#and the picture behind is that glass cupboard with all the plates about to fall out if it's opened

[unhelpfulfemme]

CHECKMATE SPOILERS DON'T READ IF YOU HAVEN'T READ CHECKMATE

Hot take: Francis’s insistence on not being able to control himself in Checkmate is a textbook example of intrusive thoughts and shouldn’t be taken at face value the way so many people do. He has OCD tendencies throughout the entire series (perfectionist neat freak, moral OCD as well), and they’re clearly coming to a head as his mental health deteriorates, so he tries to excessively police his own and others’ behaviour to alleviate the anxiety that comes with the intrusive thoughts. The way OCD sufferers do. (And I mean, you know it’s bullshit because if you actually pay attention to the last couple of pages of the book, he checks in with her or waits to be absolutely sure she won’t pull back before reciprocating or escalating every time. He’s very clearly 100% capable of controlling himself.)

I for one love the Sevigny chapters because I just love vicious cycles where people’s mental illnesses feed into each other and this section is an A+ example of that. You have a person with PTSD caused by sexual trauma and zero non-traumatic sexual experiences and then you have her partner, the only person she’s interacting with, repeatedly and obsessively emphasize how she must always be on alert and on her best behaviour because he’s a disgusting uncontrollable monster a hairbreadth away from basically raping her if she makes the wrong move. Of course she will be constantly MASSIVELY TRIGGERED by this and of course at some point her healing would plateau or even regress. She’s constantly tense, her HPA axis is in overdrive, she can’t relax because one wrong move = more sexual trauma. According to the one guy she trusts and connects with. And of course her lack of progress will feed back into his own issues, because if she's scared and repulsed by his desire that confirms that he is Bad and that he must stop desiring her and thinking about her in a sexual way, which intensifies the intrusive thoughts and his attempts to control them.

And the situation is set up the way it is because one of his fears (as stated during their afterparty fight at his place in Paris) is that they won’t be able to let go even if they become bad for each other. So now you have a situation where they are undoubtedly bad for each other and they do, actually, let go of each other and separate because they deem it best for them both. The structure of Checkmate reminds me a bit of a really nasty game of Tetris where the weird shapes are just stacking up and it seems unsalvageable but actually it was all being arranged for one piece to come in and solve 5 rows at once.

[heartfullofleeches]

Liu [Yandere Butcher] tending to an injured Reader. [Commission 1/2]

Word Count: 1.7K

No mentioned Pronouns for Reader, They/She/He used for Liu.

Warnings: Minor Injury

-

Dinnertime in the Bishop household.

As things stand, so far it's been just you and the house's owner residing within these four corners as of recent. Liu has yet to tell you much about their family or their time growing up within the residency. Their questions about your adolescence had no end, yet when inquiries concerning their own upbringing arose the subject would change as swiftly as it was directed towards them. Regardless of how dodgey they were to reveal the finer details of their past, Liu did just about everything they could to make this house as much of a home as it was all those years ago.

Cool water drips from your fingertips as you shut off the bathroom sink, shaking your hands over the bowl to remove some of the excess moisture from your palms. You grab a hand towel from the wall behind you to dry off what's left, returning the cloth to its hook as you face the door - flicking off the light as you exit.

Most nights, you had two options when it came to helping with dinner. Making sure things didn't burn, or setting the table- Your partner’s desire for your assistance perfectly rivaled their fears in relation to allowing you to step foot in their kitchen when it came to cooking. Sure, they knew their way around a stovetop before they could even count, and you likely had a similar range of knowledge considering you had to fend for yourself before meeting them, but in their mind their anxieties were well justified.

The house Liu now owned was quite old. It's been in their family's possession from the day it was constructed, and only began to show its age when they were a child. Liu recalls the day the attic entrance was sealed off for good after their father had nearly fallen through. On top of that, the butcher had the awful habit of purchasing any cutlery their eye fell upon. Liu could vividly picture you welding one of their prized steak knives only to trip over a tear in the floorboards- The idea alone scared them so when it first came to them they refused to let you into the kitchen for several days - even to grab a glass of water.

Bit by bit, your partner gradually worked towards letting you play a bigger role in meal prep. Cooking with others has always been an enriching experience for them- food for the soul, as one might say. For now though, it was plate duty for you till they inevitably came to their senses.

Scaling the hallway leading back to the living room, you climb the two steps separating the carpeted floor of the room from the smooth, wooden files of the kitchen entryway. Liu stands in front of the stove where they had been moments ago when they asked you to wash up. Their head turns in your direction, but their eyes do not fall upon you.

“Mind those cupboards, Sweet.”

“Huh-”

Seconds before your head rams straight into them, the shadows of the cupboard’s swaying doors cast over you. You freeze as it grazes your skin. With how fast you were walking it would have been quite the nasty bump, had she not warned. How Liu had noticed it was open with his back turned- Brushing it off, you quickly join Liu’s side.

“Troublesome, even for myself sometimes. Some won't stay shut, others can withstand the wrath of a hurricane. Been meaning to call someone to take care of a lotta things going on around here, but- you know how things are….”

That much was true. For as long as you've known them, it was easy to see Liu was a person who valued their privacy. The butcher retrieves a pair of oven mitts from the counter as they finally turn to face you.

“Everything's just about ready. Was waiting for you to get back before I turned off the oven. Trusting you to grab the plates while I finish up over here. Third door to your right.”

That's already a step up from previous arrangements. Normally, Liu already had the plates and utensils left on the table for you. A clear sign of changing times.

“On it.” Counting each door on your right as you walk over, you reach for the fourth cabinet in the row - fingers clasping onto the silver knob of its handle. You gingerly pull at the door, anticipating it to give with ease. It does not. Trying again, you grip the handle with both hands - tugging harder. The door parts way by a sliver, snapping back into frame before you could slide your fingers through the gap as the oven door slams shut.

“Having trouble? If you need-”

“Don't worry, I almost got it.” You plant your foot firmly against the wall, leveraging all your weight onto it as you pull. The knob begins to turn as you apply more force- Is it supposed to? Pouring all of your energy into freeing the door, you fail to realize how loose it had become, but not in the way you had intended. Liu quietly takes off their oven mitts, deliberately removing each glove as leisurely as possible as their ears pick up on something. Ever so faintly, the muffled screech of splintering wood grows louder- “Y/n, I really think you should back away from that door-”

The desperation in their voice is all you can hear. “Just a sec, I almost-”

Snap!-

“Y/N!”

The last thing you feel before everything goes dark is the wind leaving your chest as your body collides with the kitchen floor. . . .

“120….121….123…..”

Your head is pounding….

“124…125…126…”

Goosebumps riddle your skin from the icy mass pressed to the back of your skull. A familiar hand holds it in place - gray hair sprawled over your blanketed chest. Toning their ears to the gradual beat of your heart, Liu remains perfectly still - eyes closed. Only sign they were awake was the occasional twitch of their lips as they muttered to themselves, squeezing your hand tighter. You stir against the thick wool of the blanket you're beneath. Liu stiffens.

“129…..Uh….Oh…Sorry about that..” Liu lifts their head from your chest, dabbing their face with their apron as they greet you with a worried smile. They set the ice pack aside on the coffee table, combining their fingers through your damp hair as if searching for something.

“No visible injuries so far….How are you feeling?”

The softened serene of their voice soothes the dull ache pulling you from unconsciousness. “My head hurts….How long was I out for?”

“About two minutes, give or take. Would've carried you down to the hospital had you been out a second longer….Careful..” Liu offers you her arm for support as you sit up on what you now realize to be the couch. Another realization comes to you as you notice the odd, marble coloring of what you had previously assumed to be a normal ice pack.

“Is…that a frozen steak? Maybe I hit my head harder than it feels…”

Liu struggles to keep their concerns forefront as their smile cracks into one of slight amusement. “On the bright side, it's good that you're able to bounce back so quickly. I don't use ice on a regular basis myself and to be frank I was too worried about you to think about what I was grabbing. Moving on to more important matters, could you tell me what you remember happening before the fall?”

“I was grabbing some plates for us, but the door got stuck. I kept pulling and.. I think the door knob came off?…”

Liu nods, clutching the broken knob hidden in their apron pocket. “Correct. Looks like your memory is working just fine too. Luckily I was able to catch you, but for a second there as you fell I just…froze.”

“Hey, Liu?… Question..”

“What is it?”

“I didn't do that, did I?…”

You point over their shoulder, eyes glued to the kitchen. The cabin door had been ripped clean off its hinges, chunks of wood and glass scattered across the floor panels. Surely, you couldn't have done that - not without a single cut on you. Far as you can recall, all that came down with you was the door handle itself. The door appears to have been smashed to pieces than anything else. Liu glances in just about every direction beyond where your finger aims.

“Oh… That? I removed the door from the wall while you were out, but the darn thing was so heavy it just slipped right through my fingers! Can I get you some water? You look like you could use a glass of water. I'll go get you that glass. Don't move a muscle while I'm gone.”

Liu climbs to their feet, grabbing one of the couch pillows as they pull you closer to them. They place the pillow behind your neck, guiding your head against it as they fix the blanket over your shoulders. Liu takes your hand, kissing your palm as they bring it to their face, cupping your fingers around their cheek. Though it is to help you, Liu seems reluctant to leave you - afraid of what might happen if they take their eyes off of you.

“I'm so glad you're okay… I'm not sure what I'd do if your injuries had been worse. It's bad enough you got hurt while I was in the same room….”

“It wasn't your fault…”

Liu kisses your hand again. “Wasn't your fault either. This old house has it out for us both, it seems. Could be it's afraid of new faces after so many years alone. I know I was…but you helped me realize there's nothing to be scared of…Still, it's probably best have someone come over by morning to change out those doors…”

“Sounds like a plan…. May I have that water now, please?”

“Oh! Of course, anything you need and I'll grab it for you right away. I don't want to see you off this couch for the rest of the night…unless you'd prefer me to carry you off to the bedroom.”

[kissykate]

finally + self

Kate stared at the boxes around her feet, dejected as she surveyed the contents. Nothing in them felt like home. They were full of wedding pictures and knick-knacks, all things that Kate wished had gotten lost over the ocean. All things that reminded her of her vapid life in London. All those years boiled down to cardboard boxes she didn’t even pack herself, full of things she didn’t want. 

She didn’t want to be surrounded by trees and fields and cheep, bent over boxes and bloated in her stomach and her face. Kate wanted to be home - she wanted to be with Harry. She wanted to be with the only person who she’d ever felt peace around; the only person she’d ever thought having a baby with wouldn’t be too bad. Kate had spent almost every night thinking about it - what color would their eyes be? Would their nose be tiny and turned up or strong and pointed? Would their lips look like Harry’s and their little feet like Kate’s?

It was wrong to fall asleep to those thoughts as she lay next to her husband. He certainly wasn’t a man she loved like she should, and even more surely that he wasn’t the father of the baby inside of her - not that he even knew it existed. Kate had worked tirelessly to hide her growing body behind baggy clothes and excuses of jet lag, getting quips of, “Getting a bit chubby, aren’t we?” when John finally did decide to notice her. 

“What are you looking for?” his voice broke her out of her trance. Kate stuck her hands into the pocket of her hoodie before turning around to face her husband as she shuffled and stared at his phone.

“Where’s our wedding china?”

“Hm?”

“Wedding china. Plates, crystal? I wanna put it in the bureau.”

“Didn’t pack any of that.” he replied, disinterested and yawning and typing his thumbs away.

“What?” Kate barked, the man finally looking up from his phone. 

“What?” he replied incredulously. “We never used it anyway.”

The woman scoffed and rolled her eyes before stomping away to the kitchen, flinging and slamming cupboards until she found a drinking glass. Kate flicked on the tap before filling the glass and drinking it as she hung over the sink. 

“You’re such a nag, you know that?”

“’n you’re a daft prick.” she bit back, spinning around the stare at him angrily.

“See? Can’t remember the last time you ever said anything nice about me. John, thank you for the car! John, thank you for the house! John, thanks for letting me fuck my best friend’s brother!”

The color drained from Kate face as she stared at her husband. 

“Stupid brat - ‘n you wonder why ‘ve been seeing Sarah.” John rolled his eyes, his bitter words rolling off his tongue like they meant nothing to him.

The glass slipped from Kate’s hands, shattering at her feet before her shaky voice said, “You’ve been shagging Sarah?”

“You’ve been shagging Harry.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Are you that stupid?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“He’s all over our security footage, Kate. Do you think I’m dumb?”

Kate clenched her jaw and gritted her teeth, hands turning into fists at her sides. Her face turned red and her eyes pricked tears before she let out a scream of frustration and anger. “Why the fuck did you bring me here!” she screeched, her own ears ringing before she kicked the glass at her feet and trampled toward the man before striking him across the face and hissing through gritted teeth, “I’m going home, ‘n I’m calling my lawyer.”

[indiee19]

Doesn't Time Fly

Alex Turner x reader

Summary: You and Alex growing up together.

warnings: light swearing, sad in some parts

word count: 4.1k

-Request from Wattpad

a/n: Hope that you enjoy. Also, sorry that this was kind of delayed, I'm currently moving so I'm sorry.

✿✼:*ﾟ:༅｡.｡༅:*･ﾟﾟ･⭑ ✿✼:*ﾟ:༅｡.｡༅:*･ﾟﾟ･⭑

1993

You sat in the very back of the class. You had just moved to High Green, Sheffield and knew no one. Because you didn't know anyone, the seats beside you were empty, everyone else sitting beside their friends.

You thought that you would just sit by yourself for the rest of the day, maybe even the year, but to your surprise, three boys came to sit beside you.

"Hey, aren't you the girl that just moved in to the big white house on the block?" one of them with light brown hair, sitting to your left.

"Yeah," you said, cheering up a little. They all made a shocked face, one of their mouths wide open.

"Oh my gosh, you're so lucky," another one with dark brown hair said. He looked down at your arms that were crossed on the table, seeing your silver bracelet that you had on. "Wow, that's cool, where'd you get it?" he asked, picking up your hand that it was on.

"My nan gave it to me for my birthday," you said, smiling.

"I'm Alex by the way. And this is Matthew J. Helders the third, but we call 'im Matt, and that's Jamie, or you can call him Cookie if you want to," Alex said. You introduced yourself and then the teacher called for everyone to quiet down, your day now being turned around, having made three friends that you lived close to.

From that day on, you four were the best of friends, and hardly ever stayed away from each other, always going to the park, going to each others houses and staying over, making new friends.

It was the start of something amazing.

-

1997

-

You ran through your house to the front door, almost running into your mother on accident. "No running in the house!" your mother yelled.

"Sorry," you called back. "I'll be back in a few minutes! I'm going to Al's house." You quickly closed the door and began walking to Alex's house, excited to see him after he was gone on holiday for two weeks.

You and Alex had grown up in the same neighborhood since you moved and you  became very close with him, along with a few of his friends that lived in the neighborhood: Matt Helders, Jamie Cook, Andy Nicholson, and someone named Nick O'Malley, and the best part was that all of you lived within a two minute walking distance.

Though it was a two minute walking time, you still rushed to get there, eager to Alex and hopefully go hang out with everyone else. You reached his house and walked up the two front steps, knocking on the door.

"Coming," Penny yelled. She opened the door and said hello to you.

"Hi, Mrs. Turner, is Alex home?" you asked.

"Yes, and how many times do I have to tell you, you don't have to call me Mrs. Turner, Penny will do," she laughed, moving aside so that you could come in. "He's in his room."

"Thank you ... Penny," you said, walking upstairs to Alex's room. You knocked on the door, but when no one opened it, you opened it instead, seeing Alex watching a show - Danger Mouse, his favourite.

You walked over to him and tapped on his shoulder, making him jump a little. "You scared me," he said, standing up, giving you a hug. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too, Al," you said, sitting down in the floor, Alex doing the same. "How was your holiday? What all did you do?" you asked, excited to learn about everything he did in Belfast.

"Well, first we visited the Peace Wall, and you know how mum is, so she of course took at least fifteen pictures of me there. Then, we went and saw the Ulster Museum and that was really, really cool. We saw the Botanic gardens and the Belfast Castle which was awesome," he said, just as excited as you.

He told you all about the trip, explaining every detail that he could. He told you all about the castle and the museum and anything else that he could remember. As he was telling about Botanic Gardens, you both heard Penny call yours and his name, asking for you both to come downstairs.

"Okay, we'll be right there, mum," Alex called, standing up, holding his hand out for you. You took his hand and both walked downstairs to the kitchen, seeing Penny placing two plates with sandwiches on them.

"What do you two want to drink?" she asked, going to the cupboard and getting two glasses.

"Water, please," you said.

"I'll have water too, mum," Alex said. She nodded and got you both a glass of water, handing it to you both as you sat down, starting to eat the sandwich. "After this, do you want to go see Matt and Jamie?" Alex asked, his mouth full.

You nodded and started to drink the water as Penny told Alex not to speak with his mouth full and you laughed as you put the glass down.

-

1999

-

You heard your mom call your name from downstairs. "Honey, come on, Alex and them are here," she said.

"Coming," you yelled back, quickly adding the finishing touches of your costume on, rushing downstairs. You saw Alex, Matt, Jamie, and Andy all waiting in the family room, talking to your mom.

You saw them in their costumes, Alex dressed up as Steve from Full House, Matt dressed up as Cory from Boy Meets World, and Andy dressed up as Jesse from Full House. You were dressed up as D.J. from the show, you all deciding on a group costume months ago for your last time trick or treat-ing. Though, Matt didn't seem to want to dress up as someone from Full House, so he went with Boy Meets World.

"Okay, everyone, come together, I want to get a picture of you all," your mom said, taking her camera out, snapping quite a few pictures of you all.

"Mum," you complained, knowing that she would take at least twenty pictures of you all.

"What? Their parents wanted me to take some pictures," she said, taking a few more.

"Yeah, a few, which means four," you replied. Your mother scoffed and stopped taking the pictures, letting you all leave.

"So, which house are we going to first?" Matt asked. Andy was first to come up with an idea, saying that you all should go to the house on the end of the block.

"Race you there," Jamie said, pushing Andy and Matt out of the way so that he could start running towards the house.

"Hey, that's no fair, you got a head start," Matt yelled, him and Andy running after Jamie. You and Alex kept walking, laughing at them. Alex shook his head, laughed and looked down at the ground. "Goofballs," you laughed, continuing to walk, seeing Matt run into Jamie, falling onto the pavement.

You heard a slight whisper of your name and you looked at Alex. "I, uh ... I just wanted to say ... uh, um, t-that ... your, uh-your costume looks really good," Alex stuttered, tripping over his words, pausing very often to try and get the right words to come out of his mouth.

You thanked him and told him the same, an idea coming to your head instantly. "Race you to the house," you said, slightly pushing Alex to get a head start. "Oh, I don't think so," Alex laughed, catching up to you, grabbing you from behind, ultimately beating you, making you all laugh.

-

2002

-

You and Alex were sitting on your bed, both of your heads against the headboard, and you were fiddling with your fingers. "Love, can I ask you something?" Alex said, turning to look at you. You looked at him and nodded. "Have you ever kissed someone?" he asked, refusing to meet your eyes now.

You shook your head. "No, have you?" you asked. He said no and you took his hand. There was a moment of silence before anyone said anything. "C-can I kiss you?" he asked, finally looking you in the eyes finally.

You nodded and you both leaned in to kiss one another, lips moving in sync. It was a soft, elongated kiss, not a full on make out, but a longer kiss than you would have ever expected. You heard your mother call both yours and Alex's name from downstairs. "Alex, Matt and them are here and they're asking for you," she yelled.

You both pulled away and Alex brushed a piece of your hair out of your face. "I've got to go now," he said, standing up, and you did too. You walked down the stairs with Alex and saw Matt, Jamie, and Andy sitting in the family room.

"You ready, Al?" Jamie asked, standing up. Alex nodded and everyone else stood up, ready to leave. "Bye, love," Alex said, hugging you before leaving, everyone else saying goodbye. You said your goodbyes and went back upstairs to your room, reaching into your bedside drawer for your journal and a pen. You opened it and began to write about what had just happened.

'I had my first kiss today. It was with Alex, up until now I never realized how cute he was. But, unfortunately, he had to leave. I assume that he was going to practice with the boys, apparently they've decided on a name - Arctic Monkeys. It's a silly name, I'll admit that, but what else would I have expected from Alex?'

Your mother called you down for dinner, and you put your journal and pen away and went downstairs.

-

2002 *two months later*

-

You sat in the back of the class, waiting for Alex and Matt to get here. You had some really important news to tell them - especially Alex - and wanted them to be the first ones to know, you had waited to tell your mom, that's how much you wanted them to know first.

You watched the door like a hawk, hoping that whenever it opened it would be them. Ten minutes passed and it was almost time for class to start, you knew that they were at school, having walked with them. Then, finally, one minute before class was going to start, they walked in, walking to the back to sit beside you.

"Hey, where the hell have you guys been? I've been waiting in here forever," you asked, class now starting.

"We were discussing a few things for our band, apparently Glen quit so now we don't have a lead singer," Matt whispered. The teacher asked everyone to get out their books and you three did so, continuing to have your conversation.

"Alex could be your lead singer," you replied, lowering your voice so that only you, Matt, and Alex could hear it. Alex gave you a surprised expression, his mouth agape. "What?" he asked, "I can't sing."

You shook your head, looking down at the floor. "Then you have clearly never heard yourself sing in the shower while you're at my house then," you answered, eliciting a quiet laugh from Matt, making Alex glare at the both of you. You kept on trying to persuade him, Matt helping you out and, finally, after a few minutes of trying to convince him, he said that he'd do it.

"Oh, and I have something to tell you both," you said, excited to tell them, to see their reaction. "Okay, what is it?" Alex asked, excited to find out as well. You breathed in deeply before telling them.

"Well, yesterday, after school someone asked me out," you said, the both of them now intrigued. They both looked at you and asked you who it was, you quickly told them and they were shocked.  "Well, what did you say?" Matt asked, curious.

"I said yes," you answered. Alex looked up at you, not expecting you to ever have interest in the guy that asked you out. "What the fuck, love," Alex said loudly, everyone in the class looking back at him.  "Mr. Turner, for that, it will be detention," the teacher said. You glanced over at Matt then at Alex. You didn't think that he would get so mad over you dating, I mean, he's dated someone before, so why couldn't you date someone as well?

You and Alex didn't talk to each other for the rest of the school day, it was only when you all started walking home that you said something to each other. "So, did Alex tell you that he's now going to be the lead singer?" you asked Jamie and Andy, Alex looking up at you.

"What, really, Al?" Jamie asked, happy, him and Andy smiling like crazy. "Uh, y-yeah, I am," Alex answered, never once taking his eyes off you. "That's fucking amazing," Jamie laughed.

