#also you woke up as I was typing this silly and annoyed by me killing you with words well

[offeatherandfall]

[iaal]

Hisoka reacting to his normally shy and submissive s/o trying to take control during sex? 💖 Your writing does terrible things to me!

My Hisoka brain rot was too strong tonight and I wanted to write something. I had the WIP for this one for like more than a year in my WIP folder and finally finished it.

You knew he wouldn’t be shocked by your request. Maybe say no, probably tease you, but you felt comfortable enough to ask. Or at least try to.

For a while now you had everything you needed prepared, you thought that when the moment was right you could naturally bring the subject. The moment never came. Either you were too embarrassed or Hisoka already had a plan on how your time together would be spent and you’d end up getting swayed by whatever he wanted to do. Not this time.

It wasn’t anything to be proud of but drinking half a bottle of wine did wonder in helping you gather your courage. You picked up your phone and started typing a text, not brave enough to actually use your voice to ask him.

‘Are you free tonight?’ The text was innocuous enough but your heart was already beating fast. You weren’t sure if it was excitement or apprehension.

Hisoka didn’t make you wait long, ‘Missing me already?’

Answering a question with a question as usual, and as annoying as ever. You saw him only two days ago and he told you he would stay for at least a week in town, you didn’t know what his business was but he never seemed particularly busy so you’d hope he’d be available on short notice.

‘You can say that’, it never hurts to coax him a little with what he wanted to hear, ‘There’s something I’d like to try with you.’ Appealing to his curiosity always helped to.

His next text was sent almost immediately after yours. ‘Oh? Do tell ♦’

‘Are you free or not?’ You took another sip of wine, if this conversation continued like this you’ll finish the whole bottle before he gives you a straight answer. Even a simple yes or no question become complicated with him.

‘I can be, it depends on what you have in mind’

You paused, searching for you words and started typing before deleting and typing again. You did the same thing for a couple of minutes, positive Hisoka was amused watching your indecision. Finally you decided a picture was better to convey what you had planned. Opening your closet you grabbed your latest acquisitions and put them on the bed, displaying the silk handcuffs, ball gag and blindfold before snapping a picture. You hesitated half a second before sending it, you’d feel even more silly to get cold feet after teasing him.

‘You should have told me sooner you wanted to be tied up. You wouldn’t have needed to bother with your little toys ♥.’ You didn’t understood what he meant by that, however the problem was that he missed the main point.

‘No, it’s for you.’

That was it, you told him. Now you just had to wait for his reaction. Hisoka was always the one taking charge in bed so you weren’t sure if he’d go along with what you wanted. Nevertheless he also seemed like the type to have tried everything. It could go both way.

Minutes stretched and no answer, but he did read your message. You were starting to get nervous, it’d have been fine if he had just refused, it was the wait that was killing you. You poured yourself another glass of wine, if you had to spend your night feeling awkward at least you should be properly drunk.

Half an hour after your last text your phone screen finally lit up, ‘What’s in for me?’ You reread his message again and again not really seeing where he was getting at.

‘If you’re not interested just say so.’ Vexed by Hisoka playing with you, you shoot another message; ‘Forget it’ and put your phone away.

The sound of the front door opening woke you up completely. Sitting straighter you turned you neck to see if you imagined the sound, it wasn’t like you to not lock your door when you were alone, but Hisoka appearing beside you distracted you for that last thought.

It’s not like you didn’t like when Hisoka was in charge, quite the contrary, but you just wanted to try something new for the both of you to have fun and there’s no point in it if he saw that as a transaction.

Sulking, you grabbed the remote, in a mood for some trashy TV, and decided to follow the advice you gave Hisoka and just forget about ever making the request. It was pretty late already and alcohol helping, you dozed off on the couch.

“Looks like you were enjoying your night~” He picked up your almost empty glass and poured wine for himself, drinking slowly before making himself comfortable on the couch with you.

“Hisoka?” You rubbed your eyes and looked at the time, it has been less than an hour since you sent your last message. So he was free after all. “Why are you here?” you slurred, alcohol affecting you more than you thought.

“I had the feeling you were sulking,” he gently grabbed you hand and guided your fingers to his mouth, nibbling and kissing them. “And I wanted to hear more about your suggestion.” His lips moved to the inside of your wrist, trailing up your forearm, igniting your already hot skin with every touch.

“You weren’t interested,” you said, instinctively giving him better access when he reached your neck.

“I’ve never said that,” Hisoka corrected, pausing his kisses, his hands hooking up your shirt to rest on your waist.

In the background the TV was still playing the reality show you were watching, Hisoka turned his attention to it when the contestants started arguing, chuckling when one of them threw a nasty insult.

“You didn’t answer,” he added, his thumbs drawing circles on your hips but his eyes glued on the quarrel. The insulted contestant snapped and screamed, a fight about to break but someone intervened to separate them. Hisoka returned his attention to you, his hands gliding toward your chest. “What’s in for me?”

You really weren’t in a state to make a pitch sale, feeling dizzy with the wine and Hisoka caresses and still annoyed that he would treat your proposition as a favor. “I told you to just forget it. You wouldn’t be bargaining if you were really tempted.”

Hisoka picked the handcuffs, turning them around in his hands for a moment before turning his attention to the ball gag. The silence was awkward, well awkward for you, he seemed engrossed in his scrutiny of your new toys.

One rejection was enough for one night, you wanted to drop the subject and just forget about your attempt at being bold.

With a final kiss on your neck Hisoka moved away from you and walked to your room. Not sure what he had in mind you got up and followed him. Heat rose to your cheeks when you saw him inspecting the toys still laid on your bed. The mood was definitely not right for the display.

“Like I said, it’s fine if you’re not interested,” you said when you couldn’t stand the silence anymore. You moved to take the gag out of his hands but he held it out of reach above his head.

“And like I said, I’ve never said I wasn’t,” he retorted. He threw the gag back with the rest and sit on the bed legs crossed. Looking at you in the eyes with a slight smile he explained, “I could lay down and pretend to be restrained by your cute handcuffs,” as he spoke he reached for you, taking your wrist in his hand and pulling you toward him, “but would it be fun for me? For you?”

Hisoka uncrossed his legs and you let him guide you to sit on his lap. “When I’m asking what’s in for me,” he continued in a soft voice, slowly removing your top. “I’m asking how are you going to make it interesting.”

You chewed the inside of your cheek. It’s not like you thought it would be mind blowing, but you didn’t imagine he’d find it boring. No, if you were honest with yourself you thought he was finding you boring already. You’d be the first to admit that you were pretty vanilla before meeting him, it hasn’t been long since you two started to see each others but it was painfully obvious that he has experienced way more than you did. Of course sex became significantly wilder since he appeared in your life and you were more than happy to follow his lead.

Yet that all you did. Following his fancy. Following his instructions. Never taking charge. So maybe that’s why you bought some toys on an impulse, maybe you wanted to show him that you were trying to match his pace. To please him. When you were with him, Hisoka has this way to make you feel like you were on top of the world and at the same time utterly inadequate to be deserving of his attention.

“I… I don’t know. I wanted to do something different.” you answered truthfully.

“The idea in itself isn’t bad, just need a bit of polishing,” he chuckled, kissing at your shoulder.

Laying you down on the bed he finished to undress you, his lips caressing you skin as he uncovered more of your body. With his tongue dancing on your stomach and making its way toward your chest your barely noticed when he lifted your arms above your head. It was not until you felt pressure around your wrists that you realized your hand were bound to the bed.

“Wha-” The gag placed in your mouth cut off your words. Hisoka put it in, careful not to pull on your hair when locking it around your head.

He hummed at the sight, “The problem was that your idea was incomplete~.” He sat up straight above you, his knees on each side of your ribs. Always the show off, he made sure to give you a good view as he removed his shirt before fitting the blindfold on your eyes. Darkness enveloped you. “So, let me help your brainstorm ♥.”

[msookyspooky]

hi. i was wondering if you would do headcannons about severen with a reader who has bad nightmares?

Absolutely! I've done insomnia but not nightmares

Severen and a S/O with Nightmares

- Whether you're human or turned; your sleep schedule is going to match his. I mean, it's not like he can become a morning person for you so you're going to have to be a night owl in order to spend time with him.

- He was sleeping next to you, snoring loudly and in a deep sleep when you woke him up midday. At first, it was just twitching and mumbling but when you started thrashing and crying out he jumped up startled out of his own slumber and forcing you to wake up.

- At first, he just brushes it off but if it becomes routine he's getting annoyed by it even if he's not necessarily annoyed with you. Just frustrated with the situation of you waking him and everyone else up with your nightmares.

- If you had a nightmare where you jumped up out of bed, he probably jumped out of his skin, ready to fight someone like a cop or intruder, only to bonk his head on something. Cussing up a storm and clutching his head when he realizes you're having one of your night terrors. God forbid you have a nightmare where you wake up swinging bc poor Sev is going to get a few wops upside the head from you fist fighting in your sleep. (Jesse and Homer laughed about it for days seeing you fighting invisible demons in your sleep and waking up to have Severen getting in the crossfire of it)

- He probably doesn't get nightmares often (He is the nightmare and nothing scares him) if he does get nightmares it's emotionally driven ones. (His family burning up in the sun in front of him, his s/o hating him, him accidentally killing his s/o etc) So he's unsure what to say or do for you to make it better.

- He's going to tell you they ain't real as if that's not obvious. He's gonna tell you to try to control the dream by thinking of something else as if you haven't already tried that before. He's truly clueless and unsure what to do when one really gets to you and you're offstandish for the rest of the night. He's the type to do something to fix the problem so if he can't fix it then he's just as stressed as you are.

- Whenever you start to have them mumbling and whimpering in your sleep and it wakes him up, he just tends to pull you tighter into his grip. Hugging you close and in a sleepy, raspy whisper tells you he's right here and you're safe in his arms.

- If you wake up crying he's right there comforting you. Whispering wise cracks as he rubs your back to lighten the mood and reassure you you're safe.

- If it wakes you up late enough in the evening, he offers for you both to head outside early to talk about it. The sky's dark blue with barely any stars out yet and walking or talking to you with an arm wrapped around you while you share the nightmare you had. He's actually more observant than he seems and talking to him helps.

- If you're nightmares involve him he's extremely curious and gentle about it all. I think it's bc he's secretly worried your nightmare involves mistrusting him and he'd be hurt by that. Now if it involves losing him or something of that sort then he's extra soft and smug with you. A content smile on his lips as he gazes down at you and tells you he isn't going anywhere.

- On a much less romantic note, if your nightmare is something 'silly' or 'out there' like a clown chasing you with a knife or something...No guarantees he won't laugh at it or tease you. Not only bc to him, it is funny but also, bc it's his way of trying to make you realize how unreal it is and to basically try to ignore it. And if he finds out you woke him up over a nightmare about a spider or something...

"YOU WOKE ME UP FOR THAT? YOU HIT ME FOR THAT??!"

"I was asleep and thought you were the spider! I said I was sorry!"

- If you're nightmares cut into your sleep, he's going to be how I described him with a partner with insomnia. He's going to stay up entertaining you till your so tired you pass out or he's going to cuddle you soothe you as much as he can till you feel safe enough to fall asleep. His sleep be damned bc he is definitely a clingy cuddler (And spreader. Takes up the entire area your sleeping in and you have no choice but to cuddle up to him) when he sleeps. You're like his new teddy bear so if you ain't sleeping, he ain't sleeping. He slept alone for decades but now? He HAS to have you in his arms to fall asleep.

[slasherhaven]

Otis Driftwood planning to kill you until he actually sees you Part 2

Request: The reader is completely okay with the killing and everything and just acts like what happens at the Firefly house is an everyday normal thing. @tori-supernatural 

Part 1 to this is HERE

After meeting Otis in that bar and going home with him, you spent the night at the Firefly home. The only time you found yourself alone since arriving at the house was the next morning, when you woke up in Otis’ bed without him laying beside you.

You did think it was a silly thing to think but you were sure that you and the strange man had made a connection, there was certainly something between you both that was a little more than a one night stand. Though, you weren’t one to overstay your welcome and you believed that if the two of you were supposed to meet again, you would.

So, you climbed out of bed, gathered your clothes, and got dressed. Otis still hadn’t returned so you figured that you would just leave the bedroom, you’d probably bump into him or Baby anyway.

The house looked a little different during the day, and without Otis guiding you around, but still just as strange as you had originally thought it to be. As you approached the stairs, you could hear noises and people talking, you hoped it was Otis or Baby and you weren’t about to have an awkward encounter with another family member.

Reaching the bottom of the stairs, you followed the voices into the kitchen. Once yo reached the doorway, you froze, staring at the sight and trying to process what could have happened.

On the ground, in the middle of the kitchen, lay the young man that had come home with Baby last night, in a pool of his own blood. Dead. 

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Otis snapped at his sister, neither of them noticing your presence in the doorway.

“It ain’t my fault he got out” she scoffed.

“It was your responsibility” he reminded her, you looking between them both as they both talked. You couldn’t help but notice how casually they talked, sounding more like Baby had broken something rather than killed someone. It was all just too nonchalant. 

“If you had stuck to the plan instead of getting laid, none of this would’ve happened” Baby insisted. This murder seemed more like a inconvenience than a traumatic event to them.

“Shit...Y/n” Otis muttered, as if he was just remembering that he had left you in bed upstairs. 

“You better get her outta here before she sees this” his sister advised. 

“Too late” you finally spoke up after coming to your sense, though definitely not reacting the way you should or a normal person would. But it got their attention, making them look at you. “What happened to him?” you asked, leaving the siblings to try to figure out what the hell you were thinking. 

“He tried to run but I got to him first” Baby told you with a small shrug, once again acting like things were completely normal. If you weren’t going to freak out, neither was she, she already had to chase one person down today. 

“Right...” you nodded slowly, still trying to get a grasp of what exactly was going on here.

“You’re a little too calm” Otis squinted at you. 

“She’s processing” Baby rolled her eyes at her brother, like he was being oblivious. 

“I’m fine” you assured them, making them both look at you with confused expressions. “C’mon, it’s not like I thought you two  were model citizens when I met you, I knew you were dangerous, plus this guy can’t be Baby’s type. He was just an easy target” you shrugged. 

“He wasn’t easy, he was fast!” Baby protested, sounding offended by the suggestion that this man had been an easy kill, like you had been underestimating her. It amused you a little. 

“If last night taught me anything, it’s that you’re a little fucked up” Otis commented, making you blush slightly, “but this is a whole new level.” 

“That’s rich coming from someone who just killed a man” you scoffed.

“Actually, I killed him, thank you” Baby huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Right, sorry” you apologised with a small nod. “But this is a regular thing for you guys, right?” you accused more than asked. 

“How’d ya guess that?” Otis questioned, still squinting at you, trying to figure you out. Ever since he met you at the bar, you had been a mystery to him. 

“You’re also way too calm, and it sounds like you had a plan last night. I put the pieces together” you stated. You’re matched casualness must have thrown him off, he knew there was something about you that drew him in but it seemed like the two of you were more of a match than he had originally thought.

“She’s clever” Baby grinned, looking to her brother. 

“Fuckin’ hell, Baby” Otis rolled his eyes, annoyed with her interruptions, as he walked up to you. “I knew you were fucking crazy from the moment I saw ya” he told you as he grabbed your arm roughly, pulling you out of the kitchen.

“Welcome to our world!” Baby called after you with a laugh, knowing that Otis would definitely plan on keeping you around now.

Otis dragged you into the living toom before pushing you forward and releasing your arm. 

“When you approached me at the bar, you were planning on killing me right?” you asked as you turned to him, not seeming all that phased by the possibility.

“Something along those lines” Otis confessed, staring you down. 

“Why didn’t you?” you asked curiously. 

“Sensed the fucked up in ya, looks like I was right” he teased with a slight smirk. 

“Ain’t you observant” you smirked right back. “So, what now?” you asked. 

“I’ll give ya a choice” Otis hummed, eyeing you up and down, sizing you up all over again. “I know ya ain’t going to the cops, so ya can walk out that door and forget about this place...or I can show ya everything” he offered. Otis considered himself a good judge of character, and for the most part he was, and he was sure that you were going to answer the way he wanted you too. 

“I ain’t got nowhere to be...show me” you couldn’t help but wonder what else this man had in store for you, and you found yourself needing to know everything.  

“Oh, we’re goin’ to have a lot of fun” Otis smirked as he stepped towards you, throwing an arm around your shoulders. 

“You promise?” you asked as you looked up at him, stopping him from guiding you through the room by turning to him and wrapping your arms around his waist. 

“Just hope ya can handle it” he was teasing you, something about the way he was looking at you told you that he thought you might be able to handle it and he was looking forward to it.

“I can handle a lot” you assured him confidently. 

Otis’ smirk grew before he lent down, capturing your lips in a heated kiss, one that you instantly returned. 

“We’ll see” he pulled away from the kiss, seeing how you smiled up at him with a shine in your eyes.

You unwrapped your arms from around his waist but he kept one of his around your shoulder, guiding you through the house to show you all of the family’s dark secrets.

