily medicated, but lately has been refusing treatment. The nurses have been providing the necessary potions intravenously.

Malfoy also hasn’t uttered a single word to anyone—not staff or other patients—for over two years.

From the gossip that the nurses regularly indulged in, Harry was able to learn that Malfoy befriended a young Scottish man named Ziggy and an elderly woman named Lottie that was also considered mute and antisocial. Ziggy had died exactly over two years ago under mysterious conditions and his body was sent to the crematorium instead of autopsied by the local Medical Examiner. When Harry had brought this oversight to Healer Madison, he had been scolded and suspended for three days for viewing files not assigned to him. She threatened to send him back to St. Mungos if he continued to work on the files that have been sealed by the Chief Healer, which would result in him failing his final rotation.

This, of course, further fuelled Harry’s interests.

-------

Harry began to watch Draco’s condition much more closely.

The other man still wouldn’t utter a word to Harry, and sometimes he wondered if Draco even recognised who he was sitting in front of, his eyes unfocused, body slumped in his chair with his bandaged arms wrapped around his body, his long blond hair falling to his shoulders in messy clumps.

Harry began to discover bruises around Draco’s wrists when they’d meet for sessions. When they began to appear around Draco’s neck, and finally, his left eye, Harry calmly enquired about it, and this sent Draco into a silent, violent frenzy. Draco had shoved most of the contents on Harry’s desk to the floor, thrown books at the walls, and ripped one of his bandages free to viciously dig his nails up and down his arm. Harry had to call a CODE RED as he scrambled to unlock his wand from the warded drawer of his desk to Stupefy Draco before he reopened all his wounds. It was the first time Harry had seen any kind of real reaction from the other man and quite frankly, it scared the hell out of him. He had watched helplessly as the orderlies rushed in to gather Draco’s limp body from the floor.

Later that day, he approached Healer Madison.

“I’d like the evaluation forms for any other medical treatments Mr Malfoy is having here,” Harry had demanded. She had popped her gum in Harry’s face before rolling her eyes at his request.

“Those records are private, Potter. For the Chief Healer’s eyes only,” she had said.

“Well, I need the evaluation forms as well. I should be aware of any changes in treatment methods, considering Malfoy is one of my patients.”

Healer Madison patted Harry on the shoulder. “Relax, Potter. No need to be such a bloody worry-wort. Code reds happen all the time here. You’ll soon come to realise how we do things at St Peter’s.”

-------

Harry left the hospital at 5pm every day. Like clockwork, when he’s just about to get into his car, he’ll look up to the third-floor window of the recreation room where he’ll catch Draco staring down at him through the slats of the bars. Each time, the monster in Harry’s chest that’s begun to grow with Harry’s concern and affection for Draco, roared to life. He knew it would be just a matter of time before Draco ended up dead if Harry did not figure out what’s going on in this hospital.

--------

On a particularly cold, grey day in October, one month into Harry’s rotation at St Peter’s, Harry enters the third-floor recreation room. All of Harry’s patients have been improving greatly, Draco in particular. Intravenous treatment ended a week ago as he’s now more cooperative in taking his medication by mouth. His self-harming had eased somewhat, but there were still bad days that Harry monitored closely. Draco interacts with staff and his friend Lottie again, sitting next to her to watch the Muggle telly or just holding her wrinkled hand as they both stare out the window. His grey gaze seemed stronger, more focused, determined, even. It made Harry happy to see a sliver of the person he once knew shining through, and he hoped it would just be a matter of time before Draco speaks, so Harry can help him.

Harry glances around the room. Soft music is playing from off the telly. There's plenty of places to sit, but he opts to walk over to the window where Draco is sitting and playing chess by himself. The man’s wrists are bandaged again, no doubt from picking at his scars. Harry can see a patch of blood through the gauze and wonders why none of the nurses have been around to replace them. He wishes he had his wand (which is locked in his office for safety reasons) so he can replace the bandage himself.

“Draco,” Harry starts warmly. “How are you doing today?”

Draco looks up from the board and Harry gasps. There’s another brutal black eye around his left eye, and the top of his lip is split. Harry reaches out, his fingers lightly touching Draco’s lips before grazing along his jaw. Draco remains very, very still under Harry’s touch, his lips parting slightly as his chest heaves. When Harry remembers himself, he snatches his hand back as if he’s been burned.

“Who did this to you?” Harry hisses.

For a moment, Draco’s eyes turn incredibly bright as he exhales a phlegmy breath before his gaze shutters. Harry sits on the opposite side of the board, staring down at it as Draco takes one trembling hand to move his black bishop to E5. Harry sighs.

“You can tell me, Draco. I…I want to help you. I know there’s something terrible happening in this hospital, and I know someone is hurting you. Please, Draco—”

Draco abruptly stands from his seat, startling Harry. Draco doesn’t pay him any notice as he stretches his long, rail-thin body before strolling up to the nurse’s station. He taps on the glass divider several times before Nurse Mathilde slides the panel open.

“What is it, Mr Malfoy?”

Draco mimes smoking a cigarette.

Nurse Mathilde purses her lips. “The Chief Healer has given you permission to smoke again, but not until 5pm and especially not without an orderly present. You’ll have to wait until then. No exceptions!” she snaps before slamming the panel shut.

Draco doesn’t come back to his board game, nor does he glance over at Harry.

Harry watches as he instead sits next to his friend Lottie who is staring at the only plant in the recreational room. He lifts her wrinkled hand and entwines it with his own before settling in to watch the plant with her.

---------

At approximately 5pm Harry exits the asylum, briefcase in one hand and car keys in the other. When he passes by one of the gnarled oak trees, he notices Draco leaning against it, blowing tendrils of smoke from his cigarette. Harry slows down to watch him.

Draco’s hip is cocked out, his hospital shirt bunched up slightly, exposing a sliver of pale flesh and a titillating v-line that disappears in his thin cotton hospital pyjamas. He’s properly beautiful—all long lines and sharp edges carved in delicate, alabaster marble. Harry has noticed just how clearer Draco’s eyes are now, how the grey is piercing, brimming with cleverness and an intelligence that reminds Harry of the boy he knew in Hogwarts.

Harry’s suddenly startled out of his reverence when he glances around and notices that Draco is currently unattended.

Harry decides to approach him.

“Draco. Are you out here by yourself? Where is your attending orderly?”

“He was recovering from the blowjob I gave him before I did this—” Draco says, his voice thick and raspy. Harry is so shocked to hear the familiar drawl that he stumbles forward, his eyes widening, realises too late that Draco has lunged towards him, left hand raised high to strike Harry on the side of his head with a large, jagged rock.

When Harry comes to, it’s with a sharp groan and with the sound of a string of complex Latin filling his ears. He grits his teeth as a burning sensation wraps around his wrist. He realises that he’s frozen on the ground by a particularly thorough Petrificus Totalus. Despite his throbbing head, he focuses enough to catch Draco at his side, hissing as a thin, red bracelet appears on his left wrist, the bandages now gone. Harry hasn’t seen his left arm exposed before, and he cries out as he takes in the horrific scarring over the Dark Mark, as if someone had tried to peel the Mark off with a scalpel and failed to dig deep enough. There were healed and freshly scabbed cuts from his wrist to his elbow on both arms.

Draco appears above Harry then. “Oh, good. You’re awake.”

There are streaks of dirt across Draco’s face, his hands, and under his nails.

“Please, Draco, whatever it is…don’t…don’t…”

Draco snorts. “What, don’t hurt you? Don’t kill you? Why would I harm the person I’m currently Bonded to?” Draco asks, lifting Harry’s wrist to his face. The red bracelet there matches Draco’s.

Panic seizes Harry immediately. Had he not been completely immobile, he sure he’d be shuddering. “What the hell is going on?” Harry asks, his voice shaking.

Draco drops his wrist and instead lifts a thick, taped together manila folder covered in dirt. “You’re helping me get the fuck out of here, Potter.” A smile breaks across Draco’s face then, making him look both incredibly beautiful and deranged. “It was as if you breathed life back into me, the day you walked through the doors of St Peter’s. I knew then that I had to hold on just a bit longer because surely it was a sign that my initial hard work wasn’t done in vain. You see this file here? I used to sneak out documents I’d gather from Madison, the Chief Healer, and the nurses proving the abuse. Some of the orderlies will let you do whatever you want if you can…provide the right services…and they would often leave me alone long enough for a smoke. I would hide the files here, Potter. But after Z-Z-iggy—” Draco’s excitable tone falters, a veil of sadness falling so quickly over his face Harry experiences a sense of whiplash. “They killed my friend, Potter. They treated Ziggy well before, even let him play Bowie when things weren’t so bad. They killed him during the experiments…”

“What experiments?” Harry asks, shocked.

Draco’s expression shifts once again to happiness. “I knew you wouldn’t be involved in something so gruesome.” He holds up his scarred arm. “On the Dark Mark and Purebloods who have come from Dark families. They’re trying to figure out how Dark Magic is entwined in a person’s DNA and…I don’t know…undo it.”

Harry’s eyes widens, mind beginning to race. “What?”

If the Healers here were literally using human flesh and blood to somehow recreate or understand the links between DNA and inherent Dark Magic, who knows what kind of torture and body modification they’re causing their subjects.

Draco eyes become manic. “You have to help me. You have to get me out of here in the next five minutes. My outdoor time is only half an hour and the orderly is currently passed out—”

“—Draco,” Harry whispers, interrupting Draco’s spiral. “How many others are there…how many other victims?”

“I don’t know, I swear. I just knew Ziggy personally but there would always be screams, so much screaming, so many voices…” Draco says, closing his eyes and swaying on the spot. He mutters softly, incoherently, to himself for a few moments before he opens his eyes, so grey, intense and bright. Harry is overwhelmed with shock, horror, and above all, disgust. Disgusted that the people he’s been working alongside for a month now, the people who have vowed first to do no harm, have been torturing their patients, vulnerable patients.

“Draco, I want to help you, okay? I will help you. You just have to undo the Petrificus Totalus. We’ll get in the car and just drive. I’ll take you wherever you need to go.”

Draco holds up Harry’s wand, points it at Harry’s face. “If you betray me, Potter, you’ll regret it. We’ll get in that fancy car of yours and you’ll drive until I say stop. If you do anything to prevent me from getting these files to the right people…if you try to get help from the Aurors or let your friends know what’s going on, I’ll off myself. And this bond here, this bond will take you with me. I’m the only one that knows the counter, and once we get to my final destination, I’ll release you. So, don’t you dare fucking try me.”

Harry bites back a gasp.

Despite his very real fear, Harry’s desire to help Draco outweighs it. He nods.

“Okay, whatever you want. I’ll do it.”

Draco’s face, dark with suspicion, slowly starts to slide towards something lighter. He bares his teeth. “I hold onto the wand. You’re not allowed to touch me, period, or else I might get the wrong idea that you’re trying to get your wand back, and I don’t want to have to hurt you, or worse, hurt myself.”

“Yes, okay.”

With a wave of Harry’s wand, Draco undoes the spell. Harry sits up slowly, so as not to alarm Draco, who has quickly scrambled to his feet, the dirty file hugged to his chest, wand still trained on Harry. Harry follows after him, head throbbing and legs unsteady.

Draco casts a healing charm his way before strengthening a Disillusionment Charm around them.

Feeling much steadier, Harry exhales. “Thank you.”

“I’m sorry I hit you in the first place. I had no other means to incapacitate you.”

“You could have just told me what was going on.”

Draco shrugs. “I had to make sure you were trustworthy. And honestly, I’ve wanted to knock you out for years, so this very much fulfilled a boyhood dream of mine,” Draco says, his lips tugging upward. Harry pauses to look at him. The monster in his chest is awake, thrashing about as affection and desire feeds it.

Harry knows he’s fucked.

They make their way towards Harry’s car after checking on the unconscious orderly. Once settled in, Harry starts the car and drives, past the gates of the asylum and onto the stretch of empty country road. He glances at Draco, not at all shocked to see the tears that are streaming down his battered face.

“Where to?” Harry asks softly.

Draco continues to stare out ahead of him as he answers, “the only safehouse I know. A house on Spinner’s End, Cokeworth.”

Harry draws in a sharp breath.

[fairyoftbz]

sunburnt | s. eric

☀ pairing: pharmacist! eric x fem!reader ☀ word count: 1.4k (i really can't write sth small smh) ☀ genre: fluff, sort of beach!au (?) ☀ tw: sunburns, some swear words here and there ☀ synopsis: after spending an afternoon at the beach, you painfully realised that you got sunburnt. ☀ a/n: I know it's shitty but this is just to express my pain bc I always get sunburnt lmao ☀ requested: no

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Getting rid of all the sand in your belongings, you swiftly slid your feet into your flip-flops and walked towards the bar located at the end of the beach. The barista handed you the bottle of soda you asked for and walked away, adjusting the sunglasses perched on your nose as the sun was still shining brightly.

Taking the afternoon off to enjoy some peace away from your bustling life was the best self-care decision you ever made. You kept your destination hidden and turned off your phone as soon as you stepped a foot in the burning sand, wanting the focus to be on yourself only. Work had been restless, and your colleagues had been giving you a hard time, so you wanted to spend some time alone to enjoy the time being, away from stressing at your desk and being in front of the computer screens all day.

The afternoon was pleasant. You had swum in the ocean for a while, drying on the sand until the heat became unbearable and went back in the water. Tiredness took over your body at some point, feeling thirsty and hungry, giving you a good reason to leave, excited to go back home to chill on your balcony instead. In the higher floors of the building you lived in, the air was still salty but fresher, and you preferred this over anything else.

Pausing for a quick second, you uncapped the bottle of soda with a swift flick of the finger before taking long sips, the sparkly feeling refreshing your throat. You sighed in relief when you reached your car, setting your bag and towel inside. But, as you were about to close the trunk, a sharp pain travelled your entire body, shooting from your upper arm to reach the lower part of your back. Confused, you winced and lowered your arm, walking to the side of your car to look at yourself in a window.

Your skin was gleaming bright red, suddenly feeling the uncomfortable pain of a throbbing sunburn. Placing your hand on your shoulder blade, you touched the skin and your eyes widened, feeling it burn under your palm and your skin turning white where you had pressed your fingertips.

With gritted teeth and a clenched jaw, you pushed the trunk down before locking your car despite your discomfort. Finding a pharmacy was the only way to relieve you from his pain because you doubted that the products found at the grocery store would be very efficient.

You quickly entered the first store you found, asking for directions. The man behind the cash register gestured you to the nearest pharmacy, bowing at him before going back in the sweltering heat. The more you moved, the more effort you had to reassemble to keep walking, realising that not only your shoulders were sunburnt, but also the remaining limbs of your body.

“I’m such a fucking idiot,” you cursed yourself at the negligence you had for yourself, delicately placing the strap of your purse on your shoulder as you winced again.

It wasn’t the first time that you got this type of ache, you almost got sunburnt every single summer. Though you had tried every sunscreen purchasable in the market, nothing was well enough to shield your skin from the UV rays, no matter how high-protecting and promising the tube of sunscreen was. You shook your head as you walked to the pharmacy, mentally preparing yourself to suffer at every single movement you’ll do for the next few days.

The glass doors of the drugstore slid open, letting the air conditioning welcome you in a fresh embrace. Your skin lightly itched as you neared the never-ending mister a little too close, the simple contact of water against your skin was enough to make you wince. Looking around the shop for a while, much to your dismay, you couldn’t find any after-sun lotion. Replacing a tube on the shelf, you were about to ask for help when you heard someone clear their throat behind you.

You slightly flinched at the sensitive skin of your neck wrinkling as you turned around, offering a half-smile to the person in front of you. Wearing a white blouse above a white t-shirt and some chino pants hitched up at the end, the man in front of you greeted you with a smile, eyes filled with care and worry as they lingered on your reddened skin.

“Can I help you in any way?” he started, and you nodded, taking your sunglasses off, involuntarily displaying more of your sunburnt face. He hissed empathically at the sight of your red skin, and you sighed before bitterly chuckling.

“I know I should have been more careful, but I can't find a single brand of sunscreen efficient enough to protect my skin. Maybe you have some products that could help me heal it, at least?” the pharmacist nodded as his eyes couldn't leave the redness of your skin, his actions allowing you to see his name on the tag above his blouse pocket: Eric S.

“You need to be cautious, it's bad to ruin your cells and break some skin layers. I have rarely seen such type of sunburnt, it looks like you’re going to have to be patient for it to heal correctly. Uh, okay, let me go check if I have something for you,” he mumbled while detailing your skin, his fingers gently resting on your shoulder to turn you around, observing the reddened skin your clothes allowed to show. His eyes widened for a quick second at the damage, nodding at you before disappearing in the back office, his front pieces of hair flying up as he passed in front of a fan.

