#and they gave me feedback on the clues and i was like oh right. those matter

[coquelicoq]

wow i am now attempting to edit the crosswords i wrote a week and a half ago and tested last week and they are. bad. i've already completely refilled one of them, refilled about half of another, and at the top of a third i had just written "too hard + boring" so will likely need to refill much of that one too. and when i'm done refilling i will still have to write new clues...i was not on my game in late february apparently! at least the rewriting process has been going okay. i'm so much more efficient at this than i used to be, which means i can be a lot pickier about quality now. so that's a good feeling, though obviously i would prefer to just...do better from the outset lol.

[sariel626]

Father! Poe x Child!Reader + Uncle Figure! Ranpo x Child! Reader

Note: everything here is completely platonic, this is an incest-free blog

This lowkey leaned more towards Ranpo in the end than it did Poe and I’m kinda mad about it, but I’m also not because I love the ending.

Sorry if the case file is poorly done, I’m terrible at writing Murder mystery

I apologize in advance for the chaos that’s about to ensue

——————————————————————

““Dad! Are we there yet?” Asked an excited little girl. Her father sighed at his daughter’s question for the nth time as he walked up the stairs. Yes, Poe knew that (Reader) loves to see Ranpo, but sometimes she’s a bit too eager. As the dark-haired man opened the door to the Armed Detective Agency, he already saw his daughter hugging his rival. “Uncle Ranpo! I missed you so much!” Ranpo returned the hug, “me too, little detective” He then looked over at Poe and waved with full energy, “Hey Poe! How’s your new book coming along?”

(Reader) was eyeing one of Ranpo’s lollipops and asked, “Uncle Ranpo, can I please have a piece of candy?” Poe was about to intervene and tell (Reader) not to ask that every time they visit, but Ranpo had already pulled out like five other flavors, “This one tastes like grape and has gum in the center, then this one tastes like chocolate, this one tastes changes flavors the closer you get to the center.” “Can I have the flavor changing one?” Ranpo gave the 7 year old the sucker with a grin “Good choice little detective!” (Reader)’s eyes light up upon tasting the sucker, “It tastes like watermelon…” Ranpo grinned, “How could the greatest detective in Japan NOT be able to deduce your favorite flavor?” Ranpo would’ve had to be an idiot to not know. In the past few visits, the girl always opted for watermelon candies/flavored drinks and often sported watermelon slice decorated clothing/objects. Why? Only the girl herself can say.

After receiving her lollipop, our little reader decided that it was best to let Uncle Ranpo and Dad talk, so she began reading a small mystery children’s book Poe had made for her. “Oh hey, didn’t see ya come in, (Reader)” the voice was Yosano Akiko, the doctor of the Agency and also the Aunt figure to little (reader). Yosano began to converse with the reader, asking questions a normal protective, caring aunt would ask like how (reader) has been, if there are any boys she thinks are cute, what the name of the little shit who may/may not have hurt (reader) is, those questions. All the while, Poe is smiling softly because his daughter is happy and he’s sure he’ll beat Ranpo thi- “the killer is the girl in the red dress” deduced Ranpo “The newspapers gave it away, it was a good mystery though” Poe slumps in defeat and to worsen things, reader says “I told you he was gonna deduce it with that many clues, dad!” Poe turns his head towards his daughter to defend himself, “W-Well you’re 7!” “Even more reason to listen to my feedback.” Ranpo smiled at the two having such a healthy relationship.

A voice rang out “Hey Ranpo, why do you call her little detective?” It was a curious Atsushi who had watched everything unfold from beginning to end. This gave Ranpo a rather devious idea. He called the little girl over and immediately she asks, “Are you gonna use me to get the boring cases off of your plate again?” “You don’t want to show me how your deductive skills have improved since you last visited?” The little girl furrowed her brows, she knew her Uncle Ranpo was trying to manipulate her to take on a case. For as little as she’s allowed to interact with him, Dazai did teach her the basics of spotting manipulation. “I’ll give you more candy if you get it right~” …What’s a bit of manipulation if you can get food from it?

The girl took the file from Ranpo and carefully looked through the contents, asking about a word’s meaning here and there. After a couple minutes, (reader) looked up at Ranpo and Karl who sat on his head. “At first glance, it looks like the CEO, but it can’t be him because the glove brand he’s wearing is different from the evidence. Even if they were his, there’s no place he could’ve hid the second pair of gloves or any time to put them on. If you look at his assistant, he was at the scene when the cameras went out and wears the same brand of gloves as the evidence. As for the fingerprints on the murder weapon, that was blackmailing by the assistant. Sunken Twilight Corp. was avidly getting involved with black marketing before you guys beat the Guild, occasionally using their power to get gifteds for Francis, and if that got out, it would ruin the company name and the CEO would be reduced to nothing. He was forced to incriminate himself either way.” (Reader) said this with confidence and waited for Ranpo to say if she was right.

Yosano watched (reader) work with a gentle smile on her face, seeing a new detective in the making. Poe was not fazed by his daughter’s deductive abilities in the slightest, she was constantly asking him for new mystery books and even tried writing him one once (it was barely legible and very misleading because the clues pointed towards the victim instead of the actual killer😓). He was a bit concerned by her knowing the Guild’s doings with the black market when the only people who had met her from it were Steinbeck, Lovecraft, Louisa, Melville, and Twain.

Ranpo took one look at the contents of the file and confirmed the little detective’s claim. “Uncle Ranpo, you said you would give me candy if I was right. I want those watermelon gummies you gave me the last time me and Dad visited.” Demanded (reader) to her proud uncle. Ranpo went to his stash to get the gummies, but all Poe, Yosano, and Atsushi saw was a mini Ranpo. The man-child in question looked over at Atsushi after setting the gummies in front of (reader) and said smugly, “That’s why I call her little detective.”

As much fun as they were having, Poe knew that he and his child shouldn’t disrupt the detectives any further. He called out to her, “(reader), we should head back home before it gets dark. Say goodbye to everyone.” “Do we have to go?” Whined the little girl. The messy haired novelist sighed, she always gets like this when it’s time to leave, “Yes, it’s dangerous at night.” “But you have an ability to protect us!” “I can’t use my ability against every bad guy we encounter.” Ranpo chimed in, “Poe’s right, abilities aren’t supposed to be used so frequently. They should be used to achieve something good, like protecting someone or stopping evil people from destroying Yokohama.” (Reader) sighed in defeat, knowing she couldn’t beat both her dad and Uncle Ranpo. The 7 year old gave hugs and said her goodbyes before taking her dad’s hand and leaving the Armed Detective Agency for home, but not without stopping for dinner at Uzumaki Cafe!

By the time the three arrived back home, (reader) was rubbing her eyes and yawning. Poe took his daughter to her room and let her change into pajamas before returning to tuck her in, only to find the child asleep, cuddling the baby raccoon plushie in her raccoon onesie pjs. ‘She must’ve been exhausted from being at the Detective Agency today.’ Poe thought to himself as he tucked his adorable daughter under the covers. Karl hopped off Poe’s head and, without waking her up, joined (reader) in dreamland while Poe returned to his study feeling grateful for the wonderful family he’s been given.

This was entirely midnight inspiration, but I wholly believe this man would be a great father and Ranpo is the uncle-figure to our little reader.

@silverbladexyz

[theographos]

First of all, I would like to thank you for your post, because I love finding new storytelling content to rant about.

On one hand, you are right : an open ending is there to make the fan theorize, write fanfictions, to give them a chance to explore the world your story have in their own ways. This is the intention in every open ending whether they are correctly executed or not.

On the other hand, people's reaction towards the open ending of Tales of Arcadia is much more understandable than you might think.

An open ending, storytelling wise, is a very dangerous thing to do. If not done perfectly, it will leave a lot of fan frustrated, unhappy, you name it.

And while fans should not get the final decision on everything, they matter a lot when making a story, especially for when you're writing the ending.

Let's talk first about an example of a good open-ending : Inception.

The whole story is a complicated plot on dreams inside of other dreams, to a point where you do not know which part is real and which isn't. Whether you are a character in the movie or the audience, you can roughly estimate what is a dream, but can hardly decipher where is reality. And the end is an open ending who continues to give you that feeling : the main character comes home, everything is happy, good, loving... But the movie stops before giving you a confirmation on if the main character is still dreaming or has returned in reality.

An open ending for this movie was appropriate : it helps with the feeling of confusion you feel throughout the movie, it makes you theorize, want to rewatch the movie in order to find some clues about the ending. The strong point of this movie is the story (a story that took roughly 10 years for Christopher Nolan to write) which gave the director enough confidence to add an open ending.

For Tales of Arcadia, it's another story...

The character development is mostly good, the design are great, the animation is very good for the budget it was given, the pacing throughout the series goes from good to meh, overall these are good points for the franchise.

However, with its many plot holes, last minute changes (Hello Morgana, how does it feel to go from "witch older than time" to "Arthur's sister who tried to fight for her rights as best as she could" ?) and the fact that they do not always respect the important themes of the serie (Oh hello Troll!Jim, I wonder why you're here at that very specific moment ?) makes the story and the worldbuilding not their greatest strength. It's overall good, but not good enough to assure a good feedback if you decide to end the story with an open ending.

All those weak plot points (like aliens for example) badfully gave some frustration to the audience. No show can be perfect of course and a lot of people, me included, continued to watch the serie without any major problem. But the frustration was already there.

For example in season 3 we saw Merlin with the usual mindset of "jim is actually too weak to fully be the trollhunter", a mindset that many characters had throughout the show before Jim proved them wrong. Yet here we're supposed to believe that Merlin is actually right, that Jim is too weak to fight against the villain that he was meant to fight since the beginning (since it's the ultimate role of a trollhunter to fight Gunmar)

Here again, we're supposed to believe that the world will be fine if Jim is not the trollhunter, even if we had an entire episode dedicated to how the world will be in ruins if Jim isn't the trollhunter. (or at least, that Jim allows everyone to be prepared for the war with Gunmar, meanwhile if he wasn't it would just had been a surprise for everyone)

Presented like this, the sentence "the franchise is erased" makes more sense. The very theme that started the franchise, which is "Jim may appear like a weak flesh bag, but he's more than capable of handling it" doesn't makes as much sense as before. Sure Toby is human too, so the theme is still somewhat present, but still : What was the point of Jim to "prove to everyone that he is the trollhunter, and that even if the amulet never chose him he would still be the trollhunter" if the ending is about how he gives up that title and give it to his bestfriend ?

What's the point of having a main character who would rather fight hell and back alone than bringing his loved ones into this, give to his bestfriend the role who gave him numerous trauma, that made him crippling under pressure, that almost killed him so many times ? This is not character development, it's just ignoring who Jim is, before and after his character development.

In itself, all of that creates a sense of frustration, that only grew bigger and stronger with the ending.

The writers should have recognized their weaknesses and the many critics that they were given and step down on the storytelling.

I could compare this situation with an artist wanting to paint a five feet painting, even if all they ever did was small sized paintings. Sure they could do it, but it wouldn't be good. It would a start and a good training, but the probabilities that they end up with a good painting is close to 0.

It's the same thing here : the writers did an okay job with the plot, but attempting an open ending with the story they had wasn't a good idea.

I will conclude by two points :

The first one is that the best ending for Trollhunters would have been a usual happy ending. Yes it is not the most original, but it would have been the bestest choice with the already much present weaknesses of the story. The frustration would have been calmed down, it would have feel like a real ending to most of the fans, because even if your plot is weak, you can try to win the fans with your characters. That could have happened to the movie.

The fact that an animated serie, on neflix, had the chance to become a franchise with a movie is already something exceptional ! They didn't need an open ending in any way. It doesn't make their story more interesting, nor more special (yes some movies/shows intentionally try to be bad, for them fame is all that matters) since there has been other cartoons produced by Netflix, like Voltron, who were good shows but with terrible endings.

My final point is that in no way i'm criticizing anyone for liking the ending of the franchise. Because first of all liking something doesn't mean the something is good, liking is subjective, but with the rules of storytelling you can objectively decipher if a story is good or not. Yes there will always be some part of subjectiveness, but I tried to stay as objective as possible.

If you liked the ending of Tales of Arcadia, I am truly happy for you. Don't let anyone take away that joy. And if you hated the ending, just like Characcoon said, don't let that ending take away the beautiful moments you spent watching that franchise.

Bad shows aren't the end of the world, especially since the beginning of Internet. Fanfics will always exist, whether in your mind or on someone's tumblr. And the goodside of it all is that next time you see a show who had those writers for the scenario, you will know what you can expect from them.

A word about Tales of Arcadia, specifically about the ending of the movie. I've seen a lot, I mean A LOT of hate and disappointment over it, so I'm here to share my two cents.

I think it was one of the greatest ending this series could have gotten.

Yes, all these years, all these characters, relationships, struggles, events... erased from this world. I've read a few critics and most of them were around this topic, that everything we felt with these characters have been deleted from existence. All the story we've learned, loved, cherished, nurtured? Gone. It didn't happen in the end, because the future has been changed in a very drastic way.

But that's a lie.

It did happen. For everyone involved with making Tales of Arcadia such a masterpiece, it happened. For us, the fans, it happened. And for Jim too, it happened, and god knows that kid needs a break.

Here's what this ending feels like for me: a brand new world. An open ending (sort of) for us to think about! Finales like this, where the ending feels more like a beginning, is for us, the fans, to continue on! To keep the story alive and going with our own ideas and concepts. And who will be the one to tell us that "this is impossible to happen"? No one! It's a brand new timeline, JUST FOR US TO CREATED UPON!

I can't WAIT to see what we can do with this new concept that has been given to us. I can't WAIT to see the different ways everyone will continue this story. Because, for me, FOR ME, this is what this ending feels like.

Jim's story is not over, it hasn't been erased. I still remember everything, I've been with ToA since the start. I remember all my tears, my laughs, my joy. I remember my hate and disappointment too, tbh, it's not perfect. Everyone's been saying that now it feels stupid to have all these emotions over something that didn't even happen? Just like that? Don't let some time-changing time-travel erase your experiences! This story is still with us! And with Jim.

With that being said, we can delete the entire Staja subplot from the movie and nothing would change. We can delete it from our minds too. Get the MiB pen in here, where did I put it-

[batsandbugs]

Omgg hi! I just wanted to hop back onto tumblr and say how much I loved the IKEA Daminette story!! I literally fell in love of how you wrote Marinette in that. I was just wondering. I know you are in the middle of working on other fics. And no pressure, I was just curious…will you add more to the IKEA Verse??

Sorry, I don’t want to sound demanding or pressuring. But I was just curious because I am kinda excited to see how it progress if you decide to add more to it. ❤️

No! This is a great question and I should probably answer and let everyone here know what is going on.

So, the short answer is YES I will be adding more to the IKEA Game Universe. I fully intend to expand into Marinette and Damian's relationship and Marinette's relationship with the rest of the batfam.

However, I was so ready to be done with IKEA Game that I just wanted to shelve it for a while. I have a TON of other daminette stories that I am working on. Right now. When they will be out... well, that's another question altogether.

My current list of Projects includes (but isn't limited to):

- Help (I need somebody) Help: currently stuck in limbo, because I have no clue where I'm going with it and there are some heavy themes involved with the story and I want to do them right and I don't have the mental energy at the moment to pull it off.

-Bats, Bug, and Boomerangs: Currently not interested in writing. In desperate need of inspo.

-Daminette December: I'll return to those prompts eventually, but maybe I'll just combine them with whatever we come up for this year and just make a small and unfinished collection I can go back to.

(NEW STUFF)

-Summer prompt list story: Okay, currently working on this which is going to be an exploration of Damian and Marinette falling in love over the course of 30 summer prompts, I'm currently 12,000 words in and only finished with prompt 3. So... we have a long way to go. I'd like to be about a 1/3 of the way down before I start posting, but we'll see how long it takes me to get there.

-Four seasons field trip fics: Four unconnected field trips, in all four seasons, where Damian and Marinette meet and shenanigans ensue. The current lineup is: Winter - Switzerland, Spring - Paris, Summer - Greece, and Fall - Gotham. YES, I PLAN TO DO A GOTHAM FEILDTRIP FIC! At some point.

-Amnesiac!Damian and Forest Hermit/Miraculous Gaurdian!Marinette: Yeah, this one I love and can't wait to write it eventually. It's pretty self-explanatory: a girl finds a mysterious injured boy with no memories, nurses him back to health with magic, the boy learns about the strange and secretive girl. Eventually, they leave the safety of the forest to explore the outside world, boy's past gets revealed, and all hell breaks loose from there. You know, your classic love story.

Like a solid dozen historical AU's of varying complexity, including but not limited to:

Paris during the nazi occupation

Mermaids and Golden Age pirates

I’m a painter decorating a church and I kinda gave one of the angels your face, now you are sitting at that church and you’ve just seen it, just kill me now.

French Revolution AU - soooo many ideas

American Revolution - just as many ideas

Founding Gotham AU (There's bound to be some weird miraculous mumbo jumbo that explains why Gotham is creepy AF. I'm fully on board with doing a reincarnation explanation and a parallel modern-day and founding story)

Reverse Aladdin AU (okay I know not exactly history, but.. sort of?)

Titanic story

1920's Gangster

1920's Bonnie and Clyde

1920's murder mystery (invited, in a mansion, in Wayne Manor, in Paris)

1920's superheroes (Can anybody tell I love the 1920's)

Those are only a handful...

I would love some feedback on what, in particular, you guys would want to see first. I don't have a lot of this written down, and right now I have ideas floating in my head and I need a good way to get them down and in what order I should. Any ideas on where to go next would be so appreciated.

ANWAY...

In non-daminette news I have a Marvel story I need to work on (and the first part needs re-editing) I have two jobs, and I'm going into my last semester at school. So I have quite a bit on my plate, and it seems like not a whole lot of time to do it.

I should have some new daminette content out by the end of the month. I don't think it will be IKEA Game, but I hope y'all will enjoy it all the same. Hopefully, I can get my head back into writing for that universe and you'll be able to enjoy more shenanigans from the whole batcrew.

OH! I also have a ko-fi now! If you like my stuff and want to show a little appreciation a stop by and a donation is always appreciated. You can visit that here!

Love you all!

[nationalharryleague]

Christmas in Holmes Chapel

Pairing: Harry Styles x Y/N

Genre: Christmas fluff on top of Christmas fluff

Word count: 1.7K 

A/N: Hi everyone! This is something I wrote super quick because I was in the Christmas spirit! I was/am also quite drunk (so be nice)!! More of my better writing can be found in my masterlist and I would love to hear what you think ab this in my ask! Also shoutout to Liz (@kiwicherryallaboutharry​) and Morgan (@soullikestyles​) for beta-ing and being sweethearts!! Thank you for reading <3

***

Shouts of “they’re finally here!” were the first things she heard when Harry opened the door to his mum’s house. After two delayed flights, ten hours on a plane, and bumper to bumper traffic the entire way to Anne’s, they were in shambles. This was the first time the pair were spending Christmas with Harry’s family, and this was definitely not the way she wanted it to start. She almost started crying when Gemma took her into her arms after nearly running across the house to greet her.

“I’m so happy you two made it,” she smiled, rubbing Y/N’s tired back when she didn’t release from the hug right away. “I was afraid that you weren’t going to make it tonight.”

“I could cry, Gem. I'm so happy to be here right now,” she confessed honestly, exhaustion clear in her voice.

Gemma released her from the embrace when Harry tapped her on the shoulder. “Hello? I’m here too. Do you not miss your baby brother?” His voice dripped with sarcasm and his dimples were deep on his cheeks, as they always were when he was home.

She rolled her eyes at him, muttering sarcastically “not as much as I missed your lovely girlfriend,” before he pulled her into a hug of his own. The two were the spitting image of each other, both with their exceptionally similar smiles and adorable noses. He squeezed the smaller woman tight, enjoying their reunion after not seeing each other for at least three or four months. They were still so close, even after Harry’s move to LA to be closer to his girlfriend. Y/N had pretended more than once that she hadn’t overheard them when he would call her for relationship advice.

