#and my supervisor says he and another guy are gonna be here tonight to play tennis after closing so he’ll check the doors. so okay. i guess

[muirneach]

oh fucking god guys theyre making me close alone. IVE BEEN AN EMPLOYEE HERE FOR THREE HOURS

[novasintheroom]

Ooooo a fresh blog! Heyo there! So, my first request is some head canons, if you write them anyway, for the each of the turtles having a s/o who is usually the purest of beans. Like— she doesn’t get angry, usually shy when meeting new people, very humble, sweet and caring— but for the first time she does it’s like she realizes she’s frustrated and mad about something that happened during the day and it’s the first time she’s expressing it. the turtles notice her come in knowing something is off about her behavior when she’s usually so cheerful. Almost like “Sometimes it just makes me so— it makes me so... so...! Angry!” But she actually gets super surprised with herself realizing she’s actually venting just to say she’s fine in the end after bottling up for so long. The turtles just looking at her and asking if she’s okay 😂 If that makes any sense.. sorry if it doesn’t.

Oooooo my first ask!! I’m so nervous and excited! I think I got the gist of what you’re getting at. Thanks for sending this in, it means a lot to me! <3

Leo

·         Honestly caught off guard when you come in steaming

·         Your calm and sweetness is something he loves and looks forward to – it’s hard being the firm leader in his family when everyone pushes back, so you’re a pleasant break from the arguments and sassy remarks

·         Not today

·         It’s loud in the lair – Raph and Mikey are doing something with a basketball and hula hoop that’s got Raph raging and Mikey screaming, Donnie’s got a power tool going on the truck, and Splinter’s Celine Dion music is blaring to drown it all out while he works on pruning his plants

·         Leo’s up in the concrete rafters with a book, glancing down every other minute to make sure Raph doesn’t kill Mikey

·         He would have completely missed you coming in if Mikey hadn’t thrown the ball toward the entrance

·         You dodge the ball before it hits you, but instead of laughing it off like usual, you throw a dark look at his brothers and beeline toward the dojo.

·         Woah, that’s weird

·         Avoidance of his family = big red flag

·         You didn’t even say hi to him??

·         Hops down and follows, waving off Mikey’s calls to you

·         Finds you in the corner of the dojo, bag thrown to the side and hands smoothing out the sand of his small zen garden

·         Feels a bit awkward honestly

·         Listen, he’s getting better at it, but he’s not the best at feelings

·         Especially girl feelings

·         He knows something’s up though, and he wouldn’t be a good beau if he just let you simmer

·         Spooks you when he asks if you’re okay

·         Darn those ninja skills, how is someone as big as him so silent?

·         You sigh and just say you had a fight with your roommate and that it’s fine, you just needed some quiet before you went to his family

·         Okay, coolcoolcool. He can work with this. He and Raph fight all the time! “What was the fight about?”

·         Cue explosion

·         “She doesn’t pay her part of the bills on time, and she has her boyfriend over constantly and I can hear them through the walls when they’re screwing because the stupid cheap apartment has stupid cheap thin walls, and she leaves her dishes everywhere even when I ask her to not be a slob, and the landlord is getting after me for her rent when– “

·         W o w

·         He didn’t think you knew any swear words, but the names you’re calling your roommate would make even Raph blush

·         Your rant goes on and on

·         Anytime he tries to suggest a solution you get angry at him like why can’t he just listen omg

·         He shuts up quick

·         Somewhere in the process he sat down and your head moved to his lap while you laid all your problems out

·         By the time you’re finished your chest is heaving and it’s been an hour

·         Leo’s scared to say something in case you go off again lmao

·         He just plays with your hair and hums while you calm down

·         Finally you look at him with wide eyes, “Wow, geez, I didn’t think I was that mad.”

·         He can’t help but laugh, “Me neither.”

·         Your smile is back, though, and that’s the best thing he’s seen all day

·         “You feeling better now?”

·         You say yes, and give him a good hug and kiss as thanks for his patience

·         He asks you to come to him if things start building up again

·         Seriously, start talking to him – I don’t think the poor guy can handle another explosion like that lol

 Raph

·         Raph knows anger

·         Does he know how to deal with it? Ehhh that’s hit-and-miss

·         But he knows it

·         So seeing your tense shoulders, clenched fists, grinding teeth when you walk in – he knows you’re angry

·         It’s a bit off-putting tbh – you’re the calm to his rage, the quiet touch to wind him down when something gets under his skin

·         What happened to make his quiet girl so mad?

·         Did someone say something about your family?

·         Or something about your outfit?

·         Did a skeevy guy try to touch you?

·         Did someone try to kiss you?

·         Okay, now he’s getting mad

·         Decides to take a page from Splinter’s book and pulls you aside to talk

·         “What’s the matter?”

·         You pull at your sleeves, looking anywhere but him

·         You just mumble you’re fine, and that you’re hungry and try to move to the kitchen

·         Nuh-uh, that don’t work with him

·         Catches you by the arm and gives you a look, “Somethin’s bothering you, and you’re gonna tell me what it is.”

·         “And what if I don’t wanna talk about it?”

·         “Tough luck.”

·         Your glare could curdle milk, but you don’t say anything

·         Alright, you wanna play it that way? He’s got three brothers he grew up with; he can get it out of you.

·         Hauls you up and tosses you over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and takes you to his workout station

·         Ignores your screams of outrage and the beating fists on his shell

·         They’re like little kitten paw pats; he can’t help but smile at how small you really are

·         When he sets you down in front of a world-weary punching bag, he crosses his arms and waits

·         You’re red faced and snarling. “What are you doing?”

·         He raises a fist, and gives the bag a good punch – “That’s for when Mikey backwashed into my water bottle today.” He throws another punch, “And that’s for Donnie’s stupid snorts waking me up last night,” and another, “and now I’m back on Mikey’s backwash!”

·         He stops the bag’s swaying and gestures for you to take a turn

·         Realization dawns in your eyes. You look at your fist and throw a pathetic punch at it. “That’s…for my fifth plant…dying this week?”

·         He almost laughs, but nods encouragement

·         You punch again. “That’s for whoever stole my lunch out of the fridge at work.”

·         And again. “And for those kids who spit on that homeless guy!”

·         And again. “And for Gina’s face when she made fun of my teeth!”

·         Punch after punch, you let out your anger and frustrations that boiled over today

·         Raph’s impressed – not just with how much crap happened to you, but how long you held it in

·         You’re a lot stronger than he gave you credit for

·         He’s also a bit freaked at seeing the rage in your eyes

·         Is that what others see when he comes at them?

·         Yeesh

·         You feel a lot better after the session, if sheepish for letting so much anger show

·         But he brushes it off, “Hey, you see how I am. It don’t bother me none, sweetheart.”

·         He pinches your butt for good measure as you walk back to the lair and laughs when you punch him in the arm

 Donnie

·         The one that takes the longest to realize something’s up

·         He can’t help it! He’s busy making sure his family is safe and hidden! He’s gotta keep the firewall up-to-date from all the new viruses being put out, check the perimeter lasers so that no one sneaks up on them, change the oil in the Turtle Tank, and why is the computer sparking over here, he needs to ask Raph or Leo to come with him to get new parts at the junkyard, but if he –

·         Bumps into you and is like ‘oh. how’d you get in here’

·         Delighted to see you though! It’s like all his worries suddenly vanished when he realized ‘oh yeah! I have a girlfriend!’ and that’s you!

·         Missed you a lot since it’s been a few days since you could visit

·         Starts showing you all of the progress he’s made on certain things, asks you how school’s going, how was that group project you had, did you get that interview for work?

·         It’s your clipped and short answers that finally makes him take a step back and really see how you’re doing

·         You’ve always been enthusiastic about his inventions, even if you don’t completely understand every technical thing he talks about. He thought you guys were past the awkward conversations too.

·         Clipped answers are a big no-no – it makes him shrink inside, like his words and ideas don’t matter

·         Takes a few seconds to look you over – awkward seconds, ones where you look down and away and not at him

·         “Are you alright? Did…something happen?”

·         You take a few deep breaths, trying to calm yourself, but then the words just start pouring out: “I’m sorry, it’s just, I can’t stop thinking about how my supervisors treated me the past few days. They scheduled me to work a triple shift! Without asking me! And I told them I had a date with you, and a million other things to do, but – “

·         You lay it out for him, apologizing every other minute for just putting this on him out of the blue, that you tried really hard to be happy coming to the lair but your boss just text you that you have another shift tonight instead of getting to hang out with Donnie, and –

·         Donnie sits you both down in a couple of chairs, his hands holding your own as you keep talking and venting

·         Rubs circles into your palm, eyes never straying from your own watery and frustrated ones

·         A breath out of the nose is the end to your rant, and you lean to put your head on his shoulder. “I just hate when people spring things on me! I just wanna stay with you and hand you tools to work on stuff.”

·         His heart warms at this, even if he’s sad at how sucky your job is

·         And it gives him an idea

·         He manages to hack into your work’s scheduling system and put your supervisors or fellow employees in your place for the night

·         Even sends out a text masked as your head boss to whoever he put, letting them know they’re on the job and that you had an emergency

·         You’re torn on this – those people had things they had to do too

·         But Donnie reassures you: “If they’re as bad as you say, then getting more people mad at them might just make them change. If not, we at least get to have our date night, right?”

·         Well, when you put it that way…

·         He gets a big, long smooch for pulling it off and for listening to you

Mikey

·         Listen, this boy is intuitive when it comes to emotions.

·         He kinda has to be with the type of older brothers he has lmao

·         Instantly knows something’s up by the sound of your feet coming down the tunnels – heavy, like you want to stomp them but don’t know how

·         He’s geared up though – his baby girl’s coming!

·         Hops off the couch and has the biggest grin for you when you walk in

·         Doesn’t even falter when he sees the glower on your face

·         Says something stupid to test the waters – “Woah, babe, I’m gonna have to call the cops – I’m pretty sure it’s illegal to be as fine as you are!”

·         Not even a smirk.

·         Okay okay. Obvi you’re not in a happy mood.

·         Man, he was hoping for a little blush at least!

·         Takes that heavy bag off your shoulders you’ve been lugging around all day and corrals you back to the couch

·         Grabs some sodas and a few chocolate bars from his hidden stash in the kitchen

·         He knows you need it more than him right now

·         Sits down and calls out to the lair that “we’re making out on the couch!!” Def keeps his family from coming in and interrupting lol

·         Isn’t even phased when you explode about your day – your coworker had it out for you, your professor told the whole class that your paper was what not to do if you wanted a good grade, etc. etc.

·         Mikey accents your day with “No!” and “He didn’t!” and “What a jerk!”

·         It’s cathartic to hear someone agree with you like that

·         He takes you in his arms when the frustrated tears start falling and you start to wind down

·         “It just makes me so angry, and I hate feeling embarrassed and…”

·         Rubs circles on your back to help calm you, just like his family did to him growing up

·         After a minute you’re better, and back to your sweet, happy self, if still a bit stuffy from the tears and snot

·         You’re surprised and apologize for your emotions, but he stops you

·         “Hey, everyone has their bad days! Sometimes you just gotta let it out, y’know?”

·         You give him a big kiss for being so sweet

·         Makes the day a lot better after that with the soda and candy and some video games

·         He’s a good turt <3

[purplerose244]

Irrational - Chapter 5: I love you too much

HELLOOOOOOO!!! 🤩🤩

Here comes the fifth day of @spacecampweek with what is probably my favorite fic of the bunch! Little song-fic but not really situation in a normal world AU, where Krel is about to confess his feelings in a special way! 💕💕💕

Enjoy!! 😙

Summary: Prom is here at last, a night of entertainment, of happiness, to celebrate changes and the future. What better moment for Krel to finally express feelings that have been hidden for so long? Time to put those guitar lessons to some use...

Read it on the AO3

It was happening. No more holding back, no more thinking rationally about his chances without concluding a thing. Tonight, everything was going to change.

Prom had turned out to be an absolute oxymoron to walk into, between his deep appreciation for parties and his unsettledness at dealing with other people of different temperatures – or ‘cool’, as they liked to call themselves. Everyone was dancing like crazy, that was very good, and everyone was talking loud about nonsense, that was very not good. Adding to the unpleasantries was the music playing onto the stage, something pulsing yet in a hardly dynamic way. If this was another night, he would have liked to teach these people what real music sounded like and propose himself as a DJ, to properly say goodbye to Arcadia Oaks High. Then again, in another delson he would have not worn these kind of flashy clothes – he had lost the chance to call this a normal night the moment he had exited his house wearing a bow.

There was a lot of movement in the middle of the room, and in the middle some familiar faces. He could spot Jim’s questionable moves while Claire was laughing loudly with red cheeks, he could see Toby doing some robot moves while Darci danced along him, he managed to notice Aja spinning all over, between a super smiling Steve and an extremely radiant Eli.

It looked like they were all having fun, so much fun. Krel wasn’t… not yet.

“Hey Clint.”

He almost snorted at the sudden voice.

“Mary, I know you know my name at this point.”

“Whatever Kurt, whatcha up to?” The queen of the bees appeared in front of him, all sparkly in her pink shock dress. “Hank got all handsy, Dean is being shy, and that cute guy from Arcadia Oaks Academy that snuck in is being difficult. I’m up for some juice and it looks like you’re up to something.” And the queen of gossip too as well. She grinned at him, clearly playful. “Could it be you’ll stop being a wuss, at last? That would be nice!” He didn’t deny it. for a second. Big mistake, her eyes immediately widened, like she got struck by absolute knowledge. “Don’t tell me-”

He covered her mouth, realizing midway there that there was no point, the music was so loud it silenced everything. Despite that, he couldn’t bring her to say it. Not yet.

“Perhaps… maybe.”

Mary’s eyes turned into stars. She quickly wiped his hands off her.

“O-M-G, finally, I’ve been waiting for this for so long! Ha, I knew you were going to be the one to do it, Darci owes me five dollars! So does Logan! Pff, why was everyone betting on the space dork anyway… hey, what’s wrong?” She was perceptive. It happened after knowing each other for a couple of years. “Cheer up Kai.”

He laughed again. His chest felt like it was exploding, but in a good way. Seklos and Gaylen, for how long he had postponed what he was about to do, blaming time, work and consequences? It was terrifying in a way that was almost pleasant. Maybe. Perhaps.

“I am fine.” He swallowed, because of course the moment he had scanned the entire party, he had noticed it right away. Or rather, he had noticed a lack of him. “He… he is not here though.”

“He’s probably still bummed that he got into that accounting college his grumpy dad wants him to go but still doesn’t know about the engineering one.” Krel was holding his breath about that one too. Seamus had promised to be roommates in that case. Was it going to be weird if tonight wasn’t going to turn out the way he wanted? Was he going to be awkward around him? “Alright, I can smell burning thoughts, hashtag stopbeinganerd! You’re telling me you’re going to do it and I wanna know how, where and when, and if you try to chicken out now, I swear I’m gonna smash your precious guitar!” She sure knew how to get him riled up.

For the first time since he had come to this decision, Krel smiled, thinking of the backstage, the phases he had prepared into his head. He looked up, shaking his head.

“I believe that would be counterproductive for my plan.”

Mary’s mouth popped open, and if that wasn’t satisfying.

“No.”

“Kleb yes, I am not holding back.”

“That’s gonna be the bomb but you better don’t swoon anyone else, you dang charmer! I have all boy dates tonight and I wanna keep them focused on me only!” She giggled, patting his shoulder. “Just go for it, okay? You’re cool, even when you’re being a nerd.” It was as good of an encouragement as he could get right now. “Just wait until your dorky prince charming arri- Oh this is too perfect.” She was smirking, so much her makeup was scrunching up a little.

Krel didn’t have to turn around to know. He did it anyway.

What a view. This prince really wasn’t above physical appearance as he had first thought when he had arrived in Arcadia, powered by his absolute intellect, rationality, and general annoyance towards social interactions with amoebas. It had taken him a while, a whole while, to accept that even someone like him could get this soft inside.

Give then right time, and the right person.

Seamus was radiant, with the black jacket and the blue tie, with the polished shoes and the pulled back hair. From the relaxed eyes the discussion with his dad must had ended without a punishment, and he was actually smiling. Everything, he was so absolutely everything it made Krel choke up.

Mary was arching an eyebrow, although she most likely know what was going on. The prince swallowed, almost choking again, trying to keep his composure as usual.

Failing.

“… and… and you are absolutely sure…?”

“What in the world, Ken, yes! Yes he is completely head over heels for you, yes if you confess you bet your perfect grades he’s gonna reciprocate, yes the moment he will hear what you’ve prepared for him he might as well take a ring out of his pocket and propose in the middle of the dance room!” He grabbed his shoulders, shaking him a little. “You two are the absolute worst! C-bomb has actual guts to ask Jimmy Jam out, Darci and her Tobypie went for it naturally, even Steve is an idiot sometimes but not at dating and Aj and Eli practically gravitate around him! But you!!” She grabbed his collar, her stellar eyes turning into black holes. “You two are pining messes that I’m absolutely done with! So, I swear, Krel Tarron, if you don’t get on that stage and finally confess, you won’t have to make plans for college because this will be your last dance. Ever.” She could had stopped the threat at his actual name. That alone would have done it. Mary gave him the ‘I’m watching you gesture’, before backing down into the crowd without getting her eyes off.

Krel swallowed, nodded, watching her disappear into the party. Despite the dread of being murdered in cold blood being quite intense and even impressive, it was quickly washed away, as soon as Seamus looked at his direction with those blue eyes of him. There it was, that urge, that need to impress him somehow. It was their thing, the fulcrum of their rivalry that hadn’t stopped, even after years. The need to make the other break their mask of pride and turn it into amazement.

Bold enough, the prince grinned, winking at him. The way the blonde gaped warmed his heart. Was that pink on his cheeks? The lights were too strong and colorful, it was hard to tell.

Was it important? Not really. It was now or never.

Making his way towards the stage was a challenge itself, luckily his dancing skills were not to be ignored and swirling around these random kids was pretty easy and entertaining. The band was playing a pretty energetic movement, there was a keyboard player going absolutely nuts and a drummer doing their best. There was definitely something that could had been done to improve the whole performance – perhaps a few remixes on a DJ board, just saying –, but they were really into it. It almost felt bad going up there and show his own abilities.

Then again, Krel didn’t care.

He had a mission. With that determination in mind he immediately went behind the curtains of the stage, finding familiar locks of blue hair monitoring the situation. Having Douxie as the responsible one was still unusual, even though the ripped off pants and the numerous studs all over his suit were more likely. It probably wasn’t enough for him, he was tapping his foot over and over.

Krel cleared his voice, the older one turned, turning the frown into a smile.

“Krel, how’re you liking the show?” He snorted.

“Fine…” He really couldn’t help himself, it was too easy. “Would be better with some metal rock in it.” The smile was gone. Krel snorted again.

“Really, you’re going to put salt on it like that? Zoe already gives me a hard time because I didn’t get the Ash Dispersal Pattern to play here, don’t you get in the way too!” He turned to the band with a frown, shaking it. “‘Your music might not be a good example for the students’, fuzzbuckets, how old do you think these kids are?? Besides, how is techno a better alternative? Those moppets, I swear…” He muttered something under his breath, a curse most likely, then he sighed. “Alright, I’m fine. Extremely salty, but nothing a drink can solve later. I’m guessing you’re here to ask me something?” Perceptive. All of his friends had to be with him.

“Something like that, yeah…” He breathed in and breathed out, he was absolutely going for it but it didn’t make any of this easier for him. “Alright, I need a favor?”

Douxie smirked, crossing his arms over his chest.

“Oh yeah? You need a favor from this random guy who got nominated supervisor as cold comfort for not having his band play tonight? Little old me?” He snickered, shaking his head. “Should have thought before you came here to mock, shouldn’t ya?”

“Hisirdoux…”

“Nope, can’t let this one go, I’m out of patience tonight and I need to get at least one gratification. How about you apologize to me? I’ll even help, start with ‘You are the best guitarist I’ve ever known’ and… whoa, wait, what are you doing?” Was it a bluff? Krel was bowing already, but perhaps his brain was messed up tonight. “Dude, how are you actually doing it? What is this favor all about?” Oh. Right. He was the most prideful person on the planet. He had almost forgot.

Krel straightened up, shrugging a little. From the tone of the current song, it seemed that this band was almost done. He peaked from behind the curtain. Seamus was talking with Steve, giggling a little. The prince couldn’t help clenching his hand around the shirt over his chest. Ah, he wanted this, he wanted all of this.

He felt a familiar wave of warm. He turned back to the guitarist, and Douxie was gaping, blinking several times. It was probably clear.

“I want to make an exhibition.” His honey eyes widened.

“… yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“… alright then.” Douxie smiled, pointing at the backstage with his head. “Prepare yourself Lover Boy, I’m announcing you right after this.” If it wasn’t to preserve what was left of his pride, Krel would have hugged him. “Is it DJ Kleb time?”

Krel moved a few steps towards the back. He stopped.

“No,” He turned to the guitarist, smirking. “It is Krel time.”

 ***

 “Alright, give it up for ‘The Raise of the Titans’! Amazing performance you guys, can’t wait to properly see you on Wednesday!” Douxie always looked confident on stage, he was born to have the attention of a public. It was something he and Krel had in common. Right now though, there was only one look the prince wanted all for himself. “Hope you’re having a blast tonight! How’s prom going?” A cheer followed. “That’s great, because we have a special exhibition right now. A special song, for a special someone! Give it up for Krel Tarron!”

The wood under his feet made a sound after every step, it was drowned by the voiced in the crowd. It made him smile thinking how many people were going to be surprised by his presence, his appearance, and especially him appearing with a guitar instead of his beloved keyboard. There was a single stool in the middle of the place, with a microphone already adjusted for his high. He thought that really needed to thank Douxie after this, for everything, as he sat down with the instrument on his lap. He had accorded it while he was in the backstage, but out of habit he did it again, the sound reverberating into his mind. It was like a reality check, a call to the place, as he finally looked up to the public.

Aja looked close to crying, absolutely overjoyed. Mary was smirking so much her cheek looked like it was being pulled. Steve looked absolutely astonished. Toby was grinning impossibly wide. Eli had his glasses shining and a bit smile. Jim had amazed eyes over him. Claire looked ecstatic. Darci was giving him a thumbs up. Everyone was there, everyone.

And then there was him. Him, adorably confused and starstruck.

Krel grinned. I hope you are ready for this, you math blonde.

“This song is for a dear person to me. I have never been able to express my feelings properly before. I have never been particularly good at.” He let another note fill his silence, it made him smile again. “But I will not shy away from it, not anymore. I went through everything with you, high school, my problems, your problems, math and space and everything between,” There was no doubt, not anymore. “I want to go beyond now.”

His mind was peaceful, his body was burning. It felt like he had never been more alive before. His fingers knew what to do, that song was a part of him. He just took a deep breath, and let the music take over.

 I love you too much

To leave without you loving me back

I love you too much

Heaven’s my witness and this is a fact

I know I belong, when I sing this song

There’s love above love and it’s ours

‘cause I love you too much

 It used to be just him, his mind, and his sister. Them against the world, with a mother that wanted her to be proper, with a father that wanted him not to be him. Everything had turned out so badly at first without them, and so not badly after, to the point he had managed to make an actual life away from Cantaloupia. Then, the escape had become home. Then, it he had become the place where he had met the only guy that was ever going to make him feel.

It used to be just him, his mind, and his sister. Now it was him and his sister, friends and family, a home and the world, and so many feelings in between. This was the right place, this was the right time, this was the right guy.

It used to be just him, his mind, and his sister. Now he could hardly imagine himself without the blonde in the picture, the one that could cloud his mind and fill his heart.

 I live for your touch

I whisper your name night after night

I love you too much

There’s only one feeling and I know it’s right

I know I belong, when I sing this song

There’s love above love and it’s ours

‘cause I love you too much

 The two of them weren’t the easiest people to deal with, their lives weren’t the easiest lives to deal with. It had been because of a cruel game of destiny or a lucky shot from faith that they had found each other, Krel at Seamus’ door whenever he felt like he didn’t matter, and Seamus at Krel’s whenever he felt like exploding? Was it bad that in their worst some of their sweetest moments together were born? Was it bad that overwise they might had not become this much of friends?

They were living in a world that was cruel and unforgiving, with people even less likely to welcome them. Krel liked to think that by knowing each other, they had managed to overcome that obstacle, and meet also the people that were fine. That were okay.

They were okay. He was okay.

He had never forgotten that one moment of them, not once.

 Heaven knows your name I’ve been praying

To have you come here by my side

Without you a part of me is missing

Just to make you my own, I will fight

 The song was a tragically familiar one. During the worst of his pining, when he thought he was never going to be good enough for him, when he thought that he didn’t deserve to feel something this pure and breathtaking, this had always been the song. Shannon had taught him the first notes after she had gifted him the guitar after a curious sequence of events, and then Douxie had taken over teaching him all he had needed to know. It was all so familiar now he hardly had to think about how to move, where to put his fingers, if it was too strong or just okay. It was cheesy in a way he never thought he could possibly be, with feelings he never thought he could have.

Aja had always listened from her room, he knew she had even though she had never said it, because before going to sleep the same delson she had always come to hug him. Mary had always told him that playing a love song to cure his – stupid – pained heart seemed a little counterproductive. Maybe she was right. But even if everything was to end tonight, he didn’t care.

He liked love. He loved love. He loved Seamus.

 I know I belong

When I sing this song

There’s love above love and it’s ours

‘cause I love you too much

 Caught by the sudden burst into his chest Krel stood up, almost making his stool fall down. He didn’t care. Right there the crowd’s cheering came to his ears, and despite how much he wanted to scan the place and look for that familiar strawberry blonde mane in between, he forced himself not to. Not yet, not until he said everything, not until he was sure he had delivered everything he had inside. He shushed his mind and let the rest of his body sing.

 I love you too much!

I love you too much

Heaven’s my witness and this is a fact

You live in my soul, your heart is my goal

There’s love above love and it’s mine, ‘cause I love you

There’s love above love and it’s yours, ‘cause I love you

There’s love above love and it’s ours, if you love me…

… as much

 When the last note left his instrument, an urge to cry mixed to an absolute pride took over. He did it, he actually did it. In his mind the song was still echoing, beautifully in the open as it was always supposed to be played. He was drained and so, so happy.

