#and so i kept getting stuck like. i don't agree with anything i've written so far

[wekillitwithfire]

do important assignments due in two days? NO. design personalized covers for all my spotify playlists.

[allthingsfangirl101]

ER Visits – Timothy McGee

I've worked at the ER for three years. I've known Timothy McGee for almost six months. We met at the coffee shop. He was sitting, trying to write and I had just gotten off a 12-hour shift. I was tired and accidentally spilled my drink on his notebook. I freaked out and started apologizing. He just laughed and told me not to worry. He reassured me that he hadn't written anything down anyway.

I bought him and me another cup of coffee and we spent the rest of the morning talking. At least until he got a call from his boss and had to rush off to work.

I went to that coffee shop at the same time every morning for the rest of the week. Unfortunately, he didn't show up. I went to that coffee shop the next Monday and was about to leave when Tim walked in. After that, we agreed to meet every morning for a cup of coffee before he went to work.

It took about two weeks of morning coffee dates before he finally told me what he did for a living. This was after I asked why we hadn't gone on a dinner date. He explained that his work schedule was hard to plan around and he didn't want to stand me up. After that, we kept to our morning coffee dates and had dinner dates rarely when they weren't working on a case.

I knew it was dangerous but it took a bomb at the Navy yard and a special patient for me to realize just how dangerous it was being an NCIS agent.

My heart jumped into my throat when I saw him being brought in on a gurney.

"Tim," I said but it got stuck in my throat. I ran over and started jogging with the gurney. "What happened?" I asked, switching back to my doctor's voice.

"There was an explosion at the Navy yard," the EMT said. "He's an NSCI agent or whatever. Some of his coworkers were brought in too."

"He's an NCIS agent," I corrected.

"How do you know?" Asked one of the other EMTs.

"He's my boyfriend."

With that, we rushed him into one of our free rooms. I wasn't sure who else was brought in with Tim, but I was more focused on him. He didn't have any serious injuries or burns. He hit his head so he was slightly unconscious for a little while.

When we got him settled all we had to do was wait for him to wake up. I quickly went to check on his team before going right back to his room. I stayed in his room, nervously pacing, as I waited for him to wake up. I sat up straighter when I heard him let out a small moan.

His eyes fluttered open and it took him a second to realize where he was. I waited for him to notice me. He slowly sat up and ran his fingers through his hair. When I couldn't wait any longer, I spoke up.

"Tim?"

He looked over at me and smiled.

"Hey, you," he said as he started to get up. I walked over and made him lay back down. He tried to stop me by saying my name. I ignored him and had him lay back down.

"I'm fine."

"You were in an explosion," I said with no emotion in my voice.

"None of us were in the room," he tried to rationalize as he sat back up.

"You were hurt," I said as I grabbed his file.

"Just a bonk on the head," he shrugged. "It could've been a lot worse."

"Can you not?" I sighed, slamming his file down on the rollable table.

"Not what?"

"Act like we're not in the ER," I snapped. My eyes filled with tears as I said, "You don't understand, Tim."

"Understand what?" He asked, the tone of his voice completely changing.

"This is my worst nightmare," I said, my voice breaking.

"What is?" He asked as he slid off the bed and walked over to me.

He gently took me in his arms as I explained, "You coming into the ER after a case gone wrong," I whispered, "and me not being able to do anything to help you."

"Y/N," he said gently, "you are the best doctor in town. I wouldn't want anyone else taking care of me."

"But what if. . . There are some people I can't help, Tim," I said, my sob getting stuck in my throat. "And I don't want one of them to be you."

Tim pulled me into his chest and held me tightly. I took a shaky breath as I tightly wrapped my arms around his waist and buried my face in his neck.

"I'm sorry I scared you," he whispered. "But I really am fine."

"To be fair," I mumbled, "you're an NCIS agent. Not a doctor."

I stepped out of his arms, grabbed his chart, and started to leave but he grabbed my hand. I sighed when he pulled me back so I was standing in front of him.

"I'm sorry, baby," he whispered. He reached up and moved some hair out of my face. He leaned in and gently pressed his lips to mine. I let out a small sigh as I kissed him back.

"I know your job is dangerous," I said, breaking the kiss, "but I need you to promise me something."

"Anything," he said instantly.

"Next time you get hurt," I said, my voice shaky, "please don't act like it's not a big deal. Let me check you out so I know for myself that you're okay. I couldn't handle. . ."

Tim kissed me to stop me from spiraling again. He slowly broke the kiss and smiled down at me.

"I love you, Y/N," he whispered. My stomach flipped when he said those words to me for the first time.

"I love you too, Tim."

* * * * *

When Tim finally sat down and let me check him out, I discovered that he had a minor concussion and nothing else.

"Care to take me home, doc?" He asked teasingly as he walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"I got to finalize your paperwork," I explained, "but give me five minutes and I'm good to go."

Tim kissed my cheek before leaving. I filled out what I needed and left. As I walked out of the exam room, Gibbs was hugging Tim.

"I'm okay," Tim chuckled as they broke their hug. "Passed with flying colors, got a clean bill of health."

"I wouldn't say that," I said leaving the room.

"How is he, Doc?" Gibbs asked me.

"Mild concussion," I said. "I might be paranoid because I love him but give him a couple of days to recuperate and he'll be fine. In fact, you should all take a few days to recuperate."

I walked over to the nurse's station and finished filling out Tim's discharge papers but I could hear their conversation.

"Love?" Gibbs asked Tim with a small chuckle.

"Yep," Tim cleared his throat.

"Good for you, Tim," Gibbs patted him on the back. "Good for you."

[onesaltyerik]

Ya boi is moving!

Halito! I have not written many fics or entries for fics in what feels like ages. Because I've been stressed and 'brain stuck' from all the recent events that go as thus-

. Tries to move house

. Get's told by realtor I cannot be accepted into new house until it is confirmed I am leaving the current one.

. Wanted to leave the current one anyways as it's INFESTED with mould, dark, dusty, rotting, I fell through the floor a couple times, holes in the wall patched up with shower caulk cause the landlord is a dingus, so my flat and I applied for breaking lease early to get the fuck out of there. . Get confirmed to leave after having to get the council involved cause the landlord wasn't letting us break lease early unless we got new tenants in to replace us, even though legally the house unfit for human habitation until it was fixed up. Landlord agreed to let us go. . We apply for the new place. We need a reference from previous landlord. Previous landlord refuses to give it cause he's butt hurt we decided to fight him on letting us leave early. . Cue slew of unfortunate events, including refusing to sublet the new place because we are over the age of 18 and unmarried, a flatmate's previous landlord (before the shitty one) being dead and unable to give a reference for her, and just general chaos involved in being in your mid twenties and no one wanting to rent to students or apprentices because of stupid reasons like "you're just gonna party and ruin the property value" like bruh no, our parties consist of DND nights and Lord of the Rings marathons, we don't play loud music or have flashing lights or invite a shit ton of people, we're awkward nerds who don't like loud noises and flashing lights!

. Week of moving out comes around, we are told we did not get the place we applied for, have to scramble to find temporary housing and end up splitting up the crew because of it which sucks but what can you do? . Spend the week hauling shit to a storage unit, deep cleaning what we can of the flat (which is honestly just polishing a turd but whatever I guess) spending way too much money on moving companies, rubbish removal folks, and a very flaky cleaning company that did not communicate to their worker what time they needed to be here and kept insisting that the place was a "Two bedroom, Two bathroom, One lounge" flat when I kept telling them in the applications that no it was a "Two bedroom, ONE bathroom, Two lounge" flat (because our flat was designed and laid out by someone on crack I swear there was no logic to the entire place and the kitchen was teeny tiny hallway) and FINALLY getting out of there . Ended up leaving the place for good yesterday and am now sleeping for the next three days and doing nothing because I'm exhausted and I'm eternally grateful for my flatmate MothGod's parents for letting me stay at their place for at least a month until we can all get a place, and I've found out all my stuff has just ABSORBED mould, just coated in the spores. Like there's no visible marks or anything but it smells like decaying house and mustiness and it's just awful so I gotta do some severe laundry and cleaning of all my stuff and hope my figures and bones collections are going to be okay because fuuuuuck that flat being so fucking mouldy! So yeah, been busy, been exhausted, been unmotivated. So hopefully I can get back to doing the things I love once I've properly rested and had time ti deep clean my clothes and suitcase and blankets.

Thank yall for your patience.

[russburlingame]

C is for Comics and D is for Dinosaur!

Back again, back again.

Okay, so let me tell you a story about comic books.

No, this isn't another quasi-autobiographical rant, like I had about video stores (although I could do that, too!). This is a mini-rant about how the C week of the Alphabet Superset...well...got away from me.

Kind of.

A while back, while I was mowing the lawn, I had a story come to me fairly fully-formed. That's...amazing...for me. I haven't written fiction in many years, as I noted in the A is for Accident post.

Okay, so...comics. Why is C for comics? And why haven't I shown you any comics yet?

When that story came to me while I was mowing, I didn't seriously think I would do anything with it -- it's based on characters I don't own, and I'm certainly not planning on pitching it to the owners.

Still, I jotted most of the key points down. Far be it from me to completely dismiss an idea, even one that wasn't practical to consider.

In the months since then, new ideas have kept popping into my head with regard to the fiction story, and I quickly realized that it had to be a graphic novel. I have an artist in mind, who agreed to do it for a very modest fee, and while I haven't paid him or talked about the book to my bosses at Paramount yet, I'm not sharing any of my character sketches and wacky comic ideas here because...well...I feel like I'm going to make the comic.

Not with the corporate-owned characters, no. Rather, I'm thinking of using a blend of original characters and public domain superheroes from the Golden Age (since it's THAT kind of story anyway, honestly). Camp, comedy, heroics, heart...that's what I'm going to go for. I can't even kind of start writing it anytime soon, but I'll give you the very bare-bones concept here:

A group of time-travelers find themselves imprisoned. The charges? They've broken time, and nobody is quite sure how, or how to fix it. Before too long, it becomes clear that they have been set up: the head of the organization that's holding them, has a decades-long grudge against an old ally of the team. They have to get a message to that ally in order to get sprung from jail and...hilarity ensues.

They're stuck looking for a historical figure who was kidnapped and disappeared by his own government. with their ability to time-travel significantly limited, if they can't find this mystery man, they may be doomed!

Okay, and now for D is for Dinosaur.

I've put these two things together because neither one is really a stand-alone piece of creative work, but more an icon representing creative work that I've been doing behind the scenes. Also, so that I can share them more easily to the Alphabet Superset Discord server.

So that guy up there is Boone. You may recognize him from The VelociPastor, a 2019 micro-budget movie that became an instant cult classic. Back in September, I visited the set of VelociPastor II, did hours of interviews, and got lots of photo and video with my buddy Zach. And while I'll save the details for when there's an official official announcement, the thing I'm here to share is that I'm writing an official companion book for VelociPastor II. Called The VelociGospel, the book will be an oral history of VP and a companion to VP2, speaking with as many cast and crew as possible. The plan is to release it on the same day VelociPastor II comes out on DVD, Blu-ray, and Digital.

More on this soon, but I just really, really want to let people know it's a thing that's happening so that I can mention it on Bluesky and not immediately feel like I have to chase my own tail or delete the post.

Yes! There's going to be a VelociPastor book! And I already have about 30 pages written!

So...yeah. These are project that I have been working on quietly in the last few weeks. But I can't share stuff just yet. Soon, I promise!

[sideprince]

I agree, but I think it's also their job to extrapolate from the text and there was a lot there. Alan Rickman knew the big secret because he read the first book and understood the foreshadowing around his character, so he knew to ask and insisted that he get some kind of answer. These are YA books with YA elements and structure and I think one of the problems of the films is that the adults making them didn't know how to read them as literature and make basic educated guesses. I was fairly young when I read them but, knowing it was a series, the second I got to the end of the first book and learned that Snape was a foil I knew that he would feature through the whole series and likely redeem himself at the end. One of the other big problems of the filmmakers is that they saw them as being "for children" at first, and their understanding of what that means involved condescension to and underestimation of their audience.

By the time the books started to deal with more mature themes, the films had to pivot really hard and there was too much pressure to keep the branding in mind and the child audience, so exactly, things like class politics and abuse were sanitized, as if those are things children don't deal with and don't need to process through media. The series had been published up to Goblet of Fire by the time the first film was made, so they had every reason to know that it would get dark and start dealing with themes like death. They also had every reason to know what characters would feature prominently. If we go back to the example of Alan Rickman and Snape, it was no secret by the time they made the first film that Snape had a complicated relationship with Harry's dad and that he had not only been a Death Eater who spied for Dumbledore but would be resuming that role. None of this makes its way into the films, not even the one where its revealed. It's clear from the way some of the films are written that not much focus was put on reading ahead. By the time they made Half-Blood Prince, the book of Deathly Hallows was out. They knew Snape's full character arc but still took his character's key moments away again and again instead of focusing more on foreshadowing now they knew what to work towards. Instead the scripts kept focusing on hitting plot points specific to each film but not to overall series arcs and struggling with conveying exposition in ways that aren't clumsy (and often fall to Hermione in reductive ways). Isn't there even an entry in Alan Rickman's diaries where he writes, frustrated, after a premiere "where's the story?"

I want to be generous but I've watched the movies too many times to be able say anything except that it's sloppy work. They had a massive studio budget and were a worldwide phenomenon with people lining up for hours for premieres and first showings. It was one of the most lucrative franchises in history. They could have done anything they wanted to on screen, but were often stifled by their own lack of imagination to the point where they dampened even the imagination JKR put into the world. Something that always stuck with me was the moment in DH2 when Snape is dying and Harry asks Hermione for a flask. In the book, she conjurs one without Harry having to ask, because she reads the situation. In the film, Harry asks her for one and she reaches into her beaded bag, which we've established is bigger on the inside and full of items, and just pulls one out. She looks like an actor pulling a prop out of a wardrobe accessory.

This moment sticks with me, even though there are so many like it throughout the franchise, because in a movie that has all the freedom and resources to create this world and have fun with it, if the story was approached from the perspective of the people living it, then no one would have forgotten in this moment that these are characters for whom magic is second nature and when they have a need for an object, they can will it into being. As filmmakers, if they had put thought into it, they would have understood the significance of that tiny act to parallel Snape's death and illustrate one of the major themes of the story, which is that no amount of magic can fix loss or reverse death. That magic is only as good as your ability to use it. So the storytelling fails on two levels, and it's in a moment that is not only at the end of the story, but that those telling it had three years to think about. (In contrast, Alan Rickman bought Deathly Hallows the night it came out, not years later when it was time to prep for the film.)

As the films progress and Harry - and the audience - grow older, magic is less pervasive in his world and used mostly when necessary for the plot. The first time Harry visits the Burrow in the second film, it's a magical place where knitting needles work on their own and the dishes wash themselves. The next time we're there in the fourth film, we barely see any of it and it's just a normal house. By the sixth film, it's not only just a normal house but one the filmmakers decide to set on fire, in a divergence from the books, for no reason that's relevant to the plot. Again, this isn't them struggling to get things right, it's a result of a profound lack of understanding of the story they're telling. And personally I think that anyone who is so incapable of reading literature critically when it's simply structured and easily broken down is maybe just not well suited to make films based on books.

Your tags are right - the movies are great for memes.

What i really dislike about movie snape is that everyone who never read the book would think that he was an aristocrate or someone very important. He's very haughty and mannered, you'd think he was Malfoy's cousin when in fact he grew up in dirtiness and extreme poverty.

[footballfangurl]

Hi!

Can you do one where y/n works for Toto and Lewis seems to hate her, always disagree with her but qt the end they’re together!

Thanks!!!!

Hii!!

Sorry for the delay but I was a little bit stuck while writing it. It's the longest one shot I've ever written. I've finished it though! Enjoy and let me know what you think, please x

Lewis Hamilton - I've fallen for you

So, it all started with her sharing her opinion. Admittedly, she probably shouldn't have. Not at the time. Not so soon because she had only been working for Mercedes for a short while. To be honest, she didn't even remember what the issue had been about. What she did remember, however, that Lewis had vehemently disagreed with her. And if it had just remained a one-time thing, there wouldn't have been an issue because she could admit that sometimes she was wrong. But it hadn't. Sometimes it seemed like Lewis disagreed with her just because he could.

Of course, the fault wasn't always with him. Sometimes she didn't know when to back down, even when deep down she knew he was right. And then things escalated quickly when perhaps it could have been avoided. She tried not to argue with him right before qualifying or races so as to not distract him and causing even more friction in the team.

It was hard not to show her enthusiasm though when he drove well during race weekends. Despite the frequent arguments the two of them had, even she could admit he was a very talented driver and he kept on delivering, weekend after weekend. The only thing that bothered her sometimes is that he liked to throw you small, smug glances afterwards. Oooh, how she hated it when he did that. It got her body all warm and anger or irritation immediately started boiling within. But in those moments, she kept it all to herself. Well, until they were in a more private setting. Then the sugar-coated barbs and insults were thrown around as if the two of them weren't supposed to be two professionals getting along. Sometimes, Toto made her or Lewis back off when one of them crossed the line. He didn't like to get involved but whenever he did, it always made her feel a little bit ashamed. She couldn't really help it though. Lewis Hamilton just had a way of getting under her skin.

