#and then she comes from the opposite direction with 2 friends and a coffee that werent there before

[camelspit]

eouaghh forgot i have to wake up early tommorow :(

[httpiastri]

this christmas – op81

ski slopes, mistletoes, and the guy you've been crushing on for years – what could be better?

genre: fluff, mutual pining, friends to lovers!au, smut (just one scene in the end, you can skip it if you want)

pairing: female leclerc!reader x oscar piastri

other characters: lando norris, charles leclerc, george russell & mundt, alex albon & lily muni he, pierre gasly & kika cerqueira gomes

warnings: mentions of alcohol, smut, not much more i think

word count: 13.8k (LMAO)

requested?: yes!!

author’s note: hello hello!! a lot to say about this one. first of all, thank you to @be-your-coffee-pot for this request, and i apologize for not getting to it earlier than now. for everyone’s knowledge, the request was sent in to me in august, so… yeah. i know it’s not exactly what you asked for, but i hope you like it anyway <3

second of all, i feel pretty happy about some of these scenes, but some… not so much. some of the fillers have parts that i really despite, but i don’t really have time to rewrite since christmas is like 2 days away lol. also, my description of the reader’s relationship to charles is not my best work, idk why he barely even appears, and i’m also not sure why logan isn’t in this...

third of all, my red divider things make my posts disappear from the tags, so i didn’t put any in this time. it looks bad, i know, but idk how to fix it. if anyone does, please let me know. :)

and lastly: i only proofread this whole thing once yesterday, but tumblr was being a bitch and i got so frustrated that i do not have the energy to proofread it again. so please, if you happen to find any spelling or grammar mistakes, i would be very thankful if you let me know. <3

hope you all enjoy !!

december 12th, 2:11pm

oscar has always loved winter.

it started in his childhood; the holiday films he'd seen as a child, the way it always seemed to magically snow right on christmas eve really started something in him. it hadn't been common for him to get snow back home in australia when he was younger but once he moved to the england, he got to experience it quite a lot. playing, fighting and just existing in the snow was like an unfilled childhood need that stayed with him until his older years.

he loved spending christmas at home with his family, but ever since he got to experience real christmases with snow, trees and cozy darkness, he craved it more than he craved lying on the beach in his swimming trunks.

so when he was asked to come along to the swiss alps for a vacation during the winter break, he packed his bags right away. he and lando just happened to book the same flight, and they both arrived at the airport around noon, getting into a cab to take them to the accommodation together.

when they arrive outside the cottage, oscar is in shock; it is enormous. he had imagined just a tiny, cute little house – not that he was sure how seven drivers and a couple of girlfriends would fit in a "tiny" house – but he was far from right.

him and lando are the second pair to arrive, just about an hour after alex and lily, who are the self-proclaimed 'hosts' as they took care of all of the booking and planning.

"we thought that one would be lando's room," alex starts, pointing down the hallway. "since it's far away from everyone else, and i'm sure we all would prefer to actually get some sleep during the night time."

"oh, shut it..." lando mumbles, shoving his friend on his shoulder.

"this one can be yours, oscar," lily says, moving in the opposite direction and gesturing to another room. then, she points at the one right next to it. "and this one has two beds, so it's for charles and his sister."

oscar's ears perk up. "y/n is going to be here?" he speaks almost took quickly, making the other three turn to look at him.

"oh, i thought you knew..." lily has an apologetic look on her face.

"i must've forgotten," oscar answers, though he's completely sure no one told him about it. there's no way he would forget you. "don't worry, it's cool."

the hosts continue to move down the hallway, and the mclaren boys are just about to follow along when lando elbows oscar's side playfully. "it's cool?"

oscar raises an eyebrow, trying to keep calm. "what?"

"the youngest leclerc coming along?" a grin takes up lando's entire face. "it's just cool? is she cool, or-"

"goodbye, lando." oscar shakes his head, darting towards alex and lily again. he takes a few deep breaths, hoping the blush he can feel spreading across his cheeks isn't too obvious.

unfortunately, lando didn't need to see the blush to know. he has caught his teammate staring at you too many times over the season, and he is fully aware of the way oscar always is suddenly interested in the conversation whenever you're the topic of discussion.

lando knows everything. and this christmas, he's going to be the best wingman the world has ever seen.

‎‎ ‎‎

december 13th, 12:53am

it's past midnight when you and charles arrive. your flight had been delayed, and then the gps had stopped working all of a sudden. and then, charles just refused to drive any faster than 30 km/h, saying it was too dangerous. as if he didn't drive cars in ten times that speed without even flinching.

you assume the whole house is sleeping already, so you and charles both sneak in as quietly as you can. someone – lily, assumably – has left you a note on the front door, guiding you to your shared room. it all goes smoothly – until charles trips over the doorframe, dropping his bag onto the floor as he tries not to fall down. the sound rattles through the hallway and you flinch, stopping in your tracks as you hope no one's woken up. but just a second later, the door opposite yours opens and a head sticks out.

oscar.

your heart softens and your shoulders relax when your gaze meets his. your soft smile is mirrored on his face, the sleepiness evident in his droopy eyes and the way strands of his bedhead point in every direction.

he looks like he's just about to say something when charles speaks up. "sorry, man! were you asleep?"

he walks up to the australian, giving him a firm handshake and a pat on the back. oscar shakes his head. "i was up reading," his huskey accent is like music to your ears. "i thought i heard some rustling out here, and then..." he nods his head toward the suitcase on the floor.

your brother laughs as he steps back, walking into the room with the "leclerc" sign. "well, i'll let you get back to that then," he says, picking up the bag from the floor and looking back one last time. "good night."

and then, you were just two.

you and oscar stand still for a moment, just watching each other. then, he opens up his arms, welcoming you into his embrace. you step forward and drape your arms around his shoulders as his wrap around your waist, and you let out a content sigh. he's warm, comfortable, and the way he squeezes your body has your mind spinning.

"it's been a while," he says when you part from the hug, a soft grin playing on his lips.

"like a month," you chuckle, crossing your arms over your chest.

"a month has never felt this long before."

you're not sure when your crush on him started forming.

as someone who's always been interested in racing, even in the series your brother isn't in, you've kept up with most results and championships – including oscar's seasons in f2 and f3. after seeing oscar, the unstoppable rookie who completely crushed his season in f3, you made sure to keep an eye at him in f2 the following year. and it's easy to say that you liked what you saw. especially in jeddah.

you'd meet him occasionally around the paddock the following year, just giving him a sweet smile and a quick greeting as if it was no big deal. but you always found yourself squealing on the inside and taking deep breaths to stay calm whenever you made eye contact with him.

then came 2023 and his debut in f1. yet again, he exceeded everyone's expectations, performing better than most drivers who'd been on the grid for years. with his permanent role on the grid, he was around more – and so were you. it wasn't uncommon for the two of you to bump into each other, around the paddock or during media days or in afterparties, and now you tried not to shy away.

talking to oscar was always simple. he was easygoing, it all seemed effortless, and you felt more relaxed. before you knew it, you could chat about racing strategies and tyre management for twenty minutes before a member of the mclaren staff interrupted you, rushing oscar away somewhere. you got to know each other slowly throughout the season, though never really going further than some friendly conversations, but you felt happy knowing that you'd taken the first step towards getting closer to him.

"so..." he starts. "you've been good?"

you nod. "yeah, a lot of studying but it's been alright. you?"

"yeah."

and there it is again, that slightly awkward silence. it's natural, you haven't seen each other since that night in abu dhabi and you're both a little unsure of where you stand after it. the tension is so thick that you could cut through it with a knife, and you kind of want to escape the whole situation. but then he speaks up.

"hey, i just wanted to-"

he's interrupted by the call of your name, and when you turn around, charles is leaning against the doorframe, eyes hazy. "are you going to sleep tonight or what?" he asks, dragging a hand through his already messy hair.

you feel a weight lift off your shoulders – and at the same time, your stomach tightens in disappointment. you nod at your brother, looking back at oscar to give him a wave and a "sleep well", before joining charles in your shared room.

oscar stands still in the corridor for a moment, before sighing and slapping himself in his mind for being so awkward and messing up this opportunity. but on the other side of the door, you stand still too as you watch your brother jump onto his bed, taking a deep breath to clear your mind.

you're just thankful the room is so dark that he can't see your ever-reddening cheeks.

‎‎ ‎‎

december 13th, 10:24am

despite the never-ending pitter-patter of your heart as you went to bed last night, you could fall asleep quite quickly, seeing as you were utterly exhausted from traveling. breakfast this morning feels like you and charles have just been reunited with your childhood friends after being kidnapped for years; not like you had just gone a few weeks without seeing each other. everyone runs around hugging, chatting about how much they've missed each other and how great this trip will be.

"did you get new highlights?" kika asks you, sliding into the seat next to you by the long table as you stuff a piece of bread into your mouth. the room is a combination of a kitchen and a dining hall, with a big cooking area and a glass wall giving the dining area a beautiful view of the mountains outside. in the middle stands a long table with enough seats for all of you, filled with fresh pastries and other breakfast goods to celebrate the first day of the trip. "or is it just the light?"

"just the light," you answer, shooting her a smile as you pick up your cup of coffee.

"oh my god, i almost forgot to ask you," lily starts and places her elbows on the table, her face resting in her hands. "what happened to that guy from raya you were talking to? did you end up going out?"

oscar is sitting a few seats down the table, pretending to be immersed in a conversation with some of the other drivers about the last few races of the season, while actually just doing his best to listen in on the conversation you're having. when he hears alex's girlfriend mention raya, his ears perk up and his breath gets caught in his throat. a million thoughts instantly crash into his mind.

she's seeing someone? how could i not know this? she's on raya? is she actively looking for a partner? who is this guy they're talking about?

he coughs and tries to act normal, shaking off the uncomfortable feeling passing through his body. he soon hears the sweet sound of your wholehearted laughter, and he almost smiles instinctively at it, before he can remind himself that lando's story about las vegas isn't exactly a smiley matter. "you're not going to believe this, i have the best story," you say in-between fits of giggles. "i met up with him for some drinks, and guess what he said? that he has a foot fetish and has dreamed about me caressing his face with my feet." all of the girls squeal and explode with laughter, making some of the boys flinch and look over to see what all the commotion is about. "so, safe to say, we never met up again. and i haven't wanted to go out with anyone else from there, either. i have a feeling they're all just creeps."

"hey, don't lose hope!" kika says while elbowing your side, but her actions are too soft, forcing you to fold over as an uncomfortable feeling spreads through your body. however, a burst of laughter spills past your lips. kika immediately holds her arm back, laughing along. "crap, i'm sorry! i totally forgot how ticklish you are."

you shake your head, your hand landing on her shoulder. "no worries," you tell her. "but, i haven't lost hope. i just don't think my soulmate is lurking around on raya with the foot fetishists."

oscar feels his shoulders relax again, feeling alright with focusing back on the boys' conversation now that he knows you in fact aren't seeing anyone.

maybe he has a shot, after all. as long as he doesn't talk too much about your feet.

‎‎ ‎‎

december 14th, 3:09pm

lando thinks he's so smart.

when he tells oscar to go ask if you'd like to have some of the gingerbread cookies he's bought, it's the third time today he has forced some kind of interaction between the two of you. he is sure that the more time that the two of you spend with each other, the more likely you will be to stop pining and just confess already.

but this time, oscar glares at the brit. "why don't you ask her yourself?"

"because you know what room she's in," lando hums back, reaching into the cupboard with some groceries. "i keep getting lost, the house is too big. plus, i'm busy." he motions to the half-empty grocery bag on the counter.

oscar lets out a sigh, but nods. "how can you memorize all tracks on the calendar, but you get lost in a cabin?" he asks rhetorically, whilst turning around and making his way down the hallway towards your room.

it's not that oscar doesn't enjoy 'accidentally' being forced into talking to you; it's the extreme lack of discretion lando is showing that makes him annoyed. it makes oscar seem like he's the one coming up with silly excuses to talk to you, and he doesn't like how it makes him look. he'd rather be seen as chill, laidback, someone who doesn't force things. he doesn't want you to catch on too early and reject him.

your voice echoes a 'come in' when he knocks on the door to your bedroom, and he pushes the door open just a little to reveal you sitting on the bed, a thick blanket wrapped over your shoulders. a grin spreads across your lips when you make eye contact with him. "hi," you say, placing the book you were reading on the bedside table.

"hey," he answers, stepping inside the room. "i... lando bought some gingerbread cookies, and we were going to make some hot chocolate, and..." his voice trails off as his eyes wander down your body, taking in the christmas sweater you're wearing and the fuzzy socks covering your feet. he smiles absentmindedly at the sight, loving how cozy you seem, and wishing he was sitting right there with you, sharing the blanket.

you nod, understanding him despite his lack of words. "i'll be right there."

oscar gives you a thumbs up – one he then facepalms himself for when he's left your room – before moving towards the kitchen again. but when he walks into it, he sees something hanging from a lamp. he stops in his tracks. "no way..."

festive cookies aren't the only thing lando bought when he went to the local supermarket. he also got the ultimate tool for securing his master plan – a mistletoe.

he doesn't know how, but he's planning to make sure you and oscar meet underneath it at least once before the holidays are over. there's no way you'll both be able to avoid it all week.

of course, lando isn't the only one rooting for the two of you. most of the other drivers know too – how can they not notice the glances you share and the way you light up when someone mentions the other in a conversation? – and most of them are in on his plans. charles is probably the only one in the house who's still oblivious to your and oscar's pining, and lando thinks that he might interfere with the matchmaking if he figures something out, so the brit keeps quiet.

oscar wants to pull the mistletoe down, rip it apart and throw it in the trash, but he refrains. something inside him tells him this might actually work out in his favor – and he decides to trust his gut this time.

‎‎ ‎‎

december 15th, 2:01am

sleeping can be tricky, especially when your brother is snoring loudly in a bed just a few meters away from you.

who even decided to put him and you in the same room?

when you've been tossing and turning to no avail for about an hour, you decide it's time to do something, anything, to hopefully get a little tired again. a glass of warm milk never hurt anyone, did it?

you make your way to the kitchen, pour yourself a glass of milk and put it in the microwave, before turning to look through the windows.

the view of the mountains is breathtaking. there is an untouched, thick layer of snow covering the area, with new flakes still falling. the sun set long ago, but the snow makes it all seem light. the lake below you is just barely visible by now, almost completely coated in snow.

it's completely serene, and you find yourself getting lost in the scenery. however, you're shaken out of your trance when you hear steps behind you. when you turn around, your eyes find someone standing just a few meters away, barely visible in the dark.

you jump in your place and clutch your chest in shock, not expecting anyone else to be up at this hour. when the person steps into the light of the little kitchen lap you had turned on, you relax instantly. "holy shit, oscar," you breathe. "you nearly scared me to death."

"i'm sorry," the australian chuckles. "i didn't know how to approach you without scaring you..."

"what even are you doing up?" you question, crossing your arms over your chest as you lean back against the counter.

"i was just reading in my bed when i heard your door opening, and then footsteps, so..." he trails off when his eyes wander out towards the living room, seemingly just as taken by the sight as you were just moments ago. "i wanted to make sure everything was okay."

"well, everything is okay, so..."

there's some kind of awkwardness hanging in the air. it's not only because of the obvious uncertainty of what to say or do in this situation; it has more to do with the fact that this isn't the first time that the two of you have found yourselves this close with this much tension, all alone at night. sure, it's a lot like the night of your arrival here, but another memory springs to your mind, too.

just under a month ago, following the after-party in abu dhabi, oscar had accompanied you back to the hotel when you started getting too tipsy to keep yourself up on the dance floor. your brother had been nowhere in sight, so oscar took it upon himself to help you out, draping an arm across your waist before walking you all the way to your hotel room. and when you'd arrived in the dimly lit corridor, you'd turned up towards him to thank him, accidentally brushing your nose against his as you did. both of you had broken out in giggles, neither especially sober, but you stayed close – and when the laughter settled, you just watched each other. when his gaze had flickered between your eyes and lips, your breath hitched in your throat, the anticipation growing stronger. you had leaned in even closer, your eyes fluttering closed-

but just as your lips were about to brush his, you had been interrupted. a door a few meters away had opened and the two of you jumped apart, watching as your brother stepped out and exclaimed that he had been wondering where you ended up. oscar had wished you both a good night before hurrying off, the embarrassment of almost getting caught by his friend being too much for him to handle.

you just hoped oscar had been too drunk to remember it, because otherwise, things were bound to get quite awkward. you didn't want him to act differently around you just because you have feelings for him.

thankfully, he hasn't said or done anything to make you think he does remember it.

as you're thinking back to that night in abu dhabi, you nearly get your second heart attack when the microwave goes off with a loud beep. you scramble to turn it off and take out your milk, almost burning yourself on the hot glass in the meantime.

oscar watches you with an amused grin before he forces his gaze off you, eyes wandering over to the windows again. "quite the view, huh?"

you look over your shoulder at the blanketed mountains. "yeah, it's breathtaking," you reply, before growing quiet.

he pauses for a moment, too. "there's something magical about this place. makes everything seem simpler, quieter..."

you nod. "yeah, it does."

something about the moment makes you realize that maybe, just maybe, the awkwardness between you and oscar isn't as insurmountable as you once thought it would be. the shared quietude is comfortable, and you feel at ease. he hasn't brought up abu dhabi – he probably won't, you feel – and maybe you could both just put it behind you and focus on enjoying your trip.

when you eventually get back in your bed, it's with the same kind of pitter-patter of your heart as when you and charles arrived in the cabin a few days ago. needless to say, the glass of warm milk probably isn't going to help.

‎‎ ‎‎

december 16th, 9:02pm

the mistletoe has moved.

when you first noticed it the other day, it was hanging from a kitchen lamp. and now, it's in the doorframe leading into the living room.

you're planning on avoiding it at all costs, not wanting to slip up and accidentally get under it with the wrong person. or the right one, for that matter. the awkwardness of kissing your crush in front of friends and family would be too much to handle.

some others seem to have the exact opposite attitude towards the decoration, though. kika and pierre can be found by it about ten times per day, and alex and lily have no issues sharing a few kisses whenever they "accidentally" pass it.

no matter what, lando has a mischievous grin whenever anyone mentions it, or even walks near it.

his grin stays on when he decides to let himself be in charge of the outing you all have to the christmas tree farm nearby. the farm is too big and would take too long if everyone was going to look at every tree, so lando divides everyone into groups of two based on who they're standing next to as you walk past the gates.

what a coincidence that you're standing right next to oscar when he says this.

lando ushers the two of you off to the rows with quite tall, pre-decorated trees. "so," oscar starts as you both stop in front of a tree with white lights and ornaments hung all over it. "what do you think about this one?"

"well, it's lovely," you say, scanning it thoroughly. "but isn't the true test how well it fits into the living room?"

he nods, despite his confusion, and he shoots a curious glance your way. "and how do we determine that?"

with a playful grin, you hold up an imaginary measuring tape, pretending to size up the tree with a critical eye. "i'm trying to figure out if it fits this corner best, or..."

he follows your gaze, realizing the tease in your words. "i think maybe it's better in the other corner," he hums and points to the side as you turn a little.

"exactly."

lando never inserted himself into a group; he's too focused on watching the two of you share a lighthearted laugh at the situation. though his mistletoe back in the cabin might still have a trick or two up its metaphorical sleeve, he is already proud of his matchmaking antics.

and, he is sure you'll both crack. it is just a matter of time.

‎‎ ‎‎

december 17th, 1:43pm

"i never thought skiing would be this hard," you groan as you step into a cottage, the warmth enveloping you and beginning to defrost you instantly.

oscar laughs at the exasperated tone in your voice. "this was just the kids' slope, you do remember that, right?" you stick your tongue out at him, slumping down on a bench by a table. "you just wait before you do some real skiing..."

you had never skied before today. oscar had, but he said it was too long ago and that he needed an easy start. plus, he couldn't just leave you all alone in the children's slope without an instructor.

you'd fallen over at least five times, despite the fact that the slope was practically flat. thankfully, oscar promised to buy you some hot chocolate in a cottage café to cheer you up.

when he comes back from the cashier carrying two big, steaming cups of chocolate, you've regained most of the feeling in your fingers again. the hot piece of ceramic almost burns your skin, but you think it's worth it; you need the sugar and you need it now.

"you know what the worst thing is?" you ask, bringing the cup up to your face with both hands. you start sipping on the drink and oscar glances at you with a questioning look as he slips down next to you on the bench. "carrying those goddamn skis with me. not only does it suck to actually ski, but dragging them all the way from the rental shop…"

"if it's that much of a bother, i can carry them for you."

"and carry your own too?" you scoff, watching him flinch as he burns his tongue on the drink. "you're not that strong."

he lets out a groan. "you're not even strong enough to carry your own, so you shouldn't say anything."

"i can carry them!" you protest, shooting him a glare. "i just don't want to. two very different things."

you both go silent momentarily, too busy focusing on how good it feels to no longer be frozen to the marrow. the cabin is filled with people; kids running in circles around the tables, soon to be tired again after the initial sugar shock from their afternoon snack; a group of older ladies gossiping and enjoying getting some rest just like you; and some young adults in the far corner are already busy dancing on the tables with their after-ski drinks in their hands.

"you know what? i changed my mind," you tell him, scooting away from him a little and placing your skiing boot on the bench. "these things. they're the worst."

you start to unclasp the boot, sighing in relief as you finally tug the shoe off your foot, throwing it onto the floor. you've only worn it for about an hour, but you can already feel the bruises beginning to form. you're just about to reach down to undo the other boot, too, when oscar reaches towards your foot.

your eyebrows shoot up as he takes it in his hands, pulling the foot into his lap. and then, his fingers begin to wander up and down your foot and ankle, giving you soft squeezes and pressing down on the spaces where he thinks the boot has squeezed you the most. you hold back a pleasured sound, seeing as it would sound way too inappropriate right now, but oscar subconsciously takes note of how you're getting flushed because he soon looks up at your face.

"is this okay?"

you swallow down the lump in your throat, nodding quickly. "y-yeah… just don't tickle me..."

when did things get so intimate? mere minutes ago, you couldn't think about anything other than how you were so cold your nose was going to fall off. but now, you can't stop your eyes from following his long, sleek fingers, thinking about how good they feel and imagining how good they would feel somewhere else-

"give me your other foot."

you're thankful that he interrupts your train of thought before your mind wanders too far.

compose yourself, woman.

"don't tell me you have a foot fetish, too," you tease, turning around so that you can place your other foot on the bench too. he lets out a hearty laugh, swiftly undoing your other boot before letting it drop to the ground.

"oh, shut it. do you want a massage or not?"

you shoot him pout, giving his shoulder a thankful pat before taking your cup in your hands again. you focus on the drink, watching how the steam rises and the marshmallows melt. you can't look over at him anymore, scared of your cheeks growing too red and your face giving away your feelings.

the bell by the door rings behind you, and you look towards it out of habit. and in comes alex, george, lily and carmen, laughing and chatting loudly about the black slope they just went down. oscar doesn't seem to notice, but you hastily pull your feet from his lap, sitting down properly – unfortunately making eye contact with alex as you do. he leans forward to lily, whispering something in her ear, and you watch as her eyes dart to you and a smirk grows on her lips.

shit.

the clicking of her boots against the stone floor meets your ears and oscar turns his head at the sound, suddenly realizing why you withdrew from him. "hey there," lily cheers, each of her hands landing your and oscar's shoulders. "what have you been up to?"

your eyes meet his briefly, before looking back up at lily. "just... drinking some chocolate..."

"oh, no skiing?"

"she crashed too much, i couldn't keep her out there and let her continue to embarrass me all day," oscar tells her and you shove his shoulder.

"do you mind if we join you guys?" george asks, coming around the table and not even giving you a second to think about it before he sets two cups of chocolate down on the table. the grin he's wearing only tells you one thing: alex told him already. carmen's lips show off a matching set.

"not at all..."

‎‎ ‎‎

december 18th, 10:32am

you huff as you slump down on the living room couch, your mood not even getting brought up by watching the newly installed christmas tree in front of you. you hadn't even been out skiing that much yesterday, yet every single inch of your body aches. not only do you have big, blue bruises on both of your hips due to the many times you've fallen onto the hardly packed snow, but every muscle screams with pain as you drape a blanket over your body. needless to say, you decided to stay at home today instead of heading out with the others for another round.

"are you sure you don't wanna come along?" kika asks as she enters the room, her pretty pink sunglasses perched at the top of her nose. the pout on her lips almost makes you doubt staying in, but when you move to sit up more straight again, you know you've made the right decision.

you nod, giving her a weak smile. "yeah, sorry."

"but oscar promised to come along?"

you freeze, your cheeks growing red as you hear her words.

did she know? about your feelings for him? did the others already tell her about the incident in the cottage yesterday? did they really interpret the situation that way?

"w-what?"

"oh," she chuckles at your reaction. "i just meant that he was so bad yesterday, so i thought that seeing him fall over a couple of times would be worth the pain."

"we're gonna trick him into going down a black slope with us," says pierre who walks into the room, arms lacing around his girlfriend from behind. "we'll send some clips."

you let out a breath of relief as they leave the room. maybe they don't know. maybe your secret will stay secret for a little longer.

the group leaves in pairs or trios and you tell them all goodbye from your place underneath the many blankets. everyone has left by now except for oscar, which confounds you since the others seemed to have so many plans for him. your confusion only grows when he steps into the living room without any skiing gear on, just wearing an oversized, cozy hoodie and a pair of sweats.

"why aren't you out with the others?" you question, your eyebrows raised at him.

"well," he sighs, flopping down next to you on the couch. "i can't find my helmet." when you shoot him a doubting look, he raises his hands defensively. "what?"

"i don't believe it."

"you don't have to, but it's the truth."

"how do you even lose a helmet? it's so big?" you scoff, crossing your arms over your chest. "i assumed you were used to keeping track of where your helmet is since if you don't have your helmet with you for races, then you can't race."

"i swear i put it on the drawer by the front door like half an hour ago. i don't understand what could've happened."

you have to give it to him; he is really doing his best to cover this up. you find it pretty obvious that he just doesn't want to ski because of what the others were planning to do to him. but maybe if kika and pierre hadn't spilled their plans already, you would've believed him.

"but hey," he says, bringing you out of your thoughts. "don't feel obligated to include me in whatever you were going to do here now that you finally have the house to yourself." he pushes himself off the couch, standing up and shooting you one last smile before turning to walk away. "i'll let you have some peace."

he takes a couple of steps towards the bedrooms, but then you get the idea. "oscar." he stops in his tracks, throwing a glance back at you. "i was planning on doing some baking, and…" you shuffle slightly in your seat. "it wouldn't hurt to have an extra helping hand."

"i'm a horrible baker, though."

"and i'm the best baker ever, so i guess we cancel each other out." you stand up from your seat, keeping the blanket wrapped around your shoulders as you make your way toward the kitchen. "let's go make some mediocre cookies!"

oscar shakes his head, grinning to himself as he follows behind you. this was definitely not what he had planned, but he sure is liking the way it's going.

‎‎ ‎‎

december 18th, 8:14pm

oscar had not been kidding when he said he sucked at baking.

he put in twice the needed amount of flour, and only half of the sugar. and as if that wasn't enough, of course the mistletoe had moved to the kitchen, making the whole situation quite uncomfortable as you both had to take strange routes while navigating through the kitchen to avoid it. not even your baking skills could save the cookies.

as an apology, oscar promised to buy some fancy gingerbread cookies tonight at the christmas market you'd all planned to go to in a nearby city. he was strongly set on going through with his promise, despite how many times you told him that it was alright and that they wouldn't taste as good as homemade ones anyway.

you've all been at the market for almost two hours now, but it feels like you've only gone about ten meters. your friends, mainly lando, george and alex, are stopping at every single shop and stand, making sure to check out all products and buying at least one thing in every store, no matter how long the line to the cash register is.

"lando-" you groan at the sight of the brit running into yet another store; this time, a shop filled with christmassy outfits for dogs. "he doesn't even have a pet…"

kika is grinning next to you, shaking her head. "he told me earlier today that he wanted to buy a present for roscoe if he got the chance," she says as most of the group joins lando. "makes more sense than when he bought that screwdriver thirty minutes ago just because it was green."

"the power of 'christmas colors', apparently," you hear oscar's voice from behind you, and you turn back to meet his eyes.

"well, i'm not surprised. just disappointed. and cold, and tired of standing still."

oscar points his head to the side, up the street. "i think i saw a stand a little further up that sells cookies, maybe they have some gingerbread ones."

you nod, a small smile entering your lips. "let's go check it out, then. kika, do you wanna come-"

you're cut off by the sound of pierre calling for his girlfriend, holding up a reindeer costume and blabbering on about how it would be perfect for her cousin's dog. "sorry guys," kika says before strutting off to her boyfriend.

you both shrug before walking down the street towards the stand oscar had spotted. the sugary scent of cookies meets your nose from far away, and your mouth waters at the mere thought of the sweets. when you arrive, a sweet old lady sitting behind the stand greets you and tells you all about the different cookies she's baked. gingerbread, sugar cookies with little candy canes, snowball cookies, and various traditional swiss cookies.

"would you like to have a taste, dears?" the lady asks, pointing her hand to a plate with samples. you and oscar take a gingerbread cookie each, popping it into your mouths.

"oh yeah, this is lovely," he says, looking like he's savoring every crumb.

"much better than ours," you answer, nudging his shoulder with yours. he gasps and places a hand on his chest, feigning offense.

you turn your attention back to the lady and telling her you'd love to buy a little box of cookies from her. oscar pays for them and she wraps the box in some pretty gift paper, handing it to you before you continue making your way down the street. the house walls and all trees are wrapped in christmas lights, some blinking in random colors and some with a soft glow of an elegant white. the streets are filled with people wearing santa hats, ugly christmas sweaters, and scarves so big half of their faces are covered. there's not a single frown in sight, the happiness and love so obvious you can almost see little hearts flowing above everyone's heads.

you glance into a couple of different stores as you stroll, stopping occasionally to check something out. when you reach a stand with different kinds of jewelry, something catches your eye: a golden necklace with a heart-shaped charm hanging from it. you carefully pick it up, your heart fluttering in your chest as you inspect it.

and when you look up at oscar from the necklace in your hands, he feels like the air is stolen from his lungs. your eyes are twinkling with happiness, outshining all lights in the entire christmas market. the excited smile on your lips is contagious, and suddenly, it's like the world around you has stopped and everyone else has disappeared. you're both just grinning at each other like two lovestruck fools, nothing in either of your minds other than the person in front of you. the sight of your rosy cheeks from the cold makes the butterflies in his stomach multiply by the second.

wow, he really is totally and fully whipped.

"really pretty," he finally gets out, unsure if he's talking about the necklace or the woman standing before him.