Then, as his head finally allowed in something other than exhaustion, it finally hit him the amount of people that was watching, and how crazy there were going with that applause. It was reverberating all over, he was surprised he noticed it only now. Steve was holding onto Eli and Aja, every single one of them looked close to tears. Mary was shouting something to one of her current dates, pointing at the stage then back at her, probably something like “I know him, he’s my friend, he’s cool because I’m cool, good old Kevin”. Toby was jumping up and down, with Darci laughing and applauding. Jim and Claire were holding onto each other, clapping with fervor. It was good, everything was so good right now.

Finally, Krel allowed himself to look.

Right then, his hear broke.

He wasn’t there. Seamus wasn’t there anymore. No blue tie around, no lock of blonde hair, no red freckles in sight. There was no way this prince couldn’t find him, so…

He left. He didn’t stay for him. He didn’t.

“How about that, huh?? Krel Tarron, everyone!!” Suddenly Douxie was by his side, Krel didn’t look at him. It hurt. He thought it wasn’t going to matter, but it hurt. “He will be all over you for autographs and junk later, let him rest for a moment, and welcome the next exhibition of the night!” His arm was onto his shoulders. Krel didn’t move. He didn’t want to. Then he got a squeeze, and he looked up out of pure instinct. Douxie was still smirking, like his heart hadn’t just gotten smashed against the solid ground of the ballroom. He pointed to the exist and Krel, sighing, obeyed.

He crossed the next couple of performers, who patted his back telling him how good he had been. It didn’t feel like a proud moment anymore. It felt like a waste. The guitar was hanging onto him by the lace, luckily, he would have forgotten it on the stage overwise. Krel sighed, putting the instrument down as soon as he was behind the curtains. He could deal with this.

He didn’t want to, but he could. He just needed some time to-

His hold was callous and warm. The prince knew it so well he almost didn’t have to turn. He did. Seamus had his entire face flushed. He looked outstanding.

“Come with me.” His voice was low, almost fearful, and Krel could do nothing other than follow his lead. He was dragged along as they were staying as far away from the crowd as possible, going for the exit. If anyone had noticed them, Krel was sure Steve or Mary would have taken care of them. As soon as they were out of the room, it was silence. The school looked almost dormant like this, without lights around, the abandoned lockers circling the corridors.

It was going to be one of the last times, in this special place.

There was little time for that kind of nostalgia, as they didn’t walk for long anyway. Seamus seemed in a hurry, he was moving forward without a single word. It almost made the prince fear that he had gone too far and had made him mad. Some more uncharacteristic apologies brushed his lips, at least as a precaution, no matter how weird it was going to be.

They died into his throat as soon as he was pressed against the wall. The echo of the music was gone. There were only those impossible blue eyes getting closer and closer and-

Krel would have laughed. He would have laughed in any other occasion, because this guy was rough and prideful and used to be really bad at dealing with his anger issues. Yet he kissed with the outmost gentleness, like he was genuinely afraid of breaking him, like he was terrified that at any point something was going to wake them up from this dream. Krel wanted to hold onto this dream. He held onto him, hands reaching for his shoulders, then up into his hair. They were not fluffy at all. Again, he would have laughed if he wasn’t this overwhelmed by the fact that this was happening, that Seamus was kissing him and it was happening. The hold onto his mane must had woken up the blonde, as he moved forward with urge, breathing in and taking more.

It was marvelous. It was uncertain and clumsy and they were both really inexperienced at this, and it was marvelous. Slowly the timing was getting clearer for the both of them, because despite pride and their social skills they were instead really good at learning and understanding. The rhythm drowned them both, and it almost made Krel forget he had lungs. It got him there, the urge for air, and he let out almost a strangled noise when he got out of one last kiss.

Seamus was panting just as hard, if not harder, his pupils blown. Krel had never seen him like this, it was a whole new side. He wanted to know it. He really wanted this.

“Sea-”

“Shut it.” Another kiss that made him hum, it was sweeter than before. He almost forgot the words. When he tried to talk again Seamus promptly kissed him again. He completely forgot the words. “You said more than enough, now it’s my turn.” The blonde was smiling of that beautiful smile again. “I’m gonna make every single word count.” His hand went over his hair, caressing his brown locks like they were precious treasures to keep. The urge to cry came back.

Along with another desire, that made Krel come back to his senses and smirk.

Once again, rivalry.

“Aren’t you an overachiever?” Seamus hummed questioning, brushing their noses together. It was too good, the prince giggled. “There are exactly 212 words into my song.” It was too perfect. This wasn’t an out of the world experience, this was the natural consequence of their relationship. Seamus was holding him, and he really didn’t want to be anywhere else.

The blonde seemed taken back by his words, for almost a full second, only to laugh. He brought him even closer, breathing against his lips.

The world disappeared. Prom could wait.

“Better start counting then.” He lunged forward, a quick press closer to a caress. “One,” Another one, deeper but still quick, that made Krel naturally lean back. “Two…” This time it was proper, making him decide that he didn’t really need his mind right now. There was no issue, no invention in standby, no math problem to solve. He could allow himself this. “Three.” He could take every single part of him, as a reward in a way, as a present even more. Without a single remorse Krel laced his arms around his neck, deepening every following kiss.

They stopped counting after nine.

[jamielea81]

Just a Simple Lie

Chapter 5

Description: Having worked on small independent films for the better part of a decade, your friend tells you about an opening for a script supervisor with a large studio. Wanting to advance your career, you apply and get an interview. The only downside, they prefer to hire crew who are married. It’s just a simple lie, right?

Pairing: Chris Evans x Reader

Warnings: Maybe some cursing, talk of drinking

A/N:  Surprise! Coming back a day earlier than planned. This fic is simply for fun. I know nothing about the personal lives of the two actors in this series and mean no harm. I am also totally guessing regarding the studio talk. Comments, reblogs, and likes are always welcome.

Catch up with Chapter 4

**

Oh boy were you hungover. After you finished that fifth beer, David brought you back to your hotel where you promptly passed out on your bed, makeup and all. The fact that you were so drunk, kind of helped you with the embarrassment of the slipped comment about your lack of a sex life. From what you remembered, it seemed like your quick reply had done the trick. At least you hoped it had. You remembered Monica chucking a pillow at you at some point in the middle of the night. She mumbled something about you snoring like a chainsaw. You were drunk and it could not be helped. There would be no more drinking for you.

Call time to set was three in the afternoon and you took advantage of the precious hours by sleeping until noon. After a shower and all-day breakfast from McDonald's, you felt human again.

Outdoor shooting would start tonight once it got dark, which this time of year meant another hour or two at the most.

**

You made your way to the studio via the studio shuttle. It was empty this time of day which you appreciated. You dressed in a sweater, jeans, and jacket. You had on a pair of winter boots, but brought a bag that held your trusty sneakers to wear when inside.

The one thing you weren’t a fan of with the new office set up was the lack of an enclosed room. The volume in the building was loud. Not school gymnasium loud, but loud enough for that you were finding it hard to concentrate. Everyone was excited. New location, outdoor shoots, whatever it was, no one wanted to be quiet about it. Even though the sleeping in and shower helped, you were still a tad hungover so you just wanted everyone to either move to a new location or go to their cubical and shut up. That wasn’t happening.

Monica came barging into your cube about an hour later. Okay, she didn’t barge in, technically. There’s no door. Kind of hard not to barge in.

“Can you believe this place? I’m going to hit my ten thousand steps within three hours each day. Way bigger than Cali,” she said taking a seat on the edge of the desk.

She was right of course. It was a series of massive warehouses where they shot a lot of action-packed movies and television shows. Those films often required a lot of space with massive sets. This movie wasn’t that and your team would not need all of the space, but it didn’t mean you didn’t have to trudge your way from one warehouse to another.

“You need better shoes,” you said motioning your hand to her pointy slip-ons. While they were cute, you would be crying at the end of the day wearing those. “Those aren’t going to work with this place. Unless of course, you hide out in your cubical all day.” A small smile peeked out from behind your lips.

“I would normally agree with you, but if I have to wear boots whenever we are outside, I’m wearing my cute shoes where I can,” Monica said, sending a wink your way.

**

The sun had set and you found yourself back on the shuttle with Monica and about ten others. Only Keanu and Chris were filming tonight and as far as you knew, they were being driven in a separate vehicle to the location.

“Are you still hungover?” Monica asked. She sat directly across the aisle from you on the shuttle. Since there weren’t many people on the bus, you each got your own row.

“Not drinking with you people again. I can tell you that,” you said with a shake of your head.

“Even if Chris is there? That’s some eye candy if I ever saw some,” she said wiggling her eyebrows. “Wonder if he’s single?”

“You’re horrible,” you giggle out.

“Hey! Not all of us have a fiancé. Not like it matters anyway.”

“What do you mean?” you asked.

“Maggie thinks he’s hot and have you seen that girl? I stand no chance. Keanu has a girlfriend,” she said with a shrug.

Interesting. So, Maggie thinks Chris is hot. But really, who doesn’t think that man is hot.

“I’m pretty sure it’s frowned upon to date the actors anyway.”

“Who said anything about dating?” she replied with a wink.

“You are horrible. I stand by that.”

**

The temperature had dropped by about twenty degrees and you were feeling like such a rookie. You grew up in the Northern Midwest for goodness sake and you failed to bring a hat or gloves with you. This was not ideal for outdoor filming where you needed to hold on to a script and pen for hours. Apparently, you were doing so with bare hands.  

Much of the first hour was spent helping with stage setup. You didn’t have to help unload the props, but it was certainly aiding you with the keeping warm factor. You eagerly carried box after box and then helped coordinate stage design.

Keanu and Chris arrived about twenty minutes later in separate vehicles which you found odd. They were filming together tonight and seemed to get a long as far as you could tell all through the shoot in Los Angeles. Chris and you were friends, but you didn’t feel comfortable enough to pry into that quite yet.

**

There’s a log cabin façade set up in a heavily wooded area made to look like a two-story cabin built in the 1950s. Once you open the door, it’s nothing more than plywood sides that only go back maybe 20 feet. Just the entryway or what can be seen by the camera is designed to look like a house. All internal shots of the “cabin” were shot back at the studio. Unfortunately, the “cabin” wasn’t any warmer than the outside temperature. Your plans to hide in the house between shots was crushed within minutes.

As the guys filmed their first take, you stood next to Hugh, the director with Monica on your other side as your backup since none of the actors she was working with were filming tonight. The first take was cut with Hugh calling for a reset. You spent the next ten minutes jogging in place to keep warm. The script was dropped to the ground with your hands burrowed into your coat’s pockets. Chris gave you an amused look as his face was being powdered by his makeup artist. You sent him a wink and continued on your jog to nowhere.

Take two and three were called and by this point you could no longer stand still. Not wanting to make a lot of noise while the film is rolling, you opted to dance in place. Billie Eilish’s All the Good Girls Go to Hell is playing in your head. You wiggle to the beat, careful not to let your feet shuffle. It helps, but just a little.

“Let’s just get one more and we’ll move on,” Hugh calls out.

“Can someone tell Y/N to stop dancin’ over there? It’s mighty distracting,” Chris yelled.

If you weren’t already frozen solid, you’re pretty sure your face would resemble fire at this point.

Keanu turns around to face you and gives you a bit of a smirk.

“I’m cold!” you said loud enough for everyone near you to hear. “You don’t like my dance moves?”

“You’re distracting. Hugh, tell her she’s distracting,” Chris responded with a chuckle.

“Y/N, stop distracting Chris,” Hugh repeated nonchalantly.

“Aren’t you from Minnesota? Why aren’t you dressed warmly?” Chris asked, coming to stand next to you.

“I lost my mind this afternoon,” you said with a shrug.

**

After one more take, Hugh called it and ordered the next scene to be set up. You and Monica made your way to the food tent that conveniently had heaters blowing inside.

“This is like heaven. Who needs the sandy beaches of Aruba when we’ve got this wonderful tent in paradise?” You plop your butt down at a table ignoring the food and lean back in the chair, arms hanging like dead weight at your sides. “Go on without me. You can have Keanu and Chris. I’m just going to stay here forever where it’s warm,” you sighed happily.

“So dramatic,” Monica replied, grabbing two cups of coffee and depositing one on the table in front of you. “Two sugars and two creams?”

“One stevia or Splenda, whichever is there. Three creams.” You slip off your coat figuring you’ll only be colder once you leave the tent if you leave it on.

Monica drops the containers and packet in front of you, taking a seat next to you stirring in her own add ins.

“How much time do you think we have? I’d like to defrost a bit longer if we can.”

“Probably another ten. Drink up,” she replied holding up her own paper cup.

Downing your hot beverage that did little to warm you up. You got up and put your coat back on, zipping it up as far as it would go. Something warm and heavy was placed over your shoulders suddenly. Looking down, you could see it was a dark brown wool coat. You spun around to see Chris standing there, soft grin on his face.

“Keep it. Just make sure you give it back to wardrobe before we leave.”

“Don’t you need it for the next scene?” you asked furrowing your brow.

Chris shook his head no. “Next scene has me in that denim jacket with the white wool lining. It’ll be my turn to freeze.”

You gave him a thankful smile while buttoning up the coat over your own. “Thank you. Really. Didn’t realize you hated my dancing this much, but I do appreciate it.”

“Didn’t say I hated it. Said you were a distraction.” He runs his hands up and down your coat covered arms in his attempt to warm you up. The goosebumps that erupt are luckily hidden by the layers, but you can’t help but pray he doesn’t hear the increased beat of your heart. “You’re gonna get sick if you don’t layer up.”

You can’t seem to speak so you just hum in response.

**

Somewhere between the second or third take, your helping with costuming. The Polaroid pictures from the interior shoot aren’t agreeing with the way Keanu’s hair is now. It could be the way his hat is hanging, but you grab his stylist to assist.

“Yeah, that’s so much better,” you said after his hair is moved behind his ear no more than an inch.

“You certainly are particular,” Keanu said with a chuckle.

“S’always a pet peeve of mine when watching a movie if it doesn’t match exactly. Call it over kill if you will, but I call it doing my job,” you replied with a smirk.

“Warm enough over there Frosty?” Chris asked from a chair while he waited for you to be done.

“Yes! Thanks to you,” you responded back.

“This Chris’ coat?” Keanu asked.

“Yeah. Well, technically William’s coat.”

Keanu hummed in response before turning away to stand on his mark.

**

After filming wrapped for the night, you made your way to the wardrobe tent, catching Chris as he was leaving.

“Returning William’s coat?”

“Yep. Told you I would.”

“Here. I’ll take it in. M’sure you want to get back to the hotel,” he said, holding out his hand.

Quickly unbuttoning it, you pulled it off missing the warmth immediately. Chris took it, holding it over his chest with his arms crossed over it.

“Damn, did I miss this coat over the last two hours.” He ducked his head down for a second and then looked back at you. “Smells good.”

You let out a cross between a gasp and a laugh. “Did you just smell the coat?”

He bit at his lip and looked away. “Wasn’t trying to. Caught a whiff of it and had to investigate further. Just smells nice is all.”

“Okay Evans,” you said slowly. “Have a good night. Gotta catch that shuttle before they leave me.”

“Ye-yeah. Alright. See you tomorrow Y/N.”

“Night, Chris.”

**

You were positive it wasn’t half a night in the freezing cold that did you in. It was probably the travel, along with the stress of being away. No matter how you spun it, you were sick. Head congested, sore throat, the occasional chill while you were indoors. Yeah, you were sick. Monica turned out to be a germaphobe and you hadn’t seen that coming. It started as soon as you two were awake. She noticed the change in your voice.

“It’s just dry in here. Stupid winter. I just need some water,” you played it off not willing to accept your fate as well.

“Yeah okay. I know I saw a few water bottles in the mini fridge,” she replied.

You grabbed one and brought it into the bathroom with you. Taking a few chugs from the bottle, you set it on the counter then hopped into the shower hoping the hot steam would kick you into gear. It didn’t.

Maggie was shooting tonight along with Joe and Daisy. Chris and Keanu had the night off although you thought they maybe had some dialogue they were re-recording this afternoon. You were set to be Maggie’s backup tonight but really you wanted to do was go back to bed.

The two of you made your way to conference room B for the breakfast buffet they set up for your group each morning. It wasn’t much, but it was free and available from seven to ten each morning and you managed to wake up early enough to check it out. Grabbing a plate and filling it with a muffin, scrambled eggs, and two sausage thinks, you joined Monica at a table with a couple of other crew members.

Your throat started to tickle just a bit after your first bite of eggs. Taking a sip of orange juice did nothing to ease that feeling. You coughed into your napkin much to Monica’s horror.

“Too much pepper,” you replied.

She rolled her eyes but carried on eating her own breakfast until you coughed again. She stood up and moved a seat a few chairs away.

“Just a precaution,” she said with a shrug.

Your phone buzzed in your pocket. Reaching back into your pocket you quickly pulled it out.

Chris: You de-thaw yet?

Y/N: My shoes are soaked from the melted ice

Y/N: I slept great. That cold took a lot out of me. Thanks again for coming to my rescue.

Chris: 😎

Chris: No big deal

Y/N: Well, I appreciate it and will be better prepared tonight.

Chris: Captain’s orders

You shook your head at his comment.

Y/N: Wow. He went there.

Chris: Yeah. Yeah. Let me know if you have time to grab food later. Little harder for me to grab desserts here and bring them to your office.

Y/N: I’ll let you know.

The tickle was back and you couldn’t help but cough to clear it. Getting up from your seat, you averted Monica’s eyes as you dumped your plate and opened the door to leave.

“Better not be sick, Y/L/N!” she called out just as you stepped through the door.

I’m not sick. There’s no way. It’s just in my head.

Making a quick stop at the hotel gift shop, you paid double the amount you would pay at Target for vitamin C drops and Cold Eeze. These were for in case you were coming down with something. Not that you were or anything.

Back in your room, you applied moisturizer and light makeup. You hoped that trying to go on  with your day as normal would make you feel normal. By the time you got to the bathroom to do your hair, Monica came back to the room.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

“I’m okay,” you replied putting the final touches on your hair.

“Just okay? That sounds specious.”

You let out a quick chuckle. “Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

“Yeah. Yeah. I’m just getting my bag. Maybe open a window. Let some of the germs out,” she said sticking her tongue out at you.

“I’ll see you there in a bit,” you said as she opened the door.

Except you didn’t. Somewhere between digging out your mittens, hat, and scarf that you apparently put back in your suitcase, along with returning a few missed calls from your family, you were tired. Deciding to lay down for just twenty minutes, turned into a couple of hours. The sound of pounding on your door was what woke you. Bolting up right in bed, you reached for your phone, seeing that it was already one in the afternoon. You had two missed calls from Chris along with a few text messages from him, Monica, and David.

“Coming,” your voice coming out hoarse. Your hand gently touched your neck as you swallowed, noticing it was slightly swollen and tender.

Swinging open the door, Chris stood in front of it, tired look on his face. His hands immediately going to his waist.

“Okay. You’re alive,” he said, bobbing his head as he said it. You giving a confused look in response. Chris nodded his head again, turned and started to walk away.

Keeping the door propped because you didn’t have on shoes or your room key on hand, you leaned out the door. “Chris! Come back! Please don’t make me yell.”

He stopped walking and turned back to face you. The same tired look was still on his face as he made his way back to you, stopping once he was in front of the door once again.

“I was--we were worried about you,” he sighed out. “When you didn’t respond to my text or call, I stopped by your cube and you weren’t there. Monica said you should have been there no later than eleven because you were on your way shortly after she was.” He runs a hand through his hair. “Then when you didn’t respond to Monica or David, we got concerned.”

“I’m sorry. I was just really tired and fell asleep too long,” you said softly, stepping back into the room and motioning for him to come in. “I didn’t mean to make you guys worry.”

Chris followed into the room, flicking on a light before taking a seat on Monica’s bed.

“It’s fine,” he sighed again. “Just didn’t know if something happened since you didn’t show up at the studio or answer your phone.”

“Don’t tell Monica, but I’m sick. I think that’s why I slept longer than I intended to. I’m sorry you came all the way out here,” you said, taking a seat next to him.

“I’m sorry you’re sick. That sucks.”

“It does,” you said getting up. “Should probably keep my distance. Don’t need the talent getting sick,” you said, giving him a wink.

“Good one. I’ll let it slide since you’re sick.” You grabbed your bag, checking to see that your worn script was still in it. “Where are you going? You’re sick, missy.”

“Missy? Really? It’s called life doesn’t pause just because of me,” you said slipping on your coat and putting your hat on.

Chris gabbed his phone from his pocket, clicking it a few times and bringing it to his ear.

“Hey,” he said. “Yeah, I found her. She’s sick and was sleeping when I got here. Trying to convince her to rest up… Yeah, she’s stubborn… What? No. No. I’ll take care of it. You don’t need to do that… I’m sure. I’ll get it sorted…Yeah, I’ll see you later… I’ll tell her… Bye Monica.”

“What are you telling me?” you asked as soon as he dropped his phone to the bed.

“You have the night off.” You were about to protest but Chris put his hand up. “Not my choice. She said she can handle it tonight and rather not have you breathing on her,” he chuckled prompting you to roll your eyes. “She said to rest up.” You nodded and started to unzip your coat. “Keep your coat on! You’re not staying here tonight.”

“Chris, I’m not hospital sick. I can stay in my own room,” you protested, hands instantly going to your hips.

He shook his head. “Monica was going to bunk up with someone else, but I told her I’d find you somewhere else to stay since she wouldn’t be back until late. You’re coming with me.” He stood up, grabbing your scarf from the desk and wrapping it around your neck.

“Where are we going?” you asked.

“You’re staying with me and before you say anything, it’s fine.”

“Chris…”

“Y/N…” he responded in the same tired tone. “It’s a three-bedroom condo. I have the room and no you won’t be in my way.”

“Okay…Let me just grab some things.”

Chris sat back down on Monica’s bed while you grabbed your carry-on, throwing in some pajamas, a change of clothes for tomorrow, your hairbrush, and makeup bag from the bathroom.

“Alright. Let’s go see how the other half lives,” you said with a smirk.

“Such a smaht-ass,” Chris said with a shake of his head.

“And that’s why we’re…”

“…we’re friends,” he cut you off. “Yeah. Yeah. Let’s get a move on sicko. Cahs waitin’ downstairs.”

This is totally normal. Doesn’t look inappropriate at all. What the studio doesn’t know won’t hurt anyone.

**

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[crappyfics]

Coco [part 1]

Summary: It wasn’t about impressing him. It was about becoming the best version of yourself.

Word count: 2k

Notes: Couldn’t find the owner of the header.

It was a hot summer day and it seemed like it was never gonna end. Stuck at your job, you worked the stock since ten in the morning piling up boxes, moving away trolleys, receiving supplies and sending out products. Your coworkers would show up every once in a while to grab a trolly piled up with products, and only be back once they were done placing the stuff in the respective shelves. The customer traffic was at its peak that day with everyone coming by to purchase something for a refreshing drink. You had received a great shipment of gin and rose wine which were highly requested this time of the year. The store was going to close soon and you looked forward to it. Though you hadn’t finished moving things around in the stock which was a bummer, really, because it meant you would have to deal with it the next morning. So you took off your gloves and apron, placed them on top of a box pile then retreated to the bathroom to splash some water on your face. 

The cool water refreshed your skin that was hot and sweaty not only from the physical effort, but for the heat in the warehouse that you could swear was also slowing down your productivity that day. You wash your face one more time then dry it with some paper feeling much better now. Coming out of the washroom, you get startled with the inconvenient Chanyeol who’s been getting on your nerves a little more than usual. Arms crossed against his chest, he stared down at you with a smile you really didn’t appreciate right now. 

“I’m not doing overtime, Chanyeol,” you said, managing to move past him and towards the lockers. You heard his footsteps behind you, his presence was always like a shadow following you. At least at work, he always made sure you were under his supervision. 

“I wasn’t gonna ask that,” he responded with a tranquility you recognized well. He liked to play that game with you, the rat and the cat, it was ridiculous. 

“It’s almost eight and you never have anything nice to say to me after five p.m.” you spoke as you opened your locker and pulled out your sneakers dropping them on the floor and proceeding to undo the laces of your work shoes. They were heavy and dirty, so much like how you felt at that moment. 

“You’re funny,” he laughed knowing very well it was all true but he kept the commentary for himself. “I was going to tell you to arrive one hour early tomorrow,” he said, making you snap your head towards him, giving him a death glare he was so accustomed to. “We have a lot of boxes to place here in the back, and another 50 or 60 to put out in the front.” 

“Yeol, I was working in the back on my own all day,” you whined much to his surprise because he really thought you were going to attack his stomach with a punch or something. But honestly speaking, you would never hurt your boss, especially not at work. He just was never used to hear you whine if it wasn’t for special occasions, such as asking for a day off or whatever. “You gotta make one of the boys come out here and help me out if you want the stock to be done in two days. One and a half if we’re being optimistic.” 

You sat down on the bench in front of the lockers and continued to take off your shoes and change for the light weighted sneakers you had. You placed the heavy ones very carelessly back inside your locker and reached further up there to grab your jacket that was pretty useless that day given the high temperature in the city. 

“Okay, I’ll call Lay tonight,” he said. He moved closer and searched for your face in hopes to find a sign of contentment. 

“Can you call Sehun instead?” you looked up at him finding his knitted eyebrows quite funny the way they judged you. 

“And I was here all this time thinking you didn’t like the boy,” he responded leaning on the locker right beside yours and not taking his eyes off of you now that he heard something new. 

Footsteps were heard coming from the front of the store. In a trail, your coworkers walked in going directly to their respective lockers. Baekhyun came last, rolling the keys of the front door around his finger and playfully making his way to you and Chanyeol. Yeol opened his hand for Baek to drop the keys back to him. 

“He’s the fastest at moving shit around,” you simply responded. 

“Are we talking about Sehun again?” Baekhyun asked, throwing an arm around your shoulder and smiling now copying the knowing smirk of Chanyeol’s face. 

“Again?” Chanyeol asked. “So this conversation has happened before.”

“I can’t with you two.” you grabbed your bag and moved past both boys who shared a knowing look now finding it hilarious how worked up you got with the silly teasing. You headed to the backdoor but stopped before leaving. You looked back towards the boys and saw Chanyeol still chatting with Baekhyun by the lockers. They noticed you still there looking at them. “I’ll wait in the car.”

