#and bestie said he’d talk to her about all this but everything is still up in the air and I can’t do anything to solve the problem or fix

[insanechayne]

~ ~ ~

[slut4slytherinss]

Labyrinth

Pt. 1 - Gold Rush

SEND REQUESTS!!

Summary: reader finds herself falling in love, hard, for Mattheo not long after she broke her own heart over him. Initially convinced that she will never recover from her pain that he caused, she marvels at how she finds comfort in the boy that hurt her.

1,470 words

Warnings: cursing, basically the same as pt.1 minus the angst, so much cheesiness it’s gross, lovey dovey!mattheo bc I’m extremely soft, sort of angsty but in a beautiful way, these aren’t even warnings atp, the other students being jealous cunts, possible references to books or movies, Regulus is STILL dead (wdym he’s literally in bed beside me rn), Dorothea being kind of rude (dw my girl is still your bestie), Drastoria(to all you Drarry shippers I’m sorry), mention of ronmione, slight rush and basically no plot, SUPER FUCKING SHORT IM SORRY😞

2nd person pov

Hufflepuff prefect reader

Female reader

“It only hurts this much right now.” Was what I was thinking the whole time.

You walk down the hallway aside Mattheo, fingers intertwined. You agreed to try it out and it’s lasted a month, but that doesn’t stop everyone in the castle from starting rumors. He traces circles on the back of your hand with his thumbnail, in a comforting manner, he leans in to whisper in your ear “Let’s go back to my dorm, okay?” You nod. You two go to his dorm a lot, not to hook up, you haven’t had sex since the party, his dorm is like a safe space — and his friends are fucking awesome. You’ve barely even told Dorothea what your relationship has been like, becoming closer and closer with the Slytherins.

-

When you get into his dorm you take your robe off, leaving you in your white button-up, skirt that rests appropriately at your knees, calf high socks and black Doc Martens. Mattheo places your robe gently atop a chair next to his desk before taking his own robe off and kicking his shoes off. “Lay with me, love?” He asks sweetly which causes you to roll your eyes, but oblige. You lie next to him in the bed, just talking. That’s all you two ever do lately, though, it gives you a fair bit of anxiety — trusting him with your secrets. It terrifies you, actually. You need to just—

Breathe in, breathe through, breathe deep, breathe out. I’ll be getting over you, my whole life.

Seriously. He’s unforgettable. You close your eyes and take a deep breath, trying to ease your nerves. Mattheo must feel how tense you are because he begins to trace stars on your back, it’s his little form of comfort. I’ve never been good at that, he’d told you once. Which seems like total bullshit because he always manages to calm you, or at least make you forget about your issues for a while. That also scares you, the fact he can make you want to cry, strangle him, and yourself, but also smile, laugh, hug him. Terrifies you. No one has ever impacted you this much. Everything is moving so fast, but Mattheo is there with you, along for the ride.

You know how scared I am of elevators. Never trust it if it rises fast, it can’t last.

-

You walk into your dorm, laying down on your bed and dropping your bag on the floor. You quickly turn over when you hear Dorothea’s voice “Look who’s finally home.” She says in an annoyed tone. “Dor? What are you doing in here?” You sit up, she looks at you with raised brows and crossed arms. “Really? You start dating Mattheo Riddle, leave me alone for weeks, get new friends and you’re asking me why I’m here?” You swallow, “You told me you’d get over him, you lied to me.” “Dorothea, c’mon, this is like—like a trial, to see if we’re good together, he’s really sweet.” You try to justify your actions “He’s Mattheo Riddle!” She whispers aggressively, shaking her head. “He’s my boyfriend!” You spit out, the word feeling foreign on your tongue. Dorothea visibly flinches, “What?” “He’s—he’s my boyfriend,” you repeat, more confidently. “You just said that the relationship was a trial.” “Well it is, but he’s still my boyfriend. Mine. So stop trying to criticize him and me simply because I care for him.” You breathe out that last part “You care for him?” She asks with a raised eyebrow. “Yes, I care for him. It’s not like—I’m in love with him or something, I just care.” You say quickly. You’re not in love with him. You can’t be, right?

Uh oh, I’m falling in love again. Oh no, I’m falling in love again. Oh, I’m falling in love. I thought the plane was going down how’d you turn it right around?

-

The day after your interaction with Dorothea is, odd, to say the least. You sit outside in the courtyard, leaning against a tree, you’ve been avoiding Mattheo like the plague ever since your revelation. This whole things just feels so—raw. But of course he found you.

It only feels this raw right now, lost in the labyrinth of my mind.

“Hey,” he gives you a small smile. “Hi.” You reply, he sits down next to you. “I haven’t seen you all day, you avoiding me?” That causes you to laugh—and also tell the truth with a few nods. “Yeah, yeah I have.” He tilts his head but doesn’t seem upset in the slightest. “Why’s that?” “Well—um,” you try to get the words out but they seem a little stuck. “It’s okay, take your time.” He brings his hand down to hold yours, tracing gentle circles on your palm. You smile and lean your head on his shoulder. “I care about you, Mattheo.” You admit. He grins, really grins. “I care about you too.” The boy says, “Really?” He nods “Always have,” he leans down so his lips are right next to your ear, “always will.” His whisper is like a secret for only you to hear, a promise that will never be broke, a sacred oath.

Break up, break free, break through, break down. You would break your back to make me break a smile.

-

“Boys!” You call out in a sing-song voice, “I’ve brought sweets!” They got in trouble for talking too loudly during class and were removed from this weeks Hogsmeade weekend, you decided to buy them some sweets. Blaise is the first to you, “Thank Merlin, Y/n!” He snatches a bag from you as you giggle. You toss some sweets onto Draco’s bed as all the boys thank you, Mattheo stands up and wraps his arms around you from behind, kissing your cheek. That action causes all the others to groan and tell you to “Get a room.” Pansy and Astoria walk into the room, talking animatedly, Astoria sits on Draco’s bed beside him, tossing bags of clothes at him, “I’ve got you a new suit.” He grins and kisses the side of her neck in thanks. “Y/n! You totally missed it,” Pansy exclaims, practically shoving Mattheo off of you to lock her arm onto yours. “We caught Weasley and Granger snogging in the bathrooms at Three Broomsticks!” You giggle at her words and sit down on Mattheo’s bed with her, “Seriously? You steal my girlfriend and now my bed?” He asks Pansy, in a mock-offended way, she sticks her tongue out at him. “C’est la vie.” Blaise shrugs with a smirk playing at his lips as he eats the chocolate you gave him. “Speaking of that,” Theodore begins “how’s the sex Matt?” He teases, which causes you to blush and Mattheo to shove Theodore. “Shut it man, that’s so gross.” “Oh c’mon!” Astoria exclaims, “Y/n never tells us anything about it.” She shakes her head. “Maybe she doesn’t want to.” Mattheo defends you, you just stay silent. You tune them out, you just hate how everyone already wants you to be sleeping together. Why would you? It’s taken you long enough to call him your boyfriend, let alone touch him (approximately three weeks). Sure, you’ve hooked up before, but never as a couple. That act is supposed to be intimate with a person you care about. So why do it so soon? You’re taken away from your thoughts by the feel of Mattheo’s hand gripping yours.

You know how much I hate that everybody just expects me to bounce back. Just like that.

-

It’s now been around two months, officially dating, Dorothea has apologized and became friends with the Slytherin’s, it’s all perfect. Except, you and Mattheo still haven’t kissed nor done anything but cuddle and hold hands. You’re not sure why but the act feels too intimate, too scary for you. You’ve kissed lots of guys before—granted none were your boyfriend—but still. You can’t seriously be falling for him, right?

“Hey love,” Mattheo murmurs, dropping a kiss on the top of your head. “Did Dorothea let you in?” You question with a yawn, he just hums and nods, sitting next to you on your bed. “How’s my girl doing?” He asks, “Stressed and exhausted.” You reply as you trace your quill along the parchment “You’re seriously doing that extra credit essay?” “Yes, Mattheo, I am. I’m totally failing Slughorn’s class and he never lets us do shit like this for extra credit, I’m savoring it.” He chuckles and pulls you closer to him by your waist. “Just take a little break. For me?” You groan but end up giving in, leaning back against his chest. “You’re so lucky I lo—“ you cut yourself off quickly, immediately looking away from him. He stiffens, “You what?” He murmurs, you swallow. “Nothing, nothing important.” You say quickly. Mattheo desperately wants to change the subject so he just nods and looks forward.

Uh oh, I’m falling in love again. Oh no, I’m falling in love again. Oh, I’m falling in love. I thought the plane was going down how’d you turn it right around?

After a few minutes of silence, Mattheo speaks again “What were you going to say?” He asks in a whisper, his thumb tracing gentle circles on your hip bone. “It doesn’t matter.” You murmur, but Mattheo is quite persistent and asks again, you finally give in and mutter “I love you.” Which causes his breath to catch, I love you, those words shouldn’t be a big deal—you aren’t asking him to marry you or anything—but they are. He swallows before murmuring “Really?” To which you reply with a timid “Yes.” A slow smile creeps up on his face. “Well, I love you too.” You grin like an idiot, love, a silly thing to be obsessing over—but alas, you are.

Uh oh, I’m falling in love again. Oh no, I’m falling in love again. Oh, I’m falling in love. I thought the plane was going down how’d you turn it right around?

-

A/N: sorry this one was so short, I just wanted to end this on a sweet note.. sooooo yeah. And sorry for the wait lol🙈🙈

[hotchs-big-hands]

The Slaughterhouse

Part 1|Part 2|Part 3|Part 4

Aaron Hotchner x plus-size fem!reader

8.1k words

Minors dni please

Warning(s): VERY DARK, injury detail, medical descriptions, hospitals, gore, injury, blood, extreme angst, sort-of enemies to lovers, flashbacks, reader and Aaron be going THROUGH IT

Please heed the warnings, although the worst of it is over it's still a heavy series.

An escalating string of gruesomely murdered fat women begin to stack up with no end in sight. What started as an unfortunate routine case for the BAU team, takes a disturbing turn as you become entangled in the unsub's web, danger approaching closer and closer. It's only a matter of time before it's too late to bring the madness to an end.

BESTIES I'M FINALLY BACK WITH THIS SERIES OMG IT'S BEEN TOO LONG. I really hope people enjoy, there's still one more part after this which I hope to work on soon!!! Thank you for sticking by me!

Another hour passed by. Another wave of agony tore through Aaron Hotchner. It was like limbo. Everything was still, unable to move and continue on. It was only the intense pain in his chest that reminded him he was actually alive, but his very soul- his heart- was torn away the moment those ambulance doors closed behind you. He barely remembered much after that, although he was wearing different clothes now. A navy tee shirt under a zip-up black hoodie. Some sweatpants. Even his shoes were not his original ones. What he wore before was gone, the fibres so entwined with your blood they were completely unsalvageable.

All he could do was stare at the floor, head hanging low as he propped his arms up on his knees. Sometimes the spotted linoleum floor would blur into a haze of grey and tears would drop onto his clasped together hands. He'd stopped screaming hours ago, whenever that was. And now he could feel how raw his throat was whenever he swallowed, which caused him to press his lips together tightly to prevent a sob from bubbling over. A part of him knew he wasn't alone in the waiting room, but at this point he really didn't care. He said nothing whenever anyone else in the room tried to talk to him, ask him if he needed anything, to just say something. What was the point? You weren't there.

There was a sigh.

“Aaron, you need to drink something. You'll become dehydrated like this.” He heard Rossi’s voice, but he didn't respond. “(Y/n) wouldn't want you to close yourself off like this and not take care of yourself.”

This time, Aaron sat bolt upright and sneered.

“Don't speak on behalf of her. You have no idea what she would have wanted.” He snapped, glaring at the older man. It was rare for Rossi to lose his calm and carefree self, but now he was staring the unit chief down, nostrils flaring and his hands curling into tight fists.

“Actually, I do know. Do you seriously think she doesn't care about your wellbeing, huh? You think she wants you to torture yourself, to shut down and give up? Come on, you know deep down that's not the case at all.” His voice was sharp, cutting through the haze that had shrouded Aaron.

No one in the room moved, staring at the altercation between the two oldest members of the team with bated breaths.

Aaron couldn't speak, opening his mouth and closing it over and over. Why should he be kind to himself? He got you into this mess, he made the decision to close himself off from you in an attempt to put a stop to the blooming feelings he’d immediately developed for you when you first walked through the doors for your interview. He couldn't have you, Strauss would have his head triumphantly or, far worse, she would terminate you and force you to leave the BAU in shame. He was damned from the start, and by trying to keep you from being damned too he had pushed you straight into the grasp of a monster. He gritted his teeth as fresh tears pooled in his deep, brown eyes and his shoulders slumped defeatedly.

There was a knock at the door.

Before anyone could say or do anything, Aaron shot up and strided across the room to pull the door open. An unfamiliar medical practitioner stood in the doorway patiently, not even phased by the rapidness of the door swinging open. They cleared their throat.

“May I come in? I want to discuss Miss (L/n)’s condition with you all.”

Aaron moved to the side wordlessly, allowing them to walk in and he closed the door quietly. He tucked his right arm under the other whilst his left hand curled into a soft fist, running his thumb over the second knuckle of each of the fingers.

Everyone waited. The doctor shoved their hands into their pockets and their eyes flicked from one face to the next.

“To put your minds at ease, she's alive and stable.” They began. Alive? You were alive?? Aaron’s chest heaved with relief. “However, she lost a considerable amount of blood from the injury and while we were stitching the different layers back together. We are giving her a transfusion, and while we did manage to resuscitate her as quickly as we could each time she coded, we will have to wait until she is brought back around from the induced coma she's in to see if there's any lasting neurological issues.”

“Can we see her?” Spencer croaked, eyes glassy as he studied doctor. They smiled apologetically.

“For now it would be best if there's only one visitor, just in case.”

All eyes were on Aaron then, and he swallowed.

“I don't..”

“Go. You need to go to her.” Emily said softly. There was a mutual sound of agreement and it made his face scrunch up a little as a few tears rolled down his face. With a choked out ‘thank you’, Aaron followed the doctor out of the waiting room and down the corridor. They stopped at a private recovery room, the last coherent thing he had demanded for you to have, and he drew in a shaky breath.

“Here we are. I'll give you some privacy.” He heard the doctor say and he shakily reached for the door handle, turned it and pushed it open.

“Oh…” his voice cracked and he stepped into the room, closing the door behind him and shutting out the chaos of the outside world.

Laying still looking ashen on the crisp white bed sheets, was you. You were connected to several machines, at least one of them beeping periodically and accompanying the only other sign you were alive; the soft rise and fall of your diaphragm. You looked so frail, so easily shattered by the smallest touch. As he tentatively stepped closer he spotted your injured thigh sticking out from under the sheet with a large dressing covering it. He swallowed back a sob and stopped at your bedside. He didn't know what to say. And so he reached down and took hold of your hand, the one without an intravenous line in it, and cradled it in his own. The tips of your fingers were a little cold.

“God… I'm so, so sorry, sweetheart. I-” Aaron whimpered when he felt tears dribble down his chin and drip onto his hoodie. “This is all my fault.”

He wanted you to open your eyes, much like people always did in movies and TV shows, to reassure him that it was okay; you were okay. But he was met with the beeps of the monitoring machines helping you to breathe in your coma. He fucking hated this.

Carefully, he grazed his thumb over the back of your hand and gazed at your peaceful face. He would never forget the look on your face back in that wretched slaughterhouse. The fear, the absolute agony… He began to cry again.

“I-I-, fuck! I do like you, okay? I know I've done the worst job at showing this. No, I did it intentionally. I-” he scrunched his eyes shut and he breathed shakily. “I have feelings for you, feelings I shouldn't have as your boss and yet I have always had them. I thought I was…. I thought if I kept you at a distance it would save you from getting into trouble with Strauss.” He said softly.

As gently as he could, Aaron lifted your hand up, meeting it half way by bending down, and pressed a soft kiss to the back of it.

“I'll make this right, okay? I need you to rest and recover, sweetheart. And then I'm going to do whatever I can to make it up to you.”

For a while he stood beside you, admiring your beauty. Even in the fragile state you were in, you were beautiful. He'd always known and thought you were beautiful.

And then the moment he dreaded came to be when he heard a knock on the door behind him. His lower lip wobbled and he squeezed your hand a little, desperately.

“Mr Hotchner? I'm very sorry, but visiting hours across the hospital just ended.” It was a different voice this time, a feminine voice. He didn't pull his eyes away from your unconscious form.

“I want to stay. Please.”

“I-”

He finally turned his head to the doorway and he sniffled sharply.

“Please, I need to- I can't leave her.”

He didn't care if the nurse pitied him, nothing mattered except staying with you now.

She nodded slightly.

“Alright, I'll ask someone to bring a cot in for you.” She said and closed the door behind her as she left. Aaron turned back to you and pressed another kiss to the back of your hand, but this time his mouth lingered for a little longer.

At first there were shadows. Simultaneously the blur was both burningly bright and too dull to make out refined shapes. Then came the sound. It was garbled, an indecipherable mess until one sound cut through the rest.

A beep. A constant, irritating beep. It grew faster when frustration swelled through this place of limbo, only to fade into the void when unconsciousness cloaked everything once more.

It was a continuous dance between mild awareness and nothingness, feeling infinite and tiring and confusing. There was no such thing as time. It didn't exist in this place.

Then finally, finally everything began to slide into place, piece by piece.

And yet, that fucking beeping would not stop.

Your eyelids slightly scrunched tightly; the beep, the light that was now trying to force it's way through the cracks hurt your brain. Angered you. You wanted to yell.

A hiss escaped you, a low noise that coiled warm air back over your face. What the fuck..?

“Oh my god.” Someone spoke. Someone was there. You wanted to reach out to them, to tell them to switch off whatever was beeping incessantly at you. But your body felt like stone, too sluggish to move.

Now, you realised something was on your face. Constricting your mouth and nose. You tried to reach up and push off whatever it was but all you could manage was a twitch of your finger. Slowly though, your sense of awareness returned to you and mustering all your strength you finally began to open your eyes.

The world was blindingly bright. It burned and you snapped your eyes shut again.

“....hh…” you breathed against the restriction on your face; you needed it off as soon as possible.

“She’s doing her best, just give her a moment.”

You forced your eyes to stay open this time, finding the world to be a blur of colours melting together.

“C… s….”

A blur of dark colours filled her vision, blocking the overhead light from hurting so much.

“What was that? Try saying it again.” Definitely a familiar woman's voice. You blinked a few times to try clearing your vision but it didn't work.

“Can't see… blurry….”

The blur moved slightly.

“Oh, has anyone got some tissues? Her eyes are full of gunk.”

There was movement in your peripheral and then something soft pressed lightly down on your eyelids.

“I'm going to clean your eyes, okay? Just try to stay relaxed.” The voice said. The tissue felt ticklish on your skin and your face twitched whenever it brushed over a particularly sensitive area. Eventually, you were able to make out proper shapes, albeit still slightly blurry but enough to tell what it or who it was.

“E-Emily?” You rasped, throat as raw as sandpaper. It made you cough, only adding to the pain.

“Easy now, your throat is gonna be sore.” Your dear, dark haired friend Emily murmured. “You want some water?”

You nodded slightly, but it was enough for her to understand. She turned her head to address someone else in the room, and you struggled to see who else was there.

“You lift the mask, I'll bring the straw to her mouth.” Her eyes flicked back to you and she smiled gently.

“JJ’s gonna lift the mask up now, okay? Just hold still.”

On your other side JJ approached and beamed down at you, her eyes shining with tears.

“Hey.” She managed to choke out at the same time as her fingers carefully pried the mask off your face. Ah, so it was an oxygen mask then.

Emily pressed the straw to your lips and you accepted it gratefully, slowly sipping mouthfuls of the cool water. God, in that moment it was the most delicious and refreshing thing you'd ever had. You could only have a bit at a time, too big of a gulp hurt your throat, but the smaller sips were manageable. With the added hydration to your body you were able to clear your throat enough to speak a bit better.

“P-please help me sit up…” you whispered.

Emily smoothed her hand over your forehead comfortingly as her smile turned more apologetic.

“Sorry, (Y/n). Gotta wait for the medical staff. Morgan and Reid went to go fetch them.”

You nodded in understanding and closed your eyes for a moment.

“Wh…where's…”

“Ah! Miss (L/n)! It's so nice to see you awake.” A clear, cheery voice said. Your eyes opened again and you were met with the sight of an older woman, most likely in her late forties dressed in a nurse’s uniform standing at the foot of your bed. “My name is Kelly! How are you feeling?”

“Like shit.” Emily choked, bug-eyed along with JJ and you could have sworn you heard Derek chuckle nearby. You winced a little. “Sorry, that was rude.”

Luckily, Kelly laughed lightly and shook her head.

“No you're fine, sounds about right. Do you know where you are, Miss (L/n)?”

Your brows furrowed slightly as you tried to recall anything from before.

“I know I’m in a hospital, but that’s all.”

The nurse nodded and came over to you to take your vitals. Emily and JJ stepped back out of the way but they kept their eyes on you, the other members of the team, minus one came to stand nearby.

“Are you in any pain?” Kelly asked you as she pulled the blood pressure monitor over to your bedside and carefully applied the cuff around your upper arm, then pressed the button to start the cycle off. You sighed.

“I…I don’t think so.”

“You don’t think so?” She raised her brow at you. Whilst she continued making observations, making a note of them as she went.

“I haven’t moved so far, so I’m okay.”

“We’ll help you sit up if you’d like in a moment. I’ll ask again after that.”

Your eyes drifted around the room with every passing moment bringing out the clarity of everything. Where…where was he?

The machine beeped to signify the cycle was complete and the tight grip of the cuff released, letting you relax better. Kelly took note of it and smiled at you.

“Well, so far I have no worries about your condition aside from some confusion, which is understandable. But let’s try and sit you up now.” She turned to the others then. “Do any of you want to help? I’ll tell you where to hold her and when to lift.”

Derek approached your bedside with his usual charismatic grin that even in the state you were in right now, you couldn’t help but smile in response.

“C’mon, sugar. Let’s get you upright and comfy.”

The nurse made quick work of guiding him where to hold you, and when she took hold of your other side she turned her attention to you.

“This may cause your stitches to feel like they are being pulled when we move you now, okay? We’ll be as swift as possible though and I’ll assess what to do next, depending on how it goes. Does that sound okay?”

You nodded, just wanting it to be over with.

“Okay… In three, we are going to lift her upper body up and pull her back. Someone please grab the pillows and hold them further up to support her back.”

Emily rushed over and smiled at you reassuringly, and at the count of three you were hauled upwards and adjusted to sit upright.

Oh, how your thigh screamed pure pain. It was only when you noticed the horrified expressions on your friends’ faces that you realised you had screamed. But in that moment you hardly cared, curling over in agony as tears immediately sprung up in your eyes. The nurse sprung into action immediately, pressing the support button and ushering everyone away from the bedside.

It was like fire, like knives, like claws. Tearing and ripping and destroying the nerves on the entire left side of your body. You couldn't stop crying, wailing when hands reached at you to stop your thrashing. And then it was as though a switch was flipped and you calmed, laid still and Kelly appeared into view.

“We've injected a sedative in you to help you relax and we'll give you some strong pain relief now.” She said and took hold of your hand gently. “You may feel sleepy though, is that okay?”

All you could do was nod as stray tears dribbled down the sides of your face and soaked into the pillow below your head.

There was a moment longer of the blinding pain, then it slowly began to ease a little and your eyes felt a little droopy. You weren't sure what was going on for a while, only hearing snippets of conversation further away from your bed which made your brows furrow.

“...not leaving until we at least keep her updated...”

“...staying here with her until she's ready…”

Your eyes flicked to the side when you spotted the oldest member of the team sidling over, and he laid his hand on the side of your head carefully. He offered a tired smile.

“Hey kid.”

Your lower lip wobbled.

“It was bad, wasn't it? Whatever happened.” You croaked. The man leaned down and pressed a kiss to your forehead and sighed.

“Do you remember anything at all?”

You scrunched up your brows as you tried to remember back. The dull ache in your thigh brought it all to the forefront of your mind and your chest heaved with a quiet sob.

“What the fuck,” you cried softly as you gazed up at Rossi tearfully. The man brushed his hand over your head and allowed you to grab onto his arm for comfort as you let out everything you were feeling.

“I know. You’re gonna be okay, kid.” he soothed. You couldn’t remember it all, only flashes. But it was enough to leave you feeling like you had been shattered into a thousand pieces.

At one point Rossi produced a handkerchief for you to use, refusing when you tried to give it back instead of using it. And so you cleared your face with it, breathing deeply in and out to calm yourself down again. When you finally reached a point where you wouldn’t immediately break down again you noted the nurse was gone and your friends stood around your bed.

“We asked for a little more time, and one of us is gonna stay overnight with you.” you heard Derek explain but you sniffled as your eyes darted from face to the next.

“Wh…where is he? Where’s Hotch?”

There was a shared glance; the absence of the BAU’s leader was uncomfortably prominent. Rossi spoke again.

“Strauss called him in. Actually, he had been staying here up until just a day ago.”

Huh?

“What…?”

You were confused.

“Yeah, slept in the little bed over there since you came out of surgery.” Spencer said. But it didn’t make sense to you.

“W-why? That’s-”

Emily raised her brow at you as she folded her arms across her chest.

“That’s what?”

“Weird as hell.” You finished, frowning as your eyes flitted to the bed that lay closer to the ground than the one you were in. He had stayed there?

“Why’s that, sugar?” Derek asked you and you blanched.

“Because he’s Hotch, duh.” Your eyes drifted down to your hands that were now curled into fists in front of you. “Probably was waiting around for me to wake up to tell me off for being reckless.” You muttered dully. The room fell quiet then, aside from that maddening beep.

“You really don’t remember much from what happened, do you?”

Your eyes flicked to JJ, who appeared almost distraught.

“Not really. I-I take it I’m forgetting something important.”

“We should let it wait for now. It isn’t a good idea to overwhelm you with too much information.” Rossi cut in, sending a pointed look to the others. Well, you certainly didn't like that. You swallowed thickly.

“I wanna know what happened.”

Rossi eyed you.

“Not right now. Your priority is resting and recovering.” He said more firmly. You slumped slightly in defeat; there was no point in crossing him. Tiredness washed over you and you sighed, realising you were going to be recovering for a while. Derek took hold of your hand and gave it a squeeze.

“Hey, babygirl’s gonna video call you tomorrow, she’s missed you so much and been crying on the phone to me about it all.” He said, then chuckled. “But don’t tell her I told you that part.” He then winked and you scoffed tiredly.

“I’ve missed her, too.”

Day by day you slowly recovered, getting to the point of using crutches to move around a little bit, and for a week a different member of the team stayed with you overnight in the hospital- something you were very grateful for with the nightmares that had begun to tear through your sleep. But as life goes, they couldn't stay forever and eventually the call came in to summon them all back to Quantico.

“I don't like the idea of leaving you here alone.” Emily said after the text came through. It had been her turn that night to stay with you. You shrugged.

“Criminals aren't going to stop just because we're one member down, Em.”

“I know, but��� We're all so worried about you. You- you didn't see what we witnessed when we found you.” She trailed off and you could see her fighting off the urge to cry. You reached out and took her hand gently, rubbing your thumb over the back of it.

“Hey… I'm-I’m okay, yeah? I'm in safe hands. And before you know it I'll be back in town.” you tried to smile at her, which she appreciated but could barely return the gesture.

It had been a week since then, and finally you were being discharged. The idea was to have whoever was available from the team to fly back over to you and stay with you in a hotel for a few days, just to be sure all was stable, then return to the home state together. You had no idea who it would be though, it was highly dependent on the nature of whatever case the team was on at the time.

You sat waiting, perched on the edge of the hospital bed you'd been living in for the past while now, when there was a knock on your room door. You shifted on the bed carefully, keeping your thigh secure as you moved, then called out.

“Come in!”