Looking away from the Styles siblings, she was met by Anne's bright smile paired with her wide open arms extended for a hug. “Sweetheart, it’s so good to see you!” she exclaimed with a Santa hat sitting snugly on her head, pulling her close to the woman’s warm and kind body. “There are plates of dinner made up for the two of you in the kitchen and plenty of leftovers in the fridge if you want any more.” She was naturally so caring about those around her and tonight was no different.

“Thank you so much, Anne,” she said graciously. “I’m so sorry we’re so late.”

“Oh, stop it. It’s a Christmas miracle you made it at all with the snow,” she brushed away her apologies, her voice taking a more serious turn as she locked her eyes with hers. “I’m so happy you’re here, Y/N. You’re just as much a part of our family as Harry is now.”

Y/N’s heart warmed with the kindness behind Anne’s words. There was so much love surrounding her right now, too much for her to comprehend without getting teary eyed. She was so thankful for the tenderness and care Harry’s family had shown her over the last three years. She felt at home in what used to just be a house to her; like she was a part of the family.

“Oi, stop hogging her,” Harry teased Y/N, bumping her hip lightly with his and nudging her out of the way so he could hug his mum.

“Harry Edward, I raised you to be polite. Leave the poor girl alone,” she scolded, but opened her arms up wide to receive her son. He was so much bigger than she was, seeming to swallow her body whole in his arms. Y/N couldn’t help the smile that came to her lips as she watched the two interact.

The pair of travelers were passed around the living room, giving hugs and kisses to the various aunts, uncles, cousins, and stragglers that were attending Christmas Eve dinner at Anne’s. The room was full of loud boisterous laughter and Christmas music that played off an antique record player and it smelled like wine and the remnants of a large dinner that had been eaten when they just couldn’t wait any longer for the two to arrive.

Y/N’s stomach growled without permission as soon as she saw the plates of food resting on the counter that had been waiting for them. The pair stood hovered over the plates and ate like they hadn’t seen food in weeks. At the moment, she could only think of two things she knew about Anne for sure: she knew how to raise children and she was a fantastic cook.

When she looked up and saw a spot of gravy hanging on the edge of Harry’s mouth, she just couldn’t resist. She tiptoed and pressed a short kiss to the corner of his lips, taking the gravy with her in the process. He looked down at her with a slightly surprised, but mostly loving, look after she pulled away. The edges of his lips turned up, asking “What was that for?”

“You had something,” she mused, jokingly twirling her pointer finger in the direction of her own mouth.

Before she could process it, his lips were back on hers, kissing her slowly and with so much love. His lips were soft and pillowy as always, but there was something more behind them that she just couldn’t place.

“What was that for?” she asked breathlessly when he released her, using his own words against him.

“I know I have been kind of on edge all day and I just wanted to thank you for dealing with me. I love you so much.” She couldn’t fight the grin that found its way onto her face every time he told her that he loved her. Sometimes she still couldn’t believe she had nabbed such a good one.

“I love you too. Are you alright?” She asked worriedly, noticing the way his eyebrows were nervously knit together and how his posture was slightly worsened like it always was when he was stressed.

“I’ll be okay soon.” There was more behind his words, she knew it for sure, but Harry was very good at playing it cool when he wanted to. She knew he would either tell her soon or it would resolve on its own; she trusted him to tell her what was going on if he really needed her.

Her train of thought was interrupted when Gemma stuck her head into the kitchen and announced that the annual Charades tournament was beginning. Y/N had only heard about the myth of the Charades tournament before and she was excited to find out why her boyfriend raved about it so often. Harry excitedly grabbed her hand, leading her into the crowded living room, watching as the first teams had already begun acting out and guessing.

Before long, it was Harry and Y/N’s turn to go, matched up against Gemma and her husband. She sat on the couch, assigned to play the guesser after he cockily told her ‘there's only one actor in this family,’ and watched closely as both Harry and Gemma read the clue written on the small slip of paper. Gemma gave him a playful and excited smile before extending a friendly hand for him to shake.

“You ready for this, H?” she asked, but once again, Y/N felt like there was more behind her words than friendly competition. Y/N began to think she was being kept in the dark about something, but before she could think too hard about it the pair had begun their miming.

Harry took the approach of creating a circle with his pointer and thumb, repeatedly slipping the whole he had created over his left ring finger.

“Wedding ring!” she guessed excitedly from the couch, only to be met with a shake of his head.

He then moved to get down on one knee, pretending to hold a ring box in his hands. “Asking someone to marry you!” she questioningly yelled again, only met with another shake of his head, but she could tell she was getting closer.

It was when he performed the same ring gesture while on his knee that she got it. “Engagement ring!” She nearly screamed and jumped off the couch, twirling in celebration (a symptom of always being a bit too competitive) after Harry’s face lit up and signaled they had won.

She was confused for a split second when she came back around and Harry was still on his knee, but it all made sense when she saw the real ring box that was now in his hands. Her hands flew up to her face in shock and she was unable to form coherent thoughts, let alone words.

“My love,” he began softly, “I knew I wanted you in my life forever from the moment I met you at that stupid bar. I fought Mitch so hard that night, but he dragged me along and it was the best thing that ever happened to me.”

She remembered that night fondly, but it had admittedly been a mess. She had just gotten dumped and so had Harry, when they found each other at the end of the bar, far away from anyone who was actually having fun, they had started talking and never stopped.

“You make me a better person,” he went on as tears had begun to roll down her cheeks, “and I never want to be who I was before I met you ever again. I love you so much and I never want to live without you. So,” he took a deep breath with hopeful eyes, “will you marry me?”

A shout of “Yes!” let her lips before he even finished, throwing herself at him and bringing him into a kiss.

It all made sense now. She understood why Harry had been so upset when their flight had been messed up, and why Gemma and Anne had been so excited to see them, and especially why he had been on edge all day. He was nervous to ask her, in the most charming and endearing way.

The crowd around them cheered when they finally stood up and their eyes locked as Harry delicately slid the ring onto her left hand. His eyes were slightly teary, but held an excitement that was unmatched. The ring was giant and beautiful, exactly what she expected from him when the time came, and she could barely tear her eyes away from it.

“This is the best Christmas present ever, H. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

Thank you for reading! Reblogs/feedback are much appreciated!! 

[spencersweetie]

Spencer’s Eyes Only (Spencer x Fem!Reader) 18+ ONLY

Summary: Spencer finds Reader’s nudes in his “go bag”.

Warnings: nudity/ nudes, sexual themes (no explicit smut), reader has she/her pronouns

Word count: 663

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

Spencer sat on the edge of his bed, alone in his hotel room, dumbfounded. He held a manila envelope in one hand and looked at its contents in which he had dumped out onto his bed. He spread out each print on the sheets, gaping at the mouth. He flipped through each glossy image of his significant other. One was a picture of her, sprawled out on their shared bed at home. She laid on her stomach, feet in the air, with nothing to cover her body. Spencer’s eyes lingered over the image of her, taking in her figure. He hadn’t seen her for two weeks because the B.A.U. was away on a case. He also hadn’t seen these pictures before. When were they taken? Did she do all of them herself? How did she sneak them into his bag without him noticing? How did he not see the envelope until now? Spencer’s mind raced as he pictured her alone in their home, posing for the camera and taking her clothes off while he was gone.

He pulled another image out. This one was a polaroid of her in his favorite garter set. It was a lacy, creamy white set with multiple straps- over her breasts, her stomach, her thighs. Spencer would have killed to be able to touch her in that outfit right then. She was posed in a seat in their kitchen, leaning back with her legs crossed. Spencer imagined her setting up a camera before the chair, alone and nearly naked. Without him. He pictured coming home to her in that outfit, tearing her panties off in the kitchen, then fucking her right on the table. His leg bounced in anticipation.

Spencer’s head jerked up as a loud, rhythmic knock interrupted his thoughts. He fumbled with the glossy prints in his hands and quickly shoved them back into the envelope before rushing to the door. He opened up to Derek at his door, leaning on the frame, grinning.

“Spencer!” Derek greeted him and stepped inside. “Me and Prentiss are about to go get drinks before getting ready to leave for tomorrow. Wanna come with?”

Spencer stood before Derek, hesitating as he collected his thoughts. “Um,” he stammered, “I think I’m gonna try to get some extra shut eye tonight. Now that the unsub has been arrested and we don’t have to worry about it anymore.”

Derek wandered around Spencer’s room, curiously peeking at his belongings on the desk, the bed, the drawers. 

“Yeah, come in, welcome.” Spencer grumbled.

Derek ignored him as he continued to roam Spencer’s room. “Okay, just let me know if you change your mind.” He said.

“Sure, I-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” Derek interrupted Spencer mid-sentence. He picked up the manila envelope. “‘For Spencer’s eyes only. Open only after the case is solved.’” He squinted in slight confusion, and his dark eyebrows furrowed. “Did you get a gift? Who gave this to you? Victim’s family? One of the officers? We can’t accept this stuff, man, you know that.”

“Yes, Morgan. I know that. It’s not from a victim’s family or from an officer, you don’t have to worry about that.” Spencer huffed. “Do you need anything else from me or are you done snooping?”

Derek said nothing as he held the envelope up to the light, trying to get a clue on its contents. “Wait… prints? Are those polaroids? Oh, polaroids! Got a little spicy something from Miss Y/N?” He squealed in excitement. 

“Bye, Derek.” Spencer started to escort him to the door.

“Is that a yes or no?” Derek teased him. “You call your sweetheart tonight, pretty boy.” He joked in a sing-song voice before the door closed on him.

Spencer sank back onto his bed, ears red, with the envelope in his hands. He sat silent for a moment before pulling his cell phone out. “He’s right,” Spencer muttered with a small grin forming from his lips, “I should probably call her.”

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

Hii if you read this thank you i appreciate it lots!! I just wanted to write a short and sweet scenario, this is really just one of my own fantasies i love the idea of giving spence physical nudes rather than sending them through text or something but anyway I hope you liked this! Likes, reblogs, comments, and feedback are all welcome. Thanks again <33

[omg-im-such-a-masochist]

⭐️SIRIUS PART 2⭐️

Prompt: Requested, by @romanreignsgirl20 I hope you’ll like it (since the ask was a bit long I couldn’t screenshot it 😕 Sorry about that)

Word Count: Short (but sweet)

Pairings: Roman Reigns x Reader

Warnings: +18, mentions of smut, fluff

Editor: @rheacanbreakme

Tag: @ziasaph , @marlananicole , @akiko-tanaka , @wickedsunfire , @sassymox , @nicolewoo , @saccreigns , @mindofasagittaruis , @reigns-5sos , @auawdo , @lustyromantic , @babydee17 , @yungbludjazz360

Notes: My original plan was to post this on the weekend (but you know, Wrestlemania happened and everything) I also had to rewrite this 3 times (so some details ended up lost with each new writing) But I did liked this end result so, here it is! If you’d like to checkout my previous works, you can read them on my Masterlist ❤️ Thank you so much for reading my work ☺️ and I hope you’ll enjoy...

He sighed for the fifth time in a row, and I couldn’t help but chuckle as I looked over my shoulder at him.

“Do you want some help with the bags, love?” I asked, and amusedly stared as he struggled to keep the bags in his arms and not a pile on the ground

“Can we go home?” He whined

“You’re no fun, Reigns! Fine” I laughed “Let me just grab these” I shook the basket I was holding, which made all of the palettes inside move places “And we can go”

“Why do you need those anyways? You’re beautiful, you don’t need that!”

I rolled my eyes “It’s just gonna take a second”

………………………………………………………

As we sat down for a quick snack at Starbucks, I caught Roman staring at me with an unreadable look on his face

“What?” I cackled

He shrugged

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I gave him a confused look

“I’m just thinking..” He trailed off

“About?”

“How lucky I am”

“Lucky? That no one has recognized you yet?” I giggled, making him laugh

“Although that’s weird and surprisingly unexpected, no. That’s not what I meant when I said ‘lucky’ ”

“Is it because they finally wrote your name right?” I pointed towards his coffee cup

Roman laughed loudly “You really don’t have a clue, do you?”

Now it was my time to shrug

Shaking his head lightly, he said “It’s you Y/N. You’re the reason why I’m lucky! Sharing a life with you, having everything I’ve always dreamt of with you...it’s surreal to me sometimes. So I randomly find myself thinking about it every once in a while” He smiled softly

My cheeks burned with embarrassment to hear his sweet words, and before I could pull myself back together, he asked

“Are you done, baby?” He motioned to my coffee and sandwich

I nodded

“Good, let’s go then, I have a surprise for you” He offered me his hand, and when I took it, I couldn’t help but notice how sweaty his palm was. *Why is he so nervous?* I thought to myself

…………………………………..

Once we arrived home, he placed both of his hands in front of my eyes

“Ouch” I said loudly when I bumped into the small coffee table “Damn, babe! Are you walking me around with your eyes closed?” I cackled

“Sorry, I forgot that was there” He apologised “Are you ready?” He asked with a shaky voice

“Are YOU?” I joked “Ro, you’re so nervous, I just hope it’s not like a deadly trap or something, because yo-” My words died on my lips when he removed his hands, and I could see the ‘MARRY ME?’ written in rose petals on the ground, with all of our pictures together placed around it. Pictures from when we were just friends, our first date, first night together, our drunk asses dressed in huge inflatable dinosaur costumes, laughing with pie smeared all over our faces in his birthday party and the classical (and Roman’s favorite) picture: last halloween where we went to Jey’s party dressed as Khal Drogo and Khaleesi.

I felt frozen solid, unable to react or get any words out. Everything felt like a dream, something that was too good to be true. When his voice pulled me back from my haze

“Can I get an answer? Because this silence isn't exactly reassuring-”

I cut him off with a kiss that I hoped would express all of the emotions I was feeling that moment and couldn’t form words to explain.

“Is that a yes?” He asked, with a hopeful voice

“Of course it’s a yes!” I hugged him tightly

…………………………………………………………..

6 MONTHS LATER

“Roman, this is amazing!” I gasped, as I admired the view of the Mediterranian sea from our honeymoon suite

“I’m glad you like” He kissed my hair softly

“This looks like one of those fancy paintings” I said, taking a picture of the view in front of me with my camera

He chuckled softly “I can show you a view that’s even more beautiful”

“Really?” I clapped my hands in excitement “Where?”

He pulled me towards the mirror and placed me in front of it, and hugging me from behind, he said

“Here’s the most beautiful view in this world, baby: You! My beautiful wife” He rested his chin on my shoulder

“Roman-” I began to protest, but he shushed me, and pulled us towards the bed

He undressed me as if I was made of porcelain, caressing every inch of my skin oh so softly, whispering praises as he laid on top of me, covering my body with the heat of his tanned skin, kissing my lips delicately, savoring every lazy thrust.

And that night we didn’t engage in our usual crazy intense fucking, no, that night we made love in such a deep way that I was more than certain we had unified our souls.

With the Mediterranian waters as our witness...

Please if you’re comfortable with it, let me know your thoughts on this? Feedbacks are always appreciated 🥰😘

[cxsmicmyeon]

HAPPY NEW YEAR , OSH [M]

oh sehun x fem! reader

IN WHICH you're forced to go to your best friend's giant new year's eve party, only to hit it off with someone who equally doesn't want to be there.

genre: college au! fluff and smut (toward the end) word count: 5.0k warnings: stupid jokes, swearing, sexual content, dirty talk, cunnilingus

author's note: MOODBOARD MADE BY ME. I DON'T OWN THE IMAGES, I ONLY OWN MY EDITING. also this is cross-posted from ao3 (i wrote it back in january for the new year lol). feedback and notes are greatly appreciated <3

Ugh.

That was the only word that came to mind as you navigated your way through the banquet hall. You grumbled to yourself as you adjusted your dress for the fifteenth time that night, resulting in your clutch dropping onto the floor. You resisted the urge to shout an expletive as you bent to pick the small bag up, which only resulted in your dress moving to that stupid spot that you didn't want it to go. A soft 'God' slipped from your lips as you adjusted your dress once again, this time gripping your clutch tightly in your right hand. Once you were contented, you resumed your trek to the venue you tried hopelessly to avoid.

Tonight was your best friend's annual New Year's Eve extravaganza. Normally you'd be a bit more willing to attend, as these parties were usually limited to 20-30 people in either her parent's house or your shared apartment, but apparently she found the need to rent out an entire fucking rooftop penthouse room filled to the brim with alcohol, hors d'oeuvres and packed with every single student that went to your college. 

To put it rather bluntly, you hated the party scene that came with college. The thought of being at some fraternity with obnoxiously loud music shaking the entire house, an entire mass of sweaty drunk people doing God knows what and random couples eating each other's faces off was unappealing to be a part of. Maybe it sounds rather prudish, but you highly preferred nights in with a bottle of wine on your coffee table and Netflix queued up on the next episode of your favorite show or your laptop open to continue writing your novel over an en masse of horny and drunk people shoving you around the living room of someone's house.

Your best friend, on the other hand, lived for partying. Every Saturday night not spent studying, she'd beg you to come to the party her boyfriend or classmate was having. And after your declination and 'Don't have too much fun!" she'd return the next morning with a giant hangover with (on some occasions) hickeys on her neck that looked like vampire bites. By now, you were used to her drunk texts at 3 am and having to hold up her hair every time she puked her guts out. And these were reasons that simply fueled your hatred for large parties.

New Year's Eve was your only exception for large parties (mostly). Back in high school, her parents allowed her to invite you and a few classmates over for what they called a 'New Year's Sleepover.' You liked those well enough simply because they were rather small, you knew everyone there and you even got to steal a drink of champagne from the wine closet. As you entered college, the past two parties became a tad more crowded but were still bearable in your eyes. But this year, the New Year's Eve of your junior year, took the cake. Exams were a lot more rigorous this year and to celebrate everyone getting through it, your idiot of a best friend used practically all of her savings to rent out the largest rooftop venue in your area for what she called 'the New Year's party that'll fuck any other party in the ass.' She sent invites to the entire student body (which, naturally, 95% of them RSVP'ed to). While you tried your best to stop her, she persisted. And when you begged her to let you stay at home, she persisted yet again. So here you were, bracing yourself for a night of... honestly you had no clue.

You stopped in front of the entrance of the large room, your breath hitching in your throat. The music was from a genre you weren't familiar with, the bar was blocked by a large crowd and your best friend was nowhere to be seen. Slightly turning around from the disaster waiting to happen, you took in a deep breath before turning back and entering. 

The stench of champagne and sweat immediately made you recoil and question your decision for even coming. You internally scoffed as you shifted through the crowd to find your best friend. You softly muttered 'excuse me' to every person you passed (or accidentally shoved) as you begged whoever was in the sky that your best friend was near. You struck gold when you saw her sprawled out on a loveseat surrounded by her boyfriend and others you didn't know by name. You pushed through a few more people before stopping in front of the group. Your best friend turned around immediately and let out a loud squeal.

"Heyyy!" she slurred as she threw her arm around you. You rolled your eyes as a smile etched itself onto your face, knowing she was already drunk as hell.

"Hiiii..." you responded, replicating her energy. She let out a loud howl of laughter as she led you to a small table next to the sofa. She picked up a plastic flute filled with champagne and practically shoved it in your hand. You laughed as she grabbed a red plastic cup from her boyfriend's hand.

"A toast, to the New Year!" she bellowed as she clinked your glass and her cup together.

"Happy New Year!" You responded. She snickered as she led you to sit down on the sofa. 

"Hey (Y/N), Happy New Year!" 

"You too, Baekhyun." You clinked your glass with your best friend's boyfriend's glass and took a sip of the fizzy drink. You let out a breath you were unaware you were holding in as the familiar taste of champagne washed over your tastebuds. Even if you were dreading tonight, you couldn't deny the free food and drinks being made available.

Quickly you were introduced and re-introduced to a bunch of Baekhyun's friends. They were nice enough, sure, but you found their energy to be a bit much (especially paired with the excess of alcohol that they all consumed). Luckily, you gave the group the excuse that you needed another drink and left them to their own accords. 

After taking a second flute of champagne from the bar, you found yourself wandering onto the balcony. Luckily for you, it was completely deserted. With a small smile, you shut the sliding door and wandered toward the metal railing, slowly sipping your champagne. Setting the plastic flute and your clutch down on a nearby table, you readjusted your dress (yes, again) and slipped your heels off, sighing in relief that your feet were finally free from those restrictive shoes. You felt a chill down your spine as your feet touched the bare ground, stepping a couple of times in place to help adjust to the temperature. You took the champagne glass from off of the table and lifted it to your lips, taking another sip as you looked out into the night sky. 

