#best part is the guy just deciding to float up to heaven to ask god

[bisexualmoses]

Off the top of my head —

A man’s son converts to Christianity. The man doesn’t know what to do. So he goes to his village’s rabbi and he says, “Rabbi, you’ll never believe what happened to me! My son became a Christian! What should I do?” The rabbi frowns and says, “My son also became a Christian. In the next town over lives a prestigious talmid chacham. He’s a Kabbalist who knows the secrets of the Torah. Let’s go ask him.” So the village rabbi and the man make their way to the town to visit the kabbalist. It takes them a long time to get an audience with him, but finally they manage to have a moment to speak with him. The men each say, “Rebbe, you’ll never believe what happened to me! My son has turned his back on our faith and become a Christian. What should I do?” The kabbalist strokes his long, white beard for several minutes. Finally, he says, “This is a difficult question. Let’s ask the Holy One.” And he says the name of G-d and floats up to heaven to speak with Hashem himself. “G-d,” he says, “what should I tell them?” And G-d says, “You’ll never believe what happened to me!”

HAHAHAHAHAHA

Well if it’s even happening to G-d you know there’s a problem!

[lanarist]

NSFW 18+ Plug! Dabi x Fem! Reader HC

a/n: first off, minors DNI. Second, this is my first time posting any of my writing on any platform. I have so much shit on Wattpad that just sits in the drafts. I am not confident enough to publish my shit writing. I’m shocked that i am even doing this. But I thought about this while breaking up 🍃🍃 for a blunt. I’ve seen so many hcs/Drabbles of stoner Dabi. ....but what about plug dabi

Also I want to mention that I do not condone drug use unless for medical reasons. it helps me with my extreme anxiety. literally saved me. And I 100% do not condone drug dealing. Just wanna throw that out there before you read.

a/n: this shit is SOOO long I’m sorry. I worked on this for like three days.

Summary: literally brain rot. Dabi being your plug HC.

Warnings: drug use, intercourse, dumbafication, oral (f receiving), sexual themes, mentions of alcohol.

I feel like you would probably meet him at some house party. Full of people drunk and/or high off of drugs that were given at the party, the supplier being Dabi for said drugs.

He immediately noticed you when you joined the circle of people passing blunts around, thinking you definitely did not belong here. You looked so innocent with those unsure doe like eyes when a random guy passes the blunt to you.

Gravely mistaken when he watches you puff that blunt like a champ, not coughing up a lung once and throwing back alcohol like it was water. Good girl on the outside but bad girl on the inside? Holy fuck he thought you were hot. He’s gotta get to know you.

After the smoke sesh, he would pull you aside to introduce himself just to get close to you.

Would definitely give you his number saying, “if you ever need anything, hit me up. I got whatever ya need, doll.”

Anytime you text him needing something, he would get so excited. He would drop whatever he’s doing. It don’t matter if he’s in the middle of a sell, dead asleep, at his part time job extra cash, or early in the morning. He’s gonna give you what you’re asking of him asap.

Definitely giving you discounts even on his best shit. Original price for 10 grams is $100? He’s giving it to you for $50.

Also would throw in extra without your knowledge. One time you noticed he gave you three extra grams and tried to give it back to him. “‘S okay. Just keep it, doll.”

Plug dabi would definitely get jealous if you bought anything from anyone else besides him. He will make sure to give you shit for that.

If he doesn’t have what you need at that moment. Baby, he’s going to make sure he gets it by any means necessary if it means he gets to see you for a few minutes.

Will always bring the drugs to you wherever you’re at. No matter how many times you’ve told him you’ll meet him somewhere or come to his place. He doesn’t wanna inconvenience you.

He would always look for you at parties. Once found, he’s dragging you away from everybody to a vacant room, outside, or to his car. He wants to smoke with you alone.

Loves when the smoke rolls smoothly out of your mouth after you inhale it. Thinks you look god damn sexy with the smoke floating around you and your low red eyes look fucking adorable.

If there’s something new you wanna try lsd or shrooms etc, he’ll offer to be with you and to stay sober incase you have a bad trip.

He knows he’s completely infatuated with you, but will not admit it to his friends. Especially Keigo. “You’re fucking whipped.” “Shut the fuck up, Keigo.”

Absolutely hates it when some random dude hits on you at parties or even stands close to you. He’s pulling you away to smoke.

Finally gets the balls to text you one night to smoke with him. “I got some good shit this time, doll. Wanna smoke it with me?”

When he gets to your house, he’ll already have the blunts rolled, a pipe, or anything you want ready for you.

Will hold the blunt to your lips when it gets too small. gets a boner feeling how soft they feel. He doesn’t want you to burn your pretty fingers.

Loves that you match his energy when it comes to smoking. No one has been able to smoke as much as he does like you do.

When he starts to notice the looks you’re giving him, the way your eyelashes bat at him and the lustful look in your eyes. He decides he can’t hold back anymore.