Maybe you were right, you and Otis were meant to cross paths, and maybe you were meant to end up here the whole time. What you knew for sure was that you would be sticking around for a while and things were about to get much more interesting.

[tomtenadia]

Remember Us - 8

Weekend surprise!

-----

Rowan had another tough week.

His headaches had been almost constant and some days worse than others. He had bouts of dizziness and on a couple of occasions he had felt disoriented and confused again. He had been terrified. All of a sudden he had no idea where he was, who he was and it just sent him back him in the hellhole of the first days he had woken up.

Aelin had took him to the hospital and his doctor had ran some test and explained that what he was experiencing were some common symptoms with a head injury. The spells of disorientation should disappear soon but he had said that headaches might linger a bit longer. He had prescribed some painkillers but Rowan had decided to take them only when the headache was unbearable. The first time he took them he was knocked off for an entire day and did not like the idea.

That morning he was home alone. Aelin was at work, Thomas at his nursery and Evalin had taken Freyja with her while running some errands.

He was sitting on the sofa with a book in his hand. He had asked Aelin to show him the book where Thomas’ namesake was. He had joked saying that he was keen to meet his competition.

Things between him and Aelin had improved. He still had his fears, he was still scared of not being enough for her but she had been a constant presence at his side and never pushed. They had shared some nice moments and in bed at night he had started sleeping with her in his arms and his hand on her belly.

Slowly he realised that the feeling he had for her had been real. His attachment to her was growing day by day. More memories flooded back and in the past few days their friends made an appearance as well and he had talked with Aelin about those moments and now he could put names to faces. They had discussed the possibility of meeting them in person, but Rowan was not sure how he felt about it yet. A part of him wanted to, was curious, but the other felt terror at the idea.

He sighed and went back to the book and read the same page for the millionth time. He had discovered that he was also struggling to concentrate, another annoying side effect. Exhausted, he placed the book on the coffee table. He was about to go back to bed but someone rang the buzzer of their house. He was not expecting anyone. So he stood, grabbed his walking stick and reached the door. Once he opened it he found a tall dark-haired man with a baby carrier at his chest and a baby in it. Lorcan. The man was Lorcan. His partner at work. Aelin had filled him in.

“Hi,”

“I am Lorcan,” said the man.

“I know.”

“Sorry, I was taking Allison for a walk and I got to this area and decided to pop in for a visit.” He explained “I can go if you don’t feel like having visitors.”

Rowan shook his head “I guess I need to start to interact with the outside world.”

“Fancy some fresh air?”

Rowan thought about it and nodded. He hadn’t left the house since he came back from the hospital. “Let me change.”

He came back a few minutes later and left a note to Evalin, explaining that he had gone for a walk with Lorcan “you need to be my guide, I have no idea where to go and how to get back home.” He locked the door behind him and pocketed phone and keys.

“Don’t worry. I checked with Aelin and she said that it was okay if you felt like it and that fresh air might do you good.”

Rowan nodded and took a deep breath of fresh air. “Just don’t run, I am still very slow.”

“I was just going to the park down the road. Elide is at work today so I am on babysitting duty.” And caressed his little girl’s head.

The baby was fast asleep against Lorcan’s chest. “She looks lovely.”

“She is her mother’s daughter, she is basically an Elide in miniature.”

They walked in silence to the park and then sat down on a bench and Rowan sighed in relief. That had been the most he had walked and his leg complained. It was getting better and Dorian had recommended to keep using it as much possible to get used again to the weight on it. Also, he had muscle mass to rebuild and the man had given him exercises to do at home.

“Silly question, but how do you feel?”

Rowan sighed “definitely better than a few weeks ago. Memories are coming back and it’s not as scary anymore as it was before.”

“How is it going with Aelin?”

Rowan paused and looked at the park around him. That was a loaded question and he always had to sort out his feelings “We are growing closer, or actually is me. My feelings for her are slowly getting clearer.”

Lorcan chuckled “you two will go back being attached to the hips in no time.” And the comment surprised Rowan “as soon as you two decided to stop fighting you became this disgusting cheesy couple. You have been together forever,” he continued “and after what you have been through, this is a stroll in the park. I am not sure another couple would have survived it.”

Rowan looked away, the pain of those memories was always vivid. He had dreamt the night she had woken up in a pool of blood. He had wondered the same thing. How their marriage survived that level of loss.

“Elide would probably make fun of me for saying this but you are soulmates. Elide and I had to work hard, mostly because of me. Before her I was not the relationship type.” He told him, rocking gently from side to side to prevent his daughter from waking up “you and Aelin had a deep connection from the start, even when you called her a spoiled brat and she called you obnoxious bastard. There was something there, among all that fighting and you were the only ones who did not see until much later.” Lorcan kept talking and Rowan listened interested. He needed to know more about them and this was exactly what he needed. An outside perspective on his relationship with Aelin “that bond, that connection brought you back together after those dark weeks.”

“I felt it since the first time she stepped in my room after I woke up.” Then he looked at the man and decided to learn more about their relationship.

“How did we meet? You and I.”

“Uni.” Said Lorcan with half a smile “First year and first day. We sat at the back of the class. I showed up with no pen or paper for taking notes thinking it was not needed for our first day. But the professor dove straight in. So you gave your spare notepad and spare pen.”

Rowan laughed at the memory.

“We became friends instantly.” Allison stirred so Lorcan stood and paced in front of Rowan “Once we graduated we applied for jobs and we landed in two big law companies but after two years you left them and then a while later you came to me with a plan. I resigned the next day.”

“Do you regret leaving a high paying job?”

Lorcan shook his head “not in the least. It was driving us mad and killing our lives. We had no time for anything. Too many ungrateful bastards to deal with. Elide and I broke up for two months because of it. No, I have no regrets. What we do now is good. We actually help people.”

Rowan played with his wedding ring in a nervous gesture “what if I can’t get back to my old job?”

“You have probably heard this a lot, but take your time. Things are under control. When you feel ready you can ease back in, but there is no rush.”

Rowan sighed “I need something to do. When Aelin is not at home Evalin looks after Freyja to give me space.”

“You probably still have your law books. Get them out of storage and read and see if anything comes back. If not, they are handy if you are struggling to sleep.”

He laughed and in that instant Allison woke up.

“And she is awake.” He gave the girl her pacifier “come on I’ll take you home.”

***

Lorcan took him back home and Rowan was now back on the sofa trying to go back reading the book but only managed a few pages before the headache came back.

He groaned in frustration and then paced a bit around the house like a caged animal. He stopped at the window and looked at the tree in front of the house and he had an idea.

Slowly he reached the closet and found a few spare duvets and grabbed one of the colourful ones, then a couple of pillows and dragged them outside. He had to abandon his walking stick so the job had proved harder, but not as hard as the second part of his plan. He had to get the stuff in the treehouse. The weather was nice and he was going to prepare some adventure for the kids. He had no idea what, but he would think of something. Climbing the wooden stairs with the duvet in his arms had proven hard, but now at the top he dropped the blanket and took a deep breath then very carefully made his way down and grimaced at the pain in his leg. With a heavier limp he made his way back in the house and grabbed a backpack and started to add some toys, books. Then he found battery powered fairy lights in the closet and grabbed those as well. Finally he grabbed the pillows and left the house once more and went to the treehouse. Rowan climbed half the stairs and threw the backpack inside, then grabbed the pillows and finally got in the house and sat down ignoring the blinding pain in his leg. He had gone too far for one day.

Crawling around the place he started spreading the blankets to make it cosy and warm, then the pillows and eventually he attached the fairy lights around the walls. He switched them on for a moment and the effect was perfect. He laid out the books, the toys and eventually lay down to relax.

He had finally managed to read a bit more of the book and was now engrossed, Thomas was still the alleged bad guy but he had just discovered that he had confessed that the enemy had taken POW and begged his captor not to glass the base that still had their people on. He had started to like the man and could start to see why Aelin loved him.

He reemerged from the book when he heard some familiar voices. With caution he crawled to the edge and popped his head outside and saw Aelin with Thomas in hand and Freyja in her stroller pushed by Evalin.

“Good afternoon,” he greeted them. 

Aelin lifted her head and gasped when she saw him inside the house.

“Dad!” Shouted Thomas, freeing himself from his mother’s grip and running to the wooden ladder.

“Careful,” Aelin was at his side and helped the boy climb.

“Fancy joining me?” Rowan extended his hand to Aelin and she smiled.

Evalin nodded at her daughter “go, I’ll take the stroller inside. Stay with your family.”

Aelin lifted Freyja in her arms and slowly climbed the ladder. Rowan waited for her at the top and grabbed the little girl and allowed Aelin to climb easier.

When she reached the top and peeked inside she gasped “did you do all this?”

Rowan gave her a grin and nodded “I was bored and I tried to do something so we could spend some special time as a family.” He winked at her and Aelin kissed him “I love you,” she whispered and he kissed her back. He could not utter those words yet but he wanted to show her how much he cared already.

Aelin lifted the blanket and squeezed underneath after she and Thomas had removed their shoes. Rowan sat at her side and brought her close to him. The kids sat in front of Rowan in between his legs. Thomas passed one of the books to his dad but Aelin took it. She knew Rowan was still struggling with reading for prolonged time “now, is everyone cozy?”

Thomas screamed all excited and leaned his head against his father’s chest and Rowan placed a hand on his head and Freyja snuggled closer as well.

Aelin pulled up the blanket to cover them and tucked under Rowan’s arm and opened the book

“In a distant and magical land there lived a princess. She was young but loved her kingdom very, very much…”

[stetersecretsanta2024]

Nightmare Neighbor

Peter Hale was not happy to be living in a duplex. He was used to luxury, but it seemed that the small, sleepy town of Beacon Hills did not have anything to offer in the way of luxury. Sure, he’d purchased land and construction on a home more suited to his tastes was underway, but it meant that he still had to live somewhere in the interim, and this had been the best that he could find on short notice.

As a werewolf, being that close to other houses - let alone having someone else living in the other side of the house he occupied - was a type of torture. Even with the techniques he’d learned from a young age to tune out the noise and scents around him, it was difficult to relax. At first, some of the noise was endearing. His neighbor was full of holiday spirit, singing off-key carols and constantly running Christmas movies - even those silly Hallmark romances.

However, not all of the noise was that pleasant. It didn’t take Peter long to realize his neighbor experienced some truly terrible nightmares. He’d scream himself awake, and the stench of his fear permeated the walls separating them. It took all of Peter’s restraint to not go knock on the door and make sure that his neighbor wasn’t actually being attacked and in fear for his life, despite never having heard a second heartbeat.

At first, the nightmares were sporadic. Lately, though, as the holidays approached, they were happening almost every night. As concerned as Peter was for his neighbor, he was also getting annoyed at being woken up all the time. He’d been debating going over and at least introducing himself, trying to politely bring up the issue to see if the boy even knew what was going on. Then one night things changed dramatically.

Peter still woke suddenly in the middle of the night to the scent of fear, but there was an overpowering stench of anger on top of it, and no screaming. In the absence of the screaming, Peter could hear rapid footsteps and grunts of pain as his neighbor seemingly ran around his home for no reason.

That was it! He’d had enough! Peter leapt out of bed, stuffing his feet into slippers but not bothering with a shirt or pants to cover the boxer briefs he’d worn to sleep, and stormed out of his side of the house, making the quick trip to the other side of the porch and banging on his neighbor’s door.

“Would you please keep it down in there?!” 

There was no pause in the frantic motion that Peter had heard, and heaving a sigh, he tried the door to find that it was locked. In a split second, he’d lowered his shoulder and broken it down. His eyes took in the scene of a house in disarray and a beautiful, wide-eyed young man who was breathing heavily as he used both hands to hold a glass jar upside-down in the middle of a runic circle, trapping a single fly.

The boy - the mage, Peter realized - was staring at Peter in shock, but quickly focused back on the fly that was buzzing around, trying to escape the small prison.

“Sorry, I’m just trying to kill it,” a voice that was deeper than Peter had expected explained.

“All that ruckus over killing a fly?” Peter asked incredulously. “Get out of the way, I’ll do it.” 

He made to move forward, intending to smash the glass jar under his heel before berating his neighbor, but found himself unable to move mid-step, his neighbor’s eyes locked back on him and glowing purple. 

“No,” he hissed, “over killing a nogitsune.”

If he hadn’t already been frozen, Peter would have stilled himself in absolute fear. “The chaos fox spirit?”

“The very one. Now if I let you go, will you stay back and let me finish this?”

Without waiting for a response, Peter found himself released, and the mage’s attention returned to the fly - the demon - that was trapped. He performed a short ritual, and Peter watched in fascination and horror as the fly exploded into a cloud of black dust. The mage reached to the side, grabbing a finely carved wooden box, and gently swept the remains into the box before sealing it tightly and muttering another incantation.

Once that was done, he turned back to Peter. “So, my reclusive werewolf neighbor finally decides to make himself known, hmm?”

“Peter. My name is Peter.”

“Well, Peter, you can call me Stiles.” The mage - Stiles - gave him an intense once-over that had the confident werewolf blushing, and then grinned. “And you’re welcome to come back tomorrow to fix the door, after I clean the rest of this up. Don’t feel the need to change, though, the outfit you’re wearing right now will work just fine.”

Peter found himself turning and walking through the remains of the busted door, heading back to his side of the house, and going to bed with the promise of seeing the mage again the next day giving him nothing but sweet dreams.

[aquamoonchaii]

•• genre: fluff, angst

•• warning: mentions of alcohol

•• pairing: xiaojun x fem! reader

•• wc: 1.4k

•• collab: Resonance Beach by @amorajae

•• charlie's notes: enjoy this cheesy piece <3

•• summary: you two choose the worst time to argue and separate each other for a while so xiaojun is now a party pooper and he is a sappy drunk asshole. did he even understand what you said that night?

“He is the luckiest asshole in the whole resort.”

“Not as lucky as me, remember I won the tickets to get here in the first place.” YangYang brags and a couple of mocking “thank you sir” echo the room.

“But really, who the fuck brings this alcoholic to his room?” Hendery questions and the man in question scoffs, sitting up just to find all the idiots gathered around him.

"Are you really talking about me….around me?" SiCheng, without a word, grabs his face like searching for something then proceeds to grab his hands and puts them up as he is shirtless. "He is complete, no organs removed or bruises. This guy right here is indeed lucky." Xiaojun furrows his eyebrows as SiCheng gives him a slap on the back, stands up and leaves as everyone follows him talking about what they should have for breakfast but the only rational one stays.

Kun rolls his eyes at his hungover friend when handing him a glass of water with pills he got there. "You know this resort masters at wild parties and strong liquor so why are you drinking so much? The blackout thing and being lightheaded are not sexy nor a good combination."

"I'm a grown man, it's fine."

" I know, that's why no one follows you."

"Don't lie, I heard the bartender calling you."

"...maybe. But that's not the point, how do you even get here?" XiaoJun groans because it's too early for this and he is hungry, thinking how he wants to go home and be at peace. "Whatever, just don't die DeJun. Do you have any news?"

He lowers his head and shakes it, no one really mentions it as they promised to shut up about it hoping he shuts up and enjoy.

Xiaojun indeed has been quiet but drinks one beer and he is sobbing about Y/N once again. Goddamnit. It's been a week of him drowning in his tears and three days of him drowning in alcohol, his friend is really heartbroken and he secretly wonders if this type of codependency is actually good for him.

Kun bites his hand to not call you and ask what happened because XiaoJun won't talk about the whole stuff. You two were basically glued to each other since you started dating and it was a bit awkward but XiaoJun looked happier and you were really nice to everyone.

He wonders if his probably now single friend is going to be alright. For now, he just listens to him talk for a bit and forces him to swallow a lot of healthy snacks so his liver doesn't collapse.

……….

It's been two long days at the resort and everyone is having fun except XiaoJun. He has been basically brought here as another suitcase anyways, one night he has been slurring words about Y/N and how the guys would have to kill him to make him accept the invitation to the resort and the next day he woke up at lunch time with a huge hangover at a king sized bed... at the Resort.

Fuck them all.

Until Kun made some sense because well, they didn't do it to mess with him. Actually, yes but also because XiaoJun was one of the most excited when Yangyang played a stupid lottery and won tickets to a luxury resort for a week. He helped Kun to organize everything for the other chaotic asshats, it was gonna be an unforgettable summer vacation.

Yangyang and the guys approved Y/N so they invited her but no one asked anything, maybe it was because he arrived late at the dorms looking like garbage after meeting you. He remembers reaching them and opening his hand to show them both of your rings, how embarrassing but at least that stopped the questions.

After Kun leaves, he slurs a thank you because he knows he is making this trip a nightmare for him. But a question keeps running through his head, does he actually reach his own dorm by himself?

DeJun can't even stand on his feet when frick an he acts wild almost screaming what he feels because the alcohol softs his vocal chords and makes him rant about his feelings he prefers no to talk about sober.

He doesn't stand up but leans to the little table at his left to search for his wallet and grab a lot of cash, he'll search the person and tip him extra because it's probably one of the service people that looks the worst side of him.

Let's give us some time. It would be good for both of us, DeJun.