There was a pause, then the handle turned and the door pushed in. Your breath caught in your throat. Hotch stood in the doorway, just as breathtaking as ever wearing some dark jeans and a dark blue button down shirt underneath a casual jacket. Cautiously, he stepped into the room.

“Hey, (Y/n).” He said. Your hand grabbed the untidy bedsheet tightly.

He had referred to you by your first name.

“S-sir.”

His face twisted into an expression you hadn't seen on him before for a split moment, then it returned to his normal stoicness. He cautiously approached the bed, stuffing his hands into his pockets and his eyes darted around the room. Was he nervous? Why?

“I'm taking you to the hotel, then home.”

You nodded. What were you to say to him? You sniffled loudly.

“I… I’m sorry for what happened, sir. I hope there wasn't too much paperwork.” You mumbled. Hotch looked at you, bewildered.

“What? You don't need to worry about that.”

“But-”

“Please don't stress yourself out over it. I've handled it. Everything is fine.” He cut you off gently. What in the fuck was happening? You expected to be reprimanded, to lose your job, for him to be cold and angry at you. But this?

You sighed gently and the nurse entered the room with your discharge paperwork. She smiled sweetly at the both of you.

“Ah, I see your boyfriend was able to return to take you home!”

The both of you tensed up as your eyes flicked to one another, then as Hotch opened his mouth to speak you beat him to it.

“Oh no, he's not my boyfriend. He's my boss.” You said quickly, returning your gaze to the nurse and immediately a look of horror crossed her face.

“Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to assume.” She handed over the paperwork to you and gave you an awkward smile. “Here's your paperwork, I'm going to get you a wheelchair to take you downstairs, then you can continue on your crutches.”

You nodded and thanked her, then sat quietly avoiding looking at the man opposite you. He shifted from one foot to another whilst you messed with the crutches propped against the side of your bed.

“I wanted to get back sooner instead of making you stay here alone.” You heard Hotch say after a moment. You lifted your head slightly to look at him. The expression on his face struck you, you'd never seen such remorse from him before. Well, at least not aimed at you. You shrugged.

“That's how it goes in this line of work.”

“No, it really doesn’t.”

You stared at him; your brow twitched.

“I…”

The nurse returned then with a wheelchair and the both of you turned your attention to her approaching figure.

“Here we are! Right, let’s get you into the wheelchair now.” The nurse glanced at Hotch. “Are you able to help?” She asked, more cautious this time. He nodded.

“Of course, yes. Tell me what you need me to do.” he responded sincerely. She eyed him for a moment longer, then nodded once.

“We are going to support her from under her armpits and lift her up to stand after I lower the bed.”

She took hold of the remote that controlled the hydraulics of the bed and lowered it to the correct level for you to stand. The both of them prepared to help you then, slinking an arm under your pit and round your back securely. While you were still wary of Hotch, confused by his sudden change of heart, you still had feelings for him and the sensation of his arm around you was something you’d had craved for so, so long. And as you pushed up off the bed to stand you winced at the sharp pain in your thigh, burying your face in Hotch’s chest as you whimpered.

“Easy, you’re okay.” you heard him say softly, his thumb rubbing against your back soothingly.

He didn't let go, not even when you were finally sitting in the wheelchair. Instead moving his hand to your arm comfortingly. The nurse didn't question it.

“Alright, I have a got you your prescription of pain medication here, I'm putting it on top of your discharge papers. You're able to leave when you're ready now, Miss (L/n).” She said and you nodded tiredly.

“Thank you…”

She smiled and moved to the side to allow Hotch to wheel you out.

“You take care now, okay? Call us if there's anything you need.”

You nodded at her and offered a weak smile in return, then Aaron began to wheel you out of the room. You lost track of the many winding corridors you travelled down to reach the exit, but soon you were outside and you breathed in deeply when the air hit your face.

“God… you forget how nice it is when you go outside.” you said softly. Aaron hummed and directed the wheelchair to the car he must have hired- much lower to the ground than an SUV, that you were worried would have been your mode of transport. He locked the wheels in place and took hold of your crutches with one hand while the other hooked around your back to help you stand.

“Squeeze as tight as you need to onto me.” You heard him say, then when you were ready to try you pushed up from the chair painfully, wincing and once again burying your face against his chest.

“F-fuck- hurts-”

“I know, swe- (Y/n), I know. You're doing very well.” Aaron murmured as he passed you your crutches. You thanked him and rested your weight on them, taking it off your poor leg instead. He pushed the chair out of the way and opened the passenger door open for you and helped you lower down onto the chair slowly. It was all so painful still, straining your wound site and sending sparks of pain up and down the side of your body. By the time you were belted in you were exhausted.

Hotch nudged the brakes off the wheelchair and grabbed the handles, then turned to you.

“I'm going to take the chair back. I won't be long, okay?”

You nodded and he bumped the car door with his hip to close it for you. You sighed softly and settled back into the chair. You weren't so sure what to think of feel right now.

“I'm going to order food in, what would you wanna eat?” Hotch asked you hours later. You were sitting up on one of the beds in the twin room you were sharing with him now. It was a different hotel to the one you'd stayed in for the case, more luxurious and you were on a floor much higher than the room you had been staying in at the other hotel.

You sighed softly.

“I'm not really sure. What places are there available in the area?”

The man crossed the room to you and held out his phone, showing the food delivery app to you.

“I think it might actually be easier if you take a look than me reading them out. There's quite a lot.” He said with a barely there smile. He… It made your stomach feel funny and you looked away quickly, taking the phone off him with a quiet ‘thanks’.

“You have any preferences?” You glanced in his general direction, keeping your eyes away from his face.

“I will find something on the menu wherever you choose. Don't worry about it.”

“Alright then…”

You heard Hotch sigh and he moved to sit on his bed, perching on the edge facing you.

“Is something wrong?” He questioned you. You continued scrolling.

“I'm tired and in pain. That's all.” You knew you sounded unconvincing.

“Please don't lie to me.”

You finally turned your head and looked at him, lips pulled downward.

“Well then I don't want to talk about it. Please leave it alone, sir.”

He stared at you and his brows began to furrow deeply. His jaw clenched slightly.

“(Y/n). When I thought you were going to die, I-” He cut himself off, swallowing thickly and his left hand curled into a fist and his thumb began to stroke across his second knuckles. “I was fucking terrified. Seeing you like that, I don't think I'll be able to forget it.”

You stared wide eyed at him for a moment in silence. You didn't expect this, didn't think he cared this much. In the artificial light of the room you could spy the glint of tears threatening to spill from his sad, brown eyes.

“S-sir… I-I didn't realise you felt so strongly about it.”

He sniffled and lifted his hand to wipe his eyes with his thumb and fingers. You bit your lip, trying to stop it from trembling.

“That's also my fault. I kept pushing you away and this is what happened as a result.” He mumbled. The room was quiet for a while, the hum of the AC filled the silence as you stared at the man before you. Far gone was the person you'd come to expect and were used to, the closed off and cold unit chief who would barely do so much as stiffly discuss work with you when he needed to, in his place was a man filled with regrets, with concern and an emotion you couldn’t recognise. Or at least, you didn’t want to. For all you knew you’d be misinterpreting things and your heart just couldn’t take it.

You sighed.

“What happened? I only remember parts, the others won’t budge when I ask them.” You finally settled on, hoping he would be the one to bring you from solitude. He shifted on his bed and you opened your mouth to push for answers, when he spoke.

“The day you were kidnapped, we found another victim’s body- Carla Reynolds- who you’d spoken to a few days prior. Your FBI badge was with the body and- and you blamed yourself.” He paused, letting the words sink in. You remembered her, and you remembered the state her corpse was in when you visited the body dumping site. Hotch noted the tremble of your hands and his brows creased. “If you need me to stop…”

“No. No, I- I need to remember.” You cut him off and curled your hands into fists. He was quiet for a moment, then nodded.

“You- you fell into a dark place of blaming yourself. You tried to remember faces from the day you interviewed her but you couldn’t. Her parents were let in and they confronted you when you were by yourself. I-“ he clenched his hands into fists and dropped his gaze. “I should have said something then, did something. And when you snuck out of our hotel room with the car keys from my jacket that night? My heart sank.”

Oh… it was coming back to you now. Your lower lip trembled.

“He… he had a knife at my back when you called me. That’s why I, um, ended the call.”

“(Y/n)…”

You dipped your head and wrapped your arms around yourself.

“I’m sorry for the stress and grief I put you all through, I just… I didn’t think straight at all. I- I’ll understand if I do lose my job based on my actions during this case.” You mumbled and you clenched your jaw in an attempt to stop yourself from crying. You heard Aaron sigh, then a moment later the mattress dipped under his weight as he sat down beside you.

“Hey, I have no plans on doing such a thing. You’re a valuable member of the team and terminating you would be not only a poor decision, but also hypocritical.” He closed his eyes for a moment and laid his palm against his forehead, breathing deeply. “I think everyone on the team has done something reckless, including myself. And yet we’re all still here in the team.”

He could see you were not entirely convinced from the way you fussed with the hem of your shirt and the wrinkle of your nose. But you were tired and hungry and just wanted to sleep. And so you picked his phone up from where you’d set it down beside you when you curled up earlier, and chose a random restaurant to order from and picked something. You offered his phone back to Hotch and avoided his gaze.

“I chose something. It’s your turn to now.”

His fingers barely brushed against yours as he reluctantly took the phone back and you gritted your teeth a little, trying hard not to show a response to the touch. Hotch sighed again, but didn’t push the unresolved conversation for he could see the exhaustion weighing in on you. You knew he wouldn’t let it slide forever, though.

Little by little, you began letting your guard drop slightly around Hotch. While you still felt uncertain about him, questioning if he really had cared about you all this time, hearing his soft voice as he checked in on you at your apartment and brought you groceries to cook meals for the week for you. It was, frankly, weird. But not an unpleasant weird. It had your feelings for the man in turmoil though, what should you be feeling towards him, if it was perhaps something to still cling onto.

There was always a certain look in his eyes whenever he visited you; a sadness, the look as though he had much to say but not knowing how to, or if he even should say. You never brought it up.

The others would stop by as well, especially Penelope with her being in the area all the time. Sometimes they’d all visit at the same time, having a group dinner and helping you around the apartment- even when you at first protested. Thinking back on it, you weren’t so sure why you were so reluctant to let your friends help you. They’d been so supportive and caring, and you felt as though you were close to being back on your feet in a way. Nightmares plagued you though, tearing through the night mercilessly and leaving you more exhausted than you’d started out. You had yet to make any of them aware of it, not quite ready to talk to them about what you experienced. Sooner or later you would have to if you wanted to return to work smoothly.

It was a few months later when things took a turn. After another round of extensive physical therapy and talking to a psychiatrist, Aaron had brought you back home- as he always did after such appointments if he could- to make sure you were okay. You never asked him to attend any of them, he had took it upon himself to see to it if he wasn’t away with another case. Part of you was curious as to why, but decided against asking. It was… nice having him care about you like this.

He was finishing up washing the dishes (despite your protests) after the two of you had shared a meal again when your phone began to ring. You picked it up and raised a brow at the number; it wasn’t one in your contacts. The area code was for Virginia though and you decided to answer it.

“I’m gonna take this call, s-Aaron.” You murmured softly to him and he nodded.

You swiped to answer and held the phone to your ear as you walked through to the living room.

“Hello?”

“Hello, this is Section Chief Erin Strauss. Is this (Y/n) I’m speaking to?”

A chill shivered through you. What on earth was she calling you for?!

“A-um yes! It is, yes. Uh, how can I help you, ma’am?” You answered quickly.

“Upon your return to work tomorrow, I would like you to report to my office first thing. Is that understood?”

That wasn’t good.

“Y-yes, ma’am. I can do that. Is that all?”

“Yes that is all. I hope you have been recovering well, agent (L/n). I’ll see you tomorrow, good bye.”

The line disconnected before you could say anything else and for a moment you merely stood rooted in place.

“(Y/n)?” You heard from behind you, snapping you out of your trance. Turning to face Aaron, you blinked at him. You noted the front of his shirt had damp patches from where the water in the sink had splashed onto him as he washed up.

“Mm?”

“Who was that on the phone?”

You were quiet, debating what to say to him. His brows creased as he stepped closer, concerned about the extending silence.

“You don’t have to tell me, but I just want to make sure you’re-“

“Strauss!” You blurted, stopping Aaron in his tracks. “It- it was Strauss. Wants me to um, visit her in her office tomorrow when I arrive back.”

Aaron’s brows furrowed now as he folded his arms across his chest, covering up some of the damp splotches on his shirt.

“Do you know what she wants?”

“No… do you?”

He shook his head as you and dropped his gaze.

“Listen, tomorrow… when you return to the office. I want you to come to my office whenever you have the first opportunity to do so. I will issue you your new FBI credentials and your gun.” He said sincerely. You nodded.

“Sure, I can do that.”

“That isn’t all.” He moved closer towards you and laid a hand on your shoulder, causing your breath to catch in your throat. “I have something I need to discuss with you, it’s important. As well as that, I want you to know that if anything becomes too much; come to me and tell me. You’ve been through a hell of a lot, it’s okay if you struggle to find your footing.”

He squeezed your shoulder gently and you finally found the ability to breathe again, nodding quickly as you glanced away bashfully.

“Y-yes. I- I can do that, sir- Aaron.”

A slight smile twitched at the corner of his mouth.

“Thank you.” He said softly.

You were almost nauseous with stress and worry as you rode the elevator to the correct floor. It was hard to remember the last time you’d been here. but it wasn’t even just the nerves of returning to work after so long, you were on the way to talk to Strauss. You’d hardly slept that night after Aaron left your home, instead wracking your brain as to what she could possibly want to talk to you about. As the elevator dinged, you knew you didn’t have anymore time to think about it.

Briskly, you walked towards her office, avoiding other people who were at the office as early as you were. You hadn’t looked through the glass doors to the bullpen yet, you weren’t ready.

Standing outside Strauss’ office, you knocked and waited. Every second that ticked by felt like an eternity, then the door swung open to reveal Erin Strauss. She smiled slightly at you.

“Hello agent (L/n). Do come in.” She greeted you and held the door open wider for you.

You stepped inside and listened for the quiet click of the door shutting behind you, followed by the muffled clack of her heels on the carpet as she walked back towards her desk. She gestured to the chair opposite her desk as she settled into her seat and you quickly moved to sit down.

“Thank you, ma’am.”

She knitted her fingers together in front of her and studied you for a moment.

“You must be wondering why I called you in today before you headed into the office.” She said. You cleared your throat and drew in a deep breath.

“I am, yes.”

“I want to commend you for your bravery first of all, but also offer my sympathies for what happened to you. If there is anything I can do to help you, you need only ask.”

You shifted in your seat and nodded slightly, keeping your head bowed.

“Thank you.”

“That isn’t the only thing I brought you in to discuss though.” The shift in tone caused you to stiffen and you felt a throb of pain in your thigh.

“Ma’am?” You lifted your head to look at her.

“During your… predicament, James Humphrey had a camera set up recording, just as he had done with his other victims.”

She paused for a moment whilst you processed this information, a coldness settling within your core. She continued after a moment, her face expressionless.

“While I have not watched it, I have read the transcripts and I am concerned with what I have read. So I need you to be honest with me when I ask you something: what feelings do you have for agent Hotchner?” She asked, staring at you. Your entire body froze up, eyes wide in alarm.

What?

“M-ma’am, I don’t understand… what has that got to do with-“

Strauss pulled out a piece of paper from a casefile you hadn’t originally noticed was sitting on her desk and began to read from it.

“James said ‘wearing these cute lil’ frilly panties for your boss?’ And you didn’t respond at first, which urged him to continue and you both argued about it. That is until he says ‘You seriously think no one sees it? It’s pathetic really, you being desperately in love with your boss and craving even an ounce of praise from him.’ And even mentions the two of you had been sharing a bed.”

You stared at her in horror, struggling to comprehend any of this, or even why she was bringing it up in the first place. The pain in your thigh throbbed more intensely, to which you pressed your lips together tightly. She continued, eyes scanning the paper.

“That isn’t all, agent (L/n). Later on, when the team did reach your location, you said to agent Hotchner that you have ‘always liked him more than you should’ which, added to everything that transpired beforehand, leads me to believe you have inappropriate feelings for him.” The woman concluded, returning the piece of paper to the casefile.

And all you could do was stare at her.

Was she truly more concerned about this over the fact you had been tortured and almost died?! Besides, you had no memory of-

Your heart lurched in your chest and your hand trembled slightly. It had all come flooding back, the memories of it all, the realisation you had practically confessed to Aaron Hotchner on what you believed to be your deathbed. You swallowed thickly.

“I…”

“So I will ask you again, agent (L/n). What feelings do you have for agent Hotchner?” Strauss asked impatiently now and you felt as though you were on the brink of throwing up.

“M-ma’am, I-“ you closed your eyes for a moment and exhaled. “I- I do have feelings for him. B-but I have never and will never let that interfere with mine or his job-“

“That is not what I asked.” The woman cut you off and you closed your mouth quickly. “You do know about the policies surrounding fraternizing with colleagues, especially that of your superior, yes?”

You nodded and clenched your hands into fists in your lap, fighting the urge to look away.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Then you’ll know it is not acceptable to have feelings for agent Hotchner, your superior, nor would it be acceptable to engage in relations with him.”

Your jaw clenched.

“I understand, ma’am.” You gritted. Strauss clasped her hands together firmly as she tilted her head at you.

“You have two options: if you do not wish to lose your job, I will assign you to a new position in a different state. You will no longer have contact with agent Hotchner, nor the BAU unit as a whole.” Your chest heaved with utter shock, but she wasn’t finished. “Either that or you hand in your resignation. You will still not be able to have contact with agent Hotchner.”

All you could do was stare at her, unable to say anything. Never see Aaron again? Or talk to him? Even acknowledge his existence ever again? You felt your heart shattering to pieces, the coldness within spreading throughout your body. All of this time slowly building a positive relationship with him during your recovery, your feelings growing stronger for him, would all have been for naught. This was a worse agony than everything you’d been through, entirely heartbroken.

Strauss cleared her throat to bring your attention back to her and she handed you two envelopes.

“One of these is a form to fill in if you wish to transfer, and the other is for resigning. You have until the end of the day to make your decision, agent (L/n). That is all.”

You didn’t remember walking out of her office after that, nor finding your way back to the main precinct where the glass doors were to the bullpen. But as you heard your name being called and you turned to see Emily and the others approaching the doorway, you returned to your senses and quickly made your way into the elevator to leave. You couldn’t bear to face any of them now, especially him.

Just when we thought things were gonna get better for them too 😔😔😔😔 maybe next chapter it'll be different >:3 thank you for reading this far!! It means a lot to me 💖💖💖💖💖

[scoonsalicious]

Unsatisfied, Pt. 2

Pairing: Bucky x Avenger!Fem!Reader

Summary: After game night, Bucky promised to ruin you come morning. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be.

Warnings: Language, adult themes, Explicit Sexual Content: Minors: GTFO; I don’t serve your kind here (FaceTime sex, hand stuff), Pocket still not being over her trauma, mentions of past injury.

Word Count: 4.5k

A/N: Hi, besties!

It's me, ya gurl, with Part 2 of the post-Unwanted one-shot that's become a three-shot, lol! I fucking missed the absolute hell out of these two, and I'm so happy to be back with them for a little bit. Writing for Pocket and her Bucky is just like... I don't know. It's like I'm not even making stuff up, just channeling it, because it comes so easily, unlike literally everything else I try to write. I can't say when I'm going to resume WFLT. To be perfectly candid, I might put it on extended hiatus while I work on other things that seem to come easier right now. I don't know yet. I just want to be up front with everyone.

Here's where my attentions are currently focused: Finishing Unsatisfied, an untitled collab with @mrsbuckybarnes1917, writing Hunted, and plotting Unbroken. For some reason, there is just a giant Gandalf standing between me and WFLT, waving his staff and shouting "YOU SHALL NOT PASS!" I'll let you know when I whip him into the abyss. And yes, that does make me the Balrog in this scenario, and I, too, fall to my death in the depths of Moria. It's an imperfect analogy, okay? At least I'm not Sean Bean, dying all over the place.

Anyway, enjoy more Pocket and Bucky! I know I do! xoxo

“I miss you,” you moaned into the screen of your phone. Your voice sounded pitiful, even to your own ears, but you were lonely and you didn’t have the shame to hide it. Especially not from the man you were talking to.

“I miss you, too, sweets,” Bucky said with a dejected sigh that let you know your feelings of misery were mutual. “It shouldn’t be longer than a few more days, then I’ll come back home to ya, and we can pick up where we left off, yeah?”

You smiled and nodded eagerly, his promise setting your skin awash in goosebumps. ‘Where you’d left off’ had been finally, finally, coming back together after nearly twelve months of self-imposed celibacy, spending the first night together, in your new apartment, wrapped in each other’s arms, with his co—

“At least we got our bubble bath before things went fully to shit,” Bucky added, a smile playing on his lips from across the distance, as though he knew exactly where your thoughts had taken you.

“Yeah,” you sighed, remembering the feel of him, so warm and solid, against your back in the tub. After he’d kicked out your friends from the impromptu game night they’d decided to throw at your new place, and you’d gotten over your freakout when Sam had inadvertently joked about Bucky ‘cheating’ at a card game, the two of you had spent a much needed evening just in each other’s company. Intimacy, but not sex, the way your therapist had recommended, with Bucky promising to ruin you come daybreak. 

Instead, though, a call had come from Fury in the middle of the night. A group of terrorists, counting some several enhanced among them, had stolen a biological weapon and were threatening to decimate the population of Shanghai unless the Chinese government gave into their demands, and so, The Avengers, Bucky included, had been called away.

You’d offered to go, just so you could stay close to him. You’d never even leave the Quinjet, you’d promised, out of the action, but neither Bucky nor Tony was eager to see you back on the field, not after what had happened the last time. Even though you’d had your last reconstructive surgery months ago, and your doctors had given you the all clear, between your boyfriend and your pseudo-brother, you weren’t leaving New York anytime soon.

That had been over a week ago. Negotiations with the terrorists had not gone according to plan, and they were probably going to have to fight it out. And as for you? You were ready to climb the fucking walls.

“How’s wedding stuff going?” Bucky asked, referring to your role as Maid of Honor in Pepper and Tony’s upcoming nuptials. “Keeping you busy?”

“Don’t you dare try to change the subject, Barnes,” you practically growled at him. “I am so fucking desperate for your cock, I swear to god–”

From somewhere off camera, you could hear a cacophony of sound– a combination of Sam and Clint’s uproarious laughter and Tony shouting “JESUS CHRIST BARNES, USE YOUR FUCKING HEADPHONES!”

Bucky’s face had turned crimson in the video call, and you couldn’t suppress the laugh that came bubbling from you as he abruptly stood up and removed himself into a darker, quieter area.

“Shit,” he exhaled as he got himself re-situated in the new, hopefully more private, space. He ran a hand down his face in embarrassment. “Didn’t mean for them to hear all that, doll.”

You laughed as you twisted a strand of hair around your finger in the way you knew he liked. “What happened to your earbuds, baby?” you teased. 

Bucky reached up and pulled an airpod from his ear, looking at the small device as though it had personally offended him. “I thought they were on!” he exclaimed. “If I’d known I’d been broadcasting you for the whole fucking team to hear, I woulda gone somewhere a lot more private to begin with.”

“The whole team?” you asked, cautiously. You didn’t want to say any names, but you needed to know if he was there, too. If he’d heard you.

“Yeah,” Bucky sighed, catching your meaning and lowering his voice. “Rogers is here.”

You swallowed and nodded solemnly. You hadn’t spoken to Steve Rogers since he’d made his horrible confession to you in the hospital, of the ways he’d manipulated your life to keep you and Bucky apart. All culminating in Bucky’s betrayal, your temporary death, the loss of your unborn baby. 

“Are you alright?” you asked, thinking only of Bucky in the moment. It was easy for you to stay away from Steve, to ignore him– your anger toward him had far surpassed any level of fondness you’d once had for Captain America, but you knew how much harder it was for Bucky to break a bond of nearly a century. Not that you would have ever forbidden him from reconnecting with Steve, if that was what he had wanted. No, Bucky had decided on his own that some things couldn’t be forgiven. No matter how many decades of friendship might lie behind them.

“Yeah,” he sighed, though you could tell from the look in his eyes that it was harder for him than he was letting on. “It’s awkward, but if we keep it strictly to business, it’s manageable. It’s just…” He rubbed the back of his neck, and you wished so badly that you could be there to smooth the lines from his distraught face. “It’s just… sometimes he makes it hard to remember what he did.”

You nodded, feeling guilty that you were the reason the two were no longer friends. That Steve had betrayed Bucky because of his desire for you. 

“Don’t go blaming yourself, sweets,” Bucky chastised you knowingly. It was like he could read your mind. You opened your mouth to protest, but he cut you off with a look. “I know how that pretty head works, doll, and I know you’re blaming yourself. Stop it. He made his own bed, now he gets to lie in it.”

“I know,” you lamented. “I just hate that you have to pay the emotional cost of his bad decisions, that’s all.”

Bucky frowned at you. “Just like I hate how you had to pay the costs for mine, doll,” he said softly. “Our actions have consequences. We have to live with them, so we don’t make the same fuck ups again.”

You subconsciously let your hand drift to your abdomen, your fingers delicately tracing over the scar that was the only external reminder that you’d been shot. Had technically been killed. Had lost a lot more than your life. You were grateful Bucky could only see you from the chest up.

“Well, this conversation took a turn,” you said, trying to get off of subjects you’d rather not dwell on. “Can we go back to talking about how fucking horny I am for you?”

Bucky barked out a laugh and god, how it warmed your heart that you could still get that reaction out of him after everything you’d both gone through. His blue eyes seemed to darken as he adjusted himself in whatever seat he was in. “If it helps, I’m horny as hell for you, too, sweetheart.”

“Oh yeah?” you asked, tugging on your bottom lip with your teeth as he nodded his head. “Yeah, hearing that does help. Show me.”

Bucky’s eyes widened through the screen. “Show you?” he breathed, clearly not having anticipated where you were about to take the conversation. “What do you mean, ‘show you’, doll?”

“I mean,” you said, leaning back against the headboard to make yourself more comfortable, “show me that pretty cock of yours, Sergeant. Take it out. Stroke it for me. I wanna see what I’ve been missing.”

You watched as Bucky’s eyes went back and forth between the phone screen and the door that separated him from the rest of the team. You could tell from the way he was gnawing at his bottom lip that he was seriously debating it, but that he had some real reservations. “Doll,” he whispered, sounding scandalized, but excited, “they’re right outside. They’ll hear me.”

You smirked at the way he’d suddenly become shy. “I wanna hear you, Sarge,” you pleaded in a breathy whisper, and from the way he closed his eyes and moaned at your words, you knew he was so close to giving you what you wanted. “Come on, baby,” you cooed. “Can’t you show Pocket that pretty pink cock she’s been wanting so badly? Can’t I watch you choke it with your big hands while I imagine my mouth wrapped around it? Pozhaluysta, Soldat?”

“Fuck,” he muttered, and you knew you’d won when he hopped up from where he’d been sitting. Though you couldn’t see it from the way he was letting the phone dangle, you could hear him lock the door. “You know I can’t resist it when you speak Russian, doll,” he said as he sat back down, propping the phone and its camera up against something so that you could see his entire body stretched out before you. 

“YA rasschityval na eto, detka,” you said with a grin. I was counting on it, baby. You could see now that he was in a bedroom of what looked like a standard SHIELD safehouse. It was small– only one twin-sized bed, so you weren’t worried about anyone else barging in to need the space. 

“So, how do we do this?” he asked, and you could hear the nervousness mixed with excitement in his voice. It struck you that, throughout your relationship, and all the time you’d spent apart while one or the other was away on missions, the two of you had actually never done this before. Phone sex, yeah, but never on video, together. It was going to be new territory, and it thrilled you. 

“We?” you asked playfully, pretending you had no idea what he was talking about. 

