#an actual leather jacket is not only cool but will last FOREVER if cared for properly

[vaguely-concerned]

so for obvious reasons, rye is not generally all that popular with most of the senior watchers. however. I think there is a certain type of younger watcher to whom he is The ultimate hot badboy icon and fantasy. (we're talking about a group of extreme indoor kid goth nerds who've barely been outside. it doesn't take a lot ot achieve bad boy status in this context and the only thing in this world that lasts forever is a bad reputation in a small insular group like the watchers.) it's SO funny because rye thinks of himself as such a disappointing fuckup of a son of the grand necropolis. and meanwhile there are novices kicking their feet and giggling as they're like

'Ingellvar is so cool. no one knows where he's from he was found down here as a baby. mysterious orphan appeal. he could be a secret dalish prince or something for all we know. (*annoyed extra nerd watcher novice voice*: umm actually the dalish don't have princes, merrivar?? read a real book sometime maybe???) he's a rebel. he doesn't care what the senior watchers think no time for politics he just gets the job done. (*small sad rye voice* I care a lot what the senior watchers think actually. a pathetic amount, in fact. it just rarely seems like it helps anything at all) I heard he graduated almost top of his class even though he spent all his time as a student partying up in the city and having a torrid affair with the son of a noble family. sometimes in his spare time he wears a cool punk leather jacket but like the fantasy version of that. he has tattoos apparently but no one's seen them for years. yuh-uh it's true too, I know someone who knows someone he dated once. they say he saw a knife fight once. like, in a bar brawl, with living people. all that, and he's even sneakily emotionally unavailable. *starry-eyed sigh* what a dreamboat'.

needless to say this only grows worse with the events of the game, after he takes out the formless one and rumours start to spread that he maybe killed a god or something too???? and this being nevarra, more importantly he's out there killing dragons with his sworn companions?? like a fucking fairytale prince but with that devil-may-care rebellious streak???? he's the safely unavailable first crush at a distance of many a young watcher. now imagine the reaction when he shows up home for the first time in a year after the war of the banners accompanied by The one true bad boy fantasy to rule them all: literally the sad brooding crown prince of the crows of antiva in leather pants who has WINGS and a dark tortured side of his nature that he has to constantly battle against for the sake of those he loves.

(the perception vs. reality situation for both of these characterizations is. so unspeakably hilarious needless to say. consider how much of the above lucanis characterization is accurate to the person he actually is and then you've basically found the level of distortion lens being applied to rye as well. is most of it technically true? sure. 'technically' is having to do a whole world of heavy lifting there tho fhdfska)

what I'm really saying here is that there is a subsection of this group that's been ferociously writing rye/lucanis rpf from the moment they were seen trotting down into the necropolis depths together (other pairings within the lighthouse gang as a whole, caught in tantalizing glimpses as they visit the necropolis, of course having their own devotees), and when this fandom subgroup eventually discover they were right it's with all the insane glee of a sixteen year old fanfic writer on wattpad (is that still where the kids are these days. idk i'm getting old folks) finding out that their dark mafia prince AU is basically true. varric might be gone but the legacy of friendfiction lives on after him. the king of thedas rpf being the shoulders of titans that young watchers are standing on to write fevered WILDLY inaccurate depictions of the private life of two of the most low-key domestic quietly devoted and undramatic people on the continent, one of them being varric's own poor little meow meow slash mentee, is something that can actually be so personal. rye does not end up terribly famous in the end considering the shit he manages to get done in this game, and he thanks his lucky stars for it. but to a tight-knit community of mourn watch fic writers he is blorbo from my apocalypse. it's all I could have wished for him.

(funniest possible outcome of all this: myrna gets so fucking tired of trying to understand what the novices are being so tittery about that she asks rye 'watcher ingellvar with the realization that this is a long shot and the admission that vorgoth and I have exhausted all other avenues of investigation: do you possess secret insight about what an 'x reader' is. and also 'ship war'. your name seems to come up in this context a surprising amount'. 9000000 points of incoming psychic damage about to hit the fan.)

[smokahuntis]

Don’t want to run around

Pairing; Poe dameron X reader

Song: Joji ~ Xnxx

Warnings: SMUT, fluff actually really fluffy for me. Dirty talk, cream pie

Summery: Poe and (y/n) everyone knew they were sleeping together, it was no secret, but it also wasn’t a secret the commander was a playboy. It was usually just a distraction at night or in the morning. But after the war Poe realized it was more.

Authors note: i do not know who owns these gifs, I’ve had them for awhile from Pinterest and there was no credit, I’m sorry, feel free to tag them if you know! Also reblog!

I don’t really want to run around

It had been awhile since they’d seen each other, after everything was settled and they could relax for a bit they went back to their families. It was much needed for both of them, time away from the base and spent with their parents and siblings. But that time away made Poe realize a lot, he needed her.

“So, how’s (y/n)” his mother asked happily, she’d met the girl multiple times and always urged Poe to make a move but he never did, so she decided she’d bug him to death.

“She’s doing great, she took a bad hit awhile back and her arms in a swing but she’s healing quickly” Poe said looking up from his food with his charming smile.

“She was always a strong girl, head strong, physically, mentally” his mother said with a smile, Poe thought it was a normal conversation so he didn’t mind.

“She’s be great to have kids with” she smirked, he nearly chocked. All he could do was smile and nod in shock of his mother’s words.

“It’s about time we had grandkids” his father added causing Poe to shake his head.

Time is going slow and I don’t mind.

“She’s not really a relationship person” he finally said, looking between them. “Plus, I have all the time in the world” he said and they nodded. It was his last night there before he went back to base. So after dinner, when he was laying up in his bed he couldn’t help but let his mind roam. What would it be like if he actually settled down with her, he could do it now after all. Only thing to worry about would be, well, rejection. But she can’t really deny him, can she?

Come on, who would deny Poe dameron, leader of the resistance, best pilot in the galaxy.... she would, it’s (y/n)

Tell me if you know I’m really found

She never cared for titles or reputations, she cared about the soul, who you were inside. She actually hated Poe when they first met, thought he was a cocky asshole, of course she was right. But she humbled him since then, he’s been better. She made him sweet and honorable. He wouldn’t admit it tho, he was still stubborn as a bantha.

However they hadn’t really talked much, both of them busy taking care of others and helping other planets, sometimes she thought Poe was mad at her, always sending her away when she had free time. Of course people needed help still, they needed to recover but it seemed anytime she could be with him he pushed her away now.

Fuck around a bit and get it right

She felt almost abandoned by him, so she started avoiding him too, but that didn’t mean she didn’t think about him. They thought about each other constantly.

Soon, they would see each other again, be able to work again, and now that (y/n)’s arm is all healed she could work again. But first, she had to see Poe.

Now his ship was landing and she couldn’t wait, she was tired of staying away and having a cold bed, the only thing waking her being the sun. She was tired of opening her eyes to white sheets. He was tired of reaching over and finding nothing.

I don’t really wanna run around

Neither of them really knew why they were so distant, not on the surface anyways. Deep down they both knew why, they were scared, scared of admitting to themselves and each other that it’s not just sex anymore. Not now, not ever again, it’s not just sex. Never had been.

Poe was ready to confront her, say something, he planned the whole thing in his mind, what he’d say, how he’d say it, he knew. He had it together, calm, cool, collected. Then he saw her, he froze, but she didn’t. She smiled that beautiful smile that made his insides feel warm as she walked to him.

She was beautiful, even in just a simple pair of brown pants and a white shirt wait, is that his jacket? That’s his jacket, he’s been missing that. That’s not the point, the point is.

“I missed you” she smiled and hugged him tightly. Taking in his scent of leather, space and cedar, a faint apple smell from where his mom washed his clothes. His arms wrapped around her quickly, around her waist tightly, picking her up and spinning her softly.

Round’ round’ round’ round’

“I missed you too, sock monkey” he teased her and set her down, smiling at her.

“Hows your family” she asked dusting off his shoulders with a smiled. She was so excited to see him she couldn’t keep her excitement.

“They are great! Oh-um mom sent this for you” he said grabbing a medium sized box from his ship. Handing it to her, she smiled at the red ribbons before untying them. He eyes lit up seeing the lovely grey blanket she knew his mother handmade. She’d been asking for one of her chunky knit blankets forever now.

“Oh my gosh! Thank you- tell her I said thank you” she smiled up at Poe as she hugged the blanket.

“I’m sure she knows” he smiled at her and messed up her hair “it’s a queen size just for you” he chuckled, she wrapped herself in it, she moved it so much already. It faded from light to dark grey and smelled of apples and Poe’s ship. It made it more special.

“She didn’t have to do this” she said doing a spin with it like it’s a cape.

Round’ round’ round’ round’

Poe smiled at her and sighed contently before picking up the red ribbon she dropped, as she stopped he gently tied it up into her hair. She was a strong girl, like his mother said, mentally and physically, but around him she was so soft, like a flower. He loved it, she was comfortable with him. So after he tired they bow in her hair she quickly grabbed his hand and pulled him to the captains quarters, or rather, Poe’s room.

She made quick work of getting him their, no running this time, specially since she had the door locked as she looked at him, laying the blanket over his desk. “I missed you...” she whispered walking towards him

“I know you missed me” he smiled at her “I missed you too” he whispered as she got closer.

Her hands ran up his chest slowly, her little fingers starting to undo his shirt as she looked into his chocolate eyes. “How much did you miss me?” She asked quietly before his hand lay on the small of her back, pulling her flush against him, leaning down and placing hot long kissed on her neck.

Saying all the rhymes that make your world go round’

“I missed you so much” he whispered against her skin, coating her neck in his thick saliva as he gripped her her back, his other hand running down her thigh in search of skin to touch. He felt starved now, even with her in his hands he felt so hungry. “I could tear you apart right now” he whispered and tore the front of her pants trying to get them open.

“Fuck- Poe” she whispered finally pushing his shirt off his shoulders as they stood in the middle of his quarters. “I liked those”

“I’ll buy new ones” he moaned and pushed his hand in, past her panties. He started on her clit quickly, rubbing it

Round’ round’ round’ round’

It made her let out a gasping moan as she started tearing his belt off, backing him up to the bed hungrily placing kissing on his skin. She pushed the rest of her jeans off along with her black panties, letting his hands go back to her needy clit as he moved to lay her on his bed.

“Let me show you” he moaned kissing down to the collar of her shirt

“Show me what?” She asked a little confused before he smirk and sucked on her clavicle.

“How much I missed you” he tore the shirt open, taking her bra with it. His lips attached to her right nipple quickly, his other hand massaging her perky breasts, his leg rubbing against her wet cunt with his rough jeans. She couldn’t keep her moans quiet, not now, not after how long she waited for him again.

Cupid pass another my way

Poe looked up at her with his big doe eyes as he sucked her nipples till they puffed up, switching back and forth till she was begging to be touch. “Poe! Poe please” she whined and tugged his graying hair, her hips aimlessly grinding on his thigh as he pressed it to her core.

“Please what?” He smirked and started his dissent down her body. “Go on tell me sock monkey” he chuckled and slowly pushed her thighs apart more as he kissed just over her slit, teasing bastard.

“Please eat my pussy- please- touch it- fuck it - anything just let me feel you” she whined looking down at him, he didn’t need to be told twice.

Another night, a lot more days

Quickly he sucked her clit into his mouth, sucking on it like an octopus on a rock. He smirked internally knowing her loud moans belonged to him. He took so much pride in knowing he’s the reason she made a symphony.

He held her thighs up the best he could but quickly they watched around his head like she was trying to suffocate him, he was okay with that. If he died here Poe Dameron would be a happy man.

“Poe!” She moaned and tugged his hair, pulling him closer before he pushed two fingers into her core, pumping them quickly in and out, massaging her G-Spot each time he pulled out. He knew her body like the back of his eyelids, he dreamt of her body. It was hard to think about her without needing to ‘be’ with her.

Hard to think about you anymore

(Y/n) soon arched her back and gasped for air as she tugged on his thick curls “I’m going to fucking cum” she whined and he pulled away from her clit, moving his fingers faster.

“Yea, baby? You gonna cum on my fingers or my tongue? Tell me baby, tell your general what you want” he purred in his cocky tone, she was putty, she melted in his hands like butter.

“Your tongue! Please!” She whined pathetically before he removed his fingers and gripped her hips tightly, shoving his tongue as deep as it could go, spelling his last night inside her, hopefully her future last name.

He knew by the way her hips shook she was blissed out before she screaming out in pleasure for him and lifted her hips to get away as she came. He wasn’t even done with her and she was painting his face. God she was gorgeous.

But I keep you in my mind always

It’s hard to look at her right now and not want to keep her like this always, shaking on his tongue as she came down. He worked her down from it as he kissed her up body, she needed this, but now they both need something a little different.

“Think you can take my cock baby?” He asked pushing her messy hair back.

“Y-yes- please give it to me” she looked up at him with her watery eyes. He chuckled and tapped his two wet fingers to her lips, this was a form of consent they shared for her second round. If she denied it she was done, if she opened her mouth and tasted it they continued.

She smiled at him and slowly opened her mouth, taking his thick fingers into her mouth and sucking the juices off them. She moaned at the taste as he smiled.

“Good girl” he praised undoing his pants, pushing them down with his boxers. “Always so good” he whispered to himself as he watched her, lifting her left leg to his shoulder as he got ready.

Called you on the phone last night

“Ready sock monkey?” He asked with a smiled, one hand holding her hip, the other on his cock.

“Yes general” she whispered and bit her lip, soon his thick cock was pushing past her entrance and into her needy cunt. They moth moaned and she grabbed her breasts quickly. Tweeting her nipples as he licked his lips, leaning down and kissing her lips deeply, slipping his tongue in for a heated kiss.

Quickly he pushed the rest of his fat veiny cock into her, right where it belongs. He let her get comfy as his hand moved from her him to her stomach, feeling over the little place it poked out. He loved seeing it bulge, he loved knowing that was his cock, and soon it would be his baby. What? Why is he thinking that right now.

“You feel so fucking good princess” he whispered and started moving slowly, she couldn’t even form words, she just laid their and tried not to cum again just from the pressures.

Couldn’t hear your voice, I fight

“Speak to me baby, let me hear you” he groaned and grabbed on of her hands, holding it above her head as he moaned. Going faster slowly.

“You-you fuck me so good” she whined in a pathetic whisper, he chuckled at her.

“Poor girl can’t even speak” he groaned in her ear and sped up. His balls slapping her ass as he fucked her tight little pussy into his mattress.

I won’t be around you anymore

He fucked her like it was his last time, he knew it wasn’t, he knew he’d always have her but something about this moment made him worried. Not about now or before, but after, when he tells her how he feels. He’s scared.

So right now all he cared about was fucking her like he was loosing her. So that’s what he did. He starting going to quick and leaving hickeys all over her she couldn’t even process, and the only thing she had to hold onto was his hand and his back.

“P-Poe! Poe I’m going to cum!” She screamed and clawed his back

“Cum- cum for me, let the whole base know” he whispered in her ear and kissed her again before she was busting all over him. Her moan was muffled for a moment before he pulled away and she screamed in such pleasure it probably woke The dead Jedi from their thousand year slumber.

I’m a dream where you feel alright

He was following close behind, drilling into her in a few rough thrusts before he came inside her, painting her inside like a diy Christmas ornament as he moaned her name.

Heavy breathing followed, until he laid beside her and held her hand. It was silent for a moment after they caught their breathes before they looked at each other and laughed. They can’t believe how loud they were, and that they couldn’t wait 5 minutes before tearing each other apart.

He smiled and leaned over kissing her after their little laugh, she smiled and gladly kissed back before looking at him. “I missed you” she whispered

“I’m glad” he chuckled and sat up in his elbow, looking down at her, pushing her hair back and kissing her head, nose, then lips.

I don’t really wanna run around

“There’s something a need to tell you” he whispered looking at her, her finger tips danced gently on his cheek as she smiled at him.

“What is it...?” She asked.

“I love you...” he admitted, she stopped moving her fingers and looked him dead in the eyes.

“Really?” She asked, looking over him for any signs he’s lying.

“Yea- I... have for awhile and I just never admitted to myself and - I thought... if I hide it I’ll never tell you and you’ll move on and find someone better and forget about me and run away- and have a family- and a husband- and two kids - and a spatcha farm and-“ she shut him up, leaning up and kissing him deeply.

Time is going slow and I don’t mind

She pulled away slowly and smiled at him, looking him in the eyes “I love you too, Poe” she admitted with a smile “Ive lover you for what seems like forever I just- I knew you were a relationship guy so I... I pushed it back”

“Oh- I thought you didn’t like relationships” he said

“Oh I don’t, but I liked you that much”

“Liked?” He asked offended

“Yea, liked, I love you now silly” she poked his nose and giggled, he smiled and kissed her lips happily.

Tell me if I’m really found

“ can I ask you something else then?” He asked getting you and grabbing the blanket and his pants, digging in his pockets for something.

“Yea, anything” she smiled at him, sitting up on her elbows as he got back in bed with her. And pulled something from his pants pocket she thought she’d never see, not now at least. A small ring, in the center was a large pink tinted diamond, paired with two smaller diamonds on the side, all set on a silver band.

“Poe...” she whispered

“I know it’s- odd timing but in reality we’ve been together for years without a label and I’d like to label that’s now as engaged and soon we will label it as The Dameron’s ... if you’ll let me, I’d like to marry you... and share the rest of my life with you and whatever the galaxy has to offer...” he smiled at her and grabbed her hand. She smiled at him happily and nodded

“Yes! Yes I’ll marry you! Of course I’ll marry you!” She hugged him tightly and kissed him. She didn’t feel any happier then in this moment with him. Finally she could officially be with the man she loved and she didn’t have to hide any of it in fear of rejection, it was them against the galaxy now, and they were proud of it. They got it right.

Fuck around a bit and get it right

Tag list: @a-dorin @everythinggeeky @onabouteverything @blxwjobsforclones @jediminddicks1000 @poeticandors @thisis-theway @petalsrdead @cedric-and-zukos-wife @patersonshoney @obiwkenobi

[writings-by-blondie]

~If The Stars Could Speak~

Soap Mactavish x F!Reader (teaspoon of Angst)

She was way too good for him and he knew that yet he couldn't forget the way her (h/c) hair fell over her shoulders, her laugh and a bit cold, but glittery look of her (e/c) eyes when their gaze met for the first time..it was like he could see universe in them.

He was in cold, gloomy, Russia, on a mission that was to be last, scribbling down words on the peace of paper, counting down hours till he get to hold her forever...

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

His most trusting man, and friend, Simon and him decided to lay back and enjoy some free time they were granted away from their ever noisy and ever busy camp.

They were at downtown, walking and talking about how tonight is their night - they will leave job at office and they will just enjoy strong alcohol and good music.

The night was a bit chilly, but nothing unusual for the late September.

That just meant that John will finally have chance to wear that nice black spitfire jacket he bought not long ago, and he looked well in it.

As the two men walked they spotted the bar they wanted to be in for the rest of the night, right outside of it, sticking out like a sore thumb was parked some expensive car that John didn't know how to indenify as. He wasn't a big car head like his friend.

"Look at this mate. Its Porsche, bet some meat heads are in this place",

said Simon chucking and eyeing the car and tilting his head slowly towards the bar.

Mactavish smirked and pushed his friend gently as he started walking in, "You have a problem with that or you're just scared of guys who drive expensive cars, eh?".

Inside of the bar you and small group of your friends were in VIP lounge. Infront of you, on small glass table was a bucket filled with ice that kept some red bulls and couple of Baltica beers cold.

You were drinking Jack Daniels, your glass half full. Being tipsy already, you fake-laughed at some perverse joke friend next to you finished telling.

Tonight, you really felt down. Truth to be told, you've been feeling under the weather last couple of months, nothing seemed to go the right way and nothing you did could change that feeling. On top of that your stupid poosh boyfriend broke up with you over text last week, and even though you understood that your friends cared for you and wanted you to forget about that fool and enjoy yourself, you still couldn't shake away the bitterness and just wanted to curl away in your bed, eat some strawberry ice cream and watch ‘Casablanca’.

But here you were, in a black dress that glittered under the light, your hair styled in lazy but not messy curls, and your over-expensive white heels. You looked like the IT girl that every man would want for them selves, to put you on pedestal and admire you.

(Y/n) leaned back in the black leather seat before she took a deep sigh that was followed by pouting and throwing down rest of the Jack that was in her glass down her throat. It burned for a bit, but the sweet flavour of alcohol made her want to drink more, so she opened the half empty bottle and poured more of the honey-coloured liquid into her glass.

She leaned in close to her friend on the left and whispered,

"I need to go and check my make up. Save a seat for me, and dont touch my bottle, I will know if you do.",

you almost groaned last words since you knew well that your friends loved to mess with you.

The (h/c) girl now stood up, taking her light coloured purse that matched with her heels, in her hands and started walking towards the washroom of the bar.

The floor was wooden, hard wood, after all the bar was made to accommodate high class people and to draw in tourists who had a lot of money to spend. Her heels making a little bit noise as her steps collided with the floor. It was a southing sound, like when rain hits the metal.

Her hips swayed as her dress didn't quite hug her whole neatly shaped figure, so it swayed with her movements, glittering under the dim light of the noisy bar.

She had to watch every step since she felt that the alcohol was indeed kicking in, but the song playing on stereos drew her attention and just for a tiny moment she forgot completely that she had heels on.

"Shit-", you muttered loudly as your purse left your hands and you could see the dark wooden floor getting close to you now, but you weren't colliding with it, instead you felt stern grip on your waist, feeling the coldness of someones hand that went straight to your skin, under the dress. You furrowed eyebrows before looking up, facing a, without any exaggeration, handsomest man you ever laid eyes upon.

His eyes, blue as the sea in mid July in the noon, almost glittering like a waves when they shine under the hot sun. His smell now invaded your nostrils touching your senses, stimulating them, wanting more of it. It was pine mixed with old brand of ‘denim’, manly but still subtle, just enough.

He smiled at you softly looking into your eyes, not breaking eye contact once.

"Careful now lass, we don’t want any broken bones yet, the night is still young eh?..", he spoke with thick and extremely attractive (for some reason) Scottish accent and she took deep breath in, as the man slowly placed the girl in front of him back on her legs, parting his hand with her waist. The girl licked her lover lip, realizing now that she was blushing way more than it was appropriate for this kind of situation and softly muttered, "Sorry.. The heels..", under her breath before she walked pass the man and disappeared into woman's washroom.

Mactavish however trailed her with his eyes, her long and subtly toned legs, and the way the subtle cutout on her dress reviled a bit of her thigh. She was clearly in distress and he couldn't help but chuckle a bit to himself as he picked up her purse from the floor and sat down in the nearby booth with Simon.

"What the hell was that?", Riley said as he took off his black leather jacket, placing it next to him.

"It was like some scene out of those old movies mate. Its like, in that one moment, universe existed to put us together.", John smiled to himself, also placing his jacket next to him, being a bit surprised at his own words, he wasn't cheesy, but romantic? He was that.

And he would never let any of his friends know that since well, it was an army and he didn't need Ghost going around the base telling everyone that their captain was softie.

"Since when are you that cheeky eh? Maybe Price doesn't make you do enough pushups at morning." Simon smirked at his friend and raised his hand to call the bartender,

"Its a quote, some of us are literate cinema vise mate", Mactavish smirked back at him leaning over the table, trying to reach for his cigars in his back pocket, "But she is bonnie, nonetheless.".

In washroom you tried to steady your breathing. You put your hand on your chest and closed eyes, but the only thing you could see was the man's eyes and his face. Girl quickly opened her eyes and looked at her reflection in big mirror that was placed on black and white tiles. (Y/n) looked at her face, noticing few spots where her make up was messed up, she pouted a bit and reached down on the sink for her purse, but her palm was met only with cold marble sink.

You quickly shot your gaze towards your hand, with your eyebrows furrowed. Eyes darting across the sink, around it and eventually around the whole washroom then the realisation hit you like a heavy boulder- you dropped your purse when you tripped, when he grabbed you.

"For fucks sake..", you muttered under the breath. It was enough humiliating that probably whole bar watched you stumble around like a new born deer and almost kiss the floor, but now you had to go retrieve your purse that was probably still on the ground and go back to washroom again looking like a lost highschool girl on the party.

You shook your head and realised that stupid anxiety attack got your judgment clouded- people fall every day, and they drop stuff everyday too.

The girl now straighten her posture, fixed her hair a bit and opened the door, exiting the cool room she was in before heading to the booth were she dropped her purse, but to her surprise the purse was not on the floor instead she heard familiar thick accent from the booth next to where she was standing,

"Looking for this lass?", the man waved with her purse smiling at her with one of his brows raised, his friend watching her, waiting for her next move.

You swallowed a big gulp, approaching the booth were the men were sitting slowly, taking your purse from the blue eyed man,

"Yes, thank you. Saving me from embarrassment.. Very noble of you.", you said with a now confident voice, not breaking eye contact with him. There was something about him, something unexplainable. It was like that with every second she looked at his face, at his slightly parted lips as a little smile formed on his face, you were losing grip on the time it was like a whole universe worked for you and him.

