#and have to leave before the youngest two kids get on the bus

[ghastbutlikegay]

ouhhh the time loop......

[taexoxosgf]

THIS DECEMBER

PAIRING park jisung x fem!reader | ft. friendgroup!nct dream

WORDS 5k

SYNOPSIS Your horny friends try to pull a little prank on you in the days leading up to Christmas. One thing Park Jisung likes to remind them is: he totally doesn’t want any part in it. Except, he totally does.

WARNINGS smut, ANGST, fluff, lots of dialogue, vag fingering, unprotected sex, creampie, vanilla vanilla vanilla, they're in love basically

NOTES I have to admit, this isn’t my best work lolllllll. though this was supposed to be posted on christmas, this can be my new years gift! 2024 here we come babyyy

★ Part of A Dreamy Christmas Collab!

“Why don’t we all be her secret Santa?” 

“What are you talking about?” Jaemin chuckles, eyes dancing as he seems intrigued by the idea.  But what pervades his mind was nothing like what Donghyuck was about to propose. 

“Think about it…” he trails.  “She used to say, if it’s an SOS, and we need help in that department,” he points to his crotch– “She would help us out.��� 

“You’re fucking crazy,” Jisung rolls his eyes when he catches on to Hyuck’s sudden idea.  

“So you’re saying we all get her a present?” Chenle asks.

“Yes… But we all have to give her the same… present,” he walks between each of the men like a devil hovering over their shoulders.   

“Hyuck, just get to the point,” Jeno huffs. 

“Okay, bu–”

“No ‘buts!’ Get to your point,” Renjun groans.  

“The gift we’re giving her can’t be put into a shitty little box.”

“Oh my god, NO!” Mark whines.  

“What’s so wrong with a little fun?” 

“Are you seriously suggesting an… orgy?” 

“No, you idiot,” Hyuck pinches his nose bridge.  “Let’s all give her our present one by one leading up to Christmas… Like an advent calendar,” he shrugs, unable to hide the pride beaming off of him from the simile.  

“So you’re suggesting we all have sex with her in the days leading up to Christmas?  Am I hearing this right?” Jaemin intervenes once more, orbs gleaming with interest. 

“Ding Ding! We have a winner!”

“Jisung’s right. You’ve gone insane,” Renjun fully laughs.

“You know I’m insane, and that’s why we have fun.  But you know what? Let’s make this more interesting… When we tell her after Christmas, the person who she says is her best fuck, get’s her secret Santa present,” Hyuck smirks. “You know she goes all out.” 

“I’m in, but it might be hard for Mark because he’s actually in love with her,” Jaemin turns his body towards his friend who avoids eye contact before offering a retort. 

“Why just me? You guys are all in love with her!” His claim is met with a group of huffs and groans.

“How do you know she’ll even agree to this?” Jeno points out, earning a nod from the others. 

“She doesn’t have to if she doesn’t want to.  If she does, then great! Amazing even! But if she doesn’t, then man, I feel kinda bad because we all got a thing for her.” Hyuck accepts the facts of the predicament. “Hopefully we can laugh about this on New Years.”

“I don’t.  I guess I’m the only one,” the youngest of the group speaks out but it’s not taken seriously by his older friends as a fit of laughter echoes within the small space.  

Hyuck’s the first one to speak– placing a hand on Jisung’s shoulder, “You’re the worst out of all of us.”  

“What are you talking about?”

“You guys always bicker and talk shit but I know all you want to do is rip each other’s clothes off,” Jeno jumps in. “Nice try though.  I almost believed it.”

“I’m not! She’s annoying as hell!”

“So annoying you want to fuck it out of her, right?” Jaemin joins. 

“You guys are jumping me right now, I’m leaving,” Jisung excuses himself earning a look of victory from his friends.

“Wait!  So you agree to it, right? Jisung?!  Hello?”  Chenle and Renjun yell out in unison, but the only reply heard is the slam of a door.  

“You’re serious about this Hyuck?” Mark asks one last time. 

“No, but this is just so those two kids will finally admit they’re down bad for each other.  I think this will be their breaking point.” 

“Damn,” all the other boys yell in unison. 

“I know right? Someone needs to hire me for something!  I don’t know for what, but something!” he crosses his arms to bask in his actions. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Mark laughs at his friend.  “You’re so dumb.” 

“Just wait and see.  He won’t make it to Christmas…”

Everyone is being… weird. 

On the very first day of December, you and all your friends come together to pick a name out of a jar.  The game of Secret Santa is an annual tradition you love partaking in. But once the weather dropped thirty degrees, all the boys started acting shady.  They were canceling plans with you on purpose, avoiding eye contact when you spoke to any one of them, and just running away the first chance they got.  It was easy to get mad, even call them out for it, but the replies would always be the same– that there was nothing wrong or they were just tired.  

And you’re not going to lie, it was starting to make your skin crawl.  The sudden shift in dynamic between you and the boys has you wondering if you did something wrong. But if they were trying to pull something, then they had another thing coming. It was frustrating, trying to shake it out of them in every way possible, but no one would budge.

December eighth rolls around and you know everyone is free today because you all collectively promised Sunghoon that every year until the day you die, this day will always be open for him.  It’s always an annual trip to the snowy mountains– a secluded cabin and powdery snow that’s fit for snowboarding. Surprisingly, but not so surprisingly, everyone’s busy up until the car ride to the cabin. 

Their persistent avoidance, even for an event like this, just pulls on the strings even harder. 

You’re leaning against the island of the kitchen, glaring into their souls from across the room as the music's bass reverberates throughout the warm cabin; and the bitter liquid in your plastic cup disappears like water down a drain.  

“Why are you standing here all by yourself?” 

You turn to the voice, sporting a grin once you realize who it is. “Hey, birthday boy. Just glaring at the boys.  Don’t know if they notice though,” you squint a little harder, hoping they’ll finally notice. 

Sunghoon’s orbs follow the seven of them scattered around the living room. “They notice alright. I’m sure they’ll come crawling back when they realize you don’t play.” 

“Oh, they know I don’t.  But they’re still gonna try anyway,” you let out a heavy sigh.  “I just wish I knew what they’re up to.  It’s killing me.” 

“Just ask Jisung.” 

“Why Jisung?” The mention of your friend’s name causes the subject of your orbs to shift to him, but he’s already looking your way.  When you make eye contact, he hurriedly glances away, confirming the suspicion that something’s up. 

“I feel like whatever they’re planning, he’s telling them he doesn’t want to do it.” 

“Why is that so detailed? Do you know what they’re up to? Spill right now!”

Sunghoon shakes his head in denial, raising the cup to his lips before responding. “Nah, you guys are always going at it. That’s all. It’s just a hunch.” 

“Fine, maybe I will. But I was gonna do it anyway.” 

You’re already making your way towards Jisung when Sunghoon blurbs out.  “If it doesn’t work, I’m always available.”

“You wish, Park.”  But you stop in your tracks.  “Wait, what?” 

Sunghoon walks off in a hurry, “Nothing! Had to try at least once!” 

Rolling your eyes at the birthday boy, you finally make your way to your destination but all seven of your friends go completely mute once you reach it.  There’s not a sound emitting from them, and it practically forces smoke out of your ears. 

“Okay, what’s going on?”

“What do you mean?” Jeno murmurs.

“You guys have been ignoring me ever since December started! Spill your evil plans right now!” 

“Nothing’s going on,” Chenle adds, but it’s met with a crack of his voice at the final word, and you know one hundred percent they're lying. 

“Haechan! I know you’re the mastermind,” you turn to your friend, but all he does is shrug, eyes still looking everywhere but yours as he nonchalantly sips from his drink. 

“Nothing whatsoever. We’ve just been busy that’s all,” Jisung speaks out, but you chuckle, knowing he’ll eventually give in if you press him hard enough. 

“Of course, you’re a part of this! Sunghoon told me you weren’t, but I doubted him as soon as those words left his mouth!” 

“What is that supposed to mean?” Jisung’s tone changes, as if he’s warning you.

“That little shithead!” Jaemin groans.

“I knew it!” you exclaim.

“What did he tell you?” Renjun interrupts.

“Nothing, just what I said before.”

“Nothing is going on. You don’t believe us?” Jisung is still firm on his decision to make you believe otherwise. With that stupid smirk he’s trying to hide and how his form influences you to shift back. 

“Of course, you’re still on that even though Jaemin just admitted you guys are planning something! You’re the worst!” 

“And you’re a dumbass,” Jisung mumbles once you turn away.

“Look who’s fucking talking,” you don’t realize you’re stepping closer at every syllable exchanged and you don’t know why your friend loves to push your buttons so much.

“You always say I’m the worst and then you come right back.  I don’t think you hate me as much as you say you do,” Jisung’s eyes glimmer with a playfulness to them, closing the space between the two of you as the bickering reaches its climax.  But his words only fuel your rage.

At this point, you can only see red.  

All you do with Jisung is bicker or fight about stupid shit. Your friendship with the other boys is the glue that holds you and Jisung together.  No one could guess that you met all the boys through him. You both had been friends with benefits long ago— practically another lifetime. But you’d jump off a cliff before admitting that the shards of glass remain. And that it still cuts. 

It’s impossible to act like everything is fine and you both can get along.  So instead, you fight and fight until no more words can be said.  

“Ooooo,” you hear Jeno say, reminding you you’re still in a place full of swarming bodies. 

“What about you? You either hate me or you love me. It can’t be both,” you mutter, condemning yourself as you catch a glimpse of his lips hovering above yours.  You're both staring one another down, and you notice the same vein on the side of his temple, and his jaw clenches with each phrase that escapes your lips. 

“Watch it,” Jisung seethes.

“What? If you wanna play this game, let’s pla—“

“Okay! Enough of this,” Hyuck groans before dragging the both of you by the wrist and out of the main room.

“What are you doing Hyuck?” you urgently inquire, but he doesn’t reply.  He only hurriedly rushes along, throwing you both into a bedroom you don’t recognize.  And as you rush to escape the enclosed space, your friend shuts the door in front of your face– leaving you with your hands practically clawing at the door.  

“Lee Donghyuck! Open the fucking door right now!” you yell out, unable to comprehend how your friend could think this was a solution.  “Open the door before I beat your ass!” 

“He’s not going to open the door,” Jisung reminds you of his presence amidst the chaos.  “Not until the morning.”  

“What?! No. No. No. This is not happening right now.”  

“Let’s just sleep.  So when we wake up, we can just get outta here.”  

You scan the room, realizing there’s nothing for you to rest on except the bed in the center– the one Jisung is currently sitting on.  “You think I can fall asleep with everything that’s going on?  And I don’t even know what’s going on,” you’re shifting awkwardly, habitually rocking yourself on the heel of your feet following the eye of the storm.  

“Just sleep.  It’ll be over soon,” Jisung already makes himself comfy, placing his legs under the covers and rearranging the pillow to his liking.  He’s too calm.  Way too calm for what just occurred. 

“Where am I supposed to sleep?” 

“I don’t know, figure it out,” he mumbles, lids already fluttering shut.  You hate how you admire how long his eyelashes are.  

His eagerness to ignore the dilemma influences you to the bed to pry his lids open.  As Jisung opens his eyes willingly, you finally take notice of how close you both are.  His eyes widen at the proximity and he shifts back to the edge of the bed in surprise. You’re caught off guard because there seems to be something lingering in the air between the two of you.  And you brush it off because you know it’s annoyance. 

“Just sleep,” he softly lets out before returning to his original position.  “Next to me.” 

His softness in these last words has you admitting some defeat– realizing fighting won’t solve anything.  “Fine.”  

There are still zero answers that will satisfy your scrambled mind.  

And you’re trapped in a room with someone you can’t stand for more than five minutes.

It’ll be over soon.  Right? 

You’re fucking drenched. 

As the daze of sleep washes over, you notice the stickiness between your thighs. And not the good kind. 

It felt as if you just entered the fiery pits of hell. 

“What the fuck?” you whine. The air was so humid, you were practically suffocating.  And as you turn to the side, you see an irritated Jisung.  If you thought you looked gross, Jisung didn’t have a dry spot on his clothing.   

You try your hardest not to stare at the clothing sticking to his abs.  This is not the time.

“Don’t,” he warns, thinking you’re about to poke fun at him.

You chuckle at the sight of his discomfort, offering a half-assed apology.  “Sorry.”  

“Lee Donghyuck! Turn off the fucking heater!” he yells out, but there’s no answer.  

“Fuck.  We’re going to die.” 

“I’m not dying here with you.  That’s not how I’m going out.”  

“Is that so bad?  Chill the fuck out,” you roll your eyes. 

“Yes it is! I’m gonna kick the door down and beat Donghyuck’s ass.”

You don’t know if it’s the unbearable heat, or the constant fucking attitude from Jisung all night.  Maybe it was the pent-up frustration from all the other times you both didn’t get along.  But you’ve decided enough is enough. 

“What’s your fucking problem?” 

“What are you talking about?” 

“You’re always so fucking mad at me.  I do nothing and you’re mad.  I breathe and you’re mad.  It pisses me off!  At this point, I should be the one giving you the attitude you give me!”  

“And you know what?  I always cared what you thought.  But not anymore. I’m done caring so pretend I don’t even exist,” your heart is beating out of your chest as the words spill out like vomit.  

“That’s no–” Jisung’s unable to finish his sentence when suddenly his orbs follow your fingertips gripping the hem of your top to bring over your head– leaving you in a bra.  “Wha-”

“It’s hot as shit and I’m not going to suffer.  Do what you want,” you huff, continuing with the removal of your jeans. You notice Jisung's stare lingering on your contours as you eventually pull them off, and it appears as if a million different things are running through his mind when he suddenly glances away and shakes his head.  

You’re not going to lie, it’s amusing seeing Jisung’s usual persona falter. Your boldness and the situation it creates masks the uncomfortable predicament the two of you are in.  “It’s not like you haven’t seen me like this before.”  

“What did you mean by ‘you used to care about what I thought?’” He swallows nervously.

His words have you stopping in your tracks, not realizing your words were true candor. “Nothing, I was just saying nonsense,” is all you can render as you make your way to the bed, but Jisung beats you to it, grabbing your wrist to prevent you from escaping.  

“Tell me. Please.  I know it wasn’t nonsense,” his voice is like syrup, the usual bite to it completely gone.  

You turn to face him, though you regret it the moment you notice how his eyes match his voice. “Well, I cared what you thought because of what we did before we all became friends.  And us… Or whatever we are.  I don’t know what we are now but I cared about you and what you thought about me.”

“Cared?”

“I still do…”  

“Then why do we fight?” 

“I don’t know.  I guess you hate me so I just returned that energy.” 

“I don’t hate you,” he sounds hurt, the similar bite of his voice attempting to escape.  “You annoy the hell out of me, but I could never hate you.”

“Oh…” 

“You really act like you hate me though,” Jisung offers a small smile.  

“I don’t hate you. You’re annoying as hell. And I just don’t know what to do with everything lingering in the air when I’m around you,” you bite your lip at the confession, realizing it wasn’t a very good one. And you see him watch you do so. 

“You mean the tension?” 

“Yeah… The tension… The tension causes us to fight. Right?” The air becomes more suffocating than it already is. Maybe it’s the heat, maybe it’s Jisung so close to you, or how you’re basically naked in front of him.  

“What else would we do?” his eyes are still trained on your lips.  

“I don’t know,” you murmur not above a whisper. “You tell me.”

“Let me try something,” he takes a step forward, shortening the small space between the two of you. “Promise you won’t get mad.” 

“No promises,” you urge, because you’re unsure of what Jisung planned to do after the indirect confessions made in the room today.  One things for sure. This territory hadn’t been visited in ages and it scares the shit out of you.  

“What are you go–” You’re cut off the lips that make its way onto yours. 

When you see Jisung dipping his head down to capture your lips onto his, you're taken aback.  However, the minute he makes contact, your legs almost buckle.  It's a familiar sensation, and you melt into him as he tests the waters with increasing devotion.  

When you reciprocate the kiss, it gets feverish, and your trembling lips work together haphazardly, interwoven with airy sighs.  His arms reach for your waist, pulling you into him harder than ever before.  He knows your body like no one else, and it drives parts of your brain haywire.  It feels like only yesterday that you both would rendezvous.

He groans into your mouth and squeezes your ass as you tug on his hair the way he likes it.  It makes you whimper since the combination of the sloppy kiss and the rush of pleasure is far too satisfying. 

 It feels good.  Way too good.  

That's why when Jisung pulls away, you chase his lips and he emits a small chuckle at the action. “Tell me you missed me.  Tell me you don’t hate me and never did,” his shoulders rise and fall at a rapid pace as he catches his breath. 

“I don’t,” you look up at him, and you want nothing more to kiss him again.  It feels like all the frustration aimed at him was sexual.  It’s honestly his fault for always looking so tempting while offering some smartass retort.  “I never did.” 

"God, I missed you," he smashes his lips against yours again, this time much more aggressive, and the back of your knees reach the edge of the bed, briefly disconnecting your lips.  You laugh, and he smirks before diving back into you as soon as your back comes into contact the mattress.  

Something possesses him at that moment, makes his hands glide up the back of your thighs, to kiss down your neck, sucking and biting to leave small bites that he later licks over to soothe the sting.  “Know how much you love to be marked.” 

“And I know how much you love me choking on your dick,” you giggle, licking a long stripe along his neck up to his jaw.  

“You’re dangerous,” Jisung hooks your thong aside, unsurprised when he notices the sticky arousal coating his fingers.  “Fuck, I forgot how wet you get.” 

“It’s from the heat.”  Your words contradict themselves as noises of pleasure leave your lips when he runs his fingers along your folds.  Jisung, on the other hand, knows the meaning behind your words like no other.  “All this stickiness is from the heat? I don’t think so baby,” he offers some stimulation to your clit and your back arches once he comes in contact with your bud.  

You shake your head and he dips his head down onto your neck offering a small kiss against the side of your neck.  God, he looks so hot, with the sweat dripping down the side of his temple and his puffy lips from kissing.  

The lewd sounds from his fingers running along your folds sends you into a frenzy.  You’re attempting to gain more friction, bucking your hips to feel more.  You’re so needy for his touch.   You've been longing for this touch.  "I'll be nice, baby," he says, inserting one finger inside your hole, your walls engulfing him up to the knuckle.  Jisung experiments with twisting and curling his fingers, enjoying the way you gasp and pulse around his fingertips. 

The wet glide is so satisfying and you moan, basically fucking yourself onto his fingers. “Sung–” is all you can choke out as he begins thrusting with a rhythm you both can’t forget.  “Wai–”

But Jisung can’t withhold any longer, not with you looking so pretty underneath him.  Not with the sounds that he remembers all too well.  His cock practically throbs at these thoughts, begging to be free from its confines when you’re already a mess.  He’s pressing against your clit along with the constant thrust of his fingers.  “Shit, Sung!” you wail, already foreseeing your high from the short time.  

Your nails dig into his forearm, body twitching from the overwhelming pleasure only he can give you.  “Oh, fuck,” the words are combined with a moan as your orgasm takes you by surprise, coating his fingers in a creamy pearl substance.  It drips down your folds as he pulls away, and the wash of the aftermath runs from your toes to the crown of your head.  It’s blissful, but your hunger for him doesn’t stay satiated.  “Good girl,” he says as he revels in your figure. 

“I need you,” you pant.  “Now.”  

“Whatever you say, Mom,” he jokes as he pulls his shirt over his head before discarding the rest of his clothing.  

“Ewww. Never say that again,” you say, earning a laugh from Jisung.  

“Like words ever stopped me before pretty girl.”

He's tugging the side of your panties, dragging them down the side of your legs while practically gaping. He continues with your bra and he gazes, unable to believe everything taking place currently.  You're like a dream, sprawled out beneath him. The pretty girl he could never get close to after being so close with.  

“Ready?” he asks after he shakes himself out of the trance you have him in.  

“Mhm,” you nod.  

He pushes inside, sighing into your ear at the creaminess of your cunt.  Your arms are wrapped around his neck as he bottoms out, fingers burrowing further into his scalp.  Jisung, rather than staying against your neck, takes advantage of the chance to peer at you.  When his nose brushes up against yours, all he sees are your lips caught between your teeth.  

At the feeling of his big cock inside of you, you clench around him.  He groans against your mouth, habitually bucking his hips forward.  “Fuck,” you moan out, back arching at the feel of his cock dragging against your walls. Your brain is already a mess and it has been since the moment he kissed you.  But Jisung loves how you’re a mess around him.  He takes pride in how he makes you feel, and that turns him on beyond belief. 

“Move Sungie, please,”  you plead and Jisung groans at the nickname you know he loves so much.  It’s enough for him to grab your wrists to pin them above your head before he begins moving.  

“Sung,” you call out again when he begins to move.  His calculated movements have you squirming beneath him, but you’re still perfectly fit against him and it’s as if you both never stopped this routine.  

“You’re mine.  I’m not letting anyone touch you,” he coos, and you’re quick to agree.  “Yours.” 

The constant rhythm he keeps has your eyes rolling to the back of your head, and you're shivering when he picks up the pace--giving him a look that seems to make Jisung's cock practically explode.  He snaps his hips forward, so close to the edge that you shudder at the perspective. 

He's fucking you so well that your eyesight is fuzzy, and the brush of his dick against the spot that drives you insane only adds to the sensation. "I-I'm so close," you warn, your irregular breathing hitting his face.  

“Wait S-sung-g no.” Just as you’re about to hit your peak, Jisung flips you over so that you’re sitting on his thighs.  Though you’re disappointed in the delay of your orgasm, the angle has his cock pushing deeper than before, tip nudging against your velvety walls harshly.  “Fuck, I can’t,” you beg as your back arches at the smallest movements.  

As fast as words leave his throat, Jisung dips down to suck on your nipple, occasionally leaving purple blossoms.  “Wait I’ll–” 

“You’ll what?” he says, chuckling when he sees you instinctively grinding forward against his member. “Cream my cock?” He watches your fucked out expressions, loving how your eyes are lined with tears.  

“I’m planning on it, “ he smirks before thrusting up into you.  

“J-jisung!” you’re a sobbing mess above him as his harsh thrusts sends pure pleasure up your spine.  His name falls off your lips like a mantra, and the gibberish he can’t make out only urges him to move furiously into you.  Though your brain is a puddle of mush, the band in your lower abdomen is about to snap, so you grind your hips against him with newly found fervor, stimulating your clit in the best way possible. 

Jisung watches you above him as his fingers dig into your waist.  You’re so beautiful, he thinks.  Everything about you, every part of your mind and body he worships, and he swears he’s not going to let go of you this time. 

“S-sung,” you moan again and again, and Jisung continues to abuse your boob, kissing up your throat as you inch closer to your high. “So perfect.” 

You let out a high-pitched moan at a specific thrust, and your thighs tremble against his.  "I got you," he says as he places a gentle kiss on your lips.  And after a few thrusts, you're collapsing against him, again repeating his name.  You're just a lick away from teetering off the edge.  

“I want it so bad,” you blabber against his neck.  “S-so close.  Don’t stop.” 

“Give it to me,” he dips underneath to circle your bundle of nerves with the perfect pressure and you come undone, high-pitched moans and whimpers against his ear.  

 The mix of cum and the slick from prior allows the glide to be that much easier for Jisung to glide against as he tips over the edge as well.  You’re still pulsing and gripping his cock like a vice and it’s a done deal for Jisung.  “Inside?” 

“Inside me,” you kiss the side of his neck.  He feels euphoric as your noises against his ear urges him on and his arms hold you tightly.  And after a few more thrusts and desperate hips, his cum shoots inside you.  “Fuck.” 

It's so much energy that when the sensation of your high washes over you, you collapse against Jisung, who also collapses against the mattress. 

“You’re sticky,” you look at his face and admire how good the afterglow of sex looks on him.  

 Jisung massages little circles across the small of your back in comforting stillness.  

“I’m going to murder Hyuck,” he realizes how much the humidity encases the room. 

“Maybe not too brutal, because his plan to lock us in here so we can finally make up worked,” you notify him and his eyes light up.

“I think everyone’s asleep.  How about we torture them some more?” he smirks at you.  

“I say Hyuck isn’t going to get a wink of sleep tonight,” you mischievously grin and it’s enough for Jisung to dive down and continue drowning in your lips. 

DECEMBER 31  11:59 PM

“Damn, I can’t believe my plan worked! You guys are attached to the fucking hip,” Hyuck comes over to you and Jisung hand-in-hand.  

10

“Your plan worked for once dumbass,” Jeno butts in abruptly, almost spilling the alcohol in his cup. 

9

“We have no more arguing but I don’t know if it’s worth it,” Jaemin points.  

8

“You guys are like rabbits!” Mark yells out.

7

“Gross! Not the fucking time! I need to find someone to kiss,” Renjun groans. 

6

“Yeah but everything Hyuck does to end our suffering, it just reappears as something else!” Chenle laughs, earning a middle-finger from the subject of his words. 

5

“Guess you were right.  We can laugh about this on New Year's,” Jeno turns to Hyuck.  

4

“Happy new year motherfuckers,” Chenle says before clinking all the cups together.  

3

You turn to Jisung as the clock counts down, his arm around your waist. “Happy New Year, boyfriend.” 

2

“Happy New Year, Girlfriend,” he smiles the hardest you’ve seen him in a while.  

1

“Happy fucking new year,” he says before smashing his lips onto yours. 

Happy fucking new year indeed. 

[echantedtoon]

A Lovers' Circle (Poly Haishira x Reader) Ch7 Date Weekend: Sunday

(Or alternative title- Obligatory anime shopping montage. Just an excuse for Y/n to get to know everyone before the real romance starts. I'm using the chart above as headcannons ages for Sanemi's sibs for a modern au for future reference. Short chapter. 

Warnings for some nudity mentioned but nothing NSFW.

Hearts conquered so far: Mitsuri and Gyomei and secretly Kanae.)

Taglist: @shadyd3ar @jcrml @tengensangel

@miniverse-zen @mysteri0uz

Remember if you want to be added to the taglist lemme know

Bright sunlight shown down from the sky and illuminated the entire world in a nice warm glow. Soon fall would be hear turning the leaves shades of yellows, reds, oranges, and brown. Cold weather would soon follow after with the spookiest day of the year right around the year before eventually snow would fall and bring with it icy sidewalks and the likelihood of being pelted by snowballs. 

So it was a good idea to get out and enjoy the warm weather while you could.

"Dammit! Im fine!" Obanai scrunched up his face and narrowed his eyes but didn't stop his girlfriend from pushing his bangs from his face to frown at him.

