#and lawrence making him change his mind by gently putting his hand on his waist and reassuring him

[antonivs]

this is so lawrellini coded....

[obsessive-ego]

Love me, love me, say that you love me

Musical beetlejuice x fem reader

Beej hits you with a love potion to get you to confess you love him, it goes wrong

Dubious consent, nsft, nothing serious happens, you know me

"Satisfaction guaranteed..." the ghoul mumble to himself as he read the label of the bottle he was holding.

Beetlejuice, you're undead demonic, freeloader of a roommate, had just come back from a quick trip to the netherworld, and unlike his other trips, it wasnt for business, but pleasure, a quick shopping trip while you were out of the house.

"For the chunk of change you cost, it better" the ghoul smiled, pink streaks creeping into his hair.

In his hands was a pink bottle shaped like a human heart, a perfume type atomizer spray bottle.

Beetlejuice KNEW you liked him, but he also knew you were a coward about it, yes your shyness was cute, and the way you danced around this fact did have its charms, but the time has come for you to spit it out, you had to make the first move, not him.

Yes the demon could charm you, but you wouldnt take him seriously, he knew that, beetlejuice knew his flirting towards you and his advances towards you were seen as a joke, and why wouldnt it, he knew he couldnt be taken seriously, he took every chance he had to make a crude joke, why would anyone take him seriously, so he played it up to get you to smile, or even to get you embarrassed was also nice.

But today was different, today beetlejuice was gonna get you to say "I love you" albeit with force, but that was something he could live/die with.

The ghoul, now buzzing electric pink and green ready's himself at the door, waiting for his sweet breather to come in him trap.

You were on your way back from the post office to pick up a package that you or beej werent home to sign for, it was just some clothes, nothing too exciting, but a nice excuse to get out of the house for a nice walk, as much as you loved spending time with your undead friend, who you may or may not have a crush on, it was nice to have some alone time.

You walk into you apartment complex and slowly make it back to your flat, you fumble with your keys as you unlock the door, the soft jingle and muffled cursing was a great single to beetlejuice that you were home, the ghoul takes a deep breath, not that he needed too, and gets into position, readying the bottle's nozzle to the level of your face.

"I'm home-" was all you got out before receiving a face full of god knows what, you prayed it was water, wiping your face and rubbing your eyes, you didnt need to see who the culprit was for this shitty joke, pulling your hands from your face, you saw the demon standing infront of you, arms stretched out in a pre hug position, eyes closed, lips puckered, slightly leaning towards you.

Your anger quickly faded, but was replaced with confusion, you say nothing but only stare at the ghoul.

Seconds pass, beetlejuice opens on eye to see what the hold up was, was there a delay with the potion? Does it take a minute to kick in? Or was it a peice of junk?

Beetlejuice drops his awkward position, and smooths back his hair, trying to hide to spots the purple trying to emerge.

"So y/n, welcome home" he starts off shaky "you feel okay? Maybe a little warmer? Heart beating a little faster? Maybe even a little eager to jump someone or tell them something deep?" Subtle

"What are you talking about? Beetlejuice what the hell was that about?!" You huff

The ghoul is taken back by your tone, he was expecting you to be more soft, after a spray of that crap, he scowls glancing down to the bottle in his hands, waste of money, unless, he drops his scowl and focuses back to you, a sly smile plastered across his face.

"Just some netherworld perfume, very popular stuff, thought I'd surprise my favorite breather with it"

"Suprise is right" you grumble walking passed him, heading to the living room you place your things on the table, beetlejuice was quick to follow.

"How bout another try babes? I promise I wont get ya in the face, though I prefer to squirt ya in the face~"

"I dont know bee, I'm not that really into perfume" you shurg

Beetlejuice frowns and huffs out his nose, for what he paid for this peice of shit he wasnt gonna give up after one shot.

"Come on babes, do it for your good pal~" he pleads

You frown in response

"Okay sugar, you know regardless of what you say I'm gonna get what I want, so just play ball"

"Fine" you grumble, you can always take a shower later, hell you were going to anyway, your face felt gross after being hit by that stuff earlier.

The demon's face lights up at your answer, you held out your wrist as an indicator that you wanted to be sprayed their and were ready for it, though that wish was completely ignored, as the ghoul quickly leans forward and sprays you in the face again.

The ghoul stares at you praying to whatever and whoever for this to work, you turn away from the demon, curse under your breath and rub at your face.

As you rub your face beetlejuice goes back into position, arms stretched out, lips puckered, ready to receive your love, and hoping you wont banish him if this didnt work.

Moving your hands from your face you let out sigh, you jolt feeling a familiar twinge in your lower reigns, a desperate pulse for attention, you could feel your heart racing, your head was swimming, turning to face the ghoul, the second you laid your eyes on him the pulsing inbetween your legs intensifies, give let out a soft "bee" before leaping into his arms, slamming your lips into his, and wrapping your legs around his waist. The demon's eyes shoot open at this, his hands were quick to grab onto your rear, a mix of holding you up and feeling you up, his hair bloomed from green to pink in a flash, hell he was so excited his stripes went from black to pink.

"Oh Lawrence" you breathed between kisses, beetlejuice only hummed in response, too lost in this bliss to think.

"Couch?" You whine as you wiggle your hips against his semi.

"Holy crap" he groans, this was really happening, he quickly brought you to the couch, flopping down on his back, having you sit pretty on top of him.

You continue to kiss him, shoving your tongue in his mouth, the ghoul loved you taking charge, he dreamed of it often, he didnt put up a fight and gave you the dominance to explore his mouth, pulling away to breath, a nice line of spit connected the two of you. You move your attention on to the demon's neck, peppering it with kisses and giving the occasional nip at his cold flesh.

Beetlejuice was over the moon with this change in demeanor, who knew his y/n would have it in them, the ghoul purs feeling your hands roam his body, his hands plant firmly on your rear, giving it a small pinch every once and again, everytime you would respond with a whine.

He was in heaven, or as close as an undead demon was gonna get.

You give his tie a tug, as if to ask for permission to continue, beetlejuice moans encouraging you to keep going.

You give the demon a quick kiss on the lips, moving to his jawline, to his neck, as you untie his tie, you toss the garment aside as you start to work on his shirt's buttons, kissing every inch of skin that is slowly revealed.

You move down his body, the demons chest and stomach fully exposed, and kissed, beetlejuice was in a complete daze from your love, but quickly snaps out of it when he feels you palm the tent in his pants.

"Whoa babes-"

"Is this for me?~" you coo "it looks so big~" you sigh giving the tent a light squeeze "it's really hard"

Beetlejuice quickly sits up, stifling a moan.

"Babes, y/n, just hold it-"

"Oh, would you rather be on top?" You ask softly crawling towards him "or would you rather I not use my hands? I can give it a kiss if you want" You crawl back into the demon's arms leaning in for another kiss, you stumble forward as beetlejuice quickly vanished, reappearing a few feet away from you, the demon pulling his shirt together, as if trying to hide himself.

"Let's just take a second here, likes put a pin in this, and ah, just relax" god slash satan this wasnt fair, and maybe 100 percent his fault, here you were drugged out of your mind begging him to have sex with you, jesus all he needed from you was a simple "I love you" not this, but he'll sure be thinking about this later.

"Why dont ya cool down babes, and we can talk about this"

"How can I cool down, when I'm so hot for you" you moan as you  unbutton your shirt, fully exposing your lacy black bra, the demon swallows hard, you slowly stand up letting your shirt fall, your hands traveling behind your back as you unhooked your bra, letting it fall to the floor.

"Oh fuck"  beetlejuice whines in a higher pitch,

You slowly make your way over to him, gently grabbing one of his hands and bringing it to your exposed chest "your hands are so nice and cold, maybe you could help me cool down?"

God slash satan did he wanted to give your boob a nice squeeze, but you're not you right now, he pulls his hand away, then places both of his hands on your shoulders, your skin was hot to the touch. Averting your gaze he clears his throat

"Maybe a cold shower would be help ya out"

"Maybe if you join me" you sigh leaning into the demon's chest, your hands resting on his hips.

"Y/n-"

"Are you sure you dont want help with your 'little friend'?"

Any other time he'd be delighted to have you help, but now was not that time.

"Let's just take a second here babes, we'll fool around later okay, I mean do you have condoms? I dont have any on me, we need protection"  beetlejuice knew he couldnt get you sick or pregnant since he was a dead demon, but you didnt know that. "And besides, no means no, you know that y/n" BJ didnt exactly blame you, you werent in your right mind, you were horny as hell thanks to that stupid potion, of course you couldnt think straight.

You pull away from him, mortified at your pushy behavior "I'm sorry" you breath out "I just, I couldn't help myself Lawrence, you're just, I mean, i just love you so much, my body needed you" you began to cry "you're always saying how much you want me, and how you're "ready to go" all the time, I just thought-" you babbled, tears rolling down your cheeks

I love you

Those 3 little words he ached to hear, not how he wanted to hear them, but this whole thing was a mess.

"Babes, it's okay, I was enjoying it, believe me, it's just that I'm not ready to go all the way with you, let's just give it some time" which wasnt true, if you were willing so was he, willing as in not drugged. "And yeah, I talk a big game, but believe me doll, i want our first time to be special, so Hows bought you go put a top on, and we can put this little mess behind us?" It was an odd day when this harbinger of chaos had to be a voice of reason.

You nodded as you slip away to collect your bra and shirt that were tossed aside, beetlejuice frowns at this situation and wanders off to the item that started it, retrieving the bottle he squints at the label to read the rest of the instructions he didnt bother reading, and their it was, in the fine print 'warning, do not use on the living, results may vary and are not limited to  nausea, drowsiness, intense sexual desires-' he groans then curses.

"Beetlejuice?"

The ghoul turns his attention to you, fully dressed.

"No hard feelings, aside from your, you know"

The demon gives you a soft laugh "no hard feelings babes"

"Could I have a hug? I promise to behave" it's not that the pulsing in your loins stopped, in fact the intensity was stronger now, you just wanted to be close the ghoul before dealing with these feelings alone, there was no harm in that

Beetlejuice pauses for a second, before smiling "alright sugar, bring it in" there was no harm in a hug, sure his dick was still kinda hard, but that's fine.

You walk into the ghoul's arms, slowly circling your own around him, beetlejuice gently pats your back. You nuzzle into his neck, and whisper "I love you Lawrence" before planting a soft kiss on his cheek.

Pulling away from the ghoul, his scent, and touch fresh in your mind you make your way to the bathroom to shower, amongst other things.

If you were to turn back you would have seen a glowing pink Beej who's legs are about to give out

"ARRGHHH! That's worse... They're killing me again!" 

The should of the shower rings through the ghoul's ears, he grumbles as he puts his suit back together, grabbing the bottle that started it all he snaps his fingers and vanishes, off to give the schmuck who sold this to him a peice if his mind.

...

A few hours later beetlejuice reappears into your living room, grumbling to himself as he tucks the bottle into his jacket, no sense tossing it, maybe when the two of you are knocking boots, he could use it as an aphrodisiac, with your consent of course.

"Bee? Is that you?" Your voice rings through your flat, it was late, beetlejuice was hoping youd be asleep when he came back.

The ghoul makes his way to your room.

"Yeah, I had to take care of something"

"I was just about to go to bed" you were sitting on your bed wearing an over sized shirt that just covered your bum, the ghoul's eyes glance about, stopping at your vibrator that was now laying on the floor, he could smell the sex in the air, another time this would have been delightful.

"Do you want to join me? Sleeping? Like you normally do?" You sounded a tad too eager "I mean if you feel comfortable"

Beetlejuice gives you smile "sure" he snaps away his suit, leaving a pair of boxers, seeing your eyes light up was something he had to burn in his brain forever.

You scramble under the covers waiting for the demon to join you, which he promptly did.

"Is it okay if I snuggle with you?" You ask softly

"Anything you want babes" he purred, you quickly snuggle up to him, using his soft chest as a pillow, your hand petting the hair on his stomach.

"If you change your mind, I'm not wearing any panties" you whisper in the demons ear.

This was gonna be a long night

...

Bonus

The next morning beetlejuice woke up to an empty bed, confused he made his way to the living room, and there you were, sitting on the couch with your face in your hands.

"Morning?" He greets you

No response

"Babes?"

Nothing, beetlejuice makes his way to you, sitting down next to you, he places a hand on your shoulder, you flinch.

"Wake up and smell the coffee babycakes-"

"I am so sorry for yesterday, I- i don't know what came over me, i- beetlejuice, I so sorry for putting you into that type of situation, I-" you sobbed

The ghoul's hair quickly bloomed purple, you're blaming yourself for what he did to you "dont worry your pretty little head sweetheart, it was that perfume, how was I supposed to know it messed with breathers, believe me I gave that guy who sold it to me a peice of my mind, my poor little y/n warped and twisted into someone hornier then me" it wasnt all true, but beetlejuice couldnt have you beating yourself up over this, nor did he want to tell you the full truth.

"Really?" You sniffle

"Really"

You lean into the demon and he pulls you into a soft embrace, patting your back.

"How's bout we order some take out and I put a smile on that sweet face of yours?"

You pull away from beetlejuice and rub away your tears "I'd like that"

[cades-outsider]

Eli/Hawk X Reader

Warnings: Soft Hawk! Insecurities, and praising!

Blinding Beauty

You really didn't see it, you didn't see the beauty Hawk saw in you. He always told you you looked stunning, beautiful, pretty and all of the above and he meant every word.

You always saw yourself as chubby, but in reality you had all the curves in the right places that girls would kill to have. Sure you have a little bit of meat on your stomach but that ensures that your healthy and living.

Hawk loved you thickness, or chubbiness as you'd like to say. You were never really insecure just sometimes wanted to do better for yourself. But you're healthy, active, and living and to Eli that's all that matters.

  I mean sure you've had your moments where you've been really insecure but Eli's always been there for you and your confidence was kind of on a scale, one minute it would be high rising and declining.

Everyone constantly told you how beautiful you were, but you always dissed it most times. Today you were with Eli, or Hawk your lovely boyfriend.

  Most people didn't understand or know Eli that good, you were with him since he was the shy Eli and you stuck with him through his pretty much stubborn and mean facade because you loved him and he never once lauded his hands on you in the wrong way or yelled at you.

  Fights with Hawk weren't what you might think, every time you would fight neither one of you would raise your voice above a pitch or put your hands on each other.

  You both worked your differences out by calmly talking to each other with respect, sure there would be some times you would both be over heated but you would calm each other down after words and dealt with it with the help of each other.

  Which brings you back to today, you were laying on Eli's bed cuddling his blue blanket as he got slipped on some clothes for karate practice.

"What time do you want me to pick you up?" You question softly as Eli finishes tugging his shirt on, walking towards your bed.

He walks over to the bed and jumps on top of it, his hair that he had yet to put up bouncing as he landed next to you. He sighs as he rests his head on his palm, gazing up at you.

He thinks for a minute before scooting closer to you and resting his head on your chest, holding your waist. "How about you come watch me? I’m sure Sensei Lawrence wouldn’t mind- maybe you could join cobra Kai too?" He asks cheekily at the end.

You rest you chin on his head lovingly, "okay I’ll go watch you- but I don’t know about joining just yet" You reply smiling.

Eli lifts his head up "that’s good enough for me!" He exclaims happily as he presses a quick kiss to your lips, giving you time to kiss back before rushing over to his mirror with gel products.

"You can wear one of my shirts so everyone will know you’re mine" He smirks lightly causing you to chuckle.

"Hmm okay" You smile hugging the comforter more, closing your eyes.

Eli walks over gently grabbing the cover and tugging it off of you, "come on get ready babe" he encourages tugging on your hands pulling you up.

"Fine fine" You smile getting up and going into Eli’s closet to pick out a shirt.

You pick out one of your favorite red shirts of Eli’s as you walk back out and into the bathroom closing the door "You’re going to look beautiful as always!" He smiles as he continues to work on his hair.

You smile slightly as you look in the mirror in front of you, slightly tugging off your shirt you fold it and put it to the side, your gaze reaches the mirror.

You didn’t know what to feel, I mean this was one of those times where you didn’t feel satisfied with you body and truth be told sometimes you didn’t know how it made you feel.

One minute you could be smiling your beautiful smile, and looking at yourself in the mirror with full confidence and sometimes you would smile your still beautiful smile but look in the mirror and not know what happened to that confidence.

It was honestly confusing to yourself, Eli never knew how you felt. You never showed the feelings to him and you did pretty good with hiding it.

Eli constantly told you how beautiful you were and it made you feel great, but sometimes it wouldn’t do anything except make you smile but wouldn’t bring up your confidence.

Eli noticed you were taking a little while longer than usual when changing, so he knocked on the door. "Yes?" You reply turning your head towards the door.

"Are you okay baby?" He questions worriedly.

"I’m okay Eli" You reply, but it doesn’t convince him.

"Alright well I’m coming in" He lets you know as he opens the door.

You didn’t have anytime to protest or put his shirt on, before he had done seen you. He noticed the look in your eyes when he did get a glimpse.

He walked over to you and wraps his arms around your waist, resting his head on your shoulder looking at you through the mirror.

"What is it love?" He questions, rocking you both back and forth.

"I just- don’t know how to feel- when looking at myself- I don’t like what I see" You say, feeling the relief wash over you when you’ve now admitted to Eli.

It felt like you were keeping a secret from him and you didn’t like secrets nor keeping them from anyone.

"Y/n you’re beautiful, I look at you and all I can see is beauty that you’re just.. blinded to-" He says softly before speaking again "-I mean look at you-" he pulls your body closer into his "-this is beauty, you blind me with your beauty everyday and I don’t even know how or what I did to get so lucky to have you" Eli finish’s, now turning you to face him.

"Baby I’m so lucky to have been blessed with you" He continues, now making you feel emotional.

"I love you Eli" You say feeling your eyes prickle with little tears as you press a kiss to his lips before pulling away and hugging him tightly.

"Come on, let’s go cuddle" He reply’s before putting his hands under your legs and one on your back before picking you up bridal style with no struggle at all as he gently placed you on the bed before getting in as well and cuddling you into his chest.

You lay in that position for a while until Eli gently place you on your back and places kisses down your neck and to your stomach leaving loving kisses everywhere he could without going to far.

"Beautiful..." He praises as he presses another kiss onto your stomach before leaning down and laying his head on your stomach, running his hands around your waist causing goosebumps to rise.

You feel your heart burst with warmth until you suddenly remember where you were supposed to be going "What about practice today?" You question, as you look over at the time seeing it was now passed 3:00 o’clock.

"It can wait, you are more important to me"

_______________________________________________

This was requested by @multi-simp-page I hope you enjoyed! Just a reminder that you are all beautiful 🤩

[whumpasaurus101]

Heyyyy ! May I request a drabble of the time when Jack escapes from Lawrence and Alicia gets him 👀

AGH I am so so sorry it took me sooo long to get to this! XD I just realised how I have barely written in Jack’s perspective so here is some Jack content. I’m sorry this is short, I just didn't want it to drag onnnnn :D bUuuuuuuuut here it is!!!

So just to put it out there, Jack is called Dylan in this because his previous owner, Lawrence called him that :P =￣ω￣=

CW: mention of past wounds / not a lot whumpy tbhh / semi-broke whumpee / scared boi :D

Dylan ran. He ran for his life, feeling his heart thumping so hard, as if it was about to rip out from his chest. He pumped his arms and legs, his breathing uneven. There were no shouts from behind him, and no gunshots or threats. Was he free? 