Honestly, fuck you.

How is this good?

It was a silly argument that turned into something big as stress and miscommunication clashed, you both hurt each other with harsh words and stormed out in opposite directions. The next day he met you to talk things out and you forgave each other but it had turned awfully when you returned the promise ring to him.

You are not coming back, he can feel it.

Honestly, he wants to run to you and do something for you to get him back. But what if you end things right away? You said something about giving him a week to enjoy himself as the most repetitive thing of him at the argument was you being everywhere and he couldn't breathe.

He sighs, how stupid of him.

Basically, DeJun is the clingy one so that didn't make sense. He was the one expecting for you to come and cuddle him as you bicker with Yangyang as he tried to roast him, you caressing his hair as he played the guitar and sing for you, the little kisses on his cheek when he felts sad, how you didn't leave his hand even when you were paying for the snacks. He loved it, he was the one to search for your hand so you can hold him a bit more.

If you are taking your revenge now, it's working and he wishes once again being at the dorm so the wondering and the waiting eats him alive.

You are not coming back but he is hoping you do somehow.

…….

"DeJun! Are you drunk?" He shakes his head as he arrives at the fun stuff to do, maybe doing something would make him stop thinking about you for a bit. Everyone pats their back as he probably looks like crap and make him go to beach and learn surf.

...it doesn't work but he feels less miserable at least.

No headaches are cool too as night arrives and they are invited to a party. SiCheng bet him 100 dollars he couldn't pass the night without a single shot and he raises an eyebrow.

"I'll be the one who takes you to the dorm, I won't clean anything tho."

"Deal."

The variety of cocktails makes everyone drunk as hell and XiaoJun actually has fun watching Kun dancing on the table as everyone cheers for him. Hendery breaks empty glasses as he tries to do a house of cards with them, he is the one in charge of apologies tonight. SiCheng literally passes out on his lap and he can't move.

Luckily, the staff helps him and takes each asshat to their room and he gets the chance to ask who is the person who takes him to his own room.

"No staff was needed, sir. A lady came the first night and handed me her number so I could call her when you were passed out."

"Uh, what?"

"We allowed it as he addressed herself as your girlfriend. The friend who slept over you confirmed to us she made you arrive safely."

WHAT.

"Can you call her please?"

And there you are coming hurriedly from another side of the resort, waving at the bartender. "Where is he?"

He lifts his hand and nervously waves, you approach him awkwardly and waved too. "So you caught me."

"Why didn't you tell me you were here?"

"Well, you weren't in conditions for it."

"And what's the best condition?" He doesn't know how to feel, but being embarrassed is the first thing that gets the best of him as you saw it all.

"Maybe sober?" You shrugged your shoulders and sat down in front of him, his cheeks heated because he remembers talking to someone about how sorry he feels for the woman he loves. "You really don't know how to listen to me, huh?" He looks at you utterly confused but his heart flutters when you extend your hand to him. DeJun carefully grabs yours and lets out a shaky sigh like he has been holding his breath since you left.

"Y/N…"

"There's no need to explain further, I heard it all with hiccups and everything." You chuckle and caress his hand. "It was too extreme for me to return the ring, I'm so sorry for that. But I really thought a week alone would make us think if this relationship was going well and… I felt awful. I literally made you cookies twice and kept forgetting we were on a break. I am not sure how to ask this but, how did your week go?"

"I literally can't see because of how swollen my eyes are. Never do this again please I'm so annoyed I'm going to cry again."

"I won't I promise, I also can't see." You laugh and he looks at you, your sweet eyes lighten up as he stands up and kisses them both over the table as he mutters apologies again.

"Can you keep it as a secret what I did hen drunk?"

"You screamed my name but I loved it." XiaoJun groans and covers his ears as you laugh, he searches his pocket and give shou the ring.

He is never going to drink again but he makes you write on a napkin a promise to wear the ring everywhere.

[animeyanderelover]

Hello A-Chan, this is my first time requesting ever, but I was really hooked onto your blog so I thought I’d give it a shot! Could you do prompt 46 with Asura from Naruto? Also, how are you doing?

I love Asura, not gonna lie. I love such guys a lot. I would say regarding boys that is my type. I would like to say that I'm fine, but I am nervous as hell for next week since it'll be one exam after another

Tw: Yandere themes, unhealthy mindset, unhealthy relationship, obsessiveness, delusions, clinginess, slight angst, paranoia

Prompt 46: “Can I...can I kiss you?”

There were days where you had seen Asura being discouraged, where you had seen him being partially down, disappointed from everyone only seeing his brother as worthy and him as more of an airhead. There had been days where you had witnessed that he as well had his moments of sadness and regret.

But right now this was something completely different, something much more serious than what you had witnessed so far. But could you blame him? After all that had happened the last few days? After Indra’s betrayal? And after Asura had been made the next leader? He was currently carrying a lot of responsibility and sorrow on his shoulder and due to his stubbornness to put his own problems over the ones of the villagers he was brewing everything in himself together, keeping everything for himself. Maybe because he didn’t want to discourage the villagers by letting them see that their leader was currently having his own problems and maybe also because he didn’t want to risk his brother risking the chance to attack again.

His brother was almost like an invisible weapon hanging tight over everyone’s head, no one knew when he would come again which made everyone extremely uneasy. That was why Asura refused to give himself some rest, refused to show his feelings too openly. He was the hope for everyone and if he would crumble, they would slightly panic and he didn’t want everyone worrying over him.

But you were his spouse, you had the right to know such things and since you knew him better than many others, since the youngest childhood days, he didn’t feel the need to hide anything from you. Even if he did, you could tell if he was lying or not and whenever you started consoling him, he ended up breaking a bit down in front of you to reveal his vulnerable feelings and all the pain and doubts he was hiding under all of his happiness and joy. He was a human as well and you didn’t expect him to be all the time positive. Of course it was nothing bad, it was a good thing he was the way he was. Maybe he was sometimes just a bit...inexhaustible. But you had learned to endure him and all his clinginess and his sometimes too sweet behavior.

But it was rare for him to be seen whilst being distraught or radiating off sadness and disappointment. But that was what you had found him like when you had woken up in the middle of the night in bed, with him having positioned himself so that his head had been burried in your hair, arms having wrapped themselves tightly around your form so you could not escape with a tight grip that gave you the feeling that he was silently begging for comfort and his breath being slightly erratic. It was not the first time you had seen him being like this, it happened every once in a while, but since he had pleaded you to not tell anyone, you had kept quiet about it. Only his father knew.

“Was it about Indra again?”, you asked him, turning your body a bit so your back was now laying on the mattress and so that you could face him a bit better. He did not answer instantly, but he nodded after a while, a untypical depressed look in his eyes. He looked exhausted and tired, and you didn’t mean because he had woken up late at night, but because right now he was done with all that had happened, all the piled up feelings getting to him. Those nightmares of him were one of those things that had happened only a while after his brother had left and nearly killed everyone and Hagoromo had told you that this might be a result from all the stress and the loss of his older brother whom Asura had cared for very much.

“Do you want to tell me about it? Was there anything different this time?”, you continued to talk to him, running your fingers a bit through his brown hair in order to calm him down. “You know you can tell me everything. I’m here Asura, I’ll always be.”

Mentioning it seemed to bring back unpleasant memories judging from the way his body went suddenly a bit rigid, muscles tensing up. Something had definitely happened to him. “Take your time. You can tell me or don’t, I’m fine with both. Whatever you feel most comfortable with.”

“He-he...” Asura did not even want to speak it out loud, struggling with his words which he couldn’t piece together in that one moment, mind being too much in chaos from the dream he just had to think normally just yet.

You had patience though, you knew no one had been more shattered from the recent events than Asura had. Of course you had been close to Indra too, though you now were sure he didn’t think of you as a friend anymore, looking back on how he had launched at you back then, knowing how much you meant to his brother. And it had been one of the very few times Asura had truly been infuriated with him, a temporarily darker look having crossed his face and for a few moments he had attacked with his brute strength as well which had even shocked his brother and had turned out to be the one moment where Asura had managed to finish him off with the help of the others.

“He killed you. He killed you and I couldn’t do anything against it. All I could do was watching you die.” His voice was trembling a bit. It might have been only a dream, but it seemed to mess with Asura still pretty badly, maybe because he knew that this might have really happened and might happen again with Indra’s current plan and whereabouts unknown was taking it’s toll on him as well.

“It’s fine Asura. It was only a dream. I am still here, aren’t I?”, you tried to cheer him up a bit. He didn’t look so sure when he looked up, though a small smile graced his features when he saw you looking slightly concerned down at him. “Your hair looks quite funny.”

With your free hand you twirled a strain of your hand in your hand before shrugging with your shoulders and letting go of it again. “I just woke up so you can’t exactly expect me to look like I just came out of a full dress-up. Also, for someone who is currently wanting my comfort so badly, you don’t exactly use the right methods.”, you teased slightly playfully, nudging him slightly.

“I still think even with this kind of hairstyle you look stunning. For me you always look stunning, no matter what.”

You scoffed a bit, trying to hide the fact that you were flattered by him and his charm, though it was a good sign that he was getting so flirty with you again, it meant he was starting to feel better.

“Sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve someone as pretty and great as you. You were always there for me, no matter what.”, he mumbled, placing the one hand who was still playing with his hair over yours and guiding it to his face and letting it rest on his cheek, intertwining his fingers with yours.

“Well, we did promise when we were you get we would marry each other, didn’t we? Though I remember that I rejected at first and you constantly trailed behind me and continued to propose to me at least once a day. You always plucked flowers or tried to cook something for me in hopes to charm me.”, you answered, giggling a bit when remembering all those times he had asked you to marry him like some lovesick fool, though he had stayed that way the complete time, the only difference now was that you were married to that man. Asura had never given up once, no matter how much you had rejected him as a child. It had helped him reaching your heart with his ambition and the fact that he had never given up once.

“I know, I probably was a bit annoying back then. But I just knew from all the way back then that you were the person I wanted to marry. Thank you for saying yes and marrying me. Thank you for being with me.”

“You don’t have to thank me for that. As I said, I’ll be here for you. Always. Also, please stop talking like this. You’re embarrassing me.” He was currently being a bit too much of a romantic talker for your taste, making you flustered despite having been attacked by this more than anyone else had.

Your reply made Asura grin a bit, sitting slowly up to meet you face to face, the previous look of fear having succumbed a bit, warmth having returned to them. “Thank you for helping me. I feel a lot better now.”, he told you, pressing his forehead against yours.

“I don’t like when you’re sad. But I’m also glad you do try to hide it from me do I can help you to start with. But Asura,”, you gave him a serious look,”please keep in mind that Indra leaving us was not your fault. It was his own decision and no one could have stopped him from going, even if we would have knocked him out and dragged him back. Understood?”

He glanced for a short moment away, hesitation filling his expression for a short moment before he sighed a bit. “That is easier said than done. I still feel like I could have done more. But you’re right, I don’t believe that I could have stopped him, no matter what I might have tried. Next to that he tried to destroy the village and to kill you.” For a millisecond you thought his expression darkened again, though it was hard to tell since it was not that easy to see him properly whilst it was night.

But it was rather quickly gone and from the way he kept glancing at your lips, you forgot rather quickly about that.

“Can I...can I kiss you?”

“We’re married silly. So why even asking? We’ve kissed before.”, you scoffed.

Asura was a bit taken aback when hearing you say this before scratching his neck embarrassed. “No reason to sound so harsh.”, he replied sheepishly before leaning closer and locking his warm pair of lips with you, loosening up a lot by doing so, feeling new energy flowing through him.

“Better now?”, you asked slightly amused afterwards. Asura nodded, grinning the usual bright way he always did. “Great, then let’s go back to sleep. It’s still late at night.”, you grumbled, finally letting the tiredness getting the better of you and sliding down into the blankets, soon being accompanied by Asura who seemed different from you more awake, something still on his mind.

“You know, I still hope that my brother will eventually come back to his senses and return to the village though I don’t think he will. But if he should ever try to hurt you again like he did the last time despite you having been one of his best friends...I won’t spare him just because he is my brother. I won’t let him hurt you.”

[anntoldst0ries]

Everything else is just the weather

Book: Open Heart Pairing: Dr Ethan Ramsey x F!MC (Dr Noelle Valentine) Word Count: ~5.3k (I sinned!) Summary: Ethan takes Elle out on their “first” date. Category: Fluff Warnings: None

A/N: It has literally taken me ages to finish this fic. To the point that I couldn’t look at it anymore, but here it is. I had it in mind for a really long time and now that OH is back, I feel like I’m ready to show it to the world. As always thank you for your support and I hope you like it!

This fic is part 2 of birthday present for my friend, part 1 is the fan art which you can see here. Once you read the fic, the fan art makes more sense :)

This is my submission for CFWC Silly Love Stories, Day 12: Date night.

Loud knocks resonated throughout the room. 

"Come in!"

"Good morning, Mrs. Peterson.”

“Good morning, Dr Valentine. I think you are the only doctor in this hospital with some sort of manners, everyone else just waltzes in here as if it was a damn barn!”

“Hospital or no hospital, everyone has their right to privacy.”

“Thank you, child. Once again, please call me Faye."

"Alright Faye, but only if you call me Elle.” She smiled sweetly, and the whole room seemed to be suddenly lit by a thousand suns.

“How are you feeling? Are the meds making a difference?"

"They are. I am ready to be discharged today.”

"Not so fast. I am not ready to say goodbye to you yet."

“Why would you possibly like to be lumbered with an old nuisance like me for even a second longer than necessary?”

Elle just laughed and shook her head. The ‘nuisance’, as the elderly lady so lovingly put it, was exactly what she loved about her job. She loved spending time with her patients, she loved their stories and their worldly wisdom. It made her sad to see how many of them thought they didn’t matter or considered themselves and their lives boring. To her, they were anything but. 

Many of Edenbrook’s staff members kept asking themselves: what is it about her? She was a great doctor, no two ways about it, and she was a genuinely nice person. But what was the source of power she had over people? If she woke up one day and decided to start a rebellion, patients would have most certainly followed her, even if it meant they’d be leaving the premises of the hospital with naked butts or trailing their IVs behind them. Doctors, nurses, administration, cleaners and security would follow shortly. She only had to say a word.

And how on Earth was she capable of turning Dr Ramsey, the grizzly bear of Edenbrook, into a benign teddy bear with as little as one look? It was beyond everyone’s apprehension.

Had they spent more time actually observing her, rather than gossiping in the corners, the answer would have unveiled in front of them within minutes.

It was very simple.

Noelle was truly curious about people. She genuinely liked them and was determined to get to know their story, for it helped her diagnose them faster and also satiated the young doctor’s hunger for knowledge.

Patients never felt like “curious cases” or “numbers” in her presence. They were… themselves - people with hopes, dreams, fears, pet peeves and odd habits. They were human. 

So little and yet so much.

Those never touched by serious illnesses often failed to understand that sickness strips you of your dignity and becomes your identity. Your true self becomes covered by this weird, annoying sticker that wouldn’t come off no matter how hard you tried to remove it. 

But this young woman, despite the nature of her profession, somehow managed to notice what was hiding beneath this misleading layer.

Had all these gossipers spoken to her patients, that’s exactly what they would have heard.

"What's happening today?" The older lady asked with a flick of curiosity in her wrinkle-haloed eyes.

"What do you mean, Faye?" The young doctor sounded genuinely baffled by the out-of-the-blue question.

"Well, I am no diagnostician, but I believe I am rather observant and you radiate with happiness. Something special is happening today, am I right?"

"Yeah, you are right." Elle blushed like a teenager caught in a lie. "My boyfriend is taking me on a surprise date today, but he won’t say a word about it, so I'm super excited to find out what he planned for us. He usually isn't one for romantic gestures, so the secrecy is killing me."

"Do you think he's gonna pop the big question?" Faye’s eyes lit up with excitement.

"No, we're not there...yet." Elle faked a smile, but a tone of doubt and sadness coloured her voice. They probably never will be, those things weren’t in the cards for Ethan, as he already stressed once.

But once was enough and she didn’t dare mention the subject again.

"Well, I'm pretty sure he's got some big guns in store, I would if I had a lady like you." - a male patient lying in the bed adjacent to Elle’s patient added smiling flirtatiously. 

"Jerry, you were supposed to focus on getting better, not stealing my girlfriend." They all jumped when a deep baritone echoed throughout the room, hitting present company like a wrecking ball. She must have left the door ajar or Ethan could penetrate the walls soundlessly, because no one heard him coming.

Exactly how long has he been standing there for and how much did he hear?

"Dr. Ramsey, flirting makes your blood flow faster. Isn't it the very definition of life itself?” Jerry’s tone was brisk and lively.

"Well, it definitely isn't the definition of recovery after a heart attack." Ethan used his authoritative doctor’s voice but knew this wasn't a battle he was going to win. Jerry had something he didn't: a couple more decades of life experience under his belt and even the best medical school in the country couldn’t compete with this.  

"Besides, Dr. Ramsey, I don't think that the beautiful Dr. Valentine here fancies old farts like me." 