"But what if you get lost?"

"We're going on a hiking trip to see a waterfall and then we're going to the movies," he deadpanned, "It's not like we're going skydiving."

"I know but what if you run into a wolf? Or a wild bear?! "

His hands were held up bluntly. "We'll be fine. It's not the first time we've been in the woods. You go have fun at the mall."

She still frowned at him but didn't argue- Only reach over to give him a big kiss to his forehead leaving a red lipstick mark he'd wipe off later. Right now they were in front of the local park waiting for everyone else to arrive. Most of them were already there, minus Shinobu who needed to wrap up some last minute emails concerning her part time job at an office and Gyomei who was coming by bus after picking up his .. Girlfriend? Did she count as his girlfriend if they've only been on three dates? He guessed they were still just casually dating right now and testing the waters. Y/n seemed like a nice girl or 'unicorn' as Shinobu put it but he still wasn't too sure what to think..She seemed ok at least to him. Maybe that'll change later but who knows?

The sounds of the park around them continued through the air as kids ran around giggling and squealing their little heads off playing. Swings to be swung, slides to slide, and jungle gyms to climb. Lots of little smiles on little cute faces running around playing or toddling after parents walking around. Or in Sanemi's case allowing his little brothers and sisters to be climb all over him where he stood eating an energy bar in one hand while his other arm was slowly lifted up and down with two little boys and one little girl clinging to him. Three of his little siblings with a fourth standing just standing off to the side. The second oldest other than himself. No doubt babysitting a few of their little siblings today.

Kanae was letting one of their other little sisters mess with her hair and admire how pretty she was. She was rather pretty. However the sounds of a little PING sound took his attention off his friends and towards the pocket on Mitsuri's right side as her hand automatically dug out her phone and looked at the screen. 

"It's Shino! She says she's running late so she's just heading to the mall to meet us there."

"Oh. That's convenient." He didn't think they'd be able to leave on their hiking trip until Mrs. Shinazugawa came back to take over her youngest children. "Anything else from Mei?"

She shook and one of her braids smacked against his cheek. "Nope! But the bus should be here soon! Ooh! This is gonna be so much fun!"

Considering if they'll get here already. They were taking so long and it was already painful enough to have to fork over fifty bucks after loosing that stupid game Tengen decided to make them do. Sigh. Oh well still better than loosing a hundred dollars each. He didn't want to lose that too-

"THEY'RE HERE!"

Well it's about time!

The tall, unmistakable form of Gyomei walked down the road and started making his way towards them walking slower than normal because of the smaller woman walking next to him holding his arm. You smiled at them all and waved an arm at them all as you got close enough to be heard.

"It's about time you all showed up. I was starting to grow a beard from how long it took."

"My apologies." Gyomei smiled despite his apology. "But we're here now. Is everyone else here?"

"Except Shinobu. She's gonna meet the girls at the mall. We still gotta wait for Sanemi's mom to come back before we leave too-" he gestured behind him at the giggling little kids despite Gyomei obviously not being able to see them. "-but she should be back anytime now. The girls can go ahead and leave." 

"Are you sure?" Mitsuri gave him a puppy eyed look. 

"Yeah. We'll be fine. You girls go enjoy your frilly spa day. Well meet up with you after Sanemi drags us to the movies."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

It wasn't him her cupping his face and gifting him a giant smooth to the forehead before excitedly looping an arm around your arm and excitedly began to pull you towards the other girls. In fact you were barely able to shout a goodbye to Gyomei before the unusually strong woman literally dragged you off towards the other girls. They were all there except for Shinobu whom Mitsuri briefed you about meeting you all there, and Kanae who had to wrestle one of Sanemi's baby sisters off her before joining you all there. Mitsuri and Suma both super giddy with excitement.

"This is gonna be great! We're going shopping and then to Salan,Sauna, and Beyond!"

..You blinked. "What's Salon, Sauna, and Beyond?"

As if you had insulted her,her family, her friends, and cat- Suma gasped so loud you jumped as she clutched her turtleneck. "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT SALON, SAUNA, AND BEYOND IS?!"

"Um. No? Should I?"

"YES!," She yelled at you waving her arms around, "It's like only the greatest place ever to get your nails done and get pedicures and it has like these REALLY good massages that help melt stress awa- HEY!!"

MAKIO shoved her head aside with a hand with a deadpanned look. "It's a salon and spa with an attaching sauna room and one. It's a pretty popular place to go unwind and relax."

"Oh. I've never been there before."

"YOU'VE NEVER BEEN THERE?!"

"YOU DON'T HAVE TO REPEAT IT, BLOCKHEAD!!"

"Kanae, tell her to stop being mean to me!"

"Ok. Let's calm down now. C'mon. We don't want to end up missing our bus."

Hinatsuru was lightly surprised you didn't run away or show annoyance at the fighting but remained smiling as Kanae hered the still arguing wives towards the bus station where you first arrived with Gyomei. It also turns out the boys were not going to be going with all of you like they did Friday night and all day Saturday when you weren't around. Instead they planned on having a few hours to just bond with the boys as the girls just bonded with each other which includes a nature hike, movie Sanemi insisted on dragging them too, and then they planned to go somewhere to eat before meeting back up with the girls near the end of the day at the sauna. Sounded like a plan. 

The ride to the mall was pretty generic. On the way there you sat by Mitsuri and talked with her about your pets. Her cats and bunnies and your goldfish you named Goldielocks.  It was a peaceful ride up to the ginormous building that was your city's local mall complete with a lot of stores inside. And conveniently waiting for you all in the parking lot was Shinobu, eating what looked like a granola bar while she was waiting for you all to show up by the entrance. It got a raised brow from Makio.

"Really?"

Shinobu shrugged again looking at you all. "You all were taking too long. I got hungry and ate something."

"Too long? It's eight in the morning still!"

"Let's not fight anyone! I wanna swing by CePora's! They have this new Summer's End eye shadow palette I've been wanting!" 

"I think the yellows and oranges would look good on Makio," you added trying to get the group moving, "Let's go in and see if it's still there!" Your arm gestured towards the large building.

Luckily that seemed to have worked and the group ended up being dragged by Mitsuri all the way to the escalator and up to the second floor where she then proceeded to not stop until she was dashing through the automatic front doors of the famous make up chain of stores. It was ok. You got a cute little compact mirror in the shape of a Tanuki so it all worked out before someone directed your group towards the check out and then a few different stores. This time a few clothes stores.

Honestly you were surprised one mall could have five different clothes stores and no one seemed to care. 

Your attention was mainly upon the plethora of outfits Suma and Mitsuri thrusted into your arms and insisted you try on because-

"You'd look even cuter next to Gyomei if you wore these!"

Nice to know that they cared about their friend at leas and you did end up liking a few of the outfits so that was a plus. Until Hinatsuru pointed out something with a gentle hand on your shoulder. 

"Hey. We've been going to all the places we like. It's not fair to Y/n to just drag her everywhere without stopping where she wants to go as our guest. Let's go where she wants." She smiled at you. "Pick wherever you want to go, Y/n."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! Where do you want to go?"

"Well, there's a bookstore here that has a new recipe book on deserts from Canada I'd really like to get."

"Consider it done!"

It was a nice trip to said bookstore where Mitsuri bought herself at least three romance novels and you think Shinobu got herself a book of space sciences. It was another small thrift store or two before it had occured to you all that it was noon already and you all were very hungry. Mitsuri's immediately reaction was to suggest going to the resident cat cafe, but knowing her appetite Shinobu suggested that you all go to the other mall restaurant that had an all you can eat buffet instead. Yeah. That was probably the better idea considering that Mitsuri had finished off her twelveth plate by 12:45 and about ready to go back for her thirteenth. You weren't even done with your own plate yet but giggled as she looked at you in question before you held up a napkin to her and smiled sweetly.

"Here. You have some gravy on your cheek from the mashed potatoes."

She blinked at the kind gesture but smiled widely. "Thanks!"

It was a mutual agreement that they approved of your gesture by the many smiles you've gotten from them. "So, Y/n. How's your day so far?"

You beamed brightly. "It's been wonderful! I can't remember the last time I've had so much fun!"

"Don't you go to the mall?"

You shook your head. "Only sometimes if I need to pick up something or if I'm shopping with my family. I don't really have a lot of friends who're free or like to go shopping with me."

"You don't have friends?"

"Well...Not a lot. My one friend is usually working and studying hard for his bachelor's and he's already busy enough with his boyfriend so we don't get to hang out as much as we used to."

"AW! That's so sad! It's ok!" You were suddenly grasped up into the arms of one pink haired girl who squeezed you tight enough to make you wheezed and pop a few of your bones as she hugged you to her. "We'll be your friends now! We can go on trips and I can do your nails and-"

"Mitsi! You're suffocating her there!"

Green eyes blinked before looking down at your pale face before she squealed out and pushed you away with a worried look. "Sorry, sorry, sorry! Oh my gosh! Are you ok?!"

You slowly gasped a lungful of air after getting squeezed like a lemon before nodding. "Y-Yeah. I'm ok." 

If you counted being squeezed like an orange ok. But you weren't going to fault her for it especially since she's been so nice to you so far. After a moment of you all just talking, mostly about what they were doing for classes starting Monday tomorrow or what they all did at the beach together yesterday when the waiter stopped by the large table to collect the dirty dishes ..and gave an annoyed dirty look at Mitsuri who was scarfing down the remainder of her thirteenth plate before adding it to the stack he had to take away eventually.

"Eh...Is there anything else I can get you ladies?," he asked despite still eyeing the stack of plates with narrowed eyes. His tone not hiding his annoyance either.

"Can I get some of the devil's food cake on the menu?" Mitsuri beamed up at him widely as his nose wrinkled up. 

"I'm sorry but we're OUT," he bluntly stated before reluctantly grabbing the tall stack of dishes and grunting annoyed. "Can I get anyone else anything?"

Mitsuri blinked giving a glance at the stack of dishes the waiter was forced to carry away before guiltily and ashamedly looking down at her own hands. It caused a chain reaction of glares and frowns from the other girls glaring at him annoyed back.

"No. Just bring us the check."

The waiter seemed annoyed still but relieved to start collecting everyone else's plates adding it to the big pile in his arms before pausing as you gently reached out to gently tug on his sleeve and smiled politely. "May I please have some of the devil's food cake on the menu? Just add it to my part of the check please."

Now this time every gave you wide eyed looks at the audacity of the situation especially when Mitsuri was literally right THERE next to you but the waiter was all too happy to smile at you. "But of course. Give me just a minute to get back to you."

"Thank you very much!"

There was just dumbfounded silence as he walked away after picking up Kanae's dishes and hauling them away from the stunned group as you all sat there stunned other than you who only smiled... Eventually Mitsuri broke the silence with a mumble. 

"I thought they were out."

"What the heck, Y/n?!," Makio demanded as you just smiled at her as she gestured to Mitsuri and you. "She's right there! Did you freaking forget or something?!"

"Oh no. I know exactly what I'm doing."

"Why you-"

"Makio, calm down. We can't stop her from buying her own dessert if she's paying for it herself." Despite Kanae's soft tone, her look was obviously disapproving. "It's not like we can demand someone that they can't eat something."

Makio didn't say anything but she shot you a glare as you still smiled at her and Mitsuri sunk down further into her seat as everyone awkwardly waited for the checks to be delivered along with your dessert. About five minutes later the same waiter returned looking a little less annoyed but still had that blunt tone to him as he placed down at least seven checks for you all and a second later a VERY big delicious smelling, mouth watering, chocolate upon chocolate cake slice in front of you. 

"Here you are, Ma'am."

"Oh thank you! If you wait just a second, I'll give you your tip!" You clasped your hands happily as he smiled at you... Before you bluntly reached over, grabbed the plate, picked it up, and just placed it back down in front of Mitsuri who blinked in surprise. "Look, Mitsuri! They had some after all and what luck we were able to get you the last piece!" Her eyes widened bigger at you. "Aren't you lucky?"

Everyone stared gobsmacked as you just hummed along going to dig around in your purse for a second to pull out a five dollar bill before holding it up to the waiter whom looked like he was slapped across the face. The moment you waved the bill in his face, he glared at you before snatching it from your hand and stomping away from you table. There was another awkward moment as you left the thirty dollars for your part of the meal on the table before you blinked at the wide eyed stares given to you.

"What? Did I get her the wrong cake?"

Instead of an answer you were given a squeal from Mitsuri and then after another bone crushing hug as she hugged you with a large smile. "THANK YOU SO MUCH!  THIS IS LIKE THE NICEST THING A NEW PERSON HAS EVER DONE FOR ME!!"

You smiled wider looking at her. "No need to thank me. You shouldn't be treated badly just because of your appetite." She blinked as you patted her arms. "That guy's a jerk. Forget about him and just enjoy your cake. My treat."

She continued to stare at you before her face turned to a bright red and her hands let go of you to clasp her cheeks. "I-I don't know what to say. Oh my- Such a gesture!"

"You don't have to say anything. Just enjoy yourself. Sorry if I didn't explain it earlier."

"Oh. So that's why you ordered it." 

Makio slowly relaxed as you nodded.... Oblivious to the lovestruck, blushing face Mitsuri was giving you before you slowly got up to excuse yourself to the bathroom and asked them to watch your shopping bags in the meantime. The SECOND you disappeared from sight, Mitsuri slammed a determined palm down on the table and clenched a fist.

"Ok! It's official! Let's do all we can to get her together with Gyomei! She's absolutely perfect!"

"Huh? Where did this come from?"

"Oh..N-No where but we owe it to Mei to try and get him a great girlfriend like he deserves! So let's make her feel welcome! I mean like c'mon! She's literally perfect! She even tipped the waiter so we didn't have to!"

"Are you..blushing?"

"N-NO! I'm just very flattered at the gesture!"

By the time you got back, Mitsuri was already done eating and giddy again especially when you came back. The group gathered up the bags and decided to stop by two more small shops to pick up some pre-ordered stuff Tengen already paid for (a canvas and a box of hard to get paints) before they ushered you back out of the mall and on the street. At least four shopping bags hung from your own arms as Mitsuri held your hand and pulled you along behind her continuing to babble on about...Well you lost track after the part where she told you about how she got into ballet but you politely listened since she seemed so happy now dragging you down the road as cars drove by and people passed by on the sidewalk.

The building they stopped in front of was a smaller building than the mall but still bigger than your house. The sign on the front saying Salon, Sauna, and Beyond. Ah! So this must be the place that they were so excited to go. You allowed Mitsuri to excitedly drag you in after the others and the nice smells of rose air freshener hit your nose along with the cool air from the ac. The inside of the building was mostly white with a few paintings on the wall, some soft looking chairs, and a reception desk where a middle aged woman smiled at you all. Ah. This must've been the waiting area. 

The woman smiled at the group and waved a hand. "Good afternoon. Are you here to book an appointment?"

"I have a reservation for a group under Kocho actually!"

The lady took a moment to rummage around on her desk and look for something.. before nodded and happily looked at Shinobu. "Of course! We have your party booked for our three o clock reservation. If you'll follow me, you can get a locker for your belongings before proceeding to the salon floor."

In an instant Mitsuri looked excitedly at you. "Have you ever been to an onsen before, Y/n?"

You nodded. "My cousin had everyone go to one for her bachelorette party, so I've been to one once."

"Oh you'll love it then! The water is from natural hot springs so it's got minerals that's really good for your skin! But first we're getting our nails done and-"

And off she went again. 

It was ok still. You still were going to have a good time. It was just a small matter of getting a small safe place to put your shoes and bags before following the others to the other section of the salon separate from the onsen addition. Other an an older woman getting highlights in her hair, your group had the entire place to yourselves. 

It was a strange and new but not unpleasant experience there. After all you've never had your nails done let alone had anyone else take a nail file to your nails or had your feet soaked before getting a pedicure for the first time. As said it wasn't a bad experience just new. However you declined the massage offered to you. By the time three hours had passed and everyone had a turn to everything that was offered to them(none of you noticing the second group being escorted towards the onsen), it was time for the onsen according to Suma. There was only one problem however-

"Hey. Um..I don't know how any other way to say this,  but I don't feel comfortable washing with you all before we go to the onsen."

You weren't actually planning on getting into any onsens either and was just going to sit on the edge as they soaked, but you had to bath before going into the onsen and you didn't feel comfortable doing that as a group. Luckily Shinobu seemed very understanding and smiled at you. 

"That's fine. We're not going to make you do something you're not comfortable with so why don't you want outside for about fifteen minutes? We'll all be done by then and you can join us when you're done."

You sighed relieved. "That's great!"

"Good. When you're done just go through the doorway and down the hall. We'll be through the green door."

"Ok! I'll remember that!"

Guess who decided to show up in your life again? Yep that's right. Bad luck.

You had waited outside of the bathing area with the long fluffy white robe and the soap the spa ladies had given you to use and waited about twenty minutes for them all to get done (an extra five minutes just to be sure) before deciding to see if everyone was clear. A quick shout didn't get any response and a careful peek inside revealed that indeed no one else was in the room. Perfect! You were able to scrub down really quick and change into the robe you were given before wrapping a towel around your hair. Now let's see. Shinobu said they'd be in the room down the hall from here through the green door. Perfect! Easiest directions ever!

...or it would've been if you weren't staring at two exactly identical green doors at the end of the hall. 

You stood there dumbfounded staring between the doors again. There was a sign saying which one was the men's section.. unfortunately it had fallen off the wall where it was hung up and for some reason had been kicked to the middle of the hall so you had no idea which door it had been hanging above. Was someone trying to play a joke?! Or did no one notice the sign on the floor?! Or did they just not care and just kick it out of the way?! Either way you were screwed in this situation. Great.

Ultimately you decided to go through the right door. There was no one else in the spa besides yourself, your group, and the employees. The worst you'd do is enter an empty room or run into an employee who you'd just explain that you were were lost, and you might just run into the group. So you didn't think when you pushed open the door. When you stepped inside. When you smiled at first hearing the sloshing sounds of water. When you called out happily.

"Hey! I'm sorry I took so long! I got lost so-"

You froze as at least six heads turned to look at you in the doorway. 

It felt like an eternity to process what you were seeing as your mind just blue screened, but at the same time it felt like someone dropped a boulder into your stomach and jabbed ice into your veins with a syringe. There was definitely a group occupying the onsen in here alright...however it was uh...

They were definitely not girls. 

Six pairs of eyes stared at you. Some frozen in shock, some confusion, and at least in Sanemi's case it was a big 'wtf' look. Speaking of which-

IT WAS THE WRONG DAM ROOM!!

The boys all stared at you from somewhere in the room. Rengoku, Tengen, and Sanemi from in the water. Obanai sitting on the ledge looking wide eyed frozen at you with a towel around his middle and his mask still on his face. And Gyomei and Giyuu standing off to the side looking like they had been having a conversation but stopped when you walked in. However-

HOW WERE THEY ALL SO RIPPED-

"*ahem*" Eventually it was Gyomei who broke the extremely awkward silence by clearing his throat making you jump and calmly gesturing a hand back to the door. "Y/n, I believe you meant to enter through the o-other door."

"IMSOSORRY!!OHMYGOD-"

The door all but slammed behind your quickly disappearing form and the sound of your quickly retreating footsteps left everyone else staring there stunned in the aftermath.. before Tengen snickered body shaking lightly before his entire head was thrown back with his loud booming laughter echoed off the tiled walls.

"HAHAHAHAHA!! Well if she didn't think you were good looking before she does now!," he loudly announced with more laughter that turned into sputters and coughs once Sanemi splashed water into his face.

You didn't mention anything about this to the others. Didn't even answer them when they asked what took you you so long and why your face was burnt red. You only squealed out that you got lost but didn't answer anything else. Thankfully they didn't push it and you were able to try to forget about it..but failed. You were horrified by the time you all left and the guys were literally RIGHT THERE  in the lobby and...

Absolutely chill?

They didn't look the least bit out of the ordinary and just greeted their girlfriends like it was any other day except for Tengen who gave you a deeply amused smile but before he could say anything Obanai kicked his leg hard enough to make him wince. So hopefully he wouldn't be telling anyone else about this- A gentle large hand placed on your shoulder causes you to jump out of your stupor and snap up to a concerned looking Gyomei. 

"Are you alright?," his tone was gentle and concerned. "If you're uncomfortable being around after..*ahem*" His own face dawned a light pink. "I-I can pay for a taxi to take you home."

"N-No! I-It's ok! That was m-m-my fault! Um...How was your hike?" You quickly changed the subject.

Taking the hint he nodded clearing his throat. "I-It was wonderful. The forest was very vibrant with life and the waterfall was especially alive. There's not really anything that sounds quite as powerful as the Earth's own power."

"It sounds beautiful."

"It was."

*Until Sanemi dragged us to that ghost story knock off."

"HEY!!" You turned to catch Sanemi pointed and angry hand to Obanai. "SUPERNATURAL ACTIVITY TWO IS A FANTASTIC HORROR MOVIE! WAY BETTER THAN THAT SNAKE CRAP SHOW YOU BROUGHT!!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW GOOD STORYLINES WHEN YOU SEE THEM!!"

"That is enough!" The sudden shout from the otherwise soft spoken Gyomei was so out of the ordinary that it made everyone turn on the spot in shock and surprise. His face turned down on a frown towards the both of them. "This entire day was supposed to be about spending time with one another not argue over who has better taste in films. Further more you both are being very inconsiderate to make such fools of yourself in front of our guest for this trip. Now will you both please kindly stop going at each other's throats?"

There was a stunned small moment of silence as the both of them slowly relaxed back looking suddenly guilty. After another few seconds Gyomei nodded before looking back to you apologetically. 

"I'm very sorry."

"It's ok. I really don't mind anyways." 

"No. It's not ok. We were supposed to relax today without any fighting. They promised and now-.." He just sighed. "It's getting late and we all have classes and work tomorrow. We should all return home and get a good night's sleep. Do you need me to drop you off?"

You shook your head at him. "No it's ok. I can walk home after I take the bus back." 

"Then allow me to walk you home. It's the least I can do."

After such a kind gesture,how could you say no? That's what lead to you both walking down the street with your arms linked and the sun barely in the sky, and him carrying your bags in his other hand even though you told him he didn't have to but he insisted. It made a warm fluttery feeling go off in your chest that barely let you register saying goodbye to everyone else. And you definitely didn't see the way Mitsuri was giving you the 'first crush' eyes or the very approving look Kanae gave you. Only focusing on the fact that you were home now and the good feelings in your chest didn't go away even when he handed over your bags. 

"Thank you for walking me home."

He smiled. "As I said before it's the least I could do. I'm just happy you had fun with the girls today. I hope Mitsuri and Suma weren't too overwhelming. I know they can be a lot." 

"No they're great! I had so much fun. It's the best time I had for a long time to be honest." 

He chuckled too and looked like he was going to say something but at the same moment and elderly couple smiled at you while walking into the building next to your home. "Oh look, Dear. A young man walking his lady home. How charming. I remember when you used to walk me everywhere-"

"Oh no. He's not my boyfri-..He is?"

The look of surprise on his face as his head turned to you wide eyed. "I am?"

There was a silence other than the chatting older couple just entering into the building and leaving you both alone staring at each other for a long moment. Eventually you looked down at your feet and rubbed your arm.

"I-I mean.. Would you like to be?"

His white eyes widened to the size of plates as he was taken aback before the brightest shade of red came over him as he just.. couldn't believe it. Before a big smile replaced the shock and he nodded. "Y-YES! I mean- *ahem* I would like that very much. However are you sure you'd like to have me for a boyfriend. I will not sugarcoat the obvious." A hand gestured to his face. "I am blind and scarred."

"If I was really shallow to not date because of looks, then I wouldn't have agreed to that first date with you."

"I am seeing other people whom I love and care about very much. .. I'm not going to break up with them or any other outrageous demands."

"I wouldn't even dream of asking you to break up with them! I think they're wonderful people so I couldn't ask you that. And it's not going to be me dating them. I'm going to be dating you and I'm ok with that." You smiled. "You're the first guy I dated that's been completely honest with me and so kind. It makes me feel like I'm the luckiest person in the world."

"I-... Don't speak like that please."

You blinked. "Huh. Why?"

"Be-Because the beauteous genuity of your words only make you sound more beautiful to my mind."

Huh. You were both closer than he remembered. Just a few inches from one another twinkling under the lights. And you blinked at the sudden closeness too. Face going a dim pink and a few chuckles from the moment escaping you. Barely anyone was outside now, too busy inside mingling, eating the food, and enjoying the evening. So it was just you two. Alone out here with nothing but each other for company. His mind felt completely blank and numb but in a good way, compelling him to reach his hands up and cup a cheek of yours something his rational brain wouldn't allow himself to do. Inches away now. You didn't move away.

He stared at the woman in front of him, this silly silly woman with the beautiful voice. If he was watching this as an outsider, he would've laughed at how they were literally just strangers less than a while ago, but right now it didn't seem any of that or anything else mattered. Not even the topic they had been discussing just a few seconds ago. Or removing the hand that now cupped her cheek. Maybe it really was a mutual madness they both shared or some form of chaos in their lives, but right now....With them being so close...And so vulnerable. It was only natural of course-.. It's what soulmates do-.. Of course they would since-...

They kissed.

"Hey. Do you think Gyomei is going to be angry at us still?" Sanemi gave his girlfriend a glum look as she patted his back. 

"Of course not. He's just stressed trying to make a good impression is all. I'm sure he'll be just fine." Her boyfriend didn't look convinced as he gave her a pout. Oh well. She was distracted anyways by the ringing of her phone in her pocket to which she promptly pulled out and automatically held up to her ear. "Hello?"

"Kanae! Quickly I need help!"

She blinked as Gyomei's voice cut through the phone. "Mei? Are you ok? What happened?"

"I DON'T KNOW HOW TO BOYFRIEND!!"

[honeipie]

ANY OTHER WAY

izuku midoryia x reader

synopsis: your son demands answers

authors note: this is the short little ending to the toast little mini series! but honestly their little family is so cute i don’t wanna leave them :((( also thank you to everyone who read, reblogged, and commented. i literally love ur life.

psa: mentions of breastfeeding

one | two | three | four

"my life is a lie!" the voice of your oldest son echoed through the hall and into the living room. you didn't bat an eye as his antics, because you knew every time he went to hang out at his uncle denki and aunt jirou's house he came home talking about some new crazy story. though he'd usually wait to talk about it until he was in the same room as you all.

izuku and yutaka, your middle child, raised their heads at the sound of the door slamming behind him.

