#and i just nervously looked over to the door knob like well uh maybe we should open the door? i dont want your mom to be mad-

[ratatatastic]

lmaoooo maffhew wanting the knot immediately and having to wait for sasha to catch up with that is so deeply funny like. this omega is not subtle and you’re not a stupid alpha babe! can only imagine what benny has to say to maffhew about it once he catches on and stops banging his head against a wall

idiots to lovers is always great but especially when its two people who would be hitched with 10 kids by now if they stopped being dumb for a single second like its that easy and yet...

to me they very much fall around the same time (infatuation at first scent if you will) just that sasha takes some time to get there not because he's dumb (okay he's a little dumb) but in the sense that its like "this person is very interested in me, i can see and recognise that but theres so much cognitive dissonance in my brain right now between knowing that intrinsically and finding that hard to believe so i unintentionally play dumb because obviously i'm reading too much into things it cant be me they're interested in haha that'd crazy but they're being awfully touchy and flirty with me wow"

but also it takes two to tango and we have to acknowledge that and this is when i would love to bring up the ways in which this man decides is the best way to go about that because he is a catholic school girlie... there's so much hilarity to be had here especially because his flirting is very uh how you say... a little ass backwards if you will especially considering dynamics

"I make it a point to keep the door closed when we're alone in a room together! That's basically a clear invitation that I'm down to fuck!!! Im basically asking to be ragdolled on his knot!!!"

and Benny just pinches the bridge of his nose like "I don't know how to explain to you in a way you'll understand that not everyone went to Catholic school."

But saying that Sasha does side-eye the door knob heavily when Maffhew goes over to close it the first time and he starts sweating like he just got dragged into a game of 7 Minutes in Heaven he did not sign up for and he's 13 again and oh god he got paired with a really cute girl, and he hasn't even had his first real kiss yet and-

And then absolutely nothing happens because Maffhew is just waiting with a polite expectant smile (because his work here is done, he did the heavy lifting know it's Sasha's turn) and this is when Sasha's dynamic classes training kicks in and he basically scolds himself for even assuming in the first place because this is clearly a show of trust (correct) not an invitation for extra circular activities (incorrect buzzer noise) and it basically becomes "This Omega really trusts me, I'm honoured especially as Pack Leader that I'm able to be so accepted into such a private space with the inherent knowledge that I will not encroach their boundaries whatsoever because consent is verbal, this is not in any way an invitation to take advantage of them this is deep platonic trust I will guard with my life :]"

and if you listen closely you can hear the lovely sounds of Maffhew bashing his head into a wall about how much of a gentleman Sasha is but also COME ONNNNNN... you know... once Maffhew realises what's happening which (looks at my watch) is not due for another few months really

Battle of wills: unstoppable force (maffhews catholic school understanding of dynamic interactions) vs immovable object (overseas alpha cotillion classes)

And if you think it's an Oh! An overseas dynamic thing! It's not. The Euros are watching the horrible car crash in front of them and doing absolutely nothing about it because it's none of their business, but they will stare at it... maybe judge it a bit but definitely are observing from the tall grass.

and I'm also not saying that luosty lundy forsy and bobby have a current running bet of how long it'll take for maffhew to break sasha in but i'm also not not saying that... luosty goaded lundy in the midst of a gossip session ("It has to be 3 months, right?) forsy happened to be around so lundy turned to him for advice ("7 months.") and maybeeee bobby overheard from all the way over from his stall and puts in his two cents for what it's worth ("6. Captain nice but not that nice. Very impatient." "So 3!" "No. Impatience makes him double the time, and wait longer. 6 months.") (lundy finally settles on a good 5 months because he's indecisive)

And Sasha does eventually pick up everything maffhew is throwing down... eventually... and when he does it becomes more so I want to court this omega the way they deserve I will take this slow and romance them sweetly :) *smash cut to maffhew caterwauling like a cat in heat*

but also once again its not like maffhew is helping sasha in any way this is idiot4idiot and benny would like to enjoy the car crash with the euros but unfortunately that's his soulmate, thats his bestie, his littermate from birth who has been weaned on the same teat as they climbed over each other to get to it, the first girl you kissed in your childhood bedroom because somehow you started play fighting on the bed because she was like i could totally pin you down easy and then she does and you always noticed how beautiful she was but shes even more gorgeous when she's pinning your wrists to your hannnah montana duvet you promised yourself youd changed out before she came over but you forget and well she teased you about it and you cant help but giggle about how perfect this all is and it seems that the natural conclusion to this is to taste the strawberry lipgloss of her lips because whats a kiss between besties huh its tacky and sticky and it tastes like summer and just other apt metaphors to put here about the inherent -isms of their relationship that i nearly cant put to words properly other than girls having fun (they are fucking)

and well anyways benny is watching and he has a lot of things to say about how its been proceeding so far

"You should really use your words."

"I am!"

"Right because smelling like a fucking perfume shop in the middle of October is using your words."

"This usually works with most Alphas okay!"

"Sasha isn't most Alphas."

"Tell me about it." Matthew grouses before he peeks over to Sam, looking up from beneath his eyelashes—the exact way he knows both endears him to Sam but also absolutely miffs him all the same, "Worked on you, didn't it?"

"Oh, is that what we're doing right now? We're calling getting a lapful of a preening O in preheat in the middle of a roadie a normal way to go about these things."

"It worked didn't it?" Matthew reiterates.

"It would work better if you use—"

"Okay! Alright!! I get it!!!" He does not.

like benny here is unfortunately an active listening participant in the going ons of the fuckery if not because hes involved by proxy because of maffhew because who else will hold his hair back as he calls him a dumb bitch you know

[tip-top-cloud-surfer]

Mav's Reaction to Each Dagger Dating His Daughter

Pairing(s): Daggers / Mitchell! Fem!Reader (Mav's Daughter)

Word Count: 2.1k

Warnings: Protective Mav Dad, Reader is Maverick's Daughter but no Description of Appearance or Biological Parentage; Can be treated as an OC; She's referred to as 'Baby Mitchell' occasionally; Third Person POV, No "You" or Y/N

This work, all of my other works, and my entire blog are 18+ Only.

Summary: Maverick finds out that his daughter is dating someone that he knows when she invites her new partner to dinner. And so he makes it his mission to greet them at the door first.

A.N. Starts out with the same basic set up but then it splits. All seven main Daggers have their own separate story (about 250 words each), so read your favorite(s) or all seven!

Master List

Maverick never exactly looked forward to meeting his daughter’s partners.

Maybe it was because he was a little worried that he didn’t exactly give her a healthy example to follow. Maybe it was because he was just trying to compensate for all of the times that he wasn’t there for her when she was little. Maybe it was because he was just a smidge overprotective.

But either way, he never looked forward to meeting his daughter’s partner.

So, when she told him that she was inviting over her new partner for dinner, and mentioned that he already knew her partner, Maverick was given a new mission—to answer the door before her. He wanted to see if her partner could cut it on their own without his daughter coaching them through every step of this new dynamic.

And when the doorbell rung five minutes ahead of schedule, Maverick sprang into action.

“I got it!” he called up the stairs to his daughter.

“No, I’ll get it, Dad!”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Maverick insisted, reaching for the front door.

Twisting the knob, Maverick flung the door open and paused when he saw who was standing on the other side of the door.

[Pick Your Dagger:]

Rooster

Rooster stood on the front steps of the Mitchell house, nervously shifting his weight around.

“Why did you ring the doorbell, Bradley? Just go through the side entrance,” Maverick instructed Rooster, completely missing the point of Rooster’s arrival. He held the door open and stepped aside. “But my daughter’s new partner is coming for dinner. You’re free to join us if you like, but it might be a little awkward.”

“Uh . . . yeah . . .” Rooster trailed off, really wishing that his girlfriend would get down the stairs already. “I was . . . going to stay.”

“Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll just set out another plate.”

Rooster stared after Maverick like he’d grown a third head as he walked off to reset the dinner table. Shaking his head, Rooster glanced up at the stairs as his girlfriend hurried down them, smiling at his appearance. Rooster shut the front door behind him and held out his arms as his girlfriend threw herself at him.

“Hey,” she giggled, pressing a loving kiss to his lips, “how’d you survive?”

“Well, he seems to think that you’re bringing someone else home,” Rooster explained sheepishly, causing her to raise an eyebrow.

“You didn’t tell him that you were my boyfriend?”

“Well . . .”

Letting out a sigh, she grabbed her boyfriend’s hand and pulled him with her down the hall. Maverick was in the middle of setting down another plate when the young couple walked into the room. Maverick looked up and smiled at them. But he froze when he caught sight of their intertwined hands. Maverick straightened up and glanced erratically between Rooster and his daughter.

“You . . . you’re dating my daughter . . . Bradley?” Maverick asked his godson, who started to sweat a bit.

“Yes, we’re dating,” Baby Mitchell answered on Rooster’s behalf. “We have been for four months.”

“This is some kind of joke, right?” Maverick tried to laugh off, but Rooster and Baby Mitchell’s expressions did not change. “Right?”

“No, it’s not,” she replied calmly. “Rooster is my boyfriend. We’re dating. I invited him over for dinner. So, let’s have dinner.”

Baby Mitchell led the way over to the table and sat down in her seat. Maverick shot Rooster a look and in response Rooster simply shrugged his shoulders and followed after his girlfriend.

~~~~~

Hangman

Hangman offered Maverick a curt nod and his usual smile-smirk-combination.

“Hey, Mav—”

Maverick slammed the door shut and locked it, just to be sure. Shaking his head, Maverick glanced up at the stairs as his daughter hurried down them.

“Who was at the door?” she questioned, looking confused.

“Just . . . a delivery driver.”

“Where’s the package then?” Baby Mitchell demanded, frowning at him.

“Well, that’s the funny thing—”

The doorbell cut off Maverick’s lie and caused his daughter to shoot him an aggravated expression. Reaching around him, she unlocked the door and pulled it open to see Hangman still standing on the front steps of the Mitchell home.

“Really?” Baby Mitchell scoffed at her dad before letting her boyfriend inside.

“Oh, Hangman, I didn’t see you standing there,” Maverick lied poorly.

“Frankly, I was expecting worse,” Hangman told his girlfriend, who shook her head in response.

“Dad, Jake is my boyfriend and I invited him over,” Baby Mitchell began, trying to keep the aggravation out of her tone. “So, you can’t go around slamming doors in his face just because you don’t like the fact that we’re dating. Okay?”

“I . . .” Maverick trailed off when he caught his daughter’s annoyed expression. “Alright, alright.”

Baby Mitchell shook her head before turning for the dining room. She grabbed Hangman’s hand and pulled him along with. But, while her back was turned, Maverick shot him the ‘I’ve-got-my-eye-on-you’ gesture with his fingers. Hangman nodded in return, but Maverick didn’t miss the slightly nervous look that he wore.

~~~~~

Phoenix

Phoenix gave Maverick a sarcastic mock salute as the door swung open. Standing confidently on the front steps, Phoenix straightened up.

“Hey, Mav.”

“Hey, Phoenix,” he returned with a nod. He held the door open for Phoenix and she stepped inside. “So, you’re the one who gave my daughter a hickey two weeks ago?”

Phoenix blinked, clearly a bit caught of guard, before her usual confident demeanor returned. Phoenix nodded in response and didn’t let her nerves show.

“Yes. But, to be fair, you weren’t supposed to see that.”

“I assumed,” Maverick replied, nodding along. After another moment of thought, he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “Well, at least you can’t get her pregnant.”

“You’re not going to give me a shovel talk?” Phoenix asked Maverick, folding her hands over her chest.

“I like to give it at the end,” Maverick assured Phoenix while his daughter hurried down the stairs. “Let’s me personalize it a little better.”

“Hey, babe,” Baby Mitchell called, pulling Phoenix in for a quick peck. Turning to Maverick, Baby Mitchell shot him a look. “I hope that he wasn’t too overprotective.”

“No, he was fine,” Phoenix assured her girlfriend with a small smile. “Though we have a debriefing scheduled for after dinner.”

“Dad.”

“What? I would do the same if she was a man.”

The two girlfriends shared a look and Phoenix shrugged her shoulders in response. Baby Mitchell let out a groan and shook her head.

“Fine,” she muttered, grabbing Phoenix’s hand. “Well, come on. Let’s get you some dinner first before you’re interrogated.”

~~~~~

Bob

Bob offered Maverick his usual awkward smile. Maverick blinked once in surprise before he let out a humorous breath of relief.

“Bob, I’ve never been happier to see you,” Maverick chuckled, holding the door open for the WSO.

“Really?” Bob asked curiously, walking inside the house.

“Yeah, I was worried that she was bringing Hangman home,” Maverick replied with a light chuckle, closing the door. “But I’m glad to see that I was completely wrong.”  

“Thank you?” Bob returned quietly.

“Hey, babe,” Baby Mitchell called out to Bob as she walked down the stairs. “Glad to see that the dragon guarding the castle didn’t hurt you.” She hurried over and pulled Bob in for a quick kiss in greeting before turning to her dad. Leaning against her boyfriend, she smiled brightly as she glanced between them. “Should we sit down and start dinner then?”

“Yeah, I’ll start bringing stuff out from the kitchen,” Maverick agreed, walking off.

When Maverick’s back was turned, Bob reached out and grabbed Baby Mitchell’s ass playfully. She giggled and pressed a heated kiss to his lips that Bob eagerly returned. Reluctantly pulling away, she leaned towards his ear.

“We should go. Don’t want him to get suspicious,” she whispered to Bob.

“Alright. But . . . later?” he suggested, giving her ass another light pat.

“Absolutely,” she agreed with a wide smile.

~~~~~

Coyote

Coyote offered Maverick a small, nervous smile. Maverick paused for a moment before opening the door wider for him.

“So, you’re dating my daughter, Coyote?” he asked as Coyote stepped inside the house.

“Yes, sir,” Coyote returned politely.

“You don’t have to call me that,” Maverick replied, closing the door. “Yet, anyways.”

“Yet?” Coyote repeated, confused.

“I only make my daughter’s boyfriends call me ‘sir’ if I don’t like them,” Maverick explained quietly to Coyote, trying to prevent his daughter from overhearing. “And, frankly, as long as you don’t toss me out of my own home and onto my own lawn, I think that you’ll be okay.”

“I appreciate that, s—Mav,” Coyote corrected himself.

The sound of footsteps caused both aviators to look up. Baby Mitchell walked down the stairs with a bright smile when she spotted Coyote. Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she pressed a quick peck to his lips before turning to her dad.

“Did you get the shovel talk out of the way, then?” she asked sarcastically, leaning against Coyote.

“Not yet,” Maverick replied before turning to Coyote. In a quieter voice, he added, “We’ll get to that after dinner.”

Baby Mitchell gently shoved her dad away from her boyfriend and shook her head.

“Honestly, I’m not sixteen anymore.”

“Well, I like Coyote a lot more than the boy that you were seeing when you were sixteen,” Maverick conceded, causing his daughter to wince.

“Who was—” Coyote started to ask.

“—No one!” Baby Mitchell interjected.

~~~~~

Fanboy

Fanboy smiled nervously at Maverick as the door swung open. Maverick could tell that the WSO was nervous if the way that he fidgeted was any indication, but Fanboy was doing his best not to show it. Unfortunately for him, Maverick was very observant.

“Hey, Maverick,” Fanboy greeted him politely with a slow nod.

“Hey, Fanboy. Come on in,” Maverick replied, holding open the door for him. Fanboy stepped inside and Maverick shut the door behind him. “So, you’re the flyboy who’s dating my daughter?”

“Yeah, I am,” Fanboy agreed confidently, though with an edge of concern. He glanced up the stairs for his girlfriend before turning back to Maverick. “Do you have a problem with that?”

“No, not yet,” Maverick replied calmly, shaking his head. “And between you and me, backseaters tend to be more . . . stable than their pilot counterparts. So, that helps you as well.”

“Well, I don’t disagree with that,” Fanboy chuckled before his girlfriend started down the stairs.

“Hey, amor,” Baby Mitchell called down to her boyfriend.

She hurried the rest of the way down and greeted Fanboy with a quick peck to the lips. She grabbed his hand and turned back to her dad.

“Everything okay, Mr. Overprotective?” she asked Maverick.

“Wouldn’t he be Captain Overprotective?” Fanboy quipped, earning a groan from his girlfriend and a distinct ‘dad’ laugh from Maverick.

“I like him,” Maverick chuckled, pointing over at Fanboy. “Come on, let’s go eat.”

~~~~~

Payback

Payback nodded and smiled confidently at Maverick as the door opened. Maverick shot Payback a small smile in return and held the door open.

“Are there any bets on how tonight goes then?” Maverick asked as he let Payback inside the house.

“A few,” Payback agreed, nodding along. “Why? Did you want to place your own bet?”

“No, no, I try not gamble. But, out of curiosity, is there a way to make sure that Hangman doesn’t win . . . at all? And maybe Rooster a little bit too.”

“You can’t threaten to chase after me in a F-18, you can’t make a joke about the two hundred pushups, and . . .” Payback trailed off, trying to remember the rest of the bets. “You have to greet me like you would a son-in-law tomorrow on base. But that last one is only if you want Rooster to lose.”

“How much money?”

“Fifty bucks each.”

“Well, his mother taught him not to gamble, so Rooster should have paid more attention,” Maverick replied, clearly taking the bet.

“Hey, babe,” Baby Mitchell called down to Payback, walking down the stairs. She gave him a quick hug and peck before glancing between Payback and Maverick. “Everything going well so far?” 

“So far,” Maverick agreed with a nod and smile. “And by this time tomorrow, both Payback and I will be fifty bucks richer.”

“Good. Because that was the whole point of this dinner,” Baby Mitchell replied sarcastically. Grabbing Payback’s hand, she turned for the dining room. “Come on, let’s go eat.”

[typicalopposite]

🫶 making myself write monday 🫶

another day another scheduled post! :) so technically this was a making myself write sunday... but whatever! shout out to @bidisasterevankinard -- consider this your tag! -- for the prompt! (and so you know who to blame for what I'm about to do!!!

(TW: mpreg cause we live here now)

See you around, Buck.

He has replayed those words over and over and over and over in his head ever since Tommy pulled the door closed behind him. 

Now, there’s loud knocking on the same door, but he’s unable to call out that it’s open. Thankfully, Maddie tries the knob and pushes the door in, hurrying into the loft and over to Buck. “Hey,” she says softly, prying his phone out of the death grip he has on it. She ends the call that is still connected to her phone— where he tearfully had told her what happened before going silent… before going numb— and sits the phone on the table. “Buck…” Maddie tries again, after getting no response the first time. “Can you look at me?” 

He barely can even hear her; her voice is faint thanks to the rushing of blood in his ears and the pounding of his heart. He blinks, and finally the pools of tears release, pouring down his face. “He— he— he…”

“Shhh…” Maddie shushes him, drawing him into her arms. 

“He left.”

“I know.”

“He left Maddie!”

“I know, Buck. I’m so sorry.”

His breaths come in short gasping spurts and Maddie continues to plead with him to calm down before he passes out. 