He’ll grab your chin with his thumb and forefinger to face him, softly blowing smoke onto to your lips as he stares at you. Will roughly pull you in closer to smash his lips against yours after the smoke disappears.

Gently pushes you to lay back on your bed so he can hover over you and rest himself between your legs.

No high from any drug could compare to the soft whimpers and moans leaving your lips when he pushes his hips into yours. It was fucking music to his ears.

Absolutely snaps when you tug on his white hair. He’s tearing yours and his clothes off now.

And don’t you dare try to cover that beautiful body of yours. “Don’t hide from me now, baby.”

He’ll start leaving marks on your neck, then down to your breast, taking extra time sucking, licking, biting, and kissing on them.

When he gets down lower on your body, he’s happy to set that you’re already soaking, showing that you wanted this as much as him. He’ll wrap his arms around your thighs, setting them over his shoulders and will go to fucking work on your pussy.

Swears that he could’ve came on the spot from the moans and whimpers leaving your lips. Especially the moan that you let out when he added two of his fingers into the mix.

Will make it a point to constantly praise you while his tongue makes you feel like you’re higher than cloud 9. “You taste so fucking good.” “God, so fucking beautiful.”

Will stop right before you cum. “Nah, baby. I want you cummin on my cock.”

After he’s got you all ready for him, baby you are in for it. He’s waited so long for this fucking moment. He ain’t holding back. He’ll grab your throat tightly as he seethes himself into you. You both gasp at the feeling of pure ecstasy.

Loves your fucked out face. Tongue lolled out. Tears brimming your eyes. Little bit of drool dripping of the corner of your mouth. Hair a complete fucking mess from the many times he’s pulled on it.

His stroke game? GODLY. He’s thrusting into you like a god damn rabbit but he’s hitting all of the right places and it feels so fucking good.

100% rough but his words are the opposite. “You’re taking my cock so well, doll.” “Look so beautiful while I’m fucking ya dumb.” has a degradation kink but that’s for another time.

Aftercare with Dabi is pure heaven. He’ll hand you his shirt from off of the ground for you to wear. He’ll clean you up, light up a blunt for you two, and cuddle you until you both fall asleep.

Oh and, you definitely getting shit for free for now on.

Tags: @bakugosbratx

[thedevilsmemes]

      PINTEREST QUOTES I USE IN MY MUSINGS BOARDS                         ~ A SENTENCE MEME - PART 2

                         Change pronouns as / when needed to preferred pronoun.

“I do not do justice, I do damage. I do not do empathy, I do damage. I do not do forgiveness, I do damage. I do not do mercy, I do damage.”

“Like, you can boss me around in sexual situations but you better not try to tell me what to do in regular life.”

“I’m fine, I’ve had worse.”

“I’m meaner than my demons.”

“If I cannot bend Heaven, I will raise Hell.”

“Well, aren’t you a little ray of pitch black?”

“He was like a storm.”

“You want to play dirty? Fine, let’s play dirty!”

{ feels an emotion. } “Who the fuck authorised this?!”

“What the fuck? What the fuck is this? What the fuck?”

“Judge if you want. We are all going to die. I intend to deserve it.”

“Goddamn right you should be scared of me.”

“They wanted a monster; I decided to give them one.”

“Seduce and destroy.”

“What the fuck is intimacy? How does that work? Letting… people be close to you? What the fuck?”

“You couldn’t kill me if you tried for one hundred years.”

“I’ll do this my way.”

“I am severely emotionally unstable.”

“What, from the bottom of the heart, the fuck?”

“I’m sorry, I don’t take any orders. I barely take suggestions.”

“I send my best regards from Hell.”

“I like my coffee how I like myself: Dark, bitter and too hot for you.”

“Me and God, we don’t get along.”

“Be brave, Angel.”

“Self care is drinking three pots of coffee and getting into a knife fight with God.”

{ takes gulp of vodka straight from the bottle } “My day was fine.”

“Have I stabbed you? No. Then I am being nice.��

“Holy Shit! I’M the demon living in my house.”

“Sir, that’s my emotional support knife collection.”

“I want an ancient elaborate dagger with my name engraved into the blade as a gift. The only romantic gesture.”

“ ‘Are you a top or a bottom?’ I'm a threat!”

“Stop being so defensive! I’m just trying to hit you with weapons.”

“The more knives you have the more valid you are.”

“She’s strong but she’s exhausted.”

“She loves moonlight and rainstorms and so many other things that have soul.”

“My darling, you can’t see it can you? How like the moon you are. Both of you so timid in yourselves; hiding pieces from the world. Then, there are those rare moments when you are both full, and it becomes hard to look away. You are beautiful.”

“Calm her chaos but never silence her storm.”

“She wears strength and darkness equally well. That girl has always been half Goddess, half Hell.”

“She has been through Hell, so believe me when I say, fear her when she looks into the fire and smiles.”

“She’s proof that you can walk through Hell and still be an angel.”