"koji, you've barely stepped through the door and you're already yelling. mayuka was finally eating" you shifted your youngest head back towards you chest. she had been startled by the door but you were able to calm her by gently rubbing your thumb against her cheek.

"sorry" koji mumbled going to stand in the very middle of the living room so he could get a good look at you all "but i still can't believe i've been lied to for the past twelve years, twevle years!"

izuku's eyes went from his son, then over to you. but all you could do was shrug. izuku grunted as he rose from his spot on the floor. all those years of daunting hero work along with just plain aging were catching up to him. specks of grey started to show, but he attempted to hide them with the green he still had.

"okay koji. what are you freaking out about?"

"i don't know, maybe the fact that you guys almost never got married?!"

now if there was one thing you were expecting to come out of his mouth, it wasn't that.

"did denki tell you about that?" you asked watching as he was now pacing the room back and forth.

"yeah! and i'm glad he told me because it seems like you guys were never going to let me know!"

yutaka looked up from his tablet “mommy and daddy weren’t gonna get married? why?”

izuku put his hands up before koji could go off again “listen, your aunt ochako and i weren’t very good at relationships back then and-“

“what does aunt ochako have to do with this?” koji’s face went from confusion to surprise “you were going to marry aunt ochako! what the heck!”

the tips of izuku’s ears went pink as he heard his surprise “i thought denki told you everything!”

“he only told me that you guys almost never got married! when i asked for more details he said that’s none of his business”

you snorted going to fix your bra since mayuka had finished eating “since when does denki mind his buisness”

“that’s what i said!” koji threw his arms up going to sit in between the two of you “okay so you guys gotta tell me everything! start to finish”

“i don’t know koji. i mean i need mom to tell the story with me and she’s kind of busy so-“

“i got time” you laid mayuka on one side of your body making sure her head was over your shoulder “may takes her time to burp” izuku gave you a look which you smiled at “i love you!”

izuku rolled his eyes before finally nodding “fine we’ll tell you the story. c’mere taka” he held his arms out which his son happily jumped into. after he got him settled on his lap he started on the story of how the two of you got together. the toast, the argument, and the rekindling all in one short (kid friendly) version. of course, you felt the need to add in little details when needed “and then we got married and boom. you kids were born”

koji’s mouth had hung open for almost the whole story, sitting at the edge of his seat. yutaka looked rather confused.

“so..” taka looked over at the two of you “mommy took daddy from aunt ochako?”

“well, sort of. we all agreed that how things ended up were for the best. no matter how it happened”

izuku nodded his head in agreement “i love your mom and i love all of you” he tickled taka’s side making him burst out in laughter.

“i just can’t believe it” koji mumbled shaking his head.

“you better believe it kid. your dad and i are in love” you wiggled your eyebrows making koji groan “in fact, give me a kiss!” the two of you leaned in placing a dramatic kiss on each others lips. both of the boys pretended to gag as they got up.

“not in front of us! not in front of us!” they both made a mad dash upstairs making the two of you laugh.

“they get their dramatics from you” you said scooting closer to him handing over may. an offended look plastered his face.

“they do not!”

“whatever you say mr. midoryia” you leaned your head on his shoulder pulling the blanket over the two of you. you eyes scanned over the home that the two of you created. toys scattered across the living room floor. family portraits hanging on the walls, even from when koji was first born. some random, educational kids show was currently playing on your television. someone had told you that this would ‘stimulate the baby’s mind’ even though she had just popped out. both you and izuku in your matching pajamas that you had gotten for christmas. ever since mayuka was born the two of you had been too exhausted to clean. shit was a mess, but honestly, you felt no sense of stress. you two had a silent understanding that everything would be done in the time that is intended, and you wouldn’t have it any other way

“i love you” you moved your head to look up at the man you had fallen hopelessly in love with. he looked back with a tired smile, but you noticed the crinkles at the corner of his eyes.

“i love you too”

taglist! @sagejin @aejabba @crybabyl0l @v3n7s @yoihoshi-maki @reads-stuff-quietly @valenspuppy @luvrluvrr 🫶🏾

[stylesparker]

together again

PAIRING: Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader

WORD COUNT: 2.1k

WARNINGS: ex-bestfriend!steve, bullying, panic attack, anxiety, mentioned parent death, angst, hurt/comfort, "i've got you"

A/N: sorry this request took so long, but I hope you enjoy anon! Thank you for checking with me first, and I hope this can offer you a little more comfort! <33

"Are you even listening to me?"

"Huh?" You knock yourself out of your stupor and look at Steve, his eyes gazing gravely at you. His arms are crossed, his hair is all styled up to perfection like always, and you think to yourself- how is it that you've been paired up with Steve Harrington, again, for another stupid project? Why you, of all people?

You definitely have to be cursed.

"You heard me, right?" He confirms. "My house after school?"

You nod, almost rolling your eyes a bit. "Yeah, totally." You huff before you ask, "since when have you been one to get a head start on school work?"

He chuckles, but it sounds more sarcastic than genuine, "Since I needed a good grade in this class to graduate, L/N. I'll see you later." He pushes off the wall, sauntering away in those stupid ass jeans that actually kind of make his ass look good. You shake your head, looking away from the boy and turn to face your locker once more.

As soon as you close it with your backpack over your shoulder, you hear familiar whistles coming towards you down the hallway.

Shit.

You start walking, hoping within an inch of your life these shitheads aren't coming to you, but you know better. A hand clamps over your shoulder, squeezing a little too hard for you to know exactly who it is.

Justin Andrews, the biggest dick in Hawkins.

"Heya, sweetheart, you miss me?" He laughs right into your ear.

"Not exactly."

"Oh, I know you did. Where ya' been? Haven't seen you around all week, was sorta starting to miss this pretty ass." His friends laugh beside him as his hand drifts down your shoulder and smacks your ass, catching you off guard and making you flinch farther from his hold.

"Been sick." That's all you answer, thinking maybe putting him off with short responses will get him to find somebody else, but again, you know better than to think this will be different than any other time before.

"Damn, that's a shame. I'm sure those kids of yours got a nice break from ya' then huh?" You glare at him as he offers a wide-grinned smile, winking at you before leaving you with another smack to the ass as a parting gift. As Justin and his pack of friends depart, you hurry away as fast as you can down the hall and out the doors before they can even think of coming back.

Once you finally get to your car and get inside, you throw your stuff to the passenger seat and take a deep breath to try and calm yourself down. There was no way you were going to last period after that, and besides, your youngest little brother needed to be picked up from daycare today anyway. Luckily your other four siblings are a bit older and take the bus now, otherwise you probably would have dropped out at this point. You take another deep breath and drive off in hopes of getting your brother quickly, and home on time so you don't show up late to Steve's.

You do not want to deal with an angry Steve.

...

As the universe would have it, everything was against you today.

First, you almost got hit by some drunk pulling out of the bar halfway to the daycare. Once you got to the daycare, you had to wait half an hour since your brother had a tantrum and didn't want to leave in the middle of snack time. By the time you got him out of there, and into your car in his blue booster seat, it had been another 20 minutes. Usually it's about a 15 minute drive home from the daycare, but it ended up being a half hour due to traffic. After you finally made it home, you got a call from your boss asking you to come in again later tonight to take another extra shift since your shitty co-worker hasn't been showing up for two weeks.

At that point, you were about to lose it. You'd just gotten home and now you had to miss another family dinner tonight, much to your brother's disappointment. You wish you had just a moment to breathe, but everything has been so... chaotic lately, it's like you've been running a marathon for a month straight.

You opened the cabinet to see what food was in there, but it was only half a bag of stale potato chips, and a couple boxes of your sisters' favorite cereal. You sighed, holding your empty stomach. Leftovers tonight would have to suffice.

You took a quick glance at the clock at the wall, but did the world's fastest double take when you saw the time 4:30.

SHIT. You think. Steve is going to murder me.

Thankfully, you hear your mom pull in the driveway so at least you're not leaving your brother home alone. You grab your backpack and bolt out the door with your keys in your hand. You scream a quick goodbye to your mom while she watches you pull out of the driveway like a madman, and take off in a rush.

Fifteen minutes later, you're pulling into Steve's huge driveway, slamming the door behind you, and running up to the door with big huffs to try and catch your breath. You knock on the door three times, and pull your hand back down when you see the door already opening in front of you. When the door is opened, you're confronted by the boy you were dreading to see.

"I'm sorry-" you begin to apologize, but Steve immediately cuts you off.

"Are you serious? I asked you if after school worked and you told me it was fine, and now you're an hour and a half late!"

"Steve-" you try again, but he continues. You stand there, taking in his anger and frustration, and all you can do is blankly stare and nod, not even knowing what you're agreeing with. You shut your eyes and look at the ground, willing the tears to stay back while you twist your fingers in your hands. You don't even know when his voice lost its edge or when it even stopped at all, or when you'd been pulled inside and asked if you were alright. Your eyes are still closed, but your head feels like it's going to explode and you can't hear what he's saying. The tears are streaming down your face before you can help it, and your hands start shaking from how hard you're trying to hold back.

Steve's so taken aback, he can't even speak. He hasn't seen you like this in a long time, not since your dad died and you practically became a parent to your siblings. His heart breaks a little bit at the sight of you, and he feels a part of his old self coming back, wanting to comfort you and protect you just like he did growing up. Just like he's done his whole life, apart from the entirety of this year. He doesn't even care he's supposed to hate you and you're supposed to hate him in this moment, all he knows is that he's the only person that can help you right now, and he's going to do just that.

Steve's face loses its concern and he jumps into protective mode, bringing his hands up to hold either side of your face to get you to look at him.

"Sweetheart, I need you to calm down for me, yeah? What's going on, talk to me."

You stubbornly shake your head and refuse to look up at him. Your chest is still heaving rapidly, and he can tell you can't catch your breath.

"Don't be stubborn right now, I can't help you if you don't let me and you need to let me help you. I can't have you passing out on my floor now can I?" He tries to joke, but you don't get distracted, you keep your eyes down even though they've opened. He sighs, dropping one of his hands to grab yours and place them over his chest. "Slow down, take a deep breath, love."

"I-I can't-" you sputter out to the best of your ability, letting your hand ball his shirt up into a fist.

"Yes, you can. Take a good deep breath," you listen to him momentarily, following what he's doing, and when you do he nods and gives you a nice, soft smile, "there ya go, love, you got it. Do it again."

Seeing him be like this for you again brings you back to all those times you've needed him before, the memories almost came flooding back when you heard his loud voice turn soothing in an instant, just for you. His touch had always been grounding, always took off the pressure and allowed you to come back down, and you hadn't expected it to be the same after so much time apart, but now, it's like nothing changed. He's still Steve- he's still your Steve.

That thought alone comforts you more than anything else.

"Steve-" you whisper softly, "I'm so- sorry. I'm so sorry."

"Sweetheart, don't-"

"No, I have to. I've been horrible to you, and now you're helping me- I just-" you drop your head on his chest, and finally tell him everything. "I feel like I've just been going and going non-stop, and today was it, it was my absolute breaking point. After you, and Justin-"

"Justin? Are you- Are you serious? Is he still giving you shit?"

You gulp, "yeah," but you shake your head quickly, "but he's not even the worst thing, I just... ugh," you stop yourself before you start crying again but Steve feels like he knows.

"When's the last time you got some sleep?"

"I don't know.. a couple days ago?"

"Oh my god," he drops his head back and groans, which actually makes you laugh a bit. He immediately looks down at you, realizing the talking stopped you from panicking, or at least distracted you from it. "Hey," he nudged you a bit, getting you to look up at him, "I'm sorry too. I shouldn't of yelled at you, and I definitely shouldn't have left you that night-"

"That's not your fault, Steve. I pushed you away."

"Yeah, and I shouldn't have let you."

You look at each other for a moment, like, really look at each other. It's been so long since you've been able to hold each other like this, it almost doesn't feel real.

"C'mon, let's get you something to eat."

"It's fine-" you start, before he cuts you off again.

"No, shut up. If you haven't been sleeping, you definitely haven't been eating either, so let's go." He left no room for debate, so you just took his hand and followed him, letting him lead you through his house.

He gives you a couple of your favorite snacks, since he didn't have any sort of meals yet, but you seemed very content, so he thought it was better than nothing. He let you take your time, rubbed your back while you told him about the rest of your shitty day, and grabbed your hand again when he started up the stairs to his room.

"What about the project?" You asked.

"That can wait. You need some sleep first."

"Steve-"

He shook his head, "Nope. Not happening."

At last, you gave up and followed his lead again, which, as much as you'd hate to admit it, it felt nice letting someone else lead you around for a change instead of the other way around. For so long, it's been you taking charge and always bossing your siblings around, but it feels relieving to have Steve with you again to remind you it didn't always have to be that way.

You pulled back the covers in his bed and laid down, not even having to ask for Steve to join you, him already doing the same on the other side. Almost as if no time had passed, you curled up against one another, resting your head on his chest, and his arms wrapping around you to pull you close.

"Go to sleep. I've got you."

His hands rub gentle circles on your back, soothing you and releasing the tension from your body as you slowly relax enough to fall asleep. You fight to keep your eyes open as long as you can, savoring this moment with him, almost as if he won't be here when you wake up.

"Don't worry, I'll be here."

Those words pull at your heartstrings, making you hold him tighter and bury yourself into him deeper, if you even can. Knowing that you're together again has you finally closing your eyes, and falling into a peaceful sleep.

[starlit-crossing]

A Ghost of Yourself Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - A Better Understanding

After an incident off world, Bruce was glad to have Dick and other leaguers back in the states. Things had been tense with the UN ever since Lex Luthor’s involvement a few years back and regaining that trust was difficult. Dick had been in Blüdhaven when he had called Bruce.

“Heads up, B. I’m going to be late getting into Gotham.” Dick rushed, speaking over the sounds of sirens.

“What happened? Will you need backup?” Bruce asked, moving to the bat-computer and pulling up any feed he could get.

“Nah, I’ve got this handled. Some goons got caught in the act of smuggling drugs. Took a grey hound bus headed for Gotham hostage.” he explained, perching himself above the scene on a building nearby.

“Any casualties?” Bruce inquired.

“None so far, but according to the chatter they have a kid held at gunpoint.” Dick responded, pulling out his binoculars to get a better look. He could confirm the info from the police radio, seeing four men all with guns in hand. They were all towards the back of the bus, the one closest to the center looked to be holding a kid with black hair and a blue hoodie. The whole thing was surrounded by police vehicles.

“Noted, keep me updated.” Bruce’s voice cut in.

“Will do, B. Save me a plate from dinner!” The line cut out as Dick made his way closer to the scene. He could now make out some of the force out in the front. One in particular being his old partner and now chief of the police with a phone in hand. Likely trying to get some form of organization before this thing turned into a stand still.

According to the chatter, the getaway driver had been brought in after being found in a stolen car. He had very quickly ratted on his friends at the station in an attempt to make a plea deal. Despite the lack of a lawyer present at his side. One officer had decided to check a bus that had been stopped nearby and recognized the goons from their descriptions. The men in question had seen the cop, freaked out, and grabbed the first person possible. This happened to be a teen and lead to the bus being taken hostage. The cop that had discovered them was still inside the bus.

Shouting came from within as Dick swung closer, they had made their demands. If nothing happened soon, they would be starting a negotiation. Leaving any actions made by the police force with fewer positive outcomes. Dick ran up to the bus grabbing a gas canister from his belt. Luckily all traffic had been stopped at this point. Once close enough he threw the canister through the window shattering the glass and filling the bus with smoke.

Once the coughing started and people began to make an escape out of the front of the bus. He moved to the emergency exit in the back of the bus. Pulling it open he grabbed the attention of the first goon, the youngest of them, he began to shakingly point the gun at the hero. Dick swiftly knocked the gun from his hands to the ground with a kick. Following the movement with jabs to his side causing the man to curl in on himself. Dick grabbed the neck of his clothes and using the momentum of the fall to fling the young man out the emergency door.

He couldn’t check to see if had been knocked out before the next goon took notice. This one opted to use his weapon and began firing into the rear of the bus. Dick fell into a somersault narrowly dodging the bullets coming his way. As he rose from the ground, he reached behind his back grabbing his escrima sticks. Dick knocked the gun out of the way using the left and brought the right to the goon’s side. Pressing a small button, electricity surged through the weapon stunning the criminal, leaving him crumbled on the ground.

Two down, two to go Dick thought as the third goon turned to see his partner lying on the ground. The man wasn’t sure what to do as his boss behind him was already fighting someone. The officer who found the gang must have gotten the kid free. Dick used the third goon’s hesitation to jump in the air and springboard off the bus’s ceiling. His boots smacking the criminal’s face onto the floor.

With three of the gunmen out of the way the passengers who had been left to hide in the back on the bus started rushing past him. Dick held his ground as passengers shoved past to the emergency exit. None of them giving a thought to the men knocked out on the bus floor as the trampled or stepped over the bodies. The leader of them all was still focused on fighting the person in front of him, allowing Dick to move forward unhindered. Allowing the commotion to hide his steps he slipped closer, lining up his escrima sticks with the large man’s shoulders. Once he brought them down, he pressed the button once more, shocking the final goon.

As he fell to the ground Dick was left face to face with his combatant. A teen boy around the same age of Duke and Cass stood before him breathing heavily. His hair was black, a contrast to his pale skin. Tired bags laid beneath his blue eyes, messy fridge obscuring them partly from Dick’s vision. His hair and clothes were a mess, wrinkled and dirty from who knows what. Despite the life-threatening situation and the fight for his life he must have had the kid’s face remained eerily calm. Even Damian showed more emotion after a hard fight. The teen in question stood there a moment unsure what to do. Dick eventually put his weapons away, hoping the staring wasn’t because of shock.

“Hey, kid, are you okay? Let’s get you off this bus.” Dick asked, moving his hand to the boy’s shoulder to lead him off. A small part of him thought of Bruce when he first seen the hero, I wondered if this is how I or the others looked when we first met? He certainly fits the family trend.

“Yea, I’m fine but I need my stuff.” The kid answered, his voice didn’t even shift. It was kinda creepy how monotone it was all things considered. He had just fought a man twice his size, he should be at least a little shook. I might have to omit this part when I see Bruce later. Dick waited for the teen to grab his things, worry slowly creeping in as though Bruce would show any second with adoption papers in hand. Sure, his father wasn’t actually collecting orphans, often Bruce is the one flocked to. If Super Boy had fewer powers when Dick and his friends had found him all those years ago, he might’ve become Connor Wayne instead of Connor Kent.

As they left the bus the kid went straight to the ambulance and the police. With how he was dressed and the backpack in hand the kid was really looking to be a runaway. Did he assume he would need to be checked out by the paramedics? His old partner, Amy Rohrbach, was luckily nearby. Her brown hair still worn in the same low ponytail.

“Nightwing, good to know you’re back in town.” Amy said exasperated. The kid’s eyes bounced back and forth between the two. He hadn’t left Blüdhaven on a positive note, having forgotten to leave Amy a note saying he would be aiding the League.

“It’s just a visit, Chief Rohrbach. I just got back from helping the League and the Bat wanted me to stop by Gotham. I was just passing through and thought I could help.” He answered, hoping if he kept things relaxed would keep Amy from ranting about his sudden departure. Possibly get the kid to unwind as well, so far it wasn’t making a difference.

“None the less we appreciate it when a hero has their eyes on helping our city. So, who’s the kid?” Amy smiled. Dick knew that look, she thought he was going to adopt the teen or something. This wasn’t the first either, every time a troubled youth popped up on the job, she was so sure he’d get involved. He wasn’t Bruce and Jason was finally getting along with him more; adopting a kid into crimefighting would ruin that. The kid in question stiffened at the change in topic.

“Uh, I’m Danny. I was on the bus to visit some family in Gotham?”He lied. He may be emotionless, but he was a terrible liar.

“Okay, Danny and is there a last name to go with that? You were just in a shooting we should probably give your family a call.” The Chief asked pulling out a notepad. Dick knew she had a sharp eye and a talent for police work. They had both reached the same conclusion; this teen was on the run, but what from?

“I plead the fifth?” Danny retorted sheepishly.

“Kid, that’s not how that works and you’re not under oath.” Nightwing laughed, this kid is something else. “Listen if your home life isn’t safe or you’re worried about being in trouble we can help. Just give the officer your name and we can help.”

The kid seemed to be mulling it over, sighed then answered “Nope, can’t do it. Just Danny for me, thanks.”

Stubborn like most people in the Wayne family, at this rate he’d have to investigate him just to see what trouble he had gotten into. Metahumans were still an issue even though trafficking had lessened. The Chief and Dick shared a look as she put her notebook away.

“Okay then Danny, you can join me in the back of my car, and we’ll take a trip down to the station.” Rohrbach rolled her eyes, grabbed his arm, bringing him to her car. Once he was settled, she locked the doors and came back to Nightwing.

“So, what do you want me to do with him?” Amy questioned.

“Nothing for right now, you noticed it as well. That Danny kid is lying both about why he’s on the run and where to. “Night wing spoke quietly looking at the car.

“So just stick him into the foster system?” She returned.

“Exactly, I’ll have Red Robin do some research. He’ll be able to get the results faster than I can.” Dick thought aloud.

“Not going to take him under your wing?” Amy teased.

“Not a chance, Gotham has enough heroes and besides he might still have people looking for him. Who care and want him back home, safe and sound. Also Red Hood would take my head off if I brought a kid into crimefighting like Bats.” He laughed. “I’ll be in touch, see if you can have him placed where someone can keep an eye on him.”

Finally grabbed Dick grabbed his grappling hook and shot off while the Chief got into her car to take Danny to a foster home.

---

Dick was back in Gotham later that afternoon. He had to make a few stops along the way but was able to fill Bruce in on what happened during his errands. Naturally he left out Danny the runaway who could hold his own in a fight against an armed man twice his size. Rohrbach was able to handle it herself anyway. She had already messaged him the address and notes related to Danny and his new foster home. He had been placed in Central Gotham which Dick was currently driving though on his way to the manor. Hopefully he had saved some of Alfred’s cooking.

Dick’s fingers drummed across the wheel as he thought more about the boy from earlier today. He would have to check in on him next week. He looked at the town houses as he drove by, maybe tomorrow? He thought as he looked at his phone where Amy had texted the address. He could at least make sure the kid was settled. He parked his variant of the bat car in an alley a nearby, climbing to the familiar roof tops. It was rather quick for him to make his way to a neighboring house.

From above he could watch through the windows to see the kid eating dinner. Danny wore the same expression from earlier that day. Dick looked on with curiosity, surely, he would emote at some point.

Danny didn’t emote whatsoever.

After dinner the kid had gone to his room and looked through the pack he had brought with him. Eventually grabbing a magazine and settled in to read into the wee hours of the night. Ever time Dick thought about leaving he would convince himself to stay, if he left the kid would make his move, he was sure. It was a similar gut feeling he had felt since his early years of Robin and he knew it rarely led him wrong.

It wasn’t until thirty minutes after lights out that anything happened. The whole building was quiet and dark except for Danny’s room. Dick watched as he collected his things into the backpack once again and climbed onto fire escape. He moved quickly and quietly across the grates, almost as though he didn’t fear the height or the fall. Often skipping steps and jumping sections, he didn’t hesitate even jumping from the top of the final ladder into the alley below.

Danny pulled his phone from his bag and began to type something in. Dick followed on the roof tops as the kid made his way towards his destination. At his pace and direction Dick could guess a handful of places he could be heading for. The largest was Gotham Harbor and the smallest was a Bat Burger another two blocks down.

Dick was tempted to let him go further but this kid wasn’t from Gotham, and it was easy for someone new to get into serious trouble. So, Dick scaled down the apartment building he once stood on and dropped behind him. Danny heard the drop, but he was faster and moved in the opposite direction to avoid his sight till he stood between the kid and his unknown goal.

“Shouldn’t you be in a foster home, right now?” Dick grinned standing face to face with the teen.

“Shouldn't you be helping Batman with a crime or something?” Danny returned; Dick noticed him eyeing the phone. Based on what he could see on the device, it looked like he was going far. Is he actually going to the harbor? What is he running from? Dick wondered.

“Touche, but he can handle himself. You however have been in a crime today and still sounding off about it.” Dick watched as Danny kept walking despite his little lecture. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Anywhere but here! The Danbury’s are nice and all, but I need to get going, places I need to be.”

“Nice try, kid but I can’t just let you leave! Whether you like it or not, you’re a runaway and I can’t just leave you. Come on, I’m taking you back to the station.” Dick slipped a tracker into his hand and grabbed Danny’s arm with the other. Dragging him to where he had hidden the super car. “Good thing I took the car and not the bike.”

He led Danny to the passenger seat, slipping the tracker in his backpack before shutting the door and climbing into the vehicle himself.

---

The following three weeks were filled with Dick watching, tracking, and catching the runaway teen. Like he had told Amy he had Red Robin, otherwise known as his brother Tim, look into the kid. Tim unfortunately was having zero luck, with only his name to go on and the bus there was little to find. Every town the bus stopped in either held no record of a Danny or had someone else on record who looked nothing like the kid in mind. Tim offered to take a deeper look, but it would take more time.

When he had captured Danny the second time it had been two days since his rehome. He had even brought Tim along to see if recognized the kid from news articles or missing children reports. Though Tim mostly just laughed at how much Danny looked like a fusion of the Robins. Swearing he’d keep this off Bruce’s radar. They were in mid-conversation when Danny walked out the front of the Green family home with the dog, shutting the door behind him and opening it again slowly to sneak the dog back inside. Once the dog was inside, he made a mad dash down the road.

“Did he seriously just pretend to take the dog for a walk and run?” Tim asked in shock.

“Yep.” Dick answered unsurprised, “Come on we’ll catch up.”

Once again, the kid had made a heading towards the harbor district. He made it four blocks before taking a moment to breathe. Dick just slowly drove up with Tim in the passenger seat, right in front of the straight-faced boy.

“Need a lift?” Dick smirked as Danny gave him a strange look.

“How the fuck did you find me? Its be two minutes, are you stalking me?” Danny asked bewilderment in his voice.

“Language!” Tim yelled from inside the car, a laugh slipping from Dick. Danny just sighed in response and got into the car. Knowing the heroes wouldn’t let him leave so easily.

Danny’s next foster home took up a large part of an apartment building’s top floor. The Bates’ family were lively bunch and each time Dick checked in Danny had been forced into some game with the younger children or doing chores. When he tried to sneak away, he had gone to the roof rather than head for the building’s front doors. Dick watched as he tried to the fire escape to traverse the buildings side once again. This one was older though and had rotted away, leaving Danny to fall as a railing tore from his weight. Dick was able to grab him mid fall and bring the teen safely to the ground.