"That's where you are wrong, Jerry, looks like this is exactly the type I fancy." The two women laughed, however Ethan was far from amused. "Dr. Ramsey is 10 years older than me."

"10 years? What is 10 years in these times? Nothing. When I was getting married 40 years ago, it was something. But today? Look at all them playboys with girls younger than my granddaughter. 10 years is actually a very healthy difference. Men are immature and slower with growing up emotionally. So I'd say you've caught up, Dr. Ramsey, and the two of you are emotional peers now.”

“Thank you for the fascinating lesson in human psychology, Jerry. To think I’ve wasted all this time and money on medical school and no one taught me this.”

“Dr. Ramsey, it’s because schools and useful knowledge are mutually exclusive.”

Elle and Faye were on the verge of bursting out in laughter, but managed to keep their composure and used the non-verbal communication of exchanging glances instead.

Once they made sure their patients had everything they need, Ethan and Elle wished them a good day and promised to stop by in 2 days, as the following day was their day off.

The moment the door closed behind them, Ethan crossed his arms on his chest.

"I lose you from my sight for one second and this happens. 5 more minutes with Jerry and I'd be single again."

"At least no one wants to poke your eyes out for being with me."

"And someone wants to poke yours?"

"Where do I start... nurses, who had a crush on you long before I even set foot in Edenbrook? Female interns? Anyone, who has a pair of functioning eyes and ever looked at you?"

She was adorable when she was doing this, her whole body overtaken by excitement and her hands waving. When she was talking about something really important to her she wasn't just conversing with her mouth, she was doing it with her whole body.

Suddenly, his pager painfully reminded Ethan that this was neither the place nor the time to lose himself in adoration.

"I need to go, I'm completely swamped today and I have my favourite cherry-on-top board meeting. In case I don't see you for the rest of your shift - I’ll pick you up at 7."

He was gone before she was able to form a response. Was it just her or was Dr Ramsey weirdly… nervous?

* * * * * * * *

At 7pm sharp, Ethan Ramsey curled his palm in a fist and gently knocked. The door opened in an instant, as if someone knew he'd been standing there for the past few minutes.

"Ethan! I mean Dr. Ramsey...please come in!" Sienna squeaked with nervous excitement as she let him in.

"Outside of Edenbrook Ethan is just fine, Sienna. If you don't mind me calling you by your first name, of course."

"Mm..mme? No, yes, I mean... Elle is on the balcony." She tried to hide her embarrassment and motioned towards the tall windows surrounding the living room. Some time ago, he would have been oddly proud to have such an intimidating effect on people - nowadays, more than anything, he was amused. Has he really changed so much?

The answer to his question was leaning against the railing, glass of wine in her hand. Gauzy, flowery dress enveloped her frame and tanned skin. 

For Ethan, it was as clear as crystal: summer had the face and scent of Noelle Valentine.

Long before she started leaving her toothbrush in his apartment and sleeping in his old JH t-shirts, Ethan noticed that whenever he laid eyes on her, his whole body started acting in a very irrational way. His doctor’s instincts prompted him to think of all types of biological causes and chemical reactions in the brain. Then, when he sort of admitted to himself it’s not just pure science, Ethan leaned towards the forbidden fruit theory - the more he couldn’t have his drug, the more he was craving it.

But the feeling never disappeared. Whenever he wouldn’t see her for a while - be that an hour, a day, or just when she went to take a shower or make a coffee - the very moment her face came into his view again, he felt his stomach somersaulting.

Every. Single. Time.

It wasn’t any different now.

"Drinking without me?"

She almost dropped the glass when his voice stopped the train of thought in her head. But then she saw his face, the way too seldom relaxed muscles and a barely-there smile.

A perfectly tailored shirt clung to his torso marvellously. If not in medicine, he surely would have made a name for himself in the fashion industry. Fortunately for her, the idea never crossed his mind. 

The warm wind blew in her face, carrying the scent of expensive cologne which overwhelmed her nostrils. She didn’t know this one, so it must have been new. But she did know that smelling it for the whole evening while staring at his handsome face will be a pure torture.

Simply put, she was a goner.

"I don't know why, but I was quite nervous. Had to summon the courage somehow.”

“As you should be. After all, it's not every day that one goes on their first date."

She looked at him as if she’d just been told that a UFO landed on the roof.

“On a what?”

"Well, I was thinking a lot lately about how we never had a first date. Nothing was ever...typical with us. I promised myself I will do my best to fix things that caused you pain or deprived you of the things you deserved. Maybe I cannot fix some immediately, but this one I can, so I will."

Her eyes, overbrimming with affection struck him like thousand lightnings. Thank god a comfortable silence fell between them - had she asked him a question, it would have been clear that right now he is nothing but a simpering moron.

With this in mind, he took his hands from behind his back, holding a small bouquet of pink gerberas.

"These are my favourites." Her face instantly illuminated at the well known sight and smell. "How did you know?”

"I had some amazing helpers."

Elle instantly turned her head left and looked inside, where grinning, Sienna was showing her the thumbs up.

"Wow, now I actually wish I'd downed the whole bottle."

"I'm glad you didn't. I want to go on a date with a woman, not her lifeless body, even though the body itself is very appealing. Shall we?”

“King of compliments…”

* * * * * * * *

"You actually look like you are having a good time, Dr Ramsey.”

"Why wouldn't I? There is alcohol, sitting under the sky definitely has its charm and the company is acceptable." She playfully swatted his arm, the gesture a quick reminder of how comfortable they felt with each other, something he constantly remembered to never take for granted.

“Although I love this, I still don’t understand why you dragged me all the way outside Boston, I’m pretty sure the rooftop bars are pretty acceptable there, too. A bit more crowded though, that’s for sure.”

“Are you complaining about the fact that we have this entire place to ourselves? I know the owner and he was indebted to me.”

“Of course he was.” Looks like the whole town is indebted to Ethan freakin’ Ramsey.

“With regards to why I brought you here… you’ll just have to wait and see.”

Gosh. She couldn’t decide whether the mysterious side of Ethan Ramsey was hot as hell or annoying as hell. But she didn’t really have time to contemplate, because her companion asked her a question.

“Why did you become a doctor?” The ocean eyes pierced her to the core and she had a feeling that even if she was the best actress in the world, there was no way she’d be able to hide something from this man.

“That’s a terrible change of subject. Also, I must have told you like a million times already.”

“No, you never told me.”

When she looked at him and really, really thought about it… she suddenly realised Ethan was right. Elle told the story so many times she sort of… assumed she told Ethan, too. 

“Are you sure you want to hear it today? It’s a pretty sad story, a mood killer I’d say.”

“It’s what makes you you, so yes, I want to hear all about it - the good, the bad and the indifferent.”

“I’ll tell you, but I need to ask something first. Why now? We’ve known each other for a while and you just… I just sort of assumed this isn’t the type of conversation you’d like to hold.”

“You’ve hit the nail on the head.” Ethan’s expression was gentle, not a hint of irony in his voice. “I’ve known you for a while now, but there are still so many things about you that I don’t know. At first, I didn’t want to ask, because asking these questions meant admitting that there is something more between us. What a fail would that be, after I’ve mastered the art of denial.” He laughed, but it wasn’t a bitter or a nervous laugh, it was a genuine banter between them, as the British half of her soul liked to call it. “But you made me want to dig deeper.”

Was it the heat that made her catch her breath, or did it have nothing to do with the temperature?

“Plus, this is sort of what first dates are for, right? I’m sorry for skipping right to the more complex questions. It’s not that I don’t want to know what you were afraid of as a child, I want to know all the details… but it feels like the atmosphere calls for something…bigger.”

So she told him all about her friend, how she fell ill, how she couldn’t be saved and how the experience wreaked havoc on her whole life, tears glistening in her eyes at the mere memory of the events that shaped who she was today.

Ethan listened, his whole body tense and eyes transfixed. She was giving him one of the most fragile parts of her and he had to make sure his hands were there to catch, carry and care for this treasure.

“And that’s when I realised that if I focused on becoming the best doctor I could be, then maybe one day, I’d be that person who has an answer, who can solve a mystery and save a relationship that means the world to someone. Sometimes, people don’t realise that when a person dies, it’s not only them that’s gone. The part of someone who stays, who has to deal with the whole ‘me after you’ - that part is gone, too. So for me, in a way, this meant saving more than one life.”

For a couple of seconds he didn’t move. Then, without saying a single word and with an unreadable expression he got up and offered her a hand, which she silently accepted. He led her to the railing, where the sun was slowly sinking into the boundless waters of Quincy Bay.

His lips found the all too well known way to her forehead, placing a loving kiss on her delicate skin.

“I am so proud of you.” There was something so mesmerising in his whisper, sending a shiver down her spine.

“As a mentor or as a boyfriend?”

“Both. I want you to know that your dedication to people who rely on you is astounding and hardly present in doctors your age. Or any age, for that matter.”

“Wow, Dr Ramsey, smooth. Trying to hit on me with a recycled pick-up line used on a national TV? No wonder you didn’t have too many girlfriends.”

“No, I didn’t. But I believe everyone has a limit of luck they can get per life. And looking at you, I got a couple of lifetimes worth of luck.”

This was enough to render her speechless. She smiled and at this very moment he knew he would do anything to make her smile like this. She wrapped him around her pinky finger and suddenly his whole existence revolved around finding ways of seeing her curve these breathtaking lips as often as possible and making sure he is the reason she smiles… not crying her eyes out.

Although the other didn’t know, because none of them said it out loud, they both thought the same thing.

This feels so right. 

There isn’t a hint of awkwardness in the fact that they can go from being serious or emotionally vulnerable to funny and teasing in seconds.

In one effortless movement, Ethan spun her and pressed her back against his chest.  Then, he started placing a series of tender kisses along her jawline and the crook of her neck, slowly moving towards her shoulder. 

Come on, just say it Ramsey. It doesn’t get any better than this.

He wrapped her palm in his and pointed them towards the sky. 

“There they are - the Little Dipper and the Big Dipper.” Their intertwined fingers were jumping from one tiny flashing point to the other, as if they were playing connect the dots. “And that’s Orion’s Belt.”

“I really don’t get why at this point I’m still surprised that you’re good at everything.”

Elle was drunk on his every word, as this annoying trait of Ethan Ramsey being the know-it-all was actually one of her favourite things about him. 

As for Ethan, he couldn’t help but think that life wasn’t perfect and was never going to be. But this - this moment - it was in fact perfect. Why take chances of ruining it, when so many things can go wrong?

What if she doesn't say it back?

What if she's just gonna laugh at him or tell him he had it all wrong.

What if he misinterpreted everything and she never thought about him this way?

He was terrified of being this exposed. The last person he loved so much left him without batting an eyelid and disappeared for 25 fucking years.

Maybe it was better to live in a perfect illusion than a reality in which there was even a 0.01% chance she doesn't love him back.

So they both drowned in the moment, drifted in the sea of rapture, lost in the illusion that it can all last forever.

It was her who broke the silence.

“I’m getting a bit cold, is it ok if we call it a night?”

“Right, of course.”

“Thank you for the first date, I loved it.”

Handing her his jacket (her favourite, the dark green leather one) Ethan was furious at himself. 

Maybe he was broken. Maybe he will remain broken forever. Maybe that’s the way it must be.

“Do you want to spend the night at mine?” The question slipped his tongue before he was able to fully reflect on it.

“At yours? Unless you have some secret place I don’t know about, just a quick reminder - I live there too.”

“Since this was our first date, I thought it was a gentlemanly thing to ask.”

“In that case… I am afraid I have the ‘after the 3rd date’ sleepover rule, Dr Ramsey.”

* * * * * * * *

The morning came all too soon and the hot, ruthless rays of the rising sun announced that Ethan is now way past his regular wake up and get up time. He barely slept, tossing and turning, replaying every second of the evening in his head.

His hand mindlessly reached for what he hoped to be the familiar curves and softness of the body he adored so much. 

But his palm hit the mattress with a loud thud. The bed was empty. 

The all-too-well known feeling of hopelessness slipped into the doctor's mind with ease. What did he expect? He was acting weird the previous day. First date, what a stupid idea. She must have realised something is wrong with him and finally left.

But before he was able to fully wallow in the mud of pity, the feeling was soon replaced by an old friend Ethan haven’t heard from for a long time.

Panic. 

Where was she? Is she ok? What if something happened to her and he was just sleeping like a log instead of being there to protect her. He couldn’t stand the thought of losing her… again. Something grabbed his chest in a tight grip and wouldn’t let go. 

Scenes flashed before his eyes, vivid and bright. Their hands touching through the glass wall. Her hand cupping his cheek through the layer of hazmat suit.

He got out of bed at the speed of sound and started running around the apartment, but she was nowhere to be seen. 

Suddenly, he noticed.

The balcony door was opened wide. 

Shit.

Heart in his mouth, Ethan crossed the distance between his kitchen island and the balcony door in the blink of an eye. 

Elle was just serving pancakes outside. The goddamn pancakes. The only thing he couldn’t cook. The one thing she kept teasing him about and he rolled his eyes every time she did.

God, he promised himself he will never learn how to make them, if it meant she would just tease him forever.

She was smiling as widely as ever, putting the sun and everything else in the world to shame. Ethan was still a bit shaken and his uneven breathing gave him away. Elle finally noticed his presence.

“Good morning, I was just about to—“

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

They both froze. 

The tension in the silence that had just set in was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

But the silence didn’t last long. As one man, with eyes full of disbelief, they both murmured simultaneously:

“What did you just say?”

This time, he felt obliged to break the silence.

"I...I...I mean, I…" 

Damn it, get it together, idiot.

"I didn't mean to…”

Great, Ramsey, keep digging an even deeper hole for yourself, then crawl in and stay there forever.

"You didn't mean to say it?”

"Yes. No. I mean, damn it, I am making things worse, aren't I?”

She didn’t set him straight.

"The thing is, I wanted to say it yesterday. I had it all planned, I took you for a first date and I wanted to say it for the first time yesterday.”

"Why did it have to be yesterday?”

“Give me a minute.”

She just rolled her eyes, but Ethan didn’t have a chance to notice before disappearing inside. A few moments later he re-emerged, his face and torso covered by a neatly wrapped, rectangle-shaped object.

"What's this?"

"Something you should have unpacked yesterday, but then... life happened."

Elle sat down on cold tiles, her hands trembling with a mix of fear and excitement. And just like he did months ago, he took her hand in his, only this time he cupped his own cheek with her palm and placed the most tender kiss on the inside of her hand.

It was her favourite medicine, a remedy for all things wrong. 

He sat beside her and nodded at the mysterious package. With impatience growing inside of her, Elle has torn the paper up.

Inside was a dark blue, framed print - the colour of it an instant reminder of her favourite set of irises.

She studied everything with intent. A circle must have been representing the earth and the irregular dots and lines must have been the stars and constellations. 

"A map of the sky? That's beautiful, Ethan."

He knew immediately that although her delight was sincere, she had absolutely no clue what she was looking at and why she was looking at it.

“It's not just any map of the sky.” Ethan explained gently, hints of pride colouring his voice. “It's a map of the Boston sky from exactly a year ago. Well, a year and a day.” He smiled faintly, now a shade of sorrow in his enchanting voice.

Silence. Was she supposed to know what that meant?

“Aren’t you full of mysteries today? Ok, you need to throw me a lifebelt here. What's so special about the sky from a year and a day ago?”

“For the world? Probably not too much. For me? Everything.”

At this stage of their relationship, she knew a lot about Ethan’s behaviours, triggers, his body language. And not just a relationship as a couple, but also everything that came before Ethan became someone she was running through life with (the life of two doctors in one of the busiest and most prestigious hospitals was certainly not a walk in the park).

But it still fascinated her how his demeanour changed whenever the subject was serious, whenever he was talking about something that truly mattered to him. It was as if he’d stripped down of all the layers and let her look into his bare soul. These rare moments of vulnerable intimacy meant more to her than any night of passion they ever shared.

Her eyes turned to him in pledge, because as much as she wanted to, Dr Valentine still couldn’t fully comprehend the scene unraveling in front of her.

“Read the description below the map.”

Dear God, did she actually hear shyness in his voice?

She skimmed through the image again, and there it was, right at the bottom. Elle was so focused on trying to decipher the meaning of the image that she didn’t notice the words below. 

The words which explained everything.

I WILL NEVER FORGET THE DAY 

THAT MADE ME REALISE

YOU ARE THE SKY

EVERYTHING ELSE IS JUST THE WEATHER

Her emerald eyes brimmed with hot tears as the meaning dawned upon her. Words were very unnecessary, but now that he summoned the courage to speak, there was still a lot he wanted to put into words. He gently took the frame from her hands and leaned it securely against the wall.

Taking her palms into his, he placed delicate kisses on her knuckles, his lips tracing the shape of these two tiny hands, which held all of him. Everything he had, everything he was and was going to be, he placed in those two fragile palms, with an unspoken hope that they will hold him and catch him if he falls. 

“Look at me.” The words were pulsing with care and affection, even though his voice coloured them in serious and desperate shades.