“She is both hellfire and holy water. And the flavour you taste depends on how you treat her.”

“Even the mountains can not hold all you have been carrying.”

“Storm with skin.”

“She’s thunderstorms”

“Kindness is a language that the deaf can hear and the blind can see.”

“Sometimes it takes only one act of kindness and caring to change a person’s life.”

“You have a heart of gold.”

“Butterflies are the Heaven-sent kisses of an angel.”

“She who is brave is free.”

“Clever as the Devil and twice as pretty.”

“Shut up. I wear heels bigger than your dick.”

“Girls who run in heels should be feared.”

“Family is everything to me.”

“She’s an old soul that believes in chivalry, romance, and love.”

“I hate getting flashbacks from things I don’t want to remember.”

“I run on coffee and grace.”

“I’m glad I’ve got boobs… the last thing I need is people making eye contact with me.”

“Tell me to put on my big girl panties one more time… and I’ll take off my thong and strangle you with it!”

“Please read all my posts in a sarcastic tone. You know, for full effect.”

“I have one nerve left and you’re dry-humping it, go away.”

“If I offend you, cry me a river. I’ll bring snacks and a raft. I will literally float down your tears, eating chips and working on my tan.”

“When she is happy, she can’t stop talking. When she is sad, she doesn’t say a word.”

“Music becomes my best friend when nobody else understands me.”

“Act like a lady, think like a boss.”

“I know I have friends but I feel I have no one to talk to about the shit that goes on in my head.”

“She was special. She combined a mean angel and a kind devil.”

“So much pain for someone so young.”

“She’s one of a kind.”

“Red lips and wine sips.”

“Brave girl, it’s time to love again.”

“She is intelligent.”

“Sometimes, when I say ‘I’m okay.’ I want someone to look me in the eyes, hug me tight, and say, ‘I know you’re not.’ ”

“Because I’m not the kind of girl guys fall in love with.”

“I fear I will spend my life, waiting for a love story that doesn’t exist.”

“You’re a woman, use it; bring every man you meet to his motherfucking knees.”

“She denies it but, the truth is, she’s falling in love with him.”

“Hearing your heels click on the floor sounds like power.”

“She loves deeply, regardless of the love she gets back in return and it’s both her biggest strength and biggest weakness…”

“Experience raised her. Hurt taught her. Neither defined her.”

“She was not fragile like a flower was, she was fragile like a bomb.”

“Life is short; make every hair flip count.”

“I’ve always been someone who looks ‘too deep’ into something or someone. That’s because I realised from a young age that there’s always more than what meets the eye.”

“If I say ‘first of all’ Run away because I have prepared research, data, charts, and will destroy you.”

“Underestimate me, that’ll be fun.”

“You think I’m sarcastic? You should hear what I don’t say!”

“She’s a combination of sensitive and savage.”

“Stay classy, sassy and a bit bad assy.”

“She’s battling things her smile will never tell you about.”

 “Ain't you ever seen a princess be a bad bitch?”

“I was told I was dangerous… I asked why? They said ‘because you don’t need anyone.’ That’s when I smiled.”

“She’s been through hell and came out an angel. You didn’t break her darling, you don’t own that kind of power.”

“Watch me. I will go to my own sun and, if I am burned by the flames, I will fly on scorched wings.”

“Her messy hair is a visible attribute to her stubborn spirit. As she shakes it free, she smiles, knowing wild is her favourite colour.”

“She’s strong. But in the back of her mind she doesn’t think that she was meant to be this strong for this long. And she wonders if there is a man out there, somewhere, who understands this.”

“She’s not for everyone and she knows it. People find her different and strange. She dances in the rain, she laughs when she cries and loves through her pain. People fear the unknown and they never knew a girl like her.”

“Don’t tell a girl with fire in her veins and hurricane bones what she should and shouldn’t do. In the blink of an eye, she will shatter that ridiculous cage you attempt to build around her beautiful bohemian spirit.”

“You provoke her until she roars and then get upset at her for becoming the monster you created.”

“Rip out his ego with your fresh nails.”

“She isn’t the sunrise; she’s the fucking sun.”

“You can’t touch a woman who can wear pain like the grandest of diamonds around her neck.”

“Watch your tongue around her. She will bear her fangs and tear you apart with all the grace of a Queen.” 

“If you won’t embrace her madness, then you’ll never taste her magic.”

“Beauty may be dangerous but intelligence is lethal.”

“She is water. Powerful enough to drown you, soft enough to cleanse you, deep enough to save you.”

“Heavy is the crown and yet she wears it as if it were a feather. There is strength in her heart, determination in her eyes and the will to survive resides within her soul.”

“I wish that I could say that I am a light that never goes out, but I flicker from time to time.”

“Spoil me with loyalty. I can finance myself.”

“Shoutout to all the people with brown hair and brown eyes! We basic as fuck but we cute!”

“I feel a nap coming on.”