Chanyeol passed around the bottle. Only the three of you, it didn’t take too long for it to get to you. The hard whiskey was not doing wonders to your throat, but it sure was making you feel lighter, freer. You hissed with the alcohol sliding down your throat, you could feel it reach your stomach. But after that pain was gone, you were ready to take another swig, though, you passed the bottle back to Chanyeol. Baekhyun, as the designated driver, stopped after his first swig. It was always the three of you. The three of you sitting in the car, listening to Chanyeol’s rock playlist, drinking something cheap you bought, chatting, singing, and crying the night away until it was time to go home. Though growing older meant that the nights were shorter, drinking was a little more responsible, and chatting was more mature as well. Though these small things shifted, the habits were still there, your friends were still the same. 

When Chanyeol turned eighteen, he applied for a job at the liquor store and it sounded like the coolest thing in the world. After six months of working there, he had a good front with his boss at that time which facilitated the hiring of Baekhyun who just recently had lost his job at the bakery. You were only fifteen when that happened, and being the youngest of your friends sometimes took a toll on you. You couldn’t go out to the same places, neither drink, or go clubbing. It was hard for you to also see them working for the same company. You had a part time job at the grocery store which gave you some good cash for your needs as a teenager. But when you were no longer a minor, Chanyeol was already a supervisor at Spirits and saw no problem in adding you to the team. The three of you were like the dream team. You enjoyed doing a lot of the heavy work because you were good at it, Baekhyun was a master at customer service, and Chanyeol was a diplomat earning him, later on, the post of manager.

“So what is it with you and Sehun, huh?” Chanyeol’s indiscretion was probably the thing you hated and liked the most about him. He wasn’t like that at work, but once you were outside, all the teasing and bickering was maximized since there was no policy code holding him back. 

“She likes him,” responded Baekhyun, taking a huge bite on his burger. He didn’t even bother looking at you in the backseat, but Chanyeol sure looked behind to find your obviously blushed cheeks. 

“No, I don’t,” you snapped back not knowing if you were convincing enough. You shouldn’t even try lying to them because it was useless doing so. Baekhyun already knew you were clearly interested in the tall boy who ever so often makes you shake in the base whenever he towers over you. Chanyeol was a little more oblivious because he didn’t spend much time out in the back with you, he was always very busy inside his office. 

“He gave her a stupid nickname,” Baekhyun said raising up the corners of his lips which were a little dirty with ketchup and mayo. He looked stupid. “He calls her Coco.”

“I think it’s sweet,” responded Chanyeol turning back to you waiting for a response. You just looked away not knowing exactly how to get away from that conversation. You weren’t very good with boys and talking about them made you extremely uncomfortable. “Why Coco though?” he looked back at Baekhyun.

“Because she looks like a dry coconut,” he laughed causing Yeol to laugh as well. 

“No! It’s because I smell like coconut, he said.” you explained in an urge to defend your honour, to defend the nickname Sehun gave exclusively to you. “You’re an ass, Baekhyun.”

“Why don’t you ask him out?” Chanyeol suggested as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. You sighed, he would never understand. You could not just go up to Sehun and set up a date. C’mon, the guy was the most handsome man you’ve ever seen. And you… You were always a mess, sweaty and exhausted from work. 

“Don’t be stupid,” you snapped. 

“He likes the smell of your sweat,” Baekhyun pointed. “Shouldn’t be too hard to get him to go out with you.”

“I honestly cannot tell if you’re mocking me or being supportive,” you responded to his mockery advice. 

“I just think you need to smile a little more, you know?” he continued purposefully ignoring your inquiry. “With that ugly scowl on your face 24/7, no one is going to make a move on you.”

“Well, excuse me,” you gasped. It was unexpected to get attacked at such an odd hour. “I smile! I get stressed at work because my boss leaves me alone in the back for eight hours.”

“Don’t act like I always do that!” Chanyeol defended himself from your also very unexpected attack.

“We’re gonna work on your smile and then we can move on to your wardrobe,” Baekhyun continued not giving a single flying fuck to whatever you were saying.

“What’s wrong with it?” you questioned looking down at yourself and finding the uniform you’ve been wearing for the past twelve hours now. You stopped for a moment. Even outside work you didn’t make much of an effort to look good. You didn’t even care if you were wearing your uniform or another tshirt, because you never felt the need to look good. You didn’t care about how others perceived you either. But hearing Baekhyun point out your flawed and lazy outfits was taking a toll on you. 

For the first time ever you felt like you had to impress somebody. If you wanted Sehun to look at you the way you wanted, then you should get rid of the oiliness of your skin, the messy hair tied up in a lazy ponytail, work on a smile… And for when, one day, you guys finally go out, you will definitely need new clothes. It wasn’t about making it to impress a man, it was about looking like the best version of yourself! 

Your reflection ended as soon as Baekhyun stopped listing all the wrong things about your Walmart plain t-shirts. You hated to admit it, but he was… right. You could have a little more fun next time you go shopping and maybe spend a little more than ten dollars on a top. You looked back, finding Baek’s eyes on the mirror and he looked back at you. You could tell by his eyes that he was now smiling. You braced yourself. 

“Did you hear me, Coco?”

[stephissalty]

clumsy with your heart

Pairing: Iwaoi

Rating: T

Warnings: Language

Words: 6600

Summary: Oikawa Tooru is fine. Okay, maybe not really. He's running on empty, his work is literal hell, he hardly sleeps or eats, and he could very well collapse at any given second. But! For all intents and purposes, Oikawa Tooru is fine.

Except, he's not, and Oikawa is hurting his best friend by hurting himself, but he doesn't see the damage he's causing. And Iwaizumi's rope is running just as thin as Oikawa's.

AO3

clumsy with your heart

He probably got a little bit greedy. Yeah, that was probably it. He’s always been too greedy, too pompous, and it bit him in the ass when he got too close to the sun and fell back to earth, leaving a path of pain in his wake. Flew too close to the sun, picked up too many responsibilities, played with a few too many hearts. Looking back, that’s probably what ended him up here. He tried to play god, tried to split his own heart in too many directions when it could really only go one. He pushed the one person who would go to the end of the earth for him too far.

That’s how everything went wrong and how he lost his best friend.

God, he hated himself.

The other deserved better than him.

Fuck.

-

Oikawa Tooru is fine. 

“Oikawa, we need you to stay late tonight.” He agrees even though it’s the third night this week.

It’s fine.

“Tooru, you haven’t called in weeks.” He’s been busy, he says. It’s the truth, but his energy is running on empty.

It’s fine.

“Oikawa, come out tonight; you need fun.” He says no, quoting something about being tired.

It’s fine.

He’s fine. 

-

“Tooru, you haven’t left your bed in two days.” Iwaizumi pokes his head into Oikawa’s room, where he’s made himself a nest of blankets to make the best of his long weekend. Even though he’s “relaxing,” he still has his laptop and is doing his homework for the upcoming week so he doesn’t need to worry about it. “Please come out.”

“I’m recharging for another week from hell,” he responds. Iwaizumi is the only person who’s ever seen him like this. Weak. 

“We can watch that American crime show you’ve been wanting to watch,” Iwaizumi offers. Not for the first time, fondness blooms in Oikawa’s chest for his best friend at how hard he’s trying. He’s the only person who hasn’t given up on Oikawa.

Oikawa considers the offer and cocks his head. “Okay.”

He slowly peels back his layers of blankets, very aware of Iwaizumi’s concerned gaze from the doorway. Carefully, he stands and makes his way to his friend, who has a soft smile on his face as he wraps an arm around Oikawa’s waist. Together, they walk over to the couch and settle into their usual position. Oikawa lays his head on Iwaizumi’s lap as Iwaizumi runs his hand through the other’s soft hair.

“Thank you, Iwa-chan,” he whispers part way through the show.

He draws one of Oikawa’s hands up to his mouth and presses a gentle kiss to the backs of his fingers. “Anything for you.”

His heart flutters slightly as he directs his attention back to the television. Iwaizumi shifts to reach for a blanket, which he drapes over Oikawa. Oikawa grabs onto his left hand - the hand that isn’t petting him - and doesn’t let go. 

-

“Oikawa, nice serve!”

He serves the ball and the volley begins, bouncing back and forth between both teams until Iwaizumi spikes it down in the other team’s court. 

Today’s practice is fairly standard, if not tedious. They’ve been doing practice games a lot recently, which he supposes is better than laps of diving drills, but his head is starting to hurt from the constant court analysis. Regular practice drills wouldn’t be a bad change of pace, he thinks, and then cringes at the thought of some of the especially miserable drills.

“Nice practice, wrap up! See you guys tomorrow morning!” the captain shouts. Right now it is nearing ten o’clock, and morning practice starts at five tomorrow. Barely seven hours. 

“Hey, I’m going to run some serve drills if that’s alright,” Oikawa calls over to him. He can feel Iwaizumi’s eyes on him, but he doesn’t say anything.

Once all of his teammates have left, he hits ball after ball over the net, most of them staying in bounds, but still not as powerful or as controlled as he wants. Iwaizumi is standing by the ball basket, drinking water as he carefully regards Oikawa’s energy state. 

After a particularly poor serve, he swears, “Fuck.”

“Tooru.”

“I’m not done, Iwa-chan.”

“It’s midnight. You’ve been at it for two hours. Your knee is going to give out. We need to go home and you need to ice your knee.”

“No, it’s not good enough,” he argues, feeling his voice catch slightly.

“Tooru.” 

He goes to pick up another ball but discovers that the basket is empty - he’s already emptied three so far. Oikawa doesn’t allow his annoyance to show on his face as he makes to duck under the net to pick up a few of the balls on the other side of the court, but there’s a harsh pull at his collar.

“You’re done. Stretch, asshole,” Iwaizumi demands. He starts picking up all of the balls around the gym.

“Iwa-chan, I’m fine. You really don’t need to worry about me so much.”

Iwaizumi looks back at him. His undereyes are slightly darkened, but Oikawa figures it’s because it’s getting late. “Don’t I, though? C’mon, we’ve gotta get home.”

When they get back to their apartment, Iwaizumi pitches an ice pack at his face with a towel wrap, demanding that he ice his knee. Oikawa reluctantly agrees.

He struggles to sleep that night and instead tosses and turns until it’s close enough to the time when he’d have to wake up for morning practice anyways. Iwaizumi notices, of course.

-

05 December, 11:13

To: Oikawa Tooru

From: Kindaichi Yuutarou

Subject: Recommendation Letter

Hi Oikawa-san,

I hope you’re doing well. I was wondering if, when you get a chance, you’d be willing to write a recommendation letter for me? I’m looking at applying for some internships and co-ops, and I think that a recommendation letter from you would benefit me greatly.

Thanks,

Kindaichi

05 December, 12:39

To: Kindaichi Yuutarou

From: Oikawa Tooru

Subject: Re: Recommendation Letter

Kindaichi-kun,

Absolutely. Attached is the letter. Feel free to save it and use it as you need. If there is anything you’d like added to the letter, I can do that. Good luck in your future endeavours.

Best,

Oikawa Tooru

Marketing Supervisor, Social Division

-

Received, 17:00: Yo are you coming out tonight?

Delivered: 17:31: no i’m staying late at work and then i’m gonna workout

Delivered, 17:31: thanks for the invite tho

Received, 17:34: Okay, you’re always welcome to join

Delivered, 17:48: thanks

Delivered, 17:48: miss you and mattsun

Received, 17:50: We miss you too

-

19 December, 15:09

To: Oikawa Tooru

From: Social Division Management

Subject: Activity Report

Good afternoon,

Can you draw up a report of your division’s activity for the last eight months? Include all new hires, reports written, complaints filled, write-ups, articles, successful marketing schemes launched, unsuccessful marketing schemes launched, and schemes in progress in addition to anything else you see fit. We need this by tomorrow morning.

Social Division Management

19 December, 16:55

To: Social Division Management

From: Oikawa Tooru

Subject: Re: Activity Report

Good evening,

Attached is the report. I’ve put it in an Excel file format, but I can convert it to a PDF or different document format if that would better suit your needs. If there is any missing information, please let me know and I’ll be happy to fix it.

Oikawa Tooru

Marketing Supervisor, Social Division

-

Received, 14:03: hey oikawa, have you finished the assignment for class

Delivered, 14:15: [Photo Attached]

Delivered, 14:15: there you go

-

22 December, 15:32

To: Oikawa Tooru, Volleyball Team

From: Team Captain

Cc: Coach

Subject: New Year’s Tournament

Team,

We have an upcoming tournament on 01 January. Please clear your schedules for 31 December and 01 January and allow for more practice time leading up to this tournament.

Captain

-

[Time Request Off]

31 December

01 January

- REQUEST DENIED -

-

23 December, 10:39

To: HR Management

From: Oikawa Tooru

Subject: Time Off

Hello,

I recently submitted a time off request for 31 December and 1 January, but it was denied. My volleyball team is travelling for a New Year’s tournament, and it is vital that I attend the tournament. I am asking that you reconsider the time off denial.

Thank you, Oikawa Tooru

Marketing Supervisor, Social Division

23 December, 15:24

To: Oikawa Tooru

From: HR Management

Subject: Re: Time Off

Oikawa,

You will be granted the time, but you must be on call at all times on those days. We will not make another exception like this in the future.

HR Management

-

[Time Request Off]

31 December

01 January

- UPDATE: REQUEST PARTIALLY APPROVED, SEE NOTE -

Note: On call 31 Dec and 01 Jan

-

23 December, 16:02

To: HR Management

From: Oikawa Tooru

Subject: Re: Re: Time Off

Hello,

Thank you for granting me the time off I requested. I appreciate it.

Oikawa Tooru

Marketing Supervisor, Social Division

-

Delivered, 17:45: hey i’m gonna be late getting home tonight

Delivered, 17:46: more things have come up

Delivered, 17:46: i should be out in time for practice, not sure tho

Received, 17:50: What can I do to help you?

Received, 17:50: Do you want me to bring you dinner or anything?

Delivered, 17:55: that’d be great

Delivered, 17:55: thank you hajime

Received, 17:56: Always

Oikawa meets Iwaizumi in the lobby of his office building. Iwaizumi is holding two bags of takeout and smiles sadly.

“Are you coming up?”

“Can I?”

“Of course.”

It’s nearly seven now, and Oikawa is one of the last people in his office left. Iwaizumi steals a chair from the cube next to Oikawa’s and wheels over. He looks up and down at Oikawa, taking in his rough appearance, hunched shoulders, dark undereyes, and sunken cheeks. Oikawa knows he looks bad.

“I’m going to text the captain and tell him we won’t be in,” Iwaizumi says quietly after a moment of deliberation. It leaves no room for argument.

“Are you going to go?”

“No, I’m going to take you home,” he responds. He sounds sad, a voice in Oikawa’s head says. “Please stop pushing yourself like this.”

Oikawa whips his head up at that. “What?”

“You heard me.” Iwaizumi doesn’t look up from his untouched food.

“I’m fine, Iwa-chan.”

“You’re really not, Tooru!” Iwaizumi exclaims, slapping his leg in frustration. “Your boss says run and you run. No matter what it is, you don’t say no to anyone but yourself! You’re killing yourself! You had to beg just to get two days off. When’s the last time you were home before five? I hate seeing you hurting yourself.” His voice sounds thick, and his eyes are wet, Oikawa realizes.

What’s wrong with Iwa-chan?

“It’s just the name of the game,” he mumbles and averts his eyes. Anywhere but at Iwaizumi. “It’s fine, really. I’m a big boy.”

“You’re starting your day at fucking five in the morning at practice, going to classes, coming here, and then either working out or going to practice again! You’re barely eating,” Iwaizumi cries. “I’m your roommate, your best friend, and I never see you anymore. Goddammit, I miss Tooru, okay?”

“I’m sorry, Hajime. I can’t just quit my job for you, though.”

“You don’t even like your job. It’s barely even related to your major.” That is true. Oikawa had changed majors several times - at one point he was a marketing major, but for his master’s he was going for communications. And, of course, Iwaizumi is right. He doesn’t like his job. It just paid well for a job with a fresh non-STEM bachelor’s degree.

Oikawa just shrugs.

Iwaizumi rolls closer to him, invading his personal space, and fiddles with the mouse on his computer. It’s open to a document, so he saves it and shuts down the computer. “We’re going home. And your laptop is staying here. You’re taking tomorrow off. We both are.”

“I can’t do that.”

“I don’t give a fuck. If your manager has a problem with it, they can deal with your very angry best friend,” Iwaizumi declares. His eyes are bright and angry as he stuffs his trash in his takeout bag. “Home. Let’s go.” He extends a hand.

“Bossy Iwa-chan,” Oikawa pouts, but there’s no malice behind it. 

There’s no energy for him to have any malice.

-

They make their way home not long after, and Iwaizumi forces Oikawa into bed, quoting something about “self-induced sleep deprivation” and “taking poor care of himself” and “going to collapse any second now.” To be one hundred percent fair, Iwaizumi is correct on all fronts, Oikawa admits. However, he’s fine. He’s dealt with way worse than this before.

Usually they watch shows out on the couch in the living room, but tonight Iwaizumi joins Oikawa in his bed, hip laptop resting on their thighs. Oikawa’s eyes are glazed over and he’s not really paying attention to the show that they’re watching, but Iwaizumi is warm under him and supports his weight on his shoulder.

As Oikawa’s eyelids start to droop around nine o’clock - the earliest he’s gotten to sleep in probably months - Iwaizumi pauses the episode they’re on and sets his laptop aside.

“Stay,” Oikawa murmurs. His sleep addled brain isn’t thinking, but he’s not willing to give up the warmth Iwaizumi is exuding, and that’s all he’s thinking about.

Iwaizumi is quiet for a moment, and Oikawa thinks he hears his heart rate increase. “...Okay. Let me get up and get changed quickly though, okay? I’ll come back.”

“Come back, Iwa-chan,” he mumbles as Iwaizumi man-handles him and moves out of the bed.

“I always do.”

-

Oikawa feels safe when he wakes.

His head is resting on Iwaizumi’s bare chest, and Iwaizumi’s arm is curled around him. Fondness blooms in his chest - he hadn’t expected him to stay the entire night, but he is still here, his face soft and content. After a glance at the clock on his bedside table, Oikawa sees that it’s just past nine in the morning. Twelve hours. That’s the most sleep I’ve gotten in half a year. 

He reaches for his phone, careful not to jostle Iwaizumi too much. Of course, he finds that he has several texts and emails. The first is from his supervisor.

Received, 08:15: Where are you?

Received, 08:19: Oikawa

Nervous, he quickly types out an apologetic response. He’s usually in the office by seven fifty.

Delivered, 08:57: i will not be in today

Delivered, 08:57: my best friend is forcing me to take a day off. i’ll make up all of my work tomorrow.

Received, 09:01: Please put in a time off request next time. 

Delivered, 09:02: yes sir

That’s one down. He sifts through the four emails waiting for him. Two of them are wanting project updates, one of them is out of network requesting info, and one of them is a morning update from an intern. He responds to the intern, thanking her for her work and telling her that he’ll be back tomorrow, and flags the project update requests to work on later. There are a few texts from some of his coworkers asking about him - he hasn’t missed a day of work in over a year - and one text from his mother asking how he is.

Received, 23:19: Hi Tooru, how are you? Iwaizumi-san said you’re working yourself really hard. Please take care of yourself and come visit soon. We miss you.

Delivered, 09:06: hajime is making me take the day off today. i’ll be okay.

Delivered, 09:06: i’ll try to come home soon

He’s about to answer one of the texts from his coworkers asking about a project when Iwaizumi sleepily plucks the phone out of his hand. 

“Mine.”

“Hajime,” he whines softly. “Can I have my phone back?”

“You’ve already been doing work this morning, haven’t you?” he yawns.

“Maybe.”

“Then the phone is mine.” Iwaizumi stretches and ruffles Oikawa’s hair. “Let’s make breakfast, okay?”

“You’re being so sweet to me, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa teases. “How cute!”

Iwaizumi freezes for a nearly imperceivable moment and flushes slightly. “I just care about my best friend’s health, alright?”

“Aww, Iwa-chan does care!” Oikawa’s running on false energy and fake bravado that he doesn’t usually use around Iwaizumi, but he doesn’t do anything to stop it.

“Of course I do,” he replies quietly, but his voice sounds sad. Oikawa’s heart clenches. Iwaizumi walks out of Oikawa’s room wearing only a pair of sweatpants and makes his way to the kitchen, expecting Oikawa to follow.

Oikawa hops onto the counter as Iwaizumi gathers the ingredients for pancakes. “What are we doing today?”

“Absolutely nothing,” Iwaizumi responds as he measures out some flour. “You’re going to rest your mind and body because fuck knows you need it.”

“We could invite over Makki and Mattsun,” Oikawa suggests.

“They’re both working,” Iwaizumi says, not looking up from the ingredients he’s whisking together. “Today is about you, not Makki and Mattsun.”

“Okay.”

Oikawa’s head feels weird, kinda fuzzy around the edges, like it might burst at any second. He considers that this might be the first time in a long while that he’s had more than a second to just sit and be alone with his thoughts. He tilts his head side to side and thinks to himself that he feels a little bit like a bobble head. That’s probably not good. But if he tells Iwaizumi, then that’ll lead to a lot of fussing, and -

“What are you thinking about?”

“My head feels weird?” It comes out as a question.

“Weird full or weird dizzy or weird sad or?” Iwaizumi looks up from where he’s pouring the batter in the pan.

“I think all three,” he admits. “It’s just a lot.” The honesty in that statement hits him like a sucker punch, and he wants to take it back, now Iwaiz -

“How can I help?”

“You’re already doing more than enough,” he says with a weak smile.

Iwaizumi walks over to where Oikawa is perched on the counter and gets into his personal space, looking deep into his eyes.

“H-Hajime -”

“Don’t hide things from me, Tooru,” he says lowly, eyes big and searching.

“What if I don’t know what I’m hiding?” Oikawa’s breathing is harsh, but he tries to conceal how his heart is hammering in his chest. What the fuck? It’s just Iwaizumi.

“Then tell me when you figure it out.” He pulls away and returns to the pan. 

Oikawa thinks he sees a light blush on Iwaizumi’s cheeks.

-

Later on in the day, they’re piled together on the couch as they play MarioKart. Oikawa is leaning most of his weight on Iwaizumi, and their legs are tangled together on the coffee table. A nearly-empty bottle of white wine and two glasses are sitting on the table. The visual scene is actually fairly serene, and both of them stay quite relaxed while playing. However - 

“You fucking shit!” 

“I’ve been betrayed, Iwa-chan!”

“You motherfucker!”

“HA! I won, Iwa-chan lost again!” 

Iwaizumi drops his controller on his lap and rubs his knuckles into Oikawa’s hair a little rougher than is necessary. “Yeah, Tooru, you did. What track next?”

“Rainbow Road?”

“No, I hate Rainbow Road,” Iwaizumi complains but navigates the cursor to it anyways.

“You just hate it because you can’t win,” Oikawa laughs. “Anyways, the track itself is pretty.”

“Of course you care about the aesthetics.”

Oikawa scoffs. “Rainbow Road is for the gays, Iwa-chan!”

…

Shit.

That had slipped out by accident. Oikawa’s heart rate increases and his eyes go big as he meets Iwaizumi’s equally wide gaze. “I mean -”

“You’re -” Iwaizumi starts. “Are you gay?” Iwaizumi asks, a cautious note to his voice.

Oikawa averts his eyes. This isn’t how he wanted this to go. Shit. Fuck. FUCK. “Uh -” he stammers. “Y-yeah.” He looks away in shame and sets his controller on the table, ready to leave and hide in his room for the rest of the day. 

“That’s fine,” Iwaizumi says simply. 

“You… you don’t think it’s weird?”

Iwaizumi scrunches up his face. “Nah. I’m bisexual, so it’s fine. I’d… uh, actually been wondering recently.”

“About what?”

“Your... preferences.”

“Oh.”

The silence is tense, as both men are scared to breathe, as if the moment will shatter.

“Can we play the game?”

“Gay Road, coming up,” Iwaizumi jokes, hoping to break the tension as he passes Oikawa his controller. 

Oikawa laughs, loud and full, hiding his face on Iwaizumi's shoulder. This feels right, he thinks.

Oikawa wins that race, as expected. Iwaizumi wins the two rounds after - Delfino Square and then Toad’s Factory. Oikawa whines about losing two in a row, so Iwaizumi picks Oikawa’s favorite track, DK Summit, which Oikawa then wins. 

They trade on and off with picking tracks for a while, each winning roughly the same amount. Oikawa makes some commentary about some of the tracks, his tongue loosened by the alcohol and after coming out.

Daisy Circuit: “It’s a lesbian undercover hookup.” “Explain?” “All the Luigi shit is a lie to distract from what’s really going on. Don’t be thick, Iwa-chan. Daisy is a lesbian and this track is about the race to a secret hookup with her lover.” “Of course it is.”

Moo Moo Meadows: “The cows are homophobic.” “Huh?” “I’m gay and they’re being mean to me. Thus, homophobic. Honestly, not that difficult of a concept. A fucking cow just dropped me four places!” “The audacity.” “Right?”

Mushroom Gorge: “Do you think Goombas are allies?” “Considering they’re working against us, no?” “Fucking assholes.”

Peach Gardens: “The continued saga of the lesbian hookup!” “How on earth?” “Look at all the traps Peach has put out for anyone who isn’t her lover! Only her lover is meant to get through, and fuck knows no Italian plumber is gonna be able to do that shit.” “You’re right, that’s exactly the story here.” “Glad you can see reason, Iwa-chan!”

Moonview Highway: “Who the fuck put eighteen wheelers on this track?” “Uh… the designers, I think.” “Not the point! I’m gay, I can’t drive! That’s why I play MarioKart, but these fucking trucks are making it too real! What the fuck!” “Maybe drunk gays shouldn’t drive, then. I’ll be happy to take the win.” “Not a chance, Iwa-chan! And I’m not drunk, I’m just well tipsy!” (Oikawa was a terrible real driver, so Iwaizumi always drove them everywhere)

Mario Circuit: “I -” “This is a classic, what could you possibly have to say about this track?” “Mario is a jealous, possessive fuck. Look at all these billboards.” “You’re one to talk.” “You love meeeeeee!” “Mhmm, I do.” 

They’re two-thirds finished with the second bottle of wine when Iwaizumi cuts them off with a laugh. “I think we’re done for tonight. We’re both playing terribly.”