All he had to do was remove the tracking chip from his arm and he was free. God! If he had known that a while back, he would've been free ages ago.

He had no clue where he was going, he didn't even know where he was. Lawrence’s house was in the middle of nowhere, but that didn't stop Dylan from continuing his sprint, picking up the pace slightly.

He couldn't get caught, no, not yet. Not after everything he had risked. He would be dead if he got caught. A shiver sent down his back at the thoughts of what Lawrence would do to him. No, keep running! He panted and heaved, he hadn't ran so much for years, his body already ached. He slowed his pace slightly.

He soon slowed down to a fast walk once he was sure that Lawrence wasn't chasing him. He looked at the sky, it was a dark blue. Some birds flew high over the tree. It was beautiful. He missed the outside. It had been so long since he felt the fresh air blow against his face. Since he heard the leaves brush softly against each other.

The trees soon came to an end and there was a highway. He hadn't expected it. He let out a cry as a car suddenly appeared in front of him, speeding by. This car was soon followed by another, and another. The car beeped loud and Dylan fell to the pavement, hitting his head against the low stone wall.

He couldn't breathe, he quickly curled up in a ball, tucking his head in between his knees. He couldn't breathe. A hand pressed against his head, making let out even more of a cry. Lawrence, Lawrence found him! No! He was going to kill him!!!!

He jumped as he heard a woman’s voice, his head snapped up to meet eyes with hers. She looked quite young, maybe mid-twenties, not too much older as Dylan himself. She smiled, “Oh honey, look at you, what happened, baby?” 

Dylan sniffled and sobbed, “I- I- I’m not ready!!!” The woman chuckled when she saw his brand as his shirt was lifted slightly, “Oh honey, it's okay, shh, ahh. Do you want to come home with me? Look at all these wounds that haven't been taken care of properly! Oh you poor bunny, cmon, let's get you up!”

Dylan found himself letting the woman pick him up. “I’m Alicia,” She smiled. “D-Dylan.” Alicia’s face scrunched up, making Dylan flinch, she wasn't impressed with him. “Hmm, no, we’ll change that. It doesn't suit you.” Dylan hung his head, “Y-yes ma’am.” 

Alicia turned to him and booped him on the nose, “Hey, don't be so glum! It’s not your fault! Now, let’s bring you home, get you cleaned up and bring you to a friend of mine!” Dylan’s heart lightened, she wanted to show him off! He smiled and nodded quickly. Alicia smiled back, “You're going to look gorgeous! Now, I’ll need to tie your wrists just to be sure, okay?” Dylan nodded quickly. “Good! Now, my car is only five minutes away, can you walk?” Dylan looked at the cars which zoomed by him rapidly, the noises were so loud, but he nodded. Alicia chuckled and ruffled his hair again, “Good!” She lifted him up and placed an arm around his waist and started walking.

Dylan had to limp, his legs felt like jelly from all of the running. The walk was agonizing, Alicia was subconsciously digging her fingers into his bruised ribs, or was that on purpose… His brain was too foggy to think, he just wanted to lie down! But soon his prayers were answered when they eventually reached Alicia’s car.

Alicia opened the passenger seat and gently put Dylan inside. “Arms,” Alicia ordered. Dylan didn't hesitate in putting his arms forward, wrists together. Alicia got out duct tape from the glove compartment and wrapped layers over Dylan’s wrists, securing them. Dylan didn't even bother testing if he could escape from them. The dark red colour of his hands told him so.

He wouldn't run away anyway. Alicia seemed really nice, and safe. Much much better than Lawrence. She got into the driver's seat and sighed, “Alrighty, let's go home!” The car drove steadily along the road. Dylan gazed out of the window, studying the great outside world. There was life! People who actually lived their own lives! They were free… -no, I belong here, owned by someone. I'm grateful to have someone who wants to take me in.

His mind stopped running eventually and he fell fast asleep. Alicia looked over to him and chuckled, she was going to have fun with him.

---

Taglist: 

@likeit-or-whumpit @milk-carton-whump @yesthisiswhump @as-a-matter-of-whump @appy-polly-loggies @happy-whumper @just-a-whumping-racoon-with-wifi

Thank you for reading!!! (∩^o^)⊃━☆

[justice4harwin]

All Too Well

Summary: Johnny Lawrence was a troubled guy, very few people could get him to let his guard down.

Series if one shots telling the story of the one girl who made him happy.

Part 1: Johnny takes Noelia home to meet his mom.

Late April/Early May 1983

Johnny would never admit it out loud, but he was nervous the first time he bought Noelia home to meet his mom. He had picked her up from home, since she still didn’t have a license and her parents needed the car to go to work anyways, and kept his eyes on the road for most of the trip.

He should've said something. Like how pretty she looked in her pale pink dress, or how nice her hair looked that day (not that it ever looked anything but). Instead, all he managed was a curt “Hey” and he pressed on the gas immediately, not even giving her time to put on her seatbelt. 

She had an attractive lemon pie in her lap, zealously cradled in her hands. It looked good. It looked so damn good, but he couldn’t bring himself to open his mouth, afraid that his voice would shake.

“Do you mind if I switch stations?” she asked, to which he shrugged, and didn’t even complain when that pop shit began to stink his car. He made a face though, and she giggled. He cracked a small smile of his own, and the tension seemed to ease.

When they pulled up to his house, she paled, eyeing the place up and down.

“Uh,...wow.” she mumbled, so soft he almost didn’t catch it. She began to fidget in her seat. “Nice place.”

“Thanks.” he replied, lamely.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, neither really knowing how to proceed. He knew he should get out of the car, open the door for her and hold the pie so she could get out, but it was like his ass was glued to the leather seat, as if Duth had finally taken revenge from the time he and Jimmy made him get stuck to his bike seat.

“Johnny, are you sure this is a good idea?”

He turned. Noe was already looking at him, the green flecks in her eyes standing out in an almost unnatural way, as usual. It was hard to focus with eyes like those.

“What?”

“This.” her eyes deviated to the house for a fraction of a second before returning to him. “I don’t think your mom will like me. This is,...I don’t,...” she sighed and uttered something to herself he didn’t understand. “Look, I don’t belong in places like these, unless I’m the help, that is.” the last part came out low and sardonic, but he wasn’t that dumbstruck by her hotness to not catch it.

“Hey, no, c’mon, Noe, don’t say that.” he smiled in what he hoped was an encouraging manner, but her skeptical face told him of the results. “My mom’s been begging me to bring you home.” that wasn’t a lie. Laura had taken to ask every morning if that day was the day she’d meet the lucky girl who put a smile on her boy’s face. He wished she had relented a little, especially the particular day when Jimmy had stayed overnight. The guys still made fun of him. “Seriously, there’s nothing to worry about.” Except his asshole stepfather, but mom had promised he’d be nice. She always kept her promises, but Sid was known for not giving a shit about anything. He knew Laura would forgive him. “Especially with that pie you got.” he reached down to try and lift the lid in the hopes of snatching a few berries, but Noelia’s hand slapped his away. He chuckled and nodded towards the house. “C’mon, I promise it’ll go well. Besides, I already met your folks, so it’s only fair you meet mine.”

Her relenting smile was all the answer he needed, so he got out of his firebird and quickly made his way to the other side, opening the door and accepting the plate she handed him.

She got out a little awkwardly and ran her hands over the skirt of the dress and her fingers through her hair. That last part was to no avail; it was always tangled.

He handed back the plate and closed the door, turning back to the house. To hide his trembling hands, he put one in his pocket and the other on Noe’s back. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a curtain moving and held in a snort.

He let her walk in first, and barely closed the door when his mom appeared in the foyer, her blond hair flowing in soft waves, her long, flowery dress making her look like she was gliding rather than walking. She was smiling from her to ear, her blue eyes shining as she looked from her son to Noelia and back, taking in the scene as if it were a miracle come true or something.

He felt Noe tense up, and he softly squeezed her waist.

“Hey mom,” he cleared his throat and quickly hid his other hand again. “This is Noelia. Noe, this is mom, Laura.”

Laura clapped her hands together and put them against her cheek, positively delighted.

“Oh, I’m so happy to finally meet you, dear.” she stepped in front of Noe, who looked like a terrified deer, and proceeded to hug her gently.  “I’ve been dying to meet you, but I see why Johnny wanted to keep you for himself.”

“Mom!”

Noe chuckled ungainly.

“It’s very nice to finally meet you, Mrs Lawrence.” she offered her the pie. “I hope you like lemon pie.”

“Oh, dear, you shouldn’t have.” she accepted the dessert and motioned towards the dining room. “It looks so good; where did you buy it?”

“I-I made it, ma’am.”

Laura’s eyes widened slightly.

“Well, now I’m even more excited to try it. Rosa? Could you put this in the fridge, please?”

The table had already been set up for four people, and the first course was being laid out. He knew they were almost late, but that was because someone, ehem, decided to change outfits six times. He had a feeling Noe had just been stalling.

She was looking around the place, the further they advanced the more she pressed herself to his side. He had some idea as to what she was thinking. The place was bigger than her parent’s apartament in Reseda.

He pulled the chair back for her and gently back in before taking his seat to her right. Across from the table, he saw his mother hiding a grin behind a glass of wine.

The seat at the head of the table remained empty, and something told Johnny that Sid would be making an entrance, as usual.

Laura didn’t even look in that direction, placing her forearms on the edge of the table and looking at Noelia.

“So, tell me dear, you moved here about a year ago, right?”

How did she even knew that? Probably Ali or one of her friends.

“Yes, ma’am. My parents and I used to live in Wisconsin.”

“Oh please, call me Laura, dear.” she waved a hand to rest importance to the matter. “And how are you liking it so far?”

“It’s great not having winter anymore.”

His mom kept firing questions, but Johnny relaxed, and little by little, so did Noe. His mom didn’t have a mean bone to her, and her curiosity was starkly genuine. As the minutes passed between them, everyone seemed to forget about Sid’s tardiness. Johnny bent his leg, placing his foot on the seat and an arm around Noe’s chair, joining the conversation here and there. He kept playing with her locks, gently pulling at them here and there, waiting for her to turn with a fake annoyed expression only to play the fool.

Noe was just telling his mom about her singing lessons when they heard the front door slam shut. His girl was the only one to jump, startled, while everyone else remained impassive, having grown too used to Sid’s antics long ago.

He strode into the room, already complaining. Johnny was quick to sit properly, Noe turning to him when she felt the absence of his touch.

“I fired that jackass today. I had it with him!” he was saying, his obnoxiously loud voice not relenting even as he sat.

“Who, honey?” Laura was the only one whose mood didn’t seem too tainted by his presence.

“Barney!” he gave her a look Johnny didn’t appreciate, as if his mom were stupid for not guessing who he was talking about. Right, cause usually, Sid didn’t have anything bad to say about anyone, especially his employees. 

“Oh, and what did he do?”

“The ungrateful bastard had the audacity to come ask me to reconsider his 'paternity leave'.”

Laura hesitated for a moment before forcing a smile onto her face.

“I’m sure you did the right thing.” Sid opened his mouth to keep going, but she cleared her throat and diverted her eyes towards him and Noe, who stared at his stepfather with her mouth slightly agape. “Honey, this is Noelia, Johnny’s girlfriend.”

“Uh. So she is real after all, eh?” he asked, looking her up and down. The cobra didn’t like that at all, so he leaned forward as casually as he could, hiding her at least partially. Sid’s eyes settled on him then. “Or did you have to pay her, boy?”

“Sid.” Laura sighed.

Johnny clenched his jaw.

“I didn’t.”

“Maybe not to come over tonight, but-”

“Oh, look! Dinner is ready.”

Rosa served them the first course as quietly and as quickly as she could, retreating back into the kitchen before Sid found a reason to yell at her as well.

They ate in silence for a few minutes, the teens keeping their eyes mostly on the plate in front of them.

As the main course was served, Laura spoke again.

“Honey, did I tell you that Noelia bought us dessert?” she smiled brightly at the girl, her approval too obvious. “She made it herself, and I’m sure it tastes as good as it looks.”

“Remember Bobby’s birthday, ma? Noe made his cake.”

Laura’s mouth hung open.

“Why, yes! It was simply divine. All those details! And so delicious!” she turned to Noe, beaming. “I didn’t know you made that as well.”

She nodded, returning her smile.

“Yeah; I like making birthday cakes, and Bobby’s mom couldn’t find someone on such short notice, so I offered.”

“Well, it was the talk of the party. It absolutely outshined the birthday boy.”

Noe chuckled as she reached for the glass. His mom wasn’t lying: that cake was the most delicious crap Johnny ever had. It had been a pity that she hadn’t made it to the party, but his boys made sure to let her know how well liked it had been, in great detail.

“So, I take it you like cooking as well as singing?”

Noe nodded more enthusiastically, and the blond teen smiled at her infectious mood.

“Yes! I love it! I was thinking of going to culinary school after I graduate. I thought about being a baker, but I think I’d prefer to be a chef.”

“Or you could be both?” Laura suggested. “Why limit yourself, dear?”

Sid snorted, and Johnny’s mood was ruined again.

“You want your son to marry a cook?” he asked his wife, pointing at him with his knife. He snorted again. “Like it’s not bad enough she’s a-”

“Watch it.” he warned, tense.

“-a gold digging, illegal mexican-”

“Sid!”

“I’m from Winsconsin.”

“Watch it, man!”

"Mom's Italian though…"

“-She also wants to 'work' in a kitchen.” he said it while doing air quotes. “As if serving someone else wasn’t denigrating enough.”

“C’mon, Sid.” Laura threw her napkin on the table, seeming tired of his crap. “Just stop it, please?”

“Why?! You know it’s the truth! Just look at your son?”

“Hey! Enough!”

“He’s a pathetic little loser. You think a hot piece of ass like that would go out with him for his personality?” he said the last word in a flamboyant way as he leaned over to her. 

“Of course I do! Johnny’s a lovely boy.”

“He’s a loser! A good for nothing,...”

Sid and his mom kept on going back and forth, but Johnny didn’t listen anymore. Out of instinct, he reached to his left for his walkman and found Noe’s leg instead. Before he could retreat his hand, she had grabbed it with both of hers, holding his in a tight but comforting grip.

They kept staring at the windows in front of them. This was why he was so nervous. It wasn’t about his mom; he knew she’d love Noe, it was because of that asshole she married.

He just wanted a quiet night with his two favourite girls, as stupid as that sounded. He should’ve known it wouldn’t be a regular night in the Weinberg house if Sid didn’t throw himself into a monologue about how great it was that Johnny wasn’t his kid.

Rosa picked up the plates silently and quickly, but gave the young couple a sympathetic glance.

“Johnny, sweetie, why don’t you give Noelia a tour of the house?” 

“Oh, great! Show her where the safe box is while you’re at it! Hell, I’ll just give her the code!”

“Un-belivable.”

The blond stood, not wasting time and pulling Noe up with him rather harshly. She kept her mouth shut as he led her out of the dining room and of the house all together.

He hurried to his car and opened the door for her, closing it with much more strength than he meant. He got into the driver's seat as well, Sid’s screaming muffled now, and turned on the engine.

He carelessly pulled out of the driveway and into the street, driving off with no real destination in mind.

Noe said nothing for several minutes, and neither did he.

Suddenly he jumped, almost losing control of the wheel, but didn’t react further as she ran her fingers through his hair.

“I’m sorry.”

He scoffed.

“Why’re you apologizing? He’s the one being a dickhead.”

“I know.” she pressed her lips into a thin line. “None of what he said it’s true, Johnny.”

He stopped at a red light and looked at her worried face, relaxing just a tiny bit.

“I know that, babe. Don’t worry. Sid hates everyone, and everyone hates him back, so he hates them even more and wants to make them as miserable as he is.”

“No, shit.” she chuckled. “I really liked your mom though.”

That lifted his spirits.

“She liked you too.”

“You think?” she sounded so hopeful.

“I know.”

He grabbed her hand and intertwined their fingers.

“Where are we going?”

“The guys said they’d be at the arcade. We could join them if you want?”

“So long as you buy me dinner, I’m sold.”

He was getting quite hungry as well.

“The usual?”

She smiled and nodded, leaning over to kiss his cheek. 

He would never hear the end of it if his friends saw him at the moment.

[fangirlingtodeath513]

The Secret Boyfriend | for the @deanandcasbingo​

Rating: G Warnings: None Tags: Marriage, Engaged Castiel/Dean Winchester, Sharing a Bed, Road Trips

“Dean? Why did Sam send us separate invitations for his and Rowena’s wedding?” Dean can hear his boyfriend’s keys clatter as they land on the glass table next to the front door and the rustle of paper which is undoubtedly the sound of Castiel shuffling through the mail.

“I’m not sure,” Dean admits with a frown, pulling his t-shirt down over his torso and meeting Cas in the living room. Cas takes one look at Dean’s old sweatpants and worn t-shirt and grins.

“You got the day off?”

Dean laughs and plucks the stack of mail from Cas’s hands, dropping it unceremoniously on the coffee table as he pulls his boyfriend into a kiss. “Yeah, Benny covered my shift since I covered for him when it was his anniversary. I figured we could spend the day relaxing and then go out to dinner later. Maybe look at rings?” Dean tentatively suggests, his nerves quashed the minute Cas’s arms wind around his neck. 

“Sounds perfect. You haven’t told your family yet?”

Dean shakes his head, smiling and brushing his thumb along Cas’s jaw. “Wanted to keep it between us, just for a little bit. And I don’t really want to take attention away from Sammy, with him and Rowena newly engaged and all.” Dean winces. “Is that, uh… okay?”

Cas laughs and kisses him gently. “Of course it is, Dean. It’s sweet that you don’t want to step on your brother’s excitement and it’s not like we’re in a rush to get married. I think we’ve both been acting as though we’ve been married for quite a while, now.”

“Suppose so,” Dean agrees, shaking his head with a smile. “According to Charlie, we’ve practically been married since we laid eyes on each other.”

Cas grins, fingers playing with the shorts hairs on the back of Dean’s head. “She isn’t wrong.”

“Maybe not,” Dean muses, hugging Cas against him tightly. “It is our anniversary, I think we’re entitled to being extra ‘gross and lovey-dovey’, as Meg says.”

Cas hums, breath ghosting over Dean’s earlobe as he presses a kiss just below his ear. “Later. Right now, I’m taking you back to bed.”

Dean bites his lip, chuckling. “Lead the way, love.”

 ~

“You really want to tell them the week of your brother’s wedding?”

Dean shrugs as he zips his suitcase shut. “It’s not like either of us are gonna make a big deal about it. We’ve already agreed that we don’t want an engagement party or a big, expensive wedding. Hell, we haven’t even set a date yet.” He brings Cas’s hand to his mouth, pressing a kiss to the simple silver band nestled on his finger. The small jade embedded right in the center catches his eye and he grins as he glances at his own ring. It’s the same as Castiel’s, but with a small aquamarine gem rather than a jade. Unconventional, sure, but it fits their relationship perfectly and Dean’s so happy he feels like he could burst. “Besides, I don’t want to hide how excited I am. Not from my family.”