“We really need to stop meeting like this! It’s your fall-t at this point” Dick laughed while Danny pushed the hero away. Shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets as he made his way back to the apartment head hanging low.

Foster home number four was with Carter’s in the suburbs of Gotham. This was Danny’s least creative of escapes, not that the fire escapes had been very original. Their home was Danny’s most successful, despite the warnings they had been given the Carter’s had given Danny his space. He had the entire basement as his bedroom and had been allowed to move freely. Danny tested the waters a few times, leaving to get food from the corner store and staying at a park for a few hours at a time. They never interfered and so finally late at night he snuck out the basement window.

Dick had been notified when he left the neighbor hood but shocked when he struggled to find the kid. Danny had him on a goose chase till four am until he was caught entering a back alley. Once again Danny gave no sign of annoyance or dissatisfaction. He just entered the car quietly and let Dick drop him off the station. He had a quick word with Gordan urging him to make sure the next home was secure.

The Geller home was secure, practically a prison for those inside. Multiple locks and alarms were armed on every exit of the house. Windows barred and security cameras outside the home. They had been so sure they could keep Danny in and barred him from ever leaving without supervision. They had been shocked when they opened the door the following morning to a Nightwing and Danny scratched up at the door like lost kittens.

Dick knew they couldn’t let him just leave, so he suggested the GCPS call a certain Bruce Wayne.

“So, you want me to take in a runaway? One that no one knows anything about and could be a meta for all anyone knows?” Bruce asked from behind his desk, Dick stood before him in casual clothing scratching the back of his neck.

“Yes. He’s been escaping consistently and though I’ve been keeping my eye on him I can’t be driving back and forth from Blüdhaven this much. Tim has been looking into him but has hit a wall on the subject. I wouldn’t normally invest this much time, but this kid isn’t normal.” Dick ranted starting to pace the room.

“Because of his lack of emotional expression?” Bruce inquired.

“No, that isn’t the strangest thing. Cass was like that for quite some time before, but he fought an armed man twice his size and probably would have won. So far, he’s shown no signs of metahuman abilities outside of above human skill. A description that fits our entire family, I might add.” Dick pressed, no one else could handle a crimefighting kid like the Waynes.

“So he was part of the hostage situation earlier this month?” Bruce thought aloud.

“Yes.” Dick answered trying to read the man before him. “So will you take him in?”

Bruce smiled at Dick and rose from his chair to stand by his son.

“Of course, I think we could do with another in the manor. The others will be excited for another new face.” Bruce continued to smile as he left to call Gordon and let Alfred know to prepare a room for a new guest.

---

This is a heads up for those reading that I will be having a poll to decide the name of the fic! I've been using Lost in Foster as a working title and after getting some suggestions I'm going to see what everyone likes! This poll will be up within the next two days so be sure to check it out! I was originally going to pick myself but I can't decide and I thought it would be a fun way to celebrate hitting over 5k views! I hope everyone is enjoying the story and I'll see y'all later!

Master post - Chapter 4 Prev. <<< Next >>>

[wifeofnatasharomanoff]

Say Yes To Me (chapter 2)

Series masterlist

Warnings: angst, implied smut, implications of nat having a dick, minor fluff

Words: 1,668

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x f!Reader

A/N: most of the first few chapters are set in flashbacks from before readers memory loss, and the setting after they find out that they lost their memory!

i hope you guys like this, ily my loves <3

“Natasha?” you say, with a hand on her cheek, stroking her face with the pad of your thumb.

“Natasha. Are you there?” a voice pulls her from her thoughts, causing her to face whoever was calling out her name. “..Yeah?” the nurse smiles, “Your wife, she recognized your children.”  she lets a sigh of relief out. Thank god. You remembered the kids, your kids. The babies that she'd always put first, she was happy that you didn't forget them. After all, they were your children. Yours and Natasha's.

A hospital room. You take deep breaths as you clutch oh, so very tightly onto your wifes hand, as if you were about to rip it off. “Oh my god! Why did I even decide to have a second baby—” you scream out. The sounds of a newborn infant crying cause your hold on her hand to loosen. “You did it dekta, you're okay. I love you so much..” the corners of your lips perk up in a strained smile, sweat glistening from your hairline.

“We did it Natty.. we did it.” your eyes were watery with tears of joy. “Remind me to not have another mini Romanoff till this one turns 3.” you say, pressing your forehead to your wifes.

Two kids run up to the redhead, a cute little chubby toddler, and the youngest, the soon to be 1-year-old baby girl who just recently learned how to walk. “Mama! Mama! I saw mommy! She look hurt!” the little boy says, climbing onto his mothers lap. “Hey, buddy! You saw mommy?” she dramatically gasps, “Did she tell you anything cool?” he nodded. “She said she saw a pretty lady with hair like yours in her dream!” he says, grasping Natasha's braid, and playing with the ends of her hair.

“She– she did?” he nods, “Mhm!”

They weren't dreams, they were memories. Memories that you had forgotten.. no. Memories that were moved to the very back of your mind, all you needed was a push. A push to get you to remember. Remember Natasha Romanoff, your wife, the woman you love.

It doesn't always work like that.

“Natasha?” you say, with a hand on her cheek, stroking her face with the pad of your thumb. She slowly awakens, her green emerald eyes meeting yours. “Oh Natty! I thought I lost you. I told you to be careful!” you say, both relieved she woke up and upset she was reckless in a mission.

She smirks, grabbing your hand from her cheek and gently kissing your knuckles. “Can't get rid of me that easily kotenok.” you playfully slap the uninjured side of her arm. “It's not a joke Natasha!”

You didn't understand, who was this woman? Why was she in your dreams? You couldn't see the rest of her face. Just those beautiful eyes, and her wispy red hair.

Natasha wondered what he meant by, ‘Pretty lady with hair like yours in her dream!’ did you dream of her? Or are these memories of her? She regrets leaving for the mission. Why didn't you beg her to stay? Why did she listen to you? Just a few days ago everything was perfectly fine. How did the Red Room even find out where your family was?

“Nat.. you're gonna be late.” 5 words you told her. Why did she listen to you? She could've rebelled and stayed home with you and the both of your children. Nothing would've happened. She would've protected you. Everything would've been okay.

“Nat?” a familiar voice pulls her out of her thoughts once again. “Clint.” she sighs, her shoulders dropping. “How are you holding up Natasha?” he says, taking a seat next to her. She scoffs. How is she holding up? You forgot who she is. How would anyone hold up if the love of their life forgot about them?

“Y'know, however, anyone would– feel if such a terrible thing happened to them.” Clint opens his mouth to talk but the woman interrupted him. “What type of shit question is that Clint? I don't.. I don't know what to do without her, okay? Is that what you wanted to hear?” he nods, “Look, they're trying their best. She'll remember. She remembered the kids, soon. Give it time Natasha.”

She turns to the children. “Hey.. buddy go take Ali somewhere and play hm? I thought I saw uncle Tony close by.” the little boy flashes her a bright smile before taking the baby and running off, oblivious to what was going on in front of them.

“Happy birthday Alex!” you say, kissing the 2-year -old boys cheek. “Ew, mommy! That's gwoss I'm not a baby anymore! I’ a big boy!” you laugh and ruffle his hair. “Hey, don't talk to your mother like that Alex.” he lowers his head. “Sowwy mama..” she chuckles, and walks up to you, hugging you from behind. “Hey dekta.” she whispers in your ear.

You smile at her words and pull away from your hug. “Darling! You made it!” she presses her lips to yours, “I wouldn't miss his birthday for the world.” she places gentle hands on your stomach. “How's our baby girl?” you giggle, “I think it's a boy.” she shakes her head. “Well, you're wrong moya lyubov.” she bends down, lightly kissing the top of your belly. “Oh– she kicked!”

You giggle softly, “That soon?” she nodded and got up to pull you closer to her. “We have ourselves a mini Avenger in there hm?” she asks, peppering light kisses to your neck.

“Mommy! Mama! Look, I'm uncle Thor!” the toddler says, standing up on top of the table with a hammer in his hand. You both turn to see what he was talking about. You widen your eyes, “Sweetie put that down!”

“What did you wanna hear? Yeah, Clint, I miss her. But going up to her, and telling her I'm her wife and the same woman who got her pregnant with our 2 kids won't work. Because she doesn't remember me.” her voice started to crack. God, why would she show her emotions like that?

“And telling her, it won't do anything good right now. We'd be back at square one. She's home with the kids, while I'm at a mission and– the fucking Red Room would be watching her. Do you know how that feels? To know that if you went back to the place you call home, being spied on by your greatest fear?” all Clint does is stay quiet and hear her talk.

“Natty.. stop worrying alright? It'll be fine, I don't care. I don't care about your stupid enemies, they could never break us apart. I love you, okay? I love you so much.. our babies are safe. I'm safe, we are safe.” you cup her face, caressing her cheeks. “We're safe?” you nod, and she pulls you into her lap.

“I love you. God– I love you so much Natasha..” she smirks, placing her lips in between your uncovered breasts, kissing your sensitive skin. “I love you so much more dekta.” she brings a hand to your waist to grind your hips against her crotch. “ohh Natasha..” you let out silenced moans in euphoria, rubbing your bare cunt against her clothed bulge.

“Fuck baby–” she groans, the feeling of your warmth overwhelming her. She brings a free hand down, gripping your thigh, gasping softly as her palm comes in contact with your slick skin.

“I miss her. Is that what you wanted to know? I miss my wife. I miss the mother of our children. And she– she doesn't even know who I am. It's my fault okay? If I wasn't out for a mission, I could've been there. I could've saved her. She would've been safe.” her voice was shaky, and her eyes were full of unshed tears.

You woke up confused, lost really. A woman and a man were beside your bed. A hospital room. Why were you in the hospital? “You don't recognize me?” the woman had told you with a nervous laugh.

You shook your head. You didn't know who she was but.. something about the woman drew you to her. Before you could say anything the man dragged the redhead away from the hospital room.

A couple of days after that odd interaction you were still in the hospital. The nurses would run tests on you occasionally, and ask you questions about things.

Except for today. “Mommy!” a little boy runs up to you and hugs your legs. He seemed familiar. You felt like you knew him but..

“'mommy!” a younger girl, she seemed to be 1 or younger. Crawls out from the corner, and hops onto the bed. Then you finally understood, you're their mother. “Alex hey sweetie..” you said to the boy. Did you know his name? Well of course you did, those memories weren't forgotten. Just stored at the very back of your mind.

“Did you get a boo boo mommy?” the toddler says, climbing onto the bed to kiss your forehead. You smile, “No Alex, mommy's fine buddy. Don't worry.” he grins, hugging you tightly. “I had a nightmare yesterday.” he whispers, “Did you have any nightmares mommy?”

You shook your head, “Hm.. I had a dream yesterday.” his little eyes popped out in joy and excitement, “Ooh! A dream? About what? Did you dream of candy? Or ice cream? Or–”

“No, I.. I saw a lady, she had red hair and.. green eyes.” you say, looking at the little boy's facial expression contort into a smile. “You dreamed of mama!”

Mama? Who was this? You were about to question him but then he giggled and ran off out of the room.

“You dreamed of mama!”

Was she the woman you saw beside your bed when you woke up? Was she the mysterious woman in your dream? You couldn't piece it together. As if your mind was scattered. It was scattered. You couldn't tell what was going on, half of the time you were just confused.

[orions-choker]

+:★:+*Chapter One: Whiplash+:★:+*

The beginning of summer, 1983, the Kill ‘Em All for One tour was just about to begin. What should have been the start of months of booze, chicks and music for the boys, turned into a rescue mission. It was no secret to the entirety of the band that James’s family life was strained at best, no one blamed him for not talking about it. It came as a shock to them when James approached the band with a request.

“You have a sister?” was the instantaneous response from Kirk, his brows furrowed in confusion as he sat on the ground of the hot garage, tuning his guitar. “Well okay, I knew you had siblings but aren't they like…kids?”

Lars shook his head “No.” he said voice heavy with his danish accent. “Thats fucking stupid bringing a kid on a metal tour.” there was an unwarranted hint of annoyance in his tone.

James groaned, head falling back with a roll of his eyes. “Shut the fuck up you didn’t even let me finish.” He snapped. His hand ran through his messy blonde locks in exasperation. “Y/N, my youngest sister, she's 18, not a kid, there's no one else to take her in, our brother won't let her stay without me around and I'm not sending her to live with Virgil.” He spat his fathers name in disgust.

“Point stands dude, is it a smart idea to bring a young lady on a tour with a bunch of drunk assholes?” Cliff, ever the voice of reason, finally interjected. “I’m not saying no I just think you should think about it.” He shrugged casually, tossing his hair back behind his shoulders.

“Of course it's not a good idea, I have no other choice though dude.” James sighed. He tossed himself down onto the old couch, head hanging low, hands clasped together. “She's the only family I really care about. I can't let her be homeless right now and god knows I don't have a place for her to stay.”

In an attempt to lighten the mood, Kirk smiled wide, crooked teeth on full display. He raised his hand in the air. “I promise to be on my best behavior then!” It earned him a drumstick to the back of his head. He whipped his head around to lars, clutching at the impact sight. “Dude, the fuck?”

Lars pointed his other drumstick towards James. “I cant fucking believe we’re saying yes to this, you owe us big time man.” He growled, ignoring Kirk’s cries of pain. “And for the record im doing as many drugs as I want and banging as many chicks as I want I dont give a fuck.”

With the conversation settled it was a week later that James’s little sister showed up in front of the old worn down tour bus. Two large duffle bags in tow, the entirety of her belongings packed into those duffle bags. She looked up to her brother, in astonishment, her hazel eyes wide and sparkly.

Despite the sorry state the bus was in, Y/N had declared it to be one of the coolest things she had ever seen. “Woah…” She mumbled as James slung an arm around her small shoulders. She was dressed clad in tight black jeans, her huge combat boots and one of James’s own band shirts.

“Pretty cool right.” James assured her with a small shake before moving towards the door. “Plus the guys agreed you get the master bedroom in the back.” He informed her, helpfully leaving out the fact that Lars had thrown quite the fit when they voted for that.

She smiled sweetly up at her brother, tucking her short messy blonde hair behind her ears, just a few shades lighter than James’s own. “Thanks James…” She sighed softly. “I’m sorry again…” She trailed off awkwardly. It hadn’t been her first choice, but when James informed their older half brother he would be leaving on tour.. All hell broke loose. Y/N was no longer welcome to stay and having freshly graduated highschool she had no chance to get on her feet.

James shook his head, ignoring her apology. Grabbing his own bags he led the two of them to the door of the bus, pushing it open to be greeted by the rambunctious sounds of 3 other men. It died down as the two Hetfield siblings boarded the bus. Y/N’s first instinct was to shrink behind the much taller form of her older brother.

“Y/N, this is Lars, Cliff, and Kirk.” He introduced the boys one by one. Y/N had a lot of thoughts based on first impressions. Taking in the sight of each of them she formed an idea of what their personalities would be like. She did this, she enjoyed making whole stories for a person based on their appearance, always eager to be proven right.

Lars was a spitfire, small and full of pent up energy. He already looked half cut and drunk when her eyes landed on him. She couldn't help but notice there seemed to be a sheen to his skin that the others didn't have, sweaty maybe. The drummer she surmised, drummers were always sweaty.

Cliff oozed calm energy, relaxing even as he sat sprawled across the couch. The cloud of smoke around him implied he was most certainly high but even still she could tell he was a comforting person. Despite this she could see hard calluses across his fingers, he was passionate about his playing for sure.

And Kirk, well…Kirk knocked the wind from her lungs. His dark curious eyes were the first to meet her gaze out of all the boys. His head cocked to the side, dark soft curls framed his face like a sweet halo. His lips were pulled into a small smile, and he waved at her. A wave that sent a pang through Y/N’s heart that was hard to describe. She couldn’t make any assumptions about Kirk, no she wanted to learn everything about him.

Y/N blinked hard, realizing the silence that fell across them, waiting for her introduction. “Shit, sorry, nice to meet you, I'm Y/N.” She greeted them awkwardly, her mouth tugging into an uncomfortable smile. In a desperate attempt to get away from the situation she turned to her brother and in a small whisper she asked. “Can I go to my room now please?”

A frown came over James’s face. “Yeah sure just dont hide in there forever.” He sighed, gesturing towards the back of the bus. Past all the bunks lined up on the side Y/N could see a small sliding door that presumably led to the private room.

She hoisted the duffle bags higher on her arms and with a small nod at each of the boys she scurried past. Not willing to make eye contact with Kirk again as she left. She could hear James talking to the boys.

“Give her time and she’ll open up. It's been a rough couple of years. I don't think she’s all there anymore.” He explained the disappointment evident in his voice. It stung Y/N a little. She was fully aware of her shortcomings in the social department but it still sucked to hear her own brother confirm it,

The bus was small that's for sure, aside from the front cabin that housed the small kitchen and common space there was a total of four bunks, a criminally small bathroom and finally her room the only private room on the whole bus. Even that was lackluster. A double sized bed sat smack in the middle, storage for clothes tucked away underneath, one small window at the head of the bed and a small Tv tucked into a cubby with a tape player.

Y/N wasn’t one to complain, it sure beat homelessness, and ideally she wouldn’t spend too much time cramped up here, if she was going across the entire country she may as well enjoy it. She got to work tucking away her clothes, toiletries and the few trinkets she owned, mainly a few small teddy bears, birthday gifts from her brother. She placed them lovingly against her pillows.

With a lurch the bus moved forward, sending Y/N tumbling against the mattress. She frowned and grumbled. “A little warning would have been nice.” As the later afternoon sun beat down through the back window, Y/N was incredibly thankful for the AC unit working overtime in her room.

She sighed happily, sitting down right in front of it, she had worked up a sweat maneuvering around the small room. She grabbed a small sketch pad from her purse, crossing her legs underneath herself and pulling out a pencil. Art had been her escape for many years, she wasn’t musically inclined like her brother but she was creative nonetheless.

The sky turned dark by the time she finally put the pencil down, her pages were adorned with messy markings, resembling a certain dark haired curly boy. She frowned at the paper, moving to erase a blemish she had made when there was a knock at the door.

Y/N squeaked in surprise, quickly rushing to shove her sketchbook aside before sliding the door open hesitantly. Much to Y/N’s chagrin, she came face to face with Kirk. He held a sweet comforting smile for her, his hand still raised in a knocking motion. Y/N found it hard to breathe again, words escaping her as she got a better view of his face up close. His skin was bare and smooth, a beautiful tan color, a mole on his cheek she never noticed. There were some revisions she would have to make to her drawings.

“Hey, we're stopping at the next McDonalds, want anything?” he asked. The first time she heard his voice and it sounded like the chime of church bells. Boyish and awkward but it dripped with warm honey. She caught sight of his teeth as he spoke, a little sharp, a little crooked. He was endearing in every way. “Y/N?” Her name slipped past his lips like he was made to say it.

Fuck, she was staring again. She coughed awkwardly, averting her gaze. “Uh yeah, I’ll come in with you guys.” She mumbled barely above a whisper. Kirk took a few steps back to allow her to exit her room. She slid the door closed behind her. “Thank you.” As Y/N followed him to the front of the bus she could hear the static-y voices of a movie playing. On the small T.V in the common area was The Amityville Horror. Her eyes lit up in excitement, turning to her brother.

“Why didn’t you come get me?” She asked James, gesturing to the T.V. Her lips pulled into a playful pout. “You know I love this movie, what the hell man.” She jokingly complained to her older brother.

James, with beer in hand, raised his eyebrow at her. “I didn’t put this shit on, Kirk did.” he defended himself, taking a sip of his beverage. Y/N turned to Kirk with a grin, the most emotion she had shown since she stepped foot on the bus earlier that day.

Kirk returned her smile tenfold, his toothy grin finally on full display for Y/N to see. She wanted to memorize that look on his face, memorialize it forever with pencil and paper. “Horror fan?” He asked, excitement evident in his voice.

Y/N scoffed playfully, her eyes rolling in exaggeration. “You don’t even know.” she informed him. “I have an insane collection of tapes I can show you.” This earned her an audible groan from her older brother, clearly haven been subjected to her obsession for a long time.

The bus screeched to a halt, the interior illuminated by the bright yellow of the golden arches outside. Y/N all but clung to Kirk as they piled out into the mostly dead parking lot. Rowdy laughter filled the air as the boys stretched their legs. Y/N and Kirk remained in an animated discussion about the mutual love for all things horror they shared.

Even as they sat down to eat, picking at the warm salt fries, it was like no one else existed in that moment aside from the two of them. They bonded over shared favorite authors and directors. Y/N was quick to pull out an old sketch pad, filled to the brim with her creature concepts, guts, gore and blood decorated the pages.

“Holy crap chick.” Kirk mumbled around a mouthful of his food. “James didn’t tell us you were an artist, this is creepy as shit!” he pointed excitedly to a page of demons, quick to display it to the rest of the table. “It’s incredible.”

The rest of the boys nodded along in agreement, mostly too caught up in their own conversations. Cliff leaned over for a closer look. “You should design some merch for us.” He smiled at Y/N warmly.

Her eyebrows shot up in surprise. She scrambled to retrieve the book from Kirk's hands, clutching it close to her chest. Heat rose to her cheeks, and a sheepish smile tugged at her mouth. “Oh, uh thank you! Maybe when I’m a bit better, these aren't great.” She insisted with a shake of her head.

Kirk rolled his eyes at her, playfully flinging a fry towards her. “They look great, don't sell yourself short.” His affirmation caused the blush on Y/N’s cheeks to grow deeper. Y/N dipped her head in appreciation, finishing the rest of her meal quietly.

Much to the disappointment of everyone aside from Y/N and Kirk, they spent the rest of that evening running through Y/N’s horror film collection. Eventually falling asleep to the background noise of halloween, a tangled mess of bodies and limbs. Y/N pried herself from the couch softly.

She couldn't help but smile fondly as she made her way towards her own room, seeing all the boys curled around each other in awkward positions on the couch. Her eyes lingered on Kirk's peaceful sleeping face, his head resting against Cliff, mouth parted slightly as he snored softly. Silently she thanked her brother for insisting she tag along for this tour, and suddenly it felt like 6 months on the road was far too short.

[42bakery]

this is a random question but what's going on between fermin and pedro acosta??? this is my first year really following moto2 and they used to be best friends but they hate each other now or smt?? i really don't know 😭 thank you in advance, also i love you blog ♡♡

Hi there anon 👋👋👋👋

I'm glad you like my blog, it makes me very happy 🥹😍

It's actually not that random. I had been thinking about it for a long time, and actually there isn't a lot of info about it. I can only make guesses, but yours could be as good as mine because those idiots don't talk about what happened. Pedro refuses to say Fermín's name and he only referrers to him as 'the other rider' or 'him' when he's asked. But then again he went to Dani's 2000s circa rivalry classes. So the less he says a name, the more he considers you his rival. And Fermín does say his name, he actually was team Pedro last year and in Catalunya when Pedro and Alonso made contact he refused to say it was Pedro's fault (neither he blame Alonso, he just stand there and watch Alonso throw Pedro under the bus). Fermín also said Pedro is his rival and one that is an important rival for him.

We know that they aren't in a terrible situation because they hugged each other and talked during the podiums the shared last year. Fermín even tried to share Ramírez champagne bottle with Pedro in one of the podiums before Marcos took it away. Or even this year in Portugal they had a brief moment. And even Pedro's dad went to congratulate Fermín. So definitely there isn't bad blood there.

Now my guess is this. They have been racing against each other for so long, moving on the same categories more or less at the same time that they moved from friends to rivals. That paired with Fermín being younger and moving categories early than Pedro might have pissed Acosta.

Fermín was supposed to debuted in Moto3 in 2020, but the team where he was going to race withdrew leaving him without options. Pedro didn't do it until 2021. That year Pedro won the championship on his rookie season. That same year, Fermín made his debuted in MotoE that kind of helps skip Moto3 and give an opportunity to go to Moto2. Fermín also was doing the European Moto2 championship, where he won all races except the last 2 where he was 2nd and then made his Moto2 debuted in Moto2 replacing Yari Montella. So basically Fermín is younger and is 'making' the debuts a year earlier than Pedro. paired that they are from the same region (50-70 minutes away one from the other more or less) you have the perfect combination. Media has pushed them to be the new Pedrosa-Lorenzo.

So basically it's two kids that have know each other for their whole life in teams that have a beef with each other and forced to be rivals. (I think I saw this film before, anyone is with me?). Whatever Pedro does, Fermín is there to compete with him in being the youngest to do X thing (like a win, a pole, etc), but also outshine him. When people is supposed to talk about what Pedro has done, somehow Fermín does something equally crazy for us to speak about it.

But again anon, this is my guess. Maybe they both have a thing for the same girl and one of them got the date they wanted. Or maybe they tried (or did) date the other's sister and didn't end well. As I said, they don't talk about it. I just get a small summary from Fermín's side and that definitely is biased. He also didn't get into lot of details.

[ssa-atlas-alvez]

Picture Perfect Family

Warnings: death of a pregnant woman (and the fetus - although is referred to as a baby during the fic), emergency c-section, mentions of torture, blood, held hostage, reader holds baby and woman’s hand, that bit is quite sad by the way, hospitals, death, crying 

Word count: 4449

A/N: This was the sad one I kept going on about. Oh, also Amy is 14, Jake is 12, Ethan is 8, and Maisie is 6.

“Alright! Everyone, into the car!” You exclaim, clapping loudly. You smiled as your youngest two children rushed past you, cheering and giggling loudly. You two eldest however, huffed as they stood up, making their way to the car. 

“Why do we have to leave so early? We could just get the bus,” You second eldest, Jake, asked as he walked past.

“I like it! It means we can play longer and see all our friends!” The twelve year old rolled his eyes at his younger brother, Ethan. 

“Don’t roll your eyes at your brother,” You sighed, “Come on, we can talk about the bus later, okay?” You breathed out a sigh of relief when Jake nodded. “Alright, into the car,”

Your youngest, Maisie, runs back to you, hugging your legs, “Don’t worry daddy, I like the car too!”

“Alright, sweet pea, back into the car you go,” You say, leaning down and sweeping her into your arms, “We don’t want you to be late now, do we?” Maisie shook her head. “Amy, come on, we’re going to be late!”

Your eldest, Amy, walked out of the house, bag slung over her shoulder as she typed on her phone. “What have I told you about phones in the morning?”

“Sorry dad,” Amy grins, pecking your cheek before getting into the car. 

