#also if the sentence count is wrong places i didn’t mention blame the sentence counter site i used not me.

[adelaidedrubman]

wip wednesday....... LOSERS’ edition.

(that’s every day with my characters but) i decided to kick off wip wednesday, and use it as an excuse to belatedly post the sentences written for the losers of the wip poll from a while back. in part because i lost the post with who wanted to be tagged in the losers post yeah. so, decided to share as a wip day buffet to the usual suspects instead (on that note, this is always a no pressure tag with no expectation you have to read in order to tag me back, but an extra bonus no pressure disclaimer please nobody feel obligated to read every excerpt even if you want to read one.) 

sending tags TO my beloveds @henbased @florbelles @unholymilf @belorage @socially-awkward-skeleton @corvosattano @inafieldofdaisies @direwombat @roofgeese @shallow-gravy @derelictheretic @strangefable @8bitpizzacoupons @stacispratt @orionlancasterr @v0idbuggy @jackiesarch @nuclearstorms @strafethesesinners @firstaidspray @clicheantagonist @simplegenius042 @miyabilicious @ladyofedens-blog @nightbloodbix @poetikat @voidika @ishwaris @confidentandgood @ri-a-rose @cassietrn @wrathfulrook @schoute @bluemojave @afarcryfrommymain @trench-rot @blissfulalchemist @shellibisshe @roberthouses @indorilnerevarine (+ open invitation + psa i am moving to an opt-in tag list soon so if you would like to keep/start being tagged please like or comment here.)

without further ado, the wips that just couldn’t rise to meet the #HANKSWEEP. these are in descending order of number of votes, so longer excerpts towards the top. credit to @derelictheretic for the text dividers i used here to break it up + make it visually easier to read your excerpt of choice.

HOOK, LINE, AND SINKER: 8 VOTES. the john/jestiny fake dating post getting dumped by their respective polycules au. here’s 8 sentences i wrote for chapter three following the poll, which i’m hoping to be able to post in full sometime this week.

“You crashed my boat.” “No shit!” she spat back, butting her forehead against his. “You shouldn’t have been fucking distracting me!” His brow twitched, his body tensing further. “You crashed. My. Boat!” “And did you get some kinda fuckin’ head injury during it or something?!” she barked. “The boat crashed —” “You crashed —” “— you have sufficiently fuckin’ established that.” She shoved her hand harder against his collarbone, digging her nails into the mass of his shoulder. “So how about instead of sitting around goin’ off like a broken record you get the fuck off me and help me shove this thing back into the water? I’ll even give you the honor of driving the piece of junk back to the marina, since you have such a minnow up your ass about me doing it.”

FIELD NOTES: 8 VOTES. working title for jenna’s canon, set pre-reaping. i’ve had trouble getting this one started beyond stray excerpts because i want to format it in a style that’s new for me, epistolary storytelling through research notes, emails, etc. mixed with traditional narration. on that note, i played fast and loose with tallying the sentences here due to the first part being in segmented shorthand, so it’s technically over count.

8:14 PM - Luggage Inventory, Convent Living Quarters. -Small but visible damage to zipper on inner pocket of main suitcase. Bending of teeth bent at approx. two inches from base. Zips with minimal effort, contents of pocket accounted for.  -Approx. 10ml fluid missing from water bottle clipped to handle, visual estimate. Check for leaks/transfer remaining fluid for lab analysis to be added to agenda.  -Slight tears to lining at  A gentle series of knocks drew Jenna from her journal, eyes settling on the peeling eggshell white paint and warped wood of the exterior door opposite the foot of her bunk. She flicked her eyes to the open doorway at her left to confirm that none of the women in the adjoining cabin appeared to have intentions of crossing the invisible barrier of privacy given to her as a ‘special guest’ with a ‘room all to herself’ and answering the knock themselves before climbing down from her bed to cross the short length of the room.  She left the journal open with cover flat atop the mattress and pen tucked into its gutter. It would just as easily read as an accounting of damage done by the airline on the flight over, were John to keep up the established pattern of indirect but relentless restless prying.  Jenna admonished herself for the intellectual laziness of making assumptions as she peered through the crack in the door she opened, finding it wasn’t John who stood there at all.  “I just wanted to see that you were settling in alright,” Faith greeted with a soft smile, dropping the hand that had knocked to fold into the one hovering at her waist, lacing the fingers together with palms pointed towards the ground.  She seemed careful not to touch the frame of the door, to do anything to tangibly intrude into Jenna’s space, but rocked forward on the balls of her feet to lean just past the threshold,  in subtle elicitation of an invitation to enter.

INFERNO: 3 VOTES. a simple lil role reversal au, baptist!jestiny/deputy!john.

He was sure if there were any onlookers watching as he stepped gently and deliberately along the slick mud of the riverbank to weave himself into the throngs of faithful, they would think he looked less like a Deputy County Attorney approaching a potential key witness, and more like a moth drawn to a flame.  All the better, he thought. He knew how to carefully craft a misleading image, too. 

AMERICA’S SWEETHEART: 3 VOTES. i never really planned to write anything in this verse or make it a cohesive story, but if i were going to i would want to do it exclusively through the pov of people just trying to do their job being forced to interact with johnjess. so here’s me playing with that, and with trying to use present tense for something besides the opossum fic. also i did lines instead of sentences because there were lots of short ones oops.

“They were national news. Were,” Penelope corrects with a hiss of derision. “When they were tried. I’m not driving four hours to Hope County every time the court has to deny the habeas corpus petition of the month! I mean, for the love of god, Stuart — I was a Peabody nominee.”  He shrugs as he folds in the temples of his glasses, carefully placing them on the desk beside his tea. “Was,” he grants flatly. “A nominee. You didn’t win.”  The stiff leather of his chair creaks in complaint beneath his shifting weight as he pauses a beat, tacking on, “The paper will be generous with reimbursing travel expenses, of course. There’s a new little resort that popped up at one of the marinas I’ve heard is actually quite nice. Has a spa and everything.”

MINE’S BIGGER: 2 VOTES. a verse vague john/jestiny silly little oneshot that is nsfw adjacent (excerpt fully sfw).

John swatted away the hand attempting to puncture the delicate silk lapel of his robe with the point of the badge, knocking the bronze star down to clatter against the hardwood.  “It doesn’t exactly require high-caliber deductive reasoning to see how desperately you’re trying to deflect right now,” he huffed, pulling up the neck of his robe with a protective grip.

JOIN ME IN THE SKY: 1 VOTE. a silly little john/jestiny airline crew au, john is a pilot and jestiny is a flight attendant. (ft. suffering crew members nick rye and mary may fairgrave.)

“What I’m doing is my duty as the Captain of this crew to see that its members are in line and following orders,” he bit out, shoving past Nick to take his place in front of the door to the absent flight attendant’s room. “Kindly see to it that you’re not the next subordinate in need of attention.”

…seriously? who the fuck was the one person who voted for wildfire? turn on your location i just wanna talk. but here. ““chapter 19””” or whatever

It had never been her particular habit, but as she watched billowing black smoke rise from the short, torn and twisted metal remnants of the frame of the silo with the heat from its explosion flaring hot on her cheeks, Jestiny thought she could understand now why some people enjoyed smoking after sex.

[natashxromanovf]

Drunk words are sober thoughts

Kaz Brekker x gn!reader

WORD COUNT: 1104

WARNINGS: mentions of being drunk, mentions of a verbal fight, mentions of vomiting, mentions of pills, not proofread

REQUESTED: {x} by anon, hurt/comfort ig?

SUMMARY: basically what the request says

A/N: wow i haven’t written anything in a long time so i apologise if this sucks. thank you for the request i had fun writing it! <33 gif credits go to @vera-kozhemiakina

Of course, he yelled. You knew he would the second things went south. It doesn’t matter who caused this mess, you were the lead, you were the responsible one. It doesn’t matter if Jesper was too loud, it doesn’t matter if Nina was too slow with silencing the guards, it doesn’t matter if Wylan was too late with the explosives. No, even if it wasn’t your fault, you were going to be blamed. And you made peace with that - it still didn’t hurt any less when the time actually came. 

Now you find yourself here, in a pub as drunk as a skunk. But this evening, you’re not all happy and energetic but instead, you’re sitting behind the counter, your head down and resting on your arms which are placed on the wood. Your mind is filled with bad thoughts, most of them surrounding Kaz. The bartender keeps looking at you while cleaning some glasses and you know what he wants to ask but you don’t have the energy to tell him that it’s okay to do so.

You were about to say something when the door opened, the familiar sound of a crane slamming against the ground filling the room. You immediately know who it is without even having to lift your head. 

“Y/N,” the voice sternly says, but it sounds more like an order than a greeting. 

“Go away,” you lazily reply, your words slurred even in a simple sentence like this. 

“No,” Kaz hisses, those dark eyes staring directly into your soul. You can feel him looking at you and he’s angry. Very angry. 

“Just let me be, I don’t want to go home yet,” you sigh, finally lifting your head. He rolls his eyes, taking a step closer.

“Let’s go” he insists, a very slight hint of worry evident in his tone. You ignore him, looking at the bartender and ordering another drink. “No, they won’t take that, we’re going home,” Kaz interrupts as soon as you stop speaking. 

“Fine,” you finally agree, standing up. As soon as you try to straighten up though, your head spins and you almost fall to the ground but Kaz catches you just in time. He quickly steadies you in place and takes his hands off your body in a matter of seconds. You’re not too hurt by that, you know he hates physical touch. You’re surprised he even caught you, to be honest. But you’re too drunk to think too much about it anyway. 

~

A couple of near falls and drunk words later you’re back at the slat, trying and miserably failing to get up the steps. You keep tripping on every other step and the hiccups that started don’t help a lot either. Kaz is patiently but also impatiently at the same time standing behind you, his face still emotionless. The sound of his crane hitting the wood is echoing inside your head, where you’re already feeling the beginning of a headache brewing. 

“Can you stop?” you nearly yell, turning around. 

“Stop what?” he questions, an “I dare you” look appearing on his face. 

“Stop walking behind me so loudly, stop staring at me, stop judging me, just stop,” you say, closing your eyes momentarily, massaging your head. Before he could say something again you turn back around, climbing the last few steps, stopping in front of your room. 

“You know, you should really think before you get drunk like that. We have a mission in two days and I won’t care if you still have a headache by then, you’re coming with us, and…”

“Kaz just stop for a second will you, I think something’s wrong,” you warn before rushing to the bathroom, making it just in time so your vomit hits the toilet. A set of hands collects your hair, removing them from your face. You flush the water once you’re done, sitting down beside the toilet, taking a minute to catch your breath. 

“Why are you doing all this, it’s disgusting,” you ask, genuinely wondering why is your boss, who absolutely hates touching anyone, who you have seen smile once or twice in the entire time since you’re known him, helping you when you’re drunk out of your mind. 

“Because I feel bad,” he replies, speaking quicker than thinking his words through. He immediately recognises what he just said, a very subtle but noticeable “I screwed up” look appearing on his face. 

“You… feel bad?” you stutter, shocked, totally lost for words.

“Just forget I said anything. You won’t remember this conversation in the morning anyway, so just go to your room now,” he commands, urging you to get up with his crane. 

“Kaz what? I- what?” you still can’t believe it, can’t believe the short sentence that just came out of his mouth. 

“I said forget it,” he mutters, leaving the bathroom. You follow him like a lost puppy and he guides you right to your room. “Go to sleep, and pray your head doesn’t hurt too bad tomorrow morning,” he says, that being his final goodbye before quickly but sternly walking away. Even now, this late at night, his walk is cocky, like no one is better than him. I guess your body language always has to deliver that message when you’re one of the best if not the best gang leader in Ketterdam. 

Still confused, you enter the room, immediately collapsing on your bed. Not even the sweat on your body or the absolutely disgusting taste in your mouth could force you to get up right now. Not like you had the chance to because in a matter of seconds your eyes closed, your muscles relaxing, and before you knew it, you were already sleeping.

~

The sun shining through the window wakes you up, and immediate pain shoots through your head. Before even fully registering what’s going on, where you are, and what time is it you groan, barely being able to open your eyes due to the intense banging inside your mind. You lazily look around the room, blurry memories of last night’s events flashing through your brain. There’s not much you remember but you do know one thing - Kaz saying “because I feel bad” definitely wasn’t a dream. You don’t know if he really meant it or if he just wanted to get you to bed as soon as possible but that’s a question for another day. Right now, all you want to do is take some of these pills someone left on your nightstand and go back to sleep. All the problems can wait until the afternoon rolls around.

kaz brekker: @imabee-oralizard @zamanlover

i hope you enjoyed this fic!! please don’t forget to like, reblog and/or comment, it really helps writers with motivation <33

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[derangedangel]

Kiss Interrupted - Klaus Mikaelson

Summary: Almost kiss, but interrupted for @idkhaylijah’s 3k followers challenge

Klaus Mikaelson x Reader

Word Count: 3,663

Author’s Note: Watch Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist which inspired this fic... okay it’s literally the base of this fic. Also, I didn’t realize until half way through it should be under 2k... sorry lol. Also the dress description I tried to give is the dress from Anastasia when she goes to the ballet. I haven’t posted in almost a year so be gentle please. 

It was a quiet afternoon in the Mikaelson home and you were enjoying a lunch with Rebekah. These moments where rare and few. You told your friend you didn’t feel like going out so she had lunch brought to the two of you. The dining table was set up beautifully so you still felt like you were dinging at one of New Orleans’s finest restaurants. Elijah was off to the side, enjoying a new novel. 

“Dear sister, why didn’t I receive an invitation to your lunch,” Klaus asked making his presence known as he entered from his study. 

Rebecca sighed placing her raspberry lemonade down before she acknowledged her annoying brother. “Nik, if you want to go on a lunch date with Y/N, just ask her yourself,” she quipped then smirked at Klaus. 

Your eyes grew as you paused mid-fork lift at Rebekah’s statement. 

Klaus replied quickly, no one noticing you get flustered at the thought of Klaus and you on a date. “I just wanted to bond with my little sister.”

“Oh, rubbish,” Rebekah said.

After you regained your composure you spoke up. “Would you care to join us, Klaus? There’s plenty of food.”

Rebekah spoke up before Klaus could respond. “Don’t offer him anything, Y/N. He’s just trying to bother us.”

Ignoring his sister Klaus smiled at you and said, “Thank you, love, but I’ll pass.”

“See, you don’t have to be nice to him,” Rebekah said, taking another sip of her drink.

“I like your family, Beks,” you replied, smiling at your friend. “In fact, I was thinking about having a dinner for my birthday next week if you would all like to come,” you asked looking at each of the Mikaelsons in the room.

Rebekah looked at you in shock. “Your birthday is next week?! How did I not know this?”

“Well, we’ve only know each other for a little over a year and last year when it was my birthday you Mikaelsons were having one of your... wars in the quarter,” you answered Rebekah but eyed Klaus at the last part of your sentence. 

Klaus raised his hands up in defense. “Don’t blame me. Blame the witches.”

“No friend of mine’s is just going to have a bloody dinner for her birthday,” Rebekah protested.

“Rebekah, I’ve had 49 other birthdays before this one. It’s no big deal,” you said nonchalantly before you took another bite of your meal.

“You’re turning 50,” Rebekah practically screeched. 

“Yeah. I’m a vampire, birthdays really don’t mean much anymore. I’m fine with a quiet dinner. I don’t need a lot of fuss over it.”

“Oh poppycock, Y/N. Fifty is a huge deal, regardless of the fact that you’re a vampire now. I’m throwing you a party. End of discussion,” Rebekah said then wiped the side of her mouth with her napkin and preceded to get up.

“You really don’t ha-,” you began to say but Rebekah interrupted you.

“No, I don’t want to hear it. The party is already in motion. And you deserve it.”

Elijah finally spoke up from his quiet corner, flipping the page in his book as he spoke. “There’s no use in fighting it, Y/N. Once my sister has plans for an event in her head, there’s no stopping her.”

You sighed, “Fine, do what you must Rebekah.”

“Fantastic,” Rebekah said clasping her hands together in joy. “And you won’t have to worry about a thing. I’ll start planning right now.”

                                                        ~.~

A few days later, you were once again at the Mikaelson home. It started to feel like you were there more than you were at your own place. But as a vampire, you had nothing but time and wanted to spend it with people you cared about. 

You sat at the kitchen counter while Klaus poured you some blood.

“How’s the party planning going,” Klaus asked making eye contact with you as he finished pouring. 

“I wouldn’t know. The only thing Bekah asked me about was a guest list and colors. She told me to come over this morning and that’s all I know.”

“I suppose she’s staying to true to the part about you not having to worry then,” Klaus said. He poured himself a glass of blood as well, but was standing on the other side of the counter. You were happy with the distance. For the past few months, something was brewing between you and the hybrid. You tried to ignore it. It was wrong. Klaus was Rebekah’s brother. He had a daughter to worry about and a city to rule. Not to mention, you knew he was trouble. It was best just to be strictly platonic with Klaus.

“I wish that were the case. From what I’ve seen, she’s going all out. A huge ball, which is completely unnecessary. And, no offense, but I’ve heard whenever you Mikaelsons throw a ball, something bad goes down.”

Klaus took a sip from his glass and titled his head. “In our defense, when we through a ball, it’s usually a ploy to find out what the wolves, witches, or other vampires are up too, or stake our claim in a new town.”

“So your record of successful, nondeath having balls would be?”

Klaus paused and thought for a moment. “None.”

“See,” you shouted pointing out the potential problem with your birthday party. 

A small smile graced Klaus’s face as he shook his head. “I’m sure your birthday will be the exception to that record.”

“How do you know,” you asked worried. Klaus began to move closer to your side of the counter. 

“No one would dare ruin a ball in your honor,” Klaus answered in a slightly serious tone.

“Okay, but how do you know that? Things have been pretty good for your family lately. And what would be a better time to strike than at a ball?”

“I wouldn’t allow anything to ruin your night. I’ll make sure the entirety of New Orleans knows not to try anything on Saturday night. They can burn down the city on Sunday for all I care, but I’ll rip their throats out if they try anything on Saturday,” Klaus replied. Somehow in your worriedness over your party, Klaus ended up right in front of you. 

You chuckled at Klaus’s statement. “You’d do that for me?”

“Of course.”

The two of you stared at each other in silence. Klaus could hear your heart pounding in your chest and you knew it from the way he smirked. He glanced down at your lips and you swallowed out of nervousness. He began to lean in slowly and you knew what was coming. You wanted this to happen. You had imagined how Klaus’s lips would feel against your own and it was finally about to happen. Forget your hesitance about why you should just be friends. You wanted him.

Your eyelids fluttered closed but then the two of you jumped apart at the sound of footsteps approaching the kitchen.

“Y/N,” Hope shouted excitedly. 

“Hope,” you replied just as excitedly trying to ignore the pit in your stomach from almost kissing Klaus.

“Aunt Beks told me all about your party and I was wondering...,” she started then lingered hoping you would get the hit before she even had to ask.

You nodded smiling at the teenager. “Yes, Hope, you can invited whatever boy you have in mind.”

“Thank you,” she said eagerly as she hugged you.

“Boy?” Klaus perked up from where he now stood behind the counter again. “What boy?”

Hope looked to her father, but you spoke up before things had to get awkward between the lovestruck teenager and her overprotective father. “Oh Klaus, let the girl bring a date. It’s my party and I’m allowing it.”

“Well she’s my daughter,” Klaus replied.

“And it’s my party,” you said, eyes gleaming at Klaus. You had a sort of confidence at the fact that Klaus was going to kiss you. A boost in your ego if you will. “You wouldn’t deny the birthday girl what she wants on her birthday, would you?”

Klaus leaned over the counter smirking at you. “I wouldn’t dream of it.”

You smiled back knowingly at him. 

You were a little lost in Klaus’s eyes so you didn’t initially notice when Rebekah entered the room.

“Alright, we’re already getting a late start. We’ve got to get moving, Y/N,” Rebekah said.

You turned away from Klaus to face your friend. “A late start on what, Bekah?”

“Dress shopping,” Rebekah said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. We have to find you a gown and have a seamstress tailor it to you. You have to look absolutely flawless on Saturday. I want it to look like you were born in that dress.”

You sighed closing your eyes to prepare yourself for the long day you knew you were about to have. Granted, you loved an extravagant gown and didn’t usually have a reason to wear one. But you knew Rebekah in party planning mode wasn’t going to be easy to deal with. “Fine, let me grab my bag and we can go.”

“Can I come too,” Hope asked looking between you and her aunt.

“Of course,” you smiled, happy to bring a buffer between you and Rebekah. 

                                                        ~.~

You were currently in your fourth dress. “Rebekah this is Hopeless.”

“I’m literally right here,” Hope said being cheeky.

You scowled at her joke and turned in the mirror. “I’m not loving any of these dresses. And this is our second store!”

“Be patient, darling,” Rebekah said as she went though another rack of dresses. “The prefect dress is here somewhere. Well, at least the perfect last minute dress.”

“Oh and speaking of last minute,” you said, stepping off the podium that was in front of the mirror, “I don’t have a date. How am I supposed to go to my own birthday ball dateless?”

“With the party I’m planning and the guest who will be trying to schmooze with you, you won’t even have time to entertain a date. And I’ll be busy on hostess duty so when I’m not with Marcel, you can dance with him.”

“Oh joy,” you said sarcastically turning on your heel. 

“And I’m sure one of my brothers will be loitering around somewhere. You can dance with one of them,” Rebekah said nonchalantly. Good thing she was busy looking at dresses or she would have seen your checks grow hot at the thought of dancing with Klaus. 

You walked over to another rack of dresses hoping to find the perfect one for your party. Out of the corner of your eye, you saw it. The perfect, show stopping, all eyes on you dress you had been searching for.

“Beks... I found it.”

Rebekah approached you and saw the dress you were holding so delicately in your hands. “You haven’t even tried it on yet.”

“I don’t need too. I already know.” You held the dress up to your body feeling the velvet material against your skin. “You think this is how brides feel when they find their wedding dress?”