There were times, however, where even she had to concede and defend Lewis Hamilton from critics. Whenever something happened that people didn't agree with, she didn't hesitate to throw her opinion on twitter or Instagram and dispute whatever was being said about him. It wouldn't be the first time she got into a full-out twitter dispute that usually ended up in her being reprimanded by Toto for reacting to the haters in such a public way. Those times, Lewis did say that it was best not to pay too much attention to them but he always did have a bit of a smile on his face, so she didn't think he minded too much.

"I don't get you sometimes. You act like you hate me but then you defend me like that on twitter." Lewis once had said after one of these twitter wars. She suppressed a smile and shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't hate you. I just don't always like you. But I can't stand it when people hate on you for absolutely bullshit reasons and I'll put them in their place every time." It had seemed like Lewis did want to say something more but she hadn't given him the chance, walking away quickly to continue what she had been doing before being called to Toto's office.

--

Lewis was sitting on his own on some steps in front of the team motorhome. She'd just passed Angela in the motorhome when she had stepped outside so she knew he probably wanted to be alone for a bit but she couldn't resist. Tentatively walking up to him, she sat down next to him in silence. He gave a little sideway glance at her but didn't comment on her presence.

After a few minutes of silence, she started talking. "Hey… I know we're not … friends or anything but… I'm here if you want to talk." He remained silent for a moment, which she didn't mind. The last few days had been hard on him and the team as a whole. The race weekend hadn't gone very well.

"Don't feel like it today."

The comment stung a little bit, but she nodded her head and gave a grim smile. "I figured. I just wanted to let you know that the option was there." She clasped your hands together and rested them on her lap for a moment before pushing off the stairs. She didn't want to bother him any longer than she had to. "Well, I'll leave you to it. Try not to let it get to you too much. Next week we'll do better." With that, she set off to the paddock because there were still some things there that she needed to do.

"Hey, Y/N!" She heard him call out her name and she turned around, walking backwards, to see him giving her a nod and a smile, "Thanks!"

"Anytime." She yelled back before turning around again and walking away.

--

She was standing outside the paddock, waiting underneath an umbrella. It had begun raining quite hard during the race and they had red flagged it for the time being. Valtteri was talking to his race engineer in the garage about something and Toto was discussing something through his headset. Glancing around, she tried to see if she could spot Lewis anywhere, but she didn't see him.

Suddenly someone ducked underneath her umbrella with her, and she jumped in surprise. Looking up, she raised her eyebrows as she saw Lewis giving her a smile before rubbing his hands together and blowing on them.

"What's up?" It was odd for him to join her like that. Well, maybe not odd but certainly unexpected. Since she had joined him on those steps that day, she had noticed that some of the friction had started to die down. He still told her when he didn't agree with something and she certainly did the same, but the insults between the two of them had certainly lessened in number.

"What do you think?"

"What do I think about what?" she asked, smiling at one of the mechanics in greeting as he passed before turning her attention back to Lewis. He frowned slightly but continued talking.

"About the race."

"You're asking for my opinion now? Usually, you're telling me to shut up." She replied and chuckled as he gently bumped shoulders with her.

"Hey, that's not fair."

"Yeah, I know," She murmured, smiling softly at him, "well, I just think you need to continue what you're doing. It hasn't let you down so far."

"Oh, that's fantastic advice, that. So helpful." He said sarcastically and chuckled when she shoved him on the shoulder. "No, really. Thanks though." He was more sincere this time and placed his hand on her shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze before ducking out from under her umbrella again. She bemusedly watched him run over to Angela who was waiting with her own umbrella and handed him his headphones to listen to music. Sometimes she really did wonder what had changed.

--

Lewis kept on telling himself that that feeling he got when he saw her interacting with the mechanics during race weekends wasn't jealousy. He liked to think he wasn't really a very jealous person by nature. Competitive, sure. You had to be in formula one. Stubborn, sometimes. But jealous? Not really.

So, he kept denying that it was jealousy. The reason why he joined her table for breakfast in the motorhome was definitely because there weren't any other chairs free. The reason why he asked for her opinion more now was because sometimes he still liked to bicker with her instead of appreciating her for her complete and total honesty. The reason why he glanced around for her before he entered his car wasn't because her presence was reassuring but it was just a coincidence that his eyes fell on her every time.

---

It was in Monza that the most drastic change happened. Or rather, after the race. She'd been standing in the garage, watching the race like everyone else. It had been an entertaining race so far. The McLaren's and Verstappen had been doing surprisingly well this race but Lewis had been in a good enough place too so anything could happen.

And it did. Verstappen had a surprisingly bad pitstop and that changed everything. When Lewis came into the pits to change tires, she could hear the screaming outside from the crowd as he rejoined the track afterwards. He was wheel to wheel with Verstappen now and in the end, she should have seen it coming. They had been battling all season now and they had even made contact earlier in the race. Verstappen didn't want to concede, and Lewis didn't either. So, they crashed together.

When she saw it happening, she screamed and clasped her hands in front of her mouth in shock. That could have been really bad. Especially when she saw the replay. Because the car nearly hit Lewis' head. Oh… it could have ended up so badly.

She gulped, removing her hands from her face to wring them together. She had seen bad crashes, of course she had. It always was terrifying when somebody crashed, until everyone knew they were alright.

But even now, when she saw that Lewis had gotten out of the car and he looked okay, she still had trouble grasping it. He had been incredibly lucky today. Both drivers had been. Taking a step back, she tried not to let her eyes linger on him too long when he eventually rejoined them in the garage. He looked frustrated and he was talking to Bono, gesturing wildly and shaking his head.

Deciding to leave him alone for now, she tried to identify and cope with the unsettled feeling in her chest.

--

Later, though, after the race, he came to lean against the counter next to her. The unsettled feeling hadn't gone away. In fact, the more she thought about it and the crash itself, the more she felt unsettled. So she didn't acknowledge him out of fear that he'd see that. He didn't need to be burdened by her feelings about the crash too. Surely, he was already feeling plenty just on his own.

When she didn't say anything to him, he frowned a little at her.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded tersely, continuing to work on the item in her hands. It needed to be finished so she could pack it away for the next race. There wasn't a lot of time to be distracted, she assured herself. She'd use that excuse to him too.

"Yeah, okay, I can see that you're not, though." When she didn't reply to him, he sighed and took the item out of her hands before setting it down on the counter on the other side of him. When he did so, she tensed up and pressed the palms of her hands against the counterspace. "What's wrong?" He asked gently, ducking his head to try and catch her eyes but she avoided it.

"Y/N…" Lewis put his hand on top of hers and squeezed it a bit to get her attention and she finally looked at him.

"It's just been a hectic day, you know. With the crash and everything." She excused, smiling briefly at him. He nodded in comprehension, frowning a little before giving her a small smile.

"I get that. I'm okay though. It wasn't that bad." Lewis tried to reassure her, but it seemed like those were the wrong words to say because she frowned and pulled her hand from underneath his.

"It wasn't that bad? Lewis, that tire could have taken your head off or something. You were extremely lucky today." She said, looking at him but being shocked when she didn't see him very clearly. She hadn't realised that her eyes had been tearing up when he had been talking before. She just hoped that they didn't fall.

"Yeah, I realise that. But Y/N… you do realise that's racing, right? That's the risk I take every time I get in that car. We all take that risk." He murmured, trying to comfort her but not quite sure how to.

"Yeah, I do realise that but…" Her throat closed up and she blinked, trying to keep the tears back. All of a sudden, she felt his arms around her as he pulled her to his chest. Rubbing her back gently, he rested his cheek on top of her hair.

"It's just… it was the first time I've seen you crash. Somehow it hit me differently when it was you. We could have lost you if it had ended differently." She cried, burying her face into his shirt and hoping he wouldn't mind. He hummed, squeezing her tighter.

"I understand. Of course I do. But you can't afford to think like that. Especially if you want to be in this sport. We just got to focus on the positive, you know. I got out okay. That's all that matters in the end. But I understand the shock. Just let it out." And he continued rubbing her back softly, letting her cry the emotions out. It was a few minutes before she pulled back, sheepishly avoiding his eyes and tucking her hair behind her ears.

"Sorry for crying on you. And thank you for being patient with me."

"Hey, look at me." He put his fingers underneath her chin, tilting it up and his eyes flitting back and forth between hers before smiling, "Don't be ashamed of what you feel. It's okay to cry. Don't beat yourself up about it." He assured her and she smiled back before clearing her throat and gesturing towards her work.

"I should probably finish that or Toto won't be happy." She chuckled and he nodded, smiling as he stepped back.

"I'll leave you to it, then."

--

After that, they started talking even more. He asked her if she was okay more. She brought him coffee sometimes, the way he liked it, the secret of which she had wheedled out of Angela. The woman had smiled knowingly and gave it up willingly with a wink.

They made eye contact sometimes, her and Lewis, and somehow they couldn't help but holding it a bit too long. It always left her blushing and him smiling.

He put his hand on her shoulder sometimes as they had a conversation. He even tried to make her laugh with stupid jokes, which weren't even all that funny but made her laugh out loud anyways.

They had even exchanged numbers, her smiling and blushing as she saved her number into his phone.

The first time he called her, he had the excuse of needing her opinion on a strategy, but they ended up talking for hours. That had been the first time they talked on the phone but certainly not the last. As the season progressed, they developed inside jokes that left some of the other guys in the garage confused.

At one point he had even invited her to stay in Monaco between two races, saying he would book a hotel room for her and everything. She had agreed but insisted on paying for it herself. Those few days had been such fun. She had joined him on a morning run only once because even his company wasn't worth getting up at 6 o'clock in the morning on days when she didn't have to work. He had laughed and teased her as she struggled to keep up and she stuck out her tongue and insisted that he was cheating.

They met up in coffee shops and restaurants and ended up leaving when the owners were going to close, getting too lost in their conversations to pay attention to the time. He walked her to her hotel every time and despite hoping that he'd join her upstairs, he always respectfully left after he dropped her off with a hug.

Even when he had stuff to do for the team, such as online meetings with sponsors, and she was left alone for a few hours, he kept on texting her, saying the meetings were too boring and he'd rather spend time with her.

It was when she went back home and they picked up their late night phone conversations again that it happened. They'd been talking for two hours now, and Lewis really needed some sleep because of the plane he'd be catching in the morning to the next track, so they were closing the conversation when he said it.

"Anyways, I really need to go now. I'll see you tomorrow."

"I'll see you tomorrow. Give Roscoe a big hug for me!" She said, smiling to herself when he chuckled.

"I will. Have a good night! Love you!"

"Love you t- "

They both froze on either end of the phone as they registered what they'd unconsciously said. Y/N sat up in her bed in shock. Did he just? He loved her?

She wasn't going to lie, she had been catching feelings for him. Very quickly. How could she not? He was incredibly thoughtful of her feelings and those days that she spent in Monaco with him had been absolutely amazing.

Sometimes, it seemed like only yesterday when they'd been bickering about anything and everything but when she thought about it, that had been months ago. How had time passed so quickly?

And the fact that he might reciprocate her feelings… it made her feel so warm inside. The biggest smile ever crossed her face, despite the awkward silence on the phone. She heard him breathing still though so he definitely hadn't hung up.

"Lewis? You love me?" She tentatively said, almost afraid that he'd deny it. Maybe it had been a mistake, just a reflex or something. Maybe he didn't mean it.

"Guess the cat's out of the bag, huh?" He chuckled ruefully and her heart stopped again. He just admitted it! She couldn't believe it. He really did have feelings for her. He loved her.

"Yeah… I love you too though," She admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of her neck and blushing. She was glad that he couldn't see her right now because she was sure that she was bright red.

"Can we talk about this tomorrow? I'll come looking for you after I arrive." She continued hopefully when it remained silent on the other side of the line.

"Yeah, of course. I'll see you tomorrow." He answered and she smiled and bid him goodnight before hanging up the phone. It was hours before she fell asleep, too excited of what tomorrow would bring.

--

She arrived at the track early in the morning, slightly apprehensive of what was to come. She'd been excited up until she realised that she'd have to tell him face to face what she felt, and she still feared that he might change his mind. Yes, he had admitted it on the phone the previous night but talking on the phone was always different than talking to someone face to face.

She hoped that they wouldn't lose their friendship despite having admitted their feelings. She also hoped that it wouldn't hinder them during their work because she knew that, despite Toto liking her, if he had to fire someone because of this, her job was definitely the one on the line. Taking a deep breath, she tried to assure herself that everything would be all right.

Stepping into the Mercedes hospitality motorhome, she steeled her nerves as she went upstairs. She knew it was a while still before anyone would need Lewis. Meetings normally started later in the day, so they still had a bit of time.

Standing in front of his driver's room, she gently knocked on the door. There was some shuffling inside before Angela opened the door.

"Hey, Y/N. Just give me a second and I'll leave you two alone." She smiled, leaving the door open as she collected her bags. Glancing inside, she saw Lewis sitting on the couch and she blushed as she made eye contact with him. Angela's words registered in her mind, and she realised Lewis must have told her what had happened. Not that she minded because she knew Lewis and Angela were close and he appreciated her opinion.

"Hey," she greeted him, stepping aside after Angela left. Closing the door behind her, she awkwardly fidgeted with her hands for a few seconds before crossing the room and sitting next to Lewis on the couch.

She turned towards him and smiled when she saw that he was already looking at her. They opened their mouths to talk at the same time and they both laughed at it. It broke the tense atmosphere and instantly made her more comfortable.

"You go first." She insisted and he nodded, taking a deep breath before he started talking.

"I just want you to know that I did mean what I said last night. I realise that this may ruin our friendship, or this may jeopardise your job, but I don't regret saying it, even if it was an accident." He said and her chest felt warm because of his words. Before she could say anything, he continued, "The truth is, I've been feeling this way for a while now. And I-"

"Me too." She interrupted him gently and his eyes widened a bit before he said, "You too what exactly?"

"All of it. To be honest, Lewis, I'd like to think that we're professional enough to handle this. And I'd like to try exploring where this can go. If you're up for that."

He smiled in relief and nodded, making her laugh giddily. It just felt… almost surreal. When he kept sitting over there, though, with all that distance between them, she couldn't help herself from saying.

"You can kiss me, you know. If you wanted to."

And he suddenly moved forwards to press his lips against hers. Closing their eyes, they got lost in the feel of the kiss for a moment. Her hand came up to cradle his cheek and his hand pressed against her back, pulling her closer to him.

Leaning backwards again for some air, she smiled up at him and quickly kissed his lips again before engulfing him in a tight hug. Yeah, they'd be okay.

[lovelytarou]

the language of flowers — oikawa tooru

pairing: oikawa tooru x gn! reader

genre: fluff, flowershop!au

tags: flowerboy!oikawa, slowburn, strangers to lovers

word count: 4.06k

a/n: i finally finished this after 2536484 years of procrastination! but thanks to my moots shae and julie for showing support and giving their opinions about this concept hehe. this is the longest fic i've written wow 😳

⤷ summary: the flowershop on the street you frequently walk on going home is a wonder you didn't notice until recently when the smell of flowers caught your attention. deciding to enter it one day out of pure curiosity, you met the owner of the shop and with it, the start of a blooming romance.

life was filled with repeating patterns, certain routines and habits that everybody has gotten used to doing. like the way you always took the same path when going home, passing by the familiar faces you encounter all the time, seeing the similar architecture and landscape that brings some sort of familiarity to you whenever you see it. 

your feet stopped in their own accord when a sweet smell invaded your nose. you inhaled deeply, the aroma pleasant and fresh. going a few steps back, you finally saw where it was coming from. the flower shop stood out like a sore thumb in the street with its vibrant flowers that you can see through the clear glass. the sunlight was shining down upon the beautiful flowers and they looked charming even from afar. 

you thought for a moment and decided that you'd stop by in the flower shop for a little while. besides, if the smell alone has caught your attention, who knows what else can? 

the soft tinkle of the bell on the door signalled your presence. you were simply in awe at the sight of the decorations inside the shop. it was breathtaking. numerous flowers, bouquets, wreaths, and some that you don't know the name about were placed neatly and elegantly inside the shop to let the customers feast their eyes (and noses) upon. 

giggles and loud laughter snatched you away from your thoughts, a huddled group of women and men alike are circling over something - or someone? - and they seemed to be too entertained about it than the flowers themselves. chuckling quietly, you shook your head and decided to look around the place more for yourself. 

there were buckets and baskets of anemones in pinks, reds, and purple. there were also daffodils, camellias, and tulips of many colors that you can't help but get sucked in by them. you can't think which one to go to first, there are so many! the hanging plants are wonderful as well, they can make for great decoration. the succulents look cute and adorable, it can also be manageable if you find yourself too busy to take care of a plant. 

you were too deep in your thoughts, caressing a blue tulip to even notice the sudden silence in the shop and the ringing of the bell at the door that tells you the previous patrons have exited the flower shop and you're now alone. or so you thought.

“beautiful,” a sing-songy, lilting voice spoke from behind you, causing you to jolt from where you're admiring the flower and turned towards the owner of the voice. 

if the flowers took your breath away, well he made you get your breath stuck in your throat. he looks like he's not from around him, and simply breathing in his space is something short of disgraceful. you took in his wavy side-swept dark brown hair, and his welcoming eyes of the same color that shone with mischief. his lips are stretched into a smile. 

wow, he is really tall. you're surprised he hadn't reached the ceiling of the shop. he seemed pretty intimidating with his height alone, but there's an air around him that screams playfulness.