You took a deep breath as you finally felt yourself relax. The music from inside the venue was muffled a great deal and the cold temperature the winter night brought was a comforting contrast to the heat from inside the building coupled with the crowd of sweaty college students. The sky was thankfully clear from any clouds, so you were able to enjoy the comforting presence that the waning gibbous moon coupled with the scattered stars brought. Taking another sip of your champagne, you took a few steps until you felt the cold metal of the railing. You leaned slightly forward as you continued looking and admiring the sky, feeling surprisingly at peace considering your location. 

Soon enough you realized that someone else has also decided to leave the party, as you heard the music grow louder then muffled again. You turned to see a tall man around your age typing quickly on his phone with a red plastic cup in his other hand. A tall, attractive man at that.

He wore a simple oversized gray hoodie coupled with a pair of blue jeans. His jet black hair appeared tousled underneath his dark beanie, and suddenly you felt a tad overdressed. You couldn't help but ogle at how his brows furrowed in concentration as he continued looking down at his phone, how eerily well-defined his jawline was- wait, scratch that- how his entire face was well-defined. You couldn't help but mutter 'damn...' to yourself as you looked away for a second to gather your thoughts. When you looked over at him again, he was staring in your direction. Immediately you felt a blush creep onto your cheeks as he walked a little closer to you.

"Hi, sorry. I hope I'm not interrupting your vibe or anything." he said softly. 

"Oh, don't worry about it, you're good. 'S long as you're not loud or annoying." you joked in response. He let out a short laugh as he downed the rest of his drink, placing the empty cup next to your clutch. You took a small sip of your champagne and turned back to look at the sky. Absentmindedly, you placed the glass down onto the balcony, not realizing that the bars were too narrow to support the bottom of the glass. You looked down in utter shock as the glass made its descent down the building. You covered your mouth with your hands when the glass shattered before your eyes on the ground below. Turning around you saw the man pursing his lips together in an attempt to hold back a laugh. When he looked back at you, you couldn't help but let out a loud giggle. He doubled down with laughter at the event, which only made you laugh harder. 

"Jesus fucking Christ, how tragic." you chuckled. The man covered his mouth to try and conceal his louder waves of laughter; the sound intensifying your own laughter. Eventually, you let out a loud sigh in an attempt to calm yourself down. The man coughed into his elbow and cleared his throat, effectively calming himself down.

"You want another one of those?" he asked, pointing to the mess of glass shards and wasted champagne well below them.

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks though," you responded with a smile. He nodded, looking around the area for a second. "Huh, it's clear you don't wanna be here either."

He let out a playful scoff as he stretched his arms. "How'd you know?"

"'Cause you're out here with some random ass girl you don't even know when you could be among that sweaty-ass crowd of other people you don't even know." you deadpanned. He chuckled at your joke, which made you smile a bit as a result.

"I'm Sehun, by the way." he said, holding his hand out in front of you.

"(Y/N), nice to meet you." You replied, shaking his hand. You felt your heart skip a beat at the contact; his hands were slightly calloused but surprisingly soft at the same time. You unconsciously squeezed his hand before pulling away, tucking a stray hair behind your ear as you blushed slightly.

"So... how'd you get invited to this? I think like every student was invited." Sehun inquired.

"Oh, my best friend actually was the one who invited everyone. Obviously I had to show up 'cause she is my best friend. Even if I loathe the idea of hundreds of loud, drunk college kids gathered in one giant venue with music I don't even like to listen to. But it's cool, though. 'Least there's a balcony out here for some peace and quiet," you explained. "How about you?"

"I came with my brother. One of his friends I believe is dating your best friend? So, obviously, he insisted I come with." he responded.

You let out a short laugh at his response. "Baekhyun is her boyfriend."

"Right... Yeah, they're pretty close."

"Oh sick, I may know him. What's his name?"

"Jongin."

"Oh, Jongin! Yeah, I know him. He's pretty nice." Sehun nodded, looking down at his feet.

"Yeah, a lot of people know him. Obviously. He's so popular. He's so handsome. Loads of girls and guys wanna get into his pants 'cause he's such a good dancer. Everyone loves Jongin. Meanwhile, when people find out we're related, they always ask 'Oh you're so quiet! You're so different from Jongin!' Well sorry I don't party 24/7 and actually study a lot so I can get my degree!" Sehun ranted. You were stunned at his sudden anger. A soft expression made its way onto your face as you wanted nothing but to quell his fury.

"I'm so sorry, I know that's a lot to unload on a complete stranger. I'll go back in now." Sehun began to make his way back inside before you grabbed his arm, stopping his movement. He turned around with a shocked expression present on his face.

"Shh. Don't worry about it at all. I get your frustration, honestly. I know what it's like to get those comments. It fucking sucks, I know. But can I say something? I've known Jongin for a few months and you for like a half-hour and wanna know something? I feel a lot more comfortable around you than him. Again, he's a good guy and all, but a little much at times. I vibe better with more reserved people honestly." you reassured, giving his arm a small squeeze before letting go. His face lit up at your comment. A grin etched itself on his face as he walked back to his previous spot.

"So. Who is Sehun 'I-Don't-Know-Your-Last-Name-So-Fuck-This-Bit-Isn't-Gonna-Work?' You do go to ISU, right?" you asked, grinning.

"It's Oh. And yes, I do go to ISU." Sehun responded.

"Okay, hi Sehun Oh. I'm (Y/N) (L/N). And holy shit we go to the same school! How come we've never run into each other?" 

"Hi, (Y/N) (L/N). Also, I'm a chem major, is your major different?"

"Oh, no wonder! My major's secondary English education. Science is on the opposite side of campus, right?"

"Yeah. We should totally hang out sometime. Well, when we're not escaping a large ass party." You let out a giggle at his quip, which caused him to blush and rub the back of his neck.

"I'd like that a lot," You gave him a warm smile, resulting in a warm blush spreading across your face. Sehun smiled sheepishly in return, looking down at his feet again.

"So... uh... wait, shit. I'm not good with small talk, sorry." he rambled, folding his hands together while twiddling his thumbs.

"Don't worry, neither am I. Uh... I dunno... Wait, I got it. What do you do besides studying since you don't like to party 24/7 like the icon you are?" You and Sehun began giggling softly as he put his hands on his hips.

"Well, I actually dance. Jongin and I have been taking lessons since we were kids. And, uh... my friend Chanyeol and I composed a couple of songs together for his music class a while back. And I made up choreography for one of them." 

You felt your jaw drop at Sehun's answer. "You dance and make music? That's so fucking sick! You literally became 10 times cooler than you already are. Uh, not that you weren't cool to begin with... but, uh, making music and dancing is hard! Honestly, kudos to you." 

"Thanks," he said, grinning sheepishly. "How 'bout you?"

"Well... I read a lot, I write a lot, I'm finishing up my second novel, uh... that's it, I guess. Well, besides studying."

"Hold on. You've written a whole novel? You're calling me 'the cool one' when you wrote a novel? And you have another one in progress? You're amazing," You swore you were going to faint. "Now you have to show me." 

"Do I have to?" you pouted.

"Pleeeeaseeeee? Please, please, please?" Sehun whined.

"Hm... I have a proposition for you. Show me your choreography and your song and maybe I'll let you read a few chapters of my first novel."

"Deal." 

"Well damn, okay. Show me the song first."

Sehun nodded and took his phone out of his pocket. He spent a few seconds typing and scrolling before setting it down on the table.

"Uh, it's called 'We Young,'" Sehun stated quickly before tapping the middle of his phone screen. He backed up from the table and straightened himself out. You focused your attention on him as the song began playing from his phone. You let out a soft 'ooh,' immediately being intrigued and fascinated by the melody of the piano and the drum beats chosen. As you heard Sehun sing from the phone, he closed his eyes and felt himself get lost in his dance.

Your jaw dropped at the sight. Watching the way his fluid movements intricately matched the rhythm of his song was like watching a flurry of snow getting caught in a gust of wind. His passion for the craft was full-on displayed right in front of you. Every single movement he made perfectly encapsulated the message of his song. The way he bobbed his head for a few seconds before jumping straight into the chorus while mouthing the lyrics kept your attention. You simply couldn't look away.

'God, the way he moves his hips. I so wouldn't mind him moving those hips against my-'

You shook your head at your thoughts. Sure, Sehun was nice. And really hot. And also really easy to talk to. But would he be comfortable with doing anything with you? You did not want to push anything onto him, even if it meant you had to repress any thoughts you had about him maybe fucking you against the railing like the world was going to end. Or feeling those large hands cup your breast and rub your clit simultaneously. Maybe.

Before you knew it, Sehun stopped his dance and paused the song. "So... what did you think?" Sehun's voice snapped you out of your trance, feeling yourself blush due to your inappropriate thoughts. You shook your head lightly and turned to face him.

"What did I think? What did I think? Holy shit, that was... that was amazing! You are so fucking talented, it's unreal!" you exclaimed while clapping your hands softly. He grinned at your response, happy that you liked the song and dance.

"Okay, (Y/N)'s novel time! Yay!" he cheered. You playfully rolled your eyes as you opened up your clutch to take your phone out. You unlocked it and pulled up Google Docs, opening up your manuscript to show him.

"So this is the final manuscript of my first novel, titled 'Neckties and Rosé'. It's a cheesy, romantic, sexy, angsty mess of an office romance. Or, to put it lightly, angstier and sexier Jim and Pam from 'The Office.'" you explained. Sehun nodded and giddily took the phone out of your hands.

He began to dramatically read the prologue of the book. As he read, you were alternating between laughing hysterically at the various voices he gave the different characters and whining due to his teasing of the actions of the characters. You also noticed that he was enjoying himself thoroughly, much to your delight. You felt as if you were around one of your closest friends rather than a complete stranger at the moment, sharing similar humor and personality traits. 

"'While Cordelia angrily slammed her car door, she swore she saw Rocky throw her a cocky smirk through the rearview mirror, which only added fuel to the dumpster fire that was her hazed state of mind.' And that concludes the prologue of 'Neckties and Rosé.'" Sehun announced, locking your phone and handing it back to you.

"So... whaddya think?" you asked shyly, looking down at your feet.

"(Y/N)... that was so fucking great! It sounded like you've been writing for like a thousand years rather than it being your first novel. Damn, you're amazing. Please send me it when you can, I wanna read the rest!" he praised, grinning at you. You couldn't help but return his smile, a jovial feeling igniting inside. 

After a beat, you turned your phone on to look at the time: 11:59 PM.

"Oh shit, it's almost midnight!" you exclaimed, showing Sehun the time. 

"Oh, wow. I honestly thought it was still 10-ish." 

Soon enough, you began to hear the crowd inside count down from thirty, signaling the close arrival of the New Year. You bashfully looked at Sehun as you began twiddling your fingers together.

"Can I say something?" you questioned, earning a nod from the dark-haired male. "I... I've never had a New Year's kiss."

"Um, me neither, actually."

"D-d'you want to... I mean, if you're comfortable of course."

"Uh, yeah, sure. I kind of wanted to ask earlier, but I wasn't sure if you'd want to kiss me."

"Trust me, I would be honored to kiss you." You walked closer to Sehun until your bodies were centimeters apart. 

"Three!"

You blushed as Sehun wrapped his toned arms around your waist. A jolt of electricity pulsed through your body at the contact, causing you to put your hands on the back of his neck.

"Two!"

He gave you a small smile as you stood on your tippy-toes, mentally preparing yourself for what was about to happen.

"One!"

You closed your eyes as you slowly leaned in for the kiss.

"Happy New Year!"

The moment your lips touched his, you swore you could feel fireworks going off inside of you. The scent of his musky cologne filled your nose as you kissed back with equal fervor. Sehun let out a groan as you entangled your fingers through his dark locks. His hand snaked down your back and cupped a handful of your ass, causing you to moan in his mouth. He took the opportunity to bite your lip lightly and put his tongue in your mouth. You cupped his cheek and pressed yourself even closer to him, practically getting drunk on the scent of his cologne and the subtle taste of beer on his lips.

"Yooo! Get some, (Y/N) and Sehun!"

You regrettably pulled away from Sehun as you turned to the door separating the balcony and the inside of the venue. You saw a drunk Baekhyun being held up by your equally tipsy best friend and one of his taller friends, also with the boys you recognized from earlier in the night. You felt yourself turn red as you buried your face in your hands. 

"Girlie, no worries! Get some tonight! Lord knows ya need it!" your best friend slurred before letting out a loud hiccup. 

"Same goes for you, Sehun!" another one of Baekhyun's friends jeered, earning a soft 'Ugh' from the taller male next to you. The boys began laughing and teasing Sehun as you collected your shoes and clutch, not wanting to make eye contact with anyone.

"You wanna get out of here?" You heard Sehun whisper in your ear, sending a chill down your spine. 

"God, yes." 

The boys and your best friend erupted into whoops and cheers as Sehun took your hand into his and led you back inside of the banquet hall. He held you close as you pushed past the larger crowd of drunk college students. Luckily you successfully left the venue unscathed and made your way to the elevator, out of breath and silently giggling.

"Wait, fuck. I don't have my car with me." you muttered as you followed Sehun inside of the elevator.

"I have mine, don't worry." Sehun responded before capturing your lips again. You uttered a soft moan as you pressed him against the back wall of the elevator. He broke the kiss to bury his face in the crook of your neck. 

"God, I could take you right here baby. You're so fucking hot." he mused, nipping at your neck. You whimpered in pleasure as he sucked your sweet spot and palmed your ass until the doors of the elevator opened. He took your hand into his and led you out of the shaft, out of the building and to his car.

It took every fiber of your being to resist shoving Sehun into the backseat of his car and fucking him right there. He insisted on taking you to his apartment for, in his words, 'a lot more privacy.' The ride over to his place was silent yet filled to the brim with sexual tension. As he drove, you held back a moan as he placed his big hand on your thigh and almost ordered to stop the car as his fingers slowly yet surely moved toward your clothed core.

As soon as you entered the apartment, his lips were immediately on yours again. He slipped his tongue into your mouth as he hoisted your legs up so you could wrap them around his waist. Impressed by his strength and flexibility, you cupped his cheeks in the palms of your hands and deepened the kiss.

He brought you into his bedroom and slammed the door before laying you down onto his bed. He looked at you with hooded eyes as he pulled his hoodie off and discarded it to the side. You reached your hands under his t-shirt, feeling the smooth outline of his abs before pulling it over his head. You ogled at how his chest shone under the moonlight, indistinctly licking your lips as you put your hair back. He wrapped his arms around you, leaving butterfly kisses along your neck and jawline as he unzipped your dress.

You shifted away from Sehun to slide your dress down your legs and toss it across the room. His eyes flew down to your braless chest, a small smirk toying with his features. 

“No bra? You’re a naughty girl, aren’t you?” A smart remark got stuck on your tongue as he latched his lips onto your left breast. He swirled his tongue around your nipple as he brought his hand to your other breast, massaging it gently. You threw your head back in absolute bliss. How were you getting this wet from him simply touching you?

Sehun laid you down on the bed, giving you a lingering kiss before pulling your panties down your legs. 

“Wet for me already, hm?” Sehun hummed as he grazed a finger down your folds. He let out a contented hum as he lowered himself down between your legs, spreading your thighs apart while licking your arousal off his finger. 

“Oh God, Sehun!” you moaned out as he slid his tongue between your folds. He eagerly began licking your dripping cunt, groaning softly as he tasted you for the first time. You fisted a handful of his jet black hair as he alternated between sucking on your clit and lapping your juices like a man starved.

"You taste so fucking good," he cooed, the vibration of his voice between your legs sending a jolt of electricity down to your center. You felt your orgasm creep closer and closer the more he ate you out.

"S-Sehun, I'm gonna..." you cried out. Right as you were on the cusp of coming all over Sehun's beautiful face, he stopped his ministrations and looked back up at you, his mouth dripping with your arousal. You whined as he wiped your juices off of his chin, slipping his digits into his mouth. Your jaw dropped at the sight; here this gorgeous man was, licking your arousal off his long fingers. It drove you bonkers. 

"Shh, you're not gonna cum unless it's all over my cock. I want your pretty cunt wrapped around me as you cum, got that baby?" You nodded with a whine as Sehun walked over to his bedside drawer. He opened it and took out a condom, ridding himself of his pants and boxer briefs as he walked back to you.

"Mmmh, hurry up, I need you inside of me," you croaked, watching Sehun stroke his half-hard cock, eliciting another moan. He tossed you the golden package, which you happily ripped open.

"So needy," he scoffed. You stuck your tongue out at him while you rolled the condom onto his cock, palming him swiftly. He hissed as he aligned himself to your entrance, wrapping his arms around you. "Ready?"

"Just fuck me already."

With a click of his tongue, Sehun quickly pushed himself inside of you. You gasped as he filled you, blissfully stretching your walls in the most perfect way. Never have you had a partner who made you feel this good, made you feel so full. Your eyes shut in pure pleasure as he began to move. His thrusts started off slow but gradually picked up the pace; each movement filled with utmost care. He cradled you as if you were made of porcelain, wanting nothing more than to make you feel as good as possible.

"Christ, (Y/N), you're so fucking tight. So pretty wrapped around my cock." 

"Fuck," You felt yourself being brought back to the brink of your orgasm as he continued his languid thrusts inside you. "Sehun, I'm close."

He hummed as his thrusts became sloppier, feeling his own orgasm coming close as well. You opened your eyes to see Sehun's face contorted in pleasure as he moved inside of you. The sight made you come undone, your body clenching around his cock as you felt juts of white-hot pleasure seep from your center to his cock. His movements became sloppier and sloppier before he filled the condom with his own release, grunting loudly at the sensation.

You breathed heavily as you came down from your high. Sehun pulled out of you and stood to dispose of the condom as you relished in what just happened. You turned to see him bringing a box of tissues over to you, almost swooning at the sight.

"Thank you," you hummed as he cleaned you up. He nodded, placing a chaste kiss onto your sweaty forehead before disposing of the tissues. He took your panties and one of his t-shirts from off the floor and handed both articles of clothing to you. You thanked him silently as you pulled the material over your head, relishing in how the shirt smelled just like him. 

He climbed into bed after putting on a fresh set of boxers, beckoning you to come closer to him. You sighed in contentment as he cuddled close to you, feeling your eyes close as soon as he wrapped the duvet around the both of you.

[wondersofdreaming]

Show Night

Characters: Henry Cavill x female reader

Word count: 1.446

Warnings: Pure fluff. Competitiveness. Blurting. Hidden relationship. A little teasing. Embarassment. 

Author’s note: This is a prequel to Game Night

Thank you @radaofrivia​ for your inspiration, motivation and for guiding me <3

Go read her stories here: Rada’s Masterlist

Divider by @firefly-graphics​

I do not own any characters in this short story, except the reader who is a figment of my imagination.

MASTERLIST

Feedback is appreciated.

“Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, we have a very special treat for all of you. We have the entire Justice League here with us. Please give a warm welcome to Gal Gadot, Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher and Ezra Miller.”

The entire audience clapped. There were whistling, some were screaming at the top of their lungs. You were cheering just as loud. Watching your handsome boyfriend walk out and wave to everyone. A relaxed smile spread on his lips when his eyes landed on you.

You were at the Graham Norton show. Sitting on the front row. No one knew who you were except the man who owned your body, heart, and soul, and now also Graham Norton and his crew. The producers had wanted you to stay backstage, but you had been adamant on wanting to sit in the audience and watching the show live. They had relented in the end if you promised not to cause a ruckus, which you had sworn.

Graham starts asking questions about the Zack Snyder’s Justice League, and at some point the engagement ring for Amy Adams’ character ‘Lois Lane’ comes into the conversation.

“Did you in fact choose that ring yourself, Henry?” Graham asked and motioned to the monitor behind him, showing a closeup of the ring.

“I didn’t. I actually have no clue where it comes from,” Henry chuckled, his eyes searching for you. You could see he was a little nervous, as he was fiddling with the hem of his suit jacket. You put your hand on your chest and crossed your fingers.