Rebekah sighed, “I wouldn’t know.”

                                                            ~.~

After what felt like the longest week of your life, it was finally the night of your party. Rebekah made sure everything was taken care of, including having someone to do your hair and makeup. She even pulled out some old diamonds to go with your outfit. She mentioned something about a duchess owning them once, but your were to busy being blinded by the extravagant necklace to care. 

“Alright, the guest are starting to arrive,” Rebekah announced as she came into her room witch was your designated dressing room for the night. 

“Great! I’m ready,” you said standing up from your spot in front of the vanity. 

“Oh, you’re not going anywhere yet.”

“Why not,” you asked highly confused.

“You have to make an entrance! And you can’t do that with only ten people here,” Rebekah answered like you were out of your mind for even considering going down stairs.

You sat back down sighing. “So how long do I have to wait?”

“About thirty minutes.”

“What? But I’m ready now and-,” you began to say but Rebekah cut you off.

“No buts. You’ll thank me for it later when you see all those adoring people fawning over how incredible you look.”

“Fine,” you said crossing your arms over your chest. “Whatever.”

Thirty minutes later exactly, Rebekah returned and told you it was time. You left her room then waited for her to properly announce you before you made your way to the top of the stairs. She was right. It felt good to have everyone awing at how amazing you looked. You began to descend the stairs careful not to fall. Once you made it a few steps down, you saw Elijah ascend the stairs. Once he reached you, he held out his hand to escort you the rest of the way.

You smiled to the partygoers but spoke to the noble Mikaelson. “Thank you, Elijah. I was nervous I would tumble down these stairs then have to abruptly end the party out of embarrassment.”

Elijah kept his eyes forward as he lead you down the final steps. “You are more than welcome, Y/N. We couldn’t have the birthday girl enter her own party without a proper escort.”

You turned and smiled at him once you reached the bottom of the stairs. “We couldn’t,” you said then reached up to peck Elijah on the cheek. Out of the corner of your eye, you could have sworn you saw Klaus scowl at his older brother. 

The party was going smoothly. Rebekah did an incredible job and was a great hostess. Every passing minute, you worries about a potential Mikaleson threat ruining the night faded away. You danced with Marcel twice, and Elijah excused himself from Hayley to dance with you. Hope was having a wonderful time with her date, and as far as you could tell, Klaus hadn’t threatened the young man at all. Speaking of Klaus, you hadn’t seen much of him the whole night. 

The live band Rebekah hired switch to a new slow song and you quickly recognized the instrumental ballad they were playing. 

“I love this song,” you said softly to yourself. 

“Pardon me,” you heard a low accented voice say from behind you and you turned.  

“Would the birthday girl care to join me for a dance,” Klaus asked, his hand outstretched to you.

You tried to control you smile, but it grew wide and bright. “I’d love to,” you answered, then placed your hand in Klaus’s.

Klaus walked you to the dancefloor then slowly wrapped his hand around the small of your back and raised your join hands together.

“It’s about time you spoke to me tonight,” you said, being the first to break the silence. “I was beginning to think an enemy crashed my party and you were handling it.”

“I spent the past week threatening every supernatural creature within a 500 mile radius so that very thing would not happen,” Klaus said. 

Klaus was light on his feet. Elijah danced very formally. His steps were calculated. Marcel’s steps were more on the modern side. He danced to more upbeat songs with you. Saving the slow ones for Rebekah, so he could hold her close. Klaus was... smooth. You could tell he had the same classical dance style as his older brother, but he wasn’t as focused on making the next perfect step. He was graceful, but carefree. 

“Please forgive me for not finding you earlier to tell you how ravishing you look,” Klaus said making you blush and look away from his piercing eyes. Although it felt like Klaus was ghost for most of the night, his eyes didn’t leave you wherever you went in the room. From the moment you entered the party, his eyes were glued to you. He was jealous he didn’t get to help you down the stairs. Your navy dress fit you like a glove. The sparkles on the cape-like feature always hit the light just right so you couldn’t be missed. He wished you weren’t wearing gloves so he could feel the velvet soft skin of your hand against his.

“Thank you. It was all Rebekah honestly,” you said then looked back up into Klaus’s eyes, “she put all this together. I just picked out the dress.” 

“No,” Klaus said softly shaking his head at you. You tilted your head in question at his response. “Do not give my sister the credit. Yes, she may have helped with your hair and the makeup, but even without that, you would still be breathtaking.”

After that compliment you were sure you would have a permeant smile on your face for the rest of the night. You didn’t know how to respond to Klaus’s sweet words. Your hand that was placed on his shoulder gently went to the nape of his neck. You moved in closer to him so your chests were now pressed against each other. Klaus’s grip around your waist tightened. There was a warmth in his eyes that you hadn’t seen before. He began to lean down and your eyes fluttered shut.

“May I have everyone’s attention,” Rebekah’s voice boomed around the room without the need for a mic in her hands.

The bleak feeling of disappointment overtook you and Klaus as you pulled apart. Your hand glided down his arm, wanting to remain touching him in some way. 

“If the birthday girl would please come to the front so...”

                                                         ~.~

The party was basically over now. Just a few stragglers left. Everything went off without a hitch. You couldn’t have asked for a better night. Well, there was one thing you could ask for.

“Klaus?”

Klaus was alone on the balcony. Typical dramatic Mikaelson. 

He turned when you called his name. Your silhouette was perfect against the night sky. “Shouldn’t you be inside entertaining guest,” Klaus asked.

“I’m all party-ied out now,” you said then chuckled. A short breeze came by making you shiver as you reached Klaus near the railing.

“Here,” Klaus said, taking off his suit jacket and placing it over your shoulders. His hands lingered on you arms. “You should be inside.”

You tried to ignore the thud of you heart against your rib cage so you could speak. “You should be inside, too,” you pointed out, seeing as he was outside before you.

“Thousand year old hybrid here, love,” Klaus said smiling down at you. His hands left your arms and were now in his pant’s pockets.

“Fifty year old vampire here, Nik,” you stated being a smartass. 

Klaus shook his head as he laughed. “I think I may have you beat by a few hundred years.”

“Yeah, well, I should be fine out here as long as you’re here,” you said turning to the balcony, no longer looking at him.

There it was again. That warmth he felt when he was around you. It was like sunshine after a long and dark snowstorm. He felt light, at ease with you.

“You will be,” Klaus said. You turned your head to look at him and he was smirking at you. 

You felt nervous and giddy at the same time. Like a high schooler texting a new crush.  “What,” you asked smiling at him.

“You...,” Klaus said, his eyes trailed over your body. “You’re remarkable. I’ve done a countless amount of horrible things, but somehow, I’ve gotten the chance to know you... and you’re incredible.”

Your nerves were getting the best of you. Once again, you tried your best to control you smile, but you face was getting hot. “Klaus...,” you mutter, his name coming off your lips like a secret you wanted to keep for yourself. You nudged him lightly with your hand in a playful matter, but he grabbed it. His eyes serious on you.

He pulled you in closer. Your eyes searching his face for an answer to the thousands of questions that were going through your head. Suddenly, he let go of your hand and walked away. You were shocked to say the least. Blinking back utter confusion. 

Klaus walked up to the balcony doors and shut them. He turned around and faced you, a devilish grin on his face. “So we don’t get interrupted this time.”

Your shoulders relaxed as you smiled. Your sudden confusion melting away and turning to joy. “Good thinking.” 

Klaus took wide steps towards you, meeting you most of the way as you stepped forward and wrapped your arms around his shoulders once he reached you. His hands gripped your waist. His lips finally collided with yours. No interruptions. No worrying about what other people would think, or reasons why this could be a bad idea. Just you and him.

It was a good thing that the two of you were already dead, because the kiss was heart stopping. You removed your gloves earlier in the night, so your delicate hands were roaming through his hair as the kiss grew more intense. 

A flame ignited in Klaus’s chest from your touch. Your kiss was intoxicating and he knew he would never get enough. Why did he wait so long to do this again?

Klaus pulled back just as breathless as you. His hands rested respectfully on your lower back, while one of your hands was on his chest and the other in his hair. 

“Happy birthday, Y/N, ” Klaus said softly. 

In you post kiss daze you replied, “huh?”

“It’s after midnight,” Klaus explained. “You’re party was on Saturday, but now it’s Sunday. So it’s officially your birthday.”

A warm feeling grew in your tummy. This man already knew you so well. “Thank you,” you said gleaming up at him. You were already in deep with Klaus. There was no turning back now.

“You’re welcome, love,” Klaus replied. His hand now cupping your cheek as he gazed into your eyes. 

“Best. Birthday. Ever.”

[shoutaaizawas]

For your prompt thing, bakugou, werewolf, "don't look"?

thank you for this what a good combo

↳ bakugou katsuki x reader → ❝puppy❞

event: au prompts summary: your boyfriend bakugou refuses to show you his wolf form and your starting to think it’s because he doesn’t trust you. word count: 2,244 tags/warnings: werewolf!au, arguments, light angst, insecurites, hurt/comfort, fluff a/n: posting in the afternoon and putting my taglist who am i?

Bakugou was stubborn, that was a fact. Bakugou was also a werewolf, the alpha of his pack. You had also been dating him for a few months now and he had refused to show you his wolf form, not for lack of you trying to convince him.

Initially, it had been a shock to find out that your boyfriend was a werewolf, I mean who wouldn’t be surprised. You had been friends with Bakugou before you started dating and you had never suspected anything. A few weeks into your relationship he told you. You felt sympathy for Bakugou, you knew he hated lying and even though hiding a secret wasn’t exactly lying you knew he felt bad about it.

In his defense, you had never asked if he was a werewolf. You had told Bakugou over and over that you understood why he couldn’t tell you right away and weren’t upset at all but he had been upset with himself for a while. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t use it to get some cuddles from him.

Bakugou had been open in explaining things about werewolves and their packs. He had even introduced you to his pack members which he pretended to be annoyed by but it was easy to see he cared about them.

There was one thing that he hadn’t shown you and that you were dying to see. His wolf form. At first, you had assumed he would have shown you when the time arose but it quickly became clear that he was avoiding showing you. Eventually, you asked him outright but he refused and would not give you a reason why he would just tell you to stop asking.

You’d be lying if you said that it didn’t hurt your feelings? Did he not trust you? Was it something you only did with someone you knew you were going to stay with? What if Bakugou wasn’t serious about staying with you?

It seemed inevitable that things would end in a fight. It might shock most people but you never really argued with Bakugou, at least not seriously, you usually agreed on most things, and even when petty subjects came up you both were quick to sort them out.

The two of you had been lounging around your apartment after dinner. Bakugou always cooked such amazing meals for you. You had been curled up in his arms watching TV when you brought it up. In retrospect, you should have brought it up another time or in the least, you should have expressed yourself better rather than just jumping to conclusions but hindsight was twenty-twenty.

“I want to see your wolf form.” You said looking up at him from your spot against his chest.

“I told you no.” He said not looking away from the screen.

“Katsuki.” You whined.

“I said no, how many time do I have to tell you before you get it through your thick skull?” He nearly growled.

“Oh, so I’m stupid?” You said sitting up.

“That’s not what I said.” He said as he sat up from his lounging position.

“That doesn’t mean it’s not what you meant.” You said you could already feel the angry tears welling in your eyes. You didn’t want to cry. “I’m starting to think the reason you won’t show me is because you don’t trust me.”

“Of course I trust you, how can you question that?” He said. “I just don’t want to show you, why can’t you just take ‘no’ for an answer?!”

“I’m starting to think the reason you don’t want to show me is because you don’t plan on keeping me around that long.” You said standing up. You had to get out of here, you wanted to be anywhere but here. Your emotions welled up in you and it felt like you couldn’t breathe. “I mean why would you want to, I’ve never been good enough for you.”

Before he could say anything you left, slamming the front door as you did. You ran as fast as you could down the city streets hoping he wouldn’t follow you. You were so stupid why had you brought it up? You knew you were having a bad day, sometimes it was impossible to push away the insecurities that plagued you. It was just so hard to imagine why someone like Bakugou would be with you. He was way out of your league and it was only a matter of time till he realized that, or maybe he already had.

It was dark and cold. The streets were empty. You had left so quickly you hadn’t grabbed a coat or your phone and now you weren’t even sure where you were.

“Well, well, well.” A voice came from the alley you were walking past. It felt like you had no control, freezing in place. “What are the chances that Bakugou’s mate would end up in our part of town.”

Before you even saw the person you could feel a chill down your spine. The figure stepped out of the alley to reveal a tall, intimidating man. Even with just one sentence of context, you were able to realize this was a bad situation. This must have been the rival pack Bakugou had mentioned. Why hadn’t you just stayed home?

“Why am I not surprised that idiot would let his mate end up on the wrong side of town?” His tone was condescending. Hearing someone call you his mate was odd, you had never heard Bakugou refer to you as that. “Or maybe it’s just you that’s stupid? I can’t blame you for wanting to be away from that mutt. He’s really intolerable.”

“Don’t talk about him like that.” You tried to sound intimidating but your voice was shaky.

“Aww how cute, defending his honor.” He mocked. “But still can’t understand the appeal of a weak human.”

The closer he approached the more scared you were. If you run there was no doubt he would chase you down and you knew there was no way you were faster than him. The man grabbed your chin between his fingers.

“Get your hands off my mate.” You heard a loud growl from behind you. The sound of Bakugou’s voice already making you feel safe.

The man in front of you smirked tightening his grip.

“Ah, just the man I was looking for.” He said.

“Don’t look,” Bakugou said, you knew he was talking to you.

You weren’t sure exactly what was going to happen but you listened to your boyfriend, closing your eyes. Everything happened so quickly, it got loud. Growling surrounded you and you felt fur brush past your hand as the man’s grip was released. It felt like forever and only a moment at the same time. You heard a loud yelp and whine.

You couldn’t stop yourself, your eyes opening scared that Bakugou had been hurt. In front of you stood a large blond wolf with familiar red eyes. There was a line of blood across his jaw as well as red-stained fur at his neck. You knew this was Bakugou. You could see the other wolf running off with his tail between his legs.

“Katsuki?” You said you could tell he was tense. Was it possible for a wolf to look ashamed? You knew he hadn’t wanted you to see him like this. You covered your eyes with your hands, a pointless move considering you had already seen him but you hope he understood it as you trying to respect his wishes. You wanted to see his wolf form but not like this.

You didn’t expect to feel a nudge against your hand. Opening your eyes you saw him pressing his face against your hand. The gentle touch brought you to tears, the events of the night catching up to you. You fell to your knees wrapping your arms around his furry neck, careful of the wound there. Your stomach dropped, if you hadn’t been so dramatic he wouldn’t have gotten hurt.

Bakugou made a noise before pointing his nose in a direction. You realized he probably wanted to go home. You spotted his clothes that had been tossed aside. You grabbed them and followed Bakugou home

Thankfully there were not many people out except for a few that gave you odd looks and one woman who told you to put your dog on a leash which earned a growl from Bakugou as you sheepishly apologized.

Once you returned to your apartment Bakugou took his clothes in his mouth and went into the other room before returning in his human form. The gash was still present on his jaw and now you could make out the bite marks on his neck which only served to bring your tears back.

“I’m sorry.” You sobbed, Bakugou moved towards you unable to resist comforting you. His strong arms wrapped around you pulling you to his chest.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said what I said.” He sighed. “I should have realized how I was making you feel.”

“I should have told you differently.” You said. “I should have just respected your choice. It’s my fault your hurt.”

“It’s not your fault,” Bakugou said firmly.

Bakugou’s hand brushed against your hair, pressing you even closer to him. After a moment his hand rested against your cheek, lifting your gaze to his.

“I thought that you would be scared of me when I’m like that and the thought of you looking at me like that terrified me more than anything else could.” He said. The vulnerability that he was showing you was overwhelming, you knew Bakugou could never do this with anyone else. “I love you so much and I hate that I could ever make you feel like your anything other than perfect for me. Because you are perfect. If anyone isn’t worthy, it’s me.”

“Don’t say that.” You said covering his hand on your cheek with your own. Bakugou leaned down pressing a kiss to your lips. “Let me patch you up?”

Bakugou nodded and you lead him to your bathroom, he took a seat on the counter as you grabbed your first aid kit. You stood between his legs, dabbing a disinfectant cloth against his cheek. You let out a sigh of guilt at how deep the wound on his neck looked.

“Don’t worry, I heal fast. It’ll be gone by tomorrow.” He said, placing a hand on your waist.

“I know but I still feel bad.” You said as you continued your work.

After a few silent moments, you recalled something that had been said tonight.

“You called me your mate.” You stated, not making direct eye contact with Bakugou but glancing at his expression from the corner of your eye.

“I did.” He said as if there was nothing to talk about.

“You’ve never called me that before.”

“Not in front of you.” He admitted.

“What does it mean? I mean I know what the word means but what does it mean from you?” You questioned, you could already feel your stomach flipping in nervousness.

“It’s your other half. Someone you intend on being with until you die.” He said, even though he tried to sound nonchalant you could tell he was nervous. Butterflies filled your stomach and you looked at him directly now.

“Until you die?” You questioned. You couldn’t ignore the bright blush on Bakugou’s cheeks as he tried to avoid looking at you.

“Uh, yeah.” He said. “I know it’s a lot that’s why I haven’t said it in front of you. Humans are different. For werewolves it’s hard for us to trust but once we do it’s unbreakable. Once I trusted you I knew you were the only one I’d ever love.”

For what felt like the millionth time tonight you teared up but now it was in happiness. You couldn’t stop yourself from hugging Bakugou tight as you could.

“I love you, and I don’t ever want to be with anyone else.” You said into his chest.

Bakugou pressed his face into your neck breathing deeply, hands gripping into your shirt.

Finally, after you had showered and changed into bed clothes you laid in bed beside Bakugou, gently tracing the lines and edges of his face taking in everything you loved about him. Bakugou’s hands rested on your waist holding you close to him.

“I was scared tonight, I tracked your scent and when I caught scent of that other wolf I thought-” He said.

“Shh, it’s okay.” You shushed him, cupping his cheek looking deeply into his red eyes. “I’m okay, I’m right here. It’s all over.”

“I know. I don’t ever want to do that again.” He said.

“Me either.” You said brushing your thumb against his face.

There was a peaceful silence as you enjoyed each other’s presence, soft breaths in time with each other.

“So will you show me your wolf form again?” You asked. “Not right now but later. As much as I’d love to snuggle with a wolf I think I prefer to cuddle with someone that can hold me back right now.” You teased.

“Yes.” Bakugou sighed rolling his eyes at your attempt at humor.

“Good, you’re a really cute puppy.” You smiled.

“Normally, I wouldn’t allow that but I’ll let that slide tonight.” He said in a low growl.

“Whatever you say, puppy.” You teased.

Bakugou sighed before pressing your head against his chest.

taglist: @sugarmaplewings-fics @lilkiwisfinest @ewwis @kandy1410 @moonlightaangel @winnies-headcannons @bakugousidehoe @paintedr0ses1 @toobsessedsstuff @spellboundxizi @ourladyofseijoh  @x0doodlebug0x @katsushimaa @mooncademia

[avnkin]

THE BET ( jj maybank. )

Chapter 8 - Intoxicating

word count: 2k

warnings: mentions of sex, foul language, alcohol & the usual dash of angst

author’s note: it’s been a while but i’m getting my inspo back finally lmao hope you enjoy this chapter gif is by @heapass also veins oml

series masterlist

You and JJ hadn’t spoken a word to each other after what had happened. You’d just laid silently in his bed, listening to each other’s heavy breaths as you got your heartbeat to slow down from your previous endeavours.

“So what does this mean?” JJ was the first to break the silence as he rolled over to look up at you.

“Uh- i’m not sure, do you want this to mean something?” you hesitantly asked moving down a little so you were at eye level with each other.

“Yeah I do, but I think I may need some time to get over you and Rafe- I just can’t get the image of you two together out of my head”

That sentence made your blood boil, even if you wanted to get back together you weren’t about to let him blame you for everything that went wrong in your relationship.

“JJ are you being serious right now? It’s not like I cheated on you, we were broken up when I kissed Rafe!” you chided getting out of the bed, covering your naked body with his bed sheets.

“I don’t care and I wouldn’t have minded it as much if it had been anyone but Rafe! He’s made all of our lives living hells for the last year- I mean he nearly cost Pope his job! So it’s not because you made out with someone it’s who it was with!” JJ snapped back getting out of bed after you, quickly pulling on his boxers.

“You’re such an asshole! I don’t even know how I thought of getting back together with you!” you retorted hastily walking around the room in an attempt to find your clothes.

Once you finally managed to get fully dressed you went to unlock the door but JJ pulled you back before you could leave.

You quickly snatched your hand out of his grasp not giving him a chance to talk “give me a call once you’ve decided to stop being a self absorbed asshole” you grumbled slamming his bedroom door shut in his face.

You stormed out of the chateau still adjusting your clothes, when Kiara pulled into the driveway with Pope and John B, perfect timing.

“Hey-“ Pope started but was cut off by you crashing into his shoulder as you stormed past your three clueless friends.

“What was that about” Pope questioned turning to Kiara and John B who stood there, bewildered at your sudden outburst.

“Fuck” Kiara mumbled once she remembered the reason you’d been here in the first place, practically running into the chateau to find JJ.

“What the hell happened!?” Kiara shrieked as she pushed open the door into JJ’s room who just shook his head and let himself fall down onto his mattress.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about” he shrugged her off not bothering to look up at her.

“Don’t give me that bullshit JJ, I drove Y/N here earlier so you two could make up and then I see her practically crying running out of here so what happened!”

“It didn’t work out alright! We’re not getting back together and we’re not gonna be friends again, okay!?”

“was that your decision or hers?” Kiara countered.

“Hers! or- I mean I just told her that it would take time to get over the thing with Rafe and she just lost it!”