"pretty? it's gorgeous," you answer, eyes flickering back to the jewelry in your hand. "i adore it. how much is it?"

just as the guy in the booth is about to answer, you feel someone grab your free hand. "come on guys, they're closing down soon and we still have a bunch of shops to visit!" kika is pulling you along so fast you barely have time to put the necklace down.

lily notices the disappointment on your face and pats your shoulder. "we'll come back here sometime before christmas, don't worry."

lando shows you the christmas tree costume he bought as you wander down the market again, but oscar suddenly stops. "guys, i forgot my phone back at the cookie stand. keep walking, i'll catch up with you," he says, pointing behind him with his thumb and disappearing before anyone can say anything.

it's a good excuse, but you clearly see the outline of his phone in his back pocket as he hurries down the street.

‎‎ ‎‎

december 19th, 9:22pm

the days roll on with a gentle rhythm of shared glances and fleeting touches between you and oscar. unbeknownst to both of you, lando, ever the persistent wingman, continues his behind-the-scenes matchmaking efforts.

in some magical way, lando manages to get you and oscar paired up for pretty much anything. board game night? you and oscar just happen to get the exact role cards that make you teammates. time for some ornament decorating? you and oscar are the only ones who don't get a seat on the couch, having to sit on the floor together and share all your materials.

funnily enough, it never gets awkward between the two of you. even when you are left all alone, there is always something to talk about, some dumb thing lando has done that you can tease him about behind his back, or something you are curious about when it comes to his racing career so far. somehow, being with oscar started feeling comfortable, natural, unforced.

one specific night, alex comes up with the idea of playing card games, to which only a few of you are actually interested. some plan on going to bed early so they can hit the slopes first thing in the morning, while others just aren't in the mood. oscar said he would just finish wrapping some christmas presents and join you all later, and you catch yourself feeling disappointed that he's not on the couch next to you, helping you win (or taunting you to make you lose). it surprises you how much you're drawn to him, how it feels like something is missing when he isn't around, when you didn't feel this way just a few days ago.

you try to shake the feeling off, but it's still lingering even as you start playing with your friends. eventually, you excuse yourself to get a glass of water from the kitchen to take your mind off things. but-

just as you round the corner going into the kitchen, your head crashes into something hard. you shriek as you stumble, hands coming up to grab the person in front of you as you lose your balance, but a pair of hands wrap around your back, holding you up. when you look up, you're met with oscar's big brown eyes blinking down at you. "you okay there?"

you let out a relieved breath, nodding at him. "yeah, thanks to you. what were you doing coming around the corner that fast, though?"

he chuckles. "what were you doing not looking where you're going?"

"touché."

your hands are still holding on to the front of his hoodie, and you're about to let go of him and walk away when you notice something in the upper periphery of your vision. something is hanging above you. but, it can't be-

of course it is.

the mistletoe.

oscar looks up just as you do, jaw dropping slightly. "oh..."

"indeed..."

you both keep your vision pointed up, as if the mistletoe would disappear if you just keep on staring at it. oscar's hands slowly begin to slide off your back, and he's hoping you'll both just pretend like none of this ever happened. it would be the least awkward thing to do.

"maybe-" his breath hitches in his throat when you speak up. his gaze is on you again, but you're still looking at the plant. "maybe we should do it. just... for the christmas spirit, you know. i love christmas."

you don't even know what you're blabbering on about. you're trying to improvise a reason to kiss your brother's colleague that makes at least a little sense, but you're completely lost. you realize how dumb you sound, and you expect to see him staring at you like you actually are insane when you look back at him.

but what you don't know is that he thinks it's the best idea ever. he is just as into it as you are, if not more. he doesn't look at you like you're crazy; he's just dumbfounded, blinking at you as he tries to understand what's happening. did the girl he likes really just say they should kiss? because she loves christmas?

oscar gulps, but something in him gives him the courage to nod. "i mean," he starts, voice weak. "what's the harm? it's just... tradition."

"right. yeah, that's exactly what i was thinking."

the tension is higher than ever as your faces are already just inches apart. you aren't sure who should take the initiative and lean in, but before you can overthink it, you're both doing it subconsciously. your noses brush against each other briefly and a little giggle escapes past your lips, and this whole situation feels very familiar. this time, oscar can't hold back anymore, so he closes the gap and presses his mouth to yours.

the kiss is quick, not much longer than a peck, but something changes inside you. when you didn't know what it felt like to kiss oscar, you didn't think too much about it. but now that you have felt his lips on yours, you crave it.

he seems to feel the same way, because when you kiss him again, he's pressing against you instantly. your hands move from his chest to his shoulders as your lips move in sync, tilting your head to get a better angle. oscar's touch travels up and down your sides, fingers grazing the bare skin of your stomach when your sweater lifts.

oscar takes your bottom lip in between his teeth and you let out a hum, making him grin into the kiss. his tongue swipes between your lips before slipping into your mouth, exploring it for the first, but hopefully not last, time. you wrap your arms around his neck to pull him closer, already growing hot as his hands move down to your butt.

kissing oscar is so easy, so comfortable. it's like you've done it so many times before, like it's what you were made to do.

you're so relaxed and so focused on the kiss that you don't even hear lando's footsteps right next to you, nor his snicker from a few meters away as he picks up his phone to snap a couple of pictures. you don't even hear him strutting away to the living room, nor his loud proclamation to the group: mission complete.

‎‎ ‎‎

december 23rd, 8:35am

the rest of the days leading up to christmas consist of a lot of sneaking around.

the days are filled with secretive kisses when you're sure no one is watching, fleeting pecks or longer liplocks, hurriedly parting and acting like nothing happened when you hear approaching footsteps. they're filled with soft brushes as you pass each other in hallways, little squeezes of your waist or his arm when someone is around, conveying more than anyone could guess. and they're filled with giant, knowing smiles matching on your lips, with longing gazes and sly winks across the dinner table.

now, his hand is warm in yours despite the freezing temperatures of the air. when you said you forgot your mittens in the cabin, oscar had just smiled, taking off one of his own to give it to you. and to heat your other hand, he intertwined his fingers with yours, his thumb stroking the back of your hand as you walked.

you'd slipped out of the house before anyone else had woken up, wishing for a peaceful moment for yourselves. the two of you haven't really had time to properly talk ever since your moment under the mistletoe, and even though it wasn't outspoken, you both knew there were things to be discussed.

you're halfway around the lake when he finally touches on the subject. "so..." he starts, nudging your shoulder with his. "you like me, huh?"

you snicker. "i have for quite some time now, actually."

his hand squeezes yours. "tell me about it."

and when he asks, you tell.

you tell him about seeing him all those years ago, thinking that he was just a pretty face, a good driver, and not much else. you tell him about getting to know him more and more in the last two years and realizing that shit, he's so much more than that. you tell him about the butterflies, about the sneaky glances, about falling for him.

and then, he tells you his side.

he tells you about knowing of you from your first appearances in the f1 paddock, the curiosity in him growing for every picture of you and charles he saw. he tells you about wanting to approach you but not knowing how, not wanting to come off too strong or clingy. he tells you about how nothing has ever been more disappointing to him than charles's timing back in abu dhabi. then, he tells you about how his fingers had secretly been crossed all trip, hoping that lando's attempts to pair the two of you up wouldn't fall through.

you share giggles and smiles as you tell your stories, and it all feels so natural even though it's so new. and you think to yourself that maybe, this won't be so hard to get used to.

‎‎ ‎‎

december 23rd, 5:46pm

"how are things going with oscar?"

lily's voice makes your heart skip a beat. you had just walked into the kitchen to grab a gingerbread cookie, not expecting her to be doing the dishes this late in the evening – and especially not expecting her to ask you something like that. "what do you mean?" you ask back, trying to stay composed as you strut over to the cupboard, reaching into it for the box of cookies.

"are you going to be like... boyfriend and girlfriend now?"

the box slips out of your hands and crashes to the floor before you can catch it again. did you hear her correctly? your eyebrows shoot up and your mouth hangs open as you look at her again. she scoffs.

"oh please, the two of you aren't exactly sneaky," she says, looking back into the sink. "you know, lando took pictures of you under the mistletoe. and we all saw you coming back from your little trip to the lake earlier today."

"oh my god." you cover your face with your hands, letting out a groan. "oh my god. no way."

lily laughs, washing the last few plates under the tap before placing them on the side to drain. "don't worry, we were all in on it."

"and what does that mean?!"

"lando had a plan." of course he did. "we all agreed to help him out. except charles, he's still oblivious."

"what kind of plan?"

"well, just small things here and there, really." she wipes her hands on a towel before turning around and leaning against the counter. "hiding oscar's helmet so he'd have to stay here with you instead of skiing with us. walking really slowly in the market so you'd both get so tired of us that you'd stroll off alone. and the mistletoe, but that's obvious..."

as lily spills the details of lando's plan, you feel a mix of embarrassment and surprise, along with a hint of amusement. you're suddenly very aware of the collaboration that has taken place behind the scenes, and you take a deep breath as you slowly lower your hands from your face.

"so... lando really orchestrated all of this?" you exclaim, still trying to process the fact that your friends have been actively working to bring you and oscar closer together.

lily chuckles, nodding. "yes, and he's been loving every moment of it. we all figured you two needed a little push."

you shake your head in disbelief, a smile playing on your lips despite the initial shock. "what's the endgame here? is lando secretly a matchmaker or something?"

"he wishes," she says with a smirk. "i think he just enjoys playing cupid when he can." she shrugs, crossing her arms over her chest. "but hey, it worked out well, didn't it? you and oscar seem pretty cozy."

"yeah, i guess..." the mention of oscar brings a blush to your cheeks. "i just didn't expect to have a whole team of co-conspirators."

lily laughs, stepping forward to pat your shoulder. "it's all in good fun. besides, it's about time something happened between you two." you nod in agreement, smiling at her. "now, spill. how are you feeling about all of this? is he boyfriend material?"

you hesitate for a moment, contemplating your newfound dynamic with oscar. a smile tugs at the corners of your lips. "yeah, maybe. we're figuring it out, i guess. it's all been... surprisingly nice."

she grins, satisfied with your response. "well, then, i'd say lando's plan was a success." she backs away, walking towards the kitchen exit. "just enjoy it, okay? and don't be too mad at us. we just wanted to see you both happy."

you nod and watch as she leaves, still processing the directed events that have led up to this moment. as you're left alone, you can't help but smile to yourself at the thought of everything that's happened – and everything that's yet to come.

suddenly, for the first time in your life, you feel thankful for something lando has done. you'll have to remember to thank him later.

‎‎ ‎‎

december 24th, 10:23pm

just a few hours ago, charles was challenged to a snowball fight with the rest of the twitch quartet. and how could he ever say no to them?

for you to fall asleep before he got back would just be stupid, because there's no way he will be able to keep quiet when he eventually he crashes into the room post-fight. so instead, you sit against the headboard of your bed, a thick blanket draped over your body and a good book in your hands as you enjoy the tranquility of the last few moments of christmas eve.

there's a soft knock on the door, one so low you could've just as well missed it. "come in," you call out, looking up from your book as the door creaks open. surprise paints your face as oscar enters the room, his eyes sparkling with the thrill of carrying out a secret mission.

in his hands, oscar holds a beautifully wrapped box, adorned with a crimson bow. "merry christmas."

"oscar, what are you up to?" you ask, laughter dancing in your eyes.

"giving you your present." he sits at your feet, holding out the present to you.

you place your book beside you on the bed, accepting the gift with a curious smile. you unwrap the present, and as you remove the lid of the box and your eyes are met with a necklace, your breath hitches in your throat.

the heart-shaped pendant is familiar – it's the exact necklace you'd eyed in the christmas market. you look up at oscar, a myriad of emotions playing on your face. "i didn't forget my phone," he admits, a hint of vulnerability in his gaze. "i just really wanted to get it for you."

speechless, you delicately trace the edges of the pendant with your fingers. "oscar, i..."

"it's a christmas gift, but you can wear it whenever you want."

you hold the necklace up to him. "like now?"

he nods and takes it from you as you turn around, brushing away your hair so that he can secure the chain around your neck. when you turn back, you catch the glint of admiration in his eyes. "you look beautiful."

you hold the pendant between your thumb and pointer finger, a silent acknowledgment of the connection formed by the gift. "it's perfect, oscar. thank you." you tilt your head, smiling at him. "you're not getting your gift until tomorrow, though."

"just seeing you with this necklace is enough of a present for me. i don't need anything else."

‎‎ ‎‎‎

december 25th, 6:04pm

christmas day morning is for gift exchanges. you all sit around the tree in the living room, giving out presents and sharing the background stories behind the silly little things you've bought each other. you receive a ton of random objects that people had bought that day in the christmas market; objects they bought just to irritate you and oscar. now that you know, you find it quite funny – and seeing charles's confused face as you unwrapped a green screwdriver from lando is definitely one of your highlights of the day.

your present to oscar is, obviously, better planned than most other gifts. beneath the wrapper is a box titled "skiing survival kit" written in big, red letters. in it lies a pair of thick socks (with a note reading "to protect your feet from those horrible boots"), a bag of hot chocolate mix ("for moments when skiing feels too challenging; a little warmth to make everything better"), a bottle of peppermint-scented massaging oil ("you never know when you find yourself in need of a massage..."), and a handwritten letter about how you enjoyed your stay in the cottage much more than the actual skiing and a promise to stay in and warm his chair for him next time he's out "skiing".

then, midday rolls around. the chefs of the group, also known as the few people who don't burn everything they attempt to cook, take their time to make a good dinner. in the meantime, the rest of you prepare some games and competitions, including a trivia, a snow fort building competition, and a gingerbread house-decorating contest that ended in lando letting his competitiveness get the best of him. safe to say that no other gingerbread houses were still standing, other than lando's, meaning the brit won by default. his price: getting thrown in the snow in just his pyjamas.

and the evening? it's dedicated to a movie marathon, as per russell family traditions.

it has all been planned into the finest detail; the couch in the living room is decorated with blankets and pillows, nearly every bowl in the house is filled to the brim with snacks, and mattresses and pillows on the floor for those who don't fit on the couch. everyone was included of the vote of what movie you were going to see, though you had a feeling george had cheated when you were told the 'home alone' series won. especially since it's the one series he hasn't been able to stop talking about wanting to watch all trip.

you're settled on the edge of the couch, a blanket wrapped over your shoulders and your knees pulled up to your chest. you're laughing along with something kika has said from right next to you when you hear a beep from the kitchen, indicating that the last bag of popcorn was ready. you assumed lando would be getting up to fetch it, seeing as he was the one who insisted you needed one more bag, but when your eyes find him, he sits very contently and comfortably a few seats away. he looks back at you, eyebrows rising as you make eye contact.

"hey, you're the closest to the kitchen," he says, nodding his head in your direction. "go get them."

he isn't wrong, but he still makes no sense. "no way, norris."

he pouts. "please, be quick so we can start the movie already."

"you suck."

he sticks out his tongue at you but you've already walked off. when you return, a new bowl filled with popcorn in your arms, you aren't exactly surprised to see lando in the seat that used to be yours. you shoot him a glare, to which he answers, "i could barely see the tv from where i was sitting!"

"oh, but you think i'll be able to?" you scoff at the way he shrugs his shoulders, seemingly to say that it's now none of his business. and when you look at his old seat, you are even less surprised to see who's sitting right next to it.

oscar is looking up at you, confusion mixing into his features. he's been scrolling on his phone for the last few minutes and didn't notice when his teammate left him alone.

neither of you complain when you slip into lando's old spot, though. oscar immediately grabs the blanket in his lap and drapes it over you too. you shuffle closer to him as the movie turns on, the soft fabric of his pyjama pants brushing against yours. the bowl of popcorn is propped up on your lap, and when you reach into it to grab a handful, it touches something warm. you rip your eyes from the tv to see your hand brushing against oscar's. of course.

considering the other touches and kisses you've shared these last few days, it's not even a very intimate action. and yet, something about it leaves both of you giggling.

"so many clichés this trip, huh?" he says, eyes flickering between your hands and your face.

instead of answering, you grab his hand in yours. your fingers slip in between his easily, as they've done so many times these last few days, but you pull your hands underneath the blanket to keep them out of sight from everyone else.

it's a good movie, but it's easy for you to zone out when you feel oscar's hand squeeze yours. neither of you can really stay away from the other, inching closer as the movie progresses and stealing little cheek kisses when everyone is focused on the most exciting scenes. and when you start to grow a little tired, your head instinctively lands on his shoulder as you let out a little yawn. oscar desperately has to hold himself back from cooing at you, feeling so soft and prideful that you're leaning on him, and he settles for leaning his own head on you.

you both think you're being subtle, but everyone in the room understands what's going on. even charles, who has now been let in on what's happened between you and oscar after he walked in on lando telling alex about how cute the new couple in the house looked walking around the lake, can't take his eyes off the two of you. as your older brother, he feels like he should be doing something or saying something to protect you. he wonders what his role should be here – aren't brothers supposed to scare their sisters' boyfriends away?

but charles realizes that oscar isn't an enemy. in this moment, you look so peaceful, so content; like you've found the the long-lost puzzle piece to make you complete. how could he possibly interrupt that?

‎‎ ‎‎

december 25th, 11:28pm

charles is still fast asleep on the couch when you slip into oscar's room after the movie has ended, fingers intertwined and your laughter mixing as he pulls you along to his bed. his hands find your hips as he sits down on the edge of the bed, urging you to lower yourself onto his lap, and you happily oblige.

"look up," he says, and when you do, you're not surprised by what's hanging in the roof.

the mistletoe.

"oh," you start, looking back at him. last time you found yourself underneath the mistletoe with oscar, you had been more nervous than ever before. but this time, it isn't as scary. this time, you're able to shrug, a teasing grin forming on your lips. "i guess we should kiss, then. just for the christmas spirit, you know."

his lips are curved into a big smile. "oh, i do know." one of his hands comes up to tuck some hair behind your ear, cupping your cheek in his palm. "it's because you love christmas."

you can't hold back from giggling, and neither can he, both of you leaning in to seal your lips. your first encounter underneath the mistletoe was hesitant, but it feels like that was ages ago, in another lifetime. now, with his lips pressing against yours, it feels like it's all you've known.

he's so gentle with it, his kisses delicate and tender, and your heart flutters at the feeling. his hands land on your waist as your arms wrap around his neck, scooting in even closer. when your crotch brushes against him, he involuntarily lets out a moan into your mouth, and you stop for a moment to pull away. both your eyes and his are wide as you look at each other, and oscar doesn't know what to say. his mind is racing, not sure if you thought that was awkward or too soon or-

"that's so fucking hot," you say, and he finally exhales. you kiss him again, speaking against his lips. "wanna hear more."

he has no problems letting out more sounds when you keep up your actions, your hips rolling down on him rhythmically. his hands find the hem of your sweater and slip inside, instantly roaming your sides. his cold touch tickles, and when his fingers move along your waist, you can't help but giggle against his lips. he laughs along with you, but he only does it to match you. he's dumbfounded when you part from him and you grab his wrists to make him halt.

"you're too cold," you start, a bit breathless already. "it's-"

"are you really that ticklish?" he chuckles, fingers running up and down your sides again to test you, and his heart melts when you throw your head back, laughing. "oh come on, how am i supposed to do this if i can't touch you?"

"warm your fingers next time and we should be fine."

"next time, huh?" a combination of a smirk and a grin plays on his lips. "planning ahead?"

"well, it depends on how well you perform tonight." he sticks out his tongue at your taunting tone. "just take it off already, will you?"

oscar happily obliges, pulling the material off you before reaching for his own sweater, throwing them both onto the floor. his eyes stick to your chest, to the soft, red bed bra holding up your breasts, and he feels himself growing harder instantly, because this is so much better than he'd imagined. you can't exactly complain about what your eyes are met with, either; oscar's toned chest and his broad shoulders are basically calling out for you to come and press your lips to them. or sink your teeth in them. probably both.

he gives you a few quick kisses before his hands land on your hips and he flips you both around, laying you onto the covers. his lips meet the skin below your ear, and then travel down the side of your neck. he hears your breath hitch in your throat when he finds a spot you enjoy particularly much, making sure to memorize it for the future. and when his kisses trail even further down, they meet something hard and metallic. when he leans back, he realizes that you're wearing the necklace.

he didn't notice it until now, since he was too busy being mesmerized by your breasts earlier; but now, he can't take his eyes off it. the little heart charm rests just above your actual heart, and something about seeing it makes his heart flutter. the necklace he bought for you, the one that makes you think of him and only him. it's like you're already tagged as his.

"cute," he whispers to himself, placing a long kiss right on top of the heart. he can feel your real heart beating underneath his lips, fast but not really enough, and he can't wait to make you feel like it's pounding out of your chest.

he starts placing open-mouthed kisses down your stomach, his hands finding the waistband of your sweatpants.

"you okay with me taking these off?" he asks, parting from your skin to watch you nod your head. he pulls the material down your body, smiling when your underwear comes into sight. they're not a pair of lacy lingerie or victoria's secret-lookalikes, but just a regular pair of panties in a deep green color with little candy canes. his eyes flicker between your bra and your panties. "green and red, huh?"

"well, what can i say?" you smile. "i love christmas." he giggles, and so do you, as he leaves your pants somewhere on the floor before moving further down your body. when his hands near the fuzzy socks with little cartoon santas dressing your feet, you're quick to speak. "those stay on, though."

"oh, is that so?"

"gotta make sure you're not just doing this for that foot fetish you might or might not have." a laughter erupts from his chest. "i've had too much of that recently."

"well, i don't have one, so i don't mind you keeping them on." he moves up on the bed again, fingers reaching the hem of your underwear. "but i can take these off, right?"

"things would get kinda tricky otherwise, i'd say,” you tease, but oscar merely blinks up at you with raised eyebrows.

"tricky, yes. but not impossible."

you shake your head, a grin making its way onto your lips. "next time, oscar."

and there it is again. next time. the way you say it so casually, like there's no doubt in your mind that there will be another time, that you'll do all of this again.

yet again, instant boner.

your panties are off in a second, and he doesn't waste any time before pressing his lips to the inside of your thigh. his hand takes care of your other thigh, thumb brushing up and down your skin, as your lips travel closer and closer to where you want him the most.

you suck in a breath when you feel his warm breath against your core. his tongue meets your clit and your eyes flutter closed, one of your hands reaching down to entangle in his hair. as his tongue draws circles around your bud, one of his hands leaves your thigh, a finger swiping along your wet folds before pushing slowly into you. you don't know which sensation to focus on, both growing stronger and pushing you closer to your limit every passing second. when he's pumped you a couple of times, he adds another finger and then another, pushing deep into you. his fingers curling inside of you makes you pull on his hair even harder, your mind growing hazy and your breaths shorter.

"o-oscar," you let out, subconsciously buckling your hips towards him in hopes of creating more friction. "i'm so clos-"

you're cut off by the combination of a moan and a whine that leaves your lips when his tongue flicking your clit speeds up. "come for me, sweetheart," he tells you, his voice sending vibrations against your core.

your legs shake around him as you completely let go, feeling the climax wash over you just moments after his order. your free arm drapes over your face, covering your eyes in your arm as you try to catch your breath. oscar continues lapping you up, helping you ride it out, also licking his fingers clean before letting his hands caress your sides soothingly. he's unsure whether his fingers are warm enough now to not tickle you, or if you're just too busy coming down from your high to even realize you should feel ticklish, but he smiles at the thought nonetheless.

"everything alright up here?" oscar asks as he moves up to your face again, one of his hands prying the arm off your face. you slowly open your eyes, your hazy gaze meeting his loving one and you can't help but to cup his face in your hands. you pull him down to your lips, lazily lacing them together. he pulls away just enough for his lips to still brush yours when he speaks. "i'll take that as a yes."

you're quick to nod, but even quicker to connect his lips with yours again, not wanting to be apart for even a second.

your hands slide down his neck and the front of his body, loving the feeling of his strong muscles under your touch. your fingers reach down to the edge of his pajama pants, and you let out a chuckle when you notice the ever-growing tent in them. "don't laugh at me," he starts, biting down on your bottom lip as a warning. "you're so hot, how could i not get this hard?"

"oh, shut it," you say, feeling a blush creep onto your cheeks. "just take them off, will you?"

"as you wish."

as he shuffles off the bed and pulls off his own pants, plus his boxers along with them, you take the time to reach behind you and unclasp your bra, letting it slide down your arms and off the bed. when he reaches into the bedside table and pulls out a condom, you raise your eyebrows. "oh, so you were planning this?"

he shakes his head as he climbs on top of you again. "i was hoping, not expecting. those are two very different things." he removes the wrapper and throws it onto the table, rolling the condom onto himself. "do you need anything? or-"

"just you."

oscar presses his smile to yours, kissing you like he has no rush in the world, like he just wants to savor this moment with you. "well then," he says against your lips, nudging his dick against your entrance. "i have to give the lady what she wants, don't i?"

you can't control the whine that slips into his mouth when he pushes into you. you thought you were ready for him, but he's so big and he stretches you out so perfectly. he pauses once he's slipped entirely into you, his lips finding a spot below your ear as he allows you to get used to him. your pussy is throbbing already, still sensitive from just minutes ago, and the little involuntary clenches around him make oscar grow more and more eager.

when he finally starts moving, you drape your arms around his shoulders for stability. his thrusts are slow but deep, and yet you desperately want more of him. you hook a leg over his hip, the other following soon after, and you gasp at the way he bottoms you out completely. one of his hands comes up to squeeze your breast, thumb flicking over the nipple as his pace speeds up. the sounds you make and the way your legs squeeze him close makes him feel like he could cum anytime, but he tries to hold back because he needs to see you fall apart beneath him for the second time tonight.

"oscar..." you cry out when his free hand slides down your body, a finger coming in contact with your clit again.

"just a little more, love." his thrusts have grown sloppy and his figures on your bud aren't exactly perfect, but it's good enough for your orgasm to hit.

your back arches off the bed, your chest pressing into his as you nuzzle your face into the side of his neck to hide your moans. when your walls tighten around him, he reaches his high too, his body shaking as he rides it out. your heart is about ready to jump out of your chest when he collapses onto you, both of you trying to catch your breaths. "holy fuck," oscar starts, his breath warm on your skin. "that was amazing. you feel amazing." you try to gather energy to speak, fingers getting lost in his curls. "you taste amazing, too. better than any christmas dinner."

you give him a weak slap to his shoulder. "shush."

"it's true!" he pushes himself back a bit, mouth hanging in mock offense. "this was the best present i could've ever wished for."

"the necklace is higher on my list, though."

oscar pauses for a moment. "i'm not sure if i should feel proud or offended."

you snicker. "i was hoping for the latter," you tease, but regret it the moment oscar's hands find your waist, fingers dancing along it and tickling you yet again. the squeal you let out does nothing to halt his actions, and he doesn't even budge when you try to push him away by his shoulders. "i was kidding!"

"apologize. now."

his fingers still working their way on your skin make it almost impossible for you to speak again, but you do your best to take a deep breath. "i'm- i'm sorry! oscar- stop it!"

he finally stops, and you finally get to breathe. "i'll go get a wet towel," oscar says, pulling away from you and giving you one last glance. he almost doesn't leave the bed when he looks at you, though – he finds the sight almost too good to be true. your rosy cheeks, the dreamy smile on your lips, your hair spread out on the pillows. he's scared that if he leaves you, maybe the spell will be broken and he'll realize all of this has just been a dream. because that's just how this all feels: surreal.

but it is real, and he can't wait to have you like this in his bed again.

‎‎ ‎‎

december 26th, 12:56pm

packing up after a good trip is always a bittersweet affair. realizing that you have the real world waiting for you, your actual lives with responsibilities and obligations, and that you can't just stay in this fairytale forever – this moment was definitely not something you looked forward to.

you and charles need to get back to monaco to celebrate christmas with your other brothers and your mother, before he needs to go away for pre-season work again. you're meticulously folding up your clothes, zipping up bags and exchanging smiles as you reminisce on memories of the week.

but, things are different this time. you know that the magic of this trip isn't going to stay here – in one way or another, you'll bring some of it with you back to your real life.

oscar.

you've already made plans to meet up after new years, and even when he's busy with work, you know that you'll at least see him during every race weekend. neither of you are ever more than a flight, or a call, away, and you just can't wait to see where this all takes you.

"so... oscar, huh?" charles's voice breaks the silence, his eyes glancing in the direction of your open door that lets in the sound of oscar's voice from the living room.

"hm? what about him?" you reply, trying to hold back the smile threatening to adorn your lips when you hear his name.

charles cocks an eyebrow at you. "you and him... kind of obvious." he gazes towards your bed. "besides, your bed is made. you didn't sleep here last night."

"well, i-" you start, but charles interrupts with a knowing chuckle.

"relax, i'm not going to be a police. just..." he shows off a sweet smile. "enjoy it."

with a nod and a shared understanding, you both continue packing, an unspoken acknowledgment hanging in the air. the group gathers to bid you farewell by the front door, and gratitude fills your heart as you exchange goodbyes with your friends. you grow especially soft when lando pulls you into a hug, a cheeky grin on his lips. "thank you," you whisper, giving his cheek a quick peck to really convey how much you appreciate everything he's done this holiday. he just squeezes you back, telling you not to worry about it.

finally, as you turn to say your farewell to oscar, the atmosphere shifts and the group watches with amused anticipation. "until next time," you say, your eyes holding a promise that transcends the physical distance.

"until next time," he repeats, smiling as you engulf him in a tight hug.

you pull away just enough for your ear to brush against his ear, your voice low. "charles knows, by the way."

"w-what?" his eyes widen for a moment, flickering between you and your brother – but then realization dawns. "well, in that case..."

before you can react, oscar pulls you closer again. he presses a goodbye-kiss on your lips, right there in front of everyone, and the group erupts into cheers.

and the loudest of them all? lando, of course. "if i'm not the best man at your wedding, i'll never forgive you guys."

[flemingsfreckles]

Dress

Jessie Fleming x Reader

Synopsis: inspired off the song Dress by Taylor Swift (normally not a big TS fan but this song gives off such gay/secret relationship vibes)

Warnings: suggestive, language

WC: 2.3k

A/N: pretend Jessie is still at Chelsea for the sake of this 🙃 also ignore Niamh in the photo, there’s like only 2 photos of Jessie in that button up outfit and I’ve used the other one already, despite the fact that yall want a Niamh x Jessie x Reader fic, this is not it.

Your eyes scanned the room filled with your teammates in search of the brown hair and brown eyed Canadian you were trying to find and yet trying to avoid coming into direct contact with.

In your second scan of the crowded room, you find her across the way, speaking with some of your other teammates.

You watch as Jessie’s eyes catch yours, before they widen and trail downward, taking in your whole body. As her eyes admire you, you watch her suck in a large breath, her eyebrows raised, cheeks puffed out as she slowly releases the air in her lungs. She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth. She gives you a small and slow nod when her eyes meet yours again.

You had succeeded.

You knew she wanted you to rush over to her, to say hello, give her a hug, whisper something for just the two of you in her ear, so you did the opposite.