“ah, i meant the tulips.” he apologized as a blush coated his beautiful clear cheeks, a hand touching his nape.

“oh!” you cleared your throat, immediately bringing the tulip back where it respectfully resides, “yes, they're very wonderful to look at. you have a lovely shop, uh…” 

he seemed to perk up at the inquisition of his name, he chuckled to himself before offering his hand.

“oikawa tooru, nice to meet you! and thanks, i do try hard to keep this flower shop presentable for customers like you who have taste.” he winked, walking past you and you followed suit – eyes practically glued to his form as he moved swiftly around his small shop.

“must be difficult to run a business like this all by yourself,” you wondered, fingers brushing against petals that your hand can reach. 

it's odd, but staying in there for just a few minutes has brought you a sense of relaxation. as if the flowers all around you and talking to oikawa is such a breath of fresh air. 

“well, you get used to it after a while. besides, i have my friends, uh...help me sometimes.” he nervously chuckled, he certainly knew that 'help' means that force his friends to carry things around while blackmailing them and bribing them for lunch, then sure, he had them help him. 

you only hummed in response. 

he turned around after a while, a pink lily in his hand.

“i think this suits our gorgeous customer, don't you think?” he smirked, handing the flower with a flourish which you took gently – causing your hands to touch and making you feel that slight tingle people talk about in movies and books. 

you felt silly about the way your face heats up at the small gesture, your gaze not straying away from the flowers in fear of letting oikawa see his effect on you. 

but you can try with all your might, nothing can stop him from already seeing your flushed face. he always does these things to entertain the customers but he found his chest feeling warm staring at you like that.

going back to his place in the cashier, he started to tidy up a bit for the next customers that will visit the shop. his brown eyes kept staring at you from time to time as you walked around, trying to see if there's anything else you could buy along with the lily – but we all know it's just to keep your attention away from him and the fact that he can make your heart race with mere flirting.

“i never really noticed your shop before, and i have walked this street for how many times now.” you droned on, playing with the cute pots on the shelf – some of them were heads of the cliché green alien and other space themed stuff which you find adorable, bringing a fond smile to your face.

“oikawa's flower shop is like a secret garden, my dear customer.” he boasted, spraying freesias on the cashier desk with a smile on his face.

“it truly looks like one,” you agreed, with one final look in the flower shop, you walked closer to the cashier and got out your wallet. 

“no, no. it's on the house, lovely.” he beamed, stopping the hand in your bag.

“really? thank you.” your face flushed at the feeling of his hands – the very same one who took care of these beautiful flowers – touching yours. 

he recoiled, as if burned. his face painted a deep red like the roses by the windows. both of you looked away, like two magnets of the same sign – coming in contact with each other only to repel.

“well, um, i'll see you around then.” you muttered, breaking the silence. 

“yeah, see you.” oikawa smiled warmly. hopefully much sooner, he hoped.

with one last look at each other, you turned around and exited the secret garden. you walked home that day all smiles and giddy, still feeling the lingering touch he has left on your skin, how warm and calloused they felt. maybe from how hard he was working. 

you wondered if you'll ever see him again soon. 

the second time you visited the flower shop was when you saw oikawa in one of the coffee shops you frequented. it turned out that he usually stops by for coffee and his milk bread when the shop's particularly slow. he asked to walk you home and since you're both taking the same path, you agreed. 

he turned out to be a very chatty person – not the kind that will annoy you because they only talk about themselves, but the amusing kind because he has a lot of stories stored inside his big brain full of tales about him and his friends, and occasionally asking about your life as well.

you two had fallen into a comfortable pace as you walked together, sipping both your beverages. 

“hey, let's play truth or dare!” he blurted, eyes sparkling in excitement and thinly veiled mischief, a bright smile on his lips.

“really? here? now?” you asked, incredulous. isn't this something people do in parties around a lot of people? 

“yeah! it'll be fun,” he shrugged. 

“well, okay then.” you sighed, before sipping your drink, “you go first.” 

“okay…” he pretended to think hard, eyes darting everywhere as he hummed, “truth or dare?”

“you don't really need to think so hard about that,” you chuckled.

“just pick!” 

“alright, alright. truth!” you beamed at him, trying to understand what his brain will cook up to ask you.

“ah, that's easy. what's your name?” oh, that's right. you forgot to tell him back then the first time you went in his flower shop. and so, you told him.

“y/n. what a beautiful name. okay, my turn! my turn!” he excitedly chanted, eyes never losing their sparkle. 

you ignored the butterflies that erupted in your stomach the moment he said your name, as if he's taking his time and tasting it around his tongue like a foreign delicacy he hasn't tasted before. 

you cleared your throat, averting his gaze as they zeroed in on you, “truth or dare, mr. milk bread?” 

“hey, they taste really good, i'll have you know.” he scoffed, before his face morphed back into excitement again, “dare!”

you thought for a moment, there isn't really anything too interesting to do while walking. and then you smirked.

“i dare you to greet the person who will walk this corner as if you knew each other for a very long time,” you grinned devilishly. he gaped at that, before darting his gaze towards the street corner you were talking about. 

“y/n-chan, i didn't know you would be the type,” he teased, you were about to retort when a huge, buff man walked around the corner. he looked intimidating, even for you and you wondered what oikawa might be feeling right now. 

but you didn't need to wonder about it any longer as he was already walking up to the man, confident and grinning. he raised his hand in the air before slapping the guy on the shoulder. 

“hey, long time no see, man! say hello to the wife and kids for me, will ya?” the man gave him a weird look before shaking his head, walking past and minding his own business muttering about 'kids these days'.

once the guy was out of earshot, you and oikawa bursted out in laughter, looking at each other with relief and surprise.

“i thought he was going to pulverize you!” you wheezed in between chortles.

“i know! me too! i thought he'll get mad at me or something,” he threw his head back as he laughed. you stopped your own giggles to stare back at him. he looked radiant as he let himself go, you thought he looked attractive with the way he candidly showed his happiness.

“something wrong, y/n-chan?” you hadn't realized he stopped laughing and was left staring at him. his head was tilted in curiosity as he peered at you in concern.

“not at all!,” you catch yourself, suddenly feeling hot and embarrassed, hoping he didn't notice you ogling him, “where were we?”

“it's your turn now, truth or dare?” feeling bold, you chose dare next. 

oikawa gave you a broad smile, his hand extending towards you as if encouraging you to take it, “i dare you to stay a little longer with me in my shop,”

to be honest? you expected him to get back at you and maybe make you do an equally embarrassing (if not more) dare, but you did not expect this. 

what you also didn't expect is the fact that you had stopped in front of oikawa's flower shop with your back turned to it. how did you reach there so fast? it seemed like talking and walking with him made time stop. a part of you would like to keep it that way, if only it was possible.

“i would love to,” was your answer. oikawa opened the door to his shop, letting you in first. he then led you near the back of the shop, opening into a wide backyard that resembled a small, gorgeous garden with different kinds of flowers. some even you haven't seen him display in the shop inside. 

the two of you sat on the two seated table. you were simply at awe with how ethereal this all looked. your eyes couldn't get enough of all the wonderful colors that it landed on.

“wow,” was all you managed to say, taking in your surroundings and appreciating every nook and cranny presented to you.

“i spent most of my breaks here,” oikawa came back with two glasses of water and placed them on the glass table. 

“usually talking to myself and talking to the flowers. i heard it helps them grow faster and makes them more beautiful.” he, too, looked around his small garden with unconcealed pride and fondness. if you looked closer, you could also see the hint of sadness hidden in there. 

“you talk to your flowers? that's so cute!” you gushed, hiding your smile behind the glass of water as you sipped it.

“if anything, you're the one who's cute.” he complimented as if it was nothing, eyes boring into yours as his smile widened.

you choked on your water, coughing it up out of surprise and it was the opposite of cute. but his opinions didn't change.

oikawa barked a laugh, reaching over to pat your back soothingly. once you calmed down, you avoided his gaze once again and decided to stare at the sunflowers nearby. 

“we should just continue the game,” you decided to divert the topic. 

“truth or dare, cutie?” oikawa bit back the grin from emerging on his face. hiding it with a palm propped up on the table.

“d-dare,” you answered without thinking. and oikawa being the little shit he is, took this as an opportunity.

“i dare you to go on a date with me this saturday,” he sincerely declared, eyes not leaving you once. your head whipped back to him so fast, you swear you got whiplash. 

you're not one of these flowers and yet you felt the butterflies going wild inside of you.

your heart beat rapidly inside of your chest, pounding hard and ringing in your ears. 

“you don't need a dare to get me to say yes,” you reasoned with a wide smile.

oikawa tooru, like his flowers, is a lively, blooming person. you get to know that the moment you agreed to go on a date with him. it followed a few hangouts, and frequent bumping into each other considering this was a small town, afterall. how you haven't noticed such a vibrant person in your life was beyond you.

you see him everywhere, every day in your life right now. in the small bushes that your neighbor has in their garden, the alien and sci-fi movies in the store which were his favorite every time he invited you to watch a movie, the milk bread you saw in the coffee shop you both love to go, and even the characters in the books you love to read. oikawa tooru practically invaded your life the moment you invited yourself in his flowershop and you loved every second of it.

every time you two hang out together, he never misses to bring you any flower. you'd always keep them with you until you come home, placing them in a vase and watering them constantly, taking care of them like how much oikawa takes care of the flowers. you paid no mind to it, only thinking that it was a sweet gesture from him until your friend decided to comment on the fresh flowers on top of your coffee table.

the both of you had known each other for a very long time now and that she's going to get married, she wanted you to be a part of it too. setting down the tea in front of her on the table, you sat down beside her, engulfing her in a hug. 

“oh, y/n! i missed you so much! it's been busy with all the planning for the wedding and the people to invite, i still haven't tried on my dress and tasted the cake, it's kind of stressing me out!” she immediately let her sorrows and agony free the moment you let go of the hug.

“speaking of stress, is there anything i could do to help?” you reached for her hand, rubbing it soothingly in circles. 

she hummed thoughtfully, sipping her tea to calm her nerves, “now that i thought about it, we still don't know anyone good enough for the flower decorations in the venue,” she pouted, sighing sadly. 

a lightbulb lit itself on top of your head, making you perk up, “i know someone who does!” 

“really? are they good?” oh more than good, you wanted to butt in but shake your head free of those thoughts. 

“of course! he's actually the one who gave me these, he takes real good care of them.” you gestured towards the tulips in your vase. it seems like her eyes lit up and she immediately fell in love with the flowers. 

“tulips?! oh, y/n, my dear, he's in love with you!” she squealed in glee, bouncing in her seat like a little kid.

“how did you know that by simply looking at my tulips?” 

“giving tulips to someone means a declaration of love, sweetie.” she sighed dreamily, “you might as well plan for your wedding too!” 

“don't be ridiculous!” you exclaimed, trying your best not to smile too wide. 

you weren't too against on the idea, but you just met afterall. it would be too early for another wedding. even though he never failed to show his affection every time you are together, there's still a lingering doubt whether he did like you in that way.

as promised, you asked oikawa about it the next day, stopping by his flower shop with coffee and his beloved milk bread since it's his break. 

“y/n-chan! it's always a pleasure to be visited by you again,” he greeted you, he was attending to a few customers in the store and excused himself before talking to you. your heart swelled with the action, not being able to hide your smile this time.

“tooru, i was just stopping by to ask you a favor. my friend's wedding is getting near and she still doesn't have any flower decorations for the venue. i mentioned you and i was wondering if you're the one who could do it instead?” you bit your lip nervously, fumbling with the paperbag containing the bread as you looked up at him hopefully. 

seriously, how can he resist you looking at him that way? your eyelashes fluttering, mouth formed into a pout, eyes shining brightly. you're just asking him to devour you whole. before he knew it, he had leaned in to peck the corner of your mouth. 

it completely shocked you to your core. he hasn't done that kind of thing before, always being respectful and never doing anything you didn't want to. but strangely, you weren't mad at him for it. to tell the truth, you kinda wished he kissed you more. 

“i'd love to, y/n-chan.” he uttered, pinching your cheek before turning to hide his own reddened face. 

that was basically the last time you saw each other since you recommended him to your friend. and since then, he has been busy and you tried to help with the wedding as well. you figured oikawa has his hands full with taking care of the decorations for the wedding, but even then, he would still message you or even facetime you after – asking about how yiur day went and craving to see your face without him being able to for how long.

the day of the wedding came and it was magical. your heart melted the moment your friends said their “i do's” as everybody clapped and rejoiced with them. the moment you stepped into the venue, everyone was amazed, speechless at the decorations being the first thing their eyes could feast upon. pink and white roses was all you could see – ranging from vine-like ones hanging from the ceiling, to arches in the doorway, and some are even placed neatly on the tables. 

to sum it all, it was breathtaking.

“your boyfriend did amazing,” your friend teased, bumping her hip to yours as she walked away with her husband to greet some guests.

you were left standing there, mouth agape as you took everything in. you couldn't wrap your head around the idea of oikawa managing to do all this by himself, but then again, he has surprised you by doing a lot of things you didn't know he could do. 

“you know, if you stayed here longer there won't be enough food left for you.” the familiaf voice you grew to love and got used to spoke from behind you. something tugged in your chest, the events seeming like d��jà vu all over again. 

“i'm just admiring your work, tooru.” you smiled, turning around to face the man behind the beautiful decorations. 

he's changed his clothes into a more formal attire than his usual getup with the aprons and white button up shirt for a maroon suit and tie. he even styled his hair back, if you didn't know him long enough you might have mistaken him for someone else. 

“you look...good,” you managed to breathe out, it seems like the decorations aren't the only ones that are breathtaking. your eyes drank him in, how the clothes hug his frame perfectly, the color complimenting his skin tone, and the fact that his fluffy hair is swept away really makes you want to jump his bones right here, right now.

“and you look gorgeous. i must say, i don't mind you looking like this all the time, y/n-chan.” he chuckled, a shit-eating grin blooming on his face as he eyed you up and down slowly. your face grew hot against his stare and you felt naked, as if his eyes can see through you. 

“th-thanks, tooru.” you mumbled, playing with the hem of your clothes. before any of you could speak, however, the emcee spoke on stage calling out the bride and groom to give a speech. 

you all gathered around the small stage as they thanked everyone for coming to the wedding, inclduing the guests, their helpers, the staff. after all the mushy speech, she declared it was time for the dance, turned around and threw the bouquet (that's also from oikawa) to the audience. 

you saw the thing flying to you and out of pure instinct, you threw your hand in front of you and ended up catching the bouquet. everyone around you clapped including oikawa himself as you stared at it wide eyed. your gazed met oikawa's and as if your face couldn't get any hotter, you also felt the fast beating of your heart when you stared at each other. 

everybody howled and chanted teasing remarks at the two of you. instead of paying attention to the newly weds they picked the two of you as the center of their amusement. 

your friend's voice overpowered them all as she also chanted, “kiss! kiss! kiss! kiss!” 

oikawa looked at you with a raised brow and you can only smile bashfully in return before you felt the world turn upside down, oikawa dipping you as he kissed you passionately and deeply. time seemed to stop once again as everything blurred and all you can feel is him, and all he can feel is you. he hoped it would be enough to pour all the emotions and words he wanted you to know. 

it felt like the kiss lasted forever before he pulled away, the two of you out of breath as you giddily smiled at each other, both sharing a lovestruck look.

“is it too early to ask you to marry me?” 

general taglist: @chibishae34 @behan @bukojuiice (tagging you here bcs you're excited for this)

[aetheternity]

Hard pass 2 (Levi x Reader)

I'm a little concerned about how little time I took on the ending for the last part so I'm gonna put a little more time into this one. Hope you guys enjoy. :)

Synopsis: Levi is forced out of his comfy dorm room and in a strange twist of events right into your arms at a college party.

Levi was transfixed to say the least. He'd spent the past hour that he'd been back in his dorm room staring into a freshly made cup of black tea. The small jingling of keys in the door shaking him from his daze.

"Hello, Hello Leviathan." Mike greeted, tossing his bag to the side haphazardly.

Any other time Levi would've rolled his eyes but he just let out an agitated huff.

"Uh oh.. I know that look." Mike announced plopping down onto his unmade bed. "Who's the lucky girl?" He asked his smirk bright.

Levi's hair whipped against his cheek as he turned to Mike. "What are you on about? Who told you?" Probably Hange. Damn four eyes could never keep her mouth shut.

"No one had to." Mike laughed "You've just told me basically everything I need to know. Your distracted gaze when I came in the room, having very little reaction to me calling you Leviathan, your tea cup is still full and my side of the room is still messy." He seemed a little too pleased about that last bit.

"I know you went out tonight." He continued

"And what about it?"

"Who is she?!" Mike stood coming closer to sit on the edge of Levi's desk.

Levi rolled his eyes setting his cup down.

"Come on, I'm curious about some mysterious girl that has Levi Ackerman wrapped around her finger."

"Just shut up already." Levi replied turning his gaze to the window with a small pout.

"Fine, fine I'll shut up." Mike stood heading back towards his side of the room. An idea suddenly popped into his mind and he turned on his heel. "But.. I think I'll give Hange a call. You know.. cause I haven't talked to her in a bit-"

"When did you become so annoying?" Levi grumbled

"You're more aggressive tonight I like it. Is it because of her?"

As much as Levi wanted to fight it, Mike was one of those people that always got information about literally anything if he genuinely wanted it. Even if he didn't find out from Hange or Levi he was definitely going to find out from even the weirdest sources.