"Glad I could help ma'am. Those shoes do look dangerous, better watch your step.", the man spoke and she smiled at him, shyly nodding and turning around, breaking the eye contact with him, slowly walking towards her own booth where her friends were loud and drunk.

But every step you took was heavier than the last one, you didn't want to go there, you wanted to sit with him, smell that invading pine again, feel his touch again.. Was this alcohol that was in your bloodstream?

You stopped suddenly and took a deep breath, before turning on your heels and going back to the two man who were now smoking, their drinks were on their table as well.

"Oh screw it. Universe, dont make a fool out of me!", you thought internally as you approached back their booth, and both men looked up at you again.

"Do you need some help lassie? Are you feeling well?", the blue eyed man asked. You actually just now noticed that he had his hair styled as a mohawk and it suited him so nice, the scar over his eye stuck out as well.

You snapped out and shook your head in denial,

"Would you mind if I joined you for a drink?",

Ghost cleared his throat and looked away with a huge smirk over his face, avoiding John’s stern look. Mactavish moved himself to the left, leaving vacant place for the girl to sit and nodded his head down while putting out cigar that was already burned.

You sat next to him, smiling and biting inside of your cheek, leaving your purse on the edge of the table waving to the bartender to get his attention, you showed him universal sign for ‘another bottle’ and the man nod to you.

You returned your attention towards two men who were gazing at you the whole time.

"So, who wishes to start this AA meeting? How about you sir?", you pointed at men across from you. Both men cracked at your joke before the one you pointed at started talking,

"Name's Simon, that’s Soap- I mean John..", Simon barely held in his laugh looking away from the pair. You looked at men next to you and his jaw was clenched, he obviously didn't like that one.

"Y/N, nice to meet you fellas. This night needed some life in it. I was dying of boredom over at VIP's. Some fresh environment is nice..",

you smiled at John who was downing his beer, slowly he nod at the girl and the bartender finally came with your new bottle of Jack and three glasses for each of you.

"Put it on my bill, thanks.", you said and John eyed you as you opened the bottle of whiskey and poured everyone about a half of the glass, raising your own towards him as you finished. You smirked a bit, leaning towards him, unintentionally, your thigh subtly brushed against his light blue denim jeans.

"Cheers to not breaking bones and to concerned strangers.”, you said the words, slowly looking up at his eyes yet again.

John looked down at you, slowly colliding his glass with yours.

"Well, cheers to me I guess..", Simon muttered to himself and downed down the glass. You couldn't help but laugh sincerely, John joining you while rolling his eyes at Simon,

"Ghost getting ghosted, this will be the story to tell the mates back at camp for sure..".

You raised your eyebrow in confusion, leaving your glass on the table and crossing your legs, leaning back,

"Camp? What are you two like some secret agents or something?", you asked and John and Simon talked to you about their job deep into night. They explained their line or work as subtle as they could and shared some of the funniest moments from their missions with you.

John enjoyed your laugh, the way you blushed when you caught him looking at you, avoiding his gaze, how well your lips were glossed and your perfume that made him want to invade your neck and collarbone with small and soft kisses. He also noticed how soft your skin was when he "accidentally" touched your hand as you were reaching for the bottle, wanting to pour another drink.

It was about 3 in the morning when you turned around towards the bartender who was next to you, telling you and your new friends that the bar is closing in about five minutes. Your friends left long time ago, too drunk to even notice that you were gone or that you were now sitting elsewhere.

"Oh come on Gorge! Cant you see how much fun we are having here? Can’t you just lock us in or join us?", you blinked innocently at the bartender and it made man blush, ofcourse that didn't go unnoticed by Mactavish who cleared his throat subtly and put his hand around your shoulder. You turned your head, raising eyebrow at him and questioning what the hell he was doing.

"Come on lass, man has a job to do, a boss to answer to. We will get you to your hotel eh?", you chuckled at him, now relaxing into his touch, and he loved it. He softly rubbed exposed skin on your shoulder with his thumb and you inhaled sharply, smiling at him reaching for your purse and pulling out keys from your car,

"I drank a lot.. Who is driving lads?",

You closed the door of your Porsche and could hear Simon in the back seat whistle,

"It even has leather inside and tv in the back of the seat. Of course it does.. For gods sake (y/n), you could've just told us that you are rich. We would've distanced from you.", Riley made a joke and you laughed, turning around in your seat looking at Simon, as John started the car, slowly advancing towards the main street.

"I wouldn't trade time I had with you boys for nothing in this world. I haven't laughed like that in ages..",

Riley now looked at Mactavish on review mirror smirking,

"Soap, drop me off first and then take (y/n) back to her place. Base is just around the corner it will save her some gas.".

You eyed man who was driving now, waiting for his response, he groaned in response then he nodded slowly looking at you, before returning eyes to the road that was empty. The city was in deep sleep.

John parked infront of some old looking house and Simon chuckled, "Well this is my stop. I'll see ya in the morning mate, don't forget to freshen up, we will need you frosty eh?",

Simon said before he slammed the doors shut and swiftly disappeared into the house.

You looked at John and pouted a bit, he looked and you and wiggled his eyebrows playfully,

"Where to miss?", he put up his best British accent and you couldn't help but laugh at how silly he sounded.

"With you? To the stars.." you leaned on his shoulder and kicked down your heels, tucking your legs under your tights.

Mactavish took a deep breath, inhaling the sent of your perfume, before he started driving again, he reached for the radio and turned it on.

A soft tune of "Midnight" song was on it and you hummed in approval.

"You know, I feel like I should've met you long ago instead of wasting my time around, not knowing where am I going, what am I doing. I wish this night could last forever John, I wish I could be stuck in it forever.."

The man smiled and reached for one of your hands, locking his fingers with your smaller ones, his eyes never leaving the road.

"I want to show you one place, if you are not up for sleep yet lassie?"

You parted your head with his shoulder to look up at him, his face being illuminated by dim street lights, he looked so soft and like he didn't have any worry in the world.

"Aye sir, I am in your hands for the rest of this trip." you joked and he let out a huffed laugh, bringing your hand closer to his lips, kissing your knuckles, you watched him carefully, biting your lower lip as you felt the warmth spread throughout your entire body from just that tiny exchange of affection.

John parked the car, pulled the break and turned the machine off. He leaned back in the leather seat and looked at you, smile creeping around the corners of his mouth.

"Take my jacket, it can be windy up here."

He said and reached in the back seat for his jacket, handing it to you. You took it into your hands and looked around you, it was quiet and dark all around. Not single lamp post or anything was in the vicinity, only the headlights that John left on, and the soft tune of radio that still played.

"There is nothing here, and honestly it feels like a horror movie. Am I about to be murdured  and thrown from this cliff John?"

Mactavish just chuckled and opened the car doors on his side,

"Do you trust me lass?", he asked as he leaned on the car roof, peeking inside and looking at you.

"Do I trust man I just met in local bar to exit my car, my only way of escaping, and obey him to walk into my own funeral? Sure yeah, here I come.." you said with playful tone as you stepped out of your car, flinging his black jacket over your shoulders and sliding your arms into it. It smelled like him and you buried your nose into the collar of jacket, closing your eyes and getting lost in the man's perfume mixed with aftershave. You were about to close the doors of the car when John cut you off,

"Don't close the doors, we won't be able to hear the music".

He was now behind you, towering over your smaller frame and your heart skipped the beat as you turned around to face him.

He slowly reached for your hips and without any hesitation or struggle, swayed you off your bare feet and lifted you up. You instinctively warped your arms around his neck smiling at him.

"You need to stop watching that many horror movies, they will rot your pretty brain"

He smiled at you with his eyes, looking down at your parted lips. Your face being right infront of his, possibly few inches away since he could feel your breath on his skin, and you could feel his. Blush creeped around your cheeks and he put you down on the hood of the car that was still warm from the engine. Your hands left his neck, but he still remained between your legs, not letting your hips just yet. You could've swore that his eyes were shining that night, you knew it was not possible, that your brain was seeing tings the way it wanted to, but you still chose to believe that impossible was possible in that moment.

His shadow that was casted due to headlights now moved, and with deep inhale his grip left your hips and you bit your lip. You felt disappointed and empty, you wanted him to lean in closer, you wanted to taste him and to seal the deal, but he moved away, hopping on the hood with ease, next to you, and leaning down on the windshield, one hand behind his head and other stretched out across the hood. He wiggled his eyebrows at you and slowly nodded towards his hand.

You pouted but soon enough curled against him, resting your head on his arm and softly gliding your hand over his chest, feeling his heart beat under your palm.

In response he softly put his fingers in your hair, massaging your head in circular moves.

"Look up lass, the sky is beautiful tonight. No clouds, just stars blinking and shining somewhere out there, far, far away. Haven't seen this in a while."

You listened to his words and followed his gaze up towards the sky. He was right, it was indeed beautiful. Dark blue mixed with dozen blinking lights looking back at you and him. Moon was nowhere to be found however. And then it struck you, the whole moment was inscribed into your memory- his soft breathing, the glitter in his eyes, the soft music that was playing from inside the car, the murmur of water somewhere in the distance, the ruffle of the leaves and grass that were moved by soft breeze and your eyes watered a bit, you really wanted to live in this moment forever, to lie on his arm forever and to gaze at the same stars forever.

John noticed the hard breathing next to him and faced you with soft smile "Dont cry lass, I more like you smiling, it suits you better. Can't say the same for those shoes.. Those didn't work for you that well eh?" you chucked through the tears and felt his thumb on your cheek as he wiped one stray tear.

"I just want to be here forever.. Like this. With you next to me. If I had one chance to freeze the time it would be right now, right here with you so I could look at your eyes filled with thousand stars forever, counting them slowly one by one, never getting bored of you." the girl said softly pulling herself closer to him. John smiled and kissed her hair softly.

"Funny how you are telling me the words I should be telling you bonnie. Maybe this is just a dream eh? Maybe we will wake up from it feeling empty..I know that I will miss you when I am gone.. Now, tell me who broke your heart?"

John said with whisper, still gazing up at the stars, slowly closing his eyes.

"Life did. But its nothing you can't fix.." you said quietly, blushing and looking up at him. He opened the eyes and looked back at you, his eyes trailing every line of your face, trying to remember all the features of it as he leaned in and slowly kissed your forehead.

"Dance with me?" He asked and you smiled up at him.

"I dont have any shoes on." you replied as with one swift move he pulled you off the car .

"That is nothing I can't fix." he smirked a bit and lifted you up from the car, telling you to stand on his shoes.

"John no, I am heavy." you chuckled as his hands held you close to him, his hands under his jacket, one placed on small of your back and one firmly held your hip, your feet now on his shoes, and he started moving slowly in tune of "Gloria" by Midnight that was on radio station at the moment.

"Bollocks, you are light as a feather, I can't even feel you. Do you even eat something or you just drink every day?" He joked and you laughed, throwing your hands over his head, locking them behind his neck.

"Captain Mactavish, stop teasing me and kiss me. I demand that action." you ran your hand over back of his head, feeling the tingles on your palm from his fresh shaven hair cut.

He looked down at you, lingering his eyes on your lips that were smirking a bit, slowly closing distance between the two, teasingly.

He pressed his cold lips on yours and you closed your eyes, wanting to remember every single moment and every move he made.

He slowly moved his hand up and down your back, inviting you to deepen the kiss which you accepted. He kissed you slowly, with passion with every move. He was spilling all of his emotions right then and there, he held you like was afraid that you will disappear from his arms, like he wouldn't be able to touch you or feel you. Your heart feel heavy, and you swore he could hear it since it was crashing against your ribcage. 

John slowly parted with your lips, looking into your eyes, his forehead resting on yours,

"After I am done with next mission, I will steal you and take you away so we can count all of the starts together, alright?" He asked and you nodded in approval slowly.

"Promise you wont forget?" You blinked up at him and he softly leaned in and kissed your lips again, kiss that was assuring and warm.

"I will be back in two days, wait for me here and be ready for a trip.", he softly brushed his nose on yours and you smiled wide at him, the universe was on your side, fate was on your side. It gifted him to you, to keep him and to cherish him, that whole night was like a fever dream, it almost didn't feel real- but it was. He was there and you were with him, swaying to the music slowly, kissing and feeling each other praying that sun wont come up just yet..

In two days you were at the same spot, your truck filled with all your stuff you needed.

You paced around the car excited, wanting to have his arms around you again, wanting to kiss him again... But he never showed up.

You never saw him again. You visited the bar often, you went to the house where you left his friend that night but the house was not there, it was demolished not long ago.

John disappeared without the trace, just the way he came into your life, unnoticed.

You never heard from him again. It was like that whole night was just a distant dream you had, and you would believe it if it wasn't for his jacket that was in your closet, his smell still lingering on it.

Years have passed, you never quite moved on, settling for a man who was nothing like John, but he cared for you, he really did.

Treating you right, bringing you flowers for every 14th of February, never forgetting anniversary or your birthday.

He didn't have stars in his eyes, he never took you to that place, never made you fall in love with him in bare hours, but he was enough. You had a nice house in nice neighbourhood and you lived a nice life with him.

You were at kitchen, preparing a lunch for your husband and you, when you heard a bell ring of your doors. You swiftly cleaned your hands and rushed to open the door.

"Yes?" You said as handle turned and the door opened.

Man who you never met before stood before you. He had small blue eyes, his beard was a bit weird but it suited him nice. He had a brown hair, and looked like life never treated him with ease.

"Can I help you sir?" You questioned the stranger and he nodded affirmative

"You are a hard one to find (y/n). Took me long enough.. Name's John Price, I have something for you.", he said and pulled white small envelope from his pocket handing it to you

"What is this sir? How do you know my name?" He smiled sadly at you and turned around being ready to leave when he stopped in his tracks, not facing you still.

"I am sorry. Wish I did more." .

He said and you were more confused than ever, you watched as man left your property and you closed the door, looking at the envelope that was in your hand. It was a bit heavy, but only on one side of it.

You rushed to the living room, where you sat down and opened it.

Dog tags fell out from them, they were cleaned recently, but the rust on them was noticeable still.

"John Mactavish"

ARMY

Some numbers and rest were scribbled from them.

Your heart dropped and your lips parted, eyes already filled with tears that slowly left your eye, falling down your cheek.

In the envelope was also a paper, it had blood stains on it. You tried wiping your eyes and reading it.

"I want to invite you for a walk,

To a quiet place; In the moor.

When the breeze sings midnight,

One if those nights- the moon is full.

A restless pounding invades in my heart,

When I think of my confidants-

The stars.

If they could only speak ,

What would they say?

If you could hear them talk.

For they know of my fondness for you,

And that in my thoughts

There is no other one.

If only the stars could speak

They will tell you that I love you,

They would ask you,

To love me back."

You hugged the peace of paper like it was John himself and let your tears fall freely whispering to yourself and to the paper like he could hear you, like he was the one in your arms instead of this bloody peace of paper.

“I do love you John.. I never stopped.”.

A soothing closure fell over you. Now he was the star somewhere up in the sky, looking over at you every night you faced the sky, waiting for you to join him one day.

[90gemini]

Falling Up 🌇 Steve Rogers x Reader AU

Summary: A meet cute on a morning train between pediatric intern Steve and reader.

Word count: 2.9k

Warnings: big crowds, just too much fluff ngl

A/N: hope this makes you smile, i really love this AU, might be a part 1 of a whole series:)

Every single morning, as if on cue, approximately two minutes before my train leaves the station near my apartment, I come to the realization that if I do not get into full sprint mode right that second, I will miss my train and then be late to my first class and then have to walk in embarrassed while everyone is already inside and then proceed to feel embarrassed over it the entire day. So, considering the fact that I never seem to make myself leave the house just a few minutes early, for the past three years that I have been going to college, almost every morning I run into the train the last moment before the doors close completely out of breath, and have to subtly work on composing myself much longer than I am comfortable to admit.

Yet today, without even realizing, I got out of my apartment solid seven minutes earlier than usual. My roommate and I were so engaged in our conversation about the events of last nights party so we walked out together still invested in the drama which left me pleasantly surprised with the time I was left to spend before my train leaves after we went our separate ways. The extra time opened a whole lot of opportunities for me, almost made me believe I should wake up earlier every morning and not leave for class at the last possible moment. So, with the 420 extra seconds I got today, I managed to actually dig my earphones out my bag, plug them in and wait for the train with the sounds of my morning playlist filling my mind.

Inside the train, when I wasn’t preoccupied by catching my breath but also, even more importantly, focusing on not making it too obvious I was out of my breath, I became very much aware of my surroundings, noticing everything and everyone around me.

There was a girl sitting down right across from where I was standing, she looked about my age and she held a little baby in her arms, slowly rocking it and I noticed the way she was looking totally spent but the moment her baby made this cute laughing sound, a smile spread on her face completely overshadowing the exhaustion in her eyes. Next to the door was an older woman not so subtly judging everyone who was sitting down and has not offered her to sit and right next to the door was a man sitting down and sleeping like a log. I had the urge to wake him up and ask him when he has to get down or if he has already missed his stop, but in all honesty, it was too early in the morning for me to be considerate like that. While continuing to carelessly look around, my eyes landed on something that opened drawers in my memory I did not even know existed.

It was a book cover. A simple white background featuring a boy with frizzy hair who was flying over a drawn-on city with the words ‘Falling Up’ in the middle. So many moments of my dad reading poems from that book to me before bed when I was a kid came up and instantly forced a smile on my face.

In my head, I started reciting the words to my favorite poem from that book, remembering my dad teaching me how to read with those poems when my eyes fell on the arm holding the book and the man attached to it.

And God, was I thankful for the boosted-up heating in the train this morning because that made him take off his leather jacket and throw it over his arm, leaving only a thin, too tight white shirt to cover his upper body and it worked amazing for me that the shirt wasn’t doing its job well.

I heard the sound of the door opening and saw way too many people try to make their way into the train making it way more crowded which pushed the mystery man to move closer to me. Not as close as I wanted though.

My mind was focused solely on him that at one point I wasn’t even aware what station we were at and have I maybe missed mine, but I found myself not caring at all. The point my eyes landed on his face I was basically addicted. His hair was a gorgeous mess, a bit outgrown but looking so good. And, oh my God, his eyes. I was so upset I am only seeing them under the fluorescent light of the subway because I am positive that it would be an out of body experience seeing them under the sunlight.

At that moment I was sure he was the most beautiful man I have ever laid my eyes on and was already cursing myself because I knew I was too nervous to talk to him and will regret that forever.

His lips would occasionally move into a small, barely noticeable grin while he was reading and every once in a while, his tongue would go over his lips leaving them all full and glistening which led to a whole new set of unholy thoughts entering my brain. And his fingers, the way he flipped over the pages was just so-

‘’May I help you somehow?’’ I was snapped out of my trance by his voice and met his eyes that were looking into mine with the coldest, most unimpressed expression as if he was in front of the most annoying person to ever grace the Earth.

‘’Shit, sorry,’’ I apologized quietly and pulled out one earphone to hear him better because no matter how rude it looks he is going to be right now, his voice was just heavenly. ‘’I zoned out when I saw that book.’’ I pointed to the book in his hand and his eyes followed the direction my finger was showing as if he was surprised I wasn’t staring at him but at the book. I was most definitely staring at him though, but I don’t plan on revealing that. ‘’My dad used to read it to me when I was a kid so just seeing the cover brought back too many memories. Sorry.’’ I said in a soft voice and gave him a forced smile hoping he was not going to talk to me again because I really don’t want to be yelled at by the most attractive man alive at 7.23am on a Tuesday in the subway.

‘’You know this book?’’ his voice broke the short-lived silence between us, making my head snap up to look at him again and I was met with a much softer face adorning an adorable smile. ‘’You must think I’m so weird for reading poetry for children.’’ He let out a small laugh which was, without exaggeration, the greatest sound I have ever heard in my life.

‘’No, I think it’s cute.’’ A sly smirk found its way on my face as I felt my usual confidence come back now that I knew he wasn’t planning on yelling at me.

‘’So, you think I’m cute?’’ The smirk on his lips, on the other hand, was not as subtle as mine was as he turned more towards me, quickly closing the book and focusing his eyes on my face.

‘’I didn’t say one thing about you being cute, I was talking about the book.’’ I lied to keep my cool even though cute truly wasn’t the first word that came to my mind when looking at him. It would be something more in the neighborhood of I-would-drop-on-my-knees-for-you-right-this-momentor whatever.

‘’Okay, so you don’t think I am cute?’’ he leaned closer and licked his lips instantly sending shivers down my spine. This man is too much for me to handle right now.‘’Because I think you are really cute.’’ He whispered loudly enough only for me to hear and moved away a bit to fully appreciate my flustered expression because he obviously was aware of the exact effect he had on me.

‘’Well, I guess you aren’t that bad yourself.’’ The fact that I was not literally falling apart in front of this god cosplaying as a man is still not something I can understand. ‘’And thank you.’’ Saying that my voice got super quiet, and I could see him grin proudly at my reaction.

‘’You are welcome,’’ he didn’t finish that sentence and looked at me asking for my name.

‘’Y/n.’’

‘’Y/n.’’ he repeated and stepped closer to me with an excuse of letting someone else pass and giving them space. ‘’That is a real pretty name.’’ I smiled to say thank you and looked at my feet for a second to get myself together.

I didn’t even run to catch this train yet I’m still out of breath.

‘’I am Steve by the way.’’ He stretched out his free hand in my direction but not for one second broke the eye contact between us. ‘’It’s so nice to meet you, Y/n.’’ God, just to hear him say my name was killing me.

‘’Nice to meet you too, Steve.’’ I connected my hand with his much larger one and was painfully aware of the fact he must have heard the soft sound I made the second my skin first touched his.

‘’So,’’ he continued while slowly pulling his hand from mine. ‘’do you like poetry in general, ‘’he lifted the arm with the book and nodded towards it. ‘’or is it just this one book you like?’’ he asked with so much interest in his voice making me absolutely thrilled he was keeping the conversation going.

‘’I love poetry.’’ I kept my answer short because forming decent sentences was a though job while looking at this man and seeing the way he was looking at me.

‘’What kind?’’ he adjusted in his spot somehow that he was even closer to me, leaving basically no space between us, yet to everyone else it seemed normal because the morning rush in the New York City subway never was famous for the spaciousness.

‘’About love.’’ I said softly and witnessed his expression changing from the cocky, overconfident one he had on, to a completely soft one.

‘’Same here.’’ He replied and as if he can do it on cue, looked even more deeply into my eyes. ‘’I like reading about how people feel things I have never felt, it lets me to feel the emotion without risking being hurt.’’ He confessed to me and I couldn’t believe a guy that has such a hard exterior is ready to share that much emotion after talking to a stranger in a train for only a few minutes. But I was thanking all the gods he was.

‘’That’s much deeper than my reason for loving it.’’ A small smile appeared on his face as he looked at me to continue. ‘’I just like reading about love and watching movies about love and basically everything about love. Makes me feel all warm around the heart.’’ He let out a small laugh reminding me why it’s my new favorite sound. ‘’That must sound so cheesy.’’

‘’I don’t think it’s cheesy. I think like it is really nice to love love.’’ he said matter-of-factly. ‘’It’s cute.’’

‘’So you are calling me cute?’’ I looked at him with a raised eyebrow as he let out a huff once again leaning all into my personal space.

‘’I am. I have once before too.’’ He whispered near my ear and I know he knew just what he was doing to me.

‘’What poets do you like the most?’’ he moved away leaving me upset over not feeling his breath on my neck anymore.

‘’I don’t read a lot in English.’’ I fumbled with the edge of my jacket and lowered my eyes to focus on my boots because his face was way too distracting. ‘’My dad is not from here and I got the gene for loving poetry from him so most of the things I read are in his mother tongue because it’s really the only way to keep myself from forgetting it.‘’ Making a mental note to call my dad tonight because it’s been too long, I suddenly became extremely aware that I am sharing so many personal information about me with a random man I met on the subway. ‘’So yeah, most of the poets I read, never got international fame so you unfortunately didn’t have a chance to hear of them.’’ I felt a dash of electricity go through my body when he put his hand under my chin tilting it up so we can once again face each other.

‘’Don’t hide that gorgeous face doll.’’ Dear Lord, I can’t believe I might actually die on a train because of a hot, poetry reading guy. ‘’I’d love to read some of that poetry you like if it is translated.’’

‘’I don’t know if any of it is translated but you can check, I can write down some of the names for you.’’ I said quickly really happy that he wants to read something I will recommend, still recovering from that ‘gorgeous’ comment.

‘’I don’t have anything you can write it on, we can just-‘’

‘’Oh, I have a piece of paper to write it on to, it’s no problem.’’ I interrupted him while flashing him another smile and started digging through my bag for pen and a paper only to have his hand stop mine making me look at him with confusion written all over my face.

‘’I was thinking something more in the lines of you writing your number in my phone,’’ he took his phone out his pocket and directed it at me. ‘’then I can text you and we can meet up so you can tell me more about those poets and maybe translate some for me on the spot if you want to.’’ The smile was evident on his face when I took the phone out his hand and started writing my number into it.

‘’I would really like that, Steve.’’ I gave him his phone back with a smile a bit too big for the cool persona I was trying to present myself as.

‘’Well, I am really looking forward to it, Y/n.’’ he returned the big smile and focused his eyes on my face once again.