You found Millie first, giving her a hug, she gushed over your dress. You chatted with her for a bit, glancing around the room occasionally, noticing Jessie’s eyes always meeting yours. She was watching you intensely, just what you had hoped.

You were quickly interrupted by Guro, Erin, and Sam all making their way over, drinks in their hands. The three greeted you, all making comments that they were shocked by your dress, in a good way of course. It felt weird having your teammates gush over your appearance, you had been dressed up around them before but usually opted for a blazer, pantsuit, never before a dress.

Wanting to tease Jessie more, you continue making your rounds, avoiding the area of the room where she and Niamh stood. You took the occasional glance in their direction, Jessie’s eyes always looking over Niamh's shoulder and at you. You felt like prey being hunted by her intense gaze. You talk with Aggie and Maika, a couple of the assistant coaches, dragging out the conversations, keeping Jessie waiting for you. When you had finally said hello to everyone that had already arrived except Jessie, you decided it was time to put the poor girl out of her misery.

You finally make your way over to Jessie. She’s staring you down as you approach her, her eyes locked on your body.

“Hi Jess.” You lean in giving her a hug and she gives you a peck on the cheek. It’s casual, quick, and boring to the outside world. But the way you slid your hand down to the small of her back and the way she let her lips linger on your cheek for an extra second, was not casual.

When you pulled away from her you kept your hand on the small of her back, turning so the two of you were shoulder to shoulder as if you were standing before a game for the anthems.

“You look,” she lets out a sigh that tells you everything you needed to know, “you look fantastic.”

“Thanks. Actually funny enough, I was told if I always dressed like this, maybe I wouldn’t be single.” You say it as a joke, Jessie doesn’t take it as one.

“You’re not single.” The Canadian leans in to grumble into your ear, clearly not a fan of the thought of you being available.

“Oh I’m not? I don’t recall anyone asking me to be in a relationship.” You pat her back softly, letting your fingers just barely dance into the waistband of her pants.

You and Jessie had been seeing each other as more than friends for a couple weeks now. It had started as innocent coffee trips, those trips quickly became more formal coffee dates, those dates turned into spending the afternoons and evenings at each others places, which led to just three weeks ago, you straddling the Canadian on her couch, your fingers in her hair and her hands around your waist as the two of you kissed for the first time. You hadn’t yet put any form of label on it, but you continued seeing each other, the romantic and sexual tension very much still alive between the two of you.

“I don’t like how they’re staring.” You can feel the jealousy radiating off of Jessie. She’s looking out across the room to all your teammates. It was weird, the new attention you were getting. You knew none of your teammates meant it in a way of making you uncomfortable and you knew that, it was just different seeing them surprised by your outfit.

“No need to be jealous, Fleming.” You say to her before leaning in close again to whisper in her ear as she takes a sip of the beer in her hand. “Just remember I bought this dress thinking about only you taking it off my body tonight.” That gets Jessie’s attention, her eyes widen and she’s sent into a coughing fit choking on her drink. Your comment is said half as an invitation, half as a statement. The two of you had made out plenty in your three week escapades, but not getting any further than you did only four days ago in her apartment after training.

You had been making out against the hallway of her apartment when Jessie had picked you up, your legs around her waist as she carried you into her bedroom. She had quickly discarded your training top, kissing down your neck before removing your bra and starting to harshly suck dark red marks across your chest. You had removed her shirt and just as she leaned down to trail kisses down your stomach her phone rang. A FaceTime call from her sister. She had apologized profusely as she threw your shirt back to you as she donned her own. You weren’t upset, you had been the one who insisted she answer the call. However the interaction left you incredibly sexually frustrated for the next few days, giving you the brilliant idea of the dress.

You were already in need of an outfit for the banquet, leading you to be wandering around the store. You had texted Fran, Niamh, and a few other teammates to see what they were wearing. You walked in circles looking at jackets and pants, shirts, nothing seemed to pull your interest until you found yourself in the gown and dress section. The black dress you had bought was on display, it caught your eye. It was a tight, yet tasteful black dress, more than appropriate for the occasion and yet perfect to make Jessie have the opposite of appropriate thought.

Sneaking around with her had been fun, the quick glances in the locker room, the extra second you two spent looking at each other after Jessie had ended up with her body pressed on top of you after you tackled her a little too hard at training, the way she’d give your hand an extra squeeze when you’d high-five after games, all the subtle moments of your relationship happening right in front of everyone’s eyes, without anyone knowing at all.

Those red marks she had made on your skin the other day were now golden bruises across your chest, an arousing reminder of your evening when you got dressed this afternoon. You were thankful they weren’t visible in the lower cut neckline of the dress. You took one last look in the mirror before you left to come to the banquet. You couldn’t help but smirk at yourself, you wanted to drive Jessie crazy, make her stare, make her blush, make her squirm in her seat while she tried to keep your teammates oblivious to your situationship, this dress was going to be perfect for that job.

“We should go mingle.” You say, dropping your hand from Jessie’s back, a few more members of the staff had arrived, you wanted to say hello. Jessie just lets out a dissatisfied grumble. “I’ll see you in a bit.” You say to her as you walk away. You only get a few steps before you turn back, delighted by the sight. Jessie’s eyes had been fixated on your ass, she only looked away when she noticed you turned around catching her behavior. Her face flushed slightly and you gave her a quick wink before turning and moving to the other side of the room.

The seating at dinner was beyond your control but whoever was in charge of it did you a huge favor, sitting you right next to Jessie. You wander around looking for your name, finding it on the little place card, you take a lap looking at the rest of the names on the table before you come back reading the final name on the table for the seat to your left. You almost let out a laugh as you read Jessie’s name. This would be fun.

Dinner starts innocently enough. Plenty of conversation to keep both you and Jessie thinking about other things than the tension between you. It’s only once everyone starts eating, conversation slows and it becomes increasingly obvious how close you’re sat to her.

As you finish up your meal and speeches begin to start, you feel a weight on your lap. Jessie’s hand, under the tablecloth, resting on your upper thigh. She gently squeezes and you’re thankful that no one is seated directly behind your table, meaning no one sees how you move your leg outward to encourage her touch.

You let her touch your thigh, rubbing your skin through the dress for a couple minutes before you promptly stand up, excusing yourself to the table, saying you had to use the restroom and you’d be back. As you walk away you can’t help but turn back giving a look at Jessie, whose eyes were again watching you walk away.

You head to the bathroom, half because you had to use it and half because you wanted to see if Jessie would follow. You get your answer when you open the door from the stall to go wash your hands and Jessie is standing, arms crossed leaning against the wall. You take a moment to take in her stature, you had been so focused on her reaction to your own dress that you didn’t fully appreciate her appearance yet. She looked good, her dark dress pants tight in all the right places, her blazer hugging her shoulders, even if she didn’t intend it, her outfit was having an effect on you.

“You’re a tease.” She says, watching you again like prey as you walk over to the sink.

“I’m not sure I know what you mean.” You say, putting soap on your hands. “I’m not doing anything.” You give her an innocent smile through the mirror.

Sick of your behavior Jessie comes up behind you, her front flush to your back, pushing you slightly into the countertop. Her hands find your sides, just under your armpits. “You did this.” She lets her hands run down your sides and over the curve of your hips. “You chose this dress, you chose to tell me that you want me to take it off, you know exactly what you’re doing.”

“And it’s working?” You give her a cocky smile as you move away from her grasp to dry your hands and turn the water off.

“God, yes it’s working, you already get me worked up in regular clothes, but then this dress…” her voice trails off as she again takes the time to look over your body, head to toe, appreciating your dress. She bites her lip momentarily, walking up to you again. She leans into you, putting her lips quickly to your neck, giving you a soft kiss, then another just below your ear before she brings her lips to your ear and whispers. “You're driving me insane. I wish I had just ignored the call and fucked you instead the other day.”

You hum in agreement, you also wished she had just fucked you then and there. “But this is more fun.” You give her a raise of your eyebrows.

“You’re coming home with me.” She says as she leans back from you, still only inches from each other.

“I will, if you can be good the rest of the night.” You were going to give in and let her take you home no matter what, but you wanted to keep your evening of teasing and fun going for a little bit longer.

“I’ve been good!” She protests.

“I dunno Jessie, hand under the table isn’t what I would consider behaving.” You let your own hand drag on her thigh, mimicking her touch from earlier. You can feel her push her thigh into your hand desperately.

“I could’ve done worse.”

Returning her teasing from earlier you lean into her now, placing an open mouth kiss to her neck before whispering into her ear. “Behave for the rest of the night and I’ll let you do your worst to me later.”

You watch Jessie’s mouth fall open slightly as you pull back. Her stare intensifies on you, pupils wide. Knowing she was lost in her own dirty thoughts you take the opportunity to step away from her and open the bathroom door.

You turn back to look at Jessie, her mouth still agape, eyes locked on you. “Come on, only a few more hours of this banquet and then you can make those dirty thoughts you just had about me a reality.”

[natailiatulls07]

Oblivious Love

Max Verstappen x Female!reader

Summary - Y/n, Max and their oblivious love for eachother

Warning - Breakup, crying

A/n - Not doing a part 2 sorry xx

Some notes for context -

Small town au

Max owns a diner

Y/n owns a small inn

Inspired by Lorelai Gilmore and Luke Danes, the best couple ever in my opinion

-

Y/n was sat at the counter of the diner, talking no rambling. She did this often esperically around her bestfriend, Max Verstappen, who owned said diner. He was stood on the other side of the counter, fixing up coffees for a couple to the side of Y/n.

Of course he was listening in on her rambling, she was talking about some customers who had stayed at her inn. You see Max and Y/n were drastic opposites but thats what made them work well together.

She was high energy, coffee loving and approachable whilst he was blunt, private and grounded. Many wondered how he opened a diner in the first place. "So yeah and when they checked out, they gave me a basket of chocolates for the team and you know I though that was really sweet because like no one does that ever. It's a nice change. Oh and it had my fav-"

The rambling was cut short but a deep and direct voice. "Will you marry me?" Y/n's eyes snapped up from her coffee, they were widened and confused.

"What?" She secretly hoped this was real and he was being serious. Max Verstappen never made jokes so why start now?

The man shrugged his shoulders, giving his bestfriend a plain look. "Just looking for something to shut you up" Max didn't notice how her shoulders deflated, as if she was waiting for something excited. He also hoped that what he said was real but why would a cheerful women girl like Y/n be interested in him?

-

It was a Saturday morning, alike every other Saturday Y/n and her close friend, Nora were sat at their usual spots at the diners counter. They were eating Maxs new breakfast dish. "Mmm I need some sauce..." Nora remarked before setting down her knife and fork, and moving round the counter to where the sauce were stored.

"What have I said about the counter Nora?" Maxs loud and annoyed voice spun the women around, frantic to hold up her hands. Max doesn't like any going behind the counter for anything, unless you work at the diner.

"I know but-" He didn't give her a chance to explain before ushering her out.

"The counter is a sacred space, my sacred space. You don't do yoga on a dalai lama's mat and you don't come behind my counter. Period." He declared, Nora didn't fight him now. Just rushing back around the counter to her seat beside Y/n.

~

Y/n and Nora were about to leave the diner, they had a girl day planned out. But before they left, Y/n made her way round to Maxs side of the counter to collect a extra donut for herself.

She was about to pick up the sugary treat but Max handed her a pair of tongs. "Here, don't use your hand" And with a polite smile, Y/n took the tongs and got herself a donut.

Nora watched on from the door of the diner, everyone knew that behind was a sacred space for Max but he allowed Y/n back there. All because he loves her, and she could murder before he'd lose that soft spot for her.

-

It was a small town, everyone knew everyones gossip and what was going on. So naturally everyone knew about Y/n's date, and they all sympathize Max. The two bestfriend were so oblivious in love with eachother but neither could seem to see it.

After closing the diner that evening, Max started to walk to his apartment when across the road he heard a familiar laugh. Y/n's laugh. The common frown on his face grew to a warm loving smile. Only to fade when he saw her laughing and kissing another guy, louis Smith. The owner of the towns car garage.

Max knew he shouldn't feel possessive or jealous, Y/n wasn't his to claim, but he couldn't help it.

-

"Fuck louis is working, c-can somebody tell me the damn number of the cab guy? p-please" Y/n's mother was in hospital, and it scared her. She had lost her father at a very young age, she couldn't lost her mother as well.

The inn owner was at the diner when she got the call and now she was panicking. Her prize winning smile no longer on her face, now replaced with a frown and frantic breaths.

"I'll drive you." Max spoke up over her panic but was met with Y/n shaking her head.

Gesturing to the other customers and the food in the diner. "But there's food and there's people, Max I can't-" He stopped her before guiding the customers in the diner to move out there quickly as possible. All customers complying straight away cause they knew if anyone delayed this for Y/n, Max would not be happy.

"Okay everyone out, we're closed. Let's go, foods on me" And with the all customers were out and Max was leading Y/n, with an arm around her waist, to the back of the diner to his car.

-

Every so often, Victoria Verstappen would come to visit the small town her older brother. She was fond of the small cosy town, they allowed Max to get away from their demanding father and live his own life. Every single time, she'd visit she would bring up the dreading topic of love with her brother.

You see Victoria was married and was already a mother, she wanted the same for her brother and she knew all about Y/n. "There's no deal with Y/n, we're friends" Max would always try and defend himself.

"For now" His younger sister would snap back, she knew something was going on.

Max just shook his head, he knew about her relationship with Louis and wanted to be respectful for her sake. "Yes...anyways she has a boyfriend" He didn't pick up on the disappointment in his voice but Victoria did.

"And in the future?"

This caught out her brother, part of him was hoping Y/n would break up with Louis and get with him but the other part of him was unsure. "Well Y/n, she's just um I mean it seems like...I don't know" She completely stumped him.

-

It was a quite day in the diner, it was a Monday morning it was expected by Max. But what was unusual was Y/n's absence, it was 8am. She'd be onto her second coffee already but she was here.

Max was pulled out of his daydream when Nora called his name. She had just got off the phone. "Hey Max?" She had a worried face but there was a hint of a small smile hiding underneath the frown.

"Yeah?" The man answered, concerned. What happened? Did something happen to Y/n? Is that why she wasn't here?

Nora took a deep breath before continuing. "You heard the latest news right? Kind of sad for Y/n and Louis" So it was about Y/n, what happened? And Louis? I mean he could care less about the car garage owner but Y/n, he needed to know now.

Shaking his head, he allowed Nora to continue. "They broke up" That small smile was a little bit more seen on Noras face. Max just nodded, an uncontrollable grin took place of his scowl concerned.

Max just picked up the now filled coffee pot and start to walk to each and every customer offering free coffee. "Everyone's coffee is on the house today! I like you hat" Nora sat back in her seat shaking her head and smiling knowingly.

-

It had been a few weeks since the breakup and everything had gone back to normal. Y/n and Nora were sat at one of the table at Maxs diner, gossip as usual. They were both watching Max work around the diner.

"He never flirts with any one, did you notice that?" Y/n tilted her head to the side, confused at his lack of flirting. In her mind, there were plenty of people in town that would happily date her bestfriend.

Nora turned to her friend as if she the most stupid thing in existance. "That's because he flirts with you numerous times a day" To which Y/n just waved her off, muttering about how she was seeing things.

-

Y/n was going through a hard part of her life at the moment. Lot's of her staff at the inn were handing the notices and moving out of town, wanting to see the world and wanting the big and the best. So this meant that operating the inn was hard and alot of work for Y/n.

She didn't mean to break down in front of Max whilst he was closing the diner, it just happened. He saw the tears welling and falling from her eyes, he sat the two of them down on the floor. Hugging her close to his chest so that she could hear his heartbeat.

"I'm failing...I'm failing..." Her broken and uneven voice admitted to him. Y/n felt his body shake as he shook his head.

Oh how he disagreed with her. "You are not failing" Her inn was the best place to stay in town and the town was visited often by tourist, Max was sure she'd be perfectly fine.

"I don't know what to do..." Max just rubbed her back and smooth down her hair where it was slightly messing from when she was stressing and playing with it.

"It's okay..." He whispered. They'd both be lying if they said that they din't love this close proximity with eachother. Y/n could smell his cologne and it comforted her so much.

-

5am

Every morning at 5am, like clock work, Max would arrive at the diner to set and open up ready for official opening at 6am. Usually this meant that the entire would still be asleep and Max would be alone, just how he liked it. So when he went to the front entrance of the dinner this morning he was unexpectedly met with an excited and hyper Y/n. "What are you doing?" He asked his bestfriend.

Y/n just smiled up at him. "I need coffee" She annouced like he should've known that.

He just frowned his eyebrows at the coffee loving women. "It's five in the morning, make coffee at your own house?" Max suggested confused, he only got more confused when she shook her head, giggling cheekily.

"I did, I drank it all!" The way she annouced indicated to Max that she was sort of proud of herself for drinking all the coffee in her house.

Times like this made Max realise why he was in love with her. She was so unpredicable and excitable. "You drank all the coffee in your house before five in the morning?" His mouth hung open, not only was he confused about the amount of coffee she had but by the fact that Y/n L/n was not a morning person.

Nodding proudly, Y/n continued. "Big gulps, lots of sugar!" Then she felt herself being picked up by the armpits to stand by Max before he directed her into the diner giggling and rambling more to him. "And just a little bit of cream cause it makes it cold"

-

Town meetings. Every single monday night at 7pm. Something Max despised. Why? Because in his opinion it was boring and a waste of his time. But this evening, Kevin the annoying 'town president' had asked Max to attend so he did. Straight away Max spotted Y/n sat at the back of the room picking at a small bag of m&ms happily and that's where he was going to sit.

Turns out his presence at the meeting was because the town wanted to talk about his and Y/n friendship and how everyone wanted them to get together already. Kevin had barely got through the first page of his stupid powerpoint when Max got up and stomped angerily to the front of the room.

"This is my friendship. Mine. Not yours" He pointed at Cath, the dance teacher. "Not yours!" He pointed to Kevin, who was red in th face. "Yours" A soft smile broke out onto Maxs face as he points to Y/n in the back who was nodding proudly still eating her m&ms. "Not yours" Maxs smile was gone again. Pointing to Linda, the towns florist.

He stopped pointing but didn't finish his small speech. "Mine and hers but not any of yours" His eyes then looked to Y/ns and locked together. And they both had the same thought.

'Maybe she does like me like that...'

'Maybe he does like me like that...'

-

[jamdoughnutmagician]

Tiny Match-maker:Prince Charming

Bucky Barnes x Single mom!Reader Fluff

Here it is! It may have taken 6 months to finish, but it's finally here! A part 2 to Tiny-Match maker

Hopefully next time I write something with them, it won't take as long!

Word Count:2,285

Masterlist // Bucky Barnes Masterlist

“Hey Tin-man, can you focus a little more over here?” Sam grumbled quietly from beside him. They were meant to be staking out this run-down warehouse where there had been whisperings of underground groups dealing in un-tested batches of super soldier serum, but Bucky’s attention had entirely been diverted down to the mobile phone in his hands.

Bucky:Hey, sorry things have been a little busy for me lately, but I’d love to take you out for coffee sometime, say maybe this Sunday?”

 “What are you even doing anyway?” Sam questions, trying to lean over Bucky’s shoulder to look at the phone screen.

You:Sunday sounds perfect, I can ask Amanda to watch Lottie for me, so whatever time works best for you.

Amanda was the mom who lived in the apartment opposite yours, and very kindly offered to look after Lottie for you when you needed to do stuff alone. It also helped that Lottie was very good friends with her son, Mason, so you had no worries about leaving your daughter in Amanda’s safety. 

Bucky:How about the little coffee shop on Fifth Avenue? Maybe at 2.00?

You:Honestly, you had me at coffee shop.

“Dude, put your phone away! You’re supposed to be keeping watch!” Sam grumbled quietly, shaking his head at him.

You make your way across the hall to knock on Amanda’s door, and sure enough she greets you with that warming smile.

“Hey, I was wondering if you might be able to look after Lottie for me this weekend, like this Sunday?” you asked hopefully.

“Sure! We’d love to have Lottie come round, wouldn’t we Mase?” she smiles down at her son who was peeking his head out from behind her legs to see what all the fuss was about.

Mason frantically nods his head at hearing that his best friend was coming over for a visit.

“I’m gonna show her my transformers!” he giggles excitedly before running off.

“So, what is it? You’ve got a hot date with some hunky guy or something?” Amanda laughs.

You can’t stop the burning flush that rises to your cheeks.

“Oh so it is a hunky guy.” Amada says, raising a dark, arched brow in your direction.

“It’s just a quiet cup of coffee, and we’ll see how it goes from there.”

“Well, I hope you have fun darling. You deserve it.”

“Thanks Mandy, you’re a life-saver!”

With Lottie being the curious and excitable young girl that she was, it didn’t leave a lot of time to meet potential romantic connections. 

But chance, and maybe your very own tiny little match-maker, had pushed you towards Bucky and for the first time in a long time you were excited to go on a date.

Once you had dropped off Lottie at Amanda’s place you busied yourself with tidying up before deciding to get ready. Setting about finding the perfect outfits to wear you figured that a comfortable casual dress and leggings would be the perfect thing to wear. Hoping that your choice of clothing didn't seem too dressed up for what was probably going to be a casual date.

You took the time to yourself to apply a light dusting of makeup, just enough to enhance your features.

With a final dab of lipgloss and a ruffle of your hair you throw on your coat and grab your purse and make your way out of your apartment, leaving plenty of time to walk into the city to meet up with Bucky.

The crisp golden orange leaves crunched underneath as you walked down the street, nearing closer to the coffee shop that you had agreed to meet up at. As you got closer the more nervous you got. This was the first date you'd been on in a long long time, what were you even going to talk about? What if Bucky decides he doesn't actually like you? Were you actually just making a fool of yourself? All of the worst case scenarios scan through your brain at a hundred miles an hour.

“Hey, there you are!” Bucky smiles jogging to meet you. “Guess we showed up at the same time. You wanna head inside?”

Bucky holds the door open, the bell above tinkling as he does. The quiet murmur of chatter fills the coffee shop.

You wait beside him as you line up to make your order. Your eyes cast downwards for a brief moment, and when they do, you can’t help but notice the way his hand hesitates next to yours. Almost like he wants to hold your hand, but he isn’t quite sure if making a move like that might be considered too forward. It’s sweet to see how adorably shy and nervous he is, and it does wonders to settle your own nerves to see that you were both in the same boat together.

Taking it upon yourself you slyly slip your hand in his, lacing your fingers between his. 

His cheeks heat up with a lovable pinkish glow, as he squeezes your hand with gentle pulse.

You reach the front of the line and both bucky and you place your orders.

“One black coffee for me please.” Bucky says. “And a…” he trails off for you to give your order.

“A pumpkin spice latte for me please.” 

“Is that for here or to-go?” The batista behind the counter asks.

“To-go please.” Bucky smiles. 

“I thought we were staying here?” You ask curiously, turning to him with your eyebrows drawn together.

“Actually I had a little something in mind for us, if you'll indulge me?” He says with his soft smile quirking into a cheeky grin.

The batista behind the counter hands both of you your respective drinks, and Bucky pays for them. Before you can protest he's there with that charming smile once more.

“Come on now, it’s my treat”

You link your arm with his, turning to him with a smile of your own.

“Okay then Sergeant Barnes, lead the way.”

He walks with you through the busy city streets, his hand still holding yours as you sip your coffees.

“Y’know, I didn’t have you down as a pumpkin spice kind of person.” Bucky says, taking a sip from his own coffee cup.

“I don’t think you’re in any position to judge me,  Mr. “One Black Coffee”.” you laugh at him.  “I always treat myself to a pumpkin spice latte this time of year, it’s one of the little things that I look forward to.” you smile. “So where are we headed?”

“I just think if you’re going to go for a date in the city, you should probably see it the way it should be seen.” Bucky said with a smile as he led you by the hand through the park’s gate.

“Oh, so this is a date, is it?” you ask playfully.

“Well, I hope so at least.” he flushes with an adorable pink blush before coughing to cover the slight nervous crack in his voice. “Central park is at its peak in the fall, and it’s hands-down the best view of the city all year.”

You walk around the park hand in hand, and you have to admit he's right, the beautiful wash of burnt orange, rusted red and golden leaves clinging to the branches of trees lining the pathway. The chill of the crisp autumn air whipping through you in a refreshing breeze and the tempting scent of warm cinnamon floats from a nearby doughnut vendor, beckoning you to indulge in his sweet treats. This certainly was the right way to see the city.

“So, tell me more about you?” he asks with a soft voice.

“What’s there to tell? I’m not all that interesting, I promise you.” you brush off.

“Nonsense. I wanna hear everything.”

“Okay, well Lottie and I moved to the city not too long ago, my relationship with her dad gradually came to an end when I found out I was pregnant with her. I was excited, and I thought he was too, y’know? But a few weeks down the line we started fighting a lot more, and one night he just decided that being a parent, being a father, wasn’t something that he wanted, and that was that.”

“Well, if you ask me, he’s missing out big time. Lottie seems like a great kid.” Bucky says with no hint of irony or sarcasm in his voice whatsoever.

“She sure is.” you smile at his kind words. “So I moved to the city to get away from him, to start fresh. It definitely wasn’t easy at first, being a single mother in a new city but things are good now and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“That’s such a great attitude to have, I admire that.” 

“Anyway, enough about me, what about you huh? I feel like I see you almost all the time splashed across the newspapers or on my television screen, but I guess that’s not how you want to be known.”

“Well the media likes to try to pin me down as one thing, which I guess is a fair assumption, I’ve done bad things, my life is full of danger and chaos, but I don’t want to be known for that. I just want an easy life. I just want to slow down and take my time to enjoy the things that make me happy.”

“..and what is it that makes you happy?” you ask softly as you chance to look at him.

“Right now, this,” he smiles, gently swinging your hand in his. “..is making me happy.”

You both finish up your coffees before throwing them in the trash can, continuing on your trail through the crisp autumnal landscape of central park.

You continue talking with him about everything and anything. Conversation with Bucky felt so easy. He listened to you, he never made you feel silly, and everything about being with him just felt right.

As you round a corner a gentle melody fills the air, and as you turn around you see the brightly coloured lights and gentle whir of a carousel. You looked at the ride with a fondness, it was something that you had loved as a little girl, a ride that you had endlessly begged your parents to go on time and time again.

“Do you wanna go on it?” Bucky asks, when he sees how your eyes light up at the attraction.

“No, no, I think I’m a bit too old for carousel rides.”

“Come on, we can go on it together. It’ll be fun I promise.” he says, holding out his hand for you to take.

He hands over the money for the tickets, and holds your hand as  you swing your leg over the horse.

 “M’lady.”

He lifted himself onto the horse beside you, and soon the ride whirls into life. The warm sparkle of the lights bounce off the mirrors, and the music bounces along in time with the rise and fall of the carousel horses.

You can’t help but smile, bright laughter bubbling from you at being able to enjoy yourself like this, completely free of judgement.  Bucky gives you a soft smile and warm laugh of his own in return, and in this moment you knew that saying yes to this date was the right thing for you.

The ride slows to a stop and Bucky is there to help you as you come down off your horse, one gentle hand on the small of your back the other holding your hand.

“I told you it’d be fun.” he says smugly.

“Yeah it was pretty fun. I haven’t done anything like that since I was a kid.”

The glow of the carousel’s light sparkles in his steely blue eyes, and it’s only then that you realise that his hand is still resting on your back, almost curving along the curve of your hip.

His hand quickly pulls away when he realises, trying to hide his blooming blush with his hand moving to scratch the back of his neck. His nervous energy around you just makes him all the more cute in your eyes. 

“Shall we?” you offer your arm for him to take, looping your arm with his as you walk around the rest of central park.

Bucky walks with you back to your apartment block, pausing outside your building with you.

“Thanks for agreeing to go out with me, I had a great time with you.” he smiles.

“I had a great time with you. It was easily one of the better dates I’ve been on in a while.”

“I hope that means that you might be interested in doing this again some time?” Bucky asks you hopefully.

Feeling bold you rise up on your tip-toes to meet him, and place a kiss to his cheek.

“I certainly would be interested in doing this again some time.” you flush. “Thank you for today, Bucky, it’s been wonderful.”

Once you're back at your apartment, with Lottie picked up from Amada’s place, you’re sitting on the couch curled up next to her, Cinderella playing on the tv. Her eyes wide in awe as the pretty princess whirls around the dancefloor with her Prince Charming

“Did you meet a prince today, mommy?” she asks, turning her face away from the screen.

She catches you off guard with her question, so you fire back a question of your own.

“What makes you say that, baby?”

“You were wearing a pretty dress today and your hair was done all pretty too.” her wide smile was too adorable. “So did you meet a prince?”

“You know what Lottie? I might have just found myself my very own Prince Charming.”

@penguinsandpotterheads @ghoul-friendz

@honeyglee @myfavbuckyfics @buckgasms

[whimsyfinny]

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: Charlie discovers the Winchester boys to be struggling with keeping the bunker tidy, looking after themselves and being able to do their job simultaneously. Luckily she has a friend who’s from a Hunter family that is in need of work and can help them with research. Or so she thought that’s what her job would be. When Dean sees your more domesticated side, his head won’t stop swimming with all the wrong ideas.

Slow burn, enemies to lovers, smut

Warnings: None (Yet) in chapters to come there will be smut (and lots of it) and possible violence/blood/gore

Chapter Word Count: 2564

—-MDNI—-

A/N: Sorry that this one feels like a bit of a filler - but I’m seriously hoping to get some spicy content out in the next chapter so pls pls stay tuned! Also this is only proof read by myself so pls let me know of any errors!

——————————————————————

Please read the below first:

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

I’m Not Your F*cking Maid

Chapter 4

We spent a few hours researching and looking into the First Blades whereabouts after dinner, Dean and I only making work-related conversations after the pie ordeal. Every now and then when I looked up from the book I was reading I’d catch him looking in my direction, but I was far too tired for any more confrontation - I knew he'd act like an ass if I said anything. I decided to head to bed at around midnight, unable to read more than a few words and actually process said words in my brain. As Sam was still asleep, Dean showed me to my room which was tragically opposite his, and I could only imagine the noises that I’d be hearing coming through that door. Getting ready for bed, I dug out an old boyfriends T-shirt that I was still in possession of and threw it on, making sure to remove all other items of clothing except my panties. I climbed into bed - which was surprisingly more comfortable than I’d anticipated, though the sheets smelt a little musty - and set an alarm on my phone so I could hopefully rise before the boys in the morning. The moment my head hit the pillow, sleep whisked me away, not giving me a chance to think about the wild day I’d had and the total jackass that I’d met.