Oikawa drapes himself over Iwaizumi dramatically. “But doesn’t that make it more fun?” He flashes a dazzling smile. Iwaizumi’s own soft smile falters for just a second, but then it’s back.

“Not when we’re both doing this badly. Let’s go to bed, Shittykawa.” 

“Will you sleep with me again?” Oikawa asks without thinking.

Iwaizumi freezes. “Okay.”

-

A few days later, Oikawa arrives back at the apartment after work around six o’clock - damn near a record, he thinks - but the apartment is empty. There’s no volleyball practice tonight, and Iwaizumi should have gotten out of work over an hour ago, so Oikawa is understandably concerned.

He tries to put his concern aside and attempts to make dinner for them. 

Iwaizumi walks through the door around eight o’clock, after the sun has set. “Hey.”

“Where were you?” he asks, offering a plate of food that’s now cold.

Iwaizumi accepts the food and goes to microwave it. He hesitates before answering. “I had some stuff on my mind, so I went for a drive.”

That sets off some red flags - Iwaizumi hasn’t gone driving in a long time, and he usually only goes driving when he’s feeling upset or overwhelmed.

“You want to talk about it?”

“I’ll be fine. I’m a big boy,” he jokes weakly. Oikawa notices that Iwaizumi’s dark circles have gotten worse, and his shoulders are hunched. To most people he’d probably look fine, but Oikawa can tell he’s a step away from being on the verge of tears.

“Please, Hajime, talk to me,” he begs. 

Iwaizumi ignores the beeping microwave in favor of petting Oikawa’s hair gently. “I’m not okay, but I’ll figure it out, okay?”

“Let me make it okay.”

Iwaizumi laughs weakly and moves to get his food. “You can’t do that. Trust me. This is all on me.”

“Do you want to sleep in my bed with me tonight? You seem to sleep better there,” Oikawa offers, a strange fluttering feeling in his chest.

“No,” Iwaizumi responds, a bit too quickly. “I - I’ll be fine. But thank you, Tooru. You’re the best friend I could ask for.” He takes a bite of the food and tries to hide a grimace. “But I’ll keep cooking. Thank you for dinner, though.”

Oikawa doesn’t push it any further. Iwaizumi goes to bed right after he finishes eating, leaving no room for any further conversation. 

Oikawa lays in bed for a while thinking about Iwaizumi. Iwaizumi has always told him whenever he’d be home late; he’s never just not sent him a text and come home that late. That was usually Oikawa’s move. And Iwaizumi had gone for a drive for all that time, which was another red flag. It’s been a few years since the last time Iwaizumi went driving, but Oikawa knows why he does. Iwaizumi had explained it at one time.

He’d said , “I dunno, I just find driving really relaxing. When I feel like everything in my life is really overwhelming and out of my control, when I’m driving, I’m in control of everything that happens to the car. It’s a bad thought, but I’m in control of whether or not I live or die when I’m behind the wheel. And when life’s getting to be overwhelming, I need to regain the control, I guess. There’s also the kind of melancholic euphoria is what I’d call it. It’s the feeling I get when I’m driving twenty-five above the speed limit on the freeway with the windows down, music loud, when I’m alone and sad and scared. Like, I’m going just fast enough to just barely scare myself into paying attention, and the wind and music are fun, and there’s a kind of melancholic overarching aura to the whole thing because I’m alone and sad in the first place. I don’t think it makes sense, but that’s why I drive when I’m overwhelmed and need to escape. I guess it’s self care.”

He thinks about the words and how they can apply to Iwaizumi now, but Iwaizumi hasn’t told him about anything going wrong or overwhelming him right now. Eventually, he gives up and succumbs to sleep.

Around midnight, just as Oikawa is on the verge of sleep, he hears Iwaizumi talking in his room. Confused, Oikawa pushes his covers back and treads over to the wall that separates their walls, and, indeed, Iwaizumi is talking, whether to himself or someone else. The words are muffled.

“Foolish… he’s not… And what if he thinks… Makki, I can’t… He doesn’t know. You know how… Yeah, uh huh. He’s been like this… it hurts. Hate seeing that… I don’t know how long I can do this… Running himself into… No, I… He’s too busy… just another burden on him… bullshit feelings… Fucking nine years, Makki, he doesn’t know… I’m hopeless… hurts… Whatever. Goodnight.”

Oikawa is still standing by the wall nearly three minutes later, trying to decipher what he’d heard, but none of the words are making sense together. Someone is hurting Iwaizumi, someone that means a lot to him, by the way Iwaizumi was talking. Iwaizumi hasn’t told him about anyone new, which means that he’s lying to Oikawa, a thought that makes his chest clench.

Whoever’s hurting Iwaizumi is going to regret the day they were born.

-

Oikawa regrets the day he was born.

Okay, maybe not that far back. Maybe just when he accepted his job from hell. That’s a bit better.

The following weeks pass in a blur of paperwork, emails, and assignments. He stops going to volleyball practice, which greatly upsets Iwaizumi and his coach, but he’s falling behind on both his work and his school work, so volleyball just doesn’t have a place in his life. Work has been getting worse as his supervisor adds more and more to his plate.

It’s the third night Oikawa spends overnight at the office that Iwaizumi demands he stand up to his supervisor and have some of his responsibilities taken off. Of course, Oikawa doesn’t, because he’s a loyal, dedicated corporate employee.

Iwaizumi has been a saint, and Oikawa thinks he probably couldn’t survive without his best friend. He makes sure that Oikawa eats at least one meal per day - a struggle, to say the least - and checks up on him multiple times per day to make sure he’s okay. Most nights, he’s still waiting up for him on the couch in the living room to ask how Oikawa’s day at work went, even if he doesn’t get home until eleven (usually Oikawa’s answer is “shitty but it’s whatever”). On Sundays - now Oikawa’s only “day off”, but he’s still on call - they usually stay in the apartment and watch movies together. Or, Oikawa naps on Iwaizumi’s lap while he watches a movie Oikawa chose.

As the weeks pass, Oikawa notices Iwaizumi’s energy depleting but doesn’t think much of it. 

They obviously haven’t had much time to talk, but Oikawa knows that Iwaizumi’s been taking more hours at his own job. Iwaizumi isn’t going for his masters like Oikawa, so he’s at an entry level position at an architectural firm.  Iwaizumi hasn’t talked about his own job in nearly a month, but last Oikawa heard, he enjoys it well enough. 

He can’t think of any reason why Iwaizumi might be getting tired. 

At least, not until he gets more information he probably wasn’t meant to have (it was an honest mistake, promise).

Oikawa gets home early one night, but the apartment is quiet. There’s a note on the kitchen table in Iwaizumi’s handwriting.

“If you get home before I get back, I’m out for a drive. I don’t have my phone on me. I’ll be home in a few hours. There’s some leftovers in the fridge. -Hajime” 

The line that keeps repeating in his mind is “I don’t have my phone.” 

Something’s very, very wrong with Iwa-chan. 

The last time Iwaizumi went on a drive without his phone was during their first year of university, and it was probably the darkest time of his entire life. He only does that when he feels so out of control that he just wants to scare himself and disappear.

What’s happened that he’s not telling me? 

Oikawa’s heart races and his breathing quickens as he dials picks a contact in his phone and presses call. Pick up pick up pick up. 

“Yo.”

“Makki,” he all but croaks.

Hanamaki falters on the other end of the line, clearly picking up on Oikawa’s distress. “O-okay, uh, what’s up, Oikawa?”

“What’s wrong with Iwa-chan?”

“What do you mean?” there’s a certain tone to Makki’s voice that Oikawa picks up on. He knows something.

“He’s been driving again, Makki. He hasn’t done that in years. And I got home early, and he went out without his phone,” Oikawa says quickly. He feels like he’s overreacting, but, if he knows his best friend, Iwaizumi doesn’t get upset easily. This has been building for a long time. “He hasn’t done that in years. What happened?”

“I…” Makki pauses. “Fuck, Iwaizumi,” he swears to himself. “I can’t tell you.”

“Why not?” Oikawa screeches.

“First, ouch, mind your voice. Second, I made a promise not to tell you,” he says. The emphasis is clear. “I won’t betray Iwaizumi’s trust, but I’m worried about him. It’s been eating him up.”

“Why me specifically?”

“It’s about you, Oikawa.”

And his world comes crashing down.

“What… what do you mean?” he asks weakly. His voice is faint and his throat feels like it’s closing up as he backs up and falls onto the couch before his legs give way.

Makki sighs. “You don’t realize how much that man cares for you. It’s going to kill him. He might’ve reached his breaking point. He’s been watching you tear yourself apart and it’s hurting him.”

“What?” 

“Honestly, can you not say anything else?” Makki jokes. “I’m not going to say more, though. You need to talk to him about it.”

“I… I don’t understand,” Oikawa whispers, voice cracking.

“Shit,” he swears. “Don’t cry okay? He’ll be home soon enough, and you guys can talk about it.”

“Fuck, Makki,” he rasps. 

At that moment, he hears a key in the door lock, prompting him to hang up the phone without even saying goodbye. He doesn’t even wipe away the tear tracks on his cheeks. The door swings open carefully, revealing a very dejected-looking Iwaizumi.

Oikawa supposes that this is what all these weeks have been leading up to. Iwaizumi’s back is hunched, his eye bags are abysmal, his spiky hair is even messier than usual, and his facial expression is barely holding it together. He’s wearing sweatpants and an old practice t-shirt. Iwaizumi doesn’t acknowledge Oikawa as he drags his feet into the kitchen and drops his keys. He crumples up the note he’d left and sighs deeply before running a hand through his hair.

Something is very, very wrong with Iwa-chan. 

“Hajime?” he says quietly.

“Fuck!” Iwaizumi jumps violently and whips towards where Oikawa is sitting on the couch. “How long have you been there?”

“I’ve been home for like half an hour.”

Their eyes lock and realization dawns in Iwaizumi’s eyes. “I -”

“Hajime, we need to talk,” he says and nods towards the seat next to him.

“Uh - yeah,” Iwaizumi agrees, albeit somewhat reluctantly. “Have you been crying?”

“We’re not talking about me, we’re talking about you,” Oikawa says, haphazardly wiping at his cheeks. “Something’s wrong. What is it?”

“I’ll be fi -”

“Don’t pull that bullshit with me. You haven’t gone driving without your phone since the last time you were suicidal. Cut the shit, Hajime, and talk,” he snaps, eyes fiery. “You’ve never kept anything from me,” he continues, voice softer. “So why now?”

Iwaizumi pointedly doesn’t look at Oikawa, but thankfully doesn’t dance around the topic. He sighs. “I care a lot about you, Tooru.”

“Mhmm.”

“Like, it might kill me, how much I care about you,” he says cautiously. “And recently, you’ve been working yourself so hard, it’s been hurting you. And seeing you in such bad shape and knowing there’s nothing I can do to help except try to make sure you don’t die of starvation… It’s been killing me. I can’t stand to see you hurting.”

“But I haven’t been hurting,” Oikawa argues.

“Have you looked in a mirror lately?”

“Point taken, but I don’t understand why it’s so bad.”

“Fucking idiot, I’m in love with you,” Iwaizumi growls, but there’s no true bite. “Have been for like nine years or some bullshit. You own my heart, Tooru. You could throw it fucking whereever, and that’s where it would go, whether you’re aware of it or not. So, I mean, it’s bad enough to watch your best friend work himself into the ground and not be able to help it. But I’ve been trying my damndest to not let this goddamn crush get in the way of our friendship for so fucking long while still taking care of you because fuck knows you need it. You’re a fucking piece of work, you know that, right? But I can’t bear to lose you, Tooru, and you’ve never implied you want anything more, and we’ve always been friends, so… Uh secrets it is for me, I guess.”

Oikawa meets his eyes. “Fuck, Hajime. Fuck.” 

Conflicted doesn’t begin to describe Oikawa at this moment in time. He’d be lying if he said he’d never thought about Iwaizumi in a romantic context before - on the contrary, it actually came to the forefront of his mind mildly frequently. Like, for example, how much he likes waking up in Iwaizumi’s arms, or how much he likes cuddling while they watch movies or while he naps on Sundays. Or, how they go out on what could be considered dates already. Before Oikawa’s job got insane, they’d go to dinner just the two of them at least once a week and spent tons of time together. An outsider would probably think they were boyfriends, he supposes. But on the flip side, dating friends is a double-edged sword. The possibility of ruining the friendship is very, very real, and is very, very, very scary. However -

“Jesus, Tooru, please say or do something else before I combust,” Iwaizumi begs, balling his fists in the hem of his t-shirt.

“How about this?” Oikawa asks before leaning in and pressing their lips together gently. Oh, and it is wonderful. Iwaizumi inhales sharply and kisses back more firmly, reaching up to cup Oikawa’s face with one hand. He tugs lightly on soft brown curls and runs his tongue along Oikawa’s lower lip, a small noise escaping his throat when Oikawa’s lips open for his tongue to slip through. The movements aren’t rushed or feverish. Everything is slow and sweet, just an exploration, as they pull each other closer, Oikawa eventually ending up on Iwaizumi’s lap.

Iwaizumi pulls back wetly. “Uh -” he starts. “Y-yeah, that works.”

“Iwa-chan, will you be my boyfriend?” Oikawa asks, heart pounding.

“Of course.”

-

Delivered, 21:33: hey makki it kinda worked out

Received, 21:34: Good. Deal with your own shit.

Received, 21:34: Happy for you guys

-

15 March, 15:45

To: Social Division Management

From: Oikawa Tooru

Subject: Project Division

Hello,

In light of some changes in my personal life and reasonable workload, I’m putting in a formal request to lessen my workload. Over the past six or so months, I’ve been putting in a massive number of hours in order to compensate for the workload for which I have been assigned. This was possible for a short term, but is no longer a possibility for me. In addition, it is not in my job description to be working overnight, over 40 hours, or past eight PM for general duties. My request is to either lessen my personal load or to have 3+ more interns assigned to my department exclusively. 

Thank you, 

Oikawa Tooru

Marketing Supervisor, Social Division

16 March, 10:13

To: Oikawa Tooru

From: Social Division Management

Subject: Re: Project Division

Oikawa,

We will work with upper management on finding a solution.

Social Division Management

-

[Time Request Off]

21 March

22 March

23 March

24 March

25 March

- APPROVED, SEE NOTE -

Note: Approved

-

“This is the first true vacation you’ve had since you started this job?”

“Yeah,” Oikawa replies, leaning into his boyfriend. The train rumbles underfoot. “Thank you for everything.”

“Thank you,” Iwaizumi whispers, punctuating each word with a gentle kiss to the tip of Oikawa’s nose.

“Dork,” Oikawa laughs, burying his head in Iwaizumi’s shoulder.

“A dork you love though, right?” Iwaizumi teases as he drops his head on top of Oikawa.

“Always.”

[eddieeatsass]

Stripped Bare - Chapter 3

Summary: Eddie gets an offer from his company to work in Barbados over the summer. Beautiful weather, all expenses paid trip, and a stay in a suite at one of the most highly rated resorts in the world. How could he say no? Unfortunately, Eddie soon realizes there were a lot of reasons to say no. His skin doesn’t take kindly to the harsh sun, his suite ends up being the size of a shoe box, and, oh yeah, it’s also a nudist resort. Pairing: Reddie (side Benverly and Stanlonbrough) Rating: E Warnings: Eventual smut, explicit language

Read on AO3

The rest of the week was uneventful. Stan was back at work, as was Bill, and that combined with the tantalizing freedom that Friday offered was enough to put Eddie in a good mood. He got Saturdays off, the one day a week where he got to seclude himself in his room and recharge for the work week ahead. He’d been too reluctant to take advantage of the free spa services that employees had access to, his social anxiety getting the better of him, so instead he gave himself spa days. Crammed in the tiny bathtub that his room offered, filled up to the brim with cheap bubble bath, and adorning a face mask that made him just a little bit itchy. It wasn’t ideal, but it was much more enticing than the alternative that was currently being offered to him.

“Come on, Eddie! It’s so much fun. Don’t you want to see what this place is like after-hours?” Bill asked with a suggestive wiggle of his eyebrows.

He’d been trying to convince Eddie to come to a little un-official staff party later tonight, or rather, early tomorrow morning. The pool deck didn’t close until 10:00, meaning the cleaning crew didn’t get done until 12:00. Meaning the party didn’t start until roughly 1:00am, which is roughly way past Eddie’s bed-time. He was surprised Stan had agreed to it so quickly, being the only person Eddie knew that had more elderly qualities than he did.

“I can imagine it from the comfort of my warm bed, where I’ll be asleep, at 1:00am.” Eddie said.

Bill pouted, actually pouted, and Eddie felt his heart soften just a little bit.

“But I wanna finally introduce you to Bev and Richie.” Bill fluttered his eyelashes as he continued to pout.

Eddie sighed, already resigning himself to defeat. Bill had been talking non-stop about getting everyone to meet. He knew if he missed it, he’d feel excluded later on. So, he let his FOMO drive him, despite his body already protesting the long night ahead of him.

“Will we get in trouble if we get caught?” Eddie asked, fighting the smile down as Bill’s eyes lit up.

“Nope! Mike is in on it!” Bill responded through a toothy grin.

Eddie sighed again. “Fine.”

Bill had him wrapped up in a hug before Eddie could even finish.

 The night crept up on Eddie faster than he expected. He’d gotten off work at 7:00 and was left to kill six hours on his own. His first instinct was to take a nap to prepare for the late night he’d soon have to endure, but the fear of sleeping through until morning and having to see Bill’s disappointed face was enough to deter him. Instead, he decided to get ready early. He ran himself a bath, taking time to exfoliate his entire body and shave everything that needed to be shaved. Once the still water had lost its warmth, Eddie turned on the shower and washed off all remnants of cheap hotel bubble bath. He went through the steps of his shower routine, humming an indistinct tune as he lathered shampoo into his hair. The whole regime only knocked about an hour off his time, but he felt fresh and clean and more equipped to handle whatever tonight threw at him.

With newfound pep in his step, Eddie took the time to pick out something to wear. He hadn’t had many opportunities to wear his clothes yet. Five days out of seven he’s wearing his uniform and one day out of his remaining two he usually spends in his pyjamas.

After some consideration, he settles for a thin pink t-shirt and a pair of jean shorts; a simple outfit, but one that he knows will be comfortable for the long hours ahead of him. In the first few days of being at the resort, Eddie had gotten a harshly unwelcomed sunburn. After bathing in aloe and practically drinking sunscreen from then onwards, his skin was finally easing into a tan. He’d avoided wearing pink while his skin still rivaled a tomato, not wanting to bring extra attention to the burn, but now that the angry red was turning into softened caramel, his favorite shirt contrasted with his tan in a way that made Eddie look like he was glowing.

Eddie appraised himself in the mirror, doing a little twirl to check himself from all angles. These shorts hugged his ass a little better than any of the others he owned, and it may not have been a coincidence that he chose that pair to wear tonight. It’s not that he was trying to impress anyone… it’s just that this would be his first time since being here that he was getting together with his coworkers off work hours, and maybe he’s taken notice that everyone who works at this resort seems to be god-level good-looking… so sue him, he’s wearing the good ass shorts.

As he was beginning to style his quickly drying hair, a knock drew his attention. He set down his styling gel and comb and traipsed over to his door, opening it somewhat hesitantly. At the sight of tight blonde curls, he relaxed, opening the door wider to welcome Stan in.

“You look good… What gives?” Stan inquired, making a beeline for Eddie’s bed where he let his body flop down unceremoniously.

Eddie closed the door behind Stan and reclaimed his spot in front of the mirror, scooping a dollop of gel from his bottle and getting back to work on his hair.

“Nothing gives. I just want to look good for tonight.” Eddie responded.

“Mhm… So, who is it?”

“What?”

“The guy you’re trying to impress, who is it?”

Eddie sighed and let his hand drop from his hair, turning to level Stan with a look.

“There’s no specific guy. I just… figured there might be a guy…”

“Well as long as you’re not going after Bill. Or Mike. Because I’ve got dibs.” Stan stated matter-of-factly.

Eddie snorted. “Stan, you can’t call dibs on humans… And you definitely can’t call dibs on two humans, that’s just not fair.”

Stan shrugged as if to say ‘I don’t make the rules’. Eddie laughed despite himself and turned back to the mirror, determined to finish his task at hand.

“Well, they’re both good choices.” Eddie decided aloud. “You’d be lucky to get with either of them.”

“And what about them? Wouldn’t they be lucky to get with me?” Stan asked with mock offense.

Eddie made a show of looking Stan up and down out of the corner of his eye.

“You’re alright.” He shrugged before dodging a pillow Stan hurled his way.

“So, are we on operation Get Eddie Laid tonight?” Stan asked.

Eddie sighed as he abandoned his hair, deciding it was as good as it was going to get. He capped off his gel and set it aside along with his comb before joining Stan on the bed.

“If it happens, I’m definitely not gonna complain, but I don’t even know if anyone’s going to catch my attention.”

“What about Bill’s friend?”

Eddie’s nose scrunched up as he shoved Stan playfully with his shoulder.

“Come on, his own best friend describes him as ‘the world’s biggest nerd’ and goes on about his escapades of pantsing the principle at their high school graduation. Twice. Not exactly the makings of a stud.”

Stan shrugged. “Well, I’m sure there’ll be someone there tonight who gets the privilege of pulling the stick out of your ass before fucking it.”

Eddie rolled his eyes, choosing to ignore Stan’s sly jab. Stan was just as uptight as Eddie, if not more-so, in most aspects of his life. But when it came to intimacy, the chase, the pining, the flirting, the catch, Stan was different. While Eddie’s upbringing had caused him to stay sheltered and refined, Stan’s had led him to steer in the other direction. You wouldn’t know it by looking at him, but in the private parts of his life, Stan was unrestrained.

“So, Bill and Mike, huh?” Eddie steered the conversation in a safer direction.

Stan’s face seemed to soften under the mention of their names, but he tried to conceal his reaction with a non-committal shrug. “They’re cute.” Stan said.

“Come on, Stan. I know it’s more than that.” Eddie goaded kindly.

Stan let his posture relax a little, conceding to the line of questioning.

“Mike is… sweet.” He started hesitantly, trying to find the words to explain his thoughts. “He makes me feel safe, and every time he speaks, I feel like I’m getting lost in the sound. You have no idea how many times I’ve had to play catch up because I was too busy listening to his voice instead of listening to his words. But he’s also our supervisor, which gives the whole thing an extra thrill.” Stan smirked mischievously, causing a small chuckle in Eddie.

“And Bill is…” Stan sighed dreamily, in a way that Eddie doesn’t think he even notices. “Bill is funny, and so full of this life that makes being around him invigorating. Yet at the same time he’s thoughtful and compassionate, genuine and intimate, soft but not weak.”

“It sounds like you’ve really taken a liking to them.” Eddie acknowledged.

“Yeah. But we’re only here for another couple of months, so-” Stan tried to shrug again, his shoulders noticeably tenser than before.

“A lot can happen in a couple of months.” Eddie offered.

Stan let out a sigh before pushing himself up off the bed, resigning from the conversation.

“Come on, I found something the other day I wanna show you.”

  The walk through the resort felt unfamiliar. Despite having been there for nearly two weeks, Eddie still hadn’t ventured far outside his work zone. The winding halls that carried them were surprisingly barren. Eddie supposes it’s because it was a Friday night and most guests were convened to the pool deck or the restaurants, or out exploring the city. It offered the perfect opportunity for them to weave in and out of new areas with no inhibitions.

Stan seemed to know where he was going, so Eddie followed dutifully. It was a good five minutes before they stopped in front of a set of tall oak double doors.

“Are we allowed here?” Eddie asked anxiously, glancing around him and seeing no one and nothing in sight.

“What, are they going to fire us and take on the new round of experienced workers waiting anxiously to get jobs at a nudist resort?” Stan’s dry humor did nothing to quell Eddie’s stress, but the view inside the room as Stan pushed open the doors was enough to disintegrate it within seconds.

Before them was a giant room, completely empty of life and dimly lit, reminiscent of an 80’s style arcade. There were bright posters on the walls, unplugged arcade games with black screens and dimmed lights, dusty couches propped up in a corner, and in the center of the room laid a pool table, balls already racked in their starting position.

Eddie’s eyes were as bright as stars as they flickered around the room, taking everything in.

“What is this place!” He asked excitedly.

Stan closed the doors behind them and followed after Eddie.

“It’s an old game room. I’m assuming it’s not in use anymore because no kid is gonna wanna spend time here when they have every game they want at their finger tips now, and the adults who come here to vacation probably have better things to do.”

Stan broke off from Eddie to make his way over to the pool table. He ran a finger along the edge, gathering dust and wrinkling his nose at the grainy grey fluff that collected on his skin.

“Remember when I was USM’s 2014 Pool champion?”

Eddie rolled his eyes, throwing Stan a look over his shoulder. “How could I forget?”

When they were in college, Stan and Eddie had taken up pool. It had started as a casual way to pass the time between classes, blow off steam while studying for exams, and spend their Friday nights when they avoided the ragers being thrown in nearly every dorm on campus. While Eddie developed a healthy appreciation for the game, Stan became obsessed.

Near the beginning of their new hobby, Stan had found a monthly pool tournament run by some of the students on campus and had joined on a whim one fateful night. It soon became clear to everyone that Stan had a gift. He sunk every ball in record time, never flinching or second guessing his move. It was like this weird, lanky Jewish boy showed up out of nowhere and revealed himself as the Pool Messiah.

Stan’s competitive side bloomed quickly, and he continued to heighten the stakes with determination to sweep everyone under the rug. One tournament turned into two, turned into four, turned into a whole year of Stan obsessing over the game. He’d spend every free moment he had in their pool hall, even forgoing the usual ‘Stanley Uris essentials’ to get in more practice time. Pressed shirts and khakis turned to sweat pants and hoodies, daily showers turned into one a week, and his diet began consisting of Cheetos and Red Bull. Eventually the year rounded off, the last tournament came and went, and Stan earned the title of USM’s Pool Champion of the year. He didn’t get a trophy, no plaque or ribbon, there was no book to sign his name in for the future generations to remember him. But what he did get was the satisfaction of knowing he’d won, and it seemed to be enough to quell the competitive streak he’d been riding on all year.