It was your secret sign for him. A sign of your devotion to him, as you had promised to always be there for him. The idea came to you while watching your favourite anime show ‘Fairy Tail’.

“If you ever become nervous or need a reminder, then look towards me or the camera if I am not there. I will you show you this sign,” you had crossed your fingers over your heart, “Even if you can’t see me, no matter how far away you may be, I will always be watching over you.”(1)

It had been a day where Henry had had a long day filled with interviews right at the beginning of your relationship. He hadn’t wanted to ask you to come, which was the reason why you hadn’t attended, thinking he wanted to work in peace. He proceeded to come home and went directly for your lap, falling asleep in 0.2 seconds, and you had asked him to bring you with him to work, as you, an author, could work anywhere.

“… I think it is about time he finds himself a girlfriend, a woman to spend his life with,” Jason’s voice pulled you out of your thoughts. You looked up to see Henry squirming more than before. His jaw was tense as he was forcing a laugh. You felt his pain and wished you could sit next to him and squeeze his hand in yours.

“I have a lot of single friends, Supes. Say the word and I’ll introduce you,” Jason smacked Henry’s thighs with the biggest grin on his bearded face. It may have sounded like a joke to the audience but Henry knew that Jason wasn’t teasing.

“I don’t think my girlfriend will like that you’re playing matchmaker, brother,” Henry smiled. All the actors’ faces fell, even Jason was gobsmacked as his jaw dropped to the floor.

Then Henry noticed what he had just said. His head turned towards you with a look of utter shock. He had just blurted out that he wasn’t single anymore, without having consulted you. Your heart was racing, your secret had been revealed. In some way, it felt like a heavy stone having been lifted from your shoulders.

You didn’t know whether to scold him for not asking you to make your relationship public or to laugh at the horror he was sporting on that handsome face of his. You opted for the second choice, the people around you followed suit and started laughing and cheering.

“Well, you heard it here first, ladies and gentlemen, Henry Cavill is officially off the market,” Graham announced to the camera. “Now, Henry, you have to tell us how you two met.”

“We… eh… met through mutual friends. They were having a game night, and we ended up being paired together for charades,” Henry smiled at the memory. Looking at you, making you fall even more in love with him. Jason and the others noticed where Henry was looking and started shouting for you to join the group.

“Oh yes, please she must join us for the next part of the fun,” Graham pleaded.

Ray and Ezra both stood and went to stand at the edge of the stage. Each man gallantly offered a hand, which you took and was led towards the sofa. Jason moved to make space for you and was wearing a big grin, his eyes shining with glee.

After the rounds of introduction and you told what your occupation was, Graham went to introduce the little quiz game he had conjured. You were each given a button that made a sound. Yours sounded like a pig snorting, while Henry’s was a howling wolf.

“So, the winner gets to take home whatever is underneath this piece of cloth,” Graham said after he had told you the rules. He motioned to the covered box next to him.

“Everyone ready?” he asked. All the actors and yourself said yes. Henry was leaning a little forward, to be ready to push his button.

“First question: Who are the original members of the Justice League?”

You pushed your button faster than anyone, while Henry pushed his so hard it nearly flew off the table.

“Aquaman, Wonder Woman, Batman, The Flash, Superman and Green Lantern,” you told Graham. (2)

“Go girly,” Gal cheered for you. She leaned forward and raised her hand for a high five, which you returned.

“Correct! Question number two: What is the Green Lantern oath?”

*Oink oink*

Again you were the fastest. Everyone watched as Henry let out an annoyed huff, but his face showed nothing but absolute happiness.

“In brightest day, in blackest night, No evil shall escape my sight.

Let those who worship evil’s might Beware my power, Green Lantern’s light. (3)” You quoted.

You felt the other actors starring at you. Jason gave you a side hug and told you that Henry had found not only a beautiful woman but also an impressive one and that he was damn lucky to have you. You had smiled back and felt yourself being pulled back towards Henry’s side. He held a protective arm around you the remaining of the show.

“Seriously, Cavill. Don’t want to compete with your girl?” Jason asked teasingly.

“I’ll gladly just lean back and let her have her time in the light. Besides, I’m already winning because she’s with me,” Henry smiled proudly at you. You heard the entire audience all go ‘awwwwwwwww’, so did the actors and Jason went between you and Henry to hug both of you.

“Third question: In what year was the first Justice League comic book published?”

Again you were quick to push the button.

“Depending on whether you’re talking about the first time they appeared all together which was in The Brave and the Bold #28 (4) and published in 1959, while their very first own comic book series was published in late 1960.” (5)

Henry raised his eyebrows, clearly dazzled by your vast knowledge. 

“Correct again. Seems you know more about the Justice League than the Justice League itself,” Graham joked.

“I didn’t expect anything less from Superman’s girlfriend,” Ben said with an appreciative grin.

You felt Henry moving closer to you, hugging you tighter to his chest. It was the safest you had ever felt, and even though Henry hadn’t gotten one single point, he was still oozing happiness. Happy to have you by his side forever and ever.

“Here is what you’ve won,” Graham handed you the box and removed the cloth. Inside was Funko Pop figurines of every Justice League member.

After the show, you made sure that every single actor signed their respective figure, and you had pictures taken with them to remember the evening.

At home, you arranged the figures with how they look on the poster you had hung on the wall of your office.

“Another win for the team,” you said out loud. Henry walked in and hugged you from behind. He wrapped those big arms around your middle and whispered seductively in your ear:

“I’m the real winner here.”

1. This is a line from Fairy Tail episode 48 by Makarov Dreyar. I changed it a bit to fit the context.

2. Source https://ew.com/books/brief-history-of-the-justice-league-in-all-its-incarnations/ 

3. Source https://greenlantern.fandom.com/wiki/Lantern_Oaths_(Disambiguation) 

4. Source https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/The_Brave_and_the_Bold_Vol_1_28

5. Source https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Justice_League_of_America_Vol_1_1 

[sleepywinchester]

Fool For You Pt. 8

Summary:  You are back in your hometown Freeridge to take care of your sister Jasmine and your father after being away for six years. You left Freeridge looking for a better life but in that process you had to let go of someone you loved. But you’re back and things are not the same but they sure feel like it.

Words: 2K+

Warnings: N/A

A/N: Hola!!!! Hope everyone is safe at home! This continues the story as a some sort of a series re-write. It won’t be something of all the episodes but the main ones of where Spooky appears. Hope you guys like this and always feel free to leave some feedback is so appreciated it.

This was supposed to be posted for Valentine's day but life happens and I ended up finishing this chapter 3 months later... lol

| MESSAGE BOX | HAPPY READING!!!

(english is not my first language, might be some typos around)

Title:  Happy Valentine's Day

Chapters: Uno - Dos - Tres - Cuatro - Cinco - Seis - Siete

Six years have passed since you spent Valentine's day with Oscar. The memories of the last one brought a lot of good and mischief feelings to your soul. He had just inherited his father's beautiful red car. Memories of the week prior to the festivities, all he talked about him taking you for a day trip to Santa Monica. A chuckle filled the space as you remembered when you both got caught having a making out section by the beach.

“What are you giggling about mamas?” Oscar’s deep voice brought you back to the present.

You turned around standing in the middle of the bathroom doorway, seeing him sitting by the edge of the bed. He was wearing a black tank and his khaki dickies. Leaning against the door frame with your electric pink toothbrush on hand you gazed at him and took the brush out to speak.

“I was reminiscing about our last Valentine's day together…” you smirked before placing the tooth brush inside your mouth.

Oscar instantly chuckled, “Santa Monica wasn’t ready for those dos traviesos teenagers.”

You took the brush out, turning back to spit out the toothpaste foam and have some water. “Those?” You said leaving the toothbrush on the counter and walked back to the room and stood in front of Oscar. He looked up, his hazel eyes piercing yours. “Baby we are still dos traviesos,” you said before kissing him.

He followed your lead within seconds, letting his body fall back on the bed. You continued kissing his hips as his hands traveled your body. “You got time?” Your eyes were looking at his as your hands were on his belt.

“Para ti? All the fucking time,” he smirked and then continued kissing him.

The morning activities had woken up a hunger for both of you. Oscar was speaking with some homies on the phone as you cooked scrambled eggs with bacon. They had some runs to make but deeply you hoped those didn’t take long. Out of nowhere the thought of Caesar crossed your mind and that you never heard him come home last night.

“Hey, have you seen-,”

Your words were cut by Caesar himself busting inside the house yelling.

“Hey! Hey! There’s a dude posted up outside!’

In a matter of seconds Oscar stood from the chair, grabbed the gun from on top of the counter and stormed outside. Your heart began to bump so fast, scared for both of them.

Quickly you grabbed the phone and began dialing Sad Eyes as you peeped from the window and instantly recognized who that man was.

“Oh shit,” you said, putting the phone down. Mr. Diaz has been in jail for almost a decade. You haven’t seen him since middle school when he got locked up. Oscar aura changed completely at the sight of his father. When he turned his body, you saw it on his eyes, he wasn’t happy his father was back. Mr. Diaz grabbed his duffel bag from the floor and crossed the street making his way towards the house.

“Babe?” You called him as he walked in. “When - How?”

Oscar shook his head groaning, “I have no fucking clue.”

You stood by the kitchen watching Mr. Diaz cautiously walk inside the house. His eyes roamed every inch of the space but when he spotted you, his eyes disappeared because of the big smile he gave you.

“Y/N,” he said.

You smiled back, “Hey Mr. Diaz…”

“I can see you two still together… Good.” He said looking at Oscar and you.

You smile awkwardly, “Yeah…”

Mr. Diaz picked up the awkwardness of the moment but decided to ignore it by walking around the kitchen and living room area. He admired the house as if it was an old museum.

You decided to walk around the living room and sit next to Oscar who was already sitting on the sofa with Caesar. You were right in the middle of the two brothers.

“So when did you get out?” Caesar asked, his voice had the tone of a 3 year old excited kid.

“Yesterday,” Mr. Diaz replied, still contemplating the house, “Looks kind of the same…” he said looking around, “doesn’t smell the same tho.”

You smiled proudly at his comment, “That would be my doing.“

“You live here?” He asked you.

Your eyes felt Oscar staring, it was obvious how he felt about his father being out of prison. He didn’t want him here but looking at his father, you really didn’t think he cared what Oscar thought or not. “Yeah.” You looked at your boyfriend. “I’ve added a couple things,” your sight went back to Mr. Diaz, “you know a bit of a female touch.”

“That’s good,”’he sat down across from the sofa. Mr. Diaz's eyes were locked on Oscar before switching them to his younger son. “You in school?” His Mexican accent was heavy and distinguished.

“Of course he is,” Oscar replied for his younger brother.

He looked at his older son, “How about you? Going to college?”

You saw Oscar raise an eyebrow, not believing the question he just got asked.

“Seriously?” Oscar said with unbelief.

“It's nice to see you,” Caesar told his dad, who just answered with a nod as he took a drag off his cigarette. “Do you have plans?”

“No,” he said, “just wanted to see you guys before I go to Bakersfield. Got a job lined up.”

“Caesar, you need to get to school,” Oscar said with his tone firm. You watched Caesar trying to give his older puppy eyes to let him stay but they didn’t work on him. Instead he rolled his eyes and grabbed his bag.

He was about to leave when he turned around. Caesar's body shook as he tried to figure out how to talk to his father. “Hey... Do you maybe I don’t know… wanna hang? After school?”

“Sure,” Mr. Diaz replied without much emotion.

Not being facial expressive in this family, the male Diaz didn’t show much emotion or even spoke much for that matter. You watched how Caesar smiled happily, for years Oscar was the only father figure to him. Meanwhile Oscar never really had a father figure.

“So where are you staying?” Oscar asked his father once his brother was out of the house.

He looked at his son replying before taking another dragg. “Here.”

In that moment Oscar stood up from the couch, you could feel how pissed off he was. You watched him walk towards the bedroom, leaving you alone with Mr. Diaz.

“He hates me,” he said with his voice low.

Another thing he had in common with his son was that his eyes spoke a thousand words.

You didn’t know how to speak to him or what to say, last time you saw this man was in 9th grade. “He-,” you cleared your throat, “I don’t know if he hates you or not… it's been years and honestly we haven’t talked about you in the past months.”

“Months?” he arched an eyebrow confused, “you two were inseparable when kids thought you were together all these years.”

“Not really,” you said standing up, “we broke up well-,” you shrugged, “I broke up with him when we graduated high school, I moved away for a couple years but I came back a couple months ago and now we are together again.”

Mr. Diaz nodded his head, “At least you found each other again.”

“Si…” you said getting distracted by a loud crash coming from the bedrooms, “Tengo que ir donde él… Hablamos más luego.”

The noise of bangs and things breaking became louder the more you reached the room. Once in front of the closed door, you took a big deep breath preparing yourself to see a very pissed off Oscar. Before you opened the door, the loud noises suddenly stopped. The first thing you noticed when you opened the door was all the broken glass on the floor. Your eyes scanned around the messy room until they met Oscar once again sitting by the edge of the bed in silence. Instantly you noticed the blood on his hands and had a small panic attack.

“Oscar!” You shouted quickly running into the bathroom for the first aid kit. This was one of the first things you bought when you moved in with him. You know that sooner or later you would need it and you weren’t wrong. Going back to him you knelt down between his legs, his eyes were stuck on the floor, filled with rage.

“Talk to me,” you looked into his eyes that were filled with suppressed tears. “Oscar… hablame.”

He hissed when you poured antiseptic over his cut, “Crap.”

“Exactly,” you glared at him, “Why were you breaking all this crap!?” Oscar rolled his eyes. “I saw that,” you told him as you continued to cover his cut.

“He hasn’t called or written for years and now he just comes back as if nothing ever happened?!” Oscar let out what was bothering him. “I-,” he clenched his jaw, “I hate him.”

“Don’t say that,” you looked into his eyes. “He- he wasn’t the best father but es tu papa.”

“I hate him, Y/N…” Oscar's eyes were full of rage.

You sighed, finishing up putting on the bandage and standing up. Today wasn’t supposed to be full of troubles from the past. It was supposed to be a chill day with your boyfriend. You were hoping to go on a date and have a normal Valentines day and you weren’t going to have less. Oscar and you needed an escape from the real world. “Let’s get out of here,” you told him.

He looked at you confused, “Que?”

“Let’s get out of here,” you said again, “is Valentine’s day for fucks sake. I am not letting your father’s return ruin this day.”

You could see how the rage in his eyes slowly burned out at the same time a small smirk formed on the corner of his lips. He sighed looking away for a second before standing up and holding you close.

“Tienes razon,” he said, “let’s get out of here.”

Both changed into new clothes and made an overnight bag. There weren’t plans made for today but you and Oscar were big fans of spontaneity. Something would come up and honestly being away from home sounded like a great idea at this moment. Oscar texted his brother letting him know he was going to be out for a day. You chuckled when he out-loud said “don’t do anything stupid” as he typed.

“You know that’s practically impossible,” you told him. The breeze of the coast made your hair fly with the air as your extremely hot man drove. “Those chamacos go from one stupid thing to another,” you continued, “we weren’t like that.”

“We were too busy having sex,” Oscar said, “in this car.”

You chuckled quickly looking at the backseat and reminiscing, “Ah, the old days but I’m pretty sure Caesar and Monse are doing something.”

Oscar’s face instantly looked so disgusted, “I don’t want to talk about this.”

You chuckled, “Es la verdad.”

“They broke up,” Oscar said.

“How many times did we break up cuando eramos chamacos?”

“Too many fucking times,” he let out.

Once again you chuckled, “And we always ended up back together… Those two are the fucking same.”

He smirked, deep down he was happy his little brother had someone. His eyes found yours again, “Where are we going?”

“There is this small inn by Santa Monica. The reviews said it is the perfect couples getaway.” You finished the sentence with a flirtatious wink. “We can be more traviesos.”

“I hope Caesar doesn’t get in any trouble while we’re down here,” he let out.

You caressed the back of Oscar's neck, smiling when he let his shoulders relax at your touch. “Everything is going to be fine,” you told him. “My sister is hanging out with them and if anything happens, we will be the first to know. Now can you just give me your all devoted attention and don’t think about your brother and his crazy friends…” You kissed his lips.

Oscar looked at your eyes for a second before turning his focus back to the road. For the rest of the hour you tried your best to take Oscar's mind off his father and his brother.

/ / /

“This is fucking nice,” Oscar let out putting his duffel bag on top of the white bed.

You chuckled, “Look at the view.”

He stood by you on the window holding you by the waist and taking in the beautiful sight of the beach. “Thank you,” he whispered in your ear.

“For what?” you smiled.

“You make everything better,” he said, “if it wasn’t for you this day would have fucking sucked but you… you made it better.”

It was a rare thing for him to be so spoken of his feelings but God how much you loved it when these unusual moments happened. Without hesitating you kissed his lips.

“I got an idea,” he stopped kissing you. “We need to get ready.”

You certainly loved surprises and even more when coming from him. For tonight you decided to wear a white dress with high heel sandals. You wore your hair natural just like your make up only adding a bright red lipstick.

“Wow,” you let out when you saw Oscar walking out of the bathroom. He was wearing a white button long sleeve shirt and khaki pants with his converse. You smiled taking in how handsome he looked. “You look hot.”

He smiled for you, “Tu tambien mamas’,” he walked around you, “I’m so lucky.”

You got closer to him, “Yes you are,” kissing him.

He held your hand as you two walked through the streets of Santa Monica. The fresh air coming from the ocean was salty and so pleasant. You followed Oscar lead down the streets until you two got to a small restaurant by the beach.

“Una mesa para dos,” Oscar spoke to the hostess.

She smiled and showed you two the way to a small table outside. The sounds of the waves in the background played better than any song. There was a small candle on the table, lighting bright enough to see Oscar’s eyes on you. Moments like this when there could be a million people around and his eyes were always on you. These were the moments you felt like the only woman in this world.

“This is nice,” you told him, “unusual for us but nice.”

“Our usual dates involve shrimp tacos and watching movies at home,” he said reading the menu.

“I love those dates too,” you said.

Instantly he looked up from the menu and winked giving you a small smirk. “But sadly those are postponed until nuevo aviso because my father decided to just come home after a fucking decade.”

You sighed, “Oscar can we just forget about your dad for one night?”

“You’re right,” he sighed, “Perdon.”

“He told me he thinks you hate him,” you couldn’t help but ignore your own words and talk about his father. Instantly he shot a ‘are you serious?’ glare at you. Innocently you shrugged, “Sorry pero you started.”

“I do hate him,” he said with no remorse.

“Why?”

Oscar put the menu to the side, leaning backwards and crossing his arms onto his chest. “I wrote letters to him,” he began to say. You could feel the sadness in his tone, “for years I wrote and called… You know what I got in return? Nothing.” He placed both of his elbows on the table, holding his hands onto a tight fist. You placed your hand on top of his, “When he left I was a kid but I had to grow up and be a father for my little brother without knowing what a father was. Maybe if he had kept contact or replied to my letter maybe I wouldn’t have turned out so fucked up but he didn’t and here I am… A fucking mess.”

“Hey,” you hold his chin up, “we’re all a fucking mess but it’s just life, you did the best you could and Caesar has turned out good.”

Oscar clenched his jaw, “I guess… I only had one normal while growing up though.”

“What?” You were curious about what his answer would be.

His eyes disappeared into a thin line as his smile grew bigger, “You.”

You giggled with happiness, “Baby I ain’t that normal.”

“You are,” he holds your hand softly caressing it, “I love you.”

You leaned forward kissing his perfect lips and whispering, “I love you too.”

tags are open: just comment or send me a message ;)

@flamingweasley @dolanackles @lcandothisallday @mmelissarenee @donnaintx @blckgrl-sunflower @jayankles oscar

[purpleyellow]

Useless

BTS 8th member

Sunny’s masterlist

“Me @/ Sehun in this scenario: go girl!! give us nothing!!”

a/n: Your opinion is very important for me, send feedback and requests anytime 💜 Also, don’t be shy and interact a little, ask box is always open.

Opening the door with the keys she was given a long time ago, Sunny discarded her shoes on the little shelves and placed her bag near a counter. 

The faint muffled sounds of Chanyeol screaming over some video game indicating he was away somewhere in the house, while Sehun’s silhouette gave him away pacing in the living room.