*

My alarm rang at 5am and I crawled out of bed, dressing in yesterday’s jeans with a clean, low-cut tank top and an open flannel thrown over the top. Pulling on my boots, I ran my fingers through my hair before heading to the en suite bathroom to brush my teeth. As I turned on the tap, the pipes clanged alarmingly as a small stream of water trickled from the faucet, the harsh noise echoing around the small tiled room. “That’s not concerning at all,” I mumbled to myself, the noise finally stopping as I turned the tap off. After I’d finished brushing I headed back into the bedroom to grab my phone before leaving the room to walk wearily to the kitchen. Upon arrival, I instantly made a pot of coffee, the smell alone already helping to blow away the sleepy cobwebs in my mind. I needed food. Something good, like pancakes. So I rummaged around until I found everything I needed, starting to memorise where the brothers kept everything after spending so much time in here yesterday evening. As I whipped up the batter, I threw some bacon in a pan and placed three plates on the table, along with some mugs, the pot of coffee and a big bottle of maple syrup. As soon as I started cooking the batter, it was like I’d used a summoning spell.

“You know when I first woke up I thought that I’d dreamt you up in some sort of weirdly tame nightmare” Dean said in a deep and raspy, fresh-from-sleep tone as he paced into the room and sat at the table, rubbing his eyes.

“Is that your way of saying that I’m your dream girl, Winchester?” I teased as I poured him a mug of coffee. He smirked, not looking up at me.

“You wish darlin’.”

“I really don’t,” I turned back to the stove and flipped the pancake, taking a sip from my own mug.

I’d made a stack of maybe twelve pancakes by the time Sam arrived, greeting me with that warm smile of his as he took a seat opposite Dean.

“Good morning (Y/n), something smells amazing.”

“Good morning Sam,” I smiled back at him before I looked over at Dean, “That’s how you greet someone in the morning Dean, not by telling them they were part of your living nightmare.” Dean shrugged, taking a long drink from his coffee.

Sam gave me an almost apologetic look on his brothers behalf, saying quietly, “as charming as ever then, Dean.” As he sat down I placed the stack of pancakes along with the bacon on the table and both men’s eyes lit up, immediately picking up their cutlery.

“Help yourselves,” I said, taking a seat between them, “just leave a couple for me at least.”

Dean was the first to pile about five onto his plate along with a good portion of the bacon. Without even looking at me he placed two pancakes on my own plate as he reached for the maple syrup. Before I could ask for the bacon, it was Sam who served some up for me before giving himself whatever was left over before handing me the syrup.

“Oh, thanks guys…” I said, a little shocked at how weirdly coordinated they were with that whole task.

“You’re welcome,” they both managed to mumble out through huge mouthfuls of food. We sat in a strangely nice silence for a few minutes, the only noise to be heard was the sounds of breakfast being totally annihilated. Dean was the first to throw his cutlery down with a very satisfied groan. He stretched, his T-shirt rising slightly to show his incredibly toned abdomen.

For fucks sake.

“THAT is what powers a man up in the morning,” he said, his fingers interlaced behind his head.

“Mmm hmm,” was all I managed to get out, finding it annoyingly difficult to look away, let alone to stop my eyes from trailing to where his leather belt hugged his hips and his old denim jeans gripped the thick muscles of his thighs. A few seconds must’ve passed when he cleared his throat and my eyes snapped up to be immediately caught in that moss-green gaze. Shit. I thought maybe for a second that he didn’t notice me looking. But then the corner of his mouth twitched up into that infuriating smirk. Luckily for me, he didn’t say anything, but I watched as he dragged his gaze over my figure, similar to how I did with him. It was Sam who spoke up next and I tore my eyes away, letting out a breath as he saved me from Deans silent interrogation.

“So I read last night about a possible case,” he started to say as he finished chewing the last bit of food on his plate before pushing it away and turning towards us.

“Go on,” Dean said, leaning forwards - finally covering his exposed stomach.

“I think it’s a haunting - some sort of item possession involving a ghost. All of the accidents that have been happening seem to occur either around or directly within an old antique store that’s connected to an old auction house. I think it’s worth a look,” Sam opened his laptop that he’d placed on the seat next to him, showing us all of the research he’d done overnight. Looking at the evidence he’d piled together, I think he was on to something. I nodded.

“Sure, I’m in. I’ll go pack a bag,” I said, standing up and clearing the plates from the table.

“Hang on a second,” Dean spoke up and I immediately knew he was talking to me.

“What?”

“What makes you think you’re coming with us for this?” His brows furrowed slightly.

“Because I never get to work out in the field - Bobby always had me on book duty and I want to see some real hunting in action,” I raised my voice a little starting to get defensive.

“If Bobby never let you do field work then neither are we. You’re staying here,” his tone was stern as he downed the last of the coffee and stood up, towering over me.

“What?!” I almost shouted.

“Dean, I don’t think it’s your place to say what she can and can’t do. I say we let her come along,” Sam intervened, his voice always full of reason and reassurance. I gave him a half smile - a small, ‘thank you for sticking up for me’.

“No way. There’s no way I’m letting Bobby’s girl put herself in danger. The old bastard would find a way to make us pay if anything were to happen to her; even from beyond the grave.”

“I don’t need you taking on his role, Dean. Bobby kept me safe my whole life, just him. I’m sure the pair of you could look out for me no problem on a little ghost trip,” I chided, coming up with a plan to get Dean to agree to me coming.

“(Y/n)s right, this shouldn’t be a hard case for us - if anything this is a small break from the real hard work,” Sam stepped towards Dean, trying to reassure him.

Dean looked from Sam to myself, and when our eyes locked I let a sly smile crawl onto my lips.

“Or maybe Dean Winchester isn’t up to the challenge?” I said, holding my hands up. He frowned, opening his mouth but I spoke again before he could get his words out. “Maybe….,” I stepped towards him, now only a few inches between us, “Dean Winchester is losing his touch, and isn’t the big strong man he used to be and really won’t be able to keep me safe…?” I flashed Dean my best doe eyes and I heard him suck in a breath as I reached forwards and tugged slightly on his T-shirt, making him look down at me with his eyes flicking between mine - dilating a little. I couldn’t help but bite my lip, looking up at him through my lashes and pressing my fingertips to his chest, feeling his heart rate increase with every beat from my touch. I liked to think that I was being very ‘persuasive’.

“I think you’re right (Y/n), I don’t think Dean is up to the task. He’s definitely been losing his touch,” Sam spoke up, catching on with my game and joining in with the verbal attack on his older brother. Deans eyes snapped up to look at Sam and the almost trance-like state he was in before was shattered.

“I have NOT lost my touch!” He snapped. Sam and I looked at each other and exploded into laughing very fake laughs, clapping and wiping away a pretend tear.

“Sure thing ‘sweetheart’,” I said, “prove it - keep me safe.”

“Oh I’ll keep you safe,” Dean took the bait and barged past us, “I’ll keep you safe from your own fucking shadow.”

*

After a few hours of packing and travelling, we arrived in a very well manicured town - even the motel was decent. Upon checking in, we got two rooms; one for me and one for the boys.

“Let’s drop our stuff off, freshen up and meet back here in ten?” Sam said, checking his watch. It was just past 11am.

“Sure, sounds good,” I replied, and Dean just nodded in approval. Their room was further down the corridor than mine, so I watched them leave before entering my room. It was the usual layout: one double bed, cheap linens, an old TV and an under-stocked minibar. At least the decor wasn't completely brown. I dumped my bags on the floor and started to unpack some essentials. I laid my clothes out on the bed - some of these outfits may come in handy later on. For now though, I’ll just stick to what I was already wearing. Lastly I grabbed a tin that was down in the bottom of my duffle - inside was a bunch of fake IDs that Bobby insisted on making me a few years ago. I smiled, remembering him always answering the phone to the Winchesters, pretending to be their FBI boss. I was always dying to know what they were hunting when he got those phone calls. I admired them a lot back then. I shook away the memory and pocketed the IDs, marching to the bathroom and splashing some water on my face before leaving, locking the door behind me.

The boys were already waiting for me.

“You boys ready?” I asked, to which they both nodded. “Where to first?” my question was aimed at Sam, but Dean replied.

“The old antique store just down here on the corner,” he grumbled as we started walking, still unimpressed that I was tagging along. I shot him a look as he practically glared at me from the other side of Sam.

“Get over yourself Dean. I’m along for the ride so deal with it,” I snapped at him, hoping he un-rustles his jimmies quickly. I wasn’t going to let him drag me down, not when I’m excited to actually be on a case. My first ‘out in the field’ case of all things. I wanted this to be a good memory. He scrunched his face up at my words, mouthing an angry ‘I hate you’ at me, to which I flipped him off.

“Guys just behave yourselves!” Sam stopped in his tracks right as we were outside our destination. “We are professionals so we need to act like it. We’re here to do our job,” Sam said in an authoritative voice - which undeniably sounded very attractive on him. I walked a few steps ahead of them and stopped with my hand on the front door to the store.

“Sam’s right. I’m happy to be here helping these people,” I smiled a little too sweetly before throwing a dark look at Dean, “so pull your shit together Dean, you’re making us look bad.” I heard him start to protest before I pushed the door open and walked into the shop, hearing the two brothers scurrying to catch up with me. As we walked in we were greeted by an older gentleman, with a kind face, a neatly trimmed pure white beard and round specs.

“Good morning and welcome to the store,” he said, his voice soft, “Can I help you?” He looked between the three of us. The boys reached for the fake badges, but they were lost for words when I beat them to the chase - obviously being unaware that I’d come prepared. Holding my badge up for the older gent to see, I spoke without missing a beat.

“Hi! Yes you certainly can help me - I’m agent Granger and these,” I jabbed my thumb to Sam and Dean who were standing right behind me, “are agents Crabbe and Goyle. We’ve got some questions for you regarding the strange occurrences going on around here recently.”

“Of course, it’s about time these things were investigated,” the older man turned and beckoned for us to follow, which Sam did immediately. Dean and I were left behind, staring each other down. I could tell he wasn’t happy that I had a badge, and I couldn’t help but smile at that. He scowled.

“This isn’t a fucking game.”

“You’re just mad that I got one up on you so early on,” I grinned up at him, his frown not budging.

“Just don’t do anything stupid,” he huffed.

“I’m safe from doing you then aren’t I?” I couldn’t stop the words from spilling from my lips.

“What?” He looked at me like I’d sprouted a second head, obviously not catching on. I chuckled a little, walking past him to catch up with Sam, leaving him standing there confused.

“Don’t think too hard about it Dean, you might hurt yourself,” I called back over my shoulder.

“Fuck y- hang on- oh you BITCH!” He shouted after me as he caught on finally. I laughed, not looking back.

“Only to you Dean.”

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Up Next:

Chapter 5

[yelena-bellova]

Twenty Years Later: Joel Miller x F!Reader - Chapter Three

Chapter Three: Out On The Town

Plot: Tess and Joel demand answers from Y/n and Ellie on the details of Ellie’s condition and venture out into the city.

Word Count: 6.1k

Warnings: tlou ep.2 spoilers, language, canon typical violence, allusion to sexual harassment, guns, blood (16+)

A/N: PLEASE READ. Hello, my loves 👋🏻 I’m so glad everyone’s enjoying the series. I placed this in the previous chapter and a few other posts, but need to reiterate it. I’m not adding anyone to the taglist if they don’t have their age in their bio. This is a 16+ series and I’m trying to look out for younger eyes on here 👀

Other than that, I hope everyone enjoys these next two chapters. This one’s less action and more set-up for future parts. The next one should be out before Sunday’s episode. Read on, babes!!

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May 10th, 2002. Austin, Texas.

The only proof Joel had that he’d been at the bar the night before was the throbbing pain in his temples. It was a sobering reminder that his talent for drinking was slipping with age. Still, he pounded some coffee and an Aspirin, picked up Tommy and headed off to work.

On their way, Joel found his eye straying to each women he drove past that even bore a tiny resemblance to Y/n. He should have been surprised that it had only taken one meeting for her to brand herself on his brain, but she was something special. She probably had that effect on everyone she met.

Joel parked the car outside the hardware store, leaving a semi-hungover Tommy to grab a few more minutes of sleep. Sarah was at soccer practice for the morning and then off to a friend’s house, they could almost get in full day of work.

Both the Miller brothers knew their way around the store like the back of their hands. Joel went to the back to get his quota of wood cut, made small talk with the older guy who worked the cutter and navigated the aisles effortlessly. There was nothing new about any of it…

On the other side of each aisle, Y/n was pushing a cart and restocking product. Home improvement wasn’t her passion in life, but her father had been one of those “don’t pay someone to do it if you can do it yourself” kind of guys, so it came natural to her. The pay was good, she liked her boss, and she enjoyed the community aspect of the job.

They were dancing without knowing it. Each time Joel moved in one direction, Y/n moved in the opposite, and vice versa.

Eventually, Joel got to the last thing on his list: a new drill bit. He steered his cart around a corner and down the corresponding aisle. When he got to the hook it was supposed to be on, he found it empty. This was not the day for that…

Y/n pulled down the aisle, spotting a customer rifling through a shelf, and put on her employee smile. “Can I help you find some-“

Joel practically smacked his head on the shelf above, standing up as soon as he heard that familiar voice.

Y/n’s eyes lit up, “You.”

“You,” Joel echoed, a surprised smile coming to his face.

“Hi,” Y/n chuckled.

Joel’s brain stopped firing any and all signals, “Hi.”

“So we had the same early morning planned,” Y/n smiled.

“Shoulda carpooled,” Joel replied, earning a breathy laugh. His chest warmed.

“How are you?” Y/n asked, as if some grand thing had occurred in the past twelve hours they’d been apart.

Joel leaned one arm on the handle of his cart, “Good. Headin’ off to work.”

“No Tommy?” Y/n looked over his shoulder.

“Nah, he’s sleepin’ last night off in the truck,” Joel said, putting a hand on his hip.

“Can’t say I blame him,” Y/n looped a finger through the grate of her cart, swinging her body into the aisle, “I shouldn’t have let you two buy me that second glass.”

Joel smirked, “Can’t hold your liquor?”

“Oh, I can hold it,” Y/n said confidently, scrunching up her face after, “Until the next morning.”

The two of them shared a short laugh before Y/n remembered why they were there. “You were looking for something,” she pointed to the shelf.

He was? “Oh, yeah,” Joel remembered, “Quarter inch bit.”

“Hang on,” Y/n said, determinedly sorting through one of the boxes in her cart. She pulled out the piece of steel and held it up victoriously.

“You’re my hero,” Joel said, taking it from her, “Day would have been a waste without this.”

“Well, there you go,” Y/n couldn’t help herself from beaming, “You saved me last night, I returned the favor.”

Joel internally winced at the memory.

“Are you done shopping or can I pull anything else out of my magic Mary Poppins cart?” Y/n quipped, patting a hand against one of the boxes.

“Nah, that was the last thing on the list,” he answered, wishing dearly he’d written more on the piece of paper in his hand.

“Well, I’ll check you out,” Y/n said, wishing she’d chosen any other phrasing.

Joel held up a hand, “I don’t wanna take you away from what you’re doin’.”

“Please, you’re doing me a favor,” Y/n grabbed the end of her cart and began to drag it down the aisle, “You’re the first human interaction I’ve had all morning.”

Deciding that he was doing a service and nothing more, Joel followed her through the store. He didn’t know if he believed in fate, but he believed in luck, and it felt like he’d gotten tossed a rare bit of good luck by meeting Y/n again.

Y/n was half convinced she’d caused Joel to materialize. Here she was, thinking about him and his big brown eyes all morning, and then there he was. It was either an unbelievable stroke of luck, or someone Up There had seen fit to brighten her day a little.

As Y/n scanned Joel’s items, a nervous silence blanketed them. Everything that filtered through their minds sounded too awkward to say. There wasn’t a whole lot of ground to cover, they’d only known each other for less than twenty four hours.

“You doin’ okay?” Joel finally asked, hoping he wasn’t crossing some line, “After last night?”

“Oh,” Y/n looked down at the pile of purchases, “Yeah, I’m fine. Not the first time it’s happened. I just need to get better at defending myself.”

Joel’s blood boiled under his calm demeanor, men were awful. “There shouldn’t be a need in the first place,” he bit out as he gripped his cart a little tighter.

Yn shrugged sadly, “It’s the world we live in. That’s why it’s so nice to meet guys like you and Tommy. You make up for your sex’s failings.”

Joel chuckled under his breath as he handed her his debit card, “Not sure we can fill that tall an order.”

Laughing softly enough to make Joel’s chest flutter a little, Y/n rang up the order and handed him the bags.

“Well, I guess I know where I’ll be seeing you two from now on,” she said.

“Yeah,” Joel replied, “And thanks for helping me find that bit. You really saved our asses.”

Y/n playfully held her hands up, “I didn’t get employee of the month for nothing.”

Joel could hear that little voice in his head, the same one that had a residency in the gut, telling him to take a shot and ask Y/n out. He wasn’t a timid guy, but she had some sort of spell on him that made his palms sweat and his mind go blank. Plus, he’d sworn off bringing anyone into his life a long time ago. It was all around, a bad idea.

“Well, I’ll see you around,” he finally decided on.

Y/n hoped her smile hid all her sadness, “See you.”

Joel and his cart made it about three steps before he threw caution to the wind.

“Hey,” he turned around, “Do you think, maybe….I could take you to dinner sometime?”

Y/n’s grin spread like wildfire across her face, “Yeah,” she replied, “I’d like that.”

Both of them released a caught breath, Y/n pressed a button on the printer and tore off a piece of reciept paper. She scribbled her number down.

“I work a lot,” she told him as she wrote, “But I’m usually free on Fridays.”

“Okay,” Joe took the paper from her, their fingers brushing, “I’ll call you.”

Y/n had to physically restrain her lips and the giggle that threatened to show itself. “You do that,” she responded, fiddling with her pen.

Joel gave a sideways smile, deciding to get out while he was on a winning streak. He held up a hand and turned on his heel, confidence powering his stride.

Y/n stayed at the checkout counter a little longer, trying to compose herself lest customers think she was high. She set her pen back down and did a little skip back to her cart. It was going to be a great day.

Joel made it back to the truck, loading his supplies into the flatbed with unusual enthusiasm. He didn’t care about his headache, his backache…he was flying too high for anything to bother him. He climbed into the driver’s seat, Tommy groaned as he did.

“You took your time,” he grunted.

Joel didn’t get many moments of victory, he was going to let himself bask in this one a while. He held up the piece of paper to Tommy, who leaned over and read it. Above an unknown phone number was Y/n’s name with a heart next to it.

Tommy’s grin stretched, “No way.”

Joel simply grinned and started up the truck.

“No fuckin’ way,” Tommy got louder, reaching over and shaking his brother’s shoulder. They drove off, Joel’s mood was shifted for the day. The nerves would set in later. For now, he just wanted to be excited about taking out the beautiful girl from the bar.

—————————

2023, Boston

Tess slammed Y/n up against the inside of the abandoned building.

“What the hell’s going on?”

Y/n pulled on Tess’ jacket and tried to flip her around. She rammed her elbow down on Tess’ arm and broke the hold. Before Tess could fight back, Joel took hold of both their arms and wrenched them apart. Y/n slipped as he did an fell on her side, refusing to groan and let any vulnerability show.

“I already told you,” Y/n grunted, pushing up on one arm, “She’s not sick.”

“You think we’re just gonna believe you?” Tess continued, “Give us one reason why we shouldn’t kill you both right now.”

Y/n smirked, her eyes bouncing to Joel, who glared at her with the same coldness he had twenty years ago. “How else are you going to get your battery?”

No matter how much control Joel wanted to pretend he had over the situation, Y/n held the real power. Ellie and her were the key to getting to Tommy.

Ellie watched this all from the side, exhausted and scared.

“Now here’s what’s going to happen,” Y/n stood to her feet and pointed to Ellie, “She’s going to get some sleep. At some point tonight, I’m going to do the same. Have a gun on me the whole time, I don’t fucking care,” she gestured between her and the girl, “But both of us are going to be breathing come morning,” she looked to Joel, “Or else you get to live with the fact that Tommy could have lived if it wasn’t for your overeager trigger finger.”

Joel’s blood boiled, furious with Y/n for having stepped over that line. How could she speak about his life so carelessly?

“We’ll take the first two shifts,” Tess stated, leaving no room for argument, “But we get our answers first thing.”

Y/n gave a single nod, picked up her backpack and motioned for Ellie to come with. In the middle of the building, there was a patch of grass that could act as a bed. Y/n sat down and pulled out her sweater, balling it up and laying her head atop it.

“Are you sure they won’t kill us?” Ellie asked quietly, she followed Y/n’s actions and crumpled up her jacket.

“Positive,” Y/n said as she shut her eyes. Joel may have been reckless with her life, but he’d sooner die than let anything happen to Tommy.

Ellie curled up a few inches away from Y/n. It was funny what life-or-death circumstances could do to people. Y/n was the only person Ellie had taken to out of the Fireflies, but now, with Tess and Joel as her other options for comfort, she was her new favorite person. Ellie turned on her side to face the woman, the only person she could count on to protect her…

—————————

Sunlight across Y/n eyes woke her up. She stretched out her legs and yawned, spotting a sleeping Ellie at her side. She’d never gotten woken up for her turn to keep watch, but that had been expected. It didn’t take a genius to guess what was waiting in front of her.

Sure enough, Joel had his rifle pointed straight at her chest.

“You’re getting predictable,” Y/n remarked, rubbing one of her eyes.

Ellie woke soon after, sitting up and finding the same sight.

“Morning,” she said. The second she moved, Joel’s gun followed her. Y/n immediately pulled her gun off of her belt and pointed it at her ex.

“Do I look like I’m infected?” Ellie asked.

“Show us your arm,” Joel demanded.

Ellie rolled up her sleeve and showcased the scarred bite. Tess and Joel leaned forward to examine it, which was hard to do with half a room between them.

“Yeah, it’s not getting any worse, is it?” Ellie said impatiently, “If we’re out in the open city, why aren’t we getting swarmed?”

“Don’t worry about that,” Joel ignored her concern.

“Well, I’m gonna,” the girl replied.

“What was Marlene doing with an infected kid?” Tess switched lanes.

Ellie shook her head, “I’m not infected.”

Tess and Joel gave a deadpan stare, Y/n rolled her eyes. It wasn’t like it was a fucking fairytale they were asking them to believe. There was proof right in from of them.

“She found me after I was bitten,” Ellie continued.

“And she didn’t shoot you,” Joel put another piece of the puzzle together.

“Clearly not. She locked me up and had her guys,” Ellie glanced over to Y/n, “Test me every day to see if I was getting sick.”

“Test you how?” Tess asked.

Ellie sighed, “I have to pee.”

Nobody cared. “Test you…how?”

“They’d make me count to ten and hold my hand out and then keep it steady,” Ellie answered, “But, you know, I think what really impressed them was that I didn’t turn into a fucking monster. Now can I please?”

As Ellie stood up, Joel rose with her, and so did Y/n. Betrayal and loyalty mixed between them like oil and water. Ellie held her hands up, caught in the middle of it.

“Fine,” Tess relented, “Back there, you can find a spot. And here,” she tossed a magazine Ellie’s way, “Tear out a few pages.”

Ellie glanced between Y/n and Joel, checking to make sure there wasn’t about to be a shootout, and headed back. “There’s not gonna be anything bad in here?”

“Just you,” Joel answered.

“Oh, funny,” Ellie said before disappearing.

With her gone, Joel and Y/n really had no reason to still be aiming at one another. At the same time, they cautiously lowered their weapons. Despite whatever tragic nostalgia they’d indulged in the night before, they’d gone back to hate, as if their memories had been a symptom of some bad hangover. It was all forgotten in the light of day.

Joel sat back down with Tess, letting his unflinching stare rest on Y/n. Y/n had seen enough of that scowl to not be intimidated by it. Eventually, when nothing more could be said, his eyes dropped to examine his hand. The pain had set in overnight and he couldn’t keep it from shaking.

“Broken,” Tess stated, sitting down next to him.

“Maybe a hairline,” he replied, never looking at her, “It’ll heal fast.”

“Okay,” Y/n muttered, clapping her hands together, “You keep thinkin’ positive, I’m gonna go take a piss.”

She marched over the small hill of grass and knocked on the door frame of Ellie’s makeshift bathroom. “Me,” she announced.

“Don’t fuckin’ look,” Ellie said quickly from somewhere in the room.

“I’m not,” Y/n replied, staring at the ceiling as she wandered, “Just tell me where to go.”

“Left a little,” the girl instructed, “Straight. There you go.”

Y/n unbuckled her pants and squatted, “Throw me the book?”

Ellie tossed the papers her way, they awkwardly went on with their business in silence.

As much as Y/n hated to let Joel have any sort of win over her, if they were going to convince him and Tess to help them to the State House, he was going to need more information.

“You’re gonna have to tell them,” she told Ellie, “About out West.”

Ellie was finished and standing on the other side of Y/n, “I thought I wasn’t supposed to tell anyone.”

“Yeah, well,” Y/n sighed, “They’re not gonna believe you unless you do. Marlene would say the same thing.”

“What about you?” Ellie asked, “Would they believe you?”

Y/n bitterly chuckled, the memories that once had stingers now couldn’t penetrate her thick skin. “No, they won’t believe me. You’re our only shot.”

Outside, Joel and Tess were discussing the sudden plot twist.

“She made it through the fuckin’ night, Joel,” Tess urged, her voice dripping with hope.

“It doesn’t matter,” Joel argued, “It’s gonna happen sooner or later. Alright? We’re still close to the Wall, we sneak ‘em back into the QZ. We find a different way to get the battery.”

“What about her?” Tess asked, there was no need to specify which one she was referring to, “You don’t believe her?”

“I don’t trust a fuckin’ word that comes out of her mouth,” Joel answered harshly, the past nipping at his heels, “She’s lied before and she’ll do it again.”

Tess had something unique going for her: she didn’t share history with Joel and Y/n. She saw through all their bullshit objectively. “This is our best shot,” she said, “We take ‘em back to the QZ, someone’s gonna notice her arm, they’ll scan her, then they’ll kill her.”

Joel wasted a heartlessly little amount of time with his reply, “Well, better her than us. You need to stop talkin’ about this kid like she’s got some kind of life in front of her.”

He didn’t know it, but he should have felt grateful that Y/n couldn’t hear his comment over the ripping of magazine pages. She would have shot him then and there.

Ellie and Y/n walked out, Ellie tossing the magazine back at Tess and Y/n keeping close watch as she took her seat.

“You hungry?” Tess offered to Ellie, “You can share some of ours.”

“Thanks,” Ellie replied, “Marlene sent me with my own.”

If Y/n wanted to feel like she was beating Joel in something, breakfast gave her the win. While he picked at a piece of jerky with his fractured hand, she and Ellie worked on their oversized sandwiches. Petty? Perhaps. But Y/n felt entitled to whatever form her hatred wanted to take.

“Is that chicken?” Tess finally asked.

Ellie nodded, “Yeah. Marlene and Y/n say they get it from smugglers. Guess not you guys.”

For whatever reason, even though she’d attacked her, Y/n was starting to feel empathy for Tess. She was the only one semi-amenable to Ellie’s situation. Against her instincts and more in line with her heart, she ripped the rest of her sandwich in half and walked it over to Tess, who looked up appreciatively. On her way back, she made a point of passing by Joel.

Tess stood up and approached Y/n and Ellie, setting Joel off. “Hey. Hey!”

“Why-“ Tess started, throwing a hand up to Joel to stay put, “Why is she so important to you and Marlene? And don’t lie to me or we’ll take you both back.”

“You take us back,” Ellie answered for Y/n, “You don’t get your battery.”

“You heard that?” Tess scoffed, “Well, then you must’ve heard that he wants to shoot you.”

Y/n wanted her heart to break at the comment, but when she looked into Joel’s eyes, she saw nothing. Nothing.

“He also knows he dies if he does that,” Y/n retorted, staring down the man like she could burn a hole through him by sheer force of will.

Tess kneeled down in front of Ellie, “I’m gonna talk to you like you’re an adult, okay? Joel and I aren’t good people. We’re doin’ this for us because, apparently, you’re worth something. But we don’t know what you’re worth if we don’t know what we have. So answer my question.”

Y/n and Joel saw none of the conversation, their eyes were locked on one another like bulls locking horns.

Ellie, however, took Y/n’s advice. “There’s a Firefly base camp somewhere out west,” she confessed, “With doctors. They’re working on a cure.”

Absurdity won and Joel broke his stare first, “Mm-hm, I’ve heard this before.”

“And whatever happened to me,” Ellie continued, “Is the key.”

“Is the key to finding the vaccine,” Joel’s voice overlapped with hers, turning to Tess, “That’s what this is? We’ve heard this a million times. Vaccines, miracle cures. None of it works. Ever.”

“This time it’s different,” Y/n argued.

Ellie stood up, “Fuck you, man. I didn’t ask for this.”

“You and me both,” Joel retorted, “This isn’t gonna end well, Tess. We need to go back.”

“Oh, yes,” Y/n smiled a joyless smile, “Once again, Joel Miller’s making decisions for everyone. What a comfort.”

It was the first time she’d said his name in twenty years and it was doused in venom. It should have hurt.

Tess got to her feet and came to Joel, “Let’s just finish it. It doesn’t matter if she is or isn’t what the Fireflies say she is. If they believe that she is, then…we get what we want.”

Joel faced two realities; one in which Y/n’s words from the night before came true and his brother died because of his stubbornness, and one in which he risked his life for a group of radicals running on hope that would never come to fruition.

He sighed, “If she so much as twitches…”

Ellie began to choke and snarl, flailing her hands like one of the infected. It pressed all their buttons.

“Don’t,” Tess and Y/n said in synchronization.

Ellie stopped, nervously rubbing her neck, “Yeah, okay…”

“Okay?” Tess asked her partner.

Joel glanced between Y/n and Ellie, then sighed. “Okay.”

Without another word, Tess, Joel and Y/n began packing up their gear. Ellie followed their lead, spotting Joel’s rifle. “Can I have a gun?”

“Absolutely not,” Joel replied.

“No,” Tess said.

“Not happening,” Y/n finished.

“Okay, fine,” Ellie’s voice went higher, “I’ll have to throw a fuckin’ sandwich at them.”

Joel pushed the bookcase he’d used to barricade the door aside and peeked out the door. “It’s clear,” he reported.

Y/n walked ahead of Ellie and let the sun hit her. Boston had been cold lately and the warmth was a treat.

“Whoa,” Ellie whispered behind her, she’d never seen or felt the freedom being outside the Wall brought.

“Yeah, looks different in the daylight huh?” Tess said with an almost smile.

There was beauty interlaced with the destruction. Vines twined around crumbling buildings. Grass growing around deserted cars. People theorized the apocalypse would look like blood and destruction, but survival wasn’t so black and white.

“We should get movin’,” Joel said, breaking Y/n from the first near-pleasent thought she’d had all morning.

The four of them walked through the city in a row, Ellie tried to keep pace while also taking in her surroundings.

“It’s like a fucked up moon,” she observed, wandering to look at one of the explosion sites, “Is this where they bombed?”

“Yeah,” Tess answered, “They hit most of the big cities like this.”

Maybe Tess could talk about it with some degree of separation, but Y/n and Joel kept painfully silent. They’d seen the destruction and didn’t want to deal with Ellie’s marveling at it. As Tess stopped to explain history to the girl, they kept moving.