"Hange's friend.. she's not ugly I guess.." Levi could feel his face growing warm and he pulled his feet up onto his desk chair to hide it.

Mike laughed obnoxiously, "It's like watching a little kid finding out what a crush is." He chuckled "Super cute. So when are you going to ask her out?"

"Never."

Mike crossed the room again, seating himself on his bed. "You can't be serious! This is the first time I've ever seen you interested in girls and you're just gonna let her get away?"

"Stay out of my business, Michelangelo."

Mike just huffed reaching into his pocket to pry his phone out of his pocket. The room quickly grew quiet as Levi turned to his laptop though he was quickly distracted again by Mike's little chuckles. He turned his head in Mike's direction quickly catching the other male's gaze.

"By the way, Hange agrees with me." He said pointing to his phone.

Levi groaned, tugging at his hair. "Eat shit."

~ ~ ~ ~

Levi stared down at his watch with a soft tch.

It was 4pm and Hange was late again. He turned to Erwin who's face was currently pressed into a book. Thumb sliding along the sentences as he read.

"Where the hell is she?" He grumbled, shaking his mouse back and forth as the screen began to dim.

"She said she had to do something after class so she'd be a little late." Erwin replied, without looking up from his book.

"That's her excuse every time." Levi replied with a roll of his eyes.

Erwin just shrugged. Hange was always late. Sometimes she just showed up 30 minutes late with no real explanation and sometimes she showed up an hour late saying she had, had something to do after class. But every time the three of them got together to study she was late.

"Yo! Levi!" Hange greeted as she walked into the library ignoring the chorus of shushing that followed her.

Levi's scowl deepened, "Were you stuck on the toilet waiting for someone to fuck off?" He asked

"I have a great surprise follow me." She clapped in delight.

Erwin looked to Levi and then in the direction Hange had left in. He slowly pushed his chair out looking at Levi's irritated scowl.

"Are you coming."

"Whatever it is, is definitely stupid knowing Hange." Levi retorted, packing his belongings up in an orderly fashion.

The two of them quickly left before Hange could come back to ruin the peace again. They pushed through the library doors and standing against the wall with a somewhat bashful expression was Y/N with Hange who smiled brightly as if she wasn't currently disturbing Levi's peace.

"Oh hello Y/N." Erwin greeted, he looked over at Levi before asking. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh well Hange invited-"

"Ah ha ha! Y/N has homework to do so I figured she could come study with us. Though today me and Erwin have a thing." She quickly grabbed Erwin's arm yanking him over to her.

"But I was-" Erwin tried but was instantly silenced by Hange's hand over his mouth.

"You and Levi can study. Levi's great with everything! Right Levi? Ok me and Erwin will go now, by you two!"

"Hange!" Levi tried, his face already flushed with heat over the whole situation. Hange was surprisingly fast though, managing to drag Erwin away so quick they were a couple of dots within seconds.

Levi and Y/N stood in silence for a couple seconds before Y/N let out a deep exhale. "I feel as though we've been set up." She says, toying with the zippers on her back.

Levi can only manage a grunt in reply. Not daring to look into her eyes. "Well I mean.." she starts turning to Levi. "I actually do.. have to study so.. I wouldn't mind if you don't." She shrugged

"Mm.." Levi pulled open the library door for Y/N and lead her over the seats that him and Erwin had been sitting in only moments before.

He made a mental note as he opened his laptop again to keep the door locked next time Hange said she was coming over. Around 10 minutes went by of complete silence and Levi was incredibly happy for it.

Not because he was focusing, no his attention had been completely taken away from any possible work he could've gotten done here. There was no way he was actually going to be able to do anything when your scent was trapped in his nose and his eyes kept staring over his screen at your fingers.

Knuckles that Levi honestly wanted to kiss and fingernails completely devoid of dirt which Levi was instantly captivated by.

"Hey-"

He sat up straight, his own hands slightly curling around the aged wood of the table. Your book came sliding toward him and he looked down at it before looking back at you.

"I don't really get this? Could you help me a bit?"

Levi nodded before his brain could properly process what you'd asked. He almost thought he imagined the way your lip tucked itself under your teeth. And he felt dazed as your scent washed over him all at once as you slid into the seat next to him.

You pointed to your book and Levi tried to pay attention to your question but your notes threw him a bit. All the words were written in different colors and there were squiggly lines around definitions and texts. Small doodles between paragraphs as a way to properly space them and stars next to the most important words.

You scratched at your scalp and he took notice. "I paid attention when my professor was going over this I swear. But I don't really get it?? It can't be as difficult as I'm making it in my head." Your giggle of nervousness took Levi back a little.

The warm pit in his chest deepened and he sighed, trying to accurately assess the situation.

"Y-you made a small.. mathematical error." He explained, his fingers pointed to the equation as he tried to push away the ball in his throat. "You don't need these numbers."

Her smile hit Levi like a truck as it was instantly directed towards him. "Ah, you're so smart." Y/N said "What about this? I checked with the calculator but my answer was way off."

It was hard for Levi to ignore the way your shoulder rubbed up against his sending sparks all through his body like a tidal wave. It was honestly a little overwhelming.

"Oh sorry, am I too close?" You moved away and Levi gulped. He stared at your fingers, he didn't want you to move away.

He was surprised when he looked up and instantly made eye contact with you. "Stay." It probably didn't come out the way he'd wanted but he'd managed it and on some level he was proud of himself.

You smiled, "Sure."

After a while Levi felt himself loosen up a bit but the knot in his stomach was still very much there and alive. He found himself chuckling at your little jokes and he was mostly able to look you in the eyes. (As long as you didn't smile directly at him).

The first hour had been studying with small quips from your end that Levi found he enjoyed. Though around the third hour it turned into horror stories about present and past roommates.

Your laugh was so bright as you tapped your pen cap against the table. "And then Sasha just cracks the window open though it's definitely too late cause Connie had already created a war zone in our room." You were shaking so much from laughter that Levi was honestly a little worried you'd fall out of your chair.

He shook his head where he was resting it in his palm. "I still think Mike forgetting the do not disturb sign was worse." He shrugged

"Mm well maybe someday I'll have a story that bad. Considering Connie and Sasha have been playing a dangerous game of cat and mouse for two years now."

Levi shook his head. "You don't want to walk in on your roommate having sex. No one does.."

He felt his cheeks flush over again. Whether it was from the story or the way you'd playfully pushed his shoulder though he couldn't tell. He watched as you positioned yourself back in the seat next to him.

"Ok, ok. You told me about your roommates relationships. Now tell me about yours."

"What?"

Y/N playfully rolled her eyes. "You know the in and out of Levi. I'm curious."

Levi's gaze fell to the table. "There's nothing to tell."

Y/N's voice immediately softened. "Sorry, didn't mean to try and pull it out of you."

Levi picked up his head closing his laptop. "I-I just.. never felt that way.." he tried

"Not everyone goes to college and high school and stuff for the parties, drugs and sex." You said, laying your elbows against the desk. "I commend you for having a goal and sticking with it."

Levi's heart stuttered at your words. "Did you come.. or well.. umm? What did you-"

He was interrupted by your hand on his shoulder again. "To answer your question." You leaned in closer your breath tickling Levi's earlobe. "Yes I did come specifically for the drugs."

Levi's eyes practically bulged out of his head. This time when you laughed you were met with shushing and stares. "Sorry." You whispered, popping a hand over your mouth. "I'm completely joking." You then said to Levi who's shoulders relaxed with the information.

Levi's signature deadpanned expression was starting to make an appearance now. "That's not funny."

"Hmm.. well I'm laughing so." Y/N laid her head on the table.

"Your humor is shit." He said

"Funny you say that." She laughed back a smirk was playing at Levi's lips. "Hey." Y/N broke the lingering silence.

"What?"

"Give me your number."

"Tch, nice way to ask."

Y/N pretended to be shocked. "Oh, would you prefer I beg?"

Levi already knew how red his entire face had become. No need to check a mirror. "H-hand me your p-phone."

Unsurprisingly even her phone wa as cute. And Levi honestly wanted to admire the case and how warm it felt after being in your pockets. Oh.. you'd touched it with your warm hands. Levi couldn't help but think about how warm your hands must feel. How the spaces between your fingers looked so perfect. Like they-

"Hey." A voice shook Y/N and Levi.

"Jean, what're you doing here?" Y/N asked as she stood moving closer to him.

"You've been gone all day. I had to ask Sasha where you were."

"No, you didn't because you didn't need to come here." Y/N crossed her arms over her chest, pulling her hands into the sleeves of her hoodie. Her eyebrows scrunched together.

"Who's this?" Jean asked gesturing to Levi with his head. Levi felt his chest flare a little.

"Ugh, it doesn't matter because it has nothing to do with you!" She quickly grabbed her bag stuffing her notebook inside. "I'll talk to you later Levi." She explained her face still completely unamused. And with that she was pushing Jean out the door following him right out.

Levi's fingers dug into his palm. Who was that? It couldn't have been her boyfriend right? No, no that didn't make sense.

He started to pack up himself when he noticed your pretty phone sat next to his ordinary black one.

~ ~ ~ ~

Levi practically slammed into his dorm room scaring Mike who had his music blasting. Levi set his bag down on his chair, placing his phone on the desk.

"Hey man." Mike greeted as Levi quickly unpacked his other stuff. "I heard Hange forced you to go on a study date."

"I'm going to murder her." Levi turned, practically slamming his notebook into the desk. So hard that he could've sworn Mike jumped.

"Yeah what else is new?" He laughed trying to clear the air. "But did you at least get in close?"

Levi rolled his eyes. "She's.. there's this guy.."

Mike grew quiet for a few seconds. "You think she's with him?"

Levi normally wouldn't indulge Mike like this but his chest felt so tight that he was pretty sure he was going to burst. "She didn't seem happy to see him. She was like rolling her eyes when he came."

"Maybe he's just some guy then?"

"What if he isn't?"

"By the way you're describing it they'll break up soon anyway." Mike said "But that's great my plan worked."

Levi narrowed his eyes, "The library thing was you?"

Mike shrugged, "Hey, It could've been worse! Hange wanted to lock you guys in a supply closet for the night."

"Sleep with one eye open." Levi huffed, placing your phone down on his desk.

Mike immediately noticed, sitting up and placing his own phone to the side. "Don't tell me you murdered her and stole her phone for having a boyfriend that wasn't you." He chuckled

"Tch, she accidentally left it."

"How are you gonna return it?"

"I'll ask Hange for her dorm number tomorrow and I'll hand it over then."

"Ooo, well I would tell you not to go looking through her phone while you have it. But you're not like me so.." Mike shrugged, laying down with both hands holding his phone above his head.

Levi looked at Mike and then at your phone sitting on his desk. He silently looked away, putting away the rest of his stuff with a huff.

[megsironthrone]

Meg's Game of Tales: Tale 10

*Familiar Characters are NOT mine! The original story of "The Frog Prince" was written by The Brothers Grimm.*

Warnings: Mentions of magic, slight angst, fluff, bittersweet. Frog Prince AU. It's a bit of a long one.

Pairings: Gendry x fem!reader

Many years ago, in a land not too far from our own, a prince disappeared. Of course, no one truly knew he was a prince outside of a few people. The prince was a bastard, born to the king out of wedlock and hidden away from the jealous queen until he was old enough to hide on his own. The prince, who spent most of his life unaware that he was royalty, found company in a band of outlaws. That was where his fate changed. That was where he met a witch.

The witch offered to help him remain hidden forever. Worried for his safety, the prince agreed. He would remain in hiding until the queen was dead. Unfortunately, his father passed first and the queen had gone a rampage trying to find the prince. So the prince accepted the witch's offer, but it came a terrible price that he would be forced to live year after year. Eventually, the queen did die, murdered, but the witch was nowhere to be found. And so the prince was forced to remain hidden in the form the witch had cursed him to. That is where our story begins.

You were enjoying your small amount of solitude when you came across a small pond you'd never seen before. Sitting on a lily pad in the pond was a lone frog. You were content to ignore it at first; it was just a frog after all, but something caught your attention. The frog's eyes were blue. In fact, those eyes looked almost…human. You'd never seen eyes like that on a frog before.

Curious, you got down onto your knees to get a closer look. Your governess would have a field day seeing a princess on the ground like that. The frog didn't move an inch as you leaned in a little closer. Unfortunately, you leaned too far and your hand slipped. You managed to prevent yourself from falling face first into the water, but your most prized possession wasn't that lucky. A golden pocket watch that you kept in your bag or around your neck at all times hit the water before you could even process what was happening.

"No!" you cried, trying to grasp the piece of jewelry before it sank too far. You weren't quick enough and the watch began floating out of sight. Tears welled up in your eyes as you sank back onto your bottom in the mud. That watch had been your grandfather's, the former king of your kingdom. He had gifted it to you when he was ill saying that it would be a gift to be passed down to any sons you had. Now it was gone forever.

A small splash caught your attention. You looked up to find that the frog was no longer on the lily pad. You sniffled. "Great, first my watch and now the frog." You pulled your knees up to your chest and cried, though your tears didn't last long. For it was only a moment later that you heard the water moving again. You glanced up. There, on the muddy bank of the pond, sat the frog. Its blue eyes bore into you as it waited for you to realize that it had rescued your precious treasure. When you finally did, your eyes widened.

"Oh! Oh, thank you!" you cried out, scooping up the frog and watch at the same time. "Oh, you are the most wonderful creature!" You knew the watch would never work again, but it had sentimental value to you. "My dear friend, I don't think I'll ever be able to repay you." You did your best to dry the watch and place it back in your bag while still holding onto the frog in one hand.

"If there is anything you need, my dear frog, I swear you shall have it." You gazed into the frog's eyes as you tried to discern what a frog could possibly need from you. And then? The unexpected happened. "You could take me away from this damned pond to start with. And you could give me information about Queen Cersei."

You blinked in surprise. "D-Did you just…talk?!" The frog rolled its, or rather his, eyes. It was a sight to behold. "I did. Sorry for startling you, Princess. I was cursed by a witch and have been a frog ever since." You stared at him for a moment while your brain tried to catch up to the fact that you were, indeed, carrying on a conversation with a frog.

"I-I suppose I could bring you to my father's castle. You can rest and have all the food you could possibly eat. As for Queen Cersei, I assume you mean the Mad Queen Lion from the neighboring kingdom? She died years ago. There is no official royal on the throne of that kingdom as the king never had any legitimate heirs. There were rumors of prince that was of age when the king died, but he disappeared before he could be legitimized and given the throne."

The frog didn't respond for a moment. Then, you heard him laughing. At least you thought he was laughing. It sounded more like croaking, but what did you know? You'd never met a talking frog before. "I knew the prince," he finally said, "He disappeared because Cersei was hunting him. He was taken in by a group of outlaws and then accepted the help of a sorceress to hide him from Cersei."

You listened as you walked, intrigued by the frog's tale. He spoke to you all the way back the castle. When you entered your home, you were immediately scolded by your governess, who screamed at the sight of the amphibian in your hands. She even tried to take him from you and throw him out, but as luck would have it, your father was passing by and you explained everything to him.

"Very well, the frog shall remain with you. You will make sure he has everything he needs until you repay your debt to him." You gave your father a kiss on the cheek and the frog thanked him. Then you scurried up to your chambers with the frog in hand. After getting him set up quickly, you stepped out of his sight to change out of your muddy clothes.

*time skip*

You spent the next several days getting to know your new friend. After a couple of days, you got the feeling he was hiding something, but never questioned it. He was obviously cursed and it was probably a sore subject for him and you didn't want to pry. However, everything would soon come out.

One evening, as you were readying for bed, your new friend began croaking rather loudly. That was odd since he did have a voice, though it sometimes didn't come through clearly when he was overly amused or excited about something. Other times it was him snoring. You thought that was it until you suddenly felt him hop into your hair. You screamed, not expecting that to happen.

The doors of your chambers burst open and you heard your guards yelling for someone to halt. You peered around your changing screen in time to see someone escaping off the balcony. You reached up and gently plucked the frog from your hair. "You saved me," you whispered. Before the frog could reply, your father's voice boomed from the doorway, "WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THIS?!"

Once more, you explained to your father what your friend had done for you. Your father smiled at the frog in your hands. "It seems we are in your debt once more, friend. Whatever you would ask of me, if it is within my power, you shall have it." There was not even a second of pause before the frog turned in your hands to face you and made his request.

"A kiss. That is what I wish." You blinked and nearly dropped him in surprise. "What?" The frog croaked in merriment. "I wish for a kiss. Something that would mean nothing to you but everything to me." You glanced at your father for help, but he merely shrugged. "You are indebted to him, Y/N. If a kiss is his only request, then you must honor it." You glanced down at the frog's blue eyes and nodded. "Very well."

You steeled your nerves and took a deep breath. Closing your eyes, you leaned forward with your lips puckered. It only took a moment for your lips to meet the wet skin of the amphibian and you couldn't wait to pull away. "Oh gods," your father muttered, causing you to open your eyes. Your frog friend was glowing! This time, you did indeed drop him to the floor.

The glow of the light grew brighter and brighter until everyone in the room had to shield their eyes. A few moments later, the light vanished. You looked and your jaw dropped in a very un-princess-like fashion. A tall, muscular man now stood where the frog had been. He smiled at you, his bright blue eyes twinkling with joy. It didn't take a genius to recognize the eyes you'd been staring into for days.