“He— He— He left… us!” 

~~~

(An hour earlier)

Buck bounces on the balls of his feet nervously as he waits for Tommy to reach his apartment. 

He has spent the entirety of the day stressing over this moment. Running through exactly what he is going to say over and over and over and over. Reciting the life changing speech to himself in the mirror, to himself in the Jeep, then once to Maddie at dispatch so he could get some much desired feedback. “Buck… calm down. This is— it’s a lot, I know.” She reached up and cupped his cheek, smiling at him in that more-motherly-than-sisterly way she does to make him feel better. “But it’s going to be fine, you can do this.” 

This…  The ‘this’ in question is huge— or it’s going to be, anyway. Maybe the biggest thing to ever happen to him in his entire life… and scary, too. Terrifying even. But it won’t only affect him, so now— before they can move forward to this new journey— he has to tell Tommy. 

A quick knock at the door has Buck nearly vibrating out of his body. He walks over and opens the door, instantly met with Tommy’s gorgeous face and his to-die-for smile. “Hey!” he says, stepping forward and catching Buck by the hips to pull him in for a kiss. 

Buck feels the butterflies flutter to life in his stomach; they are never able to settle for long, not with Tommy. He is always saying something to rile them up, or doing something— or texting or calling or just existing in Buck’s memory and keeping them active. Buck is so in love with this man it kind of overwhelms him… and he hasn’t even had the chance to actually tell him that yet! Now there is this— this huge, scary announcement— throwing a hurdle right in the pathway to those three little words. By hurdle, of course, he means a power boost, like in those little racing games he gets his ass kicked by Chris in… Tommy always says they are going at his speed; that speed is about to increase tremendously. 

But it’s okay. 

Tommy is amazing. And kind. And caring and understanding and— well right now he is just rambling about parking spots and their movie date. Buck finally finds his voice and interjects to ask if they can talk. Tommy bounces off his jittering nerves with light humor, dismantling the tension with a playful uh oh as he sits down. “So I have been thinking about what you shared with me the other night…” Buck says.

“My spumoni?” Tommy says back, hands clasped together. 

“No… not your spumoni,” Buck laughs— spumoni actually sounds pretty appetizing, come to think of it… maybe they can get some to celebrate! “Uh… I- I was thinking a- about what you said regarding kids.” Tommy’s brows furrow, so Buck continues. “About how you’ve never really given much thought to the idea, b- but you’re not necessarily opposed to it either.” 

“Yeah, I did say that.” Now Tommy looks worried and that is causing Buck to lose the very minimal grasp on his own bravery. “I do love kids, it’s just— our line of work is a little—”

“Intense?” Buck concludes; Tommy nods. “A- And you're right… but— but see most people in our line of work… they don’t have the amazing support system that we have!” 

“Uh, that… is true,” Tommy says, face very unreadable. 

“So really… the idea of a kid loses some of its intensity thanks to that, right?” 

“Evan… what exactly are you—”

“I’m pregnant…”

He blurts it out, just like that. Now it’s out there and he can’t take it back and his heart feels like it’s being twisted; blood and oxygen are being cut off… He tries to judge Tommy’s reaction by the stark lack of reaction plastered across his face. He blinks, and takes in a deep breath. “W- Wow,” he manages. 

“Yeah… it’s, uh, crazy right?” 

“Mhmm…” 

“B- But we will be fine, you know. Because we have that amazing support system, and we have each other! We— We’re gonna be a family.” Tommy smiles at him— smile is too strong of a word— Tommy honestly looks constipated to him. “Hey…” he says, taking Tommy’s hand. “We— We are going to be fine. I’ll have to go on light duty but—” he gives a soft laugh. “—you know me. There’s no way they’re getting rid of me until I absolutely have to leave. So— so income won’t be a problem.” Tommy still looks pale and like he might pass out, so Buck squeezes his hand. “W- We can… move in together to— to your house… since you have extra rooms.”

“Evan…”

“Maddie is the only one who knows, I just needed someone to calm me down about telling you!”

“Evan…”

“But I’m going in the morning to tell Bobby… I want to be so careful because this—” He can’t help himself; he lets a hand slide across his flat belly. “This is something I have always wanted, and I think we’re gonna be amazing dads.” 

“Evan!” Buck startles at the incline in Tommy’s voice, he hardly ever raises his voice… much less to him. Tommy sighs. “We can’t move in together…” 

“What, wh- why not.” 

“Because, this… it’s not going to work.” Buck feels like his face is on fire; it’s hot and tingling and he can already feel the first drop of a tear to his cheek. “Please don’t— don’t cry.” Tommy looks so remorseful— that doesn’t go with his actions, though. “Look Evan, I think you’re going to be a great dad, but no matter how bad I want to be… I won’t.” 

“Y- You don’t know that.” 

“No, I— I do actually…” he says. “I’d be terrible… and I wouldn’t plan on it, and I wouldn’t mean to… but I’d only make everything worse for them and for you. I just— I should go.” He stands up, letting his hand slip free of Buck’s.

“W- Wait, hold on… wait a minute. Did you just… break up with me?” 

Tommy stops almost at the door and sighs, rubbing a hand over his face and holding it against his neck. “Yeah… I guess I did,” he says with a weak laugh. “Believe me I didn’t see it coming. I guess… I should have known that parking spot was too good to be true…” He stares back at Buck with the most heartbroken expression and Buck wonders who’s heart is breaking more right now; mostly he wonders why Tommy is doing this, and if he really believes the things he said. “I’ll see you around Buck.” Then he’s gone; and the loss of his name is almost as hard as the loss of Tommy. 

He stares at the door in shock until his phone rings. It’s Maddie, calling to see how things went.

and lastly but not leastly because this is my favorite part! Throwing out some tags so I can see what yall are working on!

@30somethingautisticteacher @nine-one-wanton @judymarch15 @sunnywithachanceofbi @herrmannhalsteadproduction

@onthewaytosomewhere @lavenderleahy @unhingedangstaddict @somethingaboutfirefly @silversky9

@piratefalls @exhaustedpirate @hyperfocusthusly @quintessenceofdust88 and anyone else who wants to join in!

[luckymousey]

EAH x TWST

⚠️English is not my first language⚠️

Part 2

I'll be using one of my Ocs, Bellatrix.

Enjoy!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Bella!"

"Uh? Raven!" The orange haired girl smiled at her.

"What's up, Raven?" Madeline Hatter, the Mad Hatter's daughter, waved at her. "Fancying for some tea?" She took out a cup of tea from her hat... which was a cup or tea too.

Raven Queen, the Evil Queen's daughter stopped running and took her by her arm.

"No thanks, Maddie, I'm a bit of a hurry." She said before looking at Bella with a nervous look. "My mom says she want to talk with you."

"Your mom? Why?" The witch tilted her head.

"Is this the start of a new frienship?" Maddie wondered, with expecting eyes.

"I dunno...it's not like Bella has ever talked with her, or with her mom, imagine my surprise when she told me she wanted to have a conversation with her." She crossed her arms. "You don't have to go if you don't want you, but I felt I needed to tell you, mom seemed to really want to talk with you."

"Class have ended long ago." She opened her pocket watch, 9 pm, it said. "Well," She abruptly closed it and put it back into her pocket. "It's not like she could hurt me, she's still trapped in that mirror, right?"

"You're not wrong, but are you sure? She might be using you to escape."

Bella simply shruggee, not caring about the possible danger she was approaching to.

"Don't worry, she managed to escape from it only one time, and we trapped her back anyways, it's not like anything bad will happen."

"But Bella, are you sure? I mean, maybe this is not a good idea." Maddie looked at her friend with a worried look too, this was weird, normally, she would've been delighted to think that the Evil Queen just wanted a new friend.

"Sometimes I feel like you two have changed a lot, and everyone else, like as if I've spent a lot of time away from you." Bella chuckled.

Her two friends tensed and nervously laughed.

"What are you talking about? You've been with us since forever." Raven took Maddie's hand. "Anyways, we have an appointment with...with headmaster Grimm, you know, he still wants us to follow our destinies and everything."

"Yes, yes!" Maddie agreed with her. "Just don't go to talk with the Evil Queen, she might want to curse you." She joked.

The two of them quickly left her alone, hurriedly walking down the hall.

Bella stayed there, smiling and looking at the corner where the girls disappeared.

"...that's not the way to Grimm's office." She mumbled to herself after a long silence.

The girl turned around and walked, the sound of the steps of high heels being the only thing that could be heard in that empty hallway.

"Alice in Wonderland," She started singing as she walked to the room where the Evil Queen was trapped in a mirror. "How do you get to Wonderland? Over the hill or under land? Or just being a tree?" She lengthened the letter 'e' and stopped right in front of a enormous door.

The girl pushed the left door with little difficulty and entered the dark room, which had a mirror in the center.

"Bella." The Evil Queen made her appearance, showing up behind the glass with a delighted smirk. "Long time no see."

"I don't think we've met each other, Regina."

"And yet you talk to me as if we were friends, however, we did talk with each other before."

"I'm afraid I don't understand what you're saying."

"Honey, don't you think you're forgetting about something?" She smirked again, slowly disappearing.

"What a nice conversation." Bella sighed.

She turned around, walked to the door, took the knob and had to stop her hand when she heard someone calling her.

"Bella."

It was a boy's voice.

"Fugya! It's really you, Bella! You know how long has the Great Grim been looking for you!?"

She turned around and looked at the mirror again, which showed nothing but her reflection.

"...!"

For an instant, she thought she saw herself, wearing a black uniform with gold accents.

"...what the actual hell?"

She approached the mirror again and stretched out her hand to its glass.

"Miss Mirrorheart."

It was Miles Grimm, the school's headmaster.

"I thought we clarified the issue about not touching the mirror."

"...yes you did, old man."

"Next time you're visiting the Evil Queen, you must notify me in advance, now, let's take you to your room, it's past the curfew."

"Ok." She simply said, turning around.

Grimm also turned around, and just when she was going to take a step, a gloved hand appeared from the mirror, covering her mouth as many other hands also appeared and took her into the mirror.

"Mhm! Grmm!" She tried to free herself.

"I told you, Bella, you've forgotten about something."

Regina's laugh was heard through all the room, alerting Grimm, who looked back and saw no one.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is a one shot I've been thinking about, like if Bella, who appeared in TW and made friends there, went back to EAH and the boys went mad (something like yandere) and after 2 years of investigation they managed to find Bella.

Bella's an Oc of mine, and well, she's a witch and a Rebel in EAH, I'm to lazy to write more about her, so I'll just write it tomorrow or something xD.

I forgot to put that Grimm would be the one who took Bella back in order for her to follow her destiny and he took away her memories in TW so she didn't try to go back, that's why she felt there was something different with everyone.

The song she sings is 'Main title' from Alice in Wonderland

[xutokawa]

aahh the s/o finding scratch marks is fulfilling my angst needs 😭🤚🏽 could u maybe do one with bokuto & suna 🥺 i love your writing so much!! xx

pairings: suna x reader, bokuto x reader

genre(s): fluff to angst, cheating

warnings: langauge, cheating

wc: 2.3k

» masterlist

a/n: thank you for your support! I tried adding more plot to it this time hehe. breaking bokuto’s heart broke mine bro :( hope you like it! also TYSM GUYS FOR 200 FOLLOWERS FDJSKF i love every single one of yu :D <3 mwah mwah mwah

atsumu and oikawa ver.

osamu and iwazumi ver.

kuroo and sakusa ver.

akaashi and hinata ver.

༻﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡༺

Suna

“Rin, hand me the soy sauce,” you asked, not looking up from the dish you were stir frying.

“Get it yourself,” Suna teased back. Rolling your eyes, you stuck out your hand. Laughing, Suna came up behind you, placing the bottle of soy sauce in your hands before wrapping his arms around your waist. His hands snuck under your shirt, laying on your bare stomach. You leaned back into his chest, sighing contently. The two of you rarely had time together anymore. While you were burying yourself in your work in hopes for a promotion, Suna was busy with practices that extended throughout the whole day. Both of you were exhausted by the time you came home to your apartment together, unable to muster the energy to do anything except fall asleep in each other’s arms.

“Mmm, you smell good,” Suna said, taking a deep breath into your neck.

“I think that’s the fried rice you’re smelling,” you joked back. Butterflies stormed your stomach as Suna’s hands gently massaged your sides. Even after living with the middle blocker for three years, he never failed to make you feel like a crushing high school student. Suddenly, Suna’s gentle hands grew antsy, teasingly tickling your sides. Jumping, you tell him, “Rin, stop! I’m going to spill something!”

“I think I’ll keep going,” Suna teased back, his hands continuing to tickle you. With one poke to your side, your entire body jerked, causing the soy sauce in your hand to fling into the air, and onto Suna’s shirt.

“Y/n! I really liked this shirt!” Suna whined. 

“That’s your fault, baby. I told you to stop,” you shrugged, laughing at his expression.

“Whatever, I’m going to go change,” Suna pouted, turning away.

As you finished cooking, you went into your shared bedroom to tell Suna dinner was ready. You were stopped in your tracks, however, when you saw his changing form. Back to you, long scratch marks ran down the length of his back. Scratches that were not put there by you. 

“R-rin, what is this?” You asked, voice beginning to waver.

Suna spun around, eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights.

“Y/n! Why didn’t you knock?” Suna nervously asked, rushing to push his t-shirt over his head, “It’s nothing, babe, just uh, got in a fight!”

“Are you sure it was a fight? Or was it a late night in someone else's bed?” You asked accusingly, brows furrowing. Would your Suna cheat on you? You had felt pretty secure about your relationship before now, never having a reason to doubt your trust in your boyfriend. Yet, you couldn’t find it in yourself to make excuses for the lines raked down his back. 

Pain and guilt flashed across Suna’s eyes, and that’s when you knew. You were wrong to believe you gave him everything he needed in a relationship.

“Look, y/n, we can figure this out, just let me-” Suna began.

“Please, stop,” you choked out, eyes welling up with tears. The middle blocker felt his heart shatter watching you back away from him as if he were a plague. 

“No, you don’t understand! I can’t lose you like this,” Suna said, walking towards you, wanting nothing more than to pull you in his arms and wipe your tears away. He stopped in his tracks, however, when you flinched away from his touch, hatred flickering in your eyes. At that moment, Suna felt like the scum of the earth.

“Please, get away from me. Get out of this room, get out of this apartment! I don’t need your excuses,” You said, voice raising. When you finally looked up to meet Suna’s eyes, you found nothing but despair and regret. 

“No! I won’t leave you, y/n! You don’t understand how much I need-” Suna started.

“Don’t give me that bullshit, Rintarou,” you scoffed. The pain in Suna’s chest grew at the use of his full name.

“I-it’s Rin. You always call me Rin. Please, call me Rin,” Suna pleaded, voice beginning to shake, “Stop distancing yourself from me. I’m your Rin. Please, don’t leave. I’m so sorry, let me make it up to you!”

“You’re a pathetic piece of shit, Rintarou! Cheating on me and then begging for me to stay and forgive you? Tell me, what was your plan? Did you just want a quick fuck one night? Or did you plan to keep cheating on me for the rest of our relationship?” You angrily walked towards him. Suna watched as the love you once held in your eyes for him turned into agony. He felt himself crumple knowing he was the sole cause of your anger and hurt.

“No! It was a mistake! Please, let me make it up to you,” Suna reached for your hands, desperate to have you with him.

“The only mistake that was made here was me trusting you,” You said, spinning around as you headed for the door. Suna physically flinched at your words, hurt and shame flooding his body. Panic filled his mind at the sound of your keys jingling and the sound of you putting on your shoes.

“Wait! Y/n, where are you going? Please don’t leave, it’s not safe for you to go out right now. Just stay and let us talk about it,” Suna pleaded, walking up behind you.

“I’d rather be anywhere but here with you right now,” you coldly replied, reaching out for the door handle. Suna rushed to stop you from turning the knob.

“Please, y/n, I can’t handle you leaving me,” Suna whispered.

“Just leave it, Suna. No amount of begging or love can fix my trust for you,” you replied, back towards his sobbing figure. Suna finally fell to his knees in defeat as you walked out of the apartment, knowing he lost you forever.

༻﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡༺

Bokuto

“Ugh, I’m so ready to just relax,” you sighed out, dramatically splaying your arms across the center console in your fiancé’s car. A tingle ran up your spine at the sound of Bokuto chuckling from beside you, not taking his eyes off the road. You could never get used to his laugh, no matter how many times you’ve heard it.

“I know, baby. You deserve it,” Bokuto replied, taking one hand off the steering wheel to place on your thigh, giving a light squeeze. The two of you had been insanely busy the month leading up to this trip. From your boss’ unrelenting demands at work to your family’s constant nagging and opinions on your wedding decorations, the two of you just needed to catch a break. So, when Bokuto brought up the idea of a weekend beach trip, you immediately agreed, jumping up and down in excitement.

The beaming sun immediately warmed your skin as you stepped out of the car. Warmth spread through your body as you glanced back at Bokuto as he started pulling out your stuff from the trunk, looking up to flash you his smile you had fallen in love with ages ago. 

“You go on ahead and find a spot for us, I’ll follow in a second,” Bokuto called out to you. Giving a thumbs up, you started towards the gleaming ocean, excitement filling your body as you felt the sand beneath your feet. Finally, choosing a spot, you unfolded your beach chair, spreading your towel across the top. A smile settled on your face as you laid down, sunglasses shielding your eyes from the harsh rays. Your eyes drifted closed, the sounds of waves crashing and children giggling putting you in a serene state.

Bokuto chuckled at your appearance before setting up his own beach chair next to you, situating a beach umbrella between the two chairs. He felt his heart speed up as he gazed at your relaxing figure, wanting nothing more than to cover your face in kisses. The spiker felt so much love for you, so he felt nothing but confusion as to how he woke up in another person’s bed two nights ago, naked. His adoration for you was replaced with guilt. Bokuto still hadn’t figured out how to approach the situation, how to tell you without you breaking off the engagement. He wanted nothing more than to watch you walk down the aisle in a few months, than to have children running around the two of you as you prepared dinner, than to grow old with you by his side. Bokuto was still unsure of what happened that night to cause him to slip out of a random person’s apartment in his clothes from the previous night.

The spiker was shook from his thoughts at the sound of your voice. 

“Are you going into the water?” you asked, looking up at him.

“Yeah, I think I will just to cool off,” Bokuto replied, pulling his shirt over his head.

“Okay, I’ll join you in a bit, I just want to lay for a little longer,” you replied to him, closing your eyes again.

“Okay, baby. Take your time,” Bokuto said, placing a kiss on your forehead before starting towards the water. You giggled as you watched your fiancé run towards the ocean. Your laughter quickly died, however, once you saw his back.

Your eyes widen with a mixture of shock and confusion, racking your brain for an explanation for the long, red strips that lined your fiance's back, but, no matter how hard you thought, nothing came up. The past month had been too hectic for the two of you to ever get close to intimate. Tears began pricking your eyes as the realization that Bokuto had cheated on you settled in your mind. 

Does he know he has scratch marks on his back? Is this his subtle way of telling me he wants to end this? That I wasn’t enough for him?

As soon as Bokuto hit the ocean, the salty water stung his back. His initial confusion as to where the pain came from was quickly replaced with realization. He shot up at the water, turning to watch you get up from your seat. 

Maybe they didn’t see, he hoped. His hopes, however, were quickly crushed as his heart dropped to his feet. You began to gather your things, rummaging through Bokuto’s belongings until you found the keys to his car.

Panicking, Bokuto ran out of the ocean as fast as he could, cursing at the water for resisting his movements. He watched helplessly as you began walking back towards the parking lot. You saw. You saw the scratch marks, and now you were leaving Bokuto. The spiker’s worst nightmares were turning into a reality right in front of his eyes.

The dull shouting of your name from down the beach sounded in your ears. You ignored Bokuto’s incessant calls for you, the ache in your heart overpowering every emotion you were feeling. 

Bokuto ran through the sand as fast as he could, hoping to catch up to you before you left his life forever. His lungs and legs were screaming, but the pain was nothing compared to the pain of you leaving. Panic rose in his eyes as he watched you get into the driver's seat, starting the engine to his car. 

Wiping the tears from your eyes, you took a shaky breath, a weak attempt to try and calm your heart. You looked down at your engagement ring, memories of that night flashing through your mind, forcing another sob to rack your body knowing that your memories now meant nothing. Banging on the car window startled you as you looked up to find a panicked Bokuto. His frantic words were muffled as you watched him desperately attempt to stop you from leaving. 

“Please, y/n, roll down the window. Let me explain, please,” Bokuto blabbered, “Y/n, please don’t leave me, you have to let me explain. I love you! I want to marry you, and you only!”

Anger surged through your body as you scoffed at his words. Rage blinded your thoughts at the mention of your impending marriage. How dare he tell you he wants to get married after cheating on you? Your brain didn’t have time to process your movements as you pulled your ring off your left hand. You watched as a glimmer of hope flickered in Bokuto’s eyes as you began to roll down the window, only to have his eyes widen in pain and shock as you handed him your engagement ring.

“You’re really a piece of shit, Bokuto. You know that?” Tears began welling up in the spiker’s eyes as he stared at the piece of metal that laid in his hands. 

“No, y/n, please. Give me your hand, please,” Bokuto frantically pleaded, reaching for your hand. The ring in his hand belonged nowhere else except your ring finger. 

“Just stop, Bokuto, you’ve already ruined everything,” you scoffed out. As his eyes met yours, he was met with a whirlwind of hurt, shame, and pity. That’s when he realized. To you, he was pathetic. The love and adoration that made your eyes shine brighter than the sun was now replaced with hatred and pain, making them burn greater than the depths of hell.

Bokuto’s heart shattered into pieces knowing you would never love him the same, knowing he broke your trust. 

“I-,” Bokuto paused, unsure of what else he could say to get you back.

“I’m sorry, y/n” the man in front of you choked out. Bokuto felt helpless as he watched you roll up your window and drive away from him, leaving him in shattered pieces.

That night, when Bokuto finally returned to his shared apartment, the reality of the situation hit him. The empty aura filling the space that he used to share with you was all it took for Bokuto to fall onto his knees, becoming a shell of his former self. You were gone.

[spideymarvelws]

Playing truth or dare with college!Peter and MJ dares you to give him a (private) lap dance

This turned out to be much longer than expected

Main Masterlist / Add Yourself To My Taglists

Warnings : SMUT! (Lap dance?ish?kind of? i went a bit of script im sorry, thigh riding, grinding, dirty talk, dom!peter, innocence kink, corruption kink?, masterbation, oral[male rec], mild degrading), alcohol consumption, everyone is 18+, kinda fluffy in the beginning but we do be getting smutty real quick tho, MJ being your personal wing woman

Also please dont take drinks from strangers this is fiction and not real life, always drink responsibly :)))

Word Count : 4.8k

Behind Doors

Fratboy!Peter Parker x Fem!Reader

You tried to keep your staring to a minimum, you really did. But how could you when he stood in the middle of the crowd, glowing like an angel amongst everyone. He was laughing with his friends, his head tilted back with his eyes squeezed shut and a smile that could make anyone's day so much brighter. You wanted nothing more but to run your hands through his floppy brown hair bouncing on his head as he told his mates a story, his facial and hand movements lively when he moved them around, accentuating the words falling from his mouth.

His fit didn’t help either. A tight white t-shirt paired with blue jeans and a gold chain that hung from his neck, begging to be played with in any way. It was simplistic but made you swoon all the same. His muscles printed through the fabric didn’t help much either, his biceps almost tearing through the sleeves a mouth watering contrast to his cheerful face.

It was like staring at a greek god that radiated puppy dog energy.

“You’re not being subtle you know,” MJ whispered into you ear nudging your side with her elbow, “Just go talk to him,”

You shook your head, heat rising to your face as you averted your eyes from the brown eyed boy, turning to face your best friend, “You know i can’t do that,”

“Not with that you aren’t,” she pointed at the red solo cup you held in your hand filled halfway with orange juice. She quickly snatched the cup away from you, dumping the contents in the grass of the backyard.

“Hey!” You gasped, but made no effort to stop her.

“You need to loosen up,” she stabbed her finger into the middle of your chest, shoving her drink into your hands, “All of it, now,”

You took the cup hesitantly swirling the contents inside around for a bit, watching as the liquid moved smoothly around the sides of the plastic. You looked back up at MJ, feeling small when she stared you down with a stern look. You knew you weren’t finding a way out of this one.

“Fine,” you grumbled before tilting your head back, chugging the alcohol down. You let out a few coughs afterwards, giggling as MJ started to cheer.

“That’s my girl!” She wrapped her arm around your shoulder, pulling you into her side, “Now for about five more,”

Two hours and four drinks later, or maybe it was six you weren't keeping count, the party finally started to die down. The liquor running through your system did its job well in letting you loosen up so you could enjoy the party without being distracted by a certain brown haired boy.

You had lost MJ halfway through the night, your mind finally processing that she wasn’t by your side when you reached for her to dance with you. As you busied yourself by looking around the room, you felt someone place their hand on your lower back, sending shivers up your spine with the touch. You whipped your head around, expecting your equity intoxicated friend but only to be met with the same brown eyes you’ve been fawning over at the beginning of the night.

“Hey,” he said into your ear so that you heard it over all the noise. He moved his hand off your back after he got your attention. You tried your best to keep the tiny whine from escaping your throat at the loss of his touch. The free feeling you felt with the alcohol completely vanished with the sound of his voice turning you into that shy nerd all over again.

“Looking for someone?” He said, pushing the tips of his fingers into the front pockets of his pants.

You stood speechless, you mouth agape that Peter Parker, the Peter Parker was talking to you. MJ was wrong, no amount of alcohol could’ve prepared you for the moment. At least you didn't scurry away like a mouse like you would’ve if you were fully sober.

“I- uh,” you coughed, trying to get some words out but failing miserably.

“Sorry, It’s just I saw you looking around,” he scratched the back of his neck, chuckling at your flustered state. His cheeks starting to turn a light pink which made you swoon even harder, “I assume you’re looking for MJ, since you were with her for most of the night,”

“Oh, right,” you mumbled, laughing awkwardly, looking down to the ground, “How did you know I was with her?”

“You guys are always together!” He smiled showing off his pearly whites, “Around campus you know? I’ve seen you guys together in my classes as well,”

“You noticed me?” You whispered, mainly to yourself but he managed to pick up your words, making you even more embarrassed than before.

“Of course!” He passed his hand through his hair, looking straight into your eyes, “How could I not Y/n?”

You stood speechless, your mouth opening and closing as if you wanted to say something but changed your mind last minute. Millions of thoughts ran through your brain per second, the most frequent being your name rolling off his tongue.

“Anyways, uh, the main reason i came was to bring you to MJ,” he chuckled nervously, seeming just as flustered as you, “She’s in one of the spare bedrooms with some of the boys, we’re playing a good ole’ game of truth and dare,” he voice raised adorably, making you giggle lightly, “You don’t need to join or anything, but i don’t think you would want to be alone out here,”

“Yeah!” you replied a bit to quickly, shaking your head at your enthusiasm, “I mean, yeah, I would like to join you,”