They all came to a pause when they saw their route blocked by the remnants of a building.

“So, the State House is across there,” Tess said, “It’s about a ten minute walk if you could go straight.”

“So?” Ellie questioned.

“Long way or short way?” Joel asked.

“I mean, it’s the long way or the “we’re fuckin’ dead” way,” Tess replied.

“Well, I vote long way, based on that limited amount of information,” Ellie spoke up, “Y/n?”

Y/n inhaled to give her opinion when Joel spoke up. “We should check it from the hotel first.”

“That hand’s not broken yet,” Y/n recalled, “I’d be happy to remedy that.”

“Okay,” Tess said, breaking up the fight and taking the first steps. For two people who had survived twenty years in an infectious wasteland using nothing but their survival skills, Y/n and Joel brought out the child in each other. Once upon a time, that had been a good thing. Now, each petty comment felt like throwing a plastic knife and expecting it to kill.

———————————

They’d been walking an hour when they got to the interstate. Tess and Ellie were at the front, while Y/n and Joel were moving slower and bringing up the rear.

The curse of knowing someone so well is that even if you despised them, there was still safety in being around them. Y/n still wanted to throttle Joel and he didn’t want to be in a hundred mile radius of her. But it was better to be in the company of an enemy you knew rather than one you didn’t. Hatred couldn’t one-up their history.

“What did Marlene mean when she said you weren’t ready?” Joel eventually inquired.

“None of your business,” Y/n grunted as she stepped over a stray tire.

“It is if you’re gonna be a liability,” Joel replied.

Y/n scoffed, “Marlene says a lot of things. She’s not always right.”

While it was true, Joel had been more than surprised that Y/n had raised her gun so effortlessly at him, he could read in between the lines. Y/n had never had good followthrough. The Cordyceps had forced them all to adapt, but he sincerely doubted she could take a necessary shot.

“Stop doing that,” Y/n snapped.

“Doing what?”

“Stop thinking you’ve got me figured out,” Y/n sneered, “You have no fucking idea who I am anymore.”

Joel simply scoffed, that was only a half truth.

“Okay, Cowboy Joe,” Y/n remarked, the nickname earning a glare, “I don’t remember you being so quick with the murder,” Y/n decided to hit a little harder, “Or the drugs. Or the smuggling.”

Joel threw his arm out in front of Y/n to stop her, “Would you have rather I let him shoot us?”

Y/n inched her face closer to Joel’s, “I’d rather you fucking forget that we ever knew each other, cause this,” she gestured between them, “Hasn’t mattered for twenty years. We do this, and then you can go back to dealing pills and shoveling shit,” she trembled with anger and lowered her voice, “And we will never, ever have to see each other again.”

Joel thinned the close proximity even more, the last time they’d been this close had been under much different circumstances. “It’s forgotten,” he growled.

“Good,” Y/n whispered, her lips pursed as she turned on her heel and marched off.

Denial was a hell of a thing, but forgetting what they’d meant to each other was going to take something much stronger…

“Everyone said the open city was crazy,” Ellie mused as Y/n and Joel caught up, “Like, swarms of Infected, running around everywhere.”

“Not exactly like that,” Joel commented.

“People who’ve never seen outside like to make up a lot of shit,” Y/n added.

“So there aren’t Super-Infected that explode fungus spores at you?” Ellie asked.

“Shit, I hope not,” Tess answered, at least she had a sense of humor about all this.

“Or ones with split-open heads,” Ellie continued to earn her education, “That see in the dark like bats?”

The adults fell silent, Tess and Joel shared a look before she glanced at Y/n. Between the three of them, they’d seen the full spectrum of the abilities Infected possessed.

Like a sick joke, a distant yell echoed through the open highway. There was nothing in sight and it was impossible to tell where it had come from.

“What was that?” Ellie asked.

Joel tensed up, “Let’s keep movin’.”

————————

Once they got to the hotel, they had to get in to the hotel.

Joel shoved open the once-automatic doors and they walked in. The place had flooded, the waters that filled the lobby a mossy green shade.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me,” Ellie exclaimed, her eyes widening as she took it all in, “You ever stay in a place like this?

“Uh, no,” Tess answered, “A little out of our league.”

“Once,” Y/n followed, “School trip to Pennsylvania.”

“How do you even know what this is?” Joel asked.

“Have you ever heard of books?” Ellie shot back.

Joel stepped down into the water, letting the sass float past him.

Ellie suddenly became hesitant, “Wait, are we going in there?”

“Yeah, we gotta get to the stairwell on the other side,” Tess replied.

“Well, I, I don’t know how to swim,” Ellie said, nervous.

Joel watched, unimpressed, from the lobby steps. “Seriously?”

“Do you think we have pools in the QZ?” Ellie retorted.

“No, smart ass. I mean,” Joel threw a leg out and hopped off the last step. The water barely hit his thighs.

“I don’t know how I was supposed to know that,” Ellie mumbled, treading into the waters with Y/n behind her.

Joel and Y/n’s argument on the highway had left her quiet. She’d been forced to change to survive the new way of life, but the memories Joel’s mere presence brought up reminded her of who she used to be. How care free, how light, how enthusiastic she’d been…she’d taken a job at a hardware store just because she liked getting to talk to people. Her old self had just become another person to mourn.

She snapped back to reality, she refused to let Joel Miller, of all people, make her fee bad about who she was.

“Hey,” Tess spoke softly, “She’s a good kid.”

Y/n glanced up at Ellie, who was wading through the water to get to the check-in desk. She enthusiastically rang the bell, “Ding! Ding!”

“Yeah,” Y/n bit back a smile, “She is.”

“Yes, sir,” Ellie played, “I would like your finest suite please,” she deepened her voice, “Yes, ma’am. Would you like me to take your luggage? Yes, ma’am,” she took hold of the luggage cart, “Right away, ma’am.”

Joel, who had lost his sense of humor over a decade ago, was done with Ellie’s excitement. “You’re a weird kid,” he remarked.

“You’re a weird kid,” Ellie repeated, a body falling out from behind the cart, “Oh, fuck me!”

Joel and Y/n had their guns drawn and were rushing over. The two of them examined what turned out to be a skeleton. Joel nudged its skull sideways with his boot, like there was a chance it was still alive and kicking.

“Uh, sorry,” Ellie nervously smiled.

Joel extended a hand to pull her up, retracting it as soon as she was on her feet. He caught Y/n rolling her eyes at him as they walked off. At this point, she was convinced he was acting like an asshole purely because he could.

The group climbed the four flights of stairs, the adults huffing and puffing while Ellie stayed as unbothered as ever.

“Fuck, holy shit,” Tess panted.

“Come on, it wasn’t that bad,” Ellie remarked.

“You try climbing ten fuckin’ floors with our knees,” Tess replied, “See how you feel.”

Y/n and Tess drifted and fell back in line with their assigned partners. While Y/n was glad Ellie and Tess had found camaraderie, she was selfish enough to not want it to come at the expense of being stuck with Joel.

They came up on what should have been their walkway, but it was blocked by a barricade of bricks and cinderblock. Joel and Tess tried the doors on each side of them, no luck.

“All right,” Tess calculated their options, “Well, I mean, maybe I could climb up there. Work my way around and open it from the outside?”

Ellie stepped forward, “Uh, no, well, I’m the smallest, so it’d be easier for me to get through.”

Y/n was quick to grab Ellie’s backpack handle, “Yeah, that’s not happening. We know what’s out there, you don’t.”

That caught Joel’s attention. When had she been sneaking out of the QZ?

“Can you give me a hand?” Tess asked of her partner.

Y/n pulled Ellie back before Joel could move her out of the way. He helped Tess up and stepped back. “You good up there?”

“Yeah, it’s a bit of a mess,” Tess reported, “So I’m gonna need a few minutes.”

It turned out, removing Tess was like removing a safety barrier for them all. Joel and Y/n sat on opposite sides of the hall, trying to keep as much space between them as possible. Ellie pulled out her pocketknife and started casually flipping it.

“Nice knife,” Joel said, trying to be cordial. Y/n was getting whiplash from his mood swings. “Where’d you learn to do that?”

Ellie didn’t flinch in her retort, “The circus.”

Joel sighed, looking away from both of them. This was him trying to be somewhat friendly, though it still came off as being put out.

Ellie, on the other hand, was better at small talk. “Where are you from?”

“Texas,” Joel answered.

“Y/n said she knew your brother,” Ellie replied, “So you all lived in Texas?”

Y/n took a breath, Joel watched her. “That’s right,” he said.

“What about Tess?” Ellie asked.

“Detroit,” Joel answered, “It’s in Michigan.”

“I go to school,” Ellie shot back quickly, “I know where Detroit is.”

Silence fell again over the threesome, eagerly awaiting Tess’ return.

“So,” Ellie started talking again, “Are you two, like, a-“

“Pass,” Joel cut her off.

“How’d you end up in Boston?” Ellie pushed, it was becoming a game for her.

“Pass,” Joel answered, “No more questions about me.”

Clever as ever, Ellie found a work around. “Okay,” she turned to Y/n, “Were you and him a-“

“Nope,” Y/n said quickly, it was more a denial of an answer than an answer itself.

Ellie sighed, trying to think up something else. “How long do Infected live?”

Joel mockingly shook his head, “Oh, I thought you went to school.”

“It’s a really shitty one,” Ellie replied.

Joel smirked, he could appreciate the girl’s wit under different circumstances. It rivaled his own. “Well, some last about a month or two,” he answered, “But there’s other’s been walkin’ around ‘bout twenty years.”

“Ever kill one?” Ellie asked, still fiddling with her knife.

“Yeah, I killed lots of ‘em.”

Y/n stiffened, hoping if she stood still, the conversation would move right past her.

“Was it hard?” Ellie continued, “Like, knowing they were people once?”

It took all the strength Y/n still possessed to not let her emotions show. To not let the nightmares take her over. She didn’t have time for them.

No matter how hard they argued that they were strangers, Joel could sense her discomfort. Her experiences with Infected were one more thing he didn’t know about her now.

“Sometimes,” he said, watching Y/n as her eyes stayed closed in concentration.

“What about that guy last night?” Ellie kept going.

A well-timed thump excused Joel from answering, him and Y/n jumped to attention.

“You can put the gun down, Joel,” Tess grunted through the wall, straining to open one of the locked doors.

“Where to?” Y/n asked.

Tess’ grim expression led them out to the hotel’s balcony, she pulled back the vinyl curtain and let them walk out onto the terrace. Ellie gained traction on the ledge’s decor and climbed to the edge. Joel and Y/n ended up on each other’s side.

Y/n’s stomach dropped at the sight beneath her.

Dozens upon dozens upon dozens of Infected lay fifty feet below them in a heap. Their sickening shrieks bounced off the buildings as they crawled and thrashed aimlessly.

“There’s so many,” Ellie gasped.

“The last time we were here,” Tess said, “They were still deep inside the buildings. Then I guess enough people came through looking for the QZ, they went inside seeking shelter…and that’s how they get more and more of the city, bit by bit, every year.”

Y/n watched through dead eyes as the horde began to move as one. She hadn’t seen this many in a long time, long enough for the sight to feel fresh. She stopped listening to Ellie and Tess’s conversation and focused on her breathing to battle the nausea, in through the nose, out through the mouth…

Joel saw it all, and he knew better than to ask. Marlene was right; she wasn’t able to handle the journey on her own.

“So we’re not going that way,” were the first words Y/n could hear again.

“No,” Tess answered Ellie.

“What do we do then?” Ellie asked, her eyes widened with fear, “Short way?”

Tess and Joel shared a look, his hands fidgeted as he thought through their route. “Museum.”

—————

TYL Taglist: @bachiracore @stolenxkissess @kayleezra @the-wistful-reader @allthesesonsofbitches @goth-detectives365 @trippovert @rh1nestonecowg1rl @emiliaserpe @khaleesihavilliard @frietiemeloen @gracie7209 @dorck26 @thegirlnextdoorssister @alanis-altair @mariwinns16 @whosscruffylooking @endofthexline @alexiaricciardo @eonnyx @pedrosmexicangf @scarlettequinn @ao-sleepy @toinfinityandbeyonce2 @deanlovescassie @turmoil-ash @sorrowjunky @kpopslur @xxlilyxx90

Joel Miller Taglist: @xsnak-3x @xmoonknightlyx @simplybarnes @stolenxkissess @mandoshoney @alexiaricciardo @eonnyx @deanlovescassie @paintlavillered

[violetrainbow412-blog]

New look [S. R.]

Spencer Reid x fem!reader

word count: 800

Summary: directly based on "The internet is forever" (5x22), when Reid's wonderful but short-lived boyband cut appears for the first time

Most of you were sitting in the conference room when JJ got ready to present the case. That particular night you had slept very little and to perform at work you thought it necessary to prepare yourself a coffee Spencer-style, who, by the way, had not yet deigned to appear at the bureau's offices.

“This is Dorris Archer, she's the third woman to go missing in Boise, Idaho, this year, along with Paula Renmar and Samantha Rush” the blonde began to say, under the attention of the entire team “They went missing roughly 2 months apart …” suddenly she cut off her words and her gaze traveled behind you. Out of inertia you turned your head and your breath caught a bit when you looked at who it was.

Of course you were glad to see your friend finally show up, but you honestly hadn't expected to see him like this. 

"Well, hello," JJ sneered, grinning in astonishment and approval at the man's new look.

Spencer took a seat in the chair next to you and all eyes fell on him, especially yours and Hotch's, albeit for very different reasons. You had gotten used to seeing his hair falling over his shoulders, even a couple of times you had come to help the man hold it with one of your scrunchies, but to be honest, the cut at that moment suited him much better than it should. It made him look cute and at the same time so… sexy? Yeah, maybe that was the word.

Although you wanted to say something, the words didn’t leave your lips and your boss was the first to speak:

"What, did you join a boy band?" he, miraculously, joked. 

"No," Reid replied, genuinely confused, and that was reason enough for all of you, without exception, to start laughing. When he heard your laughter, he looked in your direction and smiled kindly in greeting, to which you responded with a friendly squeeze on his arm.

Emily mumbled something to follow up on the case, but even against your will your mind was occupied with a completely different matter; being more specific on a certain person right next to you. You kept blatantly staring at him for a long time and when he felt that attention you saw him turn his head towards you, an obvious sparkle of concern in his eyes. Out of respect for the unit, he didn't say anything to you, but as soon as JJ finished presenting the case and you both got up from the table, he walked over to you.

"What's going on?"

"What's going on about what?”

“You were staring at me a long time ago,” he pointed out, but it wasn't like you were hiding it “Do I look that terrible?”

When you realized the confusion that had been generated, you couldn't contain a laugh and that only increased your friend's nervousness. You two were the only ones left in the conference room, so no one would be able to hear what you had to say.

“Just the opposite, Spence. I was looking at you because I think you look very handsome” you confessed, smiling kindly at him from where you were, and one moment you saw him turn red up to his ears, because he probably didn't expect that kind of response.

"Are you serious?" he asked you timidly.

"Very seriously" you approached him to extend your hands up to his head so you could run your fingers through the strands of his hair. When he understood your intentions, he crouched slightly and simply enjoyed the contact "Although I've already gotten used to your long hair, I admit that I like this one too. It looks messier, like you're more rebellious"

"I was a little undecided about the shape," he told you, making his usual hand movements "but when I started to cut it, I thought it would be the best option and at the end I was afraid I was making a mistake, because I had never had it like that before"

“Did you cut it yourself?” you half squealed, looking at him in complete disbelief, and he nodded with a small smile “Handsome, smart, kind and now you're a barber. You're quite a jack of all trades, huh, Reid?"

"Enough, don't say those things" he laughed, turning all shy and silly at your flattery.

"Looks like I'll have to keep you away from the girls" you concluded playfully, while you winked at him and took your bag to get out of there "See you there, don't be late"

Spencer just chuckled to himself and watched you go, still internally debating whether he should take your shameless flirtations as a joke or if you really meant it. Whatever the case, he was grateful to have made that impulsive decision solely for the pleasure of hearing his little (not that much, really) crush call him handsome.

taglist: @navs-bhat @reidwritings @tricia-shifting14 @spencerslove

[stylespresleyhearted]

reaching out with their hand without saying anything, wanting the other one to grab it

For calllllllllllll

hope you enjoyyyyy ty so much for sending this in :-)

ummm idk how many words it is but it was supposed to be a small blurb. 😶 enjoy boyfriend callum on mota set

-

It’s a dream come true to work alongside Colleen Atwood. When you got the call with an opportunity to work alongside the legend herself on a show set in World War 2 you hadn’t hesitated once before sputtering out a “UH - YEs - yes, thank you,” knowing this could make or break the career you always dreamed of.

There’d been some nerves walking onto Masters of the Air set but turns out they were unneeded because everyone — from the bootcamp trainers to the actors — were extremely kind and welcoming. Everyone had been on set for two months before you came along, the previous costume apprentice having been let go for reasons undisclosed. It made the knot in your belly grow, to know that one wrong move or word and your entire future could be ruined.

Your family had fought hard to allow you an education and a career — something your parents never had. They worked dead-end jobs to support you and your siblings and the last thing you wanted was to disappoint them.

Some could argue, say your dedication was debatable because surely if it meant that much you wouldn’t be messing with one of the lead actors on the show but Callum Turner had snuck up on you. He’d been kind from the start but then nice turned into nice and he was always finding a way to sing your praises, make you blush, tucking your hair behind your ear for you during fittings and bringing your coffee to the costume trailer every early morning.

You’d been a goner when on a night out in London with others from the cast and crew he had admitted his intentions. There was a debate going on at the table your group occupied but your eyes were drawn to Callum as he approached holding a tray of shots with a straggler behind him. The girl was pretty, really pretty in a sparkly dress and long nails grabbing at his forearms.

Your heart had plummeted and you felt sick. Realizing your crush was more than a crush and he was only a charming actor having fun, you excused yourself certain you were gonna be sick but stopped when you heard Callum say,

“Sorry, love. ‘m trynna’ win over that pretty girl right there,” he went as far as to point you out, cheeky smile on display and as you were on opposite ends of the bar the entire table followed his finger to where you stood, red as a tomato if the heat burning your face was any indication.

There were a few hoots and laughs, some awkward grumbling, but the girl wasn’t able to react in any manner because Barry was swooping in quick with a “don’t worry, doll. I ain’t got my eye on no one but you.” And just like that, the girl’s allegiance changed and she dropped Callum’s forearm.

Beside you your co-workers and friends squealed and squeezed you in excitement as you shushed them in further embarrassment. From one moment to the next the only warning you had that Callum was approaching was an elbow to your side that made you yelp as Christie, who also worked with Colleen, slid out the seat to leave it empty for him.

He extended a shot glass as peace offering and you accepted it, unable to force yourself to meet his eye but the smile threatened to split your face.

“Didn’t mean to put you on the spot,” he said, neck red under the collar of his jacket in the crowded bar, “but I didn’t want you to think I was fuckin’ about.”

“Why would you worry about what I think?” You asked but you turned your stool in his direction, knees between both of his as he manspread.

He takes notice of your closeness, ducking further down even as his blush rushes from his neck to his cheek.

“Because I like you,” he said, matter-of-fact. “And I wanna take you out.”

The L word hadn’t been uttered yet but even though it’s only been four months since that night you’ve wanted to say it every day since. Maybe to others he would have come off as too straight forward or arrogant but all you felt was secure in his affections for you. It’s all you could ever want.

And you’re sure it’s probably the pace of you both working on the same film set but your things are scattered around his apartment, practically moved in, and on night shoots you sleep in his trailer to wait for him. It was moving fast but you had no qualms about it and neither did Callum and that was all that mattered.

However you were careful of making sure to keep your relationship away from the cameras and off the set. The last thing you wanted was for Colleen Atwood to think you weren’t ambitious, that you were only after a Hollywood actor. You’d felt guilty when you brought the topic up to Callum, scared to make him feel like you were ashamed of him or trying to hide your relationship, but he had been understanding from the get-go.

“Me and you - all that matters.” He had said, cupping your cheeks as he bent to kiss your pouted lips.

Today was a heavy day on set and even though it had been on the schedule for months and you has tried to emotionally prepare for what would be shot — all prior planning went out the window because everyone on set was as downcast as the next person. It was the day they would shoot the train scene, where the Jewish would reach for the shoulders as they were taken to their hell. It felt wrong to laugh or smile. Someone had lived this and that was on the back of everyone’s mind first and foremost.

Callum arrived on set before you because he had to sit to get his blood and wounds on him again. From where you stood next to Christie you could see him talking to a fellow actor, probably sharing notes, blood caked on his face and mud under his nails. It hadn’t been easy to see him look beaten and near death but no matter what, every time he turned to look at you it took your breath away how beautiful he was. His wonderful ears, and his cheeky smile, and his bright eyes — this was the man you love.

Christie handed you a page with what they expected the actors to appear as on screen so you could keep an eye out. “It’s been heavy,” she warned, “your boy’s had to do the scene three times and … I think it’s getting to him.” She admitted, cupping your elbow with a squeeze.

You turned back to Callum, the slouch in his shoulders and his eyes downcast, nothing like the confident, loud guy you were accustomed to. And maybe it’s because he was in character but you knew him and you knew it was more than that, he was someone who emphasized and felt things deeply.

“Alright,” your supervisor instructed turning to the costume team, “in five we do another take. Let’s make sure all is as should be.”

Without waiting you made a beeline for Callum. He now sat on the platform of the train, legs dangling as he punched at his thighs.

Your touch was automatic but you were still aware Colleen was somewhere watching, your hand coming to play with the hair at the back of his neck but playing it off as fixing his collar. “Hi baby,” you whisper in an attempt to keep your tone soft.

He wipes at his nose, sniffling, and pressing a kiss to the inside of your wrist when he turns his head. Callum clears his throats, obviously trying to get rid of the emotion that must be lodged there.

“Fuckin’ horrible,” he finally croaks, eyes turning to you finally but none of the usual brightness there. And he opens his mouth to say more but his eyes are teary and so you gently shush him, grabbing at the lapels of his jacket. Even if someone looked over no one would blame you for comforting him today with the heaviness weighing on set. “Hi pretty girl,” he says instead, running a muddy hand over your cheekbone.

You grimace to make him laugh and it works as he removed his touch.

“You could’ve texted me, ya know.” You chide him, understanding he was at work but wanting him to understand his personal wellbeing always came first. “I would have brought you Golo.”

He chuckles, “He’d make me too happy. Then I wouldn’t be in the right mindset.”

You have to agree so you nod your head, cupping a cheek to tilt his head and inspect the gooey make-up around his eye. It looks gruesome and horrible and real and it’s ridiculous but seeing him hurt emotionally while he has these wounds pressed on externally makes your eyes tear.

Callum must sense it because his eyes go from sad to concerned in an instant and his palm is cupping your cheek again but before he can speak there’s a call of his name coming from where the director stands. Callum turns to see and jumps onto the dirt, wiping his pants.

“You doing okay, Callum?” The director steps in close to ask, hand clapping him on the shoulder. “You let us know when you’re ready to go again. Talk to the guys -” the guys are the extras on set and you make note of how much harder it has to be for Callum to do this without Austin by his side. “ - they look up to you. We get on the same page, we do this right so we can tell their story …” the director continues talking but you tune him out, aware you could walk away but not wanting to without checking on Callum one more time.

There’s a movement from down below that catches your eye, Callum’s hand searching behind his back and right away you know he’s asking for your support, for your touch. It’s his love language, there’s always a hand on your lower back or arm thrown over your shoulder — kisses pressed to your face multiple times to make you giggle.

And there’s a second or two where you look around, trying to find who’s on set and who can go report this or how it can get back to Colleen but you catch yourself and hate yourself for it. Callum never hesitated to help you feel comfortable, even before anything happened he was welcoming you on set with open arms and instructing the guys to behave around you. When you met his mom he hadn’t shied away from hugging you or kissing you and when he’d met your parents over Zoom he’d been ecstatic throwing an arm around your shoulders and declaring he was watching out for you.

It’s heartbreaking to see his hand begin to falter in it’s search, the wiggling stopping and as he goes to pull it towards himself — as if he remembered suddenly how scared you were to go public and of Colleen Atwood finding out — you quickly reach out to grab his. It’s awkward at first, in your haste you accidentally bend one of his fingers and he slightly tenses letting you know it had to have hurt but then he’s opening his hands again and you slot your fingers between his; interlocked. He squeezes in appreciation and deciding to go all in you squeeze back, leaning forward to rest your forehead against his back, leather jacket damp against you.

But he stands up straight, steeling himself to prepare for the next take and you decide then that he’s been right all along: you and him — all that matters.

[winniemaywebber]

Honeysuckle Rose • Part 3

featuring @ginabaker1666 's oc Valencia <3

part 1 part 2 masterlist

olive's playlist

taglist: @sagesolsticewrites @ginabaker1666 @hephaestn @manonsmanicmind @bobparkhurst @bloodynereid

Kneeling down to greet the dog, Olive lets out a giggle as he sniffs at her face. “Was it you I heard?” she murmurs, hoping the man in front of her doesn't hear. The dog looks back at her with, somehow, a knowing look in his shiny eyes. “How did you bring me here?” 

Olive begins to stand, making a nod towards Benny. “He likes you,” he says, now himself bending down to pet the dog. “That was fast.” 

“That wolf likes everyone,” a blonde man pipes up from near the airplane door. “So long as they smell good or have food, he's their friend.”

“Hey, Gale, don't tell her that,” Benny replies through gritted teeth. Gale realizes in a second what he means. 

“Oh–oh I mean, well….yeah, I guess he's taken a shine to her quicker than he did with most of us.” With that, he clambers into the plane, his cheeks a little flushed from Benny's sudden confrontation. Olive giggles at the exchange, stood there awkwardly.

“Well, I'd better go,” he says, letting go of Meatball's leash. “Go to Kenny, boy,” he softly commands as he gestures across the airfield to a young man, his curls under a woolen hat, much too hot for a day like today. The dog bounds off in the opposite direction, Benny shaking his head and smiling. “Ah, guess he wants to see his girl Tattie instead,” he pauses for a moment, his eyes coming back to you. “It was nice to meet ya, Olive.”

“Yeah, you too,” she smiles demurely, beginning to walk away. 

“Will you be around later?” He shouts over the noise. “I'd love to take you for a drink when I'm back.”

“Oh, sure,” she replies, her face turning a little red. “I'd like that.”

“Okay. Great. See ya.” 

Olive turns away and begins to show panic on her face. “What the fuck is going on?” She asks herself under her breath. “How on earth did I get here?” She begins to breathe in and out slowly, butterflies rising up in her stomach as she recounts the way Benny looked at her. ‘Not my usual type,’ she thinks, struggling to find a sense of direction. ‘But still, cute.’

Finding herself somehow still following the dog - if he led her there, she thinks, maybe he has a good idea of where to take her now - she comes across him barking loudly at a dark haired woman who can't quite seem to wrangle him and tend to her work. She stands at medium height in a blue fitted jumpsuit that is perfectly tailored in all the right places, the color of it bringing out the chocolate brown of her eyes. As Olive takes her in, Meatball begins wrapping himself about her legs, the leash basically tying her up. 

“No, no! Darn dog, why don't you ever listen. Meatball, stop. Stop!” she yells, obviously exasperated. 

“Hey, hey,” Olive says, trying to bring the excited dog to a stop. “Stop wrapping yourself around this nice lady, huh?” Olive gently begins unraveling the leash from the woman's legs, the woman looking down at her gratefully. “There we go,” she says, fussing with the dog's ears as he pants in her face. 

“Gee, thanks,” the woman begins with a sigh. “I can never seem to control him. Only Benny seems to know how. You must be some sort of dog whisperer.”

“No, ma'am,” Olive responds, laughing. “He just seems to have taken a shine to me.”

“You can say that again,” she grins, her red lips smooth and shiny. “I'm Tattie. What's your name?”

“Olive. Olive Lewis,” she says for the second time that day. Tattie turns her head to the side slightly, looking her up and down. 

“Don't suppose you want a job for the day? I'm a girl down. Helen is sick in bed with God knows what and I can't take care of this dog and make sure these boys are placated when they get back. Wanna help out?”

“I'd love to,” Olive responds keenly. “What do I need to do?”

“Can ya pour coffee?”

“Sure can, with a pretty smile too,” Olive says, remembering her hellish shifts as a barista between acting jobs in London's busiest coffee shop.

“Well, then. There we go. Come on, I'll show you around.”

“Here's our little Clubmobile. The boys usually come here before making their way over to the hardstand. They can grab coffee and donuts here. They've probably already eaten breakfast, but it's a little bit of home, isn't it? Lord knows these fellas need some normalcy in all this.” Olive nods, understanding. When living in London, Olive loved nothing more than recreating Pearl’s steak pie, eating it while watching her favorite soap opera. A little bit of home. 

Tattie then gestures over to the other woman in the truck. The brown haired, green eyed beautifully made up girl nods politely at Olive as Tattie introduces them, Olive seeing a little scowl as she does so.

“Valencia can take it from here. I'll be back.”

Valencia walks up to Olive, her red lips pursed a little. She reaches a hand out in greeting and shakes Olive's, who is a little taken aback. 

“Tattie introduces me as Valencia, but please call me Val.” 

“Alright, Val,” Olive replies, winking. The scowl seems to melt away instantly, her pretty face softening.

“My gosh, you're English,” she giggles. “You may be the first  American Red Cross girl from England. Boy, aren't we special!”

“Only for today, apparently. Let's not celebrate it quite yet, Val.”

“No, you'll be back. I'll make sure of it.” She nudges Olive playfully. “I like you already.”

—

“So, you can see we’re not exactly rushed off our feet here when the boys go up,” Val says, sat on a chair with her legs up on a table, fiddling with her perfectly manicured nails. “I sometimes help Chick with some secretarial work to pass the time. Typing records, that kind of thing.”

Right on cue, a man comes bursting through the door of the hut, making Val jump. “Talk of the devil,” she murmurs, standing up quickly. “Jesus, Chick. Almost jumped outta my skin.”

“Then you best start being on your guard a little more. Less relaxed. We're at war!” he laughs. “Be a doll and grab me a coffee?”

“I'll get it,” Olive says, her eyes darting between the two nervously. Chick's eyes seem to narrow when he hears an accent that is not American, his head jerking back a little in surprise. “How do you like it?”

“Cream and sugar, please, Miss, uh–”

“Lewis. Olive.” She departs the hut, making her way into the truck to see Meatball finally resting, his head on Tattie’s legs as she reads the newspaper. 

“Who's that for?”

“Val told me his name was Chick?”

“Oh, shit,” she says, putting the paper on the counter. 

“Hey, don't worry,” Olive says, pouring the coffee into a paper mug. “I volunteered.”

“It's not that I'm worried about,” she says as she sees Chick walks slowly up to the door of the Clubmobile. “Watch the dog.” 