"It's you. Y-You're the missing prince," you said and his grew grin. "I am. Gendry, bastard prince and last remaining heir of King Robert. The story I told you the day we met was my story. I was transformed into a frog by a sorceress to protect me but then she disappeared and I've been stuck as a frog since. Thanks to you, I can return home."

"Will they believe you?" you asked and another voice spoke. "I can assure you that they will." You jumped and Gendry gently pushed you behind him, shielding you from whoever had entered your chambers without permission. It was getting be a bit crowded in there.

"You. Why did you run? You could have turned me back years ago!" The sorceress shook her head. "I could not. That was part of the curse. You could not reveal your true identity and I could not change you back. Only a kiss from a princess could do that." Gendry glanced back at you in surprise, clearly indicating that he'd had no idea.

The sorceress continued, "But now you have returned to your true form and you can assume your father's throne. With the princess by your side, of course." You popped your head from behind Gendry and uttered, "I beg your pardon?!" She smiled at you though there was no warmth in it. "The final part of the spell. The princess who kissed the frog is meant to rule by his side as his queen."

At that, Gendry turned to you and clasped your hands in his. After feeling his skin as a frog, you were surprised to feel that his hands were warm. "You do not have to do this. I will not force you. I shall travel to my kingdom with the sorceress and claim the throne. You may remain here if you wish. I would ask for permission to write to you often, as a friend. Maybe we'll become more one day, but I wouldn't dare force you. Whatever you choose, I will accept it."

He left the room with the guards, the sorceress, and your father. You vaguely heard your father offer Gendry and the sorceress rooms for the night so they would be well rested for travel the next day. Meanwhile you spent the night wracking your brain trying to decide what to do. In the end, you chose to stay. You knew you weren't ready to take on being a queen just yet. Gendry looked heartbroken when you told him, but he smiled anyway.

"Then I'll be happy to call you my friend for now. Take care, Princess." He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss to your cheek before turning away and heading down to the horse that waited for him. You ran as quickly as you could up to your balcony. As he began riding away, Gendry looked back at you and waved. You blew him a kiss. Then, you waved until his horse was out of sight, knowing one day, you would see him again.

[sillyrabbit81]

Her Heavy Cross

Summary: Three years after tragedy hits, Lana she decides to start dating again. She meets Will through a dating app and they begin an online romance. After months of constant requests, Lana relents and agrees to meet and go on an irl date with Will. But is Will who he says he is? Lana is quickly pulled into an intense relationship forcing her to confront her tragic past. Will Lana face it or will she close her heart forever?

Pairing: OMC x OFC

Word Count: approx 3.7k

Warnings: Smut, swearing,

Authors Note: The story started as a Henry Cavill fanfiction but I changed it to be an original character, but shades of Henry are still there. Hope you enjoy the story and thanks for reading.

Part 4 Part 6

Part 5

I lived about 40 minutes away from Liam in the suburbs. I still lived in the house Andy and I had bought together, planning to have a family.

I kept thinking about the house on the way there. I remembered being so excited when we found out our offer was accepted. When we moved in a few months later, we did what I assume most young couples do, and we had sex in every room, including the laundry. I had joked that if I got pregnant from the laundry sex, we should call the kid Westinghouse.

After Andy died, I had used his life insurance from his superannuation to pay off the mortgage. I had decided against selling it and moving somewhere smaller. I couldn't do it as it felt like I was abandoning our dream.

When we got home, Liam said, "you live here? I expected you lived in an apartment or something, not a whole house by yourself."

I wasn't meant to be here by myself. I didn't say it, though. I just shrugged, opened the door and said, "You live in a huge place by yourself."

"Yeah, but I didn't pick it. A place to live close to the studio was part of the contract.".

We went in. Perrin came lumbering to the door to greet me and gave Liam a short bark. I scolded Perrin and patted him, telling him Liam was a guest. Liam was unfazed and knelt to pat him and had a chat. "You're just protecting your lady, aren't you, buddy? Well, don't worry, I'll take good care of her." Be still my beating heart.

I took Liam past the bedrooms, pointed out the main bathroom, and went to the open plan kitchen, lounge and dining room. I got out food for Perrin and fed him and found Liam hadn't followed me into the room.

He was in the hallway looking at the pictures on the wall. Well, one in particular. The one of me in my wedding dress, kissing Andy. Oh shit... this was awkward.

I didn't say anything, what could I say?

"I'm sorry." He eventually said. He finally looked at me.

"Why?"

"It must have been awful."

Don't cry! I just nodded.

He pulled me to his chest and held me. "I know you told me what happened when we first started chatting. It didn't really register until I saw this." He pulled back a bit to look at me but still had his arms around me. "Is that why you were so upset last night?" I didn't have to say anything. It must have been written all over my face. Shit.

"Shit," Liam said, echoing my thoughts. He let me go and ran his hand through his curls. They seemed to have dried now. "I'm sorry, I should have realised..."

"No," I interrupted him. "Look, I'd be lying if I said I was over it. I don't think you can ever get over it, but I'm ready to move on. I've been trying to date for a while now. It's just taking that last step and sleeping with someone..." I trailed off. I didn't know how to say what I was thinking without him believing I didn't want him. "I want to be sure it's the right person. Does that make sense?"

"Yes, Sweetheart." Liam pulled me close again. "I'll try to control myself."

"Don't try too hard," I said. "I want you too."

Liam grinned, "You shouldn't have said that." He buried his face into my neck, kissing me and nipping at me until I started to giggle.

He let me go smiling. I said I had better go shower. His eyes widened a moment. "You ok to wait while I do?"

"Don't worry, Sweetheart. I'll have plenty of thoughts to keep me occupied while you're in the shower."

I pretended to be offended, "You're filthy."

"Yes." He said. I ran.

I showered as quickly as possible and got dressed in some leggings and a t-shirt. I went out to find Liam playing on his phone, patting Perrin. He looked up when I came in, and the smile he gave me was so dazzling I stopped for a moment. Gathering myself, I walked over to him and sat on the lounge, not quite close enough to touch him but not out of reach either.

"What should we do today? Do you feel like being lazy, or do you want to go out?" I asked.

Liam hummed a moment. "I think a lazy day would be nice. I won't get many of them soon."

"We could watch a movie?"

Liam agreed. "What do you want to watch?"

"Anything really. Except for romance or a tear-jerker."

"What? Why?"

"I hate crying, and I cry at the drop of a hat. I can't even watch Disney movies without crying. Once I watched Seven Pounds and cried for three days straight." Yeah, I really did. "Plus, I'm an ugly crier." Why, oh, why can't I keep my big mouth shut.

Liam laughed, "I find it hard to believe that you could ever be ugly." And I can't breathe. I think I need an oxygen tank. "Alright, we won't watch a romance."

"Ok, come with me and let's choose. I have a heap of Blu-rays and DVDs. I like director cuts, extended cuts, that kind of thing." I took Liam's hand and tried to pull him off the lounge. He didn't let me. Instead, he pulled me closer until I was standing in front of him.

"Not yet." Liam wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me onto his lap, so I was straddling his glorious thighs. "If we can't watch a romance, maybe we could..." He didn't finish the sentence, which I'm thankful for because I don't think even he could have said anything after that, which wouldn't have been cringe.

Liam's hands slid behind my hips to my bottom, and he gripped me, pulling me closer. Once again, I giggled at his strength. Sometimes I swear I want to slap myself. His hips moved upwards, and I slid further down until I could feel his hardness between my legs. Oh fuck, I don't know how long I can hold out. He put a hand on my neck and pulled my face towards his. His lips met mine. I tried, unsuccessfully, to suppress the moan that came from my throat.

"Fuck," he breathed into my mouth. "When you make noises like that, I just can't stop thinking about what other noises you can make."

I didn't respond, and I just kissed him back. I let my hands trail down his chest, savouring every curvature of his muscles. My hands reached under his shirt, and I felt my way back up his chest.

Although I was travelling blind, my fingers found the spot they were looking for. Liam hissed as my fingers trailed over his nipples. A self-satisfied smile came across my lips. As if in retaliation, he pulled his hands away and held the bottom of my shirt.

"I don't like this shirt. It covers too much." He grinned roguishly. I wasn't going to give in easily.

"But it's a Ramones t-shirt," I complained. "Don't get between Joey and me."

"Joey, huh?"

I nodded, "didn't you know I was a punk rocker?" I stuck my tongue out and did some devils horns.

"Do that again." Liam was grinning at me, so, like an idiot, I did. He whipped the shirt off over my head so quickly I couldn't stop him. I stared down at my chest. My bra was still keeping my modesty in check. I must have had a crazy look of surprise on my face because he laughed at me. "That's better." He said and started kissing the top of my breasts.

I put my hands into his hair, letting him have a small victory while I took mine. His hair was as soft as I thought it would be. Then I curled my hands into fists and pulled, so he had no choice but to pull back and look up at me.

"That was very rude," I said, trying not to smile.

"You loved it." He wasn't wrong.

"Maybe, but it's only fair if..." I trailed off and tugged at his shirt. He leaned forward instantly, and I pulled his shirt off. He was so broad in the chest I felt positively small next to him. I pushed him back against the lounge, well, he let me push him, and I leaned down to kiss his chest. His hair tickled my nose as I travelled my kisses across his chest to his nipple. I kissed it gently before flicking it with my tongue.

"Fuck me," I heard him say. That encouraged me, and I took his nipple in my mouth and gave it a little bite. His whole body jerked in response.

Liam growled, "Fuck it". Suddenly his arm was around my waist and the other under my bum, and he stood up, taking me with him. I squealed and wrapped my legs around his waist. He was stronger than I thought.

"Which one is your bedroom?" Liam asked as he started towards the hall. His eyes held mine, and his blue eyes seemed dark and hungry.

"Second on the left." I should have given my room a clean! Maybe he won't notice if I keep him occupied.

He took me to the door, and I reached behind my back and opened it. He took me in and put me down. He closed the door behind us, and I turned around, looking at my room. Embarrassment crept in.

I had a massive pile of dirty clothes hanging out of my laundry basket and a pile of clean clothes on a chair. My bed was unmade, pillows everywhere. My bedside table was piled with books and had an empty Ben and Jerry's tub on top. Ok, it's bad, but it could have been worse. Then I remembered something, and my eyes flew to the bedside's open draw.

I felt the blood leave my face. It was worse. The last thing I wanted Liam to see was my god damned vibrator. Fuck!

"So, what should we do now?" Liam stood behind me and wrapped his arms around my bare waist. He ran his hands up my side and kissed my neck, nuzzling into me. Although it felt amazing, all I could do was look at the pink silicone sticking out of the draw. I was as still as a statue.

"You're not into this." He stated, his hands dropped, "That's ok, I told you I wouldn't do anything you didn't want to do." I mumbled something, not sure what, and kept thinking about getting to the draw and hiding the vibrator without drawing attention to it.

Liam's voice came out strangled and about an octave higher. "Hide the vibrator?" His voice calmed, and he said, "Damn, Sweetheart. I would have been happy just to feel you up a bit. But if you insist."

I want to die. Liam saw it. I jumped to the draw and slammed it shut. "Umm, I didn't mean for you to see that." I still couldn't look at him.

"I didn't see anything until you said it." Oh. Well, I'm a fucking idiot.

I slowly turned and looked at him. I could see Liam's bloody lip twitching as he tried to hide a shit-eating grin. I wanted to hit him.

"Don't be embarrassed." His voice was deep again, his accent making each word soothing, "I'm not." He came closer to me, his head. He spoke softly in my ear, "I think it's hot as fuck."

I moaned, partly turned on, partly wanting to die. I could feel the heat between my legs grow, and a pleasant tingle radiated through me as I shivered. "No, it's not," I said. Why was I such a prude sometimes? I hid my face in my hands.

Liam didn't attempt to hide his grin. He took my chin in his hand and lifted my face to his. "My rock hard cock disagrees." Oh, Lord, help me.

"Really?" I asked. I hadn't always been like this. Ten years ago, I would have pulled the vibrator out of the draw and put on a show. I knew lots of guys liked to watch a girl orgasm. Just picturing myself doing it now was cringe-inducing.

"Fuck, yes." Liam took my hand. He was gentle and moved slowly as if I were his prey, and any sudden movement would make me bolt. Liam placed my hand on his jeans between his legs. He groaned, and his forehead leaned against mine. "That's what you do to me."

A thrill flowed through me. I wanted to touch him so much. I cupped my fingers around Liam's balls and pressed my palm against him. I moved my palm slowly up, trying to find the end, fuck it was big.

Liam put his hands in my hair and kissed me roughly. I kept moving my palm up and down slowly and firmly against him, my own excitement growing. I was getting so turned on, I lost control for a moment and bit on Liam's lip. Liam growled.

I couldn't stand it anymore; the desire to feel him was too much. I undid his belt. Not wanting to take the time to undo each button, I pulled his jeans apart, each button popping as they came undone. Liam looked down and watched as I slid his jeans down his thighs. I gripped him through his underwear and explored his length. Liam stood there still, watching as my hand moved over the fabric.

It felt so good, but I wanted more. I wanted to hold in my hand what I had glimpsed the night before. I put a hand into his trunks, but before I could touch anything, Liam grabbed my wrist and removed it from his underwear.

"As much as I want this and believe me, I fucking want this. I need to make sure this is what you want." Liam's voice was strained. I looked at his face and could see the effort it took for him to have stopped me. His desire was plain.

"I want it." Liam closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened his eyes, they seemed on fire.

"Tell me exactly what you want."

Please don't make me say it. The shyness was back, or shame, I can't tell. I tried to swallow, but my throat was dry. "I want to touch you," I whispered.

"Tell me where." His voice was hoarse. It was such a fucking turn on.

"I want to touch your cock." I felt his pants move at my words. I looked down and saw the tip almost peeking out of his underwear. I put my hand in and held his shaft gently, and his skin felt soft and velvety. Liam shuddered against me. At that moment, I felt powerful watching this huge man tremble at my touch. I moved my hand.

Liam bucked his hips against my hand, moving slowly at first, but his rhythm increased as did mine. I couldn't stop watching his body move, the muscles in his abs contracting with each thrust, his chest heaving with each ragged breath. It was so fucking erotic.

I felt Liam's hand move over my face, and I looked up and realised he had been watching my face. His thumb moved over my lips. I parted them, and he put his thumb in my mouth. I let my tongue rub over the pad of his thumb and sucked. His eyes went wide, and his hips stuttered. I kept sucking and jerking him, syncing them into the same rhythm.

"Fuck, Lana, stop." I released him slowly and took my hand out of his pants. I let him withdraw his thumb, but I still sucked. It made a slight pop as it left. He leaned into me, catching his breath a moment. I think I nearly made him orgasm. I tried to keep the triumphant smile from my face. I didn't try very hard.

"You're..." Liam was shaking his head. He didn't finish the sentence.

"Terrible Muriel?" I suggested. Way to kill the fucking moment, Lana.

Liam laughed, thank god! "Not what I was going to say." He flopped onto the bed and laid on his back. "Fucking good at that is what I was thinking." He pulled his jeans and shoes off and closed his eyes, his breath slowly returning to normal. I wanted to jump his bones.

Instead, I laid down next to him on my tummy, leaning on my elbows.

Part 6

[angelmavmurdock]

• Babysitting •

A/N: I have such a huge soft spot for Tom with kids like 😭 my heart. this is one of my favourites if i'm being honest 🥺

You and Tom have been dating for 4 months now. He's met your 2 year old son a few times but he hasn't ever been alone with him. But tonight was one of your friends' birthday party and you wanted to go without Oscar but your parents were out of town. So Tom had agreed to babysit him. He seemed a little nervous but mostly excited.

"Okay! Mummy's going to go now!" You said to Oscar, lifting him out of his high chair and sitting him on your hip.

"Bye-bye." Oscar said cutely and waved his arms frantically, nearly whipping your eyelashes off.

"I'll see you in the morning, baba." You kissed his head.

"Can I get a kiss?" You asked, looking at him hopefully.

A cute, lopsided smile grew on his face and he leaned into your cheek and left an open mouth kiss on your cheek, probably taking half of your makeup off but you didn't care.

"Okay, here we go." You handed Oscar over to Tom and he took him with ease, propping him up on his arm. Oscar started to wail a heartbreaking wail. A pout grew on your face watching your baby cry.

"Go, I've got this." Tom smiled.

You smiled and kissed him softly. He lingered for a moment, touching your side gently before you parted.

"Have fun! I love you both!" You blew kisses as you clicked out the door, watching Oscar cry at you leaving and Tom smiled at you.

"Alright, alright." Tom said, placing Oscar back on his bare feet.

He kept crying, padding up to the apartment door and standing, hoping you were coming back.

Tom sighed, he didn't know what to do with crying babies.

He looked at the list you had written out and stuck to the fridge.

If he's crying, give him some water in a sippy cup and turn on paw patrol.

"Sounds good to me. Come on Oscar! Come on!" He held his hand out for Oscar to take but he didn't budge, he stayed at the door crying his eyes out.

Tom went into the cupboard and took out one of Oscar's many sippy cups. He filled it up with water then walked over to Oscar.

"Look! I've got some water!" He held it out in front of him. Oscar took it but then threw it on the floor, luckily nothing spilled.

"Right, come on." Tom lifted Oscar up and then the sippy cup. He walked him over to the couch where he sat him down in front of the TV. He quickly turned on the TV and put on Paw Patrol.