The next day, the very next day, Stan was back to normal. He wore his usual slacks and button-down shirts, was freshly washed and freshly shaven, discarded all traces of junk food in their shared dorm room, he’d even shined his shoes. It was as if the last year had never happened.

Sometimes Eddie wondered if he’d dreamt it all. If it had been one long fever dream. He’s also considered that it may have been a drawn-out practical joke that only Stan was in on. Eddie wouldn’t put it past him to commit to a bit for an unruly length of time just to get to see people’s reactions.

But then there were moments like this, when Stan proudly brought up his title, and all Eddie could do was nod and pretend to be reminiscent.

Sighing, as if he was easing back into reality from a dream, Stan procured a small packet of wet wipes from his pocket (which he never went anywhere without) and began wiping down the pool table. "Wanna get in a few games before the party? See how rusty my skills have gotten? I bet I could still beat you-" Stan cut himself off with a tumultuous scream. Eddie's body reacted before he knew what was happening, and his legs were carrying him across the room, his arms reaching out for Stan who was stumbling back from the pool table in horror. Eddie's eyes grazed the table, half expecting to see a dead body beneath it, but came up empty. He grabbed hold of Stan, who'd backed himself up against the wall, and tried to make eye contact through the frenzy. "What! What happened!?" Eddie yelled, trying to get Stan's attention despite his gaze being firmly planted over Eddie's shoulder to the pool table. "Li-Liz-" Stan was interrupted once again, this time by the double doors bursting open and slamming against the walls. Before them stood Mike, panic written all over his face, and clearly out of breath. "I heard screaming, what happened?! Are you okay?!" Mike was asking them both, but Eddie noticed his attention was solely on Stan. Eddie turned back to his friend, eyes pleading for an answer. He could see that Stan's face was flushed from embarrassment, clearly taken aback by his own reaction to whatever had caused this commotion. After the three of them had stared at one another for what felt like one too many beats, Stan cleared his throat. He shrugged Eddie's grip off his arm and straightened his posture. "There was a lizard." Stan's voice quivered on the last word. Eddie and Mike exchanged silent looks, both battling internally to react appropriately to the (seemingly over dramatic) situation. Mike was the first to speak. He took a few tentative steps into the room, addressing Stan gently. "Where is it?" "O-on the pool table." Stan stuttered. Mike nodded and proceeded to the offending area. At first glance he couldn't see anything, but once he crouched down, he came face to face with the demon itself. Mike couldn't help but chuckle. "This little guy?" Mike cupped his hands around the lizard, removing it from where it gripped to the hardwood edge of the pool table. "This is a Hemidactylus Mabouia gecko, also known as a tropical house gecko." Mike began walking towards Stan, who's eyes were as wide as saucers as he traced Mike's every move. "They're non-venomous and completely harmless." Mike added, before stopping right in front of Stan. He opened his palms to show a tiny brown lizard no larger than 3 or 4 inches. The lizard was sitting still, seemingly content to be in Mike's hold. "You can touch him, if you want. He won't bite. But even if he did, their teeth aren't big enough to pierce the skin." Mike added the last part as if it was supposed be calming. When Stan refused to move a muscle, Eddie reached forward tentatively and began petting the lizard's back. “Huh… Kinda slimy, kinda rough… this is actually pretty cool! You should touch him, Stan!" Eddie knew that Stan could read through his fake enthusiasm, but he also knew that he wouldn't back down from this in front of Mike. Stan shot Eddie an inconspicuous glare before he outstretched a shaky hand. He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw as his hand came in contact with the terrifying animal. "There we go, see? He's totally cool." Mike supplied in an encouraging tone. Stan peeked one eye open, settling it on where his hand connected with the lizard. Its eyes blinked one by one and Stan suppressed a shiver. "You know, in some Caribbean cultures it's actually considered good luck to have one of these guys in your house. So... Seems like you might get lucky tonight." Stan's breath stuttered as he made eye contact with Mike, who was still gazing at him with the same tenderness as when he'd first walked in the room. Eddie watched the air between them become charged as Mike's comment sunk in. Without another word, Mike re-cupped his hands, sealing the lizard in safety so he could carry it outside. "Well, see you guys in two hours!" Mike shouted over his shoulder as he retreated, leaving the two boys in stunned silence.

[noxus-the-venomous-blog]

Part 1 Toxic tranquility

“Alright I'm checking the hallway,” Frank said dishonestly into the walkie talkie hanging from his shoulders........

He instead adjusted his position on his chair, fulfilling only the spirit of his duty by glancing at the security monitors in front of him. Nothing as always. “Looking all clear from my end.”

His earpiece mumbled acceptance, then asked for more in depth clarification.

Frank briefly sighed in annoyance. “Yeah I went out into the hall but I haven't been to the lobby. I’m on my way.” He slowly stood with a grunt and exited the small security room. He chuckled to himself and spoke into the receiver, “hey maybe Bob’s back and messing with the security system… You don't know Bob? Also remember to say over, I have to hit a button on my end how do you not know that?”

He switched a few lights on and proceeded down the hallway slowly, glancing into each room, his  footsteps echoing a hollow sound across the narrow corridor. Offices, laboratories, storerooms, nothing out of the ordinary that he could see.

“Ok so full story, Bob was a techie who fixed computers around here. You have to have seen him, mousy little dude tiptoeing to servers and scribbling in a notepad. So like last week the big bosses from the science department come in and start making cuts in IT and this dude was on the list. But when it happened he didn't take it well. He started crying… Yeah really crying. Saying he won't leave, bringing up his kids… Three I think.”

Frank reached the lobby, a dim and soulless room. He took a seat at the receptionist desk and began booting up the computer.

He continued to elaborate on his story while waiting for the dated grey relic of a computer to load.“When he was walking out we all just stared. If this was grade school we would have laughed and threw paper balls, but no one flinched. In that moment we all felt his pain. I'm no wuss but I don't think I would have handled it better in his shoes. He trudged into the elevator and no one saw him again.”

Frank finally was able to check the cameras, each small was screen empty and unchanged.

“Nope no Bob…” He raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean did you not get any part of the story? The guy was broken. We have a betting poll on what day he comes back to shoot the place up… Ah you’re just naive, it’s absolutely possible! And if he does im the one left dealing… Hey we got a flicker on ground floor… That's when a door or window sensor says its open then closed then open. Is this your first night?”

His supervisor’s apparent airheadedness aside, it was probably nothing. Sensors misread all the time. But as he started walking away from the computer a feeling in his gut stirred. He glanced back at the monitor, focusing on the small flickering pixels slowly blinking on and off.

Frank hung his head back in resignation and pressed the button on his receiver. “Nah I’m gonna check it anyway, its annoying though… Its cool I dont mind, besides if Bob’s back i wanna catch him tonight, or tomorrow, I bet on the whole week.” He then changed his course, heading in the opposite direction towards the origin of the problem.

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The man fumbled in his chair, sitting alone at the diner.

A waiter walked over and asked, “sir? Are you waiting for anyone? You haven’t ordered.”

He nodded his head wordlessly and stared deeply at the cheaply stained wood table. He began to tap his fingers on it but that quickly escalated into scratching a small line into the wood. He gazed at the line he was his nail was carving so deeply it took him a full moment to realize the man was still standing there. He stumbled over his words a little, “I’m… I’m sorry im just...”

“Nervous?” The waiter sat down across from the customer and placed his notepad in his lap. “It’s a big date isn't it?”

The customer nodded without looking at the man across the table. “She's almost here and we need to have this big talk that she doesn't even know she needs to have…“

“Want my advice?” the man offered with a smile. The nervous patron met his eyes. “If it’s a request then ask it with boldness, If it’s a confession then say it with humility and if it’s a declaration then be ready to mean it. “

The corner of the man’s mouth twitched. “Hm… that works. Thank you.”

“No problem. Does she have red hair? You’re going to wanna take a breath.” The waiter then stood up to help seat the woman who had just entered. She was guided over to the now much calmer man sitting in the booth, who had conveniently slid a napkin over the small scar in the table.

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“No that was the old company name, they changed it after it got sold… Yeah why do you think this place has downsized so much lately? New owners new problems,” Frank grumbled as he continued through a small empty cold storage room.

“I used to have a security team to back me up. Three on each shift. We had a real job to do too back then. Kids from the university constantly sneaking in after hours. Sometimes for some mischief but every now and then just to squeeze some extra time in to finish whatever assignment they were stressing over,” he explained while walking to towards a window to check the sensors. A small solid green light on each sensor let him know the equipment was functioning and the windows were latched shut.

“That’s room 204 clear too, are you sure you’re looking at the map right? None of these rooms could be were the flicker is coming from.” This wild goose chase was starting to become annoying.

He walked out of the room and in to the hallway, slowly scanning in both directions. He swore he had already checked each cluster of doors, and their interconnected rooms.  

“Hey I think I might’ve missed 209. I’m gonna check it out just to say I got all of em…” the voice in the earpiece protested slightly. “No I see your point but I’m here so I may as well check all of them. Besides I have nothing better to do. At least you're more talkative than the last dispatch. We should get drinks some time, I'll pay for it. You don't work a job this boring without a few drinks.”

He approached the room slowly and paused just before he entered. Something didn't seem right. He saw computers and monitors set up around the rooms perimeter. Dust had acquired on each keyboard as they waited for future fingertips to bring them back to life. He glanced to his left and saw the the window sealed and the indicator light green. He glanced to his right and saw no other windows or any other types of exits. But something still didn't feel rightl.

“Does the flicker look like it matches 209? No way I just walked out of 204 I’m telling you something wrong with 209. There's like a cold chill in here... Wait a second… it's cold in here. Like a breeze.” Frank’s eyes widened, he rushed over to one of the monitors at the desk and slid it over, revealing a window wide open. The sensor hanging off of it, damaged and blinking sporadically. “We’re gonna have to talk drinks another time. Bob’s back.”

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“The food here is sub par,” the young man says nervously, trying to form an N shape in his mashed potatoes, “but it’s affordable to a degree that makes its quality seem better.”

“The chicken is bomb though,” the woman leaned over with a piece of meat on her fork, dipping it into her boyfriends mashed potatoes. His eyes widened staring at the streak she made in his nearly finished starch sculpture. She gave a flirty smile.“And you went through that burger like a lion gnawing on a squirrel.”

“When would a lion meet a squirrel?” he said with a smirk as he began scultpting what's left of his potatoes into an O shape.

She pointed at him with her fork. “City lions. People with bad vision think there buying a house cat but it never stops growing.”

“Who doesn't have that one crazy lion lady in the family because of that?”

They both stared at each other for a moment and then giggled. The woman leaned forward and spoke quietly, “so what has you so nervous. Your food handwriting is off its game, that Q looks terrible.”

He glanced away from her. “It's an O… I’m just… I have a reason to invite you here.” He looked over at the rest of the restaurant, then back to her and lowered his voice, “I have something to tell you but there's no sane way to say it. You’re going to think i’m crazy and then your going to think lying but when you realize i’m not you’re going to be angry. When that happens all I ask is that you hear me out and let me tell my side of the story. Will that be ok?”

Her smile had faded. She leaned in with gravely serious expression. “Ok but… I want to guess. I want two guesses before you say anything and that's the only way I'll hear you out.” The man almost replied but then just nodded his head. She continued, “ok… You’re going to propose to me?”

He shook his head.

“Ok then… I’m gonna go out on a limb here… You dress up in all black, wear a gas mask and steal from science factories under the name Noxious in an attempt to take over the world.”

His heart dropped. He couldn’t breathe. His pulse raced and his vision blurred. When a comet rushes through space it plays many roles. Sometimes it orbits a planet as a satellite. Sometimes it collides into mass and creates a planet. Everything it becomes will change eventually and over billions of years it will slowly play every role it possibly can in the stages of the universe. In that one shaken moment, Noxious wished desperately that that comet would play the role of destroyer and take the entire restaurant out.

He stammered ‘I... Its not-”

“I’m in.” She smiled sweetly at him.

“In what?”

“I want to join you. I want to be your partner in crime” she stated proudly while awkwardly finding her drink straw with her mouth.

This wasn’t real, was it? “How did you know?”

“I checked your computer under the folder marked ‘Noxious Agenda’ and I even corrected some grammar in a few of the documents. You have good use of metaphor for your journals,” she spoke proudly, showing she was far more prepared than he thought to accept his “devastating” news

Noxious could barely believe what he was hearing. “Wait when did you use my computer you've never stayed at my house?”

She waved a hand dismissively. “I wandered in at some point. I’m so bad about fidgeting with other peoples electronics.”

His jaw dropped. “I can’t believe you’re ok with this. I thought you would leave me and report me to the police. We have so much to talk about and so much to plan.” He felt light headed and giddy. This tremendous weight had been lifted off him. He felt so relieved that she understood his scenario that he failed to see the down side of his girlfriend admitting she broke into his home and spell checked his manifesto. He felt accepted. More so he felt affirmed in his conviction. He now had a partner to aid him in his wicked remodeling of a broken world. They were both strange and off putting, and his is why they worked.

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Frank scrambled around the storage room, checking the inventory. “How long until the cops show up im getting my ass played over here! Three boxes of materials are already missing and I can’t find a trace of Bob! Hello? Dispatch dont do this to me. Alright that’s not working,” he said in frustration as he returned his radio to the holster to his belt.

He reached for the cell phone in his back pocket and the moment he couldn't feel it an annoying thought dawned on him. He had left it on the security desk. Frank was all alone as he searched each room, following seemingly just behind the trail of the mysterious intruder. His concentration was broken when he heard a door shut from down the hall. He ran over and pulled out his sidearm. All he could see was more corridors of shut and open doors. He came up on one slowly.

He clutched his radio and hit the button. “Ok not sure if this is going through but Ive narrowed down his location to three doors. If it's Bob then he's manic. I'm gonna start kicking doors down and corner the rat.”

Frank flinched at a reply in his earbud. He took a deep breath as he heard the news. “Shit don't do anything, and don't confront him! Bob ain't crazy but he may have snapped, i'm running to your post as fast as I can!” He booked it.

With all the urgency he could muster he took stride down the hall, through the lobby and then down another hall. He glanced over at his security booth mid stride but couldn't see his phone immediately. Deciding to ignore it he continued up the stairs and rushed down the painted tile path until he could see the security dispatch. The place was covered in smoke, bellowing out the open armored door.

He covered his mouth and rushed in, scanning the thick smoke with his flashlight in order to find dispatch or the source of the smoke. Finally under the desk a piece of warped plastic caught his eye. It was a tube covered in tape and burnt at one end. An improvised smoke bomb.

As he saw it the door shut and latched behind him. He kicked it twice causing his firm boot to boom like a drum off the metal door. When that didn’t work he searched through the thick smoke to find the control panel. He tried the electric door release, no luck, instead he turned on the air circulation.

As the smoke began to suck out of the room he began to see two shadowy figures forming outside of the bulletproof glass observation window. Frank gritted his teeth as their figures became clearer, he pressed the intercom button and yelled, “who the hell are you two?! Get me outta here! So help me if you hurt the dispatch lady !'m gonna shove my pistol up your ass and play hide the lead!”

The two figures were fully visible now. On the left was a man with a dark hoodie, gloves and a black leather gas mask. On the right was a woman in a similar concealed outfit with a small lock of red hair falling over her goggles and respirator. She leaned in and pressed the equivalent intercom button on her side, speaking in a familiar voice, “it wasn't Bob… Over.”

----Writen by poison, edited by chem trails

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

Take It On The Run (Part 8)

Summary: Everything seems to have settled down but Dean and the reader still have questions for someone close to them...

Masterlist

Pairing: Detective!Dean x reader

Word Count: 2,800ish

Warnings: language

“Hey, Cas,” you said around eight in the morning, popping open the door to see him and Jack eating breakfast. He gave a wave, mouth full of food as you held the door for Dean to come in on his crutches.

“You got to flirt with the pretty nurses if you want extra bacon, dude,” said Dean, finding a spot in a comfy looking chair, kicking his bandaged feet up on the end of the bed.

“I should have left him in his bed,” you said, something slipping over your head, someone moving your braced arm into your sling.

“I go to the bathroom for two seconds and you two take off,” said Sam.

“Worried I was gonna get kidnapped again?” teased Dean.

“You kind of are a damsel in distress you know,” you said. Dean faked a scowl, a real one on his face when Sam tossed a sling at him, maneuvering himself into it with some effort.

“Is Cindy alright?” asked Cas. Sam rubbed the back of his neck with a shrug.

“Well, she admitted to shooting you and killing Derek. But your statement and the circumstance will probably help her,” said Sam. “Did you hear anything on Heather?”

“I still don’t know why she broke protocol or came to me,” said Jack. “My supervisor thought she wanted to warn me about Nick. I don’t think we’ll ever know.”

“Hey, Sam. Why don’t you take your partner and go grab us some coffee that doesn’t taste like crap? One of those pie tasting muffins too while you’re at it,” said Dean.

“Alright, princess,” said Sam, ruffling Dean’s hair. “Come on Jack. You can meet all the feds running around while we’re at it.”

Dean had a big smile on his face as they left, letting it fall away once he saw you move to close the door.

“Castiel...Y/N and I would like to discuss something with you,” said Dean, leaning over in his chair, waiting until you were sitting down beside him to cock his head. “Why’d you switch out Derek’s blood?”

“What?” asked Cas, looking back and forth between you. “I have no idea what-”

“Jack had blood taken two nights ago, same night as Derek Evans. Now we all saw the blood results. I was a full blown sibling match to that blood. Only now when we re-ran Derek’s blood, it turns out he’s only my half brother. Isn’t that a little odd?” you asked.

“I’m going to have to agree with Y/N here and say that’s pretty weird. It’s pretty weird considering you were the one that brought the blood straight from Derek’s room to the lab. Did you do a fancy magic trick, Cas?” asked Dean, taking a deep breath. “Was it Jack’s blood?”

“I don’t have to justify anything to you,” said Cas.

“Maybe not me but how about her? She’s been to hell and back the past few days and if there are anymore crazy, fucked up kids running around out there, we want to know about it,” said Dean. Cas lifted his chin, the motion simple but it was enough for it to click for you.

“You’re Nick’s brother,” you said, Cas glancing away. “You’re not Jack’s mother’s brother. Your Nick’s.”

“Our family has had issues long before you existed. Before any of you kids existed,” said Cas. “My older brother...you are not the only one to have a sibling that is unhinged.”

“You knew it was Nick all along and you led us along on some wild goose chase for what? To protect him?” asked Dean.

“To protect Jack. Nick, as far as he was concerned, only had 3 children. He never knew about Jack. He never knew about me. This family has been split up and torn apart for as long as it has existed. When I realized who my brother was, that my good friend Kelly was having his child, that he didn’t know about Jack...we hid him, just like was done for you,” said Cas.

“Why does this family fucking hide children? What the hell is it that-”

“If you knew our true family name, you would recognize it. We don’t come from good stock, never have. Most don’t end up as bad as Nick or Emily but it’s what we do to try and keep everyone safe,” said Cas.

“But you said your friend Kelly had Jack,” said Dean. “How can...there is no Heather Greene, is there.”

“It was pure coincidence she ended up as Jack’s first undercover job. He didn’t know he was protecting his own mother. But she did. I think she wanted to see him one more time,” said Cas.

“Maybe you’re right,” you said, Dean turning his head towards you. “Emily killed our mother. I killed our father. Maybe we are bad people. He was letting me go. I didn’t have to do it.”

“What do you think would have happened to Dean if you hadn’t?” asked Cas. You’d already decided you never wanted to think about that ever again, the image of Emily with a blade causing your stomach to churn. “You saved his life.”

“Saving a life doesn’t justify taking another,” you said.

“I don’t think we have to worry about you, Y/N. Or Jack,” said Dean. He wrapped his hand around yours, lacing your fingers together. “I don’t think nature had much to do with your family being the way it is, Y/N. Bad made more bad is all. But your dad, your real dad, he was a pretty good guy from what everyone says. Look at you. You’re the proof.”

“Does Jack know he’s my brother?” you asked, Cas shaking his head. “You want to keep it quiet.”

“Nick and Derek are gone. The only threat I can see is Emily and she’s locked away. I think when you’re ready for it, we should all sit down and explain it to him. He’s always felt a little alone from what I can tell,” said Cas.

“Well you can tell him one of his sister’s is a badass to start with,” said Dean, leaning back in his seat. “You’re lucky I believe you or else I’d have to kick your ass.”

“Your feet are injured. You can’t kick anything,” said Cas.

“Dude, it’s an expression,” said Dean, rolling his eyes.

“So you’re my uncle,” you said with a smile, Cas nodding.

“I think I’m your half uncle but yes, we do share some blood,” said Cas.

“Maybe this wasn’t so awful after all.”

One Month Later

“Hi Emily,” you said, sitting down on the couch across from her, Dean taking a seat beside you. She was nervous in her seat on the other side, looking over at her doctor who was watching from the side.

“We brought you a present,” said Dean, picking up a bag and sliding it over. Emily raised an eyebrow and slid a hand inside, plucking out a small stuffed bear. “Dr. Allen said you like animals.”

“Yeah,” she said quietly. “Thanks.”

“You don’t have to be scared of us,” you said, Emily practically clutching the bear to her chest.

“I know,” she said, the lie coming out so flat Dean chuckled. “I’m sorry.”

“You like puppies? My brother just got one,” said Dean, pulling out his phone, tapping a video and turning it around for her. You saw her smile, eyes on the screen as Dean squeezed your hand. He was just as nervous as her but he wasn’t going to let it show in front of her.

“It’s cute,” she said when the video finished.

“Maybe sometime we can bring him in for you to see if the doc says it’s okay,” said Dean, a smile on his face that made Emily sink back in her chair.

“Why are you here?” she asked, staring at him and then his feet. “I tried to kill you. I hurt you. I was going to do awful things to you. Y/N, you I...you’re here for payback, aren’t you?”

“Dean and I have talked about everything that happened, Emily. We talked to your doctor and some other people and we wanted to tell you that yes, you did some bad things. But we forgive you,” you said. Emily snorted, turning her body away. “It’s the truth.”

“Emily, the doctor said you went into survival mode at a young age because of your father. You did things to protect yourself. He says you’re actually very kind,” said Dean.

“I’m a psycho bitch that has done so much crap, I can’t even remember it all,” she said, playing with the patient band on her wrist. “I’m evil.”

“Maybe you were. Maybe you did some stuff to me that still scares me. You have a lot of things to work through and it’s going to take a long time, Emily. But I think if you try, you can get better,” said Dean.

“Why do you even care?” she asked.

“Y/N’s my girlfriend. My family. That makes you my family too, Emily,” said Dean.

“Is he for real?” she asked, finally bringing herself to look you in the eye.

“He’s a dork. But a sweet one. We want to help you if you’ll let us,” you said.

“Why would you ever want to help me?” she asked.

“That’s what the good guys do.”

Two Months Later

“Hey,” said Dean, holding up a letter, padding into the kitchen with a smile. “Emily wrote me a thank you letter for her birthday present. That was nice of her.”

“She wrote me one too,” you said, taping the one Dean had in his hand on the side of the fridge. “Thank you for being so good with her. I know it’s weird.”

“Well, once I stopped thinking of her as the spawn of satan and what she really is, a poor kid that was manipulated and coerced into becoming what she did in order to keep herself alive, it got harder to hate her. Plus she’s got your cute nose. I’m a sucker for a boopable nose,” said Dean, tapping the top of yours.

“Uh huh,” you said, leaning up to peck a kiss to the tip of his. “Remind me again why I have to wear a dress to dinner?”

“It’s a fancy place,” said Dean, your eyebrows raising. “I’m getting better at this boyfriend thing. Plus it’s your birthday. I figured why not splurge.”

“We both have work in the morning. You better not keep me out too late,” you said, Dean smirking as he rested his hands on your hips. “Dean...”

“I can break a rule every now and then,” he teased, putting a finger to your lips when you went to speak. “Just enjoy yourself tonight, sweetheart.”

“Alright, alright,” you said. “I’m going to shower and get dressed for your super secret birthday date.”

You really didn’t need to get cleaned up but if it gave Dean time to run around and set up for your surprise dinner you weren’t supposed to know about, you figured you’d let him have it.

When your skin was pruning, you stepped into the bathroom, wiping yourself off, a thin white line on your shoulder the only physical reminder of three months ago. Dean had a few more scars but his hair had grown back in quickly, hiding the one on his scalp. When he’d finally healed so that you could get to the intimate part of your relationship, you hadn’t realized you’d spend most of that time just learning his body, talking over the marks left behind. His most badass one he joked was the one on his shin where he tripped up some steps once.

“Hey,” you said, exiting the bathroom after putting on a little bit of makeup, not that Dean cared one way or the other. Dean was in one of his work suits, a nice clean white shirt on, tie loose around his neck. You dropped your towel and slipped into some underwear, Dean’s mouth watering even if you were getting dressed. You stepped into your dress, pulling up the zipper until Dean moved in, zipping it the rest of the way. “Ready to go?”

“One more thing,” said Dean, fishing his hand in his pocket, pulling out a thin black piece of fabric. “It’s a blindfold. You don’t have to though if you think it’ll scare you.”

“I’m okay,” you said, stepping over, Dean giving you a gentle smile before your vision cut off, soft fabric resting against your skin as he tied the ends together. You took a deep breath, a quiet moment of panic rushing through you until it simmered away, Dean holding your hands patiently. “I’m okay.”

“Nothing’s going to get you. We don’t have to go far either,” he said. “Just down the hall.”

“Okay,” you said, Dean letting go of you, walking around to your backside, his hands on top of your shoulders. He gave you a tiny nudge forward, one hand leaving you as it opened the bedroom door, walking you barefoot down the hall until you were stood about where your kitchen and living room should have been.

“Happy birthday, Y/N,” he said, untying the blindfold, an encore of people yelling surprise at you, your house somehow transformed into a party in the half hour you were in the shower.

“How...you threw me a surprise party?” you asked, turning your head back at Dean. “I’ve never had one before.”

“It’s about time then,” said Dean. “Like I said, just have fun tonight.”

“I’m guessing you three are crashing here tonight?” asked Dean, Sam, Cas and Jack hazily looking up from the couch. “That’s a yes.”

“Thanks for the party guys,” you said, Jack hopping up from his seat. “Somebody’s grabbing dibs on the guestroom old timers.”

“Hey,” said Sam, groggily standing up. “Kid on the couch.”

“It’s my sister’s house,” said Jack with a smirk.