Olive places the cup of coffee on the serving hatch of the truck, eavesdropping on the conversation between Chick and Tattie. 

“What in God's name is an English girl doing here?”

“I'm a girl down, Chicky–”

“Ms Tattie, you know I hate that nickname–”

“And I need an extra pair of hands while Helen is sick in bed.”

“You wouldn't need that if Demarco ever tried training that damn dog of his.”

“Chicky, come on,” she pleads. “Let me keep her on. She's delightful, already great with Meatball - can you believe he listened to her the first time she asked? - and she gets on so well with Valencia already. Please, Chick. Just this once.”

“Fine,” he relents, his Southern drawl really coming through on the exasperated word. He collects the coffee from where Olive set it and takes a sip, his face a picture of surprise. 

“For a Brit, you make a damn good cup of Joe, girl.” Tattie looks at Olive through the hatch and winks knowingly, Olive winking back and giggling.

—

“Come for a drink with us, Ol,” Val asks. “You can meet my guy…and maybe one of your own.” Before Olive can answer, Tattie throws a knowing look over to Val. “She already has, Valencia. Fell at Demarco's feet this morning from what I heard.” Olive's face suddenly turns a light shade of red, giggling under the gaze of the two girls. 

“Oooohh!” Val says, poking at Olive. “That was fast.”

“What can I say? Some Brits do work quickly when it comes to romance.” 

“I get it. He's cute!”

“Oh, absolutely. Just not my usual type.”

“Who is?” Val asks, a twinkle in her eye. 

—

Surveying her as they're about to enter the hut, Val looks her up and down. “You okay if I dress you up a bit? You can borrow one of my dresses. We're about the same size, Ol. Just until you get a uniform tomorrow.”

“Sure, I'd love that. I probably look like I've been dragged through a hedge backwards.” Opening the door quietly so as not to wake Helen, Val begins to tiptoe in until she sees the lights are on. 

“Oh, hey, girl! This is Olive. She came to the rescue while you were sick today. Seemed to appear from thin air, Tat said.”

“Hi,” the pale, dark haired girl says with a hoarse voice. “I'm Helen. Nice to meet you.”

“You, too. Feeling any better?” 

“Sure am. Nurse Tattie's orders to stay in bed despite my insistence actually helped. I'll be back out there with you both tomorrow.” 

“You are staying, right?” Val questions, already pawing at the scarf Olive had tied on her head this morning.

“If you'll have me,” she smiles. “I'm sort of in between things right now. I'd love to be with you both, if that's okay with you.”

“Uh, of course, girl!” Val replies, nudging her playfully. “Welcome to our little family. Now, let's get you dressed up.”

—

Val dabs at Olive's face a final time and sighs contentedly. “There, all done. Take a look.” 

Olive opens her eyes and gasps softly, a totally different person looking back at her in the mirror. It's exactly how she's always wanted to look: soft pin curls that had been twisted perfectly by Val's deft fingers, the subtle pink blush, brushed gently on her cheekbones, the flawless eyeliner upon her eyelids. The dress Val had picked, a soft blue shade that brought out the light brown of her hair and her hazel eyes fit perfectly, just as she had thought. Val smiles gently at Olive's reaction, reaching down one last time with a lipstick brush in her hand. 

“This is my favorite shade,” she grins, those red lips standing out underneath her green eyes. “Let me try it on you.”

At the final smudge, Olive looks at her reflection once again, and grimaces. “Eugghh,” she scowls. “Val, I think this shade only looks good on certain people. And by certain people, I mean you.”

“And Everett,” she says wistfully, her eyes twinkling as she dips a wash cloth in a bowl of water and begins to wipe at Olive's mouth. The two girls make eye contact and giggle, knowing exactly what she means. “Let's try this one,” she says, once again digging around her makeup box. She holds a more pink-red shade up to Olive's face and nods, dabbing at the stick with a new brush. “There, much better.”

—

“Helen, are you sure you're not coming?” Olive asks as her and Val stand up to leave. 

“No, dolls. I'm almost at the end of this dang flu though, so I'll see you tomorrow? Olive, I'll make sure your bunk is ready for tomorrow night.”

“Did anyone change the sheet since Curt was in here with Nurse Itchy?”

“Eugh, no! I'm glad you reminded me. I don't want Olive sleeping in that.”

“Nurse Itchy?” Olive squeals, slightly confused but giggling nevertheless. 

“Nurse Itchy,” Helen nods, sniffling slightly as she laughs along. “She'd been getting everyone, uh, sick, which I think goes against some sort of code. Anyway–”

“Anyway,” Val interrupts, overlapping Helen. “I was fixing Curt's shirt - you may meet him tonight, he's been my best friend since we were sandbox kids - and he came by to pick it up. He decided to bring company and in return, probably caught the clap.”

“Yeah, him and five others,” Helen titters, shaking her head. 

“Oh, minging!”

“Eeewwww, ming-ing,” the other girls playfully mock in a faux British accent. “That's such a great word, I need to keep that in my pocket.”

“Minging,” Helen repeats as she lays her head on her pillow. “That's excellent!”

—

 Entering the club, Val grabs Olive by the hand and pulls her towards her ‘usual’ spot, right by the bar. 

“Jesus, Valencia,” Olive grumbles. “Almost pulled my elbow out of its socket.”

“Oh, don't be a baby,” she winks, pulling off her jacket and placing it on the back of her chair. “Anyway, had to rush for the perfect spot before Itchy and Co came along and took it. Look,” she points across the room to two men sat at the bar, deep in conversation. The taller one, with light brown hair looks over and winks. Val giggles, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “That's my Ev. Everett Blakely.”

“Oh!” Olive begins. “He's very handsome.”

“You got that right, doll. There, next to him, is his best friend. James Douglass.” Olive tries her best to look behind the tall Blakely, and as she does, she makes eye contact with James. It's as if the world stops turning for a second, her breath caught in her throat. “Fuck me,” she chokes out, pretending to fan herself. “That's one handsome bastard.” He pats Everett on the shoulder, his mouth agape. As smooth as silk, he winks at Olive and goes back to his conversation.

“Ohhhh,” Val teases. “More your type, huh?”

Right on cue, Demarco sidles up to the table, Meatball at his side.

“Hi,” he smiles, a hand outstretched. “Can I get you a drink?” Leading her to the bar, Olive turns around and nervously glances at Val who nods, egging her on just as Ev perches on the seat Olive just abandoned. 

“That'd be lovely. An Old Fashioned, please.” 

“Sure.”

“And how's my new best friend doing?” she asks, crouching to pet the dog. “Huh? You doing okay? Tired from running Miss Tattie ragged all day?”

“Ah, he's really no trouble.”

“Don't hear Tattie hear you say that,” she grins. “He tied himself up around her earlier and she was not pleased. Not to mention the fur on the donuts.”

“It's just an extra sprinkle of love!”

“It ain't love,” a voice calls from behind Olive. “I don't like hair in my mouth at the best of times as it is. But on my donut? Come on, Benny.” Olive turns to see Douglass, cheekily smiling at Benny, who, in turn, has clenched his jaw. 

“Come on, man,” he says, patting his shoulder. “You know I'm kidding.” Within an instant, Demarco's jaw has relaxed and he's laughing along with James, them playfully shoving each other. 

Demarco leans over the bar to order their drinks as James remains beside Olive. 

“Can I buy you a drink?” He asks, not making eye contact. 

“Oh, Benny's actually just getting me one. Maybe you can get me the next one. If you get there in time.”

“Oh, I see,” he teases. “Well, I'll try my best to keep an eye on you. The second I see that glass empty, I'm on it.”

“Sure,” Olive giggles. “I'll be waiting.” 

—

True to his word, the second Olive drains her glass, another is put in front of her. James is stood in front of the table Olive and Benny are sitting at, his chest slightly puffed out. “Told ya,” he said, clicking his tongue as he winks. Walking away, he joins Ev and Val at their table, pointedly pulling out an empty seat next to him. Pretending to join their conversation, he sips from his drink, his eyes dragging their way up and down Olive's body in such a way that she feels her stomach seize up in such a way that it makes her knees weak. She is glad to be sitting down, her thighs squeezing together as if they have a mind of their own.

“Right,” Benny says, putting his whiskey glass down louder than intended. “I gotta make sure Meatball gets outside before I get to bed. Will I see you tomorrow? I could walk ya home if you like?”

“No!” Olive blurts, panicking slightly. “I mean, no thanks. I'm good, I got it. But yes, you'll see me tomorrow. I'll save a donut for you and Meatball.”

“Perfect,” he says, standing up. “Goodnight.” He leans forward and kisses her gently on the cheek. Nodding at her, he leads Meatball out of the bar, Olive turning and puffing her cheeks out in some kind of unknown relief. 

She's alone for a millisecond before James is back beside her, handing her a cigarette. “You smoke?”

“I do. Can you believe I forgot mine in my purse at home?”

“At home? Don't you live here with Val and Helen?”

“Not yet. As of tomorrow, yes.”

“Can't wait for the prettiest girl in all of East Anglia to hand me a donut and a cup of coffee every morning.”

“Oh, stop,” she grins, the cigarette between her lips, feeling her cheeks grow pinker by the second. 

“Bet I can make ya laugh in one second.”

“Really?” She says, eyes narrowing. “Go for it.”

“What's the difference between a hippo and a zippo?”

“I don't know, James. What is the difference?” 

“One is really heavy,” he begins, pulling his own zippo from his pocket. “The other is a little lighter!”

The cackle that leaves Olive's body has her instantly clamping a hand over her mouth, the other on her stomach. “That's a great laugh,” he says, lighting her cigarette for her as her hand leaves her mouth. “Don't cover your mouth when you laugh, though. You have a pretty smile.”

“Thanks,” she giggles, taking a drag of the cigarette. 

“Come on,” he says, his own cigarette between his teeth. He wraps an arm around her shoulders and she instantly cozies up to him. “Come sit with us. Saved you a seat.”

Val smiles up at the couple as they sit down, James's arm only leaving Olive's shoulders for a moment. 

“Ev, this is Olive, who I was telling you about. She'll be joining us on the Clubmobile as of tomorrow.”

“Hey, Olive. I see you've already met my pal Dougie here.”

“Sure have. With a terrible joke, too.”

“Not the hippo zippo one again!”

“She laughed her ass off, Ev.”

“She's just being polite.”

“No, seriously. It tickled me,” she interjects, winking at Dougie. He grins back, lighting another smoke. 

“Another drink, sweetheart?” Ev asks Val as he gets up. 

“Yes, please, honey,” she smiles. 

“Olive?” 

“Yeah, go on then.” He nods.

“Dougie, come give me a hand, bud.”

As soon as the boys depart, a shorter man with perfectly slicked dark hair slinks up to Val. 

“Valencia, my best buddy,” he says, setting his beer on the table. “Who's ya new friend?”

“Curtis, you're a pain in my ass,” Val says through gritted teeth. “Get!”

“Alright, fine,” he laughs, winking at both the girls. 

“I don't want you to catch his itch,” Val laughs. 

“Honestly, I don't want to itch either, girl.” 

The boys return, Val instantly making heart eyes at her man. Dougie plonks down heavily next to Olive, his hand finding its way to her thigh. 

“So, tell me about yourself.”

“What do you wanna know?” she asks, sipping her drink.

“Everything. We got all night.”

read part 4 here

[svtdarlingbby]

Let’s Start Some Rumors The8xIdol!Reader - Part 3

pairing: The8 x reader genre: idol au  warnings: occasional cursing  word count: 1594

Part 1 Part 2

“Are you absolutely sure Y/N?” sighed Minghao as he felt your squeeze his hand.

“Yes, and hey, maybe we could have some fun out of this whole scenario. Trolling is your thing, right?” you laughed as you took your hand off his and playfully nudged his shoulder.

“Yes, I love messing around with the press. I can’t wait to see what carats would say too,” giggled Minghao. 

“Good! Well, I guess I’ll see you tomorrow for the whole dating scandal?” you asked with a more relaxed expression. 

“You bet! See you Y/N,” said Minghao as you two parted ways. 

Tomorrow was going to cause a scene for sure

The next day arrived rather quickly. Seeing the numbers from your comeback continue to dwindle just made you want to do nothing but sleep early. However, you just couldn't sleep knowing that you were going to go on a date with Minghao of all people the next day. Minghao was your friend, right? You had nothing to be afraid of. But why were you feeling so nervous?

Just as the managers had told you, you arrived to the dressing rooms bright and early that morning. The bright lights of the dressing room conflicted with the remaining sleep that harbored your vision as you rubbed your eyes and suppressed a yawn. But what really woke you up was your utterly handsome friend, dressed in nothing but a black tank top and gray sweatpants waiting patiently for the stylists to bring him his outfit for your "date." His long black hair fell messily above his forehead as he raised a muscular arm to brush his hair out of his tired eyes.

How many minutes had you spent ogling at Minghao? You're not quite sure until he notices you, his eyes instantly brightening. You swore you heard him chuckle before he caught your attention.

"Hey Y/N, come over here!" gestured Minghao, snapping you out of your trance.

"Hi Minghao," you uttered, somewhat softer than you meant to, but nonetheless happy to see him. "It's early, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but at least I'm treating us to coffee later today on our date" chuckled Minghao.

"Oh yeah!" you chuckled, feeling your cheeks heat up. That came out way too enthusiastic, oh god! you thought as you mentally cringed at yourself.

Minghao only smiled and was about to say something until you were both bombarded by an army of stylists pulling you in opposite directions. The sudden shift to your curtain snapped you out of your embarrassment as some of the stylists began to lay out the outfit they had chosen for you and the others began to work on your makeup. They had gone with a rather simple look compared to your music video and stage makeup, but it was still effortless and complimented your features nicely. The hair stylist came in shortly afterwards to fix your hair. Like your makeup, your hair was also in a simple style that accentuated your facial features. A cute, simple pastel blue ribbon was also tied into your hair.

You thanked your hair and makeup team before getting up to get changed. Before you, the stylists presented a form-fitting, plain white long sleeve top paired with a frilly black skirt, the length shorter than what you're usually used to. Thankfully, you had the option to pair it with some sheer black tights. The boots were leather and long with a flirty heel. To top it off was a pastel pink trench coat since the weather was colder this season. However, the most important piece of the outfit was the silver infinity sign necklace; the pendant sparkling against the lights was sure to draw attention.

"So, what do you think Y/N?" asked manager Lina, seemingly appealing out of thin air.

"AAHHHH!" you jumped, you scream was loud enough to ensue chuckles among the stylists outside the curtain.

"Sorry! Are you nervous?" chuckled Lina as she nudged your shoulder.

"A little," you admitted, picking up the white shirt.

"Let me give you some privacy!" chirped your overly enthusiastic manager as she stepped out, leaving you alone to change into the outfit.

Sighing, you began to undress and replace your sweats with the flirty outfit the stylists had chosen for you. Once all of the articles of clothing were on you, you looked into the mirror and damn. The stylists at HYBE deserved a raise for making you look so effortlessly hot. The outfit flattered you in every way possible, emphasizing your beautiful body so well. You didn't want to admit how long you had been staring at yourself in the mirror but snapped a full body mirror selfie nonetheless. However, the infinity sign pendant made itself known as it shone against the lights in your selfies. Not going to lie, the necklace really brought the whole outfit together.

"Y/N!? Are you ready? We don't wanna be late!" yelled manager Lina on the other side.

"Coming!" you chirped, this outfit giving you the extra boost of confidence for your date. Wait. Your date. With Minghao. He was going to see you look this sexy with his name practically wrapped around your neck. You were feeling conflicted to say the least.

"OH MY GOSH! Y/N!!?? You've gotta do a sexy concept for you next comeback!" complimented manager Lina as she took in your form, causing you to giggle and feel flustered.

"Ahhh stop manager Lina!" you smiled, hiding your face and turning your body away from her only to bump right into Minghao.

"Oh! Sorry Y/N!" apologized Minghao as he suddenly shut his mouth and took in your appearance.

"Minghao! Sorry I should've paid more attention," you apologized, feeling even more flustered if that was even possible.

"You two are so cute! You look like a real couple!" noted manager Lina. You hate to admit it, but she was right. Minghao's outfit complimented your outfit so well. In fact, your outfits were almost identical. Minghao was wearing a white button up top that was tucked into a pair of black dress pants. He also had a trench coat loosely hanging over his shoulders in a pastel blue shade, which you noticed matched the ribbon in your hair. Then it came to you: the set of your music video was pastel colors. Just like your infinity sign necklace, the shiny flower necklace you wore in your music video was clasped against his neck in an almost obvious manner.

Neither of you knew how to reply, but you swore you saw Minghao smile at her statement. "You look pretty Y/N."

"Oh! Thank you Minghao! Um, you look handsome!" you stumbled but your smile couldn't help but grow as a result of his compliment.

Just as you two were having your little moment, Minghao's manager seemingly appeared out of nowhere. "The matching couples bracelets! We can't forget that!" he gasped, practically out of breath.

The bracelets were simple silver chains with two dangling charms: an infinity sign and a flower, representing the two of you. The both of you promptly slipped on the bracelets, thus completing the visuals to the ultimate "dating" scandal HYBE was about to pull.

"Ah don't they look perfect, Lina?" asked Minghao's manager as Lina nodded.

"The head manager told me to send him pictures before you two headed out! Smile!" she said as she pulled out her phone.

You awkwardly shuffled closer to Minghao and he did the same, maintaining a respectful distance between you two. "Oh come on, you two are supposed to be a couple!" said Manager Lina as she playfully rolled her eyes.

You awkwardly just laughed as you felt Minghao slowly begin to wrap an arm around your shoulders. "Is this okay?" he whispered.

You nodded as his arm rested around you and tried to subtly lean more into him, but just to make the picture look more convincing! In reality, you felt yourself become even more flustered at the physical contact between you and Minghao. Something about him asking if it was okay for him to touch you also stirred some feelings within you as you smiled for the camera.

Nonetheless, you two were ushered into the car that the company had paid for the two of you. As you both sat in the backseat, it felt like you and Minghao were approaching the impending moment that could change the trajectory of your careers. Despite you two being friends, it was still a daunting task.

Minghao noticed how stiff your form was next to him in the vehicle as you fidgeted with the bracelet that represented the both of you. "Are you okay, Y/N? It's not too late, you know," he said softly.

"I know. And I'm as ready as ever if I'm being honest," you replied, still looking down at the bracelet.

"Okay, but just let me know if you are ever uncomfortable," he said, gently patting your shoulder causing you to look into his reassuring and sincere eyes.

"Thank you Minghao," you smiled.

"It's no problem. Treat yourself baby girl, food's on me" Minghao said jokingly, making his voice sound more manly before whipping out the gift card given to him by the company.

You only laughed at his antics. "Baby girl? Oh Hao, I thought you'd be better at pet names!"

"Better? I thought all girl want to be called baby girls?" he feigned offense as you two erupted in laughter.

You're not going to lie, you felt your heart thump at the fact that Minghao called you baby girl even though you couldn't explain why. This man is literally your friend, how come him jokingly calling you baby girl made you flustered? It couldn't be because he was dressed so nicely, matching you and smiling at you, his dimples appearing and his eyes lighting up. But even when you two were joking as usual, he never called you baby girl or anything romantic like that! Your laughter began to subside as the car pulled into the parking lot before Minghao spoke up again.

"Yup, trolling Dispatch and the media and fans is going to be so fun."

Oh. That's right. You two aren't going on an actual date.

part 4 coming soon!

hiiiii sorry I've been missing! I've had school, work, and some major life stuff happen and I felt so bad putting off this series and leaving you guys hanging! I'll try to update more frequently, I forgot how much fun writing is! I hope you enjoy and let me know if you want to be on the taglist!

Taglist: @hoshipills @rodygr @shabzy1644 @spilled-coffee-cup @sev0-0 @jeonginssa

[imagine-a-life-like-this]

Accidentally In Enemies : Part 2 (S.CB)

Word Count : 3.6k

Warnings : swearing, cheating, food, drinking, mention of war (briefly), someone gets punched, crying, angsty with fluff

            She tried her best to avoid San. Even if it meant going an hour away for groceries. Waking up two hours earlier to go to a different café for coffee and breakfast before class. Staying behind later and later to make sure she wouldn’t run into him on her way home.

            “Y/n!” He called after her. She stopped to watch him run towards her with a smile on his face. It brought back memories from when they dated. How he’d run towards her and pick her up, spinning her around like they were a couple in a movie. She would always giggle as she hid her face in his neck, telling him she was embarrassed. But a part of her loved it as well. Loved that he wasn’t afraid to show that he loved her.

            “Hey.” She greeted him, giving him a soft smile. They walked side by side, their steps quickly syncing up, as they always did. Left. Right. Left. Right. San was smiling wide as he spoke. Talking about his girlfriend. The girl that stole his heart right out from under Y/n’s feet. She listened while her heart broke all over again. Trying to focus on her steps. Left. Right. Left. Right.

            “She’s really excited for dinner next week with you and Changbin.” Right. No left. No right. Wait. She tripped over her own two feet as the realization hit her. The dinner she hoped would never come was coming faster than she had wanted. San caught her, wrapping his arms around her tightly, holding her close to him. “Are you okay?”

            It was as if time suddenly slowed down. Their eyes met, petals from cherry blossom trees fluttered around them, and her heart raced. Badum. Badum. She quickly got back on her feet, smoothing out her clothes as she told him she was fine. San nodded before chuckling. She looked up at him with a slight pout. “Why are you laughing?”

            “You’ve always been clumsy. Some things never change, huh.” He reached over to pick a petal out from her hair. “It was nice running into you like this, Y/n.” She agreed before she could stop herself, finding herself falling back into who she was. The girl who gave everything to a man who gave her less than half. “I gotta run. But I’ll see you next week. Be safe getting home.” He said before tapping her nose and running off in the opposite direction she had to go.

            She let him run off thinking she’s always been clumsy, when in reality he got her confused with someone else … again.

            The memory haunts her, stalks her whether she’s awake or asleep. She can’t escape it. The feeling of falling in love with her ex while he’s falling in love with someone else, thinking she’s falling in love with a guy she actually hates.

            So she sacrifices her sleep to avoid him. If she can’t see him she can’t love him. Out of sight out of mind. Yet her mind races with thoughts of him. If he’s thinking about her. Wondering where she is. If he’ll run into her again.

            But she has to remind herself that he doesn’t even know her. She spent all that time with him for him to know nothing about her but her to know everything about him. His favourite colour, movie, food, drink. How he has to cuddle something to sleep. How he’s affectionate even to his friends. He forgets words sometimes, and he looks cute trying to remember them. Even cuter when he says the wrong word and looks so proud that he remembered it, only to pout when she had to correct him.

            He would get extra pouty if she had to work on her projects and didn’t have time to go on a date. She could always kiss the pout off his face. He would usually pick up stuff from the convenience store and stay with her, feeding her while she worked. Most times he’d fall asleep. She has endless sketches of San sleeping in her sketch book. His face was the only thing she could draw when she was stuck. Parts of him were in every piece she worked on.

            But then he started getting distant. Suddenly he was the one with no time for dates. But he wasn’t there to kiss the pout off her face. She would see him in passing, laughing about something with his friends, as if he didn’t even notice her. He was her priority, but she was just an option to him. One of many.

~

            “Let’s go shopping.”

            “Hey! You scared me.” She exclaimed, lightly smacking Changbin on the arm. He smiled as he grabbed her hand before she could take it back. “I have things to do.” She tried to take her hand back, but he was stronger than her. He laced their fingers as he cocked his head to the side.

            “The dinner is tonight. I think that calls for a shopping trip. My treat.” He didn’t give her time to think of an excuse, pulling her up from her seat, and taking her out of the classroom she was hiding in. She didn’t put up much of a fight, quickly giving in, thinking of the dinner she stupidly agreed to.

            “You two still bicker like you hate each other.” San chuckled, taking both of them by surprise. “It’s cute.” His girlfriend wasn’t next to him this time, but when she glanced into his cart, she knew why. Pads, chocolate, painkillers. She remembers a time she asked him to do this for her and he was too embarrassed, so she had to ask her roommate, who she wasn’t close to at the time. I guess it’s true when people say you act right for who you want to act right for.

            “Gotta keep her on her toes.” Changbin teased, draping an arm across her shoulders.

            “One of us has to reach the top shelf.” She teased back, brushing his arm off and turning around to continue looking for what she was looking for before. Changbin started whining about how she was shorter than him, but she tuned him out, trying her best to ignore that San was still there, watching them interact. How does he believe they’re dating?

            “What do you guys think about the end of the month for dinner?” San suddenly asked. “Gahyeon has been asking. She really wants to get to know you, Y/n. Since I talk about you all the time.” The jar she was holding slid out of her hands, falling to the floor, and shattering. Changbin rushed to see if she was okay, taking Y/n’s hands in his, checking her body for any injuries.

San watched silently, mid step towards her. Was it habit that made him take that step to see if she was okay? He watched as Changbin took her hands in his, looking over them before the rest of her body, making sure none of the glass bounced and nicked her. Listened as Changbin asked if she was okay. “You need to be careful. You got lucky this time.” And he wondered why his chest felt so tight.  

            But she just stood there, staring at the shattered glass, thinking about how it’s a bittersweet metaphor for her heart. “Sounds good.” She spoke so suddenly, both Changbin and San were taken aback. Both confused as to what sounded good to her. “Dinner. At the end of the month. I’d like to get to know Gahyeon too.” She turned to look at San, giving him a smile. The prettiest fake one she could muster.

            “Right. Dinner. I’ll make the reservations then.” San said, returning her smile. “I’ll see you then.”

            It was like the scene out of a drama. He dragged her into a store, telling the workers to pull what they think will look good on her, leaving them rushing around, finding different pieces for her to try. “What about you?” She asked.

            “Why? Want to pick out my outfit too?” His face was suddenly really close to hers, his minty breath blowing on her face. Badum. Badum. Her eyes glanced down towards his lips, watching as they turned upwards into a smile. Badum. Badum. They look soft. And suddenly she’s wondering what they would feel like against her own. Badum. Badum. “Don’t worry, darling, we’ll get my outfit after. Right now, it’s all about you.”

            She was whisked away into a change room that was filled with so many outfits she lost count. So many different styles and colours. Velvet. Cotton. Silk. She was apprehensive at first. Nervous and closed off when she modelled the first couple of outfits, that Changbin immediately said no to. But soon she started to have fun with it. Walking out of the change room as if she was walking a runway. Striking the most ridiculous poses, making both her and Changbin laugh.

            To him, she looked amazing in everything she tried on. And if it was completely up to him, he would buy her every single outfit she tried on, but he knows she’d have his head. But he couldn’t help but fall in love all over again as he watched her have fun. It’s been a while since he’s seen her smile and laugh like this. She was glowing. And he hopes she knows just how ethereal she looks in this moment.

            She was nearing the end of the outfits the store workers picked out for her. Just a couple left. One being the dress she was wearing now. Standing in front of the mirror, staring at herself, she wasn’t sure. It was so different than what she was used to wearing. All of these outfits were, but there was something about this one that made her pause. Made her stop and stare. She was about to take it off when Changbin started making a stink about her taking too long.

            Speechless. That’s the only way to describe the way he felt in that moment. She stepped out of the change room, smoothing out the already smooth dress, and then looking up at Changbin. “It’s pretty bad, hey?” She awkwardly chuckled, but Changbin still couldn’t snap out of it. He couldn’t stop staring. He always knew she was beautiful. Ethereal even. He’s been in love with her for years. But there was something about this moment, something about her in this dress, that solidified in his mind that he loved her.

            He loved her the way Gomez loved Morticia. So real, so true. He would die for her. Kill for her. He would live for her. In this shitty ass world. With the economy in the dirt. With wars breaking out. People hating people for just existing. He would live. Just for her. Stay. For her. Anything for her.

            “I’ll try the next one on.”

            “We’re buying this one.” He says suddenly, taking her by surprise. She looks at him with wide eyes, wondering what came over him. He stands from where he’s been sitting the whole time, walks over to her, and grabs her hands. She glances down and their hands before meeting his eyes once more. “I don’t think you understand just how fucking stunning you look right now.” He reaches to rip the tag off and goes to the counter to pay, leaving her standing there confused, and very flustered. Badum. Badum.

~

            Finding Changbin an outfit to match hers didn’t take long, and soon they were at a salon to get her hair and makeup done, his treat again of course. She was sat in a chair, nervous about what the final look will look like. Hoping she’ll still look like herself. Not wanting to look like she put too much effort into looking good for a dinner with her ex and his new girlfriend.

            “Don’t worry, dear. You’re a natural beauty. I’m sure they won’t do much to you.” The older lady sitting next to her said. She smiled and thanked her, returning the compliment. “Oh please. I’m getting up there in age. Though I was quite a looker when I was your age. Had boys lined up around the block for my hand.”

            “I’m sure you did.” Y/n smiled.

            “You need to stop telling people that, mom.” Changbin spoke up from the waiting area. Mom?! Y/n’s eyes widened again. The lady smiled, holding her hand out for Y/n to shake.

            “Pleased to meet you dear. My son has told me so much about you.” Y/n looks passed her right at Changbin, seeing his face turn a bright shade of red as he buried his head in one of the magazines they had for clients to look through. “Want to hear some embarrassing childhood stories while we get our hair done?”

            “Mom!” Changbin whined, but the two girls laughed, swapping stories about Changbin, much to his dismay. But he also loved watching two of his favourite girls get along like this. As if she was really his girlfriend meeting his mom. His mom knows they aren’t dating. She also knows how down bad he is for her. And how stupid he gets around her. How he tries to tell her his feelings but it comes out as an insult which has lead to her hating him.

            But the more his mom tells her, the softer her heart gets for him. She steals glances at Changbin, seeing the soft look in his eyes as he watches them. It was easy to see how close he was to his mom by the stories she shares and the way he looks at her, and secretly goes to pay for her appointment. How bad could he really be if he’s this big a momma’s boy?

            His mom stops her as she goes to get in Changbin’s car. “Go easy on him. He says dumb things he doesn’t mean sometimes. But all you have to do is read between the lines to understand what he really means. You’re more special to him than you realize.” And she walks away, towards Changbin’s dad who was waiting for her.

            “Your mom is cute.” Y/n says as she gets in the passenger seat, closing the door behind her. “I’m glad I got to meet her.” Changbin looked at her with a smile. One he always gives her. One she realizes is a real smile. Not a teasing smile. A genuine smile.

            “You’re beautiful.” He spits out. “I mean. You know. They did a really good job.” He stutters out, causing her to giggle.

            “Thanks. You look good yourself. We clean up nice.” He agrees.

~

            San and Gahyeon are already there when Changbin and Y/n arrive, linked arms, absolutely stealing the show. They’re smiling, looking like they just walked off the runway. San and Gahyeon stand to greet them. “I’m so happy to finally meet you! San talks about you all the time I feel like I already know you.” Gahyeon giggles, not realizing how much she’s breaking Y/n’s heart. Is she unaware of how short a time her and San were broken up before the two of them got together?