Castiel smiles widely and pulls Dean into a kiss, sighing happily against his lips. “I love you so much.”

Dean laughs. “Do you? I never would’ve guessed.”

“Oh, shut up,” Cas mutters, shaking his head and grabbing his suitcase. “C’mon, we’ve got a nine-hour drive and I still need coffee.”

Dean smirks, grabbing his own suitcase. “Yes, sir.”

The drive to Lawrence is uneventful, thankfully. He and Cas jam out to the classic rock stations and they make it to the Winchester house by dinnertime. Mary welcomes them in with tight hugs and Dean nearly starts drooling when he smells roast chicken.

“Dad’s making his roast chicken? Hell yeah!”

“Language,” Mary chides, smiling and shaking her head as she turns to Castiel. “Good to see you again, Cas. I trust Dean’s treating you well?”

Castiel smiles. “A gentleman, as always.”

“Good,” Mary says with a grin, ushering them inside. “I hope you boys don’t mind sharing the pull-out, rooms are kinda tight at the moment.”

Dean waves a hand at her. “We’ll make it work. Grandma and Grandpa Campbell are here already?”

“This morning,” Mary confirms. “Go set your stuff down, dinner’s almost ready.”

Dean leads the way through the house, Cas following close behind. They leave their suitcases by the couch and head for the dining room, greeting Dean’s father and grandparents.

“Dean! Glad you made it safely, man,” Sam says, pulling his brother into a tight hug.

“‘Course I did, Sammy. Couldn’t miss everything as your best man, now, could I?” Dean grins and hugs Rowena tightly as Sam moves on to hug Cas. “Hey, Ro. Can’t believe you agreed to be married to him.”

Rowena smirks, glancing at Sam. “He has his uses.”

“High praise,” Cas comments with a grin, settling into the seat next to Dean once the greetings are out of the way. “Thank you for letting us stay, Mr. and Mrs. Winchester.”

John waves off the thanks. “Least we could do. You boys had an okay trip?”

Dean grins. “It was great. Way better than flying.”

They’re halfway through dinner when Sam brings up their invitations.

“So neither of you filled out the plus one section.” 

Dean raises an eyebrow. “Didn’t realize we needed to.” 

“Oh! You didn’t if you’re not bringing anyone.”

Dean and Cas exchanged a confused glance but before either of them can ask, the conversation’s already moved on.

“What was that about?” Cas murmurs as they’re climbing into bed that night. “Why would we fill out the plus one section when they sent us both invitations?”

Dean shakes his head. “Not a clue. That was super weird.”

“They… know we’re together, right?” Cas asks with a frown.

Dean snorts. “Of course they do, love. No way they don’t.” 

Cas seems to accept that answer and snuggles against Dean’s side with a pleased hum. “I love you, Dean. Goodnight.”

Dean smiles softly and presses a kiss to Cas’s forehead. “Love you, too.”

 ~

They’re so busy the few days before the wedding that Sam’s weird invitation mention is entirely forgotten. Dean’s fully in best man mode, helping prepare the last few things for the wedding the following day. He, Sam, Rowena, and Rowena’s maid of honor all head for the hotel that night. Dean’s staying in the groom’s suite with Sam, so Cas is left at the Winchester house by himself, as much as Dean hates it. He’ll see Cas at the reception, he can spend a day without pining for his fiance.

Sam’s a mess the morning of his wedding. He’s concerned everything is going to go wrong, he can’t find Rowena’s ring, and he forgot his shoes at the house.

“Sammy, breathe. I’ve got Rowena’s ring right here.” He pats the pocket over his heart. “Alright? I’ll call Cas and have him bring your shoes, it’s not a big deal.”

Sam takes a deep breath and nods. “You don’t think he’ll mind?”

“Not at all, man. Go work on your vows, I’ll give him a call.”

Sam nods, though Dean can see just how relieved he is. Sam retreats into the bedroom, so Dean hangs around the sitting room and calls Cas.

“Hello, Dean,” Cas answers. Dean can hear the smile in his voice and it makes Dean smile.

“Mornin’, love. Sleep okay?”

“I did. How’re things going?”

Dean chuckles. “Well, Sammy’s freaking out about almost everything. Probably just some pre-wedding jitters, nothing to worry about. I have a huge favor to ask.”

Cas laughs. “I figured. What’s up?”

“Sammy left his shoes at the house. I know it’s a bit of a drive, but if you wanna just bring your stuff, I’m sure he wouldn’t mind you getting ready here.”

He hears shuffling on the other end, something he can’t quite make out the origin of. “Where would I find his shoes?”

“Bench at the end of the bed.”

More shuffling and then a small, “A-ha! Got them. I’ll grab my suit and be there in less than an hour.”

Dean grins. “Perfect. Drive safe, love. See you soon.” He tucks his phone away, knocking on the bedroom door. “Sammy? Cas is on the way with your shoes. He’s gonna chill here and get ready if that’s alright.”

“Yeah, that’s fine. Thanks, Dean.”

Cas arrives forty-five minutes later with Sam’s shoes, which Dean quickly passes to Sam before pulling Cas into a soft kiss. “Hi, love. Missed you.”

Cas grins and kisses him again. “Missed you, too. Let me just change and then I’ll leave you two to do… whatever else you need.”

Dean hums, slipping his arms around his fiance’s neck. “Kay. Save me a dance, hm?”

“We’ll see,” Cas answers with a laugh.

Dean chuckles and shoves Cas gently. “You’re an asshole. Go put your suit on, bathroom’s over there.”

Sam’s back in the sitting room by the time Cas steps out in his suit, tie in hand, smiling at Dean sheepishly. Dean smirks and shakes his head. “I really need to teach you how to tie a tie. 

Cas grins and tips his chin up so Dean can tie his tie, murmuring, “Maybe I just like having you this close.”

Dean grins and drops a soft kiss to Cas’s nose as he straightens his tie. “There. All set.”

Cas gives a pleased hum. “I’ll see you both later. Congratulations, Sam!”

Sam smiles nervously. “Thanks, Cas. See you later.”

The wedding goes off without a hitch. With pictures done, the wedding party heads into the reception. Sam and Rowena come in last and launch into their first dance, a gorgeous, choreographed piece the two of them have been working on for months. Once finished, the DJ calls for all couples to join the newlyweds on the dance floor, so Dean turns to Cas and holds out a hand. “May I have this dance, Mr. Novak?”

Cas grins and allows Dean to lead him to the dance floor. Dean sweeps Cas into his arms almost effortlessly, arms settling around Cas’s waist as they sway slowly to the music.

“Your family is staring at us,” Cas murmurs. Dean hums and pulls him closer, leaning his head against Castiel’s. 

“Don’t care. I am surprised they didn’t ask about the rings, though.”

Eventually, the song ends, so he and Cas head back to their table. They’re sitting with Dean’s parents and grandparents near the head table that Sam and Rowena are sitting at. Cas collects their glasses and heads for the bar to get refills, which is when Dean’s family pounces.

“So, you and Cas are pretty close,” Mary chances, raising an eyebrow at Dean.

Dean snorts. “Yeah, guess you could say that. He’s…” he shrugs, smiling. “He’s my best friend.”

“ Just your best friend?” Grandma Campbell prompts. Ah, so someone had noticed the rings. Dean grins.

“Well, actually, we didn’t want to draw any attention away from Sam and Ro’s day, but we’re engaged.”

He looks around the table to find his entire family dumbstruck, which is… weird.

“Uh, don’t you think that’s kind of… fast? I mean, when did this even happen?” John asks, face pale.

Dean frowns. “Well, uh, we’ve been officially engaged for about three months, but we’ve been talking about getting married for about a year, now.”

Sam and Rowena apparently wandered over without Dean noticing and Rowena grins at him. “Congrats, Dean. You two are adorable. Sickeningly so, in fact.”

Dean laughs. “Yeah, we’ve heard that before. Thanks, Ro.”

“Hang on, you and Cas have been talking about getting married for a year ?” Sam gapes at him.

Dean’s more than a little confused, at this point. “Uh, yeah? Why do you look so confused? This ain’t exactly outta left field.”

Grandpa Campbell scoffs. “The hell it ain’t, boy. How have you been talkin’ about getting married for a year?”

Dean frowns. “Well, we want to adopt in the next few years and it’s way easier to do that if you’re married, so…” he trails off, though his family still looks confused.

“So, what, you two are just gonna raise a kid together? What if you meet someone you really want to spend your life with?” John asks. 

Dean scoffs. “Cas is the one I want to spend my life with. I thought you guys were okay with me being bi.”

“Son, what does you bein’ bisexual have to do with you an’ Cas marrying just to adopt a kid?”

Dean blinks at them. They can’t really think… can they? At least Rowena looks just as confused as Dean feels. “It’s not just to adopt a kid. It’s been long enough, we may as well make it official as far as the government is concerned.”

“It’s been long enough?” Sam repeats, looking absolutely baffled.

“Yeah,” Dean answers slowly. “Cas and I have been together for seven years, kinda seems like marriage is the next step.”

His grandfather shakes his head. “So, what, you’ve been roommates for seven years, so you’re just gonna get married?”

“I’m sorry— roommates ?” He looks around at his family, raising his eyebrows at Rowena. “Do you have any idea what the fuck they’re talking about?”

“Not a wee clue, dear,” Rowena answers, brows furrowed. 

“Cas and I have been dating for seven years. Y’all know that.”

His family looks absolutely baffled, which is disheartening. Cas chooses that moment to return with their drinks, though he seems to sense the tension between them since he just sets their drinks down and sits quietly.

“Uh, no, sweetie, we didn’t,” Mary says softly, eyes locked on Castiel.

“We… seriously? We sleep in the same bedroom at our apartment, you guys have stayed over!”

“We assumed Cas used his bedroom as his office. None of us ever snooped in there,” Sam says sheepishly. “Wait, hang on.” He turns to Rowena. “You knew?”

Rowena scoffs. “It’s quite obvious, dearie. I thought you were all well aware, not blind as bats.”

“That’s why you sent us separate invitations,” Dean says as it dawns on him.

“Yes, I thought that was odd, but Samuel here insisted.”

“And why you asked if we were okay sharing the pull-out,” Cas says with a laugh, glancing at Mary. “I thought you were asking if we objected to the pull-out, not sleeping in the same bed.”

Dean scoffs. “You can’t be serious. Sam, I kissed him in front of you this morning!”

Sam gapes. “Uh, no, you didn’t. Not when I was paying attention, anyway.”

Rowena snickers. “Dean calls him ‘love’, that isn’t exactly platonic.”

Mary shrugs, looking around the table. “John and I assumed it was something he picked up from that British friend in college, Balthazar.”

Dean can feel Cas giggling silently beside him. Hell, Dean would probably be laughing hysterically if he wasn’t so confused. “You seriously didn’t figure out we were together? For seven years ?”

Sam smiles sheepishly and Rowena laughs as she pats him on the arm. “Perhaps everyone referring to you as the smarter brother was incorrect, dear.”

“Well, uh, congratulations on your engagement, then?” Mary hazards.

Dean chances a look at Castiel and the two of them devolve into hysterical laughter, doubled over with tears in their eyes. Dean’s not entirely sure if laughing is the appropriate response, but it’s better than crying or yelling.

“Wait, so when you asked Dean why I hadn’t gotten him a birthday present and he said I had but that it wasn’t family-friendly, what did you think he meant?” Cas manages to ask between giggles. 

“Ohhh, I suppose that should’ve been my first clue. Sam thought you’d gotten him a stripper,” Rowena chimes in, grinning as Sam flushes bright red.”

Dean shakes his head, laughing. “Alright, well, long story short, Cas and I have been dating since freshman year, that’s why we decided to room together for the rest of college. Then I got my job in Austin and Cas can work from anywhere, obviously, so we moved. We’ve kinda known we were gonna be together for the rest of our lives anyway so marriage didn’t seem important. Then I got my promotion last year, so we got rings a few months ago and started saving up for the wedding.”

Dean’s family congratulates them and eventually they switch topics. Dean pulls Cas onto the dance floor, shaking his head as he kisses Cas softly. “I can’t believe them.”

Cas grins. “Mm. It’ll be a funny story to tell our kids, anyway.”

Our kids, Dean thinks as he returns Cas’s grin. He likes the sound of that.

[atc74]

Soul to Souls - Eight

Warnings: Sam is back (eeeek) and a bit of a dick, angst, another vision, impied smut, hold on, it’s gonna get a little bumpy...

Summary: Since she was four years old, Annaleigh has seen the same boy in her dreams. For twenty-five years, she grows to love the boy that has now turned into a man. Dean Winchester just lost the only family he has ever known. The guilt drives him to work harder than ever before. He works to forget the pain, until he meets Annaleigh and she turns his world upside down. What she learns changes both of their lives forever, but what will he do when he discovers the truth? Will he accept it or run back to the only life he has ever known?

Pairing: Dean x  OC Annaleigh

Word Count: 2432

Beta’d by: @amanda-teaches​​​, @katehuntington​​, thank you both for being my guides! Dividers and new cover art by the amazingly talented @talesmaniac89​​​.

A/N: This was my very first series I ever wrote four years ago in September 2016 and I am so happy and proud to bring this back home.

Soul to Souls Master List

Annaleigh had seen Sam in her visions many times throughout her life and she recognized the man in front of them. After what happened in the Stull Cemetery outside of Lawrence, she knew she would never get the chance to meet him. He was her soulmate’s brother. She had grieved for the loss of a man she would never know. Any children Dean and Anna may be blessed with would never know their Uncle Sam outside of a photograph. Now, seeing him on Bobby’s porch, she started to doubt the visions, maybe even God Himself. 

Dean immediately tensed up, and his arm tightening around her waist. They stood there for what felt like forever, neither breathing or moving. Annaleigh slowly rubbed smoothing circles on his back, and Dean started to relax a little as he stared at his brother. Anna knew a thousand questions had to be running through his mind right now, because they sure as hell were running through hers.

Sam descended the stairs and joined them on the walkway. Dean stared at his brother before starting and stopping a couple of times. “How are you h-? What the h-? When did y-? How?” was finally all Dean really asked his brother. He dropped the bag and gripped his brother in a hug. 

“I don’t know. We have been trying to figure that out since I got back,” Sam responded, hugging Dean just as hard. 

The brothers parted, and Sam turned, looking Annaleigh up and down. “So, you must be Annaleigh. Bobby has told me about you and filled me in what has been going on since I became Lucifer’s bitch. I am happy for you and my brother.” He smiled at her, but it lacked something; something she couldn’t quite put her finger on. 

She nodded, took a step forward and extended her hand, but Sam rushed her instead, wrapping her so tightly in his arms, she found it hard to breathe. He finally let her go, and she stumbled a little, Dean reaching out to grab her arm to steady her.

Anna looked up when she heard the screen door slam. There stood Bobby, quietly assessing the scene before him. Dean let go of her hand and bounded up the stairs. He reached for Bobby and the old, grumpy hunter smiled and threw his arms around her soulmate. “Damn good to see ya, boy.”

Bobby then set his gaze upon her as she stood there on the walk with Sam. “Well, come here, Honey. Let me get a good look atchya. See if this boy’s been treatin’ ya right.” Annaleigh ran up the stairs and embraced Bobby with all her might. 

“God, I missed you. And, yeah, Bobby. He treats me right.” She looked over at Dean, a blush rising up her cheeks. Anna grabbed his hand as they headed in the house, Sam trailing behind them.

It was so good to see Dean smiling as they sat down to dinner, swapping stories and sharing memories over beer and whiskey. Even though what he and Annaleigh had together was wonderful, he still wore that weight-of-the-world look on his face when he thought she wasn’t looking. He carried the guilt of those he couldn’t save and until now, that had included his Sam. Witnessing their reunion, with Bobby, it felt like all the pieces of the puzzle were finally coming together. It felt right.

Anna excused herself to get the boys more beer. Dean reached for her hand, their fingertips grazing as she continued to the kitchen. A small smile tugged at her lips as she looked back at him. She turned her head forward again and ran smack into Sam’s huge frame.

“Oh my God, Sam! I am so sorry. I didn’t even see you there!” she gasped, before she walked around him, reaching for the handle.  

Sam turned, his gaze on her. She could feel it, like it was boring a hole in the back of her skull, making her uncomfortable. “So, Annaleigh, Bobby tells me you are a prophet of the Lord. How’s that working out for you?” Bitterness seeping through his words, his frame blocking her path back to the den, to Dean. 

“Sam,” Anna began as she turned around and handed him another bottle of beer after retrieving it from the fridge. “I have had visions of Dean, sometimes of you too, almost my entire life. This is not new for me. I am sorry if it makes you uneasy. It was hard for Dean to accept at first, too. Sometimes, I think it still is, a little.”

“So, I am trapped in the cage with the Devil himself, being beaten and tortured, and my brother was banging a hot redhead the whole time,” Sam said and laughed, the sound like acid on her skin.

“Now, hold on just a minute, Sam. That is not how things went down, and you’d know it if you listened to Bobby at all. You have to understand that Dean kept hunting after you went under. For months, he ran himself ragged. When he was not looking for ways to get you back, he hunted, and he hunted.” Anna felt herself getting angrier the more they talked; this is not the Sam she remembered from her visions or from her conversations with Dean. This was a Sam she hardly recognized, even if she had never met him before.

“And, he just happened upon a case in your home town, huh? How convenient.” The sarcasm felt like hatred as the words spilled out of his mouth.

“Yes, there was a case. I called Bobby, Bobby sent Dean. Do you have a problem with me, Sam?” she asked defensively, straightening up to her full height, not that five feet and a fraction of an inch was intimidating for someone of Sam’s height. 

Sam laughed again, this time it was different. “I am sorry, Annaleigh. I most definitely do not have a problem with you. You are beautiful, and feisty, and clearly good for my brother. He seems happy for the first time in a very long time. I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong vibe. I am still working off some effects from Hell, I guess.” He embraced her again, this time, it was softer, more brotherly.

“Hey! Hands off my girl, bitch!” Neither one of them had heard Dean enter the kitchen.

“Just getting to know her, jerk,” Sam retorted.

Dean reached for her hand, pulling her towards him. She broke away from Sam, melting into Dean’s chest, and inhaled deeply, seeking the comfort she knew she would find there. Leather, a hint of gunpowder and something spicy she still couldn’t decipher. But, it was all Dean, and now it was hers. She sighed contentedly against him as he rubbed one hand up and down her back, kissing the back of the hand he had yet to let go of.

“Hey, Red, you okay? You seem tired,” Dean asked, pulling back a little to look at her.

Anna looked up into his impossibly green eyes and shook her head, curls tumbling everywhere. “Yeah, I am tired. It must be the drive. I am going to head up to bed.” She pushed up on her tiptoes, licking at his plump bottom lip. He eagerly took the hint, bending at the knees, and kissed her slowly, tenderly, before straightening up. 

“I’ll be up a little later,” Dean called after her as she climbed the stairs, she blew him a kiss, then bid Bobby and Sam a good night.

After getting ready for the night, Anna sat on the edge of the bed, thinking about what Sam had said to her. From everything she knew of Sam from Dean and Bobby, and even from her own visions, she knew something was off. Maybe this feeling accounts for the restlessness she was feeling during the drive. She hadn’t been able to put her finger on it, but something had felt off, the closer they got to their destination. 