The theme song immediately made Oscar's ears perk up. His crying stopped and he turned to the TV, his mouth agape with wonder as he watched. Tom smiled as he sat the sippy cup on Oscar's lap.

"Good boy." He ran a hand over his thin blonde hair.

He sighed with relief as he went back to the kitchen and started clearing up. He wiped down Oscar's high chair and put all the crumbs in the bin. He sweeped the crumbs off the floor and then he went into the fridge, about to grab himself a beer.

"Nope, can't do that tonight." He said to himself before opting for a bottle of water.

He opened the bottle and sat down next to Oscar, wrapping his right arm around him.

"Rubble!" Oscar squealed and bobbed up and down on his bum as he saw a dog with a construction helmet come on the screen.

"Who's that?" Tom asked with a smile.

"Rubble!" Oscar said again.

Tom smiled down at him. Oscar was the cutest baby he had ever seen. Fair skin, blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He had a baby blue onesie on paired with his white nappy.

Tom watched the Paw Patrol episode with Oscar - well, he was more watching Oscar watching Paw Patrol but...same difference.

Just before the episode ended, Tom got up to check the list.

Bed time at 8 o'clock.

Brush teeth GENTLY .

Change nappy - instructions on changing table and take him out of onesie.

Give him my breast milk in the fridge. You've done that before.

Read a book to him - anything with animals is a winner.

Turn on sound machine and close the door.

I'll be back at 9:30. I love you <3

He smiled at your handwriting and your note.

He checked his watch and it was just coming up for 7 pm.

"Well I guess we have a few more Paw Patrol episodes to go." He said to Oscar as he jumped back on the couch.

-

"Peek-a-boo!" Tom came out from behind the couch and Oscar laughed his little head off.

"You have your mother's laugh, Oscar; loud and completely adorable." Tom said with a smile as he came back to the fluffy rug that Oscar was sitting on.

"What's your favourite toy, huh? Which one?" Tom pointed to the box full of toys he had brought out from Oscar's nursery.

Oscar stood up, nearly tumbling over but Tom managed to catch him before he did. He stood straight then wobbled over to the box. He rummaged through it, throwing things out that he didn't like very dramatically.

"Woah, Oscar." Tom laughed as a toy car nearly crashed into his face.

"Ba-bee!" Oscar pulled out a half-dressed barbie doll.

"You want the barbie doll?" Tom asked.

"Yeah! Ba-bee!" Oscar giggled.

"Okay, well first we have to dress her don't we." Tom said and he searched the box for some barbie clothes.

He was aware that Barbie's were considered a 'girly' toy. But he wanted Oscar to have a male figure in his life that was okay with him playing with Barbie's or dressing up as princesses, because most boys don't get taught that. And that's what toxic masculinity is. He didn't want any toxic masculinity in this house.

Tom played Barbie's with Oscar for a while which was a new experience but he didn't mind it one bit.

He checked his watch after a while and it was 7:45pm already.

"Oscar, we have to clean up now." Tom pouted his lips sadly.

"No! I wan more ba-bees!" Oscar copied Tom, pouting his lips.

"Why don't we bring barbie with us? Does that sound good?" Tom said as excitedly as he could, trying to get Oscar more enthused about going to bed.

"Yey!" He bobbed up and down on his bum again, a few spit bubbles popping and drooling down his chin.

"Let's go!" Tom stood up and as he did, he scooped Oscar up in his arms and threw him over his shoulder. Oscar squealed and giggled with delight as Tom whooshed him like he was flying through to the bathroom. He sat him down on the counter top with a robotic sound and Oscar laughed, showing his incoming front teeth.

Tom sang a random song as he put the toothpaste on the small toothbrush and began brushing Oscar's teeth.

"Oh baby give me one more chance! To show you that I love you!" Tom sang 'I want you back' to Oscar as he brushed his teeth gently so he would be entertained.

After brushing his teeth and rinsing the brush, Tom continued his wooshing and robotic sounds as he moved Oscar into his nursery and onto the changing table.

"Okay...let's do this, little man. We can do this." Tom said to himself more than to Oscar as he read the instructions you left for him.

"Let's take this off then." Tom removed Oscar's nappy and scrunched his face as he saw what was on it. He wiped Oscar's bum gently and threw the wipes and the dirty nappy into the bin.

He took a new nappy out and carefully placed it underneath him. He dried him with a soft towel then put some nappy cream on his skin.

"All moisturised. You'll have great skin, mate." Tom held his thumbs up and Oscar laughed, still clutching his barbie.

He fastened the back panel to the front panel relatively snug.

"Oscar! I did it! I changed your nappy!" Tom danced a little, making Oscar giggle again.

"Okay changing time then bed time." He carefully slipped Oscar out of his onesie and Oscar immediately started clutching his feet as he folded the onesie.

"Right, let's get you in bed." Tom lifted him up and placed him in his crib. As soon as he stood back, Oscar started crying.

"Hey, shhh, I'm here." He held a hand down and Oscar clutched his pointer finger.

Tom felt some weird surge flow through his body.

It was love.

He loved this wee guy.

And he loved you.

"Okay, don't tell your mum I'm doing this." Tom lifted Oscar back out and held him against his shoulder. He brought him through to your room and he lay him down on the bed. He wrapped him around with blankets and pillows so he was secure, then he went to the kitchen. He washed his hands then went into the fridge and got a bottle of your breast milk out.

Tom was still amazed that you could do that, he's just sit and watch as you worked and breast pumped and he was confused but in awe every time you did it.

He quickly came back through and handed Oscar the bottle.

"Here you go." Tom got onto the bed with him and snuggled up next to him, taking his shirt off and grabbing an animal book.

"Okay...I'm dyslexic so don't mind my shi- my BAD reading." He stopped himself from swearing and smiled at himself as he imagined your reaction.

"Once upon a time..."

-

"Hello?" You whisper shouted as you closed the front door behind you and kicked off your heels.

"In here!" You heard Tom whisper.

You were slightly drunk and had to pump and dump but you were excited to see Tom.

You opened your bedroom door and your eyes widened at the sight you were seeing.

Tom shirtless on your bed with a book in his right hand and Oscar snuggled into his left armpit, covered in blankets.

"How are my two gorgeous boys doing?" You grinned with joy as you sat your bag and jacket down and walked over to them, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"We watched paw patrol, then we played Barbies," Oscar interrupted by waving his barbie around with a giggle.

"Oh wow!" You gasped, taking Oscars hand, stopping him from the waving and just because you wanted to hold his hand.

"And then we were reading but I'm not very good at that am I?" Tom asked Oscar and Oscar thought about it before shaking his head.

"Well, Oskie, we need to get you in bed. It's way past your bed time, baby." You glanced at Tom.

"We were having too much fun." He smiled.

You couldn't help but shake your head and smirk at him. Oscar yawned and stretched as Tom passed him to you.

"Come on sleepy head." You said, taking him from Tom and walking to his nursery, placing him in cot and putting his sound machine on. You closed the door behind you and then went into your bedroom.

"Was it fun?" You asked, unzipping your dress then jumping in bed next to Tom.

"So much fun." He said with a huge smile.

"I love you." You said, snuggling into his chest.

"I love you more." He said and kissed your hair.

[colemacgrathtkz]

Ah, memories

Disclaimer: I went past the character limit. This one might be hard to read due to formatting.

Previous. Next

[Human realm, three weeks BBI]

Luz crouched close to her task. Eda's lesson really came in handy. Picking a door lock, she never thought she'd be so grateful for an unmodern store. Standing by her side, only perceivable to her, the empress stood watching her progress.

Empress Luz: "I know you want to say it, just say it. What do you want?"

Since they came back, Luz's glyphs hadn't worked once. At first, she thought magic didn't exist here. But if that's the case, why was her angry counterpart still stuck to her.

Luz: "How come you're still here? I mean, my dream of being a witch is dead on this side, right?"

Empress Luz: "Ok, let me put this in terms you can understand. Congratulations, chica, you're an astronaut. Let's think of the Boiling Isles as earth and magic is the air we breathe. This side is the moon. On the Boiling Isles, magic is everywhere. Here, looks like we're S.O.L."

Luz: "So, you're what?"

Empress: "Holding my breath for you... to finish the job."

The tumblers finally obeyed the thief working on the outside. Luz didn't have much aside from some old clothes from home and the Empress' outerwear. The store inside should have some cash and new stuff to try on. She needed to avoid being recognized. Also, she kept getting glares when she entered stores during the day.

Luz: "Does that mean, if I wait long enough, you'll die?"

An note of optimism was detected.

Empress Luz: " You should be so lucky. No, I don't think so. I'm the only magic you brought over. So, WE'RE holding our breath."

The cash register was the first task they needed done. Emptying the register, they now browsed their options.

The place didn't look like anything exceptional. But one jacket caught Luz's eye. She put it on and felt... something.

Luz: "What do you think?"

Empress: "A little big, don't you think? And do you really like the color green that much?"

They both realized what this jacket was to her. For whatever reason, this jacket made Luz miss the others less. Almost like a sort of comfort cloth.

Man: "Who's there?!"

A flashlight broke through the dark and nearly blinded Luz. She dove for any cover that would keep her out of sight, bumping into something.

Empress Luz: " What are doing?! Let me tak..."

Almost like hitting the mute button, something landed on Luz's head. In that instant, she noticed her partner disappeared. She raced out the door and as far away as she could get. Once she was clear, she examined the hat on her head.

Empress Luz: "Stop ignoring me!"

The instant she took off the beanie, her partner reappeared in front of her.

Now there was some magic.

It would be another three weeks before she'd make it back to Bonesborough. But they were clearly on the right track.

[Present day, Blight manor]

Amity stirred awake in her old bed. She felt like she'd dreamed about something important.

The first thing she noticed was her old room, not remembering how she got there.

Luz: "No, wait, you can't!"

Her girlfriend's voice echoed from somewhere in the manor. She bolted out of bed and ran out to find the source.

Willow: "It's only fair. After all you put us through, this is the least you can do."

Gus: "I wouldn't call myself a 'vengeful guy'. But I do want to see this."

Amity practically jumped the stairway to see what was going on. Luz sat, tied up by vines, while her friends stood around her. Willow had a pair of memory tweezers while Gus held a memory print.

Amity: "What're you doing?"

Willow: "Luz wants to make amends. This is it."

Gus: "But you should be here, too. Take a look at this."

Snickering, he handed Amity the prize in his hand.

Luz: "No, come on, give me a break."

Willow: "If we wanted to settle things, once and for all, we could go fishing in her memories. That's what she said."

Gus: "We didn't find anything nefarious. But we did snag these nice beauties."

Scratch that, he handed her the prizes in his hand.

A few memories of Nevareth Bladestrife, teen Prince of Angstmore. Amity didn't say a word as she examined the recollections in her hand.

Luz: "Ames? You ok, linda?"

Amity: "So, who's this?"

Luz( visibly nervous): "No one, really. He's not even real."

Amity: "You sure? It looks like you think about him a lot. You had an imaginary boyfriend?"

Luz: "He's just... not even worth mentioning. I mean, he's got nothing on you, Ami."

Unfortunately, Amity flipped the print to reveal a small note written in ( what looked like) Luz's handwriting.

Goodbye, flawless pecs

Amity stared Luz down with one of the most menacing glares she'd ever seen.

Amity: " Well, if you say so, then it's fine. If he's not worth mentioning, he's not worth remembering, right?"

She lit a small fire in her other hand and dangled the pictures over it.

Luz: "Wait! You don't want to do that."

Amity: "Why not? You want to make amends, right?"

Luz: "Right! Let me out of this chair and I'll tell you all the truth."

Willow and Gus stopped snickering amongst themselves. Luz's proposal seemed like something worth seeing. Her friend undid the vines and let Noceda take a step forward.

Luz: "The truth is..."

In a swift moment, she surprised Amity with a kiss. Stunning her girlfriend, she swiped the memories back and placed one arm around her.

Luz: " We're official! Amity and I are dating. There's no reason to bother with these. So, I'll just take them back and we don't have to talk about him ever again. Agreed?"

Luz would later understand the wrath of a Blight, later. For now, she pocketed the memories.

Gus: "Wait, when did you figure it out?"

Luz: "Well, last night...wait, what do you mean by that?"

Her two best friends looked at each other, awkwardly.

Willow: "It just seems like... you were the last to know."

Luz: "...."

Gus: "You kind of already acted like a couple. I mean, when did you find out she liked you?"

Luz: "Right after..."

Her pause might have made anime fans proud.

Luz: "Point is, we're both where we want to be. Right, Ami?"

Amity: "When did you start calling me that?"

Luz: "Last niiiiiiiiiight."

Last night? Last night was a blur. She remembered grudgby and dancing but that was it. She didn't even recall how she got back last night.

Gus: "Um, speaking of last night, are you just getting out of bed? It's past noon."

Looking down at herself, she was wearing an orange and white striped pajama top with purple pants.

Amity shot a death glare at the last person she remembered being with.

Luz: "I swear, I didn't do anything weird! You were really tuckered out. I carried you home and that's it, I swear!"

She redirected her wrath to the others.

Amity: "Don't you all have somewhere to be?"

Gus: "Not really."

Luz: "You told me to quit my job."

Willow: "My boss didn't come in this morning."

Amity: "Get out!"

Just as they were leaving, Luz sheepishly tried to be cute.

Luz: "So.....stripes?"

And with that, Willow had to pry her boss off while Gus pulled Luz to safety.

[Last night, Hexside's gymnasium]

Luz: "I think I want to tell you where the staff is."

Taking a step back, Amity knew she was being sincere.

Amity: "Where is it?"

Luz: "With you, carino."

Not realizing what she meant, Luz poked her forehead.

Luz: "In here, with the witch I trust the most."

Amity had mixed feelings about this.

Amity: "No, you need someone to cast that spell on you. Who pulled you out? When did you even do that?"

Luz: "I'm kind of two for one package deal now. Not to mention, a quick study. Remember when you caught me in your room and I sent you a snoozing? It was after that."

Amity: "You knocked me out and went into my head?!"

Luz: " I'm getting the impression you're angry."

After taking one deep breath, she grabbed Luz by her face and pulled her close.

Amity: "Just, please, give it to me and we can go from there."

She was being pretty bold tonight.

Luz: "I can't say 'no' to that face. Especially like this, keeper of the staff."

Knowing full well that was a bad joke, she proceeded with Amity's request.

Amity(thinking to herself): "Please don't do anything weird. Please don't do anything weird. Please don't do anything weird. Please don't do anything weird."

Luz(echoing in Amity's head): "You know, I can hear you, in here. It's really a lot like what I've been living with on a day to day.."

Amity: "LUZ!"

Luz: "Right, right, we can talk about that later."

Popping out, Luz stood in front handing out the staff.

Luz: "One sure fire proof of my trust of you.. for you."

Her most trusted companion took the gift in her hand.

Amity: "It's the real thing. You actually meant it."

There was no mistaking the smug look on the latina's face as she placed her hands behind her head.

Luz: "Yep, we can be honest with each other."

Amity cut her off by raising her arm up. Now, the room had a serious tone shift.

Luz: "What're you doing?"

Amity: "You'd never lie to me, right? With or without this thing?"

Luz: "Bebe, this isn't funny."

Fear, once again, gripped a member of the Blight family.

Amity: "I order you to tell me the truth, what are you doing here?"

Luz: "I'm on a date with you."

Luz couldn't stop herself from answering, but she tried tweaking her answers.

Amity: "Why did you come back to Bonesborough?"

Luz: "I wanted to be with you all again."

Amity: "Are you planning something behind my back?"

Things were getting worse as it became apparent that Noceda didn't want to answer.

Luz: "Our second date, maybe. Now, can you give me that back, please?"

Amity: "One last thing, the empress is still in you, right? Neither of you are going to hurt anyone, right?"

This time, Luz covered her mouth, muffling her response.

Amity: "Take your hands off and tell me the truth!"

This feeling of once again not being in control of her own body; brought tears to her eyes.

Luz: "I don't want to hurt anyone. But I can't say the same for her."

Empress Luz: "GET THE STAFF!"

Amity found herself gripped from behind by a giant abomination hand. She looked back to see the Otabin mutant was still there.

Amity: "Wait, how are you doing that?"

The empress simply took back her staff and looked disgusted at what just happened.

Empress Luz: "I think I'm done answering questions."

Luz: "I pulled out all the stops for you, carino. It's my own 'little' mix of abomination, plant, illusion, and potion. Something that can keep on going, even if my finger stops spinning."

She just gazed at the object in her hands.

Luz: "I gave this to you because I trusted you."

The goo around Amity hardened; preventing her from moving a finger.

Luz(sadly): "You just couldn't help yourself, could you?"

She reached into the almost solid goo and searched Amity's pocket. Pulling out the tweezers just before the muck became rock hard.

Luz: "Thanks for the date, bonita. I'll be sure to remember it."

She held Amity's head still as she pulled out her memories of the date. Contrary to her pleas, Luz burned the ones that held the night's closing events. Her girlfriend felt the effects and passed out.

Empress Luz: "We'll have to clean this up."

Luz: "Hold on, I don't want to leave her like this. This could seriously damage her mind."

Luz used the tweezers on herself and pulled a couple memories. She done this before, unbeknownst to anyone else. When Willow's memories were burnt, her personality changed. Luz discovered that she could sort of keep that from happening by putting place holders.