You stood there, waiting for him to come back, faking your interest in another product as the fresh air of the pharmacy allowed your body to cool down for a while. You couldn’t do anything with your body, crossing your arms became so hurtful that you had to stay with them dangling on your sides. Fortunately, the pharmacist was quick to come back with a large lotion pot in hand and a cylindrical tube in the other. He got hailed by another waiting customer but was quick to politely redirect him to one of his colleagues, walking back to you with a caring smile painted on his face.

“So, I have this lotion that is aloe vera based, and its benefits are very good for your skin. Not only for sunburns but also in general, if you have dry skin or even acne. It’s very moisturising and anti-inflammatory, and you can apply it as many times throughout the day as you want. You could also apply pure aloe vera taken straight from the branches, but I’m scared that all the local stores have run out of it,” he explained with a smile, walking towards one of the unoccupied cash registers, typing a few things on the screen.

“And the tube? What is it for?” you pointed at the thing, the pharmacist’s eyes not leaving the screen as he turned the tube around, recognising the white and orange packaging of a famous French brand for you to read.

“This is French thermal water, the same one that we diffuse at the entrance”, he said as he gestured to the steam of mist escaping from the machine next to the sliding doors. “It can help you freshen up and cool down your skin when the sunburnt is as consequent as yours. My sister uses it a lot, and it’s efficient according to her. She uses the cream as well, and she wears a bathing suit, it's the best way for the product to sink in well,” you thanked him as you took your wallet out, grabbing your credit card and pressed it against the machine, which emitted a sound at the end of your transaction.

“Don’t hesitate to come back if you need further explanation or anything else. Have a nice day!” your fingers grazed against his as you took the bag from him and walked out of the store, reaching inside the bag once you were on your way back to your car.

However, you stopped in your tracks as some ink coloured your fingertips, finding a post-it note stuck on the inside of the bag. The paper grabbed your attention by brushing against the skin of your forearm as you wanted to grab the facial water mister, impatient to get rid of this stinging sensation on your face. You frowned and peeled the note off, noticing hasty words messily scribbled on it.

maybe I can teach you correctly to put on sunscreen to avoid any other sunburns? ;) call me xx-xxx-xxx

[wolfieamwhitevoid]

Requested by @sansxfuckyou (well it's actually that I ask them if they want a writing request and stuff like that-)

Requested a angsty Epicross-

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Just Friends to You (One-Shot)

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Warning this story has the following statements:

Angst

Lime

Sanscest

Poor writing skills

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A heart-wrenching, numbing shatter penetrated into the once joyful SOUL that belonged to Epic. No matter how many times Epic replayed the crushing scene inside his shocked mind, it had token him almost 2 whole hours to fully break down on the bare, immaculate white floor when he finally did processed it.

Earlier in the rather boring day, he had teleported into the blinding white space, best known widely as the Anti-Void, to see if he could find Cross. It doesn't matter how many times he has teleported into the Anti-Void, he still didn't like the way that it hurts your eyes, or eye sockets in this instance, and the ever deafing silence it brings.

Putting those uncomfortable thoughts aside, he started roaming at a rather slow yet steady pace, as he embarks in his search for his meme friend and secret crush, Cross.

After a long and headache inducing walk around the bare white of the Anti-Void, he spotted a monochrome themed skeleton. Epic grinned happy at that, even as he starts speed-walking towards the monochrome lad.

But as soon as he started strolling towards Cross, he suddenly stops when he also finds that there was a yellow themed skeletal lad and a goopy black, octopus-looking skeleton lad with Cross.