“It’s my brother’s house,” said Sam, throwing one back.

“Cas gets it,” you and Dean said, both guys dropping their jaws, Dean giving you a high five. “Oh, I love being an older sibling.”

“It has its perks,” you said, Jack rolling his eyes but unable to keep the smile from creeping on his face. “Night guys.”

You and Dean wandered down the hall to your room, plopping down on the bed, both of you letting out a sigh.

“Want to skip work tomorrow?” you asked, Dean chuckling.

“I almost forgot your other present. I called us both in sick already,” said Dean.

“The chief was just here,” you said.

“And I was very sick,” said Dean with mischievous smile.

“Bad boy,” you said, tucking yourself up against his side. “You know what I do to bad boys.”

“You’ll just have to make me good then,” he said, licking his lips. “You got all day tomorrow to try.”

“Don’t think I won’t,” you teased, kissing him fast before you rolled out of bed, changing into pajamas and climbing back under the covers with him. “Hey, Dean?”

“Yeah, sweetheart?” he asked, resting his head on your pillow, keeping you close tonight.

“Why didn’t you arrest me at the diner? When you thought I was the woman in the picture?” you asked.

“I didn’t want to put some poor woman through something awful like that if I was wrong. The more I thought about it though, the more I realized it had to be you. Until you proved me wrong of course,” he said, trailing his finger along your hip, grazing over the scar from your appendix surgery. “I’m so glad I was wrong.”

He turned away to yawn, snuggling his head close to yours when he finished, throwing his arm over your waist, shutting his eyes with a large exhale.

“Love you,” you said, a smile crossing his lips.

“Love you back, sweetheart.”

@newtospnfandom @rhochradel @earthtokace @internationalmusicteacher @mirandaaustin93

@baconlover001 @emilymorgan1994 @jensenackesl @captainemwinchester @imissyoualittlemoreeveryday @xfanqirlinq @anokhi07 @akshi8278 @fandom--shipper @xxwinchester-22xx

@zeusmyster @atc74 @aingealcethlenn @pillow223 @alilianamendez @dancingalone21 @smoothdogsgirl @docharleythegeekqueen @jaelami @roxyspearing @kickasscas67 @gallifreyansass @untitled39887 @charliebradbury1104 @quiddy-writes @arryn-nyxx @poukothenerd @feelmyroarrrr @mrsbatesmotel53 @idalinette @evyiione @jayankles @samisimportant @maddieburcham1 @demonic-meatball @hey-um-misha @flufy07 @its-not-a-tulpa @whit85-blog @mrswhozeewhatsis @extreme-supernatural-lover @tardis-full-of-fallen-angels @spn-ficfanatic @deanwinchstcrs

[imstressedhugme]

long post: my average day at work

there’s gonna be a part 2 of this but this is what I put in my notes at work today:

I am sO excited to quit the nursing home and work in fast food, which I’m almost positive will be less crazy

Since today is my last day at this job I’m going to be writing stuff down here while my supervisors aren’t looking lol

It’s empty right now and it’s kinda weird but I guarantee it’ll be chaotic af

My coworker just walked by carrying a glass with some weird gross frothy green stuff in it and said “don’t even ask, I don’t know” wow I am excited to finally leave

WHY IS NOTHING LABELED

THIS DOES NOT HELP

A lady just said the alphabet aloud to herself alone

WHAT HAPPENED TO THESE MENUS

“Gnocchi. Guh-no-chi.” -me

I have stolen a sugar packet and I plan to eat it

I ASKED CRAZY GREEK LADY IF SHE WANTED MORE LEMON BECAUSE SHE WAS COMPLAINING THAT SHE COULDN’T TASTE THE LEMON AND HONEY IN HER TEA, SO SHE YELLED AT ME ABOUT PEOPLE BEING ALLOWED TO CHOOSE WHAT THEY HAVE IN THEIR COFFEE AND TEA??

“OH MYYYY” someone yelled really loud from across the room

“My memory is bad, I’m 88 years old,” a sweet woman told me. I told her it was alright and brought her some soup

A tiny little tear formed in my right eye as the man who lost his sweet wife not too long ago talked about how his motor skills are getting better

Not sure what was on my finger but my hands have been thoroughly washed

My hands were weirdly sticky so I washed them again

This one man is really tiring and impossible to understand aaaHhhh

A lady called me over and asked “can you help me? That’s all” and I said yes and shook her hand :)

I have this elderly who never really says much except that she needs help and she’s always cold, but when I told her “have a nice evening” she said, “stay a minute, old age is hard, you know. it’s not for sissies” and obviously this really threw me off and I just said “I know” because well, it must be pretty hard. She asked how old my mother was and then said “she’s a child.” I just nodded and wished her a nice evening again and gave her one final handshake

Conversely, another one yelled at me “don’t leave me!” because she needed me to help her eat her sandwich pieces (meanwhile I have other duties I need to get back to) and I’m so tired

Crazy Greek lady yelled at my coworker that she should be fired and if it was me, I’d be like “lol today is my last day here joke’s on you”

My hands felt weird so I had to wash them again

Old man who I can’t understand just yelled at me in gibberish and I cannot wait to leave

He just left without eating his food

Crazy Greek lady said something nice to me??? She was all “I finished all my food without bothering you all again!” And I gave her a nice little chocolate pie but I’m still tired of her

The guy who lost his wife, his friend is here and he’s the best. They’re so cute :)

where are the salt shakers?? I found one but it was 1. empty and 2. glued shut???

One of the people I don’t like very much put her chewed gum on an otherwise clean plate and I had to pick it off and throw it away myself. Another hand wash has been done

How much trouble would my body be in if I dumped artificial sweetener into my cup of Pepsi

I accidentally inhaled the spray sanitizer again

I hate coffee but I would totally eat these coffee beans

I managed to spray myself with the sanitizer hose

There’s still a sugar packet in my pocket, I figure I’ll pour it down my throat in case of emergency

I have a migraine pain on the right side of my head now

I somehow managed to inhale the spray sanitizer AGAIN

I’m falling asleep draining these coffee pots. They’re just like my energy right now lol

Now I’ve managed to spray water on myself FROM A SINK. hOw

I am on my 5th cup of Pepsi tonight

I’m putting my name tag away for the last time, thank the Lord this is over

There’s a torn up menu on the closet floor and that’s a mood honestly

Why was there another huge crash from the kitchen? That’s like the 4th one tonight

I have finished my shift. I am about to leave. I still have my Pepsi. The Christmas Song is playing. And now it is time

It has been poured down my throat. I feel good

I WAS LOOKING FOR THESE

I went to take 1 more sugar packet but accidentally took 2 so

I am filling my 6th cup of Pepsi, walking straight out the door, and not looking back

B Y E

[backtomylakearearootsstory]

S1E13

Saturday mid-morning. Malachi and Quincy are out and about running errands.

“Hey I have a few bills to pay”

“Oh sure dad!”

Malachi sat in the truck wearing a sleeveless Nike t-shirt with a dark pair of cargo khaki shorts with a pair of Keds shoes wondering how his father, who wore a button down and a pair of blue jeans was managing not to break a sweat.

“Dad, it’s hot outside! How are you not sweating?”

“Son, I’m from the deep south where we have a head index of 90 plus in the morning. Your boxers will be stuck to your ass at 7:00 am from the humidity during the summer months. By 10:00 am, the heat index is more than 100 degrees! This ain’t nothing for me.”

They went to pay a few bills prior to going to the grocery store.

“Your mom has a cousin who lives in Long Beach who’s coming to visit. She’s gonna bring her kids”

“Yea, mom said something about that”

“She’d be grandma’s niece?”

“Yes, your mom’s first cousin”

He picked up a block of cheddar cheese, two bags of shredded cheese, and a can of salsa. “I hope they like nachos. Doesn’t costs too much and it’s an easy fix”

“Son, grab a couple of packs of ground beef for me”

After placing the ground beef in the basket, they went to the produce section to grab some fixings such as sour cream, lettuce, pico, and tomatoes.

“Essentially, we are reconnecting with family and being introduced to some through all this”

“Right!”

Malachi then asked about Quincy’s family. He had seen them more than he had seen his mother’s family. It was usually during the summer. They would make at least one trip per summer to California for vacationing. He had not seen his aunt or his uncle in about three years. He had not seen his grandparents since he was about 6 years old; however, he did not consider them strangers. On the other hand, he was clueless when it came to his father’s cousins.

“My mom was born and raised in Mississippi. My dad is from a town in Louisiana called Jennings, it’s about a half an hour east of Lake Charles. He went to Jackson State University on an athletic scholarship. He majored in Management, got a job at a beverage plant and eventually worked his way up to being a sales supervisor. Mama worked in the hotel industry. We weren’t dirt poor, but more or less low middle class. There were five of us; I have three sisters and one brother. I have three siblings that are older than me. Me and my baby sister are the last two.”

“Do you still talk?”

“Yes, and I’d always make the effort to get a trip in down there when I was on duty. We don’t talk as much as I’d like, but we’re not estranged”

After checking out, they headed to the house to clean up. When they got there, they saw Deja and Clarissa sitting on the sofa reading something on Clarissa’s phone.  “Did y’all forget that we got company coming over?”

“Yeah, and the house is a mess”

Deja make getting ready for company a difficult task. “You know how stressed out you get when you have to clean house” Quincy reminded her.

“I know, I’m on it. Clarissa, wanna help?”

“Well since I’m here….. I’ll grab a broom”

The children were then sent off to their rooms to clean as well as clean the bathrooms.

“Can one of y’all straighten out the guestroom?” Quincy asked, “I’m fixing to get in the kitchen and help your mama”

While cleaning Aundrea was talking with Malachi and QJ, “She has four kids, they’re spending the night tonight, and we’re going to be on the floor in the den. Better, get the air mattress out. Just giving you a heads up”

The kids were cleaning while Deja and Quincy were getting the food ready. Hours passed by when Yvonne, Azalea and Anita arrived. Faye arrived shortly after 5:00 pm. 5:15 pm to be exact.

Faye can be described as dark brown, about 5’8, with a pixie cut.  She sported a pink sundress with matching earrings.

“Hello”

Deja then called for the kids to come in.

She then had her kids introduce themselves. Two daughters and two sons. The youngest son was around QJs age. Her older son had just turned 14 and her daughters were 11 and 12.

“This is my youngest one”

“Darius”, the young boy said, shaking QJs hand.

The oldest son introduced himself as “Ian”

The 12 yr. old “Ramona” and the 11 year old revealed her name to be “Alexis”

“Dominic” Azalea’s son said.

After introductions, Deja informed Faye that Yvonne had mentioned her in a conversation.

“All good I hope?”

“Nothing bad, stated that you lived in Long Beach and that you’re our mother’s first cousin”

“Yes, my mom is your aunt Clarisse.”

“So tell us about you?”

“My mom and your mom are like three years apart in age, your mom moved out here early on in life. My mom was 35 when she moved, so I was 10 yrs. old. We lived a rough life for a while, she never married and I unfortunately did not have a relationship with my dad growing up. She went to school later in life and became a therapist. She began applying everywhere, and having our cousins in Sacramento was a big help. She stayed in Sacramento until she could get on her feet and then we settled in Long Beach. I graduated from Long Beach Polytechnic High School. I went to a technical school and obtained a certification. I’m currently working for a cable company out here. My kids go to an online k-12 school. I initially had them in public school, but I took them out due to teachers wanting to penalize anything and everything.”

Yvonne chimed in. “Zero Tolerance, was a trap”

“Amen” Faye responded followed by a hi-five.

“well you guys hungry?” Deja asked

“we have a little food fixed, not much, but you know? Last minute.”

While they were eating. Deja asked Faye if she was married.

“No divorced. Been six years, I found out that my husband had been seeing another woman for half of our marriage.”

“Damn!” Quincy exclaimed

“Yeah, imagine my surprise to find out that he has a child around the same age as my 11 year old.”

“We have joint custody and I’ve never withheld the kids from him, we co-parent alright, though I’ll admit that it took me a while to get there”.

Anita then asked about the homeschooling situation

“I took my kids out of public school due to what I felt like was unfair treatment. My sons couldn’t even play tag with their friends without administration throwing a bitch fit about it. They do okay with the k-12 academy I found. It’s a free online school. I’ve networked with some other parents who have enrolled their children. We do a field trip at the end of the school year.”

 “That’s neat, what do you do for the cable company?”

“I work in IT, enough about me, what about you?”

“Well I’m an attorney; I’ve been with the firm for a little less than a year”

They continued talking over nachos and wine when Clarissa and Azalea confirmed that they were both professors and Deja informed about her status as a high school English teacher. As they asked more about her father, she revealed that her mother informed her that she was conceived through a one night stand and that she met her father when she was 15 years old doing a trip down to Louisiana. While they were conversing, Azalea asked, “Hey, where’s mama”

“Aunt Helen?” Faye asked, “I have yet to meet her and we’ve been living here for so long. My mom has told me some of the stories. I know that our grandmother had a drinking problem. She’s sorry about what happened”

“What do you mean?” Deja asked

“Well let’s just say, there is a reason that the family is somewhat estranged now. Our grandmother’s alcoholism got in the way of her being the parent that she could have been. I’ll leave it at that for tonight”

The children were sitting on the porch when QJ and Darius decided to go play video games.  The adolescents stayed on the porch and finished eating prior to watching TV

“Hey can we have some more?” Darius asked.

“Of course”

“Eat in the kitchen” Faye interjected.

QJ laughed and said, “My mama is the same way”.

They later played video games for about two hours before getting the sleeping bags out.

“Can Darius sleep in here tonight?”

Deja agreed, figuring that they would probably fall asleep playing video games.

After Clarissa, Anita, Azalea, and Yvonne left. She got the air mattress out and some blankets. The older children decided to sleep in the den on the air mattress watching movies on Netflix.

Faye, Deja, and Quincy went to bed. Before calling it a night, she Deja advised that they not stay up too late as they were going to get out and do something tomorrow morning.

TO BE CONTINUED WITH EPISODE 14

[winterverses]

A Taste for Learning - Chapter Three

There were a few bad moments the next day on the bridge. Ella had come in, hair all bound up, uniform clinging to that perfect body, and Jim couldn't help watching her a little longer than he’d meant to. “Tonight,” she'd said before they parted in the morning, both of them exhausted and satisfied, both of them aware that work was going to be a bit of an effort. Everything they'd done stampeded through his mind, his imagination determined to fixate on glimpses of the playful, passionate Ella he'd seen last night.

“Captain on the bridge,” she snapped, and his imagination suddenly cooled as if he'd suddenly been plunged into an icy stream. His eyes were on his instruments now, his hands moving through the familiar checks. Commander Vergne strode up beside him, watching him the way she always watched the Cadets, the lack of a sharp correction the only approval he got. It was so strange to think that for one night she'd been someone totally different… and somehow, not strange at all. Not when he was starting to understand more and more what kind of pressure came with a command rank.

“I was looking for you last night, Commander. Wanted to go over the half-term notices for the Cadets,” Garrovick said.

“I'll be happy to go over them any time we are on duty, Captain. I prefer to keep my free time for my astrophysics degree.” The Commander's voice was extremely neutral, cool, not inviting at all, but subtly different from the voice she used with Cadets. Assertive, but not dominating. Well, the Captain was the only one on the ship who outranked her.

“Come on now Vergne, didn't I see you leaving the bar last night with some guy?” the Captain teased, and suddenly Kirk realized just how wrong he'd been about Vergne’s relationship with Garrovick. Feeling a little sick, he found himself remembering all the times he'd heard the Captain tease her like that, trying to get some admission that she had gone drinking or found some company or whatever else, and how many times it had played out the exact same way.

“I’m afraid not, Captain,” Vergne said, her voice even and cool and neutral, just like before. Just a hint of boredom if you were really listening for it. “I was studying for most of the evening.”

How many times had she given that sort of answer, and how many times had it been because Garrovick had tried to corner her again? Jim couldn't even remember how often he'd heard exchanges like that. He’d always thought it was relatively good-natured and harmless… but knowing that Garrovick had been waiting outside her room last night twisted the banter into something distasteful at best.

“Cadet!�� she snapped from right beside him, and Kirk suddenly realized he'd been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he’d missed something. “The Captain asked you a question. Answer it.”

Kirk half turned in his chair, as was acceptable when not underway. Ella had told him that if he was worried about giving something away, he could just pretend to be bored and explain as little as possible unless specifically asked, like his answers weren't all that important. Seemed like another sound strategy. “Sorry, sir. What was the question?”

“Did you send me on a wild goose chase, Cadet?” the Captain teased, and for one moment Kirk was utterly convinced that Garrovick knew everything somehow and that Ella’s career was ruined because of him.

Still, he couldn't let himself treat an off chance like a certainty. Kirk just made an apologetic little shrug. “Sorry, sir. I must have been mistaken.”

And that was it. “The Vulcans really lost out when you were born a human, Commander,” Garrovick said lightly, and moved on to pre-launch checks.

Later that night, Kirk left his shared quarters for Ella’s room, mentally flipping through the things she'd told him. Never admit anything. Never let them see you sweat. Never let your lies get elaborate. He wasn't sure he could pull it all off with her grace, but it was good advice for a lot of things, and he had a feeling he’d get a lot of practice. And once he'd stepped into Ella’s quarters and the door was closed behind them, she'd slid into his arms without a second of hesitation.

“You did well,” she murmured, and Kirk proceeded to demonstrate just how much he appreciated her approval.

Over the course of the rest of his term aboard the Farragut, Kirk found that he noticed some changes happening. He barely had any trouble getting girls to go out with him or come home with him anymore. Ella told him it was because he wasn’t so focused on sex, and that seemed to be true; he watched his classmates trying to pick up girls, and he could see the difference between what he was doing and what they were doing. They were too thirsty. It made them seem desperate, whereas he didn’t really care whether he got laid or not. There was always another night and another girl, so he got more interested in the girls themselves and they in turn got more interested in him.

He was getting even more of a reputation too, although it had changed a little. Before when he’d overheard girls talking about him, there had always seemed to be that caveat, whether spoken or not, that he got around. Now that was treated more like a bonus than a warning, and the girls that had already slept with him were usually down for another night, sometimes actively looking for it. Sometimes really actively.

The first time he’d seen a girl’s cheeks go all pink because someone mentioned him, he’d sent off a message to Ella, saying she’d better clear up a night for him because he had a lot to thank her for. And he’d made her scream, more than once.

God, that was fun. He'd really gotten a taste for the things she’d taught him.

Not that he never made mistakes in his attempts at covering things up. He’d nearly gotten himself expelled when all that shit with the Narada had happened. It wasn't until that was over that he found out the Farragut was one of the ships that had been destroyed. He was pretty sure his face went white when he heard, but after some discreet enquiries, he’d found out that Commander Vergne had managed to seal off a portion of the saucer edge and jury-rig a beacon so that the Fleet would find her and the members of the crew she’d been able to save. He’d sent off a message immediately, but when he didn’t get an answer, he started to worry again. Eventually, he got worried enough that he made an official inquiry, and heard that she was in a medically induced coma while they reconstructed her leg and fixed up some massive burns.

Bones had been suspicious from the moment he’d said he wanted to know when Ella was awakened. “You’re not next of kin and you have no reason to be there,” Bones had said, eyeing him.

“She was my CO,” Kirk shot back.

“Oh, and the fact that she’s a bombshell has nothing to do with this,” Bones snorted, but Kirk could tell that he didn’t really think that. “She’s not gonna look that great in a hospital bed, Jim.”

“She taught me a lot. I want to be there.” It was true. She had, a lot more than just sex. Navigating the labyrinthine pitfalls of Fleet relationships hadn’t been half so hard once she’d taught him what to look for and how to keep things discreet. And under the public eye, she’d given him a shot at a helm class she was running aboard the Farragut, even though technically he didn’t have the certifications for it. It wasn’t anything she hadn’t done for other Cadets-- Vergne judged based on her opinions, not Fleet certifications, and she let everyone know it. But she was one of the best helmsmen out there, and he already knew how to take direction from her, so he’d sharpened his skills more than his supervisors had thought possible. Her endorsement meant a lot, not just to him, but to the other officers.

“Fine,” Bones had said. “I’ll let you know when to take some leave.”

The call came in about a month later, longer than he’d expected, but there had been medical complications in the meantime. Kirk took a week’s leave and headed down to the surface-- the Enterprise was stationed at Earth for the time being, so it wasn’t hard to manage.

Bones was wrong. She looked great. Tired, a little drawn with pain, but great. There wasn’t any family there-- Kirk had never known if she’d had any or not. That didn’t surprise him. The members of the Farragut crew that had shown up to see her when she woke eyed him like an outsider, though, and Kirk didn’t blame them. He hung back, letting them say their thanks and hellos, but when her eyes landed on him a weak smirk curved her mouth. “Jim. Now I know this isn’t heaven, cause you’re never getting there.”

“Don’t be such an asshole,” he said, grinning. “I heard you were sick or something. You look fine to me. You faking?”

One of the crew members angrily started to tell him off, but Ella quelled that with a glance. “Come here and kiss me. I need it, after all that bullshit.”

He did as requested. If she wanted to give up the secrecy, that was her call. She made it clear that this wasn’t a just-friends sort of kiss, and after that no one had a word to say about his presence or anything else.

He made it to the ceremony they had a couple days later, giving her the rank of Captain and decorating her for her heroics. And naturally, a bit of a fuss was made over his contribution to that whole thing too. By then, Ella had heard the whole story. If he’d thought for a second she’d treat him differently, he was disabused of that notion when she told him not to get a puffed head over it, and that one lucky break didn’t make a good Captain.

“I got it, I got it,” he said. They’d snuck out of the ceremony, and were sharing a slightly-questionable controlled intoxicant. It was hers for medical use, though, and no one was going to bust the two of them for something like that. Kirk inhaled, and passed the hand-rolled joint back to her. “I won’t let it trip me up. If I do, you’ll be breathing down my neck, and who wants that?”

“You do. Just under different circumstances.” Ella grinned and blew smoke in his face. “Coming back to my place tonight?”

“Thought they posted you already,” Kirk said.

“They did. Exploratory vessel. But my ship’s not ready yet-- still being built.” At his questioning look, she added, “Yeah. Farragut-A. She’s gonna have a better warp core than yours.”

“Oh, bullshit,” Kirk said. “I’ve got a better helm officer than you, even. I’ll take you on any day.”

“We’ll see.” Ella’s jaw tightened and she looked away. “He was keeping me back, you know,” she said suddenly. “Garrovick filed requests from me not to be given my own command. I didn’t make those requests. I would have jumped at the chance to have a command of my own… but I guess he figured if he kept me around, eventually he’d wear me down.”

Kirk didn’t know what to say, really. “Isn’t there anything I… I mean, can you do something about it?”

“Why bother? All it would do is drag his name through the mud. And… it wasn’t like he was a bad Captain. The only reason I had a chance to save anyone was because Garrovick stayed behind to manually deploy emergency bulkheads. I’m happy just letting it be. Got my Farragut, my command, my mission orders… I’m good. That’s all I want.” The expression on her face was something he’d caught glimpses of before, the kind of soft, dreamy expression he was sure she’d have if she ever fell in love. But it was the ship she loved… and Kirk was starting to understand that.

“So I guess once my shore leave is over, it’s goodbye, huh?” he said regretfully.

“Who says?” Ella asked, looking skeptically at him and handing him the joint. “God, Jim, you’d think we were never going to see each other again or something. All right, I’ll make you a deal. The next time we find ourselves in the same sector, starbase, planet, whatever, gimme a call and we’ll see if we can’t steal a few nights here and there.”

“What if you find some guy--”

Ella’s laughter was a little louder than he thought was justified. “I never did tell you, did I? Ha. Well, there you go. I like girls, Jim. Mostly, anyway. How the hell did you think I knew so much about how to get women off?” While he sputtered and tried to think of something to say, she added, “And any girl who isn't up for a night with both of us probably isn't worth my time. So I wouldn’t worry about it. Give me that, and let’s get the hell out of here. I’ve got more at home. How much time do you have?”

“A few days,” Kirk said.

“Good. That means we can save an evening to go pick up a girl or two. You do want to move on to the advanced lessons, don’t you?”

Kirk pulled her close and stole what was meant to be a brief kiss, sliding his hands down to grab that amazing ass of hers. But god, she was too much fun to kiss. He drew it out just as long as she would let him, lips and tongues catching on each other in the most delicious ways while he kneaded her full, round, utterly grabbable ass. When the kiss broke, however, he couldn't help asking the question that had been lurking in the back of his mind the entire time. “But if you like girls, how come I--”

Ella grinned roguishly at him. “Shut up, Captain,” she said, her hands already urging him down for another kiss.

Kirk laughed, but pretended Starfleet obedience. “Aye aye, Captain,” he teased, and was rewarded with another one of those intoxicating kisses.

Captain Vergne shows up in Walking Wounded because I wanted to take a peek into how relationships on an equal footing would work-- and, of course, how rare they would be when you're a Captain. Then, of course, I had to decide how that had all happened and ended up with a sort of Mrs. Robinson story in Kirk's past, which seemed pretty fitting for someone with his kind of brains, ambition, and disregard for rules and social mores. I hope you enjoyed this look into Kirk's past relationships! <3

[brbjustdying]

Leena / Jay - 10/03/2021

They stood on the bridge, looking at the boats lazily making their way to the sea. 

"Do you think he's in one of them?" 

"I think he took the train, but since you think that's so impossible, here we are. I really hope he's there or I'm gonna beat your ass."

"He hates the noise of trains. Boats are perfect! No noise, nice movement to put you to sleep, if something goes wrong the next stop is days away."

She rubbed her temple. They were gonna fail. There was no way around it. She was convinced that their target didn't take the boat, it was too easy to just be thrown overboard and frown if someone found him out. He may hate the noise, but the train was fast, went far, and if he was discovered they would tried to arrest him, at which point he could run away. 

And to think she was supposed to work with this idiot for the next three years. 

He had potential, he really did, but once he had decided something was so solution he could never look into anything else, and they kept losing their targets and failing their simulations. 

She was tired of this. He kept watching every boat that went under the bridge, as if he somewhat could see through the decks of them, which he couldn't. The target wouldn't just be waving at them on the deck. 

"Fine. Keep looking at the ships, relax, have fun, whatever. The train leaves in 20 minutes, and I'm gonna find our guys."