Bucky looked at you sternly though the screen of your phone and you involuntarily shivered under his gaze. “Don’t think for a second I’m not going to see that sweet, dripping cunt of yours tonight, doll. I’ve been fantasizing about it for ages. Got just a taste of it the other day, and it wasn’t nearly enough.”

Fuck, you could feel yourself dampen and your nipples harden just from his words alone, not to mention the memory of the brief moment on your terrace, before the movers had arrived, when he’d had his deliciously thick fingers pressed inside of you.

“Baby,” you moaned, not even realizing you were trailing your fingertips over the pebbled flesh of your breasts under your shirt, imagining his rough, calloused hands on you. 

“Take off your clothes, Pocket,” Bucky growled. He didn’t ask; it wasn’t a request. It was a command, and you were ready to obey. 

“Sir, yes sir, Sergeant,” you said, and you were sure you looked anything but graceful as you sped to pull your top over your head and shimmy out of the pair of cheeky panties you wore. The cool breeze of the air conditioning danced along your flushed skin, leaving goosebumps in its wake.

“Fuck,” Bucky groaned, his eyes following the path your fingers traced along the contours of your body. You watched hungrily as he absentmindedly palmed himself through the Tac pants he still frustratingly donned. “God, you look even better‘n I remember, sweets,” he grunted. “Better than I’ve been imaginin’ all week. How the fuck’s that even possible?”

“Buck,” you warned, your cheeks flushing with embarrassment at his obviously false praise as you turned to hide your face from his gaze. “Stop. I know you don’t mean that.”

Frowning, Bucky leaned forward, picking up the phone so he could bring his face close to the camera, scrutinizing you. “Pocket,” he said, but you refused to look at him. “Pocket!” he tried again, his voice a little firmer, but still gentle. “Why the fuck would I not mean that, sweetheart? You’re gorgeous.”

Scoffing, you rolled your eyes. It was kind of him to lie to spare your feelings, really, but you didn’t think you could take it. Not from him. Not after everything. Without thought, your hand moved to cover your bullet wound from his gaze. “Come on, Buck,” you said, your tone implying that you weren’t buying his bullshit, no matter how sweetly he was selling it, “we both know you weren’t imagining me with all these new scars.”

“Baby.” Bucky made a noise somewhere between a choked laugh and an incredulous groan. “You can’t seriously think I, of all fucking people, give a shit about a couple of tiny scars?” He put the phone down, and your view of him was obstructed for a moment while you heard the rustle of cloth. When he lifted it up again, you saw he had taken off his vest and Tac shirt. He pointed to the ruined skin of his left shoulder.

“Look at these and tell me you think I’m gonna be turned off by a coupla’ scars, Pocket,” he said, and you could detect the hard edge to his voice. 

“It’s different, Buck,” you told him, your voice cracking. “You already had those scars when we met; they were a part of the man I fell in love with. You…” you hastily wiped at the tear that was suddenly threatening to fall from your eye. “Mine… mine weren’t. You didn’t get a choice in them.”

You watched as the look on Bucky’s face morphed into one of pure confusion. Of course he didn’t fully understand– you weren’t just talking about scars, after all. He… just didn’t realize that yet.

“You didn’t have a choice in them, either, sweetheart,” he said softly, eying the way your hand protectively rested over your abdomen. “And if you’re talking about the scar from when you got shot… well, fuck, if that scar’s not my favorite thing.”

You looked at him in wide-eyed disbelief. “How could this… disgusting reminder…” you choked out, “of everything that happened last year… how could that be your favorite thing, Bucky?”

“That scar means you’re alive, doll,” he told her. “That you’re still breathing, still with me, in spite of all of it. So forgive me if I think that makes it the fucking sexiest thing I’ve ever seen.”

You closed your eyes and exhaled, his words momentarily taking away the sting of the inadequacy you’d felt ever since the doctors had told you about the extent of your condition. It wasn’t something you were purposefully keeping from Bucky… You had just been too terrified to say it out loud. You were going to tell him. Just not yet.

"Look at me Doll,” he said, getting your attention back onto his face, “I don't like that I have to tell you this at all, but I'm gonna do it, as many times as you need, as many times as it takes for you to believe me. You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen."

You felt your face soften, the tension of insecurity drop from your shoulders as he looked at you through the phone screen, eyes blue pools of adoration. You wanted so badly to just get lost in him, to let him consume you until you were capable of thinking of nothing but him. 

“Thank you,” you whispered.

“It’s something more than just the scar, isn’t it, sweets? You’ve never been ashamed of showing me your body before.” You weren’t vain as a rule, and Bucky knew this about you. You had other scars, worse ones. Uglier ones, but none had ever bothered you the way this one had. None had ever carried the same degree of psychological and emotional baggage. 

You just nodded, afraid that if you spoke, you’d reveal what you’d been keeping from him, blurt it out before you could stop yourself, and it was not the kind of thing you wanted to do over video with thousands of miles of distance between you.

“You don’t have to tell me, doll,” he said, the understanding in his voice so pure that it made you ache. “I know so many of my actions have hurt you; I get that there’s still some trust–”

“Baby, no,” you interrupted. “I trust you, I do. I want to tell you. I’m just… not ready yet.”

“Tell me what I can do for you right now, then, sweetheart,” he offered. He’d brought the phone close to his face, his gaze on you intense and burning through the screen. “What do you need?”

You exhaled, the sight of him so focused and sincere making your knees feel weak. “Just you, Buck,” you whispered, the words coming out in a breathy sigh. “I just want you.”

“I’m right here, doll.” His voice turned low, darker. A soft purr that vibrated your insides. “And I’ll be home with you real soon, but you gotta tell me what I can do for you right. now.”

You sucked in a shuddering gasp of air, indulging in the way his words swept over your body like a languid kiss. Without even thinking, you felt your hand drift down your abdomen, your fingertips dancing along the top of your thigh.

“Buck,” you found yourself whining as you squirmed your ass across the mattress, searching for any inch of friction you could find. 

“Yeah, baby,” he grunted, readjusting the camera so it was once again propped up and you could see the length of him pressing against the material of his tac-pants. “Tell Sergeant Barnes what you want so he can give it to you.”

A beat of silence passed between you before you both started laughing, your hand coming to cover your face as you suppressed a snort. “Oh my god, Barnes!” you wheezed.

“Yeah, that was awful,” he laughed, palming his face in embarrassment. “Did I kill it?”

You wiped away a stray tear that had leaked from your eye in your laughter. “You’re lucky I find your bad jokes to be such a fucking turn on,” you told him with a grin. 

Bucky frowned. “Wasn’t supposed to be a joke, doll,” he grumbled, a pout forming on his beautiful pink lips. “‘S supposed to be sexy.”

“Oh, I found it very sexy,” you assured him. “You make me laugh, Barnes. That’s the hottest fucking thing I can imagine. Now take off your pants.”

The look in Bucky’s eyes turned from playfully annoyed to seductively heated in the space of a nanosecond. He reached for the zipper of his tac-pants and you licked your lips at the sound of it coming undone. “Get the camera all set up, doll,” he said as he shimmied the pants down his legs. “I want to see every inch of you.”

With a grin, you propped your camera up between your legs, giving Bucky a front row seat to your dripping core. “This work for you, Sarge?” you asked.

“Fuck, sweets,” he began, palming at himself through his boxer-briefs. “Yeah, that works for me.”

“Show me,” you commanded him, bringing your fingers down to lightly trace the outer edges of your lower lips. “Show me how well this view works for you, baby.”

Bucky scrambled to pull his boxer briefs down to his thick thighs, and you watched with bated breath as his cock sprung free, its beautiful, pink tip already glistening with precum. Your entire body erupted in tingles at the sight of him. He was so fucking gorgeous, and he was yours.

“Jesus,” you hissed, bringing a hand to your breast and gently squeezing the flesh. You could feel your mouth thicken with saliva at just the idea of having him down your throat.

“Just Bucky’s fine, baby,” he teased as he grabbed a hold of himself, and you rolled your eyes. “No need to bring God into it.” Slowly, he began stroking his length. You watched in awe as he seemed to grow harder with every downward pull, the veins in his thighs bulging as he thrust his hips up against his hand. If anyone was going to be compared to God during sex, it would and should be Bucky Barnes.

“Touch that pretty clit for me, doll,” he grunted. “Pretend it’s my fingers on you, getting you all warmed up to take my cock.”

“Fuck, Buck,” you whimpered, your fingers moving frantically over your bundle of nerves. You were already soaked; just the sight of him had sent another wave of arousal gushing through you. “Want your dick in my pussy so bad, baby. So fucking bad, it hurts.”

“Soon, sweetheart,” he grunted, watching your fingers strum your clit with wild eyes. “I’ll be home soon, and I’ll fill you up so good, you won’t be able to walk normal for weeks.”

You arched your back and moaned, the memory of the way he stretched you as he entered you, opening you wider than any other man you’d ever had, flooded your mind. “Nothing fills me like you do, baby,” you panted. “Nothing hits me so deep.”

“Yeah?” he grunted, and you could hear the delicious slick, slick sound of his hand moving through the precum that soaked his shaft. “Not even those fancy toys you bought?”

Bucky chuckled when he noticed your eyes pop open and stare at him in surprise. “Oh, I know all about those, doll.” Slick, slick, slick. “Found ‘em when I was helping you pack for the move. All of them.”

You felt a blush rising to your cheeks, and if you didn’t already have your hand on your pussy right in front of him, you might have been embarrassed. “All those toys, and none of them gets me off as good as you do, Buck,” you breathed. “None of them reach that spot the way you do.” It was true– it was the one thing you had desperately searched for during your time of Bad Decisions– someone to hit that place deep inside of you that set your every nerve ending on fire, that made you shiver and convulse with pleasure with each thrust. No one had ever brought on that full body climax that left you shaking and weak like Bucky had. 

“Fuck, doll,” he grunted. “No one touches your A-spot but me.”

“No,” you gasped. You loved how he knew your body so well, knew what he did to you, how you longed for his touch. “No one touches me like you, baby.” 

“Put your fingers in, sweets,” he commanded. “I wanna watch you fuck yourself on that pretty little hand while I pretend it’s my cock.”

You did as he asked, bringing two fingers to your weeping entrance and plunging them inside you. They would never feel as thick or go as deep as any part of Bucky, but for now, they were all you had, so you made the most of them, driving them in and out of your cunt with abandon. 

“Fuck…” you grunted as you felt the coil in your belly begin to tighten, sweat glistening off your brow. “Baby!”

“I know, pretty girl,” Bucky said between grunts of his own. “Tell me how good you feel.”

“So good, Buck,” you moaned. “So fucking good. Want you so bad, Bucky! So fucking bad!”

“I’m right there with you, doll,” he panted. “I’m so close. Gonna blow all over and imagine it’s inside that pretty pussy of yours. Gonna come home and bury myself in your cunt, sweets! Not gonna come out for days!”

“Oh shit, Bucky,” you cried, your release a hare's breath away. “Wanna cum with you, baby.” You curled your fingers inside of you, stroking your G-spot again, and again, trying to imagine it was his thick, calloused fingers inside of you. 

“Just a little longer, sweetheart.” Bucky was yanking at his member now, his pace quick and frantic. 

You felt yourself rising, clawing to the very edge of the precipice, but before you could hurl yourself over the edge, you accidentally hit your phone with your foot, sending it falling to the floor.

You scrambled for the phone. It had landed face-down in the dark, making it harder for you to find, but you followed the sounds of Bucky’s grunts and moans until you made contact. Turning the phone back over, you watched as Bucky, eyes screwed closed, reached his peak, ropes of cum erupting from the tip of his cock and landing across his stomach and hand. 

And, as surely as if someone had doused you with a bucket of water, the spell was broken. You were painfully reminded that he wasn’t there with you. He was half a world away, still out of your reach. 

You sniffled, and Bucky opened his eyes at the sound. “Sweetheart,” he began, his voice laced with concern, “what’s wrong? Did you cum?”

You hitched a breath, holding back a sob, and shook your head. “You’re not here, Buck,” you cried. “It’s not… I thought… I just want to be with you. I miss you so fucking much!” You knew you sounded petulant, like a child, but you were at your limit, truly. You wanted nothing more than to be back to normal with him. A better normal, even, now without the shadow of Carthage looming over you both.

“Oh, doll.” Bucky picked up his phone and brought it close to his face, his now flaccid cock out of frame. “Baby, I’m so sorry. Do you wanna try again? We can focus just on you. Make sure you get off nice and good.”

You shook your head, feeling the tears of frustration and longing slide down your cheeks. “No,” you 

whimpered. “I think… I think I just wanna go to sleep.”

Bucky frowned at you, the look in his eyes sorrowful. “I fucking hate that I’m too far away to help you, Pocket,” he said. “I can’t stand seeing you like this, knowing you’re hurting.”

“It’s just been so long, Buck,” you whispered to him as you buried yourself under the blankets of your bed. “I feel like every time we even try, something keeps getting in our way. What if it’s the universe, trying to tell us we shouldn’t be getting back together?”

Bucky sighed, thick and heavy. “I know you don’t believe that, sweetheart,” he said. “It’s just been some bad timing; we got out of our groove, is all. I promise, things will go back to the way they were. The way they’re supposed to be.”

Not long ago, you told him that his promises didn’t mean shit to you, but now… now, you wanted to believe him more than anything.

“It’s just a little longer,” he clarified.  You nodded, swallowing down any remaining tears that threatened to fall. You wanted to believe him. You needed to believe him, but the part of you that had been irrevocably broken when he’d hurt you couldn’t help but whisper that, maybe, in some way, he’d always leave you unsatisfied.

<- Part 1 / Part 3 ->

[sxfterhearts]

with and without you: a supportive bf!keeho headcannon

⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚ non-idol!keeho x non-idol!reader ୨୧ ‧₊˚ ⋅

♡ genre/warnings: fluff!! reader finds it challenging to navigate a certain social situation (aka: university classmates' reunion), especially without her supportive and understanding boyfriend, keeho. but tldr, she manages just fine on her own :)

♡ word count: 1,836 words

//

after three long, boring hours, your seminar finally came to an end. as you walked out the door, you felt the fatigue set deep into your bones. that, plus the fact that you stayed up last night to finish an assignment, meant you wanted nothing more than to just go home and sleep.

but you knew you couldnt – you and keeho already agreed months in advance to attend your friend’s pre-wedding dinner tonight. and shoot - you checked your phone and realised you were running late

just then, keeho’s notifications popped up. he told you that he was still held up at work (something about waiting for approval from his boss), and will be around half an hour late. the plan was initially to meet up first and head over together, but it seemed like he had to meet you there instead.

you felt yourself shrivel up at the thought of arriving and having to face all those people alone, without keeho – your boyfriend; your rock. but you bit your lip and sucked it up because work was work, and he had no choice

keeho could sense you were apprehensive, but reassured you that he would try to get there as soon as he could, and as always, that he loved you.

you and keeho had been dating for around four years now. you first met at your classes in uni, and went from being friends, to study buddies, to best friends, and naturally, to lovers. the two of you were three years out of school, and stuck together through thick and thin – first jobs, first moves, first promotions, and everything in between.

earlier in the year, you decided to go back to grad school. that meant moving from your hometown to the big smoke - new york. and of course, keeho came with you, easily finding a corporate job in the financial centre of the world

it was hard adjusting though, if you were being truly honest. the big city was filled with people, yet you often felt yourself feeling more alone than ever before.

luckily, you had keeho right by your side. he was there for you when you struggled through early classes and late nights; he was there to cook and make sure you ate your meals on time during exam season, and he was even there to wipe away your tears when you faced hurdles completing your research. keeho, truly, a supportive bf we stan!!!

anyways - point is. you missed your close friends and family back home

but you were lowkey dreading this dinner. having to answer questions like “how are you” and “what are you doing for work or school” repeatedly seemed a bit overwhelming. the dinner was a mini-reunion of some uni classmates - a group of around ten who all took the same classes as you and keeho and mostly stuck together to study, do assignments, practice for interviews, help each other with applications etc.

it wasn’t like you weren’t close, it’s just… you definitely weren’t besties, and let’s just say you weren’t the most social person in the room

keeho was the opposite. your boyfriend was a social butterfly; a classic extrovert. always able to blend into any social setting and talk to anyone about any topic under the sky

you however, took awhile to warm up to people, and even then, you found yourself craving your alone time more than anything. keeho liked to tease you and said you have a small social battery – you just ran out of charge quicker than others (and there’s nothing wrong with that, he’d always remind you)

but with this particular friend group, you always had the sneaking suspicion that they were only keeping you around because you were the nerd; the smart friend. the one everyone wanted to pair up with in a group assignment because they knew you would hard carry the team. the one who everyone approached for study notes in the hopes of performing as well as you did in the finals. the one everyone was jealous of… the one who got used and subsequently thrown away

that was probably why you haven’t spoken to any of them in years, with the exception of keeho ofc, and the bride-to-be, yoonhee

before you knew it, you arrived at the restaurant. yoonhee was always a big fan of italian food, so it was no surprise that she picked one of the finest italian eateries in new york for the dinner

despite your obvious personality differences, yoonhee was one of the only girls in the friend group who actually took the time to get to know you. she was outgoing and outspoken like the other girls, but also had a hardworking, studious side that came out during important events like interviews or exams. she wasn’t a big fan of drinking (like you) and usually accompanied you on the sodas or lemonades at drinking events. importantly, she also shared similar hobbies to you. in particular, she loved reading, and the two of you used to exchange book recommendations in between classes and visited bookshops together

you were genuinely happy that your friend was tying the knot, but as you stood in front of the door, you had to take a few deep breaths to calm your nerves (you tried to hype yourself up: dont be a chicken, y/n! these are just your old classmates. you will be fine)

pushing open the doors, you gave the waiter your name and followed them into the crowded restaurant. the smell of woodfired pizzas and sizzling garlic invaded your senses as they led you towards the back of the restaurant where the group congregated

immediately, yoonhee spotted you and let out an excited squeal. “y/n!!!!” she ran forward to engulf you in a warm hug. “i’m so glad you made it!”

you couldn’t help the smile that worked its way on your lips. her energy was always infectious. “it’s great to see you too, and congratulations!” you replied sincerely, returning her hug. when the two of you pulled away, you handed her your present. “from me and keeho.”

“ooohhhh!” she said teasingly, “you and keeho? you’re still going steady, then?” she wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, before accepting your gift. “thank you for this, you didn’t have to.”

you shook your head, “yeah, it’s nothing big. but we hope you’ll like it.” 

“let’s go say hi to the others! you haven’t seen them in awhile, right? oh! and i’ve got to re-introduce you to my fiance!!!!”

you let your friend lead you to the larger group, and thanks to her, you felt yourself ease into the group’s conversation. whilst you still missed having keeho by your side, yoonhee did a great job at helping you navigate social situations, just like when you were back in uni

the food and conversation flowed continuously, and you found yourself actually enjoying yourself. who would’ve thought? you almost forgot why or what you were so concerned about earlier today

and as the current conversation about astronomical rent prices and how impossible it was to live affordably in new york eventually died down, one of them turned to you and asked, “so, y/n. you came alone? are you and keeho…” he trailed off, unsure of how to phrase his question

“intak!” his best friend, jongseob, hissed as he elbowed him in the ribs. 

“actually-” yoonhee began on your behalf,

but you answered, “actually, he’s late. work’s been really busy, so he had to stay back a bit. he should be here soon though.” you replied, with even more confidence than you initially expected. both your answer and your tone left the group pleasantly surprised. this was not the same y/n they knew from university, clearly.

“you’re still together!” another guy, theo, cheered from the edge of the table. theo always liked to claim that he played matchmaker and introduced the two of you, back in the day. “what can i say, i really am the best cupid in the matchmaking business.”

“so, when are you guys getting married?” yoonhee asked with a sly smile. “it’s been, what? four years? surely you’ve talked about it.”

“well actually, we –”

“guys!!!” a familiar voice yelled from behind you, stealing everyone’s attention. keeho sure knew how to make an entrance. “it’s been too long, boys!”

after five minutes of hugging everyone at the table and exchanging pleasantries, keeho finally circled around to you and yoonhee. he took his seat next to you, instinctively resting a warm hand on your waist, and turned to yoonhee, “congratulations! did y/n pass you the gift? you’re gonna love it - we’re the best at gift-giving.”

yoonhee laughed in response. “youre talking it up way too much, yoon keeho. it seems like you haven’t changed at all. and thank you, she did! i can’t wait to open it.”

keeho shook hands with yoonhee’s fiance and exchanged small talk about work, as they were both in the same field. you watched silently as they talked, happy to take the backseat and just listen in, as you usually did with keeho by your side

when the conversation reached a lull, keeho felt your eyes on him, and squeezed your waist in response. “hey.” he said in a low voice, for your ears only. the two of you faced each other and smiled, escaping to your own world. “sorry i was late, it’s been a really busy day.”

“it’s okay…” you trailed off, eyes wandering around the table as you finally realised, “it wasn’t that bad.”

keeho chuckled, “see? you did it. i could tell you were nervous on the phone, but you did it. i’m proud of you.” he leaned forward slightly to press his lips against your hair, as a reward.

“i had help. yoonhee’s great.” you replied sheepishly, eyes downcast as you felt shy 

“yeah but coming to a social gathering after a long day of classes and having to actually interact and talk to people? that’s all you, baby.” keeho countered, wanting to give you credit for your efforts. to many, it didnt seem like a big deal. but he knew you. it’s not easy for you to feel comfortable in these situations, especially when you were alone, or tired. he understood that you needed to recharge by being on your own, and that being around people for too long could be draining.

“i suppose…”

keeho hummed in response, “also,” he tilted your chin so you would look up at him. “i missed you.” he smiled sweetly before capturing your lips in a sweet kiss.

“yah! yoon keeho! y/n! pda is not allowed here! geez, go get a room!” theo teased, causing the table to erupt in laughter

you felt the tips of your ears light up, but it seemed like keeho had other plans. he pulled your chair even closer to him with one hand and shoved the middle finger up with the other; all whilst gliding his lips smoothly against yours

[sanjoongie]

𝚨 ꓝ୦𝜊￨ ꭵ𝗇 𝐋𝜊ꮩ𝒆

🤎A/N: Kicking off this month of revenge since it's Scorpio season is this beauty. Sometimes you just gotta torture you bestie @mejuii with her own professed weaknesses 😘 🤎Pairing: Lee Juyeon (The Boyz) x Reader (f) 🤎Au: Model au, Stylist au 🤎Genre: smut, angst 🤎Trope: unrequited love, oblivious to love 🤎Warnings: reader is mean to Juyeon (think tsundere), sub!juyeon, dom!reader, verbal instruction, oral (f), hair pulling (m), praise kink, hand kink 🤎Rated: 18+, MDNI 🤎Word Count: 1,727 🤎Summary: Juyeon is in love with you, his stylist, who degrades him at any chance she can get. But little did you know... all he wants you to do is order him around

🤎credit to @cafekitsune for the banner!

“Juyeon, you better stop looking at her like that, she’s going to bite your head off,” Sunwoo nudged the older man.

Juyeon sighed heavily. If only his stylist felt the same way about him as he felt about her. He watched as Sunwoo ran-walked to you and smiled happily as you fussed over his hair and makeup. Sunwoo gratuitously pushed his lips out as you rubbed some lip stain on his lips and you smacked his chest for leaning in too close. Sunwoo could afford to be playful with you but you would never let Juyeon act up like that. Where was the fairness in that?

Juyeon had a massive crush on you. Maybe he was stupid. Maybe he was attracted to the idea of a slightly toxic relationship. Maybe he really liked the twinkle in your eye you got when you talked to Sunwoo. Whatever it was, Juyeon wanted you to look at him like you looked at his model partner. But that never seemed to be a reality for Juyeon.

“Juyeon!” You barked for the model to come over and get inspected before they went back to shooting.

Juyeon’s long legs took him to your side pretty quickly. His effortless brain-empty grin pulled on his face as you took the handle end of a comb and moved some strands of his bangs. Your eyes were focused on the task at hand but you were chewing on your lip and Juyeon’s heart exploded. What he wouldn’t give to press his lips to yours, for you to giggle, and let him sweep you off your--

“Helloooo?” You snapped your fingers in front of Juyeon’s face. “Earth to Juyeon? I said I’m done.”

Juyeon moved to where Sunwoo was lounging on the set, fighting everything to not send a hurt look over his shoulder. Juyeon already knew you would give him a look as if he was a child and he’d regret it.

Sunwoo was cackling by the time Juyeon joined him. “You look like a dog with his tail between his legs.”

The next time Juyeon saw you was at his red carpet event with Fendi. You had walked into the room where Juyeon was preparing. What you had not expected was to walk in on that man in slacks and a silk top that draped on his form. His blazer was still hanging on the rack as he waited for you to do hair and makeup.

You stood there with your jaw on the floor until you managed to school your features before Juyeon turned around. Except it didn’t get better. Juyeon’s dark eyes looked down at you as you formulated a plan for his look. 

“Sit in the chair so I don’t have to crane my damn neck and break it,” You barked.

Juyeon easily slid in the stylist chair, eyes still on you. “Do you like the top?” He asked. His big fingers rubbed the chain between the pads of his fingers.

“That’s none of my business,” You replied in a clipped tone and Juyeon’s face fell.

“Looks stupid, doesn’t it,” Juyeon lamented, “I knew it.”

“I--” Your mouth snapped shut. You hadn't actually intended to make Juyeon feel bad about his look, you just didn’t want to feed his ego… “It’s beautiful,” You said quietly.

Juyeon’s head snapped up, eyes meeting your own again. “Really?” he said, that casual, happy smile was on his lips again.

“The top,” You clarified, “With the blazer over it, I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

Juyeon let you do his makeup and then his hair in silence. You had to straddle his feet and legs a bit to style his hair and you froze when you felt one of his hands cup the back of your thigh to steady you. Fuck, his hands were huge. 

“Juyeon,” You said, “Why is your hand on me?”

“You looked like you were going to tip over,” He said, somewhat innocently, but you could see the look in his eyes. Instead of the empty-head appearance, his eyes were sharper right now.

“Get them off,” You said in a clipped tone.

“Why?” Juyeon asked, putting his other hand on your opposite leg, “Do they bother you?”

“They do,” You said in a reserved tone, “Now get them off of me.”

“And why do they bother you?” Juyeon pushed.

You couldn't very well tell him that your entire body wanted his hands to cup your ass too, and kneed your cheeks, perhaps splitting them open as he thrust--You shook your head. Nooooo, that was not happening. “Because I need to move freely and you’re stopping that. Now. Let. Go.”

Juyeon did and you felt the tinge of regret and stuff it down; far, far down. And when you told him you were done, Juyeon stood up and you stumbled back to avoid touching him--which caused him to reach out and grab your upper arms. Would his entire hand grip harshly onto your arm as he thrusted into you or would he be soft and rub your arms as you--?

"Juyeon," You said in a sickly-sweet voice, "what are you doing?"

“You almost smashed your head on the glass!” Juyeon protested, eyebrows furrowing cutely.

“Remove your hands or I’ll knock you into your next life,” You threatened.

Juyeon looked so dejected as his hands left your body that you felt that stupid tinge of regret again that you thought you had buried. “You sure do listen well, for a man,” You found yourself admitting as you finally stepped away from the chair.

“I could listen real good for you,” Juyeon said.

You froze in disbelief. You turned around slowly. Juyeon met your eyes. “What did you say?”

“You reward Sunwoo for his bad behavior, but I could be really good for you. I would only do what you say I could do. I’d crawl for you if you ordered it. Wear a collar and leash for you, please--”

You threw your hands up to stop whatever was coming out of Juyeon’s mouth. It was…it was too tantalizing. “No, nope, stop that right now.”

“But--!” Juyeon had puppy dog eyes, pleading with you. Was this really what he wanted? And with you of all people???

“I am not--we cannot--Juyeon, I’m your stylist!!!” You objected.

“So what?” Juyeon raised his chin stubbornly. 