“It’s alright sweetheart,” You call after her before sighing. “Anna?”

“Yes babe?” Your wife, Anna, waddles into the room, one hand on her stomach, the other on her lower back, “Everyone ready?”

“Yep,” You answer, proud grin, you peck her cheek, "I've got everything under control." 

A scream and a sob came from the car. "Except that, one moment," You say as you jog out the door, "kids? Everything okay?"

"Jake took my toy!" 

"It's mine!"

"Hey, don't make me keep it for Chloe," You threaten lightly, both you and the children knowing you would never. 

"I thought her name was Charlotte," 

"That's because it is," Anna chimed, appearing behind you, you jumped, placing a hand on your chest. 

"Jesus," You muttered, "No, I'm pretty sure she's a Chloe."

"What would you know?" Anna challenged, "She's not growing inside you," You simply give her a look, she rolls her eyes. "If you don't leave now, you'll be late," 

You looked at the time with wide eyes, "Shi- Snickerdoodles!" Ethan and Maise both giggle loudly, “Hey, don’t laugh at your dad or he’ll drink all the chocolate milk before you get back,” At their gasps you add an evil laugh.

“Get in the car you goof,” Anna laughs, pecking your lips quickly. “Or you’ll be late.”

“Yes Ma’am!” You say, giving her a smile before hopping into the car (hitting your head as you did) - she still managed to make you act like a drunk-in-love teenage boy. Even after all these years. 

When you dropped the kids off to school, you made it to the BAU in record time, you sighed, placing your bag on the floor and letting yourself fall into your chair. 

“We’ve got a case,” Garcia said, walking quickly to the round table room, “It’s a bad one,”

Everyone shot up quickly, following Garcia into the round table room, sitting in their respective seats. You got up relatively slowly, ignoring Morgan and Emily snorting at you, JJ gave you a sympathetic look, “Long morning?”

“I’m on school runs,” You answered, trying your best not to yawn, the pair of you joined the rest of the team, sitting at the round table. 

“This sick s.o.b is abducting women and torturing them for a day - it was originally three days but he’s devolving,” Garcia said, clicking the remote so the respected photos come up, “He then calls their significant other and gives them an address so they can try to save her. The significant others get there before they pass, however the wounds are always too extensive and so nothing can be done and they pass before the EMTs get there,” 

Your stomach clenches when you imagine yourself in their position. You shove the thought out of your head and focus back on the case. “Where’s the case?”

“Right here,”

It had been kind of a bust so far, it had been a day and you had pretty much nothing. None of the leads you had found led to anything that could be used, at the end of the day, you all sighed, getting ready to head home for a few hours of sleep before starting afresh. “A body just turned up,”

You didn’t get home until three, Anna and the kids fast asleep. You sighed, making your way into bed, if you were lucky, you’d get two and a half hours sleep before you’d have to wake up to prepare everything before the kids woke up at six. 

You repeated the same routine as yesterday but with less energy, as the kids all sat eating breakfast, Anna wrapped her arms around you, “What time did you get in?” She asked softly.

“Three,” You mumbled, turning around and resting your head on her shoulder, taking in her scent. “I do love you,” You mutter, she gives a small laugh.

“You’re delirious,”

“Deliriously in love with you,”

“That doesn’t even make any sense.” 

“It does to me,” 

“Stop procrastinating and drive the kids to school,” Anna laughed, giving you a gentle shove towards the door.

“I love you!” You exclaim as you shoo the children out of the house and into the care. 

Soon enough, you're back at work. “You look like hell,” Morgan chuckled when you walked into the bullpen.

“You do the school run for four kids with a pregnant wife on two and a half hours sleep,” You defended, gratefully taking the cup of coffee off of Reid and immediately taking a sip despite it burning your tongue. 

Three leads later, you still had next to nothing. You groaned, placing your head on the table, checking your phone for any messages from Anna. Nothing. You tried your best to ignore the feeling forming in your stomach and put the phone down and don’t pick it up again until lunch time. You tried phoning twice at lunch, then tried two more times half an hour after lunch on two fake toilet breaks (you think the team was starting to think you had eaten something dodgy) and still nothing. 

“Anna, hey,” You sigh into the phone yet again for the sixth time in the last hour and a half. “I just want to check in and make sure you’re okay, please let me know, I love you… This is (Y/N) by the way, alright, love you, bye,” You hung up the phone, tapping it against your palm before heading over to Hotch. 

“Everything okay?” He asked when you approached him. 

“It’s probably nothing, but Anna’s not been answering her phone,” You answer. 

“Alright,” Hotch says with a nod, “How about you go pick your kids up from school and check on them and you can check up on Anna as well?”

You nodded, thankful he suggested that, “Thank you,” You said, he gave a small smile as he nodded.

“Of course,” He answered. You walked back to your desk, grabbing your bag and making a beeline to your car. 

You make pickup on time and your kids all smile widely at you when they see you waiting. They’re all in the car, buckled in and you start driving. The phone rings when you’re about five minutes into the forty minute drive, and you answer it, placing it against your ear after quickly glancing at the name.

“Anna? Thank god, are you okay?” Silence. “Anna?”

“That’s her name, huh? She did tell me, but I thought she was lying.” Your blood runs cold.

“Who is this?”

“What?” Your voice is hoarse.

“Not important.” The man’s voice sounds through the phone.

"You're the unsub we've been looking for, aren't you?" You ask quietly, not wanting your children to hear.

"Yes."

"Let me take her place." You say, "Surely that's more satisfying, an FBI agent, hm?"

"I find this so much more gratifying,"

"Please let me take her place."

“Its too late, your wife is currently bleeding out.”

“She’s in the warehouse on third street.” He said. “Better hurry.”

When the line goes dead, you immediately dial Hotch. He picks up after the second ring. “Hotch, I need you to go to this address, Amy’s sending it through to you now, as well as the phone number he used in case Garcia can track it. He took her, I’ve got the kids in the car, I can’t drop them off anywhere. I’m parking round the block, I’m going to need one of you to get them while I go to Anna,”

“(Y/N), no,” Hotch ordered, “You need to stay where you are.”

“Hotch, I’m not not going to her,” You snap, you don’t have time for this. “I don’t have time for this. Go to the address.” And with that, you hang up and step on the accelerator. Within minutes, you’ve arrived close to the address, you’d go the rest of the way (only a few meters on foot, you didn’t want the children near the unsub, near danger, just in case). You kill the engine. 

“I need you all to listen to me,” You turned, facing your children, a serious look on your face. “I need you all to stay in the car, alright? The team is on their way, I want you all to hide in the back, do not move until one of the team is here - the ones you know, alright? Derek, Hotch, JJ, Penelope, Spencer, Rossi, Emily, okay? Do you understand me?”

Amy sniffed, nodding, “We understand,”

“Okay, take the keys, lock yourselves in,” You said, swallowing as you hand Amy the key, “Take care of each other, stay quiet, and I love you, alright?” When they nod, you give them one more reassuring smile before getting out of the car, shutting the door behind you, not leaving until you hear the reassuring click of the locks. 

Grabbing your gun, you began to jog towards the warehouse. You made sure to watch your step as you weaved in and out of the shelves. Eventually, you hit an opening where the stairs stopped. About ten feet of space was left in the room. About two feet ahead of you lay a body. A figure, motionless on the floor.

Your blood ran cold, no no no, please don't be her. Anyone but her, god, please. You come to a standstill when you reach the body, falling to your knees, pulling her frame close to yours. Her body limp. Your eyes widened seeing various wounds seeping with blood. You needed to put pressure on the wound - wounds. You shrugged your jacket off, balling it up and pressed it against the wounds tightly. Your heart dropped when she didn’t seem to notice.

"Baby?" You asked softly, "Baby please," When her eyes fluttered open, you forced yourself to smile - wiping away your tears that fell onto her pale cheeks. “Hey, there’s those eyes,” You whispered with a smile.

“(Y/N)?” Anna mumbled, looking up at you. Her face was red, neck had a deep bruise along it. You felt anger surge in the bottom of your stomach as you made out the unsub’s handprint. You flicked your eyes back up to Anna’s. 

“Yeah baby, it’s me,”

“It hurts,” She whimpered quietly.

“I know, I know it does baby,” You whisper, planting a soft kiss on her head. “I know, but medics are on their way, you just need to hold on, okay?” Anna let out a hum as she nodded. 

Anna cried out in pain as she shifted, “I know, I know, I’ve got you,” You mumbled, her arms reached for your hand squeezing it desperately. “I’ve got you,”

“You’ve ‘lways got me,” Anna hummed. 

“Yeah, baby, I’ve always got you,” You mutter, “I’ve always got you, I’ll never let you go, you hear me? Never.”

Your head shot up to look at Morgan and Hotch as they run in, “How far out are they?”

“Six minutes,” Hotch answered grimly. She wouldn’t make it that long. You took a breath, looking back down at Anna.

“Anna? Darling, I need you to hold on for six more minutes,” You whispered. 

“I can’t,” She replied softly, eyes already beginning to flutter shut again. “‘M so tired,”

“I know,” You replied, “But you can sleep when you get to the hospital after they’ve fixed you up, you just need to hang on until then, okay?”

“Hmm,” Anna gave a small hum.

“Anna? Anna, I need you to open your eyes for me, baby?” You said softly, gently shaking her shoulder, “Come on Anna, please. Six more minutes, just six more minutes baby, okay?”

“Dad?” Your head snapped up, Amy, your eldest daughter. Not yet even fifteen, clutching her eight year old brother’s hand in her left and her six year old sister’s in the right, Jake, barely twelve years old, also holding Maisie’s hand.

“Dad, what happened?” Jake spoke next. Your mouth was dry. What were you supposed to say?

“Daddy, is mummy okay?” Maisie’s voice snapped you out of your thoughts.

“Get them out of here,” You mumbled, head snapping to Hotch and Morgan, “Get them out of here, now!” The pair had already begun to guide them all out of the room, your children protesting loudly. You dropped your head to your chest, a tear falling before you sniffed and blinked, focusing back on your wife. “Anna? Can you hear me? I need you to last a few minutes. Just a few more-” You reach a hand up, gently stroking her face, “Please baby, I can’t do this without you.”

Anna’s eyes flickered open and she smiled softly at you, reaching a hand up, she stroked the skin underneath your eye, “You’ve got such pretty eyes,” She muttered, voice pained, “Love you,” Your eyes widened when the hand on your cheek went limp, falling to her chest. 

“Sir? Sir, I need you to move,” Your head snapped up. Paramedics. You nodded, scrambling up.

“Er, female, thirty five, multiple wounds, um- she-”

“It’s okay, your colleagues filled us in.” One of the paramedics said, before turning to Anna.

“Save her. Please.”

“We’ll do everything we can.” 

“Please.” You say once more. “I can’t do this without her.”

A hand gently rests on your shoulder, “Let’s give them some space to work.” Hotch. You nod, letting him guide you out of the room, into the one next door. He knew you wouldn’t be able to be level headed with your children for a moment. “Just let it all out, whatever you need to do, do it.” He said, “I’ll be outside.” He knew not to leave you alone right now, but wanted to give you the space you needed. 

When he’s gone you collapse onto the floor, now that you were alone, your strength had immediately left you. You just sit there, for a minute. You could still feel the warmth of her hand, her blood soaked your hands and your clothes. How were you supposed to talk to your kids like this? You wipe the blood off your hands, onto your shirt.  

When you emerge from the room, Hotch looks at you softly, “I’ll drive you to the hospital,”

You don’t argue, simply nodding and whispering a thank you as you begin to follow him out of the building. “Can I borrow your jacket?” You ask hesitantly, “I don’t want the kids to see-” You motion to the blood on your shirt. Hotch nods and immediately shrugs it off, handing it to you with a small smile. You quickly throw it on and zip it up, you needed to see your kids. They’re all sat in the back of a separate ambulance, all huddled together with a blanket wrapped around them all. Guilt pangs at your chest. You should be there, comforting them. 

JJ leaves their side, leaving them in the protection of Morgan and heads over to you and Hotch. You give a weak smile as she approaches you. “JJ, can- can you and Garcia watch them?” You say, running a hand over your face. “I’ll talk to them, but then I need to- I need to go to the hospital,”

“Hey,” JJ says softly, placing a hand on your arm, “Of course we’ll watch them.” She turns her gaze to Hotch, “Keep us updated.” Hotch gives her a nod.

You take a deep breath before heading over to your children, the two younger ones are crying and you can tell Amy and Jake are trying to keep it together for their younger siblings. Morgan leaves you, knowing that this is a private family moment, but he places a comforting hand on your shoulder as he passes you. “How is she?”

“We don’t know,” You answer honestly, “I’m heading to the hospital, you’re going to go with Aunty Penny and Aunty JJ, they’re going to look after you. But I’ll make sure you all know what’s going on, okay?”

“We’re not going with them-”

“We need to go with you-”

“I want mummy-”

“Where’s mummy-”

You take a sharp breath, “Hey, I know you want her, and you want to go,” You say softly, “But I don’t know how long it’s going to be before we know anything and you can’t all stay there,”

“It’s alright, dad,” Amy says, voice filled with anxiety, “We’ll go with Aunty Penny and Aunty JJ,”

“Thank you,” You reply, placing a kiss on each of their heads. “Uncle Aaron’s driving me to the hospital, I’ll call soon, okay?” When they nod, you turn to JJ who comes up to your children with a reassuring smile, ushering them all into your car. Handing her the keys, you give her a small thank you before you head over to Hotch. 

The receptionist motions for you to wait in the waiting room, you’re not happy about it, but there’s not exactly anything you can do, so you take a seat whilst Hotch thanks her for her time and joins you. You’re a mess, leg constantly bouncing, biting at your nails, picking at your skin, anything you could do to try and manage your anxiety, you were doing. Hotch didn’t say anything, he simply let you cope however you needed to. 

When the doctor arrives, half an hour later, you feel your stomach swirl. This was too soon, surely they’d take longer to do the surgery? He motions for you both to follow him, he leads you into a separate room, asking you to take a seat. You refuse with the shake of your head. No. You needed to stand, you couldn’t sit still right now. You watch as the doctor takes a deep breath.

“I’m sorry for your loss.” You can’t give yourself time to grieve. Not now.

You look up at the doctor, “And the baby?” The look he gives you feels suffocating, throat tightening. You felt like you couldn’t breathe. “Can I see her? Please.” He looks hesitant, but nods nonetheless. 

“Before you do, we tried to save the baby, we performed an emergency c-section…” The doctor trails off, unsure how to continue.

“Am I able to see her too?” 

“Of course.” Hotch gives you an encouraging nod, telling you he’d be right outside if you needed anything, you gave a small nod of thanks and then walked into the room.

Anna’s pale, laid neatly on the table. They’ve covered her, but the doctor pulls down the cloth so you can see her face and neck - stopping at her chest, and resting on her chest is your baby girl, laid softly. She looks peaceful, almost like she’s sleeping. The doctor turns to leave. 

“Can I-” You pause for a moment, “Am I able to hold her?”

The doctor gives you a sympathetic smile and nods, explaining you’d need to wear an apron, mask, and gloves and you fumble these on as quickly as you can. You gather your baby, placing her on your chest as you sit down on a close by chair, supporting her head as you do. You move the cloth ever so slightly to reveal Anna’s hand, clutching it in yours, pulling a stool next to you - knowing that you would not be ready to leave her for a while. 

“I am so sorry, baby,” Are the first words out of your mouth. “I tried to get there as soon as possible, I swear, I tried so fucking hard.” You press on, ignoring how it wavers. You needed to say this. She needs to know. 

“The kids were in the car, I- I got to you as soon as I could, I tried to stop the bleeding, I tried everything- And I’m so so sorry you didn’t get to see the outside world, little one,” You say, rubbing your thumb in soothing circles over your baby’s back. “I’m so sorry, you would have been a force to be reckoned with and I’m sorry I wasn’t good enough to save you.”

You turned your gaze to the baby on your chest. “I know I wanted to name her Chloe, but you’re right, Charlotte is so much better.” You half expect Anna to laugh, pointing at you with a smirk exclaiming how she knew it, that she was right. “I think Charlotte is a beautiful name and suits her wonderfully. And I think she would have accomplished the most amazing things if she was given the chance.” 

You sat in silence for a moment. “So much for saving others, huh?” You laugh bitterly, “I help save all these people but I couldn’t even save you.” 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t good enough.” You don’t know how long it’s been, but it must have been a while. 

“I have no idea what to tell the kids,” You mumble, “How do I tell them this? How can I even begin to explain what happened? What you went through? When I got the call I begged him to let you go, begging him to let me take your place. And they saw, they snuck past JJ and they saw you. I don’t know how much they saw, but they saw you and I’m so sorry, I can’t begin to tell you how sorry I am, I tried so hard but fell short - yet again.” 

More time passes before the door opens. “(Y/N)?” You turn to the voice.

“Would have thought you’d have gone home by now,” You comment quietly. Hotch shakes his head. 

“Garcia phoned, they’re asking for you.”

“How- What do I even tell them? How do I even tell them?”

“I don’t know.” 

You stand up, hesitant. You didn’t want to go. But you knew your other children needed you, Charlotte had her mother protecting her, she would be okay. You place her back on her mother’s chest. She’s clean, they both are. And so, you press a delicate kiss on each of their foreheads.

“Goodbye for now, I love you both so so much, and I am so so sorry.”

As you’re walking to the door, you’re trying desperately to stem the tears but you can’t find it in you to care too much. You rip the gloves, mask, and apron off and dump them in the nearest PPE bin before turning to Hotch. Hotch also insists on driving you back to your house, it only made sense considering you didn’t have your car with you.

You unlock the door, letting Hotch go in first. You’re procrastinating, he knows it and you know it. But he doesn’t say anything. You walk into the living room and JJ and Garcia leave with Hotch, making their way into the kitchen, probably to make some tea for the adults and some chocolate milk for the children. 

You kneel down in front of them, taking a deep breath. “Mummy was really really hurt,” You began, ignoring how your voice breaks. Amy sniffs, already knowing where this was going. “And the doctors and nurses did everything they could, but she didn’t make it.”

“She’s not coming back?” Ethan asks softly.

You shake your head, “No, sweetheart, she’s not,”

“And Charlotte?” Amy asks, she always was one to take her mother’s side when it came to picking her siblings’ names. You turned your head towards her, she’s crying, they all are. You gently shake your head. Their crying turns louder until they’re sobbing.

“I know, I know,” You mumbled, gathering them all into your arms, “I know, I’ve got you,” You don’t let yourself cry yet. Not yet. You could grieve when you knew your children were okay. You had to make sure they were okay. One by one, the younger children start to drift to sleep, Maisie first, then Ethan, and then Jake. You turn to Amy, still sobbing gently into your shoulder, “I know,” You mumble, “I know,”

She sobs for a moment later before sitting up, facing you, she doesn’t bother to wipe the tears from her cheeks. “Dad?” 

“Yeah, sweetheart?”

“It’s not your fault.” Her voice is strong, “This isn’t your fault.” You blink back the tears, taking in a deep breath. 

“Thank you,” Your voice isn’t as strong and you pull her into her arms. 

“We’ll manage,” She whispers, “It’ll be hard, but we’ll manage.”

Soon enough, Amy’s asleep too. You shift carefully, moving them one by one and soon, they’re all laid comfortably on the couch and you stand, making your way slowly to the kitchen. You needed something to drink, you were hungry but you don’t think you can manage anything to eat just yet. So you settle for orange juice. 

You furrowed your eyebrows, seeing Hotch sat at the counter, reading something on his phone. “You should go home.” You mumble, walking past him and to the fridge. 

“JJ and Garcia made tea but it’s probably cold by now,” He said softly, “They also made chocolate milk for the kids, I put it in the fridge when they left - they said sorry for leaving but Will was swamped with the kids and Garcia needed to feed Sergio.”

You give an awkward smile, “Thanks, for everything,” You say, turning to the fridge. Your breath leaves you for a moment when you see a note on the fridge from Anna:

‘Don’t forget lunch again, you doofus! Xx’ 

You knew you’d cry eventually, that it would catch up with you and when it did, it wouldn’t be pretty. But you really didn’t think you’d be on your kitchen floor, sobbing, with Hotch trying to comfort you. Definitely not how you were expecting it to happen. “I miss them, I already miss them so fucking much,” You mumble, “How am I supposed to cope? It hurts, Hotch, it physically fucking hurts,”

“I know,” Hotch mumbled, “I’m here, shh, I’m here,”

[beaker1636]

Just because I thought it might be fun I figured here’s a walk down memory lane aka the times I’ve gotten to meet my favorite musicians!

First up we have 2 of the 4 members of a kids cover group, I know not actually famous but it made Miss Bree obsessed with getting to meet members of the bands I went to see 🤣

Then we have the first time I met my all time favorite singer and musician, my absolute fucking idol, Tom Keifer of Cinderella. The man’s story of having all the surgeries to continue doing what he loves and preform is a true story of a man who loves making music. I got him to write a set of lyrics in his own handwriting for my tattoo and I also made him laugh by panicking and went holy shit you’re Tom Keifer and he was like yeah that’s my name, and I have a photo of him laughing at me saying that! It was totally accidental, I walked right into the dude after the show!

Next up I met 2/4 members of Jackyl, they played at the Surf Ballroom which is a venue that legit is a hard wood finished ballroom (known as buddy hollys last place he played in before dying.). I slipped on some beer that was spilled, smashed my face on the stage in front of the bassist Roman’s feet. I was the DD and was waiting for everyone to show up and their tour bus pulled up next to me as they were leaving.

Next is Tom Keifer again! This time I was at a show of his that was much smaller and got him to announce my pregnancy with my son to my aunts who were with me, I got a little onesie for my son and his merch girl made sure to get it to him before the VIP so he could give it to me for his “youngest” fan in front of my family. I have a video of it somewhere and it’s one of the cutest moments of my life! Spent half the set after puking my guts out because morning sickness but 🤷‍♀️

And the last one I have a photo with is motionless in white, my favorite band! we legit got so lucky. The vip was sold out for our show and a few weeks later I went to check it in a depressive episode and somehow got through and got two… for the show on my friends birthday. I went skipping in super excited, got next to Vinny who was the first one near me and bawled my eyes out almost instantly in sheer panic. Him and Ricky gave me huge hugs, Chris liked my makeup, I made them all laugh by saying we were making my husband stand outside with our merch while we did this.

Some honorable mentions I don’t have photos of: Steven Pearcy of Ratt, he was drunk as fuck and the photo turned into garbage.

Brett Michaels in a random gas station when I was like 10, no clue where my grandpa has that photo.

Ted Nugent with my father, yes he’s a raging asshole but my father loves Ted so we jumped on the chance to see him together.

Aaron Carter, not on purpose, he played a show at my college and came into the bar I was working at after and I happened to be the bartender on duty.

and the best experience that I’m super bummed our phones were both dead: my husband and I went to chicago for our honeymoon, and we’re going to a rock festival out there. The entire fucking lineup of the festival stayed in our hotel, we watched the busses come rolling in and decided to hang out in the lobby. We got to meet and talk to: Shinedown, Jellyroll, Saliva, and Juliet Simms. But we just had gotten back for the day when they showed up so we have no photos 😫. Best day ever man!

This was a fun little walk down memory lane for me, I know there isn’t that many people listed but I legit live in the middle of nowhere iowa, 3+ hours away from the nearest venue for shows so I’d say I didn’t do half bad through the years 🤣

Who have y’all met before?

[milkhoney531]

Personal rant, cancer, abuse, suicidal thoughts

So, today, last year, my mom died from cancer.

My mom and I didn't have a great relationship. A lot of mixed feelings. She liked a carefully curated version of me that she made up out of my existing traits. She liked the me that is good with kids, creative, helpful, got good grades, responsible, and that pretended to be a straight girl.

I liked the mom I had before I came out at 13. The one that was supportive, that pretended to be pro lgbt (until it was her kids), the one that was kind and didn't try to use my abuse against me or threaten to throw me out at any little inconvenience.

My mom loved a specifically crafted version of me and I loved a mom that I learned didn't exist. That didn't exist for me. But that version of mom existed for my siblings. After her death, I learned they got an even nicer version. A real version. One that would take care of my siblings when they were sick, cheer them up when they were sad, and even taught them secret recipes or told them family secrets.

Things she never did with me. If I was sick, even if I had a fever and was vomiting, she never believed me and would send me to school or when I was too old for her to force me she would belittle me, doubt me, tell me I was throwing away my future, and wouldn't ever help me. When I was sad, down right depressed or suicidal, she turned a blind eye or told me to suck it up.

But for my siblings, if they were sick she would take care of them. She would feed them, put on movies, let them play video games, let them relax. Not me. I had to clean and I had to do nothing but lay in bed or do homework. If my siblings were sad, she would comfort them and do something special with them. Not me, never me.

No matter what I did for her or the family, I was always unworthy because of who I was. Because I have autism, because I'm not cis, because I'm not straight.

I think she saw my mere existence as a slight against her.

I was only worthy of her if I went above and beyond to serve her and the family, even if that ment I was left off worse.

Like how in middle school I had to leave school early, by myself, to walk home rain or thunderstorm to get home before my siblings so i could care for the dogs, get dinner started, do the chores, and help my siblings with their homework.

Once there was even a really bad thunderstorm, the town was literally flooded, lightning was striking everywhere and I walked home in that. I took my usual shortcut through the park and a family of skunks just walked past me like I wasn't there. I didnt have an umbrella at least. I was soaked head to toe. I got home, changed, and did my normal routine. My siblings didn't walk home and were able to take the bus. When my mom got home she asked why I didn't call anyone to pick me up. I lied and said my phone died, but in truth, I didn't think anyone would pick me up, I didn't think that was an option. If I ever needed help or would like it, I was told to figure things out myself. So I did because I had learned that I'm not worthy of being helped, that if I had to rely on anyone else for anything, that I should prepare to be disappointed. That I shouldn't expect or bother to ask for help.

Honestly, when I went to college, I was planning to never come back home. I was planning how to take my siblings out of her custody because while I was gone, my little sister started getting hit by my mom.

But she got cancer and I dropped everything. I came back to help. I helped so my two youngest siblings wouldn't have to worry. So they could have more of their childhood. A childhood I never got.

She died May 16th, 2022. And I still don't know how I feel about her. So I didnt write today. Writing a story about surviving prolonged abuse and one about angels and demons was too close to home, especially today. So, I tried to sleep away this day, only to fail.