"Leena we're not supposed to be separated!" 

"Yeah well I've been listening to you for weeks and we fail every time, so I'm going to do this my way. Fuck you."

She stormed off, climbing the stairs that lead to the main street, at the end of which was the train station. It was a 5 minute journey if she ran fast, and that would give her 15 minutes to search the train and warn the authorities,telling them a made up story. She'd already decided it would be about a possible child going missing, since that always made everyone jump to help them. She hated using it though. 

As she ran, she could already hear the supervisor screaming at her about the fact that she shouldn't have left her partner alone, that they had failed this simulation just for that reason even if they found the guy, that this was unacceptable. She'd already requested another partner. Many times. It was obvious they weren't made to work together. Jay wanted her to have blind faith in him, even if that didn't lead them to any success so far. She wanted him to just consider other options once the first one was obviously not right. But he always refused, and they always failed. There was no way out of this situation. 

She reached the train station in six minutes, out of breath and sweaty, immediately noticed by a guard.

"Can I help you madam?" 

"Yes, yes. There's this man, he took a boy in my village. A little boy, 5 years at most. We think he's going to leave with the train. Please can you help me find him?" 

And so they did. 

And once her hand grabbed the man's collar, marking their first ever success, she decided that she might as well work alone. 

*

"He stabbed you? Leena, that's really dangerous!" 

She only glared at him, letting the doctor stitch her wound without complaining. She was really a badass. 

And she was terribly angry. At him. 

Once the doctor was done, she thanked them politely, even giving them a smile. But when her eyes landed on him again, Jay wished he could turn into a beetle and run away. 

"Listen to me. Since we started sorting together we didn't have any success. Do you know why?" 

"Because-" 

"Because you chose one of the options we have, and decide it's the right one. And whether it is or not, you actually don't care. What you do care about is that this is what you chose, and you won't change your mind. Every time, you've been wrong. And every time I've been dragged along, not doing anything except listen to your theories that don't even fit with the person we're looking for. So now I'm going to request another partner, and you're going to do the same. We just don't work together and I'm done losing time following you around while you babble about whatever you decided was today's theory."

She didn't wait for an answer. She probably didn't want one anyway. So she just shot him another mean look, and left the room. 

Well, this had gone about as well as expected. 

He ran his hands through his hair, trying to decide what he would do. 

He didn't want another partner. She was amazing, smart, and fun to be around. They had to find a way to work together. Because if not, he'd just get kicked out. But it didn’t seem likely to happen any time soon. They just clashed so badly every time something was at stakes. 

"Guess it's meant to be."

Slowly, he made his way towards the administration building, ignoring people he passed on the way even when they greeted him. What good was it anyway, he'd be fired before the end of the day. 

When he reached the front desk, Leena was already there, angrily complaining at Johan, the receptionist. 

"Look, I've made many complaints already and they always get lost or something, so I want to actually talk to someone, not just write a paper."

"I’m sorry I can’t -“

“Hi Johan, can’t believe my partners' complaints have been disappearing like that.”

Johan gave him a bright smile. They’d been friends for years, getting along easily and understanding the other without words. She always made sure that his requests were processed quickly and that any interaction with bosses was nice. She couldn’t protect him from everything though.

“Jay! How are you? It’s been a while since I saw you around.”

Next to him, Lena was fuming, unhappy that she was being ignored. She had a tendency to do that.

“I know, been really busy. Can you push her message to Tim along with mine?”

They both looked at him in surprise.

“Jay… You know it’s your last chance. They… hanged their minds.”

“What do you mean?”

Leena probably felt the seriousness of the situation, because she didn’t interrupt again.

“They want to transfer you. To the same department as Den.”

“No.”

“I know, I told them that it was-”

“I won’t go, and they can do fuck all about it. I changed my mind, actually I’m going to resign. Effective right now, can you draft the paper and send it to my number? I’ll send it back tonight.”

He turned on his heels sharply and left the room, Johan’s calls being ignored.

“Uh, what just happened?”

“He resigned. I guess. Anyway, guess you don’t need to put in a request anymore. You’ll be assigned a new partner in the next three days. Anything else?”

Johan’s demeanor had become cold, almost angry, and Leena suddenly realized that she’d been the one causing all of this. 

Maybe she should have tried harder to get along with him after all. 

*

She didn’t expect to see him again, especially not the next day.

Johan had requested that she come and give her a paper, something for insurances purposes, since she did get stabbed. 

When she reached the administration building, she could hear the screaming from outside. 

It was Jay’s voice, and he seemed furious. 

She quickly made her way to the front desk, handing the paper to Johan. 

“Hi. I hope this is the right thing. The lady was confused when I asked for that form.”

Johan didn’t even try to answer, taking a look at the paper and nodding. 

“This has been going for long? It must be hell.”

“I’m used to it. It’s always the same with those two.”

“Uh…”

Finally the other girl looked up from the papers on her desk. 

“Anything else?”

“No I just… It’s stupid but I feel like it’s my fault. I just… We really don’t work together but I still feel bad.”

“Well. Not going to say you should, but he’s going to get send to the 41st division so, you probably should.”

“What?” 

The 41st always had the reputation of being the worst division. The one created last, and where most of the dirty work got done. 

“Yeah. They’ve been trying to get him to go for a while now. I’m glad it only took you being stabbed and not brutally killed but I wish he didn’t have to go. It’s not good for him, it left him as an empty shell last time. Then he transferred and it got better.” 

Only took me being stabbed?

“Wait. Wait wait wait. You’re not saying what I think you’re saying, right?”

“What? You didn’t know?” 

The door opened suddenly, banging against the wall, and Jay walked out, almost literally fuming. 

The man behind him, one of the bosses that she’d only seen a couple times at conferences and events, stood with a satisfied smile on his face. And also the one who was supposed to supervise her file and know everything about her. 

Oh hell no.

She might not like JAy, but he had the personality of a puppy, a literal sunshine. Going to the 41st would kill him. And she still felt bad. 

Time to do something. 

Plastering on her most customer-service smile, she walked to the man, giving a little wave to Jay.

“Hi, director Morris? It’s a pleasure to see you. I’m glad to see you’ve been taking good care of my partner! I was just looking for him, we have a lot to discuss. Jay, did you get the note I sent you about new strategies? It was a little late. I don’t know if I entered your number correctly.”

She winked at him discreetly, making sure the other man didn’t see it. Hopefully Johan would help cover for her, since she seemed to be a friend of Jay. 

“Huh, I’ll check.”

Good, play along.

“Miss Hark. It’s a surprise to see you here, I thought you put in a request to switch partners?”

“Really? It must be a mistake, the last time I did that was when you paired me with Olivia. How’s she doing by the way?”

“She’s great, she’s doing great. Got transferred again, to Egypt this time. She enjoys it a lot, and still thanks you for your help.”

“I’m glad, could I talk to you in private for a couple minutes? If your schedule allows it of course.”

“It’s no problem for you Miss Hark. Come in.”

He let her walk into his office, which she did proudly, holding her head high and thinking of the next few steps. 

Her mom wasn’t going to like this. Jay better buy her one of those good ass cupcakes he brought once. 

“Have a sit. What can I do for you today?”

“Thank you. Well. As you know, I’ve been training with Jay for a couple weeks now. It’s been going exceptionally bad, and we failed every trial except for the one yesterday. I tried everything, and he always stood his ground. So I want to request making him my permanent partner, as well as moving to type two missions.”

“With a single success?”

He looked at her like she’d grown a second head.

“Well, I don’t need to remind you of my stats, do I? He’s proven that he can stand me, and I’m sure that today’s session will prove just how great of a team we can make.”

We better pull this off or we’re so fired.

“I’m intrigued. See, the council has plans for Jay, different from what you’re offering. But I do miss one of my top agents being off duty for so long. If you think he can do it, I’m willing to give you the chance, and talk to the council about this.”

“Wonderful. Well, training is starting in only forty minutes, so I’ll leave now. I hope I won’t have to take another trainee again, it would really be a waste of time.”

They exchanged polite goodbyes, and she left, closing the door after her. 

Jay was leaning against Johan’s desk, both of them talking quietly. 

“Hey, what did you tell him? Is he still mad?”

“He’s not, training in forty, we better rock this or he’ll crush us both to ashes.”

Jay wiggled his eyebrows at Johan, who smiled, and followed Leena, who was already walking towards the exit. 

“Soooo wanna tell me what happened? I resigned so I’m not supposed to train with you.”

“From what I understand, he didn’t let you. What’s your power?”

“Pff, as if I was gonna tell you.”

She stopped abruptly, and he took a couple more steps before turning around. 

When he turned, he realized how mean the look on her face was. 

“Look, either we work together and actually succeed today, we both don’t get fired and actually move to actual missions, or we keep doing what we’ve been doing for three weeks and fail. Also, I would have loved to know that the council was trying to get you into the 41st. I don’t care, but if they’re willing to sacrifice me for it then yeah, I do care.”

He had the decency to look away.

“I didn’t think they’d go this far. I thought they would give up if I just did nothing and kept failing. I didn’t want to drag you into it, but it wasn’t like I could do much. I didn’t know Johan lost your request for another partner.”

“My power is that whatever injury is on me I can transfer it to other people. So I got stabbed and then so did he. If you’ve been pretending to be dumb this whole time, I hope you’re actually competent, because I am and I’m also super bored.”

Telling someone what your power was tended to be pretty personal, but she never cared. At least people didn’t try to hurt her knowing she could send it right back to them. It was a very useful power when working such a job. 

“You’re… Wait really? Why were you so mad yesterday then?”

“Because it was so obvious! We could have solved this in five minutes and moved on to something more useful. But you kept watching the ships as if one of them held the answer to all your questions and I was so annoyed. Anyway. You better do good today, because I’m tired of waiting around.”

They started walking again, the atmosphere a little more relaxed. 

She made him promise to buy her an entire box of delicious cupcakes with the salary she had just won him, and they changed into the suits the costum person had left for them in the room. 

As the door opened, the hologram taking shape in front of them, she remembered her earlier question.

“Still don’t wanna tell me your power?” she asked quietly. 

He tilted his head so that his hat hid his eyes in the shade, and smiled.

“Precognition.” 

[jobanana7]

the one with all the christmases

so i’ve been binge watching friends and i got to this episode so this fic happen so this is very much inspired by chandler’s time in tulsa… enjoy! also i promised @chele20035 i would write something christmasy so there it is!!!!all mistakes (and boy i bet they are a few) are mine, i do not own the hunger games nor do i own f.r.i,e..n.d.s

When Peeta Mellark fell asleep in his company’s meeting and woke up to find out that he’d say yes to moving to district 11 without knowing what he was saying yes to he thought to himself that it was fine, he taught about everything he was getting out of it: the company will load him a brand new mercedes! that was it. ok so it sucked , it sucked even more when he tried to tell his wife. she tired to be as supportive as a wife can be and he’ll  never forget those beautiful words she used when the gather everyone to tell them they  were moving “i have to go don´t i? cause of this stupid thing” and she pull up her wedding ring aaa his loving wife, but dammit he missed her like crazy. he should’ve told her to turn down that new job she landed but the project Abernathy gaver her at her biology lap was too good to past, looking around this office he kinda wishes he did thought.

“Ok everyone is really necessary, the name calling and the note on my back? you can all call me peeta by the way” he said as he sat down on his uncomfortable office chair, he received a collective grown as an answer , he glared at his team

“My son is in a play right now” his right hand Seeder says

“You people want me to say it? i’ll say it, this sucks! is it really quite shitty to be stuck in an office on Christmas alright but at least you all get to go to your families at the end of the day, i get to go to  a cold hotel room and a very questionable bed!” he cried almost winned, really but at this point he was over it of this dead end job as an accountant had everyone back home loved what they were doing first there was Finn his beast buud and actor who thanks to his good looks landed the lead in a soap opera that was a an instant hit, the there was Madge and Gale an odd pair who should be together if you asked him one a fashion executive at Gucci and the other a professor on environmental science ,finally there was Jo a masseuse by day and a fighter for human rights by night , what did he had?

“Now it feels like a holiday! and hey great pep talk!” the new girl chimes in, blue eyes full of laughter

“I know and i’m sorry, but hey! i know what’ll cheer ya up” he says pulling out the white eveloves he was handed earlies by her supervisor Mrs. Coin “you know a little bonus for all your hard work”

“ a donation was made in your name to the New York ballet” someone reads out loud

“Well that’s like money in your pocket” he says but  just barely fooling anyone

“i can’t wait! “ the same girl, GLimmer was it? says  “what would you be doing back home right now?” she asks

“ Oh well, our Christmases are pretty traditional just the usual ” he says and he’s brought back to one of his favorites christmases….

“so i wrote this song for some very special people in my life so… here we go “went  to the store and sat on Santa’s lap asked him to bring friends all kinds of crap he sias all you need one little song now you haven’t heard it so don’t try to sing along… no don’t sing along, finnick oh finnick have a happy christmas eve, saw santa Claus he wanted he wanted Peeta’s buns, please tell Gale this year will be real snowwyyy and Madge and Katniss i love you guys something”… thank you all, happy holly days!”  jo said as people on the coffeehouse applauded to her.

that was one of the few memories he’s made with thi bunch of people in over 7 years, Peeta makes his decision right them and there

“ You know what, go home everyone, be with  your families is bad enough that we’re working new years eve too.” Everyone gape up at Peeta anger clearly written on everyone’s face   “ Did i not tell anyone about new years? go. go home” His team didn’t need to be told twice, within the minute everyone was gone

“Oh your not gonna go?” Peeta asked Glimmer  “naaaah i can’t leave you alone with all this mess, besides i don’t have anywhere to go my family is upstate” he’s nodding his head when the office phone rings

“ Peeta Mellark speaking” he tell the line

“Hi babe, we just wanted to call  to wish you a merry christmas!” Katniss, his beautiful wife says to him and he hears a chorus of “merry christmas” from his friends as his heart swells at the gesture

“awe merry christmas to you guys too, i miss you all” Peeta returns the sentiment genuinely

“is it real bad over there? everyone working hard?” Katniss asks

“No everyone left is just me and Glimmer here” at her name Glimmer perks up waving at the phone as if she was greeting his wife.

“Oh, that is kind of a girls name, isn’t t?”  Katniss aks trying to sound casual but he knows her better that that

“ it is, but is ok she’s just the new intern dont worry, did i not told you about her?” Peeta asks and her hears a light “aja” from his wife and a “wrong move dude” form one of the guys, he sewars is Finn

“ Where’s your team?” she finally aks “I send them home” he admits to hi wife not wanting her to worry about this, is funny how she still has no idea the effect she has on him

“Such a good boss, is she pretty?” Katniss says and edge her voice

“Oh honey, don’t be angry  if i could i would be with you guys but i can’t besides she’s just a colleague” she reasures her “ there’s really nothing to worry about”

“ok” she says a little harsh

“ok?” he ask her going for just a second to that place where only the two of them go where even when they are apart is like he’s right with her, his voice soft and low

“ok” she breathes out  more gently this time and he smiles even jealous he is completely crazy about her “Merry Christmas love” is a whisper to her and she returns it

“Merry christmas you guys”  he says to to his friends and eternal trirt wheels and they say it back after promising Finn he’ll be back soon he hangs up, he turns back to Glimmer not wanting to make a big deal about what she just heard

“ The wife says hey” Peeta laughs at set the phone down on the desk

“ ha, been following the conversation” she says, setting down some documents

“Well she just thought that because we’re alone something’s gonna happen” he sheepishly admits

“ oh really?” Gimmer says reaching out to smooth his tie and he steps back “would that be so terrible so terrible?” sha asks seductably witch makes his so confused because he’s never thought of himself as sexy and in any case the only person he want to be saxy for a far awy not this blonde, blue eyed assistant that would just make it more of a cheesy pron that anything else

“ok step back there Glimmer, i am married” he says and Glimmer pulls up her hand “Me too” he rolls his eyes “ i’m HAPPILY married ” he clarifies to her “ oh, what’s that like” Glimmer asks  

“Yeah so i’m sorry nothing is gonna happen tonight besides me getting node with this papers” he says to he firmly

“ seriously, you’re happily married? so the phone call just now was happy?” she questions him

“Well we’re apart is hard you know? she is right to be a little worried i know i would be if i were her and in this case she’s right, but she’s amazing and smart and if she were her… well you’d be gone by now, you seem lovely but no i don’t need this what i have back home with K is all i need  ” Peeta tells her honestly

“let me ask you something then, if it’s enough, why are you here with me on a holy day?” Glommer says and she seems to be serious and he come up empty because truly … there is no one good reason he has to apart from her …

“ wowowowo what’s happening, you and i just made out? we’re making out” twenty four year old peeta asks twenty three year old katniss

“well not anymore” she says out just centimeters away from his lips as  her arms were around his neck her silky red dress against his pajamas making weaked things to his brains

that was the beginning of it at Gale’s wedding in London Katniss was upset because she was watching her brother get married for the first time with incidentally ended up in a divorce for Gale

the first time they fought when Jo broke her arm and Madge got them dated with some nurses

“well you made it clear that we’re just goofing around, so i figured why no goof around with him too” katniss said referring to an earlier comment he’d made

“ i don’t know if you’ve looked the term “goof around” but i have and it said that technically is two friends that care a great deal for one another and have amazing sex and like to be together” he cringed “ i am so bad at this“  

a smiling Katniss had told him that that was true, they did cared about each other and they spend the rest of that night together not quite ready to tell their friends about each other

“ Peeta you’re not listening to me!! i don’t care that we can’t afford a big wedding right now, the only thing that matters to me is that i’m getting married to the love of my life, big wedding or not.”  katniss argued but Peeta wanted to give her the perfect wedding day to her to treat her like a princess, a queen but at twenty six his job was unsteady, he found himself frustrated unable to meet this one expectation but she was right she never asked for anything  he couldn’t give her, ever.

“ but don’t you want a big beautiful wedding where our families can see you walked down a beautiful isle and your dad will give you away, Maddy as the flower girl?” he asked because that was his dream exactly to see Gale’s little one walk first with the floews and then, Prim Madge and Jo as maid or honor and the al last her, his bride in a white dress with her dad.

“i really don’t, i swear, i don’t my parents didn’t  have a big wedding and i want what they have. a home , a marriage” she said

“a little girl with your eyes” he whispered reaching out to cup her face stilling a soft kiss the smile that she gave him when he pulled out  was so bright it nearly blinded him

“ a little boy with your hair”

soon they were engaged and married the last 2 years of his life had been the best ones yet only to be topped with the news of their own little one on the way and here he was waistinging his life on this job and this Christmas as well so he walked out right out of there.

NEW YORK  (4 hours later)

he heard their voices as he approached the apartament , he was home finally stepping in he heard Jo first

“ oh look! is snowing you guys!” he says excitedly everyone was by the window when we cleared his throat they all looked back at him, on seconds his wife was on him kissing him firestly

“ woow we have a baby here people” Madge reminded them of hunter her and Gale’s son, they pulled away hos and resting on his own baby

“what happened, don’t  you have to be in district 11 ohio? can the fire you?” Katniss asked consent on her voice

“turns out they can’t because i quitted” he said katniss gasped

“ you quit your job?” Gale asked shooked

“yeah, i couldn’t stand being away from you and i know this is not the time but, i’ve bee planit to leave since we learned about the baby and i’ve already applied to other jobs, jobs i could be better at and plat just as well” he rescued her and her face relaxed “what do you think? i’m sorry i didn’t talk to you about this before but today was the last drop, plus , i missed you ” he kissed her knuckles but before she could talk Finn piped in

“but who did you missed the most?” he asked his trademarked Finnick Odiar smile on handsome face  

“Katniss” Peeta said without a moment’s hesitation

“yeah, that’s cool dude” Finn said playing cool then making faces as if to say “ i know you HAD to say that for Katniss’s sakes i you you missed me more”

“But really are you, ok with this?” he asked katniss once more

“i think you hated your job and if you can do something you like, support you” his wife said and she kissed him again

“Peet, i can’t tell you how happy i am that you’re back” Jo finally said and he was touched to hear that from her “thi is honestly the best christma gif i’ve been given, but now give me the real one” he laughed and kissed her cheek handig the white envelopes

“A donation was made in your name to the New York ballet” Gale read out loud “ how did ya know?” he said sarcastically

“ but wait i can’t return these” Madge winned

“I DON’T HAVE A JOB” Pee eclamed

the end  

[iamvegorott]

A Small Glitch Chapter 5

Because I can’t stop, here’s a third chapter for today...technically it’s the next day...but still.

Marriage?

Anti sat on the ground, back leaning against the couch while Annalise was sitting between his legs, leaning against his stomach and chest. She raised her hand and touched a green, holographic ‘2’. The number glowed yellow and vanished, the other numbers and symbols around and above it changing into new forms.

“What’s two plus two?” Anti asked as the projections matched what he was saying, a ‘3’, ‘4’, and ‘5’ floated under the question. Annalise hummed as she counted off her fingers. She nodded her head when she was satisfied with her answer and she touched the ‘4’. Annalise cheered and clapped when the number glowed yellow.

“My princess is a genius.” Anti chuckled.

“Papa smart too.” Annalise said.

“What about daddy?” Anti asked.

“Daddy silly.” Annalise giggled.

“Sounds like our daughter really is a genius.” Dark chuckled as he picked up an empty cup off of the coffee table.

“When’s Viana supposed to get here?” Anti watched Annalise as she swatted at the clumps of pixels, giggling when they formed into butterflies.

“She’ll be here any minute now. I came out here to tell you to get ready. Annalise needs pants and so do you.” Dark said as he checked the living room, making sure that nothing else was left out.

“Pants for losers.” Annalise said.

“Yeah, papa, pants are for losers.” Anti chuckled.

“Go get dressed or papa’s not giving either of you dessert tonight.” Dark threatened, the meaning being two completely different things for Anti and Annalise.

“No ice-cream!?” Annalise gasped in shock.

“Whatever shall we do without papa’s sweet treat?” Anti winked at Dark as he stood, picking Annalise up with him.

“Don’t make innuendos in front of our child.” Dark sighed.

“You started it.” Anti stuck his tongue out as he walked away.

“I did not...wait…” Dark groaned when he realized what Anti meant. “At least it worked.” He straightened up when the doorbell went off. Dark made sure that his tie was on properly before going over to the door. “Hello, Viana.” He greeted after opening the door.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Powell.” Viana greeted back.

“Please, call me Isaac.” Dark said as Viana walked in.

“Alright, then, Isaac. Where are Triston and Annalise?” Viana asked, her clipboard hugged tightly to her chest.

“They’re getting ready.” Dark lead Viana to the living room. “I do hope we can get through this a little quicker since I have a meeting to attend later this afternoon. I tried to tell my coworkers I had plans, but they claim it’s an emergency.”

“I only need a few minutes to talk with Annalise, ask you a few questions and glanced over the house again.” Viana said. “You should have plenty of time to make your meeting.”

“Thank you.”

“So, while we’re waiting on your partner and Annalise. I might as well ask the questions I have for you.” Viana clicked her pen. “How is Annalise doing?”

“She’s doing great. Her weight gain is at a healthy weight and she should be at the proper weight in another two weeks or so. She just had her first day at preschool yesterday and has said nothing but positive things about her experience and she said today went great as well.”

“Did she draw this?” Viana asked, seeing Annalise’s family drawing on the table.

“Yes, she’s taken to calling me ‘papa’ and Triston ‘daddy’.” Dark answered.

“She’s clearly grown attached to you two.” Viana commented. “Although, she did chose some interesting color choices.” She added.

“She’s a very creative child.” Dark chuckled.

“Do you mind if I ask a personal question?” Viana suddenly said.

“Be my guest.”

“Have you thought about marriage?” Dark stiffened a little, was not expecting that.

“Marriage?”

“Yes. You and Triston are clearly very close and you’ve been together for a long time and now that you have a daughter, marriage seems like a logical choice. Not just for legal reasons, but being able to call someone your ‘spouse’ rather than ‘partner’ seems more intimate.” Viana suggested.

“I honestly haven’t thought of that. We’ve just been happy with where we are at the moment, marriage hasn’t come to mind.” Dark thought that he was telling the truth, but something deep inside of him said something else.

“The lady of the hour is ready.” Anti cheered as he entered the room, holding Annalise who was wearing her favorite pink tutu. “She didn't want to wear anything else.” Anti explained when Dark gave him a look.

“Viana wants to talk with you, okay? Me and daddy will be in my office.” Dark said to Annalise. The little girl looked hesitant but nodded.

“I’ll be sure to be quick.” Viana said as Dark and Anti stepped into the office.

“What do you think she’s gonna ask Ann?” Anti said the moment the door was closed.

“Simple questions related to how we’re treating her and how she feels.” Dark answered. “Annalise is a smart girl, this shouldn’t take long.” He added as he sat at his desk and opened his laptop, logging in.

“Did the money transfer through?” Anti sat on the edge of the desk.

“I checked this morning and what I deposited went through with no questions. Most of it is still in the briefcase, but I know you like having some money on a card as well.”

“Glitchers is a great business, isn’t it?” Anti chuckled.

“Yes, every mobster and angry ex loves their computer technician.” Dark patted Anti’s leg, keeping his hand in the center of the thigh.

“I wouldn’t be here without my supervisor.” Anti grinned, leaning forward and placing his hand on Dark’s. “Although, I did have to fuck my way to the top.”

“You made your own name, the sex was just bonus.” Dark slowly moved his hand up.

“And still is.” Anti crawled off of the desk and settled himself down into Dark’s lap. “Do you think we have time?”

“Not at all.” Dark practically purred as Anti ran his hands through his hair and kissed him. Anti actually purred when Dark began to nip at his neck, his hands gripping his hips tightly and moving them at a slow, even, pace.

“Isaac, we’re finished.” Viana said as she knocked on the door.

“I’m not.” Anti mumbled as he reluctantly got up.

“Your eyes are green.” Dark whispered as he stood, making sure his suit wasn’t ruffled. Anti blinked harshly a few times while Dark opened the door.

“I’m assuming that everything went well?” Dark asked.

“It went perfectly. I already did a quick look-over and I’ll be off. I hope your meeting goes well.”

“Thank you and I hope your day goes well.” Dark followed Viana to the front door, hearing that Anti had gone over to Annalise and was praising her.

“Thank you, Isaac, and don’t forget about what I said. It might do you two a lot of good.” Viana smiled.