You sputtered some more. “That’s unethical, that’s morally incorrect, that’s insane!”

Juyeon took a step forward. “You want to, don’t you?”

You took a step back. Damn it, wasn’t Juyeon supposed to be empty-headed? You cleared your throat. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Juyeon moved to his knees. “I will do whatever you want.”

You rolled your eyes. “Then crawl on your knees to me.”

Your eyes bulged out of your head when Juyeon did in fact do that. And once he arrived at your feet, he looked up at you. “Tell me what to do next.”

You let out a laugh because you couldn't help yourself. This was ridiculous. “Prop my leg up and kiss up my leg.”

Juyeon cupped your foot and put it atop his knee and began to lovingly kiss up your leg along your dark tights. Your lower half tightened inadvertently in anticipation. What was this fool doing to you?

While looking down your nose, you instructed Juyeon. “Lick my cunt through my tights and underwear.”

And didn’t Juyeon dive head first into your clothed pussy. Your plaid skirt was up to your hips now, Juyeon enthusiastically poking and prodding your cunt. His nose brushed your clit and you bit down hard on your lip. Only then did Juyeon stop, if only to plead with you. “Please, if I can’t kiss you, don’t bite your lip. Let me hear how good I'm making you feel.”

“No one can know, Juyeon,” You hissed.

Juyeon jutted out his lip but continued back with his task at hand. You grew frustrated and then bold with the need to feel more. “Rip my tights, Ju. Rip them and push my panties to the side. Be a good boy and make me cum with your tongue.”

Juyeon gripped your tights, and with a loud rip, made a hole in your crotch. His fingers reached through the hole and pushed your panties in the way. And then he really showed you how much he wanted you. That tongue circled your clit, making you buck your hips upwards. Your clit grew engorged from the pleasure and soon he was able to suck on the sensitive flesh, rough tongue flicking and tempting and pushing you towards your high.

You couldn't help yourself, your hands buried into his hair, part of you screaming that your good work was about to be ruined, and another part of you saying fuck it, you wanted to cum. "That's it, Ju, you're doing so good! Make me cum."

Juyeon moaned into your mound and then wrapped his arms around your thighs. He ate like a starved man, sucking, licking, nipping; whatever it took to make you cum. You came with a muffled cry in the back of your throat. In the height of your orgasm, you don't remember getting head like that ever.

Juyeon let go of your arms and sat back on the balls of his feet. You had praised him, finally. Juyeon couldn't do an awful lot in your eyes, but he could do this for you. Finally, he could be of use. "Was I good for you?" He asked, eyes hopeful of more praise.

You couldn't look at him, however. "I came, didn't I?" You said under your breath.

Juyeon grinned, the empty-head type that you normally hated. "I told you I would treat you good; that I could be good for you."

You shimmied your skirt back down your hips and pushed your hair behind your ear. "Yes, well, get back onto my chair. I need to fix your hair and makeup again," You grumbled.

“Does this mean you’ll start taking me for Taco Tuesdays with Sunwoo?” Juyeon wondered as he sat back down in your chair.

"Don't push your luck," You muttered, unconsciously tugging his hair into place a bit harder than normal; perhaps even just like you did when he was eating you out.

And Juyeon remained smiling the entire time you fixed him.

Taglist: @starlitmark look i finally wrote juju 🥺 thank you for all the help with the new formatting, you're neat 💞

[theholypeanut]

Planet Hotline Disaster

Summary: Kurona got a crush on a new girl… who is way taller than him

Cw: fluff, insecure Kurona, cute Kurona, tall!Reader f!reader, Isagi, Bachira and Chigiri being disasterous virgin besties, getting secondhand embarrassment for Kurona [*], 1.1k words

Kurona Ranze never expected to fall in love. Love was just something he never thought about, he had other things in his life: football, sharks, his routine, braids - just not romantic love. And it was fine - his life felt full and happy.

Then one day he met you and everything just went upside down. Before, Kurona never thought twice about his height - it’s not an important thing for football so why would he care?

“Ah Damn, she looks like a freakin’ giraffe” he heard his classmate commenting loudly on the hallway. When he turned around, his stomach flipped. You were so beautiful: long legs, beautiful eyes, amazing hair just right for braids - and you were definitely taller than him.

“Dude, shut up. Honestly she must be a model, because damn” - he had no idea who said it, but Kurona agreed in his mind. He never saw a more beautiful human being.

It was the beginning of your second year in high school and you changed schools because of your parents new job in this city. You felt so out of place, still awkward and way too shy to answer to the comments, so you just pretended like you cannot hear it. Anxiety was eating you from inside out and the fact that you were easily taller than any other girl in your year did not help.

The fact that you became desk mates was like in a movie - Kurona definitely felt like it was a string of fate in his favour. You were always so nice to him, so polite, that he couldn’t help but blush way too often for his own sanity. On the other hand every time he wanted to talk to you, words were just stuck in his throat. Sometimes you’d ask a question and he answered the most ridiculous and incoherent thought he had, because his brain just stopped responding. And you couldn’t stop thinking how adorable he looks when he blushes.

At this point all of his football friends knew what was going on.

“You know, you should ask her for her number” suggested Isagi during lunch “she seem to like you, and you can always use the excuse that you didn’t hear what was the homework, or ask her about school”

“Actually this is not such a bad idea” Chigiri agreed “it’s not like you are asking her out yet. Also maybe writing will go easier than talking.”

Kurona avoided eye contact and just sit there quietly eating his bento.

“You know you cannot just look at her and blush forever” Bachira added, what felt like a knife in the heart. He could. Actually, looking at you from the distance and watching you laugh, smile, or focus on the lesson was just enough for him. What made him feel sick to his stomach was the idea you’d find someone and fall in love. That this another person will come to your desk to flirt with you, hold your hand in the hallways, or take you home. Idea of watching you happy shouldn’t feel so bad, however all of this potential images just made Kurona nauseous. The truth is, he was too embarrassed to admit it even to himself, that he wants to do all of that stuff - not seeing someone else taking you away. However how could you ever choose him? You were so out of his league. Girls like you don’t want short guys like him.

The closest he’d ever gone to a romantic moment with you, was when you were doodling animals in your notebook during a boring class, and he couldn’t stop looking at your hands. You noticed how much he paid attention to the drawing, so with this beautiful smile, you took his notebook and drew the cutest shark he ever saw, with a tiny heart next to his head. If he could, he’d cut this page out and frame it, put next to the bed and just look at it before going to sleep everyday.

“How do you even ask girl for a number?” Kurona asked with a weak voice. His friends went silent. The truth was, well, all of them were quite disasterous virgins.

“You can for example told her to send you photo of her notes later, because you didn’t pay attention during class” Chigiri suggested.

“Or you can tell her that her number would look so good in your phone!” Bachira said with enthusiasm. Isagi and Chigiri sent him a stinky side eye.

“Yeah Bachira, I don’t know if you remember, but the last time she asked him if she can borrow his notebook, he answered “mozzarella”” Chigiri were ruthless in his words. “I think this line might leave a wrong impression”

Just for the reminder of Mozzarella Incident Kurona’s face turn red.

“You can just say she looks pretty” Isagi added. “Simple, easy. I don’t know. Compliment her hair.”

“Yeah, girls love it when you compliment their hair” Chigiri nodded. “This one would be the best. From there when conversation starts, you can ask if she maybe wants to exchange contacts. You can do it!”

All hyped up, Kurona came back to class. I can do it, he thought. I can ask her. He gathered all of his mental strength when you sat next to him for the next period. And for entire class he was repeating in his head what he will say to you.

Your hair are so pretty. I didn’t pay attention, could you maybe give me your phone number, so you can send me your notes later?

“Kurona-kun, lesson already ended” he heard your angelic voice. He felt like his brain got overheated.

“Oh, yes, yes. Sorry” he said, feeling that his hands begin to shake. It’s now or never. “Em!” He said to get your attention on him.

“Yes?”

“Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention on class, could you maybe give me your number so can you send me your hair later?” He said on one breath.

“You want me to send you… my hair?”

Brain.exe stopped responding.

“No no no, I mean, your hair are so pretty, and I think you would look so pretty in my phone”

Oh no.

At this point you couldn’t even keep a straight face. Kurona’s face had almost the same colour as his hair. You giggled. He wanted to just vanish from the face of the earth.

“Oh really?” At this point it was almost cruel to tease him. “You know, I think you would look very pretty in my phone too.”

You took a step towards the pink boy and leaned down right next to his ear. You touched his cheek right next to the short braid and made him shiver.

“I really like you too”

By slowlyholypeanut

I was 🤏 this close to naming this fic Mozzarella Incident

Also this was supposed to be his birthday fic, but I was too tired with life - but happy birthday to our best boy!

[drspencerweed]

Caller ID

summary: Spencer really needs to learn to check his Caller ID.

pairing: Spencer Reid x Luke Alvez

tags/content: fluff, so much fluff, it's just all fluff, negative self talk (very slight), friends to lovers, mentions of canon typical violence (all in the background, they are working a case)

word count: 5.6k

author's note: Happy New Year y'all! surprise! I haven't written a fic for CM in so long but I came across @imagining-in-the-margins Wrong Receiver challenge/prompt and was very inspired. I've wanted to write something for Ralvez for a long time and this just felt correct. shoutout to my irl bestie for proof/beta reading all my fics, you never see these posts but you keep me going <3

read on ao3

Spencer Reid was usually adverse to any and all major changes. He knew that he couldn’t completely avoid it, because that’s not how life works, but he always hated it when his routine was upended and he had to rewire expectations for his daily life. 

Morgan leaving the BAU was one of the biggest changes he had ever dealt with. His best friend, his brother, someone he saw everyday for over a decade was suddenly not there anymore. And sure, they still texted and hung out every so often, but Derek was a new father and Spencer was still in the BAU and that made things so much harder. 

So when Hotch announced there was a new team member being hired to replace him, he should have been stand-offish. Snippy. His anxiety and discomfort was hard to hide, and the added stress of everything changing would make it nearly impossible. Garcia wasn’t helping - talking his ear off about how no one could ever replace Derek and it had only been two months and also how dare Hotch? 

In spite of all this, when Luke Alvez walked into the BAU conference room, Spencer felt at ease almost immediately. 

“Your reputation precedes you.” He had said - waving instead of offering a handshake. Spencer was shocked, and smiled despite himself. 

“So does yours!” He replied, only to go on a ramble about Luke’s achievements and qualifications. What a way to make it clear you’d been cyber stalking with Penelope.

But instead of being weirded out, Luke just listened. He smiled. He didn’t even cut Spencer off. 

Which is why, for the first time ever, Spencer was embracing change. 

(And it doesn’t hurt that Luke is easy on the eyes.) 

Much to Garcia’s chagrin, of course. Her partner in hate had been converted to the dark side, she said. Spencer was supposed to be on her side - pushing away the new guy because he sucked. And Spencer was happy to let her rant to him about whatever small thing Luke had done that day that had pissed her off, but he simply couldn’t find it in him to join in. Luke was kind, and gentle, and handsome, and one of the only people he’d ever met that didn’t immediately treat him like some kind of alien genius boy. It was hard to find anything about him that he didn’t like. 

Spencer liked how Luke always listened when he talked. He even sometimes asked follow up questions, and never tried to stop his rambles. He liked how Luke had such a strong sense of justice, and how willing he was to fight for the people on his team. He liked when Luke brought him coffee in the morning, even though it was never sweet enough. He liked Luke’s love for Roxy. He liked Luke’s ability to maintain a sense of humor even when the cases were so so dark. He liked how gentle Luke was with everyone; from the victim's family members to the UnSubs they arrested. He even liked how Luke snored on the jet home after a long case; head falling into the window or sometimes even onto Spencer’s shoulder.

He liked a lot of things about Luke. And sometimes he found himself thinking about those things even when he wasn’t around Luke. 

They were out somewhere in the Pacific Northwest - somewhere wet and rainy and cold - chasing a killer with a signature of burning the crime scenes to the ground. Which made profiling particularly difficult as most of the evidence was burned away. Spencer was staring at the map, trying to come up with a geo-profile but coming up empty. He pressed a palm into his eye and shook his head out, vision blurring as he tried to maintain focus. 

“Reid?” A voice called from the doorway. Spencer turned to see Luke there, looking at him inquisitively. “Everything alright in here?” 

He sighed, ran a hand through his hair, and sat at the table with the case files laid out haphazardly. “It’s just not coming together. He’s all over the place. There isn’t enough information to triangulate - plus the crime scenes are so spread out in the first place I don’t know if that would really matter. He doesn’t seem to have a comfort zone. He’s kidnapped victims everywhere from the central business district to the outer suburbs, and none of the burn sites match up either. I know we need the geoprofile for this guy because of how much has been burned but I don’t know if there’s anything there.”

In the time that he spoke, rambled really, he moved pictures around in new ways as if maybe they would reveal something he hadn’t seen yet. Luke crossed the room and stood next to him, arms crossed and eyebrows furrowed in thought as he looked at the photos as well. 

“Hey man, I’m sure you’ll get there. Is there anything to the randomness?” Luke offered. Spencer watched as he turned to the map pinned to the board. “Like, does it seem disorganized or is it a counter measure?” 

It wasn’t something he had considered yet. He was so worried about finding patterns, he hadn’t been thinking about what it would mean if there truly was no pattern. “Huh.” He stared down at the smaller map in front of him on the table, labeled only with the burn sites. 

Something clicked. Disorganized, Luke said. It didn’t feel disorganized. It almost looked like the unsub wanted it to look disorganized. But the burn sites were increasingly further from the last one, in a different direction from the one before that. It was almost like an automated randomization system - not truly random, but trying hard to look like it. 

Spencer stood up with a marker and started marking things up on the map. “It’s almost like he really wants us to think it’s random. I don’t think it’s about comfort, the burn sites mean nothing to him. But he isn’t disorganized. He’s not even an arsonist. That’s a counter measure as well as a way to make sure the bodies are found. He doesn’t stick around to watch. He wants us to think he is. I think he wants us to think he’s not as intelligent - but he is. The meaning must be in victimology.” When he’d finished rambling and marking things off on the map, he turned to see Luke watching him with a smile. 

“See, I knew you’d figure it out. How did you get all of that from the burn sites?” Luke asked, stepping closer and looking at the map again. Their shoulders brushed as Spencer pointed and explained his conclusions. Luke’s eyes burned into the side of his face, but he pretended not to notice. If he thought too much about it his skin would flush red and he was already increasingly embarrassed. 

“I know you know, but you really are a genius, Spencer.” Luke said, awe in his voice. Well, fuck. There goes any hope he had of not blushing. He had been called that a million times, but coming from Luke the word made his palms sweat and heart pound. “It’s like magic how you figure this stuff out.” 

“I was completely stuck in my head until you came in. So, it’s not without help.” Spencer knocked their shoulders together, and chanced a glance in Luke’s direction. 

The other man was smiling at him warmly, and didn’t seem embarrassed at all to be caught staring. Their eye contact held for a moment until Spencer felt like he could feel his heart behind his eyes. He cleared his throat and turned away, focusing back on the table and beginning to reorganize the files there aimlessly. 

“I’ll go let Hotch know you found something.” Luke said. 

As the door closed behind Luke, Spencer collapsed into a chair at the table, taking deep breaths to try and calm his heart. 

Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck

Spencer hadn’t felt like this in a long time. Maybe ever, if he was honest. He was in love with Maeve, of course, but that had gone from 0 to 100 with little in between. Very little room for flustering and flirting and - oh god, having a crush. 

Which is of course what this was, a crush. And if Spencer had been thinking about it for longer than a few seconds at a time he would’ve recognized it earlier and been able to stomp it out, but instead he’d simply pretended it wasn’t happening, until it grew and grew into whatever this was. Sitting at a conference table in a random city surrounded by horrible crime scene photos trying to get his heart under control because he and Luke Alvez bumped shoulders. 

Because Luke called him a genius. And it was affecting him as if no one had ever called him that before. It was so silly and so stupid. Luke was just being nice; he was one of the kindest people Spencer knew. There was no reason to give this any real thought. He just needed to not act like a fool. 

He was broken out of his trance by his phone ringing. 

“Reid.” 

“Spencer! My love! My darling! How’s it going out there?” Garcia’s voice rang out through the line.

“It’s good, you know. Slow. I just worked out the geoprofile with Luke’s-”

“Do not say the name to me. Traitor!” Penelope accused. Spencer chuckled, rolling his eyes. 

“He’s on the team, Pen. You’re gonna have to hear his name sometimes.” 

“Well of course, but I thought at least you would have been kind to me and talked around it.” She mumbled. “You know how I feel about that rascal.” 

Spencer wasn’t actually mad, and he knew Penelope’s feelings were mostly playful, but something about her tone struck a chord. “He really is lovely. You just haven’t given him a chance.” 

“Oh what because he has a dog and big muscles I’m just supposed to think he’s a good person?” She sneered. “No siree - I can see right through that. There’s something sinister under there.” 

Spencer sighed. “Seriously! It’s not just muscles and Roxy, he’s incredibly kind to everyone, and never cuts me off, and he’s really good at his job. He’s learning profiling so quickly, it’s really impressive. I think his time in the army probably helped him with that. But really, he’s just a good person. He’s got a warm heart and-” 

“Spencer Reid.” Penelope cut him off, and he realized he had gotten a bit lost in himself, talking about Luke. “Do not tell me you have a crush on Luke Alvez.” 

“Of course not!” His voice squeaked, and he winced. 

“Oh my god, you do!” Garcia was aghast. 

“No, c’mon, seriously-” 

“Do not lie to me and make this worse. You just went on for a whole minute about how kind and warm he is.” Spencer put his head in his hands. “This is the ultimate betrayal. I will give my news to Emily.” 

The line clicked as Penelope hung up and Spencer groaned and dropped his head down on his arms. How was he going to function like this? Sure, he had been functioning fine with all these thoughts swimming around for months, but he hadn’t acknowledged them. He hadn’t addressed the fact that he had a crush. An all consuming one, if he was honest with himself. He looked to Luke first in every room. He waited for him to respond whenever he presented a theory to the team before he really felt good about it. He was thinking about how he would react to his outfits when he got dressed in the morning. He had even started enjoying the bitter coffee Luke brought him, and making it that way when he was home because it made him think of Luke. 

This was going to be a disaster. 

His phone rang again, surely Penelope calling to yell at him some more. He answered without looking - “I’m sorry Pen! It’s not my fault I like him, and it’s gonna be a disast-” 

“Like who?” A voice decidedly not Penelope’s came through. So not Penelope’s, in fact, it was the man of the hour. Luke Alvez himself. Asking Spencer who he was talking about. It was playful, of course. Lovely and sweet and barely teasing but not in a mean way. Spencer didn’t think Luke could be mean if he tried. 

“Uh-uhm, I thought-” Spencer stuttered, swallowing thickly. 

“That I was Garcia? Is your phone really so old it doesn’t have caller ID?” Luke asked. Spencer could hear his smile through the phone, and his cheeks burned with his embarrassment. Somehow his mind was totally blank as a way to get out of this. 

“It has it, I just didn’t check it.” Spencer admitted, ignoring the elephant in the room and the original question. It was just his luck that within the same moment Spencer even realized he had this crush, he would fumble his way into admitting it. 

“Of course. How silly of me to assume you would read.” Luke teased. Spencer bit down on a smile. 

“Well, you know what they say about assuming.” Luke’s laughter on the other end made Spencer let the grin overtake him. 

“I didn’t know you had jokes in you, Doctor.” Spencer scoffed, ready to reply, but Luke cut him off before he could start. “I’m outside, Hotch wants us to follow a lead JJ found in the last victim’s house.” 

“Gotcha, be right there.” 

As the phone clicked shut, Spencer let out a deep sigh of relief. He had successfully avoided the embarrassment of being pressed about his crush. Now he just had to act normal in an enclosed environment with Luke and also do his job and hope that Garcia wasn’t actively telling the entire team about it right now. 

Grabbing his bag and racing out of the precinct, he hopped in the black SUV next to Luke. He held his satchel in front of him, hands tight on the bottom of his bag. His gun pushed against his hip and he was hyper aware of how his legs didn’t quite fit in the space between the passenger seat and the glove box. He felt too long, too thin, too everything in that moment. It felt like Luke was watching him try and figure himself out. Like a baby deer who had never used his legs before. 

When he finally chanced a glance in Luke’s direction, he found the man smiling at him. His eyes turned to the road quickly. “You ready?” 

“Yeah, yeah. Sorry.” Spencer said, sinking deeper into the chair. Be normal. You’ve been normal this whole time. Why can’t you just keep being normal? 

“No apologies needed, man.” Luke pulled them out of the parking lot and filled Spencer in on where they were going - a bookstore that the team believes may have been the last place the victim shopped before they were kidnapped. Spencer contributed here and there, but was more focused on breathing than being helpful. Was his nose always this loud when he breathed? Did he usually breathe out through his mouth or his nose? His chest felt like it was moving a lot. Was his voice always this shaky? 

“So, do you wanna talk about it?” Luke asked - a non sequitur from the discussion of the case. Spencer looked at him for the first time in a while - how often do I normally look at him? - and saw a shit eating grin on Luke’s face even as he continued facing the road. 

“Talk about what?” He asked. Playing dumb, maybe, but also playing hopeful. He really really didn’t want to have this conversation right now. Or at all.

“C’mon, Spence.” Luke laughed lightly. “‘It’s not my fault I like him.’ Who’s this mysterious him?” The eyebrow raise at the end of the sentence really sealed the deal, and Spencer’s fate. 

They stopped at a red light, forcing Spencer to either look away awkwardly or make eye contact awkwardly. He went with the latter, against his better judgment. Luke continued to waggle his eyebrows. “I don’t know what you're talking about.” Dear god, what is wrong with me? 

Luke just looked at him, tilting his head. The light turned green and he was (thank god) forced to look back at the road. It wasn’t enough to stop the line of questioning. “What, only Penelope gets to know the hot goss?” 

Spencer swallowed and flicked his eyes at Luke. God, that jawline. He squeezed his eyes shut quickly. Oh my god, focus. “She wasn’t supposed to know either.” He mumbled out. 

They pulled into a parking lot in front of the book store, and Luke cut the engine. Spencer hopped out quickly, gripping tightly on the strap of his bag. “Whoa, slow down Doc!” 

Goddammit. “I-I just would like to keep working on the case, please.” He pressed a palm into his eye. It was too overwhelming - realizing he had these feelings and being confronted about them all at once. He just kept moving towards the bookstore. Even if he couldn’t avoid it forever, he could avoid it for now. 

Footsteps approached him from behind, and then a hand on his bicep stopped him in his tracks. “Hey, I’m sorry for teasing.” Luke said, trying to move Spencer to face him. Spencer shrugged him off and curled further into his bag. He bit down on the inside of his lip with anxiety. Looking at Luke was dangerous, he was afraid he might give himself away. Luke might not be the most adept profiler, but he was picking things up quickly and knew Spencer better than some of the people who had been working with him for a decade. 

“Seriously, I’m sorry for prying. You said something meant for Garcia, it’s not my business.” Luke asserted. Spencer finally looked at him, still biting down hard on his lip. Even now, when Spencer wanted to avoid his feelings more than anything, the sincerity in Luke’s eyes made his heart soar. It was clear he felt genuinely bad at the idea of upsetting Spencer. 

“No I-I understand. It’s okay.” Spencer finally said. He moved his hands down his satchel strap and took a deep breath. Steady. 

“But for the record, I am not immune to the pull of gossip.” Luke smirked. Spencer smiled back. “Or, if you just need some advice. I don’t have as much success courting men as I do with women, but I’m open to being a sounding board.” 

Luke was bisexual, that was news. Be normal, Spencer. Don’t react weirdly. 

“I, uhm. Might take you up on that offer sometime.” He smiled and nodded, and Luke winked at him before turning to head into the bookstore. Deep breath. Winks don’t mean anything. Fuck.

They continued on, asking the book shop owner all the questions they needed. Spencer’s anxiety calmed a bit as he focused on work. It was easier to be normal when he was doing things that were normal. 

The rest of the case passed without incident - even though Penelope was still giving Spencer the cold shoulder. Getting on the jet to go home was a welcome solace, the team leaving as soon as the UnSub was in custody. No one wanted to stay an extra night when it wasn’t needed.

He sat on the bench on the jet, reading over a book about Northern Pacific birds that he had picked up during the case. He was taking his time with it, reading slowly and trying to commit the photos of the birds to memory. 

It was hard to ignore his hyper awareness of where Luke was on the jet - first at a table playing cards with JJ, then moving to the small cafe to pour him and Rossi a drink. That’s where he sat now, next to Rossi sipping on a short glass of whiskey. Spencer kept his focus on the book in front of him, tucking his feet up on the bench. He would not allow this silly crush to take over his brain. At least, not any more than it already had. 

“This seat taken?” Luke asked, glass freshly full and gesturing to the other end of the bench. 

“N-No. Not at all.” Spencer answered, swallowing thickly as his voice shook slightly. His eyes went back to his book, but as Luke sat within inches of his feet he struggled to actually take in any more information. 

“Excited to get back home?” As he took a long pull of his whiskey, Spencer could barely look away from his strong jawline and soft lips. 

Spencer nodded slowly, coming back to himself. “Yea, you know. Hotel beds are never as comfortable.” 

“Don’t I know it.” Luke chuckled. “I swear my neck takes a full week to feel normal again after a case.” 

“How about you? Any big plans for our return?” He finally closed his book, committing the page he was on to memory. He could be normal, he could make small talk. 

“Nah, nothing. Just happy to be back with Roxy.” Luke responded. The smile he gave Spencer was sincere and captivating. Spencer couldn’t help giving one in return. 

“How is she?” 

“Good, you know. She’s still adjusting to how much travel we do, but she’s always happy to see me when we get back.” Luke smiled into his drink. Spencer’s heart warmed watching this man become soft about his dog. It was shocking it had taken him this long to realize his feelings; everytime he and Luke talked he felt like this. Warm and comfortable and happy. 

“Well of course she is. Maybe you should talk to Hotch about bringing her with us.” His eyebrows raised in suggestion, trying to be playful and funny and normal. Normal. Like before, when I had a crush but didn’t know about it and everything was fine. 

Luke smiled back and shook his head. “She hates flying, I couldn’t put her through that so often.” 

“Isn’t she the one who’s supposed to be helping you with anxiety?” 

A chuckle, “In theory, but she’s a scaredy cat. Well, dog.” Silence lapsed over them for a comfortable moment. Just as Spencer was ready to turn back to his book, Luke’s hand reached out and touched his foot. “You still have to come meet her, you know.” 

“Dogs don’t like me.” Spencer protested. The warmth from Luke’s hand somehow permeated through his shoe, and he could swear he could feel it deep in his bones. Even this small point of contact was enough to make him blush.

“Roxy likes everybody, but especially the people I like.” Luke reassured. “I’m serious. Come grab dinner when we get back, she’ll be even more amenable because I’ve been gone for so long.” 

He could almost feel his heart beating out of his chest. The smile on Luke’s face was genuine, inviting, almost - nervous? That can’t be right. Despite his pulse racing and every instinct in him saying run, run, run, he found himself actually saying “Yea, that uhm. That sounds nice.” 

Luke’s face bloomed into a huge smile, no hint of whatever small trepidation had been there before. “Seriously?” 

A chance, now, to back out. And Spencer was so tempted to take it. What was he thinking? Going to Luke’s for dinner, meeting Roxy, being alone with him? On purpose? It made his heart race, and he was having a harder and harder time deciphering whether that was because of his nerves or his feelings. But the way Luke was smiling at him - such genuine warmth and happiness overtaking his features - made it impossible for Spencer to take that away. “Yea, I can pick up some take-out?” 

“No need, Doctor. I’ve got it all covered.” Luke nodded and bit down on his bottom lip around a smile, and squeezed Spencer’s ankle. Spencer felt his cheeks flush and hoped his excitement wasn’t too clear on his face. It kind of felt like they were planning a date. That is not the way to think if you’re going to be normal.  