[bishopknight0517]

In a house that not a home

Dad driving me to be alone

Where did it all go wrong, where did I get the mental that I have

A dad that drank, a regular Robert Downey Jr

Every night downing beer and liquor, waking up sicker

Hating and yelling at his wife and kids

Blowing his lid, making us feel like shit

Hey wait, we’re not done yet

Do you want me to continue, bet

Imagine taking the cruelest, most unhinged shit talking

Venom always on his tongue while he’s walking

The devil in his eyes gripping on his mind

Can’t wait until the night, a liquor bottle is going to be mine

Have I ever told you I loved you today

No, because I hate you, mentally, the youngest is going to pay

You can’t do anything right

The light landscape outside, isn’t the same dark painting inside at night

Dumbasses, see if I don’t grab the fucking belt

The hate in his eyes can be physically felt, as the leather continues to pelt

Our asses leaving black and blue

Why are you still crying you little bitch, I thought you grew

I’m only fourteen

Wanting to stay at school for any activity, like go team

Grown before I should’ve been

My mental state becoming thin and lean

Body shaking as I see

The end for me and the separation of my family

Three times at the edge of the cliff

Safety off with a fucking click

All this going on two years after I was a man

Man, what a shit fucking hand

Crying myself to sleep without making a peep

Sneaking out with friends to smoke on a leaf

School becoming more like a home

My mind slowly breaking like a bone

Walk off the school bus

Stiffening up like a robot gathering rust

Heart beating wildly in my chest

Just have to make it to dinner than I get to rest

Nope, got called to the office

I guess, it’s normal for a dad to say he’s going yo bitch slap you to the floor, it’s a test

Death on my mind, there’s nothing but black

Imagining myself being buried on my back

Dad is acting out of wack

My grades being tracked, angry and lied to

Thought lying to him was a sly move

Bring chocked against my doorframe

In pain, dad should feel shame

I’ll beat your ass unconscious, don’t fuck with me unless

You want to be on the couch or out of the house you fucking pest

Feeling down, feeling low

Having to enter the house and tip toe

Floors made out of eggshells

Ringing of the bell, a one sided boxing match until begged and fell

Distancing myself, death became a close friend

Crying to him, all I want is for all of this to end

[lyokotyper95]

Lin and Suyin: School Day

Suyin stands in front of a mirror thats sitting atop a dresser. Holding a pink brush, she lightly brushed her curls out beside her face. She placed it down on the dresser and smiles

“You know Lin, you could stand to look in the mirror and take pride in your appearance more”

Lin, who was packing her school bag, rolled her eyes

“I don’t care about appearances. So long as I pass my classes, I could care less”

Suyin turned to Lin

“Ever the book worm. Maybe if you tried hard enough you’d have a boyfriend right”

“You mean like those criminals you hang around with?”

Suyin stomped her foot

“They’re not criminals! You’re just jealous that I have a life and you’re just some boring girl who wants to be a cop!”

Lin zipped her bag and glared at Suyin. She stood up and the strap onto her shoulder

“Keep that up and I might end up arresting you some day”

She walked out their room. Suyin crossed her arms huffed in frustration

Lin walked downstairs. At the kitchen table she saw a cup of coffee laid out for her. She held the up by its handle and quickly sipped it down. She wipes her mouth with a napkin and throws it out in a trash bin. Looking back at the staircase, Suyin makes her way downstairs. She runs toward the table and sits down

“I’m so glad mom can whip up a good meal!” she says while munching on some eggs

“Just make sure you finish so you can catch the bus. Speaking of which”

Lin looks down at her wrist watch

“It’s gonna be here in 5 minutes!”

“Looks like you’re gonna be late miss smarty pants”

“You should take school more seriously! Better than wasting time in petty crimes”

Suyin waved her hand was she continued to eat. Sighing, Lin stormed out the house slamming the door behind her

She makes her way briskly down the street. A grey bus is stopped down by the block. Lin rushes down the block, reaching the bus just before the door closes. Catching her breathe, she steps onto the bus

“Made it just in time Lin”

Lin wipes her forehead

“Thanks. I only wish my stupid sister would come with me”

The bus driver laughed

“She’s just bein a kid. I’m sure she’ll end up like you some day!”

“If only”

Lin showed her student pass and then walked to sit down on a seat. She looks back down the block. The bus takes off as she pulls farther away from her home.

She opens out her bag and pulls out a book. She flips to a bookmark and reads silently. Kicking her feet lightly back and forth, she noticed a student out the corner of her eye. The boy looks over at her and Lin immediately looks back at her book, blushing deeply. The boy makes his way over to her

“Hey Lin”

Lin glances up at him

“Hi…”

“C’mon don’t be nervous and hide behind your book”

The boy sits down next to her. Lin shudders and blushed harder

“So, I guess Su didn’t come this time?”

Lin marked her book and closed it

“You know the drill. She’d rather be lazy while our mom just looks the other way”

“It sounds like a lot for you. Dealing with that everyday”

“It is. Sometimes i just wish I was part of a different family”

“Same here. Being the youngest of 2 older brothers leaves you bruised. Here”

The buy raised his green jacket sleeve. Under a white sleeve is a red bump

“How’s you get that?”

“I got into a fight with my brother after he stole my candy. But it was after I snuck into his room last night?”

“Why’d you do that?”

“Guess I just wanted to mess with him”

“I think you fit fine into your family”

“Maybe I do”

The two laughed. Lin stared into his green eyes. His tan skin against his dark spiky hair that falls against his face causes her to melt

“So, you wanna go somewhere after school?”

“I don’t know. I promised my mom I’d visit her at the station”

“Ah. Officer training?”

“Yeah. I really want to be an officer”

“But why?”

Lin sighs

“You know why Makin”

“Just because you become a cop, doesn’t mean your mom will change how she feels”

Lin lowers her eyebrows

“I know that…”

The bus slows down

“Alright. I’m at Metalion High”

“Looks like we’d better get off”

Lin nodded

“Yeah…”

“Did I upset you?”

“No it’s fine. Let’s go”

The two hop off the bus and walk toward the entrance. Makin opens the door for Lin. They step inside and they stip by Lin’s locker

“I’ll see you in science class. And I’m sorry about what I said”

Lin shook her head

“It’s fine. I’ll see you later”

“Later Lin”

Makin winked as he walked to his locker. Lin blushed as she opened up her locker. As she was putting her books inside, her heart sank

“Oh no. I forgot my science test book!”

Part 2

Suyin has finished her meal. As she’s about to step out, she stops herself

“Darn! I forgot my hair pin!”

She rushes back upstairs. She retrieves her pin from on her dresser. As she turns to leave, she sees a book on Lin’s bed. She walks over to it

“Biology: The study of Plants, People, and Life. Great, she left it behind”

Suyin picks it up with her hands

“I can’t believe she holds this in her bag almost everyday. It’s so heavy! But she is gonna freak if she doesn’t have it”

Suyin checks the clock

“I’ll be late, but I can make it”

Suyin carries Lin’s text book and rushes downstairs

[moonlit-orchid]

Okay, time to explain.

So I'm visiting London with my family. Yesterday, i went for a walk with my brother and sister. We're staying in a pretty residental area and i wanted to go to somewhere with more shops and stuff.

My sister decided Hey let's go to Elephant and Castle. It's half an hour on foot, but we've walked half an hour before, and it didn't seem that far. I feel like pointing out that I have zero geographical knowledge so I thought it really wasn't that far. Were we heading down there later to my family friends'? Yes. But my sister's logic was that we weren't going to the same area as the shops so I was like Ok Fine.

But my sister insisted we take the underground trains. And the thing is, we never actually took the underground without our parents. We weren't sure if our father (he's the one who makes most decisions about this stuff because he actually knows what places are like and whether it's safe or not) would like us three going on the underground, with one small adult, a teen girl, and a preteen boy. It doesn't exactly seem safe. Plus there's all those stories of stuff happening. And we are only visiting, so its not like we have experience of the underground. In any case we weren't exactly allowed to take the underground. Especially not to a location when we were meant to be on a walk.

Also there was no signal so it would worry the hell out of our mum if no one answered her calls.

I was dumb and agreed to take the train. My sister sold it was a 5 minute ride, just in and out, which we could easily dismiss.

Ha ha.

It took 20 minutes to top up my Oyster card because i firstly didn't know how to stick in my bank card, and THEN didn't remember my pin because I use contactless, so I've never put in my pin, and there was no signal so i couldnt check it on my app. My sister decided to pay and bought my brother a child's ticket.

Then we had to take TWO trains. And that took like 10 to 15 minutes. We'd already been underground for over half an hour which is a long time for some kids who never really took the underground alone (my sister and I have once, but that was a return to the flat the last visit we had and it was much quicker and smoother than this mess).

And THEN we were running around platforms for 10 minutes trying to find stairs to leave because lifts make me sick (which wouldn't have happened if my sister let us use the FIRST set of emergency stairs to begin with. We left using emergency stairs anyway- there's no emergency door or alarm there really it's more of a back exit).

By the time we were out we were exhausted and THEN our mother phoned and she was not happy that we were so far away. I hadn't told her about the train. Also she was feeling sick and my youngest brother, who is 5 and autistic, was being difficult. So she wasn't very happy to start with. And we had to take a bus home at once.

At the flat I told her what happened, and she was pretty calm but also very stunned and disappointed that we did something that stupid and dangerous (I fully agree with her- it was dangerous for inexperienced visitors who all are barely more than children to go on the tube for so long and also have no signal and ALSO do it without telling anyone or getting permission) and then she asked my sister to give her side of the story.

That girl had a full on meltdown and began yelling. She does this a lot so it was nothing new for us.

This time though, my mum was done with her antics. She knows her to know that it's near impossible for me to stand up to her or say no so she wasn't blaming me or my brother (who we really just dragged around, poor kid). And when my dad came from his walk, she told him we went on the underground without permission.

My dad looked at me and I immediately said "it wasn't my idea". He asked me whose it was, and I just told him to guess- I didn't want to directly incriminate my sister even though it was her fault. He knew exactly who it was and went and went to my sister (who was very busy lying on the makeshift bed on the floor with her eyes closed pretending she was sick) and asked her if it was her idea but she said nothing. My dad didn't say anything and he dropped me, my mum, and my youngest brother at our family friend's house, and he didn't say anything at all. I tested his mood when I said goodbye and he spoke in a fairly normal voice with me so I guessed he wasn't too mad at me. That's the last I've seen of him since.

Because he went home to our city due to work!

He apparently came to the flat because he forgot a thing but didn't say anything to my sister. I don't know what will happen when we see him again, but I know it's her he's mad at. She's been difficult for the past year, just throwing tantrums, verbally abusing me and my mum, and refusing to obey house rules. I'm going to admit my parents are a bit on the stricter side, but my family is pretty religious too and the strictness is in accordance to that, and I fully understand and agree with their rules (except when my mum says I can't order bubble tea :( it's not THAT unhealthy... or pricey...I think). My sister on the other hand is rebelling against even the smallest of things, and doesn't understand how to respect others' boundaries while demanding ludicrous ones to be followed for herself, and is basically a nightmare to live with. She's been a nightmare since yesterday and is more busy victimising herself instead of accepting she screwed up a bit like me and my brother did.

Anyway, that's what happened yesterday. Usually when we make our parents really mad we get our phones confiscated for a day or two (that's really all they do) so I was expecting that to happen to I decided to post that. My anxiety made it seem more dramatic and serious than it actually was, but that's what being the oldest daughter does lol. Thank you to everyone who sent me their well wishes and sorry about worrying you all! It was one of those things that seem more serious at the time than it actually was X3

If i disappear from tumblr for a while its because i got dragged into something and am being punished along with the actual perpetrator.

I dont know yet cause im waiting for my dad who's gonna handle this situation

But let me put it on record i am NOT guilty of anything except for being guilty of being manipulated by a bully.

wish me luck

[takenbyheartstrings]

FIVE WEEKS.

summary: Tom Holland hates you and you don't know why. Yet, you've had a crush on him for almost all your life despite the known fact. When Tom needs a place to stay because of filming... Tom changes... and so does your relationship.

pairing: Tom Holland x fem!reader

warnings: SMUT (extended warnings under cut), pretty angsty, fluff, tom being an a-hole, some corny moments and not proofread either.

word count: 15.2k (A LONG ONE, i literally could not stop myself idk what happened.)

extended smut warnings: p in v (protected), fingering, oral (fem), that's pr much it, very vanilla tbh but it was their first time so nothing too flashy.

PROLOUGE – "FIVE WEEKS."

You and Tom had been through a lot to get to the point you were at today. Sometimes thinking about it makes you burst out crying when he’s away because you miss him so much that your heart aches for him... and if he doesn’t answer your texts, you’re miserable. It’s like there’s a part of your heart that’s missing.... you simply can’t live without Tom.

But it wasn’t always that way.

Not at all.

There was a time where you preferred to live without Tom. You understand why he had acted that way, because he had told you... but now it’s strange to think about the before. The before of your relationship. The before of him loving you – because truth be told, you always loved him. From the youngest age you ever could.

You inhaled a deep breath as you sat at the dinner table with the Hollands – family friends. Your parents got along swimmingly. You were closer to Harry and Sam, always hanging out with them as kids – the three of you were like glue, stuck side by side. Paddy was a kind boy, but the two of you didn’t have too much to talk about because of the age difference, though, the two of you did bond over video games, always making an effort to play the new ones when they came out. Whether it be over the console or in person. Your job as a history teacher allowed you to have a flexible schedule.

Albeit you and Tom were the closest in age, with you being a year younger than him. The two of you were supposed to get along. That’s all your parents wanted. But for some strange reason, you could never really crack him, like you had the others.

You were a single child and Dom, and Nikki were like your second parents. You lived next door, so there wasn’t a time where you didn’t see the Hollands. Not a day in your life hadn’t gone by where you didn’t sit next to Tom on the bus, despite, him telling you to leave him alone. You weren’t friends and you were so sure that you never would be.

You wanted to be his friend. But thirteen-year-old you didn’t understand the concept of hating someone like Tom hated you. It made you doubt yourself. Constantly thinking you were in the wrong, apologising after every other sentence because you were always afraid of offending someone.

You met Tom’s eyes from across the table, wanting to say something, but knowing he’d just shoot you down anyway. You were both adults now, it was silly that he couldn’t put this hatred aside. You didn’t even know why he hated you. He just did. It was always like you were a thorn in his side.

“So, how’s work...?” You question him – he’d just started filming No Way Home.

Your students always went crazy when you told them you knew Tom. Working in a high school down in London, teaching teenagers, you always heard people go crazy over these things - going to the premieres because you were supposed to be close with the actor was cool. You enjoyed the movies – just sucks you’re only invited as a curtsey and not because he wants you there.

It was crazy that you had Zendaya’s phone number in your phone – she actually likes you, yet Tom puts up that same front when he’s around his friends. You like to pretend it’s real, even though you know it’s not. Even though it’s far from it.

He shakes his head, “What’s it to you?” He shrugs, his tone sharp – it makes you jump a little, but you just look back down at your food.

You sigh, “Nothing, just- just trying to make conversation.” You fight through your sadness, flashing him a small smile. The pang in your heart was like a knife.

Like every single time he had ever shut down a conversation with you, it was like a knife to the fucking heart.

You had feelings for Tom. It was fucked up because he was always mean to you. But you loved Tom before you even knew what the word really meant. You had other boyfriends and they all loved you... but it wasn’t the same. You knew Tom would never love you back, and you tried to move on, but it was no use. No matter how many mean things he could say to you, you’d always look past it... because it’s him.

He hadn’t always been meaning, it mostly started when you got into High-School. You were thirteen and he was fourteen. You had no other friends, so you’d follow Tom around. He’d always push you away, though. It sucked, because even if you, Sam, and Harry were all close, they weren’t old enough to be in the same grade as you, so... you were all alone.

You weren’t popular in school, not like Tom was. Yet, everyone knew who you were by association. Some of the girls at school were jealous of you, and some of them made fun of you. But you just ignored it – you didn’t have very many friends in high school. University, was, however, a turning point. You met your best friend Angel who worked in the same faculty as you. You’d been teaching for four years, and you loved it so much more than you could ever have imagined.

You stand from the table, your plate banging, creating a loud noise, everyone’s attention turned to you, “Sorry... ‘M gonna go grab another drink.” You say softly, turning to the kitchen. You stepped inside, making your way to the fridge where you put your glass to the water and ice dispenser.

Taking a sip of the water, you placed your elbows on the counter, “Get it together, y/n.”

“You alright, darling?” You heard the familiar voice, as you turned to face Nikki with a soft smile.

“Perfect.” You say with reassurance, but it doesn’t really cut through the sadness of your tone.

She pouts, “What’s wrong? Is it Tom?”

You nod, tears brimming your eyes, “It’s so stupid, I’m twenty-four years old, you think I’d get a grip, right?” A dry chuckle escapes you without another thought, “I know not everyone can like me... but I’ve known him for all my life.”

She places a hand on your arm, “I’m sorry... I wish I could change it. Change him. I don’t know why he acts so cruel towards you. He’s not a hateful person.”

You nod, “That’s what sucks the most... I know he’s not. He’s kind, he’s charming, he’s sweet. He helps people and he doesn’t need an ulterior motive. He’s someone to look up to, but I’m the exception.”

She pulls you into a hug, “I’m sorry, hun.”

You shake your head against her hold, “Don’t be... It’s not your fault.”

You’re sitting in your room after your chat with Nikki, thinking about your talk with her. It’s painful. You’re laying back flat on your bed, staring up at the ceiling. ‘I’m old enough to deal with this’. Is all you can think to yourself, it’s all you can muster the courage to believe. That this is all your fault, and you were the burden in Tom’s life. You must’ve done something to make him hate you and you can’t think about what it is... honestly, it makes you miserable.

His hair looks soft, and his arms look warm, but his heart is cold toward you... and yet, you still want to find yourself twirling around those strands of brown curls or cuddled up in his arms. Your attraction to him was what would kill you.

You always thought you and Tom would be endgame. When you were sixteen, you thought Tom hating you would just be a phase. You tried to congratulate him on him being Spider-Man, and he was nice to you then, but that hadn’t last long at all.

Your childhood room was a sight for sore eyes. One of the walls was pink and your bedsheets were a bright blue. You came over quite frequently, so your parents figured they’d just leave it the way it was – posters of Anakin Skywalker and all. You turned to plunge your face into the pillow below your head.

A knock on your door makes you jump but you don’t budge, “Who’s there?”

“It’s me.” Harry speaks from the other side of the door.

“Come in!” You call, flipping yourself back over.

Harry steps into the room with a soft smile as he stares at your figure, “Get up you big baby, they need you downstairs.”

You sit up slowly, a suspicious glare in your eyes, “What for?”

“You’re not gonna like it.” He says simply, grabbing your hand.

“What for, Harry?!” You question your friend once more as he pulls you down the stairs back to the dining table where Tom’s head is in his hands. Everyone is staring at you, “What’s going on?” You ask everyone.

Tom opens his mouth, “Well, there’s a few scenes we’re doing here in London for the new movie... and I need a place to stay.”

You scoff, looking down at Tom with shock, “And nobody here can offer you that but me? What about Haz!”

“Too far from set.”

“What about your parents!”

“Y/n if I could stay with my parents I would.”

“Harry, Sam?” You look over to them, desperately needing help.

“No can do, we live on campus.” They respond with a pitiful glance.

“And what makes you think I’d help you after the way you treat me?”

He sighs, “It’ll be like I’m not even there.”

“That still doesn’t answer my question, Tom!”

Nikki places a hand on your shoulder, “Y/n, please take this into consideration... maybe the two of you will end up bonding.”

“Over what?” Tom asks his mother, “I’m only doing this because I have to. Not because I want to.”

“Thomas! Stop being rude!” His mother scolds him.

You look back into Nikki’s eyes, tears brimming, “Fine... I’ll... I’ll do it.” You look down at your fingers, toying with the paint on your nails, picking at them, “How long are you filming here for?”

“Five weeks.” He says quiet.

You and Tom were in your car driving back to your place in London. It was a three-hour car ride from your neighbourhood to your current place and there was some traffic. Tom spotted your lanyard hanging off of your mirror, covered in a different array of pins from your favourite movies and a couple keys. Tom knew you were a teacher. But sitting in your car staring at your life from the inside was different to just looking at you from the outside.

Tom saw you every few months, today was just a random family dinner because Tom was back in the UK and his parents insisted on it. He usually saw you on your birthday and you saw him on his, and Harrys and Sam and Paddy’s, basically, you were there for everything... Christmas included.

Tom knew why he hated you back in Primary school, he knew why he hated you back in high school. Now? He wasn’t quite sure. He was a grown man. He could get over it. But it was weird... but that was only because he made it weird.

You were honestly lucky you had a spare room. It’s not like you wanted Tom to be here. You didn’t want to live with someone who would make your life miserable... but maybe Nikki was right, maybe you’d be able to patch things up with him.

The radio was the only sound in the car, apart from the wheels on the road, and the tension in the air was thick and tense. Like someone was waiting to snap – you had a backbone too. You fought back too. Even if you had some feelings for him, it’s not like you don’t resent him; resent everything he says to you.

The bump of your driveway had approached. Your house was quaint, Tom’s bags in the boot of your car, “I’ll carry your bags inside just... open the front door.” You told the boy as you turned your car off, handing him the keys.

“It’s fine, I can take care of my own bags.” He shrugs.

You turn to face him, “Tom, please. Just go inside.”

You don’t say anything else before getting out of the car. You’ve got shit to do and the fact that it was a Sunday night didn’t help either – you had assignments to finish marking and your deadline was in a few days. That’s why you were glad you had a spare room that was prepared. Not because you didn’t want to set up – you were nice, you wouldn’t have him fend for himself. But because you couldn’t afford to help him at this current moment.

Tom doesn’t argue with you anymore than he already had. Probably regretting asking you to stay here already.

The door was unlocked as Tom turned the key opening the door and locating the hallway light. Waiting for you in the doorway. His two carry ons in your hands, awfully heavy for one person... but he was staying for five weeks.

WEEK ONE – OPENING UP.

After getting Tom settled into his room an showing him around a bit – which was quite awkward, you found yourself getting changed and heading backdown stairs to sit at your kitchen table, which was a mess to say the least. Sprawled with papers and papers of assignments and old exams. Your laptop looked like it was on its last life, and you did too.

Sitting down, you placed some earbuds into your ears getting ready for a long night of marking papers.

Tom walked downstairs to find you, and saw you, legs crossed hunched over, red pen in hand. He didn’t want to disturb you, but the bathroom was out of toilet paper. Tom approaches you slowly. It was different now. There was no reason to be rude to you or mean... you gave him a place to stay. But it was his nature, and Tom couldn’t help it.

You’re slightly startled, “What?” you question him taking out an earbud.

“Your bathroom is out of toilet paper.” He sighs.

“No, it’s not.”

“Don’t believe me? Go take a fucking look for yourself.”

You take out your headphones throwing them down onto the table with a huff, making your way upstairs and into your bathroom, opening the cabinet where you keep your toilet paper... seeing that you are out. Downstairs was hopeless too.

“Fuck...” you mutter softly, “Well, I’d better go get some then, maybe do the grocery shopping too.”

It wasn’t too late at night, nine thirty to be precises, and supermarkets wouldn’t be closed at this time. Most shops weren’t. You grab your keys from your kitchen table and the grocery list from off of the fridge – Tom following behind you.

“What’re you doing?” You question him, tone full of spite. The hallway was dim and staring into his eyes only made you fall harder – no matter the fact that he resented you.

He rolls his eyes, “What does it look like I’m doing, Bunny?”

You get mad at the nickname – it’s what he used to call you in school, because you were timid and quiet. You didn’t have very many friends and Tom took advantage of that. Making you feel smaller than you were before. Trying to push you away – purposely pushing you away.

“Don’t call me that.” You say as you open your front door.

The ride to the grocery store is short. But Tom looks at you as you drive. Thinking about all those times he called you Bunny as a kid. Thinking about all the times he had made you cry. Tom also thought about the first time he saw you after he finished filming Civil War and Homecoming. He hadn’t seen you in a long time and when he did... you were different.

You were more mature. Your hair was longer, and your smile had been brighter. Your style was more evolved, and you strayed away from the cringey t-shirts with those weird quotes. He watches the light of the street on your face and watches how you’re so focused when you drive. Tom hadn’t realised you drove a manual when he got in the car, but now he had seen, and he was slightly impressed – not many people can still do that.

He thinks about how you were teenagers, how you used to follow him because you had no one and he would push you away. How he didn’t want to be your friend. Getting that slight closer insight into your life makes you more 3D and even though he’d known you his whole life he didn’t want to know you.

You could feel his eyes on you, but when he turned away you felt like something is missing. You shook the feeling off as you pulled up to the grocery store. You parked the car and stepped out looking at your list.

“...So do you wanna divide and conquer or do you want to do it together?” You questioned Tom, “We’d get it done faster if we divide and conquer but I don’t really care,”

Tom takes a deep breath before nodding, “We should do it together then.”

You give lipped smile, “Sure.”

Grabbing a trolley, the two of you make your way into the aisle, “So, what’s first?” Tom questions you, his elbows on the trolley as he pushes.

“Well, I need milk and eggs, so we can head to the freezer aisle,” You lead him over, “Now that you’re staying with me, I should probably double up, huh?” You laugh and Tom chuckles.

“Bacon?” He questions looking over at the fridge.

“Sure.” You nod softly.

As the two of you continue you found yourselves becoming more civil. Tom hadn’t been rude since the dinner earlier and something about all this domestic crap made your stomachs warm. The two of you continued through the aisles, collecting things on your list. Tom pushed the trolley as you grabbed things and put it inside. It was a nice system and although Tom had his hood up just in case, it was kinda nice to be spending time with him like this. It was sweet. He was being sweet.

Part of you hoped it was all just a dream, that you’d wake up and realise it was all in your head despite knowing it’s real. Tom’s never been like this towards you, and you don’t know exactly why that’s changed. You want to know why it’s changed.

When the two of you reached the counter, you pulled out your wallet, but Tom had already paid off the hundreds dollar worth of groceries that would keep you both well fed for most of the next five weeks.

You let out a groan as you slam your pen onto your kitchen table, Tom looks over from the couch at you with worry, standing up to join you at your table, “What’s wrong?”

“What’s it matter to you?” You snap, “It’s not like you’d care.”

Tom sighs, “C’mon, Y/n... I know you better than this. I know that you bottled up your emotions. I’ve seen it all my life.”

“Wonder why.” You mutter under your breath before looking up at Tom – he heard you, but decided not to press on the issue, “I’m fine, Tom, really. Drop it.”