“I’ll be sure to think about it.” Dark smiled back.

“I’ll be back next month.”

“I can’t wait.” Dark shut the door, his skin immediately going gray.

Marriage?

Dark wasn’t able to get into his head before his phone began to buzz, an alarm that he had set earlier was going off. He turned the alarm off and pocketed the phone. Dark went to the living room, seeing that Anti and Annalise were laying on the ground, pointing at the stars that were floating in the air.

“I’m off to my meeting.” Dark announced.

“You have to go?” Annalise pouted.

“Do you?” Anti added, pouting as well.

“I’ll try to get back as soon as possible, okay? I’ll even make dinner.” Dark offered.

“Promise?” Both Anti and Annalise said.

“Promise.” Dark said before vanishing in a cloud of black smoke.

“Do you wanna see where papa works?” Anti asked.

“Yeah!”

x~x~x

Anti crawled on the floor, the glass windows the looked into the meeting room was above his head. Annalise was crawling next to him, having a hard time holding back her giggles.

“Host has yet to figure out which offspring it is.” Host said, his voice echoing in Anti’s head. He had to know that he was there, but Host also probably knew why he was there and was keeping it a secret.

“We’ll just give Mark a vasectomy and boom, no offspring.” Dr. Iplier suggested.

“He can just adopt and that would still be classified as an offspring since the definition of an offspring is ‘a person's child or children’.” Google stated.

“Perhaps we can discuss this tomorrow and move on?” Dark suggested.

“Why are you in a hurry to leave?” Bim asked.

“He’s got someone waiting at home for him, can you blame the guy?” Wilford laughed. “I’d want to be home as soon as I could if I had someone waiting.”

“He’s got someone to suck that dick.” Bing teased, air-horn sounds started playing.

“He sound silly.” Annalise said.

“He is. Now, you know the plan?” Anti leaned towards the door, seeing that Wilford wasn’t looking.

“I go and yell ‘papa’.” Annalise said to make sure she was correct.

“Good, go and get him.” Anti chuckled as his daughter run through the glass doors.

“Papa!” Annalise yelled. Dark stiffened when he heard that, the other Ipliers all watching the little girl run to Dark.

“How did you get here?” Dark asked as he picked up Annalise.

“Did she call you ‘papa’?” Dr. Iplier asked.

“Dark’s a daddy!?” Bing gasped.

“He papa.” Annalise pointed at Dark. “He daddy.” She pointed at Anti as entered the room.

“Surprise, honey.” Anti chuckled.

“She looks absolutely precious.” Wilford said as he joined Anti and Dark. “What’s your name?” Annalise looked at Dark.

“He’s a friend.” Dark said and sat her down at the edge of the table.

“I Annalise.” Annalise answered.

“We got ourselves a little Annie Oakley here, wanna see my gun?” Wilford asked, reaching into his holster.

“A what?” Annalise tilted her head.

“You are not showing my daughter a gun.” Dark growled, grabbing Wilford’s arm.

“She’s not gonna get hurt.” Wilford protested.

“Open your mouth and go ‘ah’.” Dr. Iplier said, holding a small flashlight in front of Annalise.

“Wanna see something really fucking dope?” Bing yelped and held his head when Dark thumped him.

“Watch your language.” Dark’s voice had a harsh threat in it.

“What’s wrong with ‘dope’.” Bing quickly retreated under the table when Dark’s aura grew.

“He silly.” Annalise said while nodding her head.

“At least the child is intelligent.” Google commented. “Although, that is to be expected of Dark’s offspring.”

“So, how long have you had this little princess?” Wilford asked. “And why haven’t you told me about her?”

“Remember when you called and I answered and you thought me and Dark were having an ‘adult’ moment?” Anti said, using his finger to make the air quotes.

“Yes, I still tease Dark about it.” Wilford chuckled. “You two just can’t keep your hand off each other.”

“That day was when Annalise was officially put into our home.” Anti said. “Dark wasn’t sucking me, I just hit my toe on the desk.”

“What lead to that decision?” Dr. Iplier asked.

“Dark and Anti both share a look, debating whether to tell the full story of their first meeting with Annalise, knowing the negative reaction they will receive.” Host said from his seat.

“He bleeding.” Annalise whispered.

“He’s fine.” Anti whispered back.

“Negative reaction? How did you meet Annalise?” Bim asked.

“Yeah-ow.” Bing grunted after there was a thud under the table, letting everyone know he had just hit his head.

“Silly man okay?” Annalise asked, leaning over to look under the table.

“Yeah...silly man okay.” Bing groaned.

“Do that a few more times and maybe you’ll reset to default settings.” Google mumbled.

“You mean.” Annalise said.

“I’m a machine.” Google stated.

“You mean machine.” Annalise stuck her tongue out.

“She learned that from her daddy.” Dark sighed.

“Now, don’t be dancing around our question. How did you meet Annie?” Wilford asked.

“So...Dark was on the phone and I was in the living room.”

“Pouting.”

“Scrolling through Tumblr.” Anti lightly slapped Dark’s arm. “I heard screaming and when I opened the front door, Annalise was tied to the screen door handle.”

“She was what!?” Wilford snapped.

“Lower your voice.” Dark hissed when he saw that Annalise was starting to cry.

“I sorry. I sorry.” Annalise rubbed her eyes.

“It’s fine, dear. Everything’s fine.” Anti scooped Annalise up and started to rock her, stepping out of the room.  

“She was tied to your door?” Wilford asked in a harsh whisper.

“That’s what Anti told me, I came out of my office and saw a child in my kitchen. Anti ended up getting attached to her quickly. No one else in her family wanted her so he convinced me to figure out a way to get her into our home.” Dark answered, shooting Bim a glare when he made a whipping sound.

“Am I wrong?” Bim asked with a grin.

“You’re going to be six-feet under.” Dark warned.

“I think I dropped my watch.” Bim said, sinking down and joining Bing under the table.

“She was abandoned, poor girl.” Wilford said.

“Abandonment is more common than you think, in fact-”

“I don’t want to hear the statistics.” Dark interrupted Google. “Listen, all I care at the moment is that Annalise is my daughter and I want the best for her. I don’t care about her blood relatives since they don’t care for her. I’m hoping all of you respect our decision and will be willing to work with us.”

“Of course, ol’ chap.” Wilford said, clapping Dark on the back.

“She’s clearly very healthy and happy, no complaints here.” Dr. Iplier said.

“I’ll help with some research if needed.” Google offered while Bing and Bim held up their thumbs from under the table.

“Host shows his support as well, offering any assistance if Dark and Anti so choose.” Host said.

“So, while we’re discussing Dark. When you gonna pop a ring on it?” Wilford asked, giving Dark a light push on the shoulder.  

“Excuse me?”

“Come on! You’ve been with that chap for years. You’re living together and you have a child.” Wilford grabbed Dark by the shoulders. “Just marry him already.”

“What I choose to do is up to me. I will not be pressured into making a very serious life-choice.” Dark stated, slapping Wilford’s hands away.

“Fine. But when you finally do, I better be the best man or...one of them...however that works.” Wilford chuckled.

“Ann’s calmed down.” Anti said as he came back into the room. “I’m going to take her back to the house.”

“I’ll come with you. We got too off track to continue. I’ll be seeing all of you at the next meeting.” Dark said and went over to Anti.

“Don’t forget about what I said, Dark.” Wilford called as Dark and Anti left. Dark only waved a goodbye before he and Anti vanished. Leaving him to think to himself that it was going to be difficult for him to forget that.

Tag List: @readeatfightlove13 @kenzie-110101

[kokobussy]

The New Guy

summary - you don’t know anything about computers, but what you do know is the new guy is pretty cute.

warnings - dom!minseok x reader, humiliation, breath play, exhibitionism, deep throat, sloppy blow job, consensual light slapping

Finally got around to making a sequel. It’s here

“Have you seen the new guy?” Sehun leans against your desk with a glint in his eye and a steaming mug of coffee in his hand. Not too long ago the two of you were interns at the company, grabbing coffees for your supervisors and meticulously filing away important documents together. As your careers advanced and old co-workers left, the two of you were nearly inseparable.

“New guy?”

“He’s the new IT guy. A little on the short end, but his eyes are to die for?”

You’d heard this one before. It’s not that Sehun is the office slut, he’s just...the office slut.

There’s no shame in sleeping around as long as safe sex is thoroughly practiced. At this point in both of your careers, Sehun’s slept with almost everyone in the office including you. It wasn’t planned at all by either side, just a spontaneous fuck during a Queer as Folk marathon on Sehun’s couch.

Sure the sex was great, but your friendship was even better and you wanted to cherish that.

“What’s his name?” you ask feigning interest as you scroll through a colorful Buzzfeed quiz. Sehun rolls his eyes,”How the hell should I know? I saw him. He’s cute and he just might be your type.” Your co-worker and best friend stares at you pointedly before you can even dismiss him altogether. “Look, I know you better than anyone else and you’ve been going through a lot lately. Just... treat yourself.”

Once you realize Sehun isn’t going to let this go, you sigh and finally turn away from the computer once the quiz reveals you’re more of a Ross than a Joey. “He just started working here, Sehun, it’s inappropriate.” Sehun scowls in response and takes a sip from the mug,”You sound like Junmyeon.”

“That’s Mr. Kim when we’re in the office, Sehun, you don’t know who’s listening.”

Kim Junmyeon is one of the top dogs that works here at the company. You’ve only seen him at huge holiday parties from afar, in passing in the elevator a few times, and once when you picked up coffee in the lobby of your building a little earlier than usual. You mostly “saw” Junmyeon through impersonal mass emails clearly written by his secretary. He seems like a natural born leader, an intelligent man with charisma and a great smile. Someone who-

“Actually he prefers daddy.”

There’s a pause as Sehun looks around the office to let that statement process and takes yet another too long sip of his coffee, eyes pretending to find interest over at Byun’s cubicle once he reveals he’s blown up his own spot.

“Sehun.”

“Hmm?”

“You slept with Mr. Kim?”

“Uh,” and before you can berate him or ask him any more questions Sehun is gone, suddenly finding interest in getting those reports sent out at his desk.

Before you can throw staples at him and demand more information, your supervisor makes her way around the office to check up on everyone’s work progress. So instead of drawing attention to yourself or starting another quiz, you bring up the spreadsheets that you should’ve been working on and pretend to work diligently for the next few minutes.

Those next few minutes actually end up being on solid productive hour, the spreadsheets actually completed before the end of the day. You decide to reward yourself with a few more Buzzfeed quizzes and just as you’re about to start clicking, you hear a soft,”Is this computer #425?”

You look up to see a shirt tucked into grey slacks. You look up further to see a man with long black hair and large excitable eyes hidden behind thick rimmed glasses. The man smiles once you stare up at his face, “I’m Minseok! I’m with the IT department and I got a call about a virus being on this floor’s servers. I just need to look over your computer for a second.” Virus? IT department? Your computer is being a little slow, but not virus slow. You look over to the pink sticky note on the cubicle wall, reading the numbers “411”, and look back at the cute tech guy. He’s too cute to pass up. Way too cute. “Yeah,” you say slowly,”this is 425.” Minseok smiles, trusting you entirely,”do you mind scooting over?”

You stand promptly, moving out of the way so he can sit down in your seat. “I’m Y/N by the way. I’m not sure what I did, but my computer is super slow,” you say desperate for small talk,”A lot of other people have been complaining too.” Have you talked to anyone today besides Sehun and now Minseok? No. Were other people actually complaining about the lagging computers? Probably.

He nods solemnly, typing things you’ve never seen before into a small black window now on your computer with green colored font. It’s only then that you notice the 16 Buzzfeed tabs just behind that black window and you know in your heart Minseok has seen them, but isn’t saying anything. “We think someone accidentally uploaded a Trojan that spread throughout the serves. Sorry for the inconvenience.”

You huff as you lean against your desk to get a better look at what exactly Minseok is doing, not that you’d understand anyway,”Probably Kris. He watches porn on his lunch break when he thinks no one is paying attention, but you didn’t hear that from me.” Minseok stifles a laugh, covering his mouth to hide his grin before returning to the keyboard.  

That laughter makes Sehun look up to see what’s going on at your desk. Once he sees who is it, he waves his hands in a subtle yet jerky way that immediately grabs your attention from across the office. Sehun holds up a hand to cover his mouth from Baekhyun’s prying eyes over at the desk next to him and mouths,”That’s him.”

This goes on for a few minutes, you trying to figure out what exactly Sehun is saying and Sehun getting more and more aggravated by the minute, but when Minseok suddenly gets up and grabs his messenger bag your attention is entirely on him again.

“We’re gonna be working on all of the computers tonight so this’ll be fixed by tomorrow morning.” Minseok says his goodbyes, eyes lingering on your form little too long, and heads back down the hallway.

As soon as he's gone, Sehun jogs over from his desk and smacks you on the shoulder,"You stupid asshole, tell me everything."

It’s around 10pm when you rush back into your office building. You'd been out getting drinks with Sehun when you remembered the important documents you left on your desk for your presentation at the end of the week. As you walk into the office space and make your way over to your cubicle, you see a figure sitting there typing away furiously at the black screen. "Minseok?"

He nearly falls out of his chair from the closeness of your voice, just behind him, and shouts almost accusingly,”Y/N?”

You blink before laughing,”yeah sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you.”

The two of you talk for a while, nonsensical things and general topics that lead to heated conversations about how underrated frozen yogurt is, and you soon lose track of time. Somehow in that time, you didn’t notice Minseok’s flushed face or his slightly unbuttoned shirt. You didn’t notice it until Minseok shifted just a little, fingers fidgeting with the buttons on his iphone and consequently turning the sound on.

High pitched moans and the unmistakable sound of skin slapping skin fill the once quiet office. Minseok’s horrified, scrambling to get rid of the porn playing on his phone, but you can’t help squeezing your legs and trying to ease the ache between your legs. It’s hot. Him blushing his hardest and giving you apology after apology is hot. Maybe Sehun is right, maybe you do need to treat yourself.

Minseok keeps apologizing, unable to even look you in the eye and realize you’re taking off your jacket and kicking off your heels. By the time he notices, finally looks at you, you’re kneeling on the ground and spreading his thighs so you can settle between them.

Minseok looks at you in confusion as he tries to understand your intentions,”What are you doing?”

You run a quick hand through your hair, tucking as much of your bangs as you can behind your ears and smirk up at him. You lean up and kiss him, soft and sweet. Soft enough to give him a chance to pull away and say no to the whole thing. Sweet enough to reassure that you’re okay with it on your end. Minseok kisses you back tentatively and keeps his hands in his lap. Your tongues wrestle for a while, getting more and more aggressive as Minseok gets more comfortable. He groans into your mouth, struggling to figure out where to place his hands until you guide them to your chest. But the ache between your legs gets to be too much and all you can think about is sucking him off, helping him with his little problem.

So you get back down on your knees and unbuckle his belt, maybe pulling off pants a little more rougher than you should’ve.

Minseok shakes his head, trying to look past you for any movement in the office,”What if we get caught? My co-workers are in the break room on this floor.”

“We won’t get caught.”

The confidence in your voice makes him relax slightly, but only slightly, and you kiss his knee for some extra reassurance. Even with a few more kisses, your affection and vague explanation aren’t enough and the nervousness in Minseok’s voice rises.

“Y/N-”

“Minseok do you want this or not? If you don’t, I’ll stop right here.”

Minseok looks at you, really looks at you, trying to decide whether this is a good decision or not. You stare at his tented briefs peeking out of his pulled down slacks, biting your lip at the small spot of precum there, but you wait for him to voice any unwillingness first.

You look up at him, smiling as genuinely as you can, and Minseok finds some sort of comfort in it. Suddenly he nods very quickly, hands going to pull his briefs and pants down a little more. While the idea of minseok wearing tighty whities is precious, you need to get a verbal okay before you go any further.

“Hold on, Romeo, I need to hear you say it.”

“I...want it. Yeah I want it.”

After hearing his consent you’re ready to go, grabbing a hold of his cock and pumping it to full hardness. You try not to stare too long at it, smiling when it twitches from being out in the cold, but your eyes always find their way back.

Minseok watches you watch his cock, worry weighing heavily on his brow. Were you disappointed? Was the magic over so soon? He’s a small guy, a whopping 5'7 if he stands on his tippy toes, and his... size reflects that. Just as he's about to tuck himself away and die from embarrassment, you blow on it gently and look up at him with absolute awe in your eyes. Minseok chokes out a moan, hands hovering over your head before going to the sides of your chair for safe keeping.

With each kitten lick you give, his cock twitches more and more. He continues gripping the chair, glasses slightly askew, and letting out breathy moans. You can’t help but coo at the display,”You’re so cute!” Before he can reply, you suck roughly at the patch of skin just below his tip.

Minseok bites his lip, trying his hardest to hold back a groan whenever your tongue flicks particularly hard, but then you gently rub the tip of his cock along your bottom teeth and he whimpers especially loud. “Please,” he begs more to himself than to you,”They’ll hear you.” But then the break room door opens and a figure jogs down the hallway yelling,”Xiumin!” Before Minseok can even process he’s about to be caught and consequently fired, you’re under your desk with a finger pressed to your mouth when he looks down at you in pure panic. He shuffles the chair towards the desk, making sure to hide you as well as his dick, and continues to finish up the code he was working on.

The figure jogs up, revealing a bubbly yet winded chen,”Minseok, are you sure you don’t want to play? Minhyuk’s gonna be the Dungeon Master instead of Kyungsoo. We voted him out.” Minseok smiles up at his co-worker and tries to hide the quivering in his voice,”I should probably finish up here first before I join you guys.” He makes it through sounding pretty okay and because of that Chen wants to talk. He talks about things you don’t know at all, about LAN parties and Dungeons and Dragons. Minseok starts getting comfortable, enjoying Chen’s company as if he forgot you’re under the table ready to blow him.

At the sight of Minseok’s cock softening and the realization of you being ignored, you grab Minseok’s balls and roll them in your hand with a practiced ease. They’re soft in your hand, smooth and lightly tanned, and you can’t help but take one in your mouth. He continues talking and sort of triumphs despite the breathy air he leaves on certain words. Chen is none the wiser, still talking to Minseok about Magic the Gathering or WOW or something equally nerdy. You can see his cock twitch from the slight stimulation, a jerky bob that seeks some sort of friction as it comes back to life. You suck at the tip gently, digging your tongue into the slit and only stopping when Minseok lets out a startled moan at the sudden change in sensation.

Chen picks up on this and frowns uneasily,”You okay?”

You pull him out of your mouth, pulling his cock to full hardness, and Minseok panics like he’s been caught.  Chen gets curious, leaning over just the slightest to see if Minseok is really okay. The smallest tech guy nods quickly, a light flush claiming his cheeks,”N-no I’m okay! I’ll meet you guys there in a sec!” A second goes by. Then two. Then three. Chen shrugs and grabs a handful of jelly beans from the bowl on your desk before heading back to the break room and closing the door behind him.

Minseok pulls away from the desk and stares down at you, blushing when you smirk up at him. "Fuck my face, Minseok." "W-what?" You don't make any attempt to repeat yourself or even look ashamed of what you said. You love this, the flustered stammering as Minseok tries to wrap his head around what's happening.

Before he can ask anymore questions, you open your mouth and stick your tongue out and wait. Minseok can only stare on at your gesture, a bead of precum bubbling out of his tip at the display. "Hands in my hair," you mumble before sticking your tongue back out. But something changes in Minseok so suddenly you almost miss it.

There's a glint in his eye now, an overwhelming darkness that makes your core ache. He grabs your hair roughly, shocking the both of you at the aggression, and places his cock in your mouth. He holds you in place, small fist grabbing with all his might, and watches you moan around his cock. But he doesn't let you bob anymore, doesn't let you tease him with kitten licks and soft moans. He does keep a firm hand in your hair, does let the weight of his cock rest on your tongue so you're familiar with the length, does let the tip lightly touch the back of your throat just enough to make you subtly wince.

You rest your hands on his thighs just to have some sort of leverage as he holds you there, but that small hand in your hair let's go and slaps you before grabbing your chin and squeezing. "Hands behind your back." Oh? You blink once, twice, trying to understand where the hell this attitude came from. This new confidence that Minseok gave off makes you wetter than you've ever been. His shy demeanor is completely gone now as he waits for you to follow his command.

But that soft kind nature comes back briefly and checks in to make sure you're alright,"Green means go, red means stop. Where are you?" He pulls his cock out of your mouth, waiting for you to fully and verbally respond to the situation. You bite your lip, way more turned on than before at the sudden kindness,"Green."

Minseok looks over you, one hand grabbing your hair while the other unbuttons your blouse down three buttons, and nearly cums in his slacks at the sight of your smeared lipstick. "Minseo-"

There's another sting at your cheek, your head turning to the side before you truly realize what happened. "Sir," he corrects, eyes never wavering from the swell of your breasts peeking out of your blouse. You arch your back slightly, making your breasts swell even more in the open top,"S-sir..."

Minseok nods, pressing a harsh biting kiss on your lips before saying,"I only say orders once. If you don't obey the very first time you get punished. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Minseo~ah!"

He doesn't slap your face this time, but he does slap your breast, squeezing it harshly until you say,"Yes, Sir! Ah~ I'm sorry, Sir!"

The threat of another slap makes you put your hands behind your back immediately and the gentle caress of his hand on your cheek is what makes you keep them there. For a brief moment Minseok kisses your forehead just to let you know how well you're doing.

He holds his cock, smearing the precum collected there across your lips,"You look so filthy, baby. I bet you'd look so pretty covered in my cum." You greedily suck at the head, bracing yourself when he pulls you off his cock with a pop. The lingering taste of salty bitterness makes your daring move worthwhile. You need more and you'll do anything to get it.

"God look at you," Minseok starts as he slowly but surely slides his length into your mouth,"you're so desperate for it. I bet you're the office's little cockwhore huh?"

He sets up a brutal pace, not really giving you a chance to catch a breath or even comprehend what's going on. For a minute you're taken aback by the sheer force behind his thrusts. Despite his shy demeanor this definitely isn't Minseok's first rodeo. You can only moan around his length and try not to choke as his thrusts grow faster and more accurate, making you gag and spittle. "I bet all you do is suck cock all day long in this office with a belly full of cum," Minseok grunts as you look up at him with watery eyes,"Keep looking at me, baby. This is what you wanted right? To be treated like the dirty slut you really are?"

Tears stream down your face as your gag reflex is tested beyond what you've experienced in your past sexual endeavors. It isn't the size of Minseok, but the accuracy of his hips and the ability to pivot at a speed you've never seen. Minseok pulls you onto his dick until your nose is buried in a nestle of neatly trimmed black curls and watches you closely. You cry out of reflex, your body tenses and flexes as you're pushed on the tippy top of too much, and yet you still try to flicker some part of your tongue against some part of his cock.

Something happens that you never thought could happen.

While Minseok avoided touching you (entirely on purpose) you'd managed to feel the blossoms of orgasms anyway through this sloppy as ever blowjob. And now with Minseok seemingly ensuring that he makes you pass out with his cock, you can't help but moan as an all too familiar pleasure racks through your core in waves. You shudder through each wave, a long moan muffled by weight on your tongue. "Did you cum from sucking my cock? Well," Minseok smirks,"You're gonna be my little cum dump from now on. You like the sound of that? You're gonna be my little cum dump now. My little cock sleeve."

With several more thrusts Minseok is coming down your throat with a grunt. Wave after wave of his cum fills your mouth and you can't help but moan then slowly swallow when he pulls away. "Open your mouth," he hums as he holds onto your chin. You obey him immediately, sticking out your tongue once again to show that the substance is all gone. Minseok kisses you fiercely, pulling you into his lap and holding you close,"You did so well”.

You're kind of a mess, boobs hanging out of your half opened shirt and completely dazed. There isn't much Minseok can do in an office for aftercare, but he tries his hardest. He fixes your clothes and orders takeout to be delivered to the building. While waiting for takeout to come, Chen returns to find his D&D partner,”Are you ready y-...oh.”

You instinctively runs your fingers through your hair, just to make sure everything is in order, but when Chen motions to your mouth you're a little confused. Minseok glances at you too, a blush dusting his cheeks as soon as he sees what Chen is slowly smirking at. Then it clicks. Your lipstick. “When did you get here, Y/N?”

You grab the compact mirror in your desk and wipe off the smeared lipstick while Minseok explains. “We...we got food and...it got all over,” he gestures to his mouth in a circular motion.

Great. Thanks Minseok.

“So,” Chen starts as he looks between the two of you,”you came over and got food in the span of 30 minutes when I visited you and asked you to come hang out with us.” Minseok nods with a nervous smile,”Y/N is working late too so she brought food with her. Go figure.”

Chen’s smirk soon grows,”I’m glad you're settling in well, Minseok. You already making friends. Anyway, I'll leave you guys alone. We're heading to the next floor in 20 minutes since this floor is entirely wiped,” and when you make a face of confusion Chen answers without really looking at you, his eyes staring directly at Minseok with a hint of a mysterious emotion behind them,”the computers have different servers on each level. I'll see you in a bit Minseok.” With that Chen leaves, not really giving Minseok much time to respond, but the nerd answers with a soft yet excitable “Okay!” anyway.

You stand up right after he leaves, grabbing your coat and the files you had long forgotten. Minseok blinks up at you, his innocent eyes behind those thick glasses almost making you stop entirely,”Where are you going?”

You ruffle his hair, too busy making sure everything you need is in your purse before putting on your jacket,”I'm heading home, babe. I'm not gonna get any work done with you here distracting me.” Throwing your purse over your shoulder you lean down and place a gentle kiss on his lips, giggling at the way he subtly follows you when you pull away,”I'll text you okay?”

Minseok nods and tries his hardest to hide the disappointment on his face as you jot your number down on a bright yellow sticky note. You kiss him again before making your exit, the click of your heels following you down the hall to the elevator. Minseok still can't believe any of this happened on his second week of work, still can't believe that someone as hot as you would just randomly blow him after hours.

He hopes, really really hopes, that his texting you as soon as you leave his sight doesn't seem desperate. But as excited as he is, Minseok can't help but be a little confused at your behavior. You had every intention to stay, taking off your heels and cuddling with Minseok as much as you could in your office chair, and you seemed fine. As soon as you started speaking with Chen, you suddenly left in a hurry almost running out of the building. Were you simply embarrassed because the two of you had been found out or was there something else?