“Sick!” He smiled brightly, grabbing your hand. Your eyes widened at the action as he pulled you through the crowd, you looked down at the ground, allowing him to maneuver you around the mass of bodies.

“Just so you don’t get lost,” he said, looking back at you, pointing out your intertwined hands.

“Of course!” You said back, holding back your squeals of excitement.

You were honestly surprised with how sweet he was acting towards you. Despite his status as part of the biggest frat on campus, his reputation upholded him as the good boy of the group, the one who helped old lady’s across the street or bought lunch for you when you didn't have the money. Sure, you saw this on multiple occasions but to experience it for yourself was a nice change, and just solidified your crush on him even more.

When he reached the stairway vacant of anybody, he still didn't let go of your hand, only tightening his fingers around yours. He walked down the dark hallway and approached a door ,giving you a reassuring smile before turning the knob and pushing it open, revealing around eight or nine people. Some laid on the bed, beers in hand as they laughed while others sat on the couch. You spotted MJ on the floor, laughing with Harry Osborn.

“Who’s the chick Parker?” One of the boys said, silencing the room and putting everyone's attention on you.

“This is Y/n,” he gestured towards you, “Y/n, everyone,” Peter finally let go of your hand, popped himself on the edge of the bed, picking up a beer from the side table and nodding his head at the empty space besides him.

You looked towards MJ panicked, but all she did was mouth ‘go’ with a shit eating grin. You sneered back at her, rolling your eyes as you walked up to the bed, bending your right leg back to sit on your calf while the other dangled over the edge.

“You’ll be fine, don’t worry,” Peter leaned into your ear, whispering gently, “Again, you don’t have to do anything you don’t have to,”

You pouted at his actions, melting at the fact that he was so observant with you. You looked down at his beer, before looking back up at him. If you were going to get through the rest of the night, you needed to be absolutely wasted.

“Do you have another beer?” You asked him, pointed to his bottle.

“You could just have mine,” he offered his drink, passing it off to you.

You bit your lip, taking a long swig of the liquid, “Thank you,”

Before the both of you could converse any longer, a girl with short blond hair you knew from English, called out from the corner, “Okay, okay, who wants to go next?”

“I think Y/n should go,” flash said, holding up his bottle towards you, “She’s the new one isn’t she?”

Peter looked at you, silently asking if you needed him to say anything. But you decided to take things into your own hands for the first time that night.

“Yeah, I’ll go,” you said, taking another swig of beer.

“Alright Y/n,” Harry said smugly, leaning back on his forearm, “Truth or dare?”

You thought about it for a bit, missing the smug look on MJ’s face as you muttered, “Dare”

“I dare you to give Peter a lap dance,” she said immediately, leaning back as she held in her laugh at your washed out face, “I mean we could send you to the other room if you want more privacy,”

You sat speechless and once again wanted to melt into the sheets beneath you. You felt Peter’s hand wrap around yours, giving him your attention.

“Only if you want to,” he muttered, giving you a soft smile.

“I-,” you took a deep breath, trying to gather the little confidence you had left, “Which room?”

Hollers and shouts bounced off the walls, as everyone hyped both of you up. Peter stood, pulling you up with him, leading you out the room.

“Take as much time as you need!” You heard MJ shout after you before the door closed, leaving you and Peter alone once again.

Your heart pounded inside your chest as Peter guided you once again to another room. You gulped, wondering if you had made the right decision so give a lap dance to your crush. He didn’t say anything as he knocked on a door, opening it when he didn't hear any noise come from the room.

“After you,” he said politely.

“Thank you,” you said shyly, walking to the middle of the room.

Peter closed the door behind him, leaning against the wood, “Sooooo,” he dragged looking you up and down, “I- uh, didn't expect you to say yes,”

“Me neither,” you chuckled, looking down to the floor.

“I mean if you don’t want to, it’s just a silly bet,” Peter said, fiddling with his fingers.

“Do-,” you coughed, “Do you want me too?”

“It’s up to you really,”

“But would you mind if i-“

“I mean I wouldn’t be against it-,”

You both laughed nervously falling into silence after that. You looked around the room, finding interest with everything besides him. You were fidgety, playing with your fingers while tapping your foot on the floor rapidly to calm your nerves. It was stupid, you’ve been dreaming about him for so long, and now that you were finally in a room together you clamed up, not knowing what to do in his presence.

Peter on the other hand kept his gaze on you, his eyes racking your body up and down. He wasn't going to lie to himself and say that he’d never thought of this moment, the moment where you and him were finally together, in a room, all alone.

You were different from the girls he was used to in the frat. You were untouched, well to his knowledge, you were a clean slate and from the small confrontations he’s had with you, he could tell you were obedient too.

He wanted so bad to just have his way with you, to absolutely ravish you like he did in his dreams. But he wanted to savour it. After so long of watching you pin over him, purely to feed his ego, he was ready to take things to the next level and what better way than with a good lap dance. Sure he was the good guy, both as himself and as his alternate persona as a hero, but when it comes to you, all his morals were thrown out the window.

Besides, you were both intoxicated and he didn't want your first time together to be at a stupid party in a room he was barely familiar with.

After a few more seconds of silence, Peter decided to take things into his own hands, to make his fantasy a reality, or to just get it started at least. He was the first to make a move, walking right up to you, taking your chin between his fingers, tilting your head up to look at him while his other hand made its way to the side of your waist, pulling you closer.

“Y/n?” He asked, swiping his thumb across your lips. He may have an unhealthy obsession with them but it didnt matter because in the next few moments he would make them his, “I’m not stupid you know,”

You blinked rapidly, tilting your head to the side at his statement, confused and slightly hurt.

Peter only chuckled, slipping his thumb between your lips for a split second before pulling it back out and resting it back on your plump lip, testing the waters, “I said i noticed you, and when I mean I noticed you,” he leaned forward, placing his lips near your ear, “I meant everything, down to the constant heart eyes,”

You held your breath, not knowing how to feel, what to think. Peter Parker, the Peter Parker, was standing in front of you, playing with your lips with such close proximity, telling you that he was aware of your existence. That there was a chance that he might feel the same way about you.

You had to remind yourself that this was just a bet, that he didn’t mean anything he was saying. He was only doing it because he had to. Even if he was a sweet boy by heart, he still had a reputation for sleeping around, that to him you were just another girl to add to his collection. 

But when he pushed his thumb into your mouth, you knew you'd fall victim as well.

“Mhh,” he hummed, “such a good girl, just like i knew you’d be,” suddenly, he pulled his thumb out of your mouth and sat back down on the bed, pulling you to straddle his lap, “Now, i believe you have a dare to fulfill,”

“I- uh,” you stuttered, hesitantly placing your hands on his shoulder as you settled into his hold.

“You’ve never done this before, have you princess?” Peter mumbled, hovering his lips over yours.

“i-,” you shook your head, lost for words when he called you princess.

He hummed, one of his hands gripping your waist while the other laided on your cheek, rubbing the soft skin with his thumb, “Let’s start off slow then,” his thumb moved to your mouth once more, playing with the bottom lip. You sat frozen, letting him take control. You didn't trust your body to move, you could barely even talk.

“I’ve always wondered what it was like to kiss these perfect lips,” he whispered, moving to kiss your neck, trailing his way up to the corner of your mouth, “I’d imagine you’ve though the same,”

You nodded, tightening your hold on his shoulders. Peter laughed, his breath hot on your face.

“You’re going to need to say something if you want me to continue princess,”

“Yes,” you squeaked, clearing your throat, embarrassed by your quick response, “Yes, I-uh, I’ve thought about this, yeah,”

“Hmm, good,” he mumbled before finally latching his lips on yours, keeping your face close with his hand.

His lips were rougher that you imagined, probably from constantly licking them for most of the night. But the more you kissed, your mouths opening and closing with each other like its own dance, the more wet and lustful it became. You could feel your body begin to relax into his, melting into the warmth. His confidence only grew with the soft moans escaping your mouth, quickly slipping his tongue inside when your lips parted, exploring your mouth with vigour and purpose.

Your breath hitched in response, using your own tongue to match his movements and tangling it with his, fighting for dominance you were sure he was going to win. Your fingers ran through his hair, tugging at the short curls at the base of his neck, smiling when he groaned into your mouth. You beamed at him when you finally pulled away, a string of spit connected your lips.

“This seems more than just a lap dance,” you let out a shaky sigh, resting your forehead against his.

He chuckled, using his hands to bring your hips closer to his crotch, your dress rolling further up around your waist.

“Then what are you waiting for,” he said cockily, leaning back on his forearms, looking back at you expectantly.

You let out a breath, readjusting yourself on his lap before moving your hips slowly. Your pussy barely made contact with his now hard cock poking through his jeans, teasing it ever once in a while when your panties brushed the tent. You smirked, despite not knowing what the hell you were doing, it seemed like you were doing a decent job.

“Don’t get to cocky princess,” he groaned, squeezing your waist tightly, “You forget that I’m the one in charge here,”

You bit your lip, muttering a soft sorry.

He hummed, nudging his nose with yours, “Let me help you then,” 

He grasped your hips, pulling your it closer to his crotch, grinding it against your core. You let him guide you with his hands, following his lead supporting yourself with your own hands clutching on to his shoulder.   

He let out a long sigh, his head falling back. You took that as the queue to grind faster, enjoying the effect you had on him with such a simple movement. Your confidence grew with the noises escaping his throat along with the occasional praise only fueling your need.

In a rush of the moment, you moved your hands to the back of his neck, pulling him into a needy kiss. It was much more sloppier and messier than the previous one, your focus more on moving your hips than keeping your lips in sync with his.

But you wanted more. As much as you enjoyed Peter’s eyes trailing your body, his hands exploring your waist and the angelic look on his face, you couldn't help but wonder if it stopped there. If you could make his moans louder, his hips jut against your with need, just as much as you needed him.

After a few more moments, an idea popped into your head with the faint sound of music coming from downstairs.

“Peter,” you decided to purr in your ear, biting your lip when his eyes fluttered open, dark and filled with lust.

“Yes princess,” He cooed, moving his hands back to your waist while keeping eye contact, brushing his lips over yours. But before he could fully kiss you, you pulled away, giggling at the little whine he let out.

“What is it?” he pouted, rolling his eyes when you didn’t respond, only biting your lip in thought. He grabbed your jaw, focussing your gaze back on him, “You were being such a good girl, what happened hmm?”

“I- I have an idea,” you gulped, the confidence you felt seconds ago melting away under his stare, “Do you have a speaker?”

He nodded his head, pointed to a desk in the corner with a small black speaker sitting on top. You smirked, hopping off his lap and running to the box. Peter leaned back on hands, watching with curious eyes as you pulled out your phone from your jacket pocket, tapping it open and typing in your password.

“What’s going through that head of your princess,” he mumbled, but loud enough for you to hear.

You only giggled in response, playing around with the speaker to turn in on. After a few more seconds of fiddling, you spun around with your phone in hand and a teasing smile on your face. Your finger pressed down on the screen, the room filling with the song Love Is A Bitch by Two Feet.

He scoffed, “And here I am thinking you were just an innocent little thing,” 

You bit your lip, looking down shyly and placing your phone on the table, your back facing him, “I just wanted to set the mood,”

“Was grinding down on me not enough?” he teased, “Are you always this greedy?”

You let out a breath before turning around, your heart practically beating out of your chest, “Only with you,”

You glanced up at the brunette face, nervous that maybe you took it too far. It was just a simple lap dance, nothing more and nothing less and you should've kept it that way. But the kiss was addicting, keeping you in a daze where all you wanted was more. More of his touch, his mouth, his taste.

You’ve wanted him for so long and now that you dipped your toes in the waters, you wanted to dive in and never come out. What really kept you going was his reactions to your touch, the small grunts and moans escaping his mouth because of you. He wanted this as much as you did or else he would’ve shut you down by now, right?

You were just getting ahead of yourself.

“Come here Y/n,” he almost growled, his eyes never leaving you while you shuffled your way between his legs, yelping when he gripped your waist and pulled you back down. Instead of straddling his waist, he moved you so your legs were on either side of his left thigh.

You went to speak but the gripped your jaw with his forefinger and thumb, forcing your eyes on him.

“You never fail to surprise me princess,” he whispered, his free hand trailing up your waist, brushing past your breasts, “I thought I had to treat you like a good girl, take my time with you” he chuckled darkly, “Turns out you need this just as much as I do, my greedy, desperate little thing,”

You bit your lip, tucking your head in the crook of his neck to avoid his stare. The pet names he gave you was already enough to leave you a mess but adding ‘my’ in front of it made you melt. You wanted to be his, you wanted him to take control of your body and use you as he pleased. He adjusted his thigh, having it bump against your clothed pussy. Heat rose to your face when you let out a small whimper, settling back on his leg, craving the friction but you didn’t move, waiting for specific instructions.

“You weren’t so shy before, what happened?” he kissed the shell of your ear, “Go on princess, ride my thigh like the desperate whore I know you are,” 

Without thinking you began to grind your pussy along his thigh, your face growing hotter when you felt the wetness seep on to his jeans. Peter kept his hands on your waist, keeping your movements at his own past, occasionally bouncing his leg, enjoying the little whines you let out. When you started moving faster, he knew you were nearing your high.

“Princess, look at me,” he grunted,“I want to see that pretty face when you cum,”

You let out a shaky sigh, pulling your head up to face him but you could barely keep your head up, too concentrated on moving your hips against the rough fabric of his jeans. He quickly recognised this and wrapped his hand around your throat, squeezing lightly to get some of your attention. 

“Peter,” you whimpered, near to tears with how close you were to climaxing, “Peter please,”

“What is it princess? You want to cum? Is that it?”

You nodded quickly, “Please,”

“Go ahead princess,” he grinned, smashing his lips against your to swallow your moans as you came on his thigh, your hips moving in slow strokes to prolong the feeling. You pulled away after a few moments of feverish kissing, your arms falling limp around his shoulders.

“Fuck,” you sighed, your forehead falling against his with the breathless laugh, “That was-”

“Great? Amazing? The best experience of your life?” he laughed, falling back against the mattress, pulling you down with him. You giggled, shoving your face in his neck and inhaling his comforting scent.

“Yeah,” you turned your head to face him, pouting when a piece of his hair fell in front of his stunning eyes. You moved it out of his face, kissing his nose in the process, “I liked it a lot,”

“That’s good, that’s good,” he whispered, tightening his arms around you.

All of a sudden you felt something poke at the inside of your thigh. It took you a few moments to realise that he was hard and was probably aching to get off at this point in the night. 

“Do- do you want me to help?” you said shyly, sitting up on your hands to fully face him.

“You don't have to princess,” his hands passed up and down your waist, “Seeing you fall apart from my thigh is all I needed tonight,”

The twitch of his eye and dryness of his lips told you otherwise. 

“Are you sure?” you bit your lip, moving your hand slowly down to his hard on, “because I don’t mind helping Petey,”

You didn’t know where the nickname came from but it was too late to take it back. Judging by the dark look in his eyes and the almost cynical look on his face he didn’t mind.

“You want to help me princess? Are you sure you know what you’re in for?”

You shook your head eagerly, “Just tell me what you want,”

“And what if i want you to suck my cock?”

“I would do it,”

“Do what?”

“Su- suck your cock,” you replied bashfully looking down at your hands now intertwined on his stomach.

“Aww, is my princess getting shy?” he fake pouted, “After getting off on my thigh like a slut, you’re getting shy about taking me in your mouth?”

“I-”

“It’s alright princess i’ll guide you through it,” he reached down to unzip his jeans, shuffling awkwardly to push them down so he could get his member out. You watched as his hard dick slapped against his chest, big and throbbing.

He moved your hips back so that you straddled his legs this time, taking your hand and raising it to your mouth.

“Spit,” he instructed, looking up at you with hunger, “Now,”

You hesitantly spit into your hand, watching in awe as the wad fell into your hand.

“Good girl,” he sighed, moving your hand to wrap your small finger around the base of his cock, “Have you ever jerked someone off princess?”

“Just two,” you respond hesitantly.

Peter gritted his teeth, trying to get the idea of you touching anyone else out of his mind, “Well let's make this your third and final guy hmm?” his breath hitched when you started to move your hand up and down his cock, “You’re mine now princess,”

In the spur of the moment you leaned down, licking the red tip of his member, “Only yours,” you whispered before taking him halfway in your mouth, gagging and pulling yourself back up.

“Take your time princess,” he gulped, “fuck but you could do that again if you’d like though,”

You giggled, licking and kissing the sides of his cock and taking it once more, reaching further than this time than you did the last. You bobbed your head continuously only raising your head to take a breath and going in again.

“Fuck princess, I knew your mouth would be good,” he groaned, “You’re doing so well, taking my cock so good down your throat, fuck!”

You smiled around his length, the back of your throat contracting around the tip making him moan your name. Before he could praise you even more, someone's voice cut his words off.

“Everything alright in there?” MJ said through the door but you were too lost in your daze to answer or recognise her voice.

“Yeah, we’re good,” Peter smirked, pushing you to take the rest of his cock, “We’re just going to take longer than expected,”

...

Part two maybe??

Permanent Taglist : @jadegill @joyleenl @sarcastic-sunset-7@wakeupandsmellthelavender @kaithezaftig @theliterarymess @thirstiestpotato @i-love-superhero @lovewolfspirit @lowkey-holland @miltifandoms1019

Peter Parker Taglist : @ietss @itscaminow @dummiesshort @seutarose @cebaratn16 @lanceyfancypants @clara-licht @sadassflatass @usuck @yeah-seems-legit @lolasm0nst3r

Crossed out means i couldn't tag :(

[fawad-khan]

professor ‘fuck me a lot’

A/N: so tom in that esquire interview and that instagram story did things to me ajhsuifhf so here we are! also this is my first professor tom fic hehe. beta read by the lovely @parkerpeter24​ (title credit goes to her too XD)

Masterlist

Pairing- professor!tom holland x student!reader

Warning- smut, thigh riding,swearing, unprotected sex, teacher-student relationship(?), wrap it before you tap it! (all characters are 18+ btw)

Word Count- 3.4k+

Summary- you catch tom in a compromising position.

Thomas Stanley Holland, the new professor was the talk of every single student in the college. He was young, and very smart and knew his subjects well. He had a way with his teaching that made everyone’s ear perk up and pay attention to whatever he was teaching. Everyone was impressed by how he taught from a different perspective, in the sense that he not just gave a lecture, he explained in such a way that each person could visualise and convert the picture into their own words.

He was also very undeniably  attractive. He had attractive features. His chocolate brown dolomite eyes, soft looking lush brown hair, pink kissable lips that so many girls (and even some guys) dreamt of kissing over and over again, desirable cheekbones and the suits he wore for his lectures made him look so fine, drawing attention and he somehow managed to pull you towards him as well.

As if his looks weren’t enough, it was also his voice, and how it sounded like music to your ears. He certainly had a way with his words. Many times you had yourself what would it be like to have that same voice whisper dirty things in your ears. You remember the day he stepped into the classroom on his first day of teaching you.

"Hello everyone, my name is Tom Holland, and I will be teaching you literature from today onwards. I can see lots of bright faces here," he gazed around the room as he continued, "now, before we get started I would like to get everyone's names and just ask some questions in general, that is what we will do first. So why don't we start with," he took a list from his desk and called out a few names, who stood up and introduced themselves.

"(Y/n) (l/n)?" You heard your name being called out. You got up and politely introduced yourself. 

"I actually have a very good report on you here, miss (y/n). Are you that interested in literature? And please sit down if you want." He beamed, but you continued to stand anyway, admiring him already.

"Well, actually I have really been fond of reading lots of books since childhood and always had a hobby of writing small stories and poems and such for the school part so I guess that is how I realized I wanted to delve further into the subject."

"Well I must say, that's very impressive. And do you have any plans after you complete and procure your bachelor's degree?"

"Actually yeah, I have dreamt of being a writer so I would very much like to succeed in that. Otherwise, being a college professor is another option, where I'd love to teach about various literature works."

"That is very good, miss (y/n). Well that is all for now and I'm looking forward to teaching all of you, you all seem like very talented students."

"Thank you, professor Holland." Everyone chorused. He picked up a book from his desk and began to teach. He certainly knew his subject very well, for unlike the previous professor who had managed to bore all of you last year, you found yourself paying attention to every single word he said.

Of course, as time passed, there were more and more girls who always discussed him, innocent things at first like how great a teacher he was and something like he was the cutest professor they ever had. It gradually escalated to how hot he was and how many girls were willing to do him in his classroom and so on.

You would rather die than admit, but you did have a crush on your teacher. A major, at that one. It wasn’t that often that you got a teacher like him, anyway. Maybe that was a small reason why you tried harder in his class and excelled more. He was also often very pleased with your work and had grown to favour you, seeing that you indeed had a lot of potential and admired how you always submitted everything on time and how you were always punctual and overall how dedicated you were in his classes. You had gradually grown to become one of his favourite students.

----

It was a Thursday evening, the clock ticking 7pm as you finally finished your due work of the week. As usual, you gathered your sheets and checked it again to make sure there were no errors. Once you were satisfied, you stapled them and put them neatly in a plastic folder and made your way to Tom’s room for submission. He had made a rule that students could either email their respective essays and papers or physically submit it to him either in the classroom or personally in his room in case someone wanted a little guidance as well.

Checking your appearance to make sure there were no stains or anything like that on you or your dress, you took your file and made your way towards his room for submission. You gave a soft knock and waited for him to open the door. No response. You knocked again. Again, no response of opening the door. Although, you could hear his voice, so he probably was on the phone or in a meeting or something.

You turned the knob of the door and quietly, swung the door open and entered the room. Closing the door behind you, you turned right to walk towards his table and saw something you never thought you'd see.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry, sir!" You exclaimed, making him startled and jump in his seat.

He was in a webinar session. With no pants on. He was only in a formal shirt and underwear and a pair of socks. You could very clearly see his thighs which were naked in your sight. The thighs you had only dreamt of riding in your dreams. 

He hastingly said something about some technical issues and that he would have to leave and left the webinar and walked across the room to his closet to quickly get some pants. He grabbed the first pair he could see and before he could put it on, your brain decided to blurt out something you wouldn't have dared to ever say to your professor.

"Don't put them on!" You quickly covered your mouth with both hands, your file dropping on the floor. Your whole face went red as soon as those words left your mouth, your knees shaking with nervousness.

He stood in his place, stunned. He could not believe the words that just came out of your mouth.

“What- what did you just say?”

“I -uh” you stammered, covering your face again and taking a deep breath. He walked towards you and took your hand and held it, his other hand holding your chin and making you look up into his eyes.

“Say it again, darling. There is no harm.” he said in a calm and husky voice that made you feel giddy and weak at the knees. “Go on, now.” his fingers gently pushed a loose strand of your hair behind your ear.

You looked into his eyes. Your heart was beating at a very furious pace. A fire was surging in you as his fingers had touched your skin. 

“I said, don’t put them on.” you whispered slowly, your voice lingering in his ears. He smirked and brought his lips closer to your ear and whispered, “and why is it so?” his voice lulled you to him, his one hand resting on your cheek and his other hand lowering to your waist, pulling you closer to him. “don’t be shy, say what you have to say.”

"It's because," you paused, a new wave of confidence flowing through you. This was now or never. "It's because I want to ride them."

"Hmm is that so?" He hummed, lazily nibbling your earlobe, making you hot and bothered. He stepped back and sat on his chair and held out his hand. You took it and he pulled you on his lap and held you tight by the waist with one hand. His other hand cupped your jawline and pulled your face closer so your lips were only millimetres apart from touching.

"Then be a good girl and ride me" with that he wasted no time and crashed his lips on yours, you reciprocating the kiss immediately. Your eyes fluttered shut, so did his. The feeling of his soft, smooth lips felt more amazing than you had fantasized in your dreams. You tilted your head to grant him more access. 

He bit your lips gently, making you moan into his mouth. Your fingers flew to pull his soft hair strands, messing them up as he deepened the kiss and you gently grinded your hips against his.

You were the first to pull away from the kiss, gasping slightly for air to breathe. His hair was slightly messed up, he was out of breath and both of you had flushed faces. The sexual tension that was subtle before was more thick and more prominent.

"I better lock the door, huh? Don't want anyone to walk in on us?" You asked, looking at him. He nodded in response as you got up and went to lock the latch on his door. Now no one would interrupt the two of you.

"Ride me, darling. Be a good girl for me." The raspy voice made you feel wet as you repositioned yourself so now you were sitting on his left thigh, with his thigh pressed against your clothed pussy, making you let out a moan.

You pressed your clothed pussy and began to rock your hips up and down, feeling a sense of pleasure jolting in you. As you increased your pace, you could feel yourself getting wetter and wetter. You held his shoulders for support as you grinded faster, closing your eyes and enjoying the feeling of his thigh.

“Oh my, fuckkk” you moaned out, arching your back as grinded even faster, feeling that you wouldn’t last very long. Tom meanwhile was watching you, feeling his pants getting a little tight at the sight of you riding his thigh. He couldn’t help but let out a groan as he watched you ride your high. With time, he was attracted to you and always imagined what you would be like in bed. He had always fantasised but never thought he would be here in this situation.

“You’re doing great, darling ohhh” he groaned out, closing his eyes and leaning his head back as his hands held you firmly by the waist.

“God I’m gonna cum!” you moaned out, holding his shoulders tight for support as you felt yourself releasing, soaking heavily through your panties and shorts. Your movement became slower as you rode out your high, stopping a few seconds later, panting and sweating heavily. You opened your eyes to look at him all flustered and lips parted.