You slightly smiled at Alex, and he returned it. As you all walked to each others houses, you ran into a kid named Nick that you went to school with and that you all lived close to one another and you all said hi to him.

You reached Jamie's house first, then Andy's, then Matt's, then Alex's and finally yours. You went inside and went upstairs to your room, sitting on your bed, getting out your journal, writing about today.

-

2003

-

When you heard the doorbell ring, you immediately jumped up from you seat, rushing to the door and opening it, greeted by Alex's big eyes and his adorable smile, guitar in hand and a notebook in the other. You stepped aside and let him in, taking off his jacket and putting down his things in the family room as you shut the door.  "Hey, love. I've missed you," he said, hugging you. "I've missed you too, Al," you said, pulling away from the hug. "So, what did you want to show me?"

He sat down on the sofa, you sitting down beside him. "Well, me and the guys have been working this song for a few months now and I wanted to show you it before we play it tonight," he said, getting his guitar and the pick out of the case. "Okay then, sing away, Al," you laughed, excited to hear the song, knew that he put so much time and effort into his music and couldn't wait to hear it, hear his angelic voice.

"Uh, j-just keep in mind that the lyrics could possibly change by next month or so. So, yeah," he said, getting ready to strum his guitar.

'There's always somebody taller with more of a wit. And he's equipped to enthrall her and the friends think he's fit, and you just can't measure up, no, you don't have a prayer. Wishing that you made the most of her when she was there.

They've got engaged, no intention of a wedding. He pinched your bird and he probably kicked your head in. Bigger boys and stolen sweetheart. You're better off with out her anyway. You said you wasn't sad to see her go. Oh, no.'

You watched as he strung the cords on his guitar, watched as he played the little riff after finishing the second chorus.

'Have you heard what she's been doing, never did it for me. Picks her up at the school gate at twenty past three. She's been with all the boys, but never went very far. And she wagged english and science, just to go in his car.

They've got engaged, no intention of a wedding. He pinched me bird and he probably kicked my head in. No, now the girls a bone, but I'm sure they'll carry it on in similar ways.

Bigger boys and stolen sweethearts. Oh, I'm better off without her anyway. I said I wasn't sad to see her go, yeah, but I'm only pretending, you know. Yeah, I'm only pretending, you know. Yeah, I'm only pretending, you know. Oh, I'm only pretending, you know.'

He slowly stopped strumming, looking back up at you, an expression of worry, wondered if you liked the song or not. He hesitantly asked you what you thought about it, holding in his breath.

"Alex, I-I ... I love it, it's amazing!" you exclaimed, hugging him tightly. He let out his breath and hugged you back.

Though, as much as you liked the song, you knew that there was a reason for it, he always makes his songs have some sort of meaning, and you wondered what it was about. You pulled away from the hug and asked him, curious after you had the thought.

He breathed in deeply, exhaling before he started to speak. "Well, its about t-this girl ... that I like ... a-and before I 'ad the chance to ask her out, she told me that she was asked out by someone bigger than me and she said yes. A-and I feel as if they're going to get engaged with no wedding - a-and they've even talked about it too actually. Ever since then, Matt and them asked me if I was sad to see her with someone else, and every time I say that I'm fine, but the truth is that I'm probably not. Well, I know I'm not," he explained.

You were now more curious. Who was the girl? Did he like someone and not tell you? I mean, he told you everything let alone told the guys about who he liked. "Who's the girl?" you asked, propping your arm on your knees, holding up your head.

He didn't respond, just looked down at the floor. "Come on, do I know her?" you questioned, desperate to find out who it was.

"Well, yeah, k-kinda," he said nervously. He opened his mouth, about to say something, but the ringing of his phone stopped him from doing so. It was Matt. Alex answered and they chatted for a bit, hanging up after about seven minutes. "Alright, I'll see you in, like, ten minutes, maybe?" Alex said, putting his guitar back in the case and picking it up, grabbing his coat,

He walked to the front door and so did you, saying your goodbyes to one another. "Oh, and you're still going to the show tonight, right?" Alex questioned.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world, Al," you said, quickly adding that you'd be bringing your boyfriend, who you just now realized was much bigger than Alex and that you two had talked about marrying with no wedding. But that could just be a coincidence, right?

-

2005

-

You heard the door to the bathroom open, quickly wiping your tearstained face, still crying softly. "Love, are you in here?" they asked - it was Alex - and he now knew.  You stayed silent. Maybe he would just walk out, leave like everything was fine, even though it wasn't. He said your name now, wanting to know where you'd run off to, worried about you and what had happened.

You tried to conceal your cries, but a faint whimper left your lips and he heard, walking over to the stall that you were in. He opened the door, seeing you look up at him - nose red, face tearstained, makeup smudged because of the immense amount of crying you had done in only the matter of five minutes.

"Oh, love, what happened?" he said calmly, kneeling down beside you, hugging you and holding you tightly. You wrapped your arms around him tightly, crying into his shoulder, his shirt becoming damp from your tears. "Shh, shh, it's okay, it's okay," he said, comforting you as best he could, rubbing your back, trying to soothe you and calm you down. You wanted to speak, wanted to tell him what happened, but every time you tried, the tears would start to come again, making it nearly impossible for you to speak.

It must have been twenty minutes before you were able to speak and be understandable and you lifted your head from Alex's shoulder. "Do you want to tell me what happened now, love?" he asked; you nodded, wiping your face.

"Uh, umm, w-well, I went to go get me and him some drinks and when I was finally able to get them and get back, he wasn't where he last was, so I looked around for him, and when I did finally find him, I saw him w-with another bitch all over each other. A-and I walked over to him to ask what the hell was going on and instead of him answering me, that bitch did and said that they'd been fucking ever since we started dating," you explained, talking about your boyfriend -well, ex-boyfriend now - tears welling up in your eyes. You closed your eyes, a few tears trailing down your face.

"Oh, love, I'm so, so sorry," Alex said, wiping your tears with the pad of his thumb. "Well, he's a fucking dumb cunt if he cheated on you," he smiled, trying to cheer you up.

"I know, but I really liked him," you replied, hugging him again, but this time tighter. "Can you take me home, please, Al?"

He nodded and you both exited the stall and bathroom, walking past the guys and telling what happened and where you were going. They all frowned and asked if you were okay, to which you replied with a "Yes, I am."

On your way out, he came up to you and tried apologizing, but you wouldn't listen and Alex wouldn't let you stay near him for more than five seconds at a time. Your now ex-boyfriend begged you to listen to him, and to Alex's dismay, you turned around to talk to him. "Babe, I'm so sorry, I don't know what the bloody hell I was thinking. Please, forgive me," he apologized. You looked over at Alex and he shook his head no.

"I-I ... no, I'm sorry," you said, turning back to Alex, walking out of the club, walking to Alex's, and his mums, car, getting in and starting to drive home. You stared out the window the entire time and either one of you hardly spoke, what had just happened enough for the both of you.

He was the first one to speak, breaking the silence that had plagued the car for ten minutes. "Love, can I tell you something?" he asked, pulling up to the curb beside your house. You nodded and he quickly spoke. "Y-you know the song I showed you about two years ago, Bigger Boys And Stolen Sweethearts?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?" you replied, sitting up in the passenger seat. "Did you ever figure out who I wrote it about?" he asked you.

You shook your head no and asked who it was about. He just looked at you then at the floorboard. You were confused for a moment, then it hit you. You ex was much, much bigger than Alex, you and him always talked about getting married with no wedding, he always picked you up at twenty past three, and you did miss english and science to go in his car.

"It's ... about ... me?" you said in disbelief. He nodded. "Yeah, to be honest, I've always 'ad a crush on you, and the day I was going to ask you out, he did and that's why I got all mad when you told me," he explained. You blushed and slowly leaned in to kiss him.

"I like you too, Al," you smiled, kissing him softly, taking him by surprise. He kissed you back and cupped your face in his hands, yours going around his neck. He pulled away and rested his forehead against yours, looking into your eyes. He nudged your nose with his, eliciting a laugh from you. "You're so pretty," he said. "Be my girlfriend?"

"Yes," you said. He smiled and pulled away whispering a 'yesss' to himself. You laughed and decided it was time to go inside, tired. You said your goodbyes and you walked in, going to your room.

-

2006

-

"I love you," Alex said, kissing your temple.

"I love you too, Al. I'm just going to miss you," you responded, kissing his lips this time. He had to leave, his band now taking off and gaining the popularity that they deserve and worked so hard for. You didn't want him to go, but he had to.

If you didn't have uni then you would've gone with him. You saw Matt and he waved Alex over, the band yelling 'goodbye' to you. "Goodbye, love, I'll call you as soon as we land," he said.

"You better," you joked, kissing him. "Don't forget about me, Turner."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he said before walking away, waving you bye. You slowly turned around and walked outside to your car, soon receiving a text from Alex.

-

"I love you."

[echo-hiraeth]

Chapter 7: El Hombre con el Corazón Ardiente

Part of the “Illicit Limerence” series

Pairing: Javier Peña x F!Reader

Summary: After finally standing up for herself, Javier takes it upon himself to treat her to a lovely evening together. Yet the mere idea of what happened and what might still happen won’t let go of him.

Warnings: swearing, angst, suggestive sexual content, nudity, arguing, mentions of abusive household 

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“How’s that?”

You let out a moan, the mixture of his hot hands and the aroma of the water just plain entrancing.

He lowers his hand to that particularly sore spot on your lower back, rubbing it just the right way. “Words, hermosa..”

“Mhmm, ‘sgood, very good.. don’t stop”, you mutter groggily, eyes threatening to shut any second.

His breath fans against your ear as he huffs out a chuckle, lips pressing to the tender skin there. “Don’t fall asleep, we’re just getting started.”

As his hands move around to your front, softly grazing the underside of your stinging breasts, you flinch a bit. “Ten cuidado”, you whisper, lips moving against his cheek. (Be careful.)

“¿Confías en mí?”, he questions, thumbs rubbing over your hardening peaks. (Do you trust me?)

“Mhmm, depends..”, you teased, smirking up at him.

He frowned at you, trying his hardest not to smirk right back. “On what?”

“I trust you with my life in the field.. but at home.. seeing how you nearly burnt down the apartment like half an hour ago.. I’m not so sure..”

He grabbed a hold your chin, forcing you to look straight up at him. “Don’t get too mouthy now, hermosa.”

You leaned back a bit more, lips brushing past his. “I’ll do with this mouth as I please.”

He bit his bottom lips, hand sliding down to your throat. “As much as I want to take you up on that.. you need to heal up a bit more first.”

“I know, I just enjoy gaging reactions”, you purred, taking his hand off your throat.

“Never took you as the brat kind of girl.”

You pressed your lips to his for a short, sweet kiss. “You’ll find I’m full of surprises, agente Peña.”

Having keened his interest, you peeled his arms off of you, grabbing onto the rim of the tub as you went to stand. “W-where are you going?”

“Water’s getting cold”, you sighed, wrapping a towel around yourself. “And I would’ve fallen asleep.”

He got out of the bathtub as well, reaching for the other towel on the rack. “Your back feel any better?”

“Loads”, you walked up behind him, resting your chin on his bare shoulder as you captured his gaze in the foggy mirror. “Thank you.”

“You did good today.. I know it wasn’t easy but you’re doing the right thing”, he softly spoke, drying his torso.

“I’m sure others would disagree”, you sighed, slipping on the silky chemise that you’d laid out for the night. “I-I’m just really scared of having to go to court about it.”

He adjusted the fallen strap on your left shoulder, dragging his fingers to your cheek, holding them there. “We have hard evidence and maybe even witnesses. Whatever happens, I’ll be right here with you, corazón, every step of the way.”

“Ah fuck”, you muttered under your breath, tugging at the hem of your chemise.

“Feeling sick? Cramp? What’s wrong?”, Javier hovered over you, immediately turning around.

“Oh no, no, I’m okay, just.. this doesn’t fit”, you chuckled.

He looked at the way the fabric didn’t stretch over your hips, smugly smiling. “It’s all those hot meals Lopez gave you.”

“Or it’s the fact that you knocked me up”, you retorted, playfully smacking his behind.

“Take my shirts until you can buy some new stuff”, he suggested, ruffling a smaller towel through his damp hair.

You pecked his shoulder, walking out of the bathroom to pull a t-shirt out of his bag. As you turned you caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror. Oh wow, yeah, your breasts did look a bit fuller and your lower belly had somewhat of a curve to it. You turned a bit, watching yourself from the side and hesitantly put a hand on your swollen abdomen. It wasn’t necessarily a noticeable bump yet, but it was there.

“You look beautiful”, his voice sounded.

You whipped your head in his direction, his figure looking impossibly broad leaning against the doorway like that. “You’re just saying that because of these”, you taunted, gesturing towards your chest.

“I’m saying it because it’s true.” He walked over to you, grabbing the shirt from your hands and slipping it over your head. “But if you don’t cover those up I won’t be able to control myself.”

He gave a flustered chuckle when you pushed the fabric up against your nose. “Smells like you..”

“Fucking weirdo. Let’s go make some food.”

 Javier had improvised a dinner with whatever he could find in your cupboards and fridge. He managed to cook up some homemade garlic bread while you sliced and diced some vegetables for the main course, promising a great start to the evening.

When you’d practically inhaled half a piece, he grabbed a hold of your wrist. “Slow down, you’re gonna choke.”

You took another bite, closing your eyes as you fucking savoured it. “You’re making this every day now.”

“I almost burned the apartment down, again”, he reminded you.

You laughed, giving him the opportunity to take the half-eaten piece of bread from your hand. He shoved it into his own mouth, winking at you. You gave him an offended look, crossing your arms as you stared into his eyes. “That was a hate crime.”

“C’mon, you were gonna be full before dessert, I did you a favour here”, he taunted, wiping some left-over butter off your chin.

You smiled at him, cuddling into his chest: “Shut up. Now hands off, I need to check on the chicken.”

He laid back in the couch, watching as you made your way over to the kitchen, the fabric of his shirt swaying in rhythm with your strides. “Need any help?”

“Nope! Do you want a beer?”, you called.

Javier could get used to this. He never really imagined himself a family man, but spending the evening just in your company? That didn’t seem so unlikely anymore. The way he’d catch you looking at him, eyes shimmering with unspoken words of affirmation and adoration, he could tell you were happy. He couldn’t grasp it though, the fact that somebody as sweet and pure as you would ever settle for a mess like him. Maybe he was somewhat of a project to you, or maybe, just maybe you loved him as much as you’d claimed earlier that day. His heart raced just from looking at you. The way you were stood in that mirror earlier, cupping the slight swell of your belly, it had triggered something within his deeper conscience. He’d never admit it though – well, maybe one day, but tonight, tonight was good enough the way it was. Just the two of you in that damn apartment, getting to know one another. As much as he was enjoying the moment, he couldn’t help but feel somewhat conflicted about what had been revealed to him back at the office. The recounting of your childhood conflicts and traumas not leaving his mind, even as he watched you twirl around the kitchen, teeth-baring grin plastered on that precious face of yours. How in the hell did you do it, how in the hell were you this strong. He’d been wanting to talk about it all night, wanting to know everything, but he’d decided that you could use a break, even if it was just for one night.

“Hola Peña, ayudarme!” (Hey, help me)

He immediately got up from the couch, joining you at the stove. “Did you say something?”

“Yeah, just get me two plates and like a spatula”, you instructed, turning the knobs on the furnace.

He passed you the utensil, two plates balancing on his other arm. “So we uh, we’re like a thing now, right?”

You found the time to look at him and raise an eyebrow. “Are you joking?”

“Thought I’d confirm before like.. grabbing your ass at work or something.”

“Grabbing my- take these damn plates to the couch before I beat your ass”, you giggled.

He did as you asked, smirking to himself, thinking of the perfect comeback. “Gotta tell Lopez and Suarez somehow.”

“I swear if you bring it up one more time I will not have sex with you for a week.”

 The rest of the night was spend on the couch with a tub of vanilla ice cream to be shared between the both of you. You’d eventually just gone to watching tv, too tired and sore to do literally anything else. Javier didn’t complain though, God knows he was exhausted as well. It was no surprise really when he fell asleep with your head in his lap, fingers suddenly stilled in your hair. You’d noticed he was out before dozing off yourself, mouth slightly agape, drooling a bit. The two of you had been there for about an hour, completely knocked out when Javier suddenly jolted awake, startling you.

“Shit, sorry”, he gasped.

You sat up, placing a hand on his heaving chest. “What’s the matter, Javi?”

“Just a stupid dream, but I’m fine”, he mumbled, rubbing his eyes.

“Sit tight baby, I’ll get you some water.”

He closed his eyes, tipping his head back as he focused on getting his heartrate down. This hadn’t happened in a while, well he hadn’t slept that much anyway, so go figure. When he had nightmares they were never about himself but about others and this time it was about you. He didn’t know what your dad looked like, not even in the slightest, but the picture he created in his head was enough to make his blood boil.

“Here, drink up.”

He eagerly took the glass from your hands, downing it in just a few gulps, his breathing somewhat slower. As you got up to refill it for him, he tugged you back over to him. “Please just.. sit with me..”

You put the glass on the coffee table, taking a seat on his lap, a leg on either side of him. Balling up the shirt’s fabric in your hand, you gently swiped it across his sweaty forehead. “Wanna talk about it?”, you cooed, brushing some stray locks behind his ear.

“Just give me a minute, then we can go to bed”, he slurred, resting his head against your sternum.

The two of you sat there for half a dozen minutes, just wrapped up in each other. It was silences like these you cherished. The only sound his breathing which got calmer by the minute until eventually he was perfectly fine again, pressing a kiss to your neck before looking up at you. You let out a squeak as he cupped your bottom, standing up with you wrapped around him. He carried you into the bathroom, setting you down on the counter there.

“I’m gonna get some more water, you get ready, okay?”

By the time he was ready for bed, you were already sat on the mattress, writing down a grocery list as he emerged. “M’gonna head out to the market tomorrow, need some stuff”, you declared, pen wedged between your teeth.

“Just wake me up, I’ll come with.”

“I was actually hoping to go and meet Connie as well and help her out with Olivia.”

He took his shirt off before sliding under the covers. “I’ll take Steve out then”, he added, rubbing a hand over your thigh. “C’mere querida, I’m not done with you yet.”

 When you fell asleep exactly, you had no idea, but it took a loooong time. Longer than usual, especially considering the other half of the bed was constantly moving. Whether it was tossing from his left to his right or accidentally sucker-punching you in his flailing, you couldn’t pinpoint. You’d nonetheless made your way out of the arena, taking you pillow to the couch. It wasn’t as comfy as your bed, but the risk of a broken nose was significantly smaller.

You woke up to a pair of lips pressed to your head, a hand on your shoulder. “Did I say something bad?”, he joked.

You nuzzled deeper into your pillow, not wanting to open your eyes, painfully fatigued. “Fuck you.”

“That bad huh?”, he continued, kneeling down in front of you.

“Nearly kicked me out of the bed”, you mumbled groggily, opening one eye to look at him.

He pecked your forehead again, rubbing a hand through your hair. “Tell you what, you go back to bed and I’ll run down to the bakery for some breakfast.”

“I’m gonna be like.. really really hungry though.”

“I’ll get you the good stuff, now get back in bed.”

You kissed his lips as you sat up, swatting his bum in passing. The bed had never felt so fucking snug before, as you flopped down. Falling back asleep almost as soon as you hit the pillow. You’d get your revenge later, but for now, you’d linger in the warmth of his pillow.

As Javier headed down to the shop, he took the scenic route, aka going to the office. He was a nervous wreck knowing your case could’ve been reviewed already. He just needed to know, he couldn’t get it out of his head at this point. He was surprised to find Steve there, giving him a knowing look before joining him at the desk.

“And?”

“They approved, should get a response somewhere next week.”

Javier let out a sigh of relief, leaning back on the desk. “Thank fucking Christ.”

“Think she’ll be okay?”, his partner asked, genuine concern in his tone.

“She’s fine, if it was up to me he would’ve been rotting in there already.”

“It’s not that easy okay, she still had ties with her sisters… she just didn’t want to lose it all over-“

“Over her own fucking safety?”, he scolded. “I mean shit, probably would have never even told me if she didn’t get her ass handed to her.”

Steve shuffled on his feet, motioning for his partner to calm down. “It’s not something she talks about. Don’t take it personally, I knew her for years and also found out that way.”

“Don’t take it pers– that’s the mother of my fucking child, man! Can’t get much more personal than that!”

“You wanna play daddy now huh, take care of your girl? Don’t fucking forget who made her run home in the first place Peña.”, Steve snarled, poking his friend in the chest.

He grabbed two fistfuls of Murphy’s jacket, face dangerously close to his, eyes glaring into his. “You know jack shit.”

“You gonna get sick of this one too? Find another altar to leave her at?”

“I was there holding her when she screamed and cried, for hours, I kept myself together for her, still do. And you, you fucking just watched her get destroyed and ripped apart and didn’t do shit! Don’t even try to talk down to me man, check yourself!” He was shaking with rage, chest heaving in between strings of broken screams and curses. “I burn for her.”

Deciding to be the bigger person, he turned around, heading out of the office. He wasn’t perfect, hell, far from it, but he wasn’t about to let that fucker get to him. He was bigger, better than this. So he did what he knew best, going for a drive. As he pulled up to the sandwich shop, like he’d promised the anger has somewhat left his body, the only remnant the protruding vein on his neck and the furrow of his brows.

When he walked back into the apartment he was met with a welcoming silence. He left his shoes and keys at the door, just the way you liked it and headed straight for the bedroom. You were cuddled up in the sheets, lips perked up in an adorable pout.

I burn for her.

Even peacefully asleep you set his heart aflame, unleashed the passions he’d hidden away years ago. You brought out the things he kept tucked away, for fear of what might happen if they were ever to be unleashed again. Something about the way you touched him, the way you talked to him, the way you just treated him in general made him feel safe and rooted. It made him feel like a person, the monstrous persona he’d become chipping away with every brush of your lips. You were it for him, all he ever needed and all he’d ever want, you were his everything. Maybe one day he could tell you, maybe one day he could find the right words to say to you, he sure as hell wanted to.

It was a bit past noon at this point, the sun starting to shine through the curtains. The beams cast the room in a yellowy hue, the sheets looking incredibly inviting and soft in this light. He set down the bag on the other side of the bed, slowly sitting down, putting a hand on your shoulder.

You blinked a few times, squinting as you adjusted to the brightness within the room. “What time is it?”

The two of you sat in bed, eating sandwiches and just enjoying the slow day. He’d told you he went to the office and ran into Murphy, he discretely let out the part where he almost choked him out, instead said something about Connie and him being unavailable today. You insisted you could handle yourself for some groceries, but Javier’s big stubborn brain had reasoned again anything of the sorts. So not too soon after the two of you found yourselves in the centre of Bogotá, the market to be precise.