‘’Can I ask you something?’’ I looked at him curiously.

‘’Anything, doll.’’

That nickname is going to kill me.

‘’How come you are reading poetry for children?’’ he left out a chuckle and gazed over the book in his hand.

‘’There are two reasons, actually.’’ He shifted from one leg to another and started talking kind of nervously. ‘’Firstly, this book is something I always come back to for some reason. My grandma bought it for me when I was just a kid and I reread it for too many times, so I always go back to it because it’s safe. Something like playing Friends in the background because there is nothing else to watch but it always makes you feel good, you know?’’ I nodded and he continued. ‘’Second is that currently I am interning at the pediatric wing at the hospital downtown and kids love me reading these poems to them so I always find a few I think they would like the most when I am getting to work in the morning.’’

‘’That is really amazing, Steve.’’ I put my hand on his forearm and looked at him with so much affection in my eyes. ‘’Those kids must feel really special having you read to them, it’s really heartwarming you do that even though you don’t have to.’’

‘’They are going through too much shit, if I can make it any better for them, I will.’’ How pathetic is it that talking about kids with this guy I met literally minutes ago, makes me think about having his kids?

‘’That is really too sweet.’’ I had plans on saying so much more to him, but I heard the automatic voice announce how my station is next. ‘’Shit I have to go; this is my stop.’’

‘’Oh.’’ He said and I swear I could hear some disappointment in his voice. ‘’I guess I will see you again?’’ he asked as if he is not sure if that is going to happen.

‘’You most definitely will see me again.’’ I looked at him fondly again and I don’t even know what force gave me the confidence to do so, but before making my way to the door I got on my tip toes and kissed his cheek.

‘’Bye, Steve. See you soon.’’ I said while walking away from him but still keeping my eyes on his as I saw him put his hand on the place I kissed him with a small smile on his face.

‘’See you soon, Y/n.’’ Was the last thing I heard before exiting the train, completely sure that I won’t be able to focus today in class.

But I don’t mind.

really hope you enjoyed this, any comment on it would truly mean a lot!<3

[hockeyisit]

Auston and Amelia, where Amelia meets him home town friends

- Amelia meeting Auston friends from AZ for the first time

A.N. Hello! This was requested like ages ago and I had started to write it but never got around to finishing it. Then it got requested again so I decided to stop being lazy and finish it. I’m really happy with how this turned out and I hope you enjoy it as well. I also want to say that I don’t actually know who any of Auston’s friends are from Arizona so I made all of them up. 

Word Count: 4,396

Warning: Talks of an abusive ex-boyfriend

Masterlist

“Auston we are having tacos tonight. Is that all right?” Ema asked as she turned the sink off and turned around to face the two of us as we sat at the kitchen table. The two of us had made it out for the weekend because Auston had a game on Friday but the next two days off. I had flown out on my own to meet Auston here and we were staying at his house but were spending most of our free time at his parents.

“Amelia and I are meeting some of my friends for drinks and food so we won't be here,” Auston said, looking away from me to her. She nodded her head before turning her attention to me with a small smile.

“Oh alright! Which friends?” she asked as she hung the towel on the rack before making her way over to join us at the table.

“Clayton, Matt, Brady, and Chucky. Some of their girls too,” Auston listed off. His mother nodded her head understandably. This was going to be my first time meeting any of Auston’s friends and I was extremely nervous.

“Oh how have they been?” she asked, clapping her hands together. He smiled at her as he started talking.

“Yeah they have been good, Clay’s been talking about this new job he has and he’s pretty happy with it. Says it pays pretty well,” he said running his hand through his hair.

“Oh that’s wonderful for him. Amelia, they are lovely people, it'll be fun for you,” Ema reassured me, reaching her hand out across the table and tapping my fidgeting hands. I smiled gratefully at her.

“Yeah I’m excited they sound like great people,” I smiled at the two of them as I reached up to tuck my hair behind my ear.

“What time are you guys going?” she questioned as she glanced down at her watch.

“Eh we should probably leave soon we said we'd meet at 6:30,” Auston mumbled as he glanced at the clock.

“Did you want to stop at mine first or are you good to go from here?” Auston asked, turning his attention to me. I thought about it for a moment before shrugging my shoulders.

“I should be fine but is there any chance I could borrow a sweater?” I asked, glancing between the two. I didn’t really care who gave me the sweater as I could borrow one.

“Yeah I have something in my room I’m sure,” Auston pushed himself up from his chair to go get it.

“Wait honey. I might have something better for her,” Ema said standing up and placing a hand on Auston’s arm to stop him from moving. She walked over to the closet that was in the hall near the front door and opened it up to pull out a black leather jacket. She walked back over to the two of us and held it out to me. She handed it over and I stood up to try it on. It was a bit longer and oversized then my normal leather jackets but it looked cute so I smiled happily at her.

“Thank you,”

“Oh it’s no problem, I’ve had it forever and don't wear it too often,” she grinned as she turned to face Auston again.

“I will get to see you tomorrow right?” she asked, him reaching out for a hug. He nodded his head as he hugged her back.

“Yeah we're going to come over for lunch before our plane,” Auston mumbled to her. Once they were done hugging she pulled away from him and turned to me to pull me into a hug. I hugged her back as tight as she held me and relaxed into the hug.

“Just call if you guys need anything,” Ema said to the two of us as she pulled away from our hug. I smiled sweetly at her as I followed Auston to the front door. We slipped our shoes on and then said our final goodbyes before making our way out the door.

“Babe,” Auston called out to me once we were outside of the house. I hummed as I looked up at him. He pulled me against his side as he led me to the car with an arm on my back.

“You excited?” he asked with a teasing grin. I felt myself pale slightly as I tried to nod back enthusiastically. He laughed lightly while opening the door for me. As I went to step into the car he pressed a kiss to my cheek causing me to blush bright red.

“I’m nervous,” I admitted as he went to close the door. He quickly made his way around the car and got in.

“Nervous for what?” he asked, raising an eyebrow as he buckled. I did the same as I shrugged my shoulders. I couldn’t place exactly what had made me so nervous to meet them other than the fact that I was meeting important people to Auston.

“What if they don’t like me?” I finally asked quietly over the sounds of Harry Styles singing on the radio. He had already started driving so he kept his eyes on the road as he answered me.

“That won’t be a problem. I don’t know anyone who doesn't like you,” he smiled trying to reassure me as he reached his hand out for mind and locked them together over the center console.

“But like what if they think I’m annoying or like not the right one?” I asked louder this time. His face scrunched up for a moment before his hand gave mine a gentle squeeze.

“Not the right one?” he asked with a high voice causing me to giggle slightly.

“I don’t know,” I shrugged, turning to look out the window feeling slightly embarrassed. Auston pulled into the parking space before turning to look at me.

“Listen babe. You're perfect, I know and they will too. You have absolutely nothing to worry about, they'll love you like I do,” Auston told me seriously, causing me to blush as he gave my hand another squeeze.

“Thanks,” I smiled at him. He grinned before leaning forward to press a kiss to my forehead.

“Ready to go?” he asked when he pulled away. I glanced out the window quickly before turning back to him and pulling him into a quick kiss. Then I pulled away and nodded my head as I reached for the door and hopped out. We met at the front of the car and Auston grabbed my hand as he led us to the host stand.

“Hi reservation under the name Lexi?” Auston told the host. She looked down at the list before looking back up at us.

“Yeah they are already at the table you can follow me,” she smiled before leading us over to the table of almost 10 people. I felt myself sink further into Auston’s side as all the people at the table turned to look at us.

“Papi made it,” someone with shaggy brown hair called out standing up from the table and walking over to us. He pulled Auston into a big hug causing him to let go of me, leaving me standing to the side awkwardly. I looked over the rest of the table which was a mix of guys and girls when suddenly I recognised one of the guys.

“Amy?” Kyle asked standing up from the table. I shared a shocked look with him as I waved shyly.

“You two know each other? Auston asked, pulling away from his hug and giving us a confused glance. I looked at Kyle before turning my attention back to Auston.

“Um uh yeah,” I coughed trying to hide how awkward I felt.

“Really that's cool I’m Kyle's girlfriend, Beth,” A beautiful brunette said standing up to hug me. I laughed awkwardly as I hugged her back.

“Oh awesome,” I turned back to Auston hoping the topic would change. Unfortunately I am not that lucky.

“How do you two know each other?” Beth asked, slipping her hand around Kyle’s waist. I scratched at the back of my neck as I tried to come up with something to say.

“We went to high school together,” Kyle answered for the both of us.  

“And we dated,” I continued awkwardly. I watched as everyone at the table shared a look of shock before turning my attention back to Auston who also had a look of disbelief on his face.

“The two of you?” Beth asked, pointing to the two of us.

“Uh yeah,” Kyle answered shrugging his shoulders.

“Not for very long,” I provided, hoping to clear any of the tension that was going around. Auston’s hand slid out from mine causing me to panic slightly only to calm down when he slid his hand to rub reassuring at my back.

“Alright well let’s take a seat and maybe order a drink,” Auston suggested pushing me gently to the table. I gave him a grateful look as he pulled my chair out for me. He then took a seat to my right and with Kyle to my left. Everyone continued the conversion they were having before we arrived at the table.

“Aus, should we talk?” I asked not knowing if he was okay. He looked down at me with a thoughtful look before leaning in to whisper in my ear.

“Is he the one your dad hated?” he asked gently. I had told Auston about Kyle very briefly on one of our dates. My dad disapproved of him so much that it was one of the reasons we lasted as long as we did. I nodded my head slightly as I glanced at him and Beth talking. We ended on good terms. I just never expected to see him again.

“Yeah he was not a fan, he’s also the one that I got caught with,” I had told him the story about how we had been smoking weed in my room when my dad had caught us. He was so mad that he had kicked me out of the house for a week. He sent me a sad smile wrapping his arm around my shoulder and placing a kiss on my cheek.

“Wow,” he mumbled against my cheek.

“I’ve known him for like three years and I never knew,” he continued as he pulled away. I shrugged but as I went to talk we were interrupted by a boy with black hair and blue eyes talking to us.

“Hey Amelia it’s so nice to meet you. Papi never shuts up about you. I’m Clayton,” he said smiling softly at us. I grinned as I reached my hand out to shake his.

“Oh he never shuts up about you guys either,” I laughed as I tapped Auston on the shoulder. The three of us laughed.

“Auston said you worked for a magazine?” Clayton questioned as he raised his beer to take a sip.

“Yeah, It's a pretty popular magazine in Toronto. It covers almost everything from sports to fashion,” I said reaching out for the glass of water that was on the table.

“Do you want to share the nacho appetizer?” Auston asked me as he pushed the menu in front of me to take a look. Once I read over the description of the nachos I eagerly nodded my head. Almost everyone at the table already had their drinks and some type of food on the table.

“Sounds good babe,” I told him, reaching under the table to pat his leg. He smiled sweetly at me before turning to the server.

“We're going to share the nachos and I’ll have a modelo and she'll have a vodka pink lemonade,” he ordered for the two of us as he closed the menu. I smiled sweetly at the two before turning my attention back to Clayton.

“What do they have you write about?” he asked.

“I was writing about fashion when I first started there but they are trying to transfer me to the sports department,” I said shrugging my shoulders casually. Honestly they had been trying to get me to switch ever since I started dating Auston but I had been extremely against the idea since the beginning.

“I bet Allsya here would love to read all the fashion stuff you've written,” he said as he pointed to the beautiful girl to his right.

“Yes, I model here in Arizona,” she said joining the conversation. I gave her a soft smile as I glanced to her shyly.

“I actually think I’ve seen you on the runway,” I admitted as I thought back to a show that I had attended at the beginning of the summer right after I had met Auston on the plane.

“It was a swimsuit catalog and your pieces were amazing. I wrote about them in the magazine,” I continued as the server set our drinks and nachos down. I picked up my drink right away and took a small sip as she started talking.

“Oh my god! I remember that! I read the article too, oh my god Clay I told you about her article it was one of the best ones that was published after that weekend,” she said, shaking his arm slightly.

“Oh wow thank you,” I blushed as I set my drink down. I reached in for a nacho and took a big bite.

“How did the two of you meet?” Allsya asked after a brief pause in conversation. At the question everyone at the table turned their attention to us to hear the story.  I glanced over at Auston seeing as I had just shoved food in my mouth hoping that he would tell them. He smiled before shrugging his shoulders.

“We met on the plane ride to Arizona from Toronto. I sat next to her and she started rambling about how she was a nervous flyer,” he started to say but I let out a slight gasp.

“No I didn't, I told you once that I was not a good flyer and anyway you were the one who started talking to me first,” I said, cutting him off. Everyone at the table let out a laugh at that.

“We talked the whole flight and then I got her number after and we went out on a date and the rest is history,” he finished as he took a sip of his beer. I shared a sweet smile with him as I also lifted my drink up to take a sip.

“Where’d you take her?” Matt asked.

“He took me to chipotle then we went to his house,”  I told them. They all let out a laugh.

“Sounds like Papi was trying to show off,” Clayton mumbled, causing the table to laugh again. Auston tried to hide his blush by leaning his chin on his hand.

“It was really fun,” I told them honestly as I reached for more nachos.

“So how long have you guys been dating?” a girl I didn’t recognise yet asked from across the table.

“Uh about 10 months,” Auston told her as he sent me a soft smile. I sent him one in return as I rested my hand on his leg under the table.

“I want to hear the story of how the fuck Kyle and Amelia know each other,” someone blurted out from the other end of the table. I felt the blood drain from my face not feeling comfortable talking about this with a group of strangers.

“Nah we don’t have to talk about this,” Kyle said, picking up his own beer and taking a long sip.

“C’mon it’s got to be a good story. It’s crazy that you two even know one another,” Matt said. Kyle glanced at me out of the corner of his eye and I shrugged my shoulders. I knew they would keep asking if we didn’t answer them.

“It’s not that great of a story. Were from the same hometown and we dated for like a month after my mom died,” I told the table. Auston’s hand reached down to grip mine that was on his leg.

“We broke up when my dad caught us smoking weed in his house,” I continued.

“That was pretty funny though,” Kyle mumbled. I glanced at him with a smile as I thought back to the moment. It was pretty funny up until the part that I had gotten kicked out but I had never told Kyle that part.

“Yeah. But what I really want to know is how you met the beautiful Beth,” I told him as I sent her a soft smile. Her face lit up at the question as she went into the details of how the two met at college here in Arizona.

After another few rounds of drinks a few of Auston’s friends started leaving so that it was just Kyle, Beth, Matt, Lexi, Allsya, and Clayton.

“So you guys have known each other almost all your life?” I questioned Matt, Clayton, and Auston as I took a sip from the beer that Auston had ordered for me after a few vodka drinks.

“Yeah we all played hockey together actually,” Clayton said.

“Yeah but we weren’t very good so we stopped pretty early but Auston still hung out with us after,” Matt joked.

“We did everything together and went on a lot of trips together too,” Clayton continued.

“Oh fun. What was he like when he was younger?” I asked them hoping to get something juicy on him.

“Pretty much the same as he is now. Likes things to go his way, and he loves himself of course,” Matt teased, Auston rolled his eyes as he wrapped his arm behind me resting it on my chair.

“He was really possessive,” Clayton said, causing me to raise an eyebrow.

“Oh?” I said waiting for him to continue.

“He hated sharing anything. He was so possessive of his stuff it was kind of funny actually. If someone stole his favorite stick or toy he would throw a fit until someone gave it back,” Clayton finished. I let out a loud laugh as I threw my head back.

“Oh my god. Two weeks ago I was wearing his favorite sweatshirt and he wanted to wear it and he threw a thirty minute fit until I took it off so he could wear it,” I told the table as I let out another laugh, the rest of the table joining in.

“Alright we can stop talking about me now,” Auston pouted as he leaned his chin on my shoulder. I laughed as I leaned closer and pecked his lips quickly. I was starting to feel a bit tipsy. Auston narrowed his eyes at me when I pulled away so that he went cross-eyed causing me to let out a giggle. When I was drunk or tipsy I tended to display more PDA. Auston was always a fan of PDA but I hadn’t been so I knew moments like this when I let myself go he really enjoyed it

Kyle started telling us a story about his new job and I felt myself growing bored rather quickly. Deciding that I would have to make my own fun I slid my hand back onto Auston’s thigh. We had been at this bar for almost four hours now and he had stopped drinking almost two hours ago so that he would be sober to drive us home. I slid my hand higher up on his thigh as I leaned in so I could whisper into his ear.

“I was wondering if you could take me home and fuck me.”

His breath hitched at my words. He glanced around to make sure nobody had heard me before sliding his own hand onto my thigh so that it was gripping my inner thigh. He slowly slid his hand up my leg but then abruptly stopped.

“Be a good girl,” he mumbled against my ear as he pressed a kiss to the side of my head and removed his hand completely. I huffed slightly annoyed before turning back to pay attention to what was being said at the table. I finished my beer as I listened to Clayton and Auston talk about a trip they were trying to plan for the summer.

“Alright well I think we're going to head out. We got a big day of travel tomorrow,” Auston told everyone as he stood up and then helped me up from my chair. Everyone else stood up and there was a round of hugs before we were all making our way out of the bar and to our own cars.

“Did you have fun?” Auston asked, he wrapped his arm around my shoulder as we made our way back to the car.

“I did. It was fun to meet the people you grew up with,” I said softly as I leaned into his side.

“Although I really wasn’t expecting you to be friends with Kyle,” I admitted as we turned the corner and approached the car. He walked over to my side and opened the door for me.

“We met through Clayton. They were roommates at AU and got along. He’s a pretty cool dude to be honest. Not sure how I feel about the fact that you two dated though,” he helped me up into my seat after I almost tripped over the curb I let out a little giggle as I settled into the seat. I pulled my buckle on as Auston walked around the car and hopped in.

“It was in high school it was barely even dating. Like all we ever did was make out we made it to like second base maybe twice. I mostly just needed a friend at the time and he was a good one,” I told him as I thought back on the difficult time I had been going through when I lost my mother.

“It’s just weird that I’ve known him longer then you and like youve told me stories about him but I’ve never connected them to my friend Kyle,” he reached his hand out to hold mine. I smiled down at our interlocked hands before leaning onto the center console so that I could look at Auston’s face.

“Yeah, do you think it’s weird?” I asked softly.

“No not really. I mean we all have a past and we can't change it. It's nothing I can’t handle, baby,” he answered. I felt my heart warm at his response as I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes.

“If I was with Nick and this happened he would have slapped me,” I sleepily mumbled out. I heard Auston suck in a harsh breath as the silence overtook the car.

“He would have slapped me the second we got into the car and then we would have driven to my apartment in silence. He would have followed me up to my room and he would have apologised and because I would be too scared to do anything I would say it was okay,” I took a deep breath as I revealed all of that to Auston. I slowly opened my eyes and turned to look at his face scared to see the expression that would be waiting for me.

“It feels really great to know that you would never do that to me. You make me feel so safe,” I finished holding in a sob. Auston had just pulled up to his house so he put the car in park and turned to face me.

“Babe,” his voice broke as he said it. He cleared his throat as he shook his head, probably trying to piece together his thoughts. I had probably surprised Auston considering I never brought up Nick on my own. I had told him about the things that Nick had done to me in the past but I had yet to share everything. Mostly just because I was happy now and it wasn’t something that I thought of a lot. His hand squeed mine gently.

“I’m so sorry that you went through what you did, but I am so happy that I can make you feel safe. I also want you to know that you're the love of my life and I will never let anything happen to you again,” Auston told me softly as he stared into my eyes. I knew that I could trust every word he was saying.

“ I know. Let’s go inside,” I whispered. He nodded his head as he turned the car off and we both made our way out and inside his house.

“I’m really tired,” I mumbled as I slid my heels off. Auston slipped his shoes off before glancing at me with a fond look in his eyes.

“Let’s go up to bed,” he said, reaching out to rub his hand up and down my back.

“I know I wanted to have sex but can we just do that in the morning,” I asked as I made my way up the stairs. Auston let out a laugh as he led me into the bathroom. He grabbed a makeup wipe and handed it to me before standing behind me so he could tie my hair up in a ponytail for me.

“Yeah babe whatever you want,” Auston leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the back of my neck. I rubbed my makeup off before glancing up at us in the mirror.

“Hey Auston,” I mumbled quietly.

“Huh?” he whispered into my neck as he hugged me from behind.

“You're the love of my life too,” I reached down for his hand and lifted it up to my lips so I could press a kiss on it.

He turned me around so that he could press me into the counter and pressed a sweet kiss to my lips. When he pulled away he led us to the bedroom, we both changed into our pajamas and then climbed into bed. Auston turned the tv on before spooning up behind me.

“What do you want to watch?” he asked. I glanced towards the tv before shrugging.

“Anything I’m going to fall asleep any minute,” I mumbled. I drifted off to sleep as Auston watched That 70s Show.

Side Note: So I know that I kind of teased ya’ll with a bit of smut so I promise that I will try to write that sometime lol

[ur-favorite-queer-queen]

What If...

For Maribat March day 22 theme what if...

Master List

My first Song fic, song is ‘What If’ by Johnny Orlando and Mackenzie Ziegler. Link to music video (highly suggest you watch before reading): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ho0WBKPJtfc

Let’s talk about all the things we shouldn’t talk about

At the park across the street, Jason could see her through the window. Her black hair falling at her shoulders. Her blue eyes full of emotions. Her small smile as she watched his friends' antics.

Those kind of words that would change all the things we talk about

Unfortunately for him at that moment, Roy shoved him hard enough he crashed into the bakery window. 

Tell me do you ever think of us

That’s when her father came out, pushing him off the window and shoving Roy away. 

Should I ask some more or should I stop

However as he and his friends drove off on their motorcycles, he couldn’t help but look back one last time at the girl in the window. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the girl he had spent all summer with. 

What if a tomorrow means that we are here together

He had bumped into her after he had split up from Kor’i and Roy. He was walking around, no destination in mind, when she barreled into him. 

What if we are taking chances just to lose it all

He couldn’t help but get lost in her eyes, her beautiful blue eyes. He didn’t even register what she was saying.

Am I really crazy thinking bout this all together

Next thing he knows she’s showing him around Paris, places he would’ve never thought to see.

Or have I been missing, the writing on the wall

Every new place they went brought a smile to her face, it shocked him into silence, and he couldn’t help but smile with her. 

What if I say

He remembered how one day she said she was gonna take her to her favorite place in the whole world. Where she always went when she needed to clear her mind.

I know, you know

She took him to a field on the edge of Paris. Grass and flowers were everywhere and she did the classic twirling in the field. He should’ve found it cliche, but he didn’t, he just stood there mesmerized by her.

What if I told you I like you

He remembered laughing, smiling with her. Talking to her like it was the easiest thing ever, like he had known her his whole life. 

We’d stay, we’d go

They had stayed there till it got dark out, where she pulled him down to lay next to her and gaze at the stars. 

What if I told you I like you

He could feel his face start to warm up from the close proximity, she didn’t seem to notice. Nor did she seem to notice how her hand was still in his, not going to let go anytime soon.

I know, you know 

After who knows how long he chanced a quick look at his phone, it was nearing midnight. He would need to bring her home soon. 

What if I told you I like you

Reminding her that they needed to get going, she stood up but shivered, it had gotten pretty cold now. 

We’d stay, we’d go

He immediately took his leather jacket off and placed it on her shoulders, much to her protests. 

What if I told you I like you

He took her home, being careful not to be seen by her parents. 

What if I told you I like you

Feeling a little bold he took her hand and gently kissed her knuckles. 

What if I told you I like you

That was the last time he had gone near her, either her father or the Agreste boy were with her whenever she was out. Usually the Agreste boy. He wondered what if he could tell her.

I hear everything you saying, you saying bout us

She watched as he played with his friends. His black hair moving with the wind. His blue eyes dancing with excitement. His grin that broke into laughter. 

It’s not about right or wrong it's about who we love

How she longed to be with him, and right as she thought that he crashed into the bakery window.

Would it be simple or would it be too complicated

Her papa ended up walking over, pushing him off the window and shoving his friend away.

Should I keep going or maybe it’s better to stop

However, as him and his friends drove off on their motorcycles, she couldn’t help but watch him go, till she could see him no more. Jason Todd-Wayne, the boy she had spent all summer with.

What if a tomorrow means that we are here together 

She had bumped into him after she had finally gotten out of the bakery without her papa going with her or sending Adrien. She had planned to go to a park with her favorite secluded park to think when she had barreled into him.

What if we are taking chances just to lose it all

She apologized repeatedly, noticing he was a tourist offered to show him around Paris. And it didn’t hurt that he was cute. 

Am I really crazy thinking bout this all together

She thought that instead of showing him all the famous places that he could visit anytime, she would show him her favorite places, that tourists would never even think to see.

Or have I been missing, the writing on the wall

Every place she took him to he smiled, it was such a captivating smile, one she hoped would grace his features every time she saw him. She couldn’t help but smile a little bigger when she saw it.

What if I say

She had decided, today was the day she would show him her favorite spot. Because today was also the last day she would see him, her papa was going to make sure of that.