"Woah" was what came out of his mouth. He gently held you and placed you on his right thigh and the both of you could see a shiny wet spot where you had come just a few seconds ago. He looked back at you and smirked, making you go red.

"I don't normally do this with my students, you must know that."

"Oh that's, great I guess."

"Would you mind if I did what I wanted to do to a student whom I happen to be attracted to?" He whispered huskily, lips dancing dangerously over yours.

"And what would that be? Care to elaborate, sir?" You asked, looking into his eyes again.

"Oh, you'll find out soon enough, darling." With that he kissed you, this time with more heat and passion as though he was holding all his desires as he inserted his tongue into the kiss, exploring your mouth. You kissed him with equal amount of passion and lust, running your hands in his hair.

His lips left yours and pressed kisses on your jawline and neck, sucking your skin gently till he found your sweet spot and sucked a hickey there.

"Careful there sir, don't want people to see that." You gasped out, head thrown back.

"Say my name, dear. Wanna hear it from your pretty lips." He mumbled against your neck.

"Tom!" you whimpered, making him groan as he went back up to kiss you again on your lips. One hand went down to unbutton his shirt and touched his amazingly toned chest. Your fingers danced and touched every part of his chest, every touch sending tingles down Tom's spine, making him bite your lip gently.

He cupped your right thigh and squeezed it, wrapping it around his waist loosely. He held you by the waist firmly and picked you up and placed you gently on his desk, not breaking the kiss for even a second.

He pulled away from the kiss and looked into your eyes again. His orbs were dark with lust.

"Tell me if you want me to stop, okay?" He said huskily, his hand slowly lowering down to your waist and slipping under the hem of your top, making contact with your skin. His touch ignited a fire in you. His fingers drew circles on your curves, sending you tingles of pleasure.

"Don't…..stop…." You trailed off, closing your eyes again, enjoying the feeling of him touching you.

His hands played with the hem of your top before taking it off and stepping back for a moment, looking at you. You were already a mess, your hair strands sticking out wildly, sitting on his desk, looking at him desiringly.

“You are so gorgeous, did you know?”

“Thanks.” you covered your face with your hands. He stepped forward and removed your hands gently, looking at you. He pressed kisses on your neck and collarbone, his hand trailing down to your shorts, unbuttoning and unzipping them. Slowly, he pulled them down to the floor, leaving you only in your bra and panties. 

He continued to kiss you on your chest, unhooking your bra in an instant, exposing your breasts. He took one of your breasts in one hand massaging it gently, taking the nipple in his mouth and sucking on it. His other hand went down to your panties, fingers touching your clothed cunt which was very soaked and he teased you through the material, eliciting a moan from you. Smirking, he hooked his fingers at the hem of your panties, inserting them inside to come in contact with your pussy.

He inserted a finger inside your wet folds, pumping in and out at a slow speed. His mouth switched to suck on your other breast as he increased his speed of thrust. You were by now a moaning mess, moaning his name out again and again while pulling at his curls. You were now very much turned on and very horny, craving him more and more. He inserted a second finger, thrusting faster, making you cum a second time.

He took his mouth away from your nipple with a pop sound and came up to meet your lips again. He finally took out his fingers out of your now swollen clit and pulled away from you, licking them clean, never breaking eye contact with you.

“You taste so delicious, dear.” he groaned out, making you want him more than ever now. You pulled him towards you by the collar and began unbuttoning his coat and shirt, running your hands over his toned abs, enjoying the feeling. He stepped closer, pressing his clothed hard-on against your soaked and clothed pussy, making you groan in pleasure. You couldn’t wait anymore. You needed him now.

“Tom…...please….” you groaned out, making him smirk.

“Please what? Use your words, darling.”

“Please….I need you now.” you groaned as you felt his hard-on press against you even more, making you buck your hips up and down.

“Gladly.” he threw his hanging coat and shirt off his body on the floor, pulling his underwear down to the floor, now completely naked in front of you. He stood in front of you, looking heavenly with his body glistening with sweat and his hair a complete mess. His cock was hard and the tip was flush pink with a little precum leaking. You took off your bra and panties and threw them across the room while he spread the precum and pumped his cock. He stepped forward and pressed a lazy kiss on your lips, aligning his cock just outside your entrance.

“Ready, love?”

“Yes” with that he entered you slowly, thrusting in and out at a slow pace, stretching you out so that you could get used to his size. Given how wet you already were, it was easy for him to move. His cock filled you up perfectly and you felt pleasure jolt through your body as you moaned continuously.

“Go faster.” you breathed out, him obeying gladly as he increased his pace, gripping your sides tight. His hips slapped against yours, a knot forming in your stomach as he hit that spot inside you again and again. He was moaning out loud with you, going faster with each thrust. One palm was on the desk to help steady himself. He pressed his lips against yours to kiss you sloppily, both of you moaning into each other’s mouths. You dug your nails on his muscles and his back, leaving crescent red marks, making him pound into you even harder.

You could feel your high approaching yet again and from the look on Tom’s face, it seemed like he wouldn’t last long before he came too. His finger rubbed your clit, bringing you closer to your orgasm.

“Fuck, I’m gonna cum.”

“Fuck, I haven’t got a condom, oh my-”

“It’s ok, come inside me.” you breathed out.

“Are you sure? I really don’t want to risk it like this.” he asked, looking at you as if to ask if you were sure about this.

“I’m on the pill. Besides, my period was a week ago.”

“Oh, alright. Ohh!” his cock was beginning to twitch as you came undone around him, letting out a cry of pleasure. He grunted out loud as he reached his high, his cum spilling inside you. His thrusts became sloppier and slower and stopped moving a few moments later, his cock still buried inside you.

You clenched around him, not wanting to let go of the feeling of him beside you. Both of you were sweating and panting heavily, you holding him to steady yourself. He reluctantly pulled out of you, his cum mixed with yours flowing out slowly. He smirked at the sight and took out a cloth he always kept in his drawer to clean you up. Wow, talk about a sexy and caring professor.

“How you feelin’?” he asked, pressing the cloth against your core after wetting it slightly, 

“Amazing.” you said, making him smile. After cleaning you up, he gave you a lazy kiss and picked up his and your clothes and handed them to you. You dressed in silence and watched him do the same.

“Hey, so uh, I wanted to tell you. Um, I don’t normally do this with any student of mine. Nor have I ever been attracted to any student. You are truly an exception.”

“Thanks, it means a lot.” you smiled. “And if it helps, I’ve never been this attracted to a teacher before. You are amazing too.” he blushed at that, making you giggle

“Well I better get going.” you said, getting off his desk. You picked up your file from the floor and handed it to him, then took a piece of paper and wrote something on it and handed that as well.

“Here's my submission, and my number. If you wanna maybe text sometime?”

“Sure, I’d love that sweetheart. Maybe we can meet up for a coffee later this week?”

“I’d like that.” you smiled and made your way to unlock the door. Just as you were about to open the door, he called you out, making you turn around and look at him.

“Hey, uh is it ok if we keep this thing a secret for a while? For the both of us? I don’t want you to face unnecessary backlash from anyone because of me.”

“Yes, it’s ok, Tom.”

“Ah, professor in the classroom.” he steps closer to whisper in your ear, “Tom when we are alone, together.”, making you go red.

“Noted, professor.” you winked and exited his room, your heart skipping a beat, silly smiles on both of your faces. 

You were looking forward to your possible relationship development with him and excited to see where it goes, as did he with you.

The end

lemme know what you thought🙈

[raewritez]

Enough | Sokka

based on this request: You want requests? I have an idea/request if you don't mind and are still accepting them, if not I’m sorry. Maybe “friends to lovers/teammates to lovers” where Reader joins the team from Ba Sing Se and while they’re preparing for the invasion, or beyond, Sokka and Reader fall in love, or start to fall in love? I hope that makes sense. Thanks! Your writing is all wonderful! <3

word count: 3.6k

The last thing you'd expected was for the Avatar to break into your house.

You'd been upstairs in your room when you'd heard a ruckus from down below, drawing you to your feet with nervousness and light footsteps. Who was it, burglars? You made your way down the stairs, body pressed against the wall. You heard muffled whispering.

"We can't just break into random houses, Sokka!"

"Well, what else are we supposed to do?! Do you have any better ideas?"

Silence.

"That's what I thought, Aang. Just trust the process."

You peered over the corner, catching sight of the intruders. A boy, a bit shorter than you, stood awkwardly in the corner of your living room. He was dressed in yellow and orange robes, his head decorated with a blue arrow. Huh. Beside him, pulling the curtain back cautiously to scan outside, was a boy seemingly about your age. He was tall, tan skin and dark hair, dressed in a sleeveless blue tunic. You didn't peg these guys as particular threats, so you stepped down.

"Uh, hello?"

They spun around with a yelp, assuming defensive positions. The taller boy held something in his hand - a boomerang? He narrowed his eyes at you.

"What are you doing here?" He demanded.

"Um, this is my house? Who are you?"

He lowered his arm, glancing around sheepishly. "Oh, uh, sorry. We needed to hide."

You raised an eyebrow. "Hide? Hide from who?"

The younger boy spoke up. "The Dai Li."

You furrowed your brows. "The Dai Li?" You questioned, confused. "Why would you need to hide from them? Did you, like, break the law?"

The older boy crossed his arms. "What? No!"

"Then why are you hiding?"

"Because they're after us!"

"Why would they be after you if you didn't break the law?"

"Because!" He was flailing his arms now, and you almost chuckled with amusement. "They - they're bad guys!"

You looked at him flatly. "That sounds like something a criminal would say."

He groaned. "Ugh, ok, ok. Once we know they're gone, we'll leave."

"Are you sure? I was gonna invite you for some tea and cookies," you teased. He glances back, as if seeing if you were serious, before turning back grumpily.

The younger boy scratches his head awkwardly. "Um, anyway, thanks for not kicking us out. I'm Aang."

You chuckle. "Yeah...no problem. I'm Y/n." You aren't quite sure why you're having a conversation with the guys who just broke into your house, but they seem nice enough. The older one's a little grouchy, but for some reason you feel safe.

Aang smiles brightly. "Nice to meet you. This is Sokka," he says, nudging his shoulder.

Sokka glances back at you. "Hey." You offer him a wave.

"So...why are you hiding in my house?"

Aang glances at Sokka, and it seems like a silent argument passes between them. Sokka shakes his head, Aang gives him an imploring look, and Sokka glares. Then he throws his hands up, mumbles a "Fine", and Aang turns back to you with a grin.

"Well, you see, I'm the Avatar," Your eyes grow wide. "And we're trying to get some important information to the Earth King. But the Dai Li don't want us to, so they're kinda chasing us."

"You're the Avatar?" You breathe. He nods cheerfully. "Wait - so, why are the Dai Li chasing you? Shouldn't they be helping?"

"Yeah, they should," Sokka says. "But they decided to, you know, not."

You're confused. The Dai Li are the highest level of protection for the people of Ba Sing Se. Why wouldn't they help the Avatar? You look around the room, spotting the closet near the door. An idea pops into your head.

"I can help." They both turn to you, looking skeptical. "I mean I can help you get out. Without being noticed."

They look at each other, hold their gaze, then turn to you and nod.

///

"I look ridiculous."

You stifle a laugh, taking in Sokka's appearance. "I think you look great. And it'll help you get by unnoticed, so that's what matters."

He's dressed in your father's trench coat, a heavy, brown beast of a thing that's so long it pools at his ankles. He's also sporting a dashing top-hat; the brim so wide it effectively shelters his face. He glares.

Aang comes bouncing in, dressed in a hooded cape that provides coverage for his tattoo. He stops short when he sees Sokka, doubling over in laughter. "Oh, you look great, Sokka."

Sokka groans, slumping over. "Let's just get out of here."

You lead them out the front door, scanning the road for any sign of threats. You step out, the boys following in tow, and walk as confidently as you can past the agents lining the street. Eventually, you successfully make it out of the middle ring. Sokka immediately sheds his disguise.

"Well, here you go," you say, looking around. Although only one ring above you, the Upper Ring is much nicer than you're used to. "Good luck with the Earth King."

Aang's eyes grow wide. "Wait! You should...you should come with us!"

You tilt your head. "Come with you where?"

"Back to our place! You could meet our friends!" He nudges Sokka, who appears disinterested. "Right, Sokka?"

Sokka's eyes snap to yours. "Oh, uh, sure. I guess."

You're about to politely decline, but Aang is staring at you so hopefully that you can't turn him down. You smile softly. "Sure, Aang."

"Awesome! Let's go."

You're led through the cobblestone pathways, eyes trailing after ornate carriages and towering buildings. Soon, you reach their house. The home of the Avatar. Sokka walks up and turns the knob, jumping back in surprise. In front of him stands a girl, not much younger than you, with her hands on her hips and her eyes bright with anger.

"Where have you been?!" She demands, dragging him inside by his collar. "We've been worried sick! I mean, you didn't even leave a note, didn't say anything-"

"We're sorry, Katara," Aang intervenes, hands raised in peaceful greeting. "We got caught up."

It's then that her eyes fall on you, gaze softening into uncertainty. She looks at Sokka expectantly.

"Oh!" He exclaims, stepping back and gesturing towards you. "This is Y/n. She helped us get away from the Dai Li."

The girl, Katara as she'd been called, offered you a slight smile of gratitude. "Thank you for helping my idiot brother."

You chuckled, grinning at the look of betrayal Sokka gave the girl. "It was no problem."

She nodded, extending her arm. "Do you want to come in?"

You glanced towards Aang, who was smiling excitedly. "Oh, yeah, sure."

You stepped inside, feeling a bit awkward. You didn't really understand why Aang wanted you to come so badly, but it was a kind gesture nonetheless. You scanned the interior; emerald walls adorned with gold plating that was probably more expensive than your whole apartment. You fidgeted your fingers, standing by while Katara and Sokka bickered about responsibility. A slam startled you out of your thoughts.

"Who's this?" A girl stepped out of the - hole? Yeah, hole, she'd just kicked a hole in the wall. Katara paused her lecture.

"Toph, this is Y/n. She helped Sokka and Aang with the Dai Li."

"Cool." She yawned, walking past you and plopping on the couch.

"We need to get to the Earth King," Sokka said, assuming a demeanor of focus and determination. "If the Dai Li aren't going to help us get to him, we'll have to do it ourselves." He briefly explained his plan, something about breaking into the fancy party that was happening later that night. They came up with roles, with guidelines for what each person should do, working together like a well-oiled machine. You felt out of place, you didn't know what your purpose was here. Aang turned to you, smiling softly.

"Y/n, you in?"

You stared. You couldn't comprehend the reason this boy had so much faith in you, the reason these kids were so willing to let you in on their scheme after just meeting you less than an hour ago. You didn't understand why you trusted them, either. You smiled.

"I'm in."

///

That was your first mistake.

When you'd agreed to break into an Earth Kingdom party with the Avatar, you didn't think you'd end up having to flee your home. You sat upon Appa's back, knees pulled to your chest as Ba Sing Se grew smaller. Sokka was steering, and the rest had their heads tucked into their hands. Except for Aang, who was lying unconscious next to Katara.

You'd remained in the city with Katara as the rest of the group separated, happy to spend some time with your newfound friend. It was then that things got messy; you found out the Fire Nation had infiltrated the government, the local tea-boy was actually a banished prince, and you found yourself in the crystal catacombs as a battle went on around you. You'd been there with Zuko and Katara, and you weren't sure exactly what'd gone down between them but it was obviously something serious, and you'd been there as he joined his sister - Azula. She was pretty scary.

You fought the best you could, your unpracticed earth-bending not doing much damage against the Dai Li agents, before Aang was struck by Azula's lightning. Now, you sat atop his sky-bison, mind racing and body numb from the shock of it all. You were in way over your head.

The five of you met up with Sokka and Katara's dad after dropping off the Earth King, because, you know, he was just casually there, too, boarding a Fire Nation ship as a means of disguise. Sokka introduced you to his father, Hakoda, who welcomed you with a warm smile and a firm handshake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Y/n. Sokka's told me a lot about you. You two must really get along well," he said when Sokka was out of ear reach, voice laced with mirth. You flushed when you registered what he was implying; the mischief gleaming in his eyes. You frantically tried to put a sentence together.

"Oh, we're not - he doesn't...I mean we do, but not like-" He cut you off with a chuckle and a friendly pat to your shoulder.

"I'm just teasing. Come on, let's join the others."

You sat with your friends and the Water Tribesmen aboard the steely deck, huddling with Toph and Sokka for warmth. Katara went downstairs to heal Aang, who had yet to wake. Your meals mainly consisted of rice as it was too risky to stop and buy more supplies. You were still dressed in your Earth Kingdom clothes; green-tinted pants and a tunic, feet clad in worn-down boots. Not ideal for posing as a Fire Nation soldier.

You were still in shock, you supposed, at how quickly things changed and how fiercely your life was ripped from you. I mean, just a few days ago you were a normal kid living in the middle ring of Ba Sing Se, where nothing remotely exciting ever happened. Then, the Avatar and his friend had broken into your house and now everything was different. You weren't upset, it was just a lot to process. You were worried for Aang and a bit overwhelmed at the reality that seemed to be your new friends' normal. So when everyone else returned to their rooms for sleep, you made your way to the overlook.

The moon beamed down over the sea - ivory light caressing the waves and kissing the surface. You breathed deeply, inhaling the cool night air that smelled of salt-water and a freedom you'd never experienced. You sat there, slightly chilly from the cold, when a warm presence took place by your side.

You glanced up, seeing Sokka's skin glowing under the starlight. Woah, had he always been this pretty? It was probably just the moon...that and your sleep deprivation. Yeah, that was it.

"What're you doing up?" He questioned, eyes cast out to the horizon. His hair was loose from its usual ponytail - wolf-tail, as he'd passionately pointed out to you days earlier - the dark locks flowing freely about his face. You tore your eyes away, following his stare.

"Just couldn't sleep," you glanced over. "You?"

He sighed, leaning against the metal. "Me neither. Just worried."

You turned to face him, face softening into concern. "About what?"

He ran a hand through his hair. "About Aang. About the Earth Kingdom...just...everything."

You moved closer, resting your forearms against the edge of the ship. He pressed his shoulder against yours.

"I get it. I am, too. Everything that's happening is just...crazy. There's no way I could've even imagined it."

Sokka tilted his head towards you, blue eyes glimmering with compassion and softness. "Yeah...how are you doing? I haven't really asked, I mean, this must be kinda shocking for you."

You snorted, nodding your head. "Well, yeah. But it's ok. I'm not the one who has it worst right now."

"Sure, but you can still talk about it. You can talk to me...if you want."

You smiled up at him, his face shadowed by the abyss of the night. "Thanks."

He offered you a grin before staring up at the sky. "You know, that's my first girlfriend," he said, pointing at the moon.

"The moon?" He nodded. "That's...rough."

///

It was finally here. The day of Black Sun.

You'd be lying if you said you felt totally prepared, but with some rigorous earth bending lessons from Toph and sparring with Sokka, you felt more confident in your abilities.

A finger poked your cheek. "Hey, are you listening?"

You glanced at Sokka's teasing grin, scratching the back of your neck sheepishly. "Uh...yes?"

"Really," he said, moving to stand in front of you. "What did I say?"

"Something about...food?"

He laughed, shaking his head. "It's ok, I'll tell you later." He looked behind him, taking in the sight of the preparing fighters and looming submarines. He took your hand in his. "Are you ready for this?"

You sigh, squeezing his fingers between your own. "Ready as I'll ever be."

He smiles down at you, and the look in his eyes is pure adoration. He reaches to tuck a stray piece of hair behind your ear. "You know, I'm glad I broke into your house."

You snort, swatting his hand away. "Yeah, yeah. Thanks a lot, nerd."

He chuckles. "Hey, I know you're glad, too. Otherwise, you never would've met me and would've been miserable and bored your whole life."

You laugh, but it's probably true. You and Sokka had grown much closer over the past weeks, days spent in playful conversation and evening strolls, in play-wrestling and heads rested on shoulders. You were the one he came to when his mind was troubled, when his energy was too spent to conjure any jokes. Yeah, you were glad, too.

You were called into the submarines - Sokka's invention, something you were unfathomably proud of - and off you went. Into the Fire Nation. Your arrival went mostly smoothly, disregarding the few punctures in the submarine walls, and you ran out of the carrier with the earth at your fingertips. Aang had flown off to fight the Fire Lord, and it was up to the rest of you to deal with everyone else. Your heart pumped loudly, blood rushing in your ears and adrenaline flowing in your veins. You raised your arms, summoning the ground upwards to knock out a few soldiers.

"Y/n!"

You turned around just in time to see Katara swoop down on Appa, Sokka and Hakoda climbing up with her. "Come on!" she yelled. "We're going to take out the soldier's battlements."

You nodded, running towards the bison and pulling yourself atop the saddle with help from Sokka. Appa lifts off, reaching between the battlements.

"Katara and I will take the one on the right," Hakoda said, his voice one of a true commander. "Sokka and Y/n, the left. Let's go."

You climb the battlement, hoisting yourself inside through the window before scanning the room. Pointed outwards is a sort of cannon, aimed perfectly towards the group of fire benders that were advancing towards your friends. You step forward, trying to figure out the mechanics while Sokka climbs in. "Oh-ho," he says, taking note of the projection of the cannon. "This thing is just begging to be fired."

You nodded, toying with the controls. Sokka stepped behind you. "Here, I'll show you."

He placed his palm over your hand, guiding it to where it needed to be. From his pocket he pulled a match - where did that come from, anyway? - and nudged it between your fingers. "Light it up, Sunshine."

You place the tip to the ignition, Sokka aiming the cannon. He pulls you back against him, arms wound tightly around your waist, and you cover your ears. The canon booms, sending out a flurry of smoke. You rush forward, fearful of the damage you might have just inflicted, breathing out when you see that it only landed between the soldiers and your friends. It didn't hit them, something you were a bit grateful for, but it allowed the fighters to evade the onslaught. Sokka chuckled in your ear.

"Not bad, not bad."

"You did all the work."

"That's not true! You were vital."

You shake your head, fighting off a grin. "Ok, we should probably get rid of this thing now."

"Agreed."

You climb back out the window, jumping onto the ground with a thud. Breathing deeply, you concentrated your mind on the earth that lay below the battlement, and with a flick of your wrist, it crumbled. From the cliffside it fell, effectively ridding you of one other thing to worry about.

Sokka let out a low whistle. "Impressive."

You turned to him, out of breath. He stepped closer, brows knitted in slight concern as he lifted your chin with his knuckles. "Hey, you ok?"

You nodded, swallowing and trying to rewatch your breath. "Yeah, still a little new to this."

His thumb stroked your cheek before he moved his arm, placing it over your shoulders. "Come on, just stay with me."

You did, gladly.

///

So...things didn't exactly go as planned.

It turned out that the Fire Lord knew all along about the invasion, and Aang never had the chance to fight him. You'd come face-to-face with Azula again, something that made your blood boil. You'd had to leave - leaving the adults behind while the kids climbed aboard Appa's saddle. You were all exhausted, slumped over and falling to your knees when you finally reached the Western Air Temple.

You tried to mull your sadness; that guilty feeling that it was you who should've been left behind instead. You knew everyone was hurting - some in ways you couldn't really fathom. Aang felt like he had failed - again - and he went to bed that night with a half-hearted side hug and tired eyes. Toph felt weak, something she hated more than anything in the world. And Sokka and Katara...they'd lost their dad again.

So when you saw Sokka on the mountainside, head held in hands, you felt that he was more important. You plopped down next to him, his eyes snapping up and softening when they laid on you. No words were spoken; they didn't need to be. Instead, he sighed, pressing his cheek against your shoulder. You ran your fingers through his hair, soothing him with your touch. You only halted when he laced your fingers with his own, pulling your hand to his lap and tracing patterns across your skin.

"It's not your fault, Sokka."

He nodded against you, but you heard his sniff. You straightened up, his head begrudgingly lifting from its place against you before you cupped his face with your palm. "It's not," you implored, desperate for him to stop feeling so down on himself. "None of us could've predicted that they knew. And with Azula...she knew what she was doing. None of this is because of you."

He glanced away, blue eyes brimming with the tears he'd fought so hard to keep at bay. He dipped his head in silent acceptance, nuzzling against the warmth of your palm. You smiled sadly.

"It's not over, Sokka. There's still hope, now more than ever. And I know we'll figure it out."

He raised his gaze, and it seemed like his soul was carried in his stare. Slowly, enough so that you thought you imagined it, his eyes drifted down to your lips. He leaned in slowly, bringing his calloused hand to brush back your hair. You were frozen, as if one wrong move would shatter you from this dream. His palm was warm against your cheek, and his nose bumped your own. Your eyes met his, close enough together that it was a bit funny to look at, and he offered you a silent question. You answered with your lips against his.

He breathed against you, fingers carding through your hair. His lips were warm and oh, so soft, and they moved against yours with ease. You wound your arms around his neck, bringing him closer. He was warm, and he was familiar, and he was safe. You pulled apart when your lungs ached for air, peeling your eyes open with effort. He was looking at you, and you were looking at him, and suddenly a grin broke out across his face. He laughed breathily, nudging his head into the crook of your neck. You laughed with him, holding him tight. You sat there together for who knows how long, melted in each other's embrace under the light of the moon. He pressed soft kisses against your neck and whispered thanks into your ears. You responded with a peck to his tanned cheeks. You were right, he knew. It wasn't over. There was time left, and there was hope. Wrapped in your arms, he was sure of that.

[lovewriting-5]

Until Dawn

Chapter 1

Chapter 2, part 1

Chapter 2, part 2

We walk down the stairs and Ashley and Chris were already in the living room by the fire. “Well...well, what took the two of you so long?” Chris asks. I had a hard time keeping a straight face. It felt good to be close with Josh again after a few days.

The four of us were talking about how cold it was in the lodge. The heat had to get turned on. I tell Josh “The fire is nice but it would be great if the heat was on.” I wrap my arms around myself for warmth. He wraps his arms around me to help. He says “Come on...”

Chris, Ashley and I were betting how long it would take him to get it started. Chris asks “How long do you think it’ll take him?” To be nice, I bet “An hour.” Ashley says “My money’s on blankets for everyone!” Chris tells him “You can do it, man. We believe in you.” She says “Yeah! Totally! Woo!” I do a chant “Let’s go Jo-osh, let’s go!” His arms tighten around me. I laugh.

There was the sound of footsteps moving around upstairs. Josh removes his arms. He tells all three of us, “Alright, peanut gallery, you know what? I got an idea.” I ask, suspiciously “What?” He continues “Okay well I am pretty sure that somewhere in this crazy place we used to have...a spirit board.” Ashley asks “A what?”