Opening the glass doors, the girl was met by the white dog who jumped up her leg until she picked it up and her boyfriend staring blankly at the wall. 

“Not going to lie” Sehun placed his hands on his hips raising one eyebrow at her. “I wasn’t expecting you to show up”

“If you had come to meet me, we would have a lot more time to talk” She sighed dropping the dog and sitting on the couch “My manager is downstairs, she’s needs to drive me back in thirty minutes”

“And here I was thinking you had actually given me the time of day” He cut her off scoffing and Sunny rolled her eyes

“What the hell?” She raised her voice “Why are you acting like you’re not an idol either? It’s comeback time and award show season, you know I can’t dictate my own schedules right now”

“Still, I made time to talk to you”

“You did that when your stupid movie gave you a break. We were both ignoring each other for weeks, you do not get to blame this on me”

He knew she was right. Ever since the last time he called her, neither of them made a slight effort to reach out to the other and talk like adults. Instead, a feeling of annoyance started to grow by the mutual ghosting.

Shaking his head, Sehun sat on the other end of the couch and crossed his arms, the couple staring forward like stranges as they wrecked their brains to find a topic to start talking about. It felt unusually hard to do so, considering there wasn’t a specific chain of events that led them there, to Sunny they were just stubborn and stupid.  

“We shouldn’t be sitting here like this” Sehun mumbled as the dog booped its nose on his feet to get him to play. “Can you even pinpoint why I’m mad at you?”

“Last time we talked I wasn’t giving you enough attention” She mumbled back, also crossing her arms “I guess now we’re even”

“Okay,” He gave her a side glance and frowned at her clenched jaw “Why are you mad at me then?”

“It’s not you. It’s just- It’s so frustrating” She shook her head and looked at him, her eyes a little lost. 

“What?” He blurted out in confusion, not able to make up a good question and just saying what first came to his mind.

“Everything in this situation just feels pointless. And everything outside of this situation is too overwhelming” 

Sunny dropped her head back and stared at the ceiling, for some reason she had always found easy talking with him, even when they weren’t being all lovey with each other.

“It’s the unbalance of the amount of effort I put into things and the reward I’m getting from them. I don’t know how to explain, but I keep doing and doing whatever comes up in my way but when I’m done it feels blank. When something is exciting, it lasts a little longer, but at the end of the day… I don’t know”

Sehun stared at her carefully, watching how her breathing speeding up and slowing down as he digested what she had confessed. After three years, he felt like anything he could say wouldn’t be enough for her, yet he felt obligated to speak

“That doesn’t sound like you” He frowned, oblivious to his poor choice of words.

Straightening her posture, Sunny turned to him visibly annoyed “Then what would the real Sunny say? Who am I? Please enlighten me”

“I don’t think you need me to tell you who you are” He sighed defeated as she sounded more desperate.  

“Yes, I do. Because I, for once, have no fucking clue” The girl got up looking around before turning to his confused figure “Seriously, I have no idea what is going on in any aspect of my life right now. And I can’t even tell you when that started to happen” 

The worlds flew out of her mouth before Sunny could even think them through, and in all honesty, that was the first time she was met with those concrete thoughts herself. In her mind, all she could think was “what the fuck is going on?”.

“Have you told your members you’ve been feeling like this?” Sehun asked silently making her frown “You should tell them” He thought for a bit before completing “They’ll be able to help you better than I am”

His words made her feel like a cold bucket of water had been dumped over her. Sunny wasn’t expecting him to solve all of her problems, but at least she hoped he would be there for her.

“You’re unbelievable” She mumbled without energy, straightening up and walking out of the living room, into the hallway getting followed by the tall man who was still frowning.

“You’re just leaving like that? We still have some time to talk”

“Oh I said more than I should have” She turned around putting on her shoes clearly agitated “You know, maybe we should have stayed away from each other a little longer” Picking up her purse, she stared up at him “That way, you wouldn’t have to deal with all of my crap”

“You know I’m here for you”

“I don’t, actually” She scoffed walking out of the apartment and calling the levator as he watched her from inside “All you did today was take away this one thing I thought I knew”

…

 “Are you okay?” Jin whispered from Sunny’s side as the staff around them got the room ready to record. 

“Uh, yeah. Why?” She blinked herself awake and held his hand as a form of reassurance. If she was doing that for him or for herself was still cloudy in her brain..

“Nothing. Exo boy didn’t do anything stupid, did he?” He nudged her foot with his playfully making her shake her head with a small smile. “You were fairly quick with your visit there, I almost didn’t have enough time to nap”

“He didn’t do anything, don’t worry. We’re not exactly on good terms either though” Shurgging Sunny looked around and turned to him, sounding a little more confident in her words “It’s going to be fine eventually, we just have to ride through this”

“You’re really mature you know. Sometimes it freaks me out” He joked making her chuckle and lean back on her chair with a bittersweet taste in her mouth.

“Yeah, you’ve been saying this a lot lately”

[cocastyle]

Robin — THREE

Pairing - Joel Dawson x reader

Word Count - 4,800

A/N - another update for you all! I just wanted to thank everyone for the feedback I have received on this series already! I love seeing people get excited for my writing snd it literally makes my day!

if you would like to be added to the tag list, let me know!

R O B I N

Robin Series Masterlist

⭒❃.✮:▹ THREE   ◃:✮.❃⭒

There was something different about letting her feet hit the soil under the circumstances she was currently in. Y/N was used to coming out every once and a while with the hunting team, but this. . .this was different. She wasn't about to stay near by and hurry back to the bunker before the hour was up. No, she was free. She could go wherever she wanted. She could go beyond the 'walls' that the hunting team had established.

And there was no better feeling than knowing all of that.

Y/N looked around with a soft smile playing at her features, closing her eyes for a moment to soak in the sunlight before opening them again and letting out a sigh of content. She turned to Joel after that, her smile only growing at the sight of the boy taking in his surroundings.

The girl had almost forgotten that her best friend hadn't stepped foot on the surface in seven years. Joel looked around as if he couldn't believe he was actually outside and Y/N chuckled softly as she watched him inhale deeply through his nose, his face all scrunched up in a way that she could only find adorable.

Joel's eyes shot open at her laughter, playfully glaring at the girl who just smiled before gesturing towards the map in his hands. "Where to, boss?" Y/N asked.

Joel stared at her for a moment, smiling softly at the way her eyes were squinted in his direction, her hand attempting to shadow her eyes from the sun. The boy cleared his throat and looked away, his hands fumbling with the map which he quickly opened.

Y/N walked over to his side, her arm resting against his shoulder while the two both looked at the paper with looks of concentration. "Where are we?" Joel muttered, his eyes flickering over the map confused. "Well, it's not super useful."

"Don't say that. Look right there. It says avoid that area because our lives depend on it. That's useful," Y/N tried to argue. "Besides, it's the best we could do with such little time since someone decided within a span of five minutes he was leaving the bunker for the first time in seven years."

Joel shot her a look and the girl just winked at him. Letting out a small sigh, Joel began to fold up the map before saying, "You've gone on hunting trips before. Which way should we go?"

Y/N was silent for a moment as she looked around, her finger gently tapping against her lips while she surveyed the area. Finally, she looked to Joel, the boy responding with a smile for they were finally going to start on their journey. However, it quickly disappeared as she said, "I have no clue."

"What? Robin," Joel complained.

"Joel," Y/N mimicked while the boy sighed and scratched his head.

"How do you not know? You've been out here plenty of times," Joel pointed out.

"Yeah, but Connor was always the one with the compass," Y/N explained, her voice softening a bit at the mention of her friend before she hardened and looked up at the boy. "And seeing as that compass is in a decapitated monster's stomach, I don't think I'm going to be very useful."

Joel sighed before looking around again, nervously biting his lip as he tried to decide which way was the best to go. "Okay, well, you know what? We know we gotta head west, right? Well, let's just. . .do that," Joel muttered.

"Wow. I never would've thought of that one," Y/N snorted earning a small glare from the boy.

"I could really go for some non-sarcastic advice right about now," Joel told her while the girl chuckled. "Come on, Robin. Which way should we go?"

"I'm telling you, Joel, I have no idea. Just chose a direction and we'll go with that, okay? I'll follow you whenever you go," she assured him, her words making him still for a moment before he let out a shaky breath and looked around.

"Start with something easy," Joel muttered before finally gesturing one way. "West," he declared before beginning to walk that way, Y/N trotting along behind him.

However, they didn't go every far before Joel was turning on his feet, his hands grabbing ahold of Y/N’s shoulders to turn her around and push her back in the other direction. "Nope, it's this way," he said. "West is this way."

Once again, they didn't get far before Joel let out a sigh and came to a stop. Y/N stopped as well and looked to her best friend as he glanced around. "Shit," he muttered making the girl laugh. Joel glanced her way and the sight of her smile mixed with the sound of her laughter was enough to make him chuckle too.

"Shut up," Joel laughed, gently punching the girl's arm while she just smiled his way. His heart skipped a beat at the action and Joel had to look away, his smile not as bright but still gracing his face. "Split the difference," he finally decided as he gestured forward. "We'll go this way. Done. First decision made."

Y/N cracked her neck before hopping into place beside Joel. The boy looked to her in amusement and she just flashed him that smile of hers.

"Let's do this."

- - -

Dear Aimee,

I am doing it. I'm really doing it!

Honestly, I thought it'd be way worse too. So far, it's not too bad.

Robin makes it easy. She fills the silence with some stories of past hunting trips she's been on. Not really what I want to hear while walking through the very place that holds all the monsters she's talking about. But it's kind of impossible not to get lost in the way she tells a story. She just gets so excited and there's this sparkle in her eyes that makes you want to listen to her talk forever.

We've seen a lot of signs of death, but no actual death, so cross your fingers.

Trying to stay positive. Weather's nice. Getting some fresh air. Spending time with my best friend.

What else can I tell ya?

- - -

"You should've seen the look on Tim's face," Y/N told the boy, her body shaking with laughter as she flashed a smile Joel's way. "But how was I supposed to know that cutting off the monster's head would make bile shoot out of the hole and onto him?"

"Gross," Joel laughed, shaking his head at the girl who just chuckled at the memory. "That's why Tim came back one day and showered for like an hour."

"Yeah. And then everyone got mad at him because he was using so much water," Y/N said earning another round of laughter from the two as they walked through a bus graveyard they had stumbled upon a few minutes prior.

A comfortable silence fell among the two at that point, small smiles still on their faces as they walked through the tall grass and looked around. "Oh," Joel muttered, his arm shooting out and in front of the girl as he slowly backed away from one of the buses. "Watch out. Monster eggs."

Y/N looked at what he was talking about and grimaced before looking around them. "Where do you think the monsters that came out of those eggs went?" she questioned, continuing to glance around while Joel went behind her and began to push her forward.

"I don't really plan on sticking around to find out," Joel admitted, pushing the girl the rest of the way out of the bus graveyard before joining her by her side once again as they approached what seemed to be the remnants of an old neighborhood.

"I wonder what our houses look like now," Y/N muttered, her gaze on the house in front of them that was overrun with vines and other greenery. "You think our things are still there?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe," Joel said, but his gaze was on the ground where he could see something red sticking up off the grass. He bent down to pick the object up, a small smile appearing on his face as he wiped off the grass and realized that the object was a frisbee. "Cool," he muttered causing the girl to look his way. His eyes flickered over the faded lettering as he whispered, "Wham-O."

The words had no sooner left his mouth before the familiar screeching of a monster filled the air. Y/N reacted without hesitation, her hands flying up to grab her katanas which she had by her side within a second.

"No," Joel whispered, the disappointment of already running into a monster after not even a full day on the road almost as strong as his nerves. He subconsciously took a step closer to Y/N who was still holding her katanas up in the air, her eyes narrowed as she surveyed the area.

"We should find somewhere to take cover," Y/N finally said after realizing the monster wasn't as close as she had initially thought.

"Run and hide," Joel remembered, nodding his head slightly. He looked around for a moment before gesturing towards the house. "Hide in the house. Hide in the house."

Y/N stuffed her katanas back into their sheaths before grabbing ahold of Joel's hand. "Come on," she whispered, dragging the boy forward while he quickly stuffed the frisbee into his backpack.

They hurried to the house as quickly and as quietly as possible, only letting go of each other's hand once they reached the door that was wide open. Knowing there wasn't much room to work with the katanas inside, Y/N reached for her crossbow instead. Joel did the same and the two shared a look before slowly creeping inside.

Y/N moved towards the kitchen, her crossbow up as she looked around. Joel was behind her and she didn't pay attention to him until she heard him begin to open something up. Furrowing her eyebrows, she turned around in time to see him opening up a fridge.

A loud screech filled the air and Joel slammed the door shut before backing up as quick as possible, Y/N moving to his side with her crossbow aimed at the fridge. She momentarily glanced towards Joe who gave her a nervous smile before whispering, "I think the food's expired."

Y/N rolled her eyes at that, but her lips tugged up slightly in amusement before she slowly nudged the boy out of the kitchen. Once they were out, the two took off towards the back door and into the backyard.

They both hesitated in the middle of the yard while looking to the house to see if the monster had ended up following them. Luckily, it didn't seem to have left the fridge, so Y/N let out a small sigh of relief and returned her crossbow to the hook on her backpack.

"Pro tip about surviving monsters," Y/N began, glancing towards Joel who looked her way. "Never look in a place they could be hiding."

"But that was a refrigerator," Joel argued, his eyes wide.

"Especially refrigerators," Y/N retorted before turning and beginning to walk away. Joel stood there dumbfounded as she left, trying to process why refrigerators would be such a big hiding spot for monsters.

A bubbling sound seemed to snap the boy out of his thoughts and he furrowed his eyebrows before glancing to his left and at a small pond. He could see small bubbles rising from one area and he let out a shaky breath before whispering, "R-Robin?"

"Yes, Joel?" Y/N asked, turning to look back, but she froze at the sight of Joel staring at the pond where not one, not two, but three eyes had popped out of the water to stare at him.

The two were frozen in place as a monster began to emerge from the water. It looked as if it were the mutation of a frog, it's body similar to the amphibian, just larger, grosser and with more eyes.

"Joel," Y/N whispered, reaching up to grab her crossbow. "Back up."

The boy didn't respond, a look of stunned terror on his face as he slowly reached for his crossbow as well. His eyes were filled with tears as he looked at the monster, his throat constricting at the thought of this already being the end.

"Joel," Y/N insisted, but it was too late. The monster's tongue was already shooting towards the boy, but something flew across the air and knocked him out of the way just in time.

Y/N didn't have time to look at what jumped at Joel and reacted quickly, pulling her crossbow out as fast as she possibly could and firing at the monster without hesitation. The arrow managed to land in one of the monster's eyes and it let out a roar that made both Joel and Y/N’s eyes widen in response.

"I think you made it mad!" Joel yelled causing the girl to look his way for the first time. She faltered slightly at the sight of a dog standing atop his chest.

"Is that. . .a dog?" she questioned, her eyes wide with shock.

"Robin!" Joel exclaimed, his voice bringing her back to reality in time for her to dodge the tongue attack that was now being thrown in her direction. The dog ran towards the monster without hesitation, putting itself between Y/N and the creature as it barked.

Joel was on his feet in an instant and attempted to run towards the girl who was trying to pull herself up onto her feet after having the air knocked from her lungs. However, he didn't get far before he was thrown against the wall by a hit from the monster's tongue. He landed with a loud groan, but quickly sat up as he felt something grab ahold of his leg.

"No! No, no, no. No!" Joel cried out as he recognized the tongue of the monster which had wrapped around his ankle. He felt a small tug and began sliding across the ground, a yell escaping his lips as he began picking up speed. He was just about to reach the fallen tree in the yard when he felt a hand grab ahold of his own. Joel's eyes flew upward and he yelled out, "Y/N!"

Y/N had her jaw clenched in concentration, her hand holding on tightly to Joel's as she propped her feet against the tree trunk in order to keep them in place. They could hear the dog barking in the background, but it sounded muffled over the sound of their beating hearts and their own voices.

"Robin," Joel cried, his eyes filling with tears as he brought his other hand up to desperately latch onto hers.

"I gotcha," Y/N assured him. "You're okay." However, it seemed she spoke too soon because the edge of the trunk broke and Y/N suddenly fell forward, the two now sliding across the ground together but with some resistance since the girl was clawing at the ground.

She managed to hook her hand into a small hole in the ground and glanced back at Joel who was yelling in fear before she attempted to look around. Y/N’s eyes landed on the dog that was still barking at the creature and then she looked at the monster before letting out a sigh.

"Joel, you gotta trust me on this, okay?" Y/N asked, her words making the boy look up at her confused.

"Trust you on what?" he replied, but then she was letting go of his hand and Joel began screaming as he reached for the fallen tree.

Y/N rolled up onto her feet before pulling her katanas out of their sheaths. She ran past Joel who was still sliding across the ground towards the monster and ran at the monster at full speed.

The dog must've realized she was attacking because it ran to Joel and bit into the monster's tongue right as Y/N launched herself into the air and sliced the katanas across the monster's face. The monster roared in pain and anger, it's head thrashing to the side and hitting Y/N with so much force that she went flying towards the fence.

However, during the monster's pain and anger, it had managed to let go of Joel who scrambled to his feet. He ran over to Y/N and was quick to help her up, the girl wincing slightly and shoving her katanas back into their sheaths before shaking off the pain once she noticed the monster attempting to pull its way out of the water.

"We need to go!" Joel exclaimed, his arm wrapping around Y/N before the two ran through the hole in the fence and after the dog. They managed to make it through the hole moments before the monster went crashing through the fence and Joel held onto Y/N tighter as they ran, both of their breathing ragged as they followed the dog to who knows where.

"Wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait!" Joel yelled after the dog who continued to pick up his speed. "Where are you going?"

"He's not going to answer you!" Y/N yelled before watching as the dog ran into an old bus. "There!"

Joel followed her gaze and was quick to pull her that direction, his arm still wrapped around her waist all the way there before he shoved her through the door first and hurried in after her.

The dog closed the door right behind them and Joel looked at the dog impressed as he whispered, "Whoa. Whoa, that was so cool."

They could hear the faint sound of the monster growing further away and it was only when it was gone that they finally moved. Letting out a small sigh of relief, Y/N leaned back against Joel who wrapped an arm around her shoulders and let his head rest against her own.

"We're alive," he whispered.

"Barely," Y/N muttered, the two letting out shaky breaths as they attempted to slow their breathing down.

Once they had managed to calm down some, the two let go of each other and looked down at the dog. Furrowing her eyebrows, Y/N took a step forward and looked around. Inside the bus was a makeshift home of sorts, complete with a bed for both a person and the dog, clothes, some belongings, and numerous crafts lining the inside as if someone had spent the last seven years making nothing but decorations.

"Nice place," Joel commented, looking to the dog who was now laying on his bed. "Can we sit?" The dog glanced at him and Joel looked to Y/N who shrugged. The boy watched the dog hesitantly and made a move to sit down. When the animal didn't show any sign of disagreement, Joel fully sat down. "Thanks."

Y/N walked over as well, but she kneeled down in front of the dog who looked to her with big round eyes. "Hey there, buddy," she whispered, carefully holding her hand out. The dog looked to her hand and leaned forward, sniffing her fingers for a second before licking them. Smiling, Y/N reached forward and let her fingers brush through the dog's hair. "Thank you for saving us back there. Where did you come from, huh? You got a master coming back soon?"

"Robin," Joel whispered. The girl hummed in response and looked his way only to find the boy pointing towards some dishes that looked as if they hadn't been cleaned in a really long time. Y/N instantly put two and two together before looking back at the dog who was leaning into her touch as she scratched behind his ears.

"You all alone?" Joel asked, his eyes flickering over the dog before finally looking at Y/N who he couldn't help but smile at as he watched her interact with the animal.

The dog leaned back at Joel's words and Y/N sighed before standing up and sitting down beside Joel on the bed. "Yeah, us too. I mean, we have each other, but. . .you get what I mean," Joel explained while Y/N smiled softly and placed a hand on top of the boy's.

Joel smiled back and flipped his hand over in order to hold her hand and give it a small squeeze. Feeling content with the comfort his best friend provided him, Joel began to look around until his eyes landed on some graffiti on the bus that read 'Boy.'