I know, you know

She took him to a field that sat on the edge of Paris, one that had grass and flowers as far as you could see. Something out of a fairytale, she always loved to twirl around when she was here, sure it was cliche but Jason didn’t seem to mind one bit. He was even smiling at her. 

What if I told you I like you

She laughed and smiled with him, he was her favorite person to talk to. It felt like she had known him her whole life.

We’d stay, we’d go

It soon was getting dark and the stars were starting to appear. So she grabbed his hand and pulled him next to her so they could gaze at the stars.

What if I told you I like you

She started pointing out constellations she knew to him, not even noticing that he was close enough to her that she could feel his body heat.

I know, you know

She closed her eyes, wishing she could stay like this forever, but all good things must come to an end.

What if I told you I like you

He reminded her that it was getting late and she should get home. She stood up but shivered from the cool air and the fact Jason was no longer her personal heater.

We’d stay, we’d go

Suddenly she felt something being placed on her shoulders, and looked up to see Jason covering her with his jacket. She tried to protest but he wasn’t listening, it was no use now.

What if I told you I like you

He took her home, making sure to keep to the shadows to not alert her parents.

What if I told you I like you

She was about to head inside when she felt her hand being lifted up and a gentle kiss was placed on her knuckles. The action was not uncommon for her, Adrien did it many times, but when Jason did it, it felt much more right than when Adrien did.

What if I told you I like you

That was the last time she could go near him. After she started coming home late her papa wanted Adrien to escort her around whenever he couldn't. After all he was her betrothed, she should start getting used to it since they were to be married next year. She wondered what if she could tell him. 

What if I say

Her "friends" were at her house, helping her get ready for dinner. Aka the day that Adrien's supposed to propose, despite it only being something to feed the press. She knew why these girls were really here, they wanted to have one last shot at trying to bag the Agreste heir. How she would love to give it to them.

I know, you know

There he was down on one knee, ring in hand. Here she was wishing he was someone else. Her family and his family's eyes were on her, she couldn’t say no, so she was forced to say yes.

What if I told you I like you

He held her hand the rest of the night, called her m'lady and bugaboo. She wanted to rip his hand off of her and give him a good punch to the throat, see if he can talk then.

We’d stay, we’d go

Later that night in the privacy of her room her father spoke to her. She couldn’t mess this up for their family, be a good girl and behave for Adrien, no going near the mysterious boy she hung out with all summer. She was Adrien's now. Even though she didn’t want to be.

What if I told you I like you

Roy and Kor’i noticed their friend had been sulking ever since he last saw the girl with blue eyes and black hair. Now more than ever. So they decided to do something about it.

I know, you know

He couldn’t believe he had let them talk him into this. All the lights in the bakery were off, all except one, on the third floor. Marinette’s room. Time to get climbing.

What if I told you I like you

She had just finished cleaning her face, so that there was no evidence that she had almost cried herself to sleep. She had just slipped into his leather jacket, one of the only things she had left of him, when she heard a knocking on the trapdoor that led to her balcony.

We’d stay, we’d go

She opened the door and bluebell eyes met sea blue ones. Her bluebells widened and an almost silent gasp left her throat. 

What if I told you I like you

She launched into his arms, wrapping her arms around his neck as she held on tightly, afraid he would disappear if she let him go. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held on just as tightly. 

I like you

She pressed her forehead against his, so close that her breath fanned her face.

Oh yeah

"You're actually here." She whispered, eyes glued to his. She was slowly taking the ring on her left ring finger off.

What if I told you I like you

"Yeah, I thought maybe I could show you around one of my favorite cities. Return the favor." He whispered, voice a bit breathless. 

What if I told you I like you 

"I'd love that." She moved her lips to meet his, the ring falling off and clattering to the ground. Her hands found their way into his hair, while one of his found its way into her hair. 

Let’s talk about all the things we shouldn’t talk about

The only thing people knew was that Marinette Dupain-Cheng had disappeared that night. The ring that had been placed on her finger mere hours before her disappearance was left abandoned on her balcony. Found by her father and ex-fiance in the early morning, when the sun had not even come to shine yet. 

Her ex-fiance would say that she had seemed so happy when he proposed. Despite knowing that her heart belonged to someone else, he had convinced himself she loved him, would learn to love him and only him. But whenever they were together and he looked into her eyes, he knew that what happened was inevitable. 

Her father would be confused. He had left her room after talking with her at midnight. Had gone to check up on her around 5:30, so where could she have gone in that amount of time? None of her best friends knew either, though they were trying their best to not show their feral grins at another chance to woo the Agreste heir. 

The witnesses would tell the same story,  the only people they saw that night was a couple so in love the girl couldn't possibly be Marinette Dupain-Cheng. For all the public knew was that she was in love with Adrien Agreste after all, and this girl only had eyes for the boy she linked hands with. As the boy only had eyes for the girl he rode off with.

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I’m back from the dead! I have chapters as promised! Sorry I was gone for so long, school sucks and has been burying my grave so I had to focus on that for a while. But I have this and Enemies to Lovers done and am planning on doing the other days I have not crossed off on my Master List. 

This is my first song fic and it was inspired by Johnny Orlando and Mackenzie Ziegler’s song ‘What If’. Everything that happens in this fic is inspired by what happens in the music video so I suggest you check that out, link is at the top. This took forever to write so I hope you enjoyed it. This is not gonna have a part 2, it’s just a one shot. 

@maribatmarch-2k21 

[mldrgrl]

How Stella Got Her Groove Back

by: mldrgrl Rating: PG-13 Summary: Just a little something to celebrate spring...and Stella’s birthday!

They left Connecticut in September, with a fair amount of reluctance to go, but they needed to return to the city.  Becca had already gone and though both Karen and Fish insisted they were welcome to stay longer, stay forever if they had to, at a certain point, Hank and Stella had just been missing their loft and their life in New York too much.  Of course, they knew that what they were returning to was not the life they were accustomed to, but they would have to learn to adapt to the new normal.

Winter was long and brutal.  They did spend two weeks over Christmas and New Years back in Connecticut again and that was the first time they’d seen Becca since July, and the last time they would see her until spring.  Karen had tried to coerce them all to stay again and Hank and Stella nearly gave in.  If not for the fact that Stella left a project behind she’d been working on for her classes and if Hank had brought the pages he’d been working on for his new novel, they just might have done it.

When they got back to New York, and in a cabin fever-induced moment of weakness, they hired a landscape architect to design their rooftop terrace and though the noise of construction aggravated the hell out of both of them, they were both pleased with the results.  They now had an artificial lawn of soft green turf, an outdoor patio daybed in the shape of a cube with canvas shades on all four sides, a wet bar, strategically placed heating lamps, and a wood burning fire pit.  Unbeknownst to them, when Fish had heard their plans, he’d called the company they hired, ordered them a charcoal grill, and told the contractor to keep it a surprise.  They were very surprised by the barbeque that was suddenly part of the design, but it looked nice, even if it wouldn’t get any use.

Finding ways to fill the time with nowhere to go and no one to see was extremely difficult.  Neither of them were very much into television or movies.  The terrace, as welcome as it was, wasn’t finished until the end of February.  Stella had the classes she was teaching and the child psychology classes she was enrolled in to keep her fairly busy during the days, but Hank could only write for so many hours at a time and he found that he actually missed helping Fish with the guitar lessons.  He grumbled to Stella that ‘that damn Trout’ bewitched him somehow and then begrudgingly called him up and asked if he could still help out remotely.  Fish was delighted by the request and sent him an iPad and a teaching schedule.  

The close quarters had caused a few squabbles, though nothing major.  They took a few online cooking classes together which produced some mediocre meals and a testy exchange on the appropriate amount that constituted a ‘pinch of salt.’  Beyond that, they managed not to take out any frustrations on each other.

It was April 1st when Stella wandered from the bathroom to the bedroom in her t-shirt and sweatpants, rubbing lotion into her hands and arms.  Hank was in bed, perhaps naked, or perhaps wearing jockey shorts, she couldn’t be sure.  He had his guitar across his lap and his head back so that he gazed at the ceiling while he plucked lightly at the strings.

“Hank,” she said, leaning into the foot of the bed with slightly bended knees.

“Do you think ‘oral’ actually rhymes with ‘clorital’ or is it cheating?” he replied.

“You know that next week is my birthday.”

Hank splayed his hand out on the guitar and looked at her.  “Is this a trick question?”

“Not at all.”

“So, if I say ‘yes, of course, your birthday is April 7th and I already know I’m not to mention it to anyone,’ is that the wrong answer because I’m not supposed to acknowledge it in the first place?”

“I am aware that in the past I have requested that my birthday be treated as any other day.”

“Mmhm.”

“I’ve been thinking that perhaps...I might like to celebrate this year after all.”

“Oh, I get it.  April fools.  You could’ve just put plastic wrap on the toilet or secretly replaced my regular coffee with Folgers.”

“I’m serious.”

“Ah, so the one year it’s impossible to throw a party, you want to have a party?”

“God, no.  Parties are awful.”

“Well, what then?”

“Brunch?  With Becca?  This weekend, or the next, perhaps.  There are more places opening up now.  We could-”

“Absolutely, Sherlock.  Whatever the suggestion, I am all in.”  He pushed his guitar aside and she was mildly disappointed to discover that he was in his jockey shorts after all and not naked. He scooted forward to the end of the bed and wrapped his arms around her hips.

“A walk in the park, maybe?”

“Not sure if my legs remember what walking is at this point, so it’ll be good to remind them.”  He moved his hands down to the backs of her thighs and gave them a squeeze and then cupped her ass.  “Why the sudden change of heart, Sherlock?”

“I’ve just been thinking lately that it’s perfectly acceptable to want to celebrate being alive.  After the year we’ve had.”

“I agree, but as long as I get to have my breakfast in bed in bed that day, I’ll be happy.”

“It’s my birthday, I’m not bringing you breakfast in bed.”

“Oh, honey, you are the breakfast,” he growled, wrapping his arms around her again and pulling her into him as he fell back onto the bed.

*****

The Saturday before her birthday was Easter weekend.  There was no rain in the forecast and Becca was available, so it was perfect.  They took a Lyft to the upper west side and met her at a French bistro that had outdoor seating.  Stella could tell right away that something was bothering Becca, that she was putting on a false front of cheerfulness, which was very unlike her, but if she did know her stepdaughter, she knew the girl could not keep up pretenses for long.

They ordered and waited for their food over bottomless mimosas and miniature ham and cheese croissants served as an appetizer.  It wasn’t cold, but a cool breeze would drift by every so often and Stella was glad she had left her hair down so that her ears were covered.  She wished she’d been a bit more practical though and worn pants.  She’d just felt like dressing up and at the last minute, put on an olive-colored dress with small printed white flowers on it, but at least it was long-sleeved and she had a white sweater.  Becca and Hank were like twins in their matching leather jackets and dark jeans.

“Are you working on anything?” Becca asked Hank.

“Almost finished,” he answered.

“Oh.  What’s it about?”

“A couple that’s been married for fifteen years, but they’re on the brink of the divorce when the pandemic hits and then they go from spending almost no time together to all of their time together and it’s disastrous at first, but then they end up learning a lot about each other.”

“So, they save their marriage?”

“No, they end up getting divorced anyway.”

“That’s fucked up.”

“It’s fiction, sweetheart.”

“People like happy endings.”

“People are stupid.  I didn’t say it didn’t have a happy ending though.  Are you working on anything, Daughter?”

Becca sighed and picked at her nails.  Stella put a hand on Hank’s knee under the table.

“Is something bothering you, Darling?” Stella asked.

“No.  Yeah.  No.  I don’t wanna ruin your birthday or anything when it’s the first birthday we’ve ever celebrated together.”

Stella gave Becca a brief smile.  “I don’t know if your father has told you why I’ve always been rather reluctant to celebrate my birthday.”

Becca shook her head.  Hank stretched his arm out behind Stella’s chair and put his hand on her back.  She gave his knee a squeeze of appreciation.

“My father passed away on my fourteenth birthday,” Stella said.  “So, Darling, you have a high bar to overcome if you think being in a low mood will ruin my birthday.”

“That sucks about your dad, I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.”  Stella looked to Hank for a moment and then back to Becca.  “I’ve spent many years trying to ignore the date as though if I didn’t acknowledge it, it’s like it had never happened.  I don’t think I really understood until quite recently that one is capable of being sad and grateful at the same time.  And that life should be celebrated.  Especially now.”

“I guess I’m just...when we were up at Mom’s house, everything was so easy and nice and I had a really hard time writing.  That’s why I wanted to leave.  It was way too peaceful.”

“You know if I had a dollar for every time Becca claimed my shit was fucking her up, I’d be richer than that fucking Amazon guy, and now it sounds like she wants to file a grievance that we’re not fucking her up enough.”

“Am not.”  Becca rolled her eyes.

“Don’t listen to him,” Stella said.  “He’s been so mired with boredom lately he has regular calls with Fish.”

“No!”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Hank protested, putting his hands up in defense.  “There was and will only be one bromance in my life and that’s with one Mr. Charles Runkle, that follically challenged motherfucker.  No better pairing existed except for maybe Bert and Ernie, or Sid and Nancy.”

“I think we should let Becca continue with what she was trying to say.”

“Thank you.”  Becca put her hand up as though she was blocking Hank from her view and he reached over and slapped her palm away.  “As I was saying, I left because I thought the serenity was blocking me in some way, but since I’ve been back, it’s like the opposite.  It felt so apocalyptic at first and desperate.  It was like impossible to sit down and put words together when there were so many shitty things happening outside.  What if...what if the next thing I finish, people will be like oh, she was just sitting inside writing while everyone else was dying?”

“There will always be shitty things happening outside,” Hank said.  

“Great advice, Dad.”

“I don’t mean to bitchslap you with reality, but the world being shitty isn’t a reason to give up.”

“I’m not giving up.”

“Good, because you are way more fucking talented than I could ever even hope to be.”

“I just don’t know if it matters.  If anyone should care.”

“Why should you concern yourself with that?”

Becca glared at Hank, clearly annoyed with the answer.

“I know you think I’m being facetious,” Hank said, quickly.  “But, I’m not.  If all anyone wanted to read was about things that ‘mattered’ that 50 Shades of Hot Garbage would never have sold a single copy.  You don’t know why people read what you write.  Maybe they want to escape the shitty things happening in the world.  Maybe they want to laugh or cry or be turned on.  Maybe they just need something to pass the time.”

“Five minutes ago you just said people were stupid for wanting happy endings, now you’re saying I should just give them garbage, if that’s what they want.”

“Yeah, I’m a fucking hypocrite, what else is new, but I just want you to be happy with what you’re doing.  You want me to buy you a new laptop?”

“I’m not twelve anymore.  You can’t just buy my happiness.”

“Worth a shot.”

“Becca,” Stella finally interjected.  “I think it’s obvious by now that your father may possibly be the world’s worst motivational speaker.”

“Or the world’s best unmotivational speaker,” Hank said.  “You see what I did there?  I turned a negative into a positive.”

Both Stella and Becca ignored the comment.

“I think I may understand what he’s trying to say though,” Stella said.  “I’m not a creator, but I’ve been a consumer.  When I was reading for pleasure, I certainly wasn’t reaching for mystery novels.  And I think that...popularity and quality are two different things.  Certainly, one would hope for both, but it isn’t always the case.  I know you and I know that quality is important to you, so perhaps you should only focus on if what you’re working on is the best that it can be and not on whether or not it matters.”

“Can I add something to that?” Hank asked.

“Not if you plan on fucking up everything Stella just said,” Becca answered.

“I’ve done at least a dozen online events this year and at every single one, someone has asked me when the next Rebecca Moody novel is going to be released or they want to know what you’re working on.  I’m not even entirely sure all of them are there to hear my Q&A or if they just showed up because they know I’m your dad and they think you might make a guest appearance.  And if one person takes umbrage with you for creating something during a time of utter hell, fuck them.”

“Without art, the crudeness of reality would make the world unbearable,” Stella quoted.

“That sounds so much hotter when you say it than George Bernard Shaw,” Hank replied, rubbing his hand across Stella’s upper back.

“Okay, I don’t want to spend this day being miserable,” Becca said, shaking her head and shoulders like she was trying to rid herself of negativity.  ���Thank you, Stella.”

“You’re welcome, darling girl.”

“Hey, what about me?” Hank asked.

“There is this jacket I saw online that I want,” Becca answered, cheekily raising one of her eyebrows and tilting her head.

“I’ll text you my credit card number later.”

“Thank you, Father.”

*****

Brunch was followed by a stroll in Central Park and it seemed that at least half of the city had the same idea.  It was interesting being in a place so crowded and yet also so open.  The decent weather and the cherry blossoms in full bloom probably had something to do with it.  What also would have felt strange a year ago, seeing everyone wearing face masks and wearing them as well, was oddly comforting.  When Stella had put hers on that morning before they walked out the door, Hank told her she looked like a sexy brain surgeon or cardiologist, whichever one was smarter or made more money.

When they came upon Bethesda Fountain, there was a small band playing salsa music and a few couples dancing.  Hank tried to imitate the steps and then grabbed Becca’s hand and spun her around under his arm.  She laughed and tried to break free of him, but he pulled her back in and tried to get her to dance.

“Da-ad,” Becca protested.

“Dance with me, Daughter.”

“I don’t dance.”

“You’re no fun.”  Hank let go of Becca’s hand and then grabbed Stella’s.

“Oh, no,” she said.

“Come on, Sherlock.  I know you’ve probably got some moves I’ve never seen.”

“I assure you that’s not true,” she answered, letting him spin her away though and then laughed as he gyrated his hips dramatically as he stepped back towards her.  “Whatever it is that you’re doing does not resemble the salsa in any way.”

“Let me see you do better.”

Stella looked past Hank to the other dancers and mimicked the forward and back steps.  She put a hand on Hank’s chest to keep him at arm’s length and prevent their knees from colliding as he tried to fall into the same step with her, moving forward when she stepped back, and back when she stepped forward.  What he lacked in grace, he made up for with enthusiasm.  As soon as they fell into sync, he grabbed her hand and lifted her other arm in a more formal dance frame like the other dancers had.

What followed was probably the worst and most amateurish version of a salsa that had ever been danced, but Stella laughed so hard it brought tears to her eyes.  When the music ended, Hank stopped and pulled Stella’s face mask down under her chin before lowering his own and then kissing her through both of their laughter.

The dancing couples broke apart and drifted back into the crowd.  Becca went over and dropped some money into the cup on the ground in front of the band and thanked them for playing.  Stella took Hank’s hand and then Becca linked her arm with Stella’s as they continued on.

Later that night, when Stella came out of the bathroom as she rubbed lotion into her hands and arms, she stopped at the foot of the bed and watched Hank read over the latest pages of his novel.  When she was finished, she climbed onto the bed and walked over to Hank on her knees until she was straddling his lap.  He threw his pages down, took his reading glasses off, and pulled her close with his hands on her ass.

“Thank you,” Stella said, as Hank kissed the side of her neck.

“For what?”

“This truly was the best birthday I’ve ever had.”

“Your birthday’s not until Wednesday.”

“Perhaps next year we’ll even be able to invite Karen and Fish to town.”

“We’ll make The Trout christen that barbeque he forced on us.”

“It does look nice though.”

“It really does.  You want your present now, or should I wait until Wednesday?”

“I might be interested in a preview,” she said, sliding her hand down his chest and then into his shorts.  “A little peak at the package ahead of time.”

“You just assumed I was talking about fucking when I said I had something for you?”

“Weren’t you?”

Hank paused and then grinned.  “Yeah, I was.”

The End

[augment-techs]

“I’m—I’m fine. I’ve had worse.” for Ziggy and whoever you want

The blood soiled the clothes he'd been wearing for less than two weeks as easy as anyone else.  Since he'd been fifteen and drawn into the sentry ranks with almost no choice in the matter other than surrender or death, this was something he'd gotten used to. Waiting forever to get new or barely used clothing, only to have it damaged or ruined just after from his inevitably poor luck. Someone actually being there to care about Ziggy in the aftermath of having been inflicted with pain and injury was an almost entirely new experience, though. * Ziggy had been undergoing a lot of new experiences--same as every last one of the other sentries--since the Ranger Slayer ascended Drakkon's throne and set to work making an effort to make the world better. Though, maybe he had the other sentries beat, just the tiniest bit? Even his closest friends and mentors in their small, cloistered group of those not considered heartless, who actually cared about the people out in the world they were supposed to protect, didn't have a superior officer (a Red Sentry CAPTAIN) that was summoned by the Ranger Slayer herself into the throne room the same day as the transfer of power after all the speeches; that allowed Ziggy to tag along because, "Well, everyone will find out by tomorrow, anyway. You might as well put that motor mouth to good use." Ziggy had been under the wing of a goddamn Coinless spy. A General among the people that had been fighting the good fight since before Ziggy was born; who had been hugged by the last vestiges of Angel Grove's living Rangers (Dillon and Scott had to hold him along his shoulders when Ziggy had told them in the barracks that night, he was bouncing in his bed hard enough with such a big smile that it was like he was two years old again without a basic understanding of social constraints; Summer and Flynn just tried not to look too smug that all of them were getting free meals from their own Captains T.J. and Kelsey over having won a bet they'd all made about their favorite Red Sentry) and took his helmet off in front of Ziggy for the first time to introduce himself, not as Captain Williams, but as Eugene Skullovitch, "Skull for short, though. I think you've earned it, kid." Then Ziggy had been introduced to his Captain's best friend in the whole world (Summer had squeaked and almost shouted that she knew who Ziggy was talking about when he described him, "That was Bulk, Ziggy! THE Bulk!") and gotten the biggest hug in his whole life while being doted on by the vast bear of a man speaking of him in glowing terms that had Ziggy limp as a kitten blushing like mad, "Oh, you're the Ziggy I've heard so much about! Skull talks all about you on the wireless, but I think he might have been joking just a tiny bit when he said you're seventeen. Be honest, you're more like fifteen, right? All this hair and wiry muscle, you have to have been pulling his leg?" "Bulk," the Ranger Slayer, who insisted on being called Kim (jesus-fucking-christ) by anyone Skull called friend (which really just meant trust-worthy or not a complete asshole) among the ranks, had put a stop Bulk's mother henning with a gentle tap on the man's shoulder, "Not everyone is built like we were in the old days. I'm sure he'll get more meat on his bones as things improve." It had been awkward after, Ziggy walking with his Captain back to their rooms to find Ziggy's group of friends and the two other Captains; with all of them just gaping at the man's face like they'd never get the chance again. The days that followed with the rebuilding and the Coinless in the halls and taking care of the general populace that had to be told of the change in power and the defeat of Rita. It was tiring, but Ziggy had gotten to spend ten times as much time with his friends and just...not being an enforcer for Scorpina or Drakkon or the like, that he actually allowed himself to relax into the way things were going.  He'd signed up for night classes that some of the Coinless and retiring sentries were teaching. He'd been granted two days a week where he

didn't have to dress in his Black Sentry fatigues, could sleep in, could enjoy himself. Ziggy should have known that not all the new changes were appreciated by everyone. There were sentries, after all, who had been totally okay with the way things were with Scorpina, who were afraid of Drakkon like everyone else, but had been prepared to live their lives entirely by the pathological psychopath's way. There were those that had found Skull's being a spy to be an insult or actual betrayal. Those kinds of people always noticed that they could never address their issues with who they thought was the source of their anger; they never would have confronted Skull, even alone, even on his days off where he went out in leather jackets and jeans and could still beat anyone who bothered him into the ground, no problem.  So, Ziggy really shouldn't have been surprised to being decked the one day he'd gone out alone to check out some of the new apartments and prefabs he and his...friends? Could they really be called just that when they all kissed and touched more than any other groups Ziggy had ever seen?...were thinking of moving into since the barracks had become a little too impersonal to them. And, maybe, he was less surprised about the beating, than he was about how many people were doing it in tandem, with such efficiency as to render him unconscious within the first five minutes. * Yeah... Ziggy was more surprised to wake up, not in some filthy alley that had once been a desolate place to have battles with the walking corpses Rita Repulsa had walking around taking out everyone they could, but on a couch that could almost pass as new. His wiry frame tucked into blankets like some precious thing, head on a pillow that was so fucking soft it was unreal, the smell of the place a familiar comfort without knowing just where he was... The pain of his arm being swabbed with medical ointment. "OW OW OW!" "Ah, calm down you big baby," Skull practically grumbled like a much put-upon old dog answering the whines of a puppy that had stepped in a puddle and scared itself, "It hurts because it's working. This is actually good medicine and not that watered down crap the medics try and conserve." "How would you know that," Ziggy questioned with as much fizzy sass he could muster with a handprint around his neck, one eye changing color around the edges from the sucker punch that laid him out, countless cuts and scrapes, and a possible concussion that Dillon was gonna be pissed about when he arrived at Skull's apartment in the next hour when he got off his sentry shift, "You steal it out of the medical wing?" "I grow my own herbs, actually. Having a background in Classics means I'm good at recollecting things that might actually be useful when I need them. They might not be fully up to code, but they usually work anyway." Callused fingers dipped into a glass jar and traced the bruising Skull had already gone over, adding a warm, clear liquid that clung to the scrapes and coloring that his skipping stone, underwater eyes kept wandering back to; the feeling cool as mint and the smell mixing in with whatever Skull was boiling in the fireplace on a chain--not entirely unpleasant, but it still had Ziggy squirming in discomfort of being doted on in any capacity. "I'm..." Ziggy started again, trying to ignore the itching behind the eyes when Skull moved into checking the marks around his neck, spider-like and delicate and kinder still than he had any right to be with someone he'd had to defend without being asked, hauled back to his own home and been made to feed and water and treat better than someone like Ziggy deserved. (He'd done so much for Ziggy already, from the moment the Red Sentry Captain had kept him from getting a thrashing by a Yellow Sentry when Ziggy had screwed up one time too many and mouthed off; from the man getting him transferred into Dillon's squadron under supervision from Commander Park with Skull checking in every couple of days; from bailing Ziggy and his friends and ordinary people out of fires

and floods and death holes the cursed spirits of Repulsa found them in too many times to count.)  "Yes?" Skull prompted, pausing to wipe his hands on a wet cloth and wrangle the kettle out of the fire. He poured something that smelled delicious into an adorable little leaf and butterfly embossed teacup on a saucer with two little sticks of shortbread on the side. "I'm fine," Ziggy finally got out as he took the offering, taking a sip of something spicy and warm before trying to continue through the stopping point in his throat, "I've had worse." Skull took a huge swig from his own cup like it was nothing more than a shot and looked directly at the boy he'd made his charge, regardless of whether it was a good idea at the time, "And that last bit is exactly why I know you're not fine." The young man tried, he really tried to contest that, but his eyes were wet now, and Skull raised his hand to stall anything his famous motor mouth could pour out into the air between them. "But you will be."