“JJ are you kidding me? You dated her for a bet and she was able to forgive you for that and you’ve got the audacity to be mad at her for something she did when you were broken up! Come on JJ you’re better than that”

“But its Rafe-“ Kiara quickly cut him off.

“I know! Do you think I like the fact she chose him of all guys to be with? But she was hurting because she thought that the guy she really wanted was only with her for money, you both need to sort your shit out because this is getting really tiring for all of us” she spoke gesturing towards her, Pope and John B who stood in silence behind her clearly taken aback by her words.

JJ scoffed not bothering to respond simply pulling a shirt over his head and walking past the three pogues towards the front door.

“You’re just gonna leave?” Kiara chided following after him “yeah I am” he replied coldly before slamming the door shut in her face.

Tears were furiously running down your cheeks as you walked the road down the cut that lead to figure 8.

Deciding to walk home maybe hadn’t been the brightest idea you had, it was so hot you thought you were going to pass out but you refused to spend another minute with JJ.

A sudden honk from behind you made you jerk around, only picking up your pace when you saw Wards all to familiar jet black Range Rover, not needing to guess twice as to who was sat in the drivers seat.

“Y/N?” Rafe leaned out the window as he pressed on the break just enough so he was able to drive alongside you.

“Go away” you replied curtly beginning to walk even faster although you knew your chances of outrunning a car were not in your favor.

“Come on Y/N let me drive you home you’re gonna melt out here in this heat” he sounded sincere his eyebrows contorting, silently begging for you to get into the car.

You came to an abrupt halt as you turned to face him arm crossed over your chest. You had two options one walk home in the burning heat which would probably take you around two hours or get into the car with Rafe and have to endure his company for 10 minutes.

You went with the latter huffing before pulling the door handle and getting into the car without a word, although you couldn’t contain the moan that slipped past your lips once the cool air from the AC met your flaming skin.

“Y/N I just wanted to-“ he began but you cut him off raising your index finger towards his face “stop I don’t wanna hear it just drive me home” he nodded obviously disappointed but kept on driving either way.

Once you pulled into your driveway he gave you one last pleading look but you didn’t give him a chance to talk muttering a small thanks before slipping out of the passenger seat and slamming the car door shut in his face.

You were in desparate need of a shower your sweaty skin beginning to stick to the shirt that loosely hung over your body.

You decided to push all thoughts of JJ into the back of your mind as you turned the shower on wanting nothing more than to take back the fact that you’d gone and slept with him.

“Idiot” you mumbled shaking your head the warm water travelling down your body the only comfort you felt you needed right now.

Just as you began to feel the corner of your eyes brim with tears you were startled to hear the bathroom door open.

“What the hell!” you shrieked once you saw Kiara walk in with a large purple backpack slung over her shoulder.

“That door was locked!” you yelled hurriedly grabbing a towel and wrapping it around yourself.

“I know that’s why I have a knife” she deadpanned before placing the silver object she’d obviously stolen from your kitchen on the bathroom counter.

“What do you want Kie?” you huffed finally stepping fully out of the shower and onto the white tiled floor.

“You, me” she lifted up the backpack she’d been holding “and our dear friend vodka”

“I love you” you gushed grabbing the bag out of her hands and walking into your bedroom gently placing it on your bed.

“What’s the occasion?” you turned to face her “the occasion is a party down at the cut” she smiled sitting down on your bed unzipping the bag revealing the numerous amount of white claws and the huge bottle of vodka.

“God are you trying to kill me? you know i’m a lightweight” you gaped at the numerous beverages but still grabbed a white claw quickly opening it and taking a large sip.

“Who said any of this was for you” she raised an eyebrow an amused smile playing at her lips “shut up” you laughed.

“You owe me this whole thing is your fault” you took another sip out of the can before it was harshly ripped away from you the liquid spilling all over your arm.

“Oh so it’s my fault you hooked up with Rafe” Kiara placed a hand on her hip as she held the white claw up with her other hand.

“No” you snatched the drink back before continuing “it’s your fault that I went to JJ’s which ultimately led to the decision of me sleeping with him and making a complete fool of myself in the progress”

“Fair enough” she surrendered “get ready we need to be down at the beach in half an hour”

Once you’d made it down to the beach you’d already downed four white claws and three shots the alcohol running through your veins making you feel dizzy as you walked alongside Kie towards the crowd of teenagers all packed together around the keg watching as a girl you didn’t recognised stood in a handstand downing the beer without a struggle.

“I could do that” you slurred Kiara’s head turning in the direction you were looking “no you couldn’t” she chuckled dragging you towards John B and Pope who looked beyond shocked to see you.

“Y/N?” John B looked almost panicked as he abruptly stood up his eyes frantically beginning to dart all over the beach before stopping and widening as he looked at something behind you.

You turned to where his eyes were directed and you were horrified at the sight before you. There he was none other than JJ Maybank himself with his tongue shoved down some girls throat.

“That asshole!” you practically growled throwing the white claw you held down onto the sand as you made a bee line towards him, Kiara frantically picking up the can before following after you.

“Real classy J” you sneered a scowl resting on your face as you gave him the most disgusted look you could muster.

“Y/N” was all he said as he turned to face you, he didn’t even look sorry.

“So this is your way of trying to repair our relationship” you shot at him and the girl quickly stood up practically running away from the scene unfolding before her.

“Hey i’m just doing what you’ve been doing all along” he replied curtly standing up to face you.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean JJ” you were surprised at your ability to form a whole sentence since you didn’t exactly see straight, but this whole exchange seemed to be sobering you up.

“I saw you earlier getting into that car with Rafe!”

“What? you were following me?”

“Yes! Because I wanted to come and apologise for how I acted but clearly I was right all along!”

“JJ I didn’t ask him for a ride or call him he offered and I accepted because because I didn’t really feel like walking all the way from the cut back home in the burning heat!” a hint of regret washed over his face at your words but you continued “It doesn’t even matter I don’t have to explain myself to you”

He was about to open his mouth and say something but you didn’t give him the chance. “We’re over and this time I mean it”

You suddenly became more aware of the crowd that had begun to gather around you and you quickly turned around pushing your way past the teenagers that were huddled behind you.

“Are you okay?” a frantic voice belonging to Kiara sounded from beside you.

You swallowed the lump that was beginning to form in your throat and turned to face her pasting on a fake smile as you did.

“I’m fine” you knew she didn’t buy it but she could tell from the look in your eyes that you were silently begging her not to press on it any further, you wanted to have fun tonight and you were not going to let JJ get in the way of that.

“Come on let’s get drunk”

[plainbrunettelbl]

ABO Rich (A) Katsuki Bakugo x Poor (O) Reader Money Can’t Buy You Everything Alpha (Chapter One)

Word count: 

Warnings: Mentions of possible Omega trafficking. Rude rich Bakugo. 

Title: ABO Rich (A) Katsuki Bakugo x Poor (O) Reader Money Can’t Buy You Everything Alpha (Chapter One)

Summary: Ten years later you run into a red-eyed customer that smells nice but has a terrible attitude. 

(Gif not mine)

💥-Boy were you wrong. You wanted money desperately.  

💥-You were now a struggling twenty-year-old who worked two jobs just to keep a roof over your head. One job you loved at the other you hated. Of course, the one you hated was the one that brought in the most money. 

💥-During the day you worked at a nice floral shop and at night you were a waitress at a popular night club. The tips paid really well so you tolerated the creepy Alphas that would try and get you into their bed.

💥-Another thing that made you struggle. You were an Omega. While that would have been okay in normal circumstances for you it was a life sentence. Once your mom had caught on about your presentation and how it could mean money for her she nearly sold you to the highest bidder. 

💥-Luckily you overheard her plans and got the heck out of dodge. So at eighteen you packed whatever you could into a bag and ran off. The first few months were horrible. 

💥-Being a homeless Omega was like leaving a nice juicy cut of steak in front of a group of lions. You had a few close calls with a couple of Alphas but nothing too serious.   

💥-An old Beta had seen you on the street and offered to house you until you could get back on your feet. She was a sweet old woman that ran the floral shop you were still working out. 

💥-At first, she had you helping around the store in payment for staying with her but then she noticed how handy your quirk was. She hired you after that and while it was decent money you didn’t want to burden her so you looked for another job and found the one at the night club. 

💥-Once you made enough to move out you found a cheap apartment on the less welcoming side of town. You didn’t mind it too much. Your neighbors could be loud at times but it was better than nothing. 

💥-So here you were standing behind the counter of Fana’s Floral trying to plaster a smile on your face. You loved this job but it was tiring working both jobs just to keep you afloat. 

💥-When you heard the bell chime you were under the counter looking for a pair of stem cutters for the order that was meant to be picked up at lunch. The sound of shoes tapping against the floor made you peek above the counter. 

💥-A pair of ruby eyes connected with yours. 

💥-They seemed oddly familiar but you couldn’t place from where. You quickly stood up and brushed off your green apron. “What can I do for you today sir?” You smiled. 

💥-The scowl on his face was unchanging. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed today. 

💥-“My assistant was supposed to pick up an order today but something came up. I would like to pick it up instead.” He sighed clearly impatient to get this over with. 

💥-You could tell from his white dress shirt and black slacks that he was well off but him mentioning an assistant sealed the deal. You had to make sure to treat him well so he could come back again. 

💥-“Of course. Do you have the name that went with the order?” You were quick to pick up the logbook. 

💥-“Bakugo. Bakugo Katsuki.” He stated offhandedly his eyes focusing on the phone he held in his hand. 

💥-That’s why he looked familiar! He was that boy you saved when you were a kid. You were glad he didn’t notice your eyes widening. Your brain instantly notifying you of the glaring differences in your appearance and social standing. 

💥-What did you say? Hey, you remember that girl that found you locked in a shed? I wasn’t desperate for money then but now I would take anything you offered. No way were you gonna let him know it was you. 

💥-Another thing caught you by surprise. He smelled delicious. The smell of salted caramel invaded your nose. You had come across good-smelling Alphas before but nothing as mouthwatering as him. 

💥-You quickly reigned in your Omega it could do anything stupid and busied yourself with finding his name in the logbook. Bakugo. Pick up at 11. A bundle of pink Peonies. Payment due: 356.25 

💥-Your jaw nearly dropped. You didn’t even know the store sold flowers that could cost so much. You schooled your expression before addressing him. “Pink peonies for Bakugo?” 

💥-His eyes looked up from his phone for a second before going back to his screen. “I don’t know what type of flowers he ordered. I let him pick them for me.” 

💥-“I see. I’ll go check in the back to see if they are ready.” You held a tight smile before turning and fleeing to the back. You saw the pink flowers in the check-out station. You grabbed them before heading out. 

💥-“I found them. They are wrapped and ready.” Set them on the counter. 

💥-He slipped his phone into his pocket this time. His eyes gazing at the delicate display. His frown deepened a little more. 

💥-“I don’t like the purple wrapping. Change it.” He demanded before taking his phone back out as he clearly wasn’t gonna leave anytime soon. 

💥-You floundered for a second. Wrapping things had always been your weakness when it came to working in the shop. You were working by yourself today so it wasn’t like you could pass it off to the other workers like you usually did. 

💥-“Of course. Right away sir.” You ran back into the back room to grab all of the wrapping supplies you would need. “What color would you like?” You called out.

💥-“Anything not purple.” He bluntly replied. 

💥-You picked out a sky blue and walked back out to him. Instead of being on his phone once more he was casually leaning against the counter. You tried not to blush as his gaze was focused on you. 

💥-“So do you get a lot of customers?” He asked. 

💥-“A decent amount. There is always a poor Alpha trying to make up with his Omega or an Omega wanting something to brighten up their den. You never know who will walk through that door.” You laughed. 

💥-You tried your hardest to wrap his flowers the best you could. No sloppy ribbon tying or crinkled edges. 

💥-“Sounds a bit boring if you ask me.” He answered. 

💥-“It can be. Around the holidays it gets busy but we also do bonding ceremonies so that can also keep us busy as bee sometimes.” You reply trying not to let his rude attitude affect you. 

💥-You cut the white ribbon that held everything together and sighed. It seemed decent enough. Not your worst work. 

💥-“Okay, that will be 356.25. Will you pay with cash or a credit card?” You looked up at him. 

💥-“Card is fine but I don’t think I would like the flowers to be wrapped anymore. Do you have a vase to put them in?” He remarked. 

💥-The smile on your face was starting to slip. What type of jerk had you re-wrap flowers and then ask you to end up putting them in a vase anyway. You don’t care if your Omega was nearly purring at the smell of him you nearly wanted to refuse and have the door hit him on the way out. 

💥-Of course, you couldn’t. He was spending good money and would likely come again if he every whim was met. So you tersely cut the wrapping away and went to go get a vase. 

💥-“What color would you like the vase? It will also cost you extra.” Your tone had taken on a slight edge. 

💥-“Extra doesn’t matter. A red one would be fine.” He added. He stopped leaning against the counter and stood straight up. 

💥-He really didn’t care about the purple wrapping or a dumb vase. He had merely asked for those alterations just so he could stay in your presence a little longer. There was something about you that had him lost in thought. 

💥-Like a distant memory or something. 

💥-He told himself it wasn’t your alluring scent that had him transfixed. You smelled of cinnamon and freshly baked bread. Sweet and comforting. Your cute frame and pretty smile were also not on his mind. 

💥-You worked in a flower shop for God’s sake. He wasn’t gonna associate himself with you any further than this stupid flower order his assistant wasn’t able to pick up. 

💥-Kirishima’s mate had his pup so he really couldn’t blame him for taking the day off. He was gonna be gone for a while since Bakugo agreed to give him a few weeks off to bond with the pup. Bakugo would shut him up every time he tried to thank him for it. 

💥-“Alright, the vase is gonna be an extra 26 dollars.” You slid the vase in his direction. 

💥-You tried not to choke when he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. He reached in and grabbed a black credit card. He swiped the card without even looking at the grand total. 

💥-You ripped off his receipt and handed it to him. 

💥-“Have a nice day.” You chimed. 

💥-He shot you a glance before picking up the vase and headed towards the door. Goodbye grumpy face. You were gonna leave it at that before he suddenly turned back and stated. 

💥-“Have fun playing with dirt.” He called out a small smirk on his face. 

💥-“I do have fun digging around in the dirt so don’t worry about me.” You joked back. Once the words registered you blanched. Hoping he didn’t catch on. 

💥-He let the door close and turned towards you. “You like digging around in the dirt? Why does that sound familiar? Have we met before?” He pressed. 

💥-You face would get even paler if it could. “I-I don’t think so. I would remember if we did.” You stammered. 

💥-“I swear something about your dumb dirt-covered face reminds me of something.” He stated. 

💥-“Hey! That’s not nice!” You quickly brush away anything that might have been on your face. “Trust me I would remember someone as rude as you.” You countered. 

💥-If he wasn’t gonna play nice than neither were you. 

💥-“Rude? I have been nothing but nice.” He began walking towards the counter. 

💥-Maybe you should have been worried about angering him but your filter flew right out the window. You would blame it on being tired later on. “You have been rude and brash ever since you walked in with that grumpy looking face of yours.” 

💥- “Grumpy face...” Something clicked in his head. 

💥- He slammed the vase onto the counter with a shocked look on his face. 

💥- “Plant girl?” 

I was surprised everyone liked the prologue so much. Thank you for you guys kind words! It really means a lot. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. What do you think of Bakugo being his usual rude self? You see the reader liking him for more than his scent anytime soon? I would like to know you thoughts. Thanks for reading. 💕

Taglist for this series Here. Please add your username. 💕

[farfromharry]

always (part one) | harry holland series

summary: harry helps to comfort you after the night before turned awful for you

word count - 2.2k

warnings - language, alcohol, yelling/arguing, mentions of throwing up

a/n - thank you so much for 300! also i think i’m gonna post once a week, most likely on fridays <3

“I have to go home Harry.” you giggled, trying to pull him towards the door of the houseparty you were in. He sighed, resting his head on top of yours, swaying you both slowly to the loud, booming music playing in the background. your phone buzzed again in your hand, the vibration alerting you of another text from Nate, and another one that you were going to blatantly ignore.

“ ‘m gonna miss you.” he drunkenly slurred, a giggle bubbling in your throat. you rolled your eyes, practically holding him up.

“Come on, I'm literally taking you home silly.” you had decided on being the designated driver for the night hours ago, right after seeing how harry downed his drink when you got here. you hadn’t particularly felt great all week but harry was so excited about this party, more so that it was for his brothers amazing performance in spiderman: far from home, and you couldn’t possibly turn down his offer, wanting to support Tom at the same time.

“need some help?” you looked up and made eye contact with harrison.

“yes please.” you whined.

With the help of a tipsy Harrison you managed to get Harry into your car, ignoring the almost consistent buzz of your phone now. Harry slumped into the passenger seat, laying his head on the window and quickly passing out.

“what am i gonna do with you?” you laughed, looking at your best friend drool on himself, you clipped his seatbelt into place and closed the door, getting in the driver’s side with a sigh. Driving to the large house the group of lads lived in was a routine for you at this point, you were there more often than you were at your own home. This time though, the short drive was filled with random muttered sentences falling from Harry's mouth every so often, mumbled under his breath in his sleep.

After pulling up outside the house you mentally debated what the best way to get Harry from the car to his bed would be. Eventually settling on just having to guide him there with a struggle.

“okay, come on mister, let’s get you to bed.” You hoisted him up out of the car, draping his arm around your shoulder as you led him up to his front door. Youu unlocked it with your spare key and hauled him inside.

“who knew you were this heavy?” you asked rhetorically, closing the door behind you with your foot.

“what are you doing?” you looked up and spotted sam sitting with his girlfriend in the living room, you smiled sheepishly.

“he’s really drunk, and also really heavy, please help me.” you pouted. Sam took pity seeing the drunken Harry cling to you, practically putting all his weight on you.

Sam wrapped his twin's arm around his shoulder, shooting a quick apology to Elysia, who brushed it off with an amused laugh.

Sam almost easily helped Harry upstairs, saving you the task of changing him into comfier clothes by doing it himself. leaving you to laugh in the corner at how difficult Harry was making it for his brother. when he was finally done he let out an exhausted sigh, throwing his dirty clothes in the corner of the room.

“thank you for your help.” Sam nodded, leaving you with a quiet ‘good luck.’ you looked at Harry with a sigh, pulling the covers of his bed over him and brushing your hand over his hair.

“y/n?” he slurred, blinking his eyes open just a little.

“hi, what’s up?” he smiled sleepily at you.

“thank you.” you giggled, looking at his half closed pretty eyes.

“of course.” you stroked his hair for a little bit longer than probably needed, making sure he was okay and didn’t need to be sick at all. He watched you the whole time with a lazy smile, nuzzling his head further into your loving touch.

“get some sleep, your heads gonna hurt in the morning.” before you left you made sure to get some painkillers and a glass of water. you placed them on his bedside table, kissing his head, making sure he was okay and asleep before you finally left.

The drive back to your flat was even quieter than the drive to Harry's home, no more drunken jokes from the passenger seat that made you laugh.

Even after pulling up outside your home you still waited in your car, not yet prepared to face your, no doubt, angry boyfriend inside.

After around 10 minutes of putting it off, you took a deep breath, climbing out of your car and heading into your building, greeting the receptionist on your way in. The lift ride up was long and filled with different scenarios of how this night could end, all of them overthought and turning out negatively. You hadn’t even started unlocking the door when it swung open, startling you.

“where the fuck have you been?” Nate yelled before you even stepped through the front door. you flushed in embarrassment at the idea of your neighbours hearing or seeing, shoving past him to make it inside.

“I told you, I was at Tom's party.” he scoffed, throwing his hands in the air dramatically.

“that was hours ago y/n!” you flinched at the loudness of his tone, wishing he would quieten down a bit. “where were you when i started texting you, huh?”

“I was making sure my best friend got home safe, because he was drunk out of his mind.” he rolled his eyes.

“since when was he your responsibility?”

“he’s always been my responsibility you arse, literally since we were 10.” you argued. you could almost feel the anger radiating from him, he was seething. You wanted nothing more than to simply just sleep this night away now.

“you know, he acts more like your boyfriend than me, and i am your boyfriend.” you laughed, glaring at him.

“Well that sounds like a you problem, Harry's just being a good friend, maybe you should try and be a better boyfriend once in a while.” he slammed his hands down on the kitchen counter, your eyes snapping to his face in fear.

“he clearly wants to fuck you.” this time it was your turn to scoff.

“no he doesn’t, do you not think he would’ve made a move by now, it’s been 11 years.” you finally snapped and let yourself yell. The argument seemed to go on for hours, back and forth of you defending Harry and him trying to make him sound like a bad person.

you didn’t even remember how it started by the time it ended, finally having enough of the shit he was saying. the same shit he’d been putting you through since he first met Harry.

“get out of my fucking house.” he stared at you dumbfounded, watching as you pointed to the door.

“what?” you rolled your eyes, moving to your front door and opening it.

“we’re done, get out.” Nate grabbed his jacket forcefully and stomped his way to the door.

“at least you can finally fuck him now.” you knew he was talking about Harry, he always hated how close you both were.

“you’re pathetic Nate.” he left without another word, leaving you to slam the door and think about everything that had just happened. A night that had gone really well, just gone down the drain.

There was a quiet, soft knock on your front door, a groan slipping past your lips as you thought it might’ve been Nate. you pulled it open rather forcefully, only to be met with your neighbours little boy. the 7 year old smiled at you sheepishly.

“hi Theo, what’s up?” you bent down to his height, looking into his brown eyes with confusion.

“me and my mum heard shouting, we just wanted to make sure you were okay.” your heart melted, looking up and making eye contact with his mum, standing in the doorway across the hall. you mouthed a ‘thank you’ and she nodded.

“Was it you and harry?” he asked shyly.

“no, it wasn’t Harry, don’t worry he’ll still come over.” Theo had told you once while you were babysitting him that he loved Harry, the male always told him a joke that’d make his stomach hurt with laughter.