“Is horny an emotion?”

“I just really like thigh-highs.”

“Even though she looks innocent, she is really a perverted demon.”

“She didn’t sob or wail. Her pain was horribly discreet but as persistent and almost as silent as bleeding from an unstitched wound.”

“I don’t rise from the ashes, I make them. I’m the whole fucking fire.”

“Beautiful but destructive.”

“I’m aiming for the ‘she’s a badass and cute as hell but I wouldn’t touch her without asking’ look.”

“Loving me must be so fucking hard and I’m so sorry.”

“Some women are lost in the fire. Some women are built from it.”

“You glow differently when you’re actually happy.”

“She’s magic, that one.”

“Kicked out of Hell.”

“Red hair: the crown you never take off.”

“You’ve got a fire inside.”

“She doesn’t need a warrior, she is one. What she needs is a devout heart, and strong arms to hold her after her battles are won.”

“You are the love that came without warning: You had my heart before I could say no.”

“You want battle? I’ll give you war.”

“True evil is, above all things, seductive.”

“The Devil’s got nothing on me, my friend.”

“Haven’t I fallen far enough?”

“I’m not like them, but I can pretend.”

“I don’t like being told what to do.”

“Now I grow wings and rage, and learn how to kill.”

“Life is tough, my darling, but so are you.”

“Though she be little, she be fierce.”

“I know what this is; It’s just myself, talking to myself, about myself.”

“You underestimate my power.”

[cedric-stories]

A Royal New Year Party

Word Count: Around 2,400

Plot: After getting done planning a New Year’s Eve party, Cedric meets a man that makes the sorcerer question his relationship with you.

Warnings: Angst and language

Author’s Note: This just came to me cause people used to be such jerks to my ex about us being a couple. So, kinda personal and kinda just I adore Cedric and want my baby to know he’s loved.

Author’s Note note: Okay, so I had another fic like this but I’m finally gonna address it; the world is set in our time so there are cell phones and stuff. I know I changed it from the show, but it was just easier for me. Also, this is gonna be the last fic for a few days. tbh, I haven’t even started the next ones, but I do have outlines. Hope you enjoy and happy New Year!!!

Reader pronouns: she/her

                                       A Royal New Year Party

Here it is, the greatest party of every year. The royal family’s enchanted New Year’s Eve party was only a few hours away.

           “Cedric, could you please conjure another bouquet of roses?”

“Cedric, can you please just conjure one more turkey? The chef ran out of bird, so he is begging you to make one; but please don’t tell the King!”

           “Cedric, can you put the floating plates over here?”

“Cedric, can you conjure a few more chairs?”

           “Cedric, where is god’s name is that turkey!?”

           Yes, these were the sounds the poor sorcerer had been listening to all day. Everyone and their chef have been pestering him. He was in the middle of all the bustling and rustling. Things at been nonstop for hours and he was getting sick of it. The past day, he had been conjuring plates, chairs, ovens, instruments, and everything in between to make this party amazing. King Roland expected the very best to wow his guests, so he wanted Cedric not only to create dozens of items, but to enchant everything.

The King wanted enchanted chairs that could sway with the music, enchanted instruments that could play on their own to give the orchestra a break, and enchanted silverware that could dazzle the guests with dancing and singing. It was quite complicated to cast spell after spell (especially enchanted ones) and it was beginning to tire the man.

           Cedric was finishing up one more spell when he heard footsteps behind him.

“Well done, Cedric!” The king boomed from behind the sorcerer, scaring him out of his wits.  

           “Thank you, your majesty. I am honored.” He said, turning and bowing his head.  

“You’re very welcome, things are coming along nicely. Now, since you’ve been working all day, have you given any thought to what you have planned tonight?”

           Cedric lifted his shoulder in a half shrug.

“No, I haven’t really thought of anything.”

           “Well then,” Roland paused, gesturing to all the gold and black decorations, “why don’t the two of you celebrate the new year with us? I’m sure y/n would love it.”  

“I-we would love to and I greatly appreciate the offer,” Cedric started, “but I think we are going to celebrate the new year just the two of us.”

           Roland gave Cedric a disappointed look.

“Alright, if you insist. We will all miss you and y/n. If you change your mind, you guys are welcome.”

           “Thank you, your highness.” He said, beginning to walk out of the ballroom through majestic, golden doors.

Cedric trudged through the halls of the castle. He came across the coffee shop on the corner of the ballroom and royal dining hall and scurried into line to get a cup.

           Workers of all types stood back to front. One man wearing a blue vest, top hat, and holding a scepter in his hands was in front of cedric.

           “Hello, sir. The name’s Jonathan” The man greeted the sorcerer. His eyes seemed warm and inviting enough to talk to.

“Oh, hello.” Cedric answered, barely shaking his head to try, and come to consciousness.

           “What do you do around here, fine man?”

“I’m the royal sorcerer for Enchantcia. You may know me by Cedric the Sensational?”