[residentanchor-writes]

Downside Ch. 2

Summary: Clyde tries his hand at ‘robbing’ a bank. << Chapter 1 Watch the animatic here. Check out the Downside au @robinsdownside! TW: Cursing, mental manipulation

Clyde was anxiously sitting in his trashy car in front of the bank. He wasn't too sure of the thing he was about to do. But he needed the money and he couldn’t crash at Remy’s place forever.

Checking his face in the rearview mirror again, he gladly noted that the makeup still hid his scales that seemed to like to appear more often on his face than anywhere else now. He also let his hair grow out quite a bit to hide them a little behind bangs that fell over the left side of his face. By now he nearly looked like an emo. Working with that style, he wore a gray scarf that hid the scales that had appeared on his neck as well.

Looking down on himself he wondered if his yellow shirt and black leather jacket were casual enough.

Yeah, probably. He was thinking too hard about this. Or not hard enough.

Breathing in through his nose and letting the air slowly out through slightly parted lips, he got out of his car. He could see his breath in the air in front of him. It has gotten pretty cold since he left his parents with the most valued things he had, including his pet snake, a few weeks ago.

With a faked confident walk as he squared his shoulders, he got closer to the glass door and stepped into the building.

He was extremely lucky, there were only three other people inside. Two women who worked there as the tellers and one man who was talking to the woman on the left, so Clyde went to the other teller on the right.

“Hello, sir. What can I help you with, today?” the brunette in the white blouse asked with a sweet smile.

Clyde put on as much charm as he could muster as he smiled back. “Hello there, I hope you're having a lovely day. I'm here to make a withdrawal.”

He was good at pretending to be a more likable person than he actually was. He always wanted to be an actor, but never went to any auditions for school plays because of his social status as one of the “cool kids” that smoked and drank alcohol behind the school. The entire thing was an act in his school days, but he was good at adapting to change.

“Very well, your name sir?”

“Oh, no.” He chuckled “I was under the impression that you just wanted to give it to me,” his smile widened a little.

The woman gave him an amused sound, taking it as a joke. Out of the corner of his eye, Clyde could see the other man leaving the bank. It was just him and the two tellers alone, now.

“Good one, sir, but this would be easier with a name,” The woman spoke with a chuckle. The other teller woman went into a back door and slipped away for the moment. Perfect.

“Well if you want to call me something, I think you could just go with Deceit,” He spoke with a calmness he wouldn’t have thought he could muster at this moment. He felt his hands shaking and start to sweat as he held down his nervousness.

The woman’s smile faltered a little. “Excuse me?”

Clyde looked back over her shoulder to make sure the other girl was really gone. Then, he looked back into the sweet face in front of him which got more confused by the second.

The perfect opportunity.

He looked in her deep blue eyes.

“You wanted to give me $50,000, right? That’s why I’m here.”

His left eye shimmered and glowed with a light yellow and he noticed the familiar sensation of an itch on his left forearm.

He still looked at the woman who stared back with a face he couldn’t quite put into place. It was nearly blank but still a little puzzled at his words.

That happened every time but he always felt the nervousness at that moment again and again. A million thoughts rushed into his head, like what if it didn’t work (again) or what if he phrased it wrong? Happens to the best, and this scenario was new to him.

This was the first time he did something really bad. Usually, he used his powers to get out of trouble for smaller things or to get free booze, but stealing $50,000 directly out of a bank, in bright daylight? That was insanity!

He had felt a weird sensation in his gut since he began ‘planning’ this. Honestly, this whole ‘rob a bank’ thing was an idea he and Remy had the night before while they were balls drunk in the basement of Rem’s parents. His parents that had no clue Clyde was even hiding there.

Rem was two years younger than him but was a pretty chill dude he had hung out with in school. He was the only one he could count on that wouldn’t snitch him out to anyone about his powers and where he was, because, well, he had powers too. Powers Remy’s parents weren’t very fond of, so they generally stayed away from the cellar.

The woman blinked as she awoke from a daze. The moment surely wasn’t longer than a second, but to Clyde, it felt like years.

The brunette locked eyes with him again and put her smile from the beginning back on.

“Of course, I remember now. It will only be a second, Mr. Deceit.”

--------

“Fuck! I did it!”

Clyde opened the basement door so fast he nearly broke it out of the old, rusty hinges. A very startled Remy, who looked like he had just been woken up, fought his way out of the blanket that had been lying on him.

He had been sleeping on his disgusting makeshift bed, which was made of just two stacked mattresses on top of the cold concrete ground. The basement looked like it should have been finished years ago but no one ever bothered to finish the job. At night, they took one of the mattresses off and slid it onto the floor next to the other so that Clyde didn’t have to sleep out on the bean bag. They had tried that the first night, but it resulted in a stiff back and a very grumpy Clyde in the morning.

Clyde-- er, Deceit moved a few steps forward, to click on the floor lamp that only had an old light bulb screwed on top and no lamp shade. The lightbulb was a normal, fluorescent bulb which somehow exclusively produced greenish light. Clyde had asked about that the second day he had stayed here but Remy too didn’t exactly know why either, not that he cared.

With the light, the messy room had become a little more visible. It was even dirtier than Clyde's old room had been, especially since he had moved in. They both didn’t really care enough to clean all the filthy clothes of the ground except when they ran out of fresh clothes, in which case Remy had to go upstairs with a decent sized pile that was unsuspicious to his parents since they didn’t have to know about Clyde’s existence in Remy’s room.

If they found out about the other kid with powers in their basement? That would mean massive trouble for both of them.

Remy’s guardians were already not on best terms with their son since he had intruded their dreams by accident on more than one occasion. They didn’t hate him but Remy had sometimes messed up their sleep so much that they were first confused what was happening, then they screamed at him to stop and at last, they started to get him out of the way.

He was ok with that. He was just in his basement room, enjoying his life without the worry that his parents would storm in.

But if they knew that he invited someone else to live at their house without their knowledge, they would be very mad. They would probably scream at him again and would call Clyde’s parents, even though he was actually old enough to live on his own, as a 19-year-old. Clyde just didn’t have the money to live on his own. He had been fired a few months ago from his job at the pet shop.

He had to leave his home weeks ago in order to hide his powers from his family as the scales became more and more obvious, so he came to the only one he knew that would at least understand.

It wasn’t much fun sleeping next to someone who had the ability to go into your dreams whenever both of them slept at the same time. Rem didn’t do it on purpose of course, the closer you sleep next to him the more likely it is that he just stumbles into your dream by accident. That's why he had to sleep in the basement, while his parents slept on the third floor. They simply wanted him as far away at night as possible.

What the two did all day now was lying around in the dirty cellar on the green bean bag and the mattresses and talked about everything and nothing. Somedays they played games on the old arcade machine Remy had or they had matches on his kicker, all while smoking pot or drinking beer Clyde brought back every time he went out.

But not this time. This time he brought something better. Money. And lots of it.

Remy tried focusing on the guy with the weird scales in front of him as he blinked the sleep from his eyes, “Wha-?”

Deceit ripped away the blanket and threw a full plastic bag him. It hit him in the chest, where you could read ‘Never SLEEP again’ on a gray shirt, and caused him to lay down again with the bag sitting on top of him.

“I said I did it! I actually did it, I stole the money!” Deceit stood proudly next to the ‘bed’, hands on his hips, with the broadest smile Remy had ever seen on the guy. It kinda creeped him out, to be honest.

Then the bank robber turned around into the direction of the old foosball table and lifted his arm triumphantly into the air and tilted his head back so he looked at the ceiling.

“Oh my god! I feel great! This was way better than drugs!” he screamed in euphoria.

Remy leaned up on his elbow and let the bag fall next to him on the bed.

“Flippin’ shut up, man! You're gonna wake the whole street shoutin’ like that.”

Deceit turned his head back to his friend, puzzled.

“It's 5 in the afternoon?”

“Oh really? I'm up early,” the sleepy head grinned.

Deceit made a face at him that could only have meant ‘you fu**king serious?’

Rem's eyes fell on the plastic bag next to him. With one hand he lifted a handle and looked inside. His eyes widened, only now had he realized what Deceit had actually done. He shot up straight on the mattress and put the bag on the ground so he could take a bundle of hundred dollar notes out. He ran a finger across the stop slowly as the reality of the situation began to sink in.

“Jesus Christ, you actually did it?!” he looked up shocked at the criminal who now faced him again. With the head movement, the green shade sunglasses that had apparently been lying on his purple dyed and messy hair the whole time he slept, fell onto his nose.

“Hell yeah, I did! And it was so easy too! Like stealing a lolly from a baby.”

The seventeen-year-old sitting on the mattresses gathered himself enough to get a little of his sass back.

“Clich��.” He looked back down to the pile of money. “Jeez, how much even is this?”

“50,000 bugs,” Dee’s eyes sparkled saying that.

“Holy shit. Holy shit, I can't believe it! I thought we were just joking around yesterday! We were drunk for fucks sake!”

Remy would have never thought that Clyde would actually do something this incredibly stupid. They just talked like idiots about how they could have anything they wanted if they used their powers more, not that he ever actually considered doing so.

“Come on, just imagine what we can do with that much money!” Deceit stepped closer to him, gesturing with his hands.

“With the stolen money.”

“No one knows that!”

“Babe, don't you think 50k will be missed? Where did you even get that from? The bank like we said?” he took his shades with his forefinger and thumb on the rim of the glasses and slid them down a bit so he could look into Deceit's eyes.

“Yeah and no, no one knows I took the money. I made sure the woman was the only one there and I just made her give it to me.”

“50k in cash. Someone will miss that! They’re going to notice that much missing! Did you think of the cameras?” Rem’s eyebrows furrowed as he put his shades back on properly.

“I do not like to repeat myself. She just handed it to me! It looks completely innocent on camera. And as far as she knows, that money belongs to me.”

Deceit got frustrated with his friend. Just the night before he also loved the idea and now he was lecturing him?!

“You can't keep the money here, babe. I'm not ok with that much stolen cash under my roof!”

“It will be gone soon anyway.” He tried again to reason. This was a good thing, why couldn’t he see it?

“You need to leave,” The voice sounded monotone.

Deceit’s shoulders fell. “What?”

“Clyde, sweetie, don’t get me wrong. I'm totally up for all kinds of stupid shit but that's a bit too far man and I really don't want to get in trouble because of you.”

“So, you're throwing me out?”

“You have enough money to rent a hotel room,” he said gesturing to the bag at his feet.

Deceit looked with disbelief into the green-tinted sunglasses that hid Remy’s emotions pretty well.

How could he just throw him out? He thought the other would be happy about the money. He would have even shared it with him for letting him stay here, but now…

He growled “Fine. I'll leave. I don't need you anymore anyway. I can do whatever I want without you. Just don't come crawling back to me when I'm ruling the city.”

“Sure thing rip-off Disney villain.”

“You've seen the last of me.”

With that Deceit took his luggage, bound the bag of money to it and lifted a small terrarium with Terrence in it under his arm and left the basement.

Remy let out a shaky breath into the stifling air of his room.

For a second there, he had been afraid that Clyde- no, Deceit would use his powers on him.

---- Chapter 3>>

[moonlit-han]

a sweet ride ↠ yang jeongin

genre: bad boy!jeongin, high school au, fluff word count: 3.5k warnings: swearing, mention of smoking & underage alcohol consumption, almost suggestive request: yes (yangomangos, prompt included: “Don’t cry.”) a/n: this one’s for the jeongin enthusiasts~ 

✧ masterlist & tag list info in bio ✧

↠↞

every morning as you wait outside your high school for classes to start

you hear the thunder of his motorcycle

it’s loud, mildly obnoxious, and occasionally spits out fumes

but you don’t care

you actually like the sound of the bike and how the vibrations rumble in ur chest

it’s a sleek black and built almost entirely by him: old chassis, long handle bars, and a satisfying growl as the engine ignites

if you stand too close when he pulls up in the parking lot in the morning, you can feel the vibrations coming through the pavement

(your mum would probably lock you in a tower only a knight could enter if she ever found out you’d been on a motorcycle

…..not that you’d been on one

yet (ﾟ▽ﾟ｀*)? )

the owner of that motorcycle is your high school’s one and only bad boy

♡･｡.:*.ﾟyang jeongin ﾟ.*:.｡･♡

(but please call him “I.N.” because he’s actually out of the preppy, popular crowd  ( ｀^´ ) )

he could ride that motorcycle straight through your heart and you wouldn’t care

okay maybe not your heart bc that would hurt (˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )

but definitely through your bedroom

that would be

f i n e (⊙‿⊙✿)

……….

all your friends cover their ears and turn away when jeongin pulls up

there isn’t a rule against a senior having a motorcycle and riding it to school

there are people who drive cars to school and that’s fine

he has a license and always wears a helmet

and he wears a thick leather jacket and heavy, black boots

(you’ve seen those boots

they look like they could stomp through concrete or smth)

there is no way he wouldn’t be safe

well, besides the fact that he rides a motorcycle

but you, still not caring, just kinda stare as he rides into the parking area in front of the school

he always does this cool lil swing into his designated “motorcycles only” spot

and then takes off his helmet

to do that fucking hair shake that you always see in movies

that can only mean “hot guy on a motorcycle”

fucking hell

oh and he then runs his fingers through his black hair

to make it appropriately ~windswept~

and, yes, he looks way too god damn hot

unnecessarily so in your humble opinion (๑`^´๑)

you almost flip your shit every morning just bc of him

he’s handsome like a fucking movie star

angled cheekbones, a defined nose and chin, a jawline so sharp it could ki— it could seriously hurt you

and don’t even start on his eyes

jeongin’s eyes are so dark you often wonder if they’re actually brown

if he looks at you in the halls, you immediately get the sense he could somehow see into your soul

and, judging by the dark aura he has, probably can

jeongin isn’t particularly horrible or anything, but he’s known throughout the school to, honestly, not give a flying fuck

about anything

he’s….a little chaotic

for example, he flouts any rule he doesn’t like

and he talks back if a teacher says something he doesn’t agree with

(this has lead to some very heated discussions in class

although, you were actually inclined to agree with him most of the time, since he usually brings up some good points and such

(it’s generally a good idea, you’ve mused on a regular basis, to treat people like human beings and not like machines only in existence to produce goods and perform services to a select few)

most of your classes are with him

and he’s really smart

like the kind of smart where he barely does any work but still passes the class with an A

i mean, who said he could do that??!!?!

who allowed such sorcery

heCk

and you know he’s passed all his courses

he may or may not occasionally smoke or drink behind the school but you know for a fact there are people who do much worse and nobody says anything about them

maybe it’s the leather

and the moodiness

but um;;;;; that’s kinda hot, you know?

you’re not really sure why people think he’s the “bad boy”...

you’ve never seen or heard him be mean or rude to anyone, so how bad can he be?

okay okay yes you’ve seen the knife hilts poking out of his boots

but who the fuck cares?!! ( • ̀ω•́ ) 

it’s not like he’s ever pulled them on anyone

that you know of

.............

OH

and you’re pretty sure he knows you kinda watch him, too

bc one day he parked his bike facing the school instead of away

and you were just ~there~ as usual

but feeling very alone and exposed

since your dumbass friends had all decided to abandon you in your hour of need by walking away just before he rode up

and then, like a herd of sheep, they all turned to watch you as he did

ahahah friends? what are they?! nah don’t need them;;;

so there you were standing out on the pavement

very obviously looking at him

w e l p  Σ(☉‿☉✿)Σ(☉‿☉✿)Σ(☉‿☉✿)

but, of course, he just had to look up

and this lil shit winked at you

actually winked

EXCUSE ME YANG JEONGIN

W H A T

;;;;;;;;;;;;

your friends teased you all day

“ooooh look it’s lover boy”

“shut up shut up shut up”

“but he just lookeD AT YOU”

“you’re lying”

“Y/N YOU FOOL”

“HHHHHHHH”

and it only gets worse from there (....um, you sure about that y/n?)

now whenever jeongin arrives in the mornings

he makes a point at looking over at you

you don’t always notice, unfortunately

and he ends up with a sad lil smile on his face bc he knows you’re having fun with your friends

but fuck!!!!

you’re just so!!! cute!!!!!

how can he not notice you??!!!

especially when you’re in all of his classes

and obviously watch for his motorcycle every morning

it makes him feel kinda cool, tbh

he’s also noticed that you like strawberries

a  l o t (≧◡≦)

as in, your backpack is a strawberry

you have strawberry pins on said strawberry backpack

your raincoat has a pattern of strawberries on it

your pencil case may or may not be a lil cat eating, yes, a strawberry

SO

jeongin being the smooth guy (he thinks) he is

gets you a strawberry sweetbread

and is all excited to give it to you

so after class on friday, he decides today’s his chance

(also, the sweetbread isn’t gonna last forever alfdjghafkgj)

aaaand you both try to walk out the door at the same time

which doesn’t work

but WOW YOU’RE NOW REALLY CLOSE TO HIM

jeongin: *vibrates*

ACTUALLY TOUCHING SHOULDERS

WHAT

…..fuck (￢_￢;)

and since when do you smell really good, too?? alkjhsjfghajhf

jeongin’s just a little overwhelmed, you know?

ANyWaY;;;;;;

y/n, blushing furiously: “oh my god sorry”

jeongin, spluttering: “no, no after you”

((oh wow his voice dropped since the last time you saw him

how is that even possible??? guys….))

after a couple tries back and forth through the doorway

(your teacher’s trying not to laugh in the background)

you finally both make it out of the classroom

and you start to speed walk away since your friends are waiting so you all can hang out

“hey, y/n!” comes down the hall after you

ALSDJHADJFLHG what ;;

you turn around quickly to find jeongin standing right behind you

“um, so i noticed you really like strawberries”

e x c u s e  m e (O_O);;;

first of all:

yang jeongin—your school’s super hot bad boy, the guy you’re only a little obsessed with bc he rides a motorcycle, the inexplicably brilliant student, and total badass—just spoke to you

WHAT

((really, Y/N?? r e a l l y?????))

second of all:

he’s holding something wrapped in absolutely adorable cat (and strawberry) wrapping paper

that’s completely against his aesthetic

but matches yours to a tee ( ◡‿◡ ♡)

huh….

“y/n?” *holds out package*

you have to mentally shake yourself a little

but you’re back now

hhhHHHH

“me?”

“Yeah, I got you this. I hope you like it.” (●´ω｀●)

“thanks?” you say a bit lamely

you take the package and get a whiff of sweetbread

s w e e t b r e a d!!!! (*♡∀♡)

ajfhakljfhgjdsfgh your fav

you’d half expected jeongin to blast on outta there asap

but now he’s just standing in front of you, just kinda shifting back and forth

wait…is he nervous??

you slowly unwrap the package, careful not to damage the wrapping paper

(you are so going to reuse it or hang it on the wall or something ajdsdjfg)

and inside is a rounded sweetbread with strawberries delicately placed on top amongst swirls of pink icing

you gasp quietly

fucking hell it’s the cutest thing you’ve ever seen

jeongin’s just watching you, a small smiling spreading across his face

(which you don’t notice bc  b r e a d)

you take a small bite of the treat and

。*:゜♡ヽ(*’∀’*)/♡゜:。*。

IT’S SOOOOO GOOD!!!!

you take another bite before looking up at jeongin and you finally see his smile

( ◡‿◡ ♡) (♡‿♡) (*♡∀♡)

it’s actually the best thing you’ve ever seen

there’s so much genuine happiness, and just a hint of mischievous mirth, in his smile

you feel like you’re looking into the sun, it’s so bright

why did jeongin, of all people get you, of all people, a sweetbread?

jeongin, completely unable to look cool anymore and shifting back and forth on the balls of his feet: “is it good?”

“OH MY GOD YES!!!”

and then you do something you never thought you’d do

ever

in the whole world ever

you throw your arms around yang jeongin’s neck

and give him a really big hug

his arms come up and around you to hug you back almost immediately,

which you were expecting even less than your own actions

but his hug is wonderful, even if he’s holding you like fine china

in a moment, you remember yourself and quickly step back

jeongin is blushing so much that he looks like a strawberry

(so good you just wanna eat him up (◕‿◕))

((y/n pls,,,,, not here....))

and you know you’re blushing just as much

you splutter an apology and run off down the hallway

and because you’re running off,

you don’t notice that jeongin is staring after

like a lovesick puppy (◕︵◕)

your friends are all over you about the sweetbread

bc they love it too

but you just say that you forgot you’d brought it with you that day

for some reason, you didn’t want to tell about your encounter with jeongin

when you get home, you savor the sweetbread,

remembering the warmth of jeongin’s smile~

the next friday, you’re outside at the picnic tables during lunch

it’s an absolutely beautiful day, with a light breeze~ (⌒ω⌒)

against the better judgement and fervent suggestions of your friends

you decide that it’s a great idea to get on top of one the tables

and dance

why?

someone had started playing ABBA’s “Dancing Queen”

no one can resist that song

so you’re having the time of your life

just dancing around on the table that your friends have since vacated bc they

a) don’t want to get kicked in the head, and

b) feel quite embarrassed to associate with you while you’re like this

......traitors (๑`^´๑)

and as anyone with an ounce of sense does when dancing to ABBA

you occasionally close your eyes in happiness

and suddenly you’ve stepped into air

your heart lurches and your eyes fly open 

and your mind goes completely blank with panic

but you never reach the ground

you’re now surrounded by the smell of leather, metal, and.....

boy

someone had saved you from falling

the arms holding you are strong and well-muscled

and, surprisingly, comfortable

“i’ve got you,” a voice murmurs

you look up into the face of none other than jeongin

(⊙__⊙✿) 

welp

you think to yourself “what... i thought he didn’t care about people??”

((nope y/n, he cares about YOU bc you’re the cutest and so lovely))

he smirks down at you, then sets you back down on the ground

“try to be more careful. okay, y/n?” he says, smoothing a wayward piece of your hair, then just walks off

you blush

(this seems to be becoming a common occurrence with jeongin)

and just stand there, dumbfounded

as jeongin saunters away to sit under a tree at the far end of the lawn

it’s a good saunter, and the tight, black skinny jeans only help (⊙ __ ⊙);;;;

your friends rush you, asking if you’re okay and asking what was up with jeongin

you say that you have no idea

......although, that’s not entirely true

since you now have a sneaking suspicion that *gasp* jeongin might have a crush on you?

maybe??