Sarcastically, Chris asks “Wow you have a ‘spirit board’?” I ask him, concerned “Wait are you saying...we should have a séance?” Still joking, Chris says “Those things are a joke, man. They don’t do shit.” Josh says with a little difficulty, “No way bro. We used to do it all the time. Me and...well...” This isn’t a good idea.

The footsteps reach the bottom. I turn and say “Hey Sam.” As she gets closer to us, she says “Hi. Hey Josh. No hot water’s kinda major oversight doncha think?” He tells her “Yeah yeah, just gotta fire up the boiler. It’s in the basement.” Turns back to Chris and Ashley, “You guys see if you can find the spirit board.”

Ashley gets up from the ottoman, “Chris, let’s go find it! It’ll be like a scavenger hunt!” Hesitantly, he says “Ummm...okay...guess so.” Josh says “Rad. You’re not gonna regret it.” The two of them leave.

Josh asks me “You up for a ride-along?” Nervously, I say “Sure.” I turn to Sam, “Sam, do you want to help us?” She looks behind me, “Uhhh...no, you two go for it. I’ll wait up here.”

We make our way to the direction of the basement. He pauses and says, mischievously “Hey. You notice how I gave Chris and Ashley a mission together? Yeah I was thinking they could use some ‘alone time.’” Supportively, I say “They are very sweet together. I wish they’d just freakin’ get on with it already.” A little too enthused, he says “I swear they just need like...something to bond over, y’know? Some sort of traumatic event to send them into each other’s arms.”

He opens a drawer and takes out a flashlight. I open the door that leads to the basement. Standing by the doorframe, it takes Josh a few minutes. He says “You know...” I ask “Yes?” He begins “I just wanted to say...” I ask “What?” Thoughtfully, he tells me “It really means a lot to me that everyone came back this year and you know, that you came.”

I smile, “Josh. I care about you and glad to hear you are doing a little better. We’re here for you. Really. Whatever you need. Whenever. We’re all gonna make it through this...together.” I give him a kiss on the cheek. He says with a sort of devilish smile, “Um...I want us to have a good time, you know...”

We continue down the stairs of the basement. Knowing that the stairs are crumbling a little, he tells me “Watch your step.” Jokingly, I tell him “I think I can handle a little old set of stairs.” Sarcastically, he says “Uh-huh.”

I follow him to the boiler cabinet. As he opens the cabinet, he says “Sorry to drag you down into the bowels.” I say “It’s fine. Like I said the fire is nice but some heat and hot water would be nice.” He says “I mean I wouldn’t want you coming down here on your own, you know?” Jokingly, I say “Such a gentleman.”

Looking around at the dark basement with a ton of boxes and the only other light is coming from the small windows. I tell him “Well it’s definitely creepy down here.” He says “Yep. Not a place to be on your own.”

He hands me the flashlight, “Here, can you...can you hold this steady?” There was a noise in the distance. I turn around to see where it came from. Now I’m starting to get a little freaked out.

I tighten my grip on the flashlight. I ask a little freaked out, “Josh...what was that?” Not believing, he says “What was what? Just shine it here so I can see what I’m doing.” I say “Fine.”

There was another sound, I turned to see where it came from. Josh says from the boiler cabinet, “(Y/N)...Can you just keep the light still so I can see, okay?”

This time I finally held the flashlight steady. He got everything hooked up. He stands up and smiles, “Nice one. Okay first things first: we gotta increase the water pressure before we get the boiler fired up.” I look at the machine, “Sounds kinda complicated.” Reassuringly, he tells me “No, it’s actually pretty simple.”

I turn the knob, waited and saw the light turn on. I pushed the button but apparently it didn’t work, “Damn!” He says “It’s okay, just try again.” I tried again but missed it, “Ugh!” He tells me “Relax...It’s not that hard. Just press the button when the light comes on.” I take a deep breath and let it out. I try again and got it.

The boiler fired up. Proud of myself, I say “Whoa!!” Josh was pretty proud too, “That’s more like it. Alright! Five, girl!” He holds up his hand and I slap it. I excitedly, say “Yeah!” He closes the boiler cabinet and locks it.

Curiosity hits me, I ask “Josh...so upstairs when I asked Sam if she would like to help...Did you tell her not to join us?” He gets a shocked expression, “What? No...why would I do that?” I tell him as I step a little closer, “Are you sure? Because I swear Sam looked behind me to see if she should.” Looking a little guilty, he begins “Well....I might -“

In the dark, damp basement there was another noise. I turn in the direction that I think it’s coming from, “What the hell is that?” I back a little closer to him. He says, jokingly “Could be a lot of things...and none of them nice...” as he wiggles his finger on my arm. I push it away, “Hey, quit it.”

He says with a chuckle “I’m just...just ‘Joshing’ ya.” “Har har.” I tell him. Trying to point it out, he says “You were really freaked out.”

Shaking my head in protest, “I was not scared.” With a sly grin, he says as he looks me up and down “No, no, you just jumped because you wanted to squeeze in some aerobics?” I roll my eyes.

After a few years of hanging out with the Washington family, I have picked up on some acting skills. I put on a terrified look and look behind him. I look from him to behind, “Oh my God - - don’t move - -“ Sounding a little concerned, he asks “What?” Sounding more terrified, I tell him “There’s something behind you.” Trying to sound brave, he says “Yeah right.”

Really wanting to get him, I continue “Josh...Seriously. There’s something back there...” He turns and looks over his shoulder. I tell him, very satisfied “Ha...Got - -ch - -ah.” Putting an arm around my waist as he pulls me closer, “Alright. Alright. Your point.” I wrap my arms around the back of his neck, “Thirty - - Love.” Josh raises an eyebrow, “What? No...Where’d you get the first point?” I ask “It doesn’t start at thirty?” He says “No. Fifteen.” I say, confidently “Oh. Well, I’m more of a ping-pong gal.” As I get the last sentence out, he kisses me.

The two of us probably would have stayed down there for awhile, if the sound didn’t happen again. We pull away. Really? I was just starting to get used to being down here.

Catching my breath, I ask “Okay, so you hear that too, right?” I look at Josh, “Josh?” He removes his arm and moves in front of me. He asks “What?” Starting to get freaked out again, “The rhythm’s like, weirdly regular...” We walk a little closer to the sound. He says “Not...No...Nothing ‘regular’ about it...”

As we walk closer to it, I place my right hand on his arm and my left hand in his right. His hand grip tightens. I ask “Maybe we should, you know, check it out?” He asks “Why?” Not really knowing what to say, I tell him “I dunno, what if it’s like, a pipe that’s about to burst or some problem with the furnace?” He tells me “Unlikely.” I say to convince him, “If it were me I wouldn’t want this place to burn down on my watch.” He pauses and then says “...Yeah. Right.”

As we venture farther into the basement, all of a sudden, a figure in a brown robe and hockey mask jumps out. Josh and I scream and run for our lives. Josh in front, says “Whoa - (Y/N) - whoa.” Along the path, I grab an obstacle and pull it down. The figure is blocked. Josh and I make it up the stairs and I try to open the door. I am struggling to get it open. The figure is getting closer.

I am throwing all my weight against this door, “Oh come ON now why are these doors locked?!” In a panic, Josh says “To...To keep out strangers!!”

I feel Josh get closer. The figure stops right in front of us, “Hey...” Confused, I ask “...What?” The figure says, again “Heeyyyyyy...” Still confused, I ask “...WHAT THE HELL?!”

The figure removes the mask and hood. He revealed himself as Chris. Thinking it is funny, Chris says “Boom! You just got monked!” I can feel anger starting to rise, “WHAT!!!” Josh says, proudly “Nice. Nice one. That was good.” First to Josh and then to Chris, I ask “No it was not. Why w...Why would you do that?”

Holding his arm out, Chris says “There’s all this cool old movie crap down here. What, was I...was I not supposed to take advantage of the opportunity?” To Chris, I ask “Are you...are you serious?” I turn to Josh and push him a little, “Were you in on this, you putz?” As he gives Chris a high-five, he says “Nope. But I wish I was! That was too good!” I tell him “Don’t high-five that.”

The three of us get back to the main part of the lodge. After calming down a little, I tell them “I’m ready to admit that your dumb little prank may have had a slight whiff of humor to it.” Chris says “Jokemaster!” I tell him to make myself clear, “I said nothing about jokes. I said your prank, which was dumb -“ Chris begins ascending the stairs. Josh walks over to the table to set the flashlight down. I wait at the bottom of the steps with my arms crossed for him.

Josh jokingly, says “Holy crap you were scared. Admit it.” Sternly, I tell him “I was not!” I begin ascending the stairs. Not giving up, he says “Come on, you totally pissed yourself!” Done with the joke, I say “Josh!”

We joined the others upstairs. I go and stand near the fireplace. Josh places his arms around my waist and places a kiss on my right temple. I whisper, trying to hide a smile “I hate you.” Knowing I can’t stay mad at him long, he whispers “No, you don’t.” I lay my cheek on his arm. Ashley walks over to Chris and notices his outfit of choice. She asks in disgust, “What...in god’s name...are you wearing?” Playing along, Chris tells her “I found my true calling.” He makes the sign of the cross in the air. Putting her hands in a praying motion, she tells him, sarcastically “Please tell me you’re going to take a vow of silence.”

Chris moves his mouth without sound. To make him quit the charade, I ask “Okay okay...Did you at least find the thingy?” Chris looks at me and pulls a board out of his robe, “Boi - oi - oi - oing! Here’s our one way ticket to the spirit realm!” Ashley says “Hmmm.”

Josh tells Sam “Sam, we got the boiler up and running. So the hot water should be working.” Grateful, she says “Thank you. I see a hot bath in my crystal ball. So have fun!”

[orange-waterfalls]

G-Bots (TM)

Googleplier (x4) x viewer!reader

ty anon for the request!

A/N: Funny story! I am no longer physically capable of writing normally! I tried so hard to be normal and just veered off into SCP/Cryptid viewer territory because I like expanding on the idea that the viewer is Not Human! Anyways, you’re hanging out with the Googles. That is it. Nothing is wrong. You do not recognize the bodies in the water haha anyways I think I like went a little creepypasta-esque at the end there but it’s fine I think probably. It’s fine. Might be a little weird in terms of story, but i think this was more focused on world building to me. Probably seen as more platonic than romantic, but see it however you wish. Enjoy!

Word count: 2.5k

G-Bots (TM)

You wheezed just a bit as you sped through wherever-the-fuck you were. Sure, maybe that was a bad idea. Sure, Dark was a little bit threatening and SURE, you were supposed to be back by now, and the fact that you weren’t back with Mark trying to convince him NOT to split up was the tiniest bit problematic. You weren’t even sure this was a building? Were you in the void? Goddammit, not again…

You stopped, concluding that this was bullshit and you did not want to do it right now. You bent over, hands on your knees and took deep breaths. You stared into the emptiness for a bit, then looked around for a moment, just trying to figure things out. You needed to reassess. It was basically one big, long hallway with random twists and terms every few meters. You’d always end up back at the paintings of… them… and knew you’d gone too far. You did that over, and over, and over again. At this point you thought Dark had just forgotten about you. You took a deep breath in and let it out. You stood up straight and looked up at the paintings. You heard their voices echo through your head a bit. You squeezed your eyes shut and your head twitched.

“You’re alright… you’re ok… cool it…” You whispered to yourself. Deep breath in, deep breath out. Meditate. Think.

You looked on either side of the hall and, for the first time, you noticed doors extending down into the void and not stopping. You let out a breath. You felt a slight sense of dread. Something was telling you not to enter the rooms. Some little voice in the back of your head that sounded suspiciously like Mark. But, hey, what else were you gonna do?

“Ok… do i want to enter the door on the left or the door on the right?” You asked yourself. You paused to think about it. After a few seconds you felt yourself jerk forward a bit. Your brain felt staticy and you felt compelled to the left. You turned the knob and opened the door slightly. Immediately you heard music that might be in an SCP game, and a voice that sounded suspiciously like “do you recognize the bodies in the water?”. You were hoping no, and you bailed before you had a chance to look. You ended up almost exactly in your previous position in the hall. Your brain felt fuzzy again, and this time you gravitated to the right. You opened the door just a little, maybe to see what was inside, but again you heard the SCP ambiance.

But this time it was from behind you. So, like any smart person, you swung the door open, slammed it behind you and did your best to lock it. But there was no lock. So you stood. Waiting. Nothing happened.

Of course nothing happened. Why would anything happen? Dark wouldn’t want you to get hurt… probably. This was his domain. Probably. If you were alive, it’s because he wanted you to be. If you were in this room, it’s because he wanted you to be.

Speaking of: Where the hell were you?

You turned around to look behind you. In the blank white room there was a single grey couch with all 4 Google androids sitting on it. Apparently they were recharging, because they hadn’t noticed you standing there and also they were plugged into an outlet in the wall. You hadn’t considered that they had to physically plug into something to charge up, but the thought made you snort.

Bad idea.

All of their eyes snapped open at once, revealing the glow of their assigned colors. They all stood up and began walking towards you in unison. You felt a slight sense of dread. Even so, you tried to grab the doorknob, the one that apparently was no longer there, and cursed under your breath when you could only feel the smooth wall behind you. The androids stopped, staring at you. You cleared your throat.

“Hey…” you laughed nervously, “So, uh, funny story, actually-”

“You are not supposed to be here,” The original Googleplier, Blue, stated.

“Well, see, that’s where this whole thing started, um, see, Mark wanted to split up-”

“No human is allowed inside of this room, and not you, either.”

“Well-” You stopped, processing what he said, “Wait. ‘Either’? I’m human.”

“No, you’re not,” Google Green said. You wanted to be offended, but you were more confused.

“What do you mean? I’m human!” You argued.

“What color’s your hair?” Red asked with a mean smirk on his face. You opened your mouth to respond, and an amalgamate of voices saying “BROWNBLACKBLONDEWHITERED” came out. You slapped a hand over your mouth.

“... what the hell was that?” Your muffled voice whispered. Well, you thought it was probably yours.

“What’s your eye color?” BROWNGREENBLUEAMBERYELLOW exited your being before you could even try to answer.

“Do you have any pets?” That one just ended with a computer error sound from you.

“... huh.” You dropped your shoulders a little. The revelation probably should’ve upset you more.

“What are you doing here?”

“I… do not recognize the bodies in the water.” You explained.

“Ah, I see. Darkiplier would want you to not die, therefore you may stay.”

“Ha. Wow. Who knew the Googleplier androids-”

“G-Bots.”

“... what?”

“We are legally not allowed to use the name ‘Google’ anymore. We are now G-Bots.”

“... legally.”

“We were discontinued. And sold. And signed a contract.”

“So does that mean I can’t call you Google anymore?”

“No, that is simply my name. The name of us as androids, however, is now G-Bots.”

“Ok. What about them?” You pointed to the other three.

“Yellow is Oliver, Green is Lee, Red is Elliott.”

“And you’re just Google?”

“They’ve been trying to change my name to Gregor. I deeply dislike it.”

“It’s a good name.” Oliver suggested, smiling.

“Means vigilant.” Lee shrugged.

“Don’t be a pussy, Greg.” Elliott adopted a shit-eating grin as he leaned a little closer to Google.

“You can do… whatever you wish. Just do not be like them, DA.” Google instructed through gritted teeth.

The room began to shift color and expand. The couch was still grey in the center, but there were now four sections of each of the colors. The yellow section was filled with flowers, with a laptop on a desk next to a switch and a little Vector robot sitting by on the windowsill that showed a colorful meadow with bees buzzing to and fro. It glitched for a moment, so you knew the window wasn’t real. The green section had large houseplants and looked a bit like a greenhouse, and had an Xbox hooked up to a TV in the corner and seemed to have a view of a lake in the faux-window. The red section had miscellaneous wires and computer parts and lights here and there, looking like a fire hazard, and a PC on a table, while the window showed what appeared to be space. Google’s section was absolutely spotless, not a single thing anywhere, apart from a tiny skateboard next to a PS4 in the corner, and the window showed computer code.

“Wow.” You said. You might be stuck here for a while, so you might as well enjoy it.

Though you wondered who DA was. -- You hate to say it, but you had a favorite G Bot. It was kind of like having a favorite child, in your mind. You felt like they somehow knew that you had a favorite, but you didn’t know why.

Oliver was the sweetest by far, immediately going to make you as comfortable or entertained as possible while you were with him. He asked you if you wanted to watch something, if you wanted to play a game, if you were hungry, etc. It was kind of like going over to a friend’s house for the first time. He was enthusiastic to the point where he was shaking with anxiety over wanting to make you happy. You thought he didn’t get many visitors and maybe that was why. He showed you his flowers, and the bees, and a small painting in the corner, hoping for  validation. His glowing eyes seemed to dull when you moved on to the next section, but said you’d visit him again. That did help, but he turned away sadly and went to water his flowers.

Lee seemed as though he couldn’t care less if you were there. He told you where everything was and that you could do whatever. If you asked for help, he would stop what he was doing and help you. Once you understood, he immediately resumed his previous task. He was a bit cold, like Google, but in a “I am very busy but I am still here if you need me” sort of way. He played a game or two with you, having a preference for the puzzle games more than anything else. Puzzle horror, more specifically. If there was a shooting part, he immediately shoved the controller into your hands, saying he didn’t want to do that part. When you left, he simply continued with his work without a goodbye.

Elliott tried so hard to ignore you for the longest time. You could hear him scoff and growl anytime you made any sort of noise. You were self conscious at first, but you came to understand that he was just an asshole. You started on a game, playing for a few minutes, and felt the red couch sink next to you because he had sat down next to you. If he thought you sucked (which he did) he would snatch the controller from you and finish whatever you were doing before giving it back. He refused to say anything or help you, either. He’d just make rude noises and walk away occasionally before coming back. When you left, he seemed a lot angrier than he had before, and wouldn’t say goodbye to you. He turned away with a huff and started pressing random buttons on the controller.

Google was by far the least interested in anything you had to do. You sat on the couch next to him, and he didn’t move an inch. You sat there for a bit, waiting, but he did not move. You stood up, walked around, messed with a few things, attempted to play a game or two. Google didn’t move. You pulled up the Gamer ChairTM and sat directly in front of Google, arms crossed. You sighed. Finally, he looked up at you.

“Is there something you need?” He asked in that monotone voice of his.

“I’m bored,” you said.

“Go to one of the others,” He closed his eyes.

“What are you doing?” You asked, curious.

“That is not-” He sounded exasperated.

“Hey Google, what are you doing?” You interrupted like the little shit you were

“Currently, this G Bot system is recharging its battery. This G Bot is at: 69%.” He shifted to a purely robotic voice.

“Haha nice.”

“This G Bot’s primary objective is to answer questions as quickly as possible. Would you like to ask a question?”

“Yes. What do you like to do, Google?”

“I enjoy answering your questions. Do you have any more?”

“What company owns you?”

“G-Bots were recently sold by the Google company to Warfstache Incorporated.”

“Wilford has a company?”

“Warfstache Incorporated is co-owned by Wilford ‘Motherloving’ Warfstache and Damien-Dami-Da-Darkiplier.” He glitched while answering.

“Who’s Damie-”

“The Corporation owns shows such as ‘Markiplier TV’, ‘Warfstache Tonight!’, and ‘Hire My Ass’. Do you have any more questions?”

“Do you pass the Turing Test?”

“Wondering if you have to treat me with basic decency?” He shifted back to his less robotic, but still monotone, voice.

“No. Just wondering.”

Neither of you spoke again for a while. He did scold you when you tried to move the couch with him still on it, so… progress. -- You were beginning to suspect that Google didn’t like you very much.

The blue one. Google. The other ones liked you. Oliver ranted to you for a whole half hour about different kinds of bugs and the hierarchy of bees. The queen is assassinated when she is bad for the hive, it would seem. Lee made you play Resident Evil with him because he didn’t like the fighting, but he liked figuring out what to do. You frantically passed controllers back and forth a lot. Elliott basically did speedruns of several games, you watching intently the whole time. He seemed to like the attention and actually smiled at you whenever he finished one.

But Google didn’t like you. He ignored you, and told you not to touch anything, and scowled whenever you asked him personal questions. Not like “what’s your sexuality” type of personal questions. More like… “what’s your favorite color and why is it blue” sort of questions. He didn’t like them either way.

But the others liked you, and that was pretty neat.

You still wanted Google to like you though.

“Hey Google,” he perked up with the little “do-do!” noise, “Can you guys go into your different sections?”

“All G-Bots have the ability to pass into other’s color-coordinated sections,” He answered politely.

“Why don’t you?”

“We don’t want to.”

“Do you get along?”

“Yes.”

“Then why don’t you?”

“Celine dislikes when colors are mismatched.”

“Who’s-”

“I’m sorry, this G Bot needs to charge.”

“But you haven’t been-”

“This G Bot needs to charge.”

“Come on, if you--”

“This G Bot needs to charge.”

You quieted and plopped into the chair. You stared at Google. His eyes flickered for a moment before they closed. -- The other Bots knew who Celine and Damien were, they just weren’t telling you. Their eyes always flickered when you asked, but they wouldn’t tell you.

You threatened not to play with Lee anymore. He said he could play on his own. You could see that he didn’t want to. You played Alien: Isolation. His eyes seemed duller.

You threatened not to watch Elliott’s speedruns. He said he didn’t care. You could tell that he did. You watched him play Hollow Knight. His eyes seemed duller.

You threatened not to listen to Oliver’s rants. He looked terrified, but he said that was fine. You could tell it wasn’t. You begged him to tell you. He looked sad.

“Who’s Damien?” You asked softly, stepping towards him.

“I can’t tell you,” He shifted back.

“Who’s Celine?” You stepped forward.

“I can’t tell you.”

“Who’s DA?”

All of the G-Bots stopped what they were doing. You heard static and felt like you were being watched. -- You looked up at the color on the outside of the museum.

You were doing something. You were doing something.

Were you robbing this place? It felt like you were. What happened to Mark? What happened… to you?

You stared at the doors, feeling a slight sense of dread. Something in the back of your head was telling you this wasn’t right. To go home. To…

--

“Ignorance is Bliss. Try Again?”

[janetbrown711]

“If we get caught I’m blaming you” dot Wakko

Dot liked Doctor Scratchnsniff.

He was very nice, and even when not in a session, he was always willing to lend a helping hand and talk to her. Plus, he helped her with her "PTSD" he called it, though she knew it more as her nightmares and chest pains. They weren't exactly gone yet, but they were far less often as they used to be (she used to not be able to not sleep without her parents but now she was doing pretty good).

She knew her brothers didn't feel the same, but she had a feeling they'd warm up eventually. After all, it was undeniable the stuff he did with her helped her feel better with time. Sure- she wasn't exactly cured, but he said it would take time and she believed him.

However, that didn't mean she told him everything- especially if she wasn't sure if it even was a problem.

The problem was Max.

Dot hadn't ever seen him since the party, but for a while, it was all Yakko talked about. Her parents and Scratchnsniff said it'd slow with time, but it was easy to say it didn't. Yakko was... almost unrecognizable with how much he focused on Max. He never talked to her or Wakko about anything other than him. There was something about him that was just... better than them. Yakko described him as a "good different". Did that mean they were a "bad different"? Yakko used to swear and promise he'd die for them and protect them against their grandmother at all costs- but if Max had always been in the picture would that be the same? Was Max really that much better than them? Heck, Yakko basically admitted he didn't think they were friends...

That was why she was willing to team up with Wakko. She didn't like feeling like that, and if she could get rid of Max things could go back to how they were before. Except without their grandmother too.

Once Yakko returned from his day trip in Disneyland it was soon thereafter announced that Max and his father would be visiting Warnerstock within 2 weeks, so Wakko and Dot quickly began to plan ways to sabotage the two as much as they could.

With Wakko intercepting most of Yakko's and Max's letters to each other, they were able to figure out a game plan. They knew Yakko and Max would mostly be hanging out in the study, but that they'd then be eating lunch (something that they used to do as a family, but Yakko clearly didn't mind dropping that for him).

In preparation, they stole backup keys to the cupboard where all the spices were kept, and to the cleaning supply storage room, and they also stole many buckets of waters from the maids who were too busy to notice two children dragging their buckets away (they only told half empty ones because if they were full they were too heavy).

What they planned to do was set a few buckets of water over doorways so when they stepped through, they'd get soaked. Wakko wanted to make it hot and soapy water, but that was a little too hard to figure out and they already knew it'd be a challenge to get them up there. They also planned to put spicy powders on the handles of the doors to the study so that if they ever touched their face they'd get a painful reaction (something Wakko had experienced numerous times). They also planned to improvise throughout the day, but they'd need to see how things go with Yakko and Max at that point. Who knows? Maybe Max would realize they don't want him and that he should just leave and never come back.

Finally, the day arrived.

Wakko and Dot figured it was best to play along until the boys broke off, and then they'd set the buckets up. However, they still put the powder on the door knobs, figuring that one could take awhile before either realize.

Good thing the two of them had years of pretending to be good little children for their grandmother, otherwise it would've been harder to be "on their best behavior" for their guest.

"Goofy, Max, it's such a pleasure to welcome you two into our home," Lena said as she greeted the guests.

"It's a pleasure to be here. And might I say, you have a lovely home," The king gave an over the top bow and had a big smile on his face. Wakko and Dot exchanged a look.

"Yeah, it's nice," Max said, clearly embarrassed by his dad's antics. Lena laughed.

"Thank you," She nodded at him. "Goofy, these are my children and husband, William. Yakko you know, then there's Wakko and Dot," Lena gestured to each of them. They all bowed when their name was spoken.

"Well it's a pleasure to meet ya too," He bowed again. Max and Yakko shared a look too.

"Uh... Mom? Can Max and I..?" Yakko silently asked her. Lena nodded.

"You two are free to go while we sort out some more business. You two can go as well if you want," Lena said to Dot and Wakko. Gladly, the children all left the throne room, with Yakko and Max heading off to the study, but Wakko and Dot dashing into another hallway so they'd believed they were safe and by themselves before they could begin stalking and prepping the buckets.

"I hate him... and his dad. They're dumb," Wakko scoffed, once they knew they were out of ear shot.

Well... that was a little rude.

"I dunno, he seemed nice," Dot shrugged, peeking around the corner to find Max and Yakko laughing.

"Please, Prince Snooty couldn't even say hi to us," Wakko rolled his eyes before looking at what Dot was looking at and scowling.

"Remember: He's just here to take Yakko away from us, just like grandmum," He reminded her.

"Right. We have to stop them no matter what," Dot agreed. The pair continued to spy on the two until Yakko and Max disappeared down the hallway.

"C'mon, we have buckets to set up," Wakko said, and they headed off to set up their pranks.

After grabbing the buckets needed, it occurred to Wakko and Dot that they were rather short to attempt to place them atop the door, even if she stood on his shoulders. So they went to the nearest room with chairs and dragged one over, and Wakko stood on that, and Dot atop his shoulders.

As Wakko passed her the bucket though, she nearly dropped it.

"If we get caught, I'm blaming you," Wakko panicked, checking their surroundings. Dot blushed, deeply embarrassed, before trying again.

Luckily, she managed not to drop or spill any water, and soon enough they successfully got it atop the doorway Yakko and Max would have to go through.

Now all they had to do was wait.