"Boy?" he questioned, the name instantly making the dog sit up. Joel and Y/N both shared a look before Joel looked back to the dog. "Is that your name? Boy? Your name is Boy." The dog continued to look at him and Y/N smiled softly as she leaned against Joel.

"I'm Y/N," she said. "But this one right here calls me Robin."

"And I'm Joel," the boy spoke up. "But people call me Batman."

"They do not," Y/N snorted making the boy pout.

"No one calls you Robin," Joel tried to argue.

"You call me Robin," Y/N pointed out.

Knowing he was defeated, Joel looked back to Boy before nodding at the dog. "Nice to meet ya," he said. "Like Robin said earlier. . .thanks, uh. . .thanks for saving my life, Boy."

Boy lowered his head and Y/N just watched the dog with a small smile while Joel used his free hand to pick up a red dress that was lying on the makeshift bed. "Is this a dress?" he asked. However, the words had barely left his mouth before Boy was up and pulling the dress from his grasp.

"Oh. Oh. Oh. Oh. Sorry," Joel said as Boy ripped the dress away and laid back down on his bed with the dress next to him. "Okay, I won't touch it again."

Y/N let her eyes flicker over Boy, frowning slightly as she realized the dress must've belonged to his owner. Thinking the same thing, Joel asked, "Was that your owner's?"

Boy didn't move and Joel glanced towards Y/N. "It's okay," Joel assured the dog. "You don't have to talk about it. Sorry."

"Did you. . .did you think one of us was her?" Y/N asked, thinking back to the way the dog had grown so protective of them. Boy didn't look at them, but he didn't have to. Y/N was pretty sure he had thought one of them was his owner coming back to him.

"I'm gonna lie down too," Joel said, letting go of Y/N’s hand to pull his backpack off. "Is that o—" The dog looked his way and Joel slowed his actions down. "No, it's okay. Just my backpack." Boy laid back down and Joel let out a small sigh as he set the backpack down. However, he paused as he glanced towards Y/N and it registered in his head that there was only one bed.

"I forgot there's only one bed. Here, you take the bed," Joel told her, already beginning to get up. "I'll just lay on the ground."

Y/N rolled her eyes and reached up to grab the boy's wrist. Joel hesitated and looked back at her while she just gave him a small smile. "We've been best friends for years, Joel. Just shut up and lay down with me," she told him. "Don't worry. I won't bite."

Y/N then gave him a small wink and stood up to take off her backpack and katanas, not noticing the way Joel's cheeks reddened slightly. Although, he wasn't completely sure why that was happening either.

With the bed obviously only being made for one person, the two both had to lay on their side. Joel got on first and leaned all the way back against the far side before opening up his arms. Y/N got in next and laid beside him, the boy freezing as she laid down before he put his arm down at his side not daring to hold the girl like he found himself wanting to.

Y/N was glad Joel couldn't see her face for she was sure she had a slight frown on her face at the fact that he hadn't even wanted to hold her. However, her thoughts were pushed aside as she felt the boy gently nudge her before pointing towards the ceiling where they could see a stuffed dog and girl pinned up next to each other.

"You know," Joel said, glancing over at Boy, "I had a girl, too, once. I mean, I have Y/N, but I'm talking about a different girl. Think you would've really liked her. Yeah, you guys would totally get along. She—She loves dogs. I mean, all animals. She's a big animal lover."

Y/N closed her eyes as the boy began to ramble, especially thankful for not having to face the boy as she listened to him talk about Aimee. Usually she was able to ignore what he was saying, but something about being this close to him, close enough that she could feel his warmth and the way his breath fanned against her neck, and having to hear him talk about another girl was more painful than ever before.

"I haven't seen her in seven years," Joel muttered after a moment of silence. "Long time. That's why I'm trying to go find her. I haven't told anyone this, but I'm kinda nervous about it."

Y/N opened her eyes at that, her face softening at the boy's words. It seemed Boy was touched by his words as well because he got up and plopped down right beside their bed, the dress still in his mouth. He closed his eyes and Y/N smiled softly before reaching down and petting the dog one more time.

"Goodnight, Boy," she whispered, Joel repeating her words while the dog let out a small whine before going to sleep.

A silence filled the room after that, but Y/N knew neither of them were able to sleep. She waited for a moment before whispering, "Are you actually nervous to see Aimee?"

Joel let out a soft sigh, his breath fanning the back of her neck before he whispered, "Yeah." He paused for a moment. "It's been seven years. What if she doesn't want to see me?"

Sighing, the girl turned around in the bed until she was facing Joel. Their faces were an inch or two apart and she noticed Joel's eyes widen slightly in surprise, but it quickly disappeared as he looked into her eyes and relaxed a bit.

Y/N’s eyes searched his own as she said, "Aimee would have to be crazy to not want to see you. You're one of the best people out there, Joel, and that was even before ninety five percent of the population was killed."

Joel smiled softly at that and looked down. "I don't know," he whispered, but the girl quickly shook her head before gently reaching out and forcing his chin up so he could look at her.

"You need to stop doubting yourself, Joel. You have such a big heart and are one of the kindest and funniest people I know. You're making one of the most romantic gestures just daring to take this journey to see her. If she doesn't want to see you, then there's something wrong with her. Trust me. All you need to do is stay calm. Everything will work out in the end," she assured him, smiling softly as she caressed his cheek once with her thumb.

Joel couldn't speak as he looked at her, his eyes flickering over her face for a moment as he tried to process all that she had just said. He couldn't help but notice the rapid beating of his heart. Seeing as it was feeling he had never experienced around the girl before, Joel pushed it aside as nothing but fear of a monster attacking while they slept. But still. . .there was something about the feeling that was familiar. He just couldn't put his finger on it.

Y/N was turning around before Joel could think anymore about it, nestling into the pillow as she closed her eyes. "Besides," she muttered, "your ass dragged me out of that bunker and I'm not about to let you have second thoughts or I'll kill you before any of these monsters can."

Joel chuckled softly at that, his whole body relaxing just because of the girl's presence. He stared at the back of her head for a moment, his eyes trailing down her form before he reached out and slowly let his arm wrap around her waist. Y/N responded by leaning backwards and into his chest while the boy pulled her closer to him and let his face nestle into the crook of her neck.

Y/N smiled softly as her eyes fluttered close once again, a sigh escaping her lips as she whispered out, "Goodnight, Joel."

"Goodnight, Robin."

- - -

Tag List

@simplybarnes @spideysimpossiblegirl @bookdorkfangirl @katemusic @eternallyvenus @juliebean247 @trustfundparker @blahhhhhhhaaa @used-avocado @havingagooddream @blogforhoes @weirdowithnobeardo @there-goes-my-sanity @cas-loves-pizza @ezgithechaotic

[beloved-moony]

The Spy?

[Haven’t written in a while, please give some feedback! Hope you enjoy! :) ]

[Description: The Marauders figure out Peter is the spy thanks to Regulus]

“Oh stop that bloody scratching Pete! You’ve been doing it all day” James spoke softly, taking a seat adjacent to the blond.

“Sorry, can’t help it” Peter said as he rested his arms on the red armchair. Remus eyed the two marauders silently, still rewriting his potions notes from class earlier. The common room was quite scarce in terms of other students. It was just the three boys, Sirius being absent per usual. Remus didn’t know exactly what was up with Sirius, where he was going, nor what was he doing on days like these. Could he be off at Hogsmeade? Possibly. Quidditch practice? Not likely, Remus thought. James always loved to drag Sirus along to practice, even if it wasn’t scheduled that day. Remus continued to drown in his thoughts, barely registering what James had said. The two exchanged glances, James looking puzzled for an answer.

“So, what do you think moony?” James questioned, looking back at Peter. Remus snapped out of his thoughts and put his quill down.

“What?” Remus questioned. “I didn’t hear what you said.” Peter laughed as James smiled.

“Of course you didn’t. I asked if you think that Evans-“

“That she’ll ever go out with you?” Remus finished, rolling his eyes as he leaned back onto the common room couch. Both boys broke out into a fit of laughter and Remus snickered along with them. It took a solid minute for the trio to calm down completely. Remus loved the little things like this; spending quality time with his mates. It’s like he found happiness in this chaotic world around him. Remus would give anything for it to stay this way. He knew deep down that it wouldn’t. The wizarding world had other plans, those entailed the ongoing war. It seemed as if Hogwarts was the only safe place, besides the occasional dementor. Remus and the others had realized early on that some of the other students had willingly joined the side of the Dark lord. It was rather obvious when certain Slytherins had seemed to disappear from the castle entirely. It came as no surprise when Sirius had mentioned his brother Regulus had become a death eater.

Remus knew Sirius had no desire to go along with anything valued by the Black family, not initially, and definitely not now. Not at a time like this. Dumbledore had practically expected the boys to join the Order, and all four did so with no hesitation. How could they possibly say no? Remus especially felt the need to help in any way he could. Dumbledore had given him a new start at Hogwarts; Remus felt indebted to the man. All the boys had the war on their mind, even more so when the news of an insider spy had broken out. No one had any clue who it was, even Dumbledore himself wasn’t entirely sure who it could possibly be. A student? Teacher perhaps? There was no transparent answer.

The common room door had swung open, and the Marauders had turned their heads; it was Dumbledore.

“Sir” James greeted, beginning to rise from his seat.

“No need for that, Potter” Dumbledore assured, and James took his seat. Remus could tell the man who stood before them was serious this time around. There was no joking at a time like this.

“Everything alright?” Remus asked, glancing back at the other two boys.

“Not quite,” Dumbledore started. “I’m sure you all have heard of the news regarding a spy infiltrating Hogwarts.”

“We have” Peter answered nervously, taking in a shaky breath.

“Very well then,” Dumbledore continued. “The ministry has come to the conclusion that the spy could very well be a student, rather than one of our teachers” The boys looked around, confused as to what they just heard.

“A student?” Remus repeated, looking directly at Dumbledore. “How - why would a student -“

“There are some things even I cannot begin to understand nor explain Remus” Dumbledore interrupted, eyeing the other two boys.

“Please keep up your guard,” the headmaster continued. “I wish no harm to any of my students.” The marauders nodded, and Dumbledore went to make his departure. Silence followed as the common room door had opened again. All eyes were on the door, and Dumbledore had quickly turned around to face whoever it was.

“Sirius, how nice do you to join us” Dumbledore greeted as he stepped aside, letting Black through.

“What’s going on?” Sirius questioned, his eyes full of dread as he turned to face Dumbledore. Remus was relived to finally see him. Where had he been?

“I’m afraid the Ministry needs me,” Dumbledore said, putting his hand on Sirius’s shoulder. “You boys take care of yourselves.” Sirius looked confused as ever as Dumbledore vanished out of sight.

“What’s going on?” Sirius asked again, this time growing a bit hostile.

“Calm down mate,” James spoke, rising from his seat. “Dumbledore thinks the spy could be a student.”

“A student?” Sirius started. “That’s not p-“

He paused, taking a moment to think.

“I think we already found our spy” Sirius said sharply, taking a few steps towards Peter. Black silently drew his wand as Peter sat there timid.

“Me? The spy?” Peter shouted in disbelief as he pointed to himself. Remus and James both eyed each other. They quickly realized what was happening.

“Sirius mate, Pete’s our friend!” James said, quite dumbfounded of Black’s sudden accusation.

“He’s a Marauder for Merlin’s sake! He would never-“

“Shut it, Potter!” Sirius snapped, his eyes still fixed on Peter. Remus stood there tense as ever. He couldn’t believe what was unfolding in front of him. It felt like some bad dream. James took a small step back as Sirius spoke again.

“Regulus told me to be wary about you, Pettigrew! I just refused to believe you would actually stoop so low!” Sirius looked absolutely furious. Remus had never seen him act like this, even when his parents practically disowned him in 1st year.

“Look, we don’t have any bloody proof besides-“ James attempted to reason, but Black wasn’t having any of it.

“Is that right? Go on, check his arm then!” Sirius said sharply, once again pointing to Peter. Peter stood there awkwardly, hands in the air and all. James slowly made his way across the room, and that’s when Peter drew his wand.

“Stop!” Peter shouted, putting his wand in James’ face. “Imper-“

“Expelliarmus!” Remus suddenly shouted, having drawn his own wand just in the nick of time. Peter looked shocked as his wand flew from his hand, landing a few feet behind him. It was over for Pettigrew now. The boys had him surrounded, wands in hands. James roughly grabbed Peter, lifting his Gryffindor sweater. There it was; the dark mark. Remus stood there shocked, mouth wide open in disbelief. How could Peter do something like this? It disgusted him.

“Please, I can explain!” Peter said, clearly quite terrified. He was practically shaking now.

“Explain?” Sirius repeated angrily.

“I-“ Peter fumbled, frantically looking around for some sort of help.

“You can’t tell anyone! Please” He pleaded, tears streaming down his face. Sirius let out a small laugh. Both James and Remus could tell that Sirius was beyond angry. The look in those eyes spoke volumes. Remus looked over at James. His hand was gripping his wand so tight his knuckles were nearly white.

“Oh I won’t tell anyone Pete, just the Ministry and Dumbledore of course!” Sirius sneered, still standing in front of Peter.

“No! You don’t understand, I’ll die!” Peter said, pretty much begging for his life. Sirius was relishing every minute of it.

“B-but I’ll die” Black dramatically mocked as he picked up Peter’s wand, snapping it directly in half.

“How could you Pete?” James said, both angry and frustrated. “You were our friend!” Peter gave no response as he continued to keep his head down. Remus thought he looked completely pathetic.

“You’re nothing but a coward,” Remus spat. “That’s all you’ll ever be.” Peter was still shaking, not looking at any of the boys. Sirius turned to face the other two Marauders.

“What’ll it be then, eh?” He asked, giving a devilish grin. “Turn him in?”

“That, and there’s always suicide” Remus joked, looking directly at Peter this time.

“S-suicide?” Peter gasped, his voice trembling with fear.

“That’s right” James answered, quite amused with Remus’s little joke. As angry as Remus felt, he also felt a sense of relief. The entire spy situation had kept Remus up at night, desperate for answers. He and the others didn’t have to worry anymore.

“Why can’t I decide?” Pettigrew asked, still desperately trying to get himself out of the situation he was in.

“You?” Sirius scolded, waving his wand in the blondes face. “You don’t get to decide.”

( That’s it! Again, I’d love any kind of feedback! Thanks for reading! <3 )

[bright-molina]

together

@jatp-week​ day two fanfiction prompt: write an au

synopsis: Your sister has been hiding more than a few things from you recently, it’s just not at all what you expect.

characters: Molina!reader (older sister, she/her pronouns), Julie, Flynn, the boys are all briefly mentioned

warnings: follows the themes of the show so there are mentions of death/dying but other than that none

a/n: I’ve been debating posting fics for Julie and the Phantoms for a week or two now and I figured I’d jump in head first for JATP week! Huge shoutout to @meangirlsx​ cause I know its been like a week since we talked about it but you’re a huge part of the reason I’m posting this! 

Lowkey tempted to do a part two cause there’s so much I wanna explore with this reader so thoughts and feedback are very much appreciated <3

A twisting feeling you absolutely despised filled the pit of your stomach as you marched straight through the halls of your sister’s high school. It started with an offer to pick her up and go get ice cream together as you usually did when one of you was feeling down. The fact that she’d been removed from the music program was definitely deserving of pick-me-up ice cream.

Can’t. Busy. Later? She’d responded within seconds and that in itself was worthy of concern. So you’d promptly left the last half of your own school day to go and see what was wrong. It was when you were pulling up to the school that Flynn had texted you, Jules is performing???? Text you updates…

“Julie,” Your voice caught her attention almost immediately, tearing her attention away from the singing coming from the front of the gym.

“Y/N?” She frowned and met you halfway, letting you wrap her in a hug. You being there was the last thing she expected. Her first instinct had been to want to tell you all about the boys. She hadn’t been able to though, not without worrying you. Not without figuring out an explanation first.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” You could see the way her eyes widened and you let out a soft sigh. “Dad texted me about this morning and Flynn is the one who told me you were gonna give performing a shot again.”

“Oh that,” Julie relaxed upon realizing you weren’t talking about the same thing but she didn’t miss the hurt look in your eyes. The way you were pulling at the rainbow colored bracelet she’d made you years ago. The way that you didn’t look like your usual confident self and it was all her doing. “I was going to but -”

And then with the absolute worst timing possible the three ghosts she purposely hadn’t told you about flashed into the gym right behind you. Her eyes narrowed at them, not noticing the fact that you thought she was both speaking to and glaring at you. “What are you doing here?”

Julie had no clue who to focus on. A look of hurt flashed across your face, she noticed it right away, but then the boys started talking too and all she could do was look back and forth between all of you.

“Look if you don’t want to tell me that’s fine -”

“Who’s this?”

“I’m here now, though -”

“Wait the family picture!”

“So if you want I’ll stay to watch you sing.”

“That picture really doesn’t do her justice.”

“Don’t even think about it!” Julie’s glare turned impossibly harsher as she focused her glare on the boys behind you.

You, meanwhile, remained oblivious to the fact that she wasn’t talking to you. Admittedly you struggled to force the slightest smile onto your face. It was hard not to let it hurt you. The past few months had been complicated to say the least and now it seemed she was moving on without you. “Okay then, I guess. I’ll see you later.”

“No, not you!” Julie reached to stop you, pulling you so you were now on the opposite side of her as Luke, Reggie, and Alex. She ignored the rest of their comments and instead held one of your hands in hers. “I was just um, a little distracted. I’m really glad you’re here.”

You couldn’t help but relax then and give a more genuine smile, “Well I’m glad I’m here too.”

“Still up for ice cream after school?” Julie glanced behind you as the music ended but didn’t move from her place yet, still ignoring the boys telling her it was time from behind her. “I promise I’m not doing anything anymore.”

“Sure,” You laughed then nodded towards the stage at the front of the gym. “Now go blow everyone away.”

It was then that she nodded and left after giving you one more hug. Meanwhile you moved towards Flynn who immediately grinned and locked one of her arms through yours. “Thanks for telling me.”

“Of course,” She smiled before nodding encouragingly at Julie who had started playing a few notes while you gave her a thumbs up. “Hey, have you thought about moving home? I think Julie could really use you back right now.”

“Believe me I want to,” You gave a sigh and thought briefly of your own home. 

After your mom had died your Tia Victoria wanted all of you to move on quickly. Literally. You had noticed right away how much just the idea of leaving the house bothered Julie, Carlos, and your dad. Eventually you’d been the one to give in and accept moving in with her for the pure reason of giving them a break from her constant lecturing.

She meant well, you knew that. And really you did have fun with her and it was nice to have the connection between you grow stronger. But there were also days where all you wanted to do was cry and be allowed to remember. You missed being home more than anything.

“I just don’t know if tia would be too -”

You didn’t get to finish your thought. Before you knew what was happening a bright flash came from the front of the room and the music that had been coming from what you’d previously assumed was the gym speakers started coming from the stage.

Three boys now stood on the stage with Julie singing alongside her as they played. They knew every single word that was coming out of her mouth. Knew the song. Knew the notes. Knew everything.

You couldn’t help yourself. Slowly you walked towards the stage, taking small steps as you tried to figure out what was going on. As hard as you tried you couldn’t shake the feeling that you had seen these people before.

It wasn’t hard to notice the fact that somebody was staring, you could feel eyes on you before you saw them. When you finally looked at the person on the far side of the stage you found the source of the feeling. It was also then that you were positive you knew them, knew him. You just weren’t sure from where.

Then the twisting feeling returned and you felt more anxious than you had been before. Julie was happy. She was singing for the first time in months and all you could think about was the fact that it wasn’t you that had been able to get her there. On that stage she looked free and you were glad, you really were. But you still couldn’t help the voice in your head that kept telling you you’d done something wrong.

You were the first person Julie searched for after the song ended, momentarily ignoring the confused whispers echoing across the room. She found you near the back of the crowd, taking slow steps back towards the door. You knew her well, she knew that, but she could read you just as easily.

She could see the anxiety quickly building inside you as you tugged on the bracelets on your wrist again, identical to the ones she wore. Your movements were a little jittery and rushed as you held up your keys and nodded towards the door. I’ll be outside, she could see you tell her before rushing out of the gym.