The man looked perplexed for a minute, then, as if realization came down from the gods, Jonathan’s face turned up and Cedric could see the lightbulb come on.

           “Oh yes! You are the one who tried taking over the kingdom a few years back!”

Cedric cringed.

           “Yes, I am.” He said, trying hard not to recall those memories but nevertheless, remembered them vividly.

           “My, I was sure good old Kind Roland would have you executed for that!”

“Oh yes, didn’t we all?” Cedric rolled his eyes.

           “And the way the towns folk talked about you, it musta been hard to show you face around them parts for a while, eh?”

“Eh.” Cedric sarcastically parroted back.

           “Why, never in my wildest dreams would old Winnie and Goodwin’s kiddy ever try a stunt like that.”                        

“Yes, quite,” Cedric paused, narrowing his eyes at the man, “foolish of me.”

“You know, your father saved old’ king Roland’s daddy from a few monsters like yourself!”

           “yes, yes, I know. Oh look, you’re at the counter, time to order now.” Cedric rushed.

“Oh, look at that. Hi, ma’am, I’ll have a…”

           Once the man had finished ordering, cedric got up to the counter and ordered a cold caramel frappe. After, he went to sit down and wait. The bustling of people became a background noise and Cedric finally got some peace. While he sat and tried to unwind-

           “There you are good buddy!” The same talkative man said, jostling over to Cedric.

“Here I am.”

           After a long talk about Cedric’s wrongs, the man began to inquire about Cedric’s personal life.

           “So, I doubt after your long, ungrateful journey back to civilized living hadn’t brought you company of any kind?”

           Cedric believed the man meant a significant other but wasn’t really sure.

           “Pardon?”

“A woman! Have you gotten yourself a woman?!”

           Cedric gave the man a blank stare and leaned away from his sudden enthusiasm. Why in god’s name does this man want to know so much about him? He thought about telling him or not. If I do, he’s going to go on how I don’t deserve someone, or not believe me entirely. And why does he just presume I have a woman? Has the man never heard of two men living happily together? Why does this man care so much about my life?

           “I do have a significant other.” Cedric finally let out.

“Well for heavens sakes, how the hell did you get one?”

           “Well, we met over a year ago and- “

“No one in her right mind would want you. You’re so unstable compared to others your age. Eh, she’s probably just waiting’ on someone better anyways.”

           Cedric was now completely offended and didn’t really know how to answer. Without saying another word, he rose to get his coffee from the counter and left.

On his walk home, Cedric began thinking.

I have been with Y/N for almost a year. I don’t deserve her. Does she even want to be with me? Maybe I’ve just fooled myself into thinking she really loves me when all this time she’s only stayed around cause there’s no one else. Maybe he’s right, maybe it was just weird I found her. She probably is just waiting for someone better to come along and leave…I’ve done so much wrong, maybe she doesn’t even want me?

           After his long debate, Cedric headed upstairs to his tower. The stone walls felt cold against cedric’s fingers as he guided himself up three floors of spiraled stairs. He looked out one of the windows to see the sun turning orange as it set over glistening red trees. It was beautiful in Enchantcia tonight. After looking for only a minute, he started back up the stairs.

Once he had made it to the door, he took a big breath and he walked in to find his girlfriend sitting crisscrossed on a table. You were wearing Black lacy shorts with flowers embroidered along with a spaghetti strapped top that matched. Trying to pick up your phone off the floor, you were dangling from the edge. You grabbed your phone and looked up to see your boyfriend.

           “Ceddy! You’re finally home.” You smiled, jumping off the table onto your sorcerer. Your hair was in a messy bun and fluffed up into his face when you grabbed onto him for a hug.

           “Hello, Angel.”

“I’ve been missing you all day.” You said, snuggling in tighter.

           “I have too. Oh, this is for you.” He said, giving you a hot mocha.

Your smile widened. “Thank you!”    After grabbing the hot beverage from him, you look a sip, and placed it on the table.

“You look tired.”

           “I am tired.” Cedric laughed, hugging you. He was happy to be home to you until he started remembering the conversation he had with Jonathan.

Noticing him grow somber, you asked him if he was okay.

           Cedric hesitated, “Yes, just tired I think.”

“Okay, why don’t you take a nap?” You asked, still having a questioning look on your face.

           “I may.”

You kissed him gently on the cheek and made sure he got to the bedroom. Closing the door behind you, you decided to grab a book and read until he woke.

                                                                       …

After a few hours, you decided to check on Cedric. You wanted to make sure he was okay after what happened earlier.

Walking into the bedroom, you found your boyfriend already awake on his phone.

           “Hello.” You greeted, walking along the side of the bed.

Cedric nodded at you.

           Carefully, you made you way to the upper part of the bed and sat down. Noticing his standoffish actions, you scooted closer to him.

           “Babe, what’s wrong? Please, tell me.” You quietly pleaded.

He looked over at you with glassy eyes. His face was full of pain, but you just couldn’t put a finger on what upset him.