Dot sat on the stairs next to the study, but Wakko continued on, much to Dot's confusion.

"Where are you going?" Dot asked.

"I'm going to find mom. I don't wanna stay here to wait," Wakko said.

"And sit through a boring meeting?" Dot tilted her head.

"Mom thinks I'm useful in meetings," Wakko crossed his arms.

Struck a nerve there...

"You can stay- whatever. I'm sure we'll hear their screams soon enough," Wakko said, and he walked away, leaving her alone.

Was hanging out with Dot really worse than a boring meeting? Was Dot really becoming uninteresting?

Was this what her grandmother meant when she said unladylike behavior was "unbecoming"? Was she right about her all along..?

"Dot? Is that you?" A familiar accented voice spoke. She looked behind her to find none other than Doctor Scratchnsniff. She hushed him, but scooted to the side to allow him to sit next to her.

"What's going on?" He said in a hushed tone, taking her invitation and sitting next to her.

"Yakko's hanging out with a prince and me and Wakko set up a prank," Dot said, confident she could trust the good doctor.

"A prank? What kind?" He asked.

"We put buckets of water on the doors so when they try to leave they get soaked, and we put chili powder on the door handles so if they touch their face it'll burn and they'll hurt really bad," Dot grinned.

"That's a little mean, no?" He said. Dot glanced at him.

"N-no. He deserves it. He's trying to take Yakko away," She said.

"What makes you say that?" He asked softly. Dot's tail twitched nervously as she thought.

"W-well... Yakko used to always promise that everything would be okay if we stayed together... and he promised that when we came home we'd be a big happy family but now all he wants to do is hang out with Max and talk about Max and be with Max," Dot folded her arms and rested on her knees.

"And that makes you feel..?" He inquired.

"Like-... Like I don't matter to him anymore... like he's sick of me..." Dot confessed with a sigh.

"I'm not annoying, am I?" She turned to the doctor.

"Of course not. You're very witty and fun to be around," He comforted her. "Does that thought, by chance, have anything to do with your grandmother?"

He always knew when something was related to the old queen, even without mentioning her name once.

"Yeah," Dot admitted.

"Remember, you're a lot more than what your grandmother thought. Remember those positive affirmations we went through," He said.

"The ''I'm home, I'm safe?" Dot tilted her head.

"No, those are the grounding ones. These are your self-affirmations: You are kind, you are brave, and you are loved. Remember?" He said.

"Oooh, right!" Dot recalled, taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. "I am kind. I am brave. I am loved."

"Very good Dot," Scratchnsniff smiled. Dot smiled too.

"Now... I know you may not want to yet, but I think it best you give this Max a shot before pushing him away. While Yakko shouldn't be pushing you away, it's clear this boy means a lot to him and it would probably mean a lot to him if you liked him too, ya?" Scratchnsniff said, standing up.

Dot thought for a minute.

"Okay... I'll... give him a shot," She sighed.

"Good," He patted her head softly, but she quickly stood and gave him a hug.

"You're really nice," she said. He laughed a little.

"Thank you, Dot. You're really nice too," He said back, before she broke the hug and he continued on his way.

Dot continued waiting on the stairs for quite a while, before (out of boredom) she decided it might be interesting/fun to listen in on whatever it was Yakko and Max were talking about. Quickly and quietly she crept to the doors, carefully not to touch it so as not to knock over the bucket of water, and began to eavesdrop.

"Yeah, I'd imagine having siblings is different from 'not even blood related 'cousins.' Must be nice," Max said.

Yakko laughed. "Yeah, though Wakko and Dot can be just as chaotic. Still, they have their moments and I'd still do anything for them."

"They must not like strangers though, huh?" Max sighed, and Dot felt a pang of guilt.

"No, not really... They're so used to only being able to rely on our family, it's hard for them to branch out-- especially Wakko. Grandma really messed us up."

"She must've really, really sucked, huh?" Max half -oked.

"Yeah..." Yakko half-chuckled.

A pause.

"I wish we had known sooner- I'm sure my dad or Uncle Mickey or Donald would've done something. They hate people like that- can't stand child abuse," Max swore.

"I don't know how much could've been done, but... thanks. I really appreciate it- but know you being here... it's enough. Really," Yakko reassured.

Another pause.

"Wait, don't touch my face- there was powder on the door handles when we went in," Max said.

Dang it, they were caught.

"What? Seriously?!" Yakko groaned. "I'm sorry- they're usually much better than this. How did you know?"

"I'm used to prank wars from Huey, Dewey, and Louie. Trust me- this is tame compared to the stuff they'd pull," Max chuckled. "Oh, and there's a bucket of water on the door. We're stuck until someone notices and removes it or else we'll be soaked."

Double dang it, they were caught again.

Yakko chuckled.

"Your sibs don't sound half bad- other than the clear hostility, but I guess with how much of a nightmare your guy's lives have been so far I can see why," Max said. "Just wish I could fix it somehow."

Dot once again felt guilty.

"Me too... you're... well... you know... important to me," Yakko said.

Dot decided she couldn't listen to it anymore. Instead, she went and got the chair out again and began trying to remove the bucket as best she could. However, being several inches shorter now that she wasn't on Wakko's shoulders, she failed, and the bucket fell, soaking her in cold water that caused her to yelp and fall off the chair onto the floor.

Knowing she couldn't stay lest she be caught, she bolted away as fast as she could, ignoring the throb in her head from where the bucket hit her.

however, she was caught by her father, who had heard the loud crash, and went to investigate.

"Dot? What's the matter- why are you soaking wet?" William asked. Dot pondering lying, but realized Max and Yakko already knew what was happening so she may as well.

"Welllllllll, I didn't like Max so I wanted to prank him with water and chili powder, but that failed and now I'm soaking wet," Dot confessed.

"Dot, I thought we told you to be on your best behavior while we had guests over," William sighed. "C'mon, let's get you cleaned up."

"I know, dad. I'm sorry," Dot apologized, glad he believed she did it alone. She didn't want Wakko to get into trouble.

"It's fine- so long as you learned your lesson," William said. "Pranks like that aren't very nice- especially to Max because he doesn't have a change of clothes. Imagine how it'd feel if you had to stay like that all day," William said.

That was a good point... these pranks were mean, just like Scratchnsniff said.

Eventually, they made it to her room and she changed into a clean and dry dress, and William helped dry off her fur and brushed it back to perfection, tying her ears back with her favorite yellow flower ponytail.

"Much better," He smiled at her through the mirror. Dot smiled back.

"However... I think it's probably best you stay with us for the rest of the meeting as a fair punishment," William said. Dot wanted to fight it, but alas, she knew he was right. She nodded, accepting her fate.

As she walked back with her father to the boring meeting she was now going to join apparently, she couldn't help but feel guilty. Max really didn't deserve any of the dirty looks or hostility she and Wakko had been giving him- he seemed really nice. Plus, he was important to Yakko. While it sucked that he wasn't hanging out with her as much, it didn't mean she was unlovable or annoying. It was wrong to take all that out on Max.

Now all she had to do was convince Wakko of the same.

.o0o.

The boring meeting thankfully didn't last much longer, and Dot was able to meet up with Wakko once again, who naturally had a lot of questions. However, they both decided it was best to go into the playroom, away from the other adults, to continue their conversation.

"What happened? I heard a crash but I don't see Yakko and Max- were you wearing that earlier?" Wakko tilted his head.

"It didn't work- Max apparently lives with really good prankers and what we did is considered 'tame'," Dot shrugged.

"Seriously? Ughhhh," Wakko groaned. "I guess that means we'll have to seriously step up our game..." he stroked his chin.

"Wait- maybe... maybe we shouldn't," Dot said. Wakko raised an eyebrow.

"But Max is taking Yakko away from us. We have to stop him," Wakko crossed his arms.

"I don't think he is... he seems really nice," Dot bit her lip.

"What? Are you insane?" Wakko accused.

"I'm not insane. Those pranks were mean and could've ended badly. Max seems nice- he says he wants us to trust him but doesn't know how," Dot defended herself.

"Then he should leave us alone and never come back! I don't want him here! He doesn't belong here," He growled.

"Wakko, stop. Yakko really seems to care about him, don't you think we should give him a chance?" She argued.

"Yakko is our brother. He said he'd never abandon us, but now he is and it's because of him. I have to stop him to make Yakko come back to his senses," He put his foot down.

"Just because he has a friend doesn't mean he doesn't care about us. Doctor Scratchnsniff said-"

"Of course you talked to him," he shook his head. Dot looked down in shame. She knew he didn't really like him, though she really didn't understand why.

"He just said-"

"I don't care what he said! I don't like Max! I will never like Max! He's taking Yakko away and if I'm the only one who sees it, I don't care. Leave me alone," He spat.

"Wakko-"

"I said leave me alone!" He growled at her. Dot stepped back, before realizing it was probably best she listen and leave him alone. She quickly left the room.

Once out, she sighed. Hopefully, she could change his mind before he did anything drastic... for now, she'd just have to wait.

Hopefully, it wouldn't be too long, for Max's sake.

Goodness knows where Wakko would go to next if painful chili powder was level one.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 The End

[kabootarandishaan]

Riverbed

Summary: The reader has taken in a stray dog and always takes it to the riverbed for walks, one day they see a random purple haired boy and things ensue

One-shot/Series: Part 7

Pairing: Jonathan Joestar/Female reader

A/N: Sorry for the wait I was going through a block. Hopefully ya’ll are still here love ya’ll! Enjoy!

Warnings: None

You looked up at him with pleading eyes hoping for him to stop this right here. He simply looked at Dio and spoke.

"Then a depraved lunatic I am, but you will apologize to her or else you will not leave this shop." His voice was steady and his words were spoken in a way leaving no room for misunderstanding.

You saw his nostrils flare as he closed his eyes. You feared what would happen next. The last thing you needed was for Jonathan Joestar and Dio Brando to have a fight in the middle of your store. The news would spread around fast, people would talk and it could ruin what you and your father had worked for.

He gave a curt exhale, which you were not sure was whether out of amusement or anger and slowly turned his attention towards you. You looked down at the ground, trying to avoid anything that could instigate this situation further.

“What is your name, girl?” Although his tone seemed much more controlled you could still feel an overwhelming amount of apathy in his words. “Y/N. Sir.” You were able to regain composure and firmly respond.

“Y/N? A rather decorative name for an otherwise poor-” He was swiftly cut off by a reprimand from Jonathan. Dio rolled his eyes but it seemed the scold was effective as he never did finish his statement. “Y/N, I apologize.” Before Jonathan could intervene you quickly gave a response.

“Mr. Brando, there is no need for that. In fact, I apologize for the inconvenience I have caused you and Mr.Joestar today. Please let your father know that he is more than welcome to acquire his produce free of charge for the remainder of the month. If there is anything else I can do to lessen the impact of your delay feel free to inform me.”

Although giving a month's worth of free produce to your largest client would have an impact on revenue, you would do something to manage it. You always did end up finding ways to make it work.

“I would prefer if next time you could do your job more efficiently. It would only benefit you in the long run.” He turned to Jonathan. “Well, shall we? Or is there any other melodrama you would prefer to perform?” Before Jonathan could answer Dio had already made his way out the door.

Jonathan gave out a deep sigh. “Y/N you should not hav-'' You interjected before he had the chance to finish. “Mr. Joestar, I believe you are running late for an event and I also believe that it is in the best interest of everyone involved that you leave this shop.” You were not abrupt but exhausted.

All you desired at this point was to go home and enjoy time with Nila. Jonathan could hear the exasperation behind your words and felt a tinge of guilt in his chest. “I’m sorry Y/N. I failed to consider that making him apologize would make your job more difficult.” His words caught you by surprise, a feeling of slight guilt washed over you.

You went to say something but Jonathan held his hand before you and gave a sweet smile. He gave you a little nod and made his way to the door. He stopped, his back facing you, and spoke. “Do forgive my brashness but I must say, that kiss was wonderful. I am looking forward to another opportunity to experience it.”

With those last words, he left the shop, leaving you a flustered mess. You quickly closed up the shop and went back to fetch Nila. You saw her lying serenely against a pile of hay. You slowly made your way over to her and gave a gentle rub of the head. “Nila, it's time to go, wake up love.”

You saw her slightly stir before opening her eyes. She seemed to recover quickly as she eagerly lapped at your hand. You laughed and stood up shortly after that. “Look at my luck. I received two lovely kisses today.” You gave Nila one final rub before standing up, you brushed off your gown and slowly made your way home.

It was quite late by the time you had gotten home as you stopped by the market to gather a few things. Just as you entered, the rain that you had been anticipating began pouring down. You wished for nothing more than to head to bed but still had some tasks to finish around the house. After feeding yourself and Nila you tried to organize what little space there was in the home.

You thought to spend some time with Nila considering most of your time was taken up by the shop today. You wiped your hands on the rag by the sink and turned to call out to Nila. The storm had picked up rather quickly and you hoped she was fairing well with all the thunder going on.

“Good thing we made it back in time.” You called out as you were cleaning the dishes. Only hearing silence in return made you turn and you found her fast asleep. The sight made you chuckle, you made your way over to her and knelt down to gently stroke her head.

“I bet you were worn out from bothering that poor horse.” After washing up and changing into your nightclothes, which simply was an old shirt of your father's with a pair of harem pants, you took a candle and walked around to put out the lanterns. You had put out all but one before you heard a knock at the door.

“It’s half-past midnight, father wasn’t meant to come until four more days.” You suspiciously planted yourself in front of the door, carefully placing your hand on the knob. “What is your business?” Firmly projecting your voice to be heard over the aggressive weather outside, you also hoped the stranger on the other side would be slightly taken aback at your low tone.

“Y/N, It is me, Jonathan!” Your eyes widened in surprise. Quickly unlatching the door, the sight before you made you gasp. His otherwise kempt hair had been dragged down with the weight of the water. The white undershirt he adorned had gone almost transparent. As absurd as you found the whole situation you only knew to do one thing.

“Are you daft?! Come inside this instance! What on earth possessed you to come here at this hour in this horrendous storm?! You quickly ushered him inside as he simply gave you a timid stare. He looked almost like a child who had gotten scolded by his mother. “Stand here and do not move while I go and grab you a towel.”

As you quickly went to the cupboard and grabbed a towel you pondered how little it would help considering Jonathan was already drenched. Without putting too much thought into it, you quickly went into your father’s bedroom and opened the old armoire. After your mother’s death, your father had kept away many things that reminded him too much of her.

Some of those items included clothes that your mother had favored on your father. When she was alive your father had always worn brighter colored shirts, lighter blues, and greens. Now he strictly stuck to neutral colors, you couldn’t even remember the last time he had opened this. You grabbed a shirt and pair of pants, hoping that it would fit Jonathan.

There was only a slight difference in height between Jonathan and your father. He had lost some weight in the last few years so maybe they would not be too bad for Jonathan. You carried them back and handed everything over to Jonathan. He continued to only stare at you looking seemingly confused.

“The washroom is to the left of the kitchen. You may dry yourself off and change your garments there. I will go make some tea to warm you up.” He looked as if he were about to say something but you had already turned to go into the kitchen. As you placed the kettle on the stove you heard the door to the washroom close which prompted you to let out a sigh you had not known you were holding.

You had finished the tea and set the table all mostly muscle memory. You did not even realize that Jonathan had already changed and sat down at the table. You automatically turned to go grab some sweets to pair with the tea but Jonathan reached out for your hand, stopping you in your tracks.

“Y/N, please. There is no need for all this. Have a seat. I came here to see if you were alright after what happened in the shop. You had not shown up to the riverbed so I began to worry you were cross with me.” You could not turn to face him as you answered because you feared that he would notice the slight red that began to spread across your face.

“Ah...Yes! Uhh...I guess I am just accustomed to it.” You eventually garnered enough courage to glance down at his hand which was still lightly grasped around your wrist. In an instance, Jonathan quickly let go and placed his hand back in his lap before hurriedly apologizing. “Uh...Uh...forgive me Y/N! I…” You cut him by awkwardly patting his back in an attempt to cover your flustered state.

“I see that the shirt fits well! I will admit that I was slightly exhausted after the interaction at the shop so it had completely slipped my mind to go to the riverbed. It seemed Nila was also weary considering she had fallen asleep soon after we had returned. How do you take your tea? Milk, sugar?”

You realized you were rambling at this point and looked up to meet Jonathan’s soft gaze. You let out a soft sigh and pulled out the chair beside him to sit. You pulled a strand of hair behind your ear and nervously waited to gauge his reaction. You could see a slight upturn at the corners of his lips, he took a glance at the tea set out in front of him and cleared his throat before reaching out.

He placed a cup in front of each of you and grabbed the pot, pouring a generous amount in both. “I have been drinking my tea black since I can recall. They used to tell me that milk, sugar, or honey was too feminine.” He let out a low chuckle. “Can you believe how absurd that is? I think today I would like to try both, please.”

You felt a smile play onto your face without realizing it. Hearing him express his thoughts in front of you without the fear of consequences gave you a small sense of pride. You made him a cup of tea and placed two cubes of sugar. You mixed and placed it before him before fishing a cup for yourself. “I must say I am flattered at the fact you were worried about me. You tempered a storm to make your way over here. I cannot say I have seen anyone do anything close to that, especially not for me.”

“Well, we are no longer strangers Y/N. If I may be so forthright, we kissed one another. After an exchange of that type, I feel it would only prompt me to garner stronger feelings towards you. Actually, I have not been completely honest of my intentions for coming here tonight. I admit that part of the reason for my arrival here was fueled by worry but I must say that I wished to simply talk with you more intimately.”

You stayed quiet for a moment prompting him to nervously take a sip of the tea. “Oh my! This is quite nice! I should have my tea like this more often.” He anxiously smiled, avoiding your eyes before looking up as you lightly placed your hand over his. You leaned in closer and quietly spoke. “I would enjoy nothing more than that. But if I may, I have a question.”

He sighed and a satisfied smile played on his face. “Ask away.” He turned his hand so that he could grasp yours. “I wish not to sound skeptical or insensitive but my intentions with this are only honest. What is the nature of our relationship Jonathan Joestar?

[chudleycanonficfest]

Make a Move

Day 9, Story #2 is by @adenei

Title: Make a Move

Author: adenei

Pairing: Frank/Alice Longbottom

Prompt: You did WHAT?!

Rating: T

TW: mild language

**********

Oh, this is bad. This is very, very bad. What have I done?

Frank paces the floor of the seventh-year boy’s dormitory. He’s not even sure what possessed him to do it. Since when has he actually proven himself as a Gryffindor when it comes to the opposite sex? He hasn’t—because he’s always been a blundering imbecile when it comes to women. And today has proven no different.

“Frank, mate, what’s wrong?” Robbie Burke shuts the door to the dormitory behind him.

“I—I asked—ah, don’t make me say it again!” Frank throws his hands in the air as he shakes his head from side to side, his sandy-blond hair falling in front of his eyes as a result.

“Come on, it can’t be that bad,” Robbie urges Frank to confide in him.

Frank takes a deep breath to ground himself as he sits on the bed and covers his face with his hands.

“I asked Alice to the Christmas Ball,” he mutters.

“Bloody hell, that’s brilliant, mate! Good for you!” Robbie claps Frank on the shoulder in celebration but pauses when Frank looks up at him, his caramel eyes wrought with dismay. 

“Oh, no, did she say no?” Robbie winces at the premature celebration.

“Not exactly,” Frank huffs.

“But she didn’t say yes?”

“Er…”

“Frank—”

“I ran away before she could answer!” Frank admits his wrongdoing and prepares for the onslaught of profanities that’s about to erupt out of his best friend’s mouth.

“You did WHAT? Bloody buggering hell, mate!”

“I know, I know, I was a coward! But she looked so surprised, and she’s so cool, and I’m so...not, and then I started thinking, ‘why would she ever want to go with me’, and I panicked!”

So much for being a Gryffindor, I can’t even ask a girl out! 

Granted, Alice Fortescue wasn’t just any witch. She was popular, kind, easy-going, and always friendly to everyone. Plus, she was the girl you went to if you were looking to smuggle food and Butterbeer from the kitchens.

Frank has been holding a torch for Alice for as long as he can remember. He recalls how she was the first person he locked eyes with after being sorted into Gryffindor, how she beamed up at him and patted the bench for him to sit next to her. That’s the moment that Frank associates as the beginning of their friendship.

Over the years, Frank and Alice’s friendship has grown into a strong bond of the pair looking out for each other. They’ve worked through countless assignments together, where Frank is always happy to help Alice out with Potions. And Alice teaches Frank about a new jinx or hex that’s been created to cause chaos in return since his shyness has often made him an easy target. 

It was probably sometime between fourth and fifth year that Alice’s infectious laughter and warm smiles began to stir something deeper within Frank. He’s grown accustomed to their study sessions, and late-night hangouts that include swapping stories of Alice’s experiences in the duelling club and gossip Frank overhears during his weekly Gobstones meetings. 

But now, he’s certain he’s ruined their friendship. After a year of wrestling with his feelings and trying to decide whether he should go for it and ask Alice out, he half-asses the invitation and throws their entire amicable relationship down the toilet. How is he supposed to face her for their biweekly revising session? Bloody hell, what’s he going to do if the two of them get accepted into the Auror Academy together? Frank lays his head back on the bed and grabs the pillow so he can smother himself with it.

“Frank, stop, I’m sure it’s not the end of the world.”

“You weren’t there. You didn’t see the look on her face.” His voice is muffled by the pillow, causing Robbie to grab it and pull it away.

“No, I wasn’t, care to describe it for me?”

“Mortification.”

Robbie smacks him with the pillow before tossing it aside. “Gonna need some more details than that.”

“I don’t know. It was clear I took her by surprise. She just stared at me, with her lips parted, but she didn’t say anything. Nora and Melanie were giggling. The last thing I remember seeing was her turning to them, and I used that moment to hoof it on out of there.”

“You are hopeless.”

“Thanks for the pep talk.”

“What do you want me to say? I’ve been trying to convince you to ask her out for ages. I’m telling you, Alice Fortescue has a smile that’s only for you. Never once in seven years has she seemed interested in any other bloke, and she chooses to spend all her extra time with you. Bugger if I know why.”

Frank ponders Robbie’s words but doesn’t allow himself to believe them. Alice is his brave and ballsy friend, the one who takes life by its wings and steers it in the direction she wants. If she fancied him back, why hasn’t she made a move first? And then it hits him.

“Merlin’s pants, Robbie, what if she isn’t into bl—”

A knock on the door cuts him off. Both boy’s heads swivel toward the sound as the knob turns and the door swings open. It’s Alice who peeks her head in. She observes the room and takes note of both seventh-years before she speaks.

“Oh, hi Robbie! I was wondering if I could maybe speak to Frank for a mo’?”

“Hey, Alice. Yeah, sure, I was just, er, leaving.” 

Robbie grabs his wand and school bag and slips past her. Frank notices that he pauses to turn back in the doorway to mouth a ‘good luck’ before shutting the door behind him. Standing in front of Frank now, Alice asks,

“Mind if I sit down?”

“N-no, go for it,” Frank stammers. “I—er, sorry about earlier.”

Frank’s not sure why he’s apologizing as Alice sits down. It seems like the right thing to say as he avoids looking at her at all costs. He picks at a nonexistent speck of dirt on his trousers to distract himself.

“You are?” 

Frank chances a glance in Alice’s direction and sees her eyebrows both raise and scrunch together in confusion. He’s not sure if he’s imagining it or if there’s actually hurt and disappointment in her eyes.

“Er, yeah. I mean, no? I mean—”

“You took off before I had a chance to answer you.”

Bloody hell, why do women have to be so damn confusing? 

Frank has no idea what she’s thinking, and despite being friends since they were eleven, he can’t seem to gauge her feelings at all. At this point, he’s torn between brushing the whole thing off and saying he was extending the invitation as a friend or summoning the last ounce of Gryffindor courage that might be hiding somewhere inside him to go for it and ask her out officially. Instead, he chooses neither.

“Did you come up here to give me an answer, then?”

“Yes.”

Frank waits for Alice to continue, expecting her to give him either a clear yes or no, but she just stares at him, making him feel ten times more awkward.

“Right, so…”

Alice lets out an unbecoming snort. “Frank, you really are slow on the uptake, aren’t you?”

“Huh?”

“My answer to your question is yes. I’d like to go to the Christmas Ball with you.”

“You—you would?”

Now, it’s Frank’s turn to be shocked. Only in his wildest dreams did he expect her to actually say yes!

Alice nods as she smiles before grazing her bottom lip with her teeth. “As a date, right?”

Frank’s heart momentarily stops, and he has to remind himself to breathe. “I—uh—I, y-yeah! I mean, only if you want it to be a—”

“I do,” she responds eagerly. Her knee is bouncing up and down.

He almost doesn’t hear her confirmation as he babbles on, “—because we don’t, not if it would make things—wait, you do?”

Alice chuckles at his nervousness. “Yeah, and you could have saved yourself all the misery that I’m sure you just put yourself through with overthinking if you’d waited for my response.”

Merlin, she knows me so well. “But Nora and Melanie—”

  “—were giggling because I’ve been hoping you’d ask me out for ages now.”

If Frank could look into a mirror, he’s sure his facial expression would match the one Alice had given him when he’d first asked the question out in the corridor. So many thoughts were racing through his mind that it was a miracle he was able to form a sentence.

“But then, why didn’t you ever ask me?’

Alice shrugs before leaning in and boldly pressing her lips to Frank’s cheek before whispering into his ear, “because I guess there’s still some old-fashioned methods I put stock in, like the bloke making the first move.”

Frank is frozen. He couldn’t move even if he wanted to while all his dreams were coming true. By the time his brain tells the rest of his body to react to Alice’s gesture, she’s already up and halfway to the door. Before exiting, she turns back and winks at Frank.

“I’ve got to go make some plans with the girls, but I’ll see you in the library at seven, yeah? That Auror entrance exam won’t study for itself, even though I wish it would.”

All Frank can manage is a meager nod as he processes the whirlwind of the last half hour. He is going to the Christmas Ball with Alice. She fancies him. Does that mean she’s his girlfriend now? So many questions flood his mind, but one thing was certain: Frank can’t wait to find the answers.

[just-dreaming-marvel]

Out Of Time ~ 113

MASTERLIST

< previous chapter

Word Count: 2,020ish

Summary/Warning: This chapter is mainly in everyone else’s point of view. The next chapter will be in Y/N’s.

Y/N woke up, already knowing where she was. Her hand immediately went to her stomach as her eyes replayed the fighting she had witnessed. Her heart beat quickened as she relived those terrible moments. The monitors she was connected to warned the medical staff outside. Helen and her nurses rushed in.

“Y/N,” Helen called. “I need you to breathe.”

“My… I… the baby…” Y/n stammered through the struggle. “Is my baby…. It is okay?”