“But I'm okay, thank you Theo.” you ruffled his hair, sending him back to his mum with a wave.

you closed your door and leaned back against it, finally letting some tears fall as you began processing things.

you spent most of the night crying, blaming yourself for everything that happened, even if you knew that wasn’t the case at all.

The next morning, well late morning, there was a knock on your door. you dragged yourself out of bed and didn’t even check before opening, mentally regretting it when you spotted the curly haired male standing in your doorway. you didn’t want him to see you in this state, even if he’d seen you at your worst many times before.

“hey, i just- what’s wrong?” he noticed the tear stains on your cheeks, his heart aching at the thought of you being in any kind of pain.

you walked forwards without a word and buried yourself in his chest, arms around his waist. He stroked your hair, holding you equally as tight as you were holding him.

your stomach growled at you, but not in a hungry way, your eyes widening. you let go of Harry, much to his confusion, and quickly rushed to the bathroom, throwing up everything you’d eaten the night before. the burning pain in your throat forced tears to your eyes, your knees aching from the firm tiled floor.

Harry was there in an instant, holding your hair back so nothing got in the way. His large hand rubbed your back gently, coaxing you through it until you stopped after your stomach was more or less empty. you sat back on your knees once you were done, arms still clutching the bowl in case you felt the nauseating feeling again.

“So, I take it you still don’t feel well?” you shook your head, ignoring the feeling in your gut that told you it was more than a bug.

you flushed the toilet, quickly brushing your teeth and washing your hands, having Harry stare at you through the mirror the whole time. Once you were done you sat back beside him on the floor, shoulders touching to give you any form of comfort.

“why were you crying?” you looked at him from your place on the bathroom floor and let a tear slip from your eye. your eyes stinging from how many tears you’d shed in such a short span of time.

“we broke up.” Harry frowned, pushing away the happy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

“what happened?” you let out a loud sob, harry ignoring the pounding headache he had from his hangover to tend to you.

“awe love, it’s okay, always thought he was an arsehole.” you stifled a laugh, wiping your cheeks and looking at him.

“he was just, he didn’t like you, and you’re so important to me.” Harry smiled sympathetically.

“I'm sorry, i didn’t mean to-“ you shushed him, shaking your head.

“i’d rather have you in my life than him.” a few moments of silence passed by as Harry thought deeply about what you said.

“can we cuddle?” you asked quietly, almost scared to ask, snapping him out of his daze. Harry nodded, helping you up off the floor and guiding you to your room.

the two of you got under the unmade, crisp white covers on your bed, your head resting on his chest and your arms around his waist. you were silent for a while, just happy to be laying there in his warmth with harry’s fingers running through your hair. at some point you ended up falling asleep, a smile breaking out on Harry's face. He knew you probably didn’t get much sleep last night from the bags under your eyes, so he was glad he could provide you with enough comfort to do that for you.

you woke up to Harry shifting, sitting up in your bed. you groaned, trying to fall back to sleep, finding it almost impossible now Harry’s body heat was gone.

“where are you going?” you grumbled.

“i have to go, i’m sorry.” you pouted, harry placing a kiss to your head as he slipped his shoes on.

“are you sure you’re gonna be okay without me?” you nodded, flashing him a smile.

“if you need me, at any point just call me, any time okay?” you nodded again. you quickly pulled him into a hug, thanking him for helping you.

“i’ll see you soon.”

“bye Harry.” you frowned as you watched him leave, hearing your front door close a few seconds later. you closed your eyes again, willing yourself to go to sleep, prepared to sleep the rest of the day away as a distraction.

after being unable to fall asleep you groaned loudly, angrily tossing one of your pillows across your room, not caring what you knocked over.

“what a fucking day.”

harry holland taglist - @euphorichxlland @theliterarymess @drie-the-derp @sunkisseddreamer @call-me-baby-gir1 @fallinfortom @hollandbroz-n-haz

[onedoesnotsimplywriteafanfic]

That is what you get for saving the enemies wife

(I do not own the Gif) 

Characters: Jax, Juice, Opie, Tig, Chibs, Half Sack/kip, Gemma, mentioned ; HectorSalazar, Clay morrow

Pairing: Prospect Juice X reader, Jax x Sister!reader

Summary: When you walked by the clubhouse of the Calaveras, you notice smoke coming out of the building. After a better look you find out the clubhouse is on fire. You decided at first not to interfere but after hearing someone crying for help you climbed trough a window without hesitation. A women is trapped in the burning room, while you break open the door you try not to get notice because you’re on enemies ground. No one saw you help the women later know as the girlfriend of Hectar Zalasar, only leaving the building trough the window you came.

Zalasar is determent you started the fire and wants revenge. Sending you a package filled with an acid bomb which leaves you blind after opening.

Seven years after and still trying to make the best of your life you grow closer to the new prospect. He is the first one besides your brother you open up to over the incident.

Warnings: none?

Word count: 5,709

Navigating through a room filled with black smoke, I looked for the door. My lungs filled with smoke and my eyes full of tears I struggled to kick in the door. The silhouette of a woman was barely visible. I ran in and helped the woman to her feet. With one arm around her waist and the other I held her arm, which was over my shoulders. At walking pace we walked through the corridors to the main entrance. I let her go a few meters before the entrance. Saying she had to move on herself.

I turned around and walked back to the room from which I had entered. Looking back, the woman tried to identify me but all she saw was the logo on my jacket. The reaper.

With my whole body wrapped in cold sweat, I shot straight up in my bed. Gasping and coughing, I panicked and tried to look around but everything was dark. Tears came to my eyes when I found out it was a dream. After I had calmed down, I put my feet next to my bed. I stroke over my clock on my bedside table for the time, half past two. With a sigh I got to my feet and walked more cautiously to the kitchen.

Navigating through the hall with one hand on the wall, I found my way. In the kitchen, I took a glass from the counter and filled it with water. I felt the cool liquid slide down my throat. I thought back to my dream, I couldn't remember much of it, but from the way I woke up I had an inkling of what it was about. 

I had no regrets about the day or the things I did. Maybe if I had kept walking, my life would have looked different now. A second pair of footsteps came down the stairs, faster than mine. They walked into the kitchen and stopped there. ‘’Jax?’’ I asked out loud. The footsteps could only belong to one person, my brother. ‘’I'm here, darlin’. Another nightmare?’’ I nodded slowly. I heard Jax approach, he pulled me closer and put his arms around me. ‘’I wish I could do something about it, I hate to see you like this.’’ With my arms around his waist, I buried myself in his chest. ‘’It will be okay.’’ It came out less believable than I had hoped.

Jax heard the disappointment in my voice. ‘’I wish I could sit with you on the couch, waiting for you to fall asleep again but the club needs me.’’ I pulled away from him and put a hand on his cheek. ‘’Go, I'll see you later today.’’ I squeezed his cheek softly and smiled. With a kiss on my crown he walked to the door, there he stopped and called. "Will you call when you arrive?" After my accident, he was very protective even though he knew I could take care of myself. ‘’I'll be fine, I'll ride with Mom.’’ I shouted after him. The door slammed back into the lock. With a deep sigh, I refilled my glass with water and then found my way to the couch. I made myself comfortable and started a podcast that I listened to until I fell back asleep.

Later that morning, I was awakened by my mother. "Honey wake up, I'm leaving in thirty minutes." Slowly I woke up. I opened my eyes with a dull feeling. Sitting upright, I felt for the TV remote and paused the podcast. I rubbed my eyes extensively but gently. In the kitchen my mother was busy making coffee and as soon as she had her cup she went straight to the club, which meant that I had to hurry.

Feeling through my closet for the right combination, all my clothes were divided into compartments. Pants, T-shirts, tops, cardigans, blouses and even dresses. Separated by small edges at the top of the railing. My outfit for the day was simple, jeans with a T-shirt and flannel blouse. My shoes were down by the door. Before I left my room I grabbed my cane and sunglasses. 

Downstairs my mother had a cup of coffee ready for me. ‘’Drink up." She handed me my mug. ‘’Thank you, Jax is already at the clubhouse.’’ I gave her the heads up. ‘’I suspected it.’’ She looked over her shoulder. I stood against the counter and drank my coffee. Listening to the movements my mother made and the vibrations I felt under my feet, I got the feeling that she was stressed. ‘’Is something wrong, Mom?’’ With my mug between both hands, I looked in the direction I thought she was standing. ‘’The garage, there is another customer who is difficult and your father," she stopped mid-sentence. My father was Clay Morrow, Jax was John Teller's son. 

My dad ran the Sons of Anarchy, it was sometimes hard for my mom to agree with some of the decisions but she was 100 percent behind him. ‘’Dad knows what he's doing and we have to trust that.’’ I placed my now empty mug on the counter. ‘’I know, and I do.’’ She stopped and thought. ‘’Let's just go.’’ She said finally. I nodded and walked to the door. Before I left the house I put on my ankle boots and slipped into my denim jacket with my Sons vest over it. Matching my brothers style.

The ride to the club was not long, the sound of the engine filling my ears. The wind blew through my hair through the open window, with my face turned out I felt the rising sun warm my face. The radio echoed softly in the background. With my thoughts elsewhere, I didn't realize we were already there. The car had been parked for a few minutes. My mother taps my arm gently. ‘’Hey, we're here.’’ Blinking my eyes, I sat straight up in the chair. ‘’Thanks for the lift.’’ With a smile, I opened the passenger door and got out.

Always parked in the same place, the same way. Parked backwards in the parkingspot so the passenger was facing the club. That way I knew immediately where to go without asking. ‘’If you need me, I'll be in the office.’’ My mother called from her side of the car. ‘’Okay, I'll come by later, I think.’’ She nodded and walked to the office, without my knowing, I continued my way to the entrance of the club.

Inside, Tig, Chibs and Oppie were sitting at the bar, with Half Sack as the bartender. The four men greeted me one by one. ‘’Hey there Doll.’’ Tig was the first to get up and walk over to me. With one hand on my cheek he gave a kiss on my crown. The goatee on his chin tickled my forehead that made me giggle. ‘’Hey Tig.’’ I said with a big smile on my face. Tig and I were always very close, now worse than ever. People sometimes thought we were together, maybe if he had been a little younger or if I was a little older who knows. Age didn't matter, but deep down twenty years was quite a lot. When Jax wasn't around, Tig was the first to stand up for me and be capable of anything.

Chibs sat at the bar and greeted me candidly. ‘’Oi, love.’’ Chibs was barely understood with his accent and he only said two words. For hours I could listen to him, talking about one of his many stories. The way he told it combined with his accent was everything I lived for. He often talked about his life back in Belfast. The place where he grew up in Northern Ireland.

On the other hand, Opie got up and greeted me with a hug. ‘’Hey kiddo.’’ His arms folded around me. ‘’Good to hear from you again.’’ Opie was on a ride with a few other members and was gone for four days. He was like a brother to me. The three of us grew up. It was always Jax, Opie and myself. ‘’I missed you.’’ I whispered into his chest. His grip around me tightened a little. ‘’Missed you too.’’ He whispered back.

The door behind us opened and by the way and sound of how they walked, Jax emerged from the chapel. ‘’Okay, listen, everyone is expected in the chapel.’’ Opie turned to Jax and stepped aside to show that I was there too. ‘’Hey.’’ Jax said with a smile in his voice. ‘’I'll have a very important job for you.’’ He stopped in front of me and put his hands on my shoulders. ‘’Oh, really?’’ I looked at him with a tilted head. ‘’Yes, we are getting a new prospect this afternoon. But there is no one who can put him in his place.’’ I had to chuckle the way Jax conveyed it.

Whenever a new prospect came into the club, we treated them like he was less than us, that way we taught them to stand up for themself. Life in a motor club was not easy, the violence, the blood we had on our hands. ‘’So ...’’ he stretched the words. ‘’I was thinking about you, they need to know who to really fear.’’ I laughed. ‘’Okay, I have to do some shopping before the next lockdown, because someone forgot.’’ I emphasized someone and patted him on the chest. ‘’I had Half,’’ I interrupted before placing the blame on the prospect. ‘’No, it doesn't work that way, it was your job and now I can do it.’’ With one hand on my hip, I looked at him. ‘’Sorry, sister.’’ He spoke honestly. ‘’The things I will do for you.’’ I said with a sigh.

Before I closed the club doors behind me, I heard Jax say. ‘’Kip, go with her.’’ And moments after, Kip, also known as Half Sack, came running out. ‘’Hey, wait a minute.’’ He called as he tried to keep up with me. ‘’It's sweet of you, but I can go shopping alone.’’ A panting Kip walked up next to me. ‘’But who will help you with lifting the groceries, do you know how much you have to take back?’’ enough to feed an entire orphanage. ‘’Fine.’’ I said briefly.

I didn’t want Kip to drive us. It was not because I didn’t trust him in a car but I liked to walk. ‘’What do you think they are talking about back at the club?’’ Kip asked out of nowhere. ‘’I don’t know, if it is important we will know soon enough.’’ I answered his question, shrugging my shoulders. Important or not Jax would tell me anyway.

The club was under some stress with the Niners, the police were on our backs and my dad and Jax weren’t speaking on the same page. There was a lot they could have been talking about. On the occasion I was allowed in the chapel, be present by the meeting and be able to vote. Every other time I was not, Jax would always fill me in later on in the day.

The grocery shopping took for ever, people that were complaining that it took me to long to choose a product or that I hit them with my cain. One man, in his late thirties, was ready to start a fight and I was having none of it. Getting more and more angry, not of the fact that he accused me of anything because of my blindness but of my vest.

He was mansplaining me that women didn’t belong in the club and that we were only good for getting beer and sex. It took everything in me not to hit him but I got close. Kip did had to hold me back before I did. ‘’All I am saying is that it women belong in the kitchen not in the club itself and don’t get me started on women wearing the vest.’’ before I handed Kip my cain I checked where the men was standing. ‘’Hold this.’’ I said and let go of I it and took a step forward.

Kip who knew me and what I was capable of, jumped into action and wrapped his arms around my waist holding me back. ‘’If I were you, you should shut up and leave. Blind or not she has a mean right hook.’’ Kip warned the man. The man looked at me, but before he could protest he was asked to leave by the staff of the grocery shop. ‘’I am so sorry ma’am.’’ The young lady of the staff said. I smiled nicely at her. ‘’It’s oké.’’ And continued looking for everything else we needed.

After paying and double checking if we had everything we headed back to the club. Kip was carrying more then he could and I had two bags. ‘’Don’t you think we may have bought to much?’’ he had difficulty walking due the extra wight. ‘’No, with those animals, you can never have enough.’’ I thought back to a couple lockdowns back, we had enough to last two weeks. One week in and the kitchen was empty.

The prospect arrived just after Kip and I had left. The young man in his late twenties of Puerto Rican descent with a mohawk and head tattoos reported to my mother in her office. A soft knock could be heard on the door. ‘’Come in.’’ Gemma called from within the room. Carefully he opened the door and stepped into the small office. Gemma turned herself in her chair and looked at the young man. ‘’I'm looking for Jax Teller. Do you know where I can find him?’’ He immediately got into business. ‘’And who may you be?’’ She asked uninterested, ignoring his question. ‘’My name is Juan Ortiz, I'm the new prospect.’’ He continued talking.

Gemma looked him up and down. ‘’Great.’’ she said and stood up. ‘’Sit’’ She said as if he was a dog and walked out. He did what she said and took a seat in one of the chairs next to the desk. ‘’Don’t touch anything.’’ Gemma said before walking out the door, heading to the clubhouse.

We entered the parking lot of the club and headed inside. ‘’Maybe we should have taken the car.’’ I said as the realization hit me. My feet were sore and I felt bad for Kip. ‘’Need a drink?’’ I asked him, placing the bags on the pool table.

Kip placed his bags on the table as well and made a relieving sound. ‘’I can’t feel my arms anymore, and I am not allowed to drink, yet.’’ he said, pouting. It was one of Jax many weird rules, prospects don’t drink from the bar. ‘’Oh toughen up, what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Besides, I am the one who offers.’’ Making my way behind the bar.

Neither one of us knew my mother was in the chapel as well until they walked out. Kip was sitting on one of the bar stools and I stood behind the bar. Both a glass of whiskey in hand.  The door opened and every one walked out one by one. First my mother, followed by my brother and then the rest of the group.

The first thing Jax noticed was Kip drinking. ‘’What did I tell you,’’ he started but I stopped him. ‘’Shut up and let him have it. He deserved it.’’ I said trying to point him Jax his direction. Kip crabbed my arm and pointed it more to my left. Now I was pointing at Jax. Some chuckles filled the room, mostly of the others while Jax stood with an amused expression. I was the only one who could talk back to him like that.

After a good laugh my mother asked Jax to follow her. The others joined us at the bar for a drink. ‘’You know my poison, doll.’’ Tig said seductively and winked, while adding a sound effect. So I would now he winked, not that I wasn’t already thinking that.

I grabbed a bottle of beer from the fridge. Everything was labeled with braille, the shelves, the bottles, all to make my life easier. Placing the beer on the bar and before I could let go Tig already took it from me. ‘’Thank you, dear.’’ he said with the utmost sweet voice he could muster.

While we had fun in the clubhouse, talking and drinking, Jax walked back to the office with Gemma. Inside Juan still sitting on the chair, looking like a lost puppy. He noticed the two walking in and stood up immediately. ‘’I’m,’’ he started while holding out his hand, but Jax cut him off. ‘’Don’t care follow me.’’ Jax said and turned around to walk back to the clubhouse.

Every new prospect was treated like a no body when they first got here. The sooner you grew a pair and stood up against them the sooner you got treated as an equal. They both entered the room and all the heads turned to them. I stood still leaning against the bar looking ahead of me.

Neither of the guys spend much attention to Jax and kept talking. The two walked over to the bar, standing close to it to hear their conversation. ‘’One rule, don’t piss off the lady.’’ Jax said while pointing to me, knowing I could hear them. Juan followed his gaze and looked at me. ‘’I don’t see,’’ he started and a smirk played along my lips. Their it was, the one thing I hoped he would say. ‘’Well neither can I.’’ I said as the bitch I can be.

Everyone else tried to hold back their laughter. ‘’I’m sorry?’’ he asked a small panic in his voice, not realizing I was blind. ‘’What did he say about not pissn’ of the lady’’ Chibs said in the most Scottish way possible. The boy looked horrified. ‘’Well? What can’t you ‘’see’’?’’ I asked with quotation marks when I said see.

I looked in their directions, waiting for him to speak. ‘’I don’t see how I could piss of such lovely lady.’’ He stuttered a bit. Licking my lips I thought of what to say next, but I thought we had already scared him enough for now. ‘’Don’t worry, you don’t piss me off that easily.’’ I flashed him a soft smile.

But not everyone agreed with my statement because Tig snorted loudly. ‘’Watch it Trager, before I put real poison in your drink next time.’’ I shot him a death glare as I put down my sunglasses. He knew I didn’t mean any of it, and couldn’t help but laugh. ‘’You love me to much to have me dead, doll.’’ I shook my head and laughed, knowing it was true.

I turned back to Jax and Juan. ‘’Please take a seat.’’ I gestured to a hopefully empty stool. Jax excused him self and walked back into the chapel as his phone ringed. Juan took a seat and I pored him a glass of orange juice. ‘’Here you go.’’ I placed it on the bar and another fit of snickers and laughter erupted from the others. ‘’Orange juice?’’ He questioned.

Leaning with my elbows on the bar I turned to him. ‘’Got a problem with that?’’ I tried to look at him straight but failed, I ended up looking past him. ‘’No, not at all.’’ he said careful not knowing how els to respond. ‘’Good, so tell me, what is your name?’’ A playful smile lingered around my lips, the boy in front of me sounded to innocent and brought a different type of myself to the surface.

For a strange reason I felt comfortable around him, even tough we’ve just met. ‘’Juan Ortiz.’’ He held out his hand and waited for me to shake it. ‘’Yeah, we ain’t gonna call you that for ever.’’ Standing back up straight and ignoring his outstretched hand. Here most of us had a nick name or something els then our real name to go by. Most men just called me pet names in staid of my name.

Juan looked at me, more like staring at me. ‘’What is your problem?’’ He blurred out, realizing what he had said once it was to late. ‘’Excuse me?’’ I said turning my head once more in his direction. This time I meant being bitchy. The boys went silent and I could hear someone walking towards my side of the bar. ‘’Well you see,’’ I had to interrupt him then and there. ‘’That is my fucking problem, I CAN’T.’’ I said angry and ripped off my sunglasses tossing them god knows where.

I looked at him, my face exposed to him. It was the one thing I was insecure about, my eyes. The were pearl withe and glossy, but the skin around my eyes was red and burned. A gasp left his lips and he was lost of words. ‘’That’s what I thought.’’ I said and walked away, nearly tripping over someones feet. ‘’Sweetheart.’’ Tig tried to hold me back, he was standing behind me and it were his feet I tripped over. ‘’Don’t.’’ I said with a trembling voice.

I brushed past him and walked outside, forgetting my cain behind the bar. ‘’I.. I uhm didn’t know.’’ Juan started but didn’t know how to continue. ‘’It was kinda obvious, you could have seen her scaring, even whit sunglasses and there is braille everywhere.’’ Opie stated the obvious. Juan began to feel more guilty by the second. ‘’I should talk to her.’’ he started and looked for my sunglasses to give them back to me. ‘’I don’t think that’s the best idea.’’ Jax said, standing in the door frame leading to the chapel.

He walked over to Juan and took the glasses from him. ‘’Don’t take it personal. Losing her sight took a toll on her.’’ For the first time ever to a prospect, Jax spoke in a soft and empathic way. ‘’She wasn’t always blind?’’ He looked up at Jax, registering what he had said. ‘’No, and that is not my story to tell.’’ With a sigh Jax walked outside looking for me. Already knowing where I would be.

We both shared a lot of things, from music taste to disliking the same people and even our hiding place when things get to complicated. It was on the roof of the office, at first it was scary to climb the latter but now it didn’t bother me any more.