The rest of the flight was business as usual; Spencer was able to read his book and even take a short nap. He was shaken awake by Emily when they landed. Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, he pushed up off the bench. 

“C’mon, sleepy head. We’re back and it’s not even 5:00.” Emily grinned at him, and he nodded and gathered his things. Towards the front of the jet, Luke was lingering, and Emily had to move past him as she left. “Need something, Alvez?” 

“No, no. I’m right behind you.” Luke nodded. 

“Okay well, have a good one! I don’t want to hear from either of you for at least two days.” She warned, pointing back at Spencer as well. 

He laughed a little, “Of course, Em. We’ll see you on Monday.” 

“And not a second earlier!” She shouted as she left, and then it was just the two of them. 

Luke stood by the door and Spencer gripped tightly on his bag as he walked towards him. His nerves felt unreasonable. Dinner, it was just dinner. But somehow the way Luke was waiting for him, and smiling at him, made it feel like something more. 

God, Spencer really needed to get a grip. 

They left the plane together, making small talk about the team and the case and Roxy and everything in between. The more they spoke, the more relaxed Spencer was. He could handle casual dinner with a friend. Luke offered to give him a ride to his place, and against his better judgement Spencer said yes. 

“You know, Belgian Malinois are particularly sensitive to the emotions of their owners and other humans. They’re known to pick up on changes in mood faster than most other dogs - like spikes in anxiety, sadness, and even happiness.” Spencer rambled as they drove. “Because of how smart they are, they also don’t do well if they’re understimulated. I hope Roxy has lots of enrichment toys - I was looking into it earlier and found out there are so many different ways to feed a dog to make sure they get mental stimulation. Does Roxy eat anything other than kibble?” 

Luke looked like he was fighting a grin, listening to Spencer. “Yea, I use one of those slow feeders for her dry food but she also eats some of that fancy stuff that has to be kept in the fridge. And don’t worry, Doctor, I make sure she gets all kinds of enrichment every single day.” 

 “That’s good! I was thinking that if she likes me-” 

“When she likes you.” Luke interjected, but Spencer was on a tear. 

“-I could design some sort of puzzle for her. I’d have to do more research on her capabilities but it would be an interesting challenge.” Spencer couldn’t see the way Luke smiled, watching him gaze off into space as he ranted about Roxy. 

“That would be really nice, Spencer. I’m sure she would love that.” Luke said. They pulled into a parking space at his apartment building, and Spencer went to get out of the car before it was even off. A hand on his bicep stopped him, turning him back to face Luke. “Sorry, I’m sure you already knew all that.” Spencer shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut in a tight blink. He was being normal, he supposed, his version of it anyway. But maybe his version of normal wasn’t the most attractive, if he was trying to attract Luke. That was a lost cause, be logical. Luke was....Luke.  

“I did, but I liked hearing you say it.” Luke admitted. Spencer was unable to hide his surprise at the sentiment. 

“Why?” He asked, eyes darting around as he tried to connect the dots in front of him. Of course, Luke had never once cut him off before, but he assumed that was just him being nice. Luke was always nice to everyone. But saying he actually liked hearing Spencer talk? That was unheard of. 

“Because I like you, Spencer.” Luke’s voice was quieter, nervous, hesitant. But his eyes were genuine when Spencer’s met them. It felt real, like Luke actually was saying those words to him. That couldn’t be right, though. Guys like Luke didn’t like guys like Spencer. 

He stared at Luke a moment too long, trying to piece together what to say, how to respond. This was fake, right? A prank, a dream? He must still be asleep on the jet. He closed his eyes tight and tried to make himself fly - a test of his dream theory. If he was dreaming and became aware, he should be able to control the fantasy. Fly away, fly away-

His eyes opened to see Luke still in front of him, a slightly amused smile on his face. He had not flown away - and instead was still seated strongly in the chair. This was real - somehow. “Why?” He finally squeaked out. 

Luke’s eyebrows furrowed, confused. “Because you’re you, Spence. You’re kind, and lovely, and funny, and you never fail to make me feel better after a case. And you’re stronger than anybody should ever have to be, and you’re still you, somehow.” 

Spencer was blinking faster than he maybe ever had, blushing deeply. People had told him these things before, but never like this. Never in this space where he could feel the tension growing, where their eyes were locked and their gaze was loaded. 

Apparently he had taken a bit too long to respond, and Luke’s face started to fall, closing off again. “Of course, if you don’t feel the same way, we can just forget-” 

“No! No.” Spencer protested. “I-I do. I think you’re wonderful, Luke.” His face split into a brilliant smile and Spencer matched it. Luke reached a hand out slowly, giving Spencer plenty of time to back away. His palm cupped Spencer’s cheek, his thumb rubbing his face softly. 

Spencer’s heart was racing, beating so hard he could feel it in his throat. He tried to keep his breathing in check but he was sure Luke noticed his nerves. 

“I never thought someone like you would be into someone like me. And when you said you liked someone to Penelope, I was sure it couldn’t have been me.” Spencer went to protest, but Luke gave him a short look to let him finish. His hand moved down to his neck, fingers twisting in his hair. “But the more I thought about it - I didn’t know who else you would have had to apologize for liking. And once I started letting myself think that maybe, maybe it could’ve been about me-” 

“You profiled me.” Spencer accused. 

Luke smiled shyly. “A little.” 

Spencer blushed, and leaned into Luke’s touch. His hands were gripping the strap of his bag, and had only gotten tighter as he and Luke had gotten physically closer. “I guess I’m glad I didn’t check caller ID. I would never have told you if you didn’t tell me. You- you’re not the only one who thought there could never be a chance.” 

“You’re too smart, you would’ve figured me out eventually.” Luke chuckled. His hand left Spencer’s hair to touch his hand, pulling it off of the tight grip on his bag. 

Their fingers folded together, thumb brushing over the back of his hand. Spencer stared at where their hands joined, tongue glancing out to pull his lip into his mouth. For once in his life there were no statistics on germ transfer or the risks of touching coming to mind, all he could think about was the feeling of Luke’s soft skin on his. 

Luke’s other hand reached up and touched his chin, guiding Spencer’s eyes back to meet his. “Is this okay?” His voice was so soft, it was almost a whisper. 

Somehow Spencer hadn’t noticed how close they had gotten over the course of their conversation. The center console was the only thing between them, they were practically sharing breath. It was clear what Luke was asking, not about the touch, but about what came next. Spencer closed his eyes, thinking fly, fly, fly just to test out his dream theory one more time. When he opened his eyes to see Luke there, he nodded slightly. 

Luke’s fingers guided his chin closer, and their lips melted together. 

Spencer’s eyes closed and he breathed deeply, reveling in the feeling of Luke’s lips on his own, and his fingers on his jaw, and his hand in his hand. He let go of his bag and reached up to push his other hand into Luke’s hair, running his fingers through it. Luke’s lips were soft and pillowy, but he kissed with confidence. Fingers brushed down Spencer’s neck and Luke hand found his hair again, twisting and playing with the curls at the base of his head. 

When they pulled away after a few long moments, Luke held Spencer close, pressing their foreheads together. “You’re still coming up to meet Roxy, right?” 

They both started giggling, giddy and happy. Spencer licked his lips and could taste Luke on them, and he felt lighter than he had in years. “Yea, of course.” 

Luke smiled, giving him one more short kiss before turning and exiting the car. Spencer followed, and took the hand offered to him as they walked up to his apartment. “Now you definitely have to make that enrichment toy, you know.” 

“I’ll get started right away.”

fin.

thank you so much for reading! you can find my other fics (mostly Spencer x fem!reader) here

[tbmunson]

Escape - Gareth Emerson x Reader pt.2

Summary: You attend Corroded Coffin's practice and feelings are confessed.

Warnings: Talks about diet, talks about absentee parents... A little steam but not much, yet.

Word Count: 5,619

Notes: Honestly this is less slow burn than I intended, but we're not there yet. Thank you guys for your patience in my writing. I'm a perfectionist and I like to make sure everything is done right

Taglist: @depressedacidtest @nana90azevedo @alanamarie @lizzziekatt and of course @ashes-writing Bestie you are the love of my life. Thank you so much for always being there and helping me. You're amazing.

1 / 2 / 3

Once you’d gotten up to your room last night you did as you promised and called Gareth. Though it had been a short conversation, you learned a little more about him, like he actually enjoyed watching his sisters and he volunteers to watch them on Friday’s because, and you quote, “I’m their best friend, they don’t need some random teen that doesn’t know or care about them to watch them.” That line made you smile a little.

Gareth picked up on how much you enjoyed watching his sisters too and that made it harder to convince himself that you were too opposite and it would never work. Once he hung the phone up by the kitchen door he went up to his room to get ready for bed. His eyes went immediately to the pile of clothes at the end of his bed. More specifically, the pale pink bra. He stood frozen in the doorway of the room, just looking at it. Many thoughts raced through his head, the most prominent being you’d been in his shirt without a bra on for the last hour and a half, as if his previous fantasy needed anymore fuel. He let out a shaky breath and stepped over to the heap, debating on what to do with it. The perv in his brain told him to pick it up, keep it, and never give it back. You left it after all. The rational part told him to fold your shirt, put it in his chair, and hide the bra under it so he wasn’t tempted to let the perv part win.

He went with the second option, although the feeling of the silk and lace between his fingers had the perv side going insane. He still put the bra into the folded cotton and went to bed.

Gareth was woken by the sound of knocking on his bedroom door. He knew his parents took his sisters to Lori’s gymnastics competition in Indianapolis so he wasn’t sure who it could be. “Yeah?” He called out, which was answered by the door swinging open and a smug looking Eddie walking in.

“How was your date, Emerson?” He quirked a brow as he walked across the room to sit in the chair.

“Whoa! Don’t sit there!” Gareth jumped up and made it over to the chair to move your clothes from it.

“I sit on your clothes all the time in that chair.” Eddie rolled his eyes at his friend and finally sat down.

Gareth settled at the end of his bed and held the neatly folded fabric up. “Not mine.”

Eddie’s brows raised but what dropped his jaw was the bra falling out of the cotton. “Dude! Did you guys..?”

Gareth scrambled and grabbed the item in question before shoving it under his comforter. “No! No, we didn’t. She uh, she helped give the girls a bath and got splashed. I gave her one of my shirts.” And he knew he shouldn’t have said it because as soon as the words left his mouth Eddie’s face split into the biggest grin Gareth had ever seen.

“You gave her the Crue shirt, didn’t you?”

Gareth turned so red that he was practically glowing like the neon signs around town.

“Didn’t you?” Eddie prodded, leaning closer with the most shit-eating grin he’d ever had.

“Stop talking, Ed.”

“I knew it!” Eddie yelled as he pointed and pushed himself back into the chair excitedly, his boot clad feet stomping the floor repeatedly.

“Fuck off. Where are Jeff and Grant? Aren’t we supposed to be practicing?” Gareth stood and walked over to his closet.

“We’re supposed to be practicing at 12. It’s 11.” Eddie pointed to the alarm clock on his side table.

Gareth groaned and flopped back onto the bed. “Then why are you here?”

“Gareth, I'm nosy. And more than that, I like to prove I’m right. I told a certain someone we were practicing today and that she should come by.”

As if on cue the doorbell rang, signaling someone’s arrival.

“I hate you.” Gareth grumbled, getting out of bed again. He opened the door and just about had to pick his jaw up from the floor.

You stood there in the shirt he’d given you last night, only now there was a knot tied in it just above your belly button. You’d paired it with a pair of jean shorts that were cut dangerously high and a pair of white sneakers. What caught his attention the most was the red plaid bandana wrapped around your head to keep the baby hairs that fell out of your bun at bay. It was the same red plaid of his battle vest. “Morning, sleepy head.” You smiled, lightly glossed lips shining in the sun.

“Morning.” He replied almost breathlessly.

Eddie came up behind him and smirked. “Nice shirt, short stuff.”

You beamed and looked down. “Thanks. Gareth let me borrow it. My mom won’t let me have one because Crue is ‘unholy’ or some shit.”

Gareth couldn’t see your eyes roll due to the sunglasses on your face, but he knew they had by the tone in your voice. “You actually listen to them?” He was surprised to say the least.

“There’s a lot that you don’t know about me. I’m more than short skirts and pom poms.” You reached out and patted his chest as you stepped into the house, brushing your body with his as you did so.

Gareth tried, he really did, to keep himself at bay. He was unsuccessful. “I need to go shower. Eddie, entertain, please.” He was pleading, which gave Eddie an ungodly amount of satisfaction.

“Yeah, of course.” Eddie’s face was taken over by a shit-eating grin.

Gareth groaned and walked away. He regretted giving you the shirt and even more so, asking Eddie to hang out with you because who knew what he was going to say.

“Eddie, what am I doing here so early? He obviously just woke up.” You asked as you settled onto the sofa.

Eddie shrugged, sprawling himself over the recliner. “Figured I’d give you two some extra time together. Get to know each other more, for the project, of course.”

You knew he was lying, or at least not telling you the full truth. You thought about calling him out on it, but you also didn’t want to be wrong, let alone have Gareth hear that you liked him. “Thanks, buddy.” You replied sarcastically, rolling your eyes.

The two of you sat silent for no more than a minute before you spoke again.

“Can we smoke later?”

“The Princess of Hawkins partakes in the devil’s tobacco?” Eddie raised a brow at you, honestly stunned at the request.

You laughed and shook your head. “Never have, but I think it’ll be fun. I hear it lets your true self out and I kind of want a reason to get some heavy shit off of my chest.”

“Gonna let your secrets spill, Princess?”

“I don’t have secrets, just things not everyone knows.” You replied, picking at your nails before looking up to Eddie’s smirking face. “Grow up Munson. You’re not right about everything, okay?”

“But I’m right about this.” He replied, pushing himself to stand so he could walk into the kitchen. “Can I get you a drink?”

You rolled your eyes and got up to follow him. “You’re smug, you know that?”

He laughed as he grabbed two cups from the cabinet. “I can afford to be smug, Sweetheart.”

“Just don’t say anything else about it.” You rested your elbows on the counter and watched Eddie scoop the ice into the cups.

“So, I’m right and I can’t say anything about it.” He pretended to think hard about it before speaking again. “Fine, but you're both stupid and blind.”

“You really know how to make a woman swoon, don’t you Munson.” You pushed off of the counter and grabbed one of the cups. “It’ll happen if and when it’s supposed to. Don’t meddle in it.”

“I won’t, but it’s so obvious, just so you know.”

“What’s obvious?” Gareth walked into the kitchen scrubbing his head with a faded blue towel.

Eddie glanced at you before looking at Gareth. “The Princess's crush.”

“Munson.” You glared at him, eyes squinted in a way that dared him to say another word.

Gareth nodded and walked through to drop the towel in the laundry room, leaving you to glare at Eddie until he returned. “Well, that’s her business.”

“See!” You more or less yelled, glad Gareth wasn’t going to press for details.

Eddie rolled his eyes and jumped up on the counter as he mumbled something about “blind and delusional” under his breath.

It was your turn, again, to roll your eyes.

Gareth walked back out and rested against the counter as he looked between the two of you. “Well it looks like you two had a great time. Scowling is usually a good sign right?”

You couldn’t help but laugh, frown turning up into a smile and eyes lighting up. “Yeah, absolutely. He just thinks he’s right all the time.”

“Oh, I know exactly what you mean, Doll.” Gareth chuckled, sending you a smile that made you melt.

Before anything else could be said the front door swung open and the two other members of Hawkins most metal band walked in.

“My men! We ready to get started?” Eddie asked, drawing all of the attention to himself.

Grant and Jeff share a confused look which made you laugh a little. It was obvious that they hadn’t expected you to be sitting on the kitchen island with Gareth leaning next to you.

Gareth, who gained bravery by his friends' presence, pushed himself up and rested his hand on your thigh. “Ready?” He asked, giving it a quick squeeze.

You swallowed down the whimper you wanted to let out and nodded.

Gareth gave you another squeeze before offering you a hand to help you down, which you took before mumbling a small “Thank you” to him. He rested his hand on the small of your back to lead you to the detached garage where their practice was held. “There’s a couch if you wanna sit.” He nodded to the old floral couch that had no doubt been in the house previously.

“Thanks, Gare.” You smiled as you stepped away from him. You settled onto the couch as he and the boys took their places to start practice. You watched Gareth twirl the drumstick in his hand and subconsciously squeezed your thighs together, something that didn’t go unnoticed by Eddie.

“So I think we can start with the cover of Live Wire. Yeah?” Eddie looked around as the boys nodded in response.

You loved that song, it was the one you played and danced to alone every time your parents were out. You bobbed your head and mouthed the words along with Eddie but your eyes stayed on Gareth, watching the sweat glisten off of his cheeks and nose and how his hair bounced as he headbanged along.

Gareth felt your eyes on him the whole time which encouraged him to do his best to impress you, making this one of the best practices they’d had in a while.

Once practice was over and they started packing up Eddie watched Gareth walk over to the couch, pick your feet up and sit with your feet in his lap. Gareth rested his hand on your shin, rubbing his thumb over the smooth skin. “I think you’re our good luck charm, Princess. These fools haven’t made it through a practice without a fuck up in weeks.” Eddie smirked, carefully carrying his guitar case out of the garage.

“I’d be happy to watch you guys anytime.” You replied before turning your attention to Gareth. “You were amazing, Gare. Watching you is fun, the way you get so into it. Like nothing else matters. That’s passion.” You wanted to tell him how attractive it was, but you held off on that for the moment.

“Thanks. I love it. It gets the emotions I don’t know how to express out in the open somehow.” He squeezed your leg, something you could get used to for sure.

You giggled and sat up to scoot closer with your legs still over his lap. “That’s really deep. I’m glad you have a way to express everything on the inside. It gives me an idea for our project.”

“Yeah? What’s that?” He reached over with his other hand and tucked a loose hair behind your ear.

“Well, I think most people are going to just do something that shows the other person. I think we should do ours to show we’re the same, but we present differently. Like on the outside you’re this scary metal head that’s into the dark and scary stuff and doesn’t care about anything but on the inside you’re sweet and funny and caring. And I’m the opposite. On the outside I’m all sunshine and rainbows and happiness but on the inside I like all the same dark and scary stuff you do. So I propose that we do paintings. Mine for you would be dark around the edges and as it fades into the middle it gets lighter and happier. And yours for me is the opposite. I’ll be all dark on the inside but it gets lighter and brighter as you go out.” You explained, waving your hands and changing your face in ways that Gareth thought was absolutely adorable.

“That sounds really great. We could do actual rainbows for the color and fade it all into each other and use the whole scale from lighter pastel shades to the darker ones.” He replied, hand resting on the side of your thigh close to your knee, far enough down to be respectful.

You squealed and threw your arms around him. “That’s genius. I was thinking we would just use our favorite colors but that gives it so much more depth! Like every color provokes an emotion and no one feels the same all the time. I just know ours is going to be the best.” You hadn’t even realized that in the process of hugging him you had drug yourself more into his lap, in turn making his hand slide up your thigh. When you did realize it, you made no move to separate or create any kind of distance.

Gareth didn’t either, he instead looped his free arm around your back to keep you close. “You’re the genius, Doll. You came up with the idea, I just built on it.”

You looked up at him and smiled before resting your head on his shoulder. “Stop it. I’m not good at taking compliments.” You mumbled before hiding your face in his neck.

He chuckled and rested his head on yours. “Hey, the truth is the truth.” It’s all he could think to say that wasn’t over stepping any imaginary boundaries that might be set.

The two of you were so wrapped up in each other that you didn’t notice Natalie’s car driving by or the way she was watching you cuddle up to Gareth. But Eddie noticed. And he watched her drive by, flipping her off when she noticed him. 

“Well, Princess, looks like your cheer buddies are gonna hate you on Monday.” He stated as he walked into the garage, seeing what Natalie must have seen to cause the twisted look on her face.

You lifted your head and dragged one of your arms from around Gareth’s neck. “Fuck ‘em. There’s five weeks left in the school year and I’ll never see those uppity bitches again.” You replied with yet another roll of your eyes. It was one of the habits you’d picked up from the cheer team and the only one you didn’t mind. Attitude could be a great asset.

“Whoa, Princess, those are some really mean words. Didn’t know you were so angry.” Eddie teased lightly.

“I’m just sick of being told what I can and can’t do. Who I can and can’t hang out with.” You sighed, resting your head once again on Gareth’s shoulder.

“You don’t have to be anything you don’t want to be, Doll.” He pulled you the rest of the way into his lap and held you as the other two members joined you in the garage.

“What’s the plan for the rest of the day?” Jeff asked, stuffing his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.

“My parents will be getting home with the girls soon. They’re gonna throw a fit to show me the routines so I’m stuck here. You guys are welcome to stay and hang though.” Gareth said, resting his chin on your head. The scent of your shampoo was intoxicating to him.

Grant and Jeff shared a look. 

“Yeah I think we’ll go hit up the mall for a little bit and come back later. You coming, Ed?” Grant asked as Jeff fished the car keys from his pocket.

“Yeah, but we’ll come back for Princess’s first smoke sesh tonight.” Eddie said as he reached out to flip the hoop in your ear.

You raised your hand and flipped him off, which caused Gareth to laugh a little.

“Sounds good.” Gareth then looked down at you. “You staying or going?”

“I’ll stay. I’d love to see the girls and we can start on the project since we have an idea.” You replied with a smile before turning your attention to the other guys. “You guys are really great, by the way. Like I know the people I hang out with are assholes to you so I’m thankful you didn’t just write me off with them.”

“You don’t have to worry about that. You stopped them from coming after us more times than we can count. We knew you weren’t like them.” Jeff said, twirling the keys around his finger.

“Yeah, you hung with who you did for survival. It’s not like you were the one chasing the freshmen down in your car.” Grant stated, which caught your attention.

“I’m sorry, what? Who chased them down in their car?”

The guys shared a look, one that said he probably shouldn’t have said that. “Jason, Andy, and I think Tiffany and Natalie were in Jason’s Jeep last week and the freshmen were biking home.”

You nodded, deep in thought about what exactly you would say come Monday morning practice. None of it was pretty.

“I think on that note, we’re gonna head out.” Eddie clapped his hand over Grant’s shoulder and the three of them walked off towards Jeff’s car.

“You didn’t tell me about that.” You said softly, turning to look at Gareth.

“I know, but the kids didn’t want anyone to know. It hasn’t happened again, and if it had I promise I would have told you. The kids were embarrassed, I think.”

You nodded and moved to stand, only Gareth’s grip on your hips tightened and he pulled you back down, making you giggle a bit. ”Gare, we gotta go get the painting stuff.”

His arms wrapped around you, keeping you pressed to him. “I know, but this is really comfortable.”

You couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, Eddie had been right. Maybe Gareth did like you. Maybe it would be okay that you liked him. You laughed when he buried his face into your neck and relaxed into him.

The two of you stayed like that for a moment, thoughts buzzing around your heads about the other.

You ran your hand down his arm before you slipped your fingers through his. “You know once the girls get here we aren’t going to be able to go.” You hummed into his ear as you squeezed his hand in yours.

“I know. They’re gonna take you away from me.” He mumbled into your neck. He felt the way your lips morphed into a smile against his ear. “But I bet you like them more, huh? It’s not like you cut up my food for me last night.” He teased, snuggling into you a bit more.

His voice vibrated against the sensitive part of your neck causing you to sucks in a fast breath, which he didn’t miss. “I would have fed it to you if you'd have asked.” You moved so your lips were against his ear. “I’d do anything if you asked.” You smiled, hoping more now than ever that Eddie was right and not just saying it.

Gareth picked his head up and looked down at you. “All I have to do is ask, hm?”

You nodded and opened your mouth to reply, only to be cut off by the sound of a car coming into the driveway. “Well, looks like we missed our opportunity for a quick escape.” You chuckled, moving just enough to get off of his lap and settle next to him. You didn’t miss the pout on his face when you moved.

He laughed at the joke and watched the girls run from the car, yelling about how Lori’s team won their division and showing off her sash.

“Ooh! You look fancy with that, girly. Why don’t you show me your favorite trick!” You beamed at them.

Lori took her sash off and handed it to you before showing you back walkover.

“Wow! That was perfect, baby doll! What about you, lil bit? Are you in gymnastics?”

Clara perked up at her new nickname and nodded before she did a cartwheel.

“You guys are so good. You’re way better than I was at that age.” You smiled as they climbed onto the couch.

Gareth watched you with pure adoration.

“Can you do tricks?” Clara asked, looking up from her spot on your leg.

You smiled and tucked a loose hair behind her ear. “I actually can. I do gymnastics on Mondays and Wednesdays after school. It helps with cheerleading.” You replied, watching the girls' faces light up.

“Can you show us something? Please!” Lori asked, latching onto your hand.

As much as you would have loved to, the jean shorts you were wearing were so tight, you thought you wouldn’t be able to move properly. “I can’t right now because I’m not wearing the right clothes, baby doll. But when Gareth and I get back from the supply store, I’ll show you a few things. I promise.” You held up your pinky to her.

She wrapped hers around yours and smiled. “Okay!”

Gareth slipped his hand behind your back and rubbed his thumb up and down the exposed skin between the shirt and your shorts. “Why don’t you guys let us go ahead and go so we can come back faster? Huh?”

“Okay bubby!” Clara said, sliding down from your lap and reaching out for her sister's hand, which Lori took.

“We’ll see you guys in a little bit!” You called after the girls as they made their way inside.

Gareth, against his better judgment, wrapped his arms around you and settled his chin onto your shoulder. “You’re so great with them. They love you.” He said in a low voice that sent chills down your body, which he noticed and smirked at.

“I love them too. They’re the sweetest kids.” You replied, resting your hand on his.

“I love them, but I can’t wait to have my own, you know?” His hand subconsciously rested on your stomach for a moment as he pulled his hands back.

You watched him stand up, lost for words for a moment as images of Gareth and your kids playing in the yard swam through your head. “You want a big family?” You asked, taking his hand that was waiting.

He nodded, letting you pull yourself up. “Yeah, four or five, maybe more. There’s just something about taking care of another person, showing them how to be people that gets me.” He looked down at you, a soft smile on his face. “What about you?”

You nodded, resting your hands on his shoulders to keep yourself up. “Yeah, I want a huge family and a job so I’ll always be around. My parents are always gone on business and I never get to see them.” You explain, with a bit of a somber look.

“You’re going to be an amazing mother one day. Any kid would be lucky to have you, Doll.” Gareth instinctively wrapped his arms around your body and rocked you a bit.

You buried your face into his neck and fought the urge to kiss the skin under your lips. “Thanks, Gare.” You slowly pulled away from him and smiled. “You ready to go?” You asked as you gripped his hand in yours.

“Yeah, Doll. Let’s go.”

***

Once the two of you finished gathering the supplies you decided to go back to your place to paint since it would be quiet.

“So, the spare office is my studio. Upstairs, end of the hall to the left.” You said as you opened the door. “I’ll grab us some snacks and bring them up.” You smiled as he looked around.

“I’ll go get set up. See you in a bit.” He almost stepped up to kiss the top of your head, but he caught himself. He went up the stairs and into the room you’d directed him to. Paintings and drawings hung around the room. He took time looking at each one, stopping on a pencil drawing of him. He smiled, knowing that you’d looked at him long enough to draw him.

You made your way into the room with a tray of small sandwiches, grapes, and a sleeve of Oreos. “It’s probably not the best combo, but it makes my brain work.” You followed his eyes and blushed. “Oh, um…”

Gareth turned and smiled at you. “It’s really good. When did you do it?” He reached out and took the tray for you.

“Last year, chemistry. I finished an exam early and the way the light was hitting you was perfect. I’m sorry if that’s creepy.” You cringed a bit, clutching the Oreos tighter.

“It looks great. You got my good angle.” He said, looking over at you.

“Thank you.” Your voice was small, timid.

“What’s wrong?” He stepped over and put his hands on your upper arms.