Just as soon as he stops, when he found that two other skeleton's were uncomfortably close to Cross, he slowly starts to go back in walking towards the monochrome themed lad, taking note that it was Nightmare and Dream that was with Cross. He stops again when a goopy tentacle slithers inside of Cross's complicated shirt, the tentacle being careful as it does so. A hurtful ping went towards Epic's SOUL at this.

~~~~

A soft yet chilling chuckle left Nightmare's teeth when he saw the bright purple blush spreading across Cross's cheek bones. Dream sent a harsh, jealous glare towards his brother, Nightmare, when he saw that Nightmare was able to successfully get Cross to blush profusely.

Nightmare grinned at the harsh glare, feeling the negative energy coming off of Dream. Dream glared some more before he too started grinning. At this, Nightmare lessened his grin, feeling confused at this. Dream grinned even more as he leans in towards Cross, giving a very deep and passionate kiss at the blushing lad. Cross went still for a second before melting into the heated kiss.

Nightmare frowned at this, being upset that Dream was kissing Cross so passionately and without him. To combat his now bitter mood, more of Nightmare's tentacles started to delicately touched more of Cross's body, the slight burning sensation leaving a nice effect on the monochrome lad bones.

A loud yet muffled moan left Cross's mouth, the deeply passionate kiss still being in affect. Once Dream finally moved away from the deep kiss, he smirked proudly at his work. Cross was a trembling mess, panting and giving out soft, sweet moans in his wake, a small bit of magic saliva dripping down on Cross's chin.

Nightmare was quick in giving a deep and passionate kiss towards Cross too, not even giving the lad a chance to get his breathing under control again. The burning feeling bloomed like wildfire when Cross allowed this to happen to him.

A soft yet dragging long moan left Cross's mouth again, as he melts more into the toxic burning sensation that is of Nightmare's goopyself.

Epic just watch all of this unfold, a numbing haze clouding his shattered mind, his eyelights now gone. His body going into auto-pilot, as he teleports away from the heated scene.

A single silent, translucent purple tear rolled down from Epic's left eye socket, as he teleports away.

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The next time both Cross and Epic saw each other, was in a peaceful yet random AU. Tall pine trees towered over the monochrome themed and purple-black themed skeleton lad's. A soft, numbing breeze settled around them, as the two stared at each other for what seemed like an agonizingly long time. None of the two spoke up towards each other, the atmosphere growing even more awkward as more time past by.

After what seemed like a decade, Cross finally spoke up, worry in his soft voice.

"Why have you been avoiding me for the past 3 weeks dude?"

Epic didn't answer that right away, trying to make up a believable lie in his exhausted mind. When he couldn't think up of one, he just told a question in return.

"How was your time with Dream and Nightmare?" The lad's eye sockets growed wide a small bit, not meaning to sound so bitter and hurtful with his words.

"How-"

"I saw you guys having fun with each other in the Anti-Void. When I was looking for you, bruh." Epic cut in, stopping Cross from speaking any more.

Cross give a silent "Ah," to that, blushing lightly at the mention. More awkward silence fell between them.

Epic looked away at Cross at some point in the silence, hot magic tears rolling down from his eye sockets. Cross grew worried for his friend when he saw this. To calm down the growing worry in his SOUL, Cross lightly walked towards his friend.

The purple and black themed skeleton dropped loudly onto the fluffy white snow, that was on the icy ground, a choking sob sound leaving the lad's mouth. Cross grew even more worried at this, walking faster and dropping down onto his knees when he got to his destination, cups Epic's cheeks.

Epic just cried even more at this, leaning in on the warm skeletal touch.

"Would you like to tell me as to why you're upset dude?" Cross softly whispered, trying to figure out what upset Epic.

Epic stayed silent at this as small whimpers leave through his closed teeth. After a couple minutes of just Epic crying his SOUL out, his skull laying onto Cross's shoulder at some point in Cross comforting the lad, he finally mumbled something that left Cross in shock.

"Bruh-h, I had a c-crush on you for a while n-now. Seeing you being al-already taken by two other's, hurt me d-deeply."

More sobs left the purple and black themed lad as he curls in on himself a little bit, moving away from Cross's much needed touches. Cross blinked at this, as his shock leaved him.

"I can't return your feelings dude, but I'm happy that you've told me this." Cross quietly whispered towards Epic, giving a small smile at Epic.

Epic broke down completely at those words, giving up the last bit of hope for all of this to just be a mistake into the fire. Cross hugged Epic tightly at this, burying his skull into the lads neck, as he stays silent for Epic.

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I don't know how to proceed after the last sentence, so I'mma put a cheeky cliffhanger in you guys. Hope you like this story I've made, @sansxfuckyou, I've spent 4 or 5 hours on this, during the night time might I add, to this decent fanfiction I've made, so- (I was procrastinating for a week + some days before getting around to writing this-) (not putting blame on anyone but myself-)

It's like 5 something in the morning now so-

But anyways, constructive criticism is welcomed!

(I've also put this in Wattpad. I do hope you don't mind that-)

:)

[pixiebuggiewrites]

Sorry Wrong Number!

Description: When Damian Wayne receives a mysterious text message he's not sure what to make of it. Little did he know that it would lead him down a rabbit hole of information regarding a villain in Paris and a superhero team led by a girl in red and black spots.

Meanwhile, the Miraculous team is struggling. they're down a member and there's seems to be a new peacock in town. The teams only hope is to reach out for help-leading to new alliances, friendships, and romance.

This is my first real fanfic so any constructive criticism is appreciated!! Just keep it friendly please

Masterpost - Next - Ao3 link

Chapter 1: Marinette’s bad day

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was no stranger to bad days. In fact, over the past two years she had become well acquainted with them.

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Two years ago If you told her that Lila Rossi would somehow actually manage to take almost everything away from the then 14 year old designer she probably wouldn't have believed you. She had faith in her friends which, looking back was a pretty big mistake. She was less than surprised when most of her classmates began freezing her out. It stung but it’s not like they ever really helped her during Chloe’s original reign of terror so in a sense nothing really changed except for the person behind the pain.

What did surprise her-and perhaps stung the most-was that her closest friends left her as well. Alya had been enamored by stories of celebrities and quick to end their friendship when Lila cried about all of the terrible things Marinette had done and said to the transfer student. Nino remained mostly neutral but was dating Alya so it wasn’t exactly easy to hang out like they used to.

And Adrien? What a bullet she dodged there.

The sweet boy who gave her an umbrella and became her first real crush had proven himself to be way too passive. His many speeches about the high road and how nobody was being hurt had chipped away at that crush until there was barely a spark left.

A spark that was finally put out when she discovered that he was her (now former) superhero partner.

Luckily the young heroine wasn't completely alone. While she hadn't told them the full story with the Lila situation lest either of them get akumatized her parents still had a sixth sense for when she was low on fumes and would always find a way to brighten her day. Her Uncle Jagged and Aunt Penny were still there too, having become part of her family in all but blood and name. It had come as quite a shock the first time she came downstairs for family game night and saw the two of them sipping hot-cocoa and exchanging stories with her parents as Fang slept on the floor, But it had slowly become a regular occurrence in the Dupain-Cheng household for them to drop by whenever they had the time.

She had made new friends too. Her and Luka grew closer and even dated for a couple months before realizing that their melodies worked better platonically, becoming best friends ever since. The two would regularly have  ‘creativity sessions’ where Luka would test out his newest songs as Mari worked on her designs.

Her and Kagami had also grown closer once they both realized that their blossoming friendship was more valuable than a battle over a boy that they both had kinda grown out of their feelings for. They had started meeting once a week to enjoy some orange juice and fence and it had just evolved from there, Marinette had even been the first person Kagami came out to as gay. Kagami was also the first person she decided to share her identity as a superhero with. Luka had already known-a result of his second akuma as Viperion-but it felt different to make an active decision to share that part of her life with someone.

The most surprising addition to her friend group though, was one Chloe Bourgeois. Marinette wasn't really sure what to expect when the blonde had asked her to talk after school one day, but it certainly was not an apology. Chloe had explained that she had been in therapy for the past few months trying to better herself, and that seeing how Lila was really drove the point home for her in accepting how wrong her previous actions had been. Their friendship was rocky at first, as that much history doesn’t just disappear overnight, but it had slowly grown as the heiress proved over time how she really had changed. Sitting next to each other in class had led to them passing notes which led to them grabbing lunch together sometimes which somehow, eventually, led to the two becoming pseudo-sisters. She had been the third person to find out she was Ladybug, when one day she swung into her room mid-transformation only to realize that Chloe had shown up early for their sleepover that night.

At some point in all of this, her three friends also became friends with each other, forming a close knit group. Their varied personalities all seemed to balance each other out, which made them the perfect team in more ways than one.

 Which is why she decided to make them all permanent Miraculous holders.

Shortly after her 16th birthday, Master Fu asked her to take over as guardian of the Miracle box. He wasn't getting any younger and had managed to find a way to preserve his memories after passing on guardianship, so that he could still help should the need ever arise. Marinette was apprehensive but she had technically finished all of her training and she wanted Fu to have a chance at a nice retirement so she said yes.

The next day, just hours after she wished her teacher safe travels she made a very important decision. A decision to revoke Chat Noir’s ring.

You see, as Guardian it's kind of important to know who holds the magical pieces of jewelry that are your job to protect. Therefore Fu made the ever wise decision to tell her before promptly riding off into the sunset.

To say that Marinette was upset at the atomic bomb dropped on her was a bit of an understatement. She actually made the executive decision to have Kaalki portal her out of Paris just so that she could mentally unpack everything without risking an akuma. She stared up at the sky from the field she had landed in for what felt like hours and eventually came to accept a few things that she’d honestly been feeling for awhile.

Like the fact that sacrificing himself every other battle wasn't actually that heroic, especially when most of the hits he took for her she would have dodged anyways. Or the fact that he would act out whenever she asked him to take things more seriously by showing up late to akumas and threatening to quit. She had been considering talking to Fu about his behavior for awhile but was always stopped by the fact that they had been fighting together since day one, she wanted to believe in her kitty but finding out he was Adrien had been the last straw.

As Adrien, he had remained passive in the face of injustice many times. He had rarely if ever taken any real action in stopping Chloe’s behavior and he seemed to be taking the same approach with Lila. She understood that Gabriel definitely was partly to blame for his skewed worldview, but Adrien had been going to public school for 4 years now. He had been present for multiple mental health awareness assemblies and they had even appeared together as Ladybug and Chat in an anti-bullying PSA a couple years ago. It honestly baffled her that he still truly believed that the high road method could work.

Simply put, she just couldn't trust him to act as a hero anymore. She made a plan, but for it to work she needed help.

Well she had been planning to expand team Miraculous anyways, but this gave her the perfect chance to set those plans into motion. Marinette needed people she could work well with and she just happened to know three people who would make perfect teammates. Luka had already been appearing as Viperion more as Chat showed up to less fights, so the only real change was that Sass would get to go home with him at the end of the day. Chloe had been a bit harder seeing as all of Paris knew she had been Queen Bee, but Marinette was nothing if not determined. After a couple of weeks of her working with Chloe and Pollen on a new suit design, Abeille Royale was born. The finishing touch was Chloe and the new hero to be spotted near each other in public with some assistance from Trixx and they were good to go. Which just left Kagami.

Her original plan had been similar for the one she had for Chloe, but then she remembered something. To preserve balance the Miraculous of destruction needed to remain active, which meant she needed a new black cat. Now she could have jumped in front of oncoming traffic to see who saved her, but she was not willing to test her luck that much even with the boost Tikki gave her. This meant she needed to pick someone she already trusted. She didn't see a Chloe/Plagg team up going well for anyone involved so that was gonna be a hard no. Luka would have possibly worked, but the power of the snake was just too valuable of an asset to take off the roster. But Kagami? Now that would work.

While it was true that Kagami was much more well suited for the dragon, she would still work well as the black cat. She enjoyed a bit of chaos, but was disciplined enough to not be dragged into any of Plagg’s crazier ideas. She also understood the responsibility of holding such a powerful item, not one to take such a duty lightly. After talking with her about it Kagami had accepted the position becoming Kuro Neko.

After that they just had to get the ring back which was surprisingly easy. As Chat didn't know that she had given out more Miraculous again, she just had to wait for him to show up to a patrol. She played distraction and Abeille snuck up behind him with a venom, freezing him as she took back the ring. Finally, she cast a spell that would prevent him from sharing anything about him being Chat Noir as a safety measure. While he may not have as much knowledge about the miraculous as her, he did have some information and she was not going to risk letting Hawkmoth get his hands on any of it. And with that problem solved she finally had her team.

And from there things got a bit easier, with an actual team helping her and the seeming disappearance of Mayura akuma fights began to end way quicker and it felt like they were slowly making progress towards finding Hawkmoth. 

But when can things ever stay that nice?

                                                          ----------

Again, Marinette was no stranger to bad days but coupled with the week she had been having so far her patience was wearing thin.

Earlier that week, Chloe had shown up to the bakery in near tears. After calming down she shared the news that her Mother was going back to the states on Thursday, which while a bummer wasn't the issue. The issue was that she was bringing Chloe with her. While the blonde was happy to be getting time with her Mom, she didn’t want to abandon her team. Marinette assured her that while she wouldn't be able to be on the front lines anymore, she didn't have to quit the team. Seeing as the young heiress was scarily organised (perhaps even more than Marinette) She could continue to remotely assemble case files on each akuma and keeping tabs on any possible leads to Hawkmoth's identity. In addition, the city Chloe was moving to seemed to have heroes with ties to the justice league so they could finally try to get help again since they never responded to the video messages Ladybug sent at the beginning of her hero career. She had no idea how news of the akumas never made it out of France, but she suspected it was a mix of magic and corrupt officials. The plan was to have Abeille track down the heroes and explain the situation, with Ladybug teleporting in if necessary, and to establish a line of communication between them while requesting assistance.

From there the rest of the week was spent with the four friends enjoying as much time as possible together before their bee had to fly an ocean away. Kagami and Chloe also finally admitted their feelings for each other and while long distance isn't easy, they were going to try and make it work. And if Marinette lent out Kaalki every once in awhile? Well nobody had to know. If anything it was her duty as future maid of honor.

But still Thursday came and tears were shed as Chloe got ready to board her private jet. As hard as it was they stayed and watched as she took off, before all heading back to their respective homes.

Which brings us to today, the first day of school Marinette would have to endure without Chloe.

The day started off well enough, She woke up on her first alarm for once which gave her plenty of time to do some morning meditation before getting ready and heading down to the bakery and grabbing breakfast. She enjoyed a small croissant and some fruit while catching up her parents and helping out here and there before heading out to school.

Which is when her day began to sour. 

First she ‘tripped’ over somebody's foot while heading up the front stairs. Then in English, it was announced that they would have a partner assignment and she was paired with Alya, her former best friend who now hates her guts. At least it wasn't Lila. Alya tried to get switched on the grounds of ‘not wanting to work with a bully’ but partner assignments were final so the red haired girl settled for glaring at her throughout the class leading up to their lunch hour.

Things didn't get much better after lunch either. She came back to class early to avoid bumping into Lila’s group in the courtyard only to come face to face with the liar minutes later when the girl came to the back of the class and ‘spilled’ her iced coffee on the designer’s sketchbook. On the bright side, Marinette only ever brought a travel book with her to school after the first time this kind of thing happened. It was still annoying to clean up though.

After that, the rest of the school day went by mostly without incident. There were a couple of little jabs from her former friends here and there but nothing she wasn't already used to.

Eventually the final bell rang and she breathed a sigh of relief. She had a new bath bomb waiting for her at home and she was excited to use it. But first she had to get out of school without having to interact any further with her classmates, which turned out to be easier said than done.

Adrien decided to invite himself to walk her home, which meant she was due for another speech about the high road. She honestly wasn't even sure what she did this time and she didn’t really care to find out.

These talks had become such a regular occurrence that she tended to just kind of zone him out as he followed her home. It was kind of impressive that his bodyguard never came for him, maybe Gabriel gave in and loosened the leash after Nathalie quit? She was a bit surprised he still hadn’t found a replacement considering it must be quite difficult to run such a large company when you never leave your house but she supposed that's what technology is for.

Eventually, they reached the bakery and the bluenette was free at last. She even took the side entrance that led directly into the apartment stairs so that Adrien couldn't follow her in. She may have been a little petty in closing the door a bit harder than necessary, but she didn't really have the energy to care at that point.

The rest of her evening went by in relative peace. She had already caught up on homework over lunch and it was a slow time of year for commissions, so she helped out in the bakery until after dinner.

After telling her parents good night, she went to go enjoy her bath. Just as she went to go unwrap her fancy bath bomb, her room began to shake, causing the bath bomb to fall from her hands and shatter on the floor. Before she could even process the poor cherry-blossom scented bombs fate, the akuma alarm sounded. While that explained her room shaking, having to fight hawkmoths fashion disaster of choice really wasn’t how she wanted to end her already crappy day. Nevertheless, she walked back into her bedroom, slightly grateful  that she hadn't actually gotten in the bathtub yet, and called for Tikki.

Tikki, who was already waiting after hearing the akuma alarm flew over and gave her the rundown on what had been in the alert.