*

“I’m sorry.”

Your words broke the silence that had fallen around you and Julie just an hour later. You’d been wrapped up in your own thoughts as you drove to the ice cream place you frequented then again as you drove to an empty field that was definitely worth the thirty minute trip.

Julie frowned, turning her head so she was looking at you instead of the clouds above her. “For what?”

“I promised you I’d be there.” You hadn’t looked away from the sky just yet. “I told you I’d listen when you needed me to. Support you no matter what it was you wanted to do. After mom died I promised we’d do all of this together and instead I left you alone.”

“Y/N -”

“And now you’re singing again, Julie, and god I’m so proud of you. And those guys, your band apparently -”

“They’re not -”

“I don’t know where they came from but they did what I couldn’t and actually helped you. I don’t know, I’m just sorry for leaving in the first place. I know how hard it must’ve been and I wish I could’ve -”

“Y/N!” It wasn’t until Julie shouted, sat up, and reached over to cover your mouth with her hand that you stopped talking. You stared at her for a moment, watching as she dropped her head and let out a heavy sigh. “They’re ghosts. They live in mom's studio.”

You sat up after her and she waited patiently as you processed what it was she was saying. Eventually you gave a single nod, “I don’t believe you. You sound like Carlos.”

“I swear!” Julie sat up straighter and slammed one hand down on the grass, leaning towards you a little. “And I can prove it.”

“How do you plan on doing that?” Before you knew it, Julie was pulling you up from the floor and in the direction of where you’d parked the car. “Jules, where are we going?”

She stopped and shot around to face you, a newfound smile on her face. “To introduce you to my ghost band. Now come on.”

[neutron-stars-collision]

The Art of Inversion

Neil x Reader

Chapter 19 - Holy Ground

Masterlist; Chapter 18

Summary: In the days before the mission in Tallinn, you and Neil have a few conversations to clear the air of doubts. Only, the mission itself proves to be a disruption...

Warnings: Swearing; mild violence.

Author’s Notes: Here we go, my favourite mission (and favourite Neil outfit too). This is only part one of the Tallinn action because so much happens... as you’ll see. I’m sorry. I really am. Hope you enjoy and please leave me feedback if you feel like it!

Song mentioned is: ‘Holy Ground’ by Within Temptation (I’ll share it in a post later but basically listen to it after reading and you’ll know why I’m obsessed)

Edit is courtesy of my amazing friend @sh3tani​ once again (ilysm and thanks for everything 💕)

The upcoming days were busy. You have been assigned the task of getting hold of some of the vehicles and artillery TP wanted for the heist in Tallinn. It was difficult, not only because it is actually rather hard to acquire a fire truck with no records left from the transaction, but also because you barely had any clue what you were actually doing. And so, most of the time, you were sat at the dining table in the flat, calling various shady people Neil gave you contacts to. Sometimes, a tea would appear in front of you, courtesy of the other team members thoroughly apologizing for how they handled the ‘alley situation’.

It seemed like your late-night walk and the cold treatment you gave everyone (including Neil) for the next 24 hours afterward worked. The jokes have ended, and contrition took their place, usually in the form of extreme helpfulness, random acts of kindness, and, in Neil’s case, a break from teasing. At least for a short while.

The only development you were not so sure of was the fact that the whole team decided to label your relationship. Not just any label but dating, verging on a couple. And that was rather terrifying. It struck you especially the night before when you have minded your own business in the kitchen. Watching over the pasta boiling on the stove, you listened to the plans made by Ives. He was trying to settle on the best way to track Neil during the heist when he suddenly turned to you with a question:

“Has your boyfriend told you what kind of car they are going for in the end?” the neutral tone made you skim over the term at first.

But then your brain caught up. What?! You almost toppled over the whole pot of pasta onto the floor when trying to drain it. Fuck. Ives was staring at you quizzically, as though confused about your current state.

“I… Who?” you stammered out the question, knowing it will only make everything worse.

“Neil” Ives grinned, “Unless you’ve gone for an open relationship and there’s another boyfriend involved”

“Christ, please stop” sighing, you tried to calm down just enough to function “I believe he’s going for a BMW, don’t know what series but something fast enough just in case there was a chase” triumphantly, you poured the sauce over the noodles.

“I’ll need to give him a call about it” Ives smacked his tongue thoughtfully.

“Feel free” using the opportunity, you grabbed the cutlery and escaped into your room.

Boyfriend? Now that was something to cause anxiety. Because despite everything that happened, all the things you have told Neil and got in return, you had no clue what you were supposed to be. Not really. Yes, sometimes you let yourself entertain the idea that maybe you were together, maybe he was your lover. But… was he? Could he ever be that?

With those thoughts occupying your mind, you only managed to last until afternoon the next day before giving in. After failing to contact a car dealer for the fifth time and realising that you have completely messed up the route plan due to forgetting about important details, you closed the laptop. It was hard to think when all your brain did was give reasons for why Neil would never actually want to be with you. To summarise: you were not enough, naïve, hopeless, and dumb enough to think that someone this incredible could think about you seriously. Stifling the sudden desire to breakdown and give up on everything, you dialed his number. He picked up almost instantly.

“Yes, my love?” your heart clenched at the nickname.

“Hi… um… Do you have a moment?” you cringed at the awkwardness.

“For you? Always”

Maybe, on another day, that would have made you smile. But that was not that kind of a day.

“Neil, I’m serious,” sighing, you rested your head on the cold wall behind your bed.

“What’s wrong?” his tone switched from playful to concerned.

Okay… now there’s no turning back.

“I’ve just been thinking...” you started, debating on the best way to breach the topic.

“Oh no”

Damn him. You cracked a small smile, knowing that was the intention. You could almost picture him at this moment, sat in some absolutely strange position in the armchair, nothing but long legs and ruffled hair. You did have it pretty bad.

“Shut up” you took a deep breath and blurted out “It’s probably stupid, and feel free to ignore this but... what even are we?”

There it is. Your whole existence hanged on his reply. But, of course, Neil needed more clarification than that…

“How do you mean?” his careful tone made your heart rate elevate.

The result was a string of sentences you shot out with the speed of a machine gun.

“Because everyone here assumes we’re dating. And Ives called you my boyfriend last night, and I don’t... I don’t know if that’s what’s going on and-”

“Okay, calm down,” he interrupted your rant “Take a deep breath” he waited until he could hear you exhale to continue “What do you want this to be? Because we’re the only people who have a say about it” the diplomatic tone made you frown.

But then maybe he just wanted to get your point of view before saying anything substantial… Trouble was you had no clue. Picking on a loose thread on your sweater, you sighed:

“I don’t know” maybe this was the right time to give him another piece of mind?  “I always hated labels because when you name something, it becomes real” you admitted, letting yourself slide down onto the pillows.

Nothing could hurt you there. Apart from potential rejection from the likely love of your life. Basically, fml, as the kids say.

“What about good things?” his question caught you off guard.

“Well, yeah, but… once there’s a couple, then there can be a break-up” the insecurity had an answer for that too.

Your cheeks heated up upon saying the word. Because even that felt like a step too far. Like maybe you were clingy. Obnoxious. Someone he could want to get rid of as quickly as possible. Before you decided to back out of the conversation, he replied:

“That’s a rather bleak way of looking at things” it was still that thoughtful tone.

A burden then.

“I know” you groaned, frustrated with yourself.

But the next thing he said was rather surprising…

“I’ll need to work on making you more optimistic. Not because I don’t like you the way you are, but because I want you to realise how wrong you are sometimes” the conviction and practical implications of the statement made you speechless.

The future tense. The admission that he did like you, with your countless issues and overbearing anxiety. It couldn’t be, could it? Neil took your stunned silence as permission to say more:

“From my side, let me say that dating doesn’t quite cut it because it implies not being sure... And…” despite yourself, your ears perked up, wanting to know what he meant.

“Yeah?” you prodded, trying to toe that precarious line between curiosity and fear of rejection.

“I’m not really in the trial stages anymore. Don’t think I’ve ever been” he clearly wanted to tell you more but was holding back.

Maybe it was for the better. Before you could think about a response to that, Neil added:

“Basically, we don’t have to use any labels. We’re just us” the simplicity of that statement broke through your resolve, making tears well up “Me and you. We know best what that implies and no one else matters” quietly, you sobbed, and he laughed before choosing to put that final nail in the metaphorical coffin “You’re my love, and that’s the only nickname I need” Neil sounded happy, as though despite your worries, he wanted to say that “I can be your idiot, as long as I’m yours” the punchline came with an audible smug smile.

Oh my god. You laughed, with tears still silently falling down your cheeks and heart hammering in your chest. He was impossible. Absolutely impossible. Suddenly asking that crucial question was not that scary. Because maybe today was the day when would tell you, without alcohol or worries prompting the confession. Taking the plunge, you spoke:

“Neil, do you-”

“Yes, I do,” he interrupted you with an answer.

“I haven’t even asked the question” you frowned, unsure whether that kind of an answer was better than a confession.

Because, yes, he already said it once (almost twice), but both those have been anything but thoughtful. And your ever doubting brain was quick to use that fact against you.

“But I know the answer” he sounded certain.

Perhaps too certain.

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want to tell you over the phone” Neil sighed heavily on the other end “Listen, I have to go… but call me or text if you need to talk” he hesitated before adding, “No matter what I want you to remember what I said that night in London”

Oh… It was the first time any of you brought it up. You just assumed it was one of the things that just slipped out in an unguarded moment. You wanted it to be true, but then that was too risky. But maybe not…?

“I heard you” you whispered despite being alone in the room.

“I know” you could picture the soft smile he sometimes gave you “Goodbye, my love. Good luck with work” at the reminder of the piles of papers still waiting, you groaned, causing him to laugh.

“Will be needed since what you’ve assigned me is close to impossible” the change of the topic was dearly welcomed.

Grabbing the laptop again, you opened it up and felt all the motivation dissolve upon the sight of the route waiting to be planned. Coffee will be needed. And maybe whiskey too.

“I believe in you,” Neil broke your brooding with a comment, “And it’s not really me who assigned it” you rolled your eyes.

“Yeah, yeah. Bye, idiot” unable to stop the grin on your face, you ended the call.

So maybe it was worth calling… Even if only to learn that he was in fact yours. And that he did not mind your insecurity or moments of anxiety. Maybe all this had some more potential than heartbreak and tragedy? Ignoring all the thoughts, you focused on the workload. After all, someone had to get all those bloody vehicles on time for the boys to play with.

*** The closer it got to the day, you could feel the tensions rising within the team. Partially it was your own fault and the fact that you were nervous. The plan was vague enough. What you and Ives’ squad knew was that TP intended to take over the plutonium 241 on the move, specifically on the highway leading out of the city. For some reason, he needed a fire truck and a firefighter suit for that. You had no clue why, but you blamed it on the boyish dreams of being a firefighter. Sure they all had those.

Neil was simply the designated driver and mission coordinator, and you hoped that meant he would stay out of harm. As much as that was possible for an idiot like him. You were not allowed to meet to stop TP from getting suspicious, and so all you could do was rely on texts and daily phone calls to keep you from going insane. The downside of the situation was that you could not slap Neil when he said questionable things. Examples being referring to the heist car as sexy (“And what if I told that it’s not the BMW that’s sexy?” “I’d be flattered”) and calling you his girlfriend on the call with Ives. That second incident resulted in the squad leader acting all smug because he apparently ‘figured it all out’. He did not, but who were you to prove him wrong.

And so, you perfected the plan, finished all the assigned tasks, and waited on instructions concerning the day of the mission. When they came, the message was simple – sit on your assess and wait, just in case the Cavalry was needed. You did not specifically like that ‘waiting’ part. Especially since Ives began insisting that you do not actually join them in the field. In his mind, the safest place for you was the flat. Not being a part of the squad and not having enough experience were the main factors acting against you. And you hated the fact that he was right. That is until the evening before the mission when an unexpected text from TP came. You were busy trying to understand the rules of a strange competition show on the television when your phone buzzed. Expecting something nonsensical from Neil, you picked it up instantly. Only to get shocked by the number on display. The message was straightforward:

“Join the squad in the field in Tallinn. You must be there”

Right… When you were asking the universe for help, you did not expect that. But it was better than nothing.

Without a further ado, you got up and wandered over to Ives, who was sat with Wheeler and Michael at the table. Upon your approach, the Brit looked up:

“Don’t tell me you’ve got some last-minute changes from Neil” his blue eyes were hazed with concern.

“No, I’ve got something better” you passed him the phone and waited for a response.

The widened stare and arched eyebrow was the initial reaction.

“He wouldn’t have sent if it wasn’t important” you added, hoping to win the case.

“I don’t get it” Ives sighed heavily, leaning back in the chair.

He glanced at Michael, who nodded and left the room. You just assumed that the discussion was not meant for any ordinary squad member.

“Apologies for my language, but you’re not a bloody soldier, and it might get rough out there” Ives spoke up again after a beat “And I don’t want to fucking worry about your safety amidst all the other mess” he met your gaze warily.

It was a little embarrassing to be considered a burden. You flinched internally before trying another approach.

“I know, but Neil might need me” as soon as you said the words, Ives scowled.

Of course, that just sounded like a lovesick teenager fighting for a hopeless case. And you hated that. But his very next words triggered the remains of resolve.

“Frankly, darling-”

You broke into a laugh, knowing the quotation well.

“I swear, if you quote Gone with the Wind right now, I’ll do something stupid” as a warning, you grabbed hold of the knife lying on the table, making Wheeler snicker quietly “Please, let me go out there. I can track his GPS signal or something. And well, you know that I’ve got a good aim. It might count for something” pleading was not your forte either but at the end of the speech, Ives’ gaze softened.

Maybe? He sighed once again before leaning his forehead on the folded forearms on the table.

“If you get hurt, he’ll kill me” he muttered gloomily.

“You’re exaggerating” you bit back a dry chuckle.

“No, he’s not” your head snapped up at the sound of Wheeler’s voice “But I’ve got to back you here if TP sent that text, then it’s probably important” she looked at you with a small smile.

“Thank you” you grinned back, grateful for the support.

With the days spent among men almost exclusively, Wheeler’s company meant a lot. Soon she became the only person you were willing to discuss your worries with. Because she was not keen on cracking dumb jokes about your relationship and asked questions that did not only concern Neil. And that was a welcomed change.

“You really need to be careful though, because Neil cares about you. Which probably makes you the most important person on this squad” her voice broke through your thoughts.

You knew she meant well, but the statement still made your cheeks heat up. Because did he really care?

“Don’t. You’re making me all flustered” deciding you’ve had enough of the awkwardness you got up to fix a tea.

“Well, I’m only speaking the truth here” turning back to the table, you saw Wheeler shrug “The physics boy took his fancy upon you, and that’s no funny business” she grinned at your perplexed expression.

Briefly, you glanced at Ives, who seemed to have given up on fighting with you and instead was listening in to the conversation with a neutral facial expression. The kettle boiling was your cue to respond:

“Great” semi-aggressively, you threw the tea bag into the mug poured the water “Did he though?” you asked, not even looking at them or expecting an answer.

“Yep,” Wheeler stood up and gave you a quick reassuring shoulder squeeze.

“I’ve never seen him like this before” Ives added once you turned to face him again.

That tea could not brew any longer…

“Not even with…” you hesitated before adding quietly, “Alex?”

“Not quite,” the man gave you an enigmatic smile, only increasing your frustration “You’ve convinced me though. You’re coming with us. Just please, for the sake of my sanity, be careful out there” you resisted the urge to jump up in relief “Because I’d rather not deal with an angry Neil. He’s a pain in the ass enough” Ives added darkly before getting up and joining you by the kitchen counter.

Smiling, you finished the tea.

“Thanks. I’ll do my best” playfully, you nudged his shoulder with yours “You can always blame me though” picking up the mug, you turned towards the corridor.

“As though he’d care” Ives muttered at your back.

The sudden surge of confidence was surprising yet also inspiring:

“I’d make him care. There are some things even he can’t say no to”

The last thing you heard upon closing the door to the bedroom was Ives choking on water.

*** The Tallinn mission for you began with an early morning phone call from Neil. You got as far as getting out of bed after having been staring at the ceiling anxiously for the past three hours when the phone rang.

“Morning,” you muttered, stifling a yawn.

Espresso was certainly needed. Maybe two, before you would have to head out.

“Hey,” the soft tone felt like a mild punch “I’m glad you’re up already” Neil’s sleepy voice made you wish you could wake up together again.

There was always that slightly husky tinge to it, the way he lazily pronounced some words just because it was early still. So different from the enthusiastic overenunciation when he was preaching another messed up plan of his. Or the cheeky inflections he tended to use with you during banter. It was terrifyingly easy to get to know him that well because of how open he was with you.

“I couldn’t sleep. But it’s okay I’ll manage” you admitted, distracting yourself from the sudden thoughts “I didn’t tell you last night, but I got another text from TP… he wants me to join the squad today”

From the moment you have shut the bedroom door the previous night, you have debated calling Neil about it. But then he initiated another rather amusing texting exchange focusing on his fashion choices, and you felt bad disrupting the peace. It could wait. Not anymore. You held your breath until Neil responded with a simple question:

“Why?” he was careful, and you could not blame him for it.

You perched on the windowsill and looked out at the quiet cityscape. The streets were strangely empty for a weekday morning. Sighing, you answered in the best way possible:

“I don’t know, but Ives said yes after some coaxing, so I might see you out there” smiling despite yourself, you waited for his response.

Since recently you had to rely on phone calls, it became increasingly easy to determine his mood based on the tone of the reply. Or on the various nonverbal noises he sometimes made. Now there was a quiet hum proceeding the sentence. A surprise, mild confusion, and worry. Brilliant.

“As much as I’m happy we might meet… and that you can see me in that sexy car,” you rolled your eyes awaiting the point “Please, be careful. I need you safe”

It was not disappointing. You knew he did not intend it that way, and yet the anxiety fuelled brain was onto it instantly. I need you… safe. Unable to stop the comment, you muttered:

“Just safe, then”

“What?” any hope that he might have missed it dissolved with that single question.

Could he for once not listen to what you say? You know, like men tended to do. But then Neil was by no means an ordinary man.

“Nothing. Don’t mind me” the attempt at saving your dignity failed too.

“I thought it goes without saying that I do need you. And that I want you”

Oh god. At once, you wanted to smash your head into the wall and to kiss the bastard for being the way he was. Adding to that sentence, the mental image of his sheepish smile was enough to make your heart speed up. When the silence stretched, becoming awkward, you whispered a reply.

“It’s good to hear it sometimes” the coldness of the window glass cooled off your blazed cheeks, “Especially when I don’t actually believe it” he knew that by now, undoubtedly.

Here the nonverbal cue was a half-choked sigh. Annoyance. Frustration.

“You should. I don’t go around telling everyone that” Neil’s confident voice was trying to pull you back “And I certainly don’t have moments as we do with anyone else” at the implication, you felt flustered again.

Because there did not an hour go by without you thinking about what happened. The pull between you was startling at times. The absolute desire you felt. The way Neil knew exactly how to make you remember every second of every moment. With the memories flooding your brain, you could only utter a single question:

“Why me?”

It was curiosity. Because apart from that evening months ago when you first tried to make sense of your budding relationship, he never said why he cared about you. And you would never dare ask. But now, with everything that happened, it was worth trying. And Neil was willing to deliver:

“I’m not sure. Maybe it’s because you’re the bravest, kindest, most beautiful person I know” you could only keep on listening with your mouth agape “You fascinate me, and I want to discover all that you’re willing to give me” he finished in a reverent whisper.

That was not what you expected to hear. Not now. Not ever. Speechless, you wondered whether maybe this time it was not a mistake to give your heart away. It was too late. He had everything but your body; that was just a matter of time.

“Neil, I…” this was all you could manage, afraid you would give away another confession.

“Well, you’ve asked,” he chuckled lightly and then asked, “Are you okay?” you could picture that crease between furrowed eyebrows.

“I suppose-” a loud knock on your door interrupted the sentence; it was time, “I think I should probably join them for the final briefing…” hesitantly, you jumped off the sill.

Only two of you could be interrupted during such an important conversation.