            “I’m happy to finally meet you too.” She plays the part as best she can. The part of the ex that’s fully moved on. The ex that’s in love with someone else. Changbin holds her hand under the table, giving it a reassuring squeeze, glancing over at her to make sure she was okay. He knows she’s not, but he thought he’d check anyway.

            Dinner starts with the four of them getting to know each other, Gahyeon being new to both Y/n and Changbin. They agree to splitting a bottle of wine. And talk about the menu and what sounds good. San tells Y/n an item he thinks she’d like. And then turns to Gahyeon to do the same. But Changbin tells Y/n she wouldn’t like that and points out what she actually would like. And San just stares. Wondering why she wouldn’t like what he recommended her.

            He starts going through his mind about all the things she likes. They spent a lot of time together. Dated for a couple years. Friends before that. He knew her favourite foods, drinks, movies, colours. Knew that she needed a fan on to sleep. Or a window open. So she could curl under her blanket, one foot sticking out. He knew these things. Didn’t he?

            “She doesn’t like spicy food.” Changbin explained. Y/n looked over at him, wondering how he would know that. Wondering if they shared enough meals together for him to know that. Even if they did, why would he pay attention to something like that. You’re more special to him than you realize. His mom’s words echoed in her brain. What did she mean by that?

            “She loves spicy food, what do you mean?” San chuckled. Y/n looked over to San and shook her head.

            “I hate it.” She said softly. He stopped chuckling and looked at her, a confused look on his face. “Also since we’re on the topic. I also hate hot coffee.” Gahyeon was confused as to why coffee was brought up, but San knew. He knew she was referring to the coffee he bought her when he broke up with her. And he thinks about how that must have made it hurt more. Knowing he didn’t know her. After all this time, he forgot all her favourites. It was so clear that he fell out of love with her by his actions.

            “I’m so sorry.” Y/n shook her head, telling him not to worry about it. They both moved on. So he thinks, anyway.

~

            They continued to get to know each other while they waited for food, and even while eating. Swapping stories about each other. It seemed to be going well. Y/n felt herself actually moving on. Changbin didn’t let go of her hand from under the table, even though that meant he had to eat with his left hand. He wanted to make sure she knew he was there for her.

            And then Y/n asked Gahyeon how her and San met. How they got together. “I mean I was interested first. How could I not be?” She giggled. Y/n understood. San was attractive. But more than that, he was kind. It was easy to fall for San. He catches your eye with his looks, and your heart with his personality. “I think we started talking and flirting months before we actually got together.” Clang. Y/n’s fork fell from her hand onto her plate.

            “Months?” Her mouth went dry. Her heart shattered. Her eyes watered. Changbin squeezed her hand so tightly she’s sure it lost circulation for a good while. Gahyeon didn’t seem to notice the sudden change in atmosphere. She giggled as she nodded.

            “I know. That’s crazy right?” Y/n just nodded.

            “Could you excuse me for a minute? I need to use the restroom.” She tried to hold her tears in until she made it to the bathroom. Tried not to let anyone see her cry. She didn’t want to cry in the first place, didn’t want to ruin the makeup Changbin paid for, but she knew she couldn’t hold in the tears. Was she being childish? Was flirting considered cheating? Maybe this was that final push she needed to move on.

            She sobbed hidden away in a stall in the fancy restaurant bathroom. Her heart breaking all over again over her relationship that ended a couple months previous. Thinking of all the days and nights waiting for a text back, begging for his attention. She knows now where it all went. She knows now why he didn’t have time for her.

            And when she was finished, she went to the sinks, and cleaned herself up. Hoping no one would notice that she cried. Giving herself a small smile before leaving the washroom. Someone grabbed her wrist as soon as she walked out, pulling her to the side before she could make her way back to the table. She was face to face with San, her back against the wall, both his hands on either side of her head, trapping her. “Let me explain.”

            “I really don’t want to hear excuses. We’re already broken up. Let’s leave it at that.” She tried to leave, but he stopped her.

            “I don’t want you thinking I was cheating on you. Or thinking you weren’t good enough and that’s why I left.” Before either one could say anything more, he was pulled away from her. Changbin wasted no time in punching him in the face, taking Y/n by the hand, and leaving the restaurant.

            They didn’t say anything during the walk to the car, or during the drive to her place. But she didn’t make a move to get out of his car once they were outside. They just sat in silence, processing what had happened during the last hour of their lives. “I don’t think we’ll be allowed back there.” Y/n spoke first. Changbin looked over at her, trying to assess whether or not she was angry. But she was smiling. Giggling actually.

            It didn’t make sense to her either. Minutes earlier she was sobbing in a bathroom stall. And now she’s laughing. She watched her ex get punched in the face, and she’s definitely banned from a restaurant, and she’s laughing. Which made Changbin start laughing.

            They sat in the car, laughing. Going over everything that happened that night. Going over everything that lead them to this exact moment. Until the moon was gone and the sun started to rise. They just sat there, laughing.    

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@mxnsxngie @maeleelee @turtledove824 @moon0fthenight

[scarletcomalies]

I have been obsessed with Sister Mary Eunice lately maybe you could write about reader and Sister Mary Eunice being childhood friends and then they met again and she is already practicing being a nun or sum'n. Forbidden love of sort?

rise of devotion

Sister Mary Eunice x Reader

Word count: 7,565

A/N: AAAHHH! Thank you for your request! I have always looked forward to write something related to my beloved Lily Rabe 💘 Sorry it took so long.

A/N II: I would like to clarify that I wrote this based 100% on the approach given to the concept of the "Devil" in AHS: Asylum. Therefore, my interpretations are purely for fictional purposes. Personally, I don't believe in a "devil" or a "God," but I do believe in the existence of various positive and negative forces that affect our world in mysterious ways, so I also wanted to offer that possibility in the story.

Warnings: Irreverence, mention of caning, devil possession, humiliation, exorcism, happy ending though!

Upon an unexpected reencounter, you and Sister Mary Eunice develop a forbidden connection.

By choosing to study psychiatry, you embarked on a path that definitely contradicted long-standing religious doctrines. People who used to greet you cheerfully and welcome you into their homes for a cup of tea now whispered and gave you disapproving looks, for your choice to delve into the complexities of the human mind through scientific standpoint was seen as a direct challenge to their faith-based understanding of mental health.

And above all, even your own family wondered why did you turn your back on God and defy the plans they had for you? You were supposed to find a good husband, get married and devote yourself to being the best housewife you could be... or else become a nun to serve God for the rest of your days.

In spite of everything, the town of Framingham was your home. You couldn't deny that it had its charm, such as Mr. and Mrs. Bowery's coffee shop, where you were served multiple cups of chocolate while the couple watched you spend countless hours at the same table, reading exaggeratedly thick books. Or, visiting the home of the few friends you counted on, those friends who also swam against the current and somehow it seemed like it was them and you against the world.

You always believed that the only opposition you were willing to put up with, would come from your own family. You assumed that when it came to matters of the heart, you would naturally be drawn to someone who shared your ideals, if not surpassed them. Little did you know that one day, you would reencounter a person who was your polar opposite.

As you sat in the coffee shop's tables, you submerged yourself in the pages of the DSM-I. If it wasn't because you took a pause to take another sip of your chocolate, you wouldn't have noticed someone's intense gaze fixed upon you. It was as if the weight of their stare could pierce through your very being. Initially, you dismissed it and continued reading, attempting to brush off the discomfort that grew within you.

But then, the line was crossed when the person who had been observing you boldly decided to approach you.

"We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5," her raspy voice came through.

"So nice that your faith provides solace and guidance for you," you replied, without even looking up.

"The Lord undertakes to save all those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18 says so," she insisted.

"I'm of the idea that science doesn't always have to fight with religion, but if you consider my field a threat to your unsubstantiated beliefs, I suggest you keep it to yourself, and don't bother me," you countered, and without being able to prevent it, you could notice yourself adopting a tone of irritation.

"You're neglecting the power of prayer and the healing it can bring to troubled souls. God's love is boundless, and it can provide true salvation," she replied.

The persistence of the woman who kept on imposing her religious views started to wear thin on your patience, so you closed your book and looked up in her direction, intending to firmly demand her to leave you alone.

Your eyes were first drawn to her attire, the unmistakable indication that she was a nun. It pretty much explained her intrusion. However, when your eyes locked with hers, your breath seemed to be caught in your chest.

Never before had you encountered eyes so captivatingly blue, and the perfect contrast of her golden hair, slightly peeking out from beneath her habit, and those lips, full and adorned with a delicate shade of pink. In that fleeting moment, your frustration and impatience were momentarily forgotten, overpowered by the undeniable attraction that she had awakened.

"You always reproached your parents for taking you to church, and you were never satisfied with God-related explanations in the face of certain phenomena," she commented, this time with a smile adorning her face. "I should have known you would end up like this, (Y/N)."

You frowned for a moment, but then, your eyes widened as you realized who was standing in front of you.

"Mary Eunice!" You exclaimed, nostalgia and disbelief evident in your tone.

Her smile grew wider as she heard you call out her name in recognition. The memories of your childhood friendship replayed back in your mind.

"It's been such a long time," she breathed out. "The last I heard, you had left town, and it's been..."

"Eight long years," you interjected, a proud smile forming on your lips. "I returned just a week ago. The welcoming nature from people was quite interesting, to say the least. But yours wins the first place," you added, subtly alluding to the judgment you were a victim of ever since you arrived, including hers.

"Well, I had to surprise you in a way," she shrugged.

"A 'hello' would have worked. That's the traditional way to approach someone," you replied, and gestured for her to sit in the chair across from you.

"Look who's talking about tradition," she laughed, sitting down across from you.

You raised your arms, letting her know she had caught you there, "Guilty."

She let out a laugh, and you found yourself immersed in appreciating how her nose wrinkled and lovely dimples formed in her cheeks. Old feelings were rising from within your heart, as if time had never passed for neither of you.

You immediately recalled a time where you were still a child, and innocently seeking guidance, you turned to your parents, questioning why you couldn't marry your best friend Mary Eunice when you both grew up.

Their response, explaining that marriage was based on mutual attraction and love between a man and a woman, only increased your confusion, which was eventually clarified during your teenage and adult years, filled with discovery and a long journey of acceptance.

To your young heart, the idea of loving someone simply due to a deep connection and admiration seemed perfectly natural. The limitations imposed on love perplexed you then, and even as an adult, the question lingered in your mind. Why should societal expectations dictate who you can and cannot love?

"I came to this place with the intention of finding you," she confessed, after going over in her mind how to tell you. "It took asking a few people, and they all said there was a high probability you were here."

As much as you wanted to avoid it, a blush formed on your cheeks, extremely flattered at the idea that Mary Eunice intended to meet you again.

"Yes, Mr. and Mrs. Bowery really know how to make a place cozy," you agreed, laughing lightly. "Any particular reason?"

She shook her head, "My father passed away a few months ago. When I went to visit my home, my mother and I looked through old pictures, and there were several ones of me and you. It made me realize how much our friendship meant to me back then," she continued, taking a deep breath as she looked at me with her blue eyes filled with nostalgia. "When I heard you returned and opened your practice here, I felt... like it was a sign from our Lord."

You were transported back to the early years of your childhood. Mary Eunice, the girl who moved into the house across the street when you were only five years old. Your parents visited her family's new home, and she eagerly invited you to show you her enchanting dollhouse. As simple as that, a friendship blossomed for six years.

Sooner or later, life would lead you down different ways, as Mary Eunice's family relocated to the other end of town, and in consequence, the distance between you grew both geographically and emotionally, for her parents decided you were not a good influence on her, therefore you were forbidden to visit her.

The once-unbreakable bond began to fade into a distant memory, until she decided to tease you with Bible verses in a coffee shop when you were all grown up with very different chosen life paths.

"I'm glad you sought me out," you admitted sincerely. "I'm sorry for your loss. If you ever need to share your feelings, I'll be more than happy to offer you a shoulder to cry on."

"Thank you. Your kindness means more to me than words can express. I have found strength in prayer during these difficult times, and God has listened to me," a smile softly graced her lips, as her eyes brightened in appreciation.

Even if you didn't share the same strong beliefs as Mary Eunice, you always respected the power of faith and how it could provide comfort in certain individuals during times of hardship. If her faith in God gave her strength and helped her cope better with the unavoidable adversities of life, then you were glad she had that refuge.

You placed your hand over hers and you offered a reassuring squeeze, a silent gesture of understanding and support.

As your conversation continued, one piece at a time, you and Mary Eunice shared every detail of your lives, starting at age eleven, when circumstances forced you apart. You listened closely to her describe her journey as a nun, as it was the aspect of her life that made her the most proud.

"I felt a calling deep within my heart, urging me to dedicate my life to serving others and living a life of devotion. I knew becoming a nun was my path to fulfill that calling," she took a moment to collect her thoughts before continuing. "After much contemplation and prayer, I joined the order and then, the path led me to Briarcliff Manor, where I believed I could offer hope and healing to those in need."

"It's truly remarkable," you found yourself saying, your admiration towards her palpable in every syllable. "To have such a deep calling and to summon the courage to follow it through. It takes a lot of strength."

***

"Science cannot explain the evil that resides in this patient's soul. You're chasing shadows and ignoring the true path to salvation," Sister Jude retorted, throwing the patient's files at you in a dismissive manner.

It would have taken much less than that for you to grab your things and leave, except that Mary Eunice gave you a look that completely melted you. A look that denoted all the hope she had for you.

Two months had passed since your reunion with Mary Eunice. From time to time, you both would meet in the park or take walks around town. It wasn't until a week ago that she asked you to visit Briarcliff Manor to examine a patient who was clearly showing signs of schizophrenia.

There were many people with various conditions, of course, but this one, specifically, had to be put in solitary confinement after assaulting a guard.

"Um, excuse me, Sister Jude, but Dr. (Y/L/N) has, uh, dedicated to the study of the human mind," Mary Eunice interjected. "We may have different perspectives, but we share the commitment to helping others."

Both you and Sister Jude made no effort to hide your puzzlement. Mary Eunice was not the type to contradict others, much less someone as imposing as Jude Martin. You could only hope she didn't get caning after that.

Because you knew, no matter how much your dear friend wanted to hide it.

"Sister Mary, don't be fooled by this world of sin and deception," Jude responded as soon as she recomposed herself. "Your duty is to God, and so is mine. We must protect this institution from outside influences," she gave you another contemptuous glance, which caused you to roll your eyes.

"I understand, Sister Jude, but I also believe that God works in mysterious ways," Mary Eunice said, as if she had expected Jude’s response and had rehearsed her answer beforehand. "Perhaps Dr. (Y/L/N) was brought here for, uh, a reason. Let us not dismiss the possibility of divine guidance."

Sister Jude's expression softened, for the very first time ever, and she sighed.

"Remember, Dr. (Y/L/N), don't let your scientific pursuits lead you astray from the path of righteousness," she established, and headed to leave the room.

You smiled in amazement, and Mary Eunice mimicked your action, then let out a satisfied laugh. That allowed you to appreciate her beautiful dimples that added even more charm to her smile.

"What was that, Mary Eunice?!" you exclaimed, and walked over to her with your chair to sit next to her.

"I don't know," she said, looking just as surprised as you and Sister Jude. "I know how brilliant you are and... I just couldn't let her discredit you like that."

"I'm proud of you, but more than that, I'm grateful," you replied, taking her hands in yours. Her hands felt warm as always, and on her sleeves, you could notice traces of flour, an indicator that she may have been baking bread before this meeting.

"It's nothing," she shrugged, and looked into your eyes. You watched her blue orbs for a moment, and suddenly, you were in another world in just a second.

"It's everything," was all you could say. "It was for me."

She smiled slightly, and looked down. That caused you to grab her chin and cause her to look up at you.

"Thank you," you spoke again.

She nodded, "Sure, it was my pleasure, I mean..." she chuckled. "I have faith in these patients, and I couldn't imagine a better person for this task with Allan, not even the Monsignor."

You opened your eyes in surprise and let out a gasp.

"You don't know how much your words mean to me," you replied. "I promise I will give him the best of treatment."

"I know you will," she replied, rising from her seat. "I have to... go check on that bread I left baking, and I guess you have to get home."

You nodded slowly.

"Yes, I do," you sighed, rising from your chair as well.

"I'll see you around then, partner," she teased.

Mary Eunice never hesitated to give you a heartwarming hug whenever she bid you farewell.

You loved her hugs, because she was a tall woman, and with the heels she wore, she was even taller, so you always ended up being wrapped in her arms and could easily lay your head on her shoulder.

And this occasion specifically, you couldn't forget it. That memory would follow you into the grave, you knew.

When she reluctantly pulled apart, your faces unintentionally remained mere inches apart. You stared at her lips, believing that would be the only thing you could afford to do.

However, she was the first to make a move, it seemed that today she decided to take risks, and do everything that, perhaps, deep down, she wanted to do and never had the courage to do it.

You lips responded to the tender pressure, and her fingers were trembling as they touched your cheek before she drew back. The kiss lasted about five seconds, but in that moment, you corroborated the relativity of time, because for you, they were the most beautiful and eternal five seconds you ever experienced.

"Are you free tonight?" She whispered against your lips. You nodded in response. "Good, meet me at 10 p.m., at the secret spot I talked to you about, you remember?"

You nodded again.

A tender and forbidden connection blossomed between Sister Mary Eunice and you that day, something that you thought would only happened in your wildest dreams, was taking place. There were stolen moments that ignited a fire in your hearts, and they became a routine.

If Mary Eunice snuck out from Briarcliff to go to your apartment, she made sure to return extremely early, and if questioned, she always made sure to buy something at the market or bakery, and explained to Sister Jude that she got up early to go get the item in question.

And when you snuck into Briarcliff through the secret entrance that Mary knew about, you had to watch yourself as you left her room and slipped through the corridors so as not to be seen.

"I didn't see you come in," Sister Jude once remarked, maintaining that suspicious and accusatory demeanor you were so used to that you were not intimidated even if you were now actually committing illicit acts of some sort. "You're too early."

"Yes, I am indeed early," one thing you loved about being a psychiatrist, was that you had an uncanny ability to lie if you wanted to. They taught it to you so you learned how to detect it, not how to employ it, but well... "It's just, they're repairing water leaks in my building, so my washing machine isn't working. I was wondering if I could wash my clothes here."

You showed her the small bag of clothes in your hands, which contained the nightgown you used during the previous night inside the place.

Every time you snuck into Briarcliff, you brought a change of clothes to change into the next day, because you foresaw that eventually Sister Jude would discover you prowling the halls, and if she saw you in a nightgown, that would ruin everything.

She snatched said bag from you, and arched an eyebrow. "Just a nightgown?" She questioned.

You shrugged. "I didn't want to risk carrying a bag full of clothes, in case you refuse," you explained. "This is the only nightgown I need, in case they take a the whole day to fix the leak."

She nodded, and took the bag with her.

"No way! And did she really wash your nightgown?" Mary exclaimed, laughing, letting you see those dimples you were so crazy about.

You just laughed, which confirmed her question.

The evening of that same day, Mary was at your apartment. You were lying on her chest, and you could hear her heart beating, while her long fingers were massaging your scalp in circular motions.

"Do you know how much I love that intelligence of yours?" She asked, and took your chin delicately so you would look up at her. "Maybe it's wrong that I found it extremely attractive that you were so good at lying," she added, as she let out a giggle. You giggled alongside her.

Her fingers traced the contours of your face, and her mood seemed to change slightly. "And you know what else is wrong?" She whispered. "How much I want to kiss you right now."

You eagerly closed the distance between you both. Your lips met in a very passionate kiss, and you didn’t know how, but every single one that you shared managed to be better than the last one, and it never failed.

"Am I good at it?" She spoke when she pulled apart.

You frowned.

"Good at what?"

"Kissing. I just... I wonder if I'm any good at it. I've never had the chance to... practice," she avoided your gaze when she asked.

Your heart swelled with a tenderness that only she could evoke.

"Aww, my love," you exclaimed, pouting. "Your kisses are the best, not just because they’re so addictive, but also because they come from you," you said, as you booped the tip of her nose with your index finger. She wrinkled her nose as she smiled.

Life felt like a dream whenever you and Mary were immersed in the little world you created. Part of you wished you could display your affection like other couples, stealing kisses at the movies, holding hands while taking a walk in the moonlit streets, or taking those pictures in a photo booth, but you cherished your encounters with her, no matter if the places where you could have them was limited to two.

Three months have passed since that first kiss you shared. Until one day, you dressed up carefully, wearing what Mary had said was her favorite dress. You chose a new pair of shoes to add a different touch to the outfit that you hoped she would like.

She entered the office you occupied whenever you visited the place. She seemed to notice every single detail of what you were wearing as you rose from your seat.

But just as your lips were mere inches apart from hers, she spoke, "This is wrong," she stammered, her voice trembling.

"What's wrong?" You asked gently.

"I've been thinking... about us. About what we're doing," she murmured, avoiding your gaze at all times. "It's not... appropriate," she confessed, her words filled with guilt and sadness. "I've been thinking about my role as a nun, about my commitment to God and the vows I've taken. What we're doing... it goes against that. I'm betraying my faith."

And it felt like reality hit you for the very first time, and you realized that it was naive to think that this thing you had with Mary would last forever. It couldn’t, it simply couldn’t.

You reached out and gently cupped Mary's cheek, looking into her eyes with understanding.

"Mary, listen to me," you urged, you were desperate for her not to regret the precious moment you shared. "You know I respect your beliefs, but they are subduing and suffocating you," you harshly snapped, and she denied with her head quickly, as tears formed in her eyes. "Yes, Mary, The Bible can be interpreted in many ways. Love is a beautiful thing, and it's not something to be punished for."

"But it's a mental illness," she whispered, her voice heavy with guilt. "We're both wrong, according to our respective paths."

You shook your head gently, a reassuring smile on your lips. "Darling, you trust my experience, right? It might be considered so, but it's not. Love is a natural emotion, and it's not something to be ashamed of."

Mary cried even more, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

"But it's forbidden," she choked out. "This desire is my burden to bear."

"You're not alone in this struggle," you replied, sadly. "We can… rewrite our own destinies, be pioneers of our own love story. Please, Mary, don’t regret this,” you pleaded, as you surrounded her waist with your arms. You really wouldn’t be able to bear the pain if she ever punished herself for what she had done.

But she pulled you away, and she shook her head, signaling you that she indeed would hate herself for something so innocent as the kisses you shared.

She stepped out of the room, the door closing behind her with a soft click. You were left standing there, your heart heavy with several what if’s crossing your mind. What if, instead of staring at her lips, you simply pulled away from the hug like you always did? What if you didn’t hug her in the first place that day?

Because if only one of those options had happened, Mary Eunice would not have turned away from you. And the worry gnawed at you.

Likewise, every time you visited the institution in order to follow up with your assigned patient, you stayed a little longer and slipped through the corridors in the hope of running into her. Little did you know, however, that she intentionally locked in her room so as not to see you.

Days and weeks passed, until one day, she was shamelessly walking around with her head held high. She seemed to have had enough of hiding, and her demeanor somehow urged you to be the one to hide instead.

"Mary," you said, unable to help your smile.

It is well said that sometimes, by letting go of something you desire, you are bringing it closer to its arrival. Because, you stopped looking for her desperately as before about three weeks ago, and almost miraculously, she was right in front of you.

"Doctor," she said, with an arrogant air that you could detect with just one word.

You walked besides her in silence, waiting for her to say something, but not a single word came out. She even seemed to be walking alone and you simply followed her like a puppy. Somehow, you discovered that she was very aware of that fact, and it amused her.

You confirmed it when she indeed gave you a quick glance and scoffed mockingly.

"Uhm... how have you been?" you couldn't think of anything else to get the conversation flowing. It was almost pathetic.

"Wonderful," she said with a smile. Finally, you ended up at the door to her room.

You gave her a questioning look, asking her in a roundabout way if she wanted you to come in with her, or if she wanted you get the hell out.

You opted for the first option, and she didn't object at all. In fact, you would have preferred her to at least kick you out or insult you, something... just something that didn't show the cold disdain with which she was treating you.

"Mary, I... I understand that you might consider me a bad influence, for having somehow 'tempted' you to kiss you..." you paused, not knowing how to concretize the sentence you spent so much time going over for when you had her in front of you.

You put yourself in her shoes, maybe she considered you some sort of temptation and she hated herself for succumbing to it.

A sly smile curled upon her lips, as she responded, "Bad influence? Temptation?" She laughed, her tone filled with a mockery that was starting to make you feel irritated. "You do think I regret that?" She moved closer, her body language becoming subtly more alluring as she leaned in. "Regrets are a human quality, everyone has them. And as you can see," she gestured to herself with a sweep of her hand, "I'm far beyond such trivial concerns now."

You felt a tight knot forming in your throat, as you felt an unbearable regret take over your mind with every word spilled from the woman’s mouth. This was not the Mary you knew, the one whose innocence and kindness defined her character. What have you done? Had you participated in whatever event had led to this.

You had no time to answer, or even to organize your thoughts, when she led you to her bed and gently pushed you to sit down.

"Mary..." you tried to formulate.

"Shhhhh..." she put a finger over your lips. "I'm sick, sick of being me."

She began to remove the habit covering her head, revealing her silky blond hair. It seemed that was enough to stop your thoughts for a moment, so you could appreciate how beautiful she looked with her loose hair flying down in waves to just below her shoulders.

She seemed to notice, because the expression of victory on her face seemed to say more than a thousand words. It seemed that the power she had over you gave her strength to go through with whatever her plans with you were.

"Mary, I understand that you are tired of all the abuse you have experienced here and I am glad that you do not regret our… affair. In fact, I commend you for putting an end to it," you began, looking up. The fact that you were sitting and she was standing did not help your situation at all, as she towered over you, almost as if you were somehow assuring her that she was superior to you. Immediately you realized that and stood up, which made you feel slightly better, although the height difference was always considerable. "But you don’t have to go the other extreme. This, is not you."

She clenched her jaw together, making you sit down again.

"How adorable that you think you can understand me, that you believe you can see through to the heart of the matter," her fingers trailed lightly over the edge of your jawline, her presence being incredibly intoxicating. As much as you tried to remain strong, you unavoidably melted at her touch. "What's happening here goes far beyond your textbooks and analysis."

"I just know you hit rock bottom," you whispered, as soon as your faces were only inches apart, just like that one time. "And this is you rebelling yourself. Like a teenager."

Her blue eyes redirected to your lips, and ascended again to your eyes. The latter indicated that she decided not to lean in and kiss you just as she did weeks ago, but the reason was quite different.

“But it's hopeless, don't you think? You, a rational psychiatrist, and me, a devoted servant of God. Such a love story is laughable," she replied.

There you realized, she wanted you to beg for it, convince her that you were meant to be together despite the circumstances that seemed incredibly inconvenient for both of you.

"I know, and I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I never expected to feel this way about…" you started.

"Oh, spare me the cheap excuses," she interrupted you. "Don't try and justify what you desire, what we both desire. It's only natural.”

You didn't know why, but that answer didn't give you any peace of mind. Yes, Mary may have decided to accept the fact that she was attracted to you, which would have thrilled you. But something didn't seem right. Something wasn't right.

And you confirmed it when, at your lack of response, she began to shed the rest of her attire, slowly revealing a red baby doll she was wearing underneath.

Your pulse quickened, and your eyes widened in such a way that you felt like they were going to shoot out of your skull.

It all happened so fast, or maybe it seemed that way since you were so immersed in a mental battle where you were searching for how to cope with this situation.

"Mary, don’t," you exclaimed, grabbing the top of her tunic, which was resting on her elbows. "I understand that you're feeling some sort of adrenaline rush right now, but when this expires, you'll realize what crazy things you're doing," you said, as you tried and placed the tunic back on its place.

"Don't be a prude now," she spat, grabbing your wrists to stop you from touching her. The force with which she did so made you protest in pain. "I'm finally giving you a chance to fulfill those fantasies of yours, or what? Are you going to deny to me what you’ve done? You're a dirty whore," she screamed the last part. "Whenever we saw each other, the first thing you did after when you were alone again was go and pleasure yourself, imagining it was me fucking you hard right there. You're a sick woman, doctor. Maybe I should lock you in this place too."

You had no idea what to say. It was true what she said, but how did she know? Was she watching you? Or was it all just mere deduction?

The only thing you were sure of, was that you felt attacked, accused, pointed out, so it was only a matter of seconds before the palm of your hand hit hard against her cheek. It was with such force and rage, that your hand burned and began to tingle.

The next thing, left you completely shocked.

For a brief second, her gaze softened, subsequently showed puzzlement. Lastly, she started breathing heavily, almost having a panic attack.

"(Y/N)! I didn't mean to... I didn't mean to tell you all that! I just..." but she didn't continue, instead, she took a deep breath, and her gaze hardened again. "Ah, actually, I did want to, but as usual, I'm too weak of character to tell people their truths."

Not willing to waste any more time, you immediately retreated from the place as quickly as you could, and the last thing you heard was a loud mocking laugh from Mary.

Although you were drowning in nerves, and many things you could not explain, you were relieved, for that last incident made you conclude that Mary was suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder. It was more than obvious.

However, you couldn't explain how Mary seemed to be aware of what she was doing. Generally, the individual tends not to remember their actions during the dissociative state. You also couldn't explain how she knew what you were doing after seeing her, when there was no way for her to discover you.

The most logical thing was that perhaps this was a case of partial amnesia, and as for the latter, perhaps a person overheard you on one occasion and it happened to reach your friend's ears. Your neighbors were not the most discreet and the walls of the building you lived in were not the thickest ones either.

This led you to a mission, which was to understand her traumatic history and uncover the root causes of the disorder.

***

"Can I talk to Mary, please? Who am I talking to right now?"

It has been about one week ever since you last stepped into Briarcliff, and now you had a new case to address.

Sister Jude swore this was demonic possession, but you did nothing but laugh in her face and dismiss her foolish hypothesis. But you understood why she believed it, for the answer Mary gave you could give rise to such interpretations.

"You can call me whatever you like. Some call me the devil, others call me Satan," she replied, with that same tone of vanity that you had to face the last time you saw her.

"I see," you nodded, looking directly into her eyes. "And according to what I recall, you do what Mary doesn't have the courage to do, in order to protect her."

"Oh, Doctor, you misunderstand. I'm not here to protect Mary," she countered. "I'm here to embrace the darkness within her, to unleash the desires she represses, and to revel in the power I bring. I'm not a protector, I am the one who will vanish her.”

You were taken aback by that statement. This was indeed a strange case, and perhaps Mary hated herself a little too much more than you thought.

"Oh, and what desires could they be, that she's repressing?" You tried your best not to show any sign of surprise. But something deep down within you was alert, something that warned you that she could sense any feeling anyway, no matter how hard you tried to hide it.