“One year ago… and a day from today…” He smiled and she felt the warmth spilling inside of her. The power he had over her was beyond the limits of understanding. 

Little did she know that the object of her affection was lost in the same thought.

“I was standing exactly where we stand right now. It was dark and the view wasn’t that spectacular.” He freed one of his hands, but only to make contact with her cheek to caress it slowly. In this moment, he had to touch her any way that he could. With his hands. With his eyes. With his soul.

“But I always found comfort in staring at the sky. When I was at med school, I had countless moments of doubt, I wanted to quit more times than I can count. So I used to go to a secluded place at night and stare at the sky. It made me realise how, in one respect, I am just a grain of sand in the universe and how little my problems are. Funnily enough, this thought actually brought me a sense of comfort. If I am as little as I think I am, then what is the harm in being brave and taking chances? A wise man once said… There are some things that are worth any risk.” 

She giggled through the tears, the sweet sound soothing his shattered nerves.

“I was standing right here and I never felt more miserable in my life. And I couldn’t understand why, for God’s sake. I was thriving at work. I had everything figured out and planned. I was pushing you to be the best you could be and I watched you turn into someone who would one day be far greater than me. But you looked so sad, so… broken. You already know I can’t just gloss over you feeling down. The sadder you were, the more miserable I felt. One evening, I was having a glass of scotch and I remembered some tiny exchange we’ve had earlier in the day, literally a chit chat. No idea what it was about. But I remembered your smile and your laugh. Every tiniest move of your muscles, your eyes, how your hair set around your face. It made me happy. Even if it was just for 5 minutes, knowing that you are happy in that very moment filled my chest with lightness. That’s when I realised I want to be the person who makes you feel this way.”   

She blinked the first time in a while, as if she was afraid to make the tiniest movement, afraid it will all disappear and turn out to be a dream. Giant teardrops rolled down her angelic face, trailing the path of joy.

“Noelle Sky Valentine, I love you. I have loved you for a long time but I was too stubborn to let myself give in. And that, as you already know, will always be one of my biggest regrets.” 

“Ethan, I don’t… I’m so sorry, I just don’t know what to say.” Her voice was saturated with emotions.

“I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t the reaction I was hoping for.“ 

“I love you too, Ethan Jonah Ramsey. You are by far the most complicated and stubborn person I have ever met. You are… everything I never knew I looked for in another human being.”

Once he heard her say it back, he couldn't get enough of it and a lifetime didn't feel like enough to tell her he loves her, as many times as he wished to.

“But I do have to mention this, Dr Ramsey… from the first date to a love confession in less than 24 hours? I’m sorry, I think this is moving too fast.”

“I’ll show you too fast…but I’m afraid we need to get inside, I don’t want the whole world and its wife to see how I teach you a thing or two.”

Ethan scooped her in his arms and carried her inside, despite her mock protests. He smiled and corrected himself. 

He wanted for the whole world to see.

Because the whole world was right there. 

In his arms.

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

If you’ve gotten this far, I need you to know you are absolutely amazing 💗

Tag 🏷 list: @jamespotterthefirst @romewritingshop @romereadingshop @genevievemd @starrystarrytrouble @terrm9 @mrs-ramsey @maurine07 @gryffindordaughterofathena @mercury84choices @lovingramsey @qrkowna @openheartfanfics @choicesficwriterscreations @lisha1valecha​ @oldminniemcg​ @iemcpbchoices​ @tsrookie​ @fayeswiftie​ @levinsdowneyy​ @brooks-eden​ @poudredevie​ @queencarb​ @caseyvalentineramsey​ @lucy-268​ @tenaciousdeputydreamfriend​ @alwaysmychoices-sideblog​ @whippedforethanfreakingramsey​ @schnitzelbutterfingers​ @the-pale-goddess​ @lem-20​ @wingedhairstylemusicweasel​ @liaromancewriter​ @ohchoices​ @archxxronrookie​

[laddieseddiemunster]

Could you by any chance do Frog Bros (+Sam) headcanons for a reader who is also a vampire hunter? Like they’ve been a hunter all their life and their family moves to Santa Carla and they end up befriending the group after nearly getting killed by a vampire? 👉👈

Sam and the frog brothers are pretty underrated. I had to make up some backstory for the reader on how they became a vampire hunter, so hope you don’t mind. Awesome Monster Bashers Unite! Hope you enjoy :)

Frog Brothers + Sam w/ Vampire Hunter Reader (Platonic)

being a vampire hunter isn’t something people hear every day, but that’s exactly what you were. you had been hunting vampires almost your whole life.

it all started when you went camping for a school field trip. you were around 7 or 8 years old, and there was a lot of older teens there too. the older kids decided to scare the younger ones by telling them all a scary story about a vampire. unfortunately for you, you were one of the younger ones that was told the story.

they basically said that the campsite and cabins were all “haunted” by vampires that only come out at night. they also explained that every night one kid goes missing because that’s the child that they decided to hunt and kill. you were young and believed this story, and you went to sleep thinking that a vampire was going to come and kill you. none did. but, a kid that slept in your cabin was gone when you woke up. so you immediately thought that they were hunted and killed. (no one told you that the child who was “killed by vampires” was actually just picked up early in the morning by their parents). ever since then, you have been hunting vampires. you hadn’t killed any yet, but you kept some holy water and a stake with you at all times.

being a vampire hunter didn’t sit well with the people you went to school with. people thought you were a “freak” and often made fun of you. luckily, the bullying came to an end when your family announced that they were moving to a place called “Santa Carla”. you knew that you wouldn’t miss your old school and neighborhood at all. it had been a while since you had someone you could call a friend.

when you moved to Santa Carla you noticed that it had the label of “The Murder Capital of the World”. not the greatest first impression. all the missing posters just made you more unsettled. you obviously didn’t want your face to be on a missing poster, so you kept your stake, garlic, holy water, and the rest of your vampire hunting equipment near you at all times.

you had no evidence that there were actually vampires in santa carla, but you weren’t going to take any chances. that all changed one night when you were walking around the boardwalk by yourself. it was pretty late so there wasn’t a lot of people around. as you were walking past the shops you heard screaming coming from one of the alleyways. you walked towards the screaming holding onto the stake that was in the pocket of your jacket. when you found the alleyway where the screaming was coming from you noticed that the yelling was coming from kids that looked around your age. two of them were being held back by two guys that didn’t look like they were human. their faces looked evil.

the one that had been screaming was now pinned on the floor by another tall guy that didn’t have a human like face. the two that were being held back looked pretty petrified. one had a red bandana around his head, and the other had a camo jacket on. “get off of him you bloodsucker!” the one with the bandana said. you couldn’t make out what the “bloodsucker” had said. all you could tell was it was a mixture of growls and demonic laughter. you were somewhat relieved that you had some proof that vampires did exist, but now wasn’t the time to prove your enemies wrong. now was the time to kill the vampires that were about to kill the poor kid. you had prepared your whole life for this moment.

you quickly grabbed your stake and charged for the vampire that had the teen pinned under him. you couldn’t tell where his heart was since he was turned away from you, so you could only hope that your aim wouldn’t fail you. luckily, your aim hadn’t failed you and the stake went right through the vampires heart. it screamed loudly and let go of the boy that was under him. within seconds the screaming came to an end, and it was dead.

“you hunt vampires too?” the one that had been pinned asked. the other two were no longer being held back by the other vampires. it seemed that they immediately left when you killed their partner. you answered the question by showing them all of your vampire hunting equipment. they all looked pretty impressed and a bit surprised. you assumed that they probably weren’t used to people believing them about vampires.

after the whole ordeal they told you their names. the one that had been pinned and almost killed was sam emerson. “my brother was a vampire! he almost killed me!” he said. the other two were edgar and alan “the frog brothers”. they didn’t explain how they were introduced to vampires, they were more interested on how you became a vampire hunter like them. you explained to them that you were influenced by a campfire story, and even though it sounded silly you happened to be right. none of them could argue with that.

the frog brothers took you to their comic book store that morning. they didn’t worry about the dead vampire’s body being seen since he’ll end up burning completely from the first sunlight at dawn. edgar and alan showed you all of their vampire comics and gave you all of them for free. sam thought it was a bit unnecessary since you already were a vampire hunter, but for the frog brothers it was like an initiation. they wanted to know how educated you were about vampires.

once they all knew that you were pretty educated like they were, they explained to you their first vampire experience. to the point where sam’s brother was turned until to the point where they killed all the vampires at the emerson house. now they had been hunting any other vampires until there is none left. they were going to kill the ones from before, but it didn’t go as planned and they were lucky you showed up when you did.

sam was definitely the friendliest out of the three. when he first found out that you were a vampire hunter like them he was really eager to get to know you. he doesn’t let the whole vampire business get to his head. occasionally he just wants to do something fun and not always hunt for vampires. you and the frog brothers every now and then sleep over at sam’s house. his mother is pretty nice, and sam got to introduce you to his brother. “this is my brother, michael. you know, the ex vampire”. he’s definitely the most hyper out of the group, and is down to do anything fun. he’s super happy that you joined their group, and he hopes that you stay in santa carla forever.

alan was a bit skeptical about you joining their group at first, but once he got to know you he realized you were a good addition. even though him and his brother are always together, he is the nicer one out of the two. he was glad that you also hunted vampires, so you at least had something in common with him. even though he doesn’t have as big of temper as his brother he’d still be the kind of friend to beat someone up for you. or at least try. hes the “no one makes fun of my friends except for me” kind of friend. alan isn’t the type of friend to ask too many questions. mainly because he has a lot of secrets to keep because of his parents. if you make him mad he most likely won’t hold a grudge. if you don’t give him an apology then he might. if you do then he’s pretty chill about it. he doesn’t like being mad at people.

edgar was the one that didn’t think you were going to be a good addition at first, but he misjudged you. when he found out that you were pretty loyal to the group he knew that what he originally thought about you was wrong. when edgar has a friend it’s like he does everything in his power to not loose that friend. he doesn’t have that many people in his life, and the people he does have mean a lot to him. his brother alan, is like his other half, so if you make alan mad then edgar will be mad at you too. that’s just the way it goes. edgar does have a bad temper but he doesn’t mean to have one. it’s just something he’s had all his life, and doesn’t know how to get rid of. he doesn’t mean to be annoying or rude, he just doesn’t know how to express his frustration. you’ll have to be patient with edgar. if you’re patient with him then he’ll be patient with you.

edgar, alan, and sam got used to you pretty fast. it was like you had always been in their group, and they can’t imagine the group without you. it wouldn’t be the same. you were the fourth member of the Awesome Monster Bashers, and to all of you that meant the world.

[snowdice]

Little Kestrel (Part 9)[Birds of Different Feathers Series]

Fandom: Sanders Sides

Relationships: Logan & Patton & Virgil (future Virgil/Patton but not in this story)

Characters:

Main: Logan, Patton, Virgil

Appear: Thomas

Mentioned: Janus

Summary:

It was supposed to be a quick job either way. Either Virgil would assassinate King Thomas of Prijaznia or he’d be caught and get executed. Yet, when Virgil gets the wrong bedroom and gets caught by Prince Logan and his future royal advisor, Patton, the job ends up getting way more complicated for the 14-year-old. He also ends up sleeping in a (actually pretty comfortable) closet for a few weeks…

Notes: Implied/referenced child abuse, assassination attempt, knives, torture mentioned, captivity, teenagers being really dumb

This is a prequel to Kill Dear. I wrote it 100 words at a time on my blog, but this is the edited version. If you want to see how it was crafted, look at the tag proofread stories.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8

Logan had explained briefly what had happened while Patton was gone getting food. Patton had lectured him a bit about the whole drugging the poor boy on accident over their breakfast, but he understood why it had happened. Logan had been too busy explaining to him that the nutritional potion would not hurt him, that he’d forgotten to explain everything about it.

The poor thing. Patton didn’t have any personal experience with binding potions, but he’d been around that one time Logan had accidently gotten some on his hand and that had been a nightmare. Swallowing it had to hurt really, really bad. So, it made sense that Virgil was tense when Logan came back in with the new restraints. It was just two thick leather bands that looked like simple bracelets and had little engravings on them. Patton wasn’t sure if those were decorations or meant something, but he did know at first glance they didn’t look like something to keep someone prisoner.

“I’m going to put these on first,” Logan told Virgil. Patton had brought him out of the closet and set him down in one of the comfy chairs while Logan had been gone. “Then, I’ll take off the old ones. Once that’s done, we’ll do some adjustments okay?” Virgil nodded, looking resolutely at his knee.

Logan’s expression grew pinched, but he still reached out to take Virgil’s wrists. Patton saw Virgil close his eyes and clench his fists. The leather bands were quickly fastened around his arms above where the metal ones sat. Then, Logan removed the metal ones and set them aside. “I’m going to tighten these around your wrists now,” Logan said, already sliding them down so they settled around his wrists. “Please tell me if there is any discomfort. I want them to be tight enough not to chafe, but I don’t want to tighten them too much and cut off your circulation.”

Virgil peeked open his eyes and blinked down at the cuffs. “That didn’t…” hurt, Patton filled in to himself.

“It’s not meant to hurt Virgil,” Logan said, coming to the same conclusion as Patton. “Whoever has applied binding magic to you before clearly is not only grossly negligent, but cruel. Now,” he finished fiddling with the cuffs. “There are three different settings that only Patton and I can change for these cuffs. The first setting is like the basic binding potion on the metal cuffs. It keeps your wrists locked in place wherever they’re moved.” He moved Virgil’s wrists, so they were both at his side and tapped the cuffs once. They glowed slightly making Virgil look at them curiously.

“This setting allows you some range of motion. You can move slowly, but you will feel a pull back to this position, and if you move too quickly it will snap your wrist back into place. Go ahead and try it.”

Virgil stared at him for a long moment. “Just… just move them?”

“Slowly, but yes.”

Virgil’s arms moved very slowly at first, but eventually he did pull them in front of him. Then he let them return to his sides.

“See?” Logan said. “You can do things like eat with that setting easily. The third setting gives unrestrained range of motion, but Patton or I can make them snap back into place with a simple hand motion. We’ll likely keep it on the second setting when we are actively watching you and the first when we are not, but I wanted to have the flexibility of the third as well, as well as have it be an option for when you are sleeping. For now, we’ll keep it on the second setting so you can eat.”

“Okay,” Virgil agreed.

“Here,” Patton said, walking over to where they had stored Virgil’s breakfast. “Logan put it in a stasis thing to keep it warm for you.” He walked back and sat it down next to him. “So, we’ve got bacon, eggs, blueberry pancakes, and blueberries by themselves. I suggest we start with the pancakes.”

“Um,” Virgil said. “Okay.” He still didn’t seem comfortable with moving his arms much, so he nodded at the plate. “Are those the pancakes?”

Patton gasped. “You’ve never had pancakes before?!”

Virgil looked startled. “Uh… no?”

“We need to rectify this immediately!”

“You were already going to have him eat pancakes,” Logan pointed out.

Patton ignored him and instead pulled over one of the other chairs so he could sit next to Virgil. “If we’re going to do this, we’re going to do this right,” he informed Virgil.

Virgil blinked at him and then looked over at Logan. “What is he talking about?”

“I have no idea. Just do what he wants. The worst it will be is a slight annoyance,” Logan said. Patton stuck his tongue out, but the statement seemed to make Virgil relax marginally so Patton couldn’t actually be annoyed.

“So, these are blueberry pancakes,” Patton said. “They’re my favorite types of pancakes, though chocolate chips ones are pretty good too. Have you had blueberries before?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“Well, these are blueberries from the castle gardens and they’re really good. Here, try one!” He picked up the bowl and offered it to him. He looked at it hesitantly. “Oh! Right!” Patton said. He reached forward and popped a couple into his mouth and then offered the bowl again. Virgil very slowly reached out to take one and brought it to his mouth. Patton watched as his eyes lit up when he bit down on the blueberry.

“See? They’re really good!” Patton said. He shook the bowl. “Have another one.” He was a little quicker to grab a second blueberry, but still cautious of the restraints. He popped it into his mouth and happily chewed it. The way he perked up a little bit at the taste was absolutely adorable. “Okay,” Patton said, smiling in excitement about the next part, knowing if he had never had pancakes, he probably had never had syrup either. “You can have more of those later, but first we’re going to introduce you to one of the most important parts of pancakes other than the actual pancakes: syrup.”

Patton grabbed the still slightly warm bowl of syrup and stuck his finger in it before putting it in his mouth.

“Patton that’s disgusting!” Logan scolded. Patton rolled his eyes, popping the finger out of his mouth.

“Don’t mind him,” Patton instructed. “He’s just silly.”

Logan sputtered. “You didn’t wash your hands.”

Patton’s eyes met Virgil’s and then he rolled them. He saw Virgil’s lips twitch just barely. Patton offered the syrup and Virgil carefully dipped his finger in and brought it to his mouth. He made a small sound when he tasted it and then blushed slightly when he realized that he did.

“And then the best part,” Patton tore off a little bit of the blueberry pancake with his fingers and dipped it into the syrup.

“Patton silverware.”