He shakes his head, grabbing the paper in front of you, letting out a low whistle, “and I thought I was bad in school.”

“Hey!” you wack him from across the table, “History isn’t Jeramiah’s best subject, but he does really well in everything else... just mine.”

Tom senses how upset you are, looking over at you with a frown, “I’m sure you’re a good teacher.”

“I know I am!” You raise your voice, “I know I’m a good teacher, okay? Everyone tells me that!”

He looks at you with sadness as you yell, but he keeps his mouth shut as you deflate again, “Just sometimes... I look at kids like Jeremiah and I think to myself, why are you doing so good in everything else... but my subject? Is it me? Is it him? Does he need help? Do I need to change the way I teach.”

Tom smiles softly, “Remember when we were in high school, and there was this massive history test, and I was failing history, so you offered to help me... I was mean to you, but you really helped me... I never told you, but I passed that test.”

“You did? You never mentioned it, so I thought you failed or something, but you passed! I know it was like ten years ago but I’m proud of you, Tom! You struggled with that so much.”

He gives a bashful smile looking down at his lap, “See, if you could teach me, you can teach anyone... maybe he just needs a little push!”

You look at Tom across from the dinner table with a hesitant smile, “Thanks, Tom.”

Opening up Tom felt good... but it also felt horrible. Like you were giving him leverage against you... but you ignore the feeling.

WEEK TWO – GUILTY CONSCIENCE.

Tom had been on set for the past few days, and he was right, you barely saw him. The conversation the two of you had the week before had settled into your head. Tom had really brought you some words of comfort, he’d come home late and tired, so he’d see you working on marking the homework you had set, bidding you a short hello before heading over to bed.

Something about him not talking to you or something about you not seeing Tom had been weird. The first week he had been living with you had been much more prominent. He’d been around more – sometimes he’d cook, or you’d come home, and the house was clean, bathrooms and all.

Living with Tom... it hadn’t been as bad as you expected it to be. He was kinder, sweeter – he was finally treating you the same way he treated everyone else. With warmth. With the love in his heart, you knew he had – but you could only wonder why he was doing this. Why he had changed all his views from the past in the past seven days.

Tom had a day off today and offered to drive you to school, “Thanks for driving me.” You smile at Tom, “You didn’t have to do this.”

He scoffs, “Please, you’re impressive, you deserve a break even if it’s for a few minutes to work.”

You feel flush at Tom’s words, “What do you mean ‘impressive’?” You quirk an eyebrow.

He shrugs, “I dunno, your life just seems so hectic.”

“Not as much as yours Mr. Peter Parker.” You sigh, sinking into your seat a little bit, “I don’t know how you deal with all that pressure from people who don’t even know you.”

“Exactly the point.” Tom smiles softly, “They don’t know me, and I don’t know them... sometimes, I get nightmares of the paparazzi, flashing lights and I feel like I can’t move... like all lights and eyes are on me and if I do something wrong then my life will be over.”

You look over at Tom, your expression sorrow, “People aren’t perfect, Tom. You’re not a perfect person.” You try to offer a smile, but he just keeps his eyes on the road as he comes to a stop.

“I’ll be okay.”

“Miss L/n!” Was called out to you by one of your students as you sat at your desk, “Who dropped you off this morning?”

Ellie – a sweet girl, but way too invested in her teacher’s love lives, “Just a friend.” You answered somewhat honestly.

“What was his name?!” India questions you.

You sigh, “If I told you, I’d have to fail you.” Your students go wide eyed and shut up about the topic – if you told them Tom Holland had driven you to school, they’d react in a crazy way when he came to come get you again. Your phone buzzed, “Get back to work guys!”

Is it alright if you come on set with me? It’s on the way to pick you up and if I drop you off, I’d be late.

Tom’s text is followed by another text.

If not, that’s okay, I’ll risk getting in trouble for you.

Something about his text sent a shiver down your spine. You knew he was just being nice, but god, was it working. Was he buttering you up like this. It was worth it, all the things you were feeling, even if your heart would get ripped out of your chest once again. Like it did every single time. You smile down at your phone regardless.

You liked this new Tom. You liked the way he was treating you and even if it was just for a few weeks, you appreciated that he didn’t go out of his way to make your life hell while he lived in your house... He was a good house guest.

Sure... I’d love to see the movie magic.

Tom smiles down at his phone as he sits in your living room, anxiously waiting picking you up from school. It’s all he can think about. Seeing you again.

Tom’s mind was going crazy. He’d never felt this way for you before, but in living with you he’s learnt more about you than he has in the past twenty years of his life. He feels his heart get warm around you, but he also feels all this guilt for treating you like shit since you were in high school. He was stupid. It was all stupid. He had no reason... but he did. He was insecure of you.

When three o’clock rolled around, you ran out the doors of the school, not wanting to make Tom any late to set than he already was. You jumped into the car, which shocked Tom but you didn’t want to be late... you also didn’t want your students to see Tom driving.

“Do you want to be late to your job?” You scoff.

He chuckles, “What is with you?”

“Just drive, Tom!” You raise your voice.

As the two of you get moving you finally relax. You didn’t want to tell Tom why you were so insistent on leaving. Why you needed to go so bad, “My students, they asked who dropped me off this morning.”

“Oh.” Tom whispers, “What’d you tell them?”

“A friend dropped me off...”

“Cool.” He mutters softly.

“They know I know you, but I didn’t want you to be swarmed, y’know?”

“I... appreciate that.” Tom nods.

“Yeah.”

“Yeah.”

The air between you and Tom had shifted over the past week. It was strange and weird, and you hated it, but you also wanted this so bad. You think back to how you were at dinner last week and all you could think about was how broken you were over him. How your heart ached for him to just like you.

Tom’s set really wasn’t too far from your school, as promised, but you could understand why he would’ve been late if he dropped you off home. In fact, you were kinda glad you came to see Tom work.

“You can hang out in my trailer, or you can sit on set if you want.” He says softly, staring into your eyes.

You feel your stomach go warm, “That sounds good to me.” A smile takes over your face as you get out of the car, slightly nervous.

“I’ve gotta head to makeup so, you can come with me if you want.”

“I’d like that... to be fair, right now I don’t really want to leave your side in fear of getting lost.”

You trail behind Tom feeling odd in your blouse and pencil skirt, his smile graces the set as you can see people still putting things together and people running around with purpose, and it was admirable. How this whole world worked. You’ve spoken to Tom’s castmates multiple times. Jacob was quite nice and Haz introduced you to him – even though Haz and Tom are best friends, he always was the one to apologise on his behalf or tell Tom to stop when he was being too mean to you. You two stayed in contact a lot. You had first met Zendaya at the Homecoming premiere, and a couple times after that when she was at some of Tom’s birthday parties, which you went to only because of Harry, Sam and Haz. Other than the fact that your parents made you go.

Walking into makeup you were met with the sight of Zendaya sitting in her makeup chair and her eyes light up as she sees you, “Hey, Y/n!” Her smile is warm – she is beautiful.

You smile back at her, “Hi, Z.” Your face feels warm as she reaches over to give you her hand since she can’t exactly give you a hug.

“What’re you doing here?” She questions you as she looks over at Tom who’s getting himself set in his chair.

“Well, Tom’s staying with me during the whole five weeks you’re out here... I’m closer to set than most hotels and Tom’s a friend, so we decided I’d do him a favour.” You bite your lip nervously.

Tom smiles, “An absolute darling, we went shopping the other day...” Tom speaks but you zone out as you stare at him, looking at him with all the love in your heart that you can possibly even muster. He’s beautiful as he gets his face pampered with blood and cuts. Purple bruises and a bloodshot eye. How can he still look so pretty like this? Dishevelled, beat up. It’s not real, maybe that’s why – because you know it’s not real.

Tom turns to you, “Y/n?”

His voice snaps you out of your thoughts, making you blink a few times before sending him a smile, “Yeah?”

“Do you mind spoilers?”

You shrug, “Not really... I kinda love them. It makes the final part more exciting if I’m being honest.”

Watching Tom work was... it was sexy, to say the least. How he did flips and his own stunts, hooked up to the wires, but also immensely focused and that suit... it was making you feel things you hadn’t felt before. How you could still see the outline of his abs through the thin material. The set wasn’t on a normal movie set, like concrete buildings. It was outside, so the darker it got, the colder it would get too. Zendaya and Jacob weren’t in this next scene, so they were sitting with you, as you marked a couple papers you had brought in your bag with you, watching as you marked the answers with ease.

“So, how’re things with Tom?” Zendaya asks you out of nowhere and you look up in surprise, brushing a piece of hair out of your face.

“What do you mean?” You question her, with a slight shiver as her and Jacob look to each other before looking back at you.

“It’s just that he’s been... nicer.” Jacob shrugs, “We’ve seen how he’s treated you.”

You stop holding your breath, sinking into Tom’s chair a little, “God, I don’t know... it’s like he’s an alien or something... he’s been living for me for two weeks and he’s been nicer to me then, than he has ever been in my whole life.” You sigh, “He’s not a bad person... he’s just bad to me.”

You watch Tom as he does another flip, chatting with the crew, laughing, and you don’t feel yourself smile, you don’t feel yourself get warm. But you are anyway. You are hopelessly in love with him and the way he’s treating you isn’t helping. He’s not supposed to make you fall harder for him. He’s supposed to be mean – remind you that it’s not okay to feel the way you do for him. But he’s not sending you any bad signs anymore.

You don’t notice that Jaxob and Zendaya are being called back to set until Jacob places a hand on your arm, “Come by set more often... we like having you here, Y/n.” He smiles.

“Thanks, Jacob.” You grin as he walks over to Tom with a smile.

Zendaya wraps her arms around you from behind, “Don’t be afraid to send a message, okay? I know we don’t know each other well, but I want to get to know you better.”

You rub her arm with a small smile, “That... that means a lot.” You nod against her, as she lets go, the warmth of her body leaves you all alone with your homework once more. You flick through them again. A shiver running down your body once more.

Pulling out your phone you notice the time: Seven O’clock, it reads. You sigh as you question when Tom will be done. But it seems the universe is answering that question for you as he walks over to you with a proud smile.

“How’d you like that?” He questions you.

The chatter in your teeth is barely there, but it’s noticeable when you talk, “G-Great, Tom, you did really well.”

“Holy shit, let me get you a jacket and then we’ll head out of here. I got what I needed for the day, so, I’m not needed here anymore.” He smiles.

He pulls you back to his trailer which is warm, “Maybe I should’ve sat in here.” You laugh.

“Yeah, but then you wouldn’t have had the chance to see some of the movie and my incredible stunts.”

“Your ego always this big?” You question, your tone playful.

He looks back at you, holding one of his hoodies, “Only when I feel this great, bunny.” He winks. The nickname catches you off guard. Not because he said it, but because of how he said it. His tone full of endearment and charm. His voice wasn’t cutthroat rude, like it usually was... and it was certainly an adjustment for you.

You take the hoodie from his hands, sliding it over your head, “Thanks.”

“I’m gonna be a bit longer cause I gotta get out of the suit and stuff, but you can stay in here.” He smiles and you nod. Leaving you all by yourself in the trailer, you flop onto the bed that sits in the corner.

Sleep takes over, your vision going black, as you fade off into the realm of dreams.

Tom walks back into his trailer, all snug in another jumper and a pair of sweatpants. He looks at you, his eyes are soft. He looks at how peaceful you look; he hears your soft snores echo in the room. He sees how you just collapsed. Your things on the table, how tired you must be. He commends you for your work. He knows you have hard days. He sees that in your moods and your laughs, how sometimes you’re not fully there or zoned out. How your fingers are often stained with red ink.

Tom doesn’t realise it, but he feels himself smile down at you. Brushing some of the hair out of your face to get a better look at you. How you still look so beautiful. How you’re still the kindest person he knows – how despite how rude he had been to you; you always went out of your way to be nice or help him anyway. All he feels is guilt.

All he feels is guilt because of how easy it is to like you. All he feels is guilt because you’ve given him a place to stay. All he feels is guilt because he treated you like shit when he could’ve had a good friend. All he feels is guilt because he let some stupid feelings get in the way when the two of you were younger. All he feels is guilt because he was the insecure one. All he feels is guilt because it was never your fault. All he feels is guilt because you weren’t the one to hate... it was him; he should hate himself – he does hate himself.

All he feels is guilt, as he carries you back to the car.

WEEK THREE – THE PAST & THE PRESENT.

Your presence on set had become a lot more noticeable in the afternoons. Usually, it was just to get a better change of pace and mark somewhere unfamiliar rather than your shitty kitchen table which you had cried at, a number of times. Zendaya was also pretty good with History, and she has some well enough knowledge to help you sometimes.

That’s where you were at right now, you and Zendaya, sitting in Tom’s trailer as you both hold red pens, “Do you have a favourite student?” She questions you as the two of you draw ticks and crosses.

You laugh, “I’m supposed to say that I don’t, but there’s this group of girls in year eleven that have my heart... they picked history, so they’re so passionate about it. They make conversation with me. They love to learn about me, and they also love to learn the content. They’re good at the subject and they brighten my day when they walk in the room.”

You sigh, “Given, there’s kids like that in every grade... it’s tough to find the ones who know what their passions are. Some people don’t know, and that’s okay.”

She smiles, “That seems nice. They seem lovely... how’d you know you wanted to become a teacher? I always kinda knew I wanted to do acting, from a young age I was a performer... dance recitals, drama school...” She trails off.

You chuckle, “It was actually after helping Tom... he was never the best at school, he wasn’t awfully bad, but history was his worst subject. I was fourteen and I always had my head in that kind of stuff. I think I’ve seen every single documentary that the History channel has put out in the last thirty years.” You shrug, “Given I do have time for other stuff... I found myself interested. So, when Tom needed help because he was failing History at the time, he came to me for help.”

You bite your lip softly, “I had a massive crush on him...” You brace yourself for the truth, “I have a massive crush on him... had for a long time, but he was always so mean to me, but regardless, I helped him anyway. I’d never say no to him. Even now. But I helped tutor him and it worked... I only found out that he passed a couple weeks ago, ‘cause he told me. But I didn’t know if he had at the time... all I knew is that I enjoyed teaching him. Regardless of all the spite that came out of his mouth whilst I did.”

Zendaya grabs your hand from across the table, “From what I can tell, Tom’s really changed.”

You nod, hesitant, “He... he has, but part of me doesn’t want to believe it.” You look down at her hand wrapped around yours, “I don’t want to get my hopes up when he goes back to how he was.”

“You think he will?”

“I... don’t know.” You let out a huff as she lets go of your hand – deciding not to press the issue any further. A breeze blows through the window, “Fuck it’s cold...” You laugh.

Zendaya laughs too, the two of you spending time in each other’s company – she feels like a good friend. A real friend.

Tom was sat in your room, staring at all the posters around. John Wick on your wall, and Anakin Skywalker too. You had one of Thor and another of Poe Dameron. He thought it was kinda creepy, but the posters he had in his room weren’t any better. In comparison to the photos, he had with his friends, he couldn’t see very many of yours, except for a photo of you, Harry and Sam at the beach without Tom. Your smile was bright and so were his brothers. Tom’s jaw clenched at the picture, but his thoughts were interrupted at you walking into the room.

As he swivelled the desk chair over to face you, he caught sight of your shelves. How they were littered in history books – both Modern and Ancient, and the other side of your room had posters of different artefacts that you had gotten from the British Museum. He thinks you go there way too much, but what does he have in the say?

You set down a cup of water for Tom as you grab a couple of the books off of your shelf, “So I’m not quite familiar with what you’re doing in as much depth as you probably are, but you said it was Ancient Egypt, so I know a lot about that. We can look at the syllabus and some extra books that I’ve got lying around and if information doesn’t really sink in now, I can email you a couple documentaries.” You catch yourself rambling as you look down, your voice slightly hushed, “...If you want... sorry.”

Tom looks at you, and you can’t see the way his eyes are soft as he stares down at you. He didn’t know how you did it. You were only fifteen and knew so much about this stuff. He thinks about how he knows so much about soccer and rugby. How he knows so much about Marvel... though you’re the same in that region – he honestly doesn’t know how you intake so much information into your brain.

Tom never truly hated you. He just had resentment toward you. It was stupid and he’d never tell you why because of that. At some point, it just became easier to keep shooting insults at you – it became a second nature... and he was honestly surprised when you had agreed to help him because if he was being honest, he’d never do the same for you... so he wondered why you said yes when you had every right to say no... but he never asked. It didn’t seem worth it like that... Not then anyway.

Tom scoffs, crossing his arms, “Doesn’t matter, I just need enough information to be able to pass.”

You nod softly as you read over the curriculum, getting up and grabbing a couple books from your shelf, bringing them back to the table as Tom takes out his own textbook, “Oh good! You brought your textbook.”

He furrows his eyebrows, “Why wouldn’t I? I asked you to help me study, didn’t I?”

You feel your face get hot, “Right... yeah... sorry.”

“Stop apologising, it’s annoying.” He sighs opening his textbook to the information he knows you need. You go to open your mouth to apologise but keep it shut as he hands you the textbook, your eyes skim over it.

Tom eyes skim over you as you do so. He watches how you read, your eyes flicking, how fast you go. How pieces of hair fall in front of your face and how it takes everything not to brush them away from your eyes so he can see them better. He felt weird as he watched you. He felt his stomach flutter and his heart pound... he felt nervous too. Like if he got something wrong, you’d make fun of him or tease him or hold it against him. But he also knew you were way too nice to do that. As he watches you highlight a couple sentences in the textbook and pull out a book on Ancient Egypt with different coloured tabs.

As you flip through the book, he also notices different pen colours littered throughout and he feels his cheeks go warm. To desperately get rid of the flush, he takes a sip of his water. You slam the two books down in front of him, “I guess we can start here... how much do you know?”

“Barely anything...” He sighs, air escaping through the thins of his lips. The air is different now, as you reach over to turn on the lamp. The sky outside getting darker as you smile softly.

“Let’s get started then.” Your smile brightens your bedroom, as Tom looks at you, his face is in slight scowl, but his heart is in full flip.

Tom thought about that day quite frequently, when he looked you from across the dinner table. When he shot something mean at you... and the other day, when he carried you to the car. Zendaya saw what he had done, and she knew that your worries about Tom hating you when this was all over were just your paranoia. Your trust issues with Tom. But anyone watching the way Tom looks at you knows that he won’t. That he simply just cannot bring himself to hate you again.

Tom was on set today whilst you were in class, and you received a message from Zendaya, a photo of him on set with her and Jacob. It was cute, and you found yourself missing Tom. Unfortunately for you, you forgot that you were teaching your Year Eleven class.

“Miss L/n, what’re you smiling at?” Ellie questions you.

You sigh, “Something a friend sent me.”

“That same friend who drove you to school?” India asks, wiggling her eyebrows.

You deadpan them, “Girls, do your work.”

Cali pipes up, “C’mon miss! Please just give us any insight.” She basically groans.

“Like I told you last time, if I tell you, I’ll fail you.” You chuck them a playful glare, “But for your information, he’s a very close friend.”

“Do you like him?” Ellie asks.

You let out a soft sigh, “I’d be lying if I said I didn’t... now do your work!”

The girls go back to doing their work and the only thing on your mind is getting home to Tom. You think about his scent – how he smells of wood and oak. Cinnamon and mint. It makes you want to melt – it also makes your thighs clench just thinking about him. How he comes back all sweaty from a run as you sit at the kitchen table and he walks through the front door, shirt sticking to his chest. You bite your lip as you look down at the papers in front of you, furrowing your eyebrows to make it look like you’re frustrated with the content in front of you – like you’re focused. But really? Your mind is anywhere else but here.

Tom promised you a movie night tonight... sure, he was a little late, but he was still here, “Sorry. I got caught up on set doing an extra tape.”

You laugh, taking a piece of popcorn, “Tom, I told you, it’s fine... you don’t have to keep explaining yourself.”

He shrugs, “I just want you to know that I’m sorry.”

You chuckle, “And I know that, and it’s okay... really, Tom.” You wrap your arms around his torso – it catches you both off guard, but it was nice, and it was warm, and his strong arms surrounded you.

The two of you pulled away, clearly both flustered and just sat on the couch next to each other. Your legs were crossed and so were Toms, each having your own bowl of popcorn. You had picked the movie – you chose John Wick. Tom laughed as he saw Keanu’s face come onto the screen.

“What?” You question softly, “You don’t like my choice?”

“No...No. Nothing like that.” He sighs, calming himself down, “I just remember you used to have his poster in your room and knowing you, you probably still do.”

He was talking about your childhood home, and you smiled, remembering how you had The Matrix and John Wick on your wall, “Shut up... he’s cute.”

He raises his eyebrows in consideration, “He is an attractive man, but there are other options.” He shrugs, “There are other actors.”

You don’t know what Tom is talking about but when you turn back to face the screen the air is tense. You ignore it, though. Only focusing on the movie – or at least, you’re trying to. But the air is too thick and tense to ignore.

Tom looks at you whilst you watch the movie. Your face with a smile as you watch John Wick slaughter.

“Y/n, Die Hard is not a Christmas movie!” Sam groans and earns a slap from his twin brother.

“Yes, it is, Sam.” He rolls his eyes.

“Sam, you literally cannot say that it’s not. It’s set a Christmas time and sure it’s an action movie, but there are Christmas songs and items. There’s a villain – it fits the whole criteria of a Christmas movie.”

Sam rolls his eyes at you, “Whatever... Christmas movies are supposed to be wholesome.”

“Yeah, well sometimes Christmas needs murder.”

“You are soooo fucked up,” Harry laughs as you sit down in between the two twins.

“Yeah. Yeah. Whatever. Shut up. The movie’s starting.” You hush them.

It’s not long before Tom joins you guys, sitting down. He doesn’t say anything, but you haven’t seen much of him since he graduated high school and went off to America to film his new movie. You were proud of him, but you’d never tell him that. He wouldn’t take the compliment, non the less if it was you.

Tom grabbed a drink, and you stood up and followed, like an idiot, “How’s America?” You asked as you grabbed a cup from their shelves, filling it up with water.

“Why do you care, y/n?” He questions you.

“Because we’re meant to be friends, Tom.” You mutter softly, “I’m tired of you hating me.”

He scoffs, “Well, guess what, Bunny it’s not gonna stop, I don’t like you. I hate you... and it’s never going to stop.”

You can feel your eyes brim up with tears, “What did I do to you, Tom?”

“What didn’t you do?”

WEEK FOUR – ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.

“Come on a run with me.” Tom says as he sits down at the table.

You look up at him, “Tom.”

“What?! You have a day off today, public holiday... I’ve got a day off today, because I’ve got a day off... so come on a run with me.”

You laugh, “Tom! I do not run.”

“Okay... then, a jog.” He takes note of your face, “A brisk walk?”

“You’re not gonna give this up, are you?” He shakes his head with a smile, “Fine... I’ll go on a jog with you... jog.” You give him a pointed look as you make your way up the stairs.

Tom feels himself smile wider; he thinks about you all the time now. When he’s on set. When he’s off set. When he’s at home. When you’re at school. When you’re next to him. He thinks about you all the time.

He thinks about every single part of you. He thinks about your smile. He thinks about your hair, the way you smell. He thinks about how you smell just after you shower, he thinks about how your hair is wet, he thinks about how beautiful you look with and without makeup. He thinks about how beautiful you look when you cried over movies. He thinks about you all the time. Every second of the day – even when he shouldn’t he does.

When you come back down the stairs, you’re wearing a pair of tights and a sports bra, a jacket over your shoulders, your hair was in a ponytail, and he thought you looked stunning. He felt his cheeks flush as he watched you walk out of the house.

“C’mon, Mr. Parker!” You called with a laugh.

“What? You like Peter Parker better than me?”

You shrug, raising your eyebrows, “So what if I do?”

He pretends to get a shot to the heart, “You wound me.”

You laugh as the two of you begin to jog, it was silent, and your neighbourhood was quite private, so Tom was fine to run around here without really being seen. He was glad you lived in the suburbs. The two of you jogged step in step.

You stopped at a nearby park, heaving your breath, “How the hell do you do this every day?”

He laughs as the two of you sit on a park bench, “I have to... I’ve had to for a long time.” He sighs as your eyes meet his, “Ever since I started, I’ve had to push myself more and more every day, yeah, I used to do gym all the time – we both know that. But it makes me tired and sometimes I wish I could just stop... but when I do, I feel guilty for it. For not working out and pushing myself.”

You nod, “I... can understand that. Your job looks hard. Everyone thinks acting is so easy, and then you go on set, and you see that it’s anything but.”

He smiles over at you, “You’re right... It’s not easy, but I’m grateful for what I do. What I can do. I’ve got a good life. A good family...” He takes your hand, “Good friends... if I can call you that.” He sighs, “I’m sorry for how I treated you. Every day for the past four weeks, I’ve felt nothing but guilt. You’ve always been so kind to me, and I treated you like shit... I don’t have anything to defend myself with because I can’t. What I did was wrong.”

You nod solemn, “You’re right, what you did was wrong.” You tell him softly, “You tormented me, you made me cry every day, there wasn’t a day where Haz didn’t apologise on behalf of your shitty actions...”

Sighing you look over at him, his hand still in yours, “I just... I’m scared you’re going to go back to the way you were before all of this. Before living with me. I don’t know why you changed but I’m scared you’re gonna change again, Tommy.”

Now it was your turn to use his childhood nickname. When he was eleven, he yelled at you to stop, and you did. But it almost slipped out so many more times after that. Unlike your nickname, his didn’t have a bad omen connected to it.

Tom flushes red as you use the nickname, not out of anger, but because he was embarrassed and flustered, “I’m not gonna change, y/n.” His eyes are soft, his features match yours as he pulls you in closer towards him, “I promise... I won’t change.”

When the night rolled around, you found Tom pulling you around the streets of London, he wore a white t-shirt that hugged his figure nicely and a pair of black jeans and a denim jacket. He looked good... really good, to say the least. You loved how simplistic he could be. You loved how cute he was when he smiled.

“What are we gonna eat?” You questioned him softly, but it came out as more of a whine as your stomach let out another call for help.

Tom looked at you, his eyes flicking over your figure once more, jumper and jeans. How you fit so perfectly in anything you wear – active wear to the pencil skirt and blouse you wear to work. He hadn’t noticed it and neither had you, but you’d basically been living in the hoodie Tom had given you when you first visited set. It held his scent, and it was a jumper from the set of No Way Home itself. But it was a reminder of him you were happy to have.