"The longing she feels for you, the desire to be close to you, to hold you, to kiss you," she explained, as if what you asked was the simplest question to answer. "The desire to take revenge on her 'friends' for humiliating her in the swimming pool that day, or that desire she has to beat Sister Jude to death with the same canes with which she punishes her," she continued. "No matter how much she has gone to confess her sins, or how many Our Fathers she has recited, she knows very well that all that will not leave her mind."

Mary was a noble soul, too noble that it was almost infuriating when it came to certain things like letting others take advantage of it… so this all made more and more sense to you.

"Oh, I... I understand," you sighed. "Well, I would like to talk to Mary. I want her to tell me how she feels," I insisted. "I can help her understand those feelings."

"I’m afraid she slumbers now, resting peacefully while I take the reins," she refused. "But, I bet you know, Doctor."

"I know," you affirmed. "From school to her everyday life in Briarcliff, she has faced such hostility and mistreatment. No wonder she developed these dissociative identities as a way to cope."

"I like to feed on those who are weak in spirit," she replied. "Even if she refuses to accept it, I am a shield against the pain and shame she couldn't bear to face. But it seems you're starting to understand her struggles, aren't you?"

"Yes, I am," you answered simply. "Thanks for everything… Satan," you scoffed in amusement a little when calling her by that name.

Normally, with your other patients, you observed at least a slight process after a few weeks, but Mary Eunice's case, which at first seemed so easy to understand, was now the one that frustrated you the most.

You asked Mary's acquaintances, she never presented dissociations, nor behavioral changes, nor any symptoms of Multiple Personality Disorder. Not in her childhood, not in her adolescence, and certainly not in adulthood.

No matter what method or technique you used, you always left the room feeling humiliated and you could even say like a failure.

You never backed down from a challenge, and no matter how complex they were, you were confident in your abilities and understood that you were a human being, not some sort of all-powerful being who solved everything with a magic wand. However, seeing how the Mary you knew was fading more and more, made you hate yourself for not being one.

You reached a point of despair, where you never thought you would find yourself. You began to consider the —previously ridiculous— statements of Sister Jude and the Monsignor.

And this only gave rise to more questions.

If he was the devil, why did he allow me to question him as if he were really a personality invented by Mary? Why didn't he bother to prove to me the veracity of his existence, if he knew full well of my skepticism.

"That's what he wants," the Monsignor assured me. "He wants you not to believe he exists, so you give up, to doubt yourself and weaken your spirit."

You said it yourself. Religion did not have to fight with science.

There were certain phenomena that you couldn't explain to yourself, like that gut feeling that knew before you what was happening. You felt exposed even when you swore it was nothing more than a personality Mary had created... there was always something that made you feel this was something more.

And so, you were inside Mary’s dimly lit room. You never thought your presence would be approved for a ritual such as an exorcism, but the Monsignor said you were maybe the closest thing to a loved one Mary had. How could you ever refuse, if that was the case? You were more than moved.

You stood on the one side of the bed, listening to the Priest’s strong prayers, as you held a small crucifix in one hand and a vial of blessed water in the other. The demon that had taken hold of her seemed to mockingly glance through her eyes.

At the Priest’s signal, you took a deep breath, and addressed her, your voice firm yet filled with tenderness. "Mary, I want you to remember the moments we shared when we were kids. Remember when we went to the Bowerys’ bakery and they let us help them with the morning bread to sell? We were covered in flour," you chuckled softly, your voice occasionally trembling as tears welled up in your eyes. "We can share more of these memories together, if you keep fighting. I promise you won’t have to step into Briarcliff ever again, in fact, Lana Winters just got out of here, she will expose this place, burn it to the ground. I want us to celebrate that victory, Mary, please," you were pleading at this point. It was evident there was a desperate longing to break through her sorrow and reach the true Mary Eunice buried deep inside.

“I’m tired of fighting," you finally heard her voice, and you opened your eyes that were previously shut down as you sobbed. She was also sobbing desperately. "I want to rest."

"You are not your thoughts," you continued, speaking as firmly as you could. "You are not your hurtful experiences. You are not the sum of the pain they've caused."

Mary let out a small gasp, and a hint of a glimmer appeared in her eyes as a few tears escaped.

The Priest continued reciting his prayers, as strongly as he could. You, at the same time, recounted stories of your shared childhood, of the joy and comfort you brought to each other's lives.

While the Priest was in charge of expelling the demon inside her, you were in charge of helping Mary rise from among the darkness.

"Remember when we mowed the neighbors’ lawns? And with the money we earned, we went to the movies, and stuffed ourselves with food?" You continued. "Remember how we had a sugar rush and played Tag, you’re it at the back of my house for three hours straight? Remember how you screamed in the middle of the backyard it was the best day of your life? I do, it was the best day of my life as well," you wiped a few tears with the back of your sleeve, as you watched her scream desperately, and even though it pained you like a million stabs to see her in such a state, you were now sure she refused to give up now.

"Even though we parted ways, I got nothing but well wishes for you," you concluded. "And I’m never leaving again, never without you. It's never too late to come back to my side," you poured your heart into the words.

And then, in a moment that seemed to stretch beyond time itself, you saw it, a flicker of recognition, a spark of the person you knew and loved.

At the Priest’s sign, you raised the crucifix and splashed a few drops of holy water onto Mary Eunice. You repeated several words of encouragement, and the Priest repeated his prayers.

Her body tensed, a guttural sound escaping her lips. The demon's resistance was palpable, but you held your ground, the faith and love in your heart was what predominated every second.

"Mary, you are so close!" You urged. "You are stronger than this. You are one of the bravest, if not the bravest soul in this world!"

Her body arched, with a strangled cry piercing the air. And then, as abruptly as it had started, it was over.

It was over…

Mary’s once yellowish eyes cleared as if a veil had been lifted, bringing the beautiful ocean blue back to her irises.

She looked at you.

"Is that... you?" She whispered, the disbelief was noticeable in her face. But you knew, she was a warrior, and deep down she always knew as well, not for nothing she remained as kind as ever despite her unpleasant experiences.

With tears streaming down your face, you nodded. "Yes, Mary. It's me."

***

In the cozy cottage located on the outskirts of town, tranquility was the main thing that could be breathed in the air.

A year and a half had passed. Away from the now shut down Briarcliff, Mary Eunice decided to resign as a nun and take an indefinite break after the exhaustive event that had been her life. The journey had been one of pure healing, growth, and rediscovery for both of you, specially for your partner. But that was what you were there for, wasn’t it?

The sun generated warm rays across the kitchen where you stood. You were placing candles on a cake you took out from the fridge, which was adorned with frosting flowers. You woke up very early, and baked it yourself, with the help of the Bowerys through the other line of the telephone, of course, and it turned out better than you expected.

With the candles lit over the cake, you made your way to the small dining area, where Mary was taking the last bites of the pancakes you made her. Those were her favorites, you certainly had to make them for her on this special day.

"Happy birthday to you," you started singing. She looked up and her eyes lit with thrill, immediately, a wide grin spread all over her face. "Happy birthday, dear Mary. Happy birthday to you!"

Blowing out the candles, she turned to you with an appreciative expression in her eyes. "Thank you," she said softly.

You leaned in, expecting a gentle kiss, but Mary surprised you by pulling you close, her lips meeting yours with a desire that caught you off guard, and left you breathless.

"Oh wow, is it your birthday or mine?" you teased her playfully.

She laughed, and it always made you feel like you won a contest. "Well, does it matter? Every day feels like a celebration with you, the only difference, today I get a cake!"

You chuckled, and nodded in agreement, as you quickly went back to the kitchen and grabbed a knife to cut the cake you had prepared with too much love for your beloved Mary Eunice.

The simple act of sharing a slice of cake felt insignificant to others, but only you knew how much struggle and resilience it had taken for this simple event to take place. And the awareness of that simple fact, was that made every day as special as this one, as your girlfriend said.

[aemonds-wifey]

Navy Blue Barmaid

Chapter 2 

Summary: A few more nights have passed since your first meeting with the mysterious Tom Bennett  

Authors Note: Age Gap-Reader is in early 20’s- Tom is in early 30’s.

Bold= Tom Bennett POV

“Oh come on Lois I was joking!” You said as your sister picked up her youngest child and held the young boy closer to her chest.

“My son is not dumpy Tom that’s awful...Poor Neville” she protested

“Lois I’m kidding…just having fun with my favourite nephew!”  Tom giggled at the boy clinging onto Lois’ shoulders. His fingers drummed on the folded piece of paper that lay before him, next to the empty cup of coffee.

“Your funny Tom.” She huffed as she took him to the next room, putting him down next to his older sister as they played with wooden toys on the floor by the couch. As You watched them he sighed quietly, you adored his niece and nephew so much-yet you sometimes got lost in your own thoughts about being a father and if you was missing out.

Lois was a great mother and you could not be happier for her and Vern, her dutiful husband, but there was an element missing from your life, something that during the war you were so vigilant to get if you made it back alive…and so far you had not come close.

Lois and Vern were so happy together, ever since they married you had been supportive as you can to make sure Lois was looked after. Even though you had spent the afternoon here and played little games with your niece and nephew, you occasionally thought of the barmaid at the Green Dragon-how she smiled differently at you, with intrigue and genuine warmth.

Since you first met her you had been in a few times, but you wanted to talk to her more...sure she was young but the way she spoke and the way she shook your hand, there was more to her than what was on the surface.

Lois came back sitting opposite you, noticing you checking your watch “Best be off.”

“Hot date?” Lois joked as she took a sip of tea. You got to your feet and got your jacket on “No. just off for a quick one at the pub. You seeing Dad tomorrow?”

She nodded putting the cup down on the table “Yeah me and Vern were gonna pop round about three- ish with the kids- you joining us like?”

He nodded “Maybe. Been a while since I’ve seen him so…”

“He misses you Tom…he just wants you to be happy.” Lois said

“He doesn’t think I’m happy?” You questioned with a furrowed eyebrow

“No…he just…” Lois paused

You placed your hands on the back of the chair, eagerly awaiting her response. Lois looked at you slowly “I think…like how I’m happy Tom…that’s all…”

Tom nodded “Yeah well…who would want daft old me eh?” he chuckled “old washed up navy vet.”

Lois folded her arms and spoke gently “You will find someone Tom… “

You only nodded “See ya later Lois.” You managed to smile a little before stepping out the front door. As you placed your hands in the upper pockets of your blue jacket you walked in the direction of the Green Dragon.

As you walked down the street your memories flooded back, how you tried to resume some form of normality after you made it home from Dunkirk-but the trauma of what happened on the beach, loosing your friends was something you never got over and when you tried to talk to any potential dates they lost interest and had nothing to say to you, they did not take an interest in your service in the navy and you needed to talk about it.

*

“There is your change Bill.” You said handing over some pennies to the elderly man standing at the bar.

“Thank you sweetheart.” He said smiling before returning to his table by the wall. You checked your watch and your eyes went up to the table where Tom Bennett usually sits, it was vacant and you were wondering you would see him again.

He had been back in a few times since your first encounter, he spoke with you every time-even if it was just a few kind words and exchange of pleasantries. In truth you were curious about his time in the navy, you had never been outside of Manchester and you wanted to hear him talk about the world he had sailed around, but at the same time you knew there would be experiences he would rather not discuss-some horrors that befell the men who served was something you could not imagine, your own experience of loss during the war was hard enough-you couldn't imagine how grim it was fighting on the front lines and witnessing such carnage.

The daylight was fading as the time approached 6pm, you decided to wipe the tables, ridding them of the rings left by the pint glasses and the ash that had fallen from the cigarettes and missed the ash trays. Your back was turned and you faced away from the front door, but when the bell rang as the door swung open you turned around and there he was.

He smiled slowly, and you found yourself smiling lightly too.

“Back again?” you asked scrunching the damp cloth in your hands behind your waist.

Tom smiled “Yeah…I erm.” He lifted up a folded piece of paper “Got stuck again, wondered if you fancied helping an old man out?”

“Not that old surely.” You said.

He dipped his head for a moment , grinning like a fool. “Your too sweet.” He said as he walked past you, his shoulder lightly brushed yours -you briefly closed your eyes before swirling around and watching him walk to his corner table. He sat himself down, and you stood by him “What will it be?” you asked.

He smiled up at you as he put the folded piece of paper down “Surprise me…” he said with such a delightfully cheeky smile you were sure your knees would buckle.

“Sure that’s wise Tom?” you asked.

“I trust ya love.” He said leaning back against the wall again, you slowly turned around and walked to the bar-you could feel his eyes on you as you made him a drink . As you looked up at him whilst pouring from the tap he quickly glanced down at the paper he was unfolding, hiding a light smirk-you felt yourself smiling too as you approached him.

You put the pint down in front of him, he looked at the drink and then at you “A pint of Guinness…” he was intrigued by your choice.  “Interesting pick…”

“Gotta mix it up a few times right?” you asked playfully

He raised an eyebrow with that smirk you fund so dashing “oh is that so?”                                                     

“Variety is the spice of life Tom…” you said with a smile as you folded your arms.

His eyes never left yours as he picked up the cool pint glass, he pursed his lips and took a drink-he did not blink once, your smile only grew into a short giggle when he put the glass down to reveal a frothy moustache under his nose. You wiggled your finger under your own nose , he laughed as he used the back of his hand to wipe away the froth from the drink. He turned his head from side to side “Did I get it all?”

You nodded “You did.”

As your smile stayed on your lips you were both silently looking at each other, he too still wore a charming smile that could thaw any glacier-for a moment you were lost in his eyes, he too could not break away from the way your eyes glossed open at his-they were a window into his soul and you felt so much from just one look. For a moment his face turned serious, as if he was about to speak but you cleared your throat

"…enjoy your drink Tom…” you said turning on your heel to resume your work. He watched you as you worked the rest of the night, occasionally you brought him another Guinness -he must have had three, but he drank them slowly. As you passed through to the bar and served, you and Tom at several times caught each other’s gaze-only to look away in  haste like a love struck teenager , you were thankful to escape to the cellar every once in a while as the cool air helped calm the redness from your face-you had to deeply exhale as you kept thinking about Tom's hands, his lips, the way his jaw clicked when he was reading, your chest heaved as you tried to calm yourself-this feeling was overwhelming and it would not stop. couple of times even Otto noticed and asked if you were feeling unwell.

You felt a twinge of nerve as you emerged from the cellar, only to find that Tom was no longer sitting at his table, the glass was empty and there was no sign of him. You sighed in disappointment. The bar quickly emptied after your realised Tom had gone. As you helped clear up nearly an hour had passed, Otto noticed the time “You can go early if you want I’ll lock up.” He offered

“You sure?” you asked

“Yeah get yourself away. I’ll see you tomorrow at four.” He said with a kind smile

"Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow." you said.

You moved through the door to the back of the bar, grabbed your coat, wrapping it round you and moved through to the front of the bar and opened the large door to leave, stepping out of the front doors-as you lifted your foot to go over the pavement, you stopped at the sound of a familiar voice

“Another word for King in Ancient Egypt…”

You turned around to see Tom leaning against the lamppost, holding the folded piece of paper and the pencil balancing on his ear-he was grinning at you with a cigarette loosely hanging from his lips, effortlessly he smoked and you had never been so enticed by something so simple-he made it look attractive and you automatically bowed your head briefly before smiling back at him “Pharoah.” You said.

He winked “Smart lass aren’t ya…” he stood up straight and approached you, removing the cigarette and flinging it with his fingers out of sight into the darkness against the wall of the pub. “Want some company to walk you home ? lovely girl like you shouldn’t be walking home alone at this time…”

You smiled “Thank but I’m alright…honestly I do it most nights….” You answer, looking up into his deep blue eyes yet again.

“Not got some fella to walk you home?” he asked

You shook your head “Nope…nobody.”

He looked at you almost in awe “That’s criminal…” he said quietly.

For a moment you thought he was going to lean in and kiss you, but he simply swirled on his heel so he was standing next to you and offered his arm “Allow me.”

You took his arm wordlessly.

Chapter 3

TAGS

@chainsawsangel @schniiipsel @moonchildrenandflowercrowns @happilyhertale @mischiefmanaged71 @namoreno @nolongereviliwantlove @talesofoldandnew @yentroucnagol @arcielee @babyblue711 @bbyaemond @bcon24 @lauraneedstochill @polkadotsocks1993 @motley-baby @sscreamingbanshee @tssf-imagines @actualhawkesworld @jessssica1234 @bellaisasleep @drinking-tea-and-be-obsessed @greenowlfactif @vhagars-dementia

[theendwhereibegin]

I mean, as long as I restarted writing, I might as well make my first Pedro Pascal story a multi chapter one. Hope you enjoy. More to come, hopefully 🤞🏻

You can find Part 1 Here!

Universally meant, Earthly bound

Part 2

All he could do was watch her work away at preparing her camera, lights, backdrops and props. 

She was unaware of the fact that he positively couldn't take his eyes away from her while she was trying to get everything in order so that the photo shoot could start. 

He couldn`t understand how this happened, but it all started that morning in Starbucks after she walked in with such confidence that he was a bit taken aback by it, and as his eyes scanned her head to toe, he couldn't help but notice a familiar face as his eyes stopped at her feet. She was wearing slippers, and while he was pretty sure that it wasn't her first choice of shoes, he knew that she wasn't bothered by it. She looked like she was on a mission. 

He blinks twice to try and shake the feeling off, but his focus at this point was on the memories of how he first saw her, while her coffee spilled on her and the tiny dog barking after she tripped while everyone looked at her shocked by what just happened. 

The worst of it, she fell face first into some sort of a wannabe fork and he could see the cut on her cheek. He wanted to help her, but choked and all he could get out was an "Are you okay?" to which she replied "Sure", being visibly frustrated about the fact that everyone was now looking at her. 

He wanted to help her up, but the second he extended his arm towards her, she just bolted out the door, and that was her gone.

He got his coffee and headed towards the photo studio as today was the day he needed to have some new photos taken for a new Disney+ campaign. All he knew was that the photographer that they chose was after looking through thousands of photos and that he knew they wouldn't have chosen just anyone for the job. All he had to go by was her name. 

Walking through the NYC streets, he couldn't get his mind off the Starbucks episode and the girl that was its main character, and before he knew it, he was arriving at his destination.

"Hi, Mr. Pascal. I am Graham. Welcome to our humble studios. I will get Olivia here right away."

"Thank you, Graham. Please call me Pedro. I`ll wait my turn, don`t worry and don`t rush her either. I`ll be right here." he said while looking around the place.

It wasn't a big studio, but it wasn`t small either. Its walls were filled with photos taken by, he assumed, in-house photographers. Some of them are absolutely breathtakingly beautiful landscape photos, some are portraits, and he did see some familiar faces such as his good friends Sarah and Oscar. 

His thoughts were interrupted by Graham trying to get her attention. "Olivia!!!! Our client is here!" shouted Graham a bit too loud.

Pedro`s entire body turned towards the sound of the footsteps and he could swear he just saw the girl from this morning. From what he could understand from her shocked expression she looked mortified. She looked again towards him and ushered the girl she was with in the opposite direction, as she shouted back to Graham "One moment"

It was definitely the girl from Starbucks. Her coffee stained t-shirt and her Baby Yoda slippers were hard to forget, but mostly, her energy was hard to get over.

"Beautiful photos, huh Pedro?" asked Graham while they both waited on Olivia to come back. 

"Yes, they are. Mind asking you who took them? Is it one photographer`s work or multiple?" he asked while slowly walking through the lobby.

"It`s really just one, to be completely honest. This is all Olivia`s work. She`s an avid traveller so most of them are from all over the world, landmark buildings and landscapes. Sarah Paulson was her first ever gig after she joined our studio, but Ms Paulson loved her work so much she continued bringing in her friends as well. Then Oscar Isaac was next. Dear Lord we couldn`t shake him off. He kept coming back with his family. Olivia is pretty much the Isaac family photographer at this point." he said while chuckling, remembering Oscar barging in shortly after his wife gave birth the first time, out of breath, looking for Olivia in order to take the first photos of the baby. 

Olivia wasn`t in the studio that day, as she had been working for 3 weeks straight with no days off, and Graham told her to stay at home at least one day that week. 

The one day she was at home and Oscar happened. He had to call her and ask if she would be able to help Oscar. He remembers how she didn't even need to have an explanation as to why she was called in on her day off. All she heard was Oscar`s name, and he could already hear her getting ready to leave her house. 

"Mind if I use your bathroom? I need to find a solution for this hair. I can't tame it at all today, " Pedro said while pointing to his rebellious hairdo.

Graham pointed him in the direction in which Olivia went as well. Maybe she won't even come back out after she`s seen him. 

Maybe she doesn't even remember meeting him so abruptly in the coffee shop this morning. Her back was turned to him, so she most certainly didn't get a glimpse of his face, or maybe she did? His head was spinning with all these thoughts that`s until her voice broke the silence

"I hear you, and I will slay the hell out of this photo shoot because I can. All better?" she spoke amused while looking at her colleague.

The way her voice sounded, not too confident but with a hint of `I know how to do this and I will` made him smile in her direction. Everything became a blur after that. He was aware that they were having a full-blown conversation by now because all of a sudden, he was no longer in the lobby but in a narrow and long hallway. 

He learned since they started talking that her anxiety caused her to rant a lot. He also learned that she had no idea that he was the guy in Starbucks who made her trip and lose her balance. 

She was now gesticulating fiercely to make a point of how far from normal she thought she was. He heard her loud and clear when she called herself `nerdy, clumsy and awkward`, but he didn't see her that way. Sure, they haven't even properly met, but she struck him as a very calculated, loving, and caring person. Yes, she was a bit nerdy, but at the same time, so was he. Yes, she was a bit awkward as he could tell socializing wasn`t her thing, but at the same time, so was he. The only difference between them was that he was in the public`s eye and she wasn`t. 

He was unaware of the forces that had been working for years so that he and Olivia would meet, the same as she was unaware of the fact that even with the age difference between them, she was meant to be saved, grow up and be his. Nothing in their lives was happening by chance.

The fact that she stubbornly refused to die twice when any other person would have been, well dead, kind of gives away the fact that she had a higher purpose. Everyone considered her to be a sort of miracle as she managed to escape unscratched from a bad car accident when she was a kid. Years before that, she also managed to get out alive from the early 90's orphanage of hell in which kids were left to basically die of malnutrition, because the government didn't have enough resources to get every child looked after.  It was like her brain dictated to her that she needed to stay alive, that she needed to reach her adulthood because something would happen and someone would need her, and only her. She always had that sense, but so did he. It was like he was gravitating towards her without being in full control of what was happening.

All throughout the photo shoot, he couldn't stop laughing and smiling. They ended up working 2 extra hours because of that in order to redo photos in which he wasn't meant to be smiling, but he couldn't help it. 

As she told him they were done, a tinge of sadness was pulling at his heart. He didn't want to leave. He didn't want to leave her most of all, so he got up from his spot and started helping Olivia with putting everything back where it was supposed to be. That's when it all happened. 

Pedro saw her struggle with a chair that was caught up in the wires from the lights, so he naturally went to get it unstuck. He brushed past her and tried his best not to rip anything out while slowly getting the chair up from in between the wires. She was trying her best to help, but she managed to get herself tangled up and soon tripped once again for the second time today, in front of Pedro. 

At this point, the chair was long forgotten, and whilst she was waiting to hit the floor, two arms caught her before that. 

The moment that happened, a surge of static electricity went through both of them, making both stare at each other, wondering if the other felt it as well.

" I... I am sorry. At least this time, I caught you. " Pedro couldn't explain the shock his system just got just by breaking her fall. Did she feel it, too? By the look on her face, she must have.

"It's okay. Told you I was clumsy. The chances of me falling for a second time today were very high. Thank you for catching me, though." She was looking into his eyes, trying to understand what just happened. She steadied herself while going away from his grasp, trying to get herself back to normal.

The loss of connection made him shiver, but soon was replaced by a warm feeling as she looked back at him smiling, asking him if he's ready to go as she needed to close up .

" Let me grab my bag, and we'll be on our way. I am sorry it took longer than expected, but again, it was not my fault as you couldn't stop smiling in the photos you were supposed to be serious in." Olivia said while playfully pointing at him. " All your fault Pedro".

Hearing his name coming from her felt so familiar and intimate. Sure, he's had relationships before and was in love, but he never felt this familiarity so early into knowing someone. He never felt like it was meant to be at any point, let alone right from the start. He's always had to work to get to a point where being near a woman felt comfortable enough for him to feel that intimacy building up.

With Olivia, everything was different. She was different. 

And as they both parted ways he turned around to take one last glimpse at her walking away in her slippers and soon disappearing from his view.

He felt the need to run after her and ask if she was hungry and maybe if she would like to grab something with him, but he didn't, and what a hard decision that was for him. 

While in his apartment, the whole day kept running circles in his brain, and that`s when it hit him. He was supposed to catch her the first time around, in the coffee shop. He was supposed to break her fall. Otherwise, how can he explain the fact that he has a red mark on his right cheek, the same as hers?

[hinatastinygiant]

2 | Cassiopeia

Pairing: Kita x Fem!Reader

What's Meant to Be Masterlist

Before you leave work that night, you cover your new bruise with makeup and change your clothes.

As soon as you step outside the club, you walk across the street to the new coffee shop that had just opened up about a month ago but you hadn't had the opportunity to visit yet.

Inside, the cafe is cozy, with a warm orange glow coming from the lights. It's quiet, and there is nobody sitting at the tables. Well, it is past midnight. The only reason why the place is open is because it's aware of its location in the city. But it's quite comforting nonetheless. The air smells like freshly brewed coffee, and the music is soft.

"Hi, can I have a caramel latte, please?" you ask the barista behind the counter, "Oh, and an everything bagel, too."

"Of course," she replies with a smile.

You wait patiently while the barista makes your order. Typically, you head straight home. But tonight you feel more comfortable staying out longer, surrounded by other people. Because of incidents like tonight, you don't always feel safe going home alone after work.

When she's done, the barista places your drink and food on the counter.

"Thanks," you say, taking the cup and plate.

"No problem, have a good night."

You turn around, and take a seat at one of the tables in the corner. You take a bite of the bagel and sip on the coffee. It's surprisingly delicious. But just as you are enjoying your meal, you hear a man's voice call out to you.

"Excuse me, I was sitting there."

You glance up, and are shocked to find your old friend Kita standing before you. Immediately, you recognize him and stand up to greet him in the. most awkward way possible. "Shinsuke..."

"Y/N," he replies, definitely surprised to see you.

"I- uh- I'm sorry, I'll move-"

"No, no," he interrupts, shaking his head. "I didn't realize it was you. Sit. Please."

You nod, and take your seat again. "I can't believe it's you, Shinsuke," you say, unable to hold back a small smile.

"It's been a while," he says, his expression softening.

"Yeah, about seven years," you say, trying to think back to the last time the two of you had spoken.

"So much has changed," he says, running his hand through his short hair.

"Yeah, it has," you say, smiling. "You look great."

"Same to you," he smiles. "Are you still with your boyfriend?"

Your face heats up at his question and quickly, you put your hand on your cheek to cover your new bruise from that nigth. He was always good at spotting them despite your makeup. "Well... not anymore, actually. We broke up after high school. I haven't heard from him since."

Kita raises his eyebrows, and then nods. "That's good to hear. You deserve better."

You look away from him, unsure of what to say. "Thank you," you reply, awkwardly.

He stares at you for a moment, his gaze intense.

You shift uncomfortably under his gaze. "So, um, what've you been up to?" you ask him. "I don't think we've talked since graduation."

"I work in finance," he explains. "And you?"

"I'm in entertainment," you smile, avoiding answering his question. You didn't know if he knew what you did for a living, but you didn't want to be the first to bring that up. "How is that going for you?"

"Pretty well," he nods. "Hey, you look pretty exhausted. Would you rather talk another time?"

He always was so good at reading you.

"Yeah," you smile. "I'd like that."

"Let's meet back here Saturday night, say, seven o'clock? There's a nice restaurant not too far away if you'd like to grab dinner."

"Okay, sure."

He gives you a smile and stands up.

"Good night, Shinsuke."

"See you Saturday, Y/N."

With that, you part ways, both of you leaving the cafe and heading in opposite directions. You don't realize it, but a smile has crept onto your face.

-ˋˏ✄┈┈┈┈

At work the next day, Sayuri spots you sitting in front of the mirror, smiling at yourself. "Hey, look at you," she grins. "What's got you in such a good mood?"

"It's nothing," you reply, looking at your reflection.

"Sure it is," she smirks.

"Really," you insist.

"Okay," she laughs, rolling her eyes. "How's your cheek?"

"Better," you reply as you take a look at it in the mirror. You can't really see the bruise any longer, thankfully.

"Good," she nods.

You then stand up, and the two of you begin making your way towards the exit to the locker room.

"So," she begins, "I think I owe you an apology."

"For what?"

"I didn't get there fast enough last night," she sighs. "And I'm sorry. I wish I could've intervened before-"

"Sayuri, seriously, it's fine. You did your best. And if I'm being honest, I didn't even expect to see you. Things could have been way worse."

"I know," she says, and sighs.

"Plus, I'm okay. I promise. And I'm not mad at you. We all have a lot on our plate, so please, don't worry about it," you smile.

"Alright, I'll drop it... if..."

"If?" you repeat. "If what?"

"Tell me who was able to get you to smile like that?" she grins.

You pause, and avert your gaze, trying to think of what to say. How could you tell her it was your long lost childhood best friend who you randomly went into and asked you out that you can't seem to get out of your head?

"I'm just having a good day," you finally answer, not looking at her.

"Liar."

"Okay, well, if I told you, would you believe me?"

"Maybe," she shrugs.

"Okay, well," you sigh. "Last night after work, I ran into my old high school friend, Shinsuke Kita."

"Oh my god," Sayuri's eyes widen. "Really?"

"Yes."

"What's he like?"

"He's the same as he was in high school," you shrug.

"That's it?"

"Well, no," you smile. "He's definitely even more handsome than before. And he's very kind and polite. And he invited me out for dinner."

"Holy shit, Y/N," she exclaims. "You're going on a date? Does he know what you were doing out so late last night? You know, your job."

"No, he doesn't," you reply, shaking your head. "But he did ask about my ex-boyfriend."

"Ugh," she grumbles. "You mean that jerk from high school you told me about?"

"Yep," you nod.

"What did you say?"

"I said that we broke up after graduation," you say.

"Why do you think he asked about that asshole?" she then questions you.

"Probably because he saw the bruise on my cheek," you reply, recalling how he could always read you and the bruises you'd get from your ex. "He used to notice them a lot when we were younger."

"Shit," she sighs. "Did the two of you ever..."

"No, never. I didn't think he liked me like that," you shrug.

"Well, how would you know if you never ditched that jerk," she rolls her eyes. "I mean, he's asking about your ex and inviting you out so he has to like you."

"Yeah, but that's just him. He's a good guy."

"Mhmm, sure."

"Don't give me that look, Sayuri," you laugh.

"Just promise you'll keep me updated with whatever happens, okay?"

"Alright, I will," you smile.

What's Meant to Be Masterlist