Patton looked over at him as he popped the piece of pancake into his mouth. “Are we giving Virgil a fork?”

“Right…” Logan said. “Probably not.”

“It’s better to eat it as finger food anyway,” Patton advised Virgil. “Go ahead.”

Virgil tore a piece of the pancake off and dipped it into the syrup. He got maybe a bit too much on it because it dripped onto his shirt, but it was worth it to see his expression when he ate the bite of pancake.

“Like it?” Patton asked. Virgil nodded. “Well, have as much as you want and don’t forget about the bacon and eggs. You need some protein too.”

“Okay,” Virgil agreed. He reached forward and grabbed some bacon. Surprisingly, he didn’t make Patton eat any of it first.

“Patton and I were discussing sleeping arrangements before you woke,” Logan said after a few moments. Virgil looked up warily at that, and Patton wondered what he expected out of that. “I’m going to ward the closet you were in earlier and you can sleep in there.”

“I’ll make it up real nice and comfy for you,” Patton assured quickly. “I bet we can even convince Logan to make you some of the fun light thingys he does for it.”

“Unless you have an objection,” Logan said, “however, you seemed to be comfortable in the closet before. Also, since it is warded, I’ll set it so whenever you are in the closet you can move your arms freely.”

“The closet is good,” Virgil said. “It’s comfy.”

“And that’s without all the other stuff I’m going to put in it!” Patton bounced a bit in excitement. “We can decorate it too! However, you like!”

“…Okay?” Virgil replied, seeming confused.

“Great!” Patton chirped. “You keep eating and I’ll go get stuff to decorate it if Logan’s able to watch you.”

“Sure,” Logan agreed. “Go ahead.”

“Okay,” he turned back to Virgil. “What type of decorations do you want? I have a lot of cat decorations in my room so we can do that. Or mama has a lot of flower themed things I can get from her. Ooo and I think I still have star themed stuff from Logan’s birthday last year.”

“I like stars,” Virgil said after a moment’s thought. “But anything is fine.”

“Stars work,” Patton said with a smile. “I’ll go get the stuff and we can decorate the closet together today so it’s nice and comfy for when you go to bed.” He stood up to leave. “I’ll be right back with the stuff in a few minutes.” With that, he left Logan and Virgil alone in Logan’s room.

Want to read more? Click below!

AO3 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15

[gabriellexhunter]

drunk nights and streetlights

warm. too warm.

was all that went through gabby’s head as the sun beamed down on her face, cursing herself for drinking, and not shutting the shades and for even being awake at what was probably some ungodly hour. letting out a small groan in protest her mind seemed to catch up to her body as her hand reached out into the spot next to her. the redhead peeked her eyes open when her hand didn’t meet a warm, just as crabby human next to her. Her hand tangled in her sheets as she sat up, holding the gray thin fabric to cover her chest. Maybe Max got up and made coffee? He was always an early riser, but maybe he had work? Or maybe he’s just in the bathroom waiting for her to get up?

Everything in her mind was telling her to panic, to freak out when she didn’t see him there. Or hear the familiar creaks of the house as someone walked through it, he wouldn’t just leave, right? And not say goodbye? Green eyes fell onto the floor and as her clothing was scattered everywhere still, his were nowhere to be seen. Hera chose this time to hop up onto the bed and meow towards her, probably hungry, and a part of her hoped he was just there, maybe doing the crossword so she couldn’t at her table.

Scratching behind her cat's ears, she brushed through her hair as she got up, the afterglow from last night had turned into grossness and tacky skin, shuffling her way into the bathroom she took the fastest, hottest shower she could. Gabby slipped into her lounge wear and pressed her palms into her eyes as she tried desperately to not overthink. This wasn’t the easiest situation, but he wouldn’t just dip. She knew him. He was an ass sure but after something so altering to their dynamic?

Bouncing down her stairs, a cat strong at her heels, she paused a bit at the end of her staircase, staring into an empty, undisturbed area. Her wine glass was still on her counter and the near empty bottle was in the sink, and the towel that was hung over her stove was discarded on the floor, probably from them. This also meant he wasn’t here. A part of her brain was accepting defeat, but the part that was so tightly wound with her heart couldn’t accept it. Moving to make a pot of coffee, her actions felt slow, like she was dipped in syrup trying to get out. Gabby’s cellphone sat dead on her kitchen island and as she picked it up, she prayed some small impossible thing would happen and he’d call. When she placed her phone on the table charger she poured her coffee, watching the phone more than her own movement, watching it light up and turn on and it even took her a few extra seconds to realize she was over pouring her coffee onto her counter.

“Fuck shit” Was mumbled out as her hand grabbed that towel and threw it down over the mess. “Get it together” Gabby said softly as she moved to dump a bit of the extra filled coffee out of her sink and each new ding rang out as messages and emails flooded the small screen. Taking a gentle sip her hand reached over the mess to reach anything that was popping up, every new thing pushed aside when it wasn’t from who she wanted it to be from. Her finger dangled a bit in front of his contact, the silly stupid picture staring back at her as she swallowed down the anxiety and took a deep breath. Meeting his voicemail was something she didn’t expect.

“hey uh- sorry I woke up so late i know you’re an early bird” this was more embarrassing than she thought it could be. her fingers pinched her nose before she took a deep breath and continued. “i know you might be busy or you know working or whatever but if you umm have time later we could talk about everything? i mean if you want? im sorry im so fucking nervous i just- i want to make sure we’re okay. you’re my best friend Max, just call me okay? i could word vomit forever.”

Staring down at her phone screen, she paused for a few extra seconds as she finally hung up the call. Her fingers curled around the device as she tucked it under her chin, shutting her eyes as she let out a shuddering breath. The thing was that now that this happened, it wasn’t like she could just ignore it. Looking back down at her phone screen she went to their texts as she mumbled to herself as Gabby deleted and retyped something a thousand times, trying to find the right words. The right way to fix this, because if she didn’t pick at this; it’d be her undoing.

‘Just call me when you can, okay?’ was all she typed out and let out a scream when she actually sent it. This is why she didn’t do things like this.

Twenty four hours.

It was the anxiety of it that was killing her the most. Not knowing. Not sure of where things were, or if he was upset or how he felt. She had to sit with her own emotions only, and that was almost worse. Max wasn’t there to tell her she was overthinking it, or being irrational towards herself and the situation. Gabs tried not to let the sadness creep in, she truly did, but when the text moved to delivered and she still never got a response, or a call back, a part of her heart broke. What if that was all he wanted? Seven years of build up just for sex? Max wouldn’t do that to her, he couldn’t do that to her.

Kicking her door closed, the redhead let out a groan as she pressed her back to it. Her gym clothing was sticking to her, and even though it was her normal coping mechanism, it didn’t touch the anxiety that sat on her shoulders or in her chest. She must have looked wild to those around her, carrying her gym bag under one arm and two bottles of wine in the next, but at this point, all she felt was defeated. Dropping her bag down and kicking off her shoes was the easy part, and as she dragged herself to the kitchen the first thing she did was find a bottle opener. Not even bothering with a glass and taking a big swig caused her to burp as she stared down at her phone. Gabby took another long sip, trying to build up the courage to text him again.

‘Can you at least tell me if we’re okay?’

Half a bottle of wine and a change of clothes later.

‘Max just give me something. I cant do radio silence, please?’

Full bottle and half a sandwich.

‘We dont even have to talk, send an emoji or something.’

Two bottles and a long cold case marathon later.

‘Don’t act like i won’t show up to your job’

‘I mean i won’t because you’re already avoiding me and i think it’d cry if you ignored me in person’

‘Im sorry im not trying to be that girl who demands something after a one night stand but

I just hoped i was more than that’

‘sorry’

Two days.

This asshole had ignored her for two days. The hangover was absolutely not worth it. And her sadness turned to anger overnight. Even if he didn’t want something serious, a single text would shut her up. One. single. Text. and he couldn’t even do that? Calling out was not in her work ethic but the anger she felt was all consuming, the sadness that would creep in would be overshadowed in anger and the need to hit him.

Her phone was her enemy, and every buzz and ding that came from it was false hope. Max was going to get a punch to the head when she saw him next, that was for sure. Did she completely waste her time with this? Did she push him too hard? All of these questions clouded her head for two days, but now they were replaced with venom. How could he do this to her? Were the things he said to her a lie? Maybe he didn’t want to give up his bachelor life. Or maybe he didn’t care as much as he thought and now she was just left in the dark. Gabby cried too much over this, sad and angry tears but there was never any relief. When she was getting a divorce there was a moment where everything turned calm again, and she stopped crying over it all, but that never came for this situation. She was just angry.

Wanting to text him and yell at him was her worst character flaw, she couldn’t leave things well enough alone. But he knew this about her. Did he just think she’d let this go? That she wouldn’t annoy the fucking shit out of him until he answered? The anger she felt from being completely disregarded was holding her body hostage, she couldn’t concentrate on anything else. All her normal coping ways didn’t even scratch the surface of it all, she was left feeling more angry, and in a sense betrayed. Even if he didn’t see this going anywhere, or wanted to stop all this, why wouldn’t he just tell her? Why leave her like this? Not knowing. Consumed. Burning.

When she finally gave in to text him again, all she wanted to do was spit hate at him. React bitterly and angry, like how she felt, but the thought of lying and telling Max she hated him, didn’t sit well. Puffing out a giant breath, her thumb hovered over the call button, and every time it rang she hoped he’d pick up. If he just answered she’d feel less angry. When his voicemail played again, she hung up the first time, “Get a fucking grip, you can yell at him it’s fine” and tried it again, and her anger flared again as it played again.

“Hey Asshat, I get it okay? This is a lot but you have to give me something. You know I don’t work well on silence and and avoidance, I’m just so fucking mad at you, All you have to do is answer me. An empty message at this point would be better than nothing. I hate...” Pausing, knowing how it was going to sound to him, she quickly tried to fix it. “I just hate that you responded like this. This isn’t right, this is stupid im not doing this I can’t do this. It hurts too much and I’m too angry at you, talk to me when you’re finally ready to have a big boy conversation.”  

Staring down at the phone, her breath caught in her throat as it all came down on her. What if they never recovered from this? Was she going to lose him for good? Pulling up the messages she saw all her one sided moments and typed before she could even stop herself,

“I love you but i also fucking hate you right now, all you had to do was stay.”

And with that, she accepted her anger and finally broke down in tears again.

Day three.

This was the day that hit the hardest. She could only call out for so long before others were asking if she was okay, and how serious her stomach bug was etc. Gabby wanted to crawl into her bed and just scream, and nap and mostly scream. Holding her coffee close to her chest as she walked through the familiar doors and all the way to her desk, Oliver insisted she make up for the lost time before her normal drive along. Her partner was already there waiting for her, probably waiting to give her a hard time.

“Marky I swear to god if you’re here to start shit I’ll turn around and walk out” The redhead started as she rolled her eyes at him, she knew they all meant well, “You missed two days of ride along and you expected to get through without shit? Come on Hunts, you know me better than that.” He was laughing, nudging her shoulder like it was nothing and dropped a muffin bag onto her desk. Markus was one of the ones who knew of her special deal with Oliver and her therapist, and a part of her was always nervous he’d say something, make some wack ass comment, but he always kept it respectful. The department welcomed her with welcome arms, many knew her from her previous work but when Oliver introduced her as Officer Hunter the cheers were all the welcoming she needed.

The three hours of desk work was killing her, every shift and turn in the chair was making some new part of her crack. Pushing her glasses up a bit and taking a sip of her coffee, she struggled through a few reports, only stopping when she got a clap on the back and an overeager Markus on her right. “You ready?” He asked, giving her a pleased smile when she nodded. Shutting the folder and placing it in her locked desk drawer, the woman grabbed her jacket and moved forward, following closely behind him. “Are we in the normal area tonight?” Gabs asked carefully, shrugging on her jacket and adjusting her shirt a bit as they entered the garage. “Yeah, we’ve got a few routine stops, and we have to check on that one family again but other than that we’re sitting on our asses tonight.”

Just like that the night moved on. New cups of coffee every hour, normal buildings and streets passing by in blurs. Streetlights either too bright or not bright enough, the rush of it all was just enough to distract her, shift her focus from the absolute emotional jail cell she felt trapped in. But good moments only last so long, it’s not all saving kids and eating donuts, there were days it tested her and tonight was one of those.

They were first to arrive on scene. Gun shots, domestic dispute, children involved. None of it was a good feeling. Things like this only had two ways of ending, bad or good, and there was just no telling which one they were getting. Markus and her stood by the door, weapons drawn as a few other officers were next to them, needing all the back up they could get at this point, medics on standby in case someone was injured. As they knocked on the door, identified themselves, and when all they heard was yells and screams it took less than ten seconds for Mark to kick the door down and they were in. Clearing each room, and right when she was going to check the final door with another officer that’s when all hell broke loose. Kids were crying, a woman was crying and all they saw was a man holding the woman by the neck and using her as a shield. There are moments when the universe is warning a person about something, she felt this years ago, when she was at that scene before she got hurt but this was part of the job. Gabby couldn’t back out now, not when the lives of others depended on it, it all happened so fast the woman was shoved to the ground and the man took off running. The other officer was helping the lady up and Gabby took off after him, “Adams is on the run! Officer Hunter in pursuit” She heard a few confirmations and Markcus staying close behind but she barely heard a damn thing.

Running through the streets of the Mission District was the last thing she wanted to be doing. Shoving people out of her way as she followed him, “Move move move!” Was all she could say as they continued running. He had to get tired at some point, she was near huffing. Rounding into a smaller side street, the redhead watched Adams disappear down a smaller alley and instantly her gut told her to turn back, save herself and just forget about him. Drawing her gun again, her steps got softer as she rounded the corner slower than him, her eyes bouncing back and forth between each side, each sound and every small movement she could. The further she went down the darkened alley the worse her belly ached, and that anxiety she felt for days felt minuarture to the anxiety and fear that held her body hostage. Swallowing slightly, she licked her lips as a soft breath passed through her lips, eyes taking in every detail she could, he couldn’t have gone far, he was slowing down a few blocks away, he was close. He had to be.

The clanging of metal made her turn, gun raised as she watched a stray cat run from behind the garbage cans, shattering from the area. One move fucked her, and as she heard the shuffling of shoes and rock, she knew. Barely having time to turn, Adams was right there; 6’3 and near two hundred pounds and he was taking her out like she was nothing. The distant sound of cop cars and sirens weren’t enough to stop him, really it only made it worse. Tackling her down to the ground was nothing to him, and even when she tried to stop it, scraping her hands, ignoring the sting and blood rushing, it wasn’t enough. Her gun flew from her hands, metal scraping against the ground, head smashing off the ground and it took everything in her to fight back. Her fist collided with his cheek, temporarily shocking him, and it was just enough to attempt to move. She was scrambling up trying to grab her gun, trying to get some sort of leverage over him but he was too quick, too big, too strong. His hand wrapped around her ankle, dragging her back to him, her lungs were burning, her head hurt in ways she didn’t ever want to remember and she could practically hear her heartbeat.

Dragging her back only added to the scraps and cuts on her hands, she was clawing her way at the ground trying desperately to find something, anything to get her out of this. His hands were gripping her so strong she was sure she’d have fingerprints, turning her around his fist connected with her face. Blood was rushing down her nose as he laid another smack down onto her, gabby was trying to shove him off, claw at him, harm him in any way, but he was a lady hitter, this was probably fun for him while she fought through everything just to make sure she made it out okay. His one hand reached down to grab her throat as his other hand reached behind him, and into the back of his pants and tugged out the firearm he was previously. The hand on her neck tightened as the gun pressed into her forehead, at least this one had enough brains to aim for the head.

BANG BANG BANG

Gabby’s eyes shut instantly, and when she wasn’t met with pain and darkness her eye creeped open watching a bloodied Adams start gasping as he toppled off her. Shoving him fully off of hef, her eyes widened as she tried to drag herself away from him, feet and sirens were closer and suddenly Markus was sliding next to her, trying to get her to sit still, wait for a medic, but she couldn’t function. The pain in the back of her head made her vision blurry, her hand was gripping Mark’s arm hard as she tried desperately to catch her breath. A medic was by her side in seconds and they were helping her up, trying to talk to her, but all she could think about was how much pain she was in, how the ringing in her ears wouldn’t stop and the phantom feeling of his hand around her neck wasn’t disappearing.

What a shit fucking week.

..

...

....

“Hello is this Max Fields?.... Right, Hi. This is Captain Oliver Lee with the San Francisco Police Department I’m calling in regards to Gabby Hunter..Listen, Gabs has you as her emergency contact and she got hurt tonight in the field. She’ll be fine but she’s gunna be benched for a bit, you just gotta come sign her out or they won’t let her leave. We’re at Saint Frances..room 603 Just get here when you can, she’s pretty out of it right now so you got some time. Don’t leave her hanging, can’t wait to meet you.”

[taxicabinmemphis]

Prince Charming Chapter 6 - Sword-ing Things Out

chapter one - chapter two - chapter three - chapter four - chapter five - chapter six

Word count - 2,019

Pairing - Moceit (Prinxiety and Intrulogical in previous chapters)

Warnings - sword fighting, kiss without consent (it’s fine in the story but please remember that consent is essential, kids, and always ask first!), food, tell me if there’s anything else I need to tag!