Suddenly, she found herself on the floor, shaking, her head between her knees trying to control her breathing and the searing pain in her head. Anna started seeing flashes of another vision: Dean and her, Sam, too. It looked like they were in a hospital. Somewhere in the chaos of the vision, she heard a baby cry. 

The door burst open and Dean rushed into the room, followed quickly by Sam and Bobby, weapons drawn. Anna lifted her head weakly and attempted to cover herself in the skimpy pajamas she had chosen to wear to bed, as the three of them stared at her.

“Talk to me, Red! Honey, are you okay? What happened? Are you hurt?” The questions came tumbling out of Dean’s mouth as he ran towards her, dropping to his knees as he slid to a stop right in front of her. With one arm around her waist and the other behind her knees, he lifted her off the floor, returning her to the bed gently, as if he were afraid she would break.  

“Thank you,” Anna managed to get out as she tried to cover herself with a blanket. “I’m okay, really. I just got a little dizzy and must have fallen. I guess I don’t hold my liquor as well as you boys.” She tried to hide the lie with laughter, hoping none of them would notice.

Dean sat on the edge of the bed and wrapped an arm around her protectively. He looked toward Sam and Bobby, giving a subtle nod, and they took the hint, closing the door behind them. 

“Annaleigh, tell me the truth. You only had one beer with dinner. What’s going on with you?” he asked, his jade eyes full of worry.

“Look at you, all worried about me,” she tried to joke with him.

Dean held her at arm's length. “Honey, I’m serious. What the hell happened?!” He wasn’t buying her story; it was a long shot that he would.

Anna took a deep breath, tucking a few loose curls behind her ear before she continued. “Honestly, Babe. I don’t know what happened. I was sitting here on the edge of the bed, and before I knew it, I was on the floor. My head started pounding, I was shaking, and I couldn’t control my breathing. I don’t know what caused it.” Another lie. Why am I lying to the man I have been in love with for most of my life? she thought to herself.

“I was so worried when I heard the noise. I ran up here as fast as I could. I was scared something happened to you.” He pulled her back into his arms and like magic, she instantly felt better. Her breathing had returned to normal, and the pounding in her head had receded to a dull ache.

Anna looked up at Dean. “Let’s just go to bed. I’ll be right as rain in the morning.” He nodded in agreement and released his hold on her, getting up from the bed to remove his clothes.

She turned on her side as she watched Dean strip down to his boxers. Even after all this time of seeing him, he still took her breath away, making her heart skip a beat. His legs, bowed perfectly, made her weak in the knees. Pressing her thighs together for a little relief, she continued watching him undress, her thoughts getting filthier the longer she looked. The soft hair that she couldn’t stop running her hands through...the pink and plump lips she couldn’t taste enough, as if her own life depended on kissing him...the sage colored eyes that look right into her soul....she couldn’t get enough of him. The fine lines of muscle were covered with a multitude of scars and miles of golden, freckled skin she wanted to trace with her tongue every minute of the day. 

That must be where the term “drop dead gorgeous” comes from; her heart stopped and she couldn’t breathe for a moment every time she saw him. Oh girl, you got it bad alright, she thought. She smiled and shook her head, trying to clear her mind.

Dean climbed into bed and wrapped his arms tightly around her, pulling the covers up. He pressed his lips to hers so gently, it felt like feathers. Annaleigh let herself melt into him, Dean swallowing the sigh that escaped her lips. He brought his hand up to cup her face as the other wandered down to bring her leg up around his waist.

“You are so beautiful. I can’t get enough of you, ever. I will never get enough of this mouth, or those stunning blue eyes of yours. I forever want to feel your body next to mine. I want to run my fingers through your wild red hair every moment of every day,” Dean whispered against her skin as his mouth continued its exploration of her body, leaving a blazing trail in its wake. 

She honestly could never have enough of this, of him, and what he could do to her body, her mind, her heart, her soul. The heights he could push her to, each time only to raise her up higher than last. 

With her head on his chest, contentedly tracing patterns on his arm with one finger, she felt his breathing even out as he drifted to sleep. “I love you, Dean,” she whispered, praying and hoping he did not hear her. Annaleigh had twenty plus years of her life to get to know him and fall in love with him. She didn’t want to rush anything and scare him off. She had seen moments of their future, so she knew he would love her some day, but she also knew it might take him a little longer to get there than it took her.

They hadn’t really talked about “the future” or what life holds for them. With a hunter as your significant other, you learned to live in the moment and take each day as it rose. She knew what she had seen was not set in stone and any hunt could be his last, and not because he decided to hang it up. She knew that someday he might not come home to her. She prayed that whatever information God was feeding her through these visions was legitimate. Annaleigh could no longer imagine a life without him. She knew he had always dreamed of a family, and her hope was that one day, she could give that to him.

Did you like it? The nicest thing you can do for a writer is reblog their work and tell them, and others, how much you like it!

Soul to Souls tags: @emoryhemsworth​ @flamencodiva​ @iwantthedean​ @jensengirl83​ @deanwanddamons​ @smol-and-grumpy​ @kbl1313​ @waywardbeanie​​ @whatareyousearchingfordean​​ @princessmisery666​​ @spnbaby-67​​ @shy-violet-soul​​ @lastcallatrockysbar​​ @winchesterxfamilybusiness​​ @fangirlxwritesx67​​ @squirrelnotsam​ 

[dangerousfwellows]

FLUSTERED. Lawrence

request: Hiii! can I get a Lawrence imagine where the reader tells Judy that she likes Lawrence, and they have a moment together where she reveals she likes him after judy tells her to. Maybe it’s just really fluffy and he’s kinda shocked and is embarrassed/flustered?

warnings: female pronouns, everyone is alive in this, Lawrence is obviously a little ooc as he’s usually very confident.

 Word count: 1,775

Your arrival to the school was somewhat of a strange one. Was it good? Bad? There were positives, reuniting with Judy and meeting the benevolent and rather… attractive men and women in her group. And not to mention finally being swarmed and surrounded with other humans. Isolation was terrible in an apocalyptic world, it was bad enough feeling lonely in a normal situation, but being alone whilst surrounded by zombies? It was strange and macabre. Death gloomed at every corner, leaking through each little crack of safety, disturbing the previously peaceful world. The negatives? Well, Scarlett mostly. Though, you were sure she was probably just frightened, her emotions getting the best of her. You couldn’t blame her, at a time like this.

You would quickly settle into the group, offering help and assisting on patrols on nightwatches, earning you keep. Your relationship with Judy blossomed, your friendship as strong as ever. Her happiness really stood out against the bleakness. It was… refreshing. You also began to grow closer to the group’s leader, Lawrence. He was undeniably beautiful, his dishevelled chestnut hair, russet eyes surrounded by dark, long lashes and his pale smooth skin was very attractive to you. Every time he would smile at you, the myriad of butterflies would explode in your stomach. A sense of familiarity irked you. You were sure you remembered him from somewhere, but you just couldn’t put your finger on it. So, you decided to confide in Judy.

“Ah! So you do like him!”

Judy exclaimed, an excited twinkle in her eyes. You felt a flush rise to your face.

“I-I’m not saying I like him, I just… find him attractive.”

Your sentence had trailed off into a mumble. You were currently sitting in your shared classroom, resting after a long day of patrolling. Judy had noticed your shy body language around Lawrence, and decided to go into her detective mode and uncover the truth. She nodded in response, waiting for you to continue, which makes you sigh softly and decide to just tell her how you feel exactly.

“Well, I don’t know… I seem to remember him from somewhere, but I can’t remember where from, exactly. And I am attracted to him, I mean he’s really beautiful, and kind. I think he’s a perfect leader for us. It’s just, I wouldn’t be able to express this to him. He’s kind of… intimidating.”

Judy chuckled shortly,

“Look, y/n! I think you should just talk to him, bring it up casually. Maybe he feels the same, I would be surprised if he didn’t. And you only find him intimidating because you’re nervous. Maybe you should try flirting with him?”

You smiled lightly and nodded,

“I suppose… I’ll try in the morning. Thank you, Judy.”

She grinned sweetly and nodded, and both of you eventually drifted off to sleep.

The morning finally came around, sun beams peeped through the battered old blinds that covered the windows. You stirred slightly, a soft exhale leaving your lips as you awoke. You hurriedly dressed and got ready, rushing to classroom 1-C, where Lawrence was usually, preparing for the day. He was always up before everyone else, he was the leader after all.

You slid the door to the classroom open, instantly Lawrence, fussing over today’s rations. He turns his head to the sound of the door opening, and he greets you with his usual adorable smile.

“Good morning, y/n. You’re up early.”

He spoke, turning away from you and returning to the desk that he was working at. He felt your eyes burning into him, carefully observing him as you slowly approached him.

“Well, so are you.”

You replied swiftly, standing by his side.

“Anything I can do to help?”

You asked, gesturing to the breakfast he was sorting out for the group. A smile tugged at the corner of his lips, he shook his head, his chestnut locks framing his face.

“That’s alright, I’m just finishing up anyway.”

You nod, offering him a small smile. You sat at a desk next to him, biting your lip as a silence engulfed the room. You shifted slightly, eyes trailing over the busy male.

“you know…” You begin, and Lawrence’s russet orbs flicker over to you, “I recognise you, from before all this.”

He smirks lightly, turning his focus onto you as he leans against a desk.

“Oh? Is that so?”

You nod,

“Mm, but I can’t remember where from exactly.”

He simply crosses his arms, and you take a step towards him, eyes scanning him, desperate to try and recall. The glint in his eyes told you that he seemed to remember. He feels his face heating up lightly at your closeness. He remembered you, of course, and his heart fluttered like a pair of wings on a snowy white dove at the thought you also remembering him. You let out a sigh and pout,

“Won’t you tell me?” You ask, watching the soft, rose blush increase across his pale face as you leant closer to him, resting you head on his shoulder. He tensed lightly at you touch, but quickly relaxed. He chuckled and shook his head.

“I guess you’ll just have to try harder to remember, hm?”

He pulled away from you as Eugene and Zion entered 1-C, whining about being hungry.

You and Lawrence didn’t have any other… moments together for a while, to your (and Judy’s) disappointment. That would change, however. He, you, Zion and Ethan were on a supply run. Ration were running dangerously low, and food was needed. So, here you all were, silently searching for grocery stores across a street that the group hadn’t raided yet. It was a dismal, grey day. Rainclouds and thunder loomed in the atmosphere. You were all slightly grateful for this however, the roars and groans of thunder acted as a shield for noise, allowing you to wander the streets with only a few zombies roaming around, not paying any attention to any of you. Lawrence stopped walking, gesturing for the group to come closer.

“There’s a grocery store over there. Let’s go in, everyone be on guard, okay? We can’t get ahead ourselves because there aren’t many zombies out here, anything could be lurking in there.”

You all nodded in response, grateful for Lawrence’s careful leadership skills. Ethan tightened his grip on his bat, and you all began making you way to the store. Lawrence peered into the glass windows in the door, furrowing his brows as his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He nodded, signalling it seemed safe to go inside. You all entered the store slowly, eyes darting around for any wandering zombies.

“Alright, let’s spread out. Zion and Ethan, you two take the front of the store. Y/n, we’ll take the back.”

Your leader spoke, keeping his voice low and quiet. Ethan and Zion head to the back, and Lawrence leads you to the aisles in the back. You begin searching shelves, placing anything valuable into your bags. A sudden bolt of lightning crashes loudly and abruptly, practically making you jump out of your skin. You feel a hand on you shoulder, comforting you from the sudden rush of fear. You turn you head to see Lawrence.

“Are you alright?” He asks, and you hurriedly nod. You turn more towards him as the soft patter of rain hits the glass windows. This all seemed so familiar, being near Lawrence, surrounded by rain, the two of you alone. Then it hit you, that’s where you remember him from. He beams as you nod, and begins to turn away, going back to searching.

“Lawrence!”

You blurt out, and he faces you with a slight look of confusion. That night had never left your mind, before the apocalypse. You had lent Lawrence your umbrella on an inclement day, and after that, he lingered in your mind. He was undeniably handsome, and even though you hadn’t met or seen him since, you couldn’t but long to see him again, creating little fantasies in your mind. You stare at the male in front of you, watching him look at you with a raised eyebrow at your sudden outburst, to which you now stood silently in front of him. You think back to Judy’s encouragement to just tell Lawrence about you little crush, but you couldn’t find the words. it wouldn’t hurt to… show him, would it? You take a few steps forwards, and he in response takes a few uneasy steps back, his back hitting a, thankfully empty, shelf.

“uh, wha-“

You cut him off with a hesitant kiss, feeling him tense up, the kiss was over as quickly as it started as you pull away, noticing his flushed face.

“W-what was that for?”

He mumbled, avoiding your eyes as he pushes his glasses up into place.

“I remembered you.”

You reply swiftly,

“…and I, well, I kind of, have feelings for you, I’ve been attracted to you since we first met.”

Lawrence stays silent during your confession, leaning back against the pillar behind him. You grow nervous at his silence, mentally wishing he would say something.

“Sorry for kissing you… I got ahead of myself, I’ll just forget-”

He cuts you off by grabbing your wrist gently and clearing his throat. “No, no… it’s okay. I, ah, I… feel the same.”

A smile tugs at you lips as you lean into him, kissing him once again. He hesitantly hovers his hands over your body, before softly gripping at your waist, you hungrily push your body flush against him, nibbling gently on his lip. The kiss heats up slightly, your leg pushed between his, desperately gripping at each other as if you were each other’s lifeline. It was just your feelings for each other, the touch of another person was something you both craved, there was hardly any affection shared nowadays. You were interrupted by a loud “ew” to which you quickly separated and saw Zion watching you two with a smirk on his face.

“I was just going to say that Ethan and I are done, but… I see you’re busy.”

Lawrence flushes again, turning his head away from Zion’s cocky gaze.

“Uh, okay… Y/n and I are almost done, we can leave in a minute.”

The fiery haired male raises an eyebrow and replies with a simple,

“‘kay.”

He exits and you listen to his quiet footsteps retreating, whilst turning to Lawrence. He smiles sheepishly at you.

“I guess we should hurry up finish our search.”

You nod, a small smile resting on your lips as you continue searching the shelves with Lawrence.

“You know… You’re cute when you’re flustered.”

“…Shut up.”

[swan--writes]

Could I request Dewey x gender neutral reader with the song Fall For You by Secondhand Serenade?

Oof.

Words: 1,185

There was a duffel bag under the backseat of your car.

Eight months ago, you never would have thought it would get to this point. You knew that was what everyone in these situations said, but there wasn’t much else to be said for you. Dewey was usually an easygoing man. You were usually an understanding partner. Yet, here you were: eight months in and fighting almost every night, with a duffel bag under the backseat of your car.

It was February and the sun was already setting at 5:00 PM. Dewey was running late, as he often was on Fridays, but it was snowing. You weren’t sure if he was late because of the kids or because of the snow, and you were almost worried. By the time Dewey walked through the door of your apartment, it was completely dark outside. The sky had a purplish glow and the light from the streetlamps was somehow more offensive than usual, reflected as it was off of the snow.

From the kitchen, you listened to Dewey closing the door and removing his – probably snow-covered – boots, his scarf, his coat. The door opened into the living room. When Dewey joined you, he still wore his hat. Some of the flakes from outside had melted into the fabric, but there was an outer layer of snow. You could feel yourself preparing snap at him for not leaving his hat on the coat rack where it belonged, but his expression stopped you.

The best thing about tonight’s that we're not fighting.

There was something soft in Dewey’s features. Something in his eyes that said he didn’t want to fight tonight.

Could it be that we have been this way before?

You couldn’t remember the last time you had seen him this way.

I know you don’t think that I am trying.

His brow flickered in confusion, and you realized you were staring, so you abruptly looked away, back to the paper on the table in front of you.

I know you’re wearing thin down to the core.

That didn’t feel right, though, so you set down your pen and looked back up at your partner. “How was your day?” you asked him, surprised at the quiet in your own voice.

Dewey seemed taken aback, but after a few moments of hesitation, he spoke. “Oh, um…” he cleared his throat. “…it was good.” You raised your eyebrows a fraction of an inch. The corner of his mouth lifted. “Yeah, uh,” he thought for a second, “Tamika and Lawrence kept getting distracted, but I think they’re starting to come out of their shells.”

“Or plotting your demise?”

He put a hand over his heart. “May they be strong leaders in my place.” You smiled and Dewey chuckled, almost like he couldn’t believe he was doing it.

Something in the air between you was warmer than it had been in weeks. If Dewey noticed your flickering gaze, he said nothing, though he did say something about the flickering lights, looking around the room when they dimmed.

“…no.” The moment the word made it past his lips, the power went out. Dewey cursed quietly, as though the sudden darkness had muffled his voice. “I think we have to break into your stash, Y/N.” You groaned. He didn’t need to fumble too much for your hand – your eyes were quickly adjusting to the dim light from the streetlamps outside. Despite your shock at the gesture, you let him pull you to your feet, away from the table. “C’mon,” he urged gently.

Dewey led you through your apartment, to the linen closet in the bathroom. On the top shelf was a sizable collection of brand new, lovingly hoarded candles. Before you could climb onto the counter to reach for them, however, you felt Dewey’s steady hands grasping your waist.

This is not what I intended.

“Here,” he whispered. You tried to ignore the way your breath caught.

I always swore to you I’d never fall apart.

It was much darker in the bathroom than anywhere else in the apartment, and you couldn’t see his face.

You always thought that I was stronger.

Dewey lifted you until he felt you settle on the counter, and you hauled yourself up the rest of the way.

I may have failed, but I have loved you from the start.

“Thank you,” you murmured, afraid to crack the shell of this moment.

Ten minutes later, all but three of your candles were lit and scattered in fairly non-flammable locations around the apartment. You and Dewey sat on the floor in front of the couch in your living room, in uncomfortable silence and barely looking at one another.

Eventually you squinted over at him. There was nothing else to discuss and there was everything else to discuss, and you needed to ask him. “Do you know about the duffel bag?”

Dewey’s brow flickered. “What?” There was a strain in his voice.

“The duffel bag in my car. You know about it, right?” He started to shake his head, but when he saw that your gaze was not about to waiver, he stopped.

“Maybe,” he whined with the breath he had been preparing to protest with.

“Were you gonna try to stop me?” It was only when his gaze dropped to your hand that you realized how tight your grip was. You had wrapped your fingers around your leg, just above your knee, and now you were squeezing.

Dewey stared at your, now slowly relaxing, hand when he responded. “I was afraid that if I tried, I would just push you away more.”

Silence. Then, slowly, Dewey reached for your hand. He moved measurable centimeter by measurable centimeter, afraid that you would recoil. You watched his face and waited.

Tonight will be the night…

“Y/N,” he said, sounding like he’d rehearsed this, “we’re a mess. I know that. But I…” His voice choked off.

That I will fall for you over again.

You took a deep breath and, when his hand faltered, you reached out with your own. In the quiet of the apartment, you heard him gasp. Something in your chest was liquifying.

Don't make me change my mind…

“I don’t wanna lose you,” he whispered. You could hear the fear in Dewey’s voice. God, when had he started hurting so much? When had you?

Or I won't live to see another day…

You smoothed your thumb over the back of his hand and angled your head to get a better look at his eyes. “I don’t want to lose you either.”