You scanned the floor and shrugged. “I guess I’m just not used to people telling me my art looks good. When I was a kid I’d show my parents and their response was usually ‘That’s nice honey.’ and then they would go back to whatever they were doing. It’s just different I guess?” You explained, bringing your eyes to finally meet his. “Plus, I don’t want you to think I’m some weirdo for drawing you.”

Gareth couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped at your last comment. “I’m flattered you decided to draw me. You have a real talent for this stuff, Doll. You just have to find the right people to appreciate it.”

You smiled up at him and wrapped your arms around his neck. “Thank you.” Everything inside of you was telling you to kiss him, but you stopped yourself.

“Any time, sweet thing.” He couldn’t have stayed like that for hours, your body pressed against his, your scent lingering around him.

“C’mon, let's get started on these canvases.” You smiled as you hesitantly pulled back.

He nodded and let go of you to empty the bags filled with tubes of paint, brushes, and palettes.

“Do you mind if I put on some music? It helps me focus.” You looked over at him from next to the small stereo.

“Yeah, go ahead.” He was organizing the tubes so that it matched the color wheel, making it easier to grab what was needed. He was a little shocked when Quiet Riot started playing through the speaker. “She just keeps getting better and better.” He mumbled as he watched you bob your head to the beat as you began setting up the canvases on easels.

“Come on, feel the noise. Girls, rock your boys. We’ll get wild wild wild.” You sang under your breath as you measured the canvas, looking for the exact middle. When you marked it, you worked your way around making lines that lead from the middle to the edge, to make sure the brush stroked wouldn’t look wonky and crooked. When the lines were done you grabbed an Oreo and marked where the colors would fade into one another and transition from darker to lighter.

Gareth sat back and watched you, deciding that he would marry you on the spot if you would have asked. The focus on your face, the attention to detail, the mumbling of one of his favorite bands, even the Oreo that was between your lips and you figured your next mark, it was all driving him crazy in the best way.

“Do you want me to mark yours too?” You asked, peering over at him to see him leaned against the desk with his arms folded over his chest, eyes on you.

“Uh, yeah, if you want. It’ll probably be better, like if we want them the same, you know?” He was nervous that you’d just caught him staring, you didn’t seem to mind as you agreed and went to work on the second canvas, following the marks from your own.

Once you’d finished you walked over to the desk and grabbed one of the sandwiches. “Lunch break, then we’ll get started.

Gareth chucked and grabbed one of his own. “Good, I thought you were just going to have Oreo’s for lunch.”

You laughed and shrugged. “Wouldn’t have been the first time. My diet isn’t the best.” You replied with a smile.

“Mine either. Honestly, last night was going to be pizza, not that Benny’s is any healthier, but that’s on you.” He joked, making you roll your eyes.

“Fine, next time I’ll bring salad and water.” You replied with a teasing smile.

Next time. You wanted there to be a next time. “You can bring whatever you want as long as you come back.” He replied before popping a grape into his mouth.

“I’ll come back anytime you want me to.” You don’t know what made you brave enough to say it. Maybe it was the fact that it was just the two of you, or maybe it was because you were tired of keeping your feelings at bay and you just wanted to know how he felt.

“You could live there if you wanted to, I wouldn’t mind. I know the girls wouldn’t either.” He reached over and grabbed your hand, which you took and let him pull you close.

“You mean that?”

“Yeah, Doll. Can I be honest with you?”

You nodded and looked up at him.

“I like you. A lot. I have for a really long time. I’m sorry if that makes this weird.”  He looked down at your hands that were intertwined with his.

You smiled and let go of his hands, which scared him until he felt your hands on the side of his face. “Thank god. I was gonna go crazy if you didn’t feel the same way.”

His eyes darted up, looking at you, trying to figure out if this was some joke. “Are you serious?”

You rolled your eyes and pulled him to you. “I’m serious.” You whispered, your lips brushing over his.

He grabbed your hips and pressed his lips to yours, savoring the feeling of the kiss along with your hands slipping down his neck and around him, bringing him closer to you.

You felt his tongue lick across your bottom lip, prompting you to open your mouth at the same time his hands slid around your hips and settled into the back pockets of your jean shorts. You whined into his mouth when he squeezed the fat of your ass.

He pressed kisses down your jaw and onto your neck before latching on at the base and leaving a mark that wouldn’t be easily hidden.

“What are you doing?” You asked, words coming out in a rushed breath.

“Making sure everyone knows your mine.” He answered as he pulled back to examine the mark.

You reached up and smiled when your fingers slid over the tinder part. “I thought they would get it when they saw me kissing you in the halls, but I can go for this too.” You giggled, letting that hang drop down to his chest, the other arm was still hooked behind his neck.

“Yeah? So you wanna be my girl, officially?” His hands migrated from your pockets to your sides, thumb running over the exposed skin. 

You nodded and moved to stand on your tiptoes to give his nose a kiss. “Yeah, I do. I always have.” You replied.

“Honestly, I didn’t think that I’d thank Mr. Greely for anything, but I think he deserves a gift or something.” Gareth stated, taking your hand from his chest and slipping his fingers between yours.

“Yeah, I think he does.” You smiled, laughing as Gareth used his hold on your hand to spin you around. “What are you doing?”

“Just seeing what my girl looks like all the way around.” He answered, scanning over you with a satisfied smile.

“Your girl. I like the way that sounds.” Your hand rested on his hip and your eyes flickered between him and your hand. “We would get started, yeah?”

Gareth nodded, mouth gaping open. He was shocked when you pulled away and walked over to the canvas. “Oh, right. Yeah. Let’s do… that.” He took a few deep breaths and followed you to his so you could explain your vision for the pieces.

[sequinsmile-x]

You and Me, Forevermore

Three consecutive New Years Eve's that Emily and Aaron spend together.

-x-

Hi besties!

This is very soft, sweet, largely pointless and just a way of me saying thank you for all the love and support from you all this year. This fandom may be small, but it's lovely and wonderful and I adore every single one of you. This is my favourite corner of the internet <3

Writing is my favourite thing to do in the world, and anytime anyone tells me a fic of mine has made them smile, or cry or it's simply provided a distraction in this increasingly horrid world we live in, it makes my day.

Thank you for being here, and I'll continue to be here writing about our favourite idiots for years to come.

For the last time in 2024, please let me know what you think <3

-x-

Warnings: some alcohol consumption, largely just them being soft idiots in love

Words: 4.5k

Read over on Ao3, or below the cut

Emily had never been a fan of New Year's parties. 

Of all the parties she’d grown up going to do they had been her least favourite. Long nights where she’d been nothing but an ornament her mother put on display so her friends could tell Emily how much she’d grown in a year, how much she looked like her mother as they asked questions they didn’t care about the answer to just to pass the time. 

She loved the holidays, she always had, but New Year's itself had always felt like an anticlimax. All the promises of being a better person, of making better choices, were gone before January was over. It only ever seemed to feed into the artificial life she’d grown up in where no one said what they actually thought, and no one spoke about anything that felt genuinely important. 

This year felt different. 

She smiles as she looks around Dave’s house, at the team scattered amongst his other friends and acquaintances, and she thinks this might be the first New Year’s party she’d truly enjoy. 

“Princess,” Derek says, getting her attention as he approaches her and Penelope, his smile wide and posture relaxed, “Where’s your guy? I thought you two were glued at the hip these days.” 

She rolls her eyes but can’t fight her smile, and she looks over her shoulder and smiles as her eyes catch Aaron’s where he’s standing at the bar, and she gives him a small wave, “He’s getting me a drink.” 

Penelope squeals, like she always did when she encountered Emily and Aaron’s relationship outside of work, and she quickly clears her throat, “Sorry, I’m still not used to how cute you two are.” 

“Please don’t call Hotch cute,” Derek replies, faking a shudder as he sips his beer and winks at Emily, “I can’t picture him that way.” 

If Derek had made that comment even a few months ago, Emily would have felt her shackles rise. Out of everyone, he’d been the one to take the news of her and Aaron’s relationship the hardest. It took him several weeks to get used to the idea, for his snide comments to slowly give way, and it had driven her crazy. She’d talked to him about it more than once, and had come away from that conversation upset each time. She’d had to tell Aaron to not get involved, sure that the two men butting heads would only make matters worse, and she knew it had been hard for him to see her upset by one of her closest friends not accepting a relationship that made her happier than she had ever been. 

She still didn’t know what had truly got through to Derek. If he finally saw that both she and Aaron deserved this after everything they’d been through with Ian and Foyet respectively, if he saw that she was a different person when she came back from Paris and Aaron helped her find herself again, or if he’d taken the time to watch them together when they thought no one was looking. If he’d seen the way they cared for each other and understood each other. 

Or if, what Emily thought was the most likely, Penelope had finally called him out on his bullshit and told him to get himself together. 

“But they are cute,” Penelope says, turning to look at Emily, “Right?”

She chuckles and shrugs, her teeth sinking into her lower lip as she tries to answer in a way she knows won’t embarrass her boyfriend. Because they were cute. Sickeningly in love with each other in a way that would make her turn her nose up if she read about it in a book or saw it in a movie, and the worst part was she loved it. She loved him and knew she always would. 

“Here you go, sweetheart.” 

She smiles and turns as Aaron’s hand skims her lower back and lands on her hip. He hands her a glass of champagne and she kisses him, “Thanks, honey.” 

“Oh god,” Derek says, scrunching his nose up in mock disgust, “I think I preferred it when you were pretending you weren’t in love with each other.” 

“I didn’t,” Penelope quips, her smile wide as she watches them, “I think it’s sweet.” 

Emily feels Aaron tense next to her, any progress that he’d made on relaxing around their friends, with the help of alcohol and her insistence that everything was fine, undone in a matter of seconds. She makes a point of leaning further into him, her arm looping around his waist as she kisses his jaw and then his cheek, smiling against his skin when it’s enough to relax him a little. She pulls back and looks at their friends, her eyebrow raised in a mix of amusement and defiance at the contrasting looks on their faces.

“Derek, it’s New Year's Eve, this is a party,” she holds up her glass of champagne, “This is my…” 

“Fourth,” Aaron offers as she trails off, and she smiles up at him again, the soft smile she gets in return mixed in with the alcohol enough for her to briefly forget the point she was trying to make.

“Right, thanks honey,” she looks back at Derek and Penelope again, “This is my fourth drink. I’m going to get a little drunk and a little handsy with my boyfriend, okay?” She can’t deny that she doesn’t get a kick out of how Aaron briefly tightens his hold on her or how Derek scrunches his nose up, “If you don’t like that, I think thats your problem.” 

“Chill out, princess, I was only joking.” 

She sticks her tongue out at him and smiles, letting him know that she is too, mostly. Then she turns in Aaron’s embrace and smiles at him, cupping his cheek and pulling him in for a kiss. It was almost midnight, almost the start of a year she was looking forward to for once, and she wanted some time alone with the man she loves. 

“Let’s go find the guy with the tray of those mini desserts,” she says, grateful when he immediately nods, his smile soft and loving as he reaches for her hand and links their fingers together. 

He looks at Derek and Penelope, “Happy New Year.” 

“Happy New Year, sir. Hotch.” Penelope replies, her smile sparkling with mischief as she looks at Emily directly “Don’t desecrate Dave’s home office. Again.” 

Emily widens her eyes and ignores Aaron’s gaze burning into her side, “Pen. What happened to what is said on girl's night, stays on girl’s night?” 

Penelope has the decency to look embarrassed and she holds her glass higher, “Sorry, it’s the champagne, it’s like truth serum.” 

“Come on, sweetheart,” Aaron says, his hand on Emily’s hip as he leads her away from their friends, his smile and the spark in his eyes letting her know he isn’t mad at her, “Let’s go before any more details about our sex life come out.” 

She nods and lets him lead her away, leaning into his side as they weave through the pockets of people all scattered around Dave’s house, “Sorry, baby,” she says, stamping a kiss against his jacket, “Pen and her big mouth.” 

He hums, his eyes soft and loving as he comes to a stop and wraps his arms around her, “Do I even want to know how our sex life came up in conversation?” 

“You know what she’s like, she wants to know everything,” she replies, hooking an arm around the back of his neck, “And she knows how to get me to talk,” she says, pressing her lips together when he simply raises an eyebrow at her, “She tried to imply that you’re…,” she looks around them and makes sure no one can overhear them, her cheeks warm with the alcohol thrumming under her skin and embarrassment that Penelope had played her so well, “Vanilla in the bedroom.” 

He laughs, loud and bright and beautiful, and he shakes his head lovingly at her before he kisses her, “Sweetheart, it’s sweet that you want to defend me, but I think I can live with Garcia thinking I’m boring in bed.” 

Her response is cut off as someone yells that the ball in Times Square is dropping, and that the countdown has begun. She smiles as Aaron tugs at her hand and pulls her into the empty hallway, the sound of the crowd counting down from ten following them. She leans against the wall and encourages him closer, her hand on his shoulder as his nose knocks against hers, something that draws a sound she refuses to call a giggle out of her as the countdown continues. 

“Three, two, one. Happy New Year!”

She kisses him, sighing into it as she tastes champagne and her future on his tongue, and she smiles when they break apart, her forehead resting against his as his breath skips across her face. 

“Happy New Year, sweetheart.” 

She cups the back of his neck and tugs him in for another kiss, her reply lost against his lips, “Happy New Year, honey.” 

___

She’s making a cup of tea when the doorbell rings. She walks out of the kitchen and calls up the stairs, smiling when she already hears a door being thrown open. “Jack, that will be your Aunt Jess. Say goodbye to your dad and then come down here.” 

“Coming, Emily!” 

When she answers the door Jess pulls her into a hug, “Happy New Year!”

“Happy New Year,” she replies, stepping back to let Jess into the house, “Jack is on his way.” 

“How’s the patient?” Jess asks, smiling when Emily groans and rolls her eyes. 

“Hard work, as you’d expect,” Emily replies, shaking her head as she thinks of Aaron, “He was insistent that we go to our friend’s New Year party until about 30 minutes ago when he almost passed out getting out of bed.” 

Aaron had woken up not feeling well a couple of days ago. At first, he’d tried to play it off, say it was just a cold, but it quickly became clear it was the flu. Somehow, they’d managed to make sure Jack hadn’t caught it so he was still able to go and spend New Year’s with Jess and Roy like he always did. Emily was just grateful that the flu had waited until after Christmas to take down her giant, cuddly, whiny man, because it meant that they’d been able to enjoy the day in their new home. They’d moved in back in November, a busy time of year anyway in amongst Aaron’s birthday and Thanksgiving, and she loved it. It was a home, the first one she’d ever truly had, and she knew that had nothing to do with the house that they knew was perfect for them the moment they first saw it. 

“Good luck to you then,” Jessica replies, and Jack runs over, sliding in his socks on the hardwood floor towards them. 

“Hi, Aunt Jess!” He says excitedly, handing his bag to her as he slips on his shoes, “Is Grandpa excited? I want to tell him all about Christmas and what Dad and Emily got me.”

Jess nods and exchanges a look over the top of his head with Emily. Roy’s feelings about Aaron moving on, about him starting a new life when Haley couldn’t, were well known. He wasn’t particularly polite to Emily whenever he spent time with them as a family, something that she knew embarrassed Jess to no end. 

“He’s so excited to see you, buddy,” she replies diplomatically, “Now, say goodbye to Emily.” 

Jack nods and hugs Emily, his arms tight around her as she leans down to hug him back. When he pulls back to look at her, the excitement he’d had moments ago is gone, replaced with concern that makes her ache. 

“What’s wrong, kiddo?” She asks, pushing his hair from his forehead, smiling when it flops right back down. 

“Is Daddy going to be okay?” He asks, his gaze drifting to the stairs, “He looked sick and I don’t have to go.” 

She smiles at him, his endless empathy and kindness, despite everything he’d already been through, one of the many, many things she loved about him, “I’ll look after him, I promise,” she says, kissing his cheek, “You know he wants you to go have fun.” 

Jack nods, still looking unsure, “And you’ll be okay?” 

“I’ll be okay,” she replies, hugging him again, exchanging a smile with Jess over his shoulder when she looks up at her, “I promise.” 

“Okay,” he replies, “I love you, Emmy.” 

She squeezes him tightly for a moment, overwhelmed by a type of love that she never thought she’d get to feel before she pulls back to look at him, “I love you too, Jack.” 

He hugs her one more time before he leaves, and she and Jess exchange one too as they discuss when she’ll bring Jack back home the following day. As soon as she closes the door she locks it behind them and blows out a slow breath. Her phone beeps, letting her know it is time for Aaron to have more meds, and she goes to the kitchen to get them and finish making his cup of tea. 

When she walks into their bedroom her heart feels like it’s in a vice when she sees him. He’s curled around her pillow, the sheets twisted around his legs, and he looks sick. He’s pale and miserable and she knows she’d do anything to make him feel better. 

“Here you go honey,” she says, sitting on the edge of the bed and turning on the lamp on his nightstand, wincing when it makes him groan, “Sorry, baby. I brought you some more meds. They’ll make you feel better.” 

He groans again as he sits up and takes the glass of water she offers him and the meds. He takes the medication without question - a true sign of how awful he must be feeling, “You really should go to Dave’s party you know,” he says, sniffing in a futile attempt to clear his nose, “It will be more fun than sitting here with me on my death bed.” 

She chuckles and takes the glass from him before she settles next to him in bed, sitting up against the headboard whilst he lays back down, “That really would earn me the title of fiancée of the year if I left you here by yourself on New Year’s Eve.” 

He laughs, or tries to, the sound dying in his sore throat as he shifts closer to her, his head on her stomach and his arm over her hips as he snuggles against her. He’d always been tactile with her, had always been all over her at any given opportunity, but when he was sick it was another level. It was something he’d passed on to his son, who also insisted on sleeping pressed up against her when he was sick, and she loved it. Loved being the source of their comfort, and she couldn’t help but picture a world where a kid who was half her and half Aaron did the same. They’d started trying for a baby recently, hope pressed into every corner of their home, and the thought of it made her giddy. 

“Well, at least it’s New Year’s Eve,” he says, his skin warm even through the barrier of her t-shirt, “The criteria resets tomorrow.”

She smiles and runs her fingers through his hair, “I’m not going anywhere,” she says, smiling when he looks up at her, “I always want to spend New Year with you.” 

“I always want to spend New Year with you too.” 

He slips in between sleep and being awake for hours whilst pressed up against her side. She only gets out of bed to make dinner for them, the empty places now on her nightstand.  She turns on the TV and keeps the volume low, making sure she doesn’t disturb him whilst he rests. She eventually switches the channel to watch the news at Times Square, smiling at the crowds of people huddled together in the freezing cold to watch the ball drop in person. 

“What time is it?” 

She smiles down at him and pushes his hair away from his forehead, “Almost midnight.” 

He nods and sits up, blinking repeatedly to clear his head before he stands up, “Okay.”

“Honey,” she says, raising her eyebrow at him, “What are you doing?” 

“Going to brush my teeth,” he mutters, leaning against the wall as he walks to the ensuite. She rolls her eyes and gets out of bed to follow him. 

“Why?” 

“So I can kiss you at midnight,” he says, as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world, “My breath sucks.”

She hums and crosses her arms over her chest, pressing her lips together as she tries to suppress a smile, “Yeah,” she says, looking him up and down, the palour of his skin almost worse in the light of the bathroom, “That’s the problem with kissing right now.” 

He pauses, furrowing his brow as he stops squeezing toothpaste onto his toothbrush as if he’d just remembered he was sick.

“Oh, yeah, sorry sweetheart-” He says, and she leans in and kisses him, stamping her lips against his, smiling when he frowns in confusion when she pulls back. “You’ll get sick.” 

“Worth it,” she presses her thumb against his lower lip, “But you’re right, you should brush your teeth, your breath sucks.” 

He shakes his head at her lovingly and she winks at him and walks back out to their bedroom. She settles back into bed and pulls the covers over her lap, smiling as she takes the chance to look at her engagement ring. She was going to marry him next year, and hopefully expand their family too. The excitement of it all makes her skin tingle, and as Aaron slips back into bed next to her, it feels infinitely better than any evening drinking expensive champagne ever could have. 

They watch the ball drop on the TV and share a kiss at midnight, his skin warm against hers as he settles against her afterwards. 

“Happy New Year, Em.”

She kisses the top of his head, smiling against his hairline as she thinks of all they have to come, “Happy New Year, Aaron.” 

___

She hums a tune she can’t name as she paces back and forth in her bedroom, one hand under the 4-month-old against her chest, and one rubbing soothing circles on his back. Issac gristles against her, grumbling as he rubs his face against her chest. She kisses the top of his head and sighs, suppressing a yawn as she breathes in his sweet scent. 

“You’ll feel so much better if you get some sleep, sweet boy,” she says, falling to suppress her yawn this time as she carries on, “We all need some sleep.” 

Isaac hadn’t been a great sleeper from the start, but in the last couple of weeks, he’d barely slept for more than one hour at a time. She knew it was normal, she knew that he’d grow out of it, but it was hard. She was more exhausted than she’d ever been in her life but she was also the happiest she’d ever been. It was overwhelming sometimes and would spill out of her in the form of what felt like constant tears on her cheeks because somehow this was her life now. She had a husband and two little boys she loved more than she ever thought possible, and it was beautifully, achingly normal. 

It was strange to think how much had changed in the space of a year. Last New Year’s Eve, when Aaron had been sick and she’d stayed home to look after him, this was exactly where she hoped she’d be now. In early January, when she suddenly found herself feeling awful she convinced herself that she’d caught the flu from Aaron. It took almost a week before she let herself even consider that it might be something else, before she dared to take a pregnancy test. She still had it in a drawer in the bathroom, the digital screen that once displayed the word pregnant now faded, because she couldn’t bring herself to throw it away. 

She looks up as the bedroom door opens and she smiles at Aaron as he walks in and closes the door behind him, “Jack’s settled in his bed.”

“He’ll be so mad in the morning,” she says, smiling softly as she continues to pace the room, “He was hoping he’d make it to midnight this year.” 

Jack surprised them when he asked to stay home this New Year instead of going to his grandfather’s like he usually did. He explained that he wanted to spend it with them and Issac, and he’d been insistent that he’d stay awake until midnight. He’d fallen asleep in their bed just a few minutes ago and Aaron had taken him back to his room so he’d get a better night’s sleep than he would in the same room as his little brother who woke up several times a night. 

“I know,” Aaron says, walking over to them, “How is the littlest Hotchner doing?”

“He might make it to midnight,” she replies dryly, “I think Zaccy thinks sleep is for the weak,” she says, tilting her head to look at her still wide-awake son, “Huh, kiddo?” 

“Want me to try?” 

She nods and kisses the top of Issac’s head as she passes him over, “Yes please, my arms are starting to ache.” 

“He just loves his mommy so much that he wants to be in your arms all the time.” 

“I think it might be because I smell of milk,” she hums and sits on the bed, her back against the headrest as she rubs her eyes, “But that’s a sweet thought.” 

Aaron smiles at her as he sways side to side, Issac secure against his chest, “You know as well as I do that you are the centre of the world for every Hotchner who lives in this house.” 

She feels her cheeks go warm, still not used to his love and affection even after all this time, and she is distracted by her phone as it vibrates on her nightstand. She smiles as she picks it up, a selfie of the team at Dave’s annual New Year’s Eve party starting up at her, their smiles and slightly dazed eyes letting her know they were all several drinks in. 

“Dave sent a picture of the team,” she says, turning her phone to show him, “With the caption ‘What will be your excuse to miss next year’s party?’” 

Aaron laughs and looks down to see Issac is now sleeping, “He’s asleep.” 

Emily huffs out a breath and watches as he places the baby in the bassinet on her side of the bed and stamps a kiss against his forehead. 

“I’d be pissed you got him off so quickly,” she says, wrapping her arms around one of Aaron’s the moment he’s in bed, “But I am far too tired to care about that right now.” 

He kisses the top of her head and then rests his cheek there, yawning himself as they settle against each other. He looks at the clock on her nightstand and hums, “Only one hour until the new year. I wonder what it will bring us” 

She turns her head to kiss him, “Hopefully more sleep,” she quips, smiling against his lips, “But I’d be happy with more of what we’ve already got.” 

“Me too.” 

She lets herself enjoy the silence that was so rare in their home these days, and she settles into his warmth. She doesn’t remember falling asleep, she isn’t even aware she has until she feels small hands on her face and shoulder. 

“Mom,” Jack whispers, his eyes wide as she opens hers to meet them, “Mom, we all fell asleep.” 

“We fell asleep?” She groans as she blinks a few times and she looks over at the clock to see it is now 12.30 am, “We fell asleep.” She looks over at Issac, panic racing through her until she sees he’s still fast asleep, his chest rising and falling rhythmically. She looks at Aaron and realises they are both still sitting up, that they’d slumped against each other in bed with the light still on and fallen asleep without realising. She looks at Jack and smiles at him, opening her arms up to him and encouraging him in for a hug. He crawls into her arms and she rearranges the covers around them both “I don’t think I’ve fallen asleep before midnight on New Year’s since I was your age, sweet boy.”

“I woke up in my bedroom but I don’t remember going to bed,” he says, resting his head on her shoulder. 

“Dad took you to bed,” she replies, smiling as she looks at her still sleeping husband.

“Should we wake him up?” 

She’s about to say no, to try and figure out how she can get them all lying down without waking him up, but then Issac cries, loud and sharp in the otherwise quiet room and Aaron shocks awake. 

“I’ll get him,” he mutters, wiping his eyes with the heels of his hands as he stands up. She watches with amusement as he walks a few paces and then realises she’s sitting up and Jack is with them too, “What time is it?” 

“It’s the new year Dad!” Jack exclaims, and Emily smiles at him, her nails scratching lightly at his scalp. “Happy New Year!”

“Happy New Year, buddy!” 

Emily turns to look at Aaron, a familiar swooping in her gut as she watches him lift Issac into his arms. She’d always known he was an amazing father, but watching him with their infant son had taken it to a new level. She wanted more kids with him, a thought that wasn’t even dulled by the bone deep exhaustion of having a baby right now, and part of her wondered if, by the end of the year, she’d once again be missing the opportunity to be drunk at Dave’s party. 

“We fell asleep.” She says simply, smiling as he hums in response, Issac against his chest as he starts to settle down, clearly just wanting to be part of the fun.

“I’m not surprised. We’ve barely slept in weeks,” he smiles at Emily and leans in to kiss her, his lips quickly stamped against hers, “Happy New Year by the way.” 

She kisses him back, “Happy New Year,” she then smiles at Jack and kisses the top of his head,  “You too, Jack,” she reaches out and runs her knuckles down Issac’s cheek, “You too, sweet boy.” 

“Happy New Year, Mom and Dad,” Jack beams at her before he leans in and kisses Issac’s cheek, “Happy New Year, Zaccy.” 

Issac blows a spit bubble and it makes Jack giggle, and Emily wipes Issac’s mouth with the sleep of her shirt. 

“I think that’s his way of saying it back, kiddo.” 

Aaron smiles at his eldest, “What do you want to happen this year, Jack?” 

He furrows his brow as he thinks about it for a second before a delighted smile spreads across his face, “I’d like a baby sister!” 

[therealcocoshady]

Recovery - Chapter 22

Eminem x FemReader Fanfiction

Summary : Y/N sneaks out to meet with Em.

Tags : Fluff

Y/N’s POV

The first two weeks you spent with Marshall were nothing short of heavenly. You could hardly believe it : you finally got to be with the man of your dreams. He also seemed to be as happy as you, being the amazing person he always was, but showing a romantic side on top of it. Whenever the two of you were alone together, he would be all over you. Well, to be fair, it was pretty mutual. Whether it was holding hands, hugging, cuddling or having sex, you were almost always having some form of physical contact. At least, that was the case when it was just the two of you. You had not told anyone yet. You didn’t mind most people not knowing that you were with Marshall, but you were dying to tell your roommates. However, he didn’t seem too keen on the idea. 

Can I at least tell Talia about us ? You had asked. She is my best friend and she knows everything about me...