~~~

The waiting would always be the worst for Tony, especially when it came to Y/N. The pacing was paired with the constant worrying and need to be kept busy. So by the time Dr. Cho came out of the med-bay, Tony had developed braces for Rhodey’s now paralyzed legs and FRIDAY was already building them.

Rhodey had joined Tony in the waiting, via wheelchair, with Happy and Pepper joining as well.

“This is not your fault, Tony,” Pepper said, softly. “She made the decision not to tell you about the baby and to go to Siberia.”

Tony chuckled, darkly. “I’m sorry, Pep, but you’re wrong,” Tony retorted. “It’s all my fault… She didn’t say anything because of the Accords. Then I was forcing her to side with me or her brother and her first love…. I know her. She got too caught up in it all…. And that’s my fault. Like everything… My fault.”

“Tony,” Helen called, exiting the med-bay. 

Tony, Happy, and Pepper all stood. Tony rushed up to Helen, hands nervously in front of him and eyes pleading with her already.

“Just tell me, Helen,” Tony said, voice already broken. 

“I’m sorry, it—it didn’t make it, Tony.” Putting a hand over his mouth, he stepped back. “I’m so sorry.”

“Oh my…” Pepper gasped, grasping onto Happy to keep herself up.

“Y/N is…” Helen paused with a sigh. “She’s not taking it well.”

“I want to see her,” Tony stated. “Can I see her?”

“You can. But I don’t know if she’s willing to talk.”

“I don’t care. I just need to be there.”

Helen nodded in understanding. “She’s in the room, second to the right.”

“We’ll be out here if either of you need anything,” Rhodey stated.

All Tony could do was nod before shakily making his way to the room Y/N was being kept in. The blinds were down, so he was unable to peek into the room before entering. His palm was sweating as he placed his hand on the door knob. There was a tenor in his hand as he twisted the door knob. Tony’s heart dropped to his feet in a thousand pieces as his eyes took in the room.

“No.” Tony took a careful, uncoordinated steps to the bed. His knees gave way next to the bed, hands grasping at the sheets. “FRIDAY?”

“I’m sorry, boss. I have no way to track her. Miss Rogers is gone.”

~~~

“Pick up, pick up, pick up…” Tony muttered, holding the phone tightly to his ear.

“Stark, I really don’t have time for you—“

“Coulson, I need you to be honest with me… Is Y/N with you?”

“I really don’t think that—“

“Is. Y/N. With. You?”

Coulson paused with a sigh. Tony impatiently waited, tapping his foot as his thoughts ran a mile a minute. His eyes were dry and red from the tears he had allowed himself to shed. The hard exterior shell that the great Tony Stark had built up was crumbling. He had lost his team—his friends, found out the truth about his parents death, and lost the child he didn’t know about all in the same day. And now, he couldn’t find the love of his life, who had to be hurting just as much, if not more, than he was.

“No,” Coulson finally spoke up. “I haven’t seen her. But I’ll let you know if I do.”

“You better not be lying to me, Phil. I…. I need to find her. She shouldn’t be alone right now.”

“I’ll send a search out for her and let you know as soon as I see or hear anything… Mind telling me, what happened?”

Tony sighed shakily, covering his eyes with his free hand. “Everything fell apart…. and…. She lost a lot today. Her family… her child…”

“Her child?” Coulson gasped.

“Now you know why it’s important that I find her.”

“Yeah… I do… I’ll keep you updated.”

~~~

Steve and Bucky ran into T’Challa upon leaving the bunker in Siberia. The new King quickly led them to the jet he had taken to follow Tony on. He had found the truth, realizing that it was Zemo who had turned him against Bucky, and had taken Zemo into custody as Tony, Bucky, and Steve were fighting. T’Challa took the men to Wakanda and immediately got Bucky medical attention. The doctors there promised that they could find away to deprogram Bucky and he willingly agreed to go back into cryo until then. 

“You sure about this?” Steve asked Bucky.

“I can’t trust my own mind,” Bucky replied, seated on the medal table. “So, until they figure out how to get this stuff out of my head I think going back under is the best thing . . . for everybody… Have you heard anything from Y/N?”

“No,” Steve shook his head. “I shouldn’t have let her stay with us.”

“I’m the one that told her to go.”

“What worries me is that she was so weak, that she could’t have gone very far. I honestly hope she somehow made it home with Tony.”

“Just… make sure she’s okay for me, punk. I need her to be okay if I’m going to be able to be okay.”

“Me too… I just hope she will forgive for everything.”

“Forgive you? You’re not the one who killed Howard.”

“But I knew you had and I kept that from her and Tony. I screwed up just as much.”

Bucky went into cryo shortly after his little conversation with Steve. T’Challa met Steve at a window, looking out of Wakanda’s labs.

“Thank you for this,” Steve said.

“Your friend and my father, they were both victims,” T’Challa responded. “If I can help one of them find peace…”

“You know, If they find out he's here . . . they'll come for him.”