I swear it's true.

He stared at you for a long moment. Then, without a word, he tugged on your hand. For the second time that night, you let him pull you forward. You landed right beside him and leaned into his chest, fitting your head into his neck and wrapping both your arms around his waist. His arms found their place around you and you felt him kiss your forehead.

“Don’t worry,” you said while he nuzzled at your hairline. “I’m not going anywhere.”

You're impossible to find.

.

.

Buy Me a Coffee, if you’d like

[vicunaburger]

Admittedly, I’m Hard to See

Fandom: Beetlejuice the Musical Chapters: 12/? Pairing: Beetlejuice x OC (Holidae) The Players: Beetlejuice, Lydia Deetz, Holidae Bell Word Count: 1,668 Warnings: M for Suggestive Content and Language

Notes: The best laid plans blah blah blah...

Chapter 12 - In Which Phrasing is Key

According to the pitch-black darkness outside, it was late.

Holidae stared at herself in the mirror, fidgeting around and trying to psych herself up for what she was about to do. She was happy that Lydia had gone to bed hours ago, satisfied that she would be too deep into slumber to be awoken by any clandestine conversations. It had been several days since their heart to heart in the attic, and neither of them had been the first to summon back their resident ghost. An unspoken stalemate between the two women, not out of anger, but out of reluctance.

“Okay, Holli, you can do this. You can be firm and fair. Just… tell him…” She pointed sternly at her reflection, as though giving herself a lecture. “You look into those gold-yellow. Gross yellow. Eyes and you tell him that you want to take things easy. Ease into things. Take it slow and steady. Not getting crazy. Keeping our wits about us.”

Leaning forward, she tapped on the mirror glass, “You are a grown ass woman, how hard can this be?”

After a beat, she slumped over on the vanity, groaning in frustration, “…who are you kidding, Holidae? You’re going to crumble like a ruin.”

Holidae stood upright, beginning to pace the room, tugging at the end of her nightshirt. There was no point in delaying it anymore, was there? The longer she put off the conversation, the more her overall resolve would weaken until there would be no conversation to be had.

Taking a breath, she spoke into the empty air, “Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice… Beetlejuice?”

There was no crash of lightning or billowing smoke as she had expected; he just materialized in the middle of her bedroom, taking a few steps before realizing the scenery had changed. Beetlejuice had been tearing around the Neitherworld; angry that he was so helpless in situations like this. There was no way for him to appear in the mortal realm without a summons, and the only two people in the world who could see him had been refusing to bring him back.

His entire form was stained red as he took note of his surroundings, whirling around to spot Holidae staring at him quietly. She looked so small in that moment, not buried under layers of intentionally baggy clothing, dressed in a ragged shirt and long pants; her hands picking at the stray thread at the hem.

“Where’s Lyds?” Beej finally asked, brushing something off his sleeve.

“Sleeping.” Holidae shifted her weight back slightly.

He chuckled, “Oooh, sneaking around and summoning ghosts behind her back? Shady. I love it.”

Beetlejuice brushed past her, going over to examine the objects around the room, making a point of ignoring her completely. One particular object caught his attention, his clawed fingers dragging across the familiar pages, taking note of the bookmarked passages.

“How did you get the book open? Got another dead guy hanging around?” Beetlejuice turned glanced at her, tempted to shut the Handbook in spite. “Trying to find a way to get rid of me for good?”

“Recently Deceased is a really vague term once you think about it. One of the houseplants died and she pried it open with one of the stems.” Holidae explained, crossing the room to join him. “They really should take at a look at phrasing once in a while and revise that Handbook. There are so many loopholes. Lawyer’s dream text.”

Beetlejuice abruptly moved away before she could get too close to his back, spinning on his heels to face her head on, his hand covering part of his chest, “I take it you’ve done a little light readin’, Jolly Holiday? Did we find out anything interesting? Exorcisms? Seances? You could have just asked me about stuff like that, you know. A genuine denizen of the Neitherworld.”

“I don’t want to exorcise anyone! If it’s anything like the movie, I want no part of it. No sir. Too sticky and gross and ugghhh…” Holidae made a face, trying to hold back the involuntary dry heave as she recalled the film. “Nevermind. Listen. We need to have a serious discussion.”

“A serious discussion? Oh… well, in that case, we need to be in a serious mood.” He nodded, “But we can’t be serious like this. This calls for a more adult theme.”

With a snap of his fingers, he transported the two of them onto Holidae’s bed. Beej was settled against the headboard, and Holidae was facing him while straddled over his lap. His hands were holding onto her waist; fingers digging into the fabric of her shirt to keep her balanced. Holidae tried to pry herself out of his grip, or at least move his hand so it wasn’t pressing against her green-yellow bruises.

“Hey, I mean it when I say it’s serious, Lawrence.” She thought the use of his proper name would get her point across. “Lydia and I were talking when you left…”

No longer covered in his angry red hue, his tone was turning more azure by the moment, “Yeah? And what, pray tell, does that have to do with my beautiful self?”

Falling silent, she tried to think of the best way to speak her peace without upsetting him, staring at his necktie as if it held all the answers she required, “Is it true you’re promiscuous?”

Not the most tactful way to phrase the question, but it was the only thing that sprang to mind. The ghost blinked at her slowly… once, twice… before wetting his lips with a noticeably long tongue. Holidae caught the last bit of he before it went back into his mouth, momentarily distracted by the appendage. Her resolve was already failing and they hadn’t even started talking.

“Loaded question, babes.” Beetlejuice’s voice was low, and he pulled her in a bit closer. “What brought up my sexual history?”

“It… may or may not have been implied that you are prone to sleeping around for fun.” Holidae’s pulse jumped, already regretting her whole plan. “Which… is something I’m not… I mean. It’s fine, do what you want, I’m not going to judge. I’m not your keeper. I just… it’s not something… wait, that’s not going to sound right. I-I-I don’t know what… how… to do this.”

“Whoa whoa… hey now, take a breath. That’s something breathers need to do. It’s in your name.” He let go of her waist, bringing his hands to the sides of her face. “Whew, you’re a little toasty there. I think you’re circuits are frying, ya know? I’ve seen spontaneous combustion and it is not pretty. Chunks everywhere. Don’t do that.”

Taking a few hiccuping breaths, Holidae tried to get her mind back on track, “I don’t sleep around!”

“Why are you so fixated on this- wait. Wait wait wait. Let me take a wild stab in the dark and say that my bestest best friend just happened to let slip my sex life after she happened to catch us together? Even though we weren’t even doing anything fun yet. Trust me, you’ll know when the good stuff happens.” He ran a hand through his fluff of hair, the color shifting from blue to deep green in moments. “What did she say?”

Holidae was picking at his necktie now, rolling the fabric between her fingers, “…that you’ve never talked about the same partner twice.”

He rolled his eyes, knocking his skull against the headboard, “Ugggh. Wow. Could she have picked the worst phrasing or what? I just tell her that kinda stuff to gross her out. It’s fun. If she wouldn’t get all squidgy about it, I would find something else to talk about. Do you like hearing about your friend’s sex lives in graphic detail? …wait, if you do, that is actually a very attractive quality and I would like to know more.”

She shook her head vehemently, “No no, that stuff isn’t my business.”

“Annnnnnd that is why it’s so fun to annoy Lyds with my sordid sexual conquests. She gets all weird and throws stuff at me, it’s hilarious.” Beej’s hands settled on her thighs this time, his claws tapping lightly in random patterns. “So you got the impression that I was just gonna pull the old money’s on the dresser routine with you?”

Nodding, Holidae was still fiddling with his tie, keeping usually focused and quiet.

“Did you summon me here with the intention of telling me we shouldn’t fuck if that’s all I wanted?” He pinched her leg, trying to get her attention.

“Ow,” She dropped the tie, rubbing her sore skin. “I would have said it more politely, but yeah.”

With a toothy grin, Beetlejuice tossed her on the bed next to him, rolling over her and pinning her to the mattress. He pressed his face into the crook of her neck, feeling her pulse flutter underneath the skin, nipping along the vein with his teeth.

“There are plenty of other things we could do, ya know. Why jump to the main course without savoring the appetizers?” He laughed, sticking his hand under her shirt, gliding along until he could feel the slightly raised bruises. “Could give you another one of these as a little treat, hm?”

“N-no, that’s not… what I meant.” Holidae panted softly, trying to gather up the will to stop herself from giving up too easy.

“I know.” He ran his tongue along her collar bone, dipping below the fabric of her shirt. “You’re adorable, you know that? I can hear that brain of yours firing on all cylinders wondering how you can get it through to me. But don’t you see, Holidae, you don’t need to. I know exactly what you’re afraid of, and surprise surprise, I’m not that kinda demon. You gotta trust me, babes.”

Holidae slipped her hand into his hair, gently pulling him away from her neck, watching as his eyes turned darker and his head leaned into her touch. He seemed sincere through his words; his deep, gravely voice somehow soothing her fears like a balm.

“Lydia’s going into town for the weekend, some photography camp out in the woods.” Holidae whispered, lightly scratching his scalp with her nails.

He let out a sound that reminded her of a large animal purring deep in its chest, “It’s a date.”

Writing Tags: @mr-geuse @paxenera @leiasolo77 @go-commander-kim @ashemspirit @asriells

[free-pool-trash]

Umbrella Guy - Lawrence x Reader

Ohhhh my first Dangerous Fellows piece, I'm weirdly attracted to Lawrence and you're all just gonna have to deal with that.

This gave me my motivation to write back sorry I've been kinda M.I.A love you all

Set before he went ape shit

@fandomhavenskittles did I do a good? I was gonna make this a smut but then I didn't

Word count: 1,358

Masterlist

The look in his eyes let you know that he was hiding something, the way he'd shrug off your questions so casually made you wonder what exactly it was that he knew.

You recognized him from somewhere, the second he welcomed you into the school you had gotten this rush of faint familiarity, but you couldn't for the life of you figure out where that familiarity was coming from, you knew him from somewhere, you just couldn't put your finger on where.

Lawrence on the other hand, he seemed to catch on to the way you stared at him with your puzzled expression any chance you got and he shared no same confusion. He'd just shake his head, give you a knowing grin and then simply look away. He knew. And it was driving you absolutely crazy.

You'd been at the school for nearing on two weeks now and the more you got to know Lawrence and the closer the two of you became, the bigger that annoying itch of not being able to place him became, and knowing that he knew exactly what it was you were trying to figure out really added to your stress levels.

So there you sat in classroom 1-C, listening to Lawrence's pairings for night watch and coincidentally he had paired you up with him.

You walked alongside each other, your gaze fixated on his annoyingly familiar yet beautiful face and as he glanced at you from the corner of his eye and gave you that same knowing grin he always gave you, you finally cracked.

“Ugh! Lawrence, please, for the love of God, tell me where I know you from!” You whined, your lips forming into a pout and your eyebrows pulling together.

Turning his head towards you, he gave you his gentle smile and then turned around, heading back towards his own classroom through the moonlit hallways.

“Come on, this area is safe. We should get some rest now, it's pretty late.” He said gently, but you could see the smirk on his pretty little lips as he walked away from you.

Catching up to him you gave him a playful glare, “You sure do seem to be having fun playing your mind games with me…” You started before you picked up your pace ever so slightly, overtaking Lawrence and giving him a teasing look, if he was going to mess with you, you were going to mess with him right back.

“I think I might just ask Harry to be my patrol partner from now on, he's sweet don't you think?” And boy oh boy, it definitely worked.

Lawrence's jaw was clenched and he stared at you with narrowed eyes, “It's not gonna work.” He responded, forcing a laugh and shaking his head again, he knew what you were doing, but he wouldn't lie and say your attempts at cracking him weren't successful.

Looking at him you raised your eyebrow, a feigned look of innocence on your face, jutting your bottom lip out at him. “Why? You don't think he likes me?”

Before you knew it you were outside of Lawrence's classroom and his hand was on yours stopping you from going any further.

“Ok. Fine. How about you come in and we'll chat for a while, hmm?” He asked through a sigh, as your face instantly brightened as he let you in.

You sat down on his makeshift bed, patting the space beside you for him to join you which he did, a grumpy look still on his face.

Letting out a sigh you nudged his arm, “Come on, you know I was kidding about switching patrol partners right?” He gave you a tight smile, “I know.” He did, he knew you were just trying to get a rise out of him but the thought of you and Harry made his blood boil.

Sparing a glance in your direction he noticed you digging something out of your jacket pocket before nudging him again.

“Here, a piece offering.” You said holding out the bar of chocolate you'd been saving to him, as much as he was getting on your nerves lately, you didn't want him to be mad at you.

The brunette looked at you softly, all of the tension that was in his face melted away and a genuine smile painted his face along with a slight look of confusion.

And that's when it clicked. It was him, it was your umbrella guy. You remembered it so clearly now, you were on your way back from school one afternoon, the weather was absolutely horrible rain was pouring down and it was freezing.

You remembered wanting to get home as quick as you could and get into some dry clothes and keep warm, that was when you saw him, you recognized him from the library where you studied.

He stood at his bus stop with little to no protection from the rain and your heart beat a little quicker for him. Whenever you saw him he was always working so hard, you thought that the rain lashing down on him, fogging up his glasses was not what he deserved, so despite not knowing him you'd given him your protection from the rain, you were almost home anyways, he needed it more than you did, who knows how long he'd be waiting on his bus.

“It's you! You're the boy from the bus stop!” You exclaimed, watching as he laughed at your revaluation.

“I was wondering how long it would take you to remember me.” He admitted, a closed eyed smile on his face.

You laughed in disbelief at the boy in front of you, “I can't believe you! Oh my God your were my umbrella guy? This is so embarrassing…” you trained off, looking away from him, embarrassed.

Lawrence's expression completely changed at the tone of your words, embarrassing? “What's embarrassing about remembering who I am?” He questioned with genuine confusion.

Throwing your head back you groaned, “Because Lawrence! You were my umbrella guy! My umbrella guy!”

“...And?” He inquired his confusion only growing.

“After I gave you my umbrella I couldn't stop thinking about you, it was weird, I'd see you around the library and I'd wanna say hi, but you were always so committed to your studies so I guess I just maybe a little bit… fantasized about what would've happened if I had stayed to talk to you that day, maybe I would've gotten your number and we could've gone out or something. I guess after a while and through all the chaos I forgot all about it.” You confessed, hanging your head and letting your fringe cover your eyes.

Lawrence sheepishly ran his hands through his chestnut hair and cleared his throat, “To be honest, I always thought about you but I didn't forget about you when the virus broke out, and when I met you again it felt as if it was meant to be… it sounds crazy but I'm glad we met again in this messed up world, I wouldn't of had time for you in my regular one.”

Lawrence's heart was pounding as he talked to you, you thought of him back then the same way he thought of you- thinks of you, he was holding on hope that your feelings awakened with figuring out who he was.

Smiling shyly you lifted your head to look at him again, swallowing your pride you leaned your face towards his own, brushing your noses together gently, Lawrence's heart flipped as you opened your mouth to speak, your lips painfully close to his own.

“Well… do you have time for me now?”

Oh he definitely did. He made that clear to you by pressing his lips against yours, softly at first.

His arms moved to wrap around your waist, pulling you into his lap, moving his lips furiously against your own.

Once he pulled away, his honey eyes that were glazed over with desire gazed into yours and he slid his warm hand up your body letting it rest on your cheek, rubbing his thumb along your cheek bone softly.

“All the time in the world.”  

[queenofcats17]

If you are taking prompts atm, please could you do some Reunion Angst or Fluff involving Ruby or Sammy's brother?

Sorry this took so long. I wanted to do this right and I couldn’t write it all out in one go. There are way too many characters to tag, but I’m really proud of this. 

For those who aren’t familiar with it, the Reunion AU is here. 

They all had nightmares.

Father Lawrence woke up in a sweat sometimes, desperately patting his body to make sure it was actually there, that he wasn’t back in the posters. Those hallways still haunted his nightmares. Sometimes, when he closed his eyes at night, he found himself back in that damned studio. He could still hear the screams of the others trapped with him.

“Gerald? What’s wrong?” His wife stirred beside him, sitting up.

“Nothing.” He tried to calm himself, tried to still his shaking hands. Rebecca sighed softly. He couldn’t fool her, not when it came to things like this. She took his hands in hers.

“You’re here.” She said, squeezing his hand. This was for his comfort and hers. There were many nights when she woke, expecting to find the bed beside her empty. She dreamed of those years without him, when she didn’t know whether he was living or dead. The not knowing had been the worst part. The uncertainty of whether her husband and son were gone had been almost unbearable. But she’d managed. She’d had to. Nancy and Jacob needed her.

“I’m…here.” He repeated slowly. He focused on the warmth of his wife’s hands, the feeling of her thumb rubbing across his skin.

“You’re here.” Rebecca leaned over to kiss him gently before resting her forehead against his. Gerald closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

He wasn’t the only member of the search party who dreamed of the studio. Danny dreamed of the studio as well, of being trapped. He dreamed of his dead brother, covered in ink and near mad with fear. He’d heard Joshua’s account of David’s last hours. He dreamed of his uncle, trapped in the body of a cartoon wolf, forced to watch as Wally died over and over again. The others in the walls screamed, but they were the only ones who heard.

Wilma dreamed of the awful day when David had escaped the studio, only to die in the hospital. One son dead, one missing, and her brother nowhere to be found. She’d put on as brave a face as she could, but she regarded that part of her life as one of the darkest she’d gone through. The pain of David’s death had lessened as the years had gone on. She’d come to terms with it. But before Danny and Wally had returned, she’d dreamed about their possible fates. She’d dreamed of them dead, maimed, suffering. She still dreamed of that, sometimes. She had to go and see Danny sleeping in his room to remind herself that her son was still alright.

Nancy dreamed of the loss of her brother and father, of the betrayal perpetrated by Susie Campbell, of her best friends going to war. Her nightmares weren’t as frequent as some of the others, but they still cropped up every so often. She loved her friends and family more than anything. There had been so many times when she’d almost lost them, and she never forgot those. She still thought about Susie’s betrayal, especially now that Susie was back. She’d looked up to Susie, and when the Lawrence family had needed her most, Susie had turned her back on them. She’d spread malicious rumors about Sammy that still persisted. Nancy wasn’t going to forgive her for that. She would put it in the past, but it was not forgiven.

Allison and Susie dreamed of the horrors they’d committed as Malice. The Butcher Gang clones and Borises laid out on their table, screaming for mercy. Their victims always screamed, but it never did them any good. They remembered the feeling of the organs under their hands, the ink between their fingers. It wasn’t enough. It was never enough. They needed to be perfect. She needed to be perfect. They were alone, but together. Sometimes they fought for control of the body. She didn’t want to be doing this. But she did. She had to. She had to be perfect. The demon wouldn’t touch them again. They remembered what that had felt like. The searing pain as their ink melted under the demon’s hand.

They both woke up crying. Dave didn’t ask what was wrong, drawing Allison to his chest and stroking her hair. He didn’t need to. He knew why she was crying. In the past, Susie had been alone when she’d awoken, knowing she’d driven everyone away from her. Right now, Sammy was at her side. He didn’t sleep much, especially now. His dreams were filled with dark hallways and dripping ink. He searched and searched, but there was no one else. There was no escape. The screams wouldn’t stop, always echoing in his mind. He couldn’t remember who he was. Which memories were his? When he woke, he countered his fingers over and over. Five. There had to be five.