(hopefully!! (ﾟ▽ﾟ｀*)?) 

your friends just continue dithering as you stare at jeongin, who’s watching you right back

he winks

ALKJSDHGAKLDJFGADJKFGBADJF

you really wish he’d stop doing that bc it’s making your heart pound like a herd of horses and now yOu CAn’t EveN THinK

FUCK!!

later that day as school’s letting out

jeongin comes up to you, leather jacket slung over his shoulder

he’s got on a black t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up a couple times

and ooooooh my

you’d never noticed before

(well, besides during lunch when he caught you)

but yang jeongin has really nice arms

and pecs (⊙‿⊙)  

and now you’re staring (oh fuck,,,,, not again)

“uh;;;; hi, jeongin!” you manage to squeak out alkdjfhsldjf

“hey, i was wondering if you wanted a ride”

eXCusE Me wHAt??? ∑(ﾟﾛﾟ〃)

“on the motorcycle. i have an extra helmet, since my sister sometimes rides with me”

O H 

your mouth takes control before you even have time to think

“sure! i’d love to!!”

a minute later, you’re standing in front of that sleek, black motorcycle that you’ve admired for months

the young man riding it helps the matter quite a lot, too

there’s even this little carrier container on the back of the bike that he puts his (small) backpack into

he reaches out for yours and stows it

then, jeongin hands you a helmet with lime green racing stripes on its sides

you briefly wonder if his sister is anything like him

probably

“have you ever ridden a motorcycle before?” jeongin asks

you shake your head, unable to speak bc you’re so excited and also kinda nervous

your mom’s words fly through your head

don’t you dare get on a motorcycle, y/n. ever. don’t you dare! they’re too dangerous by half and— well, if i ever find out you’ve been on one, you won’t be allowed out of the house, except for going to school, for a month. you mark my words, y/n! (; ･`д･´)

you promptly ignore her voice in your head and slid the helmet down over your head

the world suddenly becomes slightly more vibrantly colored as the visor shields your eyes

jeongin had swung his long legs over the bike, straddling it with his feet still on the ground

“so, the important thing is to stay in line with me. what i mean is that if i lean to one side or the other, you’ve gotta lean with me. otherwise, we’ll fall over and that really wouldn’t be good. just hold on tight to my waist and, sorry i don’t mean to sound rude, but please don’t scream.”

jeongin looks only a little rueful as he says that

but you don’t blame him

you wouldn’t want someone screaming in your ears as you tried to concentrate either

“okay, right. lean with you. hold on tight,” you say

jeongin sits down, one foot still on the ground, and pats the seat behind him

“come on! take a seat—i promise you’ll be fine, y/n”

tentatively, you clamber onto the motorcycle behind jeongin

and wrap your arms around his waist

you can feel . . .

holy shit his abs feel like a fucking washboard

ExCuSE mE?????!!!! (＠_＠)

heCk

((y/n, pls. calm down;;; we know he’s got muscles))

so um,,,, yeah

it’s really actually quite comfy to lean against his back

but then hen he lays his hands over yours

and looking back over his shoulder says, “ready, babe?

B A B E

HHHHHHHHHHHH

***y/n has officially malfunctioned***

damn tho

this boy is bold as fuck

wow

you’re not exactly complaining

bc you now know that you like being called “babe”

it makes you feel special (✿◠‿◠)

and you like how it sounds coming from jeongin

you can tell jeongin is grinning under his helmet

“yep, i’m ready,” you manage to say

and then you feel and hear the thunder of the engine igniting

it’s exhilarating and you hadn’t even started moving yet

jeongin yells over the engine “hold on!”

in one smooth motion he kicks the kickstand up, brought his foot off the ground, released the brake and clutch

and then...

and then you feel like you’re flying

even though you’re not going 70 mph (113 kph)

the wind tears at your clothes

making you feel freer than you’d ever felt before~

you thought you’d guessed what it would feel like to ride on a motorcycle

but even your wildest imaginings couldn’t come close to reality

you hold on tightly to jeongin’s waist, feeling every shift of his body as he guides the motorcycle along the roads surrounding your school

all too soon you find yourself back in the parking lot of your high school

you don’t release your hold on jeongin until after he’s shut off the engine

jeongin takes off his helmet, shaking his hair as usual, and hangs it on a handlebar

then he turns on the seat

you lean back

but jeongin reaches out and gently removes your helmet to place it on the seat between the two of you

even without touching it, you could feel that your hair was mussed

so you shake out your hair, too

and immediately understand why jeongin does it

you feel strangely powerful and a bit sexy

it’s a fun, new feeling

jeongin smiles like you’re the loveliest flower he’s ever seen

and, for the second time that day, tucks a strand of hair behind your ear

“how was it?” he asks, a look of concern on his face

you beam, feeling infinitely more at ease around jeongin

“amaaaaazing!”

“yeah? oh, don’t cry, y/n”

“what? oh” you realize that you are, indeed, crying

you wipe the tears from your face

after all, they’re just tears of happiness

“jeongin, it was incredible, oh my god. can we do it again? please?”

he laughs, throwing his head back 

and you glimpse the dimple at the base of his throat

“maybe another day, babe” jeongin concedes

you pout

“oh, okay. thank you”

there’s a look in jeongin’s eyes that you can’t quite place

is it sadness? fondness? desire?

he exhales, then the corner of his mouth quirks up

you feel the warmth of his fingers caress your cheek

“y/n, may i kiss you?”

***yet again, we regret to inform you that y/n has malfunctioned***

what the ever loving flipping fuck

d— did jeongin just,,,,

did he?

ALKJHGALKJFHG;AKLHFGAKLJGHKAJH

“i’m sorry, i didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable” jeongin says in a rush, dropping his hand

shit.

SHIT!

“no no no!! it’s fine, yes. please. that’s fine. that would be— that would nice. yes, very nice.”

wow you sounded almost hysterical

“good,” jeongin says simply

and leans in to softly press his lips to yours

you immediately kiss him back

and feel him smile against your mouth

just a moment later, he draws back, respectful, a question in his eyes

you chase his lips, not wanting to waste the precious opportunity to actually be kissing the yang jeongin!!

his hands come up to cup your neck

and you rest your palm against his chest, feeling the trembling beat of his heart

he tastes like like elderberry and cinnamon and clove all wrapped into one intoxicating milieu 

you could kiss him for days and never tire

after what seems like hours, you break apart

“y/n,” jeongin begins

“oh just shut up and keep kissing me,” you say without hesitation, surprised at your own boldness (again)

it seemed that was becoming a habit around jeongin, too

he doesn’t bother responding

and, instead, kisses you until you’re breathless

again, you feel like you were flying

* . ∗ ̥ ⋆ ݃ *♡٩( ｡⌒▽⌒｡)۶♡* ݃ ⋆ ̥∗ . *

[matchasprouts]

Listen Closer - Chapter 7

[ no more writing like a madman! normal update times now wjhejhewbew also Strahm is joining the polycule ]

First || Next || Previous || Last

“We need to go pick up Amanda,” Mark explained to Garrett when he got the most tired yet spite filled glare he’d ever received, all because he had shaken him awake.

Garrett had stayed planted, asleep, in Mark’s lap throughout the rest of the game, which was only a little less than an hour. Even with the incredibly short nap, he still looked better rested than when Mark first showed up.

The apprentice groaned, burying his face in Mark’s neck for a few seconds, as if not being able to see would make it all go away. “... Fine,” he eventually said, sighing softly and picking himself up.

He almost smacked Mark for laughing when his legs tried to give out on him. “Oh shut up,” he growled, gathering up his clothes and getting redressed.

He paused when Mark started to do the same, taking a moment to admire his handiwork in the bite marks and hickeys he’d left. He didn’t usually get the chance to see the marks he’d created, so he was simply soaking it in.

As soon as Mark looked at him, he looked away and finished making himself presentable again.

He didn’t hear Mark chuckle at his embarrassment.

---

“Took you two long enough,” Amanda complained as Mark and Garrett made their way to the bathroom, Garrett tilting his head at the sight of Daniel.

“Are you sure you’ll be fine staying here for another whole day?” Garrett asked her, hoisting the unconscious teenager up and over his shoulder, securing him with an arm over his back and another over the back of his knees.

Amanda scoffed at the concern, which made him narrow his eyes at her. “I’m a big girl, I can handle myself. Besides, we don’t have any other options. We don’t know when Mathers will show up.”

She was right, but Garrett still didn’t like it. Daniel was going to wake up at any point though, so he didn’t have time to argue. “Whatever. Be careful,” he told her, glancing down at Adam’s body before he headed out.

As he placed Daniel in the back seat of his car, he thought back to Adam. He remembered him being alive and in need of medical help. Lawrence had told him that when Jigsaw found him, he had been trying to go and get help for Adam.

Garrett had planned on being that help.

He knew Adam was still alive when he planned to go back for him, he even made sure to check. But, when he finally got down there, Adam was dead. Not from starvation or dehydration- strangulation.

There was a plastic bag around his head and face, filled up with his blood. It was awful. Adam hadn’t deserved to die, he managed to survive all that time just to end up like this.

He couldn’t even be buried, or moved. The bathroom would forever remain his tomb.

That was the night Garrett grabbed the simply white lighter that he kept on him now. The fluid had long since evaporated, so it was truly useless, but it was the lighter that let him see Adam.

Maybe it wasn’t smart to keep the ghost of a man he’d failed to save with him, but this was his version of feeling guilty for not being fast enough.

Garrett shook those thoughts away as he sat down in the driver’s seat.

It wasn’t long before Mark joined him, awkwardly settling down in the slightly too small passenger’s seat and pulling off his thick, leather gloves. It wasn’t likely that Mathers would be smart enough to bring back-up with him, or that anyone would know where he was going, but you could never be too careful in the Jigsaw business.

“You’re fitting into your role well,” Garrett commented once they were on the road, absentmindedly reaching up to scratch the bite that Mark had managed to leave on his neck.

Almost immediately, Mark grabbed his hand and placed it back on the steering wheel. “I’ll admit, this was definitely not how I planned on my life going,” he replied, letting his hand fall back into his lap. “I don’t think any detective plans to become a killer.”

“By technicality, we’re not killers,” Garrett corrected, thinking back to the time Lawrence gave the same speech to Adam. “We just put them in the traps. We give them every chance to get out, and if they choose not to take it, then all they’ve done is kill themselves. Humans inherently want to live. They just forget that sometimes, and we have to remind them.”

Mark just stared at him. “Do you know how apathetic you sound?” he teased, earning a light slap on the arm from Garrett. “I guess you’re right, though.” He didn’t know if Garrett knew about his “trap”, the one he set up for his sister’s killer. The one that was purposefully inescapable.

Not that it would matter if Garrett knew or not, because he would support it. He had a little sister of his own back home in the south, one he would kill for without hesitation. He understood. Murder was just necessary sometimes.

It wasn’t long before they arrived at the current Jigsaw “base”, the one they were using for Mathers’s part of the game.

“You sure you’re okay with putting coworkers in traps?” Garrett asked Mark as he hoisted Daniel onto his shoulder again once they were parked in front of the building. “I mean, Mathers and Kerry are in this.” He only knew either of those people from John’s research, but he knew that they were on the Jigsaw force with Mark.

“I’ve been hoping I won’t be the one to test either of them,” Mark admitted, walking ahead of Garrett to open the doors for him, so he wouldn’t have to risk dropping Daniel. “I know I probably will but… I don’t want to think about it.”

Wow. He cared so much more about his coworkers than Garrett did. He was already planning a trap for the people he worked with.

Garrett hummed at Mark’s reply, leaving it when they entered the main room where John wanted Daniel. “Alright, you go set up the oxygen tank, I need to check all the monitors and make sure they’re set up right.” Mark nodded, and he set Daniel down in the closest chair, heading over to another room to check out the monitors.

The monitors in this room wouldn’t have the tape in them, since they would find it almost immediately, so they were instead connected to the monitors in the apartment. Did Garrett understand how? No. He didn’t ask. He doesn’t care. He just needed to make sure it worked, and he knew how to do that.

When he was done, he returned to Daniel, grabbing him as Mark opened up the safe. He placed the teenager in the safe, curled up and probably uncomfortable, before placing the oxygen mask over his mouth.

Once secure in the knowledge that Daniel would not suffocate, he closed the safe.

“And that’s all we can do,” Garrett said as he moved away from the safe, checking over a few last things before leaving the building. He reached the car before Mark, but only had to wait about a minute before he joined him in the car.

Garrett started the car, but didn’t start moving yet. “So, anywhere you want me to drop you off? I’ve gotta go home- I’ve got shit to do- but I know the city pretty well and can take you just about anywhere.”

Mark just stared at him for a few seconds, thinking over how he should answer. He was silent for like a whole minute, long enough for Garrett to get on the road, before finally responding.

“Can I just go home with you?”

Garrett almost crashed the damn car.

“You- you can say no, it won’t hurt my feelings or anything, I just figured it would easier-”

“Yeah man, I’m cool with that.”

There was silence again, before Mark did that curious little head tilt of his. “Really? You’re sure that’s okay?” he asked, completely unsure if he actually meant it or not.

Garrett shrugged. “Yeah. I mean, you’re cool, and you’ve already literally seen me naked, so I’ve really got nothing against it. I just wasn’t expecting it.”

It was rather out of the blue, of course it caught him off guard. But, he said it was okay, so Mark assumed his apartment was where they were headed.

---

“I think I have pizza in the fridge if you’re hungry,” Garrett said as he opened the door to his apartment, already knowing that the gossip would hit him hard tomorrow. “Don’t bother trying to find any sort of alcohol, I don’t drink.” Yes, he knew Mark was an alcoholic for a while.

Mark rolled his eyes at the mention of it, but did seem surprised to learn that Garrett didn’t drink.

He pulled off his jacket after carefully closing the door, hooking it on the jacket stand next to the door. He glanced around the room, even more surprised that Garrett’s apartment was incredibly clean and organized.

“Yep, there’s pizza in here.” Garrett’s voice snapped Mark out of his thoughts, turning to watch as his fellow apprentice placed a pizza box on the kitchen counter, opening it up and grabbing a slice that he straight up bit into cold.

“Well, make yourself at home. I have some trap plans I need to work on,” he continued, pulling Mark down by the tie to kiss him on the cheek before moving past him into his bedroom.

If he wanted to be left alone, he probably shouldn’t have touched Mark, because now he was following him to the bedroom, and closing the door behind him.

It was going to be a long night if this keeps happening.

[fanimesenseiwrites]

Hoshiko dealing with depression and their own mortality. Brothers worried. Cute times. Sexy times in part 2.

Existential Crisis (pt. 1)

"... I'm so glad you've returned to us."

"I wish I could stay forever..."

Lucifer's words as well as their own echoed around in Hoshiko's head as they drew a bath for themself.

Hoshiko had just returned to the Devildom, to their family, so why weren't they happy? Why couldn't they get this feeling of dread out of their head?

They were pulled from their thoughts when they heard the bedroom door open. Hoshiko walked out of the bathroom and into their bedroom.

"Hey! There you are!" Mammon exclaimed from where he was standing in the doorway.

Hoshiko smiled at him. "Hey, I was just about to take a bath."

He pouted. "I want to hang out with you though."

"So come on in and hang out with me."

"... okay. " he walked in cautiously and closed the door behind him. "It's just you in here?"

"Yeah," They told him as they started to undress.

He blushed and glanced away. "So, uh..."

"Why don't you take a bath with me?" Hoshiko suggested.

He looked at them. "You sure?"

"Yeah, you're not Asmo," they joked.

"Yeah, I'm way better than him..." he told them as he shrugged off his leather jacket.

Hoshiko chuckled and went to check on the bath, they added some bubble soap.

Mammon walked into the bathroom when he was down to just his boxers. "You really want me to take a bath with you?" He asked, a little nervous.

"Yes, I really do," Hoshiko told him as they put their hair up in a bun on top of their head.

"Okay." He slipped off his boxers and got into the tub.

Hoshiko got in after him and turned off the water before leaning back against him so that their back was touching his chest.

"... there's a lot of bubbles in this bath," Mammon commented awkwardly.

"Have you never taken a bubble bath before?" Hoshiko asked him.

"Uh, no. That's more of an Asmo thing."

"Well that's kinda exciting that your first one is with me." Hoshiko grabbed his hand and laced their fingers together.

"Yeah..." he looked at their hands.

"Mammon, you're too quiet. What's wrong?"

"What? Nothing's wrong."

"You promise?"

"Yeah, yeah."

Hoshiko leaned their head back so that they could look at his face. "Do you like me?"

He looked at them. "What? Yeah I like you. What the hell kind of question is that?"

"Do you like me enough to want to hang out with me forever?"

He blushed. "Forever?"

"Yeah... I don't want to leave..." They looked back down at the bubbles.

He wrapped his arms around Hoshiko. "Then don't leave."

Hoshiko gripped his arms with both of their hands. "But I also can't stay, at least not as I am. I may be here now but I'll get old and I won't last... but all of you won't change, while I grow old and die. If I'm to age like that, I'd rather it be done in the human world where everyone will change with me..."

Mammon squeezed them tighter. "So... we just gotta make you immortal. Easy," his tone was somber.

Hoshiko chuckled softly. "Yeah, if only it were."

Mammon sighed and rest his cheek against the side of Hoshiko's head.

They sat in the tub quietly until the water got cool.

"... we should get out, " Hoshiko eventually decided.

"Yeah..." Mammon let go of them and Hoshiko stood up and grabbed a towel.

They stepped out of the tub and dried off before handing another towel to Mammon.

He stood up and took it. "Thanks." He dried off and stepped out of the tub.

Hoshiko pulled the plug in the tub before going into the bedroom and pulling out a night gown and slipping it on.

Mammon put his boxers back on first, then went to grab the rest of his clothes.

"Will you just stay with me tonight?" Hoshiko asked him, their voice small and unsure.

Mammon looked at them. "Yeah." He put his clothes back down on a chair.

Hoshiko climbed into bed.

Mammon turned off the light and then climbed into bed with Hoshiko.

They snuggled up to him.

He pulled the blanket around them before wrapping his arms around Hoshiko.

Hoshiko fell asleep easily in his arms.

Mammon fell asleep pretty quickly too.

Hoshiko woke him up in the morning with a kiss.

"Mm..." he kissed back when he woke up. "Mornin'..."

Hoshiko smiled. "I've got breakfast duty this morning so I'm getting up." They sat up and stretched. "You should go to your room before Lucifer wakes up."

He groaned. "Okay..." he still didn't move though.

"Mammon..." Hoshiko whined and shook him.

He grinned and pulled Hoshiko back into a laying position, holding them tightly to keep them from getting back up.

Hoshiko squealed. "Mammon!"

He laughed and kissed them.

Hoshiko kissed back but pulled away quickly. "Come on, we have to get up, really."

He groaned. "Fine..."

They pulled the covers off of them.

He got up so that Hoshiko could get up.

"Thank you." They got up and got ready for school.

Mammon put on his clothes from the night before.

Hoshiko hugged him before he left the room. "Thanks for staying with me last night."

"No problem," He told them as he hugged back. "You should get started on breakfast before Lucifer gets onto you... or worse, Beel."

They laughed. "Yeah." They pulled away and headed to the kitchen.

Mammon went back to his room to put his school uniform on. He headed back down to the kitchen once he was dressed.

Hoshiko had already made an obnoxious amount of pancakes.

"I don't know that I'll ever get used to seeing your human food..." Mammon commented as he grabbed a pancake from the stack and then ate it as it was.

"But you're fine eating it?" Hoshiko asked teasingly.

"Yeah, you're a good cook," he said with his mouth full of pancake.

They chuckled and shook their head. They got a pot of coffee started before going back to the stove to scramble an ungodly amount of eggs.

Beelzebub was the next brother to come into the kitchen. "Oh it smells delicious~"

"Stop," Hoshiko commanded right before he grabbed some food.

He stopped in his tracks but then pouted. "Why?"

"Is Belphegor awake?"

"Uh, I tried to get him up but-"

"No buts. Go get him up and then you can come eat. Tell him he won't like it if I have to come up there."

Beel pouted and went back upstairs begrudgingly.

Satan and Lucifer were the next ones downstairs.

"Good morning Satan, Lucifer~ there's coffee ready for y'all," Hoshiko told them as they set the food out on the table.

"Thank you," Lucifer replied politely.

"You're an angel," Satan told them before going to get coffee.

Hoshiko smiled slightly as they set out silverware.

Beelzebub walked back into the dining room alone, soon after.

Hoshiko looked at him. "Where's Belphie?"

"Uh, he said that he wasn't afraid of you and then rolled over to go back to sleep..." he told them sheepishly.

Hoshiko narrowed their eyes. "I see."

Lucifer sighed and started to head back upstairs.

Hoshiko grabbed his arm to stop him. "Don't worry about it. I've got it. You sit and eat."

Lucifer looked at them. "Really?"

"Yes." They looked at Beel. "Thank you anyways, you can go ahead and eat."

He grinned and immediately sat down to eat.

Hoshiko went upstairs and went to Beelzebub and Belphegor's room. They walked in and closed the door behind them before walking straight to Belphegor's bed. "Belphie~ it's time for breakfast~" They sang sweetly.

He groaned quietly but otherwise didn't respond.

Hoshiko sat next to him on the bed and shook him gently. "Belphie~ If you don't get up I'm going to tickle you~"

"... you wouldn't..." Belphegor's reply came from underneath the covers.

"You really wanna try it?" Hoshiko asked, their voice daring, ready to take up the challenge.

He moved the covers off of him enough to glare at them. "Why are you being mean?"

"I actually saved you from Lucifer coming to get you up so, you're welcome."

He sighed and pulled the covers off of himself.

Hoshiko leaned over and kissed him sweetly.

"Mm..." he kissed back. "That's how you should wake a guy up."

Hoshiko rolled their eyes before smiling at him. "Come on. Get up."

He nodded and sat up.

They stood back up. "I'm gonna go check on Asmo and Levi. Breakfast is ready downstairs. You better get down there before Beel eats it all."

He chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, thanks." He got up and started to get dressed.

Hoshiko only left the room once they saw him getting ready.

Asmo was coming out of his room just as Hoshiko was coming out of Beel and Belphie's.

"Oh good, you're awake," Hoshiko stated once they saw him.

Asmo smiled brightly at them. "Of course I'm awake, it takes time to look this good."

"What are you talking about? You always look perfect," Hoshiko told him with a smile.

Asmo beamed. "Oh you're too sweet!" He hugged and kissed Hoshiko.

They kissed back briefly. "Go get some breakfast. I gotta drag Levi out of bed."

Asmo chuckled. "Okay. Good luck~" he told them as he sauntered off.

Hoshiko went into Levi's room and found him asleep in his gaming chair. They sighed and walked over to him and stroked his cheek. "Leviathan, wake up," Hoshiko sang.

"Huh...?" He cracked his eyes open. He jumped and blushed when he saw Hoshiko right in front of him. "H-Hoshiko! W-why are you in here? And so close?" He whined.

Hoshiko grinned at him. "I'm waking you up. You need to get ready for school."

He just nodded, still blushing.

Hoshiko moved away and gathered his uniform for him.

Levi stood up. "You don't have to do that."

Hoshiko shrugged. "I want to. I want to do stuff for you."

"But... why?" Levi asked as he pulled off his jacket and laid it on his chair.

"I just do. It's how I show people I care," they told him as they looked through all his ties for one that wasn't wrinkled. "Do you have a tie that isn't wrinkled?"

"Uh... I don't know..." Levi told them honestly as he changed into his school shirt.

Hoshiko groaned. "Do I need to buy you one of those special hangers just for ties? Should I steam all your ties for you?"

Levi looked at them. "Why would you do all that for me? I don't even wear the tie usually."

"But its part of the uniform! There's a reason you have a uniform!" They suddenly snapped.

Levi shrank back, equally surprised and scared by their sudden outburst.

Hoshiko sighed and ran a hand over their face. "I'm sorry... I'm not actually upset about your uniform."

"Then what are you upset about?" Levi asked tentatively.

"It's nothing, you don't wanna hear about my stupid human problems..." They told him as they left his room and headed back downstairs.

Levi frowned but just finished getting dressed.

Hoshiko just went and filled up a travel mug with coffee when they got back downstairs, not bothering with breakfast.

"Aren't ya gonna eat?" Mammon asked Hoshiko.

"No, I'm not really hungry. I'm just gonna head to RAD."

Satan stood up from his seat at the table. "I'll walk with you. I have to return a book to the school library before class anyways," he explained.

Hoshiko nodded. "Sounds good."

They both grabbed their bookbags before they left, leaving the other brothers behind for the moment.

They walked to school together quietly.

Right before they walked into the school, Hoshiko stopped and looked at Satan.

He stopped and looked at them as well. "Is everything alright?" He had been concerned about how quiet they had been on the walk to school.

"You know that I love you, right?" Hoshiko asked him.

He blushed. "Uh, I suppose I knew..."

Hoshiko nodded. "I do. I love you and appreciate you and I'm glad I've met you."

He furrowed his brow and grabbed their hand. "Is everything alright?"

"What? I can't just tell you that I love you?"

"Of course you can, your tone is just... concerning."

They nodded and looked away from him. "Sorry..." They pulled their hand away and started to walk away.

Satan grabbed their hand again quickly. "I love you too," he confessed quickly, a slight blush staining his cheeks.

Hoshiko smiled at him. "I'm glad to hear it."

He nodded.

"Come on, let's go to homeroom."

"Yes, let's do that." He kept holding their hand while they walked to homeroom. He hadn't forgotten about his book, but he felt it was best to not leave Hoshiko alone at the moment.

When they got into the classroom, Satan sat down in his usual seat and sent Lucifer a quick text, asking to talk later.

After the student council meeting that afternoon, Hoshiko stayed behind to talk to Diavolo.

"I'll wait for you outside," Lucifer told them.

"I'd actually prefer if you didn't, " Hoshiko told him.

"And I'd prefer if you didn't walk home alone," he told them, his voice stern and his brows furrowed.

Hoshiko narrowed their eyes at him.

"I will make sure Hoshiko gets home safely," Diavolo interjected.

Lucifer looked at him and nodded. "Alright. Thank you." He left and went home.

Diavolo closed the door behind Lucifer and looked at Hoshiko. "Now what did you want to talk to me about?"

Hoshiko sighed. "I think I need to go home..."

Diavolo frowned. "Really? But you just got here."

"I mean, not right this second. I just don't think I should be here anymore..."