After she had done the deed, she picked up the sleeping green haired witch in her arms, princess style.

Empress Luz: "Even after all that?!"

Luz: " You feel the same way, right?"

The two had gotten unbelievably good at switching control between them.

Empress: "What about the staff?"

Luz: "It can wait. I want to take her home and just forget this ever happened."

To her dismay, she knew her partner wouldn't simply "forgive and forget".

Empress: "Before we go, I think we should check her memories. I mean, it's only fair after what she just pulled."

Complying with her internal partner, they discovered the two other conspirators. She took the staff and hid it. She also took Amity home, but not before she made sure the coast was clear.

Willow and Gus would have no memory of their findings. They would be left to believe their investigations had come to a dead end. Reporting to Amity only that Luz Noceda had nothing to hide.

Author's note:

I just want to make two things clear.

1.) In "Understanding Willow", Willow's brain appeared to be faulty after her memories were burnt. I figured Amity might unknowingly experience something similar AFTER Luz left her in her room. No funny business. Amity was half asleep and disoriented when she changed into her new attire.

2.) I've wondered, how Amity might react to Nevareth or Luz's other crushes? I just wanted to throw that idea into the hat.

[dingobabywrites]

 so, in light of recent events, people have been discussing when they think Dean and Cas realized that they were in love with each other. While I 100% believe dean realized in purgatory, I dont think Castiel realized until Dean broke Naomi's connection.

BUT!!!!

I also think that is around the same time Sam realized it too. Obviously Charlie already knew ( " what about Castiel, he seems helpful and..Dreamy" she's a lesbian. That comment wasn't for Her!") I think Charlie was the one to point it out to sam and I think the two of them agreed to keep it to themselves since neither of those two would have been able to handle that information. So, I wrote a little thing about how I think it went down.

I also wanted to give myself an explanation for those wierd looks and mystery note from the end of the episode...so yeah...here's that.

Sam hobbled down the hall to the guest room, his hand still throbbing from knocking Dean unconcious . It was…worrisome, to say the least, that he was having this much trouble with healing from such a minor injury, not to mention the other things that were happening to his body; the fatigue, coughing up blood. Troubling, but, as much as he hated to admit it, worth it. Dean had been pissing him off more than usual lately anyway. It wasn't just the trials. Sure, he was frustrated with Dean for thinking he wasn't strong enough to handle them (he had fought against Lucifer in his own mind for christ's sake) but it was everything else too. His loyalty to Benny still didn't sit right with him. He had been so quick to kill Amy, just because she was a monster. He didn't care that she was just feeding her kid. She was just a monster to him. But for some reason, Benny got a pass. Sure, the guy saved both their asses, he was grateful for that, but even Bobby knew it was wrong.

And then there was Cas.

 

Sam wanted nothing more, than to tell Dean that he should have learned his lesson the first time with the Angel. It wasn't like he didn't like Castiel. Of course he did. He was appreciative of everything the guy had done for them. Dean was right that he had saved their asses more than once. It was just….at the end of the day, whether they liked him or not, Castiel had betrayed them. He understood that perfectly. What he couldn't understand, was why dean was so suprised by him doing it again. Hell, Dean had been the one to bring up that fact that the guy wasn't acting right since he got back and yet, there he was, praying to him, putting his trust in him again. It was maddening, to say the least. He had tried to talk to his brother about it, but Dean immediately shut down.

So, yeah, his hand was still hurting, but it was damn worth it.

He turned the corner to find Charlie stuffing her things into her duffle. He knocked on the door frame with his uninjured hand. "Hey, there."

"Sam." She half smiled, when she turned around, her eyes still a little bleary from crying. "Hi, I'm just…just packing up to head out and…" she sniffled and plopped down on the bed, covering her face as she began crying anew.

Sam walked into the room and pulled up the desk chair, sitting down in front of her. "Dean told me what happened, while you two were under." He said. "I am so sorry about your mom, Charlie." He placed his hand on her shoulder as she began crying harder. "I know how hard it is to let go like that…"

"Dean was right," she sniffed. "I needed to stop holding on."

Sam let out a bitter scoff and pulled his hand back, squeezing both hands between his legs. "Yeah, Dean's always right, isn't he? Too bad he can't follow his own advice."

Charlie looked up, her eyes sad and confused. "Holding on to my mom was the reason I was stuck there. If he hadn't made me let go, I would have died.we both would have."

Sam shook his head at himself, trying his damndest to let go of his own bitterness to be there for his friend. "Ya, I know. I'm sorry…just…I know you're hurting right now, I just want you to know I'm here for you."

Charlie sniffed again, wiping her arm across her face to dry it before leaning back and staring at Sam. "I don't get it." She said, as firmly as possible.

Sam, leaned back and shrugged. "Me neither, really. I always thought all djinn fed off happiness. It's like every time we figure stuff out, something new comes along to throw us off our game."

"Not that." Charlie said, waving his statement off. Sam looked at her, confused, not sure what she was referring to. She took a breath and pulled a book out of her duffle throwing it on Sam's lap. 'Mystery Spot' By Carver Edlund. "You say these books happened in real life. That everything written in them actually went down…but the past two times I've been around you guys…you certainly dont act like you do in the books."

Sam skimmed the first page of the book and chuckled, tossing it back on the bed next to Charlie. "Yeah, well, things have just been different, I guess."

"So, you used to love and support each other, no matter what and now you just, what? Stopped?" She asked.

"It's…" Sam scoffed and shook his head. "things are just, more complicated now…"

"You maybe, wanna elaborate there buddy?" She asked. "I may be a genius, but a mind reader, I am not."

Sam let out a breath and scrubbed a hand through his hair. He figured it might feel better to at least get something off his chest. "To be honest Charlie, I dont think Dean is cut out for the job anymore."

"Why not?"

"His judgment, for one thing." Sam answered. "I don't know, just ever since he got back from purgatory… he's been…it's like he can't think straight anymore. He used to be no nonsense when it came to killing monsters and only trusting people he knew he could trust and now… I mean, I get it. Purgatory was rough on him, but the guy has literally been to Hell and back. I don't see why this time is any different."

"What do you mean?" Charlie asked softly.

"I mean like, being friends with a freaking vamp." Sam answered, coldly. "Yeah, Benny wasn't like the others, and I get the whole 'brother's in arms' aspect, but it still doesn't make sense." He waved his hand, gesturing back at the book before letting it drop. "That Dean? That Dean would have never put his trust in a monster. That Dean wouldn't let people back into his life that had screwed him over, and now…I don't know, now it's like he just doesn't care about letting people in that who could hurt him, or…people who already have."

"So, it's not just about the vampire." Charlie said. "Who else has Dean been trusting that you don't think he should?"

Sam gritted his teeth and shook his head. "Cas really messed him up Charlie. I mean, the guy already turned his back on us once and Dean just let him back into our lives like nothing even happened."

"Ah." Charlie said, with complete understanding. "Okay, I get it now."

"Get what?" Sam asked.

"I get why Dean has been acting wierd, duh." She said, like it was obvious. Sam sat, staring at her, trying to peice together what puzzle she seemed to have completed. "Oh, my God. Do you really not see it?" Charlie laughed.

"Um, no?" Sam said, skeptically.

"Wow," she scoffed. "And here I thought you were the observant one." Sam waited for her to explain herself, still utterly lost on what she was talking about. "It's Castiel." She said, speaking to him as if he were a child.

"What about him?" Sam asked, hoping like hell that she wasn't talking about the angel brainwashing his brother or something.

"I've read the books, Sam." She said. "I know all about Dean's special Angel friend."

"No." Sam shook his head. "No, chuck stopped writing after Dean went to hell. There's no way you could have a read anything about Cas."

Charlie scrunched her face and bobbed her head back and forth. "Mmmm, not exactly." She reached into her bag and pulled put her laptop, turning it on. "Remember how I said the books were online now?" Sam nodded waiting for her to continue. "Okay, dont get mad," she said as she typed "but, he may have kept writing a little bit longer than you thought…."

"He what?!" Sam said, furious. They had told that dick to knock it off after that stupid convention."How long?"

"Relax." She said, scrolling through some page on her screen. "He stopped after you sacrifice yourself to Hell, actually. It was beautifully written by the way, super emotional, but no one has seen or heard from him since."

'Good!' Sam thought to himself. He felt a little bad for that thought, since Kevin was now the prophet it meant that the reason no one had heard from Chuck was likely because he was dead, but at least no one else could know more about their lives than they already did. "Okay, but what does any of this have to do with Dean? Why would Cas be the reason he's acting wierd?"

Charlie sighed, cringing to her self a little. "Well, as you already know, where there's a fandom, there's most likely fanfiction…"

"I'm aware." Sam said, peeved by the memory of stumbling upon the fanfiction written about him and Dean.

"Look, I'm not saying anything is definite, but alot of people who write fanfiction are really good at reading between the lines." She clicked her mouse a few times before closing her laptop and setting it back in her bag. "I mean, I've read all the books myself, and I totally know that you guys are real people and not some fictional characters, and it's completely not okay to speculate on your lives and feelings or whatever...but I mean, it's kinda hard not to see where they're all coming from."

"What are you talking about, Charlie?"

"Dean said that Benny helped him fight through purgatory, right?" She said. "He met him pretty early on in his time there, no?"

"Yeah," Sam said, still completely bemused, "I guess…Dean hasn't really talked a lot about what happened while he was there. He told me some things, but he never really went into detail."

Charlie nodded and shrugged sheepishly before continuing. "Okay, so he met Benny early on, and Benny told him he had a way to get back, right off the bat. So, why did it take them so long to get out of there?"

"Dean said he spent alot of his time searching for Cas." Sam answered.

"Exactly!" She exclaimed, like that should have been the answer.

"I'm sorry Charlie, I still don't understand what you're getting at here."

"Sam, he could've come back at any point after meeting Benny. They only spent as much time as they did together, because Dean wanted to bring Castiel back with him. Even after everything he did. Don't you think that's a little…suspicious?"

"That's exactly what I've been saying!" Sam said. "Why would he do that?!"

"Yeah, Sam, why?" She said, still trying to lead him. "Why would someone run back into a fire, when they have a way out? I mean, I think you, of all people, would know the answer to that."

Sam gaped at her in shock. It took a minute for him to register what she was implying, but once he did… "Charlie, that's…"

"Just a thought!" She defended before he finished. "I'm just saying that Dean doesn't normally put his trust in people. Except, maybe…the people he REALLY cares about and the people that protect them. Maybe there's more to the story when it comes to his trust in Benny than you thought. I definitely feel like there's more when it comes to Castiel."

"Charlie, come on." Sam laughed a little. " You know Dean. He's…"

"More complicated than people give him credit for." Charlie cut him off. "He also knows how hard it is to let go of the people he loves. He's actually really bad at it. Maybe, worse than you know."

"Charlie," Sam started, before being cut off once more.

"He's definitely more concerned about you than you think." Charlie said firmly, standing up as she did. She began packing once more, keeping her eyes averted from Sam's. "He's not trying to control you, you know. He raised you, Sam. You mean alot to him. You ever think for a moment that he's just really scared for you? Scared of losing you? I mean, back to my point, he is really bad at losing people."

Sam sat in silence, petulantly mulling over Charlie's words. She was right, probably. Dean may have been scared, but it was still possible that he just couldn't hack the life anymore. Sam wasn't some child. And the other stuff she was saying…she was way off base. There was a big difference between reading about someone's and living it.

"I sent you the link to the website I used to read the books." Charlie said as she zipped up her bags. She slung her backpack over her shoulder crossing her arms as she stared him down. "I know you lived through it all and everything, but not every part was about you. There's a few things you may have missed."

"Yeah, I don't think that's gonna happen." Sam shook his head.

"Just a suggestion." She shrugged. "It might open your eyes to a few things you don't understand. I get not wanting to relive those times but…if you ever decide that's something you might wanna do, hit me up. I can tell you what chapters to skip, or whatever. And, if your really curious about Dean's relationship to Castiel, 'On the Head of a Pin' is a good place to start. The torture chapters are pretty rough, and I know you'll want to skip over your parts…but the other stuff.…" she shrugged.

"Okay." He said, at a loss for more words than that.

"You ready to roll?" Dean said, from the doorway, knocking on the door frame before entering the room.

"Looks, like it." Charlie smiled up at him as he entered.

"I didn't interrupt anything did I?" Dean asked looking between her and Sam with concern written all over his face. "You guys look a little spooked."

"Ew, gross, no." Charlie said, scrunching her face at Dean's implications. "Sam, was just helping me with my bags. Right Sam?"

"Uh, yeah…" Sam said, standing up and grabbing her duffle off the bed.

"Eh, come on, you know I'm just teasin ya!" Dean chuckled, jabbing her on the shoulder playfully. "He may have the hair, but the body parts are all wrong, right?"

"Definitely." Charlie agreed.

"Come on." Dean said, tilting his head toward the door. He waited for Charlie to leave the room, then cast a skeptical glance at Sam before following after. Sam was sure he was in for an earful after she left. He began dreading it as he said his goodbyes, anticipating the lecture as he told Charlie she was welcome to comeback at anytime. But it wasn't the only thing on his mind now. After bidding Charlie farewell, he went inside, giving the two of them their time alone. He hesitated for a moment, convinced that the trials were seriously messing with his head if he was even considering this. Then again…

He headed to the library, grabbing a peice of paper and a pen on his way and sat down. 'This is just stupid.' He thought to himself as he wrote down the words 'On the Head of a Pin'. He heard the bunker door open. Dean walked up, the look on his face telling Sam that it was time for his ass- chewing, so he decided to cut it off before it could start.

He clicked the pen closed and stood up, ready to defend his actions. "Okay, look you were right. I-I should laid low. I-I know." He said as Dean approached him."I should have hung back. I'm glad I was able.."

Then Dean grabbed him. Then Dean pulled him into a hug. It wasn't at all what he was expecting. He was lost, but relieved and hugged his brother back.

Dean chuckled and patted his back before pulling away. "What do you say we find our prophet?." Dean smiled, before smaking him in the chest and walking away.

Sam was left to himself, completely bewildered by what had just occurred. Dean had certainly not been acting like himself, but this was a whole new level. Maybe there was some truth to Charlie's words? Maybe he really was just scared? Maybe Sam really didn't know everything about his brother. Now, wasn't the time to think about that, though. Dean was right, the had to look for Kevin. They had work to do. Research.

But Dean had to sleep at some point. Maybe Sam could do a little light reading in that time.

If Charlie was right about Dean being scared for him, who knew what else she was right about?

[justapotatonow]

Sunshine boy ch.1

Summary: Lucas and Y/n have been best friends for a long time, so what will happen when there's trouble in paradise and a new person enters their lives.

A/n: ello so ik this is bad bUt I've never done a written series before so yeet🤠🤡 also special thanks to @sadyeehawismy2ndname and @marsgotnojams

Masterlist

It was about 3 months ago when Y/n noticed Lucas getting distant. She didn't think anything of it at first, because they didn't have to spend all their time together. But she hasn't seen him in 2 weeks and she was starting to feel a little lonely even though she had lots of other people to hang out with, she still missed her best friend.

That's why they decided to meet up at the new coffee shop that opened just a few weeks ago but seemed fairly interesting.

But after over two hours of listening to coffee shop music and calling Lucas for the thousandth time, she decided to check Instagram and see what her friends are up to. But when she got a notification that Lucas posted a photo, she was curious and clicked on his profile. And sure enough, he just posted a photo of him and his friend, Kun, who she's only met very briefly, at one of their many parties. She knew the photo was recent because of Lucas' hair color, which he only changed recently. But what hurt her the most was the caption "Never let your best friends be lonely!".

Most customers had left already and it was almost time for the young barista Jungwoo to close the shop. But he was more worried about how he was going to drive back to his dorm without crashing his bike into a bush somewhere. And he was, of course, worried about the cute girl in the back of the shop whos been there for over two hours looking pretty sad. And since the costumers have cleared out and it was only the two of them in the shop, he decided to come over to her table with two cups of hot tea and two chocolate muffins.

She decided to just order a last drink and go home. What Y/n didn't notice that it was getting late and that there was a pretty bad rainstorm outside the cozy coffee shop.

The girl's thoughts were interrupted when the young boy sat across from her and pushed a cup of tea in front of her. "Uh, I couldn't help but notice that you looked sad so I thought that this might cheer you up a little." after which he smiled shyly. "oH my, I'm so sorry you probably have to close the shop, I'm really sorry I'll go now" she added with an embarrassed laugh. "No, no it's fine! Really! It looks like we're gonna be stuck here for a while anyway." he pointed to the window and she finally noticed the heavy rains storm outside. "Fuck. How am I supposed to get home" Y/n said and sat back at the table. "I texted the owner a while ago, he's a good friend of mine. But it could be a while before he gets here. Something about an important meeting he has to attend."

"So we're stuck here huh?"

"Yeah looks like it."

"Why don't we get to know each other then," she said shrugging her shoulders and taking a sip of the slightly colder tea.

"Well, my name is Kim Jungwoo"

"Pleasure to meet you Jungwoo, I'm Y/n Y/l/n"

She kept checking her phone to see if Lucas texted her, which didn't go unnoticed by Jungwoo "So who are you waiting for?"

Y/n looked out the window and told him she was waiting for her best friend who she hasn't seen in a while.

"Lucas?"