“Nightmare?” He asked, looking over at her. He’d been counting his fingers. She could see the sheen of sweat on his brow, the way his shoulders shook.

“I’m sorry.” She mumbled, clumsily wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing her face to his stomach.

“I forgive you.” He began running his fingers through her hair. Five fingers. Always five.

Wally dreamed of being stuck in a body that wasn’t his. He knew this was wrong. He knew. But he couldn’t place how it was wrong. He didn’t think his voice sounded right. But he was Boris the Wolf, wasn’t he? This was how he was supposed to sound. Who was he if he wasn’t Boris? Sometimes he wanted to scream, to throw and break things and curse the name of Joey Drew. But that wouldn’t be very Boris-like, would it? Alice killed him over and over again and he screamed in a voice that was not his own. The Ink Machine always spat him out as Boris.

Murray dreamed of the people he’d hurt, of Joey’s silky voice as Murray held a knife to his own throat. They’d be better off without him. All of them. He was a waste of space. He’d hurt everyone, condemned them to a neverending Hell. In his dreams, they circled and mocked him. It was his fault. It was all his fault. When he sliced into his arms with the razor, he bled black ink. Everything was ink. It was always ink. Ink all around him. Ink above him, ink under his feet. The ink dragged him down, filling his lungs and mouth. When he saw his reflection, it was Bendy.

“You’re better off as me.” The little demon smiled unnaturally wide. “Everyone loves me! I’m the Little Devil Darling! You’re just a mistake.” Murray covered his face and cried, his hands coming away wet with ink.

Thomas, Shawn, and Grant dreamed of the torture, their twisting bodies. They screamed, but no sound ever came out. They didn’t know who they were. There was only pain. Only the screams of beings that were not them. Why wouldn’t it stop? Why were they here? They couldn’t think. Thomas tinkered with his machines to keep his mind off the dreams. Machines were always the same. They didn’t change. He liked that. He liked figuring out how they worked. There was comfort in taking them apart and putting them back together. Shawn worked on his toys. The repetition of the thread weaving in and out of the cloth calmed his racing heartbeat. And when he pricked himself with the needle, he saw red, not black. Grant fell back on mathematical calculations, the sight of his office walls covered in scribbles flashing across his mind. He shook his head, returning to the calculations. Math never changed. It was always the same. They were human. They were fine.

Joshua, Chris, and the Campbell boys dreamed of war. They dreamed of the jungle and fire and death. They didn’t even need to be asleep to be transported back to that hellscape. Many had gone through therapy to readjust to normal life, which had helped, but some were still worse off than others. Matt woke up clutching at the stump where his arm had been. He held his arm to his chest and cried quietly, his breath coming in quick gasps. He’d always wanted to play baseball. It had been his dream since he’d been a little boy. That wasn’t a possibility anymore. Ruby sometimes heard her father crying in the next room when he thought she was sleeping.

“Why does Daddy cry at night?” She asked her Hye one day. “He only does it when he thinks I’m sleeping.“

“Your father’s been through a lot,” Hye replied, gathering Ruby in her lap. “He needs to let it out sometimes. You just make sure you let him know he’s loved.” Ruby nodded with an adorably solemn expression. She always made sure to give him a hug the next day. This never failed to make Chris smile. He loved his little girl so much.

Joshua and Cordelia helped each other through their nightmares. It hadn’t taken long for Cordelia to realize that the wars Joshua had been in still haunted him. When they woke up screaming or crying, they held each other, coaching each other through their breathing. Cordelia’s nightmares tended to vary. Sometimes she dreamed of the horrors of the studio, sometimes she dreamed of Joshua on the battlefield. She’d been so scared when he’d been off at war. She’d been too young to remember what her father had been like before he’d gone off to war. But she knew the shadow of a person he’d become because of the war. She’d been terrified of who Joshua would be when he returned. or that he wouldn’t return at all. But he had come back. Joshua didn’t talk about the war and Cordelia didn’t ask.

Esther had had nightmares about her brother ever since he’d run away from home at 18. They’d evolved now that she knew exactly what he’d been doing in that studio. Before, she’d dreamed of the terrible fate her brother might have encountered after running away. Dead, kidnapped, injured. He’d watched her with dead eyes, saying that she could have saved him. She’d been so scared of what might have happened to him. Now that she knew what he’d been doing in that studio, she dreamed of those who Joey had hurt. She dreamed of him trapped in the ink, alone and scared. Their blood was on her hands. She could have stopped this. If she’d just pushed a little harder. If she’d just stayed by her brother’s side. If she hadn’t abandoned him, she could have kept him on the right path. She could have stopped him from becoming a monster. It was her fault.

Isaac and Rachel dreamed of the horrors of the studio. They hadn’t forgotten what they’d seen. The ink, the creatures. Rachel dreamed of her mistakes, of the people she’d hurt with her relentless pursuit of the truth. She dreamed of ending up just like her uncle and having everyone hate her. Isaac, a naturally anxious boy, had a lot of different nightmares about a lot of different things. His were more of the standard 12-year-old variety. But sometimes he dreamed of his sister following the same path that their uncle did. He didn’t want to lose her like their mother had lost Joey.

Bertram didn’t have all that many nightmares. Sometimes he dreamed of being trapped in his ride at the studio. Of being alone in the darkness. No one had come near him for fear that he would lash out at them. He’d always preferred being alone, but being alone for that long had been torture. More often than not, though, he dreamed of the falling out he and his sister had had with their parents. He dreamed of the yelling, the shaming. Charlotte had been so distraught by their parents’ reactions to her beau. For her, he’d turned his back on their family.

Roy’s most prevalent nightmares were about his accident, but when Chris had gone off to war his anxiety about the artist’s fate had entered his dreams as well. He’d just been coming to terms with his feelings toward Chris at the time and having Chris go off to war had certainly forced him to face them head-on. He’d woken up more than once from nightmares where Chris came home in a box. Now that Chris was home and safe, the nightmares about the accident had returned. They were strange and distorted, irons and stage lights and searing pain. He was used to them by this point.

Joey’s dreams were filled with guilt. He had killed people. He had manipulated people. He had tortured them and trapped them in a Hell of his own making because he was unable to admit his own failures. It was his fault. Many times before, he’d tried to explain away his actions by blaming others. It was always someone else’s fault, not his own.

Essie shouldn’t have abandoned me.

Ma and Pa should have supported me.

Henry should have pushed me harder to do the right thing.

It’s not my fault. The world failed me.

But now…There was no deflecting now. He had done this to himself. There was no one to blame but himself. He knew this. He dreamed of the pain he’d caused. Norman with his throat cut, bleeding out onto Joey’s hands. Susie distraught and sobbing in his arms as he whispered poison in her ears. Sammy, body and mind destroyed, begging for mercy that wouldn’t come from a “God” that didn’t care. The faces of the search party as he tore them apart and sealed them in the walls. Wally begging for his life while strapped to a table. Grant in his office, scribbling on the walls, eyes wide and wild, mind shattered. Murray holding a knife to his wrists, Joey’s hands on top of his. He could repent all he liked, it wouldn’t change what happened. It wouldn’t change that one of Wilma’s sons was dead. It wouldn’t give them back all the time they’d lost. He couldn’t undo the damage he’d wrought on everyone. But he could try and make things better.

Henry dreamed of all of the above. He dreamed of war, the studio, loss. But he’d moved on. He managed. This wasn’t a story about him. Not really.

They all had nightmares. And they always would. But, hopefully, they would fade. Nightmares always did.

[worshippingmendes-blog]

2 am - Part 4

Yeah I don’t know what this is, but enjoy! Feedback is always appreciated!

masterlist 

“Shawn?” Andrew asked the tall boy sitting in front of him, trying to get his attention.

”Shawn?”

On the third try Shawn snapped out of it and turned to his manager.

“Huh?”

Andrew rolled his eyes at him before letting out a sigh.

“You have distracted this entire week, what’s going on kid?”

Shawn gently traced his finger along the strings of the guitar before looking up.

“I met someone”

This caught Teddy’s attention as well and she looked at him with hope in her eyes.

Andrew was taken back slightly of the sudden confession before his face softened.

“What’s her name?”

Shawn couldn’t help but smile as her name rolled over his lips.

“Y/n”

Andrew and Teddy shared a look before they once again turned to the lovesick boy.

“So she’s the reason to why haven’t played the right chord for a week?”

Shawn nodded with a smirk plastered on his lips.

“She’s… amazing”

“Everytime I look at her I just, I get this feeling like I just want to hold her and never let go”

Teddy smiled big as she put a hand on his shoulder.

“You’re in love dude”

He looked up at her with confusion written on his forehead.

“Nooo” He said in denial, dragging out on the o’s.

Andrew nodded.

“Yes you are, you’re in love”

Shawn held his hands up

“Fine! Maybe I am”

Andrew pat him gently on his knee before he got up.

“Great, now let’s write some song about it”

Shawn just rolled his eyes but he couldn’t help but let out a laugh. Maybe he was in love, in love with the girl he had only met a month earlier.

  From : Shawn❤️

let’s do something tonight? it’s friday after all

From: Y/N

Sure I’m free! Chinese and alcohol?

From: Shawn❤️

You read my mind, mine at 7?

From: Y/N

I’ll be there!

As soon as your shift ended you made your way to Shawn’s. With two six pack of beer in your hands you walked into his apartment, forgetting to knock.

“Shawn! I brought beer!” You yelled into the seemingly empty apartment, where the curly headed boy were nowhere to be seen.

“Whoa, I didn’t hear you there honey” A voice said behind you.

You turned around only to face Shawn, straight from the shower. Towel wrapped around his waist, showing of his toned stomach. Hair wet and dripping onto his shoulders. He looked like snack you wouldn’t mind tasting. He gave you a wink before going into his bedroom to change.

”Pictures last longer”

You shook your head but didn’t even try to suppress the smile that was creeping up on your lips.

Grabbing a beer you sat down in his couch and made yourself at home, turned on the tv and went into netflix.

Thinking that his profile looked a little lonely on the big screen, you added another and named it “babe”. As a joke, of course.

Shawn returns to the living room, but this time, to your disappointment, fully dressed in a tight black t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants.

Grabbing a beer himself, he sat down next to you on the couch.

He looked with confusion on the screen before turning to you.

“Babe huh?”

You raised your eyebrows and gave him a wink.

“Yes, I thought it looked a bit lonely”

Shawn nodded and lifted up his legs, leaving his feet in your lap.

“Well then, babe, choose a movie and I’ll order some food”

You felt your heart flutter at the nickname but you tried to brush it off, he only said it as a joke, of course.

You searched netflix for a movie and finally settled on grown ups 2, sending a look at Shawn you noticed how focused he looked as he sat there looking at food.

His eyebrows were slightly wrinkled, and the tip of his tongue was sticking out of the corner of his mouth.

He catched you staring and looked up, sending you a wide smile, causing you to blush.

“You’re not allergic to peanuts are you?”

You shook your head and sent him a smile.

“Okay, and... sent! Food will be here in 20”

He said proudly, putting his phone on the table in front of him.

“Good boy” You joked, grabbing the remote control.

“Now let’s watch the movie”

You pressed play and the movie started, and you soon regretted wearing jeans. Uncomfortably you shifted positions every 30 seconds, causing Shawn to finally pause the movie.

”Can you sit still please?” He laughed.

”I can’t, my jeans are really uncomfortable” You whined and pointed to the blue fabric covering your bottom half.

“I have sweatpants that you can borrow” Shawn said, looking innocently at you.

“If you want to”

He shrugged his shoulders and leaned back into the couch again.

“Yes please, thank you!!” You said, standing up.

“Middle door, bottom shelf” He said with a smile and you held your hands up in a prayer.

“My savior!”

His laugh echoed through the apartment as you made your way to his bedroom. Quickly you found a pair of sweatpants and put them on. They were way too big and you had to tie them twice for them not to fall off.

You shrugged your shoulders and made your way back to the boy. He was standing in the door frame, probably getting the food.

“Y/n?” A familiar voice said, and you froze.

Walking up to the door your eyes met the blonde boy’s.

“Chris?”

The boy gave you a smile as he handed Shawn your food.

“It’s been a while popcorn”

Shawn sent you a look, which you ignored.

“What are you doing here?”

“Hey, I’m just delivering food! A better question is what are you doing in this guy’s apartment? Is he your boyfriend?”

You felt yourself getting angrier at the second at your cocky ex.

“It’s none of your fucking business, Christopher”

He held his hands up, but there was still a smirk on his lips.

“Okay, I see you’re still as much of a bitch as you were two years ago”

You were about to hit the guy as Shawn stepped in front of you. His tall frame towered over the blonde boy.

“I think you should go now” his voice was dark and threatening. Christopher took a step back before turning on his heels and making his way out of your sight.

Shawn closed the door and immediately turned to you.

“What was that about?”

You let out a deep sigh, not wanting to have the discussion again.

“My asshole ex who cheated on me”

He was taken back by your answer before giving you a sympathetic look.

“Sorry”

You shook your head and grabbed the food.

“It’s okay, let’s just eat. I’m starving”

Shawn eyes over your body for a few seconds, admiring the way you looked in his clothes. It was a sight he could get used to.

He walked before you to the couch and sat down in one of the corners.

As you walked by him he grabbed your wrist, pulling you down to sit next to him instead.

“You’re lucky I didn’t drop that food”

He giggled as he grabbed a container of noodles and a pair of chopsticks.

“Shut up and start the movie, babe”

You rolled your eyes at him, but did as he told you anyways.

“You know, we can move on from the ‘babe’ thing now”

He shook his head, mouth full of noodles.

“Fine, then I’ll call you sweetie”

He grunted under his breath in disapproval, making you let out a giggle.

As you finished the food only half of the movie had passed.

“I’m cold” Shawn whined.

“Then grab a blanket sweetie”

Now it was his turn to roll his eyes.

”Fine, I’ll just use you then”

You wrinkled your brows and before you knew it you were sitting in between his legs.

”Shawn, you’re boiling” you laughed.

”Maybe” he mumbled into the top of your head as he wrapped his arms around you.

”Okay what are you doing?”

”Cuddling”

You shook your shoulders and leaned back into his chest.

”Can’t argue with that”

He giggled and let go of you.

”I mean, when a handsome guy as you wants to cuddle a sack of potatoes as myself, it would be foolish to say no” He let out a giggle.

”In that case you’re a really cute sack of potatoes”

He mumbled under his breath, causing the butterflies in your stomach to wake up again.

You cleared your throat and stood up.

“Do you have anything stronger than beer?”

He smirked and got up, opening a cabinet full of different kinds of alcohol. Leaving the long forgotten movie still playing.

“Holy shit” you said

Shawn got out something neon pink and two shot glasses.

“Cheers babe” He said with a wink and drank the pink liquid. You did the same and you felt it burn as it made its way down your throat.

The evening passed by quickly, with more drinking of the pink stuff and something green Shawn found logged behind some old pasta.

“ So you would rather marry Emma Watson than Jennifer Lawrence?”  you giggled.

“Yes? I mean have you seen Harry Potter?” he said defensively.

“Okay but your turn, Tom Holland or KJ Apa?”

“Oh please, that’s too easy” you complained

“Tom Holland is a snack I wouldn’t mind taking a bite of”

Something in Shawn’s eyes changed at your sentence. They almost turned a shade darker. Honey to coffee.

“Do you think that Tom dude would do this?”

He leaned closer and closed the distance between your lips. His lips were soft and tasted sweet with a hint of alcohol.

You placed a hand on his neck, deepening the kiss. Maybe it was the mix of alcohol and the fact that your normal instincts were pretty much gone, but it felt right. Your lips fit together perfectly, complimenting each other.

Shawn pulled away for a second before slowly pushing you down on the floor. His tall figure hoovered over your body as he gently placed a kiss on your jawline, slowly making his way down your neck. Leaving purple marks that would be visible for days to come. You couldn’t help but let out a whimper at the feeling, and you felt him smirk against your hot skin. His lips ghosted over your ear, sending shivers down your spine and leaving goosebumps on your skin.

“Let’s take this to the bedroom shall we?”

You nodded and he lifted you up from the floor, carrying you bridal style into his bedroom. The squeal that escaped your lips as he slammed the door behind him was filled with pure excitement.

The sun was shining through the thin blinds covering his windows ,making him wake up,

His head was pounding, and he immediately regretted drinking the day before. He looked out over the room, clothes were scattered over the floor. But it was only his. A quick look to the right confirmed his suspicions. She was gone. His heart dropped at the sight of the empty bed.

Slowly, he sat up and tried to remember the events of last night. There was something about a crazy ex, an unfinished movie and nicknames.

He quickly put on a pair of boxers and made his way to the bathroom. His hair was messy, curls messily tangled in each other. And his neck, there was purple marks scattered over it. Another reminder of last nights event.

Shawn washed his face and brushed his teeth before he went to grab breakfast. He couldn’t understand why she left. Did he do something wrong? Was he bad? The thoughts were infinite as he grabbed the cereal from the top shelf.

Maybe she only saw him as a friend and the only reason to last night was the alcohol?

Maybe he stepped over the boundaries and ruined their friendship?

Maybe he had, once again, lost a good girl.

@merna221b

[qualitytrashmaterial]

Let's Start the New Year Right

Let's watch the old year die  With a fond goodbye  And our hopes as high  As a kite  How can our love go wrong if  We start the new year right?

Summary: Danny had been saving up for this surprise for a while, but she had decided she had waited long enough to ask this question. And what better way to start the new year than asking the question to the person you love the most? Lawstein fluff.

Paring: Lawstien

Word Count: 1,118

AO3 Link

Chapter 11/? from “Always, For You: A Carmilla Playlist”

Danny stood off in the kitchen by the drink table and she scans the room, smiling softly. It had been a while since the whole gang was together and what better way to ring in the new year than hanging out with the old Scooby gang. Even having Laura Hollis around again felt nice. It had been years since Silas and Danny and Laura had made up and her feelings for the small blonde had faded long ago. It was nice to feel as though they could be friends again. Carmilla and Laura had even settled whatever feelings had still been between them after their break up. But none of that mattered anymore. Tonight was finally the end of the year and Danny had been prepping for this moment for a long time.

Five minutes till midnight and Danny placed her glass down on the table, ready to make her escape to the bedroom to get the thing that’ll really ring in the new year right. Only she spotted Carmilla making her way over to her. Quickly Danny managed to catch Kirsch’s eye and nod towards Carmilla. He must have gotten the message and made his way over to her, starting up some conversation with her.

Danny let out a small sigh of relief and slipped into their bedroom, heading straight for her dresser. Thankfully she had let Kirsch in on what she had been planning on for months. He was a goof, but Danny trusted him fully to keep the secret, especially since he and Carmilla never had much reason to interact unless Danny was there. She dug in the back of her top drawer, pulling out the sock and dumping the small black box into her palm. Danny let out a slow calming breath and opened it, looking at the small silver ring. It wasn’t anything super fancy just a small silver band with a few Celtic knots around it and a small red stone at the center. She had been saving up for a few months and had her eye on it for a while. It was the only one she had seen that seemed to fit Carmilla.