I don’t know, babe, he had said. I mean, I get it, but you know her… If you tell her, she’ll tell Jamal and one of them might let it slip. I’d just like to enjoy the two of us for a little while, you know ? 

It sort of made sense. Talia and Jamal were your best friends but they could be too talkative for their own good, sometimes. Especially with something as big as this. You knew them enough to know that they would tease you every chance they would get and might let something slip in front of other people. Obviously, they meant no harm and to you, it wouldn’t be the end of the world, but you knew how Marshall was about his privacy. He had a lot of friends but was still secretive about so many things. You didn’t mind at all. Actually, aside from the disappointment of not being able to tell your bestie about the most exciting thing happening in your life, you were fine with the idea of not telling anyone you knew. If people on Marshall’s team knew about your relationship, you could already see going downhill. Paul would probably be an ogre about it, plus, he already seemed to hate you enough as it was. As for Porter, Royce and the other people at the studio, you got along with them and considered them to be good friends of yours, so you really hated the idea that they might see and treat you differently. You’d been in that situation before, dating someone from your friends group, and ended up being considered as the guy’s girlfriend, rather than a member of the group. 

There was also a hidden perk to it : no one knowing about your relationship meant it was even more exciting. You were obviously in the honeymoon phase, taking every opportunity to be close to each other, and you soon found out that sneaking around was rather exhilarating. For instance, every time you hung out at the studio, the two of you would exchange glances, brush against each other on purpose and kiss every time the others left the room. You loved it and it was extremely arousing. So much so that, when you snuck out at night to go and see Marshall, the sex was even more mind-blowing, due to the release of the tension of the day. When you went to bed, you usually waited a couple of hours to make sure that Talia and Jamal were sleeping and snuck out to see him. You’d spend the night together and he’d bring you back in the early morning, before they woke up. You weren’t sleeping too much and were starting to feel tired, but in your opinion, it was 100% worth it. 

One morning, though, you got home a bit later than usual and found Talia sitting in the kitchen, drinking coffee.

Hey, you said. 

Where were you ? She asked with her eyebrows furrowed. 

I went out for a little walk, you replied as you tried to stay as evasive as possible. 

So early ? 

Yeah… I had a bad night, you said as you tried to sound convincing. So I decided to go for an early morning walk. What are you doing up so early ? 

I’m a bit worried for you, she said. Are you sure that breaking up with Josh was a good idea ? I mean, it’s… so sudden. 

I know, you said. But with everything that happened, I think I might need time to recover a bit, maybe focus on myself, you know ? 

Is it because of your anxiety ? She asked. 

Kind of. I have a lot going on.

I can tell, she said. But are you sure that splitting up with Josh is actually a good idea ? I mean, he loves you, he is here for you… He’s your lobster, Y/N. 

He’s not, you said softly. 

Is it because of Em ? She asked. 

Maybe, you replied. 

You didn’t want to lie to her. She was your best friend in the world and you wouldn’t want to disappoint her by lying to her face. But it also killed you because you just wanted to tell her everything about you and Marshall, how happy he made you and how he rocked your world. Also, you were sort of hoping that she would shut up about Josh. Ever since you had broken up with him, she had questioned your decision and tried to convince you to get back with him. And why wouldn’t she ? You probably would have done the same for any friend who broke up with such a good boyfriend out of the blue. The two of you chatted for a couple of minutes and you got ready for the day. 

On another occasion, she accidentally walked in on you in your underwear in the bathroom and noticed some marks on your body. As your lovemaking sessions were quite… intense, you had gotten a few bruises and scratches. Thankfully, you didn’t have hickies on your neck, but the same could not be said for your stomach, your ass or the inside of your thighs. What could you say ? It was passionate to say the least. You didn’t think much of it, but as soon as she saw the marks, she let out a horrified shriek. 

Oh my God !!! What the hell happened to you ?! She asked, completely panicked. 

Nothing, you said awkwardly, quickly grabbing something to hide your body. 

Not nothing, she replied. You have so many bruises, oh my God ! Did you get in a fight ?! 

Of course not ! You know me, I’m clumsy, that’s all ! 

At first, she seemed not to believe you, but she had to admit that it was plausible : you were the clumsiest person she knew. Whenever someone had to accidentally get hit, fall down the stairs or accidentally get a cut because they were too distracted by staring at a certain person, it had to be you. It was some sort of rule that the universe had created, apparently. It was so usual that it had become a running joke in your circle. So, eventually, she dropped it and pestered you about paying some damn attention for once, or else you’d die a stupid death. Technically, she wasn’t wrong to remind you, but if only she knew… 

The next day, you were spending the day with everyone else at Marshall’s, and you and Talia watched as the guys were playing basketball. You were supposedly here to cheer on Jamal, but you were too distracted by Marshall, who definitely looked way too good in gym clothes. Seeing him all sweaty was driving you crazy and you couldn’t wait for the next time you’d get to be alone with him. 

Quit staring at him, Talia whispered with a giggle. 

I’m not staring, you lied. 

Yeah, right… I know being single again sucks, but don’t forget that it’s Em, she said. Just because you’re not with Josh doesn’t mean you have to get back into whatever it is that was between the two of you. You’ll only end up suffering, baby. 

You think ? 

I’m sure. Plus, he’s obviously out there, getting laid by God knows who, she pointed out. 

What makes you think that ? You asked with your brows furrowed. 

He’s got a hickie and some scratches ? She said. I mean, you can see them on the back of his arms and his neck. I can’t even imagine what his back looks like. 

Oh, you said sheepishly as you realized that the two of you definitely needed to be careful, especially with Talia being so attentive to details. 

I’m sorry baby, she said as she rubbed your back. But maybe it’s better that way ? 

Maybe, you said with a yawn. 

Still tired ? 

You have no idea, you said as you tried to hide a grin. 

Hiding this from her was definitely too hard. All you wanted to do was to have a sleepover with her and some girl talk about your sex life and finally be able to brag of being the one scratching that handsome man’s back. You wished you’d get caught, but you also couldn’t be the one to give her the hints, as you didn’t want to betray Marshall’s trust. 

LATER THAT DAY - MARSHALL’S POV 

He was laying in bed with Y/N, cuddling after yet an intense physical session. Both of them were panting from exhaustion, not only from tonight but from the past weeks. They were basically running on sex, very little sleep and more sex. He was tired, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. Every morning when he woke up next to her, it put the biggest smile on his face. Normally, he wouldn’t move that fast with a woman. He wouldn’t have her come over all the time, let alone sleep in his bed at night. His last girlfriend had never even seen his bedroom : that’s how guarded he was when it came to relationships. But with Y/N, it seemed right. Not that he had much of a choice anyway : whenever he was away from her, he felt like an addict on withdrawal, thinking of the next time he’d get his dose. Everything about her was intoxicating, from the longing looks she threw at him when there were other people around to her kisses to the way she whispered “I love you” right before she fell asleep in his arms. With both of their workloads, him at the studio and her at uni, they didn’t get as much time together as they wanted - or at least as he did - but he was willing to take every second he could get. Even if it was just at night with crazy logistics involved, and plans not to get caught by anyone. However, between work on the album, his activities as a producer, trying to spend time with his family and sharing his nights with her before waking up early to drive her back, it was starting to be exhausting. He could tell it was the same for her as well. Both of them looked like raccoons, with dark circles under their eyes, and all he wished for was to be able to sleep in, with her in his arms.

I love you, she whispered in a sleepy voice. 

I love you too, he chuckled. Shower and then bed ? 

How about we just stay here ? She suggested. I’m so sore… 

All the more reason, he said. Let me take care of you, baby. 

That’s right. With her he even got into aftercare. In his previous relationships, even the most successful ones, as soon as the deed was done, he usually rolled onto his side of the bed and fell asleep immediately. Not that he didn’t care about his partners, he did, but he usually put himself first. Not with Y/N. He was giving her the princess treatment and the worst part was that he secretly loved it. He had been a lousy boyfriend and husband in the past, to a lot of women, but he wanted to do so much better. Partly because now, he knew better, but also because he knew that the universe, no matter how good it was, would never provide him with someone so great. 

After a long shower and a massage, his girl had fallen asleep and he was ready to do the same when he heard the doorbell ring several times. It was 3:30 AM. He groaned and looked at Y/N, who was still asleep, by some sort of miracle. He kissed her forehead and got up as the doorbell kept on ringing. When he opened the door, he found Talia, going absolutely crazy on the doorbell. 

Talia ?! He asked in surprise. What the fuck are you doing here ?

Em, I’m sorry to bother you, but it’s an emergency, she said in a worried voice. 

Come in, he said. 

He led her to the living room, not sure what to expect. It was probably something serious. Talia never barged in unannounced, especially not in the middle of the night. 

What’s up ? He asked. Everything alright ? 

I am pretty sure that Y/N is using again, she said on the verge of tears. 

Wait ? What ? He asked in disbelief. 

I am sorry to bother you but you’ve been there, you know about relapse, and I just don’t know what to do…, she sobbed. 

Why would you even think she relapsed in the first place ? 

She’s not herself, she explained. She broke up with Josh out of the blue, she doesn’t seem to sleep, she’s become super secretive and she disappears in the middle of the night. I don’t even know where she is right now… I don’t know what to do, Em. What do you think I can do ? 

He tried so hard not to laugh but failed miserably. Talia’s concern was the most adorable thing ever and what she was saying actually made sense. Only she was far from the truth. He also felt a little bad : it was his fault if she was sobbing on his couch, since he was the one who insisted on keeping the relationship a secret. She shot him a death glare as he let out a little laugh. It was probably time to tell her. 

Don’t worry, he said. She’s fine. 

How do you know it ?! You’re an addict, you know how serious it is ! She said as she started to get worked up. 

She’s here, Talia. She’s sleeping, he said with a smile. 

WHAT DID I TELL YOU LAST TIME, EM ?! I told you that if anything happened and she came to you, you had to call me !!! She yelled. GOD YOU’RE A STUPID ASSHOLE !!! 

He burst out in a fit of laughter. At that point, it was probably the nerves and fatigue. He tried to calm himself before explaining but Y/N came to the living room, probably alarmed by the yelling. 

Talia ? She asked confused. What are you doing here ? 

What are YOU doing here ?! Talia fired back. 

I… well, I…, Y/N hesitated as she looked at him. 

I WANT YOU OUT OF THE HOUSE AND INTO A REHAB CENTER BY TOMORROW, Talia yelled. I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU’RE USING AGAIN !!!

But I’m not, Y/N said. 

Don’t lie to me. I’ve seen the bruises, I know you’ve been sneaking out, you don’t sleep and you’ve been acting impulsive. It all makes sense ! 

The bruises ? Marshall asked. 

On my thighs, Y/N explained. 

He tried really hard not to laugh. The tension was palpable. 

Oh… that’s on me, I guess, he chuckled.

What the fuck ? Talia asked him with a threatening tone. What are you doing to her ?! 

Nothing she doesn’t want, believe me, he said as he tried to hide a smirk. 

Marshall !!! His girl interjected. 

I don’t understand, Talia said as she looked pissed off. 

They’re hickies, he chuckled. Y/N has been sneaking around, yes, but she’s coming here. We’re together. 

You’re together ? She repeated. 

Yeah, she’s my girlfriend. Like… couple stuff, you know ? He clarified before taking Y/N’s hand in his. 

Talia looked at him in shock, her mouth open, while Y/N stared at him tenderly. 

Aaaaw… I’m your girlfriend ? She asked with a smile. 

What ? Want me to refer to you as « bro » or « homie » ? He chortled. 

Girlfriend is fine, she said with a shy smile. 

Why didn’t you tell me ?! Talia blurted out, visibly hurt. 

I asked her not to, Marshall clarified.  Believe me, she wanted to tell you. This one’s on me. 

He didn’t want Talia to be mad at his girlfriend and he was ready to take the blame for that one. In retrospect it hadn’t been the smartest thing to do. 

Shit, guys, do you know how worried I’ve been ?! She said. 

I’m so sorry, I wanted to tell you, I swear, Y/N said. 

How long has it been ? 

About two weeks, Y/N explained. Happened right before your birthday actually…

Before ?! Is that why you broke up with Josh ?! She asked. 

Yeah…, his girlfriend said sheepishly. 

Talia looked up and down at the two of them. He was holding his girlfriend’s hand and smiling. She shook her head and took Y/N in her arms, holding her tight for about a minute. 

So, you’re alright ? She asked. 

Yes, his girlfriend said. 

And you’re happy ? 

So happy, Y/N confirmed. 

And he’s treating you well ? Talia asked again. 

Of course I treat her well, Marshall scoffed, almost offended by the implication. 

Not talking to you, Em, Talia said as she gave him a side-eye. 

He treats me very well, Y/N said softly. Like a princess, actually. 

Talia hummed and kept staring at the two of them. At that point, it was almost freaking him out. All he wanted was some sleep ! Now that she knew that Y/N was alive, breathing and not under immediate danger, couldn’t she just go home and let them rest ? Of course, it was purely rhetorical… in the past three years or so, he had spent enough time with Talia around to know that this woman only did what she wanted. She was not the intrusive type but he had also come to understand that when it came to her best friend’s safety, happiness and well-being, she could be ruthless. He may have been twenty years older, she was the « scary » one in that situation. So, even though he was not ecstatic to have her disturb what could have been a peaceful and much-needed night of sleep, he didn’t say much. After a while, Talia sat back on the couch and told them to do the same. Once again, it wasn’t time to discuss the orders. Usually, he would not have anyone tell him what to do, especially not someone who could be his daughter and even less in his own house, but Talia was the exception. He also low-key appreciated that she treated him like a normal person, with a « no-nonsense, no bullshit » attitude. It was something that made him respect her. She had that sort of aura that usually prompted people to do what she told them to. She was a pretty damn persuasive person and there was no doubt as to how she had Jamal around her finger. 

Let’s be clear here, she said as she looked at him, Y/N might be satisfied with the princess treatment, but it certainly won’t impress me. She is exceptional and if you fail to treat her in a manner befitting the empress that she is, I will make sure you regret it. 

Of course, he said with a smile. 

And if you make her suffer, I will make sure you suffer twice as much, she added. Don’t get me wrong : Jamal is the big scary dude who will punch you, but I will be your worst nightmare. 

Believe me, I’m counting on it, he replied. 

Good. You, Y/N, do not think about lying to me ever again. Especially about something like this !!! She told her best friend. 

Promise, Y/N said. 

Now, I would love some tea and hear about how this happened, she said with a smile, gesturing at the two of them. 

Right now ? Marshall couldn’t help but groan. 

Would you rather tell me about your misjudged idea of asking my best friend to lie to me and causing me to have a stroke ? She asked with a raised eyebrow. 

So, green tea or black tea ? He replied with a sarcastic grin. 

Green, she chuckled. And Y/N usually drinks…

… hot cocoa, he continued with a smile. I know, I know. Are we really doing this, Talia ? You bullying me in my own house ? 

You bet we are, she chuckled. You owe me, for the emotional damage, Em. 

He chortled and went to the kitchen to prepare the hot beverages while he could hear Talia grilling Y/N with questions. He would have snapped at anyone, but Talia’s concern for Y/N was so genuine that he could only appreciate it. Plus, seeing the relief on his girlfriend’s face was priceless. From the other room, he could hear her giggle as she answered some of Talia’s questions. When he came back to the living room with the mugs, Talia was commenting on the hickies. « Y’all better chill. What are you ? Horny teenagers ?! ». He chuckled and sat next to Y/N, who curled up on his side. It felt a little weird to have someone know about their relationship, but he had to admit it also felt good. They talked for about an hour before he decided to go back to bed. 

Can I be dismissed now ? He asked with a smile. 

I’ll allow it, Talia said. Plus, I can’t get Y/N to tell me about the nitty-gritty stuff if you’re sitting here ! 

Don’t tell her anything, he said. 

She will tell me everything, she replied. 

He chortled and kissed the top of his girlfriend’s head before getting up and hugging Talia. 

By the way, you have my blessing, Em, she said with a smile. 

I don’t need your blessing, he chuckled. 

Yeah you do, she giggled. You just didn’t know it. 

I’ll take it then, he grinned. Thank you. 

Thank you for making my girl happy, she whispered with a smile. 

[silent-sanctum]

If you can, you do Jotaro x reader where the reader (gender neutral) is a very famous music celebrity and how Jotaro handles the being with someone who is famous with their daughter Jolyne in their life as well. Love your work and hope everything is good with you 🩷

Thank you anon! 💖 Kinda stressing out over paperwork over here but it's all good nonetheless! 🫡 You're request is heard and I hope I did your request justice with this short fic. Hope you enjoy! ♡

My Universe - Jotaro x Reader

word count: 2.2k

One of the perks of having your spouse be a famous global soloist, is having a kid with them and have said child be their number one fan if Jotaro wasn’t already.

Sure, he may not necessarily like all the discography you put out for your fans, but that’s normal for anyone. You did mostly pop with some R&B on the side, and he was more of a jazz man himself. But he did have his personal playlist of favorite tracks he’d listen to time to time on repeat.

But Jolyne was on a different level than he was- she adored you off-screen and on-screen. If you were at home or at least around her, she’d have a field trip being with her idol: She’d get her hands on every merchandise that’s yet to be released, listen to songs yet to be heard, and get special access to VIP areas only meant for artists.

How about the time spend with Jotaro?

Well, aside from musing your daughter with all the perks and love from a celebrity guardian, there were times you left Jolyne with her own bodyguard and babysitter, and used the free time to roam the city with your husband and do whatever they wanted to do.

Initially, your personal life was kept secret from the world, choosing to separate and not involve it with the life of stardom. And that was still the case back when you and Jotaro were still dating. You posted a lot on your social media, mostly pictures of your “selcas”, outfits-of-the-day, food items, behind-the-scenes special from your stages, nature shots, and pictures with fellow celebrity friends.

Once in a blue moon, your fans would blow up social media whenever you decided to be ballsy and post pictures of you with Jotaro, his face hidden thanks to his hat and mask. The content of the image was relatively tame and “neutral”, but given the context behind these pictures- the intimate proximity of the two, the matching color palette clothes, the rare posting of him in general- might as well made your fan base theorists.

“Boyfriend reveal when????”

“Bestie, please share the tea to the world”

“Hello? The couple fits?? The cute poses??? Call me delulu but-”

“All of you are being weirdos. Stop invading their privacy”

“Yeah the dude could be her cousin or brother or something”

“Girl they be dropping these lovey-dovey ass pics and still wonder why we’re this delusional”

“Uhm cousin?? Brother?? With those pictures? Weird but pop-off ig”

You’d receive many posts of similar flavor all over your timelines and you admitted to liking whenever your fans talk about the love of your life as if it’s a conspiracy theory and most of them coming from a supportive mindset. It irked Jotaro for a moment when said community managed to somehow track both his formal account used to document his research findings, and his private social media account where he posted pictures of scenery similar to yours.

But there were the rational handful who were able to veer them off his ass, dismissing their claims as false despite hitting the nail on the spot.

Eventually, once you shifted to a more flexible and lenient agency, you decided to reveal to the world that the popular music icon was engaged and to be married the next week all through a single image of your hand brandishing a ring on your ring finger with a bride emoji as its caption.

“GOOD MORNING???”

“MARRIAGE?!!”

“THEY IS GETTING MARRIED YALL”

“And yall called us crazy for saying they had a boyfriend all this time”

“We boutta get Papa Star amongst us”

The fans and the general public went wild and aside from the obsessive ones, most of your community sent their support.

Despite your relationship now public to everyone, Jotaro still wanted to keep himself mostly anonymous to the news. So whatever images were taken with him in it was blurred out with the default blur effect or an emoji sticker- a “star” one to be specific-covering his face whenever it was shared among fans.

The community erupted with loud awes and cheers when you announced to the world that you were going to have a baby girl in the family in one of your interviews.

“OMG???”

“Alright baby protectors, it’s our time to RISE”

“Much love to the little onee”

“I will defend this child with my life.”

“Shooters for baby girl where yall at?”

“Oh she bout to be the luckiest mfer with all the merch exclusives”

Years later, Jolyne grew up to be her parent’s number one fan, doing exactly what your fanbase had thought of when she’d grow older.

Going back to the present, you found yourself stuck knee-deep in your career doing a sold-out world tour, performing for thousands of cheering people in cities across the world. This wasn’t your first tour and you’ve found a decent routine to follow when doing so, but this year was a first for you.

You expressed both in social media posts and in interviews that burnout began to hit you full-time and a multitude of nagging negativity clouded your head as you kept up with all the schedules, production, and practice sessions for majority of the year. You’ve been so busy that time spent with your family this year was little to none. You constantly shared that hopefully sometime in the middle of promotions, you could return home to your family.

Jolyne felt it watching you through the screen. Jotaro felt it too.

All of them missed you and he wanted to do something about it for once.

By the time September came, your world tour came to a close with one last concert to be done in the Rose Bowl Stadium in California. Both him and Jolyne were never able to attend to any of your concerts due to work and school, but timing was in their favor for once and he made the most of the opportunity.

He got into contact with your manager, someone he became close acquaintances with, and notified of them coming over to watch your show. At first, Jotaro just wanted to be there with your daughter in tow, but the manager and a couple of the crew members in-charge of the set list had different plans.

He agreed to it.

With the VIP tickets secured and their booth ready for them, Jotaro and Jolyne flew across the States with eager anticipation and excitement, the latter mostly radiating off from the little girl.

Eventually, the day of the concert arrived and your daughter couldn’t contain herself from running about, unable to wait any longer for her to watch her other parent sing and dance live for the first time. During the day, rehearsals were done before the show proper and a handful of lucky fans were able to watch it.

Thanks to a streamer fan’s dedication and generosity, Jolyne was able to watch you walk about the stage in cozy casuals interacting with your community through a live stream in her phone. From time to time in the middle of preparing things needed for a concert, Jotaro would tune in as well, happy to see you even if it was from a live feed.

Hours later, he rented a car nearby and drove both of them to the beaming stadium, teemed with cheering crowds of fans falling in line either to enter the venue or to purchase on-site merchandise. On the lampposts and the walls were banners of you welcoming everyone to the event.

To avoid getting mobbed, both father and daughter kept themselves hidden from any passing person with a hat and mask as they walked across the area to the stadium’s entrance. To everyone else, they might as well be an ordinary dad-and-daughter duo who were also fans of their favorite artist.

Jotaro followed the instructions sent to him by your manager and headed off to a more discreet entrance where they didn’t have to worry about any lines or people complaining of why they get to enter first and not them. A guard stationed by waved them inside and led the family into their seats overlooking the brightly lit stage. Before the platform were thousands of light sticks waving in the dark, belonging to the fans singing to songs being played as they waited for you to start.

Beside him, Jolyne sang along with enthusiasm, shaking her own personalized light stick to the beat of the music. He would do the same in an alternate universe, but here it just wasn’t his thing.

After a few minutes, the music faded off into silence and the lights dimmed until the stage cast the whole venue in darkness. The crowds cheered and many miniature lights shook in the night. The speakers suddenly blared a remix of one of your title tracks and the jumbo screens flashed to show a VCR containing a mashup of you in a concept film, introducing your theme as a music artist to your audience.

Then as the dancers brought in the energy with their entrance, the stadium exploded with excited screams as you rose up from the below and walked to the front, passing by your back-up dancers until you stood in front of everyone. A second after you greeted the crowd, you switched demeanor and joined the others in choreography.

Jotaro couldn’t help but smile and clap by the time you finished your introductory performance, contrasted by his daughter’s loud screams. He watched wistfully at you speaking with the audience, sweating from all the dance and singing.

It truly was something different watching you live versus watching a live broadcast from home. You’re so near and yet so far from him.

And so far, the rest of the evening was spent like this with you; the beloved soloist performing many of their hit songs ranging from hard hitting beats with impressive dance routines to soothing ballads that had you simply sitting on a fancy stage prop all dolled-up to match the aesthetic of the songs.

Jolyne never pried her eyes away from her other parent, always focused on you and making sure she sung, danced, and responded to your every questions with the devotion of a true, hardcore fan.

By the time the concert was near its end, you were standing in front of the crowd in a cozy outfit akin to the aesthetics of a person living in a humble cabin in the woods. Supposedly, this segment was supposed to be for when you brought up a box of mixed Q&A and dares for you to do.

However, as you said that you were about to start with the bit, the screens beside you changed from showing an arcade-esque “Break Time with Y/N” to a simple “You have special guests watching you”.

Out of the blue, spotlights turned to Jotaro and Jolyne’s booth and there they were- clear as day on the jumbo screens. Everyone cheered yet again as their way of greeting their favorite artist’s family. And even as Jotaro froze on spot, tipping his hat over his eyes as he offered a small wave, his little girl beamed and waved her light stick at the camera.

“I’m here! Hello!”

Jotaro, from what he could see from under his hat, fixed his gaze on the other jumbo screen where it showed your reaction to the surprise- you were crouched on stage, one hand waving at your child, while the other covered your mouth as he saw tears well up in your eyes.

You didn’t expect them to be at your closing concert but seeing your family present was enough for you to break character and fixate on the loves of your life. “Ah really, you guys…”

In response to your happy tears, the crowd cried out a nearly-synchronized “don’t cry!” prompting you to let out a wet chuckle and sniffle.

It occurred to him that he could do something while the cameras were on them. He reached for his phone from his coat pockets and with a few taps, he showed the screen to everyone- a mobile digital message with the words scrolling across the black screen in neon yellow:

Congratulations on your successful world tour. We love you <3

“Ah! You’re gonna make me cry again!” You said, whining as you swiped your eyes free from the new batch of tears ready to fall. He chuckled back. “Everyone, that’s my husband and baby girl. I love them and the fact that they’re here makes me the happiest person right now.” The crowd cooed.

“Now that they’re here, I’m all the more charged up to perform for everyone!” You said and the stadium cheered in response. With one more long look at your family watching from their booth, you continued. “Hope you all enjoy the rest of this night as much as I am enjoying right now.”

With Jolyne’s suggestion via a whisper, Jotaro turned to his phone and changed the message one more time before the camera diverted away from them. This the message scrolled by in neon green saying:

Let’s celebrate! Let’s eat out later! Our daughter is starving.

Your fans expressed a mix of laughter and wholesome “aw’s”. In turn, you smiled and with both hands grasping your microphone, you replied back to them with a curt yet loving, “Of course. My treat.”

[justagalwhowrites]

This so random, but I love the way you write Joel talking with other people about Beautiful in New in Town.

For example when he’s talking to Tommy about how he’s in love with her but is worried it’s too soon to tell her. I’d love to see more of interactions like this! Him talking to Sarah about her, Tommy being annoyed about how obsessed he is. Him planning the engagement. He’s just so in love ahhhh

OMG Hi Bestie!

Joel is down so bad for her and I love it lol

I keep feeling like Joel is a deeply emotional person who tends toward attachment, he just is so traumatized in the OG timeline he can't let himself do it. So no-trauma Joel ends up being SO IN LOVE. Like he just adores his partner, thinks about her all the time, she is his area of special interest. I love it.

ANYWAY

I hope this is the vibe you wanted!

The Ask

Joel has a question for you. It just requires some planning first. Between the chapters First Thanksgiving and Second New Year in New in Town.

Pairing: Joel Miller x Female Reader (both from New in Town)

Warnings: STRAIGHT FLUFF Y'ALL But in general, 18+ only content, minors DNI

Length: 1.2k

“Over here!” Sarah’s arm went up from the corner of the restaurant, waving Joel over from the entrance. Joel smiled and thanked the hostess before heading for his daughter, trying not to feel nervous. 

He didn’t have a good reason to feel nervous. None of this should come as a surprise and he knew what his daughter was going to say. Probably going to say. 

OK, so he was nervous. 

“Hey old man!” Sarah got up, grinning before wrapping her arms around Joel’s neck. “Good to see you! I love that I only live a few minutes away now, we can just do things like meet up for lunch on a random Saturday…” 

“Me too, Baby Girl,” he smiled, giving her a squeeze. He really did love it. This, he thought, was how it was supposed to be. Sarah, having her own life and own interests but close enough that he could be a part of it. “Settling in OK?” 