“Well, we could go for Chinese, or we could go for Indian.” He suggests but you stop and pull his hand back as the two of you walk.

“Ice-cream. I want ice-cream. Sticky, creamy, Turkish ice-cream, Tommy.” You practically beg, “Please. Please. Please.”

He laughs looking down at your pleading eyes... and he can’t resist. He can’t resist you because you are perfect in every single way. You are sweet. You are helpful. You don’t lose your temper as easily as he does, and you are worth way more than Tom could ever imagine for himself and although all he wants is you. He doesn’t think himself worthy enough because when you look at the past – he’s not. He’s not worthy of you. But you want him anyway. You’d never tell him that... and he’d never tell you either.

As he watched you happily eat your ice cream with a smile, Vanilla flavoured, and sweet. He eats his own chocolate, basking in the immense flavour that it brings and even though the two of you should be eating proper food, Tom can’t blame you for making him get it... because it’s good. As he watches you eat your ice-cream, he feels himself shift. Thinking about you.

Thinking only about you. Think about how you’d taste. He knows he shouldn’t let his mind go there. Not when he’s right here with you and can’t have you. Won’t let himself want you.

He thinks about you. He thinks about the sounds you’d make when you moan. He thinks about how well his cock would fit inside of you, giving you pleasure. He thinks about how easy it would be to make you cum with his tongue over and over and over again. Making you scream his name and bask in the flavour of him. He thinks about the way your eyes should stare into his as he fucks you fucking senseless. Over and over and over again. He wants to feel you cum over and over and over again.

He shuts down his thoughts as fast as they come on. You’d never think of Tom like this – that’s what he convinces himself. But he doesn’t know that you have. That you’ve thought of him pounding into you so hard you can’t seem to find yourself walking the next day. You want to feel his tongue on your clit, devouring you like it should be his last meal on earth – the last thing he eats before he plummets to his certain death. You want to feel his tongue on your thighs and his cock inside of your tight dripping cunt. Sometimes it’s all you can think about.

Especially when he’s on set. Doing backflips in that godforsaken suit you’ve seen almost every day for the past three weeks. The suit turns you on, you won’t lie. You can’t lie to yourself. It’s been impossible... and you’ve been damned from the start.

“I can’t believe you’re leaving next week.” You say quietly, “I almost don’t want you to go.” You laugh.

“I almost don’t want to leave.” He confesses, “I don’t want to leave.” He licks his ice cream.

“So where are you headed next?” You question him.

“Atlanta.” He nods softly, “That’s where the rest of the movie will be filmed, as well as New York, but that’s in the last few weeks of filming anyway.”

You chuckle, “Part of me knows that if you would’ve just continued to be mean to me, saying goodbye would be much easier.”

He shakes his head, “I just... I don’t know... I couldn’t do it anymore. Seeing more of your life snapped me out of it. Getting to know you better, snapped me out of it. I knew you but I didn’t know you and now I do.”

You look over at him, “Tell me what’s really changed, then.”

“Well, for instance, you sing in the shower.” He chuckles at your wide eyes, “Don’t worry it’s endearing... you also go down for snacks during the middle of the night. I buy shit and you eat it!” He laughs at your wide eyes once more.

“Don’t worry, I don’t care about cookies too much.” He shrugs, “You also pick at your nail polish all the time. Your fingers are never the same colour for more than one day.”

You laugh, “In my defence, I get anxious.” You shrug.

“Better than biting them off.” He smiles.

You lick your ice cream, “Exactly.” You grin back at him.

But it all dawned on you for real... He was leaving next Sunday, and that was it. You wouldn’t see him for a while. Not if he didn’t stay in contact with you. You wanted him to... so you told him, “Are you gonna text me? Are you gonna call?”

He looks over at you with a small glimmer of hope in his eyes, “Is that what you want?” He asks you, “I’m not even sure I’ve got your number.”

“Pass me your phone.” You roll your eyes, punching in your number and texting him, “There... now you can reach me anywhere in the world.”

WEEK FIVE – OLD HABITS (DON’T) DIE HARD.

It was unfortunate that the two of you just so happened to have a bad week on Tom’s last. Filming for Tom was dragging out longer than ever, he hadn’t had a day off this whole week, and it was Sunday night... he wanted to see you and yet, you were stressed to. Neither of you had time for each other.

The marking of hundreds of tests from Exam Week had just begun and you were being pressured by everyone around you to be done. To get your work done. You had no time for you and no time for Tom. All you wanted to do was spend time with him and yet, if you did you think you would explode.

Not because of him – but because of the immense stress. He would do the same if he was being quite honest... and really? Truly? You had been putting Tom on edge. He didn’t know why. He was tired and honestly? He was just over everything. He wanted to be left alone. He wanted space... but when you’re living with someone else you don’t get much of that. Especially in a house as small as yours, where the living room connects to the dining room and the kitchen and the only other space, he has is upstairs where your room connects to his and one bathroom.

Tom started to avoid you and you started to avoid Tom – both of you in fear of pushing each other away with your words. So, you just ended up spending less time together.

... whoever thought that would be why you and Tom avoided each other?

You would’ve done so if he treated you like shit for five weeks. You would’ve avoided him... but he made his way into your heart. He really made his way into your heart. He lodged himself in there and you did the same to him. It was stupid and dumb and all you wanted was to cry in his arms because of how much work you were doing. How late you would be staying up and he wanted to do the same.

But as this chapter’s called Old Habits (Don’t) Die Hard... they don’t. They don’t die hard. Not at all... and it’s unfortunate you had to find out this way.

You and Tom ran into each other on Sunday night. The last night he was spending here, and you’d barely seen him all week. You missed him... bad.

Just looking at him was enough to make you cave. Enough to make you want to wrap your arms around him – but his tone... it cut, and it cut sharp. A tone you never thought you’d hear from Tom again. One he promised you he wouldn’t use ever again.

You were friends.

So why did it feel like you weren’t?

“Move out of the way, y/n.” He huffs, as he tries to move past you.

You shake your head, “No... I miss you, Tom. We’ve barely spoken all week, and this is your last night here. Tell me what’s wrong.”

“There’s nothing wrong.” Tom looks at you, his eyes pierced. God was he good at pushing you away – although this time you didn’t budge.

“No.” You stand your ground, “Tell me what’s wrong with you, Tom?”

“What’s wrong with me is that you won’t get out of my fucking way, so I can go to the kitchen and grab a glass of fucking water.”

You moved aside, but followed him into the kitchen, “Why are you acting like this, Tom?” You question, “You know I’m here for you.”

He scoffs, “I’M STRESSED OUT!” He raises his voice, “And you’re not making it any better, y/n.”

“Oh...” You look at him, “You don’t think I’m not stressed, Tom? You don’t think my job is hard? I stay up night after night trying to work hard for these students.”

“It’s not working.” He mutters under his breath – you heard it... but you wanted to be sure he really said it.

“What’d you say?” You question him.

His hands are now on the kitchen counter as he looks down at the marble, before he looks up at you, “I said it’s not working.” He scoffs, “You work your ass off and it doesn’t work.” His tone it’s condescending, and you don’t want to believe what he’s saying is true.

Because he promised you... he promised you he wouldn’t be like his old self ever again. He promised you that he changed... it hurts your heart. More than you’d admit, and Tom could say the same as he looks into your eyes, his exterior still tough but regretting everything he’s said to you in the past five minutes... but as you look up at him with anger... all of his thoughts perish.

“FUCK YOU!” You laugh is dry and smooth out of your throat, “God, you like that don’t you? Treating me like shit. You made a promise Tom. You made a promise you wouldn’t treat me like FUCKING SHIT EVER AGAIN... and you’re doing it now.”

You stare into his eyes. Fire. Red is all you see.

“I thought I could live never knowing why you fucking hated me all my life. Why you made me cry every fucking day. You tormented me for the better half of everything and you wanna know what I think? I think you’re an insecure jerk who has absolutely nothing better to do because you’re a scumbag, you’re a piece of shit, Tom. That’s all you’ve ever been.”

“God, I fucking hate you. I hate everything about you.” You shake your head, “I hate how you were nice to me for the past month and a half and now you’re acting like an absolute dick because you’re leaving tomorrow... use me for a place to stay and then leave.”

“Was that your plan, Tom?” You question him, “Was that your plan all along? To fucking use, me... you know what? I wouldn’t be surprised if it was.”

Tom stares at you as you speak, shaking his head, “No. Y/n. My plan wasn’t to use you, I thought I could like you, tolerate you... but fuck you’re the worst person I’ve ever met. You wanna know why I hate you? Because you stole the spotlight from me every single goddamn fucking time! Paddy sees you as more as a sibling than he sees me. Sam and Harry? You’re closer with them. MY FUCKING PARENTS probably love you more than me.” He scoffs, “So I hate you, y/n. Because you stole my fucking life and you’ve wasted the past five weeks of them too.”

Tom walks up to his room, leaving you stunned. You finally know what you did – and you didn’t even mean to do it.

“Paddy, c’mon. You gotta eat.” Tom sighs, “Please.”

He shakes his way, “I like the way Y/n makes it... yours is gross.”

Tom sighs, irritated, clenching his jaw, “Well y/n isn’t here right now... and it’s just pepperoni pizza. I made it just like she said.”

Paddy shakes his head, “No you didn’t... can she come over, and do it? Oh! Maybe we can watch Star Wars.”

“Paddy, I thought we were gonna watch those together.” Tom frowns.

Paddy shakes his head once more, “Nah, she has all these fun facts about the movies and every time we watch, she’s got something knew... watching with you would be boring.”

Tom watches his brother walk away as he looks down at the pizza he made, feeling tears well up in the sockets of his eyes, taking a bite of his pizza, he sighs, “Tastes the same.” He mutters to himself.

-

Sam and Harry ran down the stairs bumping into Tom. It was Halloween and Tom was ready to go, he had his Spider-Man costume on and a tote bag, ready to take his younger brothers trick-or-treating.

“You guys ready to go?”

The two brothers exchange a glance, “Oh...” Harry starts, “Well, we told Y/n we’d go with her since she just got her lisence... and Paddy’s with his friends... What about Haz?”

“He’s with his girlfriend.” Tom sighs, “It’s... It’s fine. Have fun, I guess.” He shrugs, waiting by the door all night for the kids who wanted to Trick-or-Treat.

-

Tom sits on the couch as he watches his parents come down the stairs, “Where are you guys headed? I thought we were supposed to hang out today.” He questions his parents.

“Oh! Y/n is graduating from university... she’s going to become a history teacher.” Tom’s mother says proudly, “We’re so proud of her! She’s been working so hard.”

“So why are you guys going?” Tom questions his parents once more as they look at each other.

Sitting down in front of him, to have a short conversation, his father speaks, “Tom... Y/n is like one of our children... you can’t expect us not to go... we love her as much as we love you.”

-

It hurt him... All those times everyone had left him – for you. That’s what drove his hatred for you. But now he knew why everyone had left him for you. Because you were kind. You were beautiful and sweet. You were a good friend. You had made Tom happier than most people had in his whole entire life in the past five weeks.

Paddy was right, when the two of you watched Star Wars, you had facts for almost every scene and most of the time he wants people to shut up when you watch movies. He didn’t want you to. You were interesting and you always giggled at the stupid jokes in the movies. Sometimes you’d fall asleep, and Tom would carry you to bed... it seemed like that happened a lot.

You were a good driver, and always offered to take him everywhere when you could. Given, most days you were at school, you always made the effort to drive. He appreciated the gesture of you picking him up from set, always driving smooth enough to let Tom get a little sleep before waking him up when he got home to your house... which had started to become, well, home.

His parents were right... you worked hard. For everything you had. For everything you owned and everything you did. You were a beautiful, stunning girl and you had strong opinions and that’s what made you who you are. You say sorry after everything even after you weren’t supposed to. His parents were right. You taught hard, you worked hard.

He loved you as much as they loved you – probably more.

He’d never tell you that – maybe, maybe, going back to the same place the two of you were before would be for the better... maybe, if Tom started to hate you again, this would all be easier. That’s why he yelled and tried to push you away.

...so why did this hurt more than a thousand suns... a thousand knifes to the heart?

MONDAY was harder than you thought it would be. Tom had left as early as possible. Getting an Uber to take him to the airport. His stuff was gone when you treaded to his room to apologise.

You were supposed to take him to the airport.

Sighing, you went downstairs and made yourself breakfast. At seven am you expected Tom to run through the door, all sweaty. Shirt stuck to his chest – but... he didn’t.

He didn’t run through the door when you expected him to. He wasn’t there and he wouldn’t be there. He’d never be there... and your heart hurt because of it. You didn’t want to go to school. You didn’t want to do anything because you didn’t have Tom here to do it with you. He had become your rock. Your motivation.

Tom sat on the plane feeling the same. He regrets not telling you how he felt. He regrets not telling you anything. He regrets not apologising before he left because he thinks that you think he meant everything he said to you. But he didn’t... he didn’t mean any of it.

Your co-workers and students could tell something was wrong but didn’t press on the issue. It wasn’t their place to. You don’t know if you’re thankful for that or if you’re upset about it – wondering if people actually cared. If anything, you were doing was actually working. If your life was the way you wanted it to be... or had it been the way you wanted it to be.

Had you enjoyed picking up Tom from work? Had you enjoyed him picking you up from work? Obviously, if Tom was overseas none of that could happen because your life is here, and Tom’s is there and yet... you need them to collide and crossover.

You need to be with him.

But he wasn’t here. He wouldn’t be here for a long time... so that was just the way it was. Waiting for Tom. Waiting for a man who’s going to come back... waiting for someone you know will come back.

Night dawns in on London. Tom left earlier, even though his flight was meant to leave that night. He left before you woke up and practically hung out at the airport all day because he couldn’t bear to see how hurt you were.

Tom sighs getting on the plane with Zendaya, “What’s up with you?” She questions.

“Y/n and I... we got in a fight. It was bad.” He says quietly, “I think I really messed things up with her.”

“Probably.” Zendaya laughs softly.

“What do you mean?”

“Tom, you’ve been rude to her for almost all your life... you thought something wouldn’t happen? Y/n knew it. Y/n was worried that you’d go back to the same ways. She told you... and you did it, Tom... you did what she feared you would do.”

Tom stayed silent for a moment, “I miss her, and it hasn’t even been a whole seven hours.” He murmurs, looking up at Zendaya, “I love her, Z. I’ve been such a fucking idiot all her life and I love her... so much.”

She sighs, “You have been an asshole, you gained back her trust, and then you fucked it all up again... you can tell her you love her. You can try and build back everything you gained from her – but she’ll always be scared. Not if you don’t prove to her that you can be different.”

Tom looks back at the door to the airport, going in, looking back at Zendaya, “Do you think it’s too late?” He questions.

“Tom, she’s fallen for you – she’s long gone... Even before you moved in with her, she loved you... she told me, herself.”

“Fuck...” Tom sighs, “I gotta – I gotta go.”

You shut your laptop; your ticket booked. You need to see Tom. You need to tell him how you feel what you feel. God, you missed him so much. You told work you’d be away for two days. You were going to visit him and if all else failed, you didn’t know what you would do. The rain was pouring down, when you ran out your front door and down to your car. You didn’t. You collided with the floor – and collided with someone else.

“Ow!” You hold your head, “I’m-”

Your eyes meet Tom’s.

Your eyes meet Tom’s.

You felt like you could finally breathe again. You felt like everything was good. You felt like everything was falling into place... it had barely been seven hours. Seven hours since you had last seen him, and you could cry. You started to cry.

Tom’s arms wrapped around you as you both sat on the floor, not saying a single word. Your tears seeping into Tom’s jumper, before he noticed you wearing his jumper that he gave you back on the first week of living with you.

You tug him closer as you keep crying into his jumper. Not being able to say a single word. Just cry, your sobs filling the air as he places a kiss on your head, being the first one to speak,

“I’m here.” He whispers as you cry harder, pulling him in, “Hey, it’s okay... tell me what’s wrong.”

You pull yourself out of his grasp, “What’s wrong is that I’m in love with you!” You sob, “I’ve been in love with you for all my life and all you’ve done is a complete ass. I’d never steal your family from you, Tom... all those times I hung out with them, you could’ve come! You didn’t even come to my graduation!”

Tom’s eyes well with tears, “Every day I lived here I felt guilty for everything... I hated you because I was arrogant and ignorant and... when you helped me back in high school, I... I started to like you and I should’ve let myself, but, then Halloween rolled around, and my brothers ditched me to hang out with you... if they had asked me to go with them I would’ve... I would’ve gone and your graduation, I should’ve gone... I’m so proud of you, okay? And I haven’t ever been the nicest, not even when I wanted to.”

“You don’t have to trust me, you don’t have to jump in with me right now, but I love you and I want to be with you... but I want to prove myself to you, that I can be better.”

You look into Tom’s eyes, a couple tears rolling down your puffy red eyes, “You’ve done that... you’ve proven yourself already... you’ve proven you can change. We got into an argument, sure, but now that everything is in the open... we can be better... you can be better.”

He nods, his face drifting closer to yours, “Let me be better... let me be yours.”

“You already have me.” You whisper as his lips land on yours.

There’s something different in the kiss. It’s soft and sweet and the taste of salt is not missed. Your lips are in flurry, tongues mixing together, intertwined as the two of you were on the floor of your deck. The rain pours down around you and you can hear the patter of it on the roof above you.

Tom’s hands run over your body, making you shiver, as you pull away softly, “You have me, Tom... all of me.” You whisper quietly as you feel your body lift the floor and the front door close behind you. Kisses on your lips, strong and soft. Full of passion.

“P-Please.” You mutter against his lips, “Please.” You beg.

“Please, what?” He questions you softly, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Fuck me,” you breath, “I’ve wanted you for so long, please.”

You feel your core dripping and pulsating already, needy for Tom’s touch. You need all of him and your body won’t stop wanting until he actually touches you – and even then, it might not stop. Nothing will ever stop. Your want and need for him will never stop.

His hands are cold as he pulls you up the stairs, placing you down on your bed, kissing your neck, your jawline. Your cheeks, your nose, your forehead. His hands trailing up your shirt as he does so. Your hands intertwined in his as he kisses every inch of you. You can feel your core tense, and you can feel yourself flush. God, your cunt aches for him.

Your breath comes out soft, needy... and you can feel Tom smirk as his lips keep connecting with your hot skin. A chuckle escapes his lips, leaving the ghost of his breath, “You’ve waited so long, can’t wait any longer, can you?”

You shake your head, “No... No, I can’t.” Tom’s hands go to lift up your shirt, searching your eyes for permission, “Do... do whatever you want... I don’t care.” You say breathlessly, “I just- I just want you.” Your breathless and Tom knows how needy you are for him.

He lifts your shirt over your head, and you pull off your panties and sweatpants – he’s baffled by the site of you. How perfect you look for him. How you’re only his and nobody else’s, “Fuck you are so beautiful...” He trails off.

Kissing your neck once more, Tom doesn’t stop there. Moving his lips lower and lower, in-between your breasts, down your stomach... and right above your aching cunt. You feel yourself subconsciously buck forward, needy for everything he has to give you. For his tounge, fingers and cock to touch you in the one place that needs the most attention. His patience is strong and yours is running thin.

“Please...” You mewl, “Please, Tommy.”

Tom listens to your begging as he swipes a finger over the lips of your pussy, your juices covering his thumb, “So fucken’ wet.” He smirks... and without any warning he dips in, his tongue running a line, making you moan.

His thumb stays on your sensitive, rubbing your clit as your moans remain desperate. Desperately needing more of him. Tom’s tongue moves faster against you. Pressing kisses against your clit, kitten-licking you and making circles around your clit. The way he eats your pussy is godlike. Bringing you closer and closer to your edge. To your heart’s desire... and Tom god, all he wants is to feel you cum all over his swollen, red, fucking lips. Moaning and groaning against your cunt.

He slips his middle finger into your wet hole. Needy and wanting... everything you’d been feeling over the past five weeks was finally coming full circle. Tom looks up at you as your head falls back, and your fingers become tangled into his brown curls. Desperately needing more of his tongue. For him to go faster – and harder. His tongue is addicting and the way his finger curls inside of you only leaves you wanting more and more – you can feel yourself getting closer. Closer and closer. Your cunt is pulsing as you feel yourself walking, about to dive off of that perfect edge. Your stomach fuelled by fire. You feel the bottom of your stomach tingle and your body shudder against Tom’s mouth.

“Fuck Tom! Jesus fucking Christ!” You moan breathless.

He can feel just how close you are as your cunt tightens around his finger, he pulls his mouth away for a slither of a second, “Cum for me, baby.” And then his mouth is right back on you, wanting to taste every last drop of your orgasm... and he does.

Fuck you’re sweet. You’re so fucking sweet. He’s thinking about how this will be the only thing on his mind for a long time. How your cunt and the taste of you will be something he wishes to never rid his tongue of. How the taste of you is addicting. You feel yourself, however, grow eager for more.

And Tom feels it too. His cock aching for your touch. His cock hard, wanting every inch of you, “Tom... fuck me, please... fuck me.”

Tom doesn’t wait another second before pulling down his pants, taking off his shirt. Letting you watch him strip for you. Looking down at his cock, wanting every inch of him inside of you, letting your eyes graze over him... “I wanna lick your abs.” You mutter quietly.

His eyes snap up at you, “What?” He questions with a short laugh.

“You were notsupposed to hear that.” You laugh, “They just look really... lickable.” You shrug.

Tom walks over, “We’ll see you to that then.” He presses a kiss on your lips, “But if I don’t fuck you right now, I might explode... where are the condoms?”

“They should be in this drawer.” You say leaning over to open it, but there’s nothing inside, “Fuck, I ran out.”

“Let me check my room, I’ll be right back.”

You bite your lip as you watch him walk away, desperately rubbing your thighs together, bucking your hips for some sort of desperate stimulation while he’s away and he lets out a laugh, “You are way too eager.” He whispers.

Walking over to you, you spread your legs, Tom positioning himself right at the entrance to your cunt, “You ready, Princess?” He whispers softly in your ear as you nod.

Tom’s cock slides inside of you and begins to move slowly, warming you up. The condom on his cock, giving you that slight bit more of lubrication than your pussy provides. He’s pressing against your cunt, rubbing your clit with his fingers and his lips on yours. You’re still reeling from your last orgasm. Your clit sensitive to every touch. You feel your hips buck against him.

“Fuck, Tom... you are going way too slow.” You say.

Tom moves quicker and all you can hear now is skin on skin, his balls slapping against the back end of your pussy, “Fuck,” He mutters looking down at you as your tits bounce. How your mouth widens when you moan, and your hips continue to keep bucking against the slit of his cock as he presses in on your g-spot. His hand moving from your clit to your stomach, applying some pressure onto you, and you let out another perfect moan.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” You groan needily, “Tom, please.” You beg.

He presses into your cunt harder. Your bodies moving together like mesh. Desperately and needy. Like water. Fluid and in motion. Your bodies are one – so much better than you ever could’ve imagined. Every single time you fucked yourself, rubbed your clit. Every single time you made yourself cum to the thought of him. Every single time you moaned his name needy... and now you were doing it for real. He was really the one making you cum. Pulling you to the edge. It was real and it wasn’t in your head and dreams like every time beforehand.

Tom felt the same way, finally pressing himself into you, rather than pumping his own cock with his hand. He loved feeling the way you felt. He loves feeling how wet you are for him. He was the one making you cum – making you feel good like everything he had thought about before. You were a daydream come true and he finally got to have you. Got to hold you. This was real. It wasn’t in his head – and he couldn’t believe it.

Tom’s head falls into the crevice of your neck as he fucks you senseless. He can feel himself getting closer to the edge and he can feel your cunt tightening too, “Fuck,” He swears, “’Mma cum.” He groans.

You moan, “Me- me too.”

You cum first, feeling your stomach grow hot and your body jerk forward. You falter slightly against Tom as you feel his cock twitch inside of you, a few moments after. It’s the first time someone’s ever cum with you – and the first time you’ve ever come so hard that your legs felt sore after... you have a feeling it won’t be the last time this happens either.

Tom rubs your inner thigh softly, as he throws out the condom and gets back in bed. Lying next to you, “You gotta go pee.” He whispers.

“I love it when you whisper dirty things to me.” You joke, “Thank you, Tom.”

“For what?”

You shrug, “For changing... You think I can’t trust you – and I don’t... but I also do. I trust that you will be a better person... I trust that you will treat me like your equal... I trust that you will love me if we do decide to be something... if you want to be something.” You hastily add.

He turns to face you in the depths and warmth of the sheets the two of you are buried under, “I want to be something.” He says quickly, “I do... I want to be something – more preferably your boyfriend.”

You smile, “I’d like that too... really, I would.” You cup his face in your hands, “Please believe me... I trust you.”

He smiles softly, “I believe you.”

You grin wider, “Okay, now... lemme go pee.” You giggle walking away.

THE EPILOUGE – THE BOY WHO LOVED YOU.

So that’s how you got here. Unable to live your life without Tom, unable to think without him or make a simple decision. Unable to live without Tessa. You lived in a house with Tom, and his dog and you missed him every single day when he left for America the next day after getting with you.

When your family found out it was safe to say that they were surprised. Tom did hate you, but after a few months everyone settled. You were happy and... so was Tom.

He still feels guilty all the time – and he’s always insecure about the things he says to you because he never wants to make you upset again – but you always assure him that you’re okay, that the two of you were okay.

Carefully, you look into Tom’s eyes, everyone knew about your relationship because of Instagram and it’s safe to say your students freaked out – the whole school pretty much had. You just laughed at all the questions they told you and offered some sweet stories to your students.

But tonight, was the premiere of No Way Home and it was your first red carpet actually being seen by the cameras... and actually being on Tom’s arm.

“I’m nervous.” You tell him, “I’m really, really nervous.” You whisper in the back of the limo. Zendaya was in a separate car – and you were with Tom. Jacob already got there, texting you a few moments before he arrived indefinitely.

“Y/n, it’ll be okay.” He presses a soft kiss to your lips, “We’re okay. They love you... all the fans they do love you.”

You groan, “Don’t! What if they change their mind one day and decide to dig up some crazy information on me.”

He laughs softly, “Darling, you’ve charmed them all as much as you’ve charmed me.”

Pulling upto the red carpet, finally ready to step out of the car, “You ready?” He questions you.

You nod, “It’s just me and you, right?”

“Me and you.” He places a kiss to your lips, and you can’t help but melt.

It wasn’t like this before – and now that it was, you’re not sure you would change anything that happened to lead you here. Lead you right to the love of your life.

The boy who hated you.

To the boy who loved you.