Three minutes till midnight. Danny quietly shut the box and stuffed it in her pocket. She slid the drawer shut and slipped back out to the party. Carmilla instantly comes to her side and Danny smiled softly.

“Hey, hon. You doing okay?” Danny asked, fully aware that she was not a big party person. She figured the gang would be a fine enough crowd and there was really no other reason to invite anyone else. Carmilla nodded, leaning into her side. Danny could tell she was feeling exhausted, she was a creature of the night, but this was a lot of stimulation and she was drained. Danny leaned down and kissed the top of her head, gently rubbing her shoulder.

“It’s okay, I don’t think everyone is sticking around for long once the ball drops.” She says, hugging her close. Carmilla nodded again.

Two minutes till midnight and Danny can feel the anxiety slowly creeping its way into her. She reached down with her free hand, brushing her fingers against the box again. Danny knew she was overreacting. It was Carmilla for Hera’s sake, she knew Carmilla would have no reason to say no. But that didn’t stop the wave of anxiety from making her stomach churn and her breath quicken. Had she still been a human, she was sure her heart would be going a million beats a minute. Let Aphrodite and Hera bless her.

“Here we go!” Kirsch cheers, handing everyone a glass of champagne as the clock reached sixty seconds until midnight. He gave Danny a confident smile. She was sure hers was meek, showing just how tense she was. He placed a quick pat on her shoulder before turning towards the TV.

52

51

50

Danny pulled Carmilla over towards the couch, watching the countdown, taking a spot by the armrest. She does a double check the space around them. Yeah, it was her own apartment, but she wanted to be sure she didn’t knock something over and embarrass herself. She was already putting everything out there.

46

45

44

Danny closed her eyes and tried to take a steady breath. She let her arm fall from Carmilla’s shoulders to take her hand. Holding onto her hand always helped to ground her.

31

30

29

She looks up at Danny, giving her a soft and calming smile. Butterflies let loose in her stomach. Gods give her strength. She was Danny Lawrence, an immortal badass who fought monsters throughout her college career. Asking the love of her life this question shouldn’t terrify her. Yet it did.

10

9

8

Oh, gods here it comes.

5

4

Another heavy sigh. Danny let go of Carmilla’s hand, changing the glass to her other hand. She shoved her free one into her pocket, clutching onto the box. A quick thought of maybe I shouldn’t flashed through her mind.

3

2

No, it was happening.

1

“Happy New Year!” Everyone cheers. She felt Carmilla turn, trying to pull her down for a kiss. Instead, Danny pushed her glass into Carmilla’s hand and pulled the box out as she sunk down to one knee. Her face read nothing but confusion and a nervous smile pulled at the corner of her mouth.

“Mircalla Karnstein,” Danny paused, gathering herself and making sure her voice stays steady. “Will you make me the happiest woman in the world?” She hadn’t moved, her eyes were wide, just staring at Danny with her mouth hanging open.

“I-I...what’s…” She couldn’t finish her question.

“Carmilla, will you marry me?” Danny asked. She could feel every muscle in her body shaking, fully aware that everyone’s eyes were on her. She swore they could all tell. But there was only one person who mattered. Danny could see a smile growing on her lips and wait, were those tears? They were.

“Yes, Xena, yes. Absolutely.” Danny grinned, surely looking like a giant smiling idiot and slipped the ring on her finger. She could hear Kirsch let out a whoo-hoo as well as the others clapping. A small sigh of relief escaped her lips, but she knew she shouldn’t be surprised. Of course, Carmilla would have said yes.

Danny forced herself up off the ground and instantly Carmilla’s hands are on her cheeks, pulling her down for a kiss. She smiled into it, hugging her waist.

“Happy New Year, fiancee,” Danny said once they pulled apart. Carmilla was beaming up at her.

“Happy New Year.” What better way to start the year than being engaged to the love of her life?

[percywinchester27]

Tic Tac Toe (Part-13)

Word count: 4.9k-ish

Pairing: Sam X Reader

Warnings: Angst, Feels, Fluff! 

Series Summary: The reader shifts into a new city after being offered a dream job by a big firm. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect after an ugly break-up with a douche-bag Ex. But things turn out not as dreamy as she’d want them to be and the only thing that keeps her smiling is a totally coincidental game of Tic Tac Toe.

A/N: Okay I LOVE this chapter. For so many reasons!! I hope you guys do too :)

Please leave some feedback? It’s what keeps me going. LOVE Y’all!

Beta: The forever awesome @sdavid09 and my darling @vougebandit. You guys rock!!

Catch up: Part 1, Tic Tac Toe Masterlist

As you closed your eyes, scooting as close as possible to Sam without touching him in that tiny bed, you vowed that tomorrow, you'd make it up to him, because he was worth so much more than the trivial accusations. He was the best and you promised yourself that you'd do everything to show him exactly that...

Reader's POV:

You opened your eyes, feeling the chill settle in every part of your body. The room was light, so you guessed it was morning already, but it wasn't light enough to be too late. How you wished that you had woken up like yesterday, innocently nestled in Sam's arms, but he was still sleeping ramrod straight on his back, away from you. The only contact was where your hand rested on his stomach as you slept on your side facing him.

His face didn't look as serene as you'd come to expect, but the creases on his forehead weren't too pronounced either. They were sublime and it made you feel horrible. The corners of your eyes pricked and you gulped, willing yourself to be stronger. This was your screw up so you didn't get to play the victim here.

Carefully, you scooted closer to Sam on the ridiculously small bed. He'd had to sleep on the extreme edge to achieve the feat of not touching you at all. Was he that upset? Was he that mad? It made you hesitate, but then you made up your mind and pushed your hand farther, wrapping it around his waist and snuggling close to him.

Sam stilled underneath you, and you immediately closed your eyes, groaning sleepily.

You could feel Sam draw in a deep breath, before his hand settle over your head, hesitantly. It lingered there for a fraction of a second and then he removed it. You could hear his small sigh.

"Is there any chance you'd consider forgiving me?" You asked in a small voice.

Sam gently disentangled his torso from your limbs, and propped himself up on his elbows. "Y/N?"

Timidly, you peeked up at him. His eyes were confused but clear like the morning sky. There was no anger or resentment there.

"Why would I be angry with you?"

"Because of last night?" You looked down. It would have been better if Sam was angry, because you couldn't offer an explanation when he wasn't asking for one.

"You mean for pretending to be asleep when I came in, and then walking out on me in the dead of the night?"

"Yes that." You hung your head.

Sam put a finger underneath your chin and lifted it up. You looked up to see that he was smiling a small smile. You launched into an explanation still.

"I just… I am so sorry…"

"Shhhh…." He put a finger to your lips. "Why are you saying sorry?"

"Because," you started slowly, "Because I think I hurt you."

"No you did not," Sam said firmly. "Last night, I asked you to wait up for me, and then when I figured out that you were pretending to sleep, and later when you walked out, I was afraid that maybe I pushed you too soon."

Oh god! Sam was making this about himself, when it wasn't.

He continued. "I know it's been just a week, and you're right, it is too soon. I should have realized that you must still be not ready… after what happened with your Ex."

You simply stared at him. All that time you'd spent worrying that Sam would be angry with you, he'd been beating himself up and feeling guilty about something that had nothing to do with yesterday. But like hell you were going to tell him the truth. It was better to let him feel guilty about this than telling him what happened last evening. You didn't want to cause a fight between Sam and John.

"Why didn't you talk to me last night? Why didn't you stop me from going away?" You asked.

"I-I wanted to. But I was scared that if I stopped you, I'd just push you further away," he said, running his fingers through his hair.

"No, Sam!" You said finally, not able to keep it in. "It's not you. You can never push me, you are not that person. I just wasn't in a good space and I didn't want to drag you with me. I was so scared that I'd hurt you in the process."

You expected Sam to refute your apology, but he seemed deep in thought.

"I thought you had decided to go sleep in the guest room actually, and I couldn't sleep so I took a walk downstairs to the pier, to clear my head, and I saw you there, sitting with Dean."

You stilled. "What?"

"Yeah," he said. "The two of you were talking, so I turned and walked back up. Put out clothes for you and then went to sleep."

"But I thought you couldn't sleep," you pointed out.

"Yeah I had been over thinking before, but then I saw you with Dean and that relaxed me a little. I figured Dean would make everything alright," he shrugged, making you smile.

"He's kind of awesome, isn't he?"

"Yeah, he gets it from me," Sam smirked.

"Shut up!" You giggled, and he laughed with you, the sound echoing off the tiny cluttered walls. You couldn't help yourself. You slowly leaned forward, making your intentions perfectly clear and captured his lips in yours, kissing him slowly, but deeply.

Sam's hand reflexively came up to brush the hair out of your face, as he closed his eyes, the other hand clutching at the exposed skin of your lower back where the plaid had ridden up. You moaned into his mouth when you felt his skin come in contact with yours and your hands tugged at the hem of his T-shirt.

Sam's hands immediately cuffed your wrists, tucking them at your side, as he pulled away. You gave him a confused look, and he shook his head.

"Not like this, Y/N. Not because you feel like you have to, and certainly not because you think it's your job to make up for what happened yesterday. We'll do it only because we want to."

You wanted to tell him that he was wrong. That you were doing this because you wanted to, but he was right. Even though most of you wanted to do this, had wanted to do this since the minute you set eyes on him, there was a part of you that felt guilty about last night. Taking this next step because of any reason apart from love would be unfair to Sam, unfair to both of you.

You sighed and rolled over, but Sam's hand shot out to grip you before you completely fell over.

"Hey," he whispered softly, his face coming to nuzzle your neck. "I love you!"

"I love you too," you smiled, wondering for the umpteenth time how in the name of everything that is holy did you get so lucky?

"C'mon handsome," you slapped his back lightly, "We need to be up and about. I'll hit the showers first."

The breakfast was an awkward affair. You tried to be perfectly polite to both John and Mary, but that also made you awfully formal. John seemed to be a little surprised, and Mary seemed on edge, but it was good that Sam hadn't really seen you interact with his parents much to note the difference.

He did seem bemused at the lack of conversation though, but you had decided to hold your own in front of John. Sure the company was his, but right now, he was your boyfriend's dad and whatever image he might be harboring of you wasn't true, so you weren't going to steal looks, no. You were going to raise that chin and walk around with dignity. John Winchester could suck it.

The weirdest thing was, as formal as you were with John, Sam was even more so. Their conversation mostly revolved around the big employee shift from the head office to one in Lawrence and from Lawrence to unit 3. It seemed even more prescribed than office meetings. You tried to pay complete attention to your conversation with Mary, but snippets could still be overheard from theirs.

You gathered that there was supposed to be some big send off party in the evening for all the staff moving around. That, and the fact that January was going to be one hell of a month because of all the management changes. You didn't know whether you were excited for it, or already tired at the prospect.

It was only when Mary had disappeared into the kitchen to get more eggs that you really paid attention. It seemed that Sam was refusing to be at the party.

Later, when the two of you were out shopping, you brought it up with him.

"Why do you not want to go that party?"

"So you heard that huh?" He asked, his eyes not giving away anything.

"Yeah, I caught bits and parts," you shrugged. "So why do you not want to go?"

Sam considered for a minute, before slowly saying, "It's a campfire. I-I thought maybe you wouldn't want to go."

"Why wouldn't I?" You smirked. "Don't you want to show off your new girlfriend?"

All the worry dissipated from Sam's eyes. "Of course I want to."

The two of you spent the morning getting you some clothes. A couple tank tops and pajama shorts. That would suffice till you went to your mom's place for New Year. Despite the jokes you'd made with Dean, you paid for your own clothes.

That afternoon, Sam took you to a small but very comfortable bistro. He did all those things you knew he would, like pulling chairs, opening doors, asking you to pick what you wanted to eat instead of just picking it for you, but it still surprised you. Mark was a dick, and you shouldn't even be thinking of comparing Sam to him, but Sam's gentlemanly instincts took you by surprise anyway.

"Are you gonna tell me which embarrassing stories Dean told you about me last night?" Sam asked. His tone was light, but you could sense that he was curious.

"Just one," you winked. "Something about a failed math test."

Sam chuckled. "Of course he had to tell that!"

"He came there looking for you actually," you told him. "Thought he'd find you there. Guess, he wasn't wrong after all, was he?"

"No he wasn't." Sam smiled.

The rest of the conversation flowed easily, but you couldn't help but wonder whether Sam had something on his mind. You wanted to ask him, but you also knew that if he was ready to share, he'd do it himself. When it was time to leave and both you and Sam were in the car, he looked you deep in the eyes.

"Do you really want to go the campfire?" He asked earnestly.

"Do you?" You countered.

In that one second, he slipped. You could see through him, that he was hesitating taking you there, and for the life of you, you couldn't fathom why.

"Look, if you don't wanna go, we don't have to," you told him. "It doesn't matter whether I want to or not, because I want to spend the evening with you."

He gave you a long searching look, before you saw the resolve form in his eyes. "You want to go, so we are going."

"But-"

"Don't worry about it, okay?"

Sam's POV:

The night was very chilly, and Sam was worried about the fact that Y/N didn't have a coat. The afternoon had been relatively warm and during all the shopping it hadn't occurred to either of them to buy a coat.

Sam smiled to himself as he shrugged out of his own coat and offered it to Y/N. "Here," he said. "It's getting cold."

She grinned slyly up at him and Sam could have kissed her then and there.

"Don't go thinking you can keep this one too," he reminded her. "You already have one of mine."

"I plan to do no such thing, Sir," she looked up at him through her long lashes, making his heart skip a beat. She was doing it on purpose and that warmed his panicked heart a bit as they walked towards the backyard of the house where a huge campfire had been set up.

Sam could feel his pulse quicken the moment he saw the roaring fire. It seemed to meet the sky as the flames consumed the fuel, reducing it to red hot embers. He didn't realise he'd stopped walking till Y/N tugged at his arm.

"Sam?" She asked softly.

He resumed walking, knowing how this must look to her and he hated himself for not being completely able to assuage her insecurities. He could guess what she was thinking, that he was embarrassed to show her off in front of his staff, as if such a belief could even exist. Truth be told, Sam felt proud to be walking next to her. She was kind and charming and so very brave, and that was why he was reluctant to come to the campfire, especially with her.

She was brave, and he wasn't.

He knew he should have told her the moment she first asked, but he could also see the excitement in her eyes at the mention of the gathering. And so he didn't. He didn't tell her how excruciatingly scared he was of fire, and of having her anywhere near fire.

Scenes from the night before's nightmare flashed across his vision. The burning house, the restraining hands and the dying scream… Y/N's scream. Sam had to fight the urge to tightly grasp Y/N's hand and drag her as far away from the scene before him as possible. Hide her from his own cruel fate, but he knew his thoughts were selfish, just like his fears. He held Y/N just a little tighter.

A slap on his back pulled Sam away from his thoughts.

"Long time, no see, son!"

Sam turned around to see Bobby, and he could help the smile that spread across his lips.

"Bobby!" He exclaimed and hugged the old man. "How've you been doing?"

"Good, good! Just missing the good old days, ya know," he said, turning towards Y/N. "You must be Y/N Y/L/N, right? Jo's told us so much about you, and how talented you are."

Y/N gave him a genuine smile. "Likewise Mr. Singer. It's good to finally meet you."

Sam could see Ellen just beyond the burning stack, deep in conversation with Jo and Dean, who seemed to be sweating bullets. Sam knew it had nothing to do with the campfire and Dean's nervousness over the proposal made him smile.

Sam thought it was great that Jo was choosing to stay back in Lawrence after the shift, but he had to admit, as happy as he was for his brother, he was going to miss having her around. They made their way towards her and Jo hugged Y/N hard.

"This is my mom, Ellen," she introduced Ellen, "and my cousin Castiel."

"It's Cas," Cas shook hands with Y/N before pulling Sam into a hug. "It's great to see you Sam."

"Same, Cas," Sam smiled. He then turned to Y/N. "Cas is also an associate with the firm, Y/N."

"And my best friend," Dean piped in. He still looked pale and Sam had to control his grin.

He watched closely as Dean stepped forward and pulled Y/N into a brief hug. She too willingly wrapped her hands around his waist and whispered something in his ear and then both of them laughed. It was a private moment and Sam let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding. Up until this point he hadn't realized how important it was to him for Y/N to like Dean and Dean to like her back. They were the two most important people to him now. And seeing them like this made him feel relieved.

Sam watched Y/N disentangle from Dean and converse politely with Cas and Ellen and he couldn't help but feel like the luckiest guy in the world. She was doing so much for him, meeting his family, adjusting to his life especially after what had happened at the office.

He owed her the truth. She deserved to know why he didn't want her to come to the campfire.

Sam bowed his head so it was close to her ear and whispered. "Wanna get out of here?"

She gave him a questioning look which changed into a resigned one. "Sure," she smiled.

He took her hand and guided her towards the back porch. From there, the view of the campfire was clearly visible, but it was far away from eavesdropping ears. Sam led her to the creaky swing and sat down on in, pulling her besides him. She sat willingly enough, her hair swirling around her face. Sam took the stolen moment to himself as he tucked it back in its place.

"We shouldn't have come here, if you didn't want to-"

"be seen with you?" He completed, leaving her dumbstruck.

"Well yeah," she shrugged, trying to hide the hurt in her eyes.

"You really thought that was the reason, didn't you?" Sam looked at her, while she wrangled her fingers in her lap.

"You remember the other night? When I called you at 3 in the morning?"

Y/N looked up and nodded, but it was clear that this was the last thing she had expected him to say. "Yeah, I remember."

"I obviously didn't call you only because I wanted to hear your voice," he laughed mirthlessly, but she was still listening very attentively.

"I- I have trouble sleeping, Y/N. I think you know this, but when I was just an intern at WAA, my house burned down to ground. My then girlfriend, Jessica, she died in that fire." Sam looked up to see your face, expecting god knows what, but instead he found a look of utter compassion there.

"I'm sorry, Sam… I knew that, but I didn't bring it up with you because I knew you would tell me about it when you were ready."

Sam nodded. He gulped once before speaking. "I reached there in time, you know. They told me the fire had been raging on for a couple hours now and that there was no chance that she could be alive. So they didn't let me go in. I struggled and yanked against the arms holding me back, but they wouldn't give up. They didn't give up till I gave up. And you know what? She was alive in there. Somehow she was still alive. We heard her scream that one last dying scream. If only I hadn't listened to them, there was a chance that I could have saved her."

Y/N looked alarmed. "Sam… If you are trying to say that what happened to Jessica was your fault-"

"But wasn't it?" Sam countered, his voice raising off his own accord. "It was Y/N! I should never have given up. But the truth is, it's all my fault, because I was too damn scared to go into that fire."

"Sam what are you saying?" She asked in a low voice.

He took a deep breath to compose himself, before speaking again. "When I was 6 months old, my nursery caught fire." If Y/N had looked alarmed before, she was looking horrified now. Sam continued, "I of course don't remember any of it, but I have a scar on my back from where my skin was burned. I would have died… but mom… she saved me. She pulled me into her arms and took the worst of it upon herself."

"Jesus Christ, Sam," she whispered, horror struck. "How did the two of you survive?"

"Dad pulled her out," Sam said, his voice starting to break a little. "He pulled her out, and Dean saved me from the fire. Her burns weren't intensive, mostly just superficial, but she took a hit to her head because of a beam. There was severe concussion and that landed her in coma. She was there for 4 years."