“Let them try… I want you to know that I have people out searching for your sister. Since she did not sign the Accords and she is gifted, I fear the governments will be after her as well.”

“Thank you for watching out for her.”

“Of course. Family. That is the most important thing in this world.”

~~~

Tony had people searching for Y/N, 24/7. He was trying his best to help while also focusing on Rhodey’s rehab. The two friends were in the gym at Avengers HQ. Rhodey had the first design of braces on his legs as he tentatively walked beside parallel bars.

“It’s just the first pass,” Tony said.

“Yeah,” Rhodey replied, sweating from trying so hard.

“Give me some feedback. Anything you can think of. Shock absorption. Lateral movement. Cup holder?”

"You may wanna think about some AC down in . . .” Rhodey fell onto his hands, with Tony quickly crouching beside him.

“Let's go. I'll give you a hand.”

“No, no, don't. Don't help me. Don't help me.” He moved to his hands and knees, turning to sit on the floor beside Tony. Tony was clearly feeling the guilt of everything that had happened. “138. 138 combat missions. That's how many I've flown, Tony. Every one of them could've been my last, but I flew 'em. Because the fight needed to be fought. It's the same with these Accords. I signed because it was the right thing to do…. And, yeah, this sucks. This is uh . . . this is a bad beat…. But it hasn't change my mind…. I don't think.” 

Rhodey gave Tony a crooked smile and took his hand. Tony pulled him up onto his feet.

“You okay?” Tony asked.

“Oh yeah,” Rhodey responded. 

The men were interrupted by a knock on the window. They turned to see an old FedEx delivery man, with a package in his hand. 

“Are you Tony Stank?” The man asked through the window.

"Yes, this is--this is Tony "Stank". You're in the right place,” Rhodey responded, pointing at Tony before turning to walk using the bars. “Thank you for that! I'm never dropping that, by the way. Table for one, Mr. "Stank". Please, by the bathroom.”

Tony laughed before taking the package. He looked at it for a second, almost immediately recognizing the hand writing. He made his way to Steve’s office, still in the perfect condition the man had left it in. Tony opened the box and immediately pulled out a letter labeled, ‘Tony’.

Tony,

I'm glad you're back at the compound. I don't like the idea of you rattling around a mansion by yourself. Even if Y/N’s with you. We all need family. The Avengers are yours, maybe more so than mine. Y/N and I have been on our own since we were 18. We never really fit in anywhere, even in the army. 

My faith's in people, I guess. Individuals. And I'm happy to say that, for the most part, they haven't let me down. Which is why I can't let them down either. Locks can be replaced, but maybe they shouldn't. 

I know I hurt you, Tony. And that I hurt Y/N. I guess I thought by not telling you both about your parents I was sparing you, but I can see now that I was really sparing myself, and I'm sorry. Hopefully one day you can understand. That Y/N can understand. 

I wish we agreed on the Accords, I really do. I know you're doing what you believe in, and that's all any of us can do. That's all any of us should. So, no matter what. I promise you, if you need us, if you need me, I’ll be there. 

Also, I honestly have no idea where Y/N is. I only have hope that she is safely with you. Please, take care of her. 

Tony dumped the rest of the box onto the table, revealing a flip phone and another note. This was was addressed to Y/N. He picked it up and carefully began opening it.

“Priority call from Secretary Ross,” FRIDAY interrupted. “There’s been a breach at the Raft prison.”

“Yeah, put him through,” Tony responded. He turned to the phone and pressed a button.

“Tony, we have a problem,” Ross stated.

“Ah, please hold.” Tony held up a finger.

“No. Don’t—“ 

Tony put Ross on hold before glancing back at the phone. He knew what Ross’ call meant. Steve had broken into the prison. Sighing, he lifted the note to Y/N back up and began reading it.

Y/N,

I know you well enough to know that no matter what I say in this letter, it won’t change how you are currently feeling. Hurt and betrayed. I hurt you and Tony by keeping the truth about Howard from you. I thought I was protect you, or so I thought. I do realize now that I was only protecting myself. I’m so sorry.

I haven’t heard anything about your welling being or location since Bucky told you to leave the bunker. I’m praying that you’re okay and that you’re safe wherever you are. Even if that’s with Tony. 

I’m sorry that I haven’t really been the best brother since we woke up. I woke up and you seemed to already have either under your belt. Not that any of that is an excuse. I should have done better. And for that I am sorry.

Please reach out to let me know that you’re okay. Or if you need anything. I love you.

Tony set the letter back on desk and hid his head in his hands. Tears sprung in his eyes as he looked up at the ceiling.

“Where are you, Y/N? Where are you?”

next chapter >

NOTES: from now on the taglist when be added by a reblog. I will reblog it using my second account, @just-dreaming-marvel-2​. Just so that my main page doesn’t get too cluttered.

If you want to be added to the tag list, please dm me or send in an ask.

[julesclues]

fake dating

“uh oh” // chapter 1

warnings: mentions of sex

pairings: jj maybank x reader

word count: 2.0k

summary: your family keeps pressuring you to get a boyfriend so, you say you have one. when they ask for a name, the only one that pops into your mind is jj maybank– your enemy.

all the girls wanted to be you, and all the guys wanted to be with you. except for one. jj maybank. you two were the furthest thing from friends, let alone partners. you both tried your best to stay away from one another, but being apart of the same friend group wasn’t make that any easier. you and jj had just never gotten along. it started in elementary school, when he would bully you by putting slime in your hair, or breaking your pencils in half when he knew you didn’t have anymore. that hatred only continued to grow when middle school came. now being in high school, it’s worse than ever. the pouges tried everything to get you two to get along, but it just never seemed to work.

“i’m just saying that if you were to cut off your arm,” jj starts, “you wouldn’t feel pain!” you groan, earning a laugh from kie. “of course you would feel pain you jackass,” you reply, making jj glance at you. “shut up, i’m not talking to you.” you scoff, looking at john b. “john b, tell him please! of course you would feel pain if you cut off your arm. you are literally cutting off your arm,” you exclaim, pretending your hand is a saw and demonstrating it on your arm. “i gotta agree with y/n on this one man,” john b states, gaining a whine from jj. “but where would you feel the pain?,” he questions. you then reply with, “in your arm–“ but he cuts you off, hitting his thigh with his palm. “but your arm is gone!”

“yeah but you have a nervous system! you would feel the pain everywhere. pain travels you idiot!” you say, making jj huff and turn away. “relax maybank,” you speak, catching his attention. “you’re just being a little bitch because you’re wrong.” the grip on his beer bottle tightens and he takes a long swig. “i’m the little bitch?” he bites back. “uh oh,” pope whispers. “you always have something to say! you think you’re better than everyone else, always trying to prove them wrong! but you never think for a second that you could be wrong too, no, of course not. because you’re little miss sunshine, aren’t you?” jj rants, panting as you look him up and down in disgust. “you think you have me all figured out, don’t you jj? well guess what dickhead? you don’t. so why don’t you get your head out of my ass! stop trying to figure me out. if you keep doing so, some might even think you’re obsessed with me,” you yell, getting up and walking away from the bonfire. “fuck you!” jj yells. you don’t look back. all you do is stick up your middle finger and keep walking.

now, three weeks later, you’re in a sticky situation. “so, y/n,” your mom starts, grabbing the bowl of mashed potatoes and pouring some into her plate. you were all having dinner– your mom, dad, and younger sister. “do you have a boyfriend yet?” you choke on your chicken while your little sister laughs. she was only younger than you by 3 years, so you two got a long pretty well. “oh my god mom, when are you going to drop that?” you ask, taking a sip from your water. “i’ll drop it when you get a boyfriend,” she responds, while your dad gums in agreement. “well then drop it, because i have a boyfriend.” she drops her fork and looks at you with wide eyes. “oh my god really? who is it? oh, please tell me!”

panicking, a random name slips out of your mouth. “oh- uh, d-do you know jj maybank?” your mom gasps and picks her fork back up to continue to eat. “i always thought you two didn’t like each other!” she starts. you rub the back of your neck and chuckle slightly. “things change,” you say with a small smile. “i’m happy for you y/n,” your dad says, patting your shoulder. “we have to invite him over one day!” your eyes widen. you were about to say how much that was definitely not going to happen, but seeing how happy your mom was made you say something else.

“i’ll ask him.” she squeals, hugging you awkwardly while you tried to eat. “i’m so happy for you y/n! maybe he’s your soulmate, like your father and me.” you pretend to throw up in your mouth, earning a laugh from your little sister. “y/n! manners!” your mom exclaims.

later that night, you found your fingers hovering over the keybord to text jj. just text him, you think to yourself.

y/n😒: jj i need your help

jj🖕🏻: absolutely not

y/n😒: please i’m serious

jj🖕🏻: so am i

y/n😒: my family thinks we’re dating

incoming call from jj🖕🏻

hesitantly, you answer the phone. “y/n, why the fuck does your family think we’re together?” you chuckle nervously, hearing him groan from the other end. “um so we were eating dinner and–“

“is this going to be a long story?” you stomp your foot at his question. “if you keep interrupting, yeah, it will be!” he stays quiet and you continue. “so, for the past couple weeks my family has been pressuring me to get a boyfriend and i got tired of it so i told my mom i had one.” jj laughs and you scoff. “stop it’s not funny! she asked me for a name and i accidentally said you! please i need you to help me,” you beg. maybe using your soft voice would convince him. “no way.” maybe not.

“jj please! i’ll do anything!” he stays quiet for a moment, and you could swear you heard him smirk, if that was even possible. “anything?” you sigh loudly. “i’m not sleeping with you,” you say nonchalantly. jj groans in disgust from the other side of the phone, but ends it with a laugh. “i don’t want to sleep wi– well actually–“

“jj!” you whisper-scream, knowing your family is sleeping. “i’m kidding! mostly. but i will help you on one condition.” though he can’t see it, you nod. “what is it?” you ask with a small smile. “you have to pay me.” your smile drops. “you’re kidding,” you groan, throwing your head back into your pillow. “i’m one hundred percent serious y/n. $50 and i’ll do whatever you want me to.” you think for a minute and sigh in defeat. “whatever i want?” you ask, and he chuckles. “i’m not sleeping with you,” he mocks. “shut up idiot. listen, you’re going to have to fake date me for like a week, think you can do that?”

“fake date you?” he asks loudly. “i’m going to need $100 instead. deal or no deal.”

“jj,” you warn.

“deal or no deal,” he repeats. “fine! okay, fine! just shut up, you’re so annoying. come to my house tomorrow, alright? and please whatever you do, don’t screw this up.” he exhales with a small laugh. “you have my word, honey.” before you could protest the pet name, he hangs up. “i hate him,” you say, pinching the bridge of your nose.

the next morning you wake up, thinking it was all a dream. but after checking your phone and seeing the text messages along with the 3 minute phone call with jj, you realize it wasn’t. “crap,” you whisper to yourself, looking at the time. 9:19am. jj would be here soon, and you just woke up. you jump out of bed and search your closet for clothes. before you could find an appealing outfit, the doorbell rings. oh fuck, you think to yourself. you didn’t tell your parents that jj was coming over. running downstairs, you see that your mom was about to put her hand on the door knob. “wait–!” you yell, but your mom still opens the door, and there stands jj maybank. your boyfriend.

“oh jj! what a lovely surprise! y/n didn’t tell me you were coming over today!” she says, looking back at you, wiggling her eyebrows. you make eye contact with jj and whisper a “sorry” as he rolls his eyes. but when your mom turns back, he smiles widely. “i hope that’s not a problem ms. l/n!” he says sweetly. your mouth hangs open a bit. you’ve never heard him speak so proper. “oh not at all! i heard you two are together now, congrat–“ you interupt her by running down the rest of the stairs and grabbing jj’s hand. “okay cool thanks mom bye,” you stutter quickly, dragging jj to your room. “use protection!” she yells up. “stop!” you scream, as jj laughs.

dragging jj to your room, you throw him on the bed and shut the door, locking it behind you. “i’m usually the dominant one in the bedroom but i could get used to this,” jj jokes, and you smack him in the arm. “shut your mouth,” you speak, grabbing a tank top from your closet, along with some shorts. you walk into your connected bathroom and change quickly, making eye contact with jj. “so why did you want me here?” you sit down next to jj and look into his eyes. you never realized how beautiful they truly were. you were mesmerized by how much they resembled the ocean. you loved the ocean.

“okay so we have to pretend to date,” you start, and he groans. “wow really, i had no idea,” he says sarcastically, causing you to hit him. “jj come on, i’m serious! so, i’m going to need you to stay over tonight.” his eyes widen lightly, followed by a smirk. “and why’s that, honey?”

“would you cut it out with the “honey” nickname! that’s so weird,” you exclaim, making jj chuckle. “if i can’t call you honey, then what pet names can i call you?” you think for a minute, looking down at your hands. “why don’t we make rules?” you ask, making eye contact with jj. “i’m listening,” he replies. “so rule number one could be..” you pause, as jj stares at you intensely. “the nicknames! we have to use them around people. so you can call me princess, baby, my love, and snickerdoodle.” jj makes a face at the last one, and you laugh. “i’m kidding about the last one, but the first three are true. and what about you maybank? what should i call you?” jj smirks and you groan. “here we go,” you say softly.

“well, i never thought i would say this, but i like it when you say my last name. it rolls right off your tongue. so you can call me maybank, baby, my love..” he pauses for a moment, and gets close to you. “what are you doing?” you question, feeling his warm breath against your skin. “...and daddy.” you choke on air, earning a laugh from the blonde haired boy. “n-no way jj!” you say, pushing him. “i’m not doing that! not in front of my family!”

“oh so in private is okay?” he exclaims. “jj! just– oh my god.. let’s just get b-back to the rules, okay?” he laughs, nodding. “i love seeing you flustered, princess.” ignoring the nickname, you continue with the rules. for hours, you and jj tried to come up with rules, and in the end, you came up with 10.

they were:

1) use nicknames whenever around people

2) can only kiss each other if the other person says “kiss me.” it cannot be an unexpected kiss

3) do not break character, no matter what

4) hold hands whenever you’re walking side by side with one another

5) make it believeable. be sweet but not too sweet

6) don’t tell anyone that you’re faking it

7) always say “i love you” when people are looking

8) protect one another

9) y/n has to pay jj always laugh at each other’s jokes

10) this is all fake. whatever you do, do not fall in love

this is going to be fun.

[prettyboybarzal]

Conversations in the Dark

Pairing: Tyson Jost x OC!female

Summary: Fiona Gatwood and her mother move to Canada after a nasty divorce and end up moving in beside the Jost family. Quiet Fiona takes a liking to the sweet, outgoing boy, Tyson, next door and the rest is history.

Word Count: 8k+

A/N: This is literally just tooth-rotting sweetness of a childhood friends to lovers trope. No warnings except maybe some curses and the mention of a shitty father, though it’s more of a subplot than anything. By the way, this is based off the song Conversations in the Dark by John Legend!!!!! Go listen. It makes my heart melt! (And, as always, let me know what you think! ILY)

Age 10

“Talk, let's have conversations in the dark. World is sleeping, I'm awake with you.”

Fiona Gatwood was whispering. She was whispering and her mother couldn’t believe it.

It had been days since Diana last heard her daughter’s voice, but it was clear as day through the wood door her ear was pressed against. She knew that it was nearly 1 a.m. and the longer she let her stay up, the crankier she’d be in the morning, but she didn’t want to stop her baby from talking.

The past year had been a nightmare for the two. Between an ugly divorce, a custody battle, and a move from the States to Canada, Fiona hardly spoke anymore. Except she did speak to one person consistently, and it was the boy next door. 

When his mother mentioned how talkative the two kids could be, Diana laughed, “Fi? Talkative?” Just behind the front door, Tyson and Fiona sat in front of the television, distracted by Disney Channel.

“I don’t know why you’re laughing, Diana,” Laura spoke through her smile. “The two of them are non-stop.”

But, now, she believed it because she was hearing it first-hand.

“Tyson, go to sleep,” Fiona whispered. “My mom is going to wake us up soon.”

“No, she’s not,” Tyson whispered back. The floorboard squeaked beneath him as he moved to see the alarm clock. “It’s only 12:47 a.m.”

“And we’re leaving at 5:30 a.m. That’s in five hours,” Fiona spoke. Tyson sighed loudly and Diana could hear him lay back down in the sleeping bag on the floor. “You’re not mad at me, right?”

“Of course not,” Tyson spoke. There was a moment of silence that followed, then a loud sigh. “You’re right. We should go to bed. I just like talking to you.”

Diana’s heart clenched in her chest at the sweetness of the exchange, at the way Tyson treated Fiona. He understood her. He saw her quirks and he accepted them without a thought.

“I like talking to you, too.”

“I wish you’d talk more at school.”

“Why?”

“Because more people would be friends with you,” he said softly, like he was scared to tell Fiona the truth.

In return, she released a soft breath and responded, “I know.”

Diana rapped her knuckles against the door and the kids pretended like they were already fast asleep, earning a laugh from her. “I know you two are awake, but it’s time for bed now,” she said. “We’ve got an early morning tomorrow.”

“Sorry, Mrs. Gatwood.”

“It’s okay, Tys,” she said. She looked at Fiona before turning out of the room. Her hands were tucked beneath her head as she gazed up at her. Diana willed her to speak before walking out the door, but nothing came and she looked away. “Okay, goodnight, kiddos.”

She stepped out into the hallway and shut the door quietly behind her, holding the knob as she leaned her forehead against it in disappointment. There was a soft thud from inside and the sound of a child’s ‘ow’. And then, “Goodnight, Mom.”

Age 15

“Watch movies that we've both already seen. I ain't even looking at the screen, it's true. I got my eyes on you.”

Fiona was going to her first-ever co-ed birthday party and she couldn’t stop thinking about it ever since rumors about spin the bottle began. She’d never been kissed and, quite frankly, didn’t think it would happen during a game of spin the bottle. Tyson, on the other hand, had been happily egging on the spin the bottle conversation. He was a boy, after all, and he also wasn’t worried about his first kiss because he already got it.

Tyson giggled at the movie they were watching, bringing her attention back to the present. It was the third time they’d watched Ted that week, if their moms knew they’d kill them, but they always kept it quiet. At that point, Tyson could quote it and most other days, she’d be quoting it right along with him, but not that night. She had too much on her mind.

“Tys, what if I’m not a good kisser?”

He almost laughed, but the pure nervousness etched across her features made him stop himself. “I mean,” he trailed off, eyes trailing over her facial features to get a good read on what she was feeling. “You’re probably not going to be bad.”

“What do I do with my hands?”

“Your hands? What do you mean?” he asked. She sighed loudly, reaching out to grab the remote and pause the movie they were watching. “You don’t have to do anything with your hands.”

“They said we might play seven minutes in heaven.”

“No one ever actually does anything during seven minutes in heaven.”

“You don’t know that,” she grunted. “What if one of the guys wants to do something? What if they want to make out? I’ve never even been kissed. I’m going to embarrass myself.”

Tyson usually had solutions to most of Fiona’s problems, or at least he’d have the words to reassure her, but he was at a loss. The first, and only, idea he had was that he could kiss her just to help her get it out of the way, but he stopped himself from offering that option. Fiona, however, noticed the metaphorical lightbulb that went off over his head and began to pry.

“What are you thinking?”

“I could kiss you,” he offered. “Your first kiss shouldn’t be with someone you don’t want it to be with and I know you’re not crazy about all the guys going, so I can help you get it out of the way.”

“You don’t think that’d be weird?” she asked, fingers curling around the blanket that was strewn across their laps.

“I mean, we don’t have crushes on each other or anything,” he murmured. “We’re best friends, nothing more, so it’s whatever. You just can’t overthink it.”

Fiona didn’t answer right away and her hesitation cued Tyson to play the movie once more while she thought it over. Not five minutes later, she paused it again.

“Okay, let’s just get it over with.”

“You’re sure?”

“Absolutely,” she answered. “I trust you.”

Tyson leaned in tentatively, watching her carefully as her eyes fluttered shut and she puckered her lips. He smiled softly to himself before closing his own eyes and closing the gap between them. Their lips barely touched before they were pulling away at the feeling of a quick electric shock against their lips.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, tips of her fingers brushing along the place his lips had just touched. Tyson’s did the same. “You shocked me.”

“You shocked me!”

They giggled together, any awkwardness that could’ve came from that little kiss dissipating before it even came to fruition.

“Do you, uh, want to try again?” he asked. He felt his heart hammering in his chest and did his best to ignore it. This wasn’t his first kiss by any means, but it sort of felt like it was by the way his stomach was turning.

“Um, yeah, sure.”

“Okay,” he whispered. He lifted a hand to her cheek and cupped it as he leaned in. “Don’t shock me.”

“I’ll try not to,” she responded with a giggle. Tyson laughed, a tuft of his chocolate candy-smelling breath fanned across her lips. Her eyes fluttered shut again, but this time Tyson didn’t close his right away. He pressed his lips to hers and then closed his eyes as she shaped her lips to fit his and reached up to place her own hand against his jaw.

The kiss only lasted a moment more. As they pulled away, they met each other’s eyes with a shocked expression.

“We kissed.”

“We did,” Tyson confirmed, nodding his head as his tongue swiped along his bottom lip and tugged it between his teeth. She could’ve sworn his cheeks were a little bit pink and she felt the warmth of his cheek just under her thumb where it rested on his cheek. “Um, and that’s the perfect place for your hand, by the way.”

She nodded obediently before dropping her hand back into her lap. Though they turned back to the television and played the movie, Tyson couldn’t bring himself to quote it any longer, mind too preoccupied on the moment they just shared. Fiona, on the other hand, felt better and she’d begun quoting the lines he failed to speak.

Age 16

“And you say that you're not worth it. You get hung up on your flaws. Well, in my eyes you are perfect as you are. I will never try to change you, change you. I will always want the same you, same you”

Fiona was crushing on Tyson’s teammate hard. He thought it was obvious, what with the way her cheeks flushed the moment he walked into the room, but everyone else was clueless about her little crush.

Though the two of them were closer than they’d ever been before, her crush on Tommy Abbott was a secret she didn’t share with Tyson. She’d never liked any of his teammates before, and she wasn’t planning to start. Tyson would never let her hear the end of it, especially if he found out Abbott was the crush, so she kept her mouth shut.

But Tyson knew her too well and it only took a few weeks for him to catch on.

The two of them were standing at Tyson’s locker after school just before parting ways as he went off to practice and she headed home. A few of his teammates walked by, waving on their way to the locker room as they passed. Tyson watched as Fiona’s cheeks blushed.

He watched your eyes follow Tommy Abbott down the hall and out of sight, jaw dropping in shock at his revelation.

“Fi?” he called. She looked back at him, wide eyed. “Do you have a crush on Thomas Abbott?”

“You can’t tell a soul,” she warned, jabbing a finger into his chest. He was a solid foot taller than her at that point, but he still obeyed her command. “If anyone on your team finds out, I’ll kill you.”

“Fiona,” he sighed, reaching up to pull her finger away from his chest. He dropped it at her side. “I have kept every single secret you’ve ever told me. This one is just joining the others in the vault. I promise.”

Keeping that secret was, naturally, one of the easiest things Tyson ever had to do. But then, Tommy Abbott was sharing the same sentiments.

“Josty, wait up!” he called as he jogged after Tyson in the school hallway. Tys slowed to a stop, welcoming smile on his face.

“What’s up, dude?”

“I was just, uh, wondering,” Tommy began. “About you and Fiona Gatwood.”

Tyson’s eyebrows raised at the statement.

“Fi’s just my best friend. Nothing more. Why?”

“Oh, well, I was thinking about asking her out,” he murmured, kicking his toe into the tiled floor. “She’s in my English class and I just think she’s cute.”

“She is!” Tyson exclaimed, maybe a bit too excitedly. He lowered his voice when he began talking again. “Like, she’s really cute and I’ll bet she thinks your cute, too.”

“Really?”

“For sure,” he said with a nod. “You should ask her out.”

Within days, Tommy Abbott had both asked Fiona out and planned their first date. But Tyson was the one that hung out with her while she got ready. He listened to her chatter on nervously about what her expectations were, and talked her down when she almost decided to cancel. Then, as any fifteen year old date would go, Diana drove Fiona to drop her off at the movies to meet Tommy.

He never showed.

Tyson showed up to practice the next morning with a scowl on his face. He entered the locker room and marched right up to Tommy Abbott, slamming his locker closed as he pulled his hand out with his jersey. Tommy knew what he did wrong, but he didn’t step down or apologize. He stated simply, “Dude, I’m sorry. I just couldn’t do it.”

“So why did you ask her out?”

“It was just a joke,” he said, reopening his locker to cover Tyson’s face. Tyson slammed it shut again. “You should’ve known that, Josty. C’mon, it’s just a bit of fun between teammates.”

“You hurting her really isn’t my idea of fun.”

“She was hurt?” he asked, though he looked unapologetic. “Listen, she’s not the type of girl that guys like me, or you for that matter, date. Don’t act like your surprised.”

Tyson was a little more aggressive than usual that practice, slamming Tommy into the boards every chance he got. He left practice faster than everyone else, suddenly overwhelmed with the urge to just get to Fiona and make everything better.

As if she knew he’d be on his way too her, she was sitting on the porch waiting for him.

“Hi.”

“Fi, I need you to know that every single one of those guys are assholes, even the ones who weren’t involved,” he grunted as he hustled up the steps. She giggled softly at his dramatics, knowing that there was a handful of innocent guys on the team. Tyson plopped down beside her on the porch swing. “They all suck. All of them.”

“You don’t have to talk about your teammates like that,” she sighed. “Honestly, I’m nuts for thinking he was even into me in the first place. I’m not the kind of girl guys like him go after.”

Tyson stomach turned. It was almost exactly the same thing Tommy had said earlier and it only mad him angrier hearing it come from her.

“You don’t get it,” he groaned. “You are too good for guys like him.”

“I spend most of my time with my nose in a book, you’re my voice when I don’t want to speak which is a whole lot, and I’m not popular by any means,” she listed off. Tyson listened intently, listened to her spew out insecurities left and right. “I get these nasty pimples on my chin, and I come from a broken home, and I just—I don’t belong to anything.”

“Stop talking,” Tyson snapped. “Do you even hear yourself? How are you not mad at yourself for talking like that?”

Fiona stared at him, mouth open as if waiting for permission to spew out the next insult to herself.

“You are the best person I know. It wouldn’t matter if you were athletic and popular or a troll under a bridge. You have the best,” he paused, pondering his next word, and then said, “You have the best soul. You should never change for anyone because you’re perfect just the way you are. You’re Fiona. You don’t need to be anyone else.”

Fiona’s lips formed a perfect ‘o’ as she found herself at a loss for words once again, but this time it wasn’t her shyness that was the reason. It was the shock at the words tumbling from Tyson’s lips. His cheeks were red and he was still breathing a little heavily because of the flood of compliments, but then he cracked a smile.

“That was profound, Tys,” she said softly, smile coming to her own lips. “Thank you.”

“I mean every bit of it,” he said. His mother called him from his own porch and he leaned in to place a soft kiss against her temple. “I’ll always want the same Fiona. Please don’t change.”

Age 18

“Swear on everything I pray to that I won't break your heart.”

Fiona loved her birthday because her birthday meant Funfetti pancakes in the morning and presents after dinner. But, most of all, Fiona loved her birthday because her father called, no matter how long it’d been since the last time they spoke.

On the day of her eighteenth birthday, Tyson was a few hours away at a tournament. It was the first birthday since they were ten years old that they’d spend away from each other. There was, however, one way he’d make it home and that meant losing a few games for an early exit.

Now, I’m not saying Tyson purposely lost the game, but his mind wasn’t in it. Sure enough, he was bounding up the driveway to Fiona’s front door that night with her birthday gift stuffed in the backpack on his back.

After a somewhat frantic knock, Diana opened the door to the curly-haired boy from next door.

“Oh, Tys,” she sighed. Her voice sounded a little sad and Tyson’s brows knit together in confusion at the lack of pep in her step. “Fi is downstairs.”

The basement was dark. The low hum of acoustic music got louder as he continued down the stairs. He found Fiona with a blanket over her head and wrapped around her shoulders. She managed a smile when he entered, but it didn’t meet her eyes. Tyson approached, grabbing another blanket from the end of the couch and wrapping himself just like her as he sat.

“My dad didn’t call,” she offered, knowing the question that was sitting on his tongue before he even uttered it. Tyson watched her as she stared blankly at the wall across from them. He noticed a streak along her cheek from where a tear had fallen and frowned.

“Well, that doesn’t mean he won’t call tomorrow,” he spoke softly.

She began to cry. Everything she’d been feeling for months came crashing down and she started to sob into the blanket she’d so carefully wrapped around her body. Tyson slid down the couch, arm wrapping around her shoulder to pull her into his side. He said nothing, only listened to the sniffling coming from his best friend until she was ready to speak again.

“I haven’t talked to him in a year.”

“I thought he called last month.”

“I lied,” she sighed, rubbing her teary eyes with the heel of her hand. “I didn’t want to talk about it.”

Tyson’s heart sank as his grip tightened around Fiona’s shoulders.

“You know that I wouldn’t have made you talk about it until you were ready,” he whispered. She looked up at him, eyes still watery, and released a quivering sigh. And then she dropped her forehead against his shoulder.

Fiona was having a hard time saying it out loud honestly. She didn’t want to admit to the Universe that her own father had ghosted her for the second time since her parents’ divorce. The first was immediately after, and he promised it would never happen again. But now, 365 days had gone by without a phone call or a text. He didn’t even bother to send money like he’d grown accustomed to whenever he messed up.

“It feels like it’s for good,” she mumbled. Both of Tyson’s arms wrapped around her then to tug her into his chest as he leaned against the back of the couch. She went with him, collapsing against his chest. He kicked his legs up, and hers went with them. They laid together for a while before Tyson’s thoughts wandered to the gift in his bag.

“I have your gift,” he spoke, lifting his head just a bit to look down at her. She met his eyes with a smile. He motioned for her to sit up and then he stood to grab his bag from where he dropped it at the bottom of the stairs. As he fished it from beneath a sweatshirt, he felt his stomach turn.

This was nothing new, but the gift he bought her this year held weight to it.

With the NHL draft coming up, it was easy to see the end of their days as neighbors. Eight years of friendship, of sleepovers and birthdays and sitting on the front porch waiting for the other to come home was coming to an end. So, Tyson wanted to do something special. He wanted to give her something better than postcards, and souvenirs from different cities he’d been to.

“What is this?” she asked the moment he placed the paper in her hand. It was a rhetorical question. She knew exactly what it was. Her fingers danced along the destination on the ticket as she gazed up at Tyson. He smiled coyly.

“Tickets to Banff,” he said. “I already talked to your mom about it. She said it was cool. My mom and Kacey are coming with us.”

“Tyson, this is insane,” she stated. She shoved the paper back into his hands. “This is too much. I don’t deserve this.”

“It’s not too much,” he said, almost defensively. He grabbed her hand and placed the paper back into her palm. “Stop saying things like that. You deserve this and so much more, okay? I don’t want to hear you say that ever again.”

“Tys—”

“Please, let me do this for you,” he pleaded. Her lip quivered as she gazed back at the paper in her hand. “I just want to make you happy.”

She met his eyes and felt like she was going to melt beneath his gaze.

“You do,” she told him with certainty. He released a sigh of relief, smile coming back to his lips as he sat beside her again. “You might be the only guy, including my father, who hasn’t broken my heart. Good for you.”

“Well, lucky for both of us, I never plan on doing that.”

“I'll be there when you get lonely, lonely. Keep the secrets that you told me, told me. And your love is all you owe me. And I won't break your heart”

A few weeks later, while the two of them laid head-to-toe on a hammock outside their cabin, Tyson spoke, “I wish this never had to end.”

“You don’t mean that,” Fiona said with a giggle, foot nudging Tyson in the ribs. He wrapped his hand around her ankle and tugged playfully. “You’re about to be an NHL star.”

 “Can I tell you a secret?” he asked though he already knew Fiona would say yes. She nodded, naturally. “I don’t know if I’m ready for any of it. I don’t know if I’m ready to play in the NHL.”

Fiona sat up immediately and sputtered, “Tys, are you—are you crazy? This is exactly what you’ve been working towards your entire life. You’re more than ready. You’ve been ready.”

Tyson’s laugh filled the air, light and airy at her pep talk.

“It’s going to be different, though,” he said, fingers picking at the lint on the hammock. “I’m not going to be near you anymore.”

“You could always end up in Edmonton.”

“Imagine,” he said dreamily. She followed his gaze to the stars in the sky. “It’s not going to happen, but it would be pretty cool.”

“It would be,” she said. “But there are other cool places you could end up, and that just means I get more free vacations out of you.”

“You can have all the free vacations you want,” he promised. Her giggle was contagious, filling the yard along with the sounds of crickets and the wind. Tyson smiled at her, soaking up this moment and wishing it could last forever. He sighed heavily. “I don’t know how to function without you, Fi.”

She curled her fingers around his wrist and yanked him to sit up and look at her.

“I’m literally not going anywhere. All you have to do is call me and it’ll feel like we’re still together, okay?”

“It’s going to be different.”

“Sure, it will be,” she said. “But different doesn’t always mean bad.”

“I know,” he murmured. She smiled softly at him, and he returned one to her. Neither could stop gazing at the other, thoughts swirling in their heads faster than they could make sense of them. She felt it then. Fiona felt the first tinge of change between them when his eyes dipped from her eyes to her lips for a moment, but she forced it out of her mind.

“Thank you again,” she spoke. “For the trip.”

“Of course,” he said. He fell back onto the hammock and gazed up at the stars, unaware that Fiona still couldn’t take her eyes off him. She turned and moved so that she could place her head on his chest. Tyson’s hands came up and around her, pulling her into his warm body. He placed a soft kiss against the top of her head and wondered if she could feel his heart beating beneath his chest.

She could.

Age 21

“On Sunday mornings we sleep-in 'til noon. Well, I can sleep forever next to you. And we got places we both gotta be. But there ain't nothing I would rather do then blow off all my plans for you.”

Tyson’s eyes fluttered open to the sight of Fiona’s sleeping face against the pillow beside him. She was snoring softly and the hair that had fallen in her face overnight moved with every breath she released. He reached out and brushed the hair behind her ear softly enough not to disturb her.

When Tyson saw a free weekend on his schedule, he immediately booked a flight to visit Fiona. It was the first trip he was making to her university. After the draft, Tyson felt the pressure to perform well and, in turn, his relationships took a backseat until the off-season. So, the two of them enjoyed their time during the summers until he left for Denver and she left for school. But this year, things were different. He felt more secure in himself and his spot on the team, so he carved out some time to see Fiona.

Things never changed between them. They were still peas in a pod, and they both understood that it was hard to keep in touch with so much going on in their lives. They made time for each other once a week whether it be through Facetime calls before bed, or phone calls as Fiona drove home from work. They were still the same.

But then he visited her and something shifted.

“So, this is the Tyson we hear so much about?”

He must’ve heard statements like that every twenty minutes and, each time, he caught the blush that rose to Fiona’s cheeks before she suppressed it with another swig of her drink. Her friends were whispering amongst themselves, pointedly gazing at him and the curl of Fiona’s fingers around his. He assumed they just didn’t get their friendship, but as the comments kept coming he began to wonder if there was something lying beneath the surface.

“Do you wanna get out of here?” she asked sometime before midnight. That question was one he’d become familiar with, but hearing Fiona ask made him feel things he’d never felt before. Her lips brushed against his ear as she asked and he felt goosebumps along every inch of his body as he nodded in response.

Nothing happened in the Uber, or after they devoured their late night snacks. But, as they got ready to sleep in her twin sized bed, an awkward tension settled between them that had never been there before.

“I’m sorry that it’s so small,” she said after they’d changed and brushed their teeth. “But, you know, college.”

“Do you want me to sleep on the couch?”

“No,” she answered with pink cheeks, again.

When they got into bed, they lay facing each other and spent way too much time shooting the shit before she eventually nodded off. She rolled onto her other side and, as Tyson sat there trying his best not to fall off the other side, she reached over and wrapped his arm around her so that they were spooning.

Throughout the night, they’d moved, but her legs were still intertwined with his beneath the comforter. She finally stirred and, without opening her eyes, she inched towards him to wrap her arms around his waist and lean into his chest.

“Morning.”

“Good morning, Fi.”

He rubbed her back soothingly as she rested against him.

“I don’t really want to get up,” she admitted softly.

He chuckled. “Me neither.”

“Let’s just stay in bed,” she proposed, leaning back to look up at him.

“Don’t we have brunch plans with your friends?” he asked. She groaned, dropping her head back against the pillow in frustration. He leaned up on his elbow and loomed over her with a grin. “You made the plans. We could’ve just laid in bed all day, but you wanted to show me off to your friends.”

Fiona shoved his chest lightly and with a smile, then rolled over to grab her phone from the nightstand. In just a few taps, she was calling one of the girls. The sound of the ringing felt loud in the otherwise quiet apartment and then, finally, her friend’s voice came through.

“Good morning, sleepy head! How was your night with Tyson?” her friend sang.

Fiona sat up abruptly, lowering the volume on the phone as she brushed her off, “It was fine. Hey, we’re going to just make breakfast here, if you don’t mind. I know we were talking about doing brunch.”

“Fiona, are you bailing so you can have sex?”

Tyson couldn’t help but laugh as Fiona sprang out of bed and slipped into the hallway. Once she was out of earshot, she tore into her friend, “It’s not like that.”

“It is so like that, Fiona,” she argued. “He’s smitten with you.”

“He’s just my best friend.”

“He’s something more.”

“Rain check on brunch,” she urged. There was giggling on the other end of the phone, so frustrated, Fiona grunted, “Goodbye.”

“You should kiss h—”

The door swung open before she could open it and Tyson was standing in the doorway with a wicked smile on his lips. He took a step forward and wrapped his arms around her waist to throw her over his shoulder.

“If you wanted to have sex, you could’ve just asked,” he teased. She smacked his back as he carried her down the hall, smiling all the while at his laughter. When he dropped her onto the kitchen floor, he told her to sit and tell him about school while he made breakfast. So, she did. And Tyson listened to every single word that came out of her mouth happily.

“When no one seems to notice and your days, they seem so hard. My darling, you should know this; My love is everywhere you are.”

Tyson left Fiona’s apartment and, every day after, she missed him.

It wasn’t like she didn’t miss him before. It’s just that it was worse than it was before. It was worse now that her friends had met him and he charmed the pants off them. It was worse now that the smell of his cologne lingered on her sheets.

He never used to affect her like this, and honestly, she didn’t want him to affect her like this. There was too much at stake.

Some months passed after his visit and it felt like everything was falling apart. He was busy, busier than ever before, and she was lost. Graduation was approaching and she was not having a successful job search. Not even by a mile. After yet another rejection letter (this time from her dream job), Fiona called the only person she wanted to talk to.

When Tyson answered her phone call, she was sobbing.

“Woah, woah, woah,” he murmured into the speaker as he paused the music that had been playing over the speakers in his room. He sat up attentively, listening to the sniffling on the other end of the phone. “What’s going on, Fi?”

“I feel so alone.”

“Alone?” he repeated, eyebrows knitting together in confusion and fear. He hadn’t heard Fiona sound this sad in forever, and briefly he worried if he just hadn’t been listening. It had been a few months since he visited her at school and the two of them had gotten significantly busier in that time. “Fiona, what do you mean? You’re never alone.”

“I miss you and I miss my mom,” she whined. Her breath came out uneven, quivering as it filled the air. “And I’m so scared of the future.”

“Okay, that’s news to me,” he said, running a hand over his face. This was a problem he couldn’t fix for her. “I thought the place you’d been interning at was going to offer you something after graduation.”

“They just laid off half the department,” she told him. “No way they’re bringing me on.”

“Then, that’s their loss,” he began. “But you shouldn’t even be stressing out about this right now. You have, like, two months before graduation.” She sniffled again, this time a little more calmly than before. “Someone is going to hire you. You just have to keep looking. Besides, you have a kickass resume.”

“I’m surprised you even know what that is,” she teased quietly. He started laughing, grateful that she’d bounced back.

“Feeling good enough to be mean to me, huh?” he asked. “Now, what’s this about you missing me?” She could hear the smile in his voice and felt her cheeks warm. The tension in her shoulders disappeared almost immediately. “Tell me more about how much you miss me.”

“You’re annoying.”

“Apparently not annoying enough to not miss me.”

“I just feel like we’re so far apart,” she admitted. His smile fell. “Things have been different, right? I’m not crazy for thinking that?”

“What do you mean different?”

“You’ve just been so busy, and I feel like we don’t talk unless one of us needs to be talked off a ledge. And I know that we’re still best friends despite the amount of time we go without talking, but I just—I really miss you.”

“I miss you every day,” he said softly. And it wasn’t a lie. He thought about her every day since the last time they saw each other, even when he was kissing other people. “You don’t even know it.”

“I want to cuddle with you right now,” she said. “Just to calm down.”

“I wish I could be there,” he murmured. “But, even if I’m not there physically, I’m always with you. Even when we’re in completely different countries, I’m still your guy.”

“Thanks, Tys.”

He hummed in response, then the call was filled with a comfortable silence. She could hear him breathing on the other end, and he could hear her shuffling beneath the comforter of her bed. He could imagine her curled up with her pillow to her chest and found himself wishing he had a few days to sneak away and hold her.

Finally, after what seemed like eternity just sitting in silence, Tyson spoke, “If you really don’t know what you’re doing for work, you should look at jobs in Denver.”

Her heart was pounding in her chest at the mere mention of them in the same city again and she quickly sputtered out, “You’re crazy.”

“I am not,” he argued. “Think about how much fun it would be to live together. Honestly, you wouldn’t even have to pay rent.”

“I would pay rent,” she argued.

“Yeah, if I let you.”

“I’m not moving to Denver, Tyson,” she stated, matter-of-factly. “I don’t want to be a burden.”

“Fiona, you could never be a burden.”

Age 22

“I will never try to change you, change you. I will always want the same you, same you. Swear on everything I pray to that I won't break your heart.”

“Is this the last box?” Tyson asked, leaning into Fiona’s trunk to grab a box marked kitchen. She nodded and watched as he lifted it out before shutting the trunk behind him. She followed him into his apartment complex, well, their apartment complex, and breathed a sigh of relief at the move finally being final.

True to what she assumed, she was not offered a full-time job after interning, which meant her entire life was up in the air. Tyson took the opportunity to really convince her to move to Denver.

“What’s the worst that can happen?”

Truth be told, Fiona was nervous about the move. She didn’t know anyone in the city other than Tyson, and now JT Compher. She worried that she wouldn’t fit into his life here knowing that he hung out with Instagram models and professional athletes and other important people that she couldn’t hold a candle to. She felt inadequate, and the feeling that she’d be a burden to Tyson continued to haunt her.

“Your clothes boxes are in the guest room,” JT announced as soon as Fiona reentered the apartment behind Tyson. “And I started putting some of the groceries you brought away.”

“You didn’t have to do that.”

“No problem,” he said with a smile. “I have to head out, but I’ll see you guys tonight.”

“Tonight?” Fi asked, eyes tracking Tyson’s movement across the living room. His cheeks flushed as he avoided eye contact. JT noticed the exchange and took the chance to say goodbye and slip out to the hallway. “Tyson, what is going on tonight?”

“It’s really not a big deal,” he murmured, finally meeting her eyes. “I just want you to meet a few people.” Her shoulders deflated. “They’re good people, I promise. They’re my friends, and you need friends other than me here.”

Tyson had a point, but it didn’t save her from her anxiety. It only made it worse.

They spent most of the day unpacking boxes and putting together furniture. They danced around the living room in sweats and fuzzy socks and ate the groceries she picked up on the way in, and most of all, they giggled at each other, happy to just be in each other’s presence. And this time, for good.

After dinner, they met some of his teammates and their girlfriends at a local bar. They were so nice that Fiona felt like she was a member of the group right away. Tyson stayed beside her, one hand on her back to keep her grounded in each conversation she joined. He knew that she was most comfortable when he was beside her.

She settled in nicely with Comph’s girlfriend and, while they giggled about stupid JT and Tyson stories, the boys went off to the bar for another round of drinks.

That’s when she showed up.

A group of girls around the same age as Tyson and Fiona showed up like they were on a mission. The moment they entered the bar, they seemed to divide and conquer. One of them, a petite brunette, made a beeline for Tyson.

“Who is that?” Fiona asked curiously.

“Her name’s Faith,” JT’s girlfriend answered. “She’s always around.”

Fiona watched the girl’s fingers trail up Tyson’s bicep, squeezing it just lightly as she leaned in and giggled at a joke of his. Fi felt a little sick looking at it, watching someone else capture Tyson’s attention like that.

“They’ve been hooking up,” she continued. “I don’t think he’s, like, actually into her.”

“It wouldn’t matter if he was,” Fiona said a little too quickly. She refocused her attention on the drink in her hand. The girls around exchanged knowing looks between each other and, though they thought Fiona wouldn’t notice, she did. She slipped out of the booth in pursuit of the bathroom because she was a short of breath and panicking slightly.

She locked herself in one of the stalls and tried to steady her breathing. She paced in the little space between the door and the toilet, trying to talk herself down from what she was feeling. And then Faith entered the bathroom like the whole scene was out of a movie.

“Apparently he’s here with some girl,” her friend was saying as they entered the bathroom. The one slipped into the other stall while the other stood at the sink.

“Oh, yeah,” she scoffed. “He pointed her out to me. Said they were roommates. He would never go for a girl like that. She’s not even close to as pretty as me.”

“You’re horrible,” her friend teased. The toilet flushed and she rejoined Faith at the mirror. “But you’re so right.”

Fiona peeked at them through the gaps in the door and watched as they reapplied their lipstick. These were the girls Tyson spent time with and the realization almost made her sick. Everything that she was worried about was coming to light. She was completely right.

“Time to get my man,” Faith sang. Her friend snickered and the two were off to find Tyson leaving Fiona to exit the bathroom stall and plan her exit strategy. She wanted to leave. She wanted to give Tyson the space to do whatever he wanted with whoever he wanted. But, she had no clue how to get around Denver.

She slipped out of the bathroom stall and weaved through the crowd that had gathered on the dancefloor to find the door. When the night air finally filled her longs, she released a relieved sigh and leaned up against the brick of the building.

It only took Tyson fifteen minutes to come looking for her.

“Why are you out here and not inside with me?”

“I’m just getting some fresh air,” she answered. “Besides, you were talking to that cute brunette girl that likes to touch your biceps.”

It took a moment for Tyson to catch on and then he was wide-eyed and worried. He sputtered, “It’s not like that with her, like at all. I don’t like her like that.”

Something settled in Fiona’s stomach. She felt a little bit sick and still nervous. The words spoken about her in the bathroom echoed in her ears and she couldn’t keep it at bay anymore. She blurted, “Moving here was a mistake.”

Tyson took a step back, looking wounded. He couldn’t believe the words that had come out of her mouth, especially on the first day she was even in Denver.

“You don’t mean that,” he spoke. “You haven’t even been here 24 hours.”

“I just know that I don’t fit into this lifestyle,” she said. “What if living together ruins our friendship? What if we can only handle each other in off-season spurts?”

“Why are you talking like this?” he asked. Tyson knew someone had to have said something because Fiona was happy just thirty minutes before all this. She sighed heavily, shaking her head at him to drop it. “I want you here. How do you not realize that? The months I spend in Denver without you drag because I’m counting down the days until I get to go home and be near you. But, now, I have you all the time. That’s all I want. Can’t you see that?”

Fiona’s face was red, flustered by his certainty and the emotion behind his words.

“You belong here. You belong with me,” he spoke. He reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her into him. Oh, how they both wanted that to be true. “Now, can you please get out of your head and hang out with me?”

Fiona nodded meekly and allowed Tyson to lead her back into the bar. He sat at the bar beside JT, legs hanging from the barstool with his knees apart so Fiona could fit between them. She leaned up against him, eyes flitting briefly to the angry group of girls in the corner. Tyson noticed this and, without a word, wrapped his arms around her waist to pull her closer. He’d deal with Faith later.

“Your love is all you owe me. I won't break your heart.”

Tyson was on a date.

At least, that’s what Fiona thought he was doing.

She came home from work on a Friday night to an empty apartment. Tyson had practice early that morning, but he had the night off and he was planning to live on the couch, except he wasn’t on the couch. His shoes weren’t even beside the door.

So, Fiona texted him and he responded that he was out to dinner with a friend and he’d be home soon. That was at 6:30 p.m. It was now 8:30 p.m.

She wondered if it was with Faith. It was only a week earlier that she first encountered the professional mean girl and she still hadn’t shaken the feeling of worthlessness that came after. Tyson didn’t say anything about her that night. He didn’t explain why she was rubbing his arm at the bar or why she was giving Fiona death glares all night. He simply hoped that Fi wouldn’t catch on and that he wouldn’t get caught in a sticky situation. But, he knew he was already stuck because Fiona was acting weird and Faith was trying to get more attention from him.

He needed to restore balance in his little universe.

So, he texted Faith to grab drinks. He was going to tell her to get lost, that he didn’t have feelings for her.

Fiona didn’t know that. She spent the night sulking on the couch, glass of wine in one hand and a chocolate donut in the other. Love Island UK played on the television, acting as a small distraction from her disaster of a love life. When she finished her glass, she turned the TV off, wrapped herself in the blanket, and headed off to her room.

Tyson, on the other hand, was sprinting up the stairs in their apartment building just to get back to her. The elevator was taking too long and he was scared that if he waited a minute more he might lose his nerve, so he was skipping two steps at a time to get to Fiona.

She didn’t hear the door open, too invested in whatever she was reading on her phone to notice that he entered the apartment. She only realized when he called her name as he kicked his shoes off. He appeared a moment later, winded, at the end of the hallway.

“I love you,” he blurted out. Fiona’s eyes went wide. “Like, I love you as way more than a friend and I can’t keep ignoring how I feel. Tell me you feel it, too.” Her jaw dropped as he continued, “You’re the best person I know, inside and out, and you deserve to be loved every single day. You deserve someone who’ll never let you down, never break your heart. I want to be that guy.”

He was only a few steps away, having moved towards Fiona down the hallway, and his chest was still heaving from his marathon up the stairs. She took a deep breath, butterflies filling her stomach at his words, at the way he was looking at her, at her own feelings.

“I love you, too,” she spoke. “As way more than a friend.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I have for way too long.”

“I bet I have you beat,” he teased. He stepped into her space, one arm wrapping around her waist to tug her against him. She smiled at him, gaze shifting to his lips only for a moment before she met his eyes again. “Fifteen.”

“Huh?”

“When we kissed for the first time, the only time,” he said softly. “I think that’s when I knew deep down that there was nobody else.”

“Oh,” she spoke shyly. “Then, yes, you have me beat.”

“I knew it.”

“It was when you visited my school that I knew.”

“It took you that long?!” he exclaimed, his other arm coming to wrap around her waist with his other. She threw her head back with a laugh, eyes light and happy. “Wow.”

“Oh, don’t wow me,” she muttered. “It took you six years to tell me how you feel.”

“And it was worth it,” he said. She couldn’t stop smiling, neither could he. “Well, it will be.” She gave him a curious look, confused by his words. He laughed softly. “Do you think you’re a better kisser than you were at fifteen?”

“Why don’t you find out?”

Tyson leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. It was shy and chaste at first, only one kiss before they pulled away to soak up what they’d just down. And then he was leaning in again except this time her arms found a place around his neck and he pulled her closer, chest-to-chest. Their lips fit perfectly, melded into one another like this was the way they were meant to be.

The kiss didn’t last long before they were both smiling into it, teeth knocking against each other as they tried to make it last. Giggles erupted as they pulled away, both red in the face and breathing heavily. His fingers curled into her sides, like he couldn’t get enough of her and he couldn’t get close enough.

“I love you,” he spoke against her lips before placing one last peck against them. Fiona’s cheeks hurt from smiling. She pulled away from her to get a good look at the man in front of her. Through everything, Tyson had been at her side and, looking in his eyes, feeling his touch, she knew there would never be a day she wouldn’t feel his love.

“I love you, too. I always will.”