“It seems to be a new akuma, powers are unknown but they're headed for the Eiffel tower, Kuro Neko and Viperion are already on the scene since it was their night for patrol anyways.” the small Kwami informed her.

Marinette sighed in resignation. New akumas were always a bit of a pain. Not knowing the enemies powers and weaknesses was dangerous, not to mention it made the battle drag out a good bit longer than one against a repeat. Her work wasn't over after the battle though. The next day she would need to assemble all of the information regarding the battle, track down and conduct an interview with the victim about what led up to their possession, and send it all over to Chloe so that she can assemble a case file. 

Accepting the fact that she likely was not going to get much sleep that night, The heroine got into fight mode.

“Tikki spots on!”

And with that, she swung off into the night.

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

Well well well look who finally got around to cross-posting this asdfg, anyways I hope you enjoyed chapter 1!! I have 5 chapters up on ao3 at the moment so I’ll probably post one a day here until I'm caught up so that I'm not spamming the tag on accident.

Oh also!! I'm not really sure how tag lists work but I will try my best to figure it out so if you wanna be included in that just reply and say so.

[loverlele]

Courage

Lesbian!Emily Prentiss x Lesbian!Female Reader

Warnings: bad language, a bit of a steamy makeout session ;)

A/N: Hello you lovely people. I only have a few things to say about this one. First of all, I think this is my favourite one shot I’ve written so far. There is a lack of Emily one shots on here and I plan on changing that! Secondly, there will be time skips within this one shot to help with the story telling that will be indicated by the use of ‘-’ between paragraphs. Also, it’s going to be a long one so buckle up folks! So with that said, enjoy :)

Word count: 5669

Taking a deep breath I raise my hand to the door and knock three times successively.

“Come in” a deep, smooth voice comes from within the office.

Opening the door I smile at the man within, “Agent Hotchner? Hi I’m agent Y/L/N. I’ve just transferred from anti-terrorism, the lovely brightly coloured dressed lady told me I could find you in here.”

“Ahh that’d be Penelope Garcia, our technical analyst. Agent Y/L/N, I’ve been expecting you. Have a seat” the tall man in front of me responded, closing the file in front of him. It didn't take long for my brain to connect the dots and realise it was my file he had been reading.

“I see you got my file” I say, still smiling.

“I did, and its an impressive file at that one. I see you’ve worked with Agent Jareau before, you should get used to the rest of the teams dynamics soon. It’s... an odd dynamic” he says, smiling slightly.

“I’m used to an odd dynamic, I had a complex team to say the least” I reply, chuckling to myself slightly. Agent Hotchner smiles at my reply before standing up.

“You ready to meet the team?”

“Of course, lets go!”

We make our way out of his office and down the hall into what I believe to be a conference room of sorts. As we make our way in my thought were confirmed when I was met by 5 sets of eyes, all trained on me. I recognised Penelope from earlier, I sent her a big smile before moving my eyes onto the other people stood in front of me. I also didn't fail to recognise JJ sat down at the table, as well as another face that I couldn't quite put a name to.

“I wasn't we were getting a transfer Hotch. Who’s this pretty face?” a dark skinned man spoke out, extent ending his hand out to mine.

“I’m Agent Y/L/N, nice to meet you” I reply, shaking his hand and smiling at him.

“Derek” Agent Hotchner says raising his eyebrow, “Team, meet Agent Y/L/N who’s just transferred from anti-terrorism.”

“Y/N? Hi I didn't recognise you!” JJ squeals, standing up and rushing towards me, arms out.

“Hey JJ, it’s nice to see you again. No I had black hair back then and as you can see, I’m a red head now” I laugh, giving her a hug.

“I can see that, nice hair!”

“”Y/N this is Dr. Spence-”

“Dr. Spencer Reid, hi. I was at one of the seminars you and Agent Rossi guest spoke at last year” I say, smiling widely.

“Hi, I thought I recognised you. It’s nice to speak to you again” he replied, with a smile on his face. Something tells me that he didn't get recognised a lot by the expression on his face when I spoke.

“It’s nice to meet you Agent Y/L/N” Agent Rossi says, extending his hand. I accept the invitation and shake his hand. A smile hadn't left my face since I walked into the room.

“Where’s Emily?” Agent Hotchner asks the room.

“I’m here, sorry traffic was a nightmare” a response comes from my left. I move my gaze onto the beautiful brunette that had just walked into the room. All the air from my lungs seemed to be sucked out at the sight of her,

“Prentiss this is Agent Y/L/N, she’s just transferred here from the anti-terrorism team.”

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you” I say, offering her a wide smile. She returns the smile, brow furrowed slightly as if she was having an internal conversation with herself. 

“Please, call me Y/N. Y/L/N makes me feel like my mother” I say, making the team laugh.

“Now introductions are out of the way, shall we Garcia?”

“Of course sir, today we are off to Chicago.”

-

“You did well today Y/N, not many people would be able to connect the dots as quickly as you could. Well apart from the boy wonder laying on the couch” Derek comments from across the table.

“I heard that Derek” Spencer shoots back, sending a chuckle through the four of us.

“Why thank you, I have a sharp eye” I say, with a semi-flirty tone in my voice.

“So, tell us more about you.”

“Well I joined the FBI 8 years ago now I think, I was bouncing around teams for about a year until I joined anti-terrorism. I stayed their for 7 years until I decided a change of scenery was just what I needed. Luckily Hotch got in contact just after I’d decided I wanted to switch to a different team. And here I am.” My gaze slipping onto the brunette sat next to him.

“Talk about lucky timing” JJ says from besides me.

“You could say that” I reply, winking at Emily.

“Any juicy details we should know about?” Derek says, wiggling his eyebrows.

I chuck the file in my hand down onto the table and lean forwards slightly. “What do you want to know handsome?”

“Well, are you single? Boyfriend? Married?”

Smirking I lean backwards into my seat, “Nope, single for many years now and even if I wasn't, I wouldn't have a boyfriend.”

“You’ve lost me angel face” Derek responds, brows furrowed slightly.

“Well I’m a bit like you Derek. Except for the face I’m not a ladies man, I’m a ladies lady” I reply, smirk on my face. Emily’s face lifts up from the file in her hands, eyes connecting with mine and smirking at me. 

“No fucking way. You’re gay” he says, eyes wide open with shock.

“You say that like its a bad thing Derek.”

“No no no! I didn't mean it like that, I-”

“Yo chill out” I say, reaching my hand out to grab Derek’s arm, “it’s cool. I get the reaction, most people either react like that or even worse. I get it.”

“Please know I didn't mean anything by what I said” Derek says, the panicked tone in his voice prominent.

“Derek, its all good I promise. I know you mean well” I reply, sounding as sincere as I could.

“He had the same reaction when I came out, don't worry about it?” My head snapped up, straight to the source of the voice. My smile quickly turned into a smirk,

“Oh did he now?”

“Yup, then he tried to set me up with one of Penelope’s friends. Unsuccessfully, may I add.” Her smirk now mirrored mine.

“Don’t worry Derek, I won’t need you to set me up with anyone.”

“Oh, and why would that be sweetheart” Derek inquires, a smirk growing on his face as he puts together the pieces. My line of sight swaps from Derek to Emily, my own smirk evident.

“I’ve got this one on my own” I reply, winking at Emily one final time before picking the file back up from the table.

-

The last few months at the BAU have been some of the best ones in my career. Granted, they’ve been bonkers and the team has been all over America. But overall, I couldn't be happier being here. Actually thinking about that statement, I could be happier. But that’s not the point here. We’ve had some good cases, some bad cases, and some truly hideous cases. But we’ve got through them together. As a team.

Speaking of team, we’d just got back from a pretty straight forward case - well, as straight forward as cases go in this job - and most of the team scattered, having done the paperwork on the plane ride home. I believe the only ones left in the office are myself and Hotch, although I think Emily is around here somewhere as her bags are still at upon her desk. I hadn't got all my paperwork done on the plane as my attention had been elsewhere, but I didn't fancy having a stack of paperwork to do tomorrow so I decided to stay back and get it done. Besides, it wasn't as if I had anyone to go home to. If anything, the person I wanted to go home to might still be in the building with me. I’d call that a win. 

My suspicions about Emily being here were confirmed when Emily sauntered into the office with 2 cups of coffee in her hands, making a beeline straight to my desk.

“Hey gorgeous, is Hotch still here?” I ask, spinning round in my chair to meet her body as she plants herself onto the edge of my desk. She leans down slightly, handing me a cup from her hand.

“Soy milk caramel latte, right?” Emily asks, brow raised. Nodding my head, I reply,

“Perfect. I’m surprised you remembered.” “I remember everything you tell me princess” she replies, her head tilting down a bit to meet my gaze, “and as for Hotch, no he left a few minutes ago. I bumped into him coming out of the elevators. It’s just us here. Speaking of which, why are you still here? You never stay this late.”

“Ahh keeping tabs on me now are we Prentiss?” I ask in a flirty tone.

“You know I am sweetheart” she says back, with the same flirty tone. This wasn't unusual for us, we flirted all the time. Some might say we are worse than Penelope and Derek but I say we are better than them. It’s never led anywhere though but who knew, tonight could be different.

“Y/N?”A hand comes up to my face and pulls my chin up so I our eyes meet. Her fingers run down my cheeks slightly before pulling away. My cheeks instantly flush at both the contact and the loss of contact.

Coughing slightly and maintaining eye contact, I reply softly “yeah I’m here. Sorry I zoned out for a second. What did you say?”

“I asked why you were still here again.”

“Oh right sorry. I was a bit preoccupied on the plane to finish all the paperwork off and I’d rather not come in tomorrow and see files stacked on my desk. Especially considering we don't know where we’ll be tomorrow” I reply, sarcasm lacing in my voice causing her to chuckle lightly.

“A very wise decision on your part there Y/N” Emily says, voice trailing off at the end. It was my turn to reach up and make skin to skin contact. But since she was sat on my desk her face was too far up for me to reach without me standing up. So I placed my hand on her arm and rubbed it gently.

“You okay Em?”

“Yeah all good” she says, her hand laying on top of mine. It was rare that we had moments like this, so when they did happen it makes me treasure each of them a bit more than the last one. 

“Em, come on. You can talk to me you know.”

“Do you ever think that life is passing you up sometimes?”

“It sure feels like that sometimes” I say with a sigh, “why, what do you think’s passing you up?”

“Any sort of life outside of the BAU. A family. Kids. A partner. Hell, even any sort of stable life. Me and you both know that we don't get any sort of down time with this job” Emily practically yells out “how am I supposed to get any private life stability with this kind of job?” 

Sighing softly I stand up from my seat and walk a few steps closer to Emily’s position on my desk. It’s a bit nerve wracking since we’ve never been this close before. But this wasn't about me and Emily, it was about making sure she would be okay.

“Hey come here” I take her hand into mine, trying to soothe out the anxieties in her, “look I’m not going to stand here and say that this job makes for an easy life outside of it because we both know that’d be a load of bullshit. But what I am going to say is that you can’t lose hope about all of this. Yes this job is practically impossible for stability, but I believe it can be done. You just have to work twice as hard unfortunately. But hey, nothing good in life is ever free, is it?”

The final comment seems to make her laugh, easing the tension in a heartbeat. “Thank you Y/N, you don’t know how much I needed to hear that.”

“Anytime, you know that” I say, a wide smile plastered on my face.

Emily hesitates for a second, unsure if she wants to say anything. “Do I?” she finally replies. I take a step backwards, confused as to what's going on.

“Excuse me?”

“I’m serious Y/N!” Emily yells, finally loosing her temper, “how do I know that you're not just here for the chase, for the game?”

“You don’t Em” I begin. Emily doesn't take well to the start of my speech, getting up and storming over to her desk before turning back round to me.

“That’s not ... how does that-”

“Let me finish Em!” I shout, retracing her steps over to her.

“Okay, sorry.”

“You don’t know that I’m not here for the ‘game” I quote, “because I have only shown you the signs that this is a game to me. I swear this, this thing we have between us, its not a game. Not to me anyway. You have had me under a spell since the day I locked eyes on you four months and 13 days ago.”

“You’ve been counting?” she chuckles, making me laugh with her.

“I wish I could say I have, but Spencer informed me earlier how long I'd been longing after you.He said it was time one of us told the other how we felt.”

“Good old Spencer.”

“No really, without hearing that from Spence earlier I don't think I’d have had the courage to tell you. Not for a while anyway. Here's the thing Emily. You put up all these walls to stop people from coming in, but the higher your walls get the more I want to break them down. No matter what it might cause. Because I am falling for you Emily Prentiss and I need to know you’ll be here to catch me when I fall.”

The room falls silent, my words sinking into Emily. Judging by the air, I put two and two together and realise I’ve just blown my shot. Or any chance I may have had. Spinning round on the balls of my feet I drag myself away from the woman whom I adored and to my desk, gathering up the paperwork and placing it into my bag. I hear footsteps crossing the room but don’t think twice about it, figuring she was running away. Not that I could blame her, I had come on quite suddenly I guess. What I didn’t realise was that the footsteps had been coming my way until a hand grabbed my arm and soft lips smash onto mine. It took a few moments to realise what was happening before my mouth moved at the same pace as the one attached to me did.

Just the thought of kissing Emily made the butterflies in my stomach go crazy; but this, this was a whole new level of butterflies. And fireworks. Lots of fireworks. Like the firework show over the Thames on New Years Eve, but better. So much better. The fireworks only increase when I feel Emily’s tongue run across my lips, asking for permission to enter. Granting her permission, the kiss goes from being controlled and passionate to frenzied and full of lust. The kiss goes on for what feels like simultaneously forever and not long enough (although there will never be enough time to kiss Emily) before I pull back for air. Our eyes open at the same time and become locked on one another, neither of us moving too much. 

Our happy little bubble quickly pops when a text tone alerts us that we’d got an emergency case that we needed to leave for within the hour, giving me and Em very little time to change before we were to meet the rest of the team on the tarmac. Luckily for us I always carried two changes of clothes in each of my go bags meaning we both had a change of clothes and didn't need to go home.

After getting changed and sorted we both headed down to our cars, knowing it'd be incredibly suspicious if we both rolled up in the same car. Even though we know Penelope probably caught our takeout on the CCTV cameras, we knew she wouldn't spill without confronting us first. We share a quick, but passionate, kiss before splitting up and heading to the tarmac separately.

We were met by the eyes of a suspicious Derek Morgan and a half asleep, yet smirking Spencer Reid when we stepped onto the plane. Granted, my ponytail may have been a bit messy but he has no solid proof as to who (or what) caused it. I fell into the seat opposite Spencer, who'd since put his book on the table between us and shoot a wink his way. Spencer chuckles, causing Derek to sulkily say “what, so pretty boy gets to know the 410 but not me.” The conversation unfortunately got put to a halt there as Hotch comes onto the plane with a concrete look on his face, alerting us that the case was more severe than we’d thought.

“I’m so sorry for calling you in so soon after we got back, but you know I wouldn't do it unless it was absolutely necessary. Don’t worry, we have a long flight ahead of us so you can all get some rest before we arrive. Garcia, go ahead.”

“Okay my lovely cherubs, we are off on a not so lovely case to Nashville, Tennessee...”

-

“Oh it’s been a week too long Quantico” I mutter to myself, pushing the elevator button. I’d had a week of off days to use up so I decided to visit my best friend in sunny Florida. It’d been an odd week that’s for sure. When I flew out I decides to keep my break completely communication free, telling Hotch that unless I’d been fired then everything could wait until when I got back. I even left my phone stuffed in between paperwork inside my desk. In hindsight, definitely not the best move on my behalf. But nothing could’ve ever pointed to what was going to happen within the last week, so I didn't think twice about cutting all contact and communication for a week. I expected everything to be the same as it was before I left. However as the elevator doors opened to the 6th floor, the air became sticky and heavy. I didn't think much of it until I opened the glass doors into the BAU and saw the team all stood near my desk, awaiting my arrival.

“Hey guys! As nice as it was to get away, I’m so glad I’m home” teary eyes all look at me, each of them trying to find the right words to say, “Jesus Christ, who died?”

My apparent attempt to lighten up the mood did the complete opposite, causing Spencer to collapse in a flood of tears. I jerk my eyes quickly from a huddled up genius to a hard faced Hotch. “Hotch, what the hell is going on?”

“I need you to sit down Y/N” he replies, dragging my chair out from under my desk.

“You’re scaring me now Hotch” I reply, taking a seat and gently placing down my bags down before turning slightly to face them all, my eyes finally doing a sweep of who's here. JJ stands the furthest away, in her own little world, with Penelope holding Reid slightly further forwards. Rossi stands with his hand on top of Morgan’s shoulder, his fingers almost massaging Derek’s skin every now and again, soothing the obviously distressed boy. Hotch sits on a chair in front of me, reaching his own hand out to hold mine. It takes my brain a few moments to register that Emily isn't present.

“Where’s Em?” I ask, peering around the empty room to try find the brunette I adored so much.

“Y/N. When you were away, there was a case. A personal case. One that included Emily’s past.” Hotch starts.

“Okay, I still don't understand how that answers my question. What happened on the case? Is Emily okay? Was she hurt” starting to get agitated.

“Y/N-” 

“Emily’s dead Y/N” Derek yells, “the bastard killed her.”

“WHAT!”

“I’m so sorry Y/N, she was fighting someone named Doyle and he killed her.”

“No, this cant be right” I yell, getting up from my seat in a trance. “You’re lying, she's right here. She’s just in the conference room, look!” I run to the conference room, shouting “Em” as I search the room for her. I hear the footsteps behind me coming into the room as I stop in the middle of the room, feeling sick to my stomach.

“She’s gone Y/N, I was with her on the way to the hospital” Derek says softy, his sentence causing me to fall into a heap on the floor. Bodies rush to my side, but none of them are the body I crave the most. I know Spencer’s the one with his head against mine when I feel the tears fall from his cheeks onto my forehead.

“I’m so sorry Y/N” he whispers, kissing my forehead lightly.

“I- I never got to tell her that I love her” I say, the last bit of my facade crumbling causing me to sob violently into Spencer’s arms. More arms wrap around me as my sobs become more hysterical.

Within minutes my body had become numb from all the pressure being put on it, but I couldn't care less right now. I just want my Emily back. “I want my Emily back.” A sentence, when said aloud, caused the majority of the team to break down. Including the two team members isolated by the door.

“Hotch are you sure it has to be this way?”

“If there was any other way then we’d have done that. You know that JJ.”

“But look at her Hotch, she’s never going to get past this.”

“She has to, the team needs her.”

“I can’t stand here and look at her like that Hotch, I have to get out of here”

Above the cries of the room I could make out JJ and Hotch’s voices having a hushed conversation, one they obviously didn’t want anyone hearing from the tones of their voices. I, however, picked up a bit of the conversation before it was cut short by the small, teary eyes blonde storming out.

-