“Yeah!” She nodded, sitting back down and sipping her cocktail. “I do really like the apartment, the gym is really nice and either my neighbors are really quiet or there’s actually decent soundproofing.” 

“Well I looked into the construction for a reason, Kiddo,” Joel smiled. “Not gonna let my baby girl move into a shoddy apartment.” 

Sarah laughed and shook her head as the server came over. Joel ordered a beer and the two of them ordered sandwiches even though Joel wasn’t sure he’d be able to eat any of it, the way his stomach was in knots. 

“So,” Sarah asked conspiratorially. “Been a while since I saw just you. Everything OK?” 

“Oh, yeah,” he said. “She’s got a hair appointment today…” 

“You know to tell her she looks good when she gets home, right?” Sarah teased. 

“She always looks good,” Joel smiled as the server put the beer in front of him. He took a long sip of beer, steeling himself before sitting back in his chair, watching his daughter across the table. “But I did want to see you without her here for a reason…” 

“OK…” She frowned a little, sitting forward, leaning on her arms on the table. “What’s up, Dad?” 

Joel looked at his daughter for a moment, marveling at her in a way. Sarah had always amazed him. From the day she was born it seemed like she did nothing but amaze him. But she had grown from an awe-inspiring girl to an incredible woman. She was still so young but had already accomplished so much, all while being uncommonly kind and thoughtful. Everything Joel had now he could only credit to Sarah. 

It’s why this conversation was so intimidating for him. He couldn’t do this without her blessing. 

“I was wondering,” he said slowly. “How you’d feel… if I proposed.” 

Her mouth dropped open for a moment before she clamped both hands over it, an excited squeal slipping through. Joel laughed a little as Sarah stomped her feet excitedly before she smacked both her hands on the table. She took a deep breath and looked like she was fighting to not smile hugely as she looked at him. 

“OK,” she said, excitement obvious in her voice. “OK, let’s talk about it.” 

Joel laughed again, anxiety easing. 

“Course, Baby Girl,” he said. “What do you want to know?” 

“Is this really what you want?” She asked, tone more serious now. “Or is this just what you think you should do? Because I know you grew up going to church and crap but you don’t have to marry someone just because you’re living with them, you know?” 

“I know,” he nodded, smiling a little. “That’s not part of it.” 

“Good,” Sarah said. “That’s good. So… Why?” 

“Because I love her,” Joel said, thinking about how to put how he felt about you into words. “She’s… Besides you, she’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me. Wake up every day wonderin’ how the hell I got so lucky that someone like her wants anything to do with me. She’s so kind, the kindest damn person I’ve ever met. She does this thing - it’s like she can read my damn mind - she just knows when I’m having a shit day and she knows exactly how to fix it, she just… she takes care of me. Don’t remember the last time someone did that. And she’s so smart, she’s so damn smart. I see how y’all are friends, you’re both the smartest damn people I’ve ever met… and she’s so funny. We watch those crappy movies and she…” Joel laughed and shook his head, remembering just a few nights earlier. “She says the funniest shit, I swear she’s funnier than the damn movie and she’s just… she’s the most fun I’ve ever had. Doin’ everything with her is better, everything is better when she’s there. I love her more than I thought it was possible to love anyone who wasn’t you and I wanna do everything with her. Everything, for the rest of my life.” 

Joel was quiet for a moment, taking a sip of beer as he watched Sarah from across the table. She was looking back at him, her eyes glistening and his stomach knotted for a second. What if he’d said the wrong thing? As much as he wanted this, he couldn’t do it without Sarah… 

“Oh Dad,” she said, her voice thick. She got up from her chair and came around the table, all but falling on him to hug him, kissing his cheek. He gave her a squeeze before she went back to her seat, drying her eyes on her wrists. “I’m so happy for you. I’m so happy for both of you. I wouldn’t think anyone would be good enough for either of you but, it turned out, you were just perfect for each other and I’m just so happy you found each other.” 

He smiled back, the pinch of tears in his own eyes. 

“Well, you knew it before we did,” he laughed a little. “Have you to thank for it, Baby Girl. All the best things I got in my life I have because of you.” 

She laughed back. 

“You’d have found each other eventually, with or without me,” she said. “You’re meant to be, I’m convinced. I couldn’t be happier that you want to propose, Dad. I couldn’t be happier for either of you.” 

He smiled, looking at his daughter for a moment. She’d grown so much since she was the silly little girl sitting across from him, learning how to drink through a straw or struggling to sit still for more than two minutes at a time. 

Her eyes went wide for a moment and she grabbed the table excitedly. 

“Have you picked a ring yet?” She demanded. “Because I have some thoughts…” 

Joel laughed, taking another drink. 

“I haven’t picked the ring,” he said. “Wasn’t going to take that step until I had your blessing.” 

“Well, you’ve got it!” She said. “Can I go shopping with you? I’m not saying I have great taste in jewelry but… I have great taste in jewelry.” 

He smiled, thinking of getting to spend his life with her and with you, getting to be happy forever. 

“Course you can, Baby Girl,” he said. “Course you can.” 

[blueaprondelight]

mae girl! i’ve been living for your carmy stuff. k know you’re just getting back but i’ve been thinking about this idea for a while and i believe the last writer i shared with had gotten deactivated. this might be two ideas instead of one so feel free to do whatever you desire. idk why but would you be down to write some fluff and angst with maybe like married!carmy? maybe something where nat and pete legit ambush carmy and his wife to start talking again? but it like a lighthearted fluffy kinda way at the same time ? utilizing the scene carmy yells at syd as a base- i hate to use that scene as an example but it’s one that comes to mind when writing this atm. anyway, like the reader doesn’t work at the bear but’ll come in on her days off and mornings before her shift to help them open. and carm is already on edge about something going on in the resto and he yells at his wife out of overwhelming frustration. evidently, he’s mad at himself for it after he does it he apologized but she’s all like “no.” and she’s literally giving him the silent treatment. ofc her and nat are besties and loves her sil, so i totally see nat roping pete into getting carmy to come over whilst the reader is already on her way since they haven’t spoken in a while. both nat and pete are literally doing whatever they can to keep these two in separate spaces of the house because neither carm or his wife have any clue they’re there. maybe like y/n is inside with nat and pete meets carmy outside on arrival? the reader is walking towards to the door to out and nat’s still stalling like “so are things with you and my brother?” and the reader scoffs and nat’s just like “still not talking to him huh?” and while the reader grabs the handle slowly opening the door open she’s all like “look, sugar- you know i love your brother, but carmy sometimes can be a piece of shit” and then all you hear is carmy being like “oh, i’m a piece of shit- even after i apologized to you?” and i can just see carmy and the reader being like wth is going on here. idk but nat and pete will sillily have to do the most to get these two the civilly sit down inside of their house to even have anything of a talk. and then nat team tagging with pete to get to the bottom of things and then she lets it slip that y/n had mentioned that they were trying to get pregnant and camry’s just like “wait. what? and carmy already up and ready to talk to her alone. this man would be so loving the first time all like “y/nn can i talk to you in the kitchen for a second?” and then she’s tryna explain and carm out here using her FULL name “in the kitchen now.” just hearing how he’d say it makes me squirm and squeak 😂😩. and she’s just speeding over because she knows he means it when he pulls out the first name. and think with that he’s all just hurt that she told his sister and he hadn’t really said anything- since it was their thing they they were still figuring out. seriously feel free to do whatever you desire. just sharing the same idea i’ll dream about in a few moments. tysm in advance 😭.

- 🥣.

i'm so sorry this took me so long to write, my love! this has nothing to do with you i just got a bit concerned and got lost so many times lmfao, im just dumb like that

ʚɞ

naturally, carmen wants to try to keep his anger away from you. you’re his love, his angel, his everything. the idea that he blew up at you makes him wanna cry but you won’t talk to him, you refuse to in fact until you process what he said.

“why the fuck are you here?! i don’t need you messing shit up and crowding me!” he yelled at you. the memory fresh in your mind. it should be since it’s the only thing you’ve thought about for the past few days.

nat and pete, in their own ways, notice this and take charge. pete thinks you two can handle it but nat chimes in with the, “i know my brother. he can’t handle shit. If this is left up to him to resolve, nothing will happen. i love him but still.”

so they form their plan. pete invites carmy over to set up furniture, catch up, whatever and nat invites you over to talk about the baby and ask for your help with meal prepping. “so, have you and my brother talked about what happened at the restaraunt?” she asks.

you walk over to the couch, putting on your jacket and scarf. you let out a scoff as your answer. “taking that as a no.” nat answers. you put your hand on the doorknob, your back to the front lawn where carmen and pete, unknowing to you, stand.

"look, you know I love Carmen. and you know i want-" you sigh. "i want a family with him, Nat. i want a child, or children, with the guy. but your brother can be a real piece of shit sometimes." You open the door fully at that point, where carmen's now staring at you.

"i'm a piece of shit, after i apologized to you?" carmen asks. you stare at him before looking at pete, then at natalie whose got a guilty smile on her face. "okay. what the hell is this?" You question.

"oh! carmy, hi! i had no idea you were gonna be here. come on in, we'll all have some coffee and we can talk about what's happening." natalie says as she pulls you inside, motioning for carmen to come inside.

he reluctantly agrees, stepping inside as he sits at the dining room table. you stand in the kitchen, far enough away from them.

i think once nat reveals that you told her you want kids his reaction changes. maybe you two talked about it or maybe he doesnt know but either way, he wants to talk to you. that changes things in his mind. because you still want kids with him.

while you and carm work out your own issues, of course nat and pete take credit for it, even though you and carmy are both mad at her. also the idea of carmen using your full name as a way to call you stop oh my gosh

[outerbankies]

did rafes roomies ever know about his crush on yn before they started going out?

wrote this up super quick!!! y/n’s besties get a lot of love but we can’t forget rafe’s disaster trio 🫶

—

new light: girl at home — rafe cameron

new light masterlist

warnings: alcohol and swearing

“Why are you leaving again?”

Rafe grunts in disapproval from where he’s sifting through his tiny dorm closet, slipping a few more button-up shirts off of their hangers to pack carefully into his carry-on bag. “My dad has this thing he wanted me home for.”

“You drivin’?” Sawyer asks, surveying the mess of Rafe’s clothes on his bed.

His dad and Rose had been very specific about what he needed to wear this weekend, and the nerves convinced him it might be a good idea to just pack everything he owned, apparently. Cody lays somewhere under the pile downing a beer and scrolling on his phone, feet kicked up on the wall beside Rafe’s bed. Graham isn’t even here currently, yet his side of the room remains completely unoccupied.

“No, way too long. Flight’s tomorrow. Hey, can one of you drive me?” Rafe remembers.

“What time you gotta be there?” Cody asks dutifully.

“Six.”

Rafe rolls his eyes when they both start laughing, already dressed to go out and probably shut down the bars tonight, as is usual for a Thursday evening. Rafe wishes he could let himself be convinced to tag along, the whole reason his friends had even shown up at his dorm tonight, but he can’t even dare to risk missing that flight tomorrow.

“Rafe, I wish you a very safe Uber,” Sawyer says by way of answer, from where he’s rummaging through Rafe and Graham’s shared mini fridge.

“What’s so important? Thanksgiving’s like two weeks from now anyway,” Cody wonders. He crushes his beer can and immediately throws it across the room, where it misses the trash can.

“Dude,” Rafe sighs, folding everything as neatly as possible. “I’m trying to pack and you’re making a fucking mess in here.”

“Cheer up Cameron, have a beer,” Sawyer says, handing Rafe one of his own beers. “Oh, and come out with us.”

“Guys I can’t,” Rafe reiterates, wishing it weren’t so as he moves his laptop into his backpack, away from Cody’s line of fire. “It’s this stupid club thing in my hometown. There’s this society—I don’t even know, but they’re honoring my dad so he wants me home.”

“Every time you talk about your hometown it seems faker,” Sawyer says. Rafe doesn’t disagree, opening the beer he’d been passed against his better judgement. He just has to remind himself he really can’t let himself get dragged out tonight.

“You have a girl at home, right?” Cody suddenly asks. Rafe shakes his head after taking a gulp.

“No. I mean—my ex from high school, but that’s ancient history,” Rafe says, falling back onto Graham’s bed with his own occupied. He closed his eyes for a second; packing his clothes and making sure nothing had even a loose thread, the feel of his fresh haircut on his neck—it was all swirling him like a dark cloud.

He really couldn’t wait to see his sisters, even if the fact that Sarah could legally pick him up and drive him home from the airport made him feel old as shit. But it was a random weekend, so none of his friends would even be home from their college towns. And it was a weekend where he couldn’t even promise himself to stay out of the house and away from Ward as much as possible, because it was literally the only reason he was going to the Outer Banks—to stand there and praise his father as a pillar of the community.

“Rafe.”

“Sorry,” he answers Cody, scrubbing a hand over his face, still staring at the ceiling. “What’d you ask?”

“I was asking about the other chick. The one your buddy talked about when he was here?” Cody says.

“Oh, yeah,” Sawyer says. “Kelce told us. What about her?”

Rafe furrows his eyebrows, his interest piqued. Kelce had been there just a couple of weeks ago to visit, and Rafe would be lying if he said he wasn’t missing half the weekend. Kelce was always his partner in crime during Figure 8 antics, and the two of them unleashed on a college town had left Rafe the most hungover he’d been in his short life. “What was Kelce talking about?”

“He asked you about that girl—god, what was her name?” Cody says, rolling over onto his side, his eyebrows pinched together in concentration. “It’s on the tip of my tongue.”

“No it isn’t, dumbass,” Sawyer says.

“You’re both dumbasses,” Rafe quips, reaching for his beer again. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Across the room, Sawyer had at some point found a couple of shot glasses and dragged whatever was left of the Burnett’s out of the mini fridge. He places the bottle down suddenly, looking lost in thought.

“You really don’t remember?”

“No,” Rafe says. “What did he say?”

“Kelce asked you about her, and you—drunk as shit at McGee’s—were like ‘I don’t know,’” Cody whines in imitation. “‘I miss her, she never talks to me anymore, her dog is so cute—’”

Rafe sits up immediately, feeling his entire complexion flush red. “Oh, that’s nobody.”

He clears his throat as a silence falls over the room, standing up again to pretend to keep packing, even though he’d already zippered his bag closed.

“Okay,” Cody says. “So she’s not nobody.”

Sawyer laughs loudly. “Yeah, no shit.”

“Both of you shut the fuck up.”

Through the ignored jabs, Rafe doesn’t hear the door swing open, or his roommate make an appearance, until Graham voices his own arrival. “What are we teasing Cameron about?”

“Dude,” Cody says, scrambling up from the bed. Rafe nearly lunges for him, knowing it’s his last resort. He throws a shoe instead, which Cody ducks expertly. “Graham. Dude. What was the name of that girl from Rafe’s hometown?”

“Y/n?” Graham answers immediately.

Rafe shuts his eyes as noise fills the room, cursing the day he ever met any of these idiots due to random roommate assignments. “Thanks a lot.”

“No problem, buddy,” Graham pats his back with a grin. “So that’s why you got a haircut? You seein’ your girl this weekend?”

“No, and she’s not my girl,” Rafe says. “Kelce was just fucking around. He’s an idiot, like all of you.”

“She’s hot though, right?” Sawyer asks.

“Yeah, she’s hot,” Rafe admits easily, even if talking about you like this stirs something uncomfortable up in his chest. “But we’re just friends.”

“Never even hooked up?”

“Alright,” Rafe says, threshold reached. “Cut it out.”

“Found her.”

Rafe looks up in confusion as Graham and Sawyer are pushing each other out of the way to peer over Cody’s shoulder at his phone.

“Ah, dude,” Sawyer groans. “She’s private?”

“Go to Rafe’s page,” Graham says.

“Suck my dick, Graham,” Rafe says, going ignored save for a middle finger.

“There she is. That one.”

“You took her to prom and didn’t hook up with her?” Cody asks.

“I didn’t take her to prom,” Rafe sighs, knowing exactly what picture they’re all looking at. It makes him look like a simp and probably isn’t the best thing to have on his page the next time he’s trying to talk to a girl, but he doesn’t really care. It’s a great photo of you, and he’ll probably never take it down. “Kelce did, actually.”

“So he’s hooking up with your girl?” Sawyer presumes.

“Alright, easy,” Graham says, which is rich seeing as he started this entire episode, but Rafe is grateful either way. But it’s short lived. “Don’t talk about Rafe’s girl like that.”

“She’s not—”

“Is it weird if I request to follow her?” Cody asks.

“Yes but do it,” Sawyer goads. “I wanna see.”

“Dude, don’t follow her,” Graham says. Rafe doesn’t let the sincerity fool him this time, raising his eyebrows in expectation as he waits for the punchline, which his roommate delivers readily with another grin. “Rafe’ll get jealous.”

[lilacxoz]

Only One - Gojo

F!reader

Warning: grinding, alcohol, oral sex, protected sex.

I am not responsible for people under 18 who read this. minors or ageless bloggers please dni!

You laced your strappy heels to your feet, standing up to your full height from the bed as you looked at yourself in the mirror. It was a Friday night and your best friend begged you to go clubbing with her. You eventually agreed because she always had a way of persuading you into anything.

But part of you knew why you were making sure your eyeliner was sharp and your lashes were glued on seamlessly. You hadn’t been laid in a month. You had a frequent guy you liked to hookup with but he was gone for a work trip. And it wasn’t like you weren’t allowed to fuck anyone else, you just never needed to. But it had been a very stressful month to the point you needed a release from all the stress.

You wore strappy heels that ended just a bit under your knee, black mesh dress with a very wide thigh slit. What made it even better was the red lace bra and panties you wore underneath.

You were in the middle of taking a mirror picture for your link when your best friend walked in to your apartment, ready to drive you both to the club. So after a few pics, you were driving to one of the biggest clubs in the area. You stepped inside to hear a loud bass heavy song reverberating inside the black and red color schemed club. “Let’s head to the bar first, then let’s meet the girls!” You nodded, following your short bestie to the long bar.

“What can I get you ladies tonight?” The bartender asks, clearly feeling the vibe your bestie is giving. She orders you two cocktails, handing you your drink as she leads you through the crowds until you get to a VIP section. You sit down next to the rest of the girls you were friends with. There were a few guys there, talking and even feeling up some of the girls.

“So, how’s your thing with that old man?” She asks you, taking the black small straw into her glossed lips as she sips from her fruity drink.

“He’s not old! He’s 28 and just really blonde I guess…” She laughs at you, making your face burn.

“I’m not makin’ fun, just hope he still makes you satisfied,” she explains, to which you nodded at her.

“He does, he’s just been away on business. I don’t remember when he said he’d be back, but he said he’d come see me the day after.” She nodded, crossing her legs over each other.

“Well, we finna give you a new flavor tonight,” she said, eyes scoping out the crowd of people dancing and feeling the beat. “We should choose a guy who ain’t afraid to eat it, trust,” she said, making your face burst into flames.

“Keyshia!” She just laughs aloud, making you hide your face behind your cocktail. She talked to you about random things, work, sex, family, everything before one of her favorite club songs started to play. She dragged you to the dance floor at the piano intro to the song Water by Kehlani, people dancing to the artists voice. The bass started, making Keyshia get more into it as she hyped you up. Your hands went to her waist as she wiggled her ass against you, giggles and laughter erupting from you both. As you were dancing, a pair of cute guys approached, replacing your dance partner.

The guy was tall and had black hair that fell down his face and was a bit crazy but in a good way. He had beautiful green eyes and this shyness to him that you kinda liked. He placed his large hands on your hips as you were backed up into him, his chin resting on your shoulder. “You do this often?” You ask him, to which he shook his head, his hands getting more comfortable on your body.

“But I get the sense you don’t either, I see the shyness, almost like an open book.” You blushed, turning to look over at him. He softly smirked, moving his hips with yours a bit. “Fushiguro,” he said, his name sounding familiar on his tongue. But you didn’t think to much as you gave him your last name as well.

You danced with Fushiguro for a couple songs, coming to find that his first name was Megumi and he was a freshman in university just like you. He told you he was gonna go find his friend again when your best friend came back, a stupid smile on her face. “Girl, that Itadori guy knows his shit,” she blushed, making you giggle with her. But then her eyes trailed to something or someone behind you, her eyes widened. Before you could turn around, you felt a large hand rest on your shoulder, and a face come close to your ear.

“Miss me?” You looked over to see the owner of that deep and taunting voice, being met with the white haired male who liked to tease you. “It was hard to watch you dance from afar, I’ll admit that. But don’t you think it’s my turn, your friend won’t mind right? Just one song?”

“Oh! By all means have her for every song!” Keyshia blurts, her face red as her eyes flicker from you to him. She then leaves you alone with the man as P*$$Y Fairy (OTW) by Jhené Akio started to play. You let a small smile slip, you’d be lying if you said you didn’t miss him.

“I know we agreed to see other people while hooking up, but boy that was hard to see,” he said, his eyes rolling behind his black out glasses that rested on the bridge of his nose.

“You jealous?” You ask? A hint of tease in your voice. He chuckles, hands pulling you in by the hips.

“Me? The coolest person and hottest person alive?”

“If your the coolest and hottest, wouldn’t that make you warm? And isn’t warm just…borning?” You laughed at the shock on his face, not thinking that through.

“I-I’m not warm!” You laughed even harder, a bit of tears forming. He looked baffled, mouth agape as he looked down at you. He shook his head, a hand coming up to your face. “I’ll show you warm.” He placed his lips against your red stained ones, thanking yourself for wearing your new lipstick stain. His were so warm and soft against yours, leaving you weak in the knees.

“I know I said I’d meet up tomorrow, but I’ve been missing the way you fuck,” he whispered, that stupid grin placed on those pretty lips. And that’s how you found yourself in his penthouse and bent over the kitchen island since it was the closest thing to the front door.

He had your panties down to your ankles as he licked and sucked at your clit. You moaned into the marble countertop, body reacting to everything he does in a sweet rhythm. “Yes~ right~ there~” you moaned each word between your heavy breaths, eyes fluttering as your stomach slowly knotted up.

He added two fingers to the mix, scissoring his fingers inside you. He had his glasses on his head as he got deeper into you, tongue flicking your clit. “Fuck, ‘m missed this pussy,” he groaned, completely devouring you. He reached a free hand up to smack your ass, making your body jolt like a live wire.

“I think I’m close~” you breathed out, your fingertips White from how hard you were trying to hold onto something. His tongue grew faster paced, the kitchen space filled with your moans and lewd sounds from your wet pussy. Your head shot up as you clenched your jaw, mewling out a moan as you came all over his tongue and fingers, thighs shaking. He licked you clean before rising to his full 6’3” height.

He spun you around, crashing his lips to yours like a deprived man. “I’ve missed everything about you, you’ve ruined sex that isn’t with you,” he groaned, pressing his hard erection up against your upper thigh.

“Are you pussy whipped Mr. Gojo?” Not very many people knew, or almost, nobody knew, but Gojo was one of your collage professors until he got promoted and now he travels sometimes and teaches sometimes. And everytime he teaches you in the classroom, you can always feel those lustrous eyes on you.

“I just want you all to myself, I don’t want any other girl anymore,” he whispered in your ear, hands roaming your body.

“What are you asking me, Satoru~” you knew what he was asking you, but you wanted him to say it.

“I want you to be my girlfriend.” You pulled him off you before crashing your lips to his, earning a needy groan. He picked you up, your legs wrapping around his waist. He carried you to his master bedroom, his well made king bed placed in the middle. He tossed you on it, hovering over you as he placed kisses and nibbles all over your neck.

“I wanna be your girlfriend too,” you whisper, feeling him rub his hips against yours. He groaned, arms wrapping around your waist. He needed more of you, wanted to be buried so deep inside that your souls touched.

His hands moved up and almost ripped the dress off your body, needing more of you. You let him quickly pop off your bra, his tongue flicking at your pebbled nipples. Your back arched into him, that flutter between your legs getting to be so much.

“I-I need you, so bad,” you whispered, your waterline getting a bit wet from the overstimulation. He looked up, a smirk on his face.

“You cryin’?” You looked away from his lustrous stare, teeth capturing your plump bottom lip. He moved your head so you were looking at him. “Don’t do that,” he said, pulling your lip from your teeth with his thumb.

He moved away from you to collect a condom from his bedside, tossing it at you as he lays on his bed with his arms behind his head. “Show me how you welcome me home,” he said, a smirk on his face as he nodded his glasses back to his eyes. You nodded, moving so you were on your knees between his spread legs.

You looked at him as you slowly unbuckled his belt, hand palming him in the process. You pushed his pants and boxers off until they were discarded, along with taking off his shirt. His dick was so hard and rested on his abdomen, that beautiful trail of white hair from his stomach to his pubic bone. Your finger trailed his defined V-line, moving to the tip of his cock.

You took him in your hand, leaning down to place soft kisses to it. He groaned softly, letting you please him as you did so well. You swirled your tongue over his pink cut tip, your hand holding him steady at the base. You collected enough spit in your mouth that allowed you to start pumping him slowly, watching the rise and fall of his chest as you could feel those eyes on you through his glasses.

You started to move down on him, fitting more of his dick inside your warm and wet mouth. He moaned, head falling back. You started to bob your head on him, choking and sucking on him that only roused more noise from him. You deep throated him, trying so desperately to make him feel good. It was working because he reached a hand down to your head, his breath shaky and unstable as he whispered colorful words under his breath.

You pulled away with a gasp, your hand pumping fast and tight that made him croak out a strangled noise. You moved your head down to lick at his balls, head head falling deeper into the pillows. “Just like that baby~” he groaned, his deep voice reverberating inside the large bedroom.

You pulled away, a smirk on your face as you looked at his glistening and throbbing dick, taking the condom he tossed at you off the bed and opening it. He watched you roll the rubber over his dick, his cheeks a bit flushed as he drank in the sight.

You scotched up until you were hovering over his dick, letting him position it to your entrance. You gasped when you slowly slid down on it, eyes screwing shut as you tried your best to get used to it quickly. His hands gripped your hips as his thumb rubbed your clit.

You took him all in, sitting on his dick just as he liked it. He loved when you were on top, loved the view of you.

You moved your hips on him slowly, your hands planted on his defined chest. He felt so good inside you, almost making you cum on the spot.

His tip kissed your cervix that it hurt so good, your body bouncing on him as you craved more friction. He leaned up so he was in a sitting position, a hand on your breast as his arm was wrapped around your back to hold you steady. He helped you bounce on him, his lips brushing against your nipple. Your eyes screwed shut as an orgasm approached rapidly, making your body convulse against him. You cried out his name, head falling to the crook of his neck.

You rode out your orgasm on him, breaths heavy and shallow. He didn’t give you time to rest, manhandling you so you were pressed up against the headboard. He had a hand to the side of your face as his other slid his dick right back inside you, his hips making a fast and steady rhythm against you.

“You’ve got such a pretty and vocal cunt, don’t ya’?” He whispered, your ass bouncing with each thrust. You nodded sloppily, your face smushed yet you could only focus on the way his dick rubbed against that spot that made you see stars.

“Ah~ yes, there!” You cried out, hands trying to find something to hold onto. He moved his hand so it was around your neck, making you look back so he could swallow all of your moans.

He reached his other hand down to rub your clit, speeding up his pace so fast that the bed slammed against the wall with each thrust. He pulled away from the kiss, letting out a croaky whine with each thrust, close to his orgasm as well.

You hooked your arm around his neck as he slammed his hands on your hips, gaining more speed. You cried out as you came all over his dick again, your eyes rolling into the back of your head. “Son of a bitch, I’m gonna cum~” he moaned, grunting with each thrust as he delivered one powerful blow to your cunt that triggered his release.

He groaned in your ear, his warm breath trickling down your hot and exposed body. He slipped out, letting you fall to the bed. You turned to watch him discard the condom before getting another one. “We’re not done?” You asked.

“Of course not, I haven’t had good sex in a month so I’m sure as hell gonna get one more round.”