           “Did I say or do something?”

“No.” He answered, shifting away from you slightly.

           “Cedric, tell me what’s wrong.” You grabbed his hand and put it on your lap.

He ran his other hand through his hair, and you noticed his shoulders tense.

           “Y/n,” he paused, his voice almost choking, “why-why do you stay here?”

You became confused.

           “What?”

“Why do you stay here…with me?”

           “I don’t u- “

“You have been with me for almost a year, and for merlin’s sake I have no idea why you stay.”

           “I love you.” You said, without thinking twice.

Cedric’s eyes met yours.

           “I love you, but I just don’t see how you could love me.”

You could feel the sting of tears in your eyes.

           “Cedric, how could you not see- “

“Do you know what I am?”

           You stared at him, “Do I know what you are?”

“Yes. Do you know what I am?”

           You ran your hand up his arm gently, “You’re mine.”

“No. I mean, do you understand what I’ve done? I’ve tried overthrowing the kingdom, I plotted against the royal family for years. Everything had a terrible motive, everything I did was selfish, I dreamed of making others bow before me. I am not a good person.”

           “Cedric! Of course, I know that. I’ve always known all of that. I love you for you. You are a good person now, and I don’t care about your past, I love you for everything you are and once was.”

           Cedric looked down then he cocked his head.

“Once was?”

           You took a breath.

“Cedric, I’ve never admitted it, but I really don’t care you tried overthrowing the kingdom. It’s not healthy, I know, but sometimes I think my love for you is stronger than my morals.” You laughed nervously. “You are my person, my lobster, as some show would say, and no matter what, I love you. I’m not saying what you did was right, but because I love you, I overlook it easily.”

           He grabbed ahold of your hand and you wrapped your arm around him. He hugged you back tightly and you knew he felt better. You kissed the side of his cheek and laid you head on his chest.

           “What even made you think of that, love?”

“Nothing, I guess I just will never quite get used to you being mine.”

           The two of you sat in silence for a minute, then cedric turned towards you.

           “The royal family is having a party tonight to bring in the new year. I was wondering if you would want to go. The King invited us.”

           You beamed a smile.

“I’d love to!”

About an hour later, the two of you were walking down the hall towards the ballroom.

Once you arrived, you were greeted by a loud orchestra and babbling voices. The room was full of women in suits and dresses and men in the same attire. It was an extravagant gathering with gold and black streamers lining the walls and draping over the ceiling. At the front of the room sat the orchestra with its self-playing instruments and band members walking about. Some guests sat on floating chairs and plates that followed behind others walking. Workers hurried around, grabbing dirty, golden silverware.

           Cedric and you started over to the royal table when Sofia came running over.

“Mr. Cedric! Miss. Y/n! I’m so happy you guys could come.” She shouted over the music, running up and giving Cedric a hug followed by yours.

           “I’m glad we could. Please tell your father that we are very grateful.” You said to the young girl wearing the pink amulet.

           “I will. Are you guys going to sit down? There’s two chairs next to me.”

“Yes, we are. We’ll be over in a minute. Thanks again.”

           “No problem.” Sofia replied, running off to greet the other guests.

           You had almost made it over to the table when a loud voice practically yelled at Cedric.

“Cedric! There you are old buddy!”

           Cedric’s shoulders stiffened again.

“Hello, Jonathan.”

           “Who you got with you?”

“This is y/n, she’s my girlfriend.”

           The man looked you over and made you rather uncomfortable.

“Oh my god! She’s beautiful! What the hell did you have to bribe her to come with?”

           Your eyes flung wide open and you gasp.

“What?” You asked in a flat tone.

           “No offense to you ma’am, You’re beautiful! I’m just wondering’ how he got someone like you,” he glanced at Cedric, “with his past and all.”

You shot Jonathan an angry look.

           “For your information, I love this man with all my heart and want to be with him for who he is. If you can’t accept that then you can just kindly leave us alone!” You snapped.

           The man looked shocked.

           “Well, I guess if you’re happy- “

“I am happy. Thank you.”

           “It was nice seeing you again old buddy.”

“A pleasure really.” Cedric smiled, wrapping his arm around you.

           The two of you began walking away. You couldn’t believe how rude he had been. Before you had gotten too far, you were boiling over with anger and wanted that man to know you adored Cedric. Suddenly, you whipped around to make sure he was still watching. You grabbed Cedric by the collar and kissed him firmly on the lips.

           Jonathan looked horrified at you. You gave a sarcastic smile at him and turned back around.

           “Jackass.” You spat out under your breath.

“You have no idea.” Cedric agreed, placing his arm back around you tightly.

           “I truly do love you, y/n.”

“I love you too, Cedric.”

           Cedric and you made it to the table and joined the royal family. Later, the two of you along other couples shared a passionate kiss at 12am to welcome the new year.