I can’t tell you how long it’s been since Emily’s funeral, partly because I’ve completely lost track of time. I wasn't allowed to be on my own for long periods of time, under Hotch’s order, so most nights I’d stayed with Derek. He’s become my rock throughout this all. Him and JJ. If I didn't have them I think I’d still be in complete denial about the whole thing. All I do know is in whatever time had passed, the team managed to get Doyle in their custody. Without much struggle apparently, which I have to admit is a bit odd considering how many years he'd gone under the radar before. I wasn't allowed into the room with him, which is understandable. Hell, I wasn't allowed into the same vicinity as him without at least two other people with me. He murdered the love of my life and, from what I’d been filled in on, the love of his life. I just sat at my desk in autopilot mode, just getting things done. I wasn't much more helpful in the field mind you, so I usually stayed back with Penelope when the team had a more complex case. 

A gentle squeeze of my shoulder jolts me back to reality. It was Rossi. He said Hotch had called a team meeting in the conference room and required all of our presences, specifically mine apparently. Whatever that meant. Derek helped me into the conference room and into a chair closest to the door we’d just walked through. My joints groaning at me from the lack of movement in them recently. Not that I could've helped it. Some comments are passed around the room upon my arrival, not that I could tell you anything that’d been said. 

“Damn Hotch wasn't kidding about needing us all” I mutter under my breath as Hotch files in from the door in front of me. 

“Welcome back” Derek says.

“Thank you” Hotch responds, “Everybody have a seat.”

Glancing at each other in a confused matter, the rest of the team take their seats. Derek stayed standing up, placing himself as close as he could to my seat.

“Why? What’s going on, is everything alright?” Derek asks, taking my hand into his and pressing circles into it. JJ appears in front of us next to Hotch, further confusing the team.

“7 months ago I made a decision that affected the team. Some of us more than others” Hotch started, his gaze flickering to mine. My brows furrowed and I squeezed Derek’s hand slightly tighter as out eyes met. “As you all know Emily had lost a lot of blood after her fight with Doyle” wait, had? “The doctors were able to stabilise her and she was airlifted from Boston to Birthesta under a covered exploitation.” Everyone’s eyes lifted up, snapping from person to person, wondering if they’d heard right - including me.

“No” I muttered lowly.

“Her identity was strictly on a need to know basis. And she stayed there until she was well enough to travel. She was reassigned to Paris where she was given several identities, one of which we had access to for her security.”

The room fell silent for a minute, everyone starting to process what they'd just been told.

“You’re lying” I say, my voice still low but my eyes moving up to meet JJ’s. Her eyes met mine with an apologetic glint in them. “No fucking way.”

“Sh- she’s alive?” Penelope asks through her tears. Hotch’s slight head tilt gave us our answer.

“But we buried her...” Spencer says, his voice breaking and trailing off at the end.

“As I said, I take full responsibility for the decision. If anyone has any issues they should be directed towards me.”

“Any issues?” Derek says, his voice raising “yeah I got issues. This girl has been a shell of herself since Emily’s funeral and now your telling us Emily was never dead in the first place?!” Footsteps make their way up the corridor and stop a few metres behind me.

I noticed JJ and Hotch’s attention move slowly onto the person behind me. “No” I muttered again slowly standing up, this time loud enough to gain everyone’s attention. As quick as I’d gained the attention, I’d lost it again. Everyone’s faces had a look of pure shock and surprise on them. All of them apart from Hotch and JJ’s. “I knew it” I growled lowly, my gaze pointed directly on JJ.

“Y/N” JJ began, but got cut off by Penelope’s gasp.

“Oh my god.”

I didn't need to look behind me to know who was stood by the door. It was Emily...

“Hi” the soft voice says, “I’m so-”

“I trusted you JJ. I trusted you and all this time you knew she was still alive?!”

“Y/N, I couldn’t-”

“I don't care if you couldn't! I called you up, every single night, for the last 6 and a half month in tears because I couldn't cope with the pain. I had to live at Derek’s apartment because I can’t go home.”

“Y/N, you need to calm down.”

“No Hotch, I won't calm down! I have woken up every morning screaming and with sweat running down my face because I’ve just watched the woman I love die. I don't care that you couldn't tell me. I care about the fact I put all my trust in you only to find out she’s still alive!” I scream, spinning round and pointing at the figure in the doorway.

“Oh my god you're still alive” I say, my voice rough from screaming so loudly.

“Hi Y/N” she replies, a small smile ghosting her lips as she speaks.

“No, I can’t do this” I say, moving around my seat and making my way to where Emily stands. As I try to make my way out, she grabs hold of my arm and pulls me back

“Y/N stop, we need to talk about this-”

I snatch my arm quickly out of her grasp, “No, I have nothing to say to you. And don't you dare think about following me!” I respond, running out of the room and out of the office as quickly as I could.

Emily Prentiss is still alive...

-

The news about Emily’s not death had spread around quickly. The team had managed to catch the ones hunting for Doyle’s son and Doyle had been shot dead, along with a few others. I wouldn't have known that however, had Derek not shot me a text to tell me what’d happened. vI’d spent every minute since I got home laying in the arm chair I’d sat in when it first clicked that I’d fallen completely in love with Emily. We were sat playing cards one evening after a case and I’d just called her out for cheating, she was defending herself so articulately that it made something just click in my brain. I realised I was in love with her, but I was always too big of a wuss to say it to her face. I think deep down she knew, but if she did she never said anything. 

A gentle, but firm rasp at my door knocked me out of the spell I was in. I knew that rasp anywhere, and I knew that it could only be one person at my door.

“Y/N, I know you're in their. Please, I need to talk to you” the voice said, further confirming who it was. On the other side of the door stood Emily Prentiss, and I was about to come face to face with her since I stormed out of the conference room 4 days ago.

I pad over to the door, unlocking the clasp and walk back to my chair, sitting back down in the position I was in before. I can hear a sign come from behind the wood before the door creaks open. Emily slips into the room and locks the door behind her, taking off her coat and making her way to where I sit.

“Can I?’ she asks tentatively.

“Sure...”

Em places herself strategically into the sofa directly opposite from where I sat, knowing this was the best way at getting me to interact with her at all. We sit in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, both unsure of how to handle this.

“Look, I know you're mad at me-”

“For gods sake I’m not mad at you Emily!” I practically yell, “I’m not mad, I’m fucking hurt. Do you know this is the first time I’ve been here in nearly 8 months? I tried to come here, but I could never get passed the door because the place still smelled like you. Like that stupid perfume we all love so much.. I’ve slept in Derek’s spare room. I spent at least an hour on the phone with JJ every night because of how much my heart hurt, how much it ached for you. Poor Spencer has ripped himself up about not getting to say goodbye to you. On the outside Rossi might look like he’s stable, but these last few months have not been kind to him. If anything, he's taken it the worst out of anyone.. I’m not angry at you. Am I angry at JJ and Hotch? You bet your ass I am. I’m beyond pissed with them. But you? I could never be mad at you Emily.”

Tears were streaming down my cheeks at this point, tears I was no longer able to hide. Emily moved from her seat on the couch and crouched in front of me, our faces at the same height. Our bodies were as close to each other as we could get them without sitting on one another laps. Her hand came out and rested itself on my cheek as I subconsciously pressed my cheek further into her hand. We stayed in this position for a few moments, just taking in each other, before Emily’s voice perked up, 

“I begged JJ to tell you I was okay. These past 7 months have been the toughest months of my life. I lost my family. I lost the best people I have ever met. I lost a part of myself that night, a part of myself I’ll never be able to get back. But most heartbreaking, I lost you.. I lost you right as I got the courage to tell you how in love with you I am.”

The tears, whilst still prominent, had calmed down a bit. I hadn't looked at it that way. I may have lost my favourite person, but Emily’s entire life had been swept up from under her feet without any warning. 

I sighed, reaching up with both my hands to cup her face.

“I love you Em, so much. I just.. I need some time to process all of this” I say gently, pulling myself flush into her. She wraps her arms around my body, placing her head against my shoulder.

“Okay, take as much time as you need. I’ll still be here.”

“Promise?”

“I promise sweetheart” Emily says softly, “and I never intend to break that promise.”

Maybe we can find a way to work through this after all...

[alpaca-writes]

I have this habit of being very detailed in writing- hopefully not too much that it bores anyone to death. Personally, I love detailing OC's and as many aspects of them as I can before exposing these poor things to pain- almost like a slow-burn for torture, I suppose?

But then it occurs to me as well that maybe I'm just writing a normal story, with villians and heroes and anti-heroes but with more emphasis on the pains they go through.

Oh well, here is my newest creation-

CW: None quite yet. Some strong language, I suppose

MYSTICS

CHAPTER ONE: A NEW JOB

Lyrem Nomadus busied himself, flipping through resumes that bored him half to death and then a little more. Usually, he wouldn’t dare to look for anyone to share his space with. The business of curating, refurbishing and selling occultic items was dreadfully interesting to the general public and the last thing he was looking for was someone new to devalue it with their own useless knowledge and presumed ‘psychic’ abilities. The last two days were full of just that. He pinched the bridge of his wide nose as a mild headache came on- the last interview was a particularly painful thought.

A young man, with a heavily freckled, pale face, and round framed glasses poured over his collection of rocks near the front entrance, started spouting nonsense that Lyrem had little patience for.

“Ooh, malachite. I heard that stuff’s toxic, y’know,” he spoke with little regard for Lyrem standing near the cash register- an old charcoal grey thing with large buttons and made a noise like a classic ‘ka-ching’ just before the receipts printed out and the drawer popped open.

“Hm,” Lyrem hummed unamused, hoping it would prompt some style of professionalism from his prospective interviewee. It did not.

The young man continued to look around the store, finding one hematite pendulum specifically fascinating. Then he found his attention drawn to a display of elegantly designed tarot cards. The young man picked one of them up, studying the hierophant with mild interest.

“Please do not touch the merchandise.” Lyrem cut in.

The young man placed the card back down on the glass shelf, slightly askew to the rest on display. He cleared his throat and approached the register, finally.

“Did you bring a copy of your resume?” Lyrem asked him, knowing what the answer likely was, as there was nothing in his hands. He wore a long black trench coat over ratted, torn jeans and a plain tee shirt. There was one chain dangling from a pocket somewhere.

“Yessir,” he answered.

Oh, perhaps this boy had a hope after all.

After reaching into his back pants pocket with effort, the resume was presented, folded into six sections as a single piece of paper. A folded and clearly used napkin fell out onto the floor. Lyrem breathed deeply, took the folded resume, and smiled.

“Thank you for applying, but I am afraid you are not quite the right fit for this position,” Lyrem didn’t bother opening the paper, and instead tossed it over his own shoulder. It landed directly into the bin behind him.

“I-I’m sorry? You haven’t interviewed me yet”- his eyes widened with the confusion of the sudden rejection.

“Hm. I have interviewed you plenty, and I tell you now, I’d have a mangey dog run my store before you.” He didn’t mean for his tone to be so casual. Lyrem blinked.

The poor boy took a moment to process the insult before glaring across at the owner of Mystics ruthlessly. Suddenly, his fist pounded the desk, sending a short tremor through the wood.

“Anybody with half a brain could do this job! For fuck sake’s, man!”

Lyrem looked at him with a simple eyebrow raised and cocked his head toward the door. He was tired these days. The less he chose to care about children’s tantrums, the better. The boy left in a huff, and clearly, he tried slamming the jingling door behind him as he stepped out onto the street, but the spring against the top disallowed such havoc, and bounced slowly back. It closed finally with a light click, and the young man was gone.

Releasing the pinch from his nose, Lyrem sighed. He didn’t know which one was worse, that boy who left a trail of disrespect in his wake, or the woman from the previous day who was convinced that she could speak with his mother in the afterlife. The sullen woman wore gems aplenty on her fingers and hanging from ropes and chains around her neck. The wire wrapped amethysts in particular, caused her to look like an easter egg more than a living person. She didn’t take it too kindly when he explained that the stones around her finger were not a genuine turquoise either. By the end of it all, she was rather happy to be finished.

He shuddered, remembering the strong scent of patchouli she left that seemed to linger within his store, even now.. He didn’t have an aversion to patchouli, or to amethyst or turquoise, or even easter eggs… at least he hadn’t one before two days ago.

The rest of the applicants were all the same. Wanted a job, wanted something easy, and for experience- and all the time, Lyrem would ask himself: “experience for what, exactly?” Instead of asking the question aloud, he’d thank the person, and politely send them on their way out, with a promise to call them when he had made a decision.

He wasn’t planning to call anyone.

It was a Tuesday afternoon. The streets would be bustling past four, and if he wanted to avoid it and give himself a break from the eye strain, he would need to go for his coffee now, or not have one until after six. The horror.

He flipped over the sign on the door. It was one of those apologetic ones- as though it would stop a person from throwing a brick through a window for being closed on a weekday. Lyrem locked the door and turned to his right. There was a small local place not far from the corner of the intersection that he had grown accustomed to. If they had the raspberry scones today, he decided he may take one of those as a treat. Lost in thought, he crossed in front of a small white car making its left turn. The car stopped, though no horn was sounded as the engine suddenly died inexplicably next to him.

Lyrem walked around the car and poked his head through the passenger-side window which was open for the cool breeze. The driver looked back at him, his hands gripping the wheel too tightly.

“Pedestrians have the right of way, you know,” he mentioned calmly. Then, he tapped the top of the car twice. It restarted. “Drive a little safer, now.”

The driver suddenly remembered that the car was still in gear, and he moved along, crossing the intersection and left Lyrem behind like everything he had just done was part of some fever dream. He chuckled lightly and turned back down the block.

It was a sun-filled day, without a cloud in the sky, and it was a warm one too. Despite the fact that it was still early April, and the city had only just started waking from its hibernation from the cold, the streets were filling quickly with people.

His coffee took a while, which he forgave only because the end result was quite often a perfection, but he was nearly pouting at the counter as the spot for raspberry scones were replaced with one with blueberries instead. Losing his appetite, his eyes drifted around the rustic establishment. The sounds of a classical guitar filled the room with the unmistakable talents of the virtuoso, Andrés Segovia. It was a nice change from the sounds of folk rock and boy bands. The coffee shop was only getting better and better with age, it seemed.

Against the wall, a cork board was decorated in haphazardly placed notes. Some notes were simply inspirational or funny, some were searching for students for taekwondo or guitar, advertisements for plays and musicals at the local theatre were spread along the outer edges begging to be noticed, and there were a few job postings as well from other nearby establishments, restaurants, including one from a pet store.

He shouldn’t have tried putting an ad on Kijiji at all- not when the perfect people were right here all along. Like Icarus, Lyrem flew too close to the sun, and was burned by the troubling rays of stupidity that came through his door from delving into the ruddy depths of online job hunting. Never again would he make such a mistake.

“Lyre!”

Nodding, he retrieved his cup, and turned back toward the door. He nearly collided with another person, standing close up to the cork board and huffed, not spilling a drop.

“Excuse me,” he muttered.

“Apologies.” The person gave him little notice, but moved off to the side with ease to allow him through.

He furrowed his brows. What was it that was causing him to pause just before reaching the door? There was just… something… off.

It took him a moment before hearing it- the faintest humming to Segovia’s España, Spanish Dance No.10 in G coming from the person who apologized to him for being in the way. Each note timed perfectly to the sound from the speakers in the corner. He turned his head, to a particularly high note, the humming stopped to be replaced with fingers tapping in unison to the notes against their thigh.

“Guitar?” He asked, suddenly beside them. He studied the board also.

“No,” they replied. “Just looking for a job.”

He nodded, grimacing. Raising his hopes one final time, he ventured.

“I have potential work for you. I am hiring at my store’s location down the street. If you are interested.”

“That seems coincidental.” They replied unemphatically sifting through the other job postings there, knowing they were not currently dressed for success. “What store?”

“Mystics. It’s along twenty-third and”-

“-seventeenth, yes, I know the place.”

“Then you’re hired.”

They stopped, and brought their hands down from the board, and turned to stare their deep brown eyes into his of deep hazel- to finally spare a glance to the person wanting their attention.

“I don’t have time for practical jokes- or human trafficking, for that matter,” they said with insistence.

“I’m not joking, and I am definitely not in the business of human trafficking”- Lyrem stuttered incredulously. “I thought you said you knew the place.”

“I do.” They replied. “I’ve just never been in. It’s just one of those ridiculous shops for people to waste their money on colourful rocks. There’s literally a river just under the bridge half a mile from here- infinite supply for none of the coin.”

Taking them by surprise, he laughed.

“You will be the worst salesperson.” He said. More seriously, he added, “look, I really am in need of a person to take care of a few evening shifts and the weekends, I pay well above the average rate for any local retail store, and I’d be able to supply you with health benefits.”

This sudden bargain seemed to be interesting enough for the person to distance themselves from the cork board.

“I’m still finishing high school- under eighteen- is that a problem?” They asked. “It’s been a problem everywhere else”-

“Not a problem.”

They nodded.

“When do I start?”

[elisaphoenix13]

Never Too Old (Or Young)

It was a rare morning that Tony got up before Stephen or the girls, so he took the opportunity to get up and go downstairs to make himself a cup of coffee. He may have been awake, but he wasn't quite aware, which was something the coffee would help with. Tony yawns and pours the coffee into a mug when it finishes brewing and he walks over to one of the windows to blearily look out as he drinks his...what did Harley call it? His anti-murder juice.

Each sip he took woke him little by little until he noticed a white smudge on the window in front of him. What the hell? Tony tries to rub it away with his finger, and that's when he realizes that the smudge was on the outside. It looked nothing like bird poop, in fact, it was a solid white. It had a specific curve to it…

The engineer takes a step back when he notices another white smudge out of the corner of his eye, and he sighs heavily when he sees the smudges all over the windows. They were everywhere. It took a couple more thoughtful sips of his morning coffee for things to finally click and Tony realized they were stickers.

"These damn kids," Tony huffs as he walks into the living room.

The likely suspects were Peter and Diana. He considered Harley for a brief moment, but not only would it be hard to place so many stickers on the outside of the tower windows in the Rescue suit...but he was also passed out on the couch. Textbooks were all over the coffee table, the floor, and even a couple were on the teen himself which was a dead giveaway that he had been studying all night. Why he was in the living room instead of up in his room was beyond Tony, but he shrugged it off before carefully taking off the boy's glasses and setting them aside.

Stephen was the one to suspect Harley's far-sightedness a couple of years ago, and the boy had been so relieved that there wasn't something seriously wrong with him. The sorcerer had kept a close eye on Harley after almost a week of complaining of headaches, and the boy would squint while doing homework or reading, pull the book farther away, and even rub his eyes.

Maybe in the hopes of fixing his vision.

So Stephen took him to a specialist since he and Bruce didn't exactly specialize in optometry. The doctor confirmed Stephen's suspicion and they got Harley some prescription glasses which clearly made a difference when he started wearing them. No more furrowing brows, no more headaches, and he got his homework done faster since he wasn't using most of the time to try and see it in the first place.

Tony had a suspicion that William liked them too.

Just as Tony was about to throw a blanket on his oldest son, Levi beat him to it and draped itself across the teen. "Why didn't you do that before?"

"It can only do so much without me." Stephen says as he descends the stairs holding Lucy and with Athena trailing behind him.

"One of our kids decorated the windows." Tony tells him as he puts his coffee down on a book free surface to take their youngest. "And the tree is miraculously still standing."

"That's because Tibbs is in Peter's room. We have a whole day of prying him away from it ahead of us." Stephen rolls his eyes and heads into the kitchen to make himself some tea and a bottle for Lucy.

That was made and handed to Tony before breakfast was started. Thomas and William join a few minutes later and the younger of the twins joins Stephen in the kitchen to help as Thomas retreats into the living room. It turned into a typical morning after that. The rest of the kids woke up, some of the Avengers came up to join the family for breakfast, and sometime in the middle of that chaos, Harley woke up and cleaned up his study mess. Breakfast was eaten and Harley and William made plans to do some last-minute Christmas shopping.

It definitely wasn't a date.

Peter and Cassie had their own plans and Peter was currently showering while his girlfriend went back downstairs and got ready. It was relatively calm then...at least as calm as it could be with as many people as there were. Stephen was reading on the couch with Athena next to him with her head in his lap, and he periodically pet her head as he read. Tony had disappeared down to the lab with Lucy to undoubtedly turn her into a grease monkey, and Valerie was coloring on the floor with Diana. Thomas...was somewhere not dying or getting into trouble so that was enough for them. Harley disappeared as well which was weird since William was still in the living room with the girls.

Stephen nonchalantly turned a page in his book when Peter screeched. The wolf lifted her head at the same time Stephen, Valerie, Diana, and William looked up toward the bedrooms, and Peter soon came out of his room with only a towel around his waist with blue splotches all over his skin.

"HARLEY!" Peter shouts and Stephen sighs.

A prank. Specifically the one where a showerhead was filled with dissolvable dye capsules or Kool-aid powder. Harley was nowhere to be seen and to Stephen's surprise, William burst into hysterical laughter. Peter gave the younger teen a look that was a mix between annoyance, bewilderment, and what looked like glee. Probably because William was actually laughing about something.

"I-I'm sorry!" William sputters through bouts of laughter.

Peter huffs. "Mom, have you seen Harley?"

"Nope." Stephen says as he flips a page in his book and Athena lays her head back down.

Peter looks at William. "Tell your boyfriend it's on!" He disappears back into his room to scrub the blotches off his skin, leaving William to sputter.

Stephen chuckles and returns part of his attention to his book when William ends up blushing bright red.

"You should kiss him." Diana finally says and William's eyes widen.

"Wh-what?!"

"You should kiss Harley. You both like each other." She repeats. "You're worse than Uncle Quill and Uncle Scott."

"He doesn't-"

"He does." Stephen says and turns another page.

"Hey, Will! Come on!" Harley says from the elevator.

William turns a deeper shade of red as he gets up to join Harley, and Stephen hears the older one ask him if he's okay as the elevator doors close. Maybe his and Diana's little confession would be just the push William and Harley needed but then again…

"Boys are stupid."

"Diana." Stephen scolds lightly.

"They are." She mumbles.

"Who's responsible for the stickers?" The sorcerer asks.

"Petey. He crawled on the windows outside and put them on."

"I suppose you supplied them?"

"Nuh-uh. Valerie."

Stephen looks back up from his book and raises an eyebrow at Valerie who definitely looks a little guilty. She pouts up at him with her big blue eyes, and he sighs in defeat. One would think that with seven kids he would be immune to the puppy eyes but he fell for them every time. He was pretty sure the kids knew it too.

No. He was positive.

"Bye Mom! Be back later!" Peter calls out as he races down the stairs and through the door to the stairwell.

"Have fun." Stephen manages to say before the door shuts.

"Mama, look." Valerie holds up the paper she was coloring on and reveals endless scribbles that covered the whole of it.

"It's very beautiful. Do you want to hang it up?" He smiles when her eyes widen in excitement and she nods.

The two year old gets up and walks over to the cloak floating nearby and holds it up to Levi. The cloak happily takes it, and with a cartoonish flourish that briefly made Stephen feel like he was in one, Levi tacks it to the wall with the other drawings. When it claps the folds of its collar together, Stephen knew they were in far too deep. Even his cloak was domesticated.

"My children have turned an ancient relic into a nanny." Stephen bemoans.

"Daddy said you started it." Diana says and Stephen huffs.

"It was one time and that was when Peter was turned into a baby. The cloak was the only one that could reach Peter when he was climbing the walls and the ceiling." Stephen closes his book. "Speaking of your daddy, since he smuggled your sister into the lab, why don't we go to the store?"

"Can I come?" Thomas suddenly says from next to him.

"Get your coat."

In the meantime, Stephen takes the girls upstairs to get them dressed and once they all have their coats on, he opens a portal to the store. Thomas of course returned while the girls were getting ready, and went through the portal after picking up Diana. Stephen huffs fondly when Diana giggles loudly and picks up Valerie to follow them. It took a couple of years, but the twins were finally comfortable asking for things but it was usually still necessities. It was still kind of rare for them to ask for things they wanted.

"'tena?" Valerie asks and waves at the wolf behind Stephen. "'Tena, here!"

Athena comes through the portal and Stephen rolls his eyes as he waves his hand to get her service vest on. It would at least lessen the looks, which only left the 'is that a wolf' whispers. Yes. Yes she is.

"If you weren't so shy of strangers, I'd say you would grow up to be a politician or a world leader."

"Nah, Val?" Thomas cackles. "She's too nice."

"Also a good point. Push the cart please?"

Thomas nods and puts Diana down so he can grab a cart and they walk through the aisles of Target. Diana was happy to 'ooh' and 'aah' at every piece of clothing she saw and Valerie soon ended up in the seat of the cart when Stephen's hands began to tremble a little too much. He then had to attempt to redirect Diana's attention away from the clothes because he was pretty sure she had twenty versions of the sundress she was looking at. Cassie was the one that took her shopping for clothes anyway. It was their thing.

"Aww…" Diana pouts but goes without a fuss to the bedding aisle.

"Why don't you help me pick out some sheets for your sister?"

"There's one with stars on it." Thomas points out and grabs the set to hand to the seven year old.

Diana rolls the set around in her hands with a scrutinizing gaze and then shakes her head. "No. She needs animals."

She looks up at the selection of bedding and finally points up at a set with little brown rabbits. Thomas grabs it for her and after she scrutinizes it like the one before, she smiles and nods and holds it up for Valerie to see.

"Do you like it Valerie?" She asks and the two year old grabs it and scrunches her brows at it before smiling.

"Bunny!"

Stephen chuckles. "I'll take that as a yes." His phone then rings and he takes it out of his pocket to answer it. "Yes love?"

"Heyyyyy Honey…" Tony starts and the sorcerer instantly narrows his brows in suspicion even though his husband can't see.

"What did you do Tony?"

"What? Nothing! Everything's fine! FRIDAY just told me you were at the store and thought I'd tell you that we're low on diaper wipes." Tony answers casually.

"Lucy is covered in grease again isn't she?" Stephen asks flatly.

"It suits her."

"She is two weeks old! Give her a bath. A proper one."

"Yes Duchess." The mechanic chuckles. "We do need more wipes though."

"Noted."

Stephen hangs up and rolls his eyes as he directs the kids to the baby section. Wordlessly, he grabs at least three packs of wipes before grabbing a fourth just in case. Tony had a habit of wiping down Lucy with diaper wipes whenever she was down in the lab with him and she got dirty, but Stephen didn't even know how he managed that. Her motor skills were still nearly non-existent and he wondered if maybe his husband used her as a rag.

He wouldn't put it past Tony. He got tunnel vision whenever he got invested in a project. Stephen couldn't complain though. Lucy loved being in the lab with her father and Tibbs, and whoever else happened to be in there with them. Granted, she slept through most of the chaos, and when she didn't, she was very helpful to Tony.

Baby noises were apparently helpful.

"We better hurry and finish up so we can go save your sister." Stephen says.

"It might be too late." Thomas jokes.

They finish their shopping and Stephen opens a portal back to the penthouse where they find Tony giving Lucy her bath. Before Stephen can even open his mouth, he sees the baby tub in the sink and makes a strangled noise when he finds the water in it nearly pitch black.

"I'm afraid to ask...but what happened?" He asks through clenched teeth.

Tony looks up and actually looks a little sheepish. "Domino effect I think? Something backfired, Tibbs was startled...and I think he knocked over a box of dust."

"I wouldn't be surprised. You barely clean the lab." Stephen sighs. "I hope you found a baby underneath all that filth."

"I did. She's very cute too. Can we keep her?" Tony holds up their naked baby daughter and grins.

Stephen can't help but chuckle.

"You get to change the diapers."

"Always stuck with the dirty work." Tony grumbles.

[alnoman25]

How to clean a fabric sofa?

Extend the life of your fabric sofa : Cleaning and care.

The comfort and beauty that give us the sofa fabric have made them favorites to decorate the main hall, and any other environment that we want to dress in a beautiful and comfortable furniture . Unfortunately, one of the main disadvantages of fabric upholstery is that they are very prone to staining and dirt accumulating from continuous use, problems that spoil the impeccable original appearance of our furniture.

Despite the fact that furniture manufacturers have increasingly chosen to use highly resistant and durable fabrics , some even with special anti-stain treatments that extend their life and beauty , a fabric sofa will always need regular care and cleaning on which it will depend. in a lot that we can enjoy our favorite armchair for much longer .

Therefore, it is convenient to know the most important aspects related to cleaning a fabric upholstery, as well as those simple but valuable tricks that will help us keep our furniture with a perfect and pleasant presence for many years.

Before cleaning

First of all, before we risk improvising or trying cleaning products and techniques that may be counterproductive for upholstery, it is important to know some fundamental characteristics of our sofa:

Type of fabric: it is always recommended to inquire about the type of fabric used in our furniture, in general, synthetic fabrics such as microfiber are the most used for their qualities of softness and resistance , which makes them easier to clean ; However, we can also find cotton, wool, canvas, velvet or other covers , with differentiated characteristics that are worth knowing so as not to make irremediable mistakes when cleaning them.

In general, it should be known that cotton, linen and wool are natural fibers , fresh, resistant and light , they quickly absorb any substance that could stain them and therefore require greater care , but they tolerate machine washes very well and they stain with ease. While chenille and velvet should be kept away from the application of heat , such as the dryer or the iron, dry cleaning is always preferable for them . For its part, the canvas is very strong and supports well both washing with hot water and brushing.

Manufacturer's Recommendations:

In addition to knowing the type of fabric, it is relevant to know the specific recommendations that the sofa manufacturers give us for cleaning the upholstery, generally we can find a label among the cushions that informs us about the most precise cleaning instructions that we must try to respect. at all times .

Removable covers:

If we have a piece of furniture that we can undress to put the covers in the automatic washing machine or wash them by hand, this will be a great advantage in cleaning , otherwise we know that we must stick to dry cleaning and cleaning in place , and we probably should Use a professional cleaning service when stains are very difficult to remove with these methods.

Daily cleaning

Once we know the characteristics of the sofa that we will take into account at the time of cleaning, we must also consider that the care of our furniture is a task that must be carried out regularly , such as the general cleaning of the home, and must include care such as the following:

Vacuuming and brushing:

A fabric sofa is usually the perfect magnet to attract dust, dirt, pet hair and other residues that, when accumulating between the cushions and on the surface, represent a difficult hygiene problem that in addition to causing allergy problems and bad odors that they disturb people's rest, impair the aesthetics of the upholstery and the furniture looks dull, unpleasant and unappealing; For this reason, the recommendation is to vacuum the entire furniture every two weeks or at least once a month .

For vacuuming it is preferable to use a handheld vacuum cleaner with the appropriate head for upholstery and with a gentle vacuuming cycle , especially if the fabric of the sofa is delicate. We must also take care to vacuum very well in all parts of the furniture, including the back and preferably follow a crisscross movement to cover everything, without forgetting the folds and grooves between the cushions.

After vacuuming, we can brush with a very soft bristle brush or a special one for fabrics , in this way we will prevent the surface from being crushed and we will remove any lint or peeling that has formed on the fabric.

Simple cleaning:

A superficial cleaning and with a frequency of at least once every two weeks can be done without having to remove the sofa, cleaning the fabrics directly on the furniture . To do this, just use a mild detergent diluted in a little warm water , soak a clean cloth in the mixture, squeeze lightly so that the upholstery does not get too wet, and gently rub over the entire surface in slight circular movements . Then rinse the cloth in clean water , squeeze and wipe it all over the furniture again. Let the cushions dry very wellto later enjoy our sofa completely dry and clean again .

A deeper cleaning:

Although we regularly do a simple cleaning of the upholstery, it will also be advisable to carry out a more intense one less frequently, at least once a month we can remove all the fabrics to sanitize them in the washing machine or do a hand wash . In the event that our fabrics are very dirty, it will be appropriate to soak them for a few hours with a neutral soap and warm water , and then place them in the washing machine on a delicate cycle . It is not advisable to add bleach, fabric softener or some very abrasive product. For dryingIt is important not to apply temperatures above 40º C or expose the fabrics directly to the sun , in any case it is preferable to let them dry in the open air in the shade.

Dry cleaning:

If it is not possible to remove the fabrics from the sofa, we can do what is known as a “dry cleaning” , cleaning the fabrics directly on the furniture ; For this, there are numerous commercial products of very good quality with which excellent results are obtained, among these the spray foams stand out , preferred by many people for their practicality and effectiveness , these foams contain active ingredients that achieve good cleaning and help to remove light stains , it should only be sprayed on the surface and let it act for a few minutes and then wipe with a damp towel, the fabric will look a little wetbut it will dry quickly to let us enjoy a flawless sofa .

The magic of home tricks

If you do not have the budget for special cleaning products for upholstery, there are many very inexpensive alternatives with ingredients that we usually have at home and with which a good cleanliness is achieved .

Alcohol:

For example, common alcohol can be placed in a spray bottle to spray the fabric and then pass a soft bristle brush and finally pass a clean cloth , we will notice that the dirt remains on the cloth and the alcohol evaporates quickly leaving a sanitized surface and nice .

Lemon juice:

Another alternative is to mix in a container with a spray bottle ½ cup of water , 1 glass of alcohol , ½ glass of lemon juice and 1 large tablespoon of liquid or dishwasher detergent , mix very well and spray in sections on the fabric, we will brush each part and passing a slightly moistened cloth to remove the dirt, we will be able to distinguish between the clean areas and those that have not yet been worked on as we progress, the difference is remarkable and the final result is great.

When to clean stains:

To prevent our sofa from looking ugly due to those undesirable stains on the upholstery, the ideal is to act very quickly in the event of any accidental spillage. When any substance falls on the fabrics, the first thing to do is try to absorb it quickly with a clean and dry cloth , to prevent it from penetrating the fabric. After that we can act depending on the type of stain that we are going to treat, but always trying as the first option to simply clean with water and a mild soap , or rub the area with a cloth moistened with alcohol or vinegar .

Do you want to hire a cleaning service?

You do not have time? Don't worry, that's what we're here for. Hire our Sofa cleaning services if you do not know how to clean your sofa properly and if you avoid any contagion of diseases. We are also experts in the maintenance of furniture and carpets.

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Also be like:

The Best Window Cleaning: Tools And Techniques

SPRING CLEANING: 25 VERY USEFUL TRICKS, YOU CAN DO STEP BY STEP

[iamvegorott]

A New Life Ch 7

Anti-Party

“Yous look pissed,” Yancy commented when he came into the room after his workout, finding Illinois, face-down on the bed. 

“Annoyed.” Illinois corrected with a muffled voice. 

“They has punching bags in the gym if yous wanna beat it out,” Yancy suggested. 

“I might do that.” Illinois chuckled and rolled over to his back. “I’m guessing the workout helped?” 

“It was nice to do somethin’ familiar. I actually met-”

“You’re being the stick that’s up your ass.” Someone loudly laughed from outside the door. 

“Requesting that you at least give a warning before appearing here doesn’t make me a stick.” Dark’s voice followed.

“I’m just here to see Wilford and JJ.”

“You’re here to annoy me, Anti.” 

“Anti?” Illinois perked up and then he smirked. 

“A Septiceye maybe? Or another-” Yancy stopped himself when Illinois rushed over to the door and opened it. 

“Hello there~” Yancy heard the voice giggle and he made his way over as well, peeking out and seeing a green-haired, spikey ears and teeth, man standing next to Dark. “There’s two more?” The man turned to Dark and placed his hands on his hips. “You have two new people and you never told us?” 

“I was letting them adjust first before throwing more at them,” Dark spoke with gritted teeth, clearly trying to keep his tone even. 

“Are yous Anti?” Yancy asked. 

“Oh, so they know of me but I don’t know of them?” 

“We heard your name when Wilford and Dark were fighting.” Illinois had a cheerful smile as he spoke, lying like it was second nature. “It was something about comparing you two to Wilford and JJ.” Illinois saw the shift in Dark’s face and how Anti’s eyes went wide for a second. “Oh? Did I say too much?” Illinois poked a finger to his cheek and Yancy had to put a hand over his own mouth to stifle a laugh, catching on to what Illinois was doing. 

“Wow.” Anti popped his lips and took out a phone. “Phan, get the booze and get the boys. We have some newbies.” Anti said before he was suddenly gone, a strange green fuzz left in the air where he had been. 

“Great.” Dark rubbed his forehead. “Looks like we’ll be having company tonight.” 

“Exciting.” Illinois continued his smile as Dark glared at him. 

“I looks forward to it.” Yancy was smiling as well and Dark just grunted before walking between them and down the hall. 

x~x~x

Yancy looked around the large room, seeing the circular counter in the middle with lines and lines of bottles of alcohol on it. A little ‘stage’ on the very far right and a collection of chairs surrounding it. Music blared from speakers on the ceilings and lights of different colors flashed to the beat. Yancy glanced down at the red cup in his hand, the bright pink drink telling him to have more. 

“This is not what I was expecting.” Illinois’ voice grounded Yancy back to the present. “I mean, with how stiff so many of them are, I’m shocked they have this room.” 

“I’m thinking some of the Septiceyes are the reason.” Yancy gestured towards when Wilford was with JJ and Edward was with one of the other green-haired strangers. They haven’t been able to formally meet the others yet, all of them too distracted by the idea of a party. 

“And I’m thinking Anti’s the reason why Dark’s allowed it.” Illinois grinned and sipped from his own drink as he watched Dark leaning against the circular counter and Anti was sitting on it next to him, a big smirk on his face as he spoke. 

“He doesn’t trust them but lets them make a party room?” Yancy shook his head and took another drink. 

“Love is complicated~” Illinois sang, looking down at his own drink when he said that. Wilford must have made him something a lot stronger than he was expecting. “We should go say hi to the strangers. We might as well at least get names.” Illinois took a few steps towards a trio that was talking to each other, two of them looking very similar and the third being drastically different from everyone else.

“Baby steps,” Yancy said to himself and took yet another drink, needing a refill soon. 

“You must be the newbies.” One of the three greeted. “And you’re both pretty hot.” He added with a chuckle. 

“That’s the most forward you’ve been.” The one that looked just like him commented. 

“I can be much more forward.” 

“Please, don’t.” The third one sighed. 

“Illinois.” Illinois flashed a smile. 

“Phantom.” The first one smiled back and glanced over at the third one, his smile dropping when he shook his head. “Really?” Phantom huffed. “Why is everyone partnered off?” 

“What?” Yancy asked. “Did we miss somethin?” Yancy was ignored as Phantom looked out into the crowd. “Wait...not everyone is partnered off.” Phantom giggled after laying his eyes on a new green-haired stranger. “Real quick, what’s your name?” Phantom pointed at Yancy. 

“Uh...Yancy.” 

“Cool. Nice to meet ya. I’m going to go play.” Phantom winked before heading out, going right up to the man he saw. He went in front of him and wrapped his arms around his neck, pulling him in close and swaying to the music.

“I don’t think we were meant to see that,” Yancy said. 

“We were.” The second one said. “My name’s Mare,” He added as Phantom looked over at them and perked up a lot when the third one nodded his head this time. Phantom grabbed the stranger’s face and pulled him into a kiss. 

“Now I’m sure we weren’t supposed to see that.” Yancy turned away and used a hand to shield his eyes. 

“Mad was supposed to, at least,” Mare said. “He just adores being Phantom’s ‘hook-up radar’.” 

“No, I don’t.” The third one, Mad, grumbled. 

“Care to catch us up on what’s happening?” Illinois asked. 

“To put it in the easiest terms to understand, I feel emotions,” Mad said. “And by that I mean I know what others are feeling. Phantom was checking to see if there was any sense of attraction or arousal when you spoke to him.” 

“So that means the other guy did.” Illinois hummed, looking at Phantom again and seeing that the one he’s gone up to was bright red in the face.  

“Jackie,” Mad said. “He’s got super strength and speed.” 

“He’s a good guy,” Mare added. “Or at least, he better be to Phantom or...well…” Mare let that trail off.

“What about yous?” Yancy asked. “If he feels feelings and Jackie’s Superman, what yous and Phantom got?” 

“How much do you know about Dark? Power-wise?” Mare asked.

“Not much,” Illinois said. 

“Well, the more you learn about him the more you’ll learn about me and my brother,” Mare said.

“Brother.” Illinois hummed, understanding Mare’s previous comment about Jackie.

“Could yous be vaguer?” Yancy scoffed.

“I think he’d have to not-” Mad stopped when Mare placed a hand on the center of his back. 

“Phantom said partnered off, what did he mean by that?” Illinois asked, changing the subject. 

“Most of us are in a relationship,” Mare said, sipping from his own cup. 

“Who?” 

“Here’s the tea.” Mad saying that made Mare choke on his drink. “What? Did I say it wrong?”

“No, no, I just-” Mare coughed into the crook of his arm. “I wasn’t ready for you to say that.” 

“Phantom said that it means ‘here’s the information’ and it’s commonly associated with gossip and relationship talk is usually gossip,” Mad spoke quickly. 

“You’re right, you’re right.” Mare chuckled. “Now, for the pairs. We got-” Mare pointed as he spoke. “The doctors, Edward and Henrik.” Edward was leaning against the one named Henrik and they were both flushed in the face and laughing. “The ‘droids, Bing and Google.” Bing was singing along to the music and dancing with Google. Google, on the other hand, has earplugs in but still looked happy. “The ‘staches, Wilford and JJ.” Wilford had JJ in his arms and in the air as he spun around. “The parents, Chase and Marvin.” The two, Chase and Marvin, were getting handsy with each other on the ‘dance floor’. “Then there’s the undecided, Anti and Dark.” 

“They’re not together and from what I’ve been hearing, Dark’s fighting it,” Illinois said. 

“Oh yeah, big time.” Mare handed Mad his cup and Mad drank from it, finishing it off. “But if they keep up their drinking, they’re in for a night.” Mare moved his arm so it was wrapped around Mad’s waist. “And it looks like most of us are in for a fun night.” 

“Mare.” Mad lightly slapped at Mare’s chest but suddenly went stiff and looked at Yancy and Illinois, brows scrunching in confusion.  

“I’m guessing you and Mad are one of the couples as well?” Illinois asked, not noticing Mad’s facial expression. “Any fancy nickname?” 

“Can’t give yourself a nickname, you’ll have to ask one of the others,” Mare said.

“There you are!” A young woman rushed over to Yancy and Illinois with a young man at her side. “We finally get to meet you, I’m Yandere.” She stuck her hand out and was bouncing. “Oh! And this is Bim.” 

“Hello.” Bim awkwardly waved. 

“The teens,” Mare said. 

“Phantom wasn’t joking when he said everyone was partnered off.” Illinois chuckled. “Pleasure to meet you.” Illinois’ took Yandere’s offered hand and shook it. 

“You must be Illinois,” Bim stated. “Dark’s report said you were the more talkative one.” 

“Yous saying I don’t talk?” Yancy asked, crossing his arms. 

“No, no, no!” Bim squeaked and moved away from Yancy. “I was-I was just going off of-I-I-”

“Aw, you scared the poor guy.” Illinois’ laugh got Yancy to as well and uncross his arms. 

“That part of the report was right too.” Yandere said to Bim, voice softer but still overheard. 

“What part?” Illinois asked. 

“Oh! I love this song! Bye!” Yandere grabbed Bim’s hand and the two took off. 

“I’m gonna start bashing heads together if no one gives us a straight answer.” Yancy groaned. 

“Nothing straight to be had here~” Mare sang.

“Looks like we’re not going to get anything else tonight,” Illinois said. “Let’s go have some fun, Yanc.” Illinois looped his arm through Yancy’s. 

“How much?” Yancy let himself be lead away. 

“Let’s forget this night.” 

“Mare.” Mad watched as the two went off.

“Something’s off, isn’t it?” Mare asked, trying to take a drink and pouting when he found it empty. 

“I need to study them.”

“I’ll let Dark know.” 

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

Tag List: (let me know if you want added) @rainymae523 @m0th-goo @windymischeif @voonespelle @ashywasteland93 @robot-intestines @regalrain02 @madallice329 @sophiefrye22 @voe-isnotokay @hakuna-matata-666-13

[riovidal-harkness]

I’m in the corner, watching you kiss her (1/1)

Rating: Teen and Up Audiences

Pairing: Bechloe

Words: 6.6K

Summary: Beca is quietly in love with her best friend/roommate. They go out for drinks after a long week of work. What could possibly go wrong?

Notes: Title from and fic inspired by Calum Scott's cover of Dancing On My Own. Set in the 'PP3 doesn't exist but bechloe still live together in the Brooklyn apartment' universe. I apologize if it's a little rusty, this is my first fic in years.

Read on AO3!

Or...

Beca lets out an exaggerated sigh as she kicks the door shut with her foot, immediately dropping her bag close by and flopping down onto the poorly made fold out couch that her and Chloe share in the small Brooklyn apartment.

 Thank god it’s Friday, she thinks when pulling her phone out of the back pocket of her skinny jeans and rolling herself onto her back. 4:45 pm. Chloe will be home in half an hour, depending on how quickly she gets out of work to manage to catch the 5:05 train. Not that Beca memorized Chloe’s schedule and always waits for the older girl to arrive home... Not at all.

 She sits herself up with another slightly dramatic sigh. She shouldn’t be this exhausted from work, mentally and physically. She enjoys her job, most of the time. She should be happy that she’s living her dream, producing music and doing what she loves while also getting paid. But, the number of imbeciles she has to deal with on a weekly basis often makes her wonder why she ever wanted to do this in the first place.

 All she really looks forward after a long day of work is coming home to her best friend every night and cuddling up on their bed with snacks and her laptop, to watch whatever tv show or movie Chloe decided they have to see. Yeah, Chloe may have broken down a couple of Beca’s walls with her overly affectionate personality, she was also really hard to say no to. Especially since Beca has had feelings for the other girl for as long as she can remember, though she refused to admit it to herself for a while. It is easier to deal with now, the whole pining over your best friend/roommate wasn’t the hardest thing ever. She would never risk her friendship with Chloe because of some silly feelings, feelings that may have slowly turned into realizing she was in love with her. Who wouldn’t be totally head over heels for that girl? If her looks aren’t already enough; bright, gorgeous, bluer than the sky eyes that are full of hope and happiness, her smile that never fails to make Beca’s heart beat a little faster every time and let’s not even get started on her adorable giggle. It’s her gentle, dorky and bubbly personality that could light up a dark room. Her determination and passion, her love for the Bellas, her ability to see and appreciate the good in even the smallest things in life.

 There are too many reasons to count why Chloe Beale is one of the most genuine and beautiful people Beca has ever had the pleasure of knowing… Actually, she is the most genuine and beautiful person Beca has ever known.

 So, aside from the underlying feelings for her best friend that she neatly hides under a rug, Beca loves living with her. She is tidy, she gives Beca space to go into her anti-social bubble whenever needed, she makes her coffee every morning because Beca still hasn’t figured out how to use the stupid coffee machine even after having it for over a year. The two both genuinely enjoy each other’s company; they go grocery shopping together, they occasionally go out to lunch or dinner on weekends together when they aren’t extremely broke from paying monthly rent, they listen to music and dance stupidly around the tiny apartment. They work really well as a team.

 Usually, Beca forgets Amy also lives there too. She’s never really around that much anyway and when she is, it is just to grab a few things, make sly comments here and there about how married Beca and Chloe act before heading off again. Often but not always, coming home in the early hours of the morning– from her weekly boy toy’s house, or from the nightclub.

 Beca eventually sits up from her position of laying defeated on the bed and shuffles back to lean against the pillows, resting her phone in her lap. Starting to scroll through the Netflix app to see if anything sparks her eye to suggest to Chloe that they watch for the night, although nothing ever really does and the older of the two always ends up picking something.

 She’s only halfway through the ‘Popular on Netflix’ section when the door flings open and Chloe bounces through. “Hey!” she says with a cheerful grin, walking to place her handbag down on the coffee table. “How was your day?” she asks, turning to face the smaller girl after removing her jacket and hanging it up on the back of the door.  

 “Exhausting,” Beca groans, dropping her phone to lay beside her, “very glad it’s Friday,” running a hand through her hair lazily and continuing, “what about you? Save some more innocent little creatures to live another eventful day in the city of Brooklyn?” she says with a slight smirk.

 Chloe lets out a soft giggle as she kicks off her shoes, sitting down on the edge of the bed, “Not today, but I did get to meet this really cute puppy who needed his first vaccinations,” she beams with sparking eyes and a smile before shrugging lightly, “so, I’d say it was a pretty good day.”

 “Ah-ha, nothing like a tiny puppy to end the week off,” Beca says with a soft laugh, “wish I had your job sometimes, but then I remember the story of the cow and that thought goes away pretty quickly...”

 “Don’t remind me!” Chloe scrunches her nose, shaking her head with another giggle. “Why don’t we do something tonight, you know, to get your mind off of work,” she tilts her head towards the brunette with an empathetic smile.

 Beca raises an eyebrow curiously, “Depends on what you have in mind… I was pretty ready to just lay here for the rest of the night and do absolutely nothing.” – And maybe, cuddle just a little… she thinks to herself, refraining from saying it a loud. Chloe doesn’t have to know how much Beca actually does enjoy their cozy cuddling and patiently waits almost every night for the other girl to climb into the bed after her shower, smelling purely of strawberries & cream from her shampoo.

 “I mean, that is always fun, and I did find another interesting tv show for us to watch… But, why don’t we go out for some drinks?” Chloe shrugs a shoulder, “Let off some steam, dance it out… Get those delicious, unhealthy but awes burritos afterwards from that place you love down the street…” her lips turning into a small smirk.

 Beca hums softly, “I do love those burritos,” pausing for a moment, chewing her bottom lip as she thought about the proposition, “but I don’t know about having to deal with more dicks than I already do at work… With them also being drunk and wild, doesn’t sound like the best way I want to spend my Friday night.”

 Chloe pursed her lips with a small understanding nod. “Oh!” –she spins on the bed excitedly to properly face Beca, crossing her legs with a small bounce– “we could go to that groovy place Amy took us once, with the neon signs and yummy cocktails! It’s never usually that busy, that’s why Amy didn’t want to stay there long… Plus, it has that local DJ that you like playing there on Friday nights,” she says with a grin.

 “Damn. Cocktails, decent music and burritos… You really make it hard to say no, don’t you?” Beca smirks, watching Chloe doing an adorable little dance, making the bed shake lightly. “Alright, alright. Fine. I guess it wouldn’t be terrible… I do feel like a drink, maybe 10…”

 “Yay! Don’t worry, it will be aca-awesome!” teasingly emphasizing on the last word because she knows how much Beca hate the phrases that Chloe and Aubrey still haven’t let die. “I’m gonna have a quick shower and get ready then,” the older girl leaps up from the bed to head towards the shower, stripping her scrubs off on her way and chucking it into the laundry basket close by. Something that had become a reoccurring thing for Chloe to do, she’s seen the confident redhead in underwear or wrapped in a towel more times than she can count.

 Beca narrows her eyes, focus gazing down Chloe’s toned back before shaking her head and looking away, glancing down at herself to see if what she is currently wearing is nightclub appropriate. Probably not. She slowly shuffles off the bed to look through her rack of clothes hanging nearby. A different pair of black ripped skinny jeans and a slightly nicer top to match her leather jacket is what she decides on.

 Roughly an hour after Chloe gets out of the shower, she’s finally putting on her heels to match her little dark green dress and walking to the mirror to put in her gold hoop earrings. Ruffling long red hair to fall in waves down her shoulders.

 Beca raises an eyebrow from where she sits at the coffee table, putting her phone into her jacket pocket. She managed to get changed, freshen up her makeup, pour herself a drink of whiskey & cola and catch up on the rest of her work emails while Chloe was still getting ready. She admires the other girl’s outfit from afar, slowly trailing her eyes over her body and down her tone legs. She does love Chloe in green, it makes her eyes glow even more, if that was even possible, and goes so well with her bright, radiant hair. She sips the last of her drink before clearing her throat, “Finally ready to go, miss?”

 Chloe spins around with an enthusiastic nod, “Yep!”, walking over to grab one of her small purses and putting her phone into it. “How do I look?”, she cocks her head to the side with a confident smile.

 “Chlo, you know you look great,” Beca says as she stands from her seat, “I like that dress… It’s nice,” she smiles softly, finding it extremely difficult to take her eyes away from the bright ones staring back at her.

 “Thanks, Bec,” Chloe’s cheeks blush lightly as she looked down at herself and then back up, “you look great, too… Always.”

 Beca shrugs a shoulder, moving to place her empty cup in the sink to break the longing stare happening between them. Chloe really wasn’t shy when it came to eye contact. “I guess we clean up nice,” she says with a smirk as they move towards the front door.

 _____________________

 Chloe was right, the club really isn’t that packed, and it’s big enough that even with a few more people, it is still tolerable for Beca. They find a booth to sit in which isn’t far from the bar, so they’re taking it in turns getting the rounds of cocktails, so they don’t lose their seat. The music isn’t too bad either, Beca has a habit of over analyzing others remix choices but, this DJ is pretty good so she can’t complain.

 “See, told you this place would be cool!” Chloe nudges the smaller girl’s shoulder as she holds her straw between her fingers, taking a sip from her pineapple and passionfruit cocktail.

 Beca’s lips curl into a smile as she glances over to Chloe, “You’re just waiting for me to say it was a good idea, aren’t you?” she says with a soft laugh, “it is pretty cool, though,” she finishes with a shrug. “This cocktail is amazing, too. It doesn’t even taste like alcohol at all“–she stops to take a small sip– “Very deceiving, slightly dangerous. I know there is at least two shots of tequila in it ‘cause I watched him making it.”

 Chloe giggles as she shuffles slightly closer into the smaller girls side, “Let me try, I might get that one next,” she reaches over, taking a small sip and then glancing at Beca with wide eyes, “Oh, wow, yeah that is really nice… Try mine! It tastes like sunshine in a glass,” tilting her cocktail towards Beca.

 “You are like sunshine in a glass,” Beca says with a soft laugh before taking a sip, nodding her head slowly as she narrowed her eyes, “Mhm, yeah. That’s good shit.”

 “You’re good shit,” Chloe replies with another giggle, nudging against Beca’s shoulder again and settling her glass down on the table. “Now… It’s time to dance it out,” she whispers close to the other girl’s ear and then standing up, holding her hand out. Sending shivers up Beca’s spine from the quick closeness.

 Beca freezes halfway through sipping her drink, “Oh, no, no. I’m still about two drinks away from that, Beale,” she says with a shake of her head. Mentally trying not to break as Chloe’s lips turn into a small pout.

 “C’mon, Bec! I know you can dance! You’ve done it on stage in front of thousands of people,” Chloe argues, emphasizing her pout with a furrow of her brow.

 “That’s… Very different. Choreography and lots of practice,” she scoffs back with a laugh. “You go. I’ll watch your drink and keep our super cool, comfy booth company,” Beca grins as her lips try to find her straw again without breaking eye contact with the pouty redhead in front of her.

 Chloe lets out a soft huff and softens her expression, “Fine… But you better get your butt off that couch soon. This is just as bad as getting you out of bed in the mornings. Get yourself another drink!”

 Beca rolls her eyes and nods, watching Chloe bounce off to the slightly crowded dance floor in front of them and letting her shoulders drop slightly as she leans back, looking down to see how much of her drink was left– only halfway and tequila really did hit her pretty hard. Maybe she only needed one more before she was ready to dance. Again, Chloe is extremely hard to say no to. Plus, she really does want to dance with her best friend, although Chloe’s innocent flirty behavior only gets worse when she has alcohol in her system and Beca finds it harder to deal with every time they drink together. She always has to monitor her own drinking, just in case she did something stupid like accidentally tell Chloe she is hopelessly, pathetically, in love with her.

 She looks around her surroundings, the people in here aren’t actually too bad, compared to some of the places Amy has forced the two of them to go to in the past. There are hipsters, other people around their age who seem to be doing the same as them by enjoying the cocktails and some younger girls that appear to just be there to take photos with the neon signs to upload to Instagram.

 Beca eventually settles her eyes back on Chloe, a small smile appearing on her face at how freely the redhead is dancing, she really does look majestic and gorgeous without even trying. Her hair flowing down her back as her body moves with the beat of the song, hips shaking from side to side and a drunken smile on her face as she turns to look over to the booth, winking at Beca after noticing that she’s already staring.