"4 years?" Y/N was appalled.

"Yeah," Sam sighed. "That and years of therapy after that to get her completely on her feet like she is now. Dean practically raised me. He's been more of a parent to me that either of them actually. I owe just about everything I achieved in my life to him." It was true, and Sam was proud to admit it. Dean was there every time Sam had needed him, as a brother, as a parent and a best friend.

"What about John?"

Sam scoffed. "Every time he saw me, it reminded him of what had happened to his happy family, I guess. He drowned himself in work when mom was in the hospital… Guess he and I are not that different after all, are we?"

Her hands came to cup his face and Sam was shocked to see the tears swimming in her eyes. "Don't say that, Sam. You are a person of your own, and you are very brave."

Sam wanted to believe her, but he couldn't because that was a lie, and she needed to know that. She needed to see him for who he really was.

"Am I, Y/N?" He asked, looking away. "So I was scared of fire, so I was afraid of what had happened to mom, but that didn't give me the right to give up on my girlfriend. She could have been saved, and it's all my damn fault!"

"No Sam, it isn't. For god's sake stop saying it. You didn't give up on her. You would have given up only if you knew she was alive and you had purposely chosen to ignore that. Instead you fought for her even when everyone was convinced she was dead. The fact that she hadn't been, isn't your fault. And who knows, even if you had gone in there to rescue her, there's no saying if she would have made it or not."

"But-"

"No buts Sam," She said firmly. "The sooner you accept that it wasn't your fault, the easier this will be. And she would have wanted you to have your peace of mind. Don't you think?"

He didn't look up. Truth was, he didn't want to look into her beautiful eyes, because there would be empathy there, something he didn't think he deserved.

He felt the swing move as she stepped down and came to stand in between his legs.

"I'm sorry that you had to go through that, I truly am, but I'm not going to let you be scared of fire forever."

"You don't understand," Sam shouted, looking at her wildly. "More than the fire, I am scared of you being near it, Y/N. That night, the nightmare wasn't about Jess burning, it was about you."

It happened so fast that Sam didn't have time to catch his breath, but suddenly she wasn't standing between his legs, she was climbing up his lap. Her fingers fisted in his hair as her mouth met his. There was hunger and desperation as if to prove a point to him, and as Sam pulled her against his chest, he understood it. Instead of telling him, she was trying to show it to him. She was trying to tell him that she wasn't going anywhere, that she wasn't leaving him.

She pulled back, to catch her breath, and Sam couldn't help but chase her lips, wanting to revel in the comfort she was providing, but she held her own, staring into his eyes with the passion of the burning sun.

"C'mon," she murmured, tugging at his hand, as she climbed down from his lap.

"Where are we going?" Sam asked, his voice hoarse.

She kissed their entwined hand before leading him on. "Do you trust me?"

"With my life," he said, without skipping a beat.

"Then come…"

Reader's POV:

You wanted to scream at something, at someone about how unfair it was that Sam was the one to suffer.

You looked at him once as you led him on. His white shirt was wrinkled and the top button was undone. His tie was hanging loosely and his soft, smooth hair was disheveled. To anyone who would look upon the two of you now, would have a completely different idea about what you had been up to, but one look at Sam and that idea would fall apart.

He looked scared. Scared and lost, like a small boy. You knew from every hint his body was giving that he didn't want to be here, that he didn't want you to be here, but you still dragged him towards the roaring flames.

When you were 10 feet away, Sam stopped. He looked you dead in the eyes and shook his head, pleading you to not go nearer. His eyes were terrified and beseeching. But instead, you shrugged out of his coat and tied it around your waist as you walked back towards him. The night was still cold, and the brilliant fire was a source of warmth and comfort.

You slid your arm around his waist, placing a soft kiss on his chest, and gently urged him forwards.

"You trust me," you reminded him. "I'm not going anywhere."

You could feel him take a deep, shaky breath as he stared into the fire and took the next couple of steps with you.

You stepped ahead and pulled both his hands forward, rolling the sleeves of his shirt till his elbows and lifted his hands along with yours so that the palms were facing the fire and once again stepped in front of him, so that you were shielding his body with yours.

"It's alright to feel the warmth," you told him, kissing his shoulder. "It's not going to hurt me, or you… I'm not gonna let that happen."

You could feel a lot of eyes on you. Employees, Sam's friends and family. Out of the corner of your eyes, you could see Dean smiling too, but the shaking hands within yours were more important right now.

You didn't know how long you stood like that, but at last the shaking stopped, Sam's pounding heart behind you, picked a more steady rhythm and you turned to look at him. He was still staring into the fire, but the expression on his face was calmer. Suddenly he looked down and offered you a small relieved smile. You were sure that your answering smile was huge.

The two of you spent the rest of the evening huddled on the ground on the same spot, not too close to the fire, but not too far either, quietly cheering for them as Dean dropped down on one knee and proposed to Jo, who sank down next to him and breathed her yes.

You softly kissed Sam, celebrating your own little victory along with theirs. When Dean and Jo came around after meeting everyone, Dean hugged both Sam and you a little harder. His hold lingered as he hugged and then surprised you by kissing you on the forehead. His eyes were shinning when he pulled back.

Sam was still quiet when you walked up to your room later that night, relinquishing his hold on you, only when he had to change. You took the bathroom and changed into you new tank top and pajama shorts. By the time you stepped out, Sam was already in bed, staring up at the fan. You slipped in between the covers besides him, snuggling up to him without a second thought.

You were proud of what he had achieved today, and the fact that he had trusted you with it. So much, that it made you want to cry.

"I sleep better with you around, you know," he said, still not taking his eyes off the fan. "That first night when you fell asleep on the sofa next to me, I didn't even realize that it was already morning. I hadn't slept that well in years."

"Well, I am glad to be of service," you muttered through a thick throat. Now was not the time to cry. "I love you, Sam."

He looked at you with shy eyes and did something you'd never have expected. He ducked his head and hid face in the hollow beneath your neck, hiding as much of him as he could manage in your arms. "I love you too, Y/N, more than I can put in words."

You hugged him a little closer, as the tears finally made their way, falling over the bridge of your nose and seeping into his hair while you made efforts to roll your eyes so Sam wouldn't know. Was it possible to love someone so much that it seemed like your heart was about to burst? Because it seemed like yours was about to. You wanted to protect Sam at all costs and it was a ridiculous notion because a man of his stature, both physically and logically did not require protection. He was powerful in his own world, but in your hands he seemed to fall apart, and that scared you. It truly scared you that you held such power over him.

So it took you a while to get your emotions under control, and manage to croak a reply. "So don't… don't put it into words."

But Sam was already asleep, breathing softly into your hair. You brushed it out of his face, and kissed his forehead once. The last thought as you closed your eyes was a promise that as long as you were around, you would never let such insane fear cross his mind, even if it was the last damn thing you did.

A/N 2: THANKS GUYS! Last time I asked for love, and y’all poured it on me. I can’t possibly tell you how thankful I am. It was a very very hard time for me. I am mostly through it, but that support meant the world! PLEASE do consider leaving some feedback this time too :) It adds years to my life! Y’all are the fucking BEST!

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[kassandra-lorelei]

And I want the reunion scene, please. @holomoriarty

Here we are, sweetie! Enjoy!

@holomoriarty

The apartment was clean, it was late morning, so it wasn’ttoo early for visitors, and Niles had just made a cup of tea for C.C. whilstthey waited for the Sheffields to arrive. Even if the New York couple had gotan early flight, they’d probably rested at the hotel for a while first. Franmight not have wanted to, but he could imagine Maxwell insisting – it wouldn’tbe polite to storm down the door of someone’s flat at some God-awful hour ofthe morning, demanding answers to questions.

There was plenty of time for that later in the day.

He carried the steaming mug into the living room, findingC.C. where he’d left her – comfortable on the sofa, apparently deep in thought.

“Here we are, love,” he announced, holding the tea out toher as he prepared to seat himself. “You ready for the big moment?”

C.C. took her drink appreciatively.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” she replied with a sigh. “Really I’mjust mentally preparing myself for all the questions I know are gonna comeflying at us.”

Niles lowered himself onto the seat next to her, “I’d belying if I didn’t say I’d been doing the same. Both Mr and Mrs Sheffieldsounded like they have quite a large number of them.”

She took a sip of her tea, and settled it on the end tableso that she could cuddle up close to him, “Well, I suppose we set ourselves upfor this – we did want them to know.”

“Indeed we did. And it’s the right thing to do, even ifit’ll be difficult,” he wrapped his arm around her, beginning to nuzzle at herear with his lips. “Of course, we could always just go out for the day andpretend they got the wrong address if they call…”

“Oh, stop…!” C.C. chuckled deeply, and poked him in thechest. “We’re not backing out; we’re accepting the fact that they’re comingover, like we wanted them to.”

Niles feigned a grumble as he kissed her cheek, “Spoilsport.”

“Only when it matters, lover,” she purred in return, bringingher lips up to meet his.

He was more than happy to give her the kiss that she wanted,and it quickly grew quite heated. It was hard not to, when she was so close tohim, and her hand was still on his chest, starting to massage just over hisheart. He slipped his hand onto her waist, gripping at her shirt, and moved it downto-

The doorbell cut through the apartment, and they pulled awayin surprise.

C.C. smirked, “Sounds like we have company.”

Niles pouted, and dropped a kiss on her neck, “Hm, just whenthings were getting good…”

“Answer the door, Niles,” she put her hand on his cheek togently push him away. “Things can get good again later.”

“I’ll hold you to that,” he muttered, kissing her palm andgetting up.

He went to the door, opened it, and was immediately knocked almostcompletely back by the sheer force of a colourful, heavily pregnant blurrushing him with a hug in mind.

“Niles!”

“Mrs Sheffield!” it didn’t take too long to overcome theshock, and he rubbed her back a few times before releasing her and gesturinginto the living room. “Hello! Please come in…!”

Fran hurried as quickly as she could to go and greet C.C.,and he was left looking at Maxwell.

The other man’s entrance was far more sober and serious, andhe held out his hand to shake, “Hello, Niles.”

“Hello, sir,” he took the proffered hand, and directed himto follow his wife. “Come on in, please – take a seat. Can I get anybody some tea or coffee?”

“Oh, he hasn’t changed a bit!” Fran said, seating herself onthe arm of the chair that Maxwell took. She then paused, clearly thinking aboutthe situation, and spoke again. “Well, I mean, some things clearly have, butthe basic things are the same.”

“But, as we have all probably gathered, we are not here todiscuss the things that are the same,” Maxwell interjected, leaning forward inhis seat. “That being said, I think we should get started with the most basicquestion.”

Niles blinked, and pointed between them. “No tea or coffeethen?”

“Not right now, Niles,” the British producer replied. “IfI’m going to ask this, I want to ask both you and C.C..”

“Together,” Fran folded her arms over her belly. “Like ya’veboth been fer how long without telling us?”

Her husband’s eyes widened up at her, “Fran!”

“I’m sorry, honey, but I couldn’t hold it in any longer!” shecried in return, before turning on their friends. “Why didn’t ya tell us ya’dmet up? After everything that happened back in New York we were convinced yanever wanted ta see each other again!”

Letting out a sigh, Niles retook his seat next to C.C., “Wethought that too, at first! But…well, we were wrong.”

Maxwell hmphed, “When did you figure that out?”

“We ran into each other again on the way here,” C.C.explained. “For some reason, fate decided that it’d have one last laugh byputting our seats next to each other on the plane. And, after that, weeventually got to talking.”

“And ya’ve been together fer all that time without tellingus?!” Fran was incredulous, probably remembering the number of phone calls they’dhad in which the subject hadn’t come up. “It’s been two whole months!”

“We haven’t been together that long!” Niles argued back,taking C.C.’s hand in his. “After we landed at Heathrow, we went our separateways for a while. I went to start managing the restaurant, C.C. got startedwith a production company in the West End…”

“Then how did you end up coming back together?” Maxwellasked.

“It was…really kinda simple, to be honest,” C.C. answered,looking at Niles and stroking his fingers with her thumb. “We missed eachother.”

It didn’t sound like their former employer could believethat, “You…missed each other?”

C.C. rolled her eyes some, “What, Maxwell, is that so hardto believe?”

“After the way you acted towards each other back in NewYork? Yes, I’d have to say that it is!” he yelled back.

“We talked that over! It was a simple case of misplacedfeelings and misguided attempts at interaction,” Niles wasn’t going to let C.C.stand alone when clarifying the next part. “I was trying to get C.C.’sattention in completely the wrong way by playing pranks and tossing zingers ather, but I was desperate, and it was the only way I knew how.”

“And I was ignoring my feelings for Niles because I knew myfamily wouldn’t want me to be with a butler,” C.C. gripped his hand a littletighter, and kept looking between their joined hands and his eyes. “It…made mekind of bitter, knowing I couldn’t be happy and getting frustrated with myselffor not being happy the way my family wanted me to be. But when I got here andfound a new life away from my family and all the stress of New York, I got tothinking. I didn’t want to be the way I was before. Things had changed. I’dchanged. And I decided that I was going to move forward and be happy, the way Iwanted to be happy. So, I went to Niles’ restaurant, we talked, and the rest ishistory.”

She finished with a little smile. Niles knew she’d been muchhappier recently, and he was glad to be a part of it. After making each othermiserable, it was a lot nicer to watch her smile.

“When did that happen?” Fran’s question brought them back toreality.

Niles answered her question, “That was two, nearly threeweeks ago.”

“And you didn’t tell us before then because…?” Maxwellgestured as though cuing them to answer that, too.

“We both wanted to, but we hadn’t talked about it,” C.C.said. “Niles was waiting for me to feel comfortable before he did anything. Wecalled you as soon as we’d talked it through.”

“Oh,” Maxwell looked like he’d deflated a little. Perhaps someof the anger had left, making him physically smaller. “Well, I suppose we can’tfault you for that…and if you really did talk everything through and make yourpeace, then we can’t fault that, either.”

“We did, sir,” Niles smiled at C.C., and squeezed her hand.“And even if I do say so myself, I’d say we’re rather happy.”

C.C. responded by shuffling closer to him, “Try “completely”and you’ll have it right, Hazel.”

Niles chuckled, “Alright, then. We’re completely happy.”

There was a moment of silence, in which the New York coupleapparently contemplated everything they were seeing. It must have seemedstrange to them, but hopefully they’d explained well enough to straighteneverything out.

Eventually, Fran clasped her hands together over her heart.

“Oh, you guys…!” her voice was full of emotion as she got upto give them both a hug. “I wanna stay mad ‘cause ya didn’t tell us, but I lookat you like this, and I just can’t!”

“It’s okay, Nanny Fine,” C.C. patted the former nanny’sback, before pulling away.

“Yes, it’s all alright,” Niles didn’t linger long afterC.C., and looked at their friend. “Now we’ve explained everything, can we allmove on?”

“I think I can,” Fran sniffed, trying not to cry, nodded andturned to her husband. “Max, honey, what about you?”

They all looked at the man, who stared back at them withmore than a look of sadness and disappointment.

It was making Niles concerned, “Is everything alright, Mr Sheffield?”

Maxwell swallowed a little, “So…neither of you wants to comeback to New York?”

“Max, we talked about this!” Fran wandered back to her husband,hands on her hips as much as she could manage. “You said you weren’t going toask that!”

“I can’t help it, Fran!” Maxwell exclaimed. “Lawrence is a decentbutler, but it’s not the same as having Niles around! And C.C.’s the bestco-producer a company could ever ask for! Choreographers all over New York havecome out of hiding since you’ve been here, but the business just hasn’t beenthe same! Can’t…can’t you maybe just think about coming home…?”

He sounded so upset, Niles couldn’t help but soften just alittle, but he shared an understanding look with C.C. and knew what he had tosay. He had to convince the man that things had changed.

“But sir, this is our home now…!”

“Exactly! We can’t exactly just up sticks and move back toNew York! We have jobs here, and we’re happy where we are!” C.C. agreed.

Even Fran was on their side in the matter, “Max, honey, thisis why I didn’t want you ta say anything! They’re our friends, and if they’rehappy where they are, like Miss Babcock said, we can’t force ‘em ta come backwith us!”

“I know that!” Maxwell wiped his eyes with one hand, beforerunning it back through his hair. “But…I thought I’d give it a try anyway. I’msorry, it’s obvious the two of you are just fine where you are, and I’m veryhappy for you both. I…suppose I’ve just missed the two of you as well. Thehouse hasn’t felt quite the same, and the company…”

Niles and C.C. exchanged another look, and before he couldreply, she’d turned towards the other producer.

“I’m sure it’s doing just fine, Maxwell,” she reassured. “Infact, I think the partners at my company might want to do a deal, I hear it’sdoing so well…”

That seemed to perk him up almost immediately, “A deal?”

“Yeah. A, uh…a transatlantic collaboration of some sort,” C.C.started to smile. “Setting up the same play, both companies running it togetherat the same time, swapping casts; the possibilities are endless!”

Niles didn’t think he’d felt prouder of her – not so far intheir lives together, anyway. She’d just managed to diffuse the whole situationby offering Maxwell a compromise!

And it was one he’d be willing to make as well, if it meantgetting to see his friends more often.

Maxwell was still thinking it over, “So…we’d be workingtogether, even though you’d still be living here?”

“In a sense,” C.C. replied with a half-shrug and a nod.

Niles slipped his free arm up and around her shoulders witha smile, “And I could always take a vacation from the restaurant if we had togo back to New York for any extended period of time. If there were deals to bedone, and whatnot.”

“When would we know if you could make a deal?” Fran asked,apparently excited at the thought.

“Well, I did recommend that my colleagues try out a certainfine dining establishment today,” C.C. grinned at Niles, then at theSheffields. “They might be there right now. If we all go down for lunch, we could catch them and set up the groundwork?”

That definitely caught Fran’s attention, “Ooh! What can weexpect ta be served?”

“We offer a wide range of delicacies from all over theworld,” Niles told her cheerfully, always happy to promote the restaurant. “Ipersonally recommend the Welsh lamb shank, followed by the orange zestcheesecake.”

Fran looked at her husband eagerly, “Whaddya say, honey?”

Niles could see that C.C. and Fran were holding their breathas well as him, as they waited for Maxwell to answer.

And, eventually, the man began to smile.

“I say…that it all sounds like a wonderful idea,” he beamedup at them as he rose to his feet. “Come on, let’s go.”

With a cry of delight, Fran let him wind his arm around herand they began to walk to the door. Niles and C.C. got up too, and weren’t farbehind, until she put her arms around him and laid her head on his shoulder.

“And uh, once we’ve had lunch, said goodbye to theSheffields and come back…” she kissed his ear, murmuring. “You and I aregonna have our own transatlantic collaboration, my British Butler Boy.”

Smirking, Niles reached around her back and slipped his handonto her behind, squeezing, “I’m still going to hold you to that, my Americanwitch.”

C.C. chuckled deep in her throat, “Wouldn’t have it anyother way.”

He angled his head to kiss her on the lips, and she releasedhim. Then, hand in hand, they made to follow their friends.

A nice lunch was calling, and if a deal could be made sothey could see the Sheffields and New York a little more often, then all thebetter.