"..Yeah, do you know him? or are you just really good at guessing names?" he laughed in response, a sound she could get used to.

"I've seen you two around campus before. And almost everyone knows you two! You guys are really popular, why do you think it took me all this time to come over and talk to you? ".

"Oh come on Jungwoo I don't bite" she laughed "not unless you want me to" she smirked at him and he shivered.

"Are you cold? Our heater broke this morning, but I can get some blankets from the back if you want"

"That would be great. Do you need any help?"

"It's fine, they're not very heavy. I'll be right back!"

Jungwoo comes back a few minutes later with the blankets. He proposes to move to the couches which were standing under the stairs to the second floor. She agreed, and when Jungwoo made himself comfortable on the couch, Y/n sat next to him and pulled the blankets over them.

He looked at her with wide eyes and she said that it was to "preserve heat" to which he just nodded his head and stared at the coffee table in front of them.

Jungwoo asked what had happened between her and Lucas and they got to talking. They talked about their families, school, past relationships and somehow they ended up falling asleep on the couch, legs tangled and not realizing how much time has passed

Y/n's phone ringing woke them up she saw Lucas' face lighting up the screen and Jungwoo signaled for her to pick up.

And so she did, only to be greeted with Lucas yelling at her and asking her where she was. "Why should I tell you?"

"What do you mean 'wHy sHoUlD I tElL yOu' I'm worried, it's storming outside."

"Oh so now you care all of a sudden."

"Send me your location I'm picking you up"

"No. Lucas calm down you're overreacting"

"I'm overreacting? Okay sure"

Then Jungwoo sneezed and mouthed 'sorry'

"Who was that??"

"A very nice guy I met today. We could've been hanging out right now but you stood me up and I've waited for two hours. Do you know how embarrassing that was?"

"I'm sor-"

But she hung up before he could finish the sentence.

"He seems... nice?"

She laughed at his attempt to lighten the mood.

"Jungwoo, thank you for today. Honestly, you cheered me up. Id like to keep in touch." she said scribbling her number on a napkin.

Y/n gave him the napkin and a kiss on the cheek. "Call me anytime." she whispered in his ear.

She left the cafe with a smile on her lips leaving a shocked Jungwoo behind.Sunshine boy

It was about 3 months ago when Y/n noticed Lucas getting distant. She didn't think anything of it at first, because they didn't have to spend all their time together. But she hasn't seen him in 2 weeks and she was starting to feel a little lonely even though she had lots of other people to hang out with, she still missed her best friend.

That's why they decided to meet up at the new coffee shop that opened just a few weeks ago but seemed fairly interesting.

Most customers had left already and it was almost time for the young barista Jungwoo to close the shop. But he was more worried about how he was going to drive back to his dorm without crashing his bike into a bush somewhere. And he was, of course, worried about the cute girl in the back of the shop whos been there for over two hours looking pretty sad. And since the costumers have cleared out and it was only the two of them in the shop, he decided to come over to her table with two cups of hot tea and two chocolate muffins.

But after over two hours of listening to coffee shop music and calling Lucas for the thousandth time, she decided to check Instagram and see what her friends are up to. But when she got a notification that Lucas posted a photo, she was curious and clicked on his profile. And sure enough, he just posted a photo of him and his friend, Kun, who she's only met very briefly, at one of their many parties. She knew the photo was recent because of Lucas' hair color, which he only changed recently. But what hurt her the most was the caption "Never let your best friends be lonely!".

She decided to just order a last drink and go home. What Y/n didn't notice that it was getting late and that there was a pretty bad rainstorm outside the cozy coffee shop.

The girl's thoughts were interrupted when the young boy sat across from her and pushed a cup of tea in front of her. "Uh, I couldn't help but notice that you looked sad so I thought that this might cheer you up a little." after which he smiled shyly. "oH my, I'm so sorry you probably have to close the shop, I'm really sorry I'll go now" she added with an embarrassed laugh. "No, no it's fine! Really! It looks like we're gonna be stuck here for a while anyway." he pointed to the window and she finally noticed the heavy rains storm outside. "Fuck. How am I supposed to get home" Y/n said and sat back at the table. "I texted the owner a while ago, he's a good friend of mine. But it could be a while before he gets here. Something about an important meeting he has to attend."

"So we're stuck here huh?"

"Yeah looks like it."

"Why don't we get to know each other then," she said shrugging her shoulders and taking a sip of the slightly colder tea.

"Well, my name is Kim Jungwoo"

"Pleasure to meet you Jungwoo, I'm Y/n Y/l/n"

She kept checking her phone to see if Lucas texted her, which didn't go unnoticed by Jungwoo "So who are you waiting for?"

Y/n looked out the window and told him she was waiting for her best friend who she hasn't seen in a while.

"Lucas?"

"..Yeah, do you know him? or are you just really good at guessing names?" he laughed in response, a sound she could get used to.

"I've seen you two around campus before. And almost everyone knows you two! You guys are really popular, why do you think it took me all this time to come over and talk to you? ".

"Oh come on Jungwoo I don't bite" she laughed "not unless you want me to" she smirked at him and he shivered.

"Are you cold? Our heater broke this morning, but I can get some blankets from the back if you want"

"That would be great. Do you need any help?"

"It's fine, they're not very heavy. I'll be right back!"

Jungwoo comes back a few minutes later with the blankets. He proposes to move to the couches which were standing under the stairs to the second floor. She agreed, and when Jungwoo made himself comfortable on the couch, Y/n sat next to him and pulled the blankets over them.

He looked at her with wide eyes and she said that it was to "preserve heat" to which he just nodded his head and stared at the coffee table in front of them.

Jungwoo asked what had happened between her and Lucas and they got to talking. They talked about their families, school, past relationships and somehow they ended up falling asleep on the couch, legs tangled and not realizing how much time has passed

Y/n's phone ringing woke them up she saw Lucas' face lighting up the screen and Jungwoo signaled for her to pick up.

And so she did, only to be greeted with Lucas yelling at her and asking her where she was. "Why should I tell you?"

"What do you mean 'wHy sHoUlD I tElL yOu' I'm worried, it's storming outside."

"Oh so now you care all of a sudden."

"Send me your location I'm picking you up"

"No. Lucas calm down you're overreacting"

"I'm overreacting? Okay sure"

Then Jungwoo sneezed and mouthed 'sorry'

"Who was that??"

"A very nice guy I met today. We could've been hanging out right now but you stood me up and I've waited for two hours. Do you know how embarrassing that was?"

"I'm sor-"

But she hung up before he could finish the sentence.

"He seems... nice?"

She laughed at his attempt to lighten the mood.

"Jungwoo, thank you for today. Honestly, you cheered me up. Id like to keep in touch." she said scribbling her number on a napkin.

Y/n gave him the napkin and a kiss on the cheek. "Call me anytime." she whispered in his ear.

She left the cafe with a smile on her lips leaving a shocked Jungwoo behind.

[urlocal-lgt-rep]

Be my Valentine?

First fic!! There may be a part two if y'all want..

Pairing: Awkward! Calum and Y/N

You and Michael doubled over in laughter, tears rolling down your face as Luke strutted down the hallway towards you. His hand was on his hip, your old stilettos on his feet, a 5sos crop top revealing his stomach, and an unforgettable pair of booty shorts on.

 Ashton put on a manager's voice through stifled giggles. “Oh, no. Go back to hell Jessica! I've already told you, booty shorts are so last summer.”

 Luke managed to not to laugh, and instead pouted with his stained pink lips. “But baby! Doesn't my butt look poppin’?” he asked, turning around and bending slightly down so we could get a better look at how much was showing.

Michael made a yelping sound and moved his hand in front of his face so he could block his not-so-pleasant view. “Jesus Christ, can you put that thing away?”

“Oh, please, Michael. You wouldn't be saying that if it was Y/N wearing those,” Luke teased. He had always teased the boys about wanting to get together with you, but you had never let it get to your head. After all, the boys were just your friends.

“Excuse me?” you pretended to be offended, “- I would never wear something so 2017.” You turned the conversation back onto Ashton’s critiquing of Luke’s outfit so the boys would be too preoccupied with laughing to notice you weren't. You wanted to reflect for a second on how lucky you were to be here with these boys.

When you had met Aston in primary school, you never expected he would become your best friend. You never expected him to introduce you to three other boys who would become new best friends to you, but here you were. The boys often looked at you like a little sister and treated you like one, too, but you were only a few months younger than Luke- a few months Luke would never let you forget.

   He was constantly teasing you and would never stop cracking jokes. The fans thought of you two as twins since you two got your first piercing together. Luke had long taken his lip ring out, but you kept your septum ring in most of the time. You loved the memory of it. You loved the day that you and Luke came home to the boys with the piercings and how much they freaked out, going absolutely crazy about the new “holes in your face”.

 Ashton was the complete opposite of thrilled when he saw. Sure, it looked nice and all, but do you know what you just did?! “I promised your mother I would take care of you. This is not me taking care of you!” he had exclaimed and made you apologize to your mother (after he had apologized 10 times, of course).

Mikey, on the other hand, was absolutely ecstatic when he saw. He insisted that now you had joined the “Cool-Guy Club" with him, so Luke asked if he had joined too. Spoiler alert- Michael said no. Michael was like the wild best friend. He spoke his mind and didn't care what others thought which was an easy to admire quality. However, there were also times where he acted like he didn't care at all even if he did. You had watched many of his relationships end because of it.

Calum was the one you talked to the least, but still a close friend. He was often very quiet and shy, but came alive on stage. Many of the fans had labeled him as “thoughtful" or “wise", and they weren't wrong. Cal liked to keep to himself and only added on to a conversation when he had something important to say. It was a trait you didn't have.

 Sure, you could stay quiet, but it wasn't because you were waiting to say something interesting; you had learned to stay quiet since the boys were always doing interviews or videos for the fans and you didn't want to interrupt.

 “Boys! You're on in 10-" one of the men who worked with the boys froze in his tracks as he eyed Luke up and down. “You know what, I'll stall for 15 minutes. Go get ready,” he sighed defeatingly.

 The boys eventually got on stage, although about 20 minutes later than planned. The cheers were something you could never get used to hearing. You sang along with them and mimicked their crazed expressions. Every now and then, one of the boys would look over to you and laugh until Michael started to speak into the mike.

 “Dammit Y/N! I'm trying to play here!” he laughed and the crowd yelled even louder than normal at the mention of you; the boys’ right hand. The fans knew they didn't go anywhere without you so they usually referred to you as the fifth member. They knew you also helped with songwriting and had even written some of the band’s most popular songs.

 But that didn't mean that all the fans loved you. There were plenty of fans who despised you for the relationship you had with the boys. They hadn't deemed you worthy enough of their attention, but here you were anyway, powering through the hate comments. Like any other female that was close to 5sos, there were many hate accounts made especially about you. Sure, what they said hurt. A lot. But you had the support of the boys to keep you going.

After another amazing concert from the boys, they ran off stage. Ash even tried hugging you with his sweaty arms, to which you responded by running away from him and straight into Calum.

Immediately the smell of his cologne filled your nose, but you forced yourself to back up. You mouthed the word “sorry" to him, but then decided to make the best of the situation and pulled him in for another embrace. “Mmm, Calum’s hugs are so wonderful!” you announced, hoping to annoy Ashton.

Calum seemed to get the hint because he nervously placed his hands on your back, only using a small bit a pressure to press you into his chest as if he was afraid to hurt you. “Man, Y/N I really wanted a hug from you. So nice!” he bragged to an infuriated Ashton.

You pulled away from the hug and Calum weakly smiled at you before his arms retreated back to his side. Turning back to Ashton, you stuck your tongue out at him.

 “I'm starving, dude. How about we go eat somewhere?” Michael asked, turning to you with a pouty face. “Please?”

You were usually the one who had to out their foot down when it came to the boys spending money, but you didn't see how a little dinner could hurt. Besides, you were pretty hungry too, so you nodded at him.

“Oh, yeah! Time to feast!” Michael exclaimed along with cheers from the other boys.

Maybe this wasn't a good idea.

The five of you entered the not easily selected restaurant with frowns on all of your faces except for Luke, who was giddy from having win the rock-paper-scissors championship you had had in the car as a way of choosing a place to eat. Upon your arrival, the waitress told you that a table of five wasn't available, but that you could have a booth if you wanted. You eyed the hungry boys and decided sooner was better than later.

Once you were led to the booth, Ashton frowned. “Who's going to be 3 to a seat and who's going to be 2?”

“Another rock-paper-scissors war?” Luke let his swelled ego show.

You all agreed to it, but the results were not in your favor. Luke and Michael got to sit together while you, Ashton, and Calum ended up having to squeeze next to each other. For some reason, Ashton thought having you in the middle was an amazing idea, so here you were- squished between Ashton Irwin and Calum Hood. From a fangirl’s point of view, this would be heaven. From your point of view, it was hell.

You all ordered your drinks, but as they came to the table you realized you couldn't really move your arms to reach it. Calum, who was sitting on the open end of the booth, ended up having to grab your food and drinks for you.

“Thanks, Cal. I'm sorry I can't reach; it's not easy being short!”

The quiet boy smiled sheepishly at you and went to out his hand back down before realizing that he accidentally put his hand on your thigh. “Shit, Y/N! I'm so sorry! It was a complete accident. I swear I'm not a perv-"

His rambling were cut off my your unusually weakened voice. “It's- It's completely fine!” You were caught entirely off guard by his hand- his warm, gentle hand… Stop Y/N! There was an undeniable tingle it had given you, a feeling you longed to have again. But it wasn't because Calum! It must've been a long time since you've gotten laid, that's all. Nothing to do with one of your closest friends.

For the rest of the meal, Calum was quiet and so were you. The boys expected it from Cal, but it was a complete surprise from you.

 “Y/N!!! Why won't you talk to me?!” Luke whined.

 “Because, Luke, she doesn't like you.” Michael said as if it was common knowledge.

“What? And she likes you? I'm her best friend!” Luke threw a fry at Michael, to which Michael threw a fry back and started a food war. Sadly, the war was ended before a winner was selected due to you guys getting kicked out of the restaurant.

Calum sighed. “Why don't we just go home a watch a movie before any of you get us banned from another restaurant,” he huffed, glaring at the initiate.

“Amazing idea! Can we stop at the store to get some food for the movie?” you looked at Calum with puppy eyes.

He didn't meet your gaze, and instead looked in the opposite direction. “Sure. I guess- I guess we can make a stop.”

 After getting kicked out of another store (trust me, you don't wanna know), you guys finally arrived home. Ashton put the chosen horror film on as you made the guys popcorn. Ashton had you sit next to him once again with Calum and Michael in other chairs and Luke on the ground.

 Shortly after the movie started, you noticed what you thought to be someone staring at you. You tried to look in the direction of those eyes, but you couldn't see anything. The only people there were Luke and Cal, but none of them were looking at you. You decided it was just the movie getting to you. Until it happened again and you swore you saw Calum’s brown eyes looking at you. Before you could meet his eyes, Calum quickly turned his head away from you and back at the movie. After that, no matter how many times you glanced in his direction, you never caught staring again. You decided not to try again, but the temptation was too powerful. You looked again and saw he was sleeping. Unfortunately for you, Luke was not.

 “Y/N, I know I'm hot, but please stop staring,” he teased.

 “What?” Ashton asked. He was always protective when it came to you maybe having a crush on one of the boys.

“Nothing, Ash. Luke's just full of himself,” you teased back.

Soon enough, all the boys had fallen asleep so you decided it was time to go back home. You didn't love far, but you also didn't want to sleep at the boy's house without invitation.

As you grabbed your keys, a tired voice startled you. “Where’re you goin’?”

“Home, Cal,” you couldn't help but smile at how how words slurred together in a sleepy mess.

“It's pretty late. Are you sure you want to walk down there? You know you could always stay here,” he offered, getting up from the chair and walking towards you. He rubbed at his eyes as if to make him more awake.

“It's okay Calum-"

“You know it's what Ashton would want,” he interrupted you with a point you knew would agree with .

“Well….if you think that's what I should do…”

“It's what- It's whatever you want. You don't need to do it because I said so or anything. I'll even walk you home, just let me grab my coat and keys and-”

You cut him off with a kiss on the cheek. It was nothing special; you did it to the rest of the boys, but you had never done it to Calum. “Thanks for the concern, Cal, but I'll be fine. I'd like to sleep in Ash’s bed. It's payback time!”

It took Calum a few seconds, but he finally found his voice over his flushed cheeks. “Payback? What did he do?”

“Had drunk sex in my bed,” you shrugged your shoulders. You were mostly over it, but you weren't going to pass up an opportunity to get back at him for it.

 Calum openly laughed, something he didn't do often. You smiled at his crinkled eyes and wide smile; you decided you wanted to see more of it. “I'm not going to ask. You know where his room is, right? I'll be right next to your room if you need anything. Don't be afraid to ask, I probably won't be sleeping tonight. You know, songwriting and all. And now I'm rambling again.  It's a tired thing. Well I'm actually going to go now so I can shut up. Sleep well, Y/N.” Calum awkward walked away as you giggled.

  Damn, you didn't realize it could be so nice around him. You realized you really wanted to get to know him better. The thought dominated your mind for the rest of the night until you fell asleep to an unrecognizable song Calum was singing in the room next to you.

 I love the light in your eyes and the dark in your heart

You love our permanent chase and the bite of our bark

We know we're classic together like Egyptian gold

We love us