"Okay, but why?" He reached out to touch their hands.

Hoshiko let him, and actually grabbed his hands in return. "I... it's not that I actually want to go but I just can't stay... the longer I stay the worse it'll be on everyone when I..." They looked down at their hands.

"When you do have to leave," Diavolo finished for them.

"Uh, yeah..." They swallowed thickly.

He nodded. "But its not anything any of the brothers have done, right?"

Hoshiko looked at him. "Absolutely not. They've all been really good actually. I love spending time with them. I love them..." They teared up. "I love them so much I don't want to hurt them."

"You know it will hurt them when you leave."

"I know..." Hoshiko whined, hating the fact that he was right. "But it's also going to hurt when I grow old and die and you all stay the same," they cried.

Diavolo frowned. "You're awfully young to be thinking about death."

"If I don't think about it, it'll sneak up on me."

Diavolo just nodded. "You know everyone wants you to stay, myself included. Would you consider staying a little longer?"

Hoshiko sighed. "Yeah, I'll think about it."

Diavolo nodded. "I'll give you time to do so. Now let's get you home before Lucifer starts to worry."

"Let's be real, he's already worrying."

Diavolo laughed. "You're probably right."

Hoshiko grinned as they wiped the tears from their cheeks. "Come on, let's go."

They both walked to House of Lamentation together.

Part 2

[kumeko]

A/N: For the End of the Universe Zine, I wanted to explore a small story in a dystopian world

Summary: In a dystopian world, Keith took his small pleasures. His drives while dropping illegal goods. His ever-complaining mechanic and his low repair prices. The rare night with Shiro. He didn’t need more than that.

He definitely didn’t need Shiro’s dreams of saving everyone, of saving anyone.

…

…

…

…

“Jeez.” Hunk squatted down next to the dented motorcycle, his hand hovering over the metal like he didn’t know where to touch. Horrified, he looked up at Keith. “What’d you do this time?”

“Nothing unusual.” Keith shrugged, his hands in his leather jacket. Considering how fast he had driven to reach here, his black clothes stuck to his skin uncomfortably and he really wanted a shower. “You know how it is.”

“I don’t.” Hunk tied a dirty bandanna around his head. Keith was never sure if that was to protect his hair or if he just thought it looked cool; if it was the former, judging by the dirty overalls and grease stains on his face, it was a failed effort. “I thought transporters had to be careful.”

“Careful and quick,” Keith corrected, walking over to a side table. Pushing away the cigarette butts and bottle caps, he picked up a newspaper. Replicants Stage Coupscreamed the top headline. “And even then it’s hard to avoid the government dogs.”

Hunk tapped the side of the motorcycle and the pedal fell off with a loud clatter. Groaning, Hunk shot Keith a baleful glare. “Why? I give you a great bike and every single time you break it.”

“It’s either that or my life,” Keith pointed out. He flipped through the newspaper quickly, scanning headlines. Issues with the current president, interest rates rising again, a food shortage with no end. The same old fare, nothing at all unusual about the headlines. When Hunk didn’t say anything, he rolled up the paper with a sigh. “Sorry. I’ll be more careful next time.”

“…that’s what you always say,” Hunk grumbled, accepting the apology nonetheless. Pulling out his tool kit, he sat down next to the bike. “It’ll take a day or two to get in top condition.” Pointing a wrench at a grey box perched on a chair, he added, “Oh, and deliver that to Pidge while you wait.”

“Huh?” Keith crossed his arms. “Why would I do that?”

“Because you’re a transporter?” Hunk rolled his eyes. “It’ll be the easiest job you’ve had. Nothing dangerous inside, no one chasing you. Just do it.”

Keith raised a brow. “And how much are you paying me?”

“I’m fixing your bike.” He tapped the back threateningly with the wrench. “You wanna get stuck here forever?”

“Fair point.” Picking up the box, he almost dropped it in surprise. Considering his job, Keith was pretty strong but that would just barely help him with this package. “What do you have in here? It weighs a ton.”

“Spare parts, an engine to take a part, the usual things.” Already in work mode, Hunk absentmindedly waved him off. “Just get it to her today, she has a client.”

-x-

The streets were as dirty and crowded as ever, with throngs of people flowing to and from work. Or to and from the pleasure district, to be exact. Popup shops crowded every corner, offering anything from drugs to weapons to the latest stolen technology. Neon-coloured signs hung off various buildings, enticing pedestrians to enter.

Keith pushed his way forward, his gaze firmly fixed in front of him. He hadn’t missed any of this while he was on the road. There wasn’t really anything keeping him here, fixed to this city. Hunk was a great mechanic but they were a dime a dozen, one in every town. No, to be exact, every town was the same. The same grey, the same dirt, the sense of loneliness and loss.

A world in greyscale. The only time he saw colour was when he was racing down the highway, an illegal package in his satchel.

-x-

The bells chimed as he entered Pidge’s repair shop. A small space, squeezed into the very end of a depilated building, Keith had walked past it three times before spotting it. Inside, the white shelves were lined with the latest in limb replacements, fine technology that actually made it better to lose a body part than to have it.

“In the back,” Pidge called out cheerfully, followed by the sound of metal clicks. She was with a customer then.

“I swear your place gets smaller every time I come,” Keith said dryly. A lightbulb flickered as he made his way to the back room. Even the space between the shelves felt narrower than the last time he came.

“Or you’re just getting fatter,” Pidge shot back, a pleasing lilt to her voice. Someone was in a good mood today.

“Like that’s possible.” Keith snorted, waving a package as he entered Pidge’s unofficial clinic. “Hunk wanted you to have this.”

At one point, the room had probably been a manager’s room or something like that. Now there were curtains on windows and a long bed for the particularly strenuous limb repairs. Not that Pidge’s current operation seemed like one of those. Seated on a worn-out chair, she had her latest patient sitting across from her, his mechanical arm in her lap. A man with a streak of white hair. He glanced up and Keith almost forgot to breath.

Shiro.

Shiro was back.

“Must be the parts I ordered.” Still tinkering with the arm, Pidge glanced over her shoulder. “Just put it on the table, I’ll take a look after.”

“Sure.” Keith tore his eyes away from Shiro long enough to set the box down. Shiro was back. Trying not to sound overeager, he asked, “What happened to you?”

“The usual.” Shiro winced as Pidge tried to reconnect the arm. “There was a trap. We almost got caught.”

“And then your hand got caught instead,” Pidge chimed in, closing an eye as she examined her handiwork. “What’s this, the tenth replacement? There’s a reason you’re my best customer.”

“Eleventh,” Shiro corrected with a sheepish smile.

“Ugh. It’s a good thing I don’t paste my name on these babies, otherwise I’d be dead right now.” Pidge grimaced. Somehow, Keith didn’t think that would save her for too long. Her work was too advanced, too impressive, and all it’d take was a couple of questions to find out just who made the rebellion’s general’s arm.

Taking a deep breath, Keith finally turned around and gave Shiro a proper once over. Dressed in a tank top and sweat pants, it was easy to see that there were no injuries on him. There wasn’t any blood or bandages. A relief, considering it all. It was a rare time when Shiro got away with just a broken prosthetic. Noticing his stare, Shiro smiled. “We didn’t lose anyone, at least.”

That wasn’t what he was worried about. At all. Keith crossed his arms, his eyes roving over Shiro’s biceps, his well-defined chest, and trying not to remember what it felt like to have that body curled over his. To have those hands on him. “I didn’t think you did. There was nothing in the newspapers.”

“Yeah, I guess they’d mention it if they caught us.” Shiro lowered his gaze. “Especially if they caught Allura. The rebellion would be over in an instant.”

“Rebellion.” Pidge clicked her tongue, finally setting down her tools. “You’re making it sound better than just a rag-tag of people who still think they change something.”

“We can,” Shiro answered simply.

No, you can’t, Keith thought, and perhaps more so than the world they lived in, that was the real tragedy: hope.

-x-

This wasn’t love. This was sex, pure and simple. A raw need, a primal urge. A way to forget the present. A way to feel something other than despair.

Keith bit Shiro’s throat, feeling the resulting rumble tremor through this body. Shiro’s hand interlaced in his. His nails scratched on Shiro’s back. All he could smell was Shiro’s musky scent. All he could feel was Shiro’s touch. Nothing else existed—not the road, not the government, not the possibility of death.

“Keith,” Shiro moaned, but Keith didn’t say anything back. He refused to.

This wasn’t love and therefore, he didn’t have anything to lose.

-x-

Through the half-open blinds, neon lights spilled into Keith’s bedroom. It was a spartanly furnished room, consisting of just a bed and a table. And now, Shiro, who was lying face down in a pillow to block out the light. The pinks and oranges from the street signs painted Shiro’s pale back and Keith traced familiar patterns over the many scars that littered his partner’s skin. The one on his shoulder blade, from when he’d been thrown in prison for eight months. The one on his side, from when a gun had almost hit his stomach.

Propping his head up on his hand, Keith idly touched the scar on Shiro’s lower back. Hearing Shiro’s breathing change, Keith asked, “Why do you fight?”

For a long moment, he thought Shiro was going to pretend to be asleep. Instead, he finally turned over, the sheets tangling up around his legs as he stared up at Keith. His single white lock glowed in the dim light. “Because it’s the right thing to do.”

“There’s no right, not anymore. Not here.” Keith dismissed the argument entirely. That was old world crap. His nail scratched line left by a blade on Shiro’s chest.

“There’s always a right. Especially here, especially now,” Shiro countered, grabbing Keith’s hand. “If I don’t fight, then who will?”

“Someone else.” Keith lowered his eyes. They had this same discussion every time, this useless argument that never changed anything. Soon, Shiro would disappear again, off on some doomed rebellion plot or the other. Maybe he’d die this time, his picture plastered on the photos.

“There’s no one else.” Shiro tightened his grip, interlacing their hands. “Just us.”

And maybe that was true too. But Keith wouldn’t stay around to find out—if he was going to be left again, he might as well leave first. There was always something that had to be transported, some job that needed doing. He’d find one as soon as his bike was fixed.

Instead of answering, he pressed his lips on Shiro’s chest, his hand already reaching down. At least during sex, he didn’t have to think these useless thoughts.

-x-

“All done.” Hunk proudly wiped his greasy hands on a dirty towel and Keith wasn’t sure if his hands or the towel were dirtier than before. Holding onto the handlebars, he glared. “At least give it a few weeks before you break it.”

“No promises.” Prying the bike free, Keith gave it a once over. It looked almost new, except for the scratch on the side. “Impressive.”

“Of course it is! Who do you think you’re talking to?” Excited, Hunk tapped on the engine. “I also spruced up the engine a bit—it’ll go a little faster than before.”

“Nice.” Sling his leg over, Keith slipped onto the seat. Turning the key, the engine purred under him. “I’ll take it for a test spin.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll count the cash.” Hunk picked up the metal box Keith left by his workbench. “It’s all here, right?”

“Yep, paid in full.” Keith revved the engine and closed his eyes. Yeah, that sounded right. “Got a job lined up for tomorrow, so you finished just in time.”

“I finished exactly on time—I said I’d be done now!” Hunk rolled his eyes, popping open the box.

Pulling out of the garage, Keith felt his mood brighten. There was something about the open road, about the one thing, the one place where he wasn’t restricted. There was freedom in flying down the road, the wind in his hair, and nothing but an archaic vehicle to keep him safe. It was a simple happiness.

There weren’t too many of those anymore.

-x-

Shiro was still at his place when he returned, and that was an oddity. Keith had almost expected to find an empty bed, their usual arrangement. Instead, Shiro was brazenly sitting on his kitchen table, drinking a cup of coffee.

“You’re here,” Keith said, more a statement than a question.

Shiro looked just as surprised as he felt. “I thought you left.”

“I had to grab some supplies.” Keith set his helmet on the table. Shiro was drinking from the wolf mug. His favourite mug. Did Shiro know that?

“Oh.” Shiro’s fingers curled around the table’s edges. “I was just about to leave.”

“It’s fine.” Keith entered his bedroom. It was funny. Shiro’s scent still lingered on his sheets. Picking up his first aid kit, he glanced back at the kitchen. At Shiro’s back, at the weariness in his shoulders.

It wasn’t that easy to be optimistic, was it. It wasn’t easy at all. His feet moved automatically and before he knew it, his hand was on Shiro’s shoulder, squeezing it gently.

“Keith?” Shiro asked, looking up curiously.

“I’ll help,” Keith muttered. A pile of newspapers was stacked in the corner, remnants of him checking for any rebel news. Any sign that Shiro had died. He did that every time he arrived at a city and maybe it was time he stopped lying to himself. It wasn’t love but he would be heartbroken nonetheless if he just read about Shiro’s death and did nothing to stop it. Maybe he could show the futility of it all and drag Shiro out of the mess entirely.

“Keith…” Shiro smiled at him brightly and Keith swallowed.

It wasn’t love.

Maybe, if he said it enough times, his body would believe him.

[dinosaurtsukki]

haikyuu!! characters and their fave musicals

pretty much an hc’s for funsies type of thing. which characters are absolute nerds for musicals and which ones couldn’t care less? i know not everyone likes musicals but if this is your thing, feel free to read! 

Hinata: he’s one of those people who watched Shrek the Musical unironically and ended up getting really hooked on it but no way is he going to tell anyone

Kageyama: thinks that the Shrek trilogy are counted as movie musicals because ‘the characters sing and everything’. will fall asleep in a theatre so don’t bring him you’ll be disappointed

Tsukishima: loves Avenue Q and The Producers because the humor is right up his alley. also has tASTE and his fave is probs something like Hadestown because it is the best musical. loves to break down the lyrics and listens to an album non-stop when he’s obsessed

Yamaguchi: he tried to watch Grease but ended up throwing popcorn at the tv-screen because of the blatant sexism. yams is not About That. gets his recommendations from Tsukki and has never looked back

Tanaka: likes anything with awesome choreography and really cool special-effects like Hamilton or Be More Chill. when you ask him about the story though he’s like ???

Noya: doesn’t get the concept of musicals. ‘she’s singing about the guy but he’s right there??? doesn’t he hear everything????’ ‘WHY ARE THEY SINGING JUST FIGHT ALREADY’

Ennoshita: also has Taste. watches pretty much anything and loves to keep track of new productions and new casting. if you ask him about his favorite musical he’ll probably specifically mention the cast and where it was performed

Asahi: y’all are gonna hate me y’all are gonna hate me but JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR haha jk. one hundred percent a Dear Evan Hansen kinda guy because he relates to the main guy’s personality. has waving through a window on repeat

Sugawara: LOVES the classics: Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon. knows every song and movement by heart. sings them everywhere. would not listen to anything else. also Moulin Rouge because he’s one Classy Bitch

Daichi: appreciates any good musical recommended to him but the kind of person who presses ‘shuffle’ when listening to the recording and all the fans around him die inside. does this more than once just for that reaction

Kiyoko: loves anything with awesome female roles, particularly Legally Blonde and Six the Musical. raises an eyebrow at you if you say you like Grease and you land on her list of people she would barely talk to

 Yachi: practically raised on disney movie musicals. loves to watch and re-watch videos from Broadway Princess Party a lot. is basically a disney princess herself and loves to put some songs on when she cleans the house. 

Kuroo: one of those people who got really into Hamilton back in the day. would sing the vocals, the back-up vocals, the chorus parts, and hum the intros. says he’s a musical fan but that’s the only one he’s watched/listened to.

Kenma: someone recommended Be More Chill to him (probably tsukki) and he ended up actually liking it. once in a while you’ll hear him humming ‘christiiiiIIiine’ under his breath. likes to listen to michael in the bathroom at 2 am

Yaku:  hates musicals ever since Nekoma had a movie night and then decided to watch Lion King and lev dead-ass lifted him up over his head like what rafiki did to simba in That Scene. 

Lev: another one who likes disney musicals but like, the basic ones (frozen, tangled, beauty and the beast). mostly because they’re his sister’s favorites tho. has more than once did the whole ‘do you want to build a snowman’ thing with alisa and probably his teammates

Oikawa: thinks that liking Heathers makes him edgy it doesn’t. practically paid hanamaki and matsukawa to sing Candy Store with him and using iwa as veronica. absolutely vibes to the Mean Girls musical

Iwaizumi: a hard High School Musical stan, now and forever. thinks that Ryan and Chad are definitely gay. one time oikawa was giving them a pep talk and said ‘what team?’ and iwa yelled ‘WILDCATS’ and then everybody looked at him because they KNEW they KNEW HE NEVER GOT OVER THAT PHASE-- 

Matsukawa: Cats. The Movie.* wrote a long-ass thread on twitter about why the female cats should be given six boob and tagged Tom Hooper. was blocked.

Hanamaki: *see above. probably had his sexual awakening when he saw Idris Elba as a sexy cat. there’s nothing gendered about a sexy cat

Kyoutani: likes the leather jacket aesthetic in Grease. looked up the lyrics to ‘Greased Lightning’ once and shut off his laptop when he saw the innuendos. may have tried to replicate the choreography at one point but fell off a table

Yahaba: a romantic at heart. has a copy of the West Side Story DvD and loves to sing ‘Maria’ and ‘One Hand, One Heart.’ he and Oikawa love to duet ‘I Feel Pretty.’ also tried to copy the choreography and sUCCEEDED

Ushijima: you’ve taken him to see an array of musicals, from the much-loved classics to the inventive modern musicals. every time, you glance at him hoping for any reaction. he always leaves the theater saying ‘it was good.’ only one musical has managed to make him crack a smile: The Muppets (the movie ver.)

Tendou: another boy with Quality Taste. is a hardcore stan of any musical by Team Starkid (also loves that they’re all on Youtube). makes so many references to them but nobody else understands. will yell ‘TIGERFUCKER TIGERFUCKER’ out of the blue

Shirabu: thinks that La La Land is Peak Taste. got angry when tendou showed him a video of ryan gosling scenes in the movie but it’s all replaced by barry, the bee from Bee Movie. now La La Land is ruined because he keeps on remembering ‘you like jazz?’ in barry’s voice 

Semi: tells you that he just doesn’t watch musicals but he secretly had such a Les Miz phase. writes enjolras x reader fanfics and his longest one was 200k words. if he hears anything that vaguely sounds like ‘do you hear the people sing’, a tear will fall out of the corner of his eye

Goshiki: was looking for slime tutorials one and stumbled on ‘not hamilton just a 2 hr slime tutorial’ y’all kno what i’m talking about and watched the whole thing. was disappointed that there weren’t any slimes but is now into hamilton

Akaashi: knows and understands the peak performance quality and biblical philosophy of Jesus Christ Superstar. doesn’t tell anyone about it though because they all assume its all church music. ‘it’s not’, he sobs. ‘it’s more.’

Bokuto: akaashi recommended Jesus Christ Superstar to him and he watched it, thinking that he’d see jesus playing an electric guitar. he was very disappointed and sulked about it for a week. LOVES disney musicals though

Atsumu: was one of those kids who would look up the Harry Potter Puppet Pals videos on youtube and stumbled in to A Very Potter Musical. ever since jk rowling’s snake side came out he began accepting that fan musical as canon. likes to piss rowling off by posting screenshots of the musical and saying its from the movie

Osamu: the Disney fan but with Quality Taste. loves Hunchback of Notre Dame, Princess and the Frog, Prince of Egypt, and Anastasia (the last two aren’t disney but animated musicals). cries at the sound of Phil Collins’ sultry voice. 

Kita: is in love with Phantom of the Opera because his grandmother loves listening to it. he’d sing THE ENTIRE SOUNDTRACK pretty much every day until his teammates catch him singing in the locker rooms while they were changing AND NAILING ALL OF CHRISTINE’S HIGH NOTES LIKE ITS NOTHING

Terushima: doesn’t like musicals so his friend recommended that he watch The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals by Team Starkid because of the crackhead humor. watched Robert Manion perform and ending up going on google and searching ‘does watching men move their hips real nice make me bi?’

Koganegawa:  y’all are gonna be surprised but this one’s a hardcore Wicked fan. has watched all of the different castings of it. he loves to imitate Elphaba’s iconic ‘FIEEEEROOOOOOO’ line in the showers and records it, just to see if he’s close to how it sounds onstage. has Idina Menzel’s autograph

Futakuchi: bitch does nothing but roast everyone else’s musical tastes. hamilton? ‘wow, mainstream much?’ dear evan hansen? ‘psshh, basic.’ be more chill? ‘think you’re edgy or something?’ the greatest show? ‘what are you? five?’ his favorite musical is actually Cats

[jetaime-jespere]

Various Storms and Saints

Narcos - Javier Peña / Helena

At first Javier thinks he imagines her, as if she’s nothing more than a figment of his own weary mind, a byproduct of the years that run together like a painting that’s gotten wet, colors running together, edges curling at the sides.

I am ridiculously nervous about posting this, as I have written solely Hotchniss/CM for over a year and never thought about writing anything else, let alone Narcos of all the things. But, this somehow solidified itself in my head over the last few weeks (there is a nearly complete chapter two as well) and here we are. These two deserved so much better than what they got in the show. There are some trigger warnings for references to and mentions of past assault and trauma with this story, consistent with what happened in s1e2, along with angst/references to drug use and violence. This is actually posted on ao3 under a different username but I might transfer it to my main ao3 account at some point. The first chapter is under the cut! 🙂

At first Javier thinks he imagines her, as if she’s nothing more than a figment of his own weary mind, a byproduct of the years that run together like a painting that’s gotten wet, colors running together, edges curling at the sides. He always expected the past to catch up to him, somehow, yet she is the very last thing he expects to see in the middle of a farmer’s market just outside of Laredo on an unnaturally chilly November Saturday morning. This is south Texas, for fuck’s sake, he thinks. His head still throbs with the lingering haze of too much whiskey, as if such a thing could exist by now, and the cool air does nothing except make him feel even more numb. He was never expecting her.

Helena.

Why he’s even here is lost on him - a favor to his father, one he remembered at the last possible moment when he’d awoken that morning with a splitting headache. His mouth was dry, his stomach churning as the sun bled into the sky, the empty bottle and an ashtray littered with cigarettes not far away. But he went, because he’s watched his father age before his own two eyes, knowing innately the small act in and of itself will save the aging man a bit of his much-needed strength for later on. Javier meanders aisles with the same sharp eye of his father to find the best produce hidden while hiding bloodshot eyes behind his aviators.

He’s lost in his own thoughts - the trancelike state he often falls into when he thinks of how things panned out - right back to where he started all those years ago. How close he got to Escobar, at the expense of so much, only to not actually get there at all. The phone call from Murphy, relaying the news of the shootout and his death, plays on loop in his mind, coupled with the endless droll of the smoky bar, the plague of relief and satisfaction and a hint of jealousy, a tightening in his chest he wasn’t sure what to do with. He still doesn’t know what to do with it all - his life or lack thereof.

“Excuse me,” comes the soft, raspy voice from the much shorter person beside him reaching around for tomatoes. It renders him frozen; it takes him right back to Bogota, to the confined four walls of his apartment, a sanctuary in the middle of a fiery hell. A voice Javier was never able to forget. The voice in his dreams and his nightmares, even if the latter was more frequent. The voice that brings a memory of her, wrapped around him, or vice versa. Those images are vivid - laying her back on his leather couch to savor the last few moments inside of her, his teeth scraping her chin as tremors ran through her, a blissful smile on her face. The brace of her knees against his hips as she sat in his lap, full of him, his hands guiding her hips as she rocked over him, her fingers digging into his hair in the hours he spent between her legs, coaxing release after release out of her.

Your hands, she’d said once, her Colombian accent thick in the hazy, smoky dark of his apartment. He knew what she was thinking. How could hands like his - ones that touched her tenderly, reverently - wield a gun with exact precision, be responsible for the deaths of so many. How do you do it? She’d asked once, cradling his right hand in her own much smaller ones. He didn’t have an answer, he just passed his flask and reached for his wallet. He never asked where the money went, just that she took it. Only when he was in way too deep did he realize he didn’t care about the money. And only after she was gone did he admit to himself he never actually cared about it at all.

It can’t be. “Helena?”

He turns a little, shuffles his feet. And there she is, not at all imagined but in fact very real, close enough to touch. There’s an audible gasp that comes from her, one of her small hands clamping over her mouth as the other tightens around the seam of her jacket. It’s because she recognizes him immediately, as she tilts her head back to meet his stare, the sun reflecting on her dark brown hair like a halo.

It’s been years, he’s lost track of exactly how long. Years to bury that night in Medellín that has never gone away. But it managed to haunt him forever. They’d been moments too late. If only, he thinks a lot. If only he said no, if he refused to put her in harm’s way. If only they’d been faster. He could have saved her from the hell he’d found her in, from what came after. It’s her face he saw with every arrest he made, every step they took closer to Escobar, as if each was somehow done for her, revenge for what she endured, not for the good of a nation under siege.

But there she is, in Texas of all places, mere miles from where he’s essentially started his own life over, clearly having done the same. She was right there all along, a woman he once knew and yet, doesn’t anymore. Gone are the impractical shoes and heavy makeup, the confidence she exuded even with the dangers of her profession withered away. He always admired her for that confidence - he never told her as much, though. She’s wearing a casual jacket and jeans, simple shoes and barely a stitch of makeup. Her hair is a little shorter and lighter; it looks different but he can’t figure out why. He never paid much attention to those things. He’d always liked this Helena better - without the painted facade of lies she concocted to stay alive. He never told her that either. There were a lot of things he never said, things he should have told her long before it ended.