Janus woke up later than usual. A glance at the clock told him he had slept for a full eight hours and that it was a quarter before ten in the morning. Dinner had been very late, and he read for a couple hours while processing the day before he went to bed.

When Janus had finished getting ready for the day (around a quarter past ten), he sunk out of his room and into the kitchen. He glanced into the living room next to the kitchen, spotting Patton sipping from a coffee mug. The moral side had a plate of pancakes in front of him, covered in syrup, and seemed to be deep in thought. His glasses were slightly askew on his face, his hair wasn’t fully in place, and his cardigan was tied around his shoulders a bit messier than usual. Janus smiled; Patton looked like he’d just gotten up.

“Good morning, Patton,” Janus greeted smoothly. “I hope you slept terribly.”

Patton jumped in his seat; Janus had clearly surprised him. “Oh! Sorry, Janus, good morning! And, uh, I slept alright I suppose. You?”

Janus raised an eyebrow. “A full eight hours. However, it doesn’t seem it was the same for you; you look quite tired. How long have you been up?”

“Oh...maybe an hour or so? An hour and a half? I got at least six hours, so I’m alright.”

“That’s wonderful for your health.”

“It’s one night; I think I’ll be alright,” Patton replied, a small smile on his face. “Anyway, Janus, please don’t bother cooking or anything. I made enough pancakes for everyone, and there’s another mug of tea as I had extra, if tea is indeed your thing.”

“It is, Patton. Making breakfast for everyone is very considerate, and the tea is a very nice gesture, thank you.”

“It’s no trouble, Janus,” Patton replied tiredly.

Janus grabbed a plate, placed two pancakes on it, put blueberries on the pancakes, and grabbed the aforementioned mug of tea. He noticed that there was already syrup at the table where Patton was sitting and walked over to the moral side. He stopped in front of an empty seat, not wanting to invade his space.

“I’d hate to join you, Patton, if you’d allow me,” Janus requested.

“Oh, of course! This is a table for all of us sides, is it not?” Patton permitted with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Janus sat down, frowning. “Are you sure you’re alright, Patton?”

“Yeah!”

Janus gave him an unimpressed look, pouring syrup over his pancakes.

Patton sighed and took a long sip of his tea. “I’ve just been thinking about yesterday. It’s probably why I didn’t sleep as well as you.” Patton stared at his pancakes, stabbing his fork into them rather harshly but not taking a bite.

Janus waited for more exposition but didn’t receive it. “I don’t suppose you’d like to elaborate on that.”

“I don’t think you’d want to listen.”

Janus shook his head to indicate a negative, taking a bite of his pancakes. “I’d love for your day to be ruined by unresolved worries. Considering the stress I put on you yesterday, it’s only fair for me to listen to your troubles in return.”

Patton glanced up at Janus from his food. “There are a lot of benefits to talking about your feelings…” Patton stated, considering Janus’ offer. “Sounds pan-tastic.”

Janus snorted at the pun, suppressing a smile. “I’m disappointed you agreed. What’s on your mind?”

“I just…can’t help but be mad at myself for what I did to Virgil. I know he doesn’t blame me for it, but I still feel really bad.”

“He would’ve killed you if you hadn’t,” Janus pointed out, taking a sip of his tea.

“I know,” Patton sighed. “But he’s my best friend! I can’t help it.”

“That makes no sense. It’s understandable. Of course you feel guilty, you’re Patton. But you have to remember—you totally deserve the guilt. It’s not like you did anything wrong.” Janus took another sip of his tea. “I wouldn’t go as far as to say your actions were more considerate than what could be expected of you.”

“Thanks, Janus,” Patton said, taking a bite of his syrup-soaked pancakes.

“Of course,” Janus responded. “Anything else on your mind?”

“Uhh,” Patton started hesitantly, “yeah? I may or may not be confused and...just a tiny—” he held up his index finger and thumb to Janus in a position that made them almost touch, “—bit annoyed and, well, irritated as well as previously a small bit angry with you for forcing me to fight Virgil.” He gave Janus an unsure look, smiling nervously. “Sorry?”

Janus sighed; this part of the conversation was inevitable. “Ah. Yes. Don’t be sorry, I get why you’re upset. You have every right to be.” He sipped his tea.

Patton nodded, refusing to look at Janus and staring at his pancakes instead as he stabbed at them with his fork. “Was it really necessary?”

Janus opened his mouth to defend his actions, but he shook his head. “No. It wasn’t.”

“Then why did you do it?”

“I was supposed to play the bad guy.”

Patton frowned. “It has to be more than that. You don’t seem like the type to do stuff like that just because of a role someone gave you.”

Janus sighed, pouring more syrup on what remained of his pancakes. “If you must know, Logan was beating me in our fight; I had to distract him.”

“You could have done anything else.”

“He also wasn’t getting in my head.”

Patton raised his head to meet Janus’ eyes. “In your head? Logan?”

Janus nodded. “It was quite a travesty. I guess I tried to...prove something to him and myself.”

“And?”

“I didn’t,” Janus said with a pitiful laugh. “Logan was right.”

The two ate in silence for several minutes, processing the conversation, before Janus realized he hadn’t apologized.

“I’m not sorry, Patton,” Janus said to break the silence. “It was right of me to take out the confusion of my inner struggles on your and Virgil’s emotional wellbeing.”

Patton gave him a weak smile. “I’m sorry, but...I don’t know whether I should forgive you yet. I want to, but...it hurt.”

“You don’t have to. I definitely expect you to, especially this soon after events. Just please know that my apology is sincere, and I will do my absolute worst to make sure it never happens again in the future.”

Patton finished his pancakes and put his fork down. He put his elbow on the table and leaned his head onto his fist. “I don’t wanna forgive you yet but you make it so hard. I wanna hold out until this evening but I’m not sure I’ll be able to.”

Janus’ human side adopted a pink tint. “You’re rude, Patton, but strong. I’m sure you can do it.”

Patton’s face lit up. “I have an idea!”

Janus raised an eyebrow. “I’d hate to hear it.”

“You’d have to be up for it, though, and you in no way are expected to be,” Patton prefaced.

“Alright.”

“We could fight it out! With swords!” Patton said with a grin. “If I win, it’ll satisfy me enough to forgive you, and if you win, I will be dissatisfied and be able to not forgive you.”

“Losing creates anger, does it not?”

Patton waved a hand. “No, I’m not mad at you, silly. You can not forgive someone and not be mad.”

“Fair enough,” Janus replied, finishing his breakfast. “I agree to this, especially if it helps calm your mind.”

“Yay!” Patton stood, taking Janus’ arm. “Let’s go sword things out.”

Janus snorted and shook his head. “Hilarious.”

The two ventured into the Imagination. Patton conjured the sword he had used the previous night, and Janus looked at it with amusement.

“A beautiful sword you have there, Patton, though I think I will have to trade mine for a shorter one.” He conjured a black gladius with a yellow hilt.

They were in a plain black room, the only color filling it being them and their accessories. However, they could see the other very well.

Janus stood in a fighting stance, smiling at Patton.

“Square up, sweetheart. Starting a fight unprepared is incredibly wise.”

Patton laughed nervously, a pink on his cheeks from the pet name. He shifted to a fighting position. “You got it. Prepare yourself to be defeated.”

“So you want to forgive me?”

Patton made the first move, not dignifying the comment with a response. He stepped towards Janus and swiped at his shoulder. Janus parried, and made a strike at the moral side’s neck, only for that to be parried as well.

They went on for a couple of minutes, trying to disarm the other. The only noises heard was the shuffling of feet, grunts of effort, and clashing of swords.

Janus made a particularly hard hit that Patton could barely parry, throwing the moral side backwards a little. He took the opportunity to discard his cloak and his hat, throwing them a good fifteen feet away.

“You removed your hat? And your cloak? Woah, this is a moment to remember!” Patton teased, striking at Janus’ head.

He blocked the blow, taking the opportunity to stare Patton in the eyes. “Only for you, honey,” Janus replied.

Patton flushed, stabbing at his torso.

“Oh, you needn’t try to hit my heart, it’s not there.”

Patton raised an eyebrow, deciding to humor him. “Where is it, then?”

“I don’t think I saw you holding it a few minutes ago.”

Patton laughed and made a cut to the neck. “I don’t suppose you’ve seen my breath.”

“Considering it’s not cold enough, no….”

“Oh. I thought you had taken it away for a second,” Patton said with a cheeky grin, swiping his sword at Janus’ legs. “But if you haven’t…”

Patton knocked the gladius out of Janus’ hand, the blade falling right beside him. He stood close to Janus, really close, too close (though Patton could never be too close in Janus’ eyes), his sword at his side. Though Janus may have imagined it, he could swear he saw Patton’s gaze drop to his lips for half a second.

“I suppose I can take yours instead.”

Janus smiled, raising his hands to surrender slowly. Patton’s smile widened, and he took a step back.

“So I w-”

Janus kicked his sword up, grasping it by the hilt and knocking it horizontally into Patton’s torso, making sure not to hurt him. Patton fell backward, eyes wide as Janus knelt over him. His right hand was clasped over the moral side’s left, holding it in place so he couldn’t strike. He got himself as close to Patton as he had been before; leaning over him with a victorious smirk on his face.

“I think I win this one, my blue beauty,” Janus whispered, staring into Patton’s eyes. “Though, I’m completely opposed to a rematch.” He glanced at Patton’s lips, before looking back to his eyes.

No. Patton hadn’t said he forgave him, he was a dark side, this could have all just been a game. For show. And even still, romantic feelings were a completely different level than friendship.

He stood up and extended a hand to Patton to help him up. Patton took it, pulled himself up, dropped his sword, and in one fluid motion, pulled Janus in for a passionate kiss.

Janus’ eyes widened and he dropped his sword in surprise. He didn’t know what to do and was more surprised than he should have been. His hesitation prompted Patton to start to pull away.

“I-I’m sorry, I should’ve as-”

Janus reconnected their lips, putting his arm around Patton’s shoulders and kissing him like there was no tomorrow.

He pulled back for air. “You’re giving me mixed signals here. I won, yes, but you’re kissing me, so am I forgiven, or…”

“Not yet.” Patton pulled him back in for a third kiss—a smirk on his face and his eyes alight.

~

Taglist: @the-sympathetic-villain ​ @justanotherhumanstuff ​ @thistledown15 ​

~

This is the final installment! Originally this was a sequel, that’s why it has a title (I kept it cuz I like the pun). Hope you liked it! This one wasn’t quite as serious as the others so the writing is different.

                                                    \_/. _ . \_/

                                                        /     \

                                                       /        \ 

Love you all, thanks for reading this story!

[wowcool808]

Aren’t You Cheerful?-YTTD head cannon

This is a headcanon in an alternate universe where Sara never had a stalker and Joe and Sara were never in the killing game. Also, I took the title name from the song “Aren't You Cheerful?” in the Your Turn To Die soundtrack.

“Do you...know what a majority vote is..?”

“Aw...She died…”

“....My opinion...versus yours…”

Various, disembodied voices passed through Sara’s brain without paying any mind to her consciousness. Floating in and out before fading out of existence. It was an odd phenomenon, as Sara didn’t even have the time to grasp onto the words as they left her. And then, she woke. She had fallen asleep on her school desk, presumably drifting off as she was studying for her upcoming test. Slowly, Sara lifted her head, her brain swimming lightly from the abrupt awakening. She rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes and massaged her sore jaw she had fallen asleep on. She sat up and, as her eyes adjusted to what little light streamed in the room, she realized it was already past 6:30 p.m.

“Ugh, seriously? How long did I even study for..?” she asked herself as she glanced down at the study guide in front of her. She had barely gotten to the second page when she fell asleep, deeming the hours she spent after school virtually useless. Sara begrudgingly got up and slung her backpack on her shoulders. She sent a text to her parents letting them know she was on her way home as she walked out of the front entrance. 

As she walked towards the gates, she took in her surroundings. They were the same things she saw everyday; the pond, the trees, and the large building that loomed above it all. Surprisingly enough, one of the lights in the school was turned on. “Huh, even janitors work this late. Thank you for your tireless service.” She said with a small smile as she continued on her way to the front gates. When she reached the gate, she took a look at her phone, reading a text from her friend, Ryoko. “Heyya, I just got homee, wanna sleep over? I’m tired as hell, but I kinda feel like talking about today.” Sara smiled a bit and typed a response. “Hi, and yeah, sure. I’m just getting home too. I spent the last few hours sleeping at my desk, but I’ll see if I can come over later.” Naturally, she would spend the time in between then to study since she wasted so much time doing nothing. Ryoko, however, spent the last few hours going on a date with one of her classmates, Jou Tazuna, or just Joe. Joe had bugged Sara about setting him up with Ryoko ever since he found out how close she and Ryoko were. Sara had finally given in and got the two of them to go on a date together. 

As Sara put her phone away, she heard someone call her name from the other side of the fence. “Heyyy, Sara! Why're you still here?” The voice made Sara jump, forcing herself to get into fight-or-flight mode. Once she recognized the owner of the voice, however, she dropped her stance and stared straight at the person with a hot face. “Joe, seriously?” she said, annoyed. Joe, a tall, gaudy-looking guy with various hair pins stood in front of her with a cheery smile on his face. “Whattt, did I scare you? Sorry ‘bout that.” he said with an unapologetic expression.

 “Oh shut up, you did that on purpose, huh?” Sara said, quickly regaining her cool.

“Jeeze, always so cold, huh? Well, whatever, I knew you would be here. You said you were studying, right?” He said, annoyingly changing the subject.

“Well, yeah, that was the plan. I fell asleep, though. Why did you come here?” She asked, sighing.

“I came to brag about my date, what else?!” He said with a cheeky smile as he put his hands on his hips.

“Right...well, I appreciate the thought, but I already talked with Ryoko about it.” She said with a sarcastic smile. It was a lie but Sara figured it was only fair since Joe had scared her.

“Whattt? I came all the way here though!” Joe said with a fake pout.

Sara rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Well, you were too late, then. Too bad.”

Joe winced and hung his head, moping. “Aww man.”

Sara smiled a bit and held back a pity laugh. “Fine, you can tell me as I walk home. I can’t guarantee I’ll pay attention though.”

Joe lifted his head and smiled again, making it blatantly obvious he was faking most of his reaction. “Good enough for me!”

Sara shook her head and stepped through the gate as Joe waited for her. “So, first we walked to the kabob place that we were talking about earlier. I ate so much that Ryoko had to help me get up!” he said, his head in the clouds as always. He brushed his hair out of his face and continued talking with his signature smile. “The bill was barely in my range, though that was because of my gluttonous butt. My wallet will be hurtn’ for weeks.” he said, rubbing his neck sheepishly. Joe glanced over at Sara, who, as noted, wasn’t paying attention. Joe elbowed her lightly and scrunched his nose. “Are you paying attention or what? I may have lost a ton of money, but we made some serious progress!” he whined. Sara groaned quietly and looked at Joe. “Hey, I promised I wouldn’t pay my full attention. But, whatever, did you kiss or something?” Joe scoffed, taken aback. “Of course not! You know they call people who kiss on first dates monsters and stuff. Come on, have you never been on a date before.” He said teasingly. “Nah, we held hands though! Crazy progress, right? Well, technically I fell in a construction hole and she helped me out, but whatever, it still counts.” He said excitedly. Sara, not wanting to dampen his happy mood any further, shook her head and smiled. “Well, that’s something.”

They passed under a street light, casting a shadow on their faces. “You know, you really never have been on a date, huh?” Joe asked, interrupting the calming silence. “Huh?” Sara muttered, confused. Well, she hadn’t, but why did it matter? It shouldn’t take personal experience to half-heartedly listen to your classmate’s story he excitedly retold. “Well, not like it really matters. But if Ryoko and I end up getting together, you’ll be the sad third wheel!” He said with a joking tone. 

Sara rolled her eyes for the third or fourth time and crossed her arms. “You’re taking this awfully seriously, huh? And why would I be the ‘Sad Fourth Wheel’? Ryoko wouldn’t choose a boyfriend over her best friend in a million years.” She said it rather confidently, but she never actually considered the possibility. Sure, she set up Joe and Ryoko mainly because Joe bugged her about it, but she didn’t think too far into it. She kind of assumed the relationship wouldn’t get too far. That’s what she kind of hoped, anyway.

Joe shrugged and continued walking. “I’m simply planning ahead, and like I said, we made tons of progress today, so success is basically guaranteed!” He said confidently.

Sara sighed and smiled a bit. “You’re too much sometimes.”

Joe chuckled and put his hands on his hips. “You like me for it though.” he said with a wide smile.

Sara scoffed a bit amusingly. “If that’s what you say.” As much as she would deny it, Joe is actually partially right. Perhaps it’s because Joe is so trusting, carefree, and emotional? It was a nice counter to her straightforward and logical nature. 