Hearing the familiar screeching of the latter I knew someone was coming up. A while back Jax had brought up two chairs to sit on so he took a seat next to me. ‘’What is wrong?’’ he asked worried. ‘’Everything.’’ I said in between sobs. Without saying another word he pulled me closer in to a tight hug. ‘’I didn’t mean to lash out to him like that.’’ I said after a while still crying my eyes out.

Somedays everything got to much to handle and I needed a good cry. ‘’He knows.’’ we sat like this till I completely calmed down. ‘’So, wanna tell me what happened at the store today?’’ I shook my head. ‘’Not really, it’s not worth it.’’ it really wasn’t I could take care of myself. ‘’Alright.’’ he said quietly.

Jax gave back my sunglasses and cain, we were about to head back inside when he was once again intercepted by the ringing of his phone. He looked at the caller ID and put the phone away. ‘’He can wait, family is more important.’’ He threw his arm around my shoulder. We entered the clubhouse and I took a seat on the cough.

The rest of the day went by rather quickly. Jax had yet another club thing to discus and my mother was also making over hours, so I asked Tig to drive me home. That night another nightmare corrupted my sleep.

Fire, everything was on fire. The walls, the floors. The heat alone was burning my skin. The smoke filling my lungs. Tears filled eyes, trying to find my way to the screaming women.

Finding her wasn’t the difficult part, it was getting out unnoticed what would be tricky. My mouth covered with my sleeve, searching for a way out. Climbing out the window I came in from.

With a gasp I jolted up straight. Panting heavily, crying softly. Cold sweat covered my body once again. Never had I nightmares of the accident that caused me to lose my vision, it was always what I had done to deserve it.

The nightmares got worse and worse each night. It would be seven years ago, in a couple days and the days leading to that anniversary, always took a toll on my mental health. At night I didn’t sleep and the day I tried to distract myself by bonding with Juan, who I kept calling Juicy or Juice. All because I still give him a glass of juice when we gather around the bar for drinks.

Not only did I feel worse each day but I looked worse too. Walking into the clubhouse I was greeted by Juice. ‘’He… oef you look like the dead.’’ he joked and kissed my cheek. ‘’Careful, before you are son.’’ Chibs said with a laugh in voice. I let out a tired laugh. ‘’Don’t worry, you are to adorable to kill.’’ I patted his chest before making my way to the cough and sitting down.

It was a slow day until Jax called everyone on a run. ‘’Alright, we are needed by our brothers in the town next door, so saddle up.’’ Jax looked around the room and saw sitting on the coughs with my knees to my chest and my chin resting on them. ‘’Juice,’’ he started waiting for the prospect to look up. ‘’I need you to stay here. I need some one here to look after my sister.’’ He too looked at me. ‘’Of course.’’ he said, at the time not knowing why it was so important for Jax.

I was so in my own thoughts that I didn’t catch a word of what had been said. I felt the couch sink in next to me. ‘’Hey, darlin’.’’ Jax said softly, placing a hand on my arm. ‘’Uh?’’ I asked turning my head to wards him. ‘’Did you heard what I just said?’’ he asked and I shook my head. ‘’The boys and I are leaving. Juice is staying here with you.’’ He explained.

I was to tired to argue so I nodded. ‘’Be careful.’’ I said as I hugged my brother. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me as close as he could to his chest. ‘’When am I not?’’ He jokingly asked, causing me to laugh. ‘’Don’t get me started.’’ I had a list of the times he was everything but careful.

Every one got an hour to go home and pack, before meeting back at the club. Now everyone was ready to leave. Juice and me stood outside. I never let them leave without a hug. Once I couldn’t hear the roaring of their motors, we headed back inside.

Together we sat at the cough. ‘’What do you want to do?’’ Juice asked me, a little nervous. I could feel him bouncing his leg. ‘’Can we just listen to music. I don’t feel like doing anything.’’ I said between yawing. ‘’Sure.’’ he said and put on a playlist.

It didn’t last long before I fell asleep. My head fell on his shoulder and I tried to make myself comfortable. Juice looked down at me and smiled. He too noticed how tired I was lately, he tried to make me talk about it but I didn’t want to.

Juice tried to lay down on the cough without waking me. He took of my sunglasses and lay them on the table. Together we lay on the coughs, wrapped in each others arms. First it was a peaceful slumber but soon was corrupted by nightmares. I started to twitch slightly and murmur in my sleep.

Not knowing what was going on, Juice looked down on me again. ‘’Are you oke?’’ he asked quietly, but not getting a respond. The nightmare got only worse by the second and soon enough I screamed out in terror before waking up.

For a second I didn’t know where I was. Juice got up too and grabbed my hand. ‘’It was just a dream.’’ he said in a soft tone, trying to calm me down. ‘’What ever happened can not hurt you here.’’ He pulled me into a hug and held me till I stopped crying. ‘’Please talk to me about it. I hate to see you like this.’’ He wiped away the tears from my face.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and nodded. ‘’Alright, I will tell you what has been haunting me for seven years.’’ It took me a significant amount of courage to say those words. Of course everyone who was there that day knew what happened but I never talked about it with no one except for my brother. As we sat back down on the cough I started my story, reliving it as I spoke.

Seven years ago, I walked trough rival territory, fully aware that I shouldn’t have been there. As I was walking down the street, the smell of smoke filled my nostrils. Looking around the area I noticed smoke rising in the air. I followed its trail back to the source and saw that it came from the Calaveras club house.

With my head low, I walked trough the crowd that had gathered in the street. Once I was clear from the crowd I picked up my paste, knowing I needed to get the hell away from there.

Walking past the burning clubhouse I heard a women screaming for help. It pained me to hear her scream, begging for someone to save her. Till this day I still don’t know why none of the firefighters went back inside to save her. With myself in battle of what to do, I either lost or won, but I went inside trough a back window.

Following the woman’s scream, covering my mouth with my sleeve to prevent smoke inhalation. The screams came from behind a closed door, it was either locked or blocked. Kicking in the door, was the only possible way to enter. Black smoke filled the room and I could barely see the woman in front of me.

I ran towards her and helped her up. With one arm around her waist and the other holding on her arm that laid over my shoulder, we made our way to the door. The closer we got to the exit, the more screams from the outside I could hear.

Mainly I heard the screams of Hector Salazar. ‘’My wife is still in there!’’ So they knew that she was missing. I brought her as close to the exit as I could, she had to walk out the last few meters. No one could know I was there.

Carefully pushing the women to the exit I said. ‘’You got this, just keep moving.’’ She nodded and held herself steady against the wall. ‘’You got this.’’ I said again before turning around to make my way out trough the same window I came in from.

I thought that she had already turned around before I did, but she didn’t and saw my vest. She saw the Sons logo on my back and she tried to tell her husband that I saved her. But once he heard that the sons were involved he made the conclusion I was also the one who started the fire. And he wanted revenge.

My voice was horse from crying and talking. Juice held my hands the entire time I talked, to let me now he was still there. He would squeeze my hand every now and then to let me know he was still paying attention. ‘’But that still doesn’t explain you losing your sight.’’ He noted, after I was silent for a couple minutes.

It made me laugh weakly. ‘’You are so impatient sometimes.’’ I said with a small giggle in my voice. ‘’First he showed up at the clubhouse, threatening me. He had me followed by his men to harm me. But when I didn’t left the clubhouse anymore in fear of my safety, he had to get creative.’’ My heart was beating way to fast and breathing was uneven.

We sat around the bar having a laugh and a drink when Tig brought in a package. For me. He placed in front of me on the bar. ‘’For you, doll.’’ he said, kissing the top of my head, that being the first time to see me that day.

Not remembering I had order something, I examined the box. For as far I could see there was nothing suspicious about it so I opened it. As I opened it and looked inside something exploded and a wet substance burned its way onto my face.

Turning my head to my hands I continued. ‘’It was an acid bomb, not big enough to take me out. But to leave a message. That is how I lost my sight.’’ New tears filled my eyes and I didn’t fought to hold them back.

I let them stain my face, I let everything that I had bottled up the past seven years out. ‘’I never should have been walking in that neighbourhood in the first place. Cause this is what you get for saving the enemies wife.’’ I faced Juice, pointing at my face. ‘’I hate waking up, every day, not being able to see the faces of every one I care about. I hate my self,’’ Juice interrupted me by placing his hand on my cheek.

He tilled my head slightly up so I faced him head on. ‘’You saved a life, she is alive because of your bravery. Never hate yourself, cause to me, you are perfect.’’ I was lost of words and couldn’t help but smile. I hugged him once more and never wanting to let go.

[pucksnsticksnhockeyboys]

professional pest

summary: Matthew Tkachuk and a relaxing night don’t belong in the same sentence. Or, in other words, your boyfriend is a nuisance and he knows it.

warnings: mentions of sex

word count: 1.6k

“I’m pretty sure I genuinely hate you.” 

There was absolutely no malice behind your words, and your boyfriend knew that, so that’s why he deemed it safe to laugh loudly. You turned to glare at him, but he lunged forward and pressed his lips to yours in a kiss so sweet you almost forgot why you had been so annoyed at him in the first place. Key word being almost.

You had come over to Matthew’s apartment to cook dinner and spend some well-earned time with your boyfriend, but you seemed to forget one crucial detail that could throw your whole plan out the window. 

Matt was a professional pest, on and off the ice. 

Cut to you standing in his kitchen, trying to get him to keep his hands to himself. It was almost like he couldn’t help it, he saw you minding your own business, cooking the spaghetti dinner for you both and he just had to annoy you. 

Instead of doing the typical romantic boyfriend thing, like wrapping his arms around you from behind and resting his chin on your head as you worked, he decided to be twelve years old again and give you jumper cables. 

“Matthew, I swear to god, if you don’t knock it off—” You threatened, pointing your spoon in his direction as he giggled manically. 

“You’ll what?” He called your bluff with a self-satisfied grin that had you pouting in annoyance. Sometimes, you just wished that he wasn’t as good at being a shit-disturber as he was if only for the selfish reason that you wanted to win one of your typical back and forth teasing fits. “You love me too much to do anything.” 

“I’ll call your mom.” You turned back to the stove, stirring the noodles in and attempt to hide the grin that was quickly forming on your face. 

“And what, get me grounded?” He laughed loudly, slipping the spoon out of your hand and spinning you to face him. His smile was softer now, it was the one reserved for when he wanted you to know that despite all his teasing, he adored you. “Besides, if I’m grounded that means I’m not allowed to hang out with you.”

“Well, we can’t have that.” You played along, acting as if you were even contemplating telling his mom how much of a nuisance her son was. No doubt she knew, she had been subjected to having Matthew and Brady under the same roof for years. And even now, both boys grown adults you could still spot her growing a headache when the boys were together and started to bicker.

Matt grinned down at you, wrapping his arms around you kissing you soundly. You felt the love down to your toes, and everything around you seemed to melt away. You were so content pressed up against him the way you were that you didn't even realize he was smirking devilishly into the kiss, that his hands went from tugging you close to him to resting loosely on your hips. 

But you did feel him pinch your sides, fingers once more digging into the flesh there.

“Matthew!”

Hours later, you found yourself sitting on the couch with your feet propped up on Matt’s coffee table and his head in your lap. Your fingers had been threaded in his curls since the moment you both had settled into your spots, neither one of you all too eager to move. 

“Would you still love me if I shaved my head?” 

The question caught you off guard, you had been too engrossed in the movie he had picked. Plus, what kind of question was that? The hand that had been tangled in his curls froze, and you looked down at him with a goofy grin. He, however, looked serious, which made your brows tug together in confusion.

“Matty, please tell me you're not thinking about shaving your head.” You pleaded, tugging on his hair for added effect. His expression turned devious and you were rolling your eyes before he even spoke. 

“Nah, I won't cut it off. What else are you supposed to hold onto when I'm doing down on you?”

“Matthew.” You whined, shoving at his shoulder as he laughed. You never could understand why he found so much joy in annoying you, though what was even more confusing was how he managed to be endearing at the same time. “You’re such a perv.”

“You love it though.” He giggled, snagging your hand and pressing a kiss to your palm. You rolled your eyes once more, but were smiling nonetheless. “Come on, let’s go to bed. You’ve been yawning for the past ten minutes.” 

“Aw, he can be nice.” You teased, grinning as he took the chirp with a chuckle while he sat up. Once he was standing, he turned to you with the same devilish smirk you had been the victim of for the entirety of the night—actually, more like your whole relationship. Before you could even begin to tell him to not even think about whatever it was he so clearly wanted to do, you were upside down over his shoulder. “Matt! Put me down.”

“Can’t have people thinking I’m nice, now can we?”

If you thought that Matt would stop being such a pest while he slept, you would be wrong. Even when he was knocked out cold, if you tried to move away from his grip he would tighten his arms around you and pull you deeper into his chest. 

You’d learned to deal with it, but sometimes it got annoying and inconvenient when you had to wake him up in the morning so you could use the bathroom. On the days when he had to be up early for any reason, he'd pester you until you were awake too and sitting up against the headboard, just to be able to talk to you as his bounced across the room getting ready, occasionally stealing kisses and tickling your sides if he felt you were falling back asleep. 

But today you were the one that had to leave at a specified time, and that wasn't something Matt was all too thrilled with. Which was exactly why you, a grown adult, were standing with your hands on your hips scolding your boyfriend, who also was a grown adult. 

“Matt, where did you put them?” You questioned, looking down at your loving boyfriend who had been watching you search through his apartment for the past ten minutes for your lost items. 

“Why do you think I had something to do with it?” He threw his hands up, trying to play the part of an innocent bystander. He knew his acting skills weren't up to par and that you caught his fib just by the way you raised a pointed brow at him. It reminded him of how his mother used to scold him when he was a kid, but there was no way he was going to compare you to his mom when you were already annoyed as is. He may have liked to push your buttons, but even he wasn't stupid enough to draw attention to the comparison. 

“Well, for starters, sneakers don't just move on their own.” You huffed, continuing a futile search of his living room. Behind the couch, under the chairs, and you even looked under the throw pillows you had made Matt get for his apartment. And if you happened to toss it at his head while he was too busy laughing at you to defend himself, no one could truly blame you. “Seriously, Matthew, where are they? I’m supposed to meet everyone for brunch in fifteen minutes.”

“Fine.” He conceded, knowing you were reaching the point between amusingly annoyed and flat out upset for making you late. You cheered in silent victory as he stood to his feet, only faltering when you recognized that damn smirk on his face. “It's on top of the fridge.”

“Matthew.” You whined, slipping into the kitchen, his chuckling figure following behind you. You cursed him under your breath, craning your neck to look up on top of the appliance that supposedly held your shoes. “I can’t even seen on top of there, let alone reach.”

“Oh, wow, if only you had this really amazing six-foot three boyfriend who could get it for you? I’m sure he’d totally help if you asked.” He teased, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning backwards against the island counter. You rolled your eyes, checking the time on your phone to see if you had any time to fight him on this. 

“Okay, okay, before you start listing your scoring stats.” You joked, fighting off a smile to keep up your veil of annoyance. Matt didn't even try to hide his amusement, his barking laugh loud in the quiet kitchen. “Can you please get my sneakers down? Despite the fact that you put them up there in the first place?”

“Eh, we’ll take that for now.” He was grinning, but before he reached the fridge to get your sneakers down he stopped and pressed a quick kiss to your pout. Now, you really couldn’t fight the bright smile that grew on your face. 

“I don’t understand why you insist on annoying me all the time.” You huffed, no real malice to your tone, as Matt chuckled at your words. He handed you your shoes, having gotten them down with minimal effort on his part. His grin was wide and teasing, the very same one you had fallen in love with the day you met him.

“What can I say, I’m a professional pest.”

[mulletcal]

get what you give, give what you get - a sugar daddy!cal blurb.

A/N: okay, so here’s one of my two fics for the fic event! i’m so happy and so grateful to be able to be apart of this cool event, and to have made some new friends along the way.  this truly was such a welcoming environment to toss ideas into.  also, this isn’t gonna be a conventional dom!cal sugar daddy type fic, but i hope you enjoy anyways.

word count: 2.6k warnings: mentions of death, light grieving, drug mention

Event Masterlist

***

The morning that Calum had gotten the call from his mother that his grandma had passed away, he had ended up in the cafe you worked at. A blank, emotionless expression with a muttered ‘thank you’ was Calum’s first impressions with the baristas there, assuming they probably thought of him as an asshole following that. 

Calum became a regular of the cafe though, realizing it wasn’t like the typical cafes he and his friends would frequent. No one knew him, he could be a nobody here. He didn’t have to have his friends look at him with sympathetic eyes while he mourned the loss of the biggest supporter in his life. His grandmother never questioned when Calum wanted to drop out of school to be in a band, nor did she ever bat an eye when that band never made it off the ground, leaving him working temp jobs just to get by. 

He was able to make it out for his grandmother's funeral, being around his family easing his grieving in the slightest bit. Calum wasn’t often able to see his grandmother, both of their schedules never really matching up other than the typical family holidays, and the fact that he lived in California, and her in Australia; but she always called him on his birthday to let him know how much she loved him.

It came as a shock to him when he received mail from his grandmother’s estate, letting him know that his grandmother had left him a ridiculous amount of money, quite possibly her entire fortune from throughout her life- he of course had no way of knowing, maybe she was that filthy rich and she never let any of them know. What had she left to his mother? His sister? Calum supposed reading the letter would answer some questions for him, but he instead stood there, at a loss for words with the letter in hand, unable to bring himself to open it.

Calum decided he’d need coffee to process this information further, maybe delay him opening the letter just a little bit.  He ended up not too long after that at his usual table in the cafe, giving a tight smile to the baristas who were working that day.  Turning the letter over and over in his hands, he jumped when someone had appeared beside him with a coffee and baked good.

“Sorry to bother you, you just hadn’t come to order yet, so we thought we’d bring it to you.  You seemed a little lost in thought,” You spoke softly, the mans’ warm brown eyes gazing up at you, slightly glassy and distant.  

“Oh, uh… Yeah, sorry.  But thank you, I really appreciate it.  D’you mind if I come up to pay shortly?”

“Don’t worry about it,” You said, placing a hand on his shoulder, “We’ve got you covered.”

The small gesture made Calum’s chest warm, a genuine smile appearing on his lips before you turned away.  Something about you made him pause; he had noticed you before, sure, but normally you were more bubbly.  You seemed sad today, and he briefly wondered if there was just a dark cloud hanging over the rest of the world like it was for him, or if his most recent loss was just making him bitter towards everything.

Turning his attention back to the letter in his hands, the feeling of the paper was making his skin hot, and uncomfortably so.  It was time to rip the bandaid off, so to speak, and open it.  What could possibly be wrong with the letter? Or the money? Had his grandmother been the leader of a drug ring, and Calum had somehow inherited that title? A million thoughts raced through his mind while he broke the seal, his breathing quick. 

His grandmothers writing filled the page, causing his eyes to water a little just due to the fact that she had written this herself.  She had meant for him to get this.  Calum’s eyes scanned the words, tears fully forming as he really read them.

‘Calum,

If you’re reading this, it means I’ve gone - though I’m sure you’re aware of that.  If you’re not well… Shit, sorry to tell you my love.’

He had to pause his reading to chuckle, wiping the tears away from his eyes as he did so.

‘Because you’re a sweet boy, I know you’re already wondering why.  Why did I leave all of this to you? What about your mum and Mali? Don’t fret, they will not be left empty handed.  This money, this is all for you.  I want you to go and live your dreams, my sweet.  I’ve always believed in you, in your talents; you’re a hard working young man with big dreams.  Take this money and do something amazing with it, take a trip.  Take all your friends on a trip for all I care, the main thing I want from this is for you to be happy. 

I love you, be well.  I’ll miss you.

Gran’

Calum sniffled quietly, once again wiping at his eyes when he had finished reading.  She had been gone less than a month, but the month had felt so long; Calum forgot briefly that she was gone, and gave her a call on her birthday, only to find that someone had already disconnected her phone.  That had been a rough day in particular for him. 

Finishing his coffee in silence, he tuned into the conversations around him, picking up on one in particular coming from behind the bar.  The barista who had previously brought him his coffee leaning against the counter, talking quietly to her coworker.

“It doesn’t make sense… they’re busier than ever, I don’t get why they let me go. They had even said it wasn’t a performance based termination…” 

Calum frowned, trying not to eavesdrop, but she continued on with her words.

“That was literally my only way to finally make ends meet.  My student loans are ridiculous, my landlord is an asshole and keeps raising the rent,” The woman sighed, “I gotta find another job.  Or marry rich.” The last part of her sentence was said with a half-hearted laugh, no hope in her voice at all.

A thought occurred to Calum then, the words in his Gran’s letter ringing through his ears, “Take your friends on a trip for all I care.” Well, his friends didn’t need any sort of vacation, choosing to live it up whenever and wherever they could; but this young woman, she could really benefit from money like this.  Also there was a hefty chance that the entirety of her student loan would hardly make a dent in his inheritance, which made him nauseous to even think about.

He couldn’t think about it for too much longer, or he’d chicken out, so he made his way up to the counter, both baristas turning their attention to him. “Something wrong, sir?” The second barista asked, but Calum’s eyes nervously remained on the first.

“I have an offer for you.  I heard your situation and I’d like to help, if you’d let me.”

The first barista clicked her teeth, leaning on her elbows on the counter so they were inches away from each other, “No offence man, but I’m not about to smuggle kilos of cocaine up my lady bits to pay off my college fees.”

Calum was a bit taken aback by her comment, letting out the first genuine laugh he had since his Gran had passed, “What? God, no! Listen.  I wanna pay off your student loans.”

“What’s in it for you?” She had cut him off, but he couldn’t blame her for being suspicious.  He would be too if a random person approached him offering to pay his debts.

“Nothing.  I don’t want anything in return, I swear.” Calum paused, “Well… Maybe one thing.”