“Javier.” It’s slow, drawn out, as if she’s learning how to pronounce it for the first time. “It’s … what are you …-” she stumbles over a greeting as her head starts to spin, not unlike his own. She’s clearly overwhelmed by it all. She swallows hard, takes a few wary glances around. “You’re .... how?”

“I live here, remember?” He immediately regrets it; maybe she doesn’t want to remember any of it. So he backpedals, lowering his sunglasses to offer a kind smile. “My family is from Laredo.” He’d told her some things about himself during the times they were together. Not much, but he’d found himself asking her things - seeking more, something they could never have, yet he sought nonetheless.

“I remember.” She studies him, the weight of her gaze familiar, taking in the lines that have deepened in his face. They mirror the ones on her own, the culmination of it all having taken a toll over time. “You’re not there?” She means Colombia, he realizes. She’s asking why he’s not in Colombia.

“I live here now too.” His tone answers her question more than his words do. “Have for a little while now. I had no idea you were in Laredo.” It seems too close for comfort; he would have demanded she be further away from the border, for her own protection. Those details hadn’t been shared with him. He hadn’t asked.

“Maybe conduct this little reunion somewhere else?” An older woman clears her throat, arms crossed over her chest, clearing her throat to make her presence known behind them. “Some of us are trying to … you know. Keep things moving around here?” She means no ill will, yet it’s as if they’ve been caught doing something they shouldn’t, as if everyone in their vicinity is watching.

It’s the way Helena startles at the woman’s sudden intrusion that splinters his chest a little bit as a quick apology falling from her lips. The subtle tremble that racks her shoulders for a brief moment before she steps away, granting the other woman access to the tomatoes they’ve both forgotten all about. As they walk away he wonders, before he can stop himself, just how much she’s struggled, how unbearable it must have been to start over as she had, after what she’d endured. He has hard questions that undoubtedly have no easy answers.

A few steps from the aisles is a tree, providing reprieve from the early morning sun. They find themselves there; he leans against the tree and tucks his sunglasses into his shirt pocket. Helena keeps her distance, an arm’s length away, arms crossed protectively over her chest. Whether it’s subconscious or not, it deepens the crack in his chest that being in his proximity might make her uneasy. But they’re out of earshot of others now, and Helena speaks again, choosing words carefully. She’s guarded, cautiously aware of her surroundings, he notices - constantly looking over her shoulder, nervously toying with the ends of her hair.

“I’ve been here since I left Colombia.” She pushes her hair off her neck, drags her finger along the row of tiny hoop earrings at her ear. “We, I mean.”

She means her son. Hearing that he’s safe too is a relief. “How is he?”

“Good.” The mention of him brings a smile to her face; it’s been so long since he saw her smile. Something inside of him aches when he sees it, like he doesn’t deserve to. Javier remembers the way she beamed with pride when she’d told him one night that he called her mama for the first time, the guilt in her eyes when she explained the little boy stayed with her sister when she worked. He’d be at least 5 now, he reckons. “He’s good.”

“And you?” What he’s asking is a loaded question. He isn’t owed an answer though. His culpability in it all can’t be denied; he pushed it for information, to get closer to Escobar and she agreed because she believed it would be her out, that he would follow through on his promise of getting her to the US.

In some cruelly fucked up way, she got her wish in the end.

“I’m okay.” Good seems too generous of a description, and anything less than okay would shatter him, Helena knows. Despite the transactional nature of their relationship, it eventually morphed into something more, something that, had the circumstances been different, could have worked, maybe. It takes more effort to smile this time but she does, even though she knows he’ll see right through it. Her last memory of him isn’t a pleasant one; thinking of it makes her vision blur and her hands tremble with the moist rush of bile in her throat. He’d carried her from that disgusting warehouse, doing his best to calm her down and failing miserably. She clung to him, trembling and shell shocked silent, only to become hysterical once outside in the cloyingly oppressive Medellín heat. It was his face she saw when she felt the pinch of a needle in her arm and a heaviness in her veins, an apology written all over it. It was the very last thing she remembers before the sedative took effect and the world went black.

When she woke up more than twelve hours later in a narrow bed at a hospital, she was alone. Alone as she had always been, except this time it set into her bones and never quite left.

“That’s good.” He doesn’t believe her. How could he? She’s lost weight since then - she’d always been slender with delicate bones and narrow wrists - once he remarked how he could fit both of them in the span of one of his hands, then did just that as she writhed beneath him - but now she’s more borderline gaunt, with sharp collar bones and sunken in cheeks. “Good.”

“You?” Helena twists the cuff of her sleeve around her wrist, a nervous habit. She didn’t expect it to physically ache when she looked at him, but she never expected to see him again, either.

“Good.” Javier fumbles in his jacket pocket in search of a cigarette. The pack is empty; he curses. There’s a thick silence, full of everything that isn’t said, what never got to be said. Maybe had he been fucking honest with her none of this would have happened. “God, Helena, we used to be better at this.”

Her eyes well with unshed tears. She thought by now she would have run out of tears by now. “We had more practice then, Javier.” The expression that ghosts over her face is wistful with remembrance for that night, the night that started all of this. When they played their hand so horribly wrong. “Remember?”

He remembers it all, every last detail. It seems like a strange twist of irony that they ended up in the same place after all this time. He’s too jaded to think it could possibly be fate, something that was meant to happen all along.

But then what was it?

[daydream-believin]

Sure Took You Long Enough, Babe

Summary: (wlw) Reader pulls an all-nighter with coworker Zoe

Warnings: swearing, alcohol, uh i think i remember mentioning people doing drugs, that trademark wlw obliviousness

Word Count: 4374

a/n: g-g-gorlfren... *slaps roof of fic* this baby can fit so many gay fantasy tropes in it. yes, the bars in cali stay open till 4am idk

Your alarm blared it’s cheery tune, startling you awake. Strangely enough, the happy melody never inspired happiness, just rage. Yet, ever the eager beaver, you shot right up and slammed the button as you slid out of bed, not allowing yourself to dilly-dally. As much as you’d like to stay asleep for three more hours at the least, you forced yourself into a good start for the day. Today was the first day of your new part-time job at Hextech, and lucky you, you got the morning shift. Curse of being fresh meat, you supposed. As long as you could make it through the day without getting too terribly hazed, you’d be fine.

Back home in Arcadia Oaks for the summer, you’d needed a new job or you’d go crazy. What were you supposed to do? Relax? Nah. You’d start taking double shifts as soon as you could. It was a bit tricky finding somewhere that would be a good fit for you. Okay, that was a lie. It was a bit tricky finding somewhere that would even be willing to hire you, apparently. Really knocked your pride down a few pegs.

By a strike of fortune, you had been catching up with one of your old high school buddies over coffee yesterday. You know, the one you used to hang out in the graveyard and practice tarot reading with? Yeah, Evan. It was nice to be able to talk to someone who was just as excited as you were that My Chemical Romance was back. When you two ordered, he pulled out that old joke about taking his coffee black like his soul and it still made you laugh as much as it did in high school. Evan was doing good, new boyfriend, new job, new band. You felt happy for your friend. You were happy that he was happy. He deserved it.

After you’d lamented that you couldn’t find work, he told you about how lately he’d been working for that electronic store Hextech. Not subtly named, was it? He’d told you about how it was run by hedgewizards like you two. They only hired through connections, since they were a magical company run by magical people. You, thankfully, had one of those connections. Your buddy put in a good word for you and, just like that, you were in. They put you on the schedule crazy fast. Like, the first shift of the very next day fast. Good. You were going out of your mind having so much free time. Your relatives were starting to ask you *shutter* questions about your personal life.

You looked in the mirror, slicked back your hair into a neat style, and admired how you looked in your new work shirt. Of course, it would eventually join the trophy quilt of old work shirts you were making, but for now it was nice and new. A pretty baby blue, it will go well sewed next to the royal blue Domino’s shirt from last semester. You added about a dozen earrings to your ears as a finishing touch and headed downstairs. After downing your coffee and hastily scarfing down a still-warm blueberry muffin, you kissed your grandmother’s cheek goodbye as you headed out the door. You tossed a crumpled muffin to the crows waiting by the front door. The greedy bastards inhaled every crumb. As much as you loved having a job again, the sun was still asleep when you started your walk to work. Fuck that.

As you walked through the door at Hextech, you were astonished to see the absolute angel who was waiting there for you. An absolute angel who looked kinda hungover, actually. Well, it was 6 AM on a Sunday. The doors didn’t actually open to customers until seven, but you were here at the ass-crack of dawn so she could train you some before throwing you to the customer wolves. Said pink-haired angel introduced herself as Zoe. What a fitting name for someone as cute and feisty as her. You had to catch yourself from staring too much into her striking blue eyes, that reminded you of lightning, pure electricity, before she caught you. And really, they were distracting. It was hard to focus on what she was telling you, which was a bad thing since she was giving you vital information. You forced yourself to focus. As much as you could.

After going over the ropes of working the wizard-bar, she took you through a cool hidden door to show you around the back. The back had such wonderful rooms as the kitchen that someone microwaved fish in yesterday, workrooms, one of which had a poor guy who looked like her never left last night, tinkering away at some techy-thing, the room Zoe introduced as the room she went to scream in, and a common-room type thing with a sick floor to ceiling screen (or was it a window?), depicting a soothing nature scene. She told you that after you had been working in the front for a while and proved yourself, your bosses would move you up to the repairs and phone troubleshooting. Maybe even invention if you were talented enough. That filled you with dread, despite the inspiration it was supposed to be. You had to admit, you knew almost nothing about the technical/repairs side of electronics and you did not belong here. You were more of a coding/hacking type of hedgewizard. You’d have to fake it till you make it. You were sure Zoe could tell you were bullshitting through this, but thankfully she was gracious enough not to call you out on it. Although, you didn’t mind that impish grin that found it’s place on her face.

Damn. You did not need to get involved with a coworker. No matter how enchanting she was. Or how pretty. This was just a summer job. You would be moving back across California for school soon enough and you were not going to do long-distance again. Although, is a few hours really that long? Definitely not as long as your last relationship. Shut up shut up shut up. No. You don’t even know if this chick is into girls, don’t get ahead of yourself. Mmm, she is very pretty though. You can admire from afar. What’s the harm in that?

There was much, much harm. Stars, you had it bad. You had only been at Hextech for a month now and it felt like hell. Perhaps it was hell. Maybe you were dead, and this was your eternal punishment. Damned to forever pine after the loveliest wizard you had ever met. She took a liking to you instantly too, inviting you out for drinks that first night, and every weekend after that. And she’d invited you over to her place for movie nights and to hang out with her friends. Some nights she’d take you to go dancing with her. She’d taken to calling you Baby. Perfectly normal things for gals being pals right. You guessed this is what girl besties do. You wouldn’t know, you’d only ever really hung with guys. Really feminine goth guys, sure, but guys nonetheless. She seemed hellbent on spending time with you. Not that you were complaining, but it just made your emotions stronger. And harder to shove back into the abyss.

~ ~ ~

One Friday night, you two were just chilling up in your bedroom. A rest before one of coworker’s birthday party tomorrow night. Zoe was telling you that she really wanted to try out a new makeup technique. And you told her she could try it out on you. The joy that painted itself across her features is something that will be burned into your memory forever. But not as high a degree of burn as what came next. Zoe straddled your waist, eyeliner pen in hand, and pushed you back against the headboard so she could better reach your eyes. Your breath caught in your throat. You were helpless to do anything but stare at her face that was in super close proximity to yours. You were caught in a trance as you obeyed when she told you to do this or that so she could properly apply the makeup. Her pink lips were pursed in concentration, and her pink banged strayed into her face. Her signature pink style matched the pink of your cheeks. You were sure she could feel your heart pounding, her elbows were on your chest, basically. She moved on to eyeshadow. Weird, you were always an eyeshadow first kinda person but who were you to critique this goddess’s methods. As she rolled on the perfectly matching lipstick onto your lips, you couldn’t help but think about this being an indirect kiss. This lipstick has been all over her lips and now it’s on yours? Stars.

Once she was finished with her masterpiece, she leaned back to take a good look at it. You felt the heat blaze under your skin as her blue eyes scanned your face. Finally, she seemed satisfied and nodded. Zoe helped you up and you went to go check it out in the mirror hanging on your wall. It was brightly colored, garish even, yet perfect, in your opinion. Like Zoe’s personality distilled into something you could wear. She crept up behind you and put her hands on your shoulders as you both admired her skills.

“My best work yet if I do say so, Y/n,” She grinned like a Cheshire cat, “Hmm, I know it’s already like, 3 in the morning and we’re supposed to be relaxing, but we should go and show this off.”

You both had a shift in four hours but you didn’t know how to say no to those eyes. “Alright, Zo,”

You grabbed your jackets on the way out, careful not to wake any of the other inhabitants of the house, but unable to keep the giggles in. Zoe had thought it would be fun to swap jackets, and you weren’t going to say no to that. Her jacket was cozy, black leather, and smelled of her rosy perfume. You never wanted to take it off. When you put it on, her eyes lingered on your form, commenting how good it made you look. You were very thankful for the cover of darkness that hid your flush, rosy like her perfume. You thought she looked marvelous in yours too, but you weren’t as brave in order to say that out loud.

Suddenly you were in some club across town, being introduced to Zoe’s friend Mimi who was working the bar that night. Mimi looked you up and down, then cocked her brows and clicked her tongue, while nodded to Zoe? Who turned pink and angrily said something under her breath to her friend. You couldn’t make out what she said over the music, you were too busy trying not to put too much weight on this interaction. Telling your heart to stop jumping. Jumping just gets you hurt. Mimi snickered as she scurried off to the other side of the bar to fix up your drinks after Zoe finished her rant. She turned back to you and laughed nervously, leaning on the bar.

“That Mimi. What a card.” You nodded in response, not sure what to say.

You three chatted while you sipped at your drinks. Zoe had ordered you something fruity, sweet, and vibrantly colored. It was very tasty, whatever it was. Must have had a high percentage because your head was already fuzzy with just this one. You stopped after finishing it, not fancying being drunk at work, but Zoe got another. Her alcohol tolerance was way stronger than yours. You fucking lightweight. Mimi had started cleaning up since the bar closed soon. Zoe grabbed your hand unexpectedly.

“How about we dance until we get kicked out, Babe?” She said with a sparkle in her eye.

“Uh- y- yeah,” was all you managed to get out before she pulled you over to the dance floor. It was almost vacant, since it was nearing 4am and most people had either moved on for the night, passed out on one of the club’s couches, or were getting their fix in the bathroom. Nice. It was like the floor was just for you two. Zoe was really jazzed, spinning you around to whatever trashy party song was playing. It was infectious. Her energy, not the song. You were having a lot of fun with the pink girl dancing with you. She tossed her hair back laughing at one point. Right then and there, you decided to throw all those things stopping you out the window. If you missed her come fall, you’d just drive the trip to see her. It would be worth it.

The other trio of people who had been dancing left, and now it really was just you two. It would have felt like just you two even if the floor was full. As the current song ended, the DJ looked at you in sympathy. “Alright guys, this is the last song okay, we close in ten.” He switched it to a Viper song.

“OH! I love this song!” Zoe’s smile got even bigger. You didn’t know that was possible. Somehow, she got an energy boost too. You had completely no idea how the firecracker you were with could stay lit well into the morning. If it wasn’t for your manic pixie dream girl here, you’d be groggy by now. She flittered around you, having a blast. It was adorable. She mouthed the words of the song to you, which would have been rather cute if they hadn’t been considerably sexual lyrics. You felt that blush come back for the umpteenth time that night. And she had that impish grin plastered across her face again, like she knew what she was doing. Zoe had gotten closer to you as the song winded down, you hadn’t noticed until it faded out altogether. Your eyes were wide. She booped your nose, giggling. You blinked, surprised. You felt your heart squeeze at how fucking cute that was.

She took your hand again as she pulled you over to go give Mimi a quick hug goodbye before you two left. You still had two and a half hours to kill until your shifts started at six thirty. Zoe’s favourite coffee house wouldn’t be open until five. As much as a nap sounded good right now, you both knew that it would just make you sleepier. And grumpier from being woken up after such a short time. Might as well pull out an old goth kid staple.

“Wanna go hang around in the graveyard?”

~ ~ ~

Zoe tossed her head back laughing so hard she hit the gravestone she was leaning against.

“Oof, you okay?”

“Yeah, yeah,” She rubbed her head and turned back to look check the name on the engraving, “Sorry Howard.”

“It’s too late, he’s offended now and he’s gonna haunt us,” you snickered, “Nice going, Zo.”

“Don’t worry Baby, I’ve been working on my exorcism skills. You know, since a certain dumbass brought spirits into the party last week.” Ah, Douxie, what a guy. Of course he hadn’t meant to ruin everyone’s night and release those ghosts. It just sort of happened. He was accident prone and you didn’t understand why people trusted him with cursed stuff like that to begin with. Luckily, within the number of wizards gathered, you guys were eventually able to find a way to banish all the spirits before any real harm came of it. It wasn’t a bad way to spend a Friday night. You got to live out your childhood dream of being a ghostbuster.

You looked around. The cemetery wasn’t as spooky as most people thought it was. Sure, there were strange noises, and endless headstones with disembodied names that meant nothing, and creepy mausoleums that cast big shadows in the moonlight, and a creaky gate that swung back and forth whether there was wind or not, but it wasn’t scary. Well, maybe that was just because you’d spent most nights of your teen years here, so you were desensitized to it. Zoe didn’t seem to mind it one bit either.

You glanced up and saw three of your crow friends on the top of the mausoleum across from you and Zoe. If crows could smirk these would be smirking. Fuckers. They were always around whenever you’d go out with Zoe. Watching so they could tease you later. Damn nosy birds. Why did you ever start feeding them. They were even there in a set of three, just to mock you. They may as well be singing “Y/n and Zoe sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!”

You ignored the crows, pulling out your phone and flipping to your ebook app. Because you know what would make this just like old times? Some dramatic goth poetry. What a way to woo a girl. Zoe was fond of the idea of some poetry reading too. She told you that you could pick. At first you thought to read some Poe, perhaps starting with ‘Serenade’, but decided against it lest the bastards on the roof started demanding you read them ‘the Raven’. It’s happened before. You settled on some Keats instead. And you knew the perfect poem. A poem you could put all your emotions into. The most sapphic poem ever written by a man, in your opinion. If she didn’t feel the same, you could always deny it and say that you were just getting way into character. Either way it was going to make work weird, but you didn’t think you gave a fuck anymore. Here goes nothing.

“Had I a man’s fair form, then might my sighs

Be echoed swiftly through that ivory shell

Thine ear, and find they gentle heart; so well

Would passion arm me for the enterprise:” You took a big gulp of air. Zoe’s gaze was locked on you, and that didn’t make this any less nerve-wracking. You could feel your hands shaking. “But ah! I am no knight whose foreman dies;

No cuirass glistens on my bosom’s swell;

I am no happy shepherd of the dell

Whose lips have trembled with a maiden’s eyes.” With those words, a sudden burst of boldness in your heart caused you to take her hand. Must be the alcohol. Yes, that which hath made them drunk hath made you bold. Zoe didn’t appear to be breathing anymore. You looked back into her electric blue eyes. “Yet must I dote upon thee, --call thee sweet,

Sweeter by far than Hybla’s honied roses

When steeped in dew rich to intoxication

Ah! I will taste that dew, for me ‘tis meet,” Your voice became breathy as you uttered these last verses. “And when the moon her pallid face discloses,

I’ll gather some by spells, and incantation.” You just froze there, breathing. The ball was in Zoe’s court now. Speak of the devil, she was really close, like really close. When did she get so close. You hadn’t realized. She lifted a finger to your face and brushed a loose strand of hair behind you ear. Your breath caught in your throat. She drew closer, your noses touching now. Her eyes slipped down into a half lid. Your eyes flicked to her lips and she watched you. It occurred to you that she was waiting for you to close the gap. So you did.

It was fireworks. Of course, you were kissing a firecracker herself. It was a sweet kiss, but laced with that fire. You both pulled back for air, but quickly returned to each other’s lips. Zoe’s hands drifted down to your hips and she pulled you into her lap, leaning back up against that headstone. And now you were snogging in the cemetery. Mary Shelley would be proud. Howard, however, was probably pissed off for sure now.

Your breaths mingled as you gasped for air. Zoe caressed your cheek, cupping your face. She chuckled, “It sure took you long enough, Babe. I was starting to think I’d have to spell it out for you.”

You all but collapsed back into her arms, exasperated. Stars, it sure did take you long enough, didn’t it. You could hear and feel Zoe’s snort through her chest. You raised back up to gaze into those baby blues. A pang of adoration shot through your heart like one of cupid’s cursed arrows.

“How about I buy coffee, for our first official date?” Zoe agreed to your offer. You got off of her, legs wobbling like a baby deer. Speaking of deer, you were happy to see that the herd that usually hangs out here in the graveyard in the early hours was peacefully grazing around you two. You hadn’t noticed them come in, too busy snogging. You reached out a hand and helped Zoe up. You two brushed the grass off your clothes and gave one last apology to Howard before setting off for the coffee shop. Zoe checked her phone for the time. It was 5:23, you two still had almost a full hour to spend lounging in the coffeeshop before you had to head off to Hextech. Zoe reached for your hand as you walked back to Zoe’s bike. You threaded your fingers together. Something as small as that shouldn’t have felt as nice as it did. But it did.

You completely adored riding on the back of Zoe’s motorcycle. You got to cling to her, arms around her waist, pretending that you were holding her for romantic reasons and not so you wouldn’t fall off a moving automobile. You wouldn’t have to just pretend any longer now. The thought made you giddy. And now that you think about it, that was probably why Zoe had insisted on giving you rides everywhere for the past month. You were so fucking oblivious. It was painful. Thank the stars above she was patient with you. You snuggled further into her back, inhaling that rosy perfume. It truly was intoxicating, Keats. A girl could get used to this.

~ ~ ~

The coffee house barista recognized you two as you walked in and started making your orders that he had memorized. He greeted you cordially as you handed over the cash. He looked down at Zoe’s hand joined with yours, raising his eyebrows teasingly but not saying anything. Did everyone in this fucking town know about you two before you did? You think you might have beaten that Parisian catboy at his own game. How embarrassing.

Zoe got cozy on you guy’s usual couch while you carried over the coffee. After you set the mugs on the coffee table and plopped down, Zoe swung her legs up onto the couch, and over your lap. Didn’t exactly take you by surprise. Zoe often sat like this. You were used to it. Wait, was this also flirting? Stars, you didn’t even know anymore. This was so confusing. She noticed the face journey you had taken with the internal struggle, and grinned, shrugging her arm around your shoulders to ease you. You snatched your cup of the table and downed as much as you could handle before it got too hot. You were still really nervous, despite her being very clear about how she felt, and Zoe thought that was pretty funny.

“So, we’re gonna have to say something to people tonight,” Zoe started.

You just nodded in response. Hopefully this wasn’t going to make anything weird. You hadn’t been working at Hextech long enough to know how the dynamics worked. Maybe someone had been pining after Zoe too and now hated you. Maybe someone was Zoe’s ex and now hated you. Maybe someone was just really homophobic and now hated you. There were plenty of possibilities, you could go on.

“I was thinking we should wear these matching dresses I found last week, and sort of bought already, to double our cute couple factor.” She had murmured that middle part but you still heard it loud and clear. You had to hold back a squeak. That was so sweet. And adorable. She just saw the dresses in the shop and thought to herself ‘I want to wear that with Y/n’? You could die right now. You settled for downing more of that coffee.

“Yes! That’s so cool? I- What color are they?” You didn’t know how to handle this.

Zoe pulled out her phone and leaned over to show you the pics she took of them. They were matching, made of the same brown floral-patterned fabric, but different styles. Either one would go great with Zoe’s leather jacket, which you were still wearing. You’d go for your denim one. Not the purple jacket that currently hung off Zoe’s shoulders. The colors wouldn’t clash but the style of it would. This was going to be awesome, anyways. Matching dresses, telling your friends the best news you’ve had all year, having fun at the party, not having to spend the whole night miserably shoving your feelings aside? You couldn’t wait.

“Which one do you want?” You picked the looser, more flowy one. Zoe was more comfortable with tight stuff that showed off her body. You had a sneaking suspicion she already knew you’d pick that one, and was giving you the illusion of choice. It was sweet, really. Your phone alarm went off, alerting you that it was time to start the walk for work. All the relaxing time was gone. A crying shame, but you’d still get to spend the day with your favourite person just the same, so not truly that big of a loss. Albeit, Zoe didn’t look too pleased to have to go back to work. Laughing, you stood to your feet, and held out your arm for her to link through.

“Shall we go milady?” You two waved to the barista as you headed out the door. “I think you should do our makeup for the party again, really show off this time.” Zoe perked up, excited at the prospect as Hextech neared.

“And I’ll show off my hot new girlfriend too.” There was that damned blush again.