[ilovemesomekillianjones]

In the Still of the Night

Here is my contribution for the Captain Swan Neverland New Year event! You guys, I am so excited to be writing again!!!! Thank you @xhookswenchx for beta reading this baby for me.  Kudos to the mods of @neverlandnewyear for thinking up and putting together this treasure that is Captain Swan in Neverland. Tag list at the end, please let me know if you ever want to be removed or added. 

Summary: Set after Henry is safe (no Pan switch) but before the gang is able to leave Neverland. When Emma is woken in the still of the night, from dreams of a devilishly handsome pirate captain, she decides she needs a midnight swim to cool off. In which Hook and a daringly open Emma have a meeting of the mind, body, and soul. 

     Rated M          8K          ao3           ffnet          Story under the cut, promise

It was the middle of the night when Emma woke, a sweltering, sweaty mess. “Why is this island so fucking hot,” she muttered into the darkness. Having a lascivious dream about Hook had absolutely naught to do with her elevated temperature, it was undoubtedly this goddamn jungle. Now that Pan had been conquered, and Henry was safe, Emma found she was having an increasingly difficult time keeping the smoldering, blue-eyed pirate off of her mind. She needed to get back to Storybrooke, back to some semblance of normalcy... or whatever. She silently cursed Gold for not having found a way to get her father home safely yet. 

Ripping the covers from her body, she got up from her bunk below Henry’s and checked on him. Seeing that he was sound asleep, she headed topside. The deck of the Jolly Roger was blessedly deserted. Emma leaned against the railing, looking toward the vast jungle that was Neverland and she shuddered despite the hot, humid air that surrounded her. The shudder wasn’t due to the jungle itself. Since they’d defeated Pan, Hook had shown the group many of the island’s hidden beauties. He had stories for every spot he showed them, some hilarious, some melancholy, some quite ordinary, and others downright terrifying. There were quaint trails, refreshing springs and ponds, fascinating wildlife and vibrant plant life. It was actually quite a dream destination when a maniacal man-boy wasn’t playing psycho. 

No, it wasn’t the jungle causing that shudder. She couldn’t get that goddamn kiss off her mind. Emma bit her lip as she reminisced about the way his lips had caressed hers, the way his tongue had slipped into her mouth hungrily but also tenderly. A one-time thing, she’d told Hook. Now if she could just maintain that lie, because that’s what it had been. She really needed Gold to find a way to magic David’s health back so they could get off this god forsaken island already. 

She decided that the time for sleep was past, she was wide awake now, with thoughts of that damn pirate. A midnight dip would be ideal, especially while everyone was asleep. Emma left the Jolly Roger and headed toward the secluded pond that Hook had shown them. Once they’d no longer had to worry about being attacked, they’d created a regular schedule for bathing, so everyone had their own time. Luckily, no one’s time was right now.

Traversing quietly through the jungle, Emma admired the beauty around her. The greenery was lush, the effulgent dew made it seem more alive than any plants she’d ever been around. The blossoms surrounding the path were some of the largest she’d ever seen - they were dazzling pinks and oranges. She wondered if she had missed all this in her haste, fatigue, and desperation while finding Henry, or if the jungle had only come to life since the man-child was no more. 

She followed the trail Hook had shown them, until she came upon the pond that was shrouded below an overhang at the base of what Hook had referred to as Dead Man’s Peak. The name hadn’t initially inspired comfort in the group, but when David explained to them that the water at the top of the peak was what had cured him, their perspectives changed. Emma swore there must be some restorative properties here at the base because she always felt rejuvenated when emerging from the water.

Stripping as soon as she broke the tree line, she discarded her clothes beneath a tree along the sandy shoreline. Her flesh pebbled as it met the open air, and she felt a freeness as she walked to the water’s edge. She dipped her toes in tentatively, knowing the water would be agreeable as always. Emma was immersed thigh deep before diving down below the surface and swimming toward the middle. 

The water sluiced around her body soothingly while she held her breath as long as she could, before breaking the surface. Emma pushed her hair back then ran her hands over her face before opening her eyes. She enjoyed this spot, a sandbar of sorts, deep enough to cover her body, shallow enough that she could still reach, and far enough from all surrounding shore should anyone happen upon her.

The silence that enveloped her was serene and she looked up at the star filled sky. A shooting star floated across the heavens, but just as Emma was about to make a wish, the water beside her opened up as something emerged. The scream that started to bubble up from deep within her, as a hundred thoughts filled her mind on what unimaginable Never-beast this could be, was cut off by a voice she was not expecting to hear.

“Evening Swan!”

“Jesus Christ, Hook!” Emma gasped. Thank god she was in shoulder deep water. “Wait, did you… were you watching when I… you know,” she asked while motioning toward her body.

“Did I what?” Hook asked, genuine confusion furrowing his brow.

“Did you see me undressing?”

“You wound me, Swan… I would never!”

“Oh, tonight you’re the gentleman?”