They rounded the corner of their block and passed under another streetlight, once again casting shadows on both of their faces. As they approached her house, Sara noticed something…...A warm and pleasant aroma wafting through the area (what, you thought it was something else? I told you there’s no killing game hehe)! As she breathed it in, Sara smiled. Joe looked over at her with a wide smirk. “What’re you cooking?” he asked curiously. 

“What do you mean ‘What am I cooking?', I’m literally next to you right now.” Sara asked with an exasperated yet amused look.

Joe chuckled and rubbed his neck and chuckled. “Right, I know that but like…” He said trailing off.

“What, do you want to eat inside? You just had kabobs and were complaining about how full you are!”

“Yeah, but like….” Joe said, moping a bit, “I told you I’m a glutton. Plus, I walked off all the calories.”

“Jeeze, for someone who looks as gaudy as you do, you certainly make a lot of silly excuses.” Sara said, crossing her arms and smirking. “Fine, I’ll ask my parents.” 

“Yaaay! Thanks!” He said, beaming happily like a child who was just given a balloon. 

Sara laughed a bit as she swung open the door and held it open for Joe. Surely enough, as it smelt, her parents made her one of her favorite meals: Mashed sweet potatoes with chestnuts and roasted chicken. Mouth watering already, Sara grabbed Joe’s hand and pulled him to the kitchen...

[princecharmingmendes]

Paris | Day Two

When your parents decide to travel with your best friend’s family that you haven’t talked to in a while, who you have a massive secret crush on, what could go wrong, right? Right?! (best friends to lovers)

*Word Count: 2,5k

*Warnings: cursing, drinking, and I guess that's it.

*Posted: December 12th, 2019. 

      day one

                                                         -*-

Sleeping is amazing. Probably one of the best things on the planet. And I swear to God that this is one of the comfier beds I’ve ever laid on, and I would spend the whole day laying on it. And that’s exactly why I completely ignored Shawn alarm on the other room and nuzzled my face even more in the pillow I was hugging tightly, zoning off again.

“Y/N?” Someone I am going to murder somewhere outside my room called and I only groaned in response.

Silence. Also something great to add to my sleep.

“Oh, c’mon, Y/N, get up” Shawn’s voice said a lot less muffled by the walls, sounding almost as if he was in here with me “honey?” This time I felt his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it lightly, and that’s when I opened my eyes.

Shit, this isn’t a dream, he’s in here.

“Hm?” I only hummed in response, closing my eyes again.

“Get up, we have breakfast”

“Mhmm”

“Since when you’re that hard to wake up?”

“Since this bed is nice and I’m tired” I said with the sleepiest voice possible, and I’m pretty sure he couldn’t understand everything in that sentence.

“Okay” he said and I was already happy that he was going to give up on me and leave me, but than the mattress behind me sunk with his weight and I felt him getting under the duvet with me.

“Whatcha doin’?” I groaned annoyed.

“Making sure you’re getting up” he said wrapping his arms around me and pulling my back flush against his chest, making me hold my breath involuntarily.

“Mhm” I said closing my eyes again, but when I was about to fall back asleep, his hands lifted my shirt a little to expose my stomach and started tickling me, making me shrink against his chest, trying to avoid his hands, bursting into laughter “no, no, no, no, no, please stop”

“Say you’re getting up and I’ll stop, baby”

“Please, Shawn, please stop”

“Just say the words”

“I’m getting up, please” I said whining between giggles and trying to breathe all at the same time, and the tickles stopped magically.

“There you go, honey, see, that wasn’t that hard” he said chuckling softly and placing a kiss at the back of my head.

“I hate you” I said trying to catch my breath.

“I know you don’t, now turn around for me, honey” he said and I did it, regretting instantaneously.

Okay, nothing new when it comes to me saying that he’s the most gorgeous guy I’ve ever met, but seeing him like this is just cruelty. The room was not bright enough for me to see the details, the only source of light was the door between our rooms since he had already opened his curtains. But even like that, he could kill someone. His hair was a mess, his curls were everywhere, his face was lightly flushed, he wasn’t wearing the hoodie that I saw last night, making my mouth go dry with the sight of his bare -built like a god- torso, but still looking so soft since he just woke up.

“Hi” I said extremely softly, scared to say anything else that could ruin the moment, where I was laying in his arms, his body warmth making me wanna stay forever like this.

“Hi” he said flashing me those perfect aligned teeth “good morning, honey, are you ready to get up?”

“I wasn’t, but now I am” I said getting out of his embrace and sitting on the bed, rubbing my eyes “do you know what’s the plan for today?”

“I guess we’re going to the Eiffel Tower and than grab lunch, and maybe later to a museum of something like that”

“Okay, I’m gonna shower and get ready, the one that gets ready first goes to the other room?”

“Deal” he said getting up and going back to his room, closing the door lightly, not locking it.

It took me around twenty minutes to shower and change into my outfit for the day when he knocked. I was sitting in the sink applying some make up with the bathroom door opened and some Britney Spears song playing in my phone.

“Come in”

“Hi, honey, ready?”

“Almost” I said applying the fifth layer of mascara carefully to not look all stuck together.

“Okay, he said and threw himself on the bed again.

Five minutes later I left the bedroom and grabbed my cute winter boots, putting them on and patting Shawn’s leg for him to get up.

“Let’s go” I said grabbing my purse and tossing my phone and keys inside it.

So we went downstairs to have breakfast and we met my sister and Aliyah, so we ended up eating together. And forty minutes later we were walking to the Eiffel Tower with our parents and laughing. We ended up taking amazing pictures, and Flo convinced me and Shawn to take those cute couple pictures to copy one that was right beside us, which resulted in cute pictures but extremely funny memories.

Then we had lunch and headed to Musee d’Orsay, where we got to see amazing artwork and obviously, more goofy pictures. After that, we got to the subway and got to the hotel pretty quickly.

“Okay, kids, we’re too tired to leave and go somewhere to eat something, so we’re going to our rooms and meet here tomorrow? We’re going to Versailles Palace at 10”

“Deal, goodnight” I said as they got in the elevator.

“What are you guys doing? I don’t feel like dressing up and shit, but I still wanted to go somewhere and grab something to eat” Flo said and Liyah nodded.

“We could go to that market on the next block and grab some stuff and eat upstairs” Shawn said.

“That’s actually nice, dude” I said and he stared at me.

“Hm, okay, I’m just going upstairs real quick to change my shoes, these are killing me” Liyah said.

“Oh, I’ll go with you, my phone’s dead”

“Of course it is, you spent the day listening to music, how could any battery last, Flo?”

“Kiss my ass, Liyah”

“Language!” I said as both got in the elevator and Flo just gave me a cynical smile “do you want to go upstairs or... what?” I asked as a noticed that he was still staring at me with a funny expression.

“Did you just ‘dude’ me?”

“Hm, yeah, I guess, what’s wrong?”

“‘Dude’? Seriously, Y/N?”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“I’m not just your dude!”

“You’re not?”

“No! I’m... I’m... I’m more special than that! I’m your best friend!”

“I know that, sweetie, of course you’re more special than that, but why can’t I call you dude?”

“You can, it’s just, oh, forget it”

“Shawn... it would be weird if your girlfriend called you that, but I’m just your friend”

“First of all, I’m single, just for the record, and second, you’re much more than just my friend, you’re you!”

“Okay, sorry for calling you ‘dude’, Shawn” I said giggling to cover the butterflies fighting to get out of my stomach.

“Okay, I’ll forgive you if you give me a hug” he said and I just wrapped my arms around his middle, laying my head on his chest and he did the same, rubbing my back up and down, making me wanna melt in his embrace and just stay there forever.

“You’re cute” Liyah said approaching with a huge shit eating grin in her face.

“I know” Shawn said flashing a cocky smile.

“Wasn’t talking about you specifically, but you both, as a couple” Liyah said rolling her eyes.

“We’re not a couple, kiddo”

“But you could be” Flo said winking.

“Not really, we’re best friends since I was born basically, he has a girlfriend, and we don’t have this kind of feeling for each other”

“Honey?”

“Hm?” I said leaning my chin on his chest, to be able to look at his face.

“I’m single”

“Oh, sorry, but anyway, hmm... we’re just friends”

“Yeah, we are just friends, Liyah”

“Can we just go? I’m starving” Flo said.

“Sure, let’s go” Shawn said grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the lobby and to the street.

“Hey, be careful, I’m not a doll”

“Sorry” he said giving me a sheepishly smile, scratching the back of his neck.

“It’s okay, big guy”

“What are we eating again?”

“Maybe we could get a few croissants and some cheese, and wine, I don’t know”

“That would be nice” Flo said smiling “some chocolate too, right?”

“Yeah, sure” Shawn flashing her a smile and Flo chuckled.

“That’s why I love you, Mendes”

We reached the market pretty quickly with light chatter and giggles, and Shawn kept me incredibly close the whole time. Like, literally, he would never let go of me. If I was trying to reach the top shelf, he would come from behind me, lay his hand on my waist and then grab the thing for me. And this is just driving me insane. Especially now that I know he’s single. Shit.

So we ended up with a few different types of cheese, bread, chocolate and candy, and of course, we bought soda for our sisters and three different kinds of wine. Obviously not all for today, but maybe for different occasions, and they were all cheap, so whatever. We headed back to the hotel and went back to our bedrooms to shower and change into something comfier.

About an hour later we were all gathered up on Shawn’s room, spread on the fluffy rug near the balcony, so we could see the tv and the beautiful view his room had. We were on our second glass of wine and stuffed with food, laughing about silly stories of our early lives. I was laying on the ground, with my head on Shawn’s lap, Aaliyah was leaning with her back against the wall and Flo was laying on the ground with her feet against the wall.

“So... everyone here is single?”

“I guess so”

“Guys! This is the first time in years that this happens!”

“Hm, yeah...? Should we all cry together to celebrate how we are all alone?” Flo said chuckling.

“You’re so dramatic!” I said laughing

“She’s your sister, of course she is”

“Shawn!” I said smacking his chest playfully.

“What? I’m not a liar, baby” he said with his face a little flushed due to the wine, and suddenly, the room fell incredibly quiet and I could feel all eyes on me.

“So, we are all single, we should go out sometime, like we used to do”

“Yeah, we definitely should!” Shawn said grinning.

“Okay, sure”

“Everybody shut up, I love that movie!” Flo said rising from where she was sitting on the floor, moving to the spot in front of the TV while Coraline played on the background, making everyone chuckle.

“Honey?” Shawn said barely a whisper a few minutes later, starting to play with my hair.

“Hm?” I only hummed in response, closing my eyes.

“My back kinda hurts, do you mind if we move to bed?” He asked softly, still running his fingers through my hair and I just shook my head and sat, getting up and crawling in his bed.

“You’re making yourself at home, right, Y/N?”

“I’m tired, Florence, fuck off” I said nuzzling my face deeper into the pillow.

“Where’s your room? Why don’t you just go to bed, we don’t mind if you’re that tired”

“It’s the one beside his, through that door” I said pointing to it and they both eyed me curiously.

“Really? Isn’t that funny?”

“What’s funny?” Shawn said sitting beside me with his back against the headboard and placing my head on his lap again.

“The fact that you too are inseparable again in less than 24 hours and extremely touchy, and your rooms are next to the other, I mean... you guys would look amazing together” Liyah said turning back to stare at us and I could feel my whole face burning.

“Liyah, we’ve always been this way, that’s just us, okay? We’ve been best friends forever, and she clearly said that is literally all she’s ever felt for me, so just drop it, okay?” Shawn said and I sat up to just stare at him.

“What I felt? Have you ever... I don’t, felt something different than this?”

“Me? No, I love you, like, so much, but it’s not like that, ya know... I just don’t want you to leave me” he said and I nodded, laying back and closing my eyes again.

“I would never leave you, Shawn, don’t be dramatic” I said lazily and he just chuckled.

I never noticed that I drifted off, only moments later when I heard something shuffling around the room.

“So we’re going back to our room, we are really tired, are you going to let her stay?”

“Of course, I would never be able to deny her anything”

“Just be careful, don’t fall harder than what you already did, bro, I don’t know if she feels the same”

“Me neither, she never talks to me about this stuff, ya know? And I’m her sister, for Gods sake”

“Yeah, I know, but I love her, I always did and always will”

“Yeah, whatever, we’re heading to bed, you should do the same, goodnight, Shawn”

“Night, Mendes”

“Goodnight, lemme take you guys there”

And with that, I heard nothing more, just the click of a door, and that’s when I knew I was asleep. Shawn is not in love with me or whatever. That must have been the craziest dream in my like.

“Honey?” I felt something caressing my face forcing me to stir awake “honey, it’s one in the morning, I didn’t want to wake you, but also didn’t want you to feel awkward in the morning since you never told me if you wanted to sleep with me... I mean, here”

“Hm, okay, I’m getting up” I mumbled with my face buried in the pillow.

“Do you want to stay?”

“No, I’m getting back to my room” I said sitting on the bed rubbing my face.

“Do you want me to carry you there? I don’t mind”

“No, it’s okay, I’m fine” I said stretching and getting up, grabbing my phone from the floor and turning around to say goodnight, but almost chocking at the view.

He was shirtless, with his flannel pijama pants hanging low on his hips and with the ends of it tugged in his socks. He looked so effortlessly hot that it hurt. He’s just like a freaking Greek God. Like, holy shit, who looks like that?

“You sure? You’re just standing in the middle of the room”

“Yeah, totally fine! Oh, do you need help cleaning the room?” I said looking around and seeing it was spotless.

“The girls helped me”

“Now I feel worthless”

“No, you’re just tired and none of us had the heart or the need to wake you”

“Oh, okay, I’m going to bed, I’m sorry for not helping at all”

“It’s okay, goodnight, honey, now come here and give me a kiss”

“Goodnight, Shawn” I said hugging him and kissing his collarbone, which is what I could reach and he laughed, kissing the top of my head and then letting me go.

And I just went back to my room, with butterflies flying on my stomach, but I was really tired to fight them, so I just crashed on bed and slept.

                                                        -*-

*Please reblog or like this post if you liked it so I'll know if I'm supposed to keep posting this series thing.

*I'm sorry if there are any spelling mistakes.

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*Hope you guys enjoyed it!

*xoxo*

-🌙

                                                        -*-

[x-wearethefuture-x]

Mary Jane & Nicholas

@ofpearlsxgods

Send me a ship and I’ll tell you:

Who said “I love you” first:

This was definitely Mary Jane. In fact, Nicholas has a hard time saying it to some degree because he’s kind of afraid of jinxing their whole relationship with it. He’s gotten a lot more confident in it, but sometimes he still wonders if she’s not just kind of “going through a phase”, so to speak, because of their age gap and the fact that he knows that he’s not her usual type.

Who would have the other’s picture as their phone background:

I can’t speak for Mary Jane, but for Nicholas he’s got a photo of the two of them together as his background. His cats are his lock screen picture, though! Sorry Mary Jane, you’ll have to share some of the love with his kitties xD

Who leaves notes written in fog on the bathroom mirror:

I feel like Nicholas started this- he had to leave for work before she woke up and he knew she would take a shower before she went anywhere. So he left just a little “good morning, beautiful <3″ or something similar on the bathroom mirror for her to see when she got out of the shower :) 

Who buys the other cheesy gifts:

Nick has two settings for giving gifts: 1) stuff that someone has specifically asked for so he knows he got it right or 2) sentimental stuff that he hopes they’ll appreciate. So cheesy? Possibly. Sweet and heartfelt? Absolutely.

Who initiated the first kiss:

Mary Jane. Nick didn’t think she was interested in him at all and thought that the flirting was just for fun, so I can’t imagine him having initiated the first kiss. He’s not too forward in that regard.

Who kisses the other awake in the morning:

I like the thought of sleepy Mary Jane being awoken with lots of little kisses and “get up, sleepyhead~” and cute stuff like that~ So definitely Nicholas :)

Who starts tickle fights:

NICK! Times like... when they’re playing Mario Kart and they’re being playfully competitive and she gets ahead of him so he drops his controller to start tickling her sides. Or when they’re just being silly and maybe they’re having one of those fake arguments (something like “I love you more!” or anything cute like that~) he tries to “win” by distracting her with tickles~

Who asks who if they can join the other in the shower:

Why do I feel like Nick is the one who /asks/, but Mary Jane is the one who just climbs in casually? Like, he’d casually join her without asking sometimes too, but he’s usually the type to ask if he can join when she says she’s going to go shower.

Who surprises the other in the middle of the day at work with lunch:

Okay, but Mary Jane showing up while Nick is on his lunch break, having brought him some food, and they just sit down and have lunch together in the middle of his otherwise hectic day. He’d love and appreciate that SOOOOOOOOOO much ;u;

Who was nervous and shy on the first date:

I don’t know? Nick was definitely a little bit, but I also feel like by the time they had their first /actual/ date they were both already fairly comfortable around each other :)

Who kills/takes out the spiders:

Nick catches them in a cup and releases them outside: “There ya go, little buddy!”

Who loudly proclaims their love when they’re drunk:

Well now I’m picturing, if they got drunk, the two of them just loudly proclaiming their love to each other and mildly annoying every one else in the process xD