“Go, I won’t keep you. Believe me, though, when I say that I want nothing but to be with you. In every way possible” your breath hitched at the connotation behind the sentiment.

Jesus, this man…

“That’s rather mutual,” like a secret you passed it to him on a sigh “But only when you’re not an ass” that was a much-needed distraction for you both.

There was work to be done, after all. You could hear the commotion in the apartment rise in volume and strength.

“I’ll do my best then. Good luck, darling” you grinned at the nickname he was determined to use.

Darling, you could do with. It was better than the ‘love’ that always made you feel like you were just another one among many.

“Don’t do anything stupid I still owe you a few slaps… and a payback” you added the necessary suggestive tone to the last word.

The rest was up to him to figure out. Which he did, if the pleased laughed was anything to go by.

“I’m very much looking forward to all of those” you missed that smirk.

“You should. Bye, my idiot,” you debated saving his number as that in your phone.

Maybe it was the way forwards.

“My love,” laughing, you ended the call when he uttered the words just for the sake of it.

But then that was Neil’s essence – doing things just because. Or to get a reaction from you. And you would not have it any other way.

*** Only when sitting in that bloody SUV, you learned the true meaning of waiting. And how much you hated to do that. There was nothing to do apart from sweating in the protective gear and avoiding the awkward small talk others were susceptible to. The squad has cramped into two non-descript vehicles, and you being the so-called precious cargo, ended up in the same car with Ives who have sworn to protect you. Only, for the first half-hour, there was nothing to protect you from. Apart from anxiety, boredom, and frustration.

Your role was rather simple – follow Neil’s signal on the map to know where you might be needed should he call for backup. As much as you did enjoy the possibility of tracking his movements somehow, you did not appreciate the cheeky smile Ives had on his face when he gave you the job. Or the comment combined with it: “Well, he’s your boyfriend, it’s only fair you keep him on the metaphorical leash here”. That is how the small blinking dot on the map of Tallinn became your sole focus for the past hour. Just before everything kicked off, Neil radioed you with a simple message: The mission is about to start. Wait for further instructions.

Ever since your morning phone call and the revelations that came out, you only exchanged a few texts concerning the practicalities of the action. Despite the nerves, you did hope to see him in near future. Even if just to check whether what he said was true. Looking for a distraction from the sudden thoughts, you glanced at the screen again. They were near, on the main junction of the highway, heading towards the port. Your SUVs were parked underneath a small overpass, five minutes away in the current traffic conditions. Which proved to be convenient, as it turned out.

“Is he still following the set route?” Ives’s question brought you to the present moment.

“Yeah, they’re-” you glanced to double-check the exact location when you realised that something has changed.

The dot was not moving. It was still blinking, but clearly, they have stopped at a crossing. Traffic lights? Your brain somehow knew that it could not be that simple. You opened your mouth to voice the thoughts when the comm came alive on the dashboard with static crackling:

“We need back up here. ASAP”

“Roger that” Ives tossed you the radio “Ask him about the details”

Without waiting for more information, Michael fired up the SUV engine as Ives contacted the second vehicle.

“Neil” you spoke into the receiver “What happened?” you flinched at the louder noise from the radio.

Gunshots?

“We’ve been ambushed by Sator’s people. TP’s status unknown”

Bloody brilliant. Swallowing down the rising worries, you asked another question:

“How many people?” another gunshot pierced the silence.

“Not sure. They’ve gotten clean up orders” a strained breath from Neil told you how bad the situation was.

“Okay. We’ll be there soon” you glanced at the road ahead.

Still, 2 mins to go. Anxiety was threatening to overpower you at any moment. But now was not the time.

“Hurry up” Neil closed the channel with a final dose of static.

Fuck… Forcing a deeper breath, you could only watch as you got closer to him. The sheer thought of something happening to Neil was unimaginable. That was enough to trigger panic. So you pushed the idea to the back of your head, focusing on the distance disappearing.

There was no mistaking the fact that you have been led to the right place. Crashed cars, asphalt littered with glass shards and broken parts, gunshots piercing the air. The destination looked like a car pile-up from an action sequence. Frantically looking through the windows, you tried to spot that blonde head. To no avail. The SUV came to a sharp halt as the squad members began jumping out of the vehicle. Once everyone else disembarked, you moved to follow them, only to be stopped by Ives:

“You’re staying here. I can’t have you out in the shoot-out” his blue gaze was stern, hand blocking exit out of the car.

The idea that you were so close to Neil and could not see him was enough to make you angry.

“I can handle myself. And he’s-” you spit out the words in the face of the squad leader while trying to push him away.

“I said no. The conversation’s over” with a final glare, he stepped away and scanned the horizon for immediate danger “If someone approaches the car, you know what to do,” he threw as a parting remark and disarmed the rifle.

Fucking hell! Groaning in frustration, you kicked one of the seats. He was so close. You glanced at the device in your hand. He could not be further than behind the first line of crashed cars. Biting on your lip harshly, you quickly went over the options. One was to obey Ives and stay inside the bloody SUV like a well-behaved child everyone apparently took you for. No one seemed to care about the vehicles you parked on the outskirts of the action. Flinching at the further salve from the heavy artillery, you knew that the squad had joined the fray. You could be safe here… but… Taking a deep breath you knew there was no possibility you could stay away from the action. Not when Neil was there, potentially in danger. It was not possible to give up on someone that important just because you were told to. Christ…

Glancing through the windows again, you could see Sator’s people attempting to clear the place. The squad evidently attempted to push at them from one side, hoping to get a clean sweep that way. Then, just as you were about to go back to the internal crisis overwhelming your thoughts, you did a double-take. Surely not? You would recognize that hair colour everywhere. There he was attempting what was looking like a skirting manoeuvre to circle the mercenaries with the Cavalry on the opposite side. Only that left him completely uncovered, in the direct line of fire. Bloody idiot. The instinct to jump out and run to him kicked in. The only thing holding you back was the fact that you would disobey the orders. And leave the car unguarded. All the hesitation disappeared once the comm in the car crackled with static:

“Emergency assistance needed. ASAP” the tension in his voice made your pulse quicken.

The lack of response from the team made all the blood drain from your face. You could see him trying to hide behind some overturned car. The henchmen were near enough to get him with no problem.

That thought was all the convincing you needed. Swearing, you quickly pocketed the tracking device, adjusted your protective gear, and grabbed the gun. You have been offered a rifle (just in case), but you preferred the classic. At least it was something right?

In two leaps, you have covered the distance. With the team trying to get through the attack line on the other side, it was just you and Neil. You shot a round in the direction of the approaching merc, missing the target yet earning attention from the main object of your focus. His eyes met yours across the plane. You could see shock, worry, and something else there. Suddenly a salve whizzed past you. The bullets cutting through the air all around, shooting past your head and piercing the car behind. A strangled yell from Neil was a surprising reaction, yet you did not blink twice. He was all you could see. With a final surge through the field, you reached him. The pure fury and anguish in his eyes took you aback. Have you missed something? But there was no time to ask questions.

“Go, I’ll cover you” you whispered, looking at the approaching group of mercs.

Neil took an additional moment to stare at you as though he could not quite believe you were there. But then he jumped up, aiming the gun at the man closest to you. The same that undoubtedly attempted to take you out seconds prior. When the mercenary fell with a bullet in the head, you stared in shock. There was no time to recover as Neil pushed through, barely looking behind at you. It was surprisingly easy to tune out the emotions, taking out anyone who could threaten him or halt your advances. You worked well together, movements in sync enough to stun the opponents on a few occasions. For a second, you wondered whether it was only bound to get better the closer you get to each other. That was certainly an interesting idea… In no time you have met with the line of the squad, watching on as Ives dealt with the last man standing. You have won. The adrenaline started to leave your body, resulting in tremors and shaking hands. Clutching the gun to prevent it from cluttering to the ground, you met the exasperated gaze of the squad leader. Your only response was a shrug. You did not regret the decision, seeing as you have evidently helped them in the field.

“Neil? Do you know where TP is?” Ives took his attention off you and looked at the blonde man.

You followed his gaze, for the first time actually looking at Neil since you spotted him across the plane. At the moment, you were struck by what a sight he was. Navy shirt with sleeves rolled up to expose the forearms covered with veins. The same tie he had on during your walk. Your pulse quickened. The vest drawing attention to the ratio between his broad shoulders and narrow hips, accentuated with a belt. Brown loose-cut trousers and scrapped leather shoes adding a classy touch. You were aware that you were staring yet unable to look away. Not knowing whether to blame it on the adrenaline rush, you wanted nothing but to touch him. Take off those driving gloves that piqued your interest at the first sight. Or have them be wrapped around your throat with just enough pressure. Get rid of the tie again. And…

“Think Sator took him” Neil’s response broke through your increasingly hazy thoughts.

Shaking off the images that started appearing, you looked up at his face again. The ruffled hair and flushed cheeks were not helpful. Fuck’s sake. It had to be stress. Because what else?

“Their place in the port?” Ives asked, his tone nothing but strict business.

“That’s my bet” Neil shrugged, looking around with something dark in his eyes.

He was tense, like a feral animal that could lash out any moment. You were not wrong. The cold blue gaze settled on you almost remorsefully, but before you could open your mouth, he snapped:

“What the fuck were you thinking?” the hostile edge to his voice was new.

You flinched as though you have been hit. The lack of physical impact did not matter. Your heart stammered. He need not explain what it was about. Please no.

“You needed a cover. They weren’t responding, so I did the obvious” you shrugged, feeling the anger grow “And I could ask you the same question” spitting the sentence into his face, you took a step closer.

You have never seen him that furious. Not even in Oslo after your little fuck-up. The sight was both terrifying and alluring. The dark blue eyes blazed with fury. Jaw clenched. Slight pink tint on the cheeks. And yet, still, you had no idea why he reacted like this.

“I knew what I was doing. That’s the difference” the coldness of his voice threw you off.

So it was real. He did mean it. You tried to save him, and here he was, pissed off at you. Making you almost regret it. Almost, because the love was there too. Not giving away no matter what.

“That’s bullshit” it felt good to admit, “You were reckless, as always, and expecting me to-” your rant got interrupted by a strangled yell.

Nothing prepared you for the revelation then. Or the sudden anguish on his face.

“You were almost shot!” Neil’s eyes glistened as though he was close to tears.

Suddenly it made sense. The rain of bullets you were hit with just before getting to him. The way he reacted. But you made it. Nothing happened. So why was he acting like that?

“Almost” ignoring the growing pain in your chest, you pointed out the obvious.

Out of the corner of your eye, you could see Ives and the rest of the squad observing you. You would rather not have an audience, but then Neil seemed determined to drive his point forward. His face scrunched into a pained scowl.

“Fucking hell,” turning away from your gaze, his back tensed even more “You can’t do shit like that just because I’m involved” the defensive tone took you aback.

What? It was getting worse. You could feel the confidence leaving your body as you struggled for a response. You would never think Neil would do something like that. Not after everything you have told him. Figuring out the only way you that could work, you took your own line of attack.

“Who says I did it only because it was you?” the implication hurt because it was partially correct “Quite an ego you’ve got there” his back was still turned to you.

That angered you even more. Crossing the distance, you placed your hand on his shoulder, making him turn to you. He flinched upon the contact as though your touch burned him. Oh my god. The tears welled up in your eyes. It could not be real. But the emotionless look in the eyes you thought you knew was very much real. It was as though before you realised Neil has built up a wall, guarding himself against you. And there was nothing you could do to get through. You got shocked by the cruel smirk that split his face.

“I can see the way you look at me. As though you wanted to-” you interrupted him sharply.

“Neil”

It was too much. Perhaps because it was true. But he was not done. Persistent to keep going.

“Admit it. It’s because you said some things, and now you can’t bear the thought of losing the object of your affection” the careless tone and the words pierced your heart with gut-wrenching pain “Well, you see, sometimes feelings need to be put aside” he added, almost casually.

Fuck. You gasped, unable to keep a straight face. He might as well see what he has done. Some things. So this is how much your confession meant to him. Good to know. You wanted to slap him, but you felt like that could turn back on you. So instead, you made sure to straighten your back, putting on the familiar mask of neutrality. You have done this before. Probably should have expected it. Only why did it hurt ten times more?

“Can we leave the bloody lovers quarrel till later?” Ives’s voice pierced through the tension.

But you were not ready. Raising your hand in a stopping motion, you turned back to Neil. His face was terrifyingly indifferent. Maybe it was all an act. Or maybe it was just that easy for him to get over whatever you thought you had. A lie. Gathering the smithereens of confidence, you forced a levelled tone:

“Says you. As though you’re acting out of reason right now” you gave him your best impression of the sneer visible on his face.

You could crumble at any moment now. Only the pounding in your ears and the wounded pride were keeping you upwards. But Neil wanted to destroy everything.

“More than you” he glanced at the team waiting impatiently “I really thought you’d know better than this” the punchline was more than you could take.

No. Please no. Your knees buckled, and you swayed. But then you caught the flash of concern in his eyes. Just for a split of a second. So it was not all cold and hatred? You heard Ives huff out a string of curses. There was no time for this. Whatever it even was. Honesty it was then.

“Better than to give away my heart to someone like you? Evidently not” you met his eyes for the final time before walking away in the direction of the SUVs.

The shock you saw in Neil’s face was enough to fuel the survival instincts. With the heart broken or not, the mission was still on. And the rest was silence.

[rileysramblings]

Dilemma 5/5

Hvitserk x Unnamed Female Character

Summary: It is finally time to go home and face reality.

Warnings: mention of car accident and injuries.

Side Note: Here it is. The end of Dilemma. Thank you all again for the lovely feedbacks. I hope the last chapter of this serie won’t disappoint. Please feel free to share your thoughts, I would love to hear what you are thinking about it all!

// Masterlist //

Chapter 5: Home.

Today was the day. She was finally leaving. After a few days in the hospital, her doctor had finally authorized her to go home. As she made her way to the exit she smiled at the nurse that had taken care of her, silently thanking him for his attention, and she hopped in a taxi. 

She didn’t remember the actual accident, everything about that night was a blur. She remembered her phone screen lighting up with the name of her boss and she could see her fingers accepting the call but couldn’t recollect anything about the phone call in itself. 

She remembered leaving her apartment and running. She remembered but, for some reason, it felt different. She could tell she had been out of breath but while running, she couldn’t feel the weight of her coat on her shoulder or the awkwardness of running without sneakers on her feet. 

If she closed her eyes and concentrated, she could remember the light of the emergency cars. The ambulance. The police. The red. The blue. If she focused even more, she would hear the sirens, at first in the back, as if far away but as the seconds passed, the noise would grow to become almost violent and that would be the moment she started to panic and open her eyes again. 

“I need you to stay awake!” 

The taxi stopped in front of her building and she exited the vehicle, slightly surprised by the quick ride. She stayed where she stood on the pavement, looking at her building for a while. She was glad to be out of the hospital, she had been looking forward to this moment: finally going home. But now that she was facing it and she couldn’t move. 

It felt different. It looked different. She even lowered her gaze to verifiy the building’s number. Yes. That was it. That was home. She took a big inhale and ignored the sting in her chest. 

The flat looked exactly as she left it, as if nothing had happened. Books on shelves, various cables and almost finished candles on the side table, dry food on the counter and the remote control of the tv on the armchair. And, obviously, no one in sight.

She sighed. Her flatmate was probably sound asleep. She spent a few minutes trying to convince herself to eat something to pass the time, until the flatmate she had only talked to a handful of times would come out of hiding, but resolved herself to check her room. 

Not so long ago she would have spent all her time in there, awaiting for the flat to be empty so she could roam free. Now, it was a reminder. Not of the accident, she could go past that and she eventually would. 

The fondness for the room that only gave her comfort in the past transformed into anger and sadness. Ever since she had woken up in the hospital, dazed and disoriented, she would awake sad. 

She was hoping that feeling would disappear now that she was out of the hospital but something inside herself was telling her it would not be the case. Her big sad empty bed was staring at her making her feel uneasy, like something was missing, something important. 

She heard the door slam shut and she almost ran to the living room area hoping to find someone there. But the door that had slammed was the front door and the flat was empty once more. 

She sighed. 

She didn’t use to feel like that. She used to relish being on her own. She would always have work to get done or a hobby to turn to. But as she looked around in the flat, she didn’t feel like anything. 

She sat down on the couch and sighed once more, her gaze falling on her hands. She needed to get over whatever feeling that was and do something, anything. She was alive. She could have died and she didn’t. She was alive. She wasn’t allowed to feel sorry for herself. She was lucky. 

Wasn’t she?

She closed her eyes as a groan escaped her lips, her head falling on a cushion. Maybe she needed to have an uninterrupted full 8 hours of sleep and then she’ll feel like her old self again. 

No. 

Her head snapped back up, her eyes wide open, she stretched out her arms as much as possible, as if to fight the sleepiness that wasn’t quite there yet. Her gaze went directly to her phone and she selected one of her favorite songs. When the first notes started to echo in the living room, her leg started to move getting into the rhythm.  

Act like you want to feel.

She forced a smile on her face and even started singing along, swaying her head from side to side, her hands joining the movement, the smile on her face still present. 

Fool your body into thinking you’re happy. 

She was still suffering from the injuries of the accident but her mobility was quite not as weak as she thought it would be, she was healing fast. It allowed her to leave the hospital faster than anticipated and to only be slightly limited in her movements after those days spent cared for 24/7.

A knock on the door snapped her out of her thoughts and excitement finally appeared on her face. She stood up and made her way to the door as fast as she possibly could. When she opened, a young man smiled at her, surprise gracing his features for a second. His gaze left hers to check the number on the door, then came back to her. 

“I’m sorry, I thought- Does Margrethe still live here?” he asked, obviously taken aback. 

“Yeah, I think she left for work though,” she replied with a genuine smile. 

“Right. Yes, of course.” He looked around and sighed. “I live in 410 and I locked myself out. I’ve met Margrethe before and I thought we could hang out until my brother comes with his set of keys.” 

“How did you get into the building without keys?” she asked with a frown, the fact she was desperately needing to have some company didn’t mean she wanted a possible strange psychopath in her flat… a cute one but still. 

“Amma was coming out when I was coming in.” he explained but she only raised an eyebrow. “519?”

She facked recognition as her gaze fell to the floor. This Amma information would have been useful if she actually knew her neighbors. Any of them. She had no clue who he was talking about. Was she the tall bad ass blonde who, she thought, lived on the 5th floor?  Or was she the tiny long haired brunette she’d crossed paths a couple of times? 

No idea. 

In any other scenarios, she would have excused herself  and locked the door. Yet, for unclear reasons, she looked into his eyes and felt safe. That was a new feeling. She never felt safe or remotly comfortable with people she didn’t know. Instead of thinking about the reasons behind all of it for too long, which she usually would have done, she accepted it and she smiled. 

“Well, you can wait here if you want!” she offered and a genuine smile appeared on her cute neighbor’s face. “I was about to attempt baking,” she lied, not wanting to divulge her state of mind to a stranger. He entered the flat but before she couldn’t see his face anymore she definitely saw a twinkle in his eyes and her smile grew. “Cookies?”

“I can help!” he exclaimed enthusiastically and she chuckled. 

She made her way slowly to the kitchen area hoping she had everything to bake not noticing he was looking at her. 

“Are you ok?” he asked and she directed her interrogative gaze towards him. “Margrethe said something about her flatmate having an accident or something, she didn’t go into details.”

She chuckled. “Oh right, I just- I had a little- hum- yes, a little accident.” She turned her gaze away from him to the wall cabinet. He didn’t ask anymore questions but she could feel his gaze on her and she closed her eyes for a second. “Car accident. It’s actually my first day back from the hospital. I’m fine though, so it’s- fine!” she blurted out and his eyes grew wider. 

“Let me,” he simply said when she tried to take the flour from one of the top shelves and she did. As a matter of fact, before she even tried to grab a bowl, a whisk or any ingredients, he was already reaching for it or asked her where it was before she made one move. 

“By the way, I don’t know your name!” she said after they had discussed what they did for a living, what kind of music they liked, what kind of book they read and what was their favorite movie. 

He chuckled and smirked, his gaze then on the oven where the cookies were baking now on her, his green eyes looking deep into hers. “I’m Hvitserk.”

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 @solinarimoon​, @ecarroll1978​

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