“I told you, I am always a gentleman,” he claimed in a rich tone as he took a step closer to her. “Spying on a lady as she undresses would be unthinkably bad form.”

“Then where the hell were you?” 

“I was underwater.”

“For the whole time?” she asked disbelievingly. 

“Aye. I’m a pirate, love, when you live a life on the water, it’s best you be able to hold your breath for longer than the average landlubber. Never know when you might find yourself keelhauled.”

“Landlubber,” Emma scoffed, “I can hold my breath just fine.” 

“I’ve no doubt you can, just not as long as meself,” he smirked.

Emma narrowed her eyes at the challenge in his tone. What was it about this man that had her wanting to comply with his every whim? She’d held her breath for as long as she could when she dove into the water, if he’d been under from the time she’d stripped until he popped up to interrupt her wish, that had to be like two full minutes? No way, she thought, he must have come up for air while she was under.

“Bet I can,” she challenged back.

“Is that so?” Hook asked, crowding her a little more, eyebrow cocked in interest. “And just what are the terms of this bet?”

If ever asked under oath, Emma would swear his eyebrows spoke a language all their own. “If I win, I get the Captain’s quarters,” Emma replied, crossing her arms over her chest smugly - as if she’d already won.

“I told you before, Swan, you and the lad should have my quarters.”

“I don’t want it given to me, I want to take it from you.”

“Fine,” he sighed, “such a stubborn lass. And if I win?”

“You tell me,” Emma said with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Hmmmm,” he hummed, as the tip of his tongue swept along his bottom lip. “How about…” he continued, tapping his pointer finger to his lips.

Emma leaned toward him with anticipation as he pondered the terms to set. 

“I get to ask you any question I want.”

“Seriously?” Emma sputtered, head tilting to the side, it was rhetorical at best, not an actual question. “You’re taking this gentleman schtick a little over the top. I thought you’d want me to flash my tits or another kiss?”

“I told you, love, I am always a gentleman, and as such, I would never want to take a kiss from you in victory, I want it given to me, willingly. I want you to want it as much as I do.”

Emma blushed as he spoke, damn him for being a chivalrous pirate. “Whatever,” Emma muttered, “I’m winning this bet anyway.”

“So, we have an accord?” he questioned, holding out his hand for her to shake.

“Deal,” Emma said, shaking his hand. “How will we know no one cheated?”

“I do have a code, Swan,” Hook scoffed, “pillaging and plundering, yes; swashbuckling, yes; swindling beautiful maidens, never.” He held his hand over his heart as if he were making a pledge. 

Emma smiled at the actual drama queen standing before her, laughing lightly, it felt good. “Okay, so how are we doing this thing?” Hook held up his hand like he was about to take an actual oath, and Emma was half inclined to high-five him, though she was sure that was not his intent. 

“Take my hand then,” he prompted, nodding his head toward his hand. Once her fingers were laced with his, he explained that he would count to three and they’d both submerge to the bottom, first one up was the loser, and the winner would know, because the loser would release the winner’s hand to reach the surface for air. 

On three they submerged, and Emma could not see a thing. Hook was inches from her, and the only indication was his hand in hers. Feeling the comfort of his grasp in the eerily dark abyss, she pondered over the fact that she’d interlocked their fingers, instead of just holding hands palm in palm. She really needed off this island, she couldn’t be falling for him. Life was too hard for a relationship. Or was it really too hard, the rarely heard from, softer side of Emma Swan’s mind butted in. It could be so easy, this voice told her. 

When Hook had told her that he would win her heart without any trickery, Emma’s heart had beat a little stronger just for him, she’d wanted to pull him into her arms to make out right there. Alas, there had still been the issue of her beloved child to save.

Would it really be so bad to let Hook try to win her heart though? He truly was a gentleman, a pirate scoundrel sometimes too, but it was part of his charm. Plus, her lie detector said that everything he’d told her regarding how he felt about her, about what the kiss exposed, it was all true.

Emma’s mind wandered back to Storybrooke, to what it might be like to have someone who understood her, someone who was like her, to spend time with. The squeeze he gave her hand at that moment had her picturing what it might be like to walk through town with him, hand in hand. Was that even something she could still do, be that vulnerable, for the world to see her care for a man? She’d been on her own for so long, independent; free from any man who could hold her heart with the possibility of crushing it. 

Suddenly she felt dizzy, head spinning and heart pounding loudly in her ears. Had she held her breath too long, or were her outlandish imaginings too much for her stoic heart? Releasing Hook’s hand, Emma rose to the surface and gulped in the air. Pushing water and hair from her face, she panted deeply. She wondered how long they’d been down there already as Hook continued his underwater mission. Leave it to him to not only win, but really show her up. 

A full minute later, Emma began to worry. Unless she’d been down there an inordinately short amount of time, he’d been under for at least two and a half minutes. Was that even possible? Had he passed out in his endeavor to “best her”? She started to actually worry for his health when another thirty seconds passed. 

“Goddