#and when I parked she just started lecturing me the entire time of everything I did wrong and I couldn’t stop myself from crying

[nadvs]

I love love love this new au🥹 coming from a severely stressed Uni student could you write how rafe would take care of her when she’s studying too much barely eating or drinking and just really anxious for exams and stressed out.

aaa thank you angel 🥺 yes of course!! i hope you feel better soon!!

based on this fic

“…practice until five,” she hears.

“sorry, what?” she mumbles to rafe, her stare focused ahead.

her boyfriend gazes at her profile as they sit in his bedroom, watching a show on his flatscreen.

“my schedule next week,” he says. “you asked about it.”

“right,” she says. she meets his concerned blue eyes. “sorry. i was out of it again.”

she can feel herself retreating from reality all the time. finals are only a month away and she keeps catching herself zoning out out of lectures and conversations, spiralling into nerve-racking hypotheticals.

“did you eat today?” he asks.

“um… i think so?” she says.

“you’d remember if you did.”

rafe grabs his phone out from beneath the covers to order takeout. she looks at his screen, his wallpaper the photo of herself in his jersey that she’s seen so many times, and realizes it’s minutes away from eight p.m.

“fuck, it’s eight?” she says, scrambling out of bed. “i was supposed to go home to study like an hour ago.”

she grabs her things, staring at him with wide eyes, confused why he isn’t rushing to leave.

“you can drive me, right?” she asks.

“chill for a second,” he sighs. “what if you skipped it tonight? sleep here.”

“i can’t. i can barely sleep in my own bed,” she says. “i can barely sleep at all. if it’s a hassle to drive me, i can order a-”

“no.” rafe stands, relenting. he knows she’ll just argue if he pushes. “let’s go.”

“are you mad?” she asks.

“no,” he says.

“we don’t bullshit-”

“bullshit each other, i know,” he finishes her sentence. “i’m not mad.”

she trails him out of the room. even though he said he’s not mad, he’s acting like it.

rafe’s hands are tight on the steering wheel as he drives to her college campus through dark, busy streets. his girl’s been in her own world lately. every day, it gets worse.

he knows fighting will just stress her out more. he tries to encourage her to take breaks, but it seems to just make her spiral more.

he gets it. his mind gets tangled up, too. pressure can be a bitch. so, he bites his tongue for her sake. she’s the only person he cares enough to reign in his temper for.

“you’re really not mad?” she asks softly.

“i’m worried,” he admits.

she’s silent, staring out the window.

“it’s just finals,” she says. “i’ll be okay.”

rafe’s not entirely convinced. but he gives her the space she needs and drops her off.

about half an hour later, she gets a text from him that there’s takeout waiting for her downstairs. she can’t manage to eat everything because he sent enough food to feed a whole group of people.

then, he texts her close to midnight to see if she went to bed yet.

she replies: can’t fall asleep.

he texts: i’ll be there soon.

when rafe arrives, he calls her to come downstairs. she tries to climb in the passenger seat, but he tells her to go the back. when she opens the door, she sees that he laid out blankets and a pillow across the backseat.

“what is this?” she asks.

“you said you can’t sleep in your bed. or mine,” he says. “what if i drove around? could you sleep then?”

“are you serious?” she says.

“i’ll park in front of my place when you fall asleep. i’ll stay in the car. just get comfortable, alright?”

she settles in the back, leaning across the seat, following his instructions to still buckle herself in.

“thank you,” she says as he starts to drive. her eyelids are already getting heavy, the steady motion of the car genuinely helping. “sorry i’ve been so stressed out.”

“just sleep, baby,” he says.

“okay,” she whispers.

it works. she dozes off within minutes. he drives around for a while to make sure she’s deep asleep.

after he parks in his driveway, he sprawls out in his seat. this is uncomfortable. he’ll be sore tomorrow. and maybe the next day, which is a game day.

but as he listens to her deep breaths, he doesn’t doubt that she’s worth it. she hasn’t been taking care of herself lately. if he has to do it for her, he will. every time.

[stevie-petey]

first of all: the new chapter was AMAZING as always!! i know you are probably so so so busy with move in and classes starting and writing come home already, but i had a blurb idea (and it will obviously ALWAYS be dustin and steve interaction) of steve hanging out with dustin alone sometime soon after you get together, and them talking about it for the first time? it doesn't have to be any particular way i'm just SO curious what dustin's reaction was beyond the knee-jerk "ew you kissed my sister but also thank god because it took you long enough you moron"

stebe n dust <333

enjoy !

“you sure youre okay with driving dustin to mikes?”

steve rolls his eyes fondly at you. “yes, angel. its not even a ten minute drive. i can handle the kid.”

“i know. its just,” you bite your lip, unsure of how to voice what youre thinking. your brows scrunch together and steve thinks youre painfully adorable when youre overthinking. “its too hot for him to bike there, but you and i just started dating and dustin is… well. hes dustin.”

“you worried he’ll lecture me or something?”

“more like ask really invasive questions.”

steve laughs and kisses your hand, body leaning over the counter at your work. hes spent the entire days at bookstrordinary just to talk to you since scoops burned down. when he isnt job searching with robin, hes here with you.

“have some faith in me, y/n. im a big boy, i can take care of myself.”

you blink at him. “you cried yesterday when a lizard ran across your leg.”

“okay, thats entirely different. that thing looked at me with its beady little eyes and dared me to fight him.” steve shudders. “that thing was sentient.”

“youre really not making me feel any better about this, honey.” you groan, already dreading whatever your brother will say to him. youre sure dustin will somehow give the most bizarre, overly obnoxious yet endearing lecture known to man.

steve rolls his eyes again and grabs his keys, reluctantly pulling away from you. “i bet the kid forgot we’re even together now. relax, i’ll be back in no time.”

you call one last good luck to him before hes hone, leaving you alone in the store as the late july heat simmers the air.

at first everything is great. dustin is waiting for steve in the driveway and hops inside the car without any complaints. he turns the radio one and even smiles at steve.

but then, as dustin always does, he opens his mouth.

“i better not catch you sucking face with my sister.”

“dustin!” steve blanches, utterly mortified by what the boy has said. he almost veers off the road with how violently he cringes.

“im just saying! you two are weirdly touchy, and now that youre together, which by the way took you way too long to even do,” dustin looks pointedly at steve, who sighs. “i dont want you getting any gross ideas.”

the older teen rubs his face tiredly. he lasted three minutes. three blissful, quiet minutes. “good to know youre happy for us, then.”

dustin thinks for a moment. “well, i guess y/n could do worse. better than jonathan, at least.”

“thanks, dustin.” steve deflates, not at all believing the kid.

dustin recognizes the apprehension and he uncomfortably shifts in his head. he doesnt necessarily want to be all touchy-feely with the guy, but he also recognizes how much you love him. how good you and steve are together.

coughing, dustin looks out the window. he knows this is what youd want. “im happy she found you, steve.”

by now the wheelers driveway can be seen, but because steve is so startled by what dustin has confessed, he almost misses the turn.

clearing his own throat awkwardly, steve parks the car and looks at dustin. “you, uh. really mean that?”

“please dont make this any more unbearable.” the kid quips, leaning as far away from him as possible.

“right,” steve clears his throat again and unlocks the passenger door. he tugs at his seatbelt, needing something to do with his hands. “off you go, then.”

dustin quickly unbuckles his seatbelt and nearly falls out of the car in his hurry to leave. hes standing and about to walk away before he stops, turning around. leaving over the window, dustin lowers his voice. “hey, one last thing.”

steves voice catches in his throat, scared of where this is going. “yeah?”

ducking his head down, too shy to meet the other boys gaze, dustin finally says, “dont hurt y/n, alright? she-she really loves you. i know you love her, too. but shes… shes the best person in the world and im trusting you to be kind to her.”

“i…” steve stares at dustin, surprised by the sincerity in his voice and yet incredibly touched that hes being so vulnerable with him. to have your brother trust steve enough to be with you, to trust he wont hurt someone as selfless and soft as you, it means more to steve than dustin will ever know.

after years of being cruel to his classmates and growing up believing he wasnt worthy of anything gentle, steve cant believe hes being entrusted with you in his life.

it doesnt feel real, sometimes. being able to love you.

“i promise i’ll be kind to y/n,” steve says softly, meeting dustins eyes. its weird, being so delicate with the kid, but hes shared a lot with him, so its only fair steve does the same. “its because of her that im kind.”

“me, too.” dustin whispers. his eyes gleam, his mischievous smile is back. “guess we learned from the best, huh?”

steve laughs. “yeah, i guess we did.”

[anyaeras]

sugar mommy PT. 2 || E.Olsen

Paring || sugar mommy Elizabeth Olsen x y/n

Summary || y/n and Elizabeth both are working to figure out emotions, yet they also take some time to relax and be together.

Warnings || SMUT! ,, Dom/sugar!mommy Elizabeth ,, sub/sugar!baby reader ,, they/them pronouns ,, reader!pussy ,, strap!on sex,, vibrator ,, eating!out ,, overstimulation ,, mommy!kink ,, pet!names ,, praise!kinks ,, slight!ropes ,, legal!agegap

Part one ,, Masterlist

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Times gone by, and y/n's doing well, along with their relationship with Elizabeth, being her sugar baby was pretty much all positives, she was caring and nurturing, yet strict and demanding as she lived up to being in charge yet it kept y/n in line well. Besides the money was needed, to pay for school, and keep going in life, you didn't wanna worry about living paycheck to paycheck, and struggling to keep the lights on, with Elizabeth y/n didn't have to, it was nice.

Y/n was sitting in her English lecture, and it was only 8am, ON A MONDAY! Who the hell wants to be an English lecture at 8 AM on a Monday after a rough Sunday night... not y/n. as they started to daze off y/n was slowly pulled back to reality by the buzzing on their phone which sat in there lap, looking down to see a good morning text from Elizabeth.

"Good morning darling, I'll pick you up from class at 9:30 when it ends. -love Liz" the text from Lizzie made you smile, it was sweet moment like this that drew y/n to the older women more, honestly it was worrying that these real feelings wouldn't be reciprocated and everything would be lost.

"Mx.y/l/n, something to share with the class or are you gonna read from the text book like asked?" The professor, standing at the front of the room called out to y/n causing their face to fade quickly into a light shade of pink.

"Yes, of course sorry" was stuttered out of y/n's mouth quickly fumbling with the textbook to begin reading aloud, which was dreadful to the young college student, public speaking, wasn't really their thing, only adding stress to the missing assignments, and hangover stress they were already carrying for this morning.

"Late night? OOOO who ya texting?" Zack asked in a whisper as the class continued. Getting a nod from y/n yet they ignored the question which went with who they were talking to. I mean y/n did sign the privacy contract.

What felt like forever, the clock that y/n had been staring at this entire time, and finally the clock made it to 9:30 and the lecture hall was dismissed.

Rushing out of the class, y/n made their way to the main parking lot, looking for the black SUV that almost looked shady yet it was still classy to which Elizabeth was driving. Spotting the car quickly making their way to the door pulling on it, causing Elizabeth to jump not expecting it yet still welcoming y/n into the vehicle.

"Do you have ibuprofen?" Y/n asked immediately as a hangover headache was hitting

"I do, did you go out, and party little to hard last night?" Elizabeth asked with a cheeky smirk as she reached into her purse, handing over a small bottle of painkillers.

"So plan is we go back to my place, I'll order us some food, and we have a nice day, just you and me, stress free. How does that sound darling?" Lizzie asked as she shifted the car into drive heading off towards her place, which was definitely uptown.

The ride was alright Elizabeth ended up actually stopping to pick up some Chinese takeout, not before placing large sunglasses on her face, and slipping on a hat, after doing a little research y/n now knew a lot more about the star Elizabeth Olsen, so they realized more on why the older women was so privet. With that Lizzie left y/n in the car for a minute to think about their growing feelings for the older woman.

In the blink of an eye, Elizabeth handed off the food to yourself to hold onto it while she continue driving back to her place, unlike your college apartment, she lives in a beautiful penthouse in Manhattan, it's more relaxing, then hanging out on y/n's twin size bed that's for sure.

"Y/n? You alright? Something seems off" Lizzie asked not once looking away from the road as she pulled in to her buildings car park, fully stop in the car before turning her head.

"Oh yeah I'm fine haha" was the quick response given before hopping out of the car and carrying the food while also following her into the elevator.

Elizabeth was extremely smart. She could tell by body language alone, something was up in y/n's mind, I mean, the older woman could read the younger one like a book.

Elizabeth unlock the penthouse through the elevator, before allowing y/n inside, taking the food from the younger girl to go dishes onto plates before bringing it up to the living room so that they could watch a movie and chill, yet there was definitely a motive in Elizabeth mind.

Lizzie handed a plate of fried rich and sweet-and-sour chicken to y/n before sitting down next to them herself, reaching for the remote, and turning on a film that was unfamiliar to y/n, yet they just kinda went with it.

I didn't take long for y/n to realize why Elizabeth pick this movie, the opening scene was a little steamy, yet pretty damn hot, as they both finished eating and setting the plates on the coffee table, Liz reached over pulling y/n closer into her body.

You started to move around more, from discomfort, but honestly, the movie was quite a turn on, and it didn't help that the beautiful woman you are falling in love with is running her fingers threw your hair, ever now and then she moves her fingers down your back before going back to your hair.

"Y/n you seem to be distracted, you alright" Lizzie chimed in at a random point her voice staying soft yet it was a harsh rip back to reality.

"Yeah yeah I'm fine!"

"Really honey, you seem all bothered?" the other woman was relentless, she knew y/n was turned on and she was interested in pushing y/n to their breaking point.

Elizabeth went with the bolder option, pulling y/n more into her lap before kissing the side of their neck, moving slowly upwards pulling soft airy moans from y/n as Lizzie reached y/n's mouth turning the younger one to face her now as they made out.

Y/n pulled away desperate for air gaining a smirk from Elizabeth before she spoke

"And here I thought that movie didn't effect you, saying you're fine hmm?" The older women teased.

"Is this okay baby?" Elizabeth asked gaining consent before continuing her game.

With the yes coming quickly from y/n lizzie moved her hands down to the waistband of the sweat pants the younger one was wearing, reaching through their folds

"baby you're fucking dripping" was the first thing that came from Elizabeth, as she pulled her fingers back shoving them into y/n mouth.

"Clean them off."

Soon Elizabeth pushed y/n off her lap, standing up, which caused a whine to fall from y/n's lips.

"Mmm why don't you go to the bedroom, I'll be right there" Elizabeth instructed causing y/n to jump up and move to the bedroom, sitting on the bed patiently waiting for the older women.

A small gasp fell out of y/n's mouth as Lizzie came on with a rather large strap around her waste, and a very pretty and lacy lingerie set hugging her body wonderfully.

"You have a staring problem princess" Elizabeth stated strutting closer to the younger one, before hovering over y/n.

"Strip." The demand left no room for argument as y/n stood up and undressed form the comfortable sweatpants and hoodie they had thrown on for their classes this morning.

"Pretty pretty girl, I can't wait to take you" Elizabeth groan out her words as she shoved y/n down onto the bed taking them in as her eyes freely roamed causing y/n to get a little shy and impatient.

"Why don't you tell me what you want baby?" Elizabeth pressed, wanting to get something out of y/n

"You, I want you now" y/n said deprecarla and that was enough to get a rise out of the older women.

The celebrity reached for their tits harshly causing y/n to squeal in reaction to the strong grip, running a pleasurable pain throughout their body, going straight to y/n's core,

"Please mommy just fuck me" y/n cried out causing Lizzie to freeze for a moment, which forced y/n to realize what just came from her mouth.

"I-I'm sorry!" Y/n tried to get an apology out, but was cut off by Elizabeth

"No say it again"

"Mommy?" Y/n question still in a vulnerable position.

"Yes, I like it" Elizabeth stated before going back to messing with y/n's tits, the actresses hands were roaming on their body.

"Now, what do you want from me princess?"

"Fuck me please mommy" y/n complied quickly Lizzie lined up quickly, with a cock a bit bigger then last time, honestly it was a bit worrying.

Lizzie did add lube before hand, yet it was still large, as she slowly started to slip into y/n's core. Slowly bottoming out, the older women could see the bulge in y/n's stomach as Lizzie gave them a quick moment to adjust before trusting harshly. Making y/n yelp out at the quick pleaser rush.

"Goddamn I've been waiting to fuck you" the women groan making her trust quicker, fucking y/n in to mattresses as they let out high pitched moans.

" baby you are so tight, and you are taking my cock so well" Elizabeth pushed out never once's lightening up and by this point y/n was starting to be fucked dumb, they could only respond in incoherent mumbles, letting the older women have their way with them. Y/n was starting to get close when Elizabeth pulled out quickly causing their whole build up to be flushed down the drain, quickly y/n leaned up on their elbows, looking at Lizzie like a sad puppy.

"Aww look at you, so needy, and sad you didn't get off hmm? You know mommy is a little tired maybe you should encourage me to let you cum?" the actress purred and the college student knew what they were asking for and like they y/n was quickly begging. Pulling herself up to her knees before they started

"Please please let me get off. I'll do whatever you want just please fuck me till I cum!" Y/n spilled out as Elizabeth laughed at her, yet also the women shoved y/n back down onto the bed and started railing them once's again, quick and deep causing that same feeling to return to y/n's stomach, Elizabeth was rutting into y/n, the sound of sex mixed with loud moans filled the room.

"Fuck can I cum? Can I cum? Please!" Y/n pushed out fast almost not comprehendible, yet Elizabeth allowed it. With a loud moan y/n let go coating the faux cock with their cum, Elizabeth kept the cock inside the younger one, reaching down to kiss y/n harshly, waiting for them to calm down, before pulling the cock out of y/n.

"I think you can handle one more orgasm don't you?" Lizzie said kinda in a mocking tone as she removed the strap from her own waist and reaches into the nightstand for a vibrator, pulling one out.

Elizabeth moved keep y/n on the bottom, as she placed the vibrator using some rope she threw on the floor earlier to keep the vibrator in place on y/n's clit. Clicking it on, immediately y/n responded with a low moan, still extremely sensitive, their body jerking quickly at first from the overstimulation. While the actress moved to throw her legs over both sides of y/n's face lowering herself.

"Get to work, when I cum so can you"

And like that y/n was eating Elizabeth out quickly, on a mission to make her cum fast, enjoying the sounds of the older women's moans, and the vibration running threw y/n were great motivation, the idea of getting off the hot women above them in return getting to cum themself.

"Fuck fuck y/n so good for mommy" Elizabeth praised feeling y/n's tongue on her clit was enough, for the older women to fold over and let go, her juices all over y/n's face.

Lizzie pulled herself off, quickly making out with y/n tasting herself, as y/n moaned into Lizzie's mouth as they both could still hear the vibrator going, and y/n could still feel it for sure, trying to hold themself together and not cum just yet. Elizabeth slowly pulled away still aware of the vibrator.

"You can let go baby" softly Elizabeth let y/n cum, yet she was still feeling in charge, and was having fun with this. And like that y/n let go with a deep moan, yet Lizzie didn't once even move, the vibrator kept going pushing y/n fully into a dumb mindset of overstimulation.

"You look so pretty, all hot and messy for me" Lizzie let off a small giggle as y/n jerked and squealed trying to pull away, yet Elizabeth held them their.

"Mmm let go one more time for mommy, and then you can be done."

Tears in y/n's eyes as they mumbled some curse words before letting go one more time with a loud high pitch moan.

And like that the vibrator was turned off and pulled away, and everything was done.

"You were so good for me y/n, so good" Elizabeth praised and y/n was clearly dazed.

Cleaning up the room a bit, before Elizabeth went back for y/n pulling the now calmer girl up to her feat, and leading them both into a bath the older women had drawn for the two of them, giving them time to relax now together.

It was moments like this that made Elizabeth question the relationship of sugar mommy, yes, she pays the younger girl, and yes the younger girl attends to her needs, it's just does Lizzie want more, does y/n even like Elizabeth is this just for the money even though she liked supporting the girl financially yet if so, Elizabeth could pay up and go, but no matter how hard she tries it seems like a real relationship with feelings is forming.

Now laying in the bath all the feeling inside Elizabeth mind as y/n laid on top of her, resting her eyes it seemed. Yet all thought stopped when the small

"I love you" slipped from the young college students mouth, and that was enough for the older women.

[lambiewrites]

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Camping w/ Saw Characters

Characters included: John Kramer, Amanda Young, Mark Hoffman, Lawrence Gordon, Adam Stanheight. Plus, me and Y/N (because I said so)

Warnings: none, except mentions of smoking, getting hurt?? Idk

Notes: Reader is gender neutral and everything is platonic. Even our relationships with each character (unless otherwise stated in other fics I may write)

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John Kramer: I personally feel like John really enjoys the outdoors and seeing as though we see him chilling on a park bench, sketching his traps 24/7, I feel like he’d really enjoy it. Loves the peacefulness except when everyone (Amanda and Mark) are fighting. Definitely fishing at 7am. Struggling because he may or may not have to sleep on the ground. We definitely bought peepaw as many blankets and sleeping bags as possible. He gets cold so easily, bless his heart. Wants to enjoy the hiking trails but, can’t because he’s either in his wheelchair at this point or it’s just a struggle for him in general. (Mad at me because I complained about my knee the entire time even though I’m perfectly fine.) definitely giving Y/N a lesson on the outdoors.

Lawerence Gordon: Didn’t really want to come but he was sorta forced to. Definitely the group’s medic. Lecturing everyone on where they should and shouldn’t step. Pissed because Adam keeps smoking even in the non smoking areas like the woods where there’s been really bad wildfires. Adam does not care though. Dr.Gordon helped pitch everyone’s tent and tried to tell me and Y/N how we could easily pitch our tents but we didn’t listen. He actively carries the first aid kit literally everywhere. This man also had to pull me out of the fishing creek because I slipped on some rocks and nearly fell in. (He and Adam are sharing a tent shhhh ❤️)

Amanda Young: A little less than thrilled to be here. It’s cold and wet. Plus she had better things to do. Constantly at John’s side making sure he’s not too cold and that he’s enjoying himself. Pitched her own tent and probably is sleeping in it by herself unless Y/N wants to share it. Stays up all night worrying about peepaw and maybe other campers (or bears) Definitely one to tell the darkest, scariest, goriest story at the campfire. Is she fighting with Mark the entire time? Oh yeah probably. Is she yelling at me the entire time? Yes. Is Y/N telling her about their nature knowledge (if that’s your hyperfixations) Yes. Amanda definitely wants to go home but she’s sticking it out for peepaw.

Mark Hoffman: (My favorite camping headcannon to write lmao) Complaining about pitching the tents because no one else can apparently. Honestly would rather die than be out here but, he’s making the most of it. Yes, we do have his ass grilling, why wouldn’t we? It’s his job now. Did we make him make the fire? We did actually. Watched me fall off the rocks and into the creek and did not care. Thought it was funny, wished I had drown. Y/N is the only one who he isn’t mad at (congratulations!). Yet. Secretly enjoys the camping but won’t say anything about it. Probably sleeping in a tent by himself. (Maybe Y/N is sharing it with him?) I have decided that this man physically cannot stand me and that’s okay.

Adam Stanheight: This man has been chain smoking since we got here. Obviously taking as many pictures as he physically can. OF EVERYTHING!!! Tried to help Lawerence set up the tent but got bored. Almost started a forest fire but felt instantly bad. Definitely got a lecture from it. Sits at the fire and makes s’mores. Watched me burn myself trying to roast marshmallows and laughed at me (I deserved it, trust me). Loves the outdoors actually and he’s thrilled to be there. Like a little squirrel running around with his camera ❤️😭✌🏻 Y/N is forcing him to take cute little selfies of them with trees and mountains. We’re hanging up the Polaroids all over the place. We’re gonna look so aesthetic, trust me xoxo

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Notes: This was quickly made and probably shitty but, just bare with me lol this is my first one and I love it. I think it’s funny. A lot of this was pulled from my actual camping trip at the beginning of the month. I hope y’all enjoyed and feel free to request stuff! I love you guys!

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[gingerbreadmonsters]

cherry leather looker

or: you're a car, you're a woman, you're a drug!

gn!reader, explicit nsfw, vincent-typical after-school shenanigans. bank me like a millionaire, baby! it’s time for some last-minute summer fun, so you know what that means… my vincent is chinese, so don’t be surprised that he’s got a bit more physical description than i usually go in for. for the wonderful rae @sri-rachaa, mutual of my heart everything i do is for her - happy birthday gorgeous girlie!! all my love, and hope you’re having a fab day <3 inspired by sugar soaker by panic! at the disco, and i wonder if you can guess why…? vincent going off-road in just over 5300 words.

i’m aware that the byline implies fem!lovely, but that’s just because that’s how the song goes lol - lovely here is entirely gender neutral, and their body (including their, um, hardware) is basically not described at all.

this fic contains explicit nsfw content, and is very, very 18+. reader discretion is advised. minors dni. thank you. 

Ugh.

Studying.

Exams aren’t coming up for a while yet, but unfortunately that doesn’t mean you don’t have to study. DAMN loves to pile the work on, latent humanborns be damned, and it’s an absolute nightmare once deadlines start to roll around.

“Lovely!”

Sam’s been tutoring you every Friday for a few months now, keeping you hostage once a week for an hour or two after classes, and it’s awful. He’s not bad at it, he’s just kind of boring, you know? He’s so good at this stuff that he doesn’t really know how to teach it very well, so he ends up doing that infuriating thing where he just reads stuff out of the textbook, nods like of course you’ll have understood that, and moves onto the next thing. It’s infuriating!

You’ve got to be at his place in, like, twenty minutes - normally Vincent would come and pick you up, but he’s got some meeting in town with a client, so Sam’s coming to get you instead. It’s not fair! When Vincent comes to pick you up, he always lets you choose the music, and he brings one of the cars that’s fast enough to get you there in half the time, so he can make out with you in the back seat for ten minutes before you have to go. Sam? Uh, no thanks, for several reasons. Long story short, you’re really not looking forward to studying with him tonight-

“Tianxin!”

…Wait, what?

The car park isn’t full, but it’s certainly not empty. It must be, what, about half twelve? Quarter to one? You’ve just come out of your Introductory Mental Disciplines lecture and your brain is kind of fried - Professor Albright’s a wonderful teacher, but he can be a little… intense, to put it lightly - so it’s not exactly a surprise that it takes you a minute to figure out where that voice is coming from.

“Lovely! Over here!”

Hazard lights flash behind you, and a good handful of other students turn with you to see - ah. Yeah, okay. You really should have known. Vincent Solaire, the picture of romance, big round sunglasses perched amid gracefully-dishevelled hair, waving madly from the driver’s seat of a very red, very shiny, very expensive convertible.

“Get in!”

Well, he certainly doesn’t have to tell you twice.

He’s already got his foot on the pedal as you slam the door shut, chucking your backpack over onto the back seat, and he pulls you in for a breathless kiss while clumsy hands fumble with your seatbelt. As soon as he hears it click, that’s it - before you really know what’s going on, you’re racing out of the car park and down the road out of town, music all the way up and pedal all the way down.

“How did - where-” You’re still a bit dizzy from the speed of it all - how the hell is he here? “What happened to your meeting?”

“Got Alexis to do it,” he says breezily, one hand reaching up to adjust the rearview mirror before slipping down to sit high on your thigh. “I just about stopped Fred catching her and Christian having some fun in the dining room after the clan meeting a few weeks ago, so she owes me one.”

Ah. That would explain why Vincent couldn’t keep a straight face when Sam’s mate had asked if he knew why the dining room table was away for repairs the other day. You don’t really want to know what he told them.

“Actually, that reminds me!” Regrettably, he takes his hand off you to put his sunglasses on properly - only Vincent would be caught wearing sunglasses at night unironically, just because they look cool, baby, look! He does an awkward sort of wriggle as he fishes his phone out of the pocket of his jeans, tossing it lightly into your lap. “Can you check if it’s on silent, please?”

“Yeah, hold on. It’s… no, it’s not.” It only takes a few seconds - you offer it back to him, but he shakes his head, so you just put it in the centre console. “Why?”

“Because…” Vincent’s grin gets impossibly bigger, laughing as you race down the A-road that leads into the woods surrounding Dahlia. “I’d know that old thing a mile away. Say hello, lovely!”

He flashes the hazards again, sticking two fingers in his mouth for a piercing wolf-whistle before flipping off the truck going the other w- hold on, that’s Sam’s truck, why’s he heading out now if you’re meant to be-

“Better luck next time, old man!” Vincent shouts over his shoulder, and there’s that vampire hearing - true to form, his phone lights up with an incoming call, the familiar piano loud as it vibrates. “Finders keepers!”

Twisting round in your seat, you laugh as Sam’s truck disappears when you turn the corner, leaning over to kiss Vincent’s temple partly in shock, but mostly in elation. “Breaking me out of prison, hmm?”

“For you, baobei?” He threads his fingers between yours, that lovesick look you know so wonderfully well, gently pulling your hand to press his lips to your wrist. “I’m stealing you all for myself.”

His other hand flicks the left indicator on, which is a bit of a surprise. Isn’t home in the other direction? “Are we not…?”

He scoffs theatrically, and it’s unfair that he can make it sound so cute. “Going home? No. What’d you wanna do that for?” Your phone starts buzzing, Sam clearly having given up on Vincent answering, but you both ignore it. “I thought we could, uh, go on a little adventure tonight. Just us.”

“Oh, is that what we’re calling it?” He flushes slightly at your tone, cheeks slowly turning pink, and your smile widens as he deliberately avoids your eyes in the mirror. “Last time we went ‘adventuring’, we ended up fucking up the suspension so much that even you said you were gonna have to pay someone to fix it. Sure you wanted to bring this car?”

“I - you-!” Flustered, he stabs clumsily at the centre console, pointedly turning the volume up even as his blush deepens and deepens with your wicked laughter. “ Just- just pick a song!”

The drive isn’t too long, all things considered - it’s only about an hour, maybe a bit more. It’s not like the roads are all that busy at 1am, you know? At first, you’re not really sure where he might be taking you, but about twenty minutes in he turns down onto the coast road, and it clicks.

“At this hour? It’ll be freezing!” He really thinks he’s slick, doesn’t he? And okay, yeah, he kind of is, but there’s no way you’re telling him that. Got to keep him on his toes, after all.

“Mmm, it will be, won’t it?” Up ahead, the lights turn red at the junction. Ever a man of opportunity, he wastes no time - the car’s barely stopped before he’s kissing you, one hand under your jaw and the other sliding down to rub teasingly over your hip. “Gonna keep - nnng - gonna keep me warm, lovely?”

“Haahh-” Soft, always so soft. Pulling slightly against your seatbelt, closer closer closer - ooh, is that strawberry chapstick? Between the fizz of his hands on your skin and the sweetness of his mouth against yours, it’s kind of hard to come up with a coherent response. “Yeah, mmm, yeah, just- hm?”

Unfortunately, he breaks what was shaping up to be a very nice kiss as a motorbike speeds past, straight over the junction. Oh. Right, yeah, the traffic lights. You’d sort of forgotten about that. Thank goodness there’s nobody else behind you. Vincent’s gaze meets yours, washed in green light, lips already slightly pinker than normal - you’re so tempted to ask if you can pull over. Come on, nobody’s looking. Just for five minutes?

(Well, maybe ten. Fifteen. Twenty? Maybe just a bit longer-)

The glovebox clicking open knocks you out of your pleasant reverie, watching Vincent rifle awkwardly through the mess of CD cases before extracting a half-empty bottle of chewing gum.

“Want some?” He rattles the jar towards you, popping two in his mouth before grimacing in surprise. “Wait, this-”

Pushing his sunglasses back up into his hair, he looks properly at the label this time, and you’re not saying his age is catching up to him, but… “Fuck, I forgot I ran out of strawberry.” Undeterred, he takes a third one before handing you the bottle, stepping on the pedal as you put it back in the glovebox. “I think it’s spearmint? Peppermint? Oh, I don’t know - the one Lexi had the other day.”

“Did she get it for you?” You’re surprised. When Alexis and Vincent buy things for each other, they’re normally one of two things: specifically designed to make the other’s life noticeably worse, or costing at least several thousand dollars. Somehow, you doubt that this particular jar of chewing gum was either of those things, but Alexis Solaire is nothing if not full of surprises.

“Nah. Nicked it off her desk,” he declares, looking far too pleased with himself as he flicks the indicator down. “She likes that awful cinnamon-flavoured shit more anyway, so really I’m doing her a favour.”

(Yeah, okay. That sounds more like the pair of them. You won’t mention the industrial-sized roll of tin foil that you saw her and Christian dragging into Vincent’s room at Will’s house.)

Humming along to the CD player, he turns off down one of the side roads - you know the sort, one of those that’s not really a road at all, just a sort of gap in the hedgerow. It’s just dirt, and it’s kind of bumpy, but it gives Vincent an excuse to go and fuss over his precious paintwork, so he’s fine with it. Sam complains about it every time he comes down here, but that’s what you get when the suspension on your truck is practically prehistoric, isn’t it?

“Wanna go inside for a bit? Or straight out to the back?”

“Uh…” As nice as the house is - and make no mistake, it’s really nice - you’d rather get straight to it. It’s not everyday you get to spend some time at a place like this. “Straight through?”

“Sure.”

The house belongs to William, but it’s not associated with the business as one of the actual, like, ‘Solaire Properties’. Really, it’s just for family or clan stuff - you’ve been down here several times before, mostly for birthdays or celebrations or whatever. Vincent’s never gone into too much detail, but from what you’ve heard about William’s life before the whole rich-vampire-king palaver, he’s always liked the sea. He loved it from afar, as Vincent puts it, but you gather that he never really had much of a chance to enjoy it.

That’s why he bought this place, apparently - a long-held dream fulfilled, and you’re not going to begrudge him that. It’s not very easy for vampires to really do beach holidays. Good on him for finding a convenient (if eye-wateringly expensive) way to do it.

(When she’d mentioned it to you the first time, Alexis had called it a nice little summer house. Your definitions of ‘nice’ and ‘little’ clearly aren’t quite the same. For starters, you probably wouldn’t include a multi-million dollar beachfront property in one of the most beautiful places on the California coast, but apparently that just shows how much you know. Turns out the dollar really is almighty, and William Solaire certainly has a lot of them.)

“Hope you brought your swimsuit, baby,” he says innocently, fiddling with his phone and unlocking the gates. His wry grin betrays him, though - he forgets every time that you can still see him in the rearview mirror. “Water’s nice, this time of year.”

“You little…” Oh, he’s going to be for it in a minute. “Who on earth do you know that brings a swimsuit to a Dreamwalking lecture?”

“My lovely, caught unaware? Surely not!” He gasps in faux surprise, now not even trying to hide the smirk spreading across his face. “I reckon you had this planned, you know.”

“Yeah?” This should be good. “And how did I do that, hmm?”

“Oh, it’s very simple,” he proclaims, free hand gracefully pulling his sunglasses off and tucking them in his shirt pocket as he turns down the drive. “You’ve lured me out here with your effortless charm and stunning good looks, with the promise of getting to take a swim all alone with my gorgeous lovely, only to turn on your heel and deprive me of the one thing I’ve been looking forward to all week.“ It’s unfair how cute that stupid pout of his is, sighing plaintively as he laments your supposed scheming. "You’re so mean to me, you know that?”

“Am I, now?” It’s always fun, playing along with him. “I’m sorry, my love,” you say mournfully, leaning across to press a kiss to his cheek and smiling as he tries not to blush. “However could I make it up to you?”

“Well, I do know one way we could make this work…” he says, valiantly ignoring the flush slowly spreading across his face at the absolutely shameless once-over he gives you. “I mean, you don’t have to be wearing anyth- hey!”

“Nice try, loverboy,” you announce, haughtily settling your newly-acquired sunglasses atop your head. “Like hell you’re getting me in there with nothing on - it’s fucking freezing!”

Vincent sighs, plaintive and airy, like it being 1am and pitch-black outside shouldn’t matter. Ooh, he’s lucky he’s so pretty. “Too bad, sha gua, too bad. Guess I’ll have to find some other way to get you w- okay! I’m st- I’m stopping!”

Bastard. One-handed, he bats away your hands from his hair as he pulls up by the sand, fingers flexing on the wheel when you manage to get just close enough to kiss the corner of his mouth.

“Rude.” He huffs, giving you that stupid, cute pout that really shouldn’t be as attractive as it is. “I thought that was pretty good, actually.”

You give him a look. “I’m not sure pick-up lines have ever been - hey - waitwaitwait!”

You’re never going to be used to that vampire strength, are you? The angle is ridiculous, but his hands lock around your waist before you can protest, and somehow he manages to manoeuvre you over the centre console and into his lap without too much fuss.

Vincent opens his mouth, smug as anything, but he only manages a sort of garbled half-noise before your hand quickly shuts him up.

“That does not count as a pick-up line!”

He stares, cross-eyed, down at your hand for a surprised second, before petulantly trying to lick your palm in retaliation. Luckily, you’re wise to his tricks by now - you pull your hand away just in time and fix him with the best glare you can muster, although it’s probably undercut by the fact that you’re trying really hard not to laugh.

Undeterred, he smirks up at you, brushing the hair out of his face with a satisfied flourish.

“Yeah, but you thought it was hot.”

Fuck. He’s right. You stutter into an excuse for a second, but it doesn’t come - instead, you just slide your hands up his chest, over his shoulders and up to his jaw, before just leaning down and kissing him. It always works.

True to form, he melts into your touch, letting you kiss the mint-flavoured smirk right off his face with a pleased sigh. Quick fingers twist into the fabric of your shirt, and you’re just running your tongue over his bottom lip when-

“Wait - just - just a sec-”

He pulls back unexpectedly, reaching over and fumbling around in the glovebox for a second, one hand holding your hip to keep you balanced in his lap, before extricating an old receipt. Neatly, he drops his gum into the paper, folding it in half to stick it to itself before depositing it into the cupholder to throw away later.

“Okay!” He grins up at you, blindingly beautiful, and you almost have to blink away the sunspots in your eyes. “Where were we, again?”

This time, you don’t bother trying to hide your laugh - instead, you just muffle it in his shoulder, letting him nip affectionately at your neck against the gentle sound of waves lapping at the sand. “Hate you.”

“Yeah,” he replies airily, and you don’t need to look to see his smile. “Hate you too.”

You pull back and he ducks his head slightly to kiss you again, tongue brushing lightly against your lip until you tilt your head slightly to - yeah, that’s a better angle. Vaguely, you’re aware of him guiding your legs around his waist, and you can feel him standing up and getting out of the car, but most of it is forgotten as the warm haze of his kisses swirls through your brain and makes your fingers go all tingly.

Although your eyes are closed, you can tell that he’s walking somewhere from the movement of his body against you, the sound of sand under his feet, but where’s he going? Into the house? Cracking one eye open, you can see the dark shape of the garage in front of you - so he’s heading towards the water, then. Wait, but why would he - oh, no fucking way-

“Mm - mmf!” Swallowing a giggle at his stunned face, you wriggle out of his arms with a sharp twist and a burst of vampiric speed, before turning and scrambling away across the sand. Shocked, he’s not quite quick enough to grab your arm as you dodge out of the way, and he laughs in surprise as you make him chase you further and further towards the sea.

“Oh, I don’t - I don’t think so-!”

“Catch me if you can!”

As fast as you’re going, it’s basically no distance at all until you’re splashing into the shallow water. Spray kicks up around your ankles, soaking into your shoes and socks, but it can’t weigh you down. You dance out of his way regardless, heart pounding giddily as adrenaline rushes through your body, dipping your hand down to flick water at him whenever he looks in danger of getting slightly too close.

“Still - fuck! - still too slow!” He almost manages to snatch the back of your shirt, and you stick your tongue out at his wounded expression as you back up into the slightly deeper water. “See, I told you I was faster…”

“You - get - get back here!”

He lunges for your waist, but he’s too slow - with a splash, he topples through the space where you used to be and goes face first into the freezing water. Luckily, it’s deep enough that he doesn’t just hit the ground, and you wade gingerly towards him as your body starts to register the cold.

“Lovely!” Spitting out a mouthful of seawater, you’re met with the distinctly-bedraggled shape of a very wet Vincent Solaire, blinking the salt out of his eyes. The shock of the cold water forces the breath out of him, but for some reason it can’t make him any less unfairly attractive. You don’t bother to hide your satisfied smirk at the sight of him raking his soaked hair out of his face with one hand, white t-shirt now slightly see-through and clinging to his chest.

“You - you!” he gasps, pointing accusingly at you with as stern a glare as he can muster. “Oh, when I get my hands on you, I-”

He’s cut off by your gleeful kiss, throwing yourself through the waist-deep water at him and knowing that he’ll catch you. Mmm, he’s such a sucker.

“Yeah?” you say between kisses. “You’ll what?”

“I…”

After a pause, he shrugs half-heartedly and gives in to let you kiss him again. “Probably - mmm - yeah, uh, probably that…”

Moonlight sparkles on the water as he clutches you tighter, drinking in the familiar taste of you. Cold currents come and go, but neither of you really notice, far too swept up in each other for it to matter - besides, the warmth of his body against yours is more than enough to keep you happy.

After a little while, he moves to kiss slowly down your neck, leaning you back slightly in his arms to get a better angle. Your fingers tangle in his hair, dark and dripping, and he sighs happily against your skin when you pull slightly, just the way he likes.

“Tianshi…” he murmurs, fangs digging gently into your skin because he knows it makes you shiver. “You shouldn’t tease, you know.”

“Mm, you started it,” you reply. “Whose good idea was it to go swimming in the middle of the night, again?”

“Hm.” You can feel him pouting, muttering quietly into your shoulder. “Like ‘m giving up my lovely for some stupid tutoring.”

He makes a good point. This is much nicer than whatever boring textbook questions Sam was supposed to be making you do right now. In your magnificent generosity, you reward your saviour with a benevolent kiss to his temple, before your hand trails down over his neck, his shoulder, across his-

“Did you-?”

“Hm?” Tilting back just a little, he looks down at himself like he’s as surprised as you are that his shirt has disappeared. “Oh, yeah.”

Biting back a laugh, you smack his arm with a quiet slap. “Now who’s the tease?”

“What? Do you like wearing wet jeans?” he asks smugly, smirking as he hears your heart speed up - the dark water comes up to about his waist, so you dread to think what other bits of clothing he’s got rid of while you weren’t looking. “That’s what I thought.”

You roll your eyes good-naturedly, patting him on the shoulder in consolation. “Remind me to send him flowers when we get back.”

“Who said he taught me? You don’t know! I could’ve, um-”

His cry of indignance is swiftly cut off by your flat stare. You know exactly where he got this from. After a brief stand-off, he sighs in apparent defeat, bending down slightly to scoop you up so that he’s properly carrying you. “Yeah, it was Gavin.”

“Knew it!” you sing, cheerfully kicking your legs as he starts to walk back out of the water, up towards the sand. “You think I haven’t seen him trying it with Freelancer before?”

He pretends to sulk, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye. “And here I thought you were looking at me…” The sand crunches quietly underfoot as he carries you towards the car, and the slight breeze is pleasantly cool against your warm skin. “What do I have to do to get your attention, hm?”

Sneaking a downwards glance, you raise an eyebrow. Turns out he wasn’t lying about the jeans. “I could think of a few things.”

“Only a few?” He scoffs, before leaning down to press his fangs to that sweet spot just under your jaw. “Keep up, tianxin, and you’ll get more than that.”

A burst of magic fizzles over your body, warm and crackling shivers from head to toe. Before you can blink, you’re both completely dry, and one look at him tells you exactly what you need to know - ooh, he’s been practising that one. He preens under your gaze, tossing his head proudly to flick his now-dry hair back out of his eyes.

God. He’s so pretty.

The walk back to the car isn’t far, but he doesn’t put you down - instead, he opts to lean down and lay you gently back against the hood, kissing you down against the warm, smooth metal. Back arched slightly over his arm, it’s a little uncomfortable, so you have to shift around a little bit in order to-

“Mmm…”

Maybe he thinks it was on purpose, or maybe he knows and he just doesn’t care - whatever the case, he rocks his hips back down to meet you, and that’s when you notice that he’s got rid of your clothes, too.

“Haah - Vincent!”

He doesn’t even have the good grace to look appropriately chastised at your muffled shout, just grabbing your wrists before you can try to slap his side and pinning them above your head with a devilish smile. Any protest you may have had quickly disappears when he grinds against you, thin cotton all that separates you, melting into a soft moan that drips off your fangs and runs down your chin.

“What - nnng! - what’s the matter, lovely?” he says, breathless. “Having second thoughts about your study session?”

“Yeah, yeah…” Lost in the heat and the hardness of him, it’s getting more and more difficult to put words together. “Think you - mmm, think you should persuade me…”

You don’t have to tell him twice - the world blurs around you as he lifts you up, depositing you on the passenger seat as he slips down to kneel in the footwell, and you hastily grab his shoulder in surprise as he presses the little button on the seat, sliding it back to give himself a little more room.

“We have - fuck! We have a bed in - inside!” Your half-hearted protests go ignored in favour of strong hands impatiently tearing the rest of your clothes away, shredded fabric littering the floor beside him. God, that shouldn’t be as hot as it is.

He lifts one dark eyebrow, challenging, although he can’t quite keep his eyes on your face. “You want me to wait?”

“No, no, this is - no, this is fine-!”

Words melt away as he eagerly grabs your hips, pulling you forwards to the edge of the seat and burying his face in you with a long, drawn-out moan. Mmm, he really doesn’t waste any time - your fingers unconsciously find their way back into his hair again, twisting and tugging with every flick of his tongue, sloppy, sticky kisses that make your cheeks burn and your insides twist with need. Your nails digging into his scalp only seem to encourage him, wonderfully warm as he licks a slow, burning trail all the way down before speeding back up until you’re shuddering in his enthusiastic hold.

“I - oh, I - ahhh…”

Almost too fast for you to notice, a tiny burst of magic swirls around his fingers - oh, you definitely remember Gavin teaching him that one. Gently, he eases his middle finger into you, stretching you ever so sweetly, and you have to clamp your hand over your mouth to stifle what you’re sure would be an embarrassingly loud whine.

“Baby…” Vincent clearly disagrees, though, nudging your legs up over his shoulders and nipping at the soft inside of your thigh in disappointed reprimand. “Wanna hear!”

A graceful hand runs blindly up your body to tug your hand away from your mouth, depositing it firmly back in his hair where it belongs. You can’t complain - and even if you wanted to, the high-pitched keen that fills your mouth as a second finger slips inside you leaves no room for objection.

It doesn’t help that even like this, he’s still so fucking beautiful - crescent-moon eyes closed, groaning in pleasure at the taste of you, achingly hard but refusing to let go of you even for a second. Your head falls back against the headrest, back bowing as you roll your hips slightly, and the change in angle lets his fingertips press just right - fuck, just right against that spot inside you that makes your breath stick in your chest and your eyes go all blurry.

“Yeah?” The look he gives you is wicked, filthy grin all smeared and sticky. Fuck, he sounds absolutely wrecked, words lazy and languid as he kisses the words into you. “Right there, xingan?”

You nod frantically, nails scraping harsh lines into the tanned skin of his shoulders. He hisses with the pleasurable sting, and you watch them fade and heal over almost as fast as you can make them. “Mm-hmm, mmm, yeah-!”

It’s too much - deft fingers curling and stroking, the vibrations of his voice thrumming over you, all warm and wet and messy. Fuck, it feels like your whole body is burning, trembling in his grip, skinbuzzing like a livewire. The leather underneath you sticks and catches as you writhe under Vincent’s attention, and a flood of heat rushes through you at the reminder that you’re just out here in the open, entirely at his mercy.

“I - oh, fuck,” you gasp out, curved forwards over him as your body greedily tries to pull him impossibly closer. “It - ahh, it’s-”

“I know, baby - I know,” he chokes out, sounding almost as desperate as you feel. “Come on, come on, lovely - nng, please!” Mouth full, sentences all slurring together as he buries himself in you, it’s enough to make you wail with each breath, the delicious stretch of his fingers and the sharp tease of his fangs. “Please, want it, I wanna see-”

He strokes his thumb over your thigh, silent question obvious as he looks pleadingly up at you - you must nod, or tell him yes, yes of course, because the next thing you know is the white-hot ecstasy of the bite, needy and glittering, and all of a sudden you’re falling apart. Legs trembling, eyes slammed shut as you sob through your orgasm, all you know is the familiar kiss of Vincent’s mouth on you, strong hands trailing warm, comforting patterns over your skin, and the distant sound of your own cries.

For a long moment, you’re floating, a joyful balloon on a satisfied string. Vincent takes you in his hands with a soft smile, and slowly pulls you back down to earth.

When you finally blink back to yourself, you’re slumped loose and heavy over Vincent’s shoulder, flopped forwards against where he’s kneeling up in front of your seat. He hums quietly as he feels you stir, one hand smoothing comforting circles into your back, and you nestle your face into the side of his neck with a pleased sigh.

“Back with me, baobei?”

“Mm,” you say eloquently. “Yeah.”

“Good.” He kisses the side of your head before tenderly nudging you backwards a little bit, giving himself a bit more room to clamber out of the footwell. He almost manages it, too - the effect is ruined slightly when he trips over the lip of the floor, stumbling awkwardly into the open door and nearly smacking his face against the handle, and you giggle at the indignant glare he shoots at the side of the car.

“Ooh. Smooth.”

“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up,” he grumbles, though there’s no heat behind it. “Only the best for you, xiaogongju.”

You take his offered hand with a flourish, letting him guide you up and out of the seat and onto shaky legs - after a few steps, he decides to take matters into his own hands and just lifts you up into his arms like a bride, your head back on his shoulder. From here, you gaze idly out at the dark line where the sky brushes the sea, just barely visible even to your enhanced eyes, and let yourself rest in the gentle sound of the waves.

(A quick look back shows you - oh, that’s going to be a bitch to clean out of the leather. Whatever. It was worth it.)

“Love you,” you murmur through your hazy smile, fingers brushing back and forth over the dips and hollows of his collarbone. “Gonna get you back later.”

“Love you too, baby.” Waves lapping at the sand, salt and heat and happiness, the chill of the breeze. “I look forward to it already.”

He catches your lips in a short kiss, sweet and soft and painted in moonlight. Vincent carries you into the house, closing the door behind you, and all you can think is that this is much, much better than a study session.

masterlist

this is an original work by @gingerbreadmonsters - please do not repost or misattribute

[im-poe-dameron]

NEVER BREAK THE CHAIN

➢ 01. WORLD GONE WRONG

a/n: guess who watched too many jurassic park movies and then took one look at din with an idea.. this was just a funny fic at first and then it kind of became something else entirely. i had been plotting it for a long time, but i'm finally ready to write it. hopefully y'all enjoy!

dedicated to: @softanon for listening to me ramble about this fic and working some kinks out of it. you're amazing babes. thank you!

summary: years after you lost contact and parted ways, din comes back into your life. in the most drastic way possible. all starting with the offer of a new position as head of a genetics lab.

word count: 2.8k+

pairing: din djarin x f!reader

warnings: not explicit, angst, broken hearts, alcohol, bad explanation of genetics/science, the beginning of the end.

next chapter | series masterlist

“Can anyone tell me what the difference between genomes and genes are?” Twirling the pen between your fingers, you watched the students raise their hands one by one, each of them exhibiting the same amount of confidence. 

Others refused to meet your eye, suddenly finding other aspects of the lecture hall far more intriguing. You didn’t blame them. Back when you were in their spot you wouldn’t be the first to answer the question either. Too afraid of what might happen if you did. You picked at random—a younger man who funnily enough wore a dress shirt and pants.

“Genes are a segment of DNA while genomes are the entire genetic material of an organism.”

“Correct!” you said. “Now, we’re talking about genes specifically today, because the lab I’ve constructed for next week allows you to pick apart and study aspects of DNA from different species.”

A single glance at the clock told you that time was almost up. You reached for the stack of worksheets you printed out—almost killing the staff printer in the process—and handed them to the first student you came across. You couldn’t stop yourself from glancing at the man sitting towards the door. A briefcase on the desk in front of him and his tie dutifully pressed down along his shirt. You weren’t sure why it took you so long to realize that he wasn’t a student, but there you were—attempting to identify the symbol on his bag.

“Professor?”

Your attention snapped back to the class. “Yes?”

“Will this be a part of the midterm?”

“No. This is just something we’re looking over.”

The man had yet to leave, his eyes watching you as you maneuvered around the room and a thought in the back of your head told you to run. Once class is over you should grab your things and take off with the rest of the students. But like an idiot, you decided to do the complete opposite. Dismissing the class, you answered questions here and there for those that needed clarification about the upcoming class. All of which you were happy to answer, but the man still had yet to leave and he’d begun to make his way to the front of the room.

Heading directly towards your desk.

“Do we have to bring anything extra to the lab?”

You couldn’t recall the students name, but you recognized the denim jacket she wore. “No. We’ll be heading down to the campus labs for this one so everything will already be there.”

She nodded. “Have a good rest of your day professor.”

Waving, you felt the weight fall on your shoulders as no one but you and him remained. He stood quietly beside your desk, the symbol on his bag much clearer and yet still a mystery; it would help if he talked, but something told you that he was doing this on purpose. 

So, you chose to ignore his presence. Instead focusing on the task at hand, which was shoving all the ungraded papers into your bag—your hot cup of coffee having gone cold. If you had the chance, you’d escape to the cafe across the street, but it seemed you wouldn’t be so lucky.

He dropped a packet on the desk in front of you, jolting you out of your numerous escape plans. “You are the only certified geneticist that works on campus, correct?”

Some fucking decency would have helped his case. Dropping the remainder of your papers into your bag, you shoved it onto your shoulder—intent on leaving him here. You knew his pitch before he even said it. First they confirmed exactly who you were so they didn’t look stupid when attempting to recruit you. And then they started their grandiose rant. Going on and on about how their company wished to shape the world; how they were a year away from issuing needed change. Half of the time you never listened to what bullshit they were spouting—like a hose that never turned off quite right.

“I’m not interested,” you said, turning on your heel and heading directly towards the door.

He blocked your way out. “I promise what I have to say is worth your while.”

“I don’t want to hear what you have to say.”

“Can you please let me—”

“No,” you stated. Fixing him with what you hoped turned out to be a withering stare.

“You’re one of the top geneticists in this country; graduated with a doctorate degree in the field before coming to teach here. You could have applied your skills at a lab but you—” Shoving past him you made it five steps out the door before he ran in front of you again. “Please. Just hear me out.”

“I don’t see why I should.”

Maybe you were being harsh, but after years of turning down offer after offer, people didn’t seem to understand that you didn’t do this to change the world. Half of the time change ended in disaster. So you chose to offer your knowledge to others who might need it more than you—students that could actually apply their skill somewhere. You were never one to take orders lightly. Never one to follow the rules. Working for a company would only hinder you in the long run than help you reach your final goal.

“We were given a recommendation to come recruit you.”

You sighed, stopping to finally regard him. “Look, I don’t know who put in this recommendation, but that won’t make me change my mind. I’m happy being a professor.” 

Thankfully he allowed you to walk past him this time, but you didn’t get very far.

“He told me to tell you that it came from Rook.” Freezing, you whipped around to face him, the disbelief clear on your face. “He said…you’d know what that meant.”

“He put in the recommendation?” How was that possible? The last you heard from him was…the night before he left—the night that everything changed and life shifted entirely. “He’s…working for you?”

“Well not yet,” he replied, grasping for a small envelope in his bag. “He still has to go through the final stages of training, learning what his job will be, but when he asked if we’ve hired geneticists your name was the first one up.” He handed the dingy looking white paper off to you, a scrawled out name on the front clearly marking it as his handwriting. “He said to give that to you if I found you.”

The breath caught in your throat as you looked down, the name Bishop written across the front in pen. You knew that handwriting better than you knew your own, having seen it on small notes you found scattered across your shared apartment. Fuck it was nearly a decade ago and still…you felt your heart twist violently in your chest—the memory of him, so real that you swore you could touch it. He’d always been there in a way. At the back of your mind and for so long you figured you’d never encounter him again.

Given that his path led him across the oceans to a different country. While yours left you to remain right where you were. Living on the campus where you met him, teaching the same classes you took with him—connected to him even after he couldn’t promise you forever.

“Why?” Your voice had gone soft, eyes tracing over every curved letter of his writing.

“You’re the best. That’s all he told us.”

Typical of him to give the simplest explanation possible. You wanted to bet that if you opened the envelope you’d find nothing but a few words written on the paper. Even when you were with him he didn’t talk much about what he wanted for himself—more about what he wanted for the both of you. A house, a family. Hell, maybe even a dog. You were both lost in the fantasy land of falling head over heels for one another that you never stopped to think of the all too crushing reality.

It swept you away from him faster than you could call out his name and…that was it. He was never to be heard from again.

So why now?

“Where do you work?” you asked, hesitant about even considering this job. Changing positions now would make it a nightmare for the students.

“G.I.” He fumbled for the business card in his pocket. “Genetics Incorporated. Which was founded—”

“Yeah I know about G.I.” It had been your dream job ever since high school. A chance to finally put the science you found so fascinating to good use. “I can’t believe you bastards are still around.”

The man’s pale skin flushed red. “Well…we made it somehow.”

“Don’t you mean you made it by stealing ideas from other scientists in order to make your name worldwide?”

Their history was dark and it spread throughout the years. Part of why you didn’t join their ranks was due to their previous court cases. Being sued over scientific ideas that were stolen never shed a good light on the company, but there they were. What the fuck was he doing working for them in the first place? He must have known their history—their past with the scientific community. You turned around and ran when they first offered you a position; already knowing what side of history you preferred to be on.

“What exactly are you working on?”

The man stumbled over his words, referencing the now slightly crumpled packet in his hands. “It’s highly classified material, but they told me to tell you that they are attempting genetic splicing with different organisms.”

“Gene splicing?” you exclaimed, snatching the packet from him. “That’s never been attempted before on anything except plants.”

From what they gave you it seemed like a bullshit version of a professor’s published paper. They wanted to give you as many flowery and enticing words as possible with little to no information. So when you joined you felt like you made the right choice. You’d seen it so many times it was hard to keep track, but as you turned to the last page you noticed a different type of genetic code. One that wouldn’t be seen necessarily in plants but in…animals.

“What would they need the DNA of reptiles for?” you asked, glancing up at him.

“Ah…I’m afraid that’s above my pay-grade.”

Reading through this packet wasn’t what you really wanted to do. But you couldn’t open his letter here. Not when you were on the brink of actually running away from yet another job prospect. You know why you chose teaching as your profession, why you still remained someplace where life was good. Fear kept you here. Except the mere idea of seeing him again, of getting a chance to finally hash out the past both of you ignored for so long—it made you want to say yes without an ounce of hesitation.

Only you were never that person.

“Can I think about it?” You already knew what your answer would be; you just needed his final push.

The man nodded. “Of course! The number is on the business card when you’re ready to talk more.”

You left before he could say anymore, his letter clutched in your hand and a new feeling in your heart. One you weren’t sure you particularly liked very much.

After a grueling drive home, you finally shut the door on your apartment and nearly slid down to the ground. The work day kept you on your feet for hours at a time, but receiving this letter…it tipped you over the edge. Yanking off your shoes, you walked barefoot to the fridge and pulled out a beer, needing a bit of alcohol to entice you enough to open the letter. Liquid courage is what he used to call it.

His voice was still in your mind after all these years. His words now echoing back to you, whispering in your ear and telling you not to be such a chicken shit. To take the leap for something you’d wanted since you were practically a kid. Swallowing the beer, you collapsed on the couch and let out a breath you’d been holding in since seeing his scrawled handwriting. It didn’t hit you until that moment that…you missed him. As mad as you were at him for leaving, you still longed to be in his presence.

“No time like the present,” you whispered, turning the letter over and ripping open the back.

A small folded paper was pulled out, nothing on the back except a small ink stain. Your hand shook slightly as you opened it up, terrified of what you would find yet excited all the same. Only he could give you that rush—still after all these years.

Bishop,

It’s probably strange hearing from me after all these years, but you were the first person I thought of. I’ve got no idea if you’re still pissed at me, or if you’ve moved on. But this isn’t about that. This is about that dream you told me about. A chance to change the world.

Well…we’re in a world gone wrong and the way I see things, what they’re doing here could make it right.

So why are you still overthinking this? Don’t give me that look. I know your looks better than you do and you’re giving me that one. There’s no need to be afraid. There never was. It’s you and me Bishop—always has been.

Take the leap honey.

I know you can.

—Din

You scrubbed at the tears that fell, hiccuping as you read and reread and reread his words. You knew that if he were here, he’d tell you to finally live your life the way it was meant to be lived. A part of you wanted him to be here in person, just so you could fight with him, but he was only there through his words. Even after all these years your heart still fluttered as he called you that nickname. Bishop. It felt silly that one small word could become your entire world.

All because of him.

“Fuck,” you whispered, glancing at the business card on the coffee table in front of you. “What have you gotten yourself into Din?”

You understood the discrepancy and secrecy that came with a job this big, but the fact that they refused to even let you in on a little piece of it made you uneasy. Secrets were one thing. Keeping the entire mission for a company large enough to cause real world change under wraps was something else. Normally you would have ripped up the papers by now. On the very principle that you stood by your morals no matter what.

Din working there changed things for you though.

He must trust them to some degree to recommend your name among the many that they no doubt cherry picked from graduating classes. You weren’t a young bright-eyed scientist anymore. Those days passed the second you watched him leave you—making a choice that impacted the both of you without even asking. You understood the harsh reality of the world now. Even if you didn’t want to.

Agreeing to this—leaving your stable job for this, meant you were choosing a man over your beliefs.

If the younger version of you could see you now, you were sure she’d cuss you out without question. But you weren’t choosing just any man. You were choosing Din. The man who was always meant to be your future. Funny how the universe continued to pull the both of you together.

Glancing down at the letter still clutched in your hand, your eyes traced over the three words he used to say to you when you were terrified of making a choice. Take the leap honey. You rarely took the leap anymore. Why bother taking chances on things that could more or less go horribly wrong? What was the point in the end? But Din pushed you to take chances, to stop obstructing your own path and focus on the future you were meant for.

Perhaps this was his way of doing just that. You wanted to ask him. Confirm that…yes he was once again nudging you in the right direction. Except the only way you could do that was if you saw him in person again, and the only way that would happen was if…you took the leap.

You smiled, wiping the last tear off your cheek before reaching for your phone—the business card laying beside it.

“Even when you’re not here you’re still annoying Djarin,” you muttered, staring at his words one last time before dialing the number you knew would seal your fate for good. 

The phone rang, breaking the silence in your small apartment and striking nerves through your heart. “Okay Din,” you breathed, shutting your eyes for a moment. “It’s you and me.”

[chryblossomjjk]

bts fic recommendations | 01.10.23

→ hi friends! this is a little segment i do every tuesday (reviewsday get it, aren't i funny, pls tell me how funny i am) where i read and review two-three fics. as a content creator, i know how big of a role other creators play in your growth, therefore, i want to do my part in making sure everyone gets the recognition they deserve! so with that being said, please check out the amazing fics listed below. make sure to like, reblog, and leave feedback! ♡ #reviewsday #kikirecs

pina coladas (pt 1 + pt 2) - @han-nah-banana (jjk x reader | established relationship, smut, angst, fluff)

ok so um... the attention to detail is off the charts! like when the little things you mention about jungkook and oc, like them eating healthy foods, only having sex in the missionary position, etc. tells us so much about them and the status of their relationship. like you showed us that they were stuck in a boring, mundane relationship through little hints and i really love that. ALSO POV SHIFT IN PART ONE WAS SO GOOD! like the way their thoughts mirrored one another was such good storytelling ugh!!! also think you picked a great setting for this type of story, the 80s. it makes everything feel so real, like the sexual repression oof! so glad they got to bang it out in the sexiest way in pt 2! really really good for your first fanfic like WOW! loved it!

i can do better - @here4btsfics (pjm x reader | fwb, smut)

summary: your boyfriend of two years just dumped you and you’re angry and sad. so get hammered with your coworker at his place and eat bad food and watch trash tv which leads to some interesting conversations.

bro all you did is enforce my delusions that irl men cannot compete bc they are not park jimin. men should apologize for not being park jimin at this point. even kim taehyung... anywho lmao. DUDE and then oc listing all the things perfect about jimin. she is just like me fr!!! also like this is kind of how i picture jimin in real life ngl. THAT MAN IS A COCKY CONFIDENT DOM I WILL ARGUE THIS SHIT UNTIL IM BLUE IN THE FACE GTFO! and miss oc... no strings attached girl??? A WHOLE BLUFF. honestly, this entire fic is one of my daydreams when im in a lecture and i fucking loved every second of it bby! so so good. so glad you decided to start writing again, extremely proud of you.

darksided - @eoieopda (myg x reader | established relationship, smut)

summary: min yoongi adored you. he'd simply never hurt you.

i saw someone post about smut where the characters are so grossly in love is their fav genre. this is exactly that. this fic encompasses everything i love in fanfic. i felt like a fly on the wall, being dropped into the middle of the situation where i figure out who the characters are through their actions, words, etc. you do that so perfectly here. like the way i know everything i need to know about min yoongi through the FUCKING setting?? naur this is s tier writing right here. also there's just something you do with words thats v magical. can't put my finger on exactly what it is but here is an example:

"a quick survey of the landscape before you indicated that this was a criminal oversimplification."

LIKE IDK JUST SOMETHING ABOUT HOW YOU STRUCTURE SENTENCES IS GENIUS! like cannot even begin to describe how good this was. would die for this couple honestly. the smut had me clenching too OOF. so cool to see what you've accomplished on this platform in such a short period of time! it's so so deserved and i can't wait to see where you go from here. don't know how you can even get better than this like ur already at the moon um!!! but god it's only going to get better from here. like next thing u know u'll be a famous writer fr. wishing you nothing but the fucking best!!!!

[yurozo]

HI ALI!! MY SWEET! MY LOVE! I love reading your work so much. I can’t stop giggling every time I visualize the goofy things you write for the RE characters. This isn’t really a request but you can totally expand on them if you’d like!

For the university AU, Chris seems like the type of guy that carries change around and it just clatters in his fucking pockets. The sole reason for this is because he LOVES buying things from vending machines. He gets so pissed when a bag of chips gets stuck. He’d give it a hard kick from frustration and now it’s raining down with everything the vending machine has. Chris starts panicking and feeling guilty, so he grabs all of it and stuff it in his bag. He’ll give it to the people he sits next to in his lectures.

Ada’s the type of person who will NEVER EVER pay for a parking pass because of the insane prices. It’s not that she doesn’t have the money, it truly just pisses her off. It’s been a few semesters in and she still hasn’t gotten caught. The only reason why she had to pay for this semester was because Luis said it a little too loudly that she’s been off the hook for too long. AND OH BOY SHE WAS ANNOYED, so he becomes the sober designated driver after parties for months as punishment.

Leon’s the type of guy who never misses class so you tend to ask him for notes when you get sick. But his handwriting is absolute dogshit and it doesn’t help that he doodles with blinding highlighter colors. Sometimes, there’s mysterious food stains on it after crying over a math problem and the only thing that would make him feel better is a king sized kitkat bar.

ERM ANYWAY, I’ll be sending more random thoughts as they come. LOTS OF LOVE!! 😲💝

MY HEART!! i read this on the train home and i was giggling to myself like a maniac it made me so happy :D please please send me your personal headcanons, or anyone else for that matter, they mean so much to me. together we can overtake capcom and make it canon chris also strikes me as a guy who just throws things into his backpack, so you can always hear him coming down the hall because his pockets and bag are jingling like crazzyyyy. i know that man has to keep a high protein count to supply those muscles so he's always chewing on something during lecture. i feel it in my bones that he just pulls out an entire tupperware of chicken and rice while the prof is talking and starts chowing down.

and ada driving to campus is so real, and she definitely has a super nice car. i firmly believe that she had a fling/flirts with a frat guy for the sole reason of being able to park her car in front of their house so she doesn't have to pay for parking (totally not inspired by irl experience). ada and luis friendship just means so much to me.

i literally love when people headcanon leon as being kind of lame because so many people overlook that aspect of him. the blinding highlighter colours is soo real, like leon would either have super neat writing or it looks like someone is writing with their mouth. i think because leon is really intelligent that his notes are always kind of chaotic and messy, like there's no linear path to the way he writes. there's arrows and random circles everywhere and he is the only person that can decode it

[neoruby-loves-ut-aus]

First day of the sneaky Princess at Humans and Monsters Academy

James: Little sis and bro, are you ready?

Clara and David: Yes sir!! *talks to each other in minds since they can read minds like their siblings, cousins and their mother Sun and aunt Moon* I wonder who will be our first friend and which teacher we can prank on the fourth day

Sun: I read your minds kids, you might get caught and I don't want your father to be angry again.

Clara: But Mom, you're way more angry than him, nevermind, love you Mom and Dad, we're off to school 😁😁

Dream: Bye kids!!

*At the Academy*

Clara: Hi, I'm Clara! I'm new here!!

Random student: Wait.... isn't she the third daughter of the Guardian of Positivity?!

Another student: You bet and I guess that's her younger brother Prince David.

James: *in mind* Oh boy, here we go 🙁

Almost every boy to Clara: Princess Clara, please date me!!!

Clara: *speechless and confused*

David: Uhh, bro, where's Elys and others?

*then a blonde haired boy with blue eyes comes*

The boy: Hey! Give them some space!!

*the students didn't listen*

*the boy grabs Clara and David and runs to an empty classroom where no one can find them*

The boy: phew, at least they're gone. The name's Ryan Stevenson. It must be annoying to be surrounded by them.*in mind* This girl seems nice and wait...am I falling in love at first sight?!

Clara: Yeah....*in mind* he's kinda hot and kind tho.

David: *reads both of their minds* *in mind* I wouldn't mind her but we're lucky that James isn't here.

Ryan: You're my new classmate I guess because the teacher said so, we're gonna be late.

David: Ok, I'll just ask a random teacher.

*after a few moments when the class was started with the teacher introducing Clara*

Teacher: Students, this is Princess Clara, the third daughter of the Guardian of Positivity, Dream.

Random spoiled student: pfft, as if she thinks she is a princess than what I am.

Teacher: Gloria!! Enough of your self-boasting!! Apologies, your majesty.

Clara: It's okay ma'am, I'll get used to this life and I hope I can get new friends.

Ryan: *in mind* wow, this Princess is really humble as she doesn't mind sitting with common people like us.

*class lessons starts*

*after class when it's break*

Clara: Man it's so boring!!! I hardly slept when the lecture began!!

A kind girl: Yes, well my name's Eva Woods.

Clara: Nice to meet you, Eva.

*Gloria and her gang of spolied kids appear*

Gloria: Well well well, look who's here. The fake 'Princess' along with the weakling.

Clara: HEY!! WATCH YOUR TONE BRAT!! YOU CAN'T INSULT MY NEW FRIEND LIKE THAT!!

Gloria: Oh really? What you're gonna do? Well let's make a deal, meet me at the park after school.

Clara: Deal.

*the gang walks away*

Sofia: Yo!! You must be the new student!! I'm Sofia!

Clara: Hi Sofia! I'm Clara! Btw, who wants to join me now 'cause I brought an entire box of pizza!!

Eva, Ryan and Sofia: HELL YEAH!! LET'S DIVE IN!!

Gloria: *seeing her at a distance* I JUST WANT THAT PIZZA!! HOW CAN SHE BE MORE RICHER THAN ME?!

*after school*

Clara: So, I made friends with two girls named Sofia and Eva and a boy named Ryan.

Hermione: Wow, you made a lot of friends on the first day! Wondering how many friends you would get tomorr-

Gloria: HEY CLARA THE STINKY APE! I BET YOU'RE SCARED TO FIGHT HAHA LOL!

*her gang laughs and teases Clara*

James: *whispers* I think it's time to show them who's boss since we're far away from school.

Clara: Fine brat, you asked for it. *uses yellow magic on Gloria*

Gloria: HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING YO MY SOU-

*Clara levitates her and smacks her down to the ground hard in such a way blood did not fall but she can only feel tremendous pain*

One of the spoiled girls: What have done you freak?!

Clara: *summons her yellow fire like powers and threatens to use it on her* this is my final warning, get out.

*the gang flees in fear*

*at home they narrated everything and Sun and Dream were proud of their daughter*

*evening*

Clara: *alone in her room* *sighs*

*mutters* that boy was cute 🥺

James: *in mind* if my sister Clara has a crush on someone, that boy better be nice to her or I'll yeet him.

*meanwhile*

James: And that's how Clara's day went.

Star: uhhhhhh......

Alexander: That's kinda good not gonna lie. Oh someone's trying to flirt with Hermione and she seems uncomfortable.

James: WHO'S WHAT?! *overprotective brother mode on* *teleports away*

Twyla: Well it's kinda nice that she made friends with my original.

Elys: Yeah, welp see you all tomorrow at school.

Alexander: Same, bye!!

Humans and Monsters Academy belongs to @humansandmonstersacademy and @sofiathehooman

Dreamtale frans kids belongs to me

Star Sofia, Twyla Sofia and Dreamlevel belongs to me and @sofiathehooman

Elys belongs to @shayromi

Underlevel belongs to @sofiathehooman

Sun Frisk belongs to me

Dream Sans belongs to @jokublog

[oceanparkmall]

Mall Ghosts | Chapter 1

table of contents patreon wattpad

~ 2.2k words

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The year was 2002.

I had just turned eighteen. My parents bought the newest iPod for my birthday instead of the cell phone that I had specifically asked for. So I dyed my afro electric teal in protest, but they didn’t care. My kid brother joked that my hair finally matched my name – Aqua.

None of my friends really got to see my so-called rebellious transformation because I lived two cities over and I didn’t have a car to drive yet. 

I begged my mom to let me apply for a modeling gig at the shopping complex where half the senior class hung out, but she said that there was nothing wrong with the mall just off the highway near our house. Her argument was that it was closer to where we lived, on the way to her job, and just as good as the mall across town.

She was right up until the last point. 

Ocean Park Mall was the site where someone managed to rob an entire store. Whoever it was never got caught. Somehow they pulled it off without tripping any alarms. An entire department just completely cleared out. How does that even happen? 

The scandal was big enough to hit the local news. It was a miracle that the mall didn’t get shut down. Still, a whole bunch of businesses packed up and left. Only a handful were left standing. 

Nowadays, it seemed like the only things Ocean Park was good for was escaping the summer heat or grabbing a bite to eat in the 2.5 out of 5 stars food court. Every now and then Ocean Park would hold special events. Things like pop idol meet and greets, book signings, niche culture conventions, and that runway show that my mom signed me up for.

“Aqua Simone Moore,” Mom huffed as she drove me to Ocean Park for my first fitting, “wipe that gloom-and-doom look off your face. You always look so unsatisfied and I cannot for the life of me figure out what is wrong with you.”

I didn’t answer. All I did was slump some more in my seat, which I knew she hated.

Mom narrowed her eyes at me – as if that would do anything – and finally sighed. 

“Aqua, you know your father and I try to give you and your brothers everything that we can.”

But nothing that I ask for, I thought to myself. Just because she and Dad substituted one thing for something else didn’t mean I had to like it. 

Not in a million years would I ever say this to her because that would get me in a world of trouble. Mom would go home and tell Dad and before I knew it, I would be listening to a thousand lectures about how I’m not grateful enough and how they don’t know how I got this way.

Nevermind that I made perfect grades, stayed out of trouble, and almost never asked to go anywhere cool – but who cares when I’m not grateful and looking content whenever they choose to give me alternatives to the things that actually mean a lot to me.

I could have explained to my mom for the umpteenth time why it was important for me to have a cell phone to start keeping up with my friends over the summer before we all went away to college the next year. Or that the reason that I needed to land gigs at Arrow Crest Mall was for similar reasons.

I wanted to be near my friends. I wanted to spend time with them before this part of our lives was all over and we were flung across the country to different campuses. It wasn’t too much to ask for, right?

Apparently it was. 

“Thanks, Mom,” I said when she dropped me off. I tried to put on my best I-promise-that-I’m-one-hundred-percent-grateful smile right before she drove off. 

From the outside, Ocean Park Mall looked like your average shopping complex. Not the kind of place where businesses came to get robbed. But the moment you walked inside, it became clear that Ocean Park was well on its way to becoming a dead mall.

I looked around and sighed.

The first thing I noticed was the outdated paint job from the eighties. My eyes scanned the giant palms that were thoughtfully arranged to give the space a comfortably populated feeling. I followed their trunks up to the vast atrium ceiling. I suspected that the pyramid design usually let in a lot of natural light, but today it was raining. It made the already lonely space feel more like an indoor graveyard.

I wandered over to one of the central fountains and took a seat on the ledge. The sound of rushing water did little to soothe my nerves.

If I had a cell phone right now, I could see if anyone was willing to meet up.

I grumbled the thought aloud, but the truth was, I wasn’t so sure if any of my friends would come all the way out here just to hang with me.

Judging from the conversations I had on my home landline last night, all of my friends had some excuse as to why they couldn’t make it this week.

Work.

Babysitting.

No gas money.

They all seemed pretty legit, but I probably could have gotten one of them to say yes if I pushed hard enough. 

But who wants to work that hard to convince their friends to want to go out their way? I felt like I was good enough to be worth the inconvenience. At least, I did before going into each of those conversations.

I wrapped my arms around my bare shoulders and did my best to not look as pitiful as I felt. After glancing around to make sure that no one was looking, I bowed my head and let my anxiety consume me.

There was a strong chance that I knew some of the kids that hung out at Ocean Park. Some of them probably even worked here. I used to attend the middle school in this area before my parents enrolled me in the charter school on the other side of town. 

I hadn’t kept in touch with anyone since I left. I wasn’t the only one from that feeder school who didn’t opt to go to the nearest high school. From what I gathered, transfer kids like me were considered stuck up. As if I had a choice in where my parents decided to send me to school. 

I prayed that no one recognized me. Maybe I would be lucky and no one from my old school would cross my path. 

But that was very hopeful thinking.

“Aqua?”

My head lifted automatically without even realizing that my worst fear had already come to pass. I hadn’t even been here for five minutes before someone recognized me. 

“Uh, yeah?” I said without thinking twice. The last thing I needed was someone thinking there was something wrong with me.

“Whoa, it really is you. Your hair was black in the headshots you sent, so I wasn’t sure.”

I stood up, realizing that I was talking to one of the designers. When it came to these small business boutiques, it was very important to get to know your designer as best as one could. This person had sort of shaggy, dirty blond hair with a natural redness to her cheeks and lips. When she smiled, I was hit with a wave of breath mints.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to make you wait,” I said, jutting out my hand to shake the designer’s. She was about four inches shorter than me. I wasn’t that tall for a model – only five feet, seven inches. 

“Nice to meet you…” I said, shaking her hand sincerely but not knowing how to address her.

“It’s Elliot!” She said brightly. Then craned her neck a bit and added, “Wow. You have really great bone structure. Your pictures are awesome, but they don’t do you justice.”

I gave her a genuine thank you and couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“Everyone says that when they meet me.”

Elliot let go of my hand. “Well, it’s true! I’m excited to work with you. And don’t worry about being late. I’m totally early. You can come with me now if you don’t mind helping me open up?”

Most of the mall stores weren’t open yet and I wasn’t about to hang out in an empty food court, so I agreed to tag along. Plus, I already felt comfortable around Elliot. I was curious to learn more about her point of view as a designer. 

As it turned out, she hadn’t had her store up for very long. She said that she was just starting out in the business and renting out a space in Ocean Park was the best decision financially.

“I mean, I know this place is supposed to be haunted or whatever. But I just don’t have that many options, you know what I mean?”

I was doing just fine listening to her until she said the word haunted.

Elliot must have seen the look on my face because she snorted and said, “C’mon, Aqua. Don’t tell me you haven’t heard the rumors? What with that store getting robbed and no one having a single clue who did it or how they even pulled it off? Everyone’s saying it was probably a ghost.”

Based on her tone, I’m guessing that no one actually believed this rumor. Not even her.

I did my best to laugh along with Elliot as I helped her unlock the padlock to the store and pull back the gates. While Elliot was lifting the metal curtain, I noticed someone coming around the corner.

This person wasn’t wearing shoes.

Or a shirt for that matter. Just a pair of dark denims.

I blinked, trying not to stare. But that was impossible.

A guy with dark shoulder-length hair walked past us. He was close enough to me that his shoulder swept some of my teal curls to the side. He seemed pretty damn confident for someone walking around shirtless inside a shopping mall, but there was a shadow hanging about him as well. As if he barely registered that he was walking so close to us.

“Morning, Sean,” Elliot said in a voice that suggested this wasn’t the first time this had happened. 

The six-foot dark cloud of a boy had already passed by us, but he stopped sort of abruptly and looked over his shoulder.

His eyes scanned us once, lingering on me just a hair longer. As if he was trying to figure out who the hell I was.

“Uh, yeah. Good morning.” His brows came together in the faintest degree of frustration. “Um…”

“Elliot!” The shop owner chimed, clearly finding Sean’s spaced-out reaction quite endearing. Then she clapped me on the back and said, “And this is Aqua. She’s going to be working my looks in the runway show next month.”

Sean blinked a couple of times. I wondered if he had even heard of a fashion show before. That’s how clueless he looked.

“Right.” Sean’s eyes had finally cleared in understanding. “See you then, I guess. Um… Elliot.”

Elliot snapped her fingers and shot Sean a wink. “Yeah you will!”

The muscles in Sean’s face eased a bit. It wasn’t quite a smile, but it was something pretty close.

“And... Aqua.” 

I don’t know if he did this purposely, but Sean turned slightly at the waist when he said my name so that his chest was facing me.

“See you around.”

He almost made it sound like a question. 

I honestly can’t remember what I said. Probably just “yeah.” Nothing memorable, witty or cute, that was for sure.

When the guy had left, I asked, “Who was that and why did you make him talk to us?”

Elliot gave a heartfelt chuckle as she flicked on the lights to her shop.

“That was Sean Mori. Sorry, but I absolutely could not help myself. He’s hilarious and adorable and I had a sneaking suspicion that meeting you would get him to say something other than, ‘Uh hey.’”

For a second, Elliot embodied Sean’s particular flavor of spacey-hot-mess when she imitated him. Then the designer broke character and flashed me a sly grin. “Turns out I was right.”

I scoffed as I followed Elliot to the checkout counter and leaned on the corner while she set up the register.

“Please. He didn’t even smile. He was totally checked out with both of us.”

Elliot snickered and shook her head, but she didn’t try to prove me wrong. 

“What is up with that guy anyway?” I said, thinking back to Sean’s lean muscle definition. He wasn’t a Greek god or anything, but… I liked what I saw. “I mean, who were we talking to just now?” 

“Well, Aqua, if the rumors about this place are true,” Elliot closed the register and sighed, “then you just met our resident ghost buster.”

[rametarin]

Absolutely furious.

So, it snowed. About 8-9 very heavy, wet inches of snow. But the thing is, we are at the end of winter. Like, the absolute tail end of winter. Last storm of the season kind of winter. That snow we have now is the last snow we'll get until the mid or end of next fall.

I shoveled out the sliding glass side door where the fam parks the cars and the front door we don't use much because we don't park there.

A day after the big storm, mom wants the entire deck shoveled off. I pointed out, "There's not a day this week it's forecasted to be below freezing. It will melt by itself. There's no reason to shovel it, because it'd be a waste of my time and energy."

That selfish bitch still wants me to go out and shovel it. Because to her, it's not about function, or necessity, or safety, or caution in the face of future winter storms. It's about power. Any opportunity for that rancid cunt to demand I do something on threat of homelessness and pennilessness, she does. Even if it serves no purpose beyond the sheer joy of threatening me with consequences for not entertaining her petty bullshit.

I want to strangle her. If I had any option that wasn't throw myself in a dumpster and eat shit to spite her and therefore fuck up any possible future whatsoever, I'd leave. I am so fucking fed up with her selfish bullshit.

Shoveling off that deck would serve nothing and no one and just be a pain in my ass. But it's not her that has to shovel it, so she reasons there's "no reason NOT to."

Yes, there is. Doing work you don't need to is pointless and exhausting, and the attitude you can just force someone else to do meaningless work because you can punish them for not, is just an abuse of power.

And you may be like, "pfft pussy, it's JUST a little bit of labor. Go do it, make her happy."

No. You don't understand. People like this are not satisfied by that. Because at the same time it's exploitation to do a petty task they don't want to do (and she never does, by the way. She never did. She's old and has always felt entitled to her sons doing everything for her) it's also a power play. If they can get away with abusing you for petty labor once, they want to keep doing that and keep threatening you with consequences for not doing it. You have to challenge them, or they'll get more and more egregious and entitled and daring with their threats.

There was a time when she threatened to start charging me $20.00 every time I showered. And I take five minute showers, so it's not like I was running up her hot water bill. That served no purpose than to draw a line in the sand on my life necessary routes, and dare me to pass over it, knowing I had no choice and she could set whatever terms she wanted. That was a threat to start showeing fewer times a week or she'd justify screaming about how I was "stealing her money" (yes, robbed of that context to the people she screamed that to. As if I was just reaching into her purse and yanking out fistfuls of dollars, not that she considered me showering to be theft from her.)

Narcissistic pieces of shit like this do not get satisfied by compliance, they see you're reacting submissively and weakly to their demand and then start coercing and extorting more, knowing you have no way to lash back out at them and are unable to avoid doing what they want. They'd shit down your throat if they could get away with it and you would participate, if only to keep the peace.

Living with people like this, sometimes you have to make the choice between just swallowing the shit to keep the peace, or refusing to comply and thus enabling them to have their histrionic bitchfit where they threaten you with homelessness and do their big soapbox lecture about how childish you are, how lazy you are, how you'll never amount to anything, "because you won't put effort into anything."

Meanwhile those same selfish pieces of shit want you to devote all your time and all your energy to their gigantic worthless NOTHING, just for their fun and profit.

[kanekis-centipede]

.

[igotanidea]

The Raven's daughter : MorpheusxMatthew's daughter pt 1

Ok, so this story was inspired by @wickedly-grim and is basically our favourite emo cat falling for Matthew's daughter, being scared of how the bird might react.

As I started writing this I realised that if I wrote this in one part it would be too long, so here you get a story in chapters :)

Hope you'll like it and feedback is always appreciated.

Part 1

-Boss! – Matthew the Raven flew from the sky right to Dream’s feet

-What is it Matthew? – Morpheus asked flatly. Lately he’s been bored, not being able to find himself anything interesting to do.

-I got a favor to ask of you.

-A favor?– Dream moves slighty on his throne, eyebrows raised in confusion – And what may that be?

-You know, before I become a raven a was a human…..

-I’m well aware of that. Skip to the point if you may.

-I had a daughter. I mean – I have a daughter. I guess – if Matthew had hands he would scratch his head awkwardly – the tenses are tricky here.

Morpheus glances at the Raven urging him to word his request.

-I would like to visit her in the Waking World, boss.

-You what now? – Dream repeats in disbelief

-I would like to …..

-I heard you the first time.

-So… will you…..?

-No – he says coldly

-No?

-No.

-Why not?

-I can’t even comprehend where did you get that idea from. The Waking and Dreaming shall not interfere with each other’s affairs. Except when humans are sleeping. Those are the rules. No one, even me, can tamper with them

-But…

-No buts.

-You know you can be a hypocrite, boss.

-You might want to watch your words Matthew – Dream warns his servant – you are my subject after all.

-I am, and with all due respect, you had no inhibitions to contact humans when you were searching for your tools.

-That was something entirely different.

-Was it? – Matthew flies up to sit on the armrest of the throne - Please, boss. She’s my daughter after all. I just want to check if she’s ok.

-I can watch her in her dreams if that’s so important to you.

-NO! – Matthew caws angrily but quickly composes himself. – I don’t want you to scare her. You can be quite intimidating in your all-black attire.

-And how do you think she’ll react seeing her father in raven form?

-She’s an open-minded person.

-If I grant you this favor will this conversation stop?

-Sure will! – Matthew caws

-Than you shall go. Just do not engage with the girl. You may see her. Do I make myself clear?

-Crystal, boss. Thank you.

-Remember, I can see everything you do – Morpheus warns again waving his hand dismissively.

***

In the Waking

As Matthew arrives in the Waking he instantly search for his girl in her favorite places – her apartment, café she going to, her work ( she’s an academic lecturer), but she is nowhere to be found. A bit disappointed he turns to the park hoping she might be passing through.

Suddenly, a familiar figure is spotted in the distance. A tall, blonde girl in short jacket, carrying big backpack heading toward the …. Graveyard?

-Oh shit! – raven thinks to himself and immediately follows the girl.

Y/n walks ahead not disturbed by the fact that a bird is close on her feet. Normally this would seem suspicious but she’s focused on her purpose so hard that the surrounding may not even exist. She only stops when she reaches a very particular tombstone, quickly and with relief throwing her heavy backpack on the ground and stretching her back.

-Hi, dad – she says quietly kneeling in front of it and Matthew’s heart drops – you would not believe the day I had. Seems like everyone relies on me with all their problems and I can’t deal with the constant pressure- she sighs. – I really miss you, you know, your pieces of advice whenever I needed them. Anyway, I got something for you – she reaches inside her baggage and retrieve some flowers. – Chrysanthemum. Your favorite – y/n hesitates – what am I even doing? –she mutters to herself – talking to the headstone…. You can’t even hear me….

-Y/n – Matthews caws quietly from behind the tree trying to get the girl’s attention. She spins around frowning in confusion but doesn’t notice him. – y/n – the Raven speaks again a bit louder and she finally realizes who’s calling.  Her eyes widen with the mix of shock, disbelief and a bit of fright.

-Whaaa…..? – she stutters not able to believe that the actual freaking raven is talking to her – So it’s official. I am crazy – y/n rub her forehead blinking rapidly – this is just a dream, wake up girl, wake up now – she’s clearly becoming more and more nervous with every second.

-y/n/n it’s me – Matthew uses his daughter nickname to help her realize who he is.

-DAD?! – she yells taking a step back and tripping over her own feet – Aw! – now as she’s laying on the ground facing the sky she tries to wrap her head around what is happening. 

-Are you ok? – Matthew worriedly asks jumping right next to her.  

-No. No I’m not. What the hell?!

-Calm down, y/n.

-How in the world do you expect me to calm down?! My father… my dead father… talking to me…. as a raven – she laughs hysterically.

At this moment Matthew himself starts to freak out. Maybe Morpheus was right about this not being a good idea.

-I can explain it you. Just please, please, try to breathe. – if he had hands he would just hug his daughter but for obvious reasons he couldn’t so he just jumps around helplessly. – Remember how we used do to this? Inhale. Exhale – he refers to the time when y/n was suffering from anxiety and he was helping her overcome it–. The sun, the sky, the clouds …. – he starts chanting. There was a special technique they used which was based on grounding during the anxiety attack and relied on naming surrounding things in the reality.

-The trees, the grass, the …. – she stops – birds.  - she looks at the raven again this time more calmly.

-Hi y/n – Matthew says smiling internally.

-Hi …. – she squints hesitantly –  dad.

-You ready to listen to a crazy story?

-I don’t think I can ever be ready to listen to a story narrated by a talking raven, but whatever – she shrugs, now completely calm – just, maybe not here – someone may see us. Meet me at my apartment? You remember….?

-How can I forget? You want to check who’s going to be faster?

-Really, dad? You’ve got wings, that’s not fair!

-The last one there is the loser! – he caws taking off.

-That. Is. Not. Fair – she runs after him not caring who’s watching.

Obviously, Matthew was first at the destination. When y/n arrives at her place, he was sitting calmly on the window sill.

-Cheater – she pants getting her key and letting him inside – suit yourself, normally I would offer you a snack, but I’m not sure if….

-I’m fine y/n.  Can we just talk now?

-Even in this form you are a chatterbox. Good to see at least one thing hasn’t changed. I need a minute to refresh myself though. Someone – she looks at him accusingly – made me run through the city.

As she changes her clothes Matthew takes a look around her apartment. Y/n was always a creative person and her flat mirrors that. The thigs than can be spotted first are books everywhere. They cover many subject, mythology and ancient stories included. Suddenly, Matthew knows the perfect way to explain to his daughter what happened to him.

-Ok, I’m ready – y/n comes out of her bedroom, looking different than she did before. She changed her university outfit into comfortable legging, oversized T-shirt and letting her hair down. With no make-up she looks so young and innocent. Matthew definitely missed his beautiful daughter.

-I missed you y/n.

-I missed you too, dad. And all things considered I’m really happy to see you. Even so, talk to me, how is this even real?

-Fine. I just need you to look at this book – Matthew jumps on the nearby stock of stories pointing at very particular one.

-The Greek myths?

-Yes. There’s one particular god that is involved in this story – the raven uses his claw to find the right page – oh, here he is. He wouldn’t be glad of how they portrayed him – he laughs.

-Morpheus? The god of Dreams? – y/n tils her head slightly – wait… Don’t tell me that…

-Don’t tell you what y/n? You know, no matter what you think, I can’t read your mind.

-Shame. I though you got some superpowers in bonus – y/n rolls her eyes in a funny way. – What I meant was are those stories about ravens being the souls of the deceased true?

-Yes.

-Ok, I can comprehend that. But… aren’t they a Death omen? Why do you bring Morphe….

-Matthew! – before y/n can finish the sentence both the girl and the raven jump at the sound of some dark, yet soft voice – I specifically ordered you not to interfere with the human.

-Shit! – Matthew caws rising in attempt to protect his daughter. – Sorry, boss, but…..

-Quiet – Dream speaks coldly – I shall not tolerate ….

-Ok, can everyone just shut up!? – y/n suddenly snaps not able to deal with all the bullshit – The only person that shall not tolerate anything is me! Both of you just think you can show up out of the blue and mess up with my life. No offence, dad, I really am glad to see you, but still. And you, mister, who do you think you are? Did you not learn to knock before entering?!

-I am Dream of the Endless and I … - Morpheus starts, clearly shocked by the girl’s outburst.

-So the King of Dreams?

-Yes. And since then you will….. – he tries to speak again but she stops him.

-I will do shit! Or wait, I might actually do something. Like force you out of my apartment. You just violated all of the rules. And I don’t care what are your prerogatives in your Realm, since you are here you shall stick to humanity principles. You majesty – she adds mockingly.

Matthew just watches this confrontation without a sound. Knowing Morpheus, at first he fears for his daughter safety but as he watches Dream’s face he becomes sure she won’t be hurt. The Dream Lord is definitely surprised, maybe a bit annoyed, but there’s also some glint of amusement in his eyes. How can there be not? When y/n is angered she looks so beautiful. She’s flushed in the most cute way there is, her eyes are glowing, her lips red and her hair waved. Clearly Dream Lord thinks the same.

-Apologies – he mutters not breaking eye contact. Neither does she.

-Accepted – she nods – thank you. Now, can I finally get the full story of how my father became a raven and the Dream Lord himself showed up in my apartment? And does someone care for a drink? I surely could use one.

***

 Back in the Dreaming

To tell the truth, Matthew was pretty scared of what kind of punishment Dream might impose on him for breaking the rule of no interfering. However, Morpheus seemed to be so deep in his own mind that he did not said a word when they arrived back in the Dreaming.

-Um… boss? Is there anything you need me for?

-No. – the answer was as simple and cold as possible

-Ok, so I’m gonna go to Merv and Lucienne. See if they want some help.

-Matthew?

-Yes, boss?

-Do not disobey me again. I will not be so understanding next time.

-But I can still visit her now that she knows everything?

-I can understand why you want it so bad - Dream mutters, memory of y/n beautiful angered figure clear in his mind

-Is that a yes? – the raven tilts his head

-Just go, Matthew.  I’d like to be alone now. No one shall disturb me.

-You got it, boss. We all need some alone time from time to time, so.....

Morpheus eyes his Raven, a silent warning, so the bird just takes off. The thing is, The Dream Lord seems quite intrigued by Matthew’s daughter and he wants to think what to do with that feeling he did not experience for some time.

Part 2 coming soon :)

Edit: part 2 is up here

[doctorstethoscope]

Ladies Night || Aaron Hotchner x Fem Reader

Hi all, celebrating @ssahotchswife’s feral Monday with this self indulgent fic based on an ask I sent last week. 

18+ CONTENT MINORS DNI

contains: praise, excessive teasing, unprotected penetrative sex, alcohol consumption 

wc: 2k

The call comes in around 1:30 in the morning, just as Aaron is packing away all the paperwork he brought home for the weekend and getting settled into pajamas. Strangely, though, the name on his screen reads Prentiss, not yours, and the adorable selfie you’d taken with Jack and left on his phone was not lighting up his screen. His mind quickly takes him through all the worst case scenarios, but he shoves them away as he brings the phone to his ear. 

“Hotchner,” he answers. 

“Hey, Hotch.” Emily says back breezily. “Hope I didn’t wake you.” 

“No, I was up. Is everything okay?” 

“Yeah, everything’s fine. Your girl’s about to take off in an Uber, though, and I figured I would save all of us the lecture about getting in a cab alone at night and just have you come get her.” 

Aaron shakes his head fondly as he grabs his keys off the counter. “I thought she was staying the night at your place?”

“That was the plan, but she’s had her fair share of margaritas and she said something about a pregame for Jack? Hotchner, I didn’t think I needed to tell you this, but he’s too young for the hard stuff.” 

Aaron scoffed as he locked the door behind him. “His pregame breakfast, Emily. For his soccer game. She makes his eggs and toast and fruit into a little face, and Jack thinks it’s  lucky. I could have handled it.” 

“Well, you can have that argument with her when you get here, but she’s pretty out of it, and was determined to be home before he woke up.” 

“I’m on my way, don’t let her into an Uber.” Aaron says as he starts the engine of his car and pulls out of the parking lot towards Emily’s place. 

“I know better.” Emily says before hanging up.

The roads are empty, so Aaron’s drive is brief, and he’s knocking on Emily’s door in less than ten minutes. JJ is standing on the other side, and she shoots him an apologetic glance. 

“We may have let things get a little out of hand here,” she confesses 

“How out of hand?” Aaron asks, following JJ towards the living room.

“You might want to make sure you have pedialite at home.” She tells Hotch as they both enter the living room.

He finds you sitting on the floor, your back against the couch as Garcia braids your hair. Your eyes are shut, but you can’t be sleeping, because your face is split into a grin.

“Okay sweets, you’re all set,” Garcia says, securing the braid with an elastic, and you open your eyes. 

“Aaron!” You say, finding him leaning against the wall and smiling down at you. You stand up far too quickly, and stumble into his arms— he secures you with a hand wrapped around your waist.  “You didn’t have to come get me baby, I was just going to call an Uber.” 

“We can have that conversation in the morning, dear,” he said, squeezing at your hips. Even as drunk as you were, you could tell that that idea hadn’t gone over well with your decidedly overprotective boyfriend. You do what you can to soften him up a bit. 

“Thank you for rescuing me from the terrors of Quantico, Virginia. My handsome hero,” you flirted shamelessly, giggling and rising up on your tiptoes to press a kiss to Aaron’s lips, wrapping one hand around the back of his neck and curling your fingers into his hair. 

Aaron smiles as he pulls away from you, much more mindful of all his coworkers milling about the apartment than you were. “Say goodnight to the girls, hon, and we’ll head home.” 

You make your way around the apartment, bidding the girls goodnight with hugs and promises to host next time, before making your way back to Aaron’s arms so he can lead you out to the car. 

“I know you think I was just being silly, but I meant it when I said you looked handsome.” You told him as you fumbled with your seatbelt. 

“I’m in my pajamas,” he laughed at you as he pulled out into the street. 

“I know. I like you like that. All ruffled and undone,” you told him, reaching a hand over to run through his hair, then down his chest, resting your hand over the crotch of his grey sweatpants. 

“Darling—“ Aaron warned you. 

“Come on, you came all the way out to get me. I think I owe you one.” You batted your eyelashes at him.

“You don’t owe me anything— the peace of mind of having you here with me is enough.” He tells you genuinely. 

You leaned over the center console to whisper in his ear. “If you think something as sweet as that is going to talk me out of wanting you, you’re crazy,” you told him, pressing an open-mouthed kiss against his neck, and smirking to yourself as you saw his grip tighten on the wheel out of the corner of your eye. 

You settled back into your seat, but left your hand against his upper thigh, drumming your fingers against him every so often. You could tell that you were getting to him, could see the tension knitting away at his brow, and truth be told, you could feel the way your own boldness was affecting you, too. 

After what felt like an eternity, Aaron finally parked the car, and you unbuckled in an instant. 

“Race you inside!” You said, taking off with a laugh and stumbling your way to the door.

“You’re lucky you didn’t fall,” Aaron chastised you with absolutely nothing behind it after watching you drunkenly zig zag through the parking lot.

You shrugged as he unlocked the door and you went inside. “I knew you’d catch me.” 

He reached for your hand and tugged on it, catching you against his chest. “And I always will,” he told you, ducking down to kiss you as he fumbled with the door behind you, pushing it shut. 

“I want you,” you whispered, bucking your hips against nothing as you brought both your hands up to wind your fingers in his hair. “I want you so bad,” you confess as he moves his mouth from your lips to your neck to your collarbone.

You start moving backwards towards the bedroom, but Aaron has other plans. He picks you up by the waist and sets you on top of the kitchen island, pulling your shirt over your head and throwing it towards the couch. You throw your head back as he starts to plant wet kisses against your chest and brushes his thumb over your exposed stomach. 

“So needy, huh darling? We’re you thinking about me fucking you as soon as I came by to pick you up?” Aaron asked as he took your bra off, punctuating his question by pulling one of your nipples in between his teeth. You gasped out at the sensation, but quickly groaned as Aaron stepped away from you entirely.

“I asked you a question, angel.” 

“Yes,” you whimpered out, desperate to feel his hands on you again.

“Yes, what?” 

“Yes, I was thinking about you fucking me as soon as I saw you at Emily’s.” 

“Naughty girl,” Aaron smirked, stepping back towards you and taking your other nipple in his mouth, lifting a hand to occupy your other breast. 

You groaned, simultaneously loving and hating his propensity for teasing. 

After a moment, he pulled away, redirecting his mouth towards inner thighs, moving his way up towards your shorts. Your thighs tensed in anticipation, and Aaron let out a dark chuckle. 

“You poor thing. You must be soaked and I haven’t even taken off your shorts yet,” he said, rubbing his nose against the seam of your jeans, the thick fabric pushing against your clit and making you jump.

“Oh, fuck. Please, Aaron. Please touch me.”

“Oh, but doll. I’m having so much fun teasing you.” He said, pulling you off the counter and pulling your shorts and panties off in one fluid motion. He turned you around to bend you over the counter, wrapping an arm around your waist to make sure you wouldn’t hurt yourself. You could feel his hard cock through his sweatpants, and you ground down against it. 

“So impatient,” Aaron tsked at you as he slid his sweatpants off, taking his cock in his hand and running it up and down your slit. You let out a little whimper, and he chuckled. 

“You know I’m just going to sit here until you beg. I could do this all night, sweetheart. 

“Please, please, please. I want you so bad. Please, please put your cock inside me.” 

“Say my name,” he commands, and your knees buckle. He tightens his arm around your waist so you don’t fall.

“Aaron, please fuck me. I need you.” 

He’d never deny you of something you needed. You knew that. He entered you deliciously slowly, stretching you gently even though you were so turned on he could have made his way in with no issue. 

“You feel so good, baby,” Aaron says as he pulls out of you just as slowly as he entered, and then begins to pick up the pace. 

You arched your back against him as he continued to thrust, changing the angle just enough to make you cry out. Aaron moves a hand from your hip to cover your mouth.

“Do you like that, pretty girl?” He asks, and you nod, although apparently the question was facetious. “I know you do, but you need to be quiet. Can my little slut hold her tongue or do I need to gag you?” He asks, his pace unrelenting as he does.

You swear your eyes roll back into your head— you’re not sure what’s gotten into Aaron tonight, but you’d better figure it out so you can get him to act like this more often. 

Aaron removes his hand from your mouth and you bite your lip.

“Good girl,” he praises you, and you keen. He wraps his now free hand around your waist and brings his fingers down to play with your clit lazily. You gasp, but cover your own mouth before you can let out a moan.

“Good job, princess. You’re being so good for me. I’m going to take such good care of you.” Praise flowed freely from Aaron has he picked up the pace on your clit, and soon you’re bucking into his hand. 

“Aaron,” you hissed out. “feels so good, baby. I’m gonna—“ 

“I know, angel, I know. Go ahead and come on my cock. You’ve earned it.” He assures you, pushing your hair to the side so he can kiss your neck tenderly. 

Your orgasm crashes into you, and Aaron works you through it, your pleasure triggering his relief. You bracket your elbows on the counter so Aaron doesn’t have to worry about holding you up, and he does the same, so that his chest is pressed against your back but you’re not bearing his weight. You take a few moments to catch your breath together, and then Aaron reaches across the island for a paper towel, wiping you clean as he removes himself from you. Once you’re clean and the paper towel is disposed of, Aaron spins you around and plants a kiss to your lips.

“You go ahead and sleep in tomorrow,” he tells you. “I’ll take care of Jack’s breakfast.” 

You smile up at him and shake your head. “Not a chance. It’s not lucky when you make it.” 

He rolls his eyes at you with a chuckle as he gets you a glass of water. “If you ever want to get lucky again, you’d better drink this and get to bed where I can’t hear your sass.” 

“Oh, but the sass is half the fun,” you whined teasingly, taking your water in one hand and his hand in your other as you dragged him to bed.

[tinyyoungblood]

how ab a headcanon where the avengers all take a trip either to disney world or on a disney cruise? i’m a whore for the idea of everyone, especially peter and y/n, just acting like kids again

pairing: peter parker x avenger!reader

a/n: i like this prompt so much!! i’ve never been to disneyland, but i hope this is accurate enough lol. i also turned this into a vlog bc someone had to record this mess and since it can’t be me, i’m giving filming privileges to bruce

              ─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

the avengers in disneyland

everyone is very very excited and the days before they leave pass in a flurry of excitement, but peter has never been to disneyland, so he’s THRILLED beyond means

peter’s jumping up and down while everyone’s loading the van and he keeps asking them if they’re ready for this “life-changing field trip?????”

sam is genuinely afraid that if peter jumps any higher he will bounce off earth, so he grabs peter by the middle and carries him horizontally into the car

steve gave a whole lecture on not getting lost the day before and since tony couldn’t resist it, he is dressed head to toe in neon yellow and grinning cockily

nat steps into the van, sees him, and turns around with her hand over her eyes like she’s been blinded

bruce brings his video camera with him and records everything. first thing they do is hit up a gift shop and it is better than any oscar nominated movie

everything they pick up is subjected to a thorough label reading and some kind of commentary

“steve, show them what you’re getting!!” “slippers” “what kind of slippers” “uh...soft”

thor on the other hand takes it very serious and his commentary ends up being very ~shakespearean~

peter and y/n get matching friendship bracelets for everyone

loki: “i’m not wearing that”

y/n: “that’s alright-“

loki: “no tie it on for me”

bucky wouldn’t have come along if it weren’t for steve and sam, but now he’s taking it upon himself to make sure that everyone stays in good condition so they don’t miss out on training

the whole team gets hourly text messages from him in the group chat

bucky: “There’s a water leak in Mickey’s Toontwon. If any of you slip and hurt yourselves I will kill you.”

y/n: “love you too buck”

(they know it’s his way to express his love for them so every message almost makes them tear up)

loki really wants to go on splash mountain but since he doesn’t want to get his clothes wet, he asks the guards how ~splashy~ splash mountain gets

they don’t take him seriously and it infuriates loki because it’s a perfectly reasonable question but it quickly turns into a passionate argument that holds up the entire line

“I DEMAND TO KNOW HOW HIGH THE RISK OF GETTING WET IS, YOU INCOMPETENT FOO—”

*cue y/n and nat dragging him away while bruce runs after them to zoom in on loki’s pouty glare*

they get him a green rain poncho with black polka dots from one of the gift shops, and he���s still glowering but he puts it on without protest before each ride that involves water

normally the avengers would easily get recognised but since everyone is walking around in costumes, people approach them for several other reasons

thor is just peacefully standing in life, staring at the incredicoaster like it’s the love of his life, when a little kid tugs at his cape

“excuse me sir, why are you so tall?” “good question, why are you so short?” “hmm” “hmm”

they find a micky mouse whac-a-mole and everyone is having Fun but something possesses tony and clint and they are really going for it

tony is a 5 foot tall ball of stress and competitiveness and he is yielding that plastic hammer like it’s the last thing he’ll ever do

clint on the other hand is starting to feel the numbness in his arms

y/n, with sarcasm: “you can do it, clint!”

clint, with spite: “i cannot do it, thanks”

*y/n stares into the camera*

they also make up a rule that if you are in a 5 meters radius of one of the theme park characters, you HAVE to snap a picture with them

steve, who gets constantly shoved nudged by bucky into some character’s path, ends up taking a picture with almost every single disneyland character

at some point, he’s just downright sick of it and there’s a 7 min video of steve zooming across the lot while goofy and woody run after him with wide open arms

bucky is doubled over with laughter in the background while sam is standing beside him and wiping away his own tears

the avengers also buy all the pictures that are taken of them on the rides and even stop at some photo booths so they can send them to wanda and vision who are both vacationing on hawai’i <3

thor, peter, and y/n run themselves ragged and their legs almost give out but they will not stop until they have been on every ride that disneyland has to offer

the others think it’s obnoxious but they follow and join them without hesitation

tony is secretly trembling with fear. doing loops in the air at the speed of light is fine and so is battling aliens, but getting on a rollercoaster ride is just heart-stopping horrifying

it’s not that he doesn’t like rollercoasters, (that man has no self-preservation skills, anything that resembles plummeting to death will be gazed at with big heart eyes) but he just doesn’t trust them

if he didn’t build it or prove it, he doesn’t trust it. period. but the avengers are just so excited and happy that he can’t find it in him to sit out

that quickly results in thor and tony re-enacting very impressive Shouting Contests on each ride without fail

tony is screaming and clinging onto whoever is sitting next to him for dear life because he’s Petrified™️

and thor is screaming, because he’s having The Time Of His Life

he’s feeling the wind in his hair, his heart in his throat, and if he’s not shredding his vocal chords and flinging his limbs around, what’s the point of it all

after 20 different rides, tony is sick of pretending and just trudges through disneyland, the happiest place of earth, like it’s the sole cause of all suffering in the world

nat rejoins the group after she mysteriously disappeared for a moment and her hair is tossed, there’s ash on her face, and half of her clothes are wet

bruce, startled: “where have you been??”

nat, beaming: “there was a ride that spat fire from all sides and people jumped out of nowhere to scare you while the whole place was filled with hot water!!!”

bruce, concerned, zooms in on nat’s excited face

“nat i think you went to hell”

sam is big on merry-go-rounds so he drags everyone with him and while some one them first don’t seem to enjoy it, they change their mind once they see bucky’s little smile

(they go on at least ten more rounds until it starts to get dizzy)

a little girl trips over her princess gown and falls close to where steve is waiting in line, and steve immediately abandons his spot to rush over

bruce zooms in on them bc steve has always been kinda awkward with kids, but here he is, crouching down and comforting that little girl, and it’s so unashamedly soft and sweet

they can’t hear what steve is saying but she’s BEAMING now and even giving him a wobbly courtesy while he claps proudly

bruce turns the camera around and both he and clint are lowkey in TEARS like “why are we crying?? we didn’t even fall down” “i KNOW!!”

nat gets a hold of the camera and she’s on a mission to get the most embarrassing greatest footage possible

“bucky, go stand next to moana” “why?” “it’s moana go stand over there” “but i don’t know-“ “bucky.” *cue bucky, awkwardly standing next to moana while nat grins broadly*

when he’s back with the team, sam just stares at him blank-faced, clearly waiting for bucky to ask why he’s looking at him

eventually bucky caves in with a long sigh

“what” “i can’t believe you don’t know who moana of montunui is. she restored BALANCE to the WORLD. put some RESPECT ON HER NAME”

no one knows why but there’s footage of y/n, thor, tony, and loki strutting up and down in the middle of the lane in minnie mouse plush shoes like it’s a catwalk

sam, bucky, and nat are holding up their fingers to score them while steve is staring at them like he’s analysing their fighting stances

bruce, clint, and peter are standing on the sidelines and cheering them on as they should be

they end their day by digging into an unholy amount of fries that even steve can’t resist because they’ve been walking the whole day

a questionable amount of cotton candy also end ups in their possession and the footage of that is just mostly everyone trying out each other’s cones while the camera is passed between them

soon after, the avengers are back in their van to drive home and bruce zooms in on the row of seats where y/n has her head on peter’s shoulder while the others are also half-lounging on each other, and everyone is asleep <3

* * *

guess what i’m about to say?

stay hydrated pals

hc masterlist

[imagineyourworld]

Back to School (Part One)

Steven Grant x Fem!Professor!Reader, (eventual Marc Spector x Fem!Professor!Reader)

Summary: After returning from Egypt, Steven decides to give university a chance, though he didn’t expect to meet form a connection with his professor, a woman he knows he could never have

Warnings: Reader wears glasses, 

—----

Steven felt old. He had always considered himself to be an old soul, as they say, often out of place in the loud and hectic city with its blinking lights, loud music and the smell of smoke from all kinds of cigarettes and vapes and whatever youngsters were smoking these days all around him. But this was different, here he really was old. By far the oldest in the room, if not the entire building. Even some of the professors he had met so far were younger than him, other than his Intro to Ancient Greek professor at least, he might as well have been alive when the pyramids were being built.  Steven looked around at all the young faces. Some were hidden behind shiny new laptops, others stared down at their phones or were talking to their friends, and of course some seemed to be asleep, mistaking Lessons Learned from Mythology for naptime.  He glanced at his watch. Quarter past ten. The professor was late. “They’re not coming. Let’s get out of here and do something useful with our time,” Marc, his reflection barely visible on the cracked glass of the watch, said. Steven shook his head ever so slightly. He didn’t dare reply verbally, too self conscious of what his new classmates might think. It was bad enough starting university this late in life, he didn’t need to be the weirdo in addition to being the old guy.  “Sorry I’m late. I didn’t expect parking to be this difficult this early in the morning.” The voice made Steven avert his gaze from his watch. The professor had arrived. And not just any professor, a rather pretty one around his age with glasses sliding down her nose and her hair in a messy ponytail. “She’s cute,” Marc remarked. “Maybe this class won’t be that boring after all.” 

While setting up your laptop and PowerPoint presentation you rambled through your usual greetings and introductions, which you knew by heart by now, since it was the same procedure as every year. Once everything was set up you took a moment to look around the room. The class seemed to be the biggest you’ve taught so far, almost a hundred students either looked at you or their laptops. Some, you knew, were only taking this class because they had to or because everything else was filled up, others seemed to be actually interested in the topic, though it was the minority.  One student in particular caught your eye. He was older than everyone else, though it wasn’t the first time that you had actual adults in one of your classes, with messy dark hair and a jacket that was at least a size too big covering up a colourful shirt. That guy, you quickly decided, would either be one of your best students or the worst.  “Now I know most of you aren’t fans of these big lectures where you just listen to me going on and on about a certain topic, but how about you all just be quiet and try to listen or at least turn the volume on your phones down and I’ll try to let you go a few minutes earlier.” This caught the attention of everyone, even that tall blond guy in the last row who you could have sworn was just about to fall asleep. “Okay then: Mythology. Of course there are many, many mythologies from all around the world. From Europe to Asia, America to Australia and Africa and all those islands in between, every group of people, whether they were organised into what we today would call a “society”, though I’m not a huge fan of the word in this context, or not had their own belief systems, and with that their own mythologies. Of course we cannot focus on every single mythology from around the world, so for this class I have chosen four rather well known examples: We’ll start with Greek and Roman mythologies, then move on to Norse mythology and finally finish with the oldest mythology we’ll talk about: Egyptian mythology. But of course you’re free to write a term paper on any other mythology there is.” You clicked through your slides while talking, lost in ancient worlds of gods and monsters, realms of endless possibilities and limitless suffering.  “First off we’ll try to differentiate between mythology and religion. I have two examples for you…” 

“That’s it for today. I hope to see all of you again next week,” you said, thereby ending your lecture for the day.  As soon as the last word left your mouth dozens of laptops and notebooks were slammed shut, bags were zipped up and jackets thrown on. It only took around a minute until the room was half-empty.  You unplugged your laptop, your thoughts already occupied with where you should get lunch and the research paper you wanted to work on in the afternoon, when a voice pulled you out of your thoughts. “Sorry to bother you, but I was just wondering if there are any books you recommend reading for this course.”  You looked up from your desk to find the man with the dark hair and too big jacket standing in front of you.  You shook your head. “As I said, I’ll upload everything you need to read to the university’s website within the next couple of days.” The man nodded his head, making his curls move along with him. “I know, I know. It’s just that… I’m really interested in the material and maybe there’s some further reading. I’d have a look in the library myself, but this is my first week and I’m not even sure where the library is.” Maybe it was the way his eyes seemed to spark with enthusiasm, or the shy smile on his lips, but you instantly decided that this wasn’t just a way to sweet talk you into giving him special treatment the way other students sometimes did, it was genuine interest. “Well, the thing is that most literature is rather advanced. I chose some essays for you guys to read that are more or less introductory, but in order to understand the lessons these ancient mythologies not only taught lessons back in the day but continue to do so you’d need a lot of background information.”  The man nodded again and averted his eyes. You watched as he scanned your belongings on the table; your laptop, water bottle, phone, and the book you’re currently reading. Suddenly he jerked forward and before you knew it he had said book in his hand and began to flip through it. “I used to have this book as well, it’s amazing! One of my favourites, actually. I read it at least a dozen times, usually at night when I wanted to keep myself from falling asleep, but one time I brought it to work with me and my boss ended up spilling her coffee all over it. It was ruined and I had to throw it out, couldn’t find it anywhere afterwards, must have gone out of print. She swore it was an accident, by the way, but I don’t think so, she was never a fan of my reading.” As he talked he continued to look through the book, but once he finished he looked up again and right into your eyes. Heat rose to your cheeks as his dark brown eyes met yours, but to your surprise it wasn’t an uncomfortable feeling, even though you were usually not that good with eye contact. But there was something about him, something that made you feel safe rather than threatened, something that told you he’d never judge you. Quickly you shook your head. This was a student asking a question about reading material, not a meet-cute.  “Right now I still need this book for another lecture, but if you want you can come to my office on Friday and I’ll lend it to you.” The man’s eyes widened in shock, and you hoped that yours didn’t as well. What were you thinking, giving your books away to a stranger? You were always so careful with all your possessions, but especially your books, they were holy and not to be touched by anyone other than you and the people you trusted the most. But the warm smile the man gave you and the sincerity in his eyes made it impossible to regret your offer.  “That’d be great, amazing! Thank you so much. I’ll see you on Friday,” the man said, his smile widening even more as he pushed his bag higher up his shoulder and made his way to the door. Out of the corner of your eye you saw him turning around to look at you once more, and consequently walking right into the closed door. You were quick to avert your eyes in order not to embarrass him, but you couldn’t help a small smile lighting up your face and wishing for Friday to come sooner. 

-------

You were just packing up on Friday afternoon when the door to your office burst open. The man from Monday came barging into the room, hair even messier than before, a rucksack in his hand and his jacket slung over his arm. “You’re still here,” he exclaimed as a huge grin lit up his face. You zipped up your bag before really looking at him. He was a bit sweaty, but his eyes were bright. “I lost track of time and thought you may have left already.” You shook your head and asked him to sit down at the same time. Carefully the man sat in the chair on the other side of your desk. He pulled the arms of his jumper down over his hands and began to play with the seams. “To be honest, I’m usually the last person here.” Lie. “I think even the cleaning personnel leaves before I do.” Lie, again. The truth was that you had been waiting for him for hours. You didn’t know why, but you really wanted him to show up, to the point where you pushed going home back again and again in favour of waiting alone in your damp and dark office.  You knew you shouldn’t complain, at a young age you had managed to score a permanent teaching and research position at one of the city’s most prestigious universities, but sadly said uni didn’t really value Egyptology and Ancient Studies all that much, which lead to your office being in the basement of one of the oldest buildings on campus. “I’m so sorry I’m late. My… friend… Marc, he needed my help with something and I just couldn’t refuse. But-,” he began to rummage through the bag he had put down beside the chair. “I did bring you this.” You pulled the book he paced on your desk closer to you. The cover was somewhat familiar but it wasn’t one you had read before. “I figured since you’re kind enough to lend me a book, it would one be fair for me to repay the favour.” He gave you a bright smile, though there was some uncertainty mixed into it. “I wasn’t sure whether you’ve already read it, or if you even like it, but I… it felt wrong not to give you something in return.” You opened the book, too excited by it to even pay much attention to his words, and found something on the very first page that took you by surprise. “It’s signed.” Big blue letters graced the first page, right under the title. “To Steven, who could rival Thot in knowledge.” Steven. Finally you could put a name to his face. It had bothered you all week that you hadn’t asked him for his name on Monday and now you knew at least his first name, meaning you could look up his last name on the class register. “The author gave a presentation at the museum a couple of years ago and I asked him to sign the book.” You raised an eyebrow. “The museum?” Steven’s cheeks reddened ever so slightly. “I used to work at the British Museum.” You stopped flipping through the book and looked at him. It fits, you decided after a moment. You could really imagine Steven sitting at a desk in the museum archive, buried underneath piles of books, only emerging once the museum closed to walk through the halls filled with history in peace, maybe with the moon shining through the glass roof in the entrance hall, bathing him in silver light. Though something about this mental picture wasn’t quite right. “Don’t take this the wrong way, Steven, but why are you taking my class? It’s an introduction to mythology, and based on the books you’re reading and the fact that you used to work in one of the most famous museums on the planet, you don’t seem to need it.” His blush deepened and he glanced around the room until his eyes finally settled on a mirror you had put in the corner to make the room seem bigger and brighter. “I didn’t exactly work at the museum,” he mumbled. “I mean I did work there, but at the gift shop.” He seemed almost embarrassed of his former profession, the way he refused to look at you and continued to pick at the seam of his jumper told you as much. For some reason you couldn’t quite explain you felt the desire to reach out to him, to place your hands on his and tell him that it was alright. “Working at a gift shop might not be the most intellectually challenging job, but I’d argue that it is still an important one. After all, some of the most treasured items in my flat are from gift shops all over the world.” A hesitant smile found its way to Steven’s face. “Thank you for the book,” you added. “I look forward to brewing myself a nice cup of tea and reading it tonight.” You slipped the book into your bag and went to pull the one you had promised Steven out when a realisation struck you. “Bloody hell, Steven, I’m so sorry. I forgot the book at home.” You closed your eyes with a defeated sigh. What’s been going on lately? You seemed to be forgetting everything. Just yesterday you had left your phone at home, the day before it was a paper you had finished grading late at night. “It’s fine. I can just come back on Monday and you’ll give it to me then, no worries.” The fact that Steven had given you a book, one that probably had to mean a lot to him, simply based on the fact that it was signed by the author, and you hadn’t even managed to take the book you had laid on your bedside table specifically so you’d remember, stung. “You know what? I don’t live far from here, I’ll just go and grab the book real quick. If you want you can wait here, I’ll be back in like 20 minutes.” Without waiting for an answer you put your phone in your backpocket and walked over to the door where your coat was hanging. “I can’t let you do that, it’s really not that important,” Steven began to protest. You were having none of his protests. “Please, it’s the least I can do after you lend me your book. And it’s really not that far.” Now Steven rose as well, he walked over to you, and shook his head again. “At least let me walk you. It’s dark outside and I’d never forgive myself if something were to happen to you.” You considered his offer for a moment. On the one hand not having to walk across campus alone at night would be great, especially if it was Steven who was with you. On the other hand it would be Steven walking with you, a man you’ve only talked to twice, someone who you didn’t really know, who might be more dangerous than anyone lurking in the shadows. And yet there was this gut feeling telling you to trust him. “You really don’t have to,” you said, though your protest was out of politeness rather than wanting him to withdraw his offer. “I know, but I want to.” 

“Usually I’d be all for you going home with a beautiful woman, but have you really thought this through?” Steven tried his best to ignore Marc’s continuous questions in his head and instead focused on you. The way you were walking close enough for him to feel your body heat, a stark contrast in the cold night, your sweet scent, probably a shampoo or perfume, or the way your hand sometimes brushed against his ever so slightly. There, it happened again! This time all Steven could do as to not reach out and take your hand in his was to push his own hands into the pockets of his jacket. “So,” he finally spoke to break the awkward silence. “How long have you been a professor?” You shrugged, something Steven could only barely see in the darkness. “Technically for a couple of years, but I only started teaching last semester, before that I mostly did research.” You said it as if that were the most boring thing imaginable, but Steven couldn’t help but be fascinated. How could he not? You were not only beautiful and kind, you were interested in ancient Egypt. It had only taken two conversations for Steven to decide that you were perfect. “What sort of research?” Oh boy, even Steven, who loved learning and was known to ramble on about the topics he’s interested in from time to time, had not expected you to launch into a monologue about different mythologies, facts and figures, gods and goddesses that lasted until you finally stopped in front of the door to your building. “Oh my, I didn’t realise I kept droning on about this. I’m so sorry, but once I get talking it’s hard to stop. You should have stopped me, Steven.” There it was again, the way you said his name, those two simple syllabi, made his heart flutter. Though he couldn’t see him, he could practically feel Marc’s smirk. “Maybe I didn’t want to stop you, I like listening to you talk.” It must have been a trick of the light, there was no way you were blushing, no way at all. “I’d like to believe you, but I’m your professor and I know that you’d never tell me if I was boring you to death,” you joked while you unlocked the front door and held it open for Steven. Your professor. Your professor. Your professor. The words rang in his head again and again. For a moment he had forgotten that that’s what you were, his professor at university, not a friend, not someone who was actually interested in him personally, you were just doing your job, or maybe a little more by being extra friendly and helpful. “Yeah,” he simply mumbled as he followed you up two flights of stairs until you reached another door, this one painted in a dark blue colour with a dark grey entrance mat in front of it. As soon as you pushed the door open a new scent hit Steven. It was something sweet and soft, vanilla, cinnamon. “I made some sahlab before I left today, would you like me to heat some up for you while I get the book?” It took Steven a moment to register your words, he was too preoccupied with looking through the flat. Stepping through the door he stood in a tiny hallway, barely big enough for one person, which was probably why you had already moved on to the next room. The hallway was painted in a neutral white, but jackets, scarves, and various other items on a coat hanger, as well as an array of shoes underneath it, gave the room a splash of colour. Steven, you can’t just stay in the hallway forever, Marc’s familiar voice rang through his head. He caught sight of his alter in a tiny mirror next to the door where you had disappeared. And suddenly reappeared as you stuck your head into the hallway. “Steven? Sahlab?” Steven nodded before he could even consider your question. He took a few steps until he found himself standing in your kitchen, which was similar to the hallway in the sense that it was also tiny and very neutral, but this time rather than clothes giving the room a personal note it was pictures. At least a dozen different photographs and postcards were pinned to your fridge while a huge poster of different Greek gods and goddesses hung above the small table. “Here you go,” you said as you handed him a mug that smelled even more like vanilla and cinnamon than the rest of the flat. “Sorry, but what exactly is this?” Steven asked. He was well aware that he probably should have asked earlier, but there were just so many other more interesting things to look at. “It’s a middle eastern drink, kinda like hot chocolate but instead of chocolate it’s vanilla and a dash of cinnamon. I think it tastes like a hug,” you admitted with a sheepish grin. Steven leaned closer to get another whiff of the drink, but he didn’t take a sip just yet. “I’m a vegan,” he blurted out instead. He avoided looking at you, didn’t want to see your probably disappointed expression and instead looked out the window, which didn’t exactly provide a great view, since it faced a wall. “It’s soy milk,” you said, though your voice was almost drowned out by the sound of you rummaging through the cupboards. “Aha, found it!.” A short pause. “I just checked the vanilla extract, it’s vegan as well, you’re safe to drink it. If you want that is, you don’t have to.” While you were talking Steven had turned around to face you again, only to find you staring into your own mug rather than at him. He didn’t know what to say and decided that the best option would be to simply take a sip. Before he could say anything about the drink though, which really did taste like a hug, you disappeared again. Deciding it would be rude to follow you, Steven stayed where he was, and instead focused on the pictures on your fridge. “She’s been all over the world,” he muttered, whether more to himself or to Marc he wasn’ sure. “It was mostly for work. More often than not I’d go straight to a museum from the airport, usually some dusty old archive in the basement, and see little else other than the museum, my hotel room, and the airport.” Steven hadn’t heard you coming back into the kitchen, he was too preoccupied with snaps of different exhibits and especially one of you in front of the Louvre’s glass pyramid, though his focus wasn’t on the pyramid itself, but on you, with sunglasses on your face and a huge grin on your lips. “Here’s the book I promised you,” you said, breaking the silence and bringing a blush to Steven’s face. Once again he forced himself to remember that, no matter how kind and hospitable you were being, you were still his professor, not a friend he could exchange memories with. “I have some others you might be interested in, if you’d like to have a look,” you offered with a kind smile. Steven shook his head. He couldn’t. He was already imposing by simply being here, by invading your personal space, your home, and drinking in your kitchen. “I think this one should be enough,” he answered, though part of him longed to browse through your personal library, to find out more about you through the books you read and collect. He could hear Marc sighing in his head, but Steven stayed strong. It wouldn’t be right to take any more, of your books or your time, he had to draw a line between the two of you now, before it might be too late. “If you change your mind, just let me know. I’d be happy to let you look through my books or bring another one to my office for you.” Steven could have sworn there was a nervous aura around you, something that almost seemed like a desire to see him again. “You’re the first student who is interested in anything other than what they actually need to read. Actually, scratch that, you’re not just the first student but the first person since my own uni days.” Steven didn’t know what to say, so he settled for a simple nod. He knew the feeling, knew what it was like to be interested in something no one else seemed to care about, to finally find someone who you could share your passion with, someone who understood you in a way no other could. But why, why, why, why did that one person have to be his professor? His smart and clever, kind and beautiful professor? “I should go now. Thanks for the book, and the sahlab.” Another kind smile graced your lips as you exchanged words of goodbye. Once out the door Steven took a deep breath. “This might not be what you want to hear right now, but I think she really likes you,” Marc told Steven, who couldn’t help a cruel laugh from escaping his lips. “Even if she does, she’s the one woman I cannot have. I need this degree and can’t afford to do anything to screw this up.” He didn’t add that he felt like he had screwed up so much in his life already, that he saw this as his last chance to make something of himself, his last chance at a normal, happy life. He didn’t have to say any of that, he had a feeling Marc knew, and understood. “I’ll just read this book, give it back to her, and that’s it. Then I’ll go back to being just another student.”

-------

I have part of the story planned out already, so I’m hoping that the next part should be up within a week or so. 

As always, thank you for reading and feedback is greatly appreciated (I’m also open to ideas in what direction you’d like the story to go) <3