She cocked her head to the side, encouraging him to continue, and he did.  “Maybe just someone to talk to? M’not a fan of feeling vulnerable in front of my friends, but you both have seen me cry in the middle of this cafe, so…”

Pulling back from the counter, she tossed a glance over her shoulder to the second barista, who was quick to leave the two of them alone.  Calum assumed she would be filled in of the details later anyways, so her being shooed away didn’t make him feel guilty. 

“Okay.. What?  Are you some kind of lonely sugar daddy? Surely you’re too young to be so lonely.”

Calum shook his head, letting out a sound of exasperation, but the smile remained on his lips, “I don’t know if you can tell, but I have no idea what I’m doing.  I almost never do.”  Pulling out the letter and setting it onto the counter, “My Gran passed away recently, and she left me quite a bit of inheritance; I have a strong suspicion that your student loans won’t hardly make a dent in the number, so let me help you.  In exchange for a friend.”

The girl thought for a moment, meeting his eyes to sense any deception.  “Can I think about it? Also, that does kinda make you a sugar daddy.  You’re paying for me to keep you company.”

“Take your time; also if I’m a sugar daddy and you say yes, that’ll make you my baby.”  With a final wink tossed her direction, he headed out of the cafe to go back to his apartment.

Calum returned the next day, hoping that he would find her working once again, his chest deflating a little when she wasn’t.  The second barista from the day before was working though, her eyes landing on him the second he came through the door.

“She’s sick today… Said she must’ve come down with the flu or somethin’.”

Calum nodded in acknowledgment, heading over to take a seat in his usual spot.  His plan to convince her was potentially out the window now, quite possible she would be avoiding coming to work because he weirded her out.  He had formed a whole plan, too, he was prepared to pay off her tuition, as well as a few months of her rent… Though he was prepared to pay for far more than a few months of her rent, he was sure that she wouldn’t let him unless she became really desperate.

Why was he so dead set on helping her? Was it because she was beautiful? Maybe, but she seemed more than that.  The way she never judged the moods he was in, simply gave him his coffee with a smile, most days him returning the gesture; or maybe it was the small fact that yesterday she noticed he wasn’t himself, so she had bought him coffee in a small hope of brightening his spirits. 

His phone buzzing on the table took his attention away from his thoughts, brows furrowing at the request for an AirDrop.  Calum accepted hesitantly, opening the phone to see that the first baristas contact information had been sent to him.  Looking over his shoulder, he laughed lightly at her friend from the day before staring him down, waving his hand in a thanks.

He clicked to send you a message, pausing before typing out, “Hey, it’s Cal.  The weirdo wannabe sugar daddy from the cafe? Your coworker/friend(?) Gave me your number.  Think she wants you to take my offer if you ask me.”

It was a few minutes until the three dots appeared, quickly disappearing and reappearing several times before he actually received a reply, “Yeah, definitely seems like it.  I don’t wanna infect you with whatever I’ve come down with, but I’d like to discuss terms.”

“We can do that, I’m also not terribly concerned about getting sick.  Send me your address.”

“Serial killer.  Here.”

The message that followed was her address, and Calum placed an order at his favourite restaurant for soup before he turned to ask her friend if there was anything she liked to drink when she was sick.

After another thirty minutes of picking up random things on his journey, he finally arrived at her door, biting his lip to hold back a laugh when she answered wrapped in a blanket.

“Welcome to hell… Or.  I dunno, it’s not hell cause it’s fuckin’ freezing.  Hurry up and get inside before you let the cold air in.”

Calum squinted, a small smirk tugging at his lips, “Doll, it’s nearing June in Los Angeles, there’s not a draft anywhere in sight, unless you’re talking about a cold beer.”

“Did you come here to talk about terms, or to make fun of me?” She said with a pout, curling up onto her couch.

“Actually, I’ve brought you some soup and crackers, and also have come to discuss terms… and  make fun of you.  You’ve gotten a three for one deal here, darlin’.” Calum grinned, placing the bag on the table in front of her, her pout only getting worse.

“Fine.  Only because you brought me soup.”

Calum rolled his eyes, helping her to get settled sitting up so she could eat her soup.  Something about the silence that fell between them while she ate wasn’t uncomfortable, but rather welcome.  It had been a long time since Calum was able to feel comfortable sitting in silence with someone, and it made him relax a bit into her couch.

“Okay so terms,” she started, setting the last of the soup down to turn towards Calum, “No sex.  If that’s what you’re expecting, I’m 100% out.  Not because you’re not attractive, but I don’t know if I’m personally cut out for the sex work business.”

Calum nodded, letting her continue on.  “And I want to be able to stop whenever I’d like.  I don’t want some sort of fixed term contract like m’buying a phone.  Honestly I can’t think of anything more than that.  What did you have in mind?”

Turning towards her as well, Calum rested his elbow on his leg, chin in his hand while he looked at her. “I wasn’t expecting much, if I’m honest.  I just want someone to spend time with.  The dating pool is slim, and I’m not particularly lookin’ for a girlfriend, so having someone to kinda bitch to after a hard day is what I was hoping for. And I’d want to hear about your day too.  What annoyed you the most, what was the best part of your day, things to take my mind off everyday life.”

She looked at him for a long moment, and Calum frowned in response thinking she was going to say no.  It wouldn’t affect him terribly if she had, but it would certainly mean he could never go back to that same coffee shop again.

“Why me?” She finally said, pulling the blanket down so it was pooled at her waist now.  “Why do you want to spend your money on me?”

“Like I told you yesterday, this money was inheritance.  My Gran told me to take my friends on vacation, or to do something fun with it; but in all honesty I’d rather do something useful with it, like helping someone else.  You seemed like you could use it, and from what I can tell you’ve never been anything but kind to me - so, you.  That’s why you, because you deserve a break.”

Her eyes had moved from Calum’s down to the floor, her breathing uneven, “Okay.”

“Okay?” “Yes, okay.  As long as you agree to my terms,” Lifting her head, Calum could see that her eyes were glassy, as if she had been trying to hold back tears when he spoke.

“I agree to your terms.  What costs shall we tackle first, baby?” His teasing tone earned him a pillow to the head, a stream of giggles falling from her lips.

“Another term - don’t call me baby.”

“Mmm, that one may have to be an agree to disagree there, baby.”

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[aridara]

So Siryouarebeingmocked, being the patethic and toxic imbecile he is, decided to complain about how people are treating the Capitol coupers differently than BLM protesters. Like, no shit, Sherlock, that’s because they ARE different. SYABM just pretends that BLM is somehow worse, because he has literally never denounced a white supremacist in his entire existence on Tumblr.

For example, he claims that, during this summer, cops were ordered to look the other way when it came to BLM protests. This is a complete and utter lie.

He also claims that Trump was accused of “being a fascist sending out government troops” just because he sent federal cops to protect federal buildings. Again, this is false. Trump sent troop to kidnap people off the streets and take them elsewhere for interrogation, on unlabeled vehicles, without showing or telling the arrested where they were going, and most importantly without any charge. Basically, they went in Portland, arrested any black person that happened to be there for no fucking reason, then dragged them away into some federal building to detain them. Of course, SYABM doesnt’t tell you any of that, because SYABM is a fascist sympathizer.

Someone called @lercymoth decided to dispel his bullshit. Here’s the post; I can’t reblog it, because SYABM blocked me after I pointed out that he was making cops look really incompetent.

SYABM responded. And his response was, obviously, shit. So here I am, trying to deal with his bullshit.

Before we start, a few rules. First: if SYABM misinterpreted or missed Lercymoth’s point, I will instantly dismiss SYABM’s argument without even reading the rest of it. The reason why is simple: countering your opponent’s argument requires you to counter what your opponent ACTUALLY said. If you don’t do that, then you aren’t actually countering your opponent’s argument, which means that you don’t have any actual objection to your opponent’s argument. Now, we could give people the benefit of the doubt and assume that they just made a honest mistake... but SYABM doesn’t deserve any mercy whatsoever. So, if he fails to address one of Lercymoth’s arguments, Lercymoth automaticaly wins.

Second rule: if SYABM completely dismisses Lercymoth’s arguments as “irrelevant”, SYABM automatically loses. Again, SYABM deserves no mercy whatsoever. If he doesn’t bother to make a counter-argument, then he doesn’t have one.

>Yes, people some people got shot, but:

There’s an old saying; what comes after the ‘but’ is the real argument. It’s generally reliable. Especially when you’re being vague about identifying folks in this sentence when you’re ostensibly acknowledging victimhood of the recent DC protesters, but very precise in the following ones when you want to assign blame, or claim BLM are victims

This is a “tone argument”. SYABM isn't addressing Lercymoth's argument; he's whining about the way Lercymoth is presenting it.

Since SYABM isn't actually addressing Lercymoth's argument, this paragraph is worthless. Lercymoth wins.

>let crowd in

Yes, because they were outnumbered, IIRC. They physically couldn’t keep the crowd out without killing people.

Surprisingly, SYABM might actually have a point here.

Unfortunately, I have no intention of giving him mercy. SYABM conveniently forgets that the police has no problem whatsoever with killing black people for being potentially threatening. So why the disparity here? SYABM doesn't explain it, therefore Lercymoth automatically wins.

>took selfies

So you’re implying a few pictures obviates being shot?

SYABM is deliberately missing the point. The point is that the cops decided to be friendly with the insurgents despite the fact that they aren't supposed to be buddy-buddy with insurgents who are attempting a coup.

SYABM automatically loses, since he deliberately avoided addressing Lercymoth’s argument. Lercymoth wins.

>Had to to get attention

There are several things wrong with this statement.

So let me get this straight.  you think government officials don’t care about the lives and livelihoods of black people.  and so, you decided the best way to fix this problem is by destroying the lives and livelihoods of black people...

Nope. Black people didn't choose to protest. The violent reaction of the police, coupled with decades of racism, caused the riots.

Martin Luther King Jr. said that “a riot is the language of the unheard”; and this is precisely what is currently happening. We're at the point where riots WILL happen, regardless of what black or white people want; and the only way to fix this is by addressing the cause of the riot. Continuing to blame black people without fixing the racist police system addresses the symptom, not the cause; and on top of that, it's precisely the mindset that caused the riots in the first place.

Also, 93% of all BLM since May have been peaceful (https://time.com/5886348/report-peaceful-protests/) - and that's if we count “spraying graffiti” and “responding to an unjustified attack from cops/white supremacists” as violence. The vast majority of the violence came from white supremacists and cops. Therefore, any discussion about the violence that happened during the protests that DOESN'T acknowledge this is intrinsically dishonest, and therefore must be dismissed.

Ah, also this bit:

in fact some of them are still claiming it.  like aridara.   he implied the riots themselves by blm were all peaceful,  but any actual violence?  clearly that was done by undercover cops and 88ers.

Yeah, SYABM just made that up. As fucking usual. Rest of the section dismissed due to SYABM's dishonesty. Lercymoth wins.

>rubber bullets

 yeah it’s literally impossible to aim those with precision outside of point Blank  range. you cannot reliably shoot somebody in the eye from more than a  foot or two away.

SYABM is missing the point. Lercymoth was talking about cases where people were shot directly with rubber bullets. Keep in mind that EVERY training says that rubber bullets must be aimed towards the ground, so that they bounce off and lose power before hitting the protesters. The sheer amount of times cops violated this basic training, and the fact that they violated such a basic rule, shows us that these aren't accidental cases; these are deliberate actions.

SYABM, instead, claims that the cops couldn't reliably aim at people's eyes, therefore cops didn't deliberately shoot rubber bullets directly at people. Which is bullshit logic. Rest of the paragraph dismissed. Lercymoth wins.

>fascist

Nope. People literally called the cops ‘troops’, including news sources, and called him fascist for sending them in.

SYABM is once again missing the point. Trump sent in federal cops to arrest people without any charge, kidnap them off the streets, and transport them to federal buildings without telling anyone.

Rest of the paragraph dismissed. Lercymoth wins. Again: if SYABM wants to disprove Lercymoth's arguments, then SYABM must actually talk about Lercymoth's arguments. If SYABM talks about other stuff without actually addressing Lercymoth's arguments, then SYABM didn't disprove Lercymoth's arguments - which means that the latter wins by default.

All that other stuff? Irrelevant. My point was “the cops used much less force than they did in DC to protect Federal property in Portland,...

SYABM is once again missing Lercymoth's point, which is that cops use IMMEDIATE violence against BLM for stuff like peaceful protesting; while they treated the Capitol coupers with kid gloves. SYABM failed to disprove this (no, his bullshit cherry-picked example doesn’t count jack shit), therefore Lercymoth wins by default. The end.

It’s funny you should mention Ted Wheeler, when he’s one of the people the rioters harassed. And the tear gas incident in July was when he was an anonymous face in the crowd, wearing a mask,...

This is false. As usual, SYABM just lies, lies, lies without bringing any source to back up his own claims. In fact, whenever he makes a claim without bothering to bring up any source, the chances that he's lying increase considerably.

Anyway, rest of the section dismissed because it's based on a lie. Lercymoth wins.

>- Putting fucking children in concentration camps. (They’re not detainment centers. Those don’t have fences cages with tin foil blankets.)

How exactly do you detain people without fences and walls?

SYABM is once again missing the point. Lercymoth specifically said “fence cages”; SYABM, instead, talks about fences and walls. SYABM refuses to address Lercyomth’s argument, therefore he abandons the competition; Lercymoth wins.

>No one wants the idea that the White House raiders being treated better than BLM to be true. 

Really? No one wants to claim BLM are treated worse because of racism? Not a single person?

SYABM is once again missing the point. Lercymoth is pointing out that nobody wants X to be true; but X is true so people claim that X is true. Because it IS.

SYABM cherry-picks Lercymoth's argument into “nobody […] claim that X is true”. Which is a massive strawman. Which means that SYABM isn't attacking Lercymoth's actual argument – which means that Lercymoth, once again, wins by default.

And that's it. Literally ALL of Lercymoth's arguments win by default, because Siryouarebeingmocked is too coward, dishonest and spineless to actually try to disprove them.

[latestageyouth]

A free couch

soo this is a continuation of this fic and this fic but this time it’s focused on Deceit and Logan (*cough* if you want this to be a full-blown series just say so I will gladly do a tag list n shit*cough*)

Pairings: anxceitmus, platonic loceit

Word count: 1,174

Warnings: unsympathetic!Patton, unsympathetic!Roman, sympathetic!Deceit, sympathetic!Remus, swearing, crying, mentions of abuse, bruises (let me know if I should add something)

Summary: When Deceit hears a knock on his door at midnight, the last person he expected to be behind it is Logan, who got kicked out of the mindscape by Patton after confronting him about their treatment of the “dark” sides

Dee loved watching storms when there was one outside, like now, for example. Sure, maybe it was almost midnight, but the storm was too loud for him to sleep through anyways. A particularly loud thunder cracked throughout the commons, and suddenly everything was dark. The lamp on the nightstand turned off, so did the light in the hallway that Remus always turned on just to annoy Deceit. He paid it no mind, still watching the storm from his window. He doesn't know how long it was until he heard someone knock on his door. He checked his digital clock, but, of course, it was turned off, like everything electric.

Maybe Virgil had another nightmare? Or Remus was still awake and his nyctophobia got to him? Well, no, it was neither of those. When Dee opened the door, instead of seeing a familiar face of one of his lovers, he saw, "Logan?"

The smaller man flinched as if he wasn't aware of Deceit, "Uh, greetings," he refused to look at Dee, instead looking on the floor.

Dee furrowed his eyebrows, "What do you want?"

Logan shifted on his feet, and as far as Dee could see with the light from the windows, he was still dressed in his usual clothes. Little dishevelled, yes, but still in his clothes, "I wanted...to ask if I, uh, if I could...sleep on the couch in the dark s-side...commons?" 

Deceit furrowed his eyebrows further, "Why? Did Patton finally snap and kicked you out?" he taunted the other.

Logan stiffened, "N-no, why would, why would he do that?"

Dee could feel the heaviness of the lie, it tasted like denial.  Logan must've noticed, even though he was still yet to look up at him.

"Look, I...Just this night, okay? When you wake up there will be no sign of me ever being here. I understand Virgil would be...less than pleased with me being here after what I've...done, a-and...I am not quite s-sure what...Remus would do to me."

There was something in the way that Logan worded his sentences that made Deceit feel like something was not quite right. Logan was a confident jerk with unreasonably loud vocal cords...this wasn't Logan. It was after another thunder cracked that Dee noticed he was subtly shaking. It wasn't from cold, no, Dee would be freezing right now if it was from cold. Did he, the unfazed ever so stoic logic, fear him? That was something Dee wanted for a long time, but for some reason...it didn't feel good like it should've, like Deceit imagined it would. And then there was the fact that Logan still hadn't looked up at him, and Dee didn't want to be right about why that was.

"Logan, why did Patton kick you out?"

"He-he didn't! I already told you that!"

Deceit's tone turned more serious, deepening a little, "You should be well aware of the fact that I can tell when you lie. Spill the beans, sherlock."

Logan was silent for a long time, before letting out a quiet, shaky sigh, "I...realized the error of our ways and...what we were...doing...to you. Patton didn't. Can I sleep on the couch of not?"

Deceit wanted to let it go. He wanted to let Logan go sleep on the couch and forget this conversation ever happened. Go back to them ridiculing each other with spite in their tone. 

But...

Deceit couldn't. Besides the fact that he was a nosy fucker, he was genuinely concerned for Logan, something he never in a million years thought was going to happen. So, he responded with an order, "Logan, look at me."

Logan stepped back, "I-I beg you...pardon?"

Dee stepped with him, "You haven't looked up at me for the entirety of this conversation. Why? And don't lie."

"..." Logan folded in on himself, "...I simply don't want to," he muttered in response, just barely on the edge of Dee's hearing.

"That's a damn fucking lie and you know it," Deceit stepped closer to Logan, just barely stepping out of his room.

Logan didn't say anything this time, and Dee couldn't blame him, but after all the years of Logan being an asshole to him, Dee felt like he deserved it. That belief immediately crumbled as he felt something wet dripping onto his bare feet, just barely catching the soft sound Logan so desperately tried to muffle with his hand. 

"P-please don't hit me. I do-don't-I..." ragged breaths stopped him from completing the sentence.

Dee bend down, trying to get a look at the smaller man's face, but before he could even get a glimpse, Logan covered it with his hands. Just barely did he see the fresh bruise below Logan's wrist. He knew better than to touch him. 

"Hey, Logan, it's okay, I won't hurt you."

After a while, Logan replied, "You should...I've done...terrible thing to you. A-and Remus. And Virgil," his broken voice was muffled by the hands on his face. 

"You did," Logan flinched at the words, "But I won't hit you. You never got physical, I don't see why should I."

Logan dug the nails on his hands into his forehead.

"Hey, c'mon, let me see you."

Logan shook his head, "I look revolting."

"Not more revolting then Remus ever did," Deceit tried to lighten the atmosphere, but it didn't help. He slowly reached over to touch the ever-so faint bruise on Logan's forearm. Logan flinched out of Deceit's touch.

"I-I apologize..."

"No need," Dee seemed to think for a few seconds, glancing at his room and back to Logan, "I have some first aid stuff in my room for when Remus comes back from his missions, and I'm sure that isn't the only bruise you have. How about we patch you up, huh?"

"Is that some-"

"No," Deceit shook his head, although Logan could not see it, "It's not some kind of trick. I can not lie, you know that, right?"

Logan was silent.

"Is that a yes?"

He nodded slowly.

"Will you take the hands off?"

Once again, Logan didn't respond. Deceit straightened up again, walking back to his room, glancing over his shoulder multiple times. Logan took the hands off for a brief few seconds, the hands still shieling his forehead he looked down and walked slowly to the other's room. Dee shut the door, watching as Logan flinched once again. He walked to the dresser and opened the bottom drawer pulling out some ibuprofen and a kitchen towel, also some tissues in case something was bleeding. He turned back to Logan, who was standing in the middle of the room, hands finally off his face, looking at the floor with his back turned to Dee.

"I'll go to a kitchen for a few things, you stay here, okay?"

It seemed like Logan nodded.

Dee shut the door after him, walking through the darkscape, stopping when he arrived in the kitchen. First, he poured Logan a glass of water, which he set on the counter. He took the kitchen towel in his hands and placed it below the ice machine in the fridge. He hoped the sound didn't wake the others up. He returned back to his room to see Logan, who had his back still turned to him, looking out the big window on his wall, watching the thunder. He smirked, "Lovely, isn't it?"

Logan jumped when he spoke, "Uh, yes."

Dee was silent for a while, "...So, will you show me your face? I am sure there's something wrong with it if you're so reluctant to look at me."

After a few silent seconds, maybe even a minute, Logan finally turned around. Now, Deceit wouldn't say it was the worst he'd ever seen, but it wasn't the best either. There, around Logan's left eye, was a large bruise, already turning purple.

"Oh, Logan..." Deceit walked up to the smaller man, a troubled look on his face. This was the first time anything like this happened. The core sides never hit anyone, they never did anything physical despite the threats, even to Remus or Dee, and doing it one of them...Deceit couldn't help but feel disgusted.

He took the ice wrapped in the towel and put it over the bruise, covering the entire eye. Logan flinched in pain. Eventually, Dee coaxed Logan into sitting down on his bed and taking the ibuprofen to stop the pain.

"C'mon, what happened? Did Patton do this? I bet it was Patton, that son of a-"

"To be fair, I deserved it."

Dee furrowed his eyebrows in worry, "Logan, no one deserves that. Please, just...tell me what happened?"

Logan looked away but started talking nonetheless, "I confronted Patton about our behaviour towards you, and he shut me down, telling me you deserve it. We got into a fight about morals and...it somehow escalated to Virgil..." a single tear fell from his eye, which Logan didn't acknowledge, "It was after I proposed the idea of destroying the idea of Light and Dark sides that Patton snapped. I...can't go to my room anymore, whenever I try there's just...bricks behind the door. I have no idea why, but I suspect it has something to do with Roman."