He admired the way you talked to the locals and the way they seemed to know you, smiling and offering you kind words as you passed by them. Despite being the one to insist he come along, he found himself bored within minutes, straying from your side a bit when he thought you took too long deciding between fucking soap or towels. Javier had always been a simple man, not one to stop and enjoy the finer things, but with you here, he didn’t mind it all that much. Somewhere along the way you’d pointed out a small café, wanting to grab a quick drink before finishing up on your shopping. He’d of course agreed, Javier Peña wasn’t one to turn down a fresh, cold beer.

“¿Es mi niña?”, an elderly woman called out to you.

You got up and enveloped the lady in a heartfelt embrace. As she kissed your face all over, Javier just quirked a brow, perplexed at the sight.

“Dios mío, ¿ese es él tipo?“, the woman cooed, “Muy guapo.” (My goodness, is that him? Very handsome.)

You blushed a bit at her words, before slowly nodding. “Rosita, este es mi novio.“ (This is my boyfriend.)

“Perdón, ¿me estoy perdiendo algo?”, Javier intervened, not sure what to make of the situation. (Sorry, but am I missing something?)

Rosita walked off after you asked her for something, giving you the opportunity to turn back to Javier. “I met her before I went home. She spotted me in the square and offered me a drink. I told her about what a jerk you were.”

He huffed out an awkward laugh before stowing his aviators in his breast pocket. “De acuerdo, soy un imbécil”, he smirked, sitting down across from you. “Nothing you didn’t know beforehand.” (All right, I’m a jerk.)

“Mhm, but a very persuasive one”, you teased with a teeth-baring smile.

“Persuasive huh?”, he taunted, leaning forward a bit, “You better behave, hermosa, no se burle de mí..” (Don’t tease me.)

He leaned back in his seat as Rosita set two glasses on the table. “Bueno, ¿cómo está el bebé?”, she asked excitedly, sitting between the both of you. (Well, how’s the baby?)

The two of you quickly caught up to speed on the whole baby thing while Javier just sat back and listened. He didn’t get the whole fussing about it, he actually found it rather annoying and off-putting, the way people would obsess over you and your baby. Eventually the conversation turned back around and Rosita was decidedly interrogating Javier on his behaviour towards you.

“Bueno, ¿y tú la estás tratando bien?” Her tone left no room for arguing or dishonesty, eyes glaring into his own, making him shift in his seat. (Well, are you treating her right?)

“Hago lo mejor que puedo, señora.. pero es del tipo testarudo”, he answered, winking at you. (I try my best ma’am.. but she’s rather stubborn.)

The old woman laughed, putting a hand over his: “Eso es lo que me gusta escuchar.” (That’s what I like to hear.)

 After about another half hour of the chitchatting you finally returned to the market, to Javier’s relief. He adored the old woman, but small talk and “high tea” wasn’t really his strong suit. He preferred drinking with the guys, free of puny conversation topics such as stretchmarks and morning sickness. You seemed to be enjoying yourself however, hence why he stayed seated, rather than finishing up your shopping himself. The two of you were casually walking through the stands, a feet or two apart, not wanting to raise too much suspicion in case any sicarios should see the two of you together. No matter where, Javier was always on his toes, having been familiar with the cartel’s practices for quite some time now. So when you’d go buy vegetables at one stand, he’d go admire the spices at the next one over, occasionally sneaking peaks at you. You were doing exactly that when he found himself in front of a stand with children’s toys and clothes. He rolled his eyes, cursing himself for just not walking ahead as the woman smiled at him.

“¿Puedo ayudarte en algo, cariño?”, she asked nicely.

He looked down at the table, sputtering out something about just looking when his eyes land on the tiniest set of little socks. He can’t help himself and finds the corners of his mouth curling up ever so slightly. They were nothing special, just a pair of plain white socks with some yellow stripes on them, but something about them made him pull out his wallet.

He stuffed them in his back pocket, turning around to see you over at the next vendor already, stocking up on the last of your groceries. Later – he thought – I’ll tell her later.

Taglist: @pedritomando @peterhollandkait @ophelia-ingenue @radiowallet @phoenixhalliwell @diogodxlot @rosiefridayrogersunday @a-court-of-feysand-and-elorcan @asta-lily​ 

[radiorenjun]

Habits

part one, part two

Trigger warning 1!1!1!

When you were about to fetch him a blanket, he finally spoke in that hoarse voice of his. "You're gone." he mumbled, his words slurred as his eyes opened half-lidded. "I needed to stay high, all the time." a tear falling from his eye, trickling down his cheek as he spoke.

"To keep you off my mind."

Trigger warning 1!1!1!

You couldn't sleep that night.

Not with Jeno's words echoing repeatedly in your mind like a hollow cave. The boy fell asleep shortly after he said those words, soft snores coming out of his mouth as you froze on the spot, your mind going wild with a million thoughts. Once you managed to snap out of it, you quickly grabbed a blanket for him and spread it out over his body.

You tried to go back to sleep. You really did. But your mind couldn't help but wander to the boy, who you were still struggling to get over, passed out on the couch. You sighed, he went back to his old habits.

Disappointed but not surprised.

He's going to die if this keeps up, he's still an idiot.

...

But he did it because he missed me.

Does he, though? He could've just gotten high because I wasn't there to order him around anymore.

You winced at the thought. Remembering the argument that you two had two weeks ago when you had caught him doing some drugs behind campus. It was more of a screaming match, to see who would back down and apologize first. But it all ended when he told you to stop treating him like a child and get out of his apartment. Which ended with you breaking it off.

You felt your heart clench at the memory. You couldn't sleep anymore. You sighed, rubbing your face with your hands before you turned to your side to see the digital clock on your nightstand.

'5:21 AM '

You got up, deciding that you would be preparing for the day quite early today. You walked into the living room, seeing Jeno's calming figure sleeping softly on your couch. His hands clutching the blanket wrapped around him, soft snores filling the room.

You came up to him as quietly as you could and slowly pressed your hand against his forehead, checking his temperature. 'Great, he doesn't have a fever from staying out there so late' you thought.

You stared at his soft serene expression, he looks so innocent. Despite the dark bags under his puffy eyes, tear stained cheeks, he reminded you of the days where you two would cuddle under the cloudy blue sky and take those unrealistically aesthetic couple pictures you find on Pinterest.

You felt sweat under your palm, he was sweating hard despite being tightly wrapped up like a burrito. "Geez, Jeno, you're sweating." you pulled the blanket down, revealing his nose and neck beading with sweat. You watched as his brows furrowed before pulling the blanket up to his nose, clutching the fabric and nuzzling against it.

A small smile stretched across your face, remembering the times when he wouldn't let you pull him away from your bed because he said it was quote unquote "smells like heaven. And you're his heaven". Such a cheese ball.

Your eyes wandered to his brown hair. Realising now that he had dyed his hair in the two weeks that you two hadn't been together. Last time you saw him it was still a platinum blonde colour, you didn't know how his hair was still attached to his scalp with that amount of bleaching.

Your hand mindlessly went up to stroke his hair, running your fingers through his questionably soft hair. Softer than silk. you sighed to yourself. You felt him lean into your touch, startling you as he stirred, causing you to retract your arm to your side as his eyes slowly fluttered open.

His pupils went to your figure, sitting beside him, fluttering close a second later. Opening rapidly after a small moment. Jeno sat up in alarm, eyes wide, blanket falling to his lap as he slowly got up. His jaw almost dropped at the sight of you sitting right in front of him.

"Y-Y/N?" He whispered out almost inaudibly, his voice cracking. Looking at you in disbelief, what were you doing here in front of him? Was he imagining things again? Was he dreaming?

You smiled awkwardly, waving slightly at him, "good morning." Your voice sounded hoarse, as if you hadn't spoken in a while. "I-shit" Jeno then cut himself off by letting out a pained groan, clutching his head as his face scrunched up in pain. The effects of last night must've been coming back to him.

"Shit I'm going to throw up," he groaned, a little whine in his tone as he got up and ran to the nearest bathroom. "I'll get you some Advil and water." you called out, rushing to get a glass of water and a bottle of Advil from your cupboard.

You quickly got to the bathroom to see Jeno on his knees in front of the toilet, letting out all the contents of last night. You sighed sympathetically, your heart clenching at the sight as you placed the glass and bottle beside the sink and got down to rub his back soothingly like you would back when you two were dating.

He wiped his mouth, coughing in the progress. You reached for the glass of water, handing it to him along with some Advil which he accepted with a weak "thanks". You smiled and nodded at him. "I'll go make some breakfast. Feel free to take a shower. There's an extra toothbrush in the cupboard and some old clothes in my room." you stood up, awkwardly walking out to the kitchen, leaving Jeno in the bathroom.

By the time Jeno walked into the kitchen, he was dressed in an old oversized shirt and sweats he left (which you often wear to sleep when you miss him during your break up) weeks ago. A towel draped over his shoulders, his wet hair dripping onto it. You almost wanted to cry at how much memories his appearance brought you.

"I made pancakes." you muttered, putting two plates of hot stacked pancakes on the table as he sat on the chair in the dining room. "Thanks, you really didn't have to, y/n." he smiled, sparing you a small shy glance. "You're literally hung over, of course I gotta feed you with something." you said with a teasing tone, trying to lighten up the tension between you two.

As you two began eating, an uncomfortable silence came upon the atmosphere. You two were unsure of what to say, scared of what to say next. Letting the sound of utensils clattering against the plate fill your ears. That is, until Jeno spoke up. "So uh, how did I get here?" he asked quietly.

You froze. "You don't remember?" you deadpanned, eyes boring into his intensely. Jeno shrugged timidly, "I was pretty high and drunk last night, everything's just blurry. This headache isn't helping either." he replied, running a hand through his wet hair.

You bit your lip, his words from last night haunting your mind once again. "Well you tell me," you muttered, shoving pancakes into your mouth to mask the sadness in your tone. Jeno's brows furrowed in confusion, "what?" he said.

"You were so high, you could barely stan and comprehend what you were saying. Why? Why did you push yourself that far?" you manage to choke out, the words getting heavy and stuck in your throat. You wanted to know if he's moved on or if he actually got high to forget bout you.

"Why? I mean," Jeno scratched the back of his neck, hesitant of what to say next. "Fuck," he dropped the utensils before burying his face in his hands in distress. "What, Jeno?" you went on, feeling your heart hurt at the sight of him in front of you.

"Eversince we broke up, I just felt like I was locked in this haze, trying to forget you and move on. But my apartment seems so empty without your stuff randomly lying around, it was quite painful." he started, looking down at his plate as a hand went to tug his hair, the other playing with the fork.

"Eventually it got too much and I couldn't go home without getting reminded of you. Considering you were the one, my anchor who kept me from getting high and sane. Without you, I didn't know what to do without you numbing my pain so I went back to my old habits." you heard a sniffle coming from him, his eyes were slowly getting red as tears lined his vision.

"Spend my money on drugs and alcohol, going to parties, getting drunk every night. It was confusing that they weren't numbing or making the pain like they used to. I started missing you more and more by the second. Last night I went all out with the boys," Jeno sniffled, tears eventually dripping from his eyes.

"I remembered how they tried to get me to stop before I get too far. But honestly, I needed to get high to forget that I was missing you. To forget that I keep falling down when everything I see kept reminding me of you. Basically to get you off my mind," he shook his head with a chuckle, his tears dripping to the table.

He put the fork down and bowed his head down to prevent you from looking at his teary face as he gripped his hair tightly. "I'm sorry, y/n. I'm so so sorry, y/n." he choked out. You got up quickly, ignoring the tears that you didn't even realize we're falling, coming closer to the man you love who was pouring his heart out to you.

You quickly got on your knees and wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him into your embrace and pushing his face to the crook of your neck as he started sobbing. As a reflex, he immediately wrapped his strong muscular arms around your waist, pulling you closer to him.

You couldn't help but cry as well. He hasn't contacted you since that night two weeks ago, which made you assume he stopped loving you. But being in his embrace right now with his shaking self in your arms as you both sobbed into each others shoulders made your heart ache for him even more.

"I forgive you, Jeno. I forgive you." you whispered, pressing soft kisses to his cheek. "I'm sorry, too. I should've talked to you instead of yelling at you like that." you sniffled. "I was honestly thinking bout joining you during these two weeks without you." you admitted with a chuckle.

Jeno's arms tightened around you, as if he let you go, you would disappear to leave him being swallowed up by his emotions. "These past two weeks were a living hell. Please, I'll stop. I'll stop these habits for real, please if you'd just-" you pulled away slightly to press your lips against Jeno's as hard as you could, cutting him off.

Jeno responded to the kiss immediately, pressing his lips onto yours just as hard, if not, harder. You both tasted the tears on each others lips as you ran your hands through Jeno's brown locks as you felt him grip your waist with one hand and cup your face in the other.

From now on you both had each other to make the pain go away without going back to your old habits.

[silvxr-speedster]

This Isn’t You

A/N: Hello friends! I’m so inspired to write and it’s been making me super happy! Thank you so much for all the love you’ve given me for the last few fics! I updated my master list (minus this one and the last one I wrote) so go check that out! 

Prompt: inspired by the prompt list I reblogged. “This isn’t you” and “You’ve hurt me enough already.”

Warning: Swearing, sad, angst 

You ran a hand through your hair as you paced around the living room. It had been over a week since Steve, your boyfriend, had told you he was leaving for a two day mission. Each day, you called Nat or Bucky to ask for an update and each day they told you the same thing.

There wasn’t a mission, Y/N. I promise.

You weren’t sure what you did wrong. You and Steve were always a unit. The two of you worked as a team for the same goal - your future together. You’d been together for over four years and you’d been building your future, slowly but surely. 

The first step was moving in together. After a year together, you had moved into the Avenger’s tower and grew close to each member of the team. You loved living with them, but after a while, the two of you decided to buy a house together. After the house came a car, and a dog, and then even a promise ring.

You and Steve always had open communication and always talked about anything that scared you or made you happy. Lately, however, Steve had been pushing you away. You noticed it slowly. He’d wake up in the middle of the night, sweating and gasping for air. You were used to frequent nightmares, but Steve always brushed it off, rolled over, and held you close to his chest. Slowly, he’d sigh, sit up, and get out of bed. He’d spend a few minutes with the water running in the bathroom and then come back to the bed, but he never cuddled you. Eventually, Steve stopped sleeping in the same bed as you, opting instead to sleep in the guest room with your dog.

Once you noticed the nightmares, you brought it up over a nice dinner you had made and some wine. You innocently asked what his dreams were about. You’d done this frequently throughout the years together and he always felt comfortable to share his fears with you. That night, however, he slammed his wine glass down, shattering it everywhere. You flinched as Steve shook his head. He stood up and walked out the front door to your house. You spent the rest of the night, crying at the dinner table. When Steve returned, hours later, he glanced at you, sighed and quietly apologized. He walked to the guest room and slammed the door shut. Ever since, you had stopped asking Steve questions.

As the weeks turned into months after that night, you noticed Steve avoiding you. In the mornings, you’d walk into the kitchen just for him to walk into the living room and start watching TV. If you tried to join him, he would leave the house altogether. The house was constantly silent and tense.

You checked your phone, again, hoping that Steve would at least text you back. You loved him with more than you knew you had in you. Despite the silence, the pushing away, and the pain he was causing, you still loved him and wanted him to be happy. You’d do anything for him to just smile at you and have his blue eyes crinkle at the corners. You’d sacrifice your left leg if it meant you could hear his deep, throaty laugh and watch as he slapped his knee or patted your arm. 

please, Steve. just tell me you’re okay.

In a brief moment of anger, you threw your phone to the couch. You deserved better than this and you knew it. You deserved love and attention, not to feel more alone than when you weren’t with Steve. Your skin grew hot and your blood boiled under your skin. Without thinking, you opened your cupboard and grabbed a plate. You threw it at the wall and watched it shatter everywhere. 

Your dog whined from the couch as he watched tears fill your eyes and blur your vision. You grabbed another plate and hurled it across the room. The shattering sound echoed around your ears and tricked your sad heart that you felt better. You knew that shattering a plate wouldn’t fill the hole that grew each day, but you could pretend it did. 

Once all of the plates were shattered, you walked to your bedroom. You grabbed Steve’s clothes and started throwing them around the house. You were livid, worried, and grieving. You were grieving the love that you were slowly losing.

“What the fuck,” Steve yelled over the sounds of your sobs.

He walked into your bed room. His eyebrows were scrunched together and you could tell his jaw was clenched. He balled his hands up into fists and looked around the mess you had caused. His clothes were scattered around the room and all of the pictures you had of the two of you were thrown against the wall. You stopped what you were doing, breathing heavily. “Where the fuck have you been?”

Steve glared at you and looked away. He shook his head. “What is going on?”

Without thinking, you grabbed the first thing you could find on the dresser, a picture frame, and threw it as close to Steve as you could. It narrowly missed his head and lodged itself into the wall behind him. “Don’t ignore my fucking question, Steve,” you hissed. Tears were cascading down your cheeks and slipping down your neck. 

“I don’t need to take this,” he growled. He pushed past you and grabbed a suitcase. 

A loud whimper fell out of your lips before you could stop it. “What did I do so wrong to fuck this up? Please at least tell me how I ruined us.”

Steve stopped what he was doing. He gripped the dresser so hard his knuckles turned white. He clenched his jaw and tensed in his shoulders. “You didn’t,” he spoke, evenly and slowly. Each syllable was pronounced perfectly. “I did.”

“Don’t give me that bullshit,” you snapped, angry. You turned and walked out of the room, not sure what your goal was, but you didn’t want to be standing so close to him.

You didn’t make it far before you felt his hand circle around your wrist. Your skin jolted as it was the first time he had touched you in months. He pulled you closer, making you step forward and stumble onto the glass that you had shattered. A yelp fell out of your mouth as you felt the glass shard embed itself into your foot. “Fuck, Steve, let me go,” you cried.

“Y/N, shit, I’m sorry,” he murmured. He stepped closer to you, making you take a step back. You stumbled and fell onto your ass. 

“You’ve hurt me enough, already,” you whimpered, pulling your leg close. Blood was pooling around the massive cut on your foot. Without thinking, you pulled the glass out, causing a sharp pain to flow up your foot and to your brain. More sobs slipped out of you as you started throwing pieces of glass away from you. 

“This isn’t you,” Steve murmured, walking up to you slowly. He ripped a piece of his shirt and tied it around your foot. He kneeled in front of you and sighed. “This isn’t like you,” he whispered once again. 

Before you knew what he was doing, Steve lifted you up and walked you to the bathroom. He sat you on the counter and started looking for the first aid kit. You didn’t say anything while he started gathering the necessary materials to fix you up. He quickly soaked a cotton ball in alcohol and dabbed it on the cut. You cried out and covered your face as the alcohol burned your skin. 

As soon as the burning started, it had dissipated and soon enough, Steve was bandaging the cut on your foot. He looked at you with a wide eyes. You could see the tears forming in his eyes the longer he looked at you. “I’m so sorry I did this to you,” he murmured. He tucked some of your hair behind your ear and looked down at your hands. They were shaking, but he noticed you were still wearing your promise ring. He grabbed your hand and kissed your knuckles.

You couldn’t say anything. Your tongue was lead and your whole body ached to be held by Steve, but you didn’t know if you could easily forgive him. Steve lifted you off of the counter top and walked you to the bedroom. He set you down on the bed and silently began picking up the clothes you had scattered all over the room. “You deserve better than me,” Steve whispered. You almost didn’t hear him and part of you wished you hadn’t.

“I still love you,” you rasped. Your tongue was dry in your throat and your eyes were burning. “But I don’t know if I can forgive you for this.”

Steve nodded as he finished putting the last of the clothes away. He grabbed the picture frame you had lodged into the wall and studied it. “You looked so beautiful on this day. I mean, you look beautiful every day, but you were breathtaking on this day.” You knew what picture he was looking at. It was the day that Tony and Pepper got married. You wore a beautiful dress and Steve looked at you with so much love that day. He had whispered during the reception that he was going to marry you one day - it was the first time he had said so.

You didn’t respond, but watched as Steve began straightening the rest of the room. He moved slowly and with purpose. His face was stoic, but you could see a tear fall down his cheek every once in a while. Once the room was cleaned, Steve sat on the opposite corner of the bed. His hands were in his lap as he fiddled with something in his hand.

“I’ve been an asshole,” he spoke.

“That’s the understatement of the year.”

Steve let out a breathy laugh. It wasn’t his laugh, but it was enough to make your heart flutter. He kept fiddling with the object in his hand and he stopped to look at you. “I promise I still love you. I love you with everything I am.” He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “God, I fucked up, didn’t I?” You didn’t know how to respond so you only nodded. “I owe you an explanation.”

“You’re damn straight,” you snapped. “You owe me so much, Steve.”

“I know, doll,” he muttered. He stopped fidgeting and instead showed you what was in his hands. It was a small, velvet, black box. He opened it and inside sat a sparkling ring. It was breathtaking and it caused you to cry once again. He closed the lid and set it next to him while flinging his legs up on the bed. “I’ve had this for the last year, now. I didn’t know how to even begin to plan to propose. You deserve perfection and I knew I couldn’t give it to you.” He wasn’t looking at you, but you could still see the guilt on his face. “I had a nightmare that you died. I had so many nightmares that you were taken from me and that I would never see you again. It’s not an excuse for what I did or how I acted, but I couldn’t bear to look at you when every night I dreamt that you were dead or that you didn’t love me.”

You wiped away the tears that had started falling freely down your cheeks. It was shocking to hear Steve so scared and so vulnerable. “I should have told you, but I was so scared that if I said it out loud, it would come true.”

“You know I’m always here, Steve,” you whimpered.

“I know, baby. I’m so sorry.”

You looked away from him, unable to hold his eye contact. “Where were you for the last week?”

“I went to Brooklyn,” he spoke, quietly. “I went to my parents’ graves and my old apartment. I just needed to clear my head. I knew I was losing you and I needed to figure out why I was doing what I was doing. I was going to come home tonight and make us dinner. I wanted to explain everything and give you the option to kick me out.”

You chuckled. “I’m still really mad at you, but I miss you.”

“I miss you too, baby.”

“Will you sleep in the bed with me tonight?”

“Are you sure?” His blue eyes were innocent, but hopeful. As much as you wanted to punch him in the jaw, you wanted to be held. You craved his touch and his love. You nodded slowly. “I promise I’ll fix this, baby. I promise I’ll make this up to you,” he rasped as he crawled over to you. 

“You better, Rogers.” You pressed a soft kiss to his lips, tasting the salt from the tears you two had shed. “You better, or I’ll get the Avengers to kick your ass.”

Steve chuckled and wrapped his arms around you. The two of you wiggled under the covers. You smiled into his chest, taking in his scent. Things were far from okay between the two of you, but you were willing to work to get it back to where it was.

[chemicalpink]

Starry Night♡ Jimin x Reader

Pairing: Park Jimin x Reader; shifter!Jimin, familiar!Jimin x witch!reader

Genre: fluff, implied smut, hints of humor and angst

Word Count: 3.4k

Warnings: there is a bit of talk about family issues & implied smut

Summary: Every witch is supposed to have a familiar by her side, except you seem to be the exception to the rule, until a certain calico cat enters your life and not only is he your familiar but he might just be the love of your life

OR

The one where Jimin is a calico cat shifter that would like to enjoy the finest things in life, but that is not how you roll so he finds himself falling for you and your weird ways

A/N: Hello! I’ve been thinking about familiar! Jimin for so long you have no idea, feedback is always appreciated, also, tell me if you would like me to do a Part 2. Hope you like it! The original photo is not mine, credits to owner.

There are a few things about Magic that people just don’t realise, for once, it is real, but also, it is far more complex than any human mind can conceive.

Your first approach to magic could be described as anything other than easy, there always seemed to be something new to learn about it, and every time you thought it couldn’t get any weirder, the universe decided to grant your wishes and throw something far more bizarre than the last.

Now, the existence of familiars wasn’t quite a foreign concept for you, you’ve seen your coven full of animals when those witches assemblies took part every time the moon went full or during the massive festivals that took part on Samhain, truth be told, you couldn’t help but feel a sting of jealousy reach you every time you encountered one of your superiors walk by and try to diminish you for having no familiar at all, a rare occurrence for a full witch that had already ended her training.

Although come to think of it, there were a lot of things that made the witches in your coven point you out, whether it was your lack of familiar, your withholding of using magic at all times or the fact that you much preferred to live a much more human life than theirs; Mrs Grimm, the veteran witch that was in charge of the cosy cafe you worked at, had gladly taken you under her wing, constantly reassuring you that having a familiar is such a complicated matter, you had nothing to worry about. 

You could distinctly remember the one time she lectured you on how hunting for a familiar was pretty much like hunting down your soulmate, except that every time you came close, they would run away, plus, there was no telling whether they would be a cliché black cat or a spider, the only thing sure was that once they were ready, they would find you, not the other way around; you had wanted to ask her at the time if, after all her years on Earth, she had found her familiar, but you feared the answer would be a no, mirroring yourself on her, since no animal seemed to ever be around her. 

 “Yoongs, are you sure you can close the shop by yourself?” you told the boy as you wrapped the scarf tighter around your neck and stepped outside to the cold weather, it wasn’t even winter but somehow the Earth decided to play pretend during summer nights that year.

“Yeah, I’ve done it plenty of times before, Y/N” Yoongi was that handsome dude you would encounter once in a lifetime, working odd hours at the cafe on a night where you had a paper due and were rushing to the nearest cafe to recharge and after crushing on him, you would never see him again, he just had that kind of vibe to him, everyone knew it, which is why Mrs Grimm seemed to keep him in the shop to attract costumers, though he had started working a few months after you, you had never come to know exactly how he came into the picture, one day he was just...there, behind the counter, delivering the most perfect lattes you had ever tasted “Go on then, you don’t want to keep your gram waiting” he flashed you one of his infamous gummy smiles as sarcastic as he could to get you going, which you did.

Okay, perhaps you shouldn’t have lied to Yoongi, or taken advantage that Mrs Grimm, who could tell from a mile radius when you were lying,  wasn’t working the shop just so you could get a night out of the shop, but some days were better than others, the past ones had been the worst ones in a while, but you couldn’t just say that you weren’t feeling up to it, as much as magic was a thing, bills were bills and they needed to be paid somehow. 

Clutching the scarf tighter to your body as the wind picked up, a loud hissing caused you to stop dead in your tracks and turn your gaze towards the left side of the sidewalk, a calico cat catching your attention as it stepped backwards, forced by two other cats that were hissing ferally at him, within a second you found yourself shooing them away once one of them took its paw off the ground and launched towards the three-coloured feline, crouching down and offering your hand out, you tried calling for it, only to notice how uncomfortably he limped towards you.

“It’s getting colder out here, and you’re hurt” you observed while scratching its chin, the cat closing its eyes contentedly “Wanna come home with me?” at that the cat opened its eyes almost comically, but let you cradle it between your arms nonetheless, the soft bumping of your heart along with the warmth from your scarf lulling it to a much-needed sleep.

The first few nights with Jimin, which you soon found out was the cat’s name noticing a small name tag while bandaging his limping paw,  were hard to get accustomed to, finding his eyes shimmering in the darkness as he lay awake near the couch during one of your trips to the kitchen for a glass of water in the middle of the night.

“Try not to get to comfy, yeah?” you used to say, thinking that maybe, since he had a name tag, even without information, and with him being fully recovered,  you could somehow find his owner in no time, cats don’t stray too far from their home right? 

Wrong. For all you knew, perhaps Jimin had walked all the way from another continent, no one in a decent radius had even ever seen a calico cat before. Jimin’s gaze always seemed to mock you when the usual midnight ‘try not get comfy’ phrase left your lips, a routine of some sort.

You see, Jimin had soon found out that you were actually a very, very heavy sleeper–except for your regular trips to the kitchen somewhere between 2 and 3 am, and he planned to use that to his advantage. With all honesty, at first, he thought you were dense, not noticing that he didn’t have an actual owner, not noticing that you were in fact, his witch; he had been prepared to present himself in a fancy way– a very characteristic asset of his– but getting jumped by not one, but two familiars gone rouge, and having to get cared for, yeah, that was most definitely not in his plans. 

A second thought then occurred to him after the second night at your apartment, it wasn’t supposed to be, but then again, the universe had never really been on his side ever since he slept through that Ostara ritual a few years back, what if, and that’s probably only him overthinking, what if you weren’t actually a witch? what if you were just a good samaritan that happened to witness his state of need for care and offered yourself?  You hadn’t even once tried to use magic on his dislocated paw, after all. 

And that’s exactly how he decided to roam around your apartment, at night, while you took those weirdly long baths, while on the phone with someone he couldn’t quite place.

“Come on, come on Y/N, there has to be something, anything” he mumbled to himself while unlocking the door to the only room that was left for him to roam, he couldn’t really tell what exactly he was looking for; at first, he thought you might have had some of the weird ingredients witches kept on their cabinets, but after opening and closing the kitchen cupboards, he gave up; right now, presented by the sight of tons of books scattered everywhere in the stuffy room, he could only hope to find your book of shadows, witches weren’t supposed to stay away from them right? then again, you might not even be a witch yourself.

He also wasn’t sure when exactly he had passed out on the floor next to some old philosophy books, but he sure thanked that he had done so in his cat form as morning came and you took him in your arms hurriedly “Hey, how did you-never mind, we have to get going”

The route wasn’t long, and he could soon tell where he was as his nose was met with perfectly roasted notes of coffee grounds, you had placed him on top of the counter as you went to talk with the old witch that owned the place, he could instantly tell she was one by the pendant hanging off her neck, but what he wasn’t counting on, was to encounter him.

Watching Yoongi serve clients those pretty, heavy coloured pastries while he was dressed in black and directed a small shy smile at them, was probably one of your favourite parts of working at the cafe, today it was no exception; until he came across Jimin and stood beside him, locking eyes for a little too long, and- did Yoongi just hissed at the cat? Surely your mind was playing tricks on you. You had spent a few hours early in the morning just sulking in bed, deciding that bringing Jimin to work was the perfect way to get people to recognise him, if no one claimed to be his owner by the end of the day, you would just let him stay home with you, you had grown fond of the feline after all.

The clock had barely struck eight as you got home, cat in hand and gently placing him on top of the kitchen aisle, ready for the daily routine of feeding you both before binge-watching whatever on Netflix. You turned your back to him as you washed your hands when a loud noise of something falling from the counter resonated in the apartment 

“Ah! Jimin! You scared-” the towel you held between your hands dropped to the floor and was followed by a whole five seconds of screaming as your eyes opened as big as plates as you saw this blond-haired man sitting prettily on your kitchen  counter, legs dangling off the edge, well,  this was definitely not how he pictured it “Who are you and what did you do to Jimin?” 

“Well- if you promise not to scream again, I’ll tell you” followed by silence from you, he felt you were ready for his explanation “I’m Jimin! hi, Y/N!” his eyes grew into crescents as he smiled and brought his hand up to wave at you, and if he thought that you screaming at him shifting was unexpected enough, the thought of you launching forward and throwing hands at him hadn’t even crossed his mind “No wait wait wait stop- ah!” 

“I CHANGED IN FRONT OF YOU!”

“Yeah… such a sight, you know?” it didn’t even take you a whole second to launch yourself again against him, but this time he only laughed it off 

“Wait so- you’re my familiar then?” he cautiously formed a flower cup with his hands and rested it against his chin, smiling at you “What took you so long to shift? I thought you were a normal cat!”

“Yeah well, I could ask the same thing, you didn’t even use magic when you saw me hurt! I thought you were a human!” he pouts and finally jumps off from the counter, deciding to just let his weight rest against it “Yoongi told me- you know, you’re technically witch royalty, Y/N”

“I know” 

“I can’t wait to tell Jungkook! Oh dear, he is going to lose it!” his over-joyful tone of voice really contrasted the inner thoughts going on inside your head at the time, it was no secret you were one of the most powerful young witches of the era, but that just wasn’t you.

“Jimin, no” your voice was so quiet, it was surprising that Jimin had caught it from the way he was currently pacing around, a smile plastered on his face as he went on and on about his plans now that he knew who his master was, but he was your familiar after all, there was this fate-driven understanding between the two, it only took his a couple seconds to understand that your magic was not something you were comfortable with.

“Oh, that’s okay then” he smiled at you, every drop of energy drowned from him and you couldn’t help but feel guilty. You could only picture how much it would mean for a familiar to get to know they were paired with a high ranking witch, only to have it taken away from them by the witch herself, being completely honest, now that he had walked into your life, you couldn’t help but feel like you were dragging him down to a non-magic world like you were stripping him away from everything he was.

But Jimin was the sweetest anyone could be, whether he was in human or cat form, he never left your side from that day on, Jimin had soon found out that there were bad days for you, days where he was grateful you had let him in, not just your life, but yourself as well, he had tried to assure you, he had just been thrilled to learn he was your familiar, that it didn’t matter to him whether you prefer to stay in the human world or in the magic realm, he was just glad to be by your side.

On the better days, he actually liked to tease you enough for you to begin training magic again, up until you had gradually become more powerful than before. A few weeks in, you both fell in a comfortable synergy where you began enjoying magic like you used to when you were younger and Jimin had learnt to stay away from magic, as much as shifting even less than before; even though if you had, for any reason, denied him cuddles while on his human form, he learnt you wouldn’t deny him if he looked up at you with teary eyes in his cat form.

Somewhere of a few months into him being practically a roommate, Jimin started working at the café, taking over baking duty, bickering non-stop with Yoongi when they were both needed to serve costumers. 

It was a usual Saturday in the afternoon where Jimin secluded himself a few minutes before closing time to get things ready for Sunday baking, just the two of you in the shop without much to do, his phone started buzzing non-stop with incoming messages, you walked to where it was, and you truly did knew better than to take a peek at it but curiosity got the best of you as the first message you saw was a 

“Hey, how’s the plan on getting to the Royal House going?”

If you didn’t knew any better, you would have sworn your sould had just left your body as you reminded yourself of all the times Jimin had helped you with your magic, how he had managed to convince you that he had no ill intentions behind all those hours you both had spent coming up with new spells, he had you fooled saying that he had adapted to a much more human life.

“Y/N?” Jimin walked out from the  baking room, noticing how tightly you help onto his phone “Y/N what are you-”

“So it was all part of some wicked plan, huh?” you rose your gaze to fix it on his, anger clearly seeping from your eyes, he wasn’t sure how, but he instantly knew he had fucked up “All of- ALL OF THIS WAS JUST FOR YOU TO GET YOUR ASS TO THE ROYAL HOUSE? HUH?” 

He couldn’t even get to you on time as he stood frozen facing the glass door through which you had just walked out, as he reached for his phone that was left by you on the counter, everything made sense, he had once told Jungkook about it, overly excited by learning he was your familiar, but things really did change, he didn’t even remember the text, it wasn’t his fault that guy literally took months to answer!

You crouched down on your sidewalk as a black cat meowed by, disappearing from your line of view, followed by a presence on your side “Jimin is a good kid, you know?” Yoongi said in a hushed tone “And he really, truly cares about you”

“Yeah, that’s apparently not true” you scoffed “I’m just an easy ticket for the highest magic rank”

Yoongi exhaled loudly from beside you and knowing him, he just most likely rolled his eyes “Y/N, I’m talking here as a familiar, not as some empathetic being, we just want what is best for our master” silence followed and he took it as a signal to keep talking “He was spoiled rotten, I’ll give you that. But now? he can make the perfect latte, no magic involved. I fear he might take my spot as the preferred barista”

On second thought, perhaps you let your family problems get the best of you, whether or not Jimin had been excited about being a highly ranked familiar, he had every right to be, it was you who had no right to overthink his actions and instantly blame him for trying to take advantage of you. You would like to think for the past months by his side, you knew better than that.

Frankly, the art of apologising was never one you would consider yourself good at, which is why you found yourself silently doing your routine around the apartment, this time not a single peep could be heard from Jimin either, as he tried to respect your space as much as you wanted it to last.

You walked further down the hallway to where the rooms were, surely Jimin was keeping himself in there “Hey Jimin have you seen-” your words were cut short by said blond walking ethereally out of the shower, towel hanging low on his hips as time seemed to stop and you couldn’t pry your eyes from the way the steam emanated from behind him, or how his hair kept on dripping down the front of his body, some drops making it to the wooden floor, he looked up surprised as he breathed your name, rapidly glancing down at his almost naked form and blushing furiously but somehow gains enough confidence to reach out for your hands “I’m so sorry, I really am. I used to be an asshole, trust me I know and I don’t deserve to be your familiar at all bu-”

“It’s okay, Chim” you look up to meet his eyes, full of pleading in them “It was wrong from me to accuse you of something that didn’t even happen in the first place” you smiled softly and it took no time for him to mirror you, both of you enveloped in a much more comforting silence as his gaze fixated on your lips and back to your eyes as if asking for permission, butterflies that you didn’t even know were there, making a mess inside your belly as you brought your right hand to cup his cheek and helped him lean into you, eyes closed, placing his soft plump lips against your own, hair dampening the front of your shirt when his left thumb caressed your cheek as he deepened the kiss running his tongue to part your lips, right hand placed on your side in an attempt to bring you closer to him, making you hyper-aware of the warmth  in which his body enveloped you in; after separating for air and him casting one of his most adorable smiles  as both of you kept locking eyes, his mouth started leaving a trail of wet kissed down your jaw to your neck, exhaling a moan, both of your hands found themselves on the small of his naked back, lightly scratching the exposed skin; his nose brushing a eskimo kiss against the bit of skin where your jaw and neck connected  which he had just marked with pink blooms all over.

“Well that was most definitely a better way to make up than what I had in mind” he whispered in a breathy voice against your ear

“What did you have in mind?”

“Turning into a kitten until you forgave me?” he chuckled lightly

“Well you might just like this one better” you said as you took his hand in yours and led him towards your bedroom

[fletchphoenix]

Start Of Something New

Hiya! Chapter 9! =) thank you for your support! Updates may slow down, as I am starting my last year of high school tomorrow! Woooo! But I hope you all enjoy this - sorry for the delay!

------------------------------------------------

Hugo gently kicked open the door to his new apartment, in his arms were the last of the cardboard boxes with various different labels containing his belongings. Well, he guessed it wasn’t JUST his new apartment anymore, his boyfriend following in behind him and setting a box aside before running to get some more from his dad’s car. Varian had more belongings from him - having taken multiple days to unload his stuff alone with much help from Quirin through this process. He still couldn’t believe how much of a titan Quirin was compared to his titular son, however Varian had said he took more after his mother, and something about Quirin having served in the military of Lunaris prior to settling down in Old Corona. It was a good enough explanation for Hugo, him just accepting it at this point and not to question anything to do with the past of Varian’s family whatsoever, especially not his Aunt Adira and Uncle Hector. That pair...they terrified him to say the least, immediately giving him the most intense shovel talk of his life as soon as he met them. A shiver ran down his spine at the memory, before proceeding to unpack his last remaining boxes.

  It was now July - scorching hot sun constantly pounding down onto his back without a care in the world as its heat relentlessly cursed Corona. The town was always abnormally sunny, but this? Now Hugo was almost positive the universe was actively trying to screw him over, like it had before he began dating Varian, of course. Speaking of the boy, they’d been together for six months by now and both boys decided that it was high time they moved in together. Hugo could only sneak in a select few times before Quirin had figured out what they were doing every night, and, as much as Varian’s dad trusted him, it was probably for the best that they moved in together. He just couldn’t bear to be away from the boy for too long - call it whatever you want, abandonment issues, a troubled childhood, whatever. He just wanted to make sure he was safe at all times and the only way he felt he could be sure was with the boy’s figure sleeping in his arms. What could he say, he was a fool in love, completely enamored with his boyfriend and falling in love all over again every time they met eyes.

  They’d managed to afford a better apartment than the old one, which was an absolute ripoff by the way, though he was really going to miss the place. It was paid for quite easily too - Varian having found a job that he had yet to disclose to his boyfriend, though he was sure it had something to do with alchemy, and Donella had given him quite a generous raise out of nowhere for his ‘hard work and dedication’, though he was sure it was so he could afford a better place. It was a beautiful place too, already feeling so much like them with framed photographs along the walls of their most precious memories, such as New Year’s Eve and that one time they went to the aquarium, oh! And when they took Yong to a theme park for the first time! A chuckle ripped from Hugo’s throat as he recalled Yong pulling Varian towards the biggest coaster in the park, begging for Varian to go on with him. His face was priceless, jaw dropped at the sheer height of the thing as Nuru and Hugo passed up the offer. Varian had held onto his hand for hours after that as he and Nuru cackled, Yong, who had the time of his life, was buzzing with excitement for the rest of the day. 

  Another picture recalled the time they’d gotten matching tattoos - a small test tube on his left wrist and a beaker on Varian’s right wrist. It was a wild day - Varian’s twentieth birthday, that is. They’d just been to the coffee shop, which had become a tradition between the two on a morning to commemorate what had brought them together, when Varian, out of nowhere, had just said he wanted to do it. Hugo blindly agreed to his boyfriend’s request without a second’s thought, the pair heading through the streets to Irene’s tattoo parlour where Irene happily obliged to their requests. What Hugo hadn’t anticipated was how painful it was going to be - his hand gripping his boyfriend’s in an iron grip as he desperately tried, and failed, to hold back his shouts and strings of curses at the jolts of pain running though his body. That was an interesting birthday for Varian - Hugo silently praying his twenty-first would be less agonizingly painful than March 24th. It was coming up on October 27th, so only a few months away. He shook the thoughts from his head as he took in the rest of their apartment.

 Along the hall were five doors leading off to different rooms, the first of which being a sitting room - decorated with the mass of green and blue furniture, a common theme throughout the apartment due to their fixations on the respective colours. They blended nicely together too, just like they did. Two couches sat in the room, one pressed against the wall with the glass coffee table from the old apartment in the centre on top of a teal rug. A TV sat on a separate table in the corner at a perfect angle so you could see it when sitting on either sofa (Varian had spent hours calculating the perfect angle, Hugo determining in a few minutes that if they put it in the corner, everyone could see it to which his boyfriend had to stubbornly agree that he was right). In the other corner, a cat tower sat for the fat bastard of a cat Ruddiger who would be living with them. He swore that the cat hated him - always interrupting whenever him and Varian were attempting to get...intimate. It was annoying, him resulting most nights to just shooing it out of the room and locking the door behind him.

  Adjacent to the living room’s entrance was the kitchen, the tiled floor causing a clicking noise whenever he stepped. Varian had a strict rule of no shoes in the house, to which Hugo mostly abided to, but not today as he’d been overworked and severely undercompensated by his boyfriend, much to his disappointment. ‘Back to the kitchen’ he thought, taking his mind off the MANY ways his boyfriend could make up for all the unnecessary hard work he had to do. It was, yet again, the second largest room in the house, lined with marble counters and sleek, black cupboards. It had felt extremely out of place at first, not merging in well with their blue and green aesthetics whatsoever, but they made it work, attempting to decorate by placing a clock on the wall, a coffee machine that Rapunzel had bought them and, at last, a toaster. That was the thing Hugo was most excited about if he was being honest - having his very own toaster! Along with the coffee machine, Rapunzel had gifted the pair a variety of customised cups, plates, bowls..you name it, they most definitely had one that Rapunzel had slaved over making for hours just for them. A sweet act from a sweet girl, Hugo muttered to himself and rubbed his wrist absentmindely, his goggles hanging round his neck swaying as he strolled out of the room.

  In a straight line from the door was the bathroom, the room housing a bath, shower, sink and toilet. A green mat was laid out on one half of the room, a blue mat meeting it in the middle and spreading out the rest of the way. Another notable article was the toothbrushes that sat in the cabinet above the sink, doubling as a mirror, with a green and blue toothbrush sitting beside each other in a glass cup. Hugo took a moment to check his appearance, fixing his ruffed up blonde hair, straightening his glasses and shooting some awkward finger guns at his reflection. He cringed for a second before heading back out into the hallway, making a sharp left and through a doorway to the next room.

  Ah, yes. His and Varian’s room - a mish-mash of the two boys’ decorative decisions and personal interests. A double bed sat in the middle of the room, the covers blue as it was Varian’s turn to have made the bed, with a bedside table on either side of the bed. His table consisted of a small lamp, the book he was currently making his way through (The Tales Of Flynnigan Rider, which Varian had begged him to read for months), a picture of his absolutely adorable boyfriend and his glasses case for when he slept. Also on his side of the room (which was the left, just for the record) sat an oak desk, a grey chair tucked under it, which had the laptop Donella had gifted him placed in it, along with a cup holding his pens and pencils. Papers were stacked up above the drawers and Olivia, in her cage, sat on the opposite side, chittering softly as she slept. A wardrobe sat on his side too, one that him and Varian both shared (Varian had taken a liking, it seemed, to stealing his clothes and keeping them), it painted cyan to fit both their favourite colours. 

  Varian’s side was a whole different story, having a bedside table and a desk, along with a guitar propped against the side of the desk. Research papers were littered over the desk, Hugo hastily moving over to set them into a neat pile in the centre of his desk beside his laptop. That was sure to score him a few kisses from the younger boy - he was sure of it! Also on his boyfriend’s side were a lot more photos and posters on the wall - some of people he recognised and many of people he didn’t. For example, the ginger haired woman in the middle of many of them who had a wide smile plastered onto her face, who he swore he’d seen before in Donella’s office, however he couldn’t put a name to the face no matter how hard he’d racked his memory. She was in many of them too, holding baby Varian in her arms and standing beside Quirin, or with Varian in what looked like a makeshift lab, holding a test tube in one hand and the small boy in the other, Varian cuddling the woman close to him. Very heartwarming, however Hugo assumed his boyfriend wouldn’t appreciate him snooping around his side of the room, so he quickly headed out and to the highlight of the whole apartment, picking up his box along the way. 

  Pushing open the door to the sight of the room was always just as exhilarating for Hugo as the first time he’d been able to - his eyes meeting their makeshift lab / workshop area where they could practice their crafts expertly. He adored the room, smiling as he made his way through and dumped his box onto the counter before unpacking it. It just seemed so...them to convert the unused bedroom into their own lab space, beakers and test tubes littering the surface with microscopes and Hugo’s own toolbox sitting flush against the wall for both boys to use. He didn’t have the resources to pursue alchemy before, but meeting Varian had given him the chance to begin his research and boy howdy, he loved it! The subject was so interesting, so many different experiments to be done with ways to do it...god, he loved the subject so much. He also loved the way the other boy’s eyes lit up as he rambled about the topic to seemingly no end, his adoration on full display. It was absolutely adorable, and it helped that the couple worked together like a well-oiled machine, seamlessly sliding past each other to grab metals, acids or anything else they may need without disrupting the research at hand. It was harmonic.

  Hours later, they’d finally finished the unpacking spree and slumped down onto the sofa in a tight embrace, Ruddiger obviously attempting to break it by scratching at Hugo’s ankles. Hugo paid him no mind, shaking his foot to ward the cat away as his boyfriend watched in amusement. “I swear to god, V, your cat hates me. He might as well be a raccoon with how much trash he eats-”

  “Maybe if you didn’t bully and make him insecure, he wouldn’t hate you!” V responded, scooping the...unrealistically fat cat into a loving embrace and nuzzling his nose against his face. “Is he making you insecure, my beautiful boy..? You’re so beautiful.” he cooed, and Hugo could swear the cat was giving him a smug glare, anger bubbling in his stomach at the fact that a goddamn cat was getting more attention than he was - A goddamn obese cat was getting more attention from the love of his life, who he’d completely dedicated himself to, than he was! He let out a frustrated grunt, looking away and glaring at the wall, not even noticing his folded arms and childish pout. Varian had to hold back a full-blown laughing fit at how his boyfriend was acting, slowly placing the cat back on the floor and leaning against him. “Hugh..you look like a four-year-old with a pout like that.”

  “So what if I do? That little..thing was grinning at me! Y’know, like the smug little bastard he is! I swear he’d plotting something!” he ranted as his boyfriend moved back into a lying position, taking Hugo’s collar in his hand and pulling him down too. It wasn’t until Varian’s legs had wrapped around his waist that Hugo had noticed the position they were in, a flush creeping onto his face. “Oh so this is my compensation?”

  “Yep.”

  “I..humbly accept.” He replied, leaning down and capturing the raven haired boy’s lips with his own, the other boy letting out a whine as Hugo’s teeth nipped at his bottom lip. They continued to kiss, lost in the moment with hips rocking against each other’s until Hugo suddenly jolted back. “FUCKING CAT SCRATCHED MY BACK!” he yelped, standing immediately and completely ruining the moment they were having. Varian’s glare redirected itself to Ruddiger who was, rather smugly, licking his paw and sitting on the cushions of the other couch.

  “How about we go to bed? It's been a long day.” He comforted, resting his hand on his boyfriend’s back and already guiding him to their room. ‘And we can lock the door’ he decided not to add as he kicked the door to their room shut, instantly locking it almost on instinct. Hugo, however, seemed disinterested in their previous activities, already changing into pyjamas, much to Varian’s disappointment, though he wouldn’t admit it. It was strange though, how Ruddiger didn’t trust Hugo and kept on scratching and attacking him at any given chance. Usually the cat was docile or disinterested in people, never outright hostile. Maybe it WAS jealousy...could cats even feel jealousy? Now that was something he was gonna be thinking about all night..he muttered as he grabbed some pyjamas from the closet and began to change.

  As he finished, he sat on the bed and Hugo’s arms wrapped around his waist to pull him into a close embrace, placing gentle kisses to the back of his head in his sleepy haze. Hugo was always lovelier when he was sleepy and when they were alone, the usual sarcastic front he put up dripping away to reveal the true nature of the boy that Varian loved so much. He could be such a gentleman if he put the effort in, like when he’d go out of his way to do the mini things for Varian, such as walking him to his classes or his tutoring job with Yong and Nuru in the library, always taking his time and slowing his pace specially for Varian to keep up with him. And the one time they’d danced together in the kitchen on the night of his birthday.

  “Hugo, I’ve never done this before.” Varian had whispered, the refrigerator light being the only light in the entire kitchen, yet it was enough to show the face of the smug boy standing in front of him. He looked so handsome though, Varian just wanting to kiss that stupid look off his face. He was bowed down, some song playing throughout the small apartment as he held out his hand expectantly to the other male.

  “Goggles, I’ve heard you sing. If you can do that, you’re gonna be a-okay with dancing. Just let me take the lead and keep your eyes on me, you got that?” he questioned, Varian responding with a nod and placing his hand in Hugo’s hesitantly. He was immediately pulled flush against his chest, hands wrapping around his waist as his were encouraged to wrap around the other boy’s neck. They swayed in time with the slow serenade that echoed from the living room, the dimming light being their only source of visibility. Varian didn’t care though, he was too busy staring into the eyes of Hugo, which Hugo staring back.

  The music had long since stopped by now, the two freezing with their limbs entangled before Hugo pressed his lips against his, this kiss feeling like no other they’d had before. It felt so genuine, and so raw, and so real. Like Hugo was truly letting down his guard and letting Varian know that he only held love and affection for the other. It wasn’t full of lust or underlying passion - just a sweet kiss between two boys in the kitchen at god knows what time in the morning. And it was simple divine.

  Varian’s lips tugged into a soft smile as he cuddled against the boy sleeping soundly behind him. That night, something new had blossomed between them. Of course they’d loved each other beforehand and they knew it, but on that night, they had wordlessly sealed their love for each other. In some ways he’d miss that old apartment purely for that memory and how perfectly cliche it was - two lovers dancing in the kitchen. It sounded like an old movie trope, right? But it was so much better than that for both of them.

  Varian turned in Hugo’s grasp to face the boy and rest his head against his chest, shutting his eyes and squeezing them shut. He wasn’t gonna let this boy go, not now, not ever. He loved him more than he could ever hope to describe, from the way he had remembered Varian’s coffee order and how it always specifically needed to be vanilla, to the way that they could just be dorks, jamming out to some songs in the lab, and the way he wasn’t afraid to show Varian just how committed he was to the boy. It was all so sweet. As he drifted off the sleep, he thought to himself…

  This is the start of something new, and something beautiful.

[saedii-gilwraeth-simp]

Arsinoe&Billy 4 🤗🤗

This one was fun. Also the child of forced Heterosexuality™ was fun to write!

Teacher/Single Parent AU

Arsinoe has to say, that of all the students she teaches, the one who is simultaneously her favourite and also her least favourite was Mary Chatworth. The young blonde girl was bright and as sharp as a whip but also seemed to be the most pissed at the world and questioned every single thing any authority figure said to her. Which was fine with Arsinoe (she remembers being seventeen and traumatised) but made it extraordinarily difficult for her to teach the course content on time. 

But, she wasn’t going to call Mary’s parents. Getting a young women in trouble for wanting knowledge wasn’t her style.

Which was why she was surprised when she got a phone call from Mary’s father. He had simply requested a meeting with her and that was that.

He was waiting by the office building and turned to her when she approached. She was almost thrown off balance for a second as he watched her approach with his deep hazel eyes. Still, she remained professional and reached a hander out.

“Hi, you must be William. I’m Arsinoe, Mary’s legal studies teacher,” she says as he takes her hand a shakes. His hand is warm and smooth and he flashes her a blinding white smile.

“Just Billy is fine. Only my mother calls me William. Shall we?” He says with a warm voice and gestures for them to go. She nods and lets him fall into step with her.

“So, I was surprised to hear from you. I saw no reason to contact you regarding Mary so I have to ask why you wished to speak to me?” She asks, turning into her classroom and taking a seat at on of the desks. Billy sits across from her with a sigh.

“I got a call from a Mr. Arron saying her behaviour was unacceptable and I should ask any of Mary’s other teachers and they would say the same thing. You’re her favourite teacher so I was hoping you could enlighten me to her behaviour. I’m really worried about her lately…,” he trails off and she shoots him a confused look. He catches it and sighs again, running a hand through his clean cut blonde hair, “her mum and I split up amicably when she was younger but lately she’s not reacting well to Christine’s partner. I really am hoping Mr. Arron is wrong,” he says nervously and Arsinoe laughs.

“Don’t tell him I said this, because I have to see him at family lunch on Saturdays, but Arron is wrong most of the time. Mary is fine, she wants knowledge and asks a lot of questions, which can make it hard to move onto the next topic, but one should never fault a student, especially a young woman, for wanting to learn more. Arron’s just a tool,” she says with a smile. Billy laughs quietly.

“And you’re related to Arron? Who you just called a tool?”

“He and my sister drunkenly eloped years ago, I still haven’t forgiven him for not inviting me,” she shrugs. He laughs again, gentle lines forming around his eyes.  “Oh and feel free to tell him you talked to me when you go see him. I have the power of making him sleep on the couch whenever I want so…,” they laughed again.

“Well, I might go see him now,” Billy says standing. Arsinoe stands with him and shakes his hand. “I’ll make sure to pass on your information to him. Thank you for being so gracious with Mary, she really does enjoy your classes,” he goes to walk away and she is almost sad to see him go until he turns back to her and seems to pause as if considering what to say. Finally, he seems to work it out. “Feel free to say no, but would you like to go to dinner with me sometime? As a date?”

Arsinoe doesn’t let her happy surprise show on her face and instead moves to her desk at the back of the room, grabbing a pen and a slip of paper.

“I would like that. Here’s my number,” she scrawls it quickly and hands it off to him. “Have fun telling Pietyr he’s wrong.”

~

It seems that no-one in her family realised that Mary Chatworth noticed everything, even with her head in a book. She knew that her mum liked women before her new step-mother came into the picture, she knew her grandmother became less of a bigot after her grandfather died.

And she knew her dad was seeing someone new, and it was going well, considering he had been going on dates with obviously the same person for the last 6 months. Which led her to her current predicament. She was spying.

She had been steadily following her dad in traffic, staying two cars back so he didn’t notice she was following. Eventually he dropped his car off with a valet at a fancy restaurant - too fancy for her to have ever been taken to. Still, she gets lucky when her dad is seated in front of the window. He orders something with the server and waits, so she waits.

Her phone dings and she looks over at it.

Message from Mum: How’s the stakeout going? Also, will you be home in time for dinner?

She texts back, Boring, Dad’s still waiting, and probably not but could you put a plate in the microwave in case?

Message from Mum: Will do. Also, tell me if she looks interesting so I can tease Billy about it later. Love you

She snorts and throws her phone down on the passenger seat, watching her dad in the restaurant again. Finally, she sees him smile and stand, kissing a woman who approaches him. She is as tall as him with dark hair chopped around her chin and when they pull away Mary is stunned.

“Holy fucking shit,” she whispers to the empty car before lifting her phone and snapping a photo, sending it off to her Instagram group chat.

Somehow the HBIC (MChat) to Mary is the only Responsible One™: Are y’all seeing what I’m seeing?

Evil Twin Uno to Mary is the only Responsible One™: is that your dad on a date with ms. queen? holy shit bro

Evil Twin Dos to Mary is the only Responsible One™: crap dude are you okay?

Self-proclaimed Dingus to Mary is the only Responsible One™: that’s somewhere between oof and yikes

Viv with no nickname to Mary is the only Responsible One™: babe if you wanna come get high with me to forget that image, feel free to come over.

Mary scoffed at that. If there was one thing she would not be doing tonight, it was getting high. Her step-mother had the nose of a drug-sniffing dog.

Somehow the HBIC (MChat) to Mary is the only Responsible One™: I’ll keep that in mind. Maybe tomorrow night when I’m staying at dad’s

Everyone’s debatable favourite to Mary is the only Responsible One™: yeah, get out of the house so your dad can spend spend quality time with you legal teacher *wink emoji*

Somehow the HBIC (MChat) to Mary is the only Responsible One™: I hate you

Everyone’s debatable favourite to Mary is the only Responsible One™: wait, you’re not at your dad’s tonight. Stick around and see if they leave together

Somehow the HBIC (MChat) to Mary is the only Responsible One™: ew ew ew ew ew ew fuck you fuck everyone. 

She threw her phone back onto the seat and continued to watch. She had to admit, it was kind of nice to see her dad smile like he was now. She was so used to see him stressed or disciplining her that even though he laughed, he didn’t smile as much as he was on this date.

She threw her head back and groaned. If it came down to her opinions about it and her dad being happy, she had to let her dad being happy, even with a woman who she saw everyday in class. 

Somehow the HBIC (MChat) to Viv with no nickname: If they leave together I’m coming to get high. I need an excuse to be at dad’s house tomorrow morning.

Viv with no nickname to Somehow the HBIC (MChat): I’ll save you a joint 

~

She wasn’t still high, but she still smelled undoubtedly like weed, which is why she went to her dad’s. Plus, she wanted to see whether Ms. Queen had stayed over. She let herself into the house and went straight to the kitchen. She really wanted peanut butter for some reason and she knew her dad loved that shit.

She grabs a spoon from a drawer and the peanut butter jar from the pantry and hops up on to the counter, crossing her legs and twisting the cap off.

She’s happily eating spoons of peanut butter on her kitchen bench when she hears her dad’s bedroom door swing open and footsteps that are definitely not her dad’s pad down the hall. She braces herself just as Ms. Queen comes into the kitchen and freezes. Mary looks over the teacher, wearing the dorkiest glasses, one of her dad’s sleep shirts and a pair of shorts.

They stare awkwardly at each other until the teacher rubs her nose and fixes her glasses.

“You look and smell like you spent the night getting high. Let me guess, Vivian?” Mary nods silently and Queen snorts. 

“Sorry, miss,” she says and Queen shudders.

“To start, I’m wearing one of your dad’s shirts, we’re at the point where you can call me Arsinoe and to finish, I don’t care, so long as you were doing anything to endanger yourself or anyone else. I’m not trying to be your mum, you already have enough of them, right?” Arsinoe says and grabs another spoon before pushing herself onto the counter. Mary offers her the peanut butter with a smile.

“My step-mum was super overbearing when it first became evident she would be around a while, so thanks, I guess,” Mary says, resting her head against the cupboard behind her. Arsinoe passes the peanut butter back.

“Well, I don’t know how long I’ll be around, but I really like your dad so I hope it’s a while. But I was seventeen once and I remember how much it sucked ass, so you don’t have to worry about me cramping your style,” Mary interrupts her with a snort and Arsinoe laughs, “wow I really sounded old then, huh?” Mary nodded.

“It’s fine. My mum still says tubular,” Mary says, meeting Arsinoe’s eyes for a beat and suddenly both were laughing.

“Ah, good to see you two getting along. What are you doing here kid? You’re meant to be at your mum’s,” Billy says as he enters the kitchen.

“I, uh, may have gone and smoked with Viv last night and you know what Denise is like,” she shrugged and her dad pursed his lips at her.

“I don’t approve of you getting high but I am glad you were honest about it and that you came someplace you feel safe. Now go text your mum you’re alright and sleep it off, please?” He says. Mary passed Arsinoe the peanut butter and hopped off of the counter, hugging her dad.

“Arsinoe can stay, she’s chill,” she compliments. Her dad smiles happily before ruffling her hair and sending her off to her room.

Send me a number and I’ll write a fic

[alindakb]

Silent Tears - Chapter 1.1

Draco sits on the lid of the toilet. The timer he cast next to him counts down slowly. Draco tries not to look at it, or the vial on the counter. He wrings his hands together and stares at the floor. His wedding ring glistens in the light that filters in through the window. Draco lets out a breath when it catches his attention. The ring is a constant reminder that Harry loves him, no matter what. There is no reason to be this nervous. Draco hadn’t dared to tell Harry he’s taking a test today. Harry didn’t get why Draco couldn’t come along to pick up Teddy, but Draco just needs to know. He can’t wait any longer. He’s been so tired the last two weeks, and last night, Draco struggled to keep his diner down.

The timer rings and Draco takes a deep breath. He tells himself again that it doesn’t matter what the result is. They are still young, and they have all the time in the world to start a family of their own. Draco gets up and walks back to the counter. He stares at the vial. The liquid inside is a clear red. Draco grabs the instructions and skims towards the section that explains how to read the results. His eyes water and he looks back at the vial.

“I’m pregnant,” he whispers. His eyes fixed on the vial. His hand that holds the instructions shakes a little. In the distance, he hears the front door open and close again. He hears the excited cheer of Teddy and the stumbled steps of the little boy up the stairs.

“Careful, Teddy, we don’t want you to fall,” Harry says. His steps are secure and robust on the stairs. Draco takes another breath and wipes the tears from his eyes. He can’t have them find him like this in the bathroom, Teddy would just get upset, and that is the last thing Draco wants. He steps into the bedroom just when Teddy opens the door.

“Uncle Draco,” Teddy screams before he runs into Draco’s arms. “I missed you.”

“I missed you too, Teddy. Did you have a good time with your grandma Andromeda?”

Teddy nods and then pulls his little backpack off his back. “I’ve packed my own bag,” he announces proudly.

“Well done, you. Did you bring everything? Your pyjamas? And your toothbrush?” Draco asks him.

Teddy looks at his bag and shakes his head. “No toothbrush,” he states. “My teeth don’t need brushing.”

Harry laughs from the bed. Draco looks at him, and Harry holds up a second bag, the one packed no doubt by Andromeda.

“We’ll see about that once it’s time for bed,” Draco tells Teddy. He picks the boy up and walks to the bed and sits down next to Harry. Harry rests his head on Draco’s shoulder.

“Are you ready to tell me why you couldn’t come with me to pick up Teddy?” Harry asks.

Draco lets Teddy slip from his lap. The boy runs to his room, shouting he needs to say hello to Dragon.

“You don’t have to,” Harry continues. “I just worry about you. I know you haven’t been feeling well lately.”

“I know,” Draco answers. “I didn’t want to get your hopes up for if I was wrong.” Draco knows how important a family is to Harry, how he wishes to have multiple children one day to love and cherish. He would have been so disappointed if it had just been a silly flu that made Draco so sick and tired.

“Wrong about what?” Harry asks. He lifts his head and looks at Draco.

Draco squeezes Harry’s hand and smiles at him. “Wrong about being pregnant,” he says with a massive grin on his face.

Draco watches as the confusions on Harry’s face slowly fades and how his eyes light up and sparkle behind his glasses. “You’re pregnant?” Harry asks in a small voice. Draco nods in confirmation. “We’re going to have a baby?” Harry continues and Draco nods again. It’s a treat to see the pure joy on Harry’s face and to see him inch forwards to catch Draco’s lips in a kiss.

“Gross,” Teddy comments from the doorway making Harry and Draco laugh into their kiss just before they separate. Harry slides his free hand over Draco’s stomach and leaves it there while he rests his head on Draco’s shoulder again. Draco looks at Teddy who looks at them with small eyes. Draco wonders what the little kid thinks of them from time to time.

Teddy has his stuffed dragon in his left hand and his right thumb stuck in his mouth. Andromeda wants him to stop with the thumb thing, but it looks so cute on the boy that Draco can’t get it over his heart to tell him to stop. Draco holds out his hand. Teddy moves to them slowly his eyes fixed on Harry’s hand on Draco’s stomach. Draco helps him climb on his lap. Teddy burrows himself against Draco’s chest. Draco holds him in place and kisses him on the top of his head. He puts his other arm around Harry and closes his eyes, enjoying the moment. He’s got his two favourite boys in his arms and in less than nine months he’d need another arm for the new addition to his strange little family.

“I love you both,” Draco utters before he places another kiss on top of Teddy’s head and then one on Harry’s. “But now it’s time to make lunch. I’m hungry.”

Harry laughs beside him and lifts his head. The smile on his face is beautiful. Draco still can’t believe it’s all real. That for the last five months he’s been allowed to introduce himself as Draco Potter, the famous Harry Potter’s husband. And now they are having a baby, expending their little family one small piece at a time.

“I love you too,” Harry says and then gets up. “Egg sandwiches or grilled cheese?”

“Grilled cheese,” Teddy screams. “I want grilled cheese.”

“So grilled cheese it is,” Harry answers. He walks out of the room.

“I wanted egg sandwiches,” Draco tells Teddy. Teddy laughs and tells Draco he can have them when Teddy is at his grandma’s. Draco shakes his head and then lifts Teddy into the air. Teddy giggles and holds out Dragon to make him fly with him. Draco pulls Teddy back against his chest before he walks them out of the room and down the stairs.

“Wait!” Teddy shouts when they are about halfway. “I want to say hi to mom and dad,” he continues.

Draco stops in front of the picture of Lupin and Tonks. Teddy puts his small hand next to them and smiles at them. “Hi, mom and dad. I’m going to be a big brother,” he tells the picture. “Can’t stay, uncle Harry is making grilled cheese sandwishes.”

“Sandwiches,” Draco corrects Teddy. Teddy tries to say the word again. It comes out a little bit more like it’s supposed to and Draco lets it go. They reach the kitchen just in time to see Harry place the cheesed up slices of bread in the pan with sizzling butter on the stove.

“Somebody just told his parents that he’s going to be a big brother,” Draco says while he takes three plates from the cupboard and gives them to Harry.

“How does he do that? He figured out Fleur was pregnant before they told anyone too.” Harry shakes his head and looks at Teddy, who has climbed on his chair at the head of the table and has his thumb in his mouth again.

Draco gets some juice for them all and then sits down on the left side of Teddy. “Why do you think you’re going to be a big brother?” Draco asks him.

“Uncle Harry kissed you and then placed his hand on your belly,” Teddy says without any doubt, not taking his eyes of Dragon who is flying above the table. Teddy’s hair has turned the same dark green as the stuffed animal. Andromeda says that Tonks was the same around this age, constantly changing her hair colour without even realising it. It’s a good thing; it means that Teddy is more like his mother than his father. It will make full moons so much easier down the line. Harry had been worried about it once he read about young werewolf children having to go through that change every couple of weeks and how they would get locked up alone to make sure they wouldn’t hurt anyone. Harry said he would never leave Teddy to go through something like that alone. So when Teddy changed his hair colour to platinum about a year ago, when Draco was comforting him after he fell from his little broom, Draco had cried in relief. He wouldn’t have to fear for his lover's life every couple of weeks because he would go and lock himself in with a baby werewolf.

“I’m bringing the food to the table,” Harry announces. Dragon makes one final lap over the table and then lands neatly on the chair next to Draco just when Harry puts the plates filled with cheesy sandwiches in front of them all. He sits down across from Draco and shakes his head. “Are all magic children this good at magic when they are this young?” he asks.

Draco lifts his shoulders. “Don’t know. Mother used to tell me how I would make toys fly back to me when my father had confiscated them. But I don’t think I was as in control of my magic as Teddy is.”

Harry nods his head and looks at Teddy. “He will be an amazing big brother,” he says before he takes a bite of his grilled sandwich. Draco smiles at him and agrees before he starts on his sandwich.

[spectralscathath]

Clover Ebi and the World's Luckiest Pie

Fair Game Week, Day 2: Date/Domestic

Clover Ebi is many things. He's Captain of the Ace Ops, he's one of Atlas's elite Huntsmen, a member of Ironwood's inner circle, a damn good poker player, and an all-round decent guy. He's charming, calm, cool under fire, has a semblance that can swing the odds, and even without that he has the skills and raw talent to back up his confidence. He's a catch, basically, and he knows it.

Now if Elm could stop laughing at him as he tells himself this, that would be great. It wasn't techically a date.

Ao3 Link

Clover looked at his reflection and held up a shirt in front of himself, wondering if maybe this one would work. He’d heard Qrow occasionally make the occasional pun, usually under his breath. Maybe one of his more casual t-shirts would work. After all, he didn’t have to be in his uniform all the time.

‘Born to fish, forced to work’ stared back at him, a gift from Elm that had been delivered with a suspiciously innocent grin.

He tossed that one aside too, slowly building up a pile on the bed. He wanted to make a good impression. He may have been a workaholic, but in his own apartment, he could tone it down, treat Qrow like a friend and not just a colleague.

He was amazed that the old spy had actually agreed to come over, but if Elm’s friendship had taught him anything, it was that there was no better way to get a visitor then to offer something home-cooked and delicious.

Which was why Elm was currently snickering at him from where she leaned against the door frame, since his luck only went so far when it came to cooking, and he wasn’t going to risk it. Not on something important like this.

“What, no fishing jokes?” Brown eyes sparkled cheerfully at him, Elm in her own casuals. A pastel lavender apron protected her cream sweater, her hair out of the usual ponytail and giving her a softer look. “How about this one?” she held up a tank top that said ‘sleeves are for nerds’.

“Absolutely not,” he laughed and grabbed it out of her hands. “He wears sleeves, in case you haven’t noticed. Calling him names doesn’t make a good impression.”

“I don’t know, flexing to assert dominance might up your chances,” she mused, flicking her bangs out of her eyes.

He snorted and threw the shirt back at her face. “This is a friendly hang out, Elm.”

“Clover, when you arrested him you ignored the very important Relic just so you could stand over him spinning your horseshoe.”

“But I looked cool, right?”

“You’re a show-off.” She grinned and started folding the pile of shirts tossed haphazardly on his bed.

“You’re one to brag, miss ‘jumped off Atlas for a dare’. It’s been what, ten minutes since you mentioned that?” He helped her set them aside in neat piles to be put away later. Order and cleanliness were important.

“Okay, so we’re both braggarts. Now do you know what you’re going to wear?”

“At this point I may as well wear my fishing vest and beanie.”

“Absolutely not.” Elm held up one of his white dress shirts. “Do you still have that green waistcoat?”

------

He hovered around his kitchen as he waited for Qrow to arrive, alternating between looking around his small apartment to make sure that it was neat and taking deep inhales of the divine smell of tonight's dinner. His scroll sat next to his speaker, smooth Mantle jazz filling the air as he kept throwing hungry glances at his oven.

He heard a knock on the door and scampered over to get it, feeling oddly nervous. Sure, he hadn’t exactly dated in a while, especially not since the Fall of Beacon, but he’d had plenty of on and off relationships and dates over the years. Perhaps he just felt somewhat rusty because of the year of throwing himself into his work as part of Ironwood’s inner circle.

He opened the door and felt his heart stutter a little bit. Qrow-

Wow.

Qrow had dressed up as well, it seemed. A dark red button-up, the same colour as his cape, with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and his usual rings adorning his fingers. His hair had been slicked back, which was a pretty good look if Clover did say so himself. He’d left the top two buttons undone, a necklace with a sideways cross hanging between the divots of his collarbones. Clover recognised the necklace as one that Qrow had worn when he’d first arrived in Atlas. It suited him.  

Clover felt incredibly glad that he hadn’t taken Elm’s joking advice to wear a shirt with a bad fisherman pun on it. “Hello, Qrow,” he smiled at him, green eyes bright.

Qrow gave him a once-over that Clover hoped was appreciative and tossed a careless smirk at him, a faint slouch to his shoulders. “So you can wear sleeves.”

“If I have to,” he grinned, his usual armband wrapped over the shirt. “And you went without the cape, I notice.”

“Unwillingly. Ren stole it before I could put it on.” Qrow rolled his eyes. “Brat.”

“You didn’t steal it back? I thought you’d be good at that.” He stepped to the side a little bit. “Come in, dinner’s just ready.” Elm had left simple written instructions because she clearly didn’t trust him.

Qrow slank in past him, looking around the place with some sort of look that Clover was used to seeing in a set of lavender eyes. Clover would put money on the bet that Qrow had just spotted everything shiny and/or valuable in his apartment, and also every single point of entry. “Nice place. I was expecting something spartan, I won’t lie.”

Clover smiled proudly and closed the door. “Well, I find that having a home I actually like being in is an excellent reason to not spend all night working.”

Qrow hummed in what was probably agreement before he snorted. “Wow. The fisherman aesthetic doesn’t just stick to the weapon?”

Clover followed his gaze to his fish tank, set against the wall and large enough that his little aquarium was bright and lively. He had the water heated to provide a comfortable temperature for his fist. Danios, Platies, Swordtails, and Tetras filled the waters, darting about the habitat he’d made for them.

“I like fish,” he shrugged innocently. He’d leave out the fact that he’d named each and every one of them for now.

“Okay, I have to ask, do you actually fish?” Qrow raised a brow.

“I do, actually. One side of my family are fishermen in Argus.” He looked at his bookshelf, the top row filled with pictures while books were stacked in the other three. “My mother’s side, specifically.”

“Huh. I’ve been there.”

“I heard.” He really hoped it was exaggeration.

“... I’ve been there other times besides that. Normally I don’t get caught.” Qrow’s eyes held a teasing glint that definitely caught Clover’s interest.

He grinned back and decided to take the obvious opportunity. “So I got lucky?”

“You’re a terrible person,” Qrow snickered, watching Clover’s fish swim around.

“You think I’m great.” He flicked his pin and hoped he was right.

Qrow looked at him like he was about to answer before the alarm Elm had set went off, cutting through the Mantle jazz with a demonic screeching. Both Huntsmen jumped and immediately reached for weapons they didn’t have, attention focusing on the sound.

Clover relaxed first and strode towards the kitchen, looking at the instructions pinned to the fridge to make absolutely sure before he turned off the oven and grabbed a tea towel, reaching in to grab the shepherd’s pie. He chanted ‘please don’t burn’ in his head as a mantra and mercifully, fortunately, fantastically, it came out totally fine.

He placed it on the stove top to cool, taking a moment to just bask in the awe of Elm’s cooking skills, before he turned to grab plates and crashed headfirst into a curious Qrow Branwen, who had been looming behind him to try see what the enticing smell of dinner was.

Their skulls knocked together with a loud clonk, both of them stumbling back from the impact. Clover swore as he stepped back, one hand coming up to touch his forehead as the other went behind him, just barely avoiding the pie.

Qrow tripped over the table, sending the cutlery, both glasses of water, and a candle that Clover really should have never even got out of a cupboard over the floor and himself. Water splashed, glass shards went everywhere, a table leg snapped, and one of the napkins caught fire.

Qrow lifted his hands from where they had been clutching at his forehead, took one look at the absolute destruction he was now the centrepiece of, and let out a long-suffering groan of existential weariness. He didn’t even bother getting up, even as water soaked into his shirt.

Clover stared, gobsmacked, before he panicked and started moving his hands in useless fussy gestures. “Holy shit are you okay? I’m so sorry I didn’t see you there- how many fingers am I holding up?” What if he’d concussed him?

Qrow blinked at him, looking rather done with the situation before he threw up a hand. “Help me up?”

A smidge of colour crossed Clover’s cheeks as he realised he probably should have led with that, clasping Qrow’s wrist firmly as he pulled him to his feet. “Sorry, I should have paid more attention.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Qrow pushed his soaking wet hair out of his eyes, the back having fallen out of his usual swoop to cling to his neck instead. “I have quiet footsteps.”

Clover gave him a cursory glance, checking for damage. “I have shirts you can borrow if you don’t want to stay in something soaked,” he offered, before he processed what he was saying. Qrow in one of his shirts? With their… specific sort of camaraderie?

Qrow quirked a brow at him before a wickedly sharp grin slashed across his face, one that deepened the blush painted across the bridge of Clover’s nose. “Sure thing, Shamrock.” Clover could see nothing but future disaster in those mischievous, beautiful eyes. Qrow continued like he wasn’t being an absolute hazard to Clover’s heart health. “Just point me where I’ll find them then I’ll help you clean up.”

Clover swallowed and kept his voice steady. “My room, just to the left of the main room. The door on the right. There’s folded clothes on the bed, you can borrow one of those if you need to.”

Qrow patted his shoulder, let go of his wrist, and sauntered off, stepping gracefully around the broken furniture.

Clover looked at the disaster that had been his table and made an executive decision that Elm’s cooking was and always would be more important. He fetched two plates and some cutlery, dividing the shepherd’s pie neatly in half before serving it up. He carried the plates out to his living room, setting them on his coffee table with the cutlery before fetching more water.

He didn’t know what Qrow’s story was with alcohol, but he’d said that he’d given up, so Clover wasn’t about to serve him some for dinner. That would be in very poor taste.

He waited for about a minute before he heard Qrow’s husk. “Hey, Shamrock, where do you keep your towels.”

“Linen cupboard, I’ll grab you one.” He got off the couch and made sure to get the softest one he had, rapping his knuckles on the bedroom door.

Qrow pulled it open and grabbed the towel, immediately rubbing his hair with it. Clover looked at the shirt he was in and wanted to go stab himself with Kingfisher’s harpoon, ‘fishing saved me from becoming a porn star. Now I’m just a hooker’ emblazoned over black fabric in swirly gold letters.

He should have put the puns away.

“Dinner’s ready?” He tried, feeling rather more flustered than he was used to.

Qrow smirked at him and strutted by with an absolute lack of shame, practically crashing down onto the couch as he grabbed a plate. “This smells fucking good. You make it?”

“Elm. My skill in the kitchen begins and ends with stews and boiling things. Even my luck can’t do everything.” He’d cop to it.

“I’m banned from cooking anything that isn’t breakfast foods or microwaveable. It’s nearly impossible to fuck up breakfast food.” Qrow took a big heaping forkful of the world’s luckiest pie and shoved it all into his mouth in one big bite. Clover couldn’t quite make out what the next words were, they got mangled somewhere between the cheesy potatoes and the meat stew, but he hazarded a guess that it probably involved appreciative swearing.

Clover did the same, and had a moment to realise that Elm had definitely outdone herself on his behalf, before he fully committed to clearing his plate entirely and buying Elm something nice.

Talk was dead. There was only them, the pie, and the fucking beautiful moment they were having with it. Before long, the plates were cleared, and Clover was left to stare at the fishing joke on one of his tops as it mocked him.

He’d had a mission plan. He hoped that the backup option of sitting on the couch wasn’t too far a step down. “I’m sorry again, about before.”

“Don’t worry about it, it was my semblance anyway.” Qrow rubbed his hair with the towel again, and Clover spotted a faint scar on his right bicep, something his longer sleeves usually covered. “The couch is comfier anyway. Better view.”

Clover  raised a brow. “Oh?” Did Qrow mean him?

“Your fish.” Qrow nodded at the tank. “They’re pretty cool. I have a dog at home. He’s Tai’s dog, really, but I’m part of the pack.”

“I’m glad that plan B worked out.” Clover had been a little too focused on the food to be worrying about fish or Qrow. But he was glad to know things still went well.

“Definitely.” Qrow picked up the plates. “I’ll help you clean up.”

“No, you don’t have to, you’re a guest.” Clover shook his head. “Don’t worry, I’ll sort it out later.”

“Later, huh?” Qrow grinned. “But we just had dinner.”

“But we haven’t had tea,” Clover wagged a finger at him with a returning smile. If nothing else, he was going to show Qrow his collection of novelty mugs. The other Huntsman would probably get a kick out of that. “Tell you what, you tell me about your dog, and I’ll point out each fish in my aquarium by name.”

Qrow barked a laugh and shifted so he was resting one knee up on the couch, turned attentively towards Clover as he lounged there like he owned the place. “Deal. So his name’s Zwei…”

-------

Clover waved Qrow off, still in the borrowed shirt, with his own soaked dress shirt under his arm, and felt like he could be floating with how light his chest was.

He dialled Elm the moment he'd closed his apartment door behind him, grinning like he'd just found a pot of gold at a rainbow's end. She picked up, just as quickly, and he could practically hear her massive grin over the scroll. “So, how’d it go, fearless leader?”

“I got a second date!” It was totally a date.

-------

Happy St Patrick's Day, everybody.

[derireo]

Wilting Lotus / CH. 5.1

The Two Fools

Omi and Izumi explore her abandoned apartment.

He decides to destroy a couple of things during the visit. Just for kicks.

「 Read on AO3 here 」 「 4.0k words 」

.・゜-: ✧ :-　　-: ✧ :-゜・．

"So they decided to shut it down because..?"

Izumi was staring up at the place that she used to call her apartment, but it was obvious that no one lived here anymore. The front lawn where a large sign used to sit was now overrun with weeds while the walls of the building looked like they were being swallowed up by invasive creeper plants. Omi's arm was still comfortably wrapped around her shoulders as they stayed put on the sidewalk, her head resting against his shoulder as she analysed the graffiti that ran along the walls.

The sound of Omi's tongue clicking was the only response Izumi was going to get given how silent the man was the rest of their way here. The lack of cooperation made her sigh in resignation and she decided not to ask anymore questions unless they were actually important. For the time being at least.

She just had to guess that Sakyo and Itaru didn't want this building anymore because she didn't live there anymore. Her conjecture probably wasn't that far off anyways.

Flinging Omi's arm from her shoulders, Izumi readjusted her outfit as she made her way inside the abandoned building, the toes of her boots kicking away the stray pebbles that rest on the ground.

The man who accompanied her pursed his lips at the sudden loss of warmth, but silently crinkled his nose as he reminded himself that she had just very rudely pushed him away. Slinging her bag over his shoulder, Omi's tongue poked the inside of his cheek as he followed right behind the wandering woman, his temper still pleasantly mellow.

"Ugh, stairs." Izumi moaned sadly when pressing the button to the elevator didn't work, hitting her head against the metal doors.

It wasn't too far, but she lived on the third floor.

Omi, irked by how fast she had given up already, offered his services.

"I can give you a ride," he started, "but it's gonna cost ya."

And as much as the offer was tempting, Izumi grimaced at the word 'cost' and shook her head with a barely friendly chuckle, her eyes totally not glaring up at Omi as they smiled at him. His own gaze was indifferent at the expression on her face, but the corner of his mouth curved upwards when he saw how annoyed she seemed to be.

"No thanks, Sweetheart. I"ll manage." Mocking him with the nickname Sakyo usually called her, Izumi briefly poked her tongue out at Omi. Her little feet immediately carried her in the direction of the stairs before the tall man could react and grab her or something, and she tried to keep her giggles quiet when the sound of his footsteps followed after her own.

Their shadows danced along the length of the walls as the old wood beneath their feet creaked under the weight of their bodies. The sound of wandering mice and other critters tapping along the floors and ceiling covered up the tired breaths of Izumi as Omi casually trailed behind her, eyes fixated on the strain of her calves.

But as strong as she was, her endurance fucking sucked.

"I'll carry you. Free o' charge."

"Oh thank fuck." Izumi sobbed at the new offer, her body twisting around once they finished the first flight of stairs. At this point, her knees felt weak and she was about to die from exhaustion so Omi saying he'd carry her was like a dream come true; she honestly didn't think her short legs were gonna make it.

With arms held wide open, Izumi waited to be lifted onto his shoulder again, only to be startled by the feeling of already familiar hands gripping onto her waist and hoisting her up into the air.

Her reflexes were barely fast enough when latching onto the man, her legs tightly curled around his waist while her arms looped around his neck as Omi made no other effort to hold onto her himself, his hands reaching out to grab the handrails so that they wouldn't fall down the stairs.

"I can definitely tell that you wouldn't care if I died." Izumi sighed, wistful almost. As much as she found herself physically attracted to this man she was touching, his personality was nearing the line of a total deal breaker.

Omi found it easy to agree with her statement as he focused on getting the both of them to the floor that Izumi used to live on, the pace of his breathing barely changing.

The silence he left Izumi in annoyed her to no end; having been so used to Itaru's ramblings and Sakyo's never ending sighing or growling. She also didn't want to admit that she enjoyed being spoiled with attention, but with Omi's indifference, and maybe even dislike, towards her, she was definitely weighing the pros and cons on throwing a little tantrum.

But no. She shook her head, much to Omi's agitation. She had to keep her cool. Losing her temper with Omi like this was obviously going to put her in a tight situation, and she wasn't willing to die by this fucker's hands.

"Frowning isn't a cute look on you." She said offhandedly, already getting bored having to stay quiet with her emotions while her chin hooked over his shoulder, the side of her head leaning against his just to make him a little more annoyed.

At this point, Omi wasn't planning on opening his mouth to shoot her with a retort. Izumi would probably hit him back with something even meaner to say, and then they would have to do a back and forth to see whose feelings would get hurt first.

And nobody really had time for that; plus, Omi just wanted this girl off.

"Here. Get down." The man heaved a sigh of relief when he saw the large number '3' on the wall at the top of the stairs and went to pry off the clingy monster from his body.

Izumi tutted when her feet met the floor, but didn't say anything else to Omi who was trying to brush off any dust or dirt she brought upon him (rude!) and opened the broken fire exit door that would lead them to the hallway where her home was. The circuit breaker was undoubtedly shut off from all those years ago so the only source of light was the sun rays coming in from the end of the hallway.

The silence that resided in the place that Izumi once called her home made it slightly eerie, but she willed herself not to be perturbed and started to venture down to find the door to her apartment room.

"Ugh.. It's so cold. I kinda wish they left the electricity on." Rubbing her hands against her arms, Izumi stopped in front of a door that had one of the numbers hanging off. Her lips pouted when she saw the broken door frame and the cracked door itself; probably in this condition due to her never giving Sakyo and Itaru the key before she left.

She nudged the door open with her foot and held onto her arms as she walked in to the near empty home, just a few things like her ratty old couch and a few wooden chairs left askew in the living room. And she didn't notice then, but it seemed like the table in Itaru's 'office' was actually her coffee table.

Reduce, reuse, recycle, huh?

"Should blame yourself for wearin' that outfit you got goin' on." Omi said as he ventured to her kitchen where a leaky faucet remained along with a few broken dishes left abandoned in the sink. If anything, Omi would have offered his jacket to her if she asked, but she didn't. So. That's kind of on her.

"I'll kill you." Her voice travelled from an area of the place that was probably her bedroom, and the empty threat left Omi chuckling to himself as he brushed his hand along a cracked cupboard, fingers catching onto the handle that would let him open the tiny cabinet. The man grimaced when the collected dust flew in front of his face and he waved it away with his free hand as he examined whatever was inside.

The cupboard mostly housed a unique array of shot glasses, showing how much of an alcoholic the girl was in the past, along with a small arrangement of porcelain plates and one single kiddie bowl.

A small wave of repulsion went through Omi when he took a closer look at a mug that caught his attention though, a curious hand reaching out to properly examine what was on the ceramic.

It was a personalised mug that seemed to have a not so hot picture of Izumi with her former boyfriend on it, their arms wrapped around each other.

With one of the worst choices of font, Papyrus, was a sentence that ran around the image.

I hope only love and happiness meet us hand-in-hand in the future.. Guo Dian.

Happy Graduation, Izumi.

This? In Papyrus? Out of all fonts? Omi didn't major in anything let alone graphic design, but just looking at this abomination told him that this bullshit was hideous as fuck. He was going to have to do something about this.

"Yo, Izumi-san." He called out.

"En..?" Poking her head from a doorway, the girl's eyes squinted at Omi who had the mug casually hanging from a long finger, eyebrows scrunched him as she tried to see what it was he was trying to tell her through his vague gestures. She only realised what he was holding in his hand when she remembered that there was only one or two mugs she owned as a new adult, and the only one that had a picture on it was the present that Guo Dian gave her on her convocation day.

"You ever tell 'im this the ugliest shit ya ever seen?"

"Uh.. I thought it was kinda cute at the time.." She trailed off, slightly embarrassed. Sure, it wasn't the prettiest thing to look at, but it's the thought that counts, right? Izumi treasured it for many years after receiving it, but she totally forgot about it once she left to go overseas. She didn't use it much anyways, considering how worn down and scratched all of her shot glasses were while the mug looked like it had been barely touched.

"Right, well," with an easy but powerful flick of his wrist, Omi lobbed the ceramic mug across the short length of the living room, leaving it to fly far enough to hit and smash the rest of an already broken window that lead to the outside of the building, "you thought wrong."

Wincing at the sound of the crash of the window and then the smash of the mug landing on concrete, Izumi quickly frowned at Omi before disappearing to her bedroom again to go back to doing what she was doing before he interrupted her. Whatever. She didn't like that mug anyways.

The lack of reaction was kind of disappointing to Omi, but he decided not to push her any further just in case the kitty actually had claws, using the leaking faucet to wash away any of the dust that managed to stick to his fingers as his nose wrinkled at the memory of initially witnessing the tragedy that was Izumi's only graduation present.

If it were him, he would have dumped his partner right then and there.

"Ugh.. Omi-san?" It was Izumi's turn to call out for him, not that it mattered to the man but he perked up at the helpless tone in her voice, already making the short trek to her bedroom before she could tell him what she needed help with.

She was surprised to see Omi standing in the doorway when she was going to walk out and drag him from the kitchen, but smiled gratefully when he was in her sights, hands shoved into his pockets.

"You good?" Eyeing the piece of plywood that Izumi was holding onto, Omi pursed his lips and took a single step forward to see how she was managing. The plywood looked a bit new, and considering that Sakyo and Itaru had been here once before told him that they were the ones who installed it.

They said they were having trouble opening something a while back, so it must have been something valuable hence the plywood screwed shut over the huge ass hole they made in the wall.

"Obviously not." Izumi grunted, fingers sore from pulling at the barrier for so long. "There was literally no reason for this."

Awkwardly bouncing on the balls of his feet, Omi continued to watch the girl struggle. Was she going to ask him to lend a hand or..?

"Please help me." She whined, removing her hands from the small crevice that helped her pull at the industrial wood. She brought her fingers up to her mouth and cutely placed soothing kisses to the parts that would undoubtedly bruise later, causing Omi's mouth to twist in disgust at the adorable display.

"Hm. Thought you were never gonna ask, Sweetheart." He smiled sarcastically to which Izumi reacted the same, both of them glaring at each other as Omi shrugged off his black denim jacket and tossed it to Izumi who hardly reacted fast enough to catch it. No one else would have put it past Omi to ignore the girl until she asked for assistance since he liked watching others struggle, but there was something about Izumi that made it all the more fun.

He had just met her today, and not that he'd admit it, but he was kind of enjoying himself right now.

"Hold it or wear it, don't care. An' quit lookin' at me like that." Omi sighed as Izumi crinkled her nose, the weight of his jacket making it difficult for her to hold in both hands. A slight grumble came from the girl once the man had turned away from her to pull a tactical switchblade from his back pocket, the matte carbon fibre attracting her attention.

Her eyebrows lifted, impressed by the slick blade, and took a step back to let Omi do whatever he was planning to do, arms casually slipping through the sleeves of his large jacket to keep herself warm. "You gonna somehow cut through the plywood with that?" She inquired while sitting down on her old bed, the sound of the creaking springs causing her to grimace and readjust her position on the hard mattress.

The half-hearted joke made Omi want to hit his head against the wall, but he didn't, instead bending to his knees to get a better look at the screws that were still managing to hold on. "I ain't that strong." He rolled his eyes to himself, hooking the blade into the divot of the first screw to get it loose and then worked on the next one in the other corner to get the top half disconnected from the wall. He worked quickly so that he wouldn't waste any more of their time, and without touching the other screws at the bottom dug his hand between the plywood and the wall to manually force it off.

The sound of wood splitting caused Izumi to stop zoning out, her body jolting at the sudden break.

"Yeah.." She grimaced again, seeing how the poor wood lay at his feet. "Not that strong.. I agree.."

Izumi sighed once she saw the huge hole that hid away the safe she only opened once, the dents in the metal clear as day to both her and Omi. Sakyo and Itaru could have done a better job at trying to open the safe, right? It was just a simple 4-digit code, but it looked like they couldn't even figure it out. There were a few scratches on some of the numbers that told Izumi that they focused on those, but they missed the mark.

They didn't get a single number right.

"The code was 3825.." Izumi mourned as she quickly went to kneel in front of the safe to drag her fingers along the dimples in the metal, not yet touching the keypad. Omi's eyebrows creased as he watched how her small hands poked out from the long sleeves of his jacket and crossed his arms over his chest, not really knowing why she would assume anyone would figure that out by themselves with no sort of clue from the owner.

"3825 for 'fuck' when you look at the letters.."  She explained not a second later, and it was at this point that Omi would have honestly preferred if she didn't say anything at all.

The urge to rip his jacket off her body out of anger was strong, but she unlocked the safe before he could make a move. Omi was left having to pretend he was only outstretching his hand to anxiously bite at his nails while Izumi gathered whatever was in the safe, the sigh that left her connecting to how Omi was feeling at this very moment.

"Didn't like 7448?" He muttered to himself when Izumi shuffled away from the safe to close it, the woman standing to her proper height as she turned her head to look at him with an innocent expression, eyes oddly sad for some reason.

"'Shit' wasn't as funny as 'fuck' at the time." She murmured gloomily, thumb brushing over the items that lay in her hand while Omi took a step to take a better look. His face contorted once more into an expression of disgust when he saw another photo of Izumi and Guo Dian together, along with a pair of amber kanzashi hair combs and a simple, black titanium ring.

"Top tier humour." He said, snatching away the photo that rest in her palm. The protest against him went ignored as Omi rummaged around in his pocket for something, his tongue poking out just the slightest bit as he dug deep to conjure a single match kept safe in a small plastic baggie from his trousers. "We're burnin' this shit."

"No! I look cute in that photo!" Izumi shot a hand out to try and reach for the picture that Omi took from her, but the man only held it above his head with a petulant frown, nose scrunched that she would even bother to try and save this forsaken piece of chemically sensitised paper.

The agitation was clear on Omi's face when Izumi's hand made contact with his chest as she tried to get closer to the photo, straining herself on her toes to at least brush her fingers along the edge of the item while her body leaned into him. Her struggle was genuine as she wheezed out a childish whine, but was quickly silenced when Omi's hand came down to roughly pat her cheek, an arm tucking around her waist to bring her back to the flat of her feet.

"I'll cut his half off then we burn it." He offered then pushed away the girl from him to keep their distance, brushing off the imaginary dust that she brought upon him. "Want you to explain why those are important though." He pointed at the traditional hair ornament and the ring being held tight in Izumi's hand. The amber resin glowed bright despite the dim lighting in the bedroom, and the ring glimmered just the slightest when the light from the window hit it as Izumi examined the accessories herself, lips pouted.

"I just told Itaru and Sakyo that these meant a lot to me," she sighed, not noticing Omi brandishing his switchblade again, "they're making it seem like they hold a different meaning though. I don't quite get it."

The smooth sound of his blade slicing through the photo made Izumi fall back into reality and she pressed her lips in a thin line when she noticed how he narrowly missed cutting her whole arm from the rest of the picture. She didn't say anything, but Omi knew how unimpressed she was with him when she put her hands on her hips; looking awfully cute (not his words) with how his denim jacket dwarfed her.

"Any special markings on 'em?" He murmured as he plucked the match he had from its baggie, taking a single step closer to the girl to reach out with the tiny thing. Before Izumi could react, Omi's wrist flicked in her direction to strike the match against his jacket that she still wore, a brief spark flying before the head lit up into a flame.

The action made her flinch in surprise, momentarily forgetting what his question was as her eyes darted back and forth between her sleeve and the match with widened eyes.

"H-How.."

"Cap gun powder, water, nail varnish." He didn't let her finish as he brought the match to Guo Dian's half of the photo, casually letting it burn in one hand as he motioned for Izumi with the other, telling her to hurry up and answer his question. The old scars on her body ached when her gaze didn't move from the flickering match and the melting picture, but willed herself to break away from the bright flame to avert her attention to the simple ring that Guo Dian had given to her as another present.

"Er.. Ah! There's a lotus emblem inside the ring.." She gasped in surprise, noticing the thin engraving that was touched up with gold. She then flipped the kanzashi combs in hands to see another set of lotus emblems in the top left corners, the black paint protected by a smooth coating of some type of varnish.

A deep intake of breath was heard coming from Omi as he finally dropped the ruined photo of Guo Dian along with the match, casually stepping on the flame with his white shoe to extinguish it before it could catch fire onto any of the rubble that was around. Stepping away, his foot revealed the burnt to a crisp sensitised paper and the dead match in the spot where the ex boyfriend's head used to be.

"'Kay. Good to know. We're done 'ere." The man mumbled as he tucked Izumi's half of the photo in his jacket pocket for the girl to hold onto, wrapping his large hand around the crook of Izumi's elbow to begin pulling her out the bedroom without giving her any time to look at anything else. "Let's go."

"Hey!" Izumi complained, unable to use any strength against Omi to make release her. She tried digging her heels into the floor to make the man let up, but Omi wasn't having it and pulled on her arm to make her stumble forward until she crashed into his side. Izumi groaned in agitation as her nose dug itself into his rib cage, but Omi was left unaffected, his arm moving to go back around her shoulders to escort her out of the abandoned apartment room.

"Can we at least go eat some food before we go back?" She put away the kanzashi in the same pocket Omi put her photo in and wore the black ring on her middle finger, squinting up at the man who was leading her down the hallway and towards the stairwell. "I didn't get to before I visited the office."

He shot a quick glance her way only for him to revert his gaze to the flight of stairs they were going to have to go back down, and made a move to grab Izumi firmly by the waist, hoisting her up into the air for a bridal carry, only to hear her complain again.

He was not going to let her slow them down by going into a corner to heave and catch her breath again. She went limp in Omi's arms just to spite him and make things harder, but his simple answer of 'no' made her shoot up to punch him in the shoulder.

"You're the worst."

[un-piorthos-et-tous-pour-un]

The thrilling adventures of a PA - Chapter Three : One step forward, two steps back (Adam Sackler x Reader)

Time does fly sometimes you think as you’re walking to Adam’s trailer with the lunch you ordered for the both of you at his request. According to the schedule, today was really a light day, he only had 2 scenes to shoot and they were supposed to be shot at dusk. It’s been 2 months now since you started the job and you knew what it meant for him to have to wait that long without having anything to do. You even suspected at one point he had ADHD but no, it was just how he was. How he came to be with everything that happened to him more precisely. Both of you had plenty of time to chat in between takes so you learned a bit about him as much as he learned about you. You liked that in fact, bonding like this, gradually but equally. it wasn’t all you talking and him listening or the other way around, no. He told you something and some other time or right after, you’d answer back. You knock on the door like you always do, letting him know it’s you behind that door & you let yourself in without waiting for any invitation since he’s expecting you.

- “Room service”, you joyfully announce, plates in one hand as the other closes the door behind you. As you turn around, you’re greeted by a small smile. He seems a bit tired by the look of it but you don’t mention it, no need to rub that one in. You lay the plates on the counter and take out the dishes from the cupboard. Yeah, you know where is everything by now, spending so much time in here explains it. Adam doesn’t mind or at least he doesn”t say anything about it. Maybe he even likes it, you suspect because he avoids keeping to himself like he does with the others. - “It smells fucking amazing”, he lets out as he’s approaching, taking the plates from your hands to set the table. “Thanks for that, I really didn’t want to go out on the canteen today.” - “No problem, you bought me lunch, I couldn’t say I wouldn’t do it. Plus, it’s still part of my job, remember ? You ask, I make it happen”, you answer back with a playfull smile and get a matching one from the actor. He pinches at your waist to retaliate and you chuckle. You’re getting comfy around each other these days and it’s really great but this doesn’t help you in any way not falling for him as the days go by. You both sit down on either side of the table & you can’t help but smile seeing him struggling to fit on the bench because of his long legs. That man really was a tree you thought to yourself, one you’d really enjoy climbing some day if it was possible. Snapping out of your inner fantasies, you start eating your lunch in silence, savouring the food for a second. Gosh that meat was so tender it almost dissolved on your tongue without chewing. A sigh of pleasure escaped Adam’s throat and once more, you chuckle making him furrow his brows at you. God, the places your mind went straight to while hearing that noise... - “Was that too loud ?”, he asks as you’re still smiling at him. - “Maybe a bit, but at least I’m sure you’re enjoying the food”, you retort, clearly teasing him. He pouts at you for a second & you laugh before you both start eating again. You’re halfway through the meal when you break the silence. “I thought that maybe we could go over your lines before you set off this afternoon ? It’ll pass the time and this way at least, I’d feel like i’m actually helping you in something that relates to your job for once and no just errands.” - “You’re helping me”, he says a bit sternly, “it might not look like it but you do, trust me, ok ?”, he adds looking you in the eyes to make sure you believe what he just said, making you blush a little in doing so. - “You know what I meant by that”, you reply looking down on your now empty plate. He nods and waits for you to look up again. - “Are you still hungry ? Do you want something else ?”, he asks gently & you shake your head to let him know you’re full. He takes the plates from the table and sets them in the sink. You catch a quick glance over before th turns & heads to the fridge to take some milk out. Adam drinks a lot of milk you noticed. He even drinks it with almost anything. You saw him have some with a slice of pizza once. It’s a bit weird but it’s Adam we’re talking about so, not so weird in the end. - “Can I have some too ?”, you say as he starts sipping directly from the jug. The giant immediately stops and wipes his mouth witht he back of his hand. - “Fuck, sorry. Yeah, of course, just a sec”, he answers, looking around for a glass but none are out so he reaches out in the cupboard to find one. Pourring the milk in, he puts it in front of you. - “Thanks”, you reply with a faint smile. This feels incredibly domestic to you all of that. The mall talk, the gestures... He nods again and sits back after he’s put the milk in the fridge. - “I didn’t picture you as a milk gal”, he blurts out and you genuinely laugh. - “What’s that even supposed to mean ?”, you reply still laughing a bit. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me Mr Sackler”, you add theatrically. - “Oh, I’m aware of that, trust me”, he talks back to you the same way, arching a brow for emphasis. You chuckle but inside you’re feeling quite flustered from that simple phrase. So you take a sip to give yourself some composure & take out from your bag the script, putting it in front of you as you set the glass on the table. - “Let’s get down to business”, you almost chant to the tune of the Disney song but you can tell he doesn’t know it as he grabs the script  takes it away from you instead. “Hey, give that back, I don’t know the lines, we’re supposed to make you rehearse, not me.” - “What do I get in return if I give it back ?”, he asks with a playfull grin on his face. You cross your arms & eye him sternly for a few seconds, which makes him grin even wider, making you want to slap that grin off because you know you’ve already lost this battle. - “3 questions. Anything you wanna ask me & I’ll have to answer, whether I like it or not”, you finally reply after some thinking. It’s a dangerous bargain you’re strucking youself in but you’re pretty sure he’ll be interested, giving what he said earlier. - “Make it 5 and we have ourselves a deal”, he retorts matching your stance. - “If your acting career ever stops, you’ll have a great future as a broker in Wall Street”, you say but now you’re the one grinning. - “First of all, aoutch”, he answers back, pretending to be hurt, “but I promise I’ll make a good use of those 5 questions”, he adds smiling again. You shake your head smiling too and he gives the script back. The first scene goes smoothly, it’s basically a fight between the two characters after they went out. You’re trying your best to put in feelings & intonnation but you don’t dare look at him while he’s replying. Especially since you know what’s coming next. Adam’s character goes into a monologue that you know will hit close to home for him. He explains why he can’t commit to his girlfriend, a very intense scene, charged with emotions. You can’t help but wonder if it will be okay for him when the camera will be rolling. Ot’s his job yes, but it doesn’t mean it must be easy to deal with that kind of personal trauma. You take a little break once you’ve done the first scene a couple of times, finishing your glass in the process. You feel your body tense a bit as you turn the page to get to the next one. Adam passes a hand in his hair & you guess he’s dreading it as well, or at least to rehearse it in front of you. Suddenly, you feel your phone vibrates in your pocket, you reach for it and read the text. It’s coming from Shirley and says all of you PAs are going out tonight for a few drinks. - “Your boyfriend ?”, a deep voice asks you and you shake your head. - “Nope, it’s Shirley. We’re all going out tonight”, you answer as you put the phone next to you. The silence that follows your reply feels weird but you don’t say anything about it. “Do you wanna keep going or take a break ?” - “No, let’s do this”, he says a bit abruptly as he gets up, preparing himself for what’s to come. The atmosphere’s changed, neither of you can ignore it but you still go on. Adam recites his lines and it’s something to witness up close you gotta say. You’ve got chills down your spine and goosebumps all over. You’re almost crying when he’s done & he’s in the same state. You dare not say a word right now; like it’s going to break something that isn’t there so you’re relieved whe the actor sniffles and looks at you with a completely different gaze. - “That was amazing ! I... I don’t even know what to say since it was that effing good Adam”, you manage to let out without getting too emotional. - “You’re just saying that, it was shit”, he blurts out, taking his head between his hands in frustration. You feel there’s a storm boiling inside of him so you try to avoid it hitting the pointof no return. - “Why would I do that ? Plus, you know you’re always the worst judge when it comes to your performance. The director will be thrilled with it, believe me. And if he’s not, he’s either blind or stupid”, you point out, wipping a tear from your cheek and your phone buzzes again. A quick look at it and you set it aside. - “Still Shirley ?”, he asks shaking his head to clear his thoughts & get out of the scene. - “She says I should wear a dress and let my hair down because I quote ‘it’ll make you look cute, you never know who might be out there’. She’s trying to hook me up for a couple of weeks now. She says it’s depressing that I’m still single & only living for my job. She always says the nicest of things, don’t you think ?”, you say smiling, clearly kidding. You know she’s looking out for you and that it’s coming from a good place, but you’re not that desperate for one & well, you’re not interested in anyone except for one tall dark haired man standing two feets away from you right now. Who looks somewhat annoyed and lost at the same time. “Do you want to give it another shot or not ?”, you simply respond, chosing to ignore what just went down. - “No, if I trust what you’ve said, it’s more than okay  I wouldn’t want to keep you here if you’ve got places to be tonight”, he tries to chirp to give the illusion it was just a spat but you can clearly see he’s still annoyed. - “Are you sending me away ?” - “You obviously want to get ready for your night and I think I can get myself to the set on time without you so yeah, it would seem so”. His tone is almost cold and you feel tears coming up from nowhere so you stand up, taking your phone and the script with you as you rush for the door since you’re being dismissed. - “Trust your guts for the scene, you’re a great actor Adam. Even if you don’t think so. I’ll see you in the morning”, you manage to say before you leave the trailer without looking back. What the hell was that, you ask yourself as you’re walking back to the locker room, trying to hold back tears. The last thing you want right now is for someone to see you like this and ask why you’re in that state. You’re still a bit shaken by what went down early on when you meet the others at the bar. Was it a way for you to conjure up Adam’s words that you actually listened to Shirley’s advice and put on the only dress you had in your wardrobe, letting your hair down and even got yourself pampered a little ? Perhaps... Catching you in her field of view, the other PA lights up instantly and comes your way arms wide open. - “Wow, look at you sweetie ! All dolled up. You look fantastic”, she says as she hugs you like a mama bear before realeasing you. “See, I told you you can clean out just fine if you put enough will in it”, she adds grabbing your arm as she drags you to the entrance where the others are waiting. Of course Stew is there but there’s also Kayla, a young brunette coming from Missouri who hopes her job as a PA will be her back entrance to an acting career. She’s nice & has a lovely voice (she nails every high notes of Mariah’s songs which she likes to sing all day long...). Next we’ve got Andrea, former waiter in a great hotel in Greece where he’s coming from, who got into the job years ago on a misunderstanding. He loves puns, you two have bonded over that since your sense of humor is based on the same cinematical references. And finally, there’s Oona. From chinese origins, she’s the little miss sunshine of your troup. Always making you guys smile with her clumsiness but mostly because she radiates good vibes non-stop. The lot of you enter the bar & settle at a table before ordering the first round. You’re looking around to scan the crowd and Andrea notices, as he’s sitting in front of you. - “Looking for your next mistake, aren’t we ?”, he teases you, he knows you’re the worst when it comes to anything related to flirt or relationships. - “No, not you too Andrea. Shirley’s seeing things, I’m not into him, just as he’s not into me. I just admire his intensty when he’s acting, that’s it”, you try to defend yourself but he’s not convinced. - “Honey, I’m a lesbian and I think he’s a total babe. You’re smitten, all the sings are here”, intervenes Shirley suddenly, as she pinches your chin softly. “That’s why whe’re here tonight. We’re gonna get you a man to make you forget another one.” You’re about to argue against that idea but one look at her and you know there’s no way she’s letting you off the hook. The first round of drinks arrives & you try to hide behind your glass but its size a bit to small for that, especially knowing what Shirley’s up with you. But you know she’s right and your mind plays back the exchange you had with him a few hours ago. The first couple of gulps go down your throat without you noticing it & the other woman next to you smiles. “That’s the spirit girl, let your freak flag fly tonight”, she replies chuckling and it’s a couple of hours later when you get out to catch some fresh hair that you’re joined by Stew who needs to smoke. - “You ok Y/N ?”, he asks as he lights up his cigarette with one hand. - “Do you wanna hear the short answer or the fake one ?”, you answer with a faint smile. - “The one you’re most comfortable with I’d say”, he replies with a smirk. “If you don’t want to talk at all, I understand. The same thing ahppend to me when I had my first job as a PA.” - “Really ? And how didi it end ?”, you dare ask, wanting to know even if you dredd the answer, feeling it’s not a fairy tale ending by the way he said that. - “Not going to lie to you, it was a bitch. It broke my heart & I gained 10 pounds eating Ben&Jerry’s for a whole month”, he says whille taking a drag. “We’re just a distraction, it’s nothing real for them. We’re here to help, answer their every need so it’s easy to be mistaken on what all this is in the end. But if you wanna keep working as a PA, you’ll have to set some barriers. Easier said than done I know but that’s how I’ve handled it.” The both of you talk about the subject for another good 20 minutes before Shirley comes out too and heads for you directly, saying it’s your turn to buy drinks and that it’s not outside you’ll be meeting someone. You look at Stew for help but all he gives you in return is a ‘sorry you’re on your own here’ shrug because he knows she’s not letting this go away. You’re only allowed to go home after she was you talk to 2 guys. You’re tired & have to process a lot of things. Luckily, the walk to your appartment gives you time to think things through or at least to start doing so. You’re not sure if it’s the alcohol or simply the emotional toll of the day that’s finally catching with you but as your head falls on the pillow after you’ve changed in your pj’s, you feel yourself drifting into sleep but you’re still wondering what you’re going to do with what Stew told you and what happened with Adam this afternoon. Your night is agitated, you’re rolling over & over again trying to figure out what you’ll do but as your alarm clock wakes you up in the morning, the answer si still out of reach so you decide that you’ll follow your colleague’s advice. Even if it'll be hard for you, it’s the only reasonable thing to do if you don’t want to end up heart broken when in a few months your paths will part. Why did he had to be so damn complicated and loveable at the same time ? You curse his name out loud as you leave your place for work, determined to let all that behind you somehow and not to fall in that trap another time. Or at least that’s what you’re telling yourself on repeat all the ride long to the studios this morning.

[scorchviox]

Your Touch [ShigarakixOC]: Chapter 6

Chapter Index

By the next morning, when everyone had gone to work, Souseiki sauntered through the front door with the help of her house key. Everything seemed normal to her, “Why wouldn’t it be normal?” She thought while she walked towards her bedroom. All she needed was some clothes, just a few so no one would suspect anything. A great plan that could have easily been executed, but some unknown force out there in the heavens wanted the brunette to really take in the fact that her family wanted to move on as quickly as possible. Souseiki stood stock still as if someone has used a freezing quirk on her. She stared into the empty room in disbelief. Her eyes scanned the area frantically as if staring long enough would bring back all her belongings within minutes, but all she felt was a headache coming on and a static noise irritating her ears. “Where the fuck is my stuff!” Souseiki venomously barked out.

   If anyone other than her would walk in they would think no one ever occupied the room. It was spotless and free of furniture or any wall decorations. It seemed like a storage room that hadn’t been used since the family moved in. The following hour the enraged girl spent her time rummaging through every closet and cupboard in the home. Even further investigation did not help her anger because she soon realized all traces of her had disappeared in a mere day. From her duvets to her favorite pink plate were nowhere to be found. Such a sight seemed as if she had never even existed in their lives. There was no mistaking that she was not wanted at all, so she went back and closed everything she had opened and out small items back in their place. She couldn’t leave a trace of herself either, right?

   With a frown etched onto her face, Souseiki walked out of the home and looked around the street, out of precaution, before making her way to the road she followed the night before. Her brain screamed at her to run as fast as she could, but forced herself to walk at an even pace. Doing such a thing would only attract attention to herself, this wasn’t a street one would usually jog on.

   A snicker broke past her lips as she walked along the road as she remembered her mom’s words, “We love you, honey. We just think you could put in a little more effort.” She always reassured her of such things and she never knew why. Now it was evident as to why she repeated those words when she found a chance. Those words were an attempt at convincing herself she did love her daughter. What else could it have been at this point? To them, Souseiki was just dead weight that would only be able to work a desk job.

   “What bullshit,” the teen muttered as she threw her head back and looked at the azure sky. To think her family even cared about her after the little tortures they had put her through. If stupid had a picture Souseiki was sure it would be her. Continuing to think about such a somber subject would only further ruined her mood, so she groaned as she leveled her head to stare down the path she walked. The street was busy compared to the night before. Pedestrians walked up and down the street, each minding their own business, but something nagged at her to pull up her hood. Maybe it was her vast knowledge of undercover spy movies that nudged her to do so. For a second she thought it would make her even more conspicuous than intended, but her mind settled as she suddenly noticed a lot of people walking around with their hoods on. They walked among the crowd without caring what their ouster appearance was. It dawned on Souseiki that she could learn a thing or two from such people.

   Aside from that, her incident was already old news in this new quirk immersed society. People die every day and accidents such as hers occur more than once a day. At this point, she was just another statistic. The brunette was positive all eyes would be on her family, as they had mentioned last night. The public eye would be latched onto how Flux’s family recovered from such a tragic familial loss.

   After walking farther down the street she stopped when a slightly familiar building came into view. She stood aside and eyed the billboards over it. The lights weren’t on, but a faint memory of them nagged at her. Due to it, she walked down the alley slowly and scanned the area hoping to find something that looked even more familiar. She bit her lip looking around the alleyway in hopes that the slight pain would bring back an essential memory.

   “Welcome back,” called a voice in the distance. The brunette’s heart raced as she glanced around the are. There was no soul had or behind her and soon panic started settling in. Who would be calling her? Out of fear she pulled the sleeve’s over her fists and turned to walk back towards the crowd. “Hey, up here,” sighed the voice this time sounding more tired. At the sound of the voice, she once again turned quickly, causing the hood to fall off her head, as she looked at a window on the top floor. Above her was Shigaraki leaning against his forearms on the window sill. “Get inside already.”

   Despite the tone coming out like a boss screaming at an underpaid employee, Souseiki nodded and scrambled towards the door he had gestured to. When she stepped through the brunette made her way up a few stairwells before coming face to face with a familiar door. Pushing it open, she stood at the entrance to see Kurogiri sitting on a couch with a newspaper in hand and a mug of coffee on a side table. “Good morning,” he greeted, “there’s breakfast if you’re hungry.”

   Suddenly feeling an itch in her throat, Souseiki gulped the saliva that had accumulated in her throat and said, “Thank you.” She took slow steps towards the counter and saw two plates full of food. Taking a seat she looked back at Kurogiri, who no was sipping at his coffee.

   Shigaraki then emerged from the door she had just entered through and settled himself before the breakfast beside Souseiki. He picked up a glass of water and stared at the way he held it for a second, with his middle finger raised in the air. “Good to see you back,” he said before lowering the finger to grasp the glass with all five digits.

   Adjacent to him, Souseiki turned to fully face her food, “Am I really still welcomed?” She whispered loud enough for him to hear. The way these two strangers had greeted her shocked Souseiki, to say the least. Who in their right mind would help her, again, a stranger and house her? They invited her into their not so welcoming home and made her breakfast. Overall, she didn’t feel hated, which was nice. Quite frankly, this all felt like a fever dream, so she dug her nails into the palm of her hand until small, red crescent moons appeared. This new atmosphere screamed home to her now.

   “That’s a stupid question,” Shigaraki answered as he cast her a side glance through blue locks. A response so dry and irritated satisfied her and she too began to pick up her utensils and eat breakfast along his side. Minutes passed without a word. Kurogiri had stood from his spot and walked closer to the two, close enough for the mist to disperse. Shigaraki saw the way Souseiki eyed the man before loudly dropping his silverware to catch her attention. “Let’s go,” he demanded and pulled her out of the seat by yanking on the jacket she wore.

   The door slammed behind the two as Shigaraki led the way through the dark hallway and past the bathroom she had previously used. “Where are we going?” Souseiki questioned as she tried to look over his shoulder to see what room he could have been leading her to.

   He didn’t respond and simply tugged her long to the room she had used the nights before. “I had Kurogiri bring in some stuff you’d need before your parents got rid of them,” he mumbled out as he opened the room’s door. On the bed was a small duffel bag full of her clothing and mere toiletry essentials. It wasn’t much, but the thought mattered much more.

   Souseiki nodded to herself as she released her grip from Shigaraki’s and walked into the room. “So you knew about my parents literally erasing my existence from their lives?” She muttered picking up a shirt and clenched it in her hand. “Why didn’t you tell me? If you knew that little adventure I had last night wouldn’t be necessary.”

   The blue-haired teen stood at the door with his hands now inches pockets. He knew why he hadn’t said anything, but he played stupid, “No idea.” It would have been better for her to find out on her own terms. Taking his word, a stranger’s word, wouldn’t hit home as he’d want. If she felt that anger surge through her body and saw her parent’s nonchalant mood after her so-called death; he knew Souseiki would be a great accomplice. Her loyalty towards him and his ideals would only grow stronger from here on out if he let this happen. “Give me my jacket back. You’ve got your clothes now.”

   “Oh, right.” She said dropping the clothes she held and gripping at the hem of the jacket before peeling the warm fabric of her skin. “I don’t know what you want from me, Shigaraki, but I think you should know I don’t kill people,” Souseiki spoke with a tone so sure of herself. “I would never kill a person.”

   “Noted.” He smiled as he clutched onto the sweater outstretched to him.

   After their short chat, the hours ticked by and the two men didn’t see the girl for the rest of the day. They didn’t bother interrupting her at all whether she could be heard throwing things around or nothing could be heard at all. Shigaraki and Kurogiri sat in the open area staring at the television that simple had the words Sound On registered on the screen. “It’s only expected that the daughter of a hero would decide not to take a life. If you are to use her it must be in a roundabout way,” erupted the voice of All for One.

   Shigaraki lightly scratched at his neck as he eyed the screen, “Don’t you think I know that? I know how she’s going to be of use,” he assured as he looked at Kurogiri who was sitting still in his spot. “We saw that projected quirks work around her. That could be used to our advantage.”

   In his seat, Kurogiri cleared his throat and caught the attention of the teen. “There’s a chance she would go along with your plans. Souseiki has already expressed how thankful she is,” the response warranted silence, so he continued due to the blue-haired boy’s confused expression, “She asked if she was still welcome. She wanted to stay. That aside, she came back. We are her only home now.”

   “I’m not willing to gamble that. She’s the first to join my party. If I lose her right now I won’t get past the intro or even into the actual gameplay,” Shigaraki muttered toying with the frayed fabric on the couch. “Leave her to me.”

Next

[mymelodyheart]

Forget Me Not Chapter 10 ~Friend Request~

Willie glanced at his watch. It had been a hectic morning at The Fraser Manor Inn kitchen waiting for the arrival of the new kitchen appliances and making sure they were all according to order specifications. With the job done and with two hours to spare, he had time to install fixtures and fittings for Claire and Geillis in their newly rented house before heading back to Lallybroch to take his mother shopping. Instead of using the car, Willie jogged to the girls' residence. It was a brisk run as it was only fifteen minutes walk away.

He was about to knock on the door when something caught his periphery.  What the...?  Turning sideways, he saw Claire lying very still on her front on a patch of grass, head tilted and shoulders bunched. He wanted to say something to grab her attention and asked what the hell she was doing, but something made him stop. iPhone held with both hands, she was poised to take a picture. Biting her lower lip in concentration, a thumb hovered on the screen button ready to tap. Combing the vicinity for the object of her inspiration, his gaze landed on an immobile grey cat looking directly at her with alert eyes, already prepared to pounce or to scamper away at the slightest movement. Seemingly entranced with Claire's soft voice, the feral animal tipped and dipped its head at the sound she was making.

"Here's a good kitty...that's it, sweety, keep looking this way. I have a dish of milk waiting for you," she hummed softly.

Willie held his breath, mentally urging her to capture the perfect shot. A few heartbeats went past, but the opportunity went flying out the window, when the ping sound of her phone spooked the cat, causing it to scurry into the fields. Still unaware he was stood there, Claire groaned loudly, letting her head fall on the ground in frustration for a few seconds. When she finally raised her head to look at her phone screen, Willie saw her body stiffen, and her hands shook.

Alarmed, he immediately went to her. "Hey Claire, ye alright?"

Startled, Claire's head spun in Willie's direction, hurriedly scrambling into sitting position and composing her face. "Oh...hey. I was taking a daft photo," she explained feebly, her cheeks flaming bright pink. "I didn't hear you coming. Where did you come from?"

"I jogged from the hotel. Ye were so engrossed with what ye were doing, I didn't want to interrupt." Willie kneeled down, concern carved on his face. He could see her knuckles were white from clutching her mobile. "What's this?" He pried the phone off her hand with little resistance as it renewed its consecutive pinging sounds. His face went white as he looked down on the device's screen and read the vile messages. There was no avoiding it. "Jesus, Claire, who is sending ye these? And who is Lee Dee?"

Claire brushed off Willie's sharp question, refusing to look at him. "I don't know...I keep blocking them on Facebook, but they keep coming back with different names," she whispered hoarsely. She visibly shook herself, smoothing away the grass and damp from her jeans and summoning a smile. "C'mon, let's go inside, it's cold. It's probably just some sick person who has nothing better to do. Let's forget about it, ok?" She tried to grab her phone back from Willie's hand, but he held it away from her.

Not bothering to ask her permission, Willie continued to swipe up the phone screen to reveal more sickening and shocking lines. "Hell, no, Claire. This is serious. How long has this been going on?" he asked in a low voice, a line forming between his eyebrows.

She shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. "Four or five months, give or take."

"For fuck sake, Claire, that long? Does Jamie know?" Willie dragged down a hand on his face, trying to comprehend why anyone would send such messages to her.

"No!" The word emerged as a shout, laced in annoyance. "It's not important. Willie, please, just forget about it. Don't make a mountain out of a mole. Jamie's plate is overcrowded as it is, and the last thing he needs is worrying about something as silly as random stupid messages from the internet. I can handle this on my own. I'm an adult now in case you've forgotten...and you...you can stop acting like I need protection." She knew he wouldn't listen to reason, so she continued firmly. "I don't want to make a big deal out of it. So, drop it."

It was difficult for him to believe her when he could see flickers of pain in her eyes. He wanted to take her into his arms and hold her there, but in doing so, he would be allowing himself to feel more than he should.  This is Jamie's girl,  reminding himself, and Jamie had asked him to look out for her. Respecting that wish was something Willie didn't take lightly, and it was a responsibility he took seriously. With incredible will power, he quickly kissed her on the forehead, instead of giving her the usual brotherly hug, and turned towards the entrance door. "Aye, ye're probably right. It's probably nothing. Let's go inside then and put up those new curtain rails."

Appeased, Claire let them into the house with Willie close behind. Once inside, he watched her make a beeline to the kitchen cupboard, and with shaking hands, she retrieved two tumblers and poured a generous measure of whisky in each glass. It was then and there he realised her drinking could have something to do with the messages she had been receiving.

..........

Lying on the bed, Jamie stared at the ceiling of his hotel room. The plan had been to track down Annalise's adoptive family, but she was so damn elusive of their whereabouts, he had no choice but to drop the subject and the idea of attempting to find them. He knew she had severed their ties because of her abusive past suffered in their hands, but surely there must be somebody else in her life who cares about her.  Friends? Long distant relatives? Acquaintances? Where are they? She couldn't have lived all her life not having anyone.

His mind drifted back to four days ago to their initial conversation.  So, Jamie Fraser, for my second wish...I want to ask you...will you be my husband, until death takes hold of me? I don't want to die alone.  Of all the things he thought Annalise would ask of him, he had definitely not foreseen that. Speechless and unsure how to proceed, all he could do was bury his face in his hands, giving himself time to formulate his next words...or action. It didn't help that his attention was divided continuously by his constant thoughts of Claire. There was no help. He wanted her so badly, in all sorts of ways that it made him ache all over.  Christ, I miss her.

Mistaking his silence as contemplation, Annalise had walked over to him, reaching out to lay his head on her burgeoning belly.

Her touch had made him jump with a start. "No Annalise...no." His abruptness had startled both of them, but he was determined to keep her at arm's length. He didn't want to hurt her feelings, especially not in her condition. Studying her as he grappled for the right words, he thought he saw a flash of anger in her eyes. Or was it jealousy? Before he could read more into it, that damn mask was back on again. "Christ, Annalise...I'm truly sorry. Bloody hell, ye're dying, but I cannae grant ye this." He paused, releasing his pent up breaths. "No. I am here to help ye, but that is one wish I can't deliver. No, I cannae marry ye. I have someone... a-and I love her."

As expected, she had retreated back to her seat and to that impregnable veil, only shaking her head in response, maybe as a self-reproof for her own forwardness or embarrassment for being denied. "Of course..oh God. How could I ask you for such a thing? No... please don't be sorry. It's me who should be apologising. What was I thinking?" she sputtered, managing a self-conscious laugh at herself. "I had to ask because I'm desperate, it was the only way. I've never minded being on my own, but the idea of dying with no one in my life to speak of is terrifying. But I have to be content with the knowledge you'll make sure my baby will go to a loving home."

Looking at Annalise sat on the single armchair that seemed to swallow her, she had looked fragile, small, and so lost. She lived in a city that never sleeps, and it's thronged with people, jostling and going about their business without a care, and every day, she viewed the street below, like watching life go by in her absence from a fishbowl. Suddenly the small apartment had seemed suffocating, and Jamie knew he couldn't stay. He needed to get out of there to think clearly. Despite the silent plea in her eyes begging him to stay, he didn't, but he promised he would come back.

Came back, he did. They talked as he poured over papers upon papers of printed doctors' diagnosis and examinations that Annalise handed to him. It may as well had been written in Chinese as Jamie's thoughts bounced to and fro, her words going in one ear and out the other, and the medical documents were nothing but a blur. Nothing was registering when his mind kept wandering to Claire and the dialogue he had with his brother.  Claire has a drinking problem. 

Although trust had been verbally established between them, he didn't want to give her any reasons to doubt; hence, he had checked himself into a hotel and regularly updated Claire with news, omitting the part on Annalise's final wish. And after Willie's admission of his deep-seated fondness for Claire, he didn't want anyone thinking that she was available for dates especially now that her arrival back in Lallybroch had piqued interest. Thus, he had posted the picture he took of them on Facebook, tagging her and updating his status, in a relationship. She wasn't impressed as she was never one to post a photo of herself on any social media platforms, but she gave in eventually, knowing his counterargument would be unreasonable. Now that it's out there loud and clear, there should be no more misunderstanding.

Jamie held no illusions that his mere presence by Annalise would solve everything, nor was he arrogant enough to believe that every second of the five days he had spent with Claire, would guarantee a  happily ever after.  The crack of jagged daylight on Claire's wall was just beginning to show, and no longer did she have that worry in her eyes that their relationship would be met with disapproval. The deeply etched line between the two of them had been brushed away... for now, and he intended to continue to break that crack of light wide open.

He had made up his mind. Jamie was taking Annalise to Lallybroch with him, and that decision was based on selfish reasons. He missed Claire. Jamie needed her now. Even before Willie had confessed Claire's possible drinking problem, he already knew she was still fighting a lot of insecurities. How often, over the years, had he seen Claire vibrating with suppressed emotions? The thought made everything masculine inside him react. A bolt of heat had hit its mark, spreading throughout his loins. He was aching for her desperately if the outrageously full erection was any indication.  She's mine to fix, and she's mine to balance. Love provides that balance.

With shaking hands, he reached out for his iPhone on the bedside table and facetime Claire. She answered on the first ring, draped in a bathrobe, a mug of tea poised at her lips. He could see she was in her bedroom. "Jaime!"

"Sassenach..." His voice sounded hoarse to his ears. Christ, she's beautiful...Sorcha.  "What are ye doing? Are ye alone in the house?"

"Umm, Willie and Geillis are in the kitchen. Willie stopped by for dinner earlier. It was the least we could do for him after he did a few jobs for us around the house. I've excused myself, and I was just about to read a book." Claire disappeared from the screen as she twisted to her side to set the mug by the bedside table. "Are you alright, Jamie? You have that funny look on your face." She paused for a few seconds. "Uh-oh, I know that look."

"Lock yer door, Sassenach."

Claire didn't need telling twice as if she could read his mind and quickly scrambled from the bed. When she came back on the screen, excitement flashed in her eyes. "Now what?" she whispered, in anticipation.

"Take off yer robe. I want to see all yer naked body," Jaime demanded in a thick voice, as he slid down his sweatpants and boxer shorts, and wrapped his hand around his cock. "I want to see ye touch yersel'. I want to watch ye."

"Oh!" A heartbeat passed." Are you touching yourself?" she asked, her voice cracking and eyes doubling in size. Without waiting for him to answer, she went out of focus while she set her phone upon a stack of cushions, fussing and fiddling to place it at a right angle. He could almost see her blushing and smell her scent when he shut his eyes, envisioning her before him.

"Aye, I've been thinking of ye the whole day, and it's given me a painful cock-stand. I need ye so badly...please let me watch ye, Sassenach." His fist squeezed up and down his erection as he watched Claire sank back against a pile of pillows and slowly unknotted the tie to her bathrobe.

"Jamie, I've never done this before..." She looked painfully shy but at the same time, so damn sexy. He swallowed hard as his eyes focused on her hands, parting her bathrobe, ever slowly, revealing inch by inch the smooth white skin.  So beautiful, my lass, love, love her.

"Christ, ye're the most beautiful woman I've ever laid eyes on...look at what ye do to me. The thought of ye makes me so hard and seeing ye like that in bed is enough to drive me crazy," he rasped, tightening his hold on his aching throb. "Touch yersel', Sassenach, and pretend it's my hands touching ye."

The need in his voice must have coaxed her to slipped off her panties, her glazed eyes boring into him. Her chest and cheeks were flushed, and her tits were larger than usual.  She must be having her period soon,  he thought 

Her head fell backwards, shaking hands sliding up her stomach to cup her swollen breasts. As fingers rubbed over her nipples, her breath caught in her throat. "Oh God, Jamie..."

"I got ye Sassenach, I see ye...fuck, ye're so gorgeous," he gritted, his hand moving faster along his length. "Think of me sucking those beautiful tits."

The sound of his shallow breathing and the hitch of his breath encouraged her more. Staring into the screen on the phone, she spread her legs apart, his darkening eyes following every movement of her hands. She slid one hand down her stomach and dipped closer between her thighs. Slipping her fingers between the folds of her mound, she thrust them into her centre. "Oh, God, yes..." She moaned as she swiped the moisture from her sex, rubbing her finger over her sensitive spot.

"Look at me Sassenach...keep looking at me. I love ye, ye understand," His accent was becoming thicker by every word as he watched her finger movement grow erratic, his own hips rocking hard beneath the motion of his hands. "I love every fucking inch of ye. There's only been ye...ye hear me. Ye're mine. Mine. Say it."

"I'm yours, Jamie...always," she sobbed, working her finger in a circle between her thighs. "Oh, God, oh, God...Jamie..." Claire's gaze stayed on his, her eyelids weighed down with lust. "I'm nearly there..." Panting, she reached and pinched her nipple, her fingers repeatedly rubbing between her wet folds. 

"So beautiful...so beautiful. Aye, that's it, don't stop. I'm with ye...love ye so much. So sweet..." Her body arched and convulsed in response, as his head buzzed and spun with urgency. "Jesus, Jesus Christ," Jamie gritted out, his own body racked with shudders, as his release came shooting out his hand, gripping him with near-paralysing bliss.

They both went silent as they allowed the waves of pleasure to subside, content to simply be and gaze at each other. As Claire curled up to hug a pillow, Jamie made a move to get up from his bed. "How are ye feeling?"

She nodded and smiled. "Sleepy..."

"Don't switch off the phone yet. I want to watch ye sleep. I'll be in the bathroom to clean mysel'" Jamie whispered, his chest expanding with love as he watched her body relax and her eyes strived to remain open.

"Good night, Jamie," she mumbled, pulling the covers over her shoulder and placing the phone next to her.

"Sassenach? I have something to tell ye...before you go to sleep."

"Mmm?"

"I'm coming home in two days."

Her eyes fluttered open for a few seconds, but he knew she was too tired to ask questions. It was just as well as he didn't feel like talking about Annalise after what they just shared. "I can't wait..." were her last words before Claire nodded to sleep.

..........

By the time Willie reached Lallybroch, his parents were already asleep. He wanted to speak to Claire before leaving her, but he heard her bedroom locking as he was about to knock. Sitting alone, by the fire, in the family room, he took out his phone and read the message from Jamie letting him know he was coming home with Annalise. 

Having never met Jamie's ex-girlfriend, he decided to reserve his judgement when he meets her. There were other pressing matters that concerned him as he browsed through his picture gallery. Earlier, Willie made a few screenshots of the messages Claire received on Facebook and had it sent to his own phone. The date on one particular message disturbed him as it was sent way before Claire arrived Lallybroch and before she and Jamie became a couple.

You fucking whore, do you know it's incest to sleep with your brother? You're nothing but an ugly cunt.

He browsed through Claire's Facebook profile, knowing already she never posted a picture of herself. The images she posted were more of a hobby photography kind. There was only one photo of herself which Jamie posted and tagged her in, and this was from a few days ago. Swiping up further, he searched for a post nearer to the date when the vile messages started landing in Claire's inbox. They began on the day when she announced on Facebook she was coming home to Lallybroch to stay for good.