 Beca gives a shy smile back and recoils slowly further back into the seat, glancing down into her glass as she plays with the ice using her straw. She looks back up about a minute later to see a, frankly, stunning brunette girl dancing near Chloe, seeming to get closer as the song continues. The stranger finally makes her way in front of Chloe, who gives her a friendly smile as she starts to dance with her, the two moving together to the beat. The other girl puts her hands onto Chloe’s hips, whispering something close to her ear. Beca swallows thickly and tries to look anywhere but at them, taking a slightly large gulp out of her drink as she tries to ignore the slight jealousy building up in her slowly.

 When she finally glances back at them, it’s just in time to see the brunette moving one of her hands to Chloe’s cheek and leaning in, starting to kiss her and… Chloe actually kisses back. Beca feels her stomach drop like she just went down a giant hill on a rollercoaster. Surely Chloe isn’t that drunk, she’s only about one or two drinks in front of Beca and even drunk, Beca has never witnessed her kiss another girl. Sure, she might have said to her a couple of years ago that she wished she experimented more in College… But she never actually brought it back up again after that, nor did she get anybody else to take her up on the proposal, she definitely would have told her. Beca thought about it a lot after it happened and mentally punched herself a couple of times for not taking Chloe up on the offer or at least exploring what she actually meant by it. Once she actually wanted to confront Chloe, after her and Jesse had broken up, she told herself it had been too long, and it would just be weird to randomly ask about it.  

 Beca furrows her brow as she glances away with a confused expression, instantly gulping down the rest of her drink and wincing slightly at the burn of tequila at the bottom of the glass. She tries to stop her eyes from glancing back at them but struggles and gives in, immediately regretting it when she sees them still kissing, more so, full on making out now. She puts her drink down on the table and rubs her sweaty palms over her jeans as she stares down into her lap. The feeling in her gut makes her feel sick and she can feel her chest tightening up like she was about to have a panic attack. Stop being stupid, Mitchell. She’s not even yours, she thinks to herself, but it doesn’t stop the lump forming in her throat. She had to get some air. Right now.

 She squints, glancing around while trying to avoid the two that she can still obviously see right in front of her and stands up quickly, immediately heading for the exit door, taking a deep breath in once the fresh air hits her. There’s a brick wall to her left that she immediately moves to lean against, closing her eyes as she tries to swallow back the stupid lump in her throat. Her hands patting her jacket pockets anxiously, letting out a small sigh of relief as she retrieves the cigarette packet and lighter– a terrible habit Beca has when she gets too stressed. She lights one up and leans her head back against the wall to look up at the sky.

 She has witnessed Chloe kissing other people before, and though it hurts a little every time, it shouldn’t hurt this much. But watching her kiss another girl rattles something inside of Beca that she can’t control. There are a few reasons behind not telling Chloe how she truly feels, aside from potentially ruining their friendship, she’s pretty certain the redhead is completely straight, and her own insecurities convince her that Chloe would never like her in that way.

 Taking a drag from the cigarette with shaky hands, she closes her eyes to try and focus on her breathing. She really should have just stayed at home.  

“Bec?” Chloe slightly yells as she comes out of the exit door while looking around, making Beca jump lightly, straightening herself up to not look so miserable against the wall.

Chloe furrows her brow and scrunches her nose as her eyes fall on Beca and the cigarette between her fingers, “What are you doing?”

 Beca glances into Chloe’s direction, “Just–” she clears her throat “–getting some fresh air…” She purses her lips and resists the urge to take another drag of the cigarette in front of Chloe after she notices how her red hair is slightly messier and her cheeks are flushed.

 “Well, don’t you think you’re ruining getting fresh air by putting that in your lungs?” Chloe questions as she tilts her head slightly. “Come back inside, we’re going lose our seat,” she steps closer.

 Beca can see how Chloe’s lipstick is slightly smudged once she gets closer. “Um, I… actually… think I’m going to head home,” Beca replies with a soft shake of her head, avoiding looking into Chloe’s direction, “That tequila kind of gave me a headache and I’m pretty tired.”

 Chloe’s face drops and her brow furrows again, “Oh…” She perks her head back up, lip quirking into a small smile, “Well, I’ll come with you then, we can get you some water and–”

 “No, it’s okay,” Beca interrupts, “you looked like you were having fun in there so, I’ll just see you at home,” she forces a half smile, a pretty poor attempted one and turns, walking away in the direction that she thinks the apartment is in, before Chloe can speak again.

 ______________________

 Beca gets back to the apartment in about double the time it took her and Chloe to walk there, she definitely did not go the right way. She shuts the door with a little too much force, making half the coats hanging on the back fall to the ground, giving them a glare and deciding she really doesn’t have the energy to pick them up right now. She glances around the small apartment, making sure Amy isn’t there. No surprise, she isn’t.

 She sits on the end of the bed, a dramatic and shaky sigh leaving her lips, feeling even more exhausted than what she did when she arrived home from work. The apartment feels even more empty and quiet than usual, making that dreaded lump in her throat come back. She isn’t even sure where she is looking, somewhere on the ground, but her eyes begin to blur as a few tears stray from her eyes to roll down her cheeks. Shaking her head with a groan, she wipes them away quickly and puffs out a breath. This is stupid, you are stupid, she thinks as she stands up, unsteadily shuffling off her jacket.

 Her eyes spot the bottle of whiskey she used earlier on the table, pressing her lips together and clenching her jaw slightly, she walks over to it and removes the lid, taking a long swig then instantly closing her eyes tightly as it burns down her throat. She makes a slow move back to the bed, slipping her phone out of her jeans with bottle still in the other and settles down against the pillows.

 Her mind wanders to what Chloe is doing right now, if she just walked back into the club without second guessing Beca’s behavior. What she might be doing with that girl right now. She’s probably still having fun. She can’t be mad at Chloe for any of it, she isn’t mad, it’s not her place, but it still is really hard for it not to hurt. She should have seen this coming, Chloe being with someone else, she should have prepared herself. Chloe is beautiful, she is bound to kiss or even get into a relationship eventually. Beca just didn’t properly prepare herself, like most things in her life.

 She doesn’t know how long she’s been sitting there, mind preoccupied by thoughts. She opens her phone, having to blink a few times to focus her eyes down on it. No notifications. She’s not surprised. Actually, she’s a little surprised. Chloe is the type to text if Beca got home safe, if she’s feeling better, if she’s sure she doesn’t want her to come back. Obviously, she was still having fun without her. Beca doesn’t care. She shouldn’t care.

 She throws it to the side and lifts her knees to drape her arms over them, hanging the bottle between them. The keys rattling in the door shakes her out of her thoughts, looking up with a slight frown as the door opens.

 Chloe walks in cautiously, holding a large paper bag in one hand. “Hey, you,” she says as she closes the door behind her, brow furrowing at the pile of coats near her feet and stepping over them before glancing up at Beca and then the bottle between her legs, “I thought you had a headache,” she settles the paper bag and her purse onto the coffee table.

 Beca chews on her bottom lip for a moment before responding, “Uh, yeah… I– I did…”, she glances around, unsure of what to say because she is terrible at lying, especially to Chloe. Clearing her throat, moving to settle the bottle down on the small bedside table carefully and crossing her legs in front of her.

 Chloe cocks her head to the side as she stares at Beca for a moment, “Okay, well, I got you this–” she pulls bottled water out of the bag, settling it on the table “–I know you don’t overly enjoy the tap water we have here,” her lip curving into a small smile before continuing, “I also got you this,“ pulling a wrapped burrito out of the bag.

 Beca smiles slightly, “Thanks, Chlo…”, she says in a soft tone, “I was going to get one… But I think I took the wrong way back.”

 Chloe pulls her own burrito out of the bag, struggling to balance both of them in her hands and pick the water back up at the same time but manages, walking over to the bed to sit down on the corner, dropping the items down, “I was going to tell you that, but you walked away too quickly for me to get a word out,” she blinks up at Beca, pushing the items closer to her.

 “Sorry,” is all Beca manages to get out as her eyes follow the other girl’s hand, glancing back up to find those ocean blue eyes still staring back at her.

 “Are you okay, Becs?” Chloe says with sympathetic eyes, shuffling further up the bed to get closer to her.

 Beca distracts herself by fiddling with the wrapping of the burrito in front of her, shrugging a shoulder lightly as she thinks about her response, “Yeah… Like I said, just tired.”

 Chloe lets a soft sigh fall from her lips as she studies Beca’s face, “You know, you can talk to me, right? I thought we were past this whole walls-built stories high Beca thing… “

 “I said I’m okay, Chloe. Just– Just drop it,” she runs her palms over her jean covered thighs, suddenly realizing how sweaty they are again, “please,” she adds on.

 Chloe blinks slowly as her mouth gaps open a little before pursing her lips together with a frown, staying quiet for a long moment before changing her mind, “Actually, no. Beca, I want to know what happened. It’s pretty clear you’re not okay. We were having a good time… Is it about that girl who started dancing with me because–”

 “No! I don’t care, honestly,” Beca laughs dryly, “I am totally fine, I just wanted to go home. I’m glad you were having fun… Tongue down her throat kind of fun.”  

 “What is that supposed to mean?” Chloe frown grows further with a wrinkled nose, “Are you jealous or something? I could have easily got her to come over to you instead.”

 Beca lets out another dry laugh, “That’s not what I wanted,” she shakes her head, slowly lifting her gaze from the bed to meet confused eyes.

 “Okay, then what do you want?” Chloe replies in lower tone as she looks over Beca’s face with those soft, glowing eyes that momentarily drop down to her lips before making their way back up.  

 Moments like this; she thinks, maybe, just maybe, Chloe has feelings back. That Chloe wants it all just as much. “I want,” Beca trails off, chewing the inside of her cheek, “to eat my burrito, I’m starving,” breaking the eye contact that was making the beat of her heart ten times quicker every second it continued. Idiot. Just tell her. Tell her how you feel.

 Chloe expression flattens into defeat as she sighs quietly with a small nod, standing up from the bed to grab an old t-shirt and sleep shorts out of the draw, changing out of her dress close by.  

 Beca distracts herself from glancing up at the redhead by unwrapping the burrito, taking a few small bites as she fights back and forth with her mind. She really wasn’t that hungry. Why did Chloe react like she was expecting, even hoping, for Beca to say something different? Did she really just miss her chance to say ‘I want you. Please want me the same way I want you.’  There are a thousand things going through her head as she sits quietly on the bed with her eyes fixated on the food in front of her.

 “I hope I got your order right; I’ve memorized it pretty good,” Chloe mumbles as she moves to settle down on the other side of the bed to lean back against her pillow, fiddling with her fingers in her lap. Her own food forgotten about at the end of the bed.

 “It’s good, exactly how I like it. Thanks, Chlo,” she says with her mouth half full, sending a small smile into Chloe’s direction, which instantly disappears when she notices how sad she looks. It’s like looking at a hurt puppy and makes that sudden drop in Beca’s stomach come back. She swallows her final chew and leans to settle the half-eaten burrito down on to the bedside table next to the bottle of whiskey. Gross combination, Mitchell. She turns back to shuffle to lay on her side facing Chloe, propping herself up with one elbow, “Hey, I’m sorry… I know I kind of ruined our night and all.”

 Chloe shakes her head faintly, “You didn’t, it’s okay,” turning her head to meet Beca’s gaze, her lips curving into a soft smile, “I’d much rather be here with you than anywhere else,” she says in a soft tone as she shuffles herself down to mirror Beca’s position and face her.

 Beca really hopes the dim, pathetic lights in their apartment hides the blush she can feel creeping up her cheeks. “You really are my favorite person, Chloe,” she says in an equally as soft tone, her eyes wandering over Chloe’s soft features, watching the way her smile brightens after Beca’s words which makes her eyes crinkle and her eyelashes flutter through slow blinks.

 “You’re my favorite person, too,” Chloe replies, moving her free hand that isn’t being used to support herself to gently brush a strand of hair away and behind Beca’s ear. Sparkling, blue eyes following her own movement before trailing back to land on Beca’s lips again, and then slowly returning to her eyes.

 Beca knows she didn’t imagine that one, that lingering stare definitely lasted longer that time. She closes her eyes for a moment to bask in the feeling of Chloe’s fingers lightly trailing down her ear and jaw, skimming down the side of her neck, sending a small shiver down her spine that she really hopes wasn’t that noticeable. She opens her eyes back up slowly to meet the soft ones staring back at her. Her lips part like she’s ready to say something but closing them again after realizing she has no words for what is happening right now, and she definitely didn’t want to disturb or stop whatever was. Her heart is beating like it was about to jump out of her chest.

 Chloe’s tongue flicks out to lick over her own lips and Beca’s eyes dares to skim down. She could feel Chloe inching closer ever so slowly, she could smell her fragrance–still that hint of strawberries & cream, mixed with the floral scented perfume she uses every day– Beca feels intoxicated and not at all by the alcohol she had consumed tonight.

 Chloe’s fingers gently continue to trail down Beca’s neck before returning their journey back up to behind her ear and rest her hand against her cheek to cup it softly. She’s moving so slowly like she is worried she is going to scare Beca away, searching her face for any evidence this isn’t okay before finally closing that last bit of distance between them, lips barely brushing against each other.

 As soon as she feels Chloe’s lips brush hers, Beca takes a light shaky breath in and leans further into the lips against her own. Was this really happening? Was there something unusual in that tequila cocktail that could possibly be making her hallucinate this? And then her mind stops working, drowning out to nothing but how soft Chloe’s lips are and how her knees feel weak even though she was lying down. She presses her lips further and tilts her head slightly as Chloe adds the same amount of pressure, kissing her back gently.

 Beca’s free hand trails up from where it was awkwardly laying between them to rest on Chloe’s rib cage and pull her closer as she feels Chloe’s thumb rubbing softly against her cheek, eagerly pulling her further into the kiss.

 The gradation of it all is innocent at first, their lips moving with each other’s like they are made for one another, shaky tiny breaths exhaled in between. But then Chloe’s tongue traces slowly out to meet Beca’s parting lips, Beca feels like she is melting into the bed as her tongue meets Chloe’s and her hand trails from Chloe’s rib cage around to her back, pulling her impossibly closer as their bodies press against one another.  

 Chloe is the first to pull back slightly after what seems like too long but also not long enough, to let out a much-needed breath. She leans in to press another soft kiss to Beca’s lips before fluttering her eyes open just at the same time as the darker blue ones, her lips curving into a smile, “I’ve wanted to do that for a really long time,” she whispers.

 Beca just blinks back at the clear ocean eyes staring back into her own for a moment, “You have?” she eventually whispers back, the hand she has laying on Chloe’s back mindlessly starts trailing to hold onto her side again, like she’s scared she is about to suddenly disappear and she’ll wake up from a dream.

 Chloe just nods, the smile on her lips brightening.

 Beca sighs, slightly in relief and slightly trying to calm herself, she can still feel her heart beating way faster than it normally does. She surges forward to meet Chloe’s lips again, feeling Chloe’s hand moving from her cheek around to the back of her neck and instantly deepening the kiss again. One of Chloe’s thighs makes their way in between Beca’s jean covered thighs as they pull each other closer, and closer. This makes the arm Beca was propping herself up on instantly give out.

 A soft giggle leaves Chloe’s lips after it happens before meeting her tongue again, she moves to slowly roll them over, so Chloe is lying on top of Beca, thigh still settled comfortably between her legs and the hand around Beca’s neck moving to tangle into brunette hair.

 Beca takes a shaky breath in as she relaxes onto her back, one of her own thighs finds its way between Chloe’s and she swears she hears the other girl let out a quiet moan. Her hands trailing to rest on Chloe’s hips as their tongues dance around together passionately, Beca can’t control herself from arching her hips up ever so slightly.

 Chloe meets her hips with a gentle roll down of her own, eventually tearing her lips away from Beca’s to start pressing soft kisses down her jaw line and across the side of her neck.

 Beca tilts her head back to accompany the soft lips trailing across her neck, keeping her eyes pressed closed as she breathes heavily before– “Wait…” she whimpers out.

 Chloe immediately stops and lifts her head up to meet Beca’s gaze with a slightly confused look, searching her eyes for uncertainty, “Are you okay?”

 “Yeah, I just–“ she swallows thickly, realizing how dry her throat has become “–Can we just–“ she stutters out, looking into the pair of eyes that stare back at her so protectively and lovingly “–I don’t want this to just be some drunken make out or just sex… I really, really, like you, Chloe,” Beca says the last part a little quieter.

 Finally. Beca feels a weight lifting off her shoulders as the words she’s been holding in for years finally leave her lips. Although she’s definitely holding herself back from saying I love you, just in case Chloe doesn’t feel the same. The possibility of losing her best friend is too much to think about right now.

 Chloe’s expression softens as she pulls back to be able to properly look at Beca, the hand in her hair trailing back to cup her cheek and caressing again with her thumb, fingers moving lazily against the soft part of her neck right under her jaw, “I really, really, like you, Beca. I have since the moment I met you,” she says with an adorable smile spreading across her face.

 Beca breathes out another sigh of relief, “Okay, cool,” her lips curving into a smile that’s probably a little too satisfied, “good to know.”

 Beca still couldn’t believe this was really happening. Did she really hold and suppress all her feelings for so long without knowing Chloe has felt the exact same? Was she that oblivious that Chloe liked her back? Clearly.

 “Yeah,” Chloe leans back down to press a gentle kiss to Beca’s lips, “good to know,” she murmurs against them, kissing soft lips a few more times before moving to kiss her cheek, shuffling to lay beside Beca again, “We’ve had a long night. Why don’t we cuddle and go to sleep, hm? Then I can show you just how much this definitely isn’t some drunken make out in the morning,” she hums, dancing her fingers down Beca’s neck, collarbone and shoulder blade.

 Beca nods softly, the smile plastered on her face not leaving any time soon, “I’d like that,” she turns to steal another gentle kiss from Chloe before shuffling herself out of the bed. She struggles her skinny jeans and top off, finding a band t-shirt already on the floor to slip on before picking up the burrito from her bedside table and Chloe’s from the end of the bed, “I’m going to put these bad boys in the fridge for breakfast,” she smirks and walks them over to the fridge.

 Chloe rearranges the blanket from underneath her so she can slip in and giggles, “Gross. But I like your thinking,” she winks and opens the blanket up as Beca turns off the lights and makes her way back over to the bed.

 Beca settles back in with a content sigh. “Just one more…” she leans in to press a gentle kiss to Chloe’s lips, feeling the redhead smiling against her lips as she kisses back. It’s not hard to map out where her face is because of their shitty blinds that don’t block out the streetlights or the morning sun.  

 Chloe shuffles them down as she wraps her arms around Beca’s small frame as Beca reluctantly turns around after a few more soft kisses, pressing her back into Chloe’s front. “Hey, Becs,” she whispers, pulling Beca closer as she nuzzles her face into her shoulder.

 “Mhm?” Beca hums out, already content enough to fall asleep quickly as one of Chloe’s hand finds her own.

 There was a long pause before Chloe speaks again, “I actually really, really, love you.”

 “I really, really, love you, too.”

   The end.