Deceit let Logan take hold of the ice bag while he disinfected and cleaned the scratches Patton left on his arms and a few on his neck, "I don't think Virgil can forgive you just yet. After all, he experienced way more than we ever did. I still have this feeling in the back of my brain that I shouldn't be helping you, but here I am..." Dee looked Logan in the eye, "The point is, it's not safe for you here, or the mindscape. I don't know where you'll go, but if you need anything, just come to my room at night. Only late at night, or the others might still be up."

Logan nodded, "...Can I...ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

He hesitated for a second, "Why...Why are you doing this? You admitted that you don't want to help."

"No, I said that a part of me feel's like I shouldn't be helping you, that's kinda expected considering you and your friend group hated my fucking guts for as long as I can remember."

They both widened their eyes when they heard a sound coming from one of the other rooms. They were quiet for a while before Deceit spoke up, "I think you should go."

Logan got up, "Agreed," he quickly walked towards the door.

"And Logan..."

The shorter man turned around hesitantly, "Yes?"

Dee opened his mouth as if he was going to say something, before smirking subtly and saying, "Make sure to ice it."

[oforamuse]

told you that i missed you

'you and mickey are getting married!?'

or, the one where fiona had to find about ian's engagement through lip.

a missing phone call set somewhere between 10x11 and 10x12

ao3

Ian’s mid-limp towards the fridge when his phone rings in his pocket, and without bothering to check the caller ID, Mickey said he’d call him later when he’d left earlier, he answers and brings the device up to his ear.

‘You and Mickey are getting married!? ’

Ah fuck.  

He should’ve expected this.

‘Hey Fiona…’ Ian trails off, knowing where this conversation is most likely headed. He makes a mental checklist to prepare himself for the showdown that’s about to take place with his older sister, she’s never taken to being left out of things very lightly - which in her defense, didn’t happen very often given her being the head of the household for all of his life.

‘Don’t hey Fiona me, Ian Gallagher’ She practically spits out, dragging the emphasis on their second name with a clear underlying message of are you fucking kidding me, ‘Were you planning on telling me this anytime soon or was I supposed to find out you two were husbands at Thanksgiving or some shit?’

He pictures her fondly, hand on hip and the other one waving about, failing wildly to get her frustrated point across. It’s an image he saw so often throughout his childhood it’s almost comforting, warming.  

‘You planning on being home for Thanksgiving?’ Ian chimes back, hoping to buy himself some time to gather his thoughts, though he immediately knows she won’t take the bait as soon it falls out of his mouth.

‘Don’t change the subject, Ian’ It’s the same tone of voice she used throughout their childhood, the go brush your teeth it’s gone midnight or carl put that hammer down right now before you hurt someone, and for a moment he feels 12 years old and scolded.

The words hang there and he can feel her glare down the phone, like a laser beam marking his pale skin, it’s always felt that way. The classic 100% Fiona Gallagher certified ‘I’m unimpressed’ look, a look he’s definitely been on the receiving end of far too many times to count growing up.

‘I was- listen, it’s been a little crazy here recently, I was going to tell you. It just...slipped my mind I guess’ Ian defends himself quickly, juggling the phone between his ear and shoulder as he attempts to clear the kitchen table from this morning’s wedding planning session with Mick and Sandy. They left after a long conversation about the perfect table cloths, table cloths, to go to the tux shop downtown. He didn’t know there were so many different kinds of things to be thrown, music to be played, or chairs to choose from. It’s been overwhelming to say the least, and deep down still pretty scary, there’s a small nagging part of him worried that this might be a mistake but it’s rightfully overruled by the much bigger and louder part of him saying it will be worth it. Seeing Mickey happy, being happy himself, knowing they can finally just be happy together, will be worth it. Worth any amount of meetings over chairs, or flowers or whatever, he doesn’t really understand it, but he’ll do it.

It isn’t the marriage part, really, that freaks him out - he doesn’t think so at least. He knows he wants to marry Mickey, he knows he wants to spend the rest of his life with him. That’s never been the question, even when they were countries apart or failing to see other people, it was always there in the back of his mind for his future, the ideal. He’s nervous to take that final big leap, to solidify their relationship in front of the world and the law, like actual adults do. He’s seen so many marriages go wrong and it aches to think that they could end up like a statistic, after everything they’ve been through, they could end up just being part of a percentage of divorcees.

But, also, after everything they’ve been through, they may just be strong enough to beat the odds. He doesn’t really know the statistics for gay marriages anyway, specifically for guys, he assumes they must be slightly better, happier or some shit.

If they can make it through homophobic murderous dads, prison sentences and annoying twinks, they can make it through this.

His mind falls back to Fiona on the other end, her constant stream of failed relationships, marriages and almost marriages that littered his adolescent years. A lump forms heavily in his throat and he tries to swallow it back down, he never thought he’d be the first Gallagher kid to get properly hitched, and hitched successfully, because Fiona and Gus do not count.

‘Really Fiona, it’s been crazy here’ He tries again,

He’s not making some dumb excuse, with the last month of being broken up (but so not broken up) then going to engaged to wedding planning all within a few days, calling his older sister wasn’t top of his list.

Perhaps it should’ve been, he thinks, and Ian can’t help it but his stomach rocks with a wave of guilt, crashing onto his mental beach. It sits there, sickeningly. Fiona used to know everything, be part of everything that was happening with the family, now she’s hundreds of miles away and worlds apart.

He knows it was a big deal for Fiona to move away from Chicago, away from them and everything she’s ever known, but that was her choice, he reasons, her choice to be a phone call away rather than just a bedroom. He doesn’t blame her though.

‘So I had to find out from Lip? And only, might I add, because he mentioned how you and Mickey were looking at flowers downtown so obviously I asked him why on earth you would need ‘em and turns out you guys are getting fucking hitched!’

He dumps their coffee mugs in the sink and watches the brown liquid swirl away before he resigns and moves his phone up to his ear.

‘I know I should’ve told you.’ He whispers, turning to lean against the counter top, wishing he didn’t feel so weird about talking about marriage with his older sister, ‘I just, I-I didn’t know how. It’s a really fucking long story, Fiona, and you’re not here…’

The guilt comes rushing back, like a wave crashing onto Ian’s shore. He grips the phone tightly.

Fiona sighs down the phone, and she goes silent, he pictures her running her hands through her hair like she often does when she’s exasperated or worried. His chest warms at the thought, he misses her, he really does.

There’s another beat.

‘I guess I should say congratulations?’ She says breaking the silence, almost posing it as a question. He can hear the hint of humour in her voice, playing it off as both a joke and a genuinely sincere statement.

‘Thanks’ Ian laughs lightly, quietly feeling relieved that she isn’t more upset.

The wave of guilt pulls back into the ocean.

His eyes flicker over to the fridge door opposite, where there’s still an old post-it note of Fiona’s reading ‘Liam. Dentist 12:20’ stuck above the handle. Her presence is everywhere in the house, it’s in the foundations, the walls and the floorboards. It’s her house more so than anyone else’s, a hell of a lot more than it ever was Frank’s, or Monica’s for that matter. Still, it stings to know that she isn’t here, physically.

That she wasn’t here when he got out.

‘How did it happen?’ She asks, her habit for gossip overriding her need to hang onto the sentimentalities.

‘How did what happen?’

‘You know, the engagement, who asked who and all that crap. Not sure how it works when it’s just two guys.’ She snorts, and Ian rolls his eyes fondly, taking comfort in knowing it was meant harmlessly.

‘Pretty much the same way as everything goes with Mick, fighting and making up. Except this time with added engagement’ The bad joke hangs for a moment before he hears Fiona bark out a laugh down the other end, he breathes out, relieved.

He knows his and Mickey’s relationship can be volatile, especially physically. They’re tough, their hearts are tough. How can they not be when they’ve grown up in this shithole, surrounded by violence and poverty all their lives, only to top it off with a light dusting of homophobic and or, alcoholic, parents. They’re a product of their environment, that’s for sure, and it works for them.

‘Not that I’m surprised or nothing, but you guys really got into a fight and then engaged? Sounds like you two’

He winces knowing that Fiona hasn’t always had the best opinion of Mickey or their relationship, but he can’t really blame her given that he kept her out of the most of it in the past. It’s always been easier keeping her, and Lip to be frank, at arm’s length when it comes to Mickey, especially in the last few years. Especially after almost dropping everything and running off with him to Mexico. He was close, he was so close.

He’s quietly hoping the distance between his two worlds will finally change once they officially become family.

‘Nah, I beat down Mick’s date and then, I asked him to marry me.’ He smirks at the memory, sure it was childish to have gone after Byron the way he did but the guy had been pissing Ian the fuck off and he was so fucking bored of playing games with Mick. Plus, no one gets to talk shit about his guy.

‘Mickey’s date?’ She asks, her voice distorted with confusion and rightfully so. She’s missed a lot in the last few weeks, heck, Ian’s been having trouble keeping up with it all and he’s here. He can’t even remember the last time he spoke to Fiona longer than a few minutes except down the tinny prison phone - they must’ve talked when he got out of prison, right?

It dawns on him quickly that he doesn’t think they’ve had a proper conversation since he got out of prison, weeks ago. It sits in his stomach, distastefully. That’s the longest they’ve gone without proper communication since he ran away when he was 16.

‘It’s a long story Fiona’ He sighs, throwing a glance over to the stairs, wishing she’d walk down them this moment, ruffle his hair like she used to then crack open a beer with him.

‘When’s the ceremony?’

‘We’re thinking the next few weeks maybe, Mickey’s really getting into the wedding planning.’

‘Mickey Milkovich is enjoying planning a wedding? That I would like to see!’ She laughs, ‘but jeeze, a few weeks? That’s pretty soon, why rush?’

‘Terry Milkovich paid us a visit cause he’s mad as shit. Shoutin’ the street down and pulling out his gun. It upset Mick so he’s taken to use the wedding as a chance to torture him, I guess he’s hoping he drops dead from his gay son being happy or some shit.’ Ian explains, his hands gesturing in ways that Fiona can’t obviously see. God, Ian should’ve killed the bastard back when they were kids because they deserve a break. Realistically, he knows he couldn’t do it, but fuck, he wishes Terry had gotten stabbed or something in prison the first few times round, it would’ve saved everyone a lot of grief. Himself included.

‘No chance i’ll be able to make it then, I guess…’ Fiona says sadly, though Ian can tell there’s a small attempt to hide the tinge in her voice. She sniffles and the guilt threatens to crash back.

‘I guess not’

Ian thumbs at his engagement ring whilst the two of them hang onto the silence, unsure of where to move forward from here.

‘You happy?’

‘Yeah, yeah I am’ Ian affirms, and he is, he’s really fucking happy. He didn’t think he’d ever get to have this, especially not with Mickey.

‘You gonna be Mr Milkovich?’

‘Fuck off’

‘You guys talked about it?’ She asks, and he can tell this one is a genuine question, whether or not Ian is going to shed the Gallagher name once and for all.

‘Nah, I figured we’ll get round to it after the gold chiavari chairs or something’

‘The gold what?’

‘Don’t ask’ he begs, he’s heard enough about chairs and all that for a lifetime.

‘I’m happy for you’ She says after a few moments, and his heart warms. He imagines her throwing her arms around his shoulders and bringing him in for a tight hug, locked and safe.

‘I wish you could come.’ He whispers, his eyes stinging, his thumb rubbing at his band. He does, he really wishes his big sister could be there to see him and Mickey beat all the odds.

‘I know’ Her voice cracks ever so slightly and Ian aches at the thought of being the one who caused it, ‘I’m sorry I’m not gonna be there’.

‘Not your fault’ Ian sighs, and it isn’t. She needed to get out.

‘Yeah’ She sniffs and Ian has to bring his free hand up to wipe his damp eyes, ‘I want pictures’

‘I’ll have Debs send you some’ Ian says wetly, he’s pretty certain Mickey has even organised a photographer. There’s some rustling on the other end and he can hear someone call out Fiona’s name in the background, it’s muffled but distinct.

‘Ah shit, I’ve got to go.’ She groans, and Ian figures it’s probably for the best. Someone’s bound to be home soon and he knows there will be a lot of questions if he’s found all teary eyed in the kitchen.

‘Okay’ It’s all he can manage.

‘I love you, and I’m happy for you.’ She says, ‘Tell Mickey I’m happy for him too’

‘I will.’ He replies, ‘I love you’

There’s a shuffle, then the line clicks and goes dead.

He hangs against the counter, cradling the phone in both hands, cradling the connection with his sister. He realises she didn’t even ask him anything about prison, or the fact Mickey’s out too. He wonders how much his other siblings talk to her, does Lip keep up with her regularly? It’s hard to imagine with him having to balance everything with Fred.

His phone chimes, he glances down.

3:39pm: MICKEY

‘picked out the tuxes. gonna look so fuckin good.’

God, if fifteen year old Ian Gallagher could see him now. He shoots off a reply.

3:40pm:

‘can’t wait’

And he can’t.

[everlastingdreams]

Lucifer Morningstar x Reader : Invidia  Chapter 3

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Summary:  Maze sends you on a date with another guy to help you forget about your feelings for Lucifer. Lucifer soon starts to act stranger than usual.

Chapter: 3 / 4

Trigger Warning: None I think.

Word Count:  2307 words

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

“Maze !" Lucifer's voice filled the empty club. Maze looked up from the glass she was drying off. She let out a sigh, she had spent eons around Lucifer and knew but all too well that he was in a bad mood by the sound of his voice. Lucifer walked up to her "Why didn't you tell me that you send Detective (l/n) on a date with some.. some.." Maze quirked a brow and hid her amusement "You mean Mike ?" He looked away as if the name was a slap to the face "Yes! I mean him." She clicked her tongue "Figured you wouldn't care." Lucifer looked at her, insulted. "Not care ? Of course I wish to know if the detective shows interest in that..that.." he swallowed his words. Maze looked at him questioningly, as if she didn't know what he was speaking of. He noticed her look "That schmuck !" She let out a chuckle at that "He's pretty nice. Sadly." she shrugged her shoulders. "Does this amuse you ? Why would you set her up with a stranger ?” Lucifer didn't understand Maze's reason.

She scoffed “Really ?” she put her hands on the counter and leaned toward him “Maybe because you were too busy paying attention to others instead of paying some attention to her.”

He narrowed his eyes at her, confusion washed over his face “What's that supposed to mean ?”

She rolled her eyes at her old friend, how could he possibly be this blind ? “All I'm saying is that she looked like she could use some fun with someone who wouldn't be afraid to show her his true feelings. In time.”

Lucifer leaned back as he processed the information “Am I correct to believe that you know where he is taking her tonight ?”

Maze avoided his stare “Just a restaurant.”

“Maze.”

She clenched her jaw “Fine. I'll tell you.”

OooooOOOoOOoOOOoo oo o O o o oo O o oo o O oo o O o oO  o  O o o  Oo o  o Oo

The restaurant Mike had chosen was an up-market one. You had glanced at the prices on the menu once and swallowed. You weren't used to this kind of place. Your eyes wandered over the place, seeing people in far more fancier clothes then the dress you were wearing. You ignored the feeling of not belonging there and tried to make a conversation with your date, who seemed to be almost as nervous as you.

“You look very beautiful.” He smiled shyly.

Heat rose to your cheeks. It was nice to hear it, especially after all the trouble you had had with choosing what to wear. "Thank you. You look great too. I like your tie." You told him honestly. He brushed a hand over his tie when you mentioned it “Thank you.”

"I feel like I should apologize for my friend's behaviour back at my place. He can be a bit.. eccentric." you explained. You were used to Lucifer's Luciferness but it must have been uncomfortable to him. Lucifer had reacted strange to Mike, even somewhat hostile. Mike chuckled "It's alright, no harm done. I meet a lot of 'eccentric' people on the job. It's nothing new to me." He took a sip of his drink. You had almost forgotten that he was a lawyer "Maze told me you were a lawyer, is that correct ?" He nodded in confirmation "That's right. I work with a rather large firm. Lots of employees, helping people fast in an effective way is our goal." “That's great actually. It's nice to know that people can recieve the help they need faster now.” you knew that sometimes people had to wait for a lawyer, which caused delays in your investigations more then once. "When Maze asked me to take you out, I wasn't expecting someone like you." He confessed. "Someone like me ?" "Yeah, I mean.. normal." He clarrified. You understood what he meant, he probably didn't expect Maze to be friends with someone like you.

A laugh escaped you “Yeah, Maze and I are pretty different. We have a different view on a lot of things but that also what I like about her. There's a good heart burried under all that.. anger.”

Mike smiled at you “ There's layers to everyone of us. So, (y/n), what do you do for a living ? Maze hasn't actually supplied information to me about you other then your name and address.” he placed his elbows on the table as he watched you.

“Well, this is a suprise !” a voice suddenly sounded loudly.

You almost thought you had imagined it, that this was just your nerves getting the best of you.

Mike looked to the side where Lucifer was now standing. Mike's smile fell the moment he saw him.

Like everyone else you had stressed over anything that could go wrong on the date. Not having a click, him not looking like the picture Maze had shown you, or him being a serial killer. The usual stuff. The last thing you expected was the guy, whom you had strong feelings for, showing up at the same restaurant where you were eating with your date to forget your feelings for said guy.

You couldn't believe this was happening, why was this happening ? What did you do so wrong in your life that this is your punishment ?

“I didn't know you two were coming here tonight as well, I myself come here often.” He raised his hand and waved a waiter over. “Would you be so kind as to bring an extra chair, please ?”

“Of course Mister Morningstar, right away.” the waiter hurried to retrieve another chair.

It all went so fast that it left you no time to protest. It didn't help that you were looking at the whole situation as if it was an awkward scene in a movie.

“I hope I'm not interupting anything here.” he points between you and Mike as he took place on the chair the waiter had brought him “You look bored, so I guess not.” he says as he looks at you for a moment. Your mouth fell open in shock, you couldn't believe he just said that. IN FRONT OF YOUR DATE.

Mike's eyes darted between you and Lucifer, before he cleared his throat.

You could almost see the alarm bells ringing above the three of you. You rather roughly grabbed Lucifer's arm and pulled him to you so you could whisper “What are you doing ??” in his ear.

He seemed a little taken aback by your reaction but recovered quick enough “I believed it to be a good moment to get to know Mickey. See if he is indeed worthy of your time.” he said so Mike could hear as well.

“It's Mike.” Mike corrected him, you could see his jaw clench. But Lucifer spoke so Mike's voice almost tuned out “Tell me Mickey. Do you often help murderers walk free ?”

Mike's eyes darted between you and Lucifer's quickly. You stared at Lucifer with your mouth open, what the hell was happening ?

“My name is Mike. Not Mickey.” Mike ignored Lucifer's question. You could seem him getting more annoyed with each passing second, you couldn't blame him. You wanted to strangle Lucifer at this point.

“Right... because you see, it would be ironic, considering Detective (L/N) spends her days trying to put them behind bars. Where they belong.”

You closed your eyes and counted to ten, trying to stay calm before you spoke “Lucifer !”

Mike looked at you suprised before turning to Lucifer “It's alright, (y/n).” he told you “Everyone has a constitutional right to be represented by an attorney. So, yes, I have defended people who commited murder.”

Lucifer looked at him with a shit-eating grin “I believe that if they are guilty, they should be punished. And that's what I do." Mike raised his brows and let out a scoff "Sorry, but are you a judge or something ?" Lucifer arched a brow and stared him down "Something.”

You bit the inside of your cheek in anger “Lucifer, stop.” you said through gritted teeth.

Lucifer looked at you oddly, due to your change in voice “No worried Detective I was just-” he tried in his silky voice.

“Leaving.” you finished his sentence for him.

His mouth fell open in shock “ But-”

“Bye.” you glared at him. You were shocked and hurt at how he had just invaded your date.

Lucifer looked at you for another moment, you refused to look at him. You didn't want to look at him right now, not after how awfully rude he had been.

“Right...” his grin dissapeared from his face as he stood up and left the place.

You didn't understand why this happened, and now you were left to clean up the mess Lucifer had made with Mike.

The morning after the date, you were still fuming with anger as you made yourself some fresh orange juice. It was a good way to get rid of some anger as you squeezed them out.

Lucifer had managed to embarrass you, he had done so in the past but not like this. Not directly aimed at you. This felt personal, and it made it just that much worse.

A knock on the door brought you out of your thoughts. You put the glass pitcher on the table and made your way to the door.

You opened it and Lucifer's smiled at you widely as if he had forgotten his attitude from yesterday.

He opened his mouth to speak.

You slammed the door shut before he could bring a word out.

“Detective ?!” Lucifer called out through the door. You pinched the bridge of your nose and groaned. You opened the door again, maybe he wanted to apologize.

"(y/n)! You're home ! Excellent !" He clapped his hands together. You arched a brow "Where else would I be Lucifer ?" "I thought perhaps you had spend the night somewhere else." He said as he walked past you inside "But don't worry. I am sure the right man will walk into your life-" You stared at him as he walked inside "What ? Lucifer..." He turned around to face you, confussion now spreading on his face too "What ?" "The date last night.. he was fun." You clarified. “Even if we were interupted.” you added to make him realise that you hadn't forgotten. Lucifer's smile disappeared instantly "But you're here.." You scoffed "The fact that the date went well doesn't mean that I am going to sleep with the guy right away. I get that some people do but it's just not ...me"

He sighed and shrugged his shoulders as he mumbled “Guess the poor sod wasn't so interesting after all.”

You shook your head in disbelieve when you heard him say it before you mumbled “What ?”

He turns to you again nonchalantly “Well, I mean he must not have made a memorable impression on you then.”

You scoffed at his answer, looking away from him “Okay.” you clicked your tongue. Lucifer was being an ass now, you looked at your fridge before you gave him a innocent smile. “Do you want something to drink ? How about some bourbon ?”

The playful smile returned on his face as he took a step closer to you “Oh, that sounds lovely.” he said in his smooth silky voice.

You walked and grabbed the bottle of bourbon and poured out a glass for him “Ice ?” you asked in your sweetest voice.

He looked you up and down and smirked “Yes, please.”

You chuked a bunch of ice cubes in the glass before you walked to him. You held the glass out for him but as he reached for it you pulled your hand back and brought it to your lips. You only took a small sip of it, testing if it was cold enough.

Lucifer's eyes filled with delight “Aren't you a little devil.”

You took a step closer to him, a smile dancing around your lips “You're not the only one who knows how to have fun Lucifer.” you said seductively.

His eyes went from your eyes to your lips, his smirk growing wider as he leaned closer.

The moment he was close enough, you poured the glass filled with ice cold bourbon over his head.

“Bloody hell !!!” he stepped back from you and you could see him shudder. You burst into laughter at his reaction. He looked so offended “ (y/n) !”

You watched as he tried to dry his face with his sleeves, which was useless as his whole jacket looked soaked, before walking to your door and opening it. "Goodbye, Lucifer." he hadn't even bothered to apologize for his behavior from last night, and he was already starting to behave shitty again.  

"What ?" His eyes darted between you and the door "Really ?!"

You arched a brow, giving him a look that made it clear to him that you weren't kidding. “I don't know what's going on with you..” you were dissapointed “but as long as you continue to act like an ass, I'd rather not have you here..”

You hated to do this, Lucifer wasn't just the person you loved but also your friend. But you knew that if you didn't stop him now, he'd get worse.

You could see the sadness in his eyes and the hurt expression on his face, it just made this harder to do.

He stepped close to you “(y/n)..”

You didn't look him in the eyes “Please, just...” you shook your head.

Lucifer didn't say another word and walked out the door. You managed to close the door before you drew a shuddering breath.

Taglist for this story, please let me know if you want to be added to the list :) :

@anushay1998 @geesshoku  @alfabravo666

[puckinghell]

My Side of the Fence | Elias Lindholm

Plot: With a boyfriend like Elias, surely it’s not strange that you can get a teeny tiny bit jealous sometimes... Based on the song with the same name. Word count: 1890 Note: I’m literally not even a Flames girl but damn this boy is a dream. Feel free to send Lindy recs cause i swear i’ve read every imagine there is on him?? There’s not many. It’s a tragedy. 

Elias really was perfect in every single way. He was gorgeous, funny, charming, sweet, and did you mention gorgeous? Sometimes, you still couldn’t believe that of all people, he’d picked you to be with.

And when he was talking and laughing with a girl a million times more beautiful than you, that feeling got a little worse.

You knew he wasn’t the type to run off and leave you all by yourself at a party. In fact, usually he clung to your side, dragged you around as he talked to his friends, his hand on the small of your back or your hand tugged in his. He was always touching you, in some way. You scolded him for it, told him that you could be left alone, as you were not a child; but right now you would give about anything for him to come cling to you, to come annoy you.

You hadn’t even really wanted to go to this party, but Sean and Britt were both good friends to you, and Elias had basically begged you to go, saying it wouldn’t be much fun without you.

Well, you thought bitterly, he seemed to have fun now.

The girl he was talking to had approached him when he was going to get you a drink. No need to say you still hadn’t gotten that drink yet, and that was over half an hour ago. You’d been listening to Johnny’s rambling, but were barely responding, instead shooting daggers at your boyfriend with your eyes. But he hadn’t noticed.

He was too busy making heart eyes at the other girl.

“Who is that?” you interrupted Johnny in the middle of his sentence and his eyes widened as he followed your stare.

“That girl? I think she’s a friend of Britt. She’s Swedish, actually. That’s probably what they’re talking about.”

If he’d said that to make you feel better, he had failed. One of the things you had always been insecure about was the fact that you couldn’t speak Swedish with Elias, or with his family. Everyone had to switch to English when you were around and there was no way he didn’t find it annoying, even if he always said he didn’t mind.

“She’s pretty.” The words escaped your mouth before you thought them through and instantly, Johnny’s eyebrows knitted together.

“So are you.”

“Not like her.”

“No, like you.” Johnny bumped his elbow against your arm. “I have to hear him brag about it nearly every single day. I can promise you he’s not interested in anyone else.”

It hadn’t been your intention to share your jealousy with Elias’ linemate - it probably wasn’t the smartest idea, who knew what they talked about in the locker room - but clearly you hadn’t been hiding it very well.

“Let’s go find Britt, I heard she was looking for you earlier.” Johnny tugged at your elbow and you let him steer you away, even though you were fairly certain he’d just made that up on the spot.

Three glasses of wine later, your boyfriend finally reappeared at your side.

“Hey baby,” he said, wrapping his arms around your waist. But by now, you were pissed more than you were upset, so you slapped at his arms. They instantly fell from your waist and his face fell. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” you said coldly. You knew he didn’t believe you, but you also knew he would know better than to push it right now, and you were right. Even in the car back home, he didn’t bring it up, simply driving as you gave him the cold shoulder, staring out of the window.

But you knew he wasn’t letting it go, because as he stopped his car outside of your apartment, he didn’t wait for your invitation, simply locked the car behind him and followed you inside.

As soon as the front door shut behind you, his hand wrapped around your wrist.

“What’s wrong?” His tone was firm now, an underlying hint that he was willing to fight you on it if you didn’t answer.

You were never one to run from a fight. 

“Friend of yours?” you asked, not trying to hide the anger in your voice, and confusion washed over his face.

“Who?”

“The girl you spent the entire night talking to while I was following Johnny around like a lost puppy,” you snapped, and you saw the lightbulb go off in his head.

“Julia? No, I didn’t know her before. She just started talking to me in Swedish, she just moved here and her English isn’t that good, yet.” He shot you a knowing look. “I know what that feels like.”

He did. He’d been that guy once, speaking in a different language, every sentence taking just a few seconds longer to properly form.

But you didn’t. You would never be able to understand him like she would. And suddenly, tears were jumping into your eyes.

“Hey, what, what just happened? I thought you were angry at me.” Elias sounded alarmed, uncertain what to make of your sudden change of emotion. He could deal with you being angry, knew how to handle that, knew it was just a matter of time until you forgave him; but seeing you hurt, that was something that sent him into full blown panic mode.

“What if sometimes, the grass is actually greener on the other side of the fence?” you whispered.

Now you’d really confused him.

You didn’t know where that came from. It was something your dad always said; “oh well, honey, the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.” He said it whenever you wanted a toy your friend had, or be friends with a different clique at school, or have another job. He said it to tell you that you always wanted something else, no matter how good the thing was that you had in your hands. 

But you had Elias, and you wanted only him. You didn’t want anyone, anything, else; your dad’s life lesson had always been true, until you met him. However, you’d never stopped to consider that maybe, from his perspective, the grass was greener on the other side of the fence.

And the stupid thing was, you couldn’t even blame him. Cause in this one instance, it might be true.

“I don’t know what that means,” Elias said uncertainly. “I don’t understand what’s happening.”

And you couldn’t blame him for that, either. You weren’t even sure what was happening with the million thoughts that were going through your head.

“It’s… never mind.” You wrapped your arms around yourself, started to step back; all you really wanted was to curl up into bed and cry, but Elias didn’t allow you to walk away, his hands finding your hips to lock you in your place.

“No, not never mind,” he told you forcefully, resolution in his eyes. He wasn’t going to let you walk away and deal with this on your own. All he ever wanted was to help you. 

“Tell me what’s wrong. Let me help. Please.”

And that’s when you exploded.

“I just don’t get why you’d wanna be with me when there’s girls like that lining up to be with you!”

Elias blinked at your outburst, frowned. “Babe, what are you talking about? I don’t have girls lining up to do anything.”

God, he could be so daft. “Yes you do! You could marry a hundred different girls tomorrow if you wanted to!”

“That’s not true, but even if it was, the only one I would ever want to marry is right here.” He said it so simply, so calmly, that tears were starting to roll down your cheeks.

You definitely hadn’t been dating long enough to be dropping the marriage bomb around like that.

“Oh baby,” he hummed, and then he steered you towards the couch and pulled you down with him. His arms wrapped around your body and he held you tight as you cried into his shirt, willing your body to just calm down. It didn’t listen.

“You know, the grass is actually greenest on my side of the fence, cause the sun shines when you smile, and grass likes sun.”

Despite everything, despite yourself, you snorted out a laugh between your tears. “Lias, that’s the cheesiest, stupidest thing you’ve ever said.”

“But it made you laugh,” he countered smugly. “And I like it when you laugh.”

“I’m sorry,” you sniffed, your breathing finally starting to calm down. “I didn’t mean to get jealous, you didn’t do anything wrong, she just looked so much more like the kinda girl you belong with… And she could actually talk to you in your language, you wouldn’t have to change anything for her…”

“I’m not changing anything for you,” Elias interrupted you. “Speaking English is not a sacrifice for me. Besides, I still talk to you in Swedish sometimes. You just don’t know what I’m saying.”

You smiled. He always mumbled soothing words in Swedish in your ear when you were falling asleep. You didn’t remember when he started doing it, or why; you’d just realized one day that falling asleep without his whispered gibberish wasn’t as easy as it once was.

“There’s no need to be jealous, älskling. I want to be with you. I don’t want anything from any other girls. I’m only after you.”

You closed your eyes, breathed in deeply. Only now did you become aware of Elias’ thumbs, rubbing circles on your back.

“I’m sorry. Sometimes it just doesn’t make sense to me, that you love me.”

Elias shrugged. “It does to me. It makes sense on my side of the fence.” You knew he was joking, could hear in his voice that he was fighting back a smile. You knew he thought you were being ridiculous.

And maybe you were. As long as he believed that you were the one for him, you guessed you just had to believe it, too. Trust him on that. You would trust him with anything else. 

“I’m not looking over any fences, Y/N. That search ended for me the day I met you.” There was a pause, his arms tightening around you, then his lips against your hair. “Jag älskar dig.”

You didn’t speak Swedish, but you knew what that meant.

“I love you too.”

[pi-cat000]

MSA time travel idea (part 23)

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, Vivi POV, 8, 9, 10, Lewis POV, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, Lance POV 18, 19, Lewis POV.2, 21 , 22

Part 24: here

VIVI POV

“Something’s not right,” Vivi mumbles, examining the mess she’s made. Strewn across the ugly motel carpet is a mix of clothing items and assorted techy stuff. Important techy stuff. The stuff Arthur lunged around wherever he went. She’d never seen a person more attached to their computer, and yet he’d left it behind.

Don’t even get her started on the more concerning discoveries. Anxiety medication? A Psych referral? To her knowledge, Arthur hadn’t needed either since high school. Obviously, she can’t count on her compressive Arthur-related understanding anymore. Not with her recent track record. Arthur’s not really a talky-feely person, but that’s never mattered because he’s always been bad at hiding things from her. Until now.  Something’s changed, and she hadn’t noticed. Or hadn’t noticed its severity at any rate. 

Frustrated, she dumps what remains of Arthur’s bag out. There is nothing else of note. It’s not like she's expecting a convenient list of ‘reason why Arthur’s acting weird’ but something tangible would have been nice. Damn it.

Behind her, Lewis steps in closer, and she shoots a glance over her shoulder. His eyes are shaded by his hair puff, so she can’t make out his expression, but he’s slumped. Lost in his own head. Probably, overthinking things and blaming himself. Lewis takes everything personally, so this whole situation is undoubtedly hitting him hard.

Unfortunately, Vivi’s at a loss on how to comfort him. She’s never seen Lewis and Arthur fight or yell. They’re both pretty passive guys, preferring to talk through any disagreement. Not that they’ve had many of those or anything even remotely like …whatever that had been. She’d never seen either argue like that, all pain and raw emotion. Arthur panicking and defensive. Lewis pushing when he should be waiting, visibly hurting.  

She had had a choice, stay and talk to Lewis or go outside with Arthur. She’d chosen Lewis because Arthur wanted to be alone and he had obviously needed space to collect himself. Had it been the wrong move? Should she have insisted on following Arthur? She doesn’t know. Vivi doesn’t know how to convince Lewis that none of this is his fault or what to do without the van. She doesn’t know where Arthur went or why.

When had not knowing something ever stopped her from ploughing ahead! Nothing ever got done through sitting around thinking about ‘what ifs.’ She wants answers? Well, to get answers, she needs Arthur. To find Arthur they need transport and some method of locating him. With a new goal, she pulls out her phone, trying to check their location. None of her maps work, and she scowls, cursing the poor internet connection.

Vivi stands abruptly, startling Lewis. Technology isn’t the only source of information. She marches straight out the still open door, ignoring the taller man for the moment, intent on pulling aside the first stranger she sees. It just so happens that a man in a faded, 'route 66' shirt is packing up a car two steps from her room.

“Hey you,” She yells, powerwalking up, “Where are you heading?"

“Ah,” The man stalls, staring at her like she’s grown an additional head. Vivi realises she’s still in her pyjamas. Powder blue, long-sleeved, dotted in fluffy clouds, it’s not normal person clothing.  Coupled with her crazy bed hair, she’s probably giving off some strong crazy-person vibes.

“Sorry. Madam. I’m afraid I can’t help right now....” The dude slams the back door and practically leaps into the front seat in his effort to escape her.

“It was just a question!” She calls after him, irritated.

Okay. So maybe accosting the first person she saw wasn’t the best idea. Vivi frowns, trying to approach the problem more logically. There are no other people the immediate vicinity, and her focus jumps between the road and gas station sporadically. She takes a deep breath, re-centring herself. All this pent-up energy needs to go somewhere productive, or she’ll just spin in circles. Maybe, she should start by changing her clothes and wrangling Lewis. He’s missed her faux pas, but she’s sure he would have found it funny on a good day. A frustrated breath.

Lewis is standing exactly where she left him, lost in thought, Arthur’s referral loose in his hand.

“Lewis! Get dressed,” She orders loudly, re-entering, beelining to her bag. Lewis blinks, losing his deep contemplative frown, focusing back on her.

“We’re finding a way out of this town, van or no van, even if we have to walk. Are you with me?”  She needs him to focus on their current mission and not on Arthur, or the possibility that Arthur really does fear him for legitimate reasons. Nothing scares her more than that.  

“Right.” Lewis answers slowly, seeming to shake off part of his funk, “You’re right…You have a plan?” He sounds so pathetically hopeful. Energetically, she spins and points a finger right at his nose. No more angsting until they know what’s really going on.

“Get dressed. Get packed. Get gone.”  

A small smile flickers briefly across his face, “Detailed. I like it.”

“Well, we also need to find a person who knows a way out of this place, and maybe some way of actually locating Arthur. Wasn’t as catchy to say though,” She elaborates.

The smile fades into something more neutral and contemplative, “How about we start with the reception desk.”  

That was…logical.

“Right. Let’s do that,” Vivi agrees, then mutters, “Why didn’t I think of that?” It would have saved that poor guy a bit of a fight.

Now there is a bit of forwarding momentum, Lewis seems lighter. While she changes into a blue shirt and matching skirt, Lewis tries calling Arthur again, is unsuccessful, then pulls on his own set of clothes. Neither of them looks particularly well put together, but it’s better than nothing. Lewis even forgoes his usual routine, giving him a rugged, frazzled appearance.

Never before have the two of them ever left anywhere in under half an hour. Lewis has an overly long prep ritual and she leaves everything to the last second, so they always take longer than is probably reasonable.

Today they’re ready in ten minutes.

“Mystery,” She calls over her dog who’s been patiently watching Lewis and her rush around, “Who’s a good boy,” she whispers, scratching under his ear. Petting Mystery never fails to calm her nerves.

“I think that’s everything,” Lewis comments holding an arm out towards the door. Their bags are now stacked neatly in the corner, and the poorly decorated room is back to being sparse and empty.  

“To the reception?”

“Mission: Find Arthur is a go,” She agrees, grabbing Lewis’s hand, tucking it under her arm. Lewis, being a lot taller, must lean in a bit, especially when she’s walking slightly ahead, but he doesn’t seem to mind. Mystery trots along behind them without prompting. They cross the car pack and enter the small reception area.

Vivi doesn’t bother waiting for the lady to acknowledge their presence, pulling Lewis right up to the counter, and slamming down a hand, It makes a loud snapping sound. The woman jumps.  

“You know how we can get out of this town without a car?” Vivi goes right for the question she wants to be answered. There is no way she was wasting time with pleasantries. Not right now.

The woman glances between them, raising a brow, “Room 11? That was fast.”

“We’ve been staying in room 11. Is there a problem?” Lewis answers with a bit more restraint, leaving a deliberate question hanging in the air.

“Saw your buddy drive off. Thought it was odd. He left you a note,” A gesture towards a folded piece of paper, sitting isolated near the edge of the desk. Vivi stanches it up, ignoring the continuing exchange. She spins, freeing her arm from Lewis so she can unfold it.

“Arthur was here?” Lewis asks, eyes tracking Vivi’s quick movements before refocusing briefly on the reception-woman, “What did he look like? Was he okay?”

“Bit twitchy. Wasn’t really paying attention.”

The note is a collection of short sentences in Arthur’s messy cursive. Short on content. Short on detail. Short on anything useful.

“Had to leave.

Uncle Lance is in hospital.

I promise I’ll explain later.

Sorry.”

Her mind buzzes with its implications, throwing fuel on the worry-fire slowly growing in her stomach. Lance was in the hospital? How? Why would Arthur leave without mentioning it? She’s known Lance since she was five! Sure, the old man was standoffish, but she still cares about the guy. Did Arthur think she didn’t? Vivi tries to picture Arthur, getting bad news about his Uncle, and panicking. AND, instead of coming to them, his friends, for help, he had driven off alone. Surely, the distance between them wasn’t so great that Arthur felt he couldn’t come to them for support even when things were a bit rocky.  It lent a little credence to her ‘something bad is stopping Arthur from telling them the truth’ theory.  

She turns to say something to Lewis but hesitates. It’s not often that Vivi finds herself at a loss for words, but damn it if this whole situation isn’t dumping her right out of her comfort zone. Lewis, who is now leaning over her shoulder tracing the note with his eyes, looks like he’s swallowed a lemon.

Vivi hands the note over- Lewis takes the piece of paper gingerly-refocusing on the receptionist. At least now they know where Arthur is going. There is only one hospital anywhere near Kingsman Mechanics.

“Is there a way to get out of this town for people without a vehicle,” She repeats her earlier question more calmly. She’ll find Arthur and give him emotional support whether he wants it or not, dammit.

“Only the Interstate Bus Line. It stops here around 6am every day. This isn't a great place to get stranded in let me tell you.” The women’s attention is now shifting away and back to a magazine, losing interest.  Vivi glances back to Lewis, but he’s still staring at the note. Aggressively, a bit more than strictly necessary, she pulls him away from the desk into a cramped corner.

“Lewis,” Vivi pokes him in the side to get his attention, murmuring softly, “We’ll worry about it later.”

Before he can object or respond, she continues, whispering, “How much money do we have saved for this trip again?”

Lewis frowns, tucking the note away in his top breast pocket, perplexed, “$2000?”

Good. Not a huge amount but, including Vivi's personal saving, she has $2300. Hopefully, I’ll get someone interested. The town didn’t seem particularly affluent, so she likes the odds. She nods once, twisting back to the desk.

“Hey. Lady.”

She waits for the women’s begrudging attention.

“I’ll give $2300 to the next person to get us to Tempo, Milton or somewhere nearby. It’s eight hours from here.”

“Not really any taxi’s around,” Is the increasingly bored response.

“Did I say taxi?” Vivi interrupts, “I’m asking if you know anyone who’ll drive us to Tempo for $2300.”

A flash of renewed attention ignites before fading, the woman-maybe they should have asked her name- sighs.  “Just my luck that I’m stuck in this shit hole for the next week. I’d take you up on that offer. Hold on,” Irritated, unnamed-lady pulls out a mobile, “I know someone who needs the cash.”

While the lady dials out and talks briefly to a man on the other end, Vivi looks back at Lewis not quite sure how he’ll take her blowing their entire savings on this endeavour. She needn't have worried because he’s giving her that proud, gooey-warm smile that never fails to make her blush. Blood rushes to her face, and she turns away. Stay on task. Lewis is in a slightly better mood, check that off, now she needs to reach Arthur.

“So, my cousins’ got a small pick-up you can probably buy for around $2500,” The woman turns, having finished a half-muttered conversation, “It’ll get you where you want, he guarantees it. You interested?”

The price is a little high, but before she can start trying to haggle Lewis steps forward.

“That sounds fine, ah, Ms???”

Right. Lewis had savings as well. She shoots him a grateful smile.    

“The name’s Claire. You can finalise stuff with Jamie when he gets here,” Claire waves them away, glancing over at Lewis now.

“How long until your cousin gets here, Claire?” He asks deliberately.

“Since you’re obviously in a rush? I can probably have him here in half an hour.”

So, all going well, they’d be about two-three hours behind Arthur. Vivi could go out and make her offer to more people, but she doesn’t like the uncertainty when this one seems decent enough. This is probably their surest course.

“Sounds good,” She agrees, nodding.

Claire sighs, making a dismissive motion, “Suppose I should wish you luck in finding your twitchy friend. You want to check out now or after you see the pick-up?”

They check out, Claire tells them to leave whenever because there isn't anyone booked in till tomorrow. They relocate outside to sit together on the small step next to their motel door, waiting. Waiting. Time ticks by, made unbearably slow by the consent checking of her watch. Gradually, the word around them brightens, the morning progressing. Vivi leans into Lewis, bouncing her leg to rig herself of excess energy. She would be up and pacing back and forth, but Lewis has an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. Mystery positions himself on her opposite side, shoving his face into her lap for pats.  If the circumstances were different, she’d probably enjoy sitting like this.

Another attempt at calling Arthur goes through to voice mail. Internally, she reaffirms her mission. Find Arthur. Find out what’s going on. Help in any way she could. That’s what friends did.

Note: Vivi’s got her work cut out for her. Also, seriously enjoyed writing her POV because she’s so different from Lewis and Arthur. This part’s slightly longer than usual to make up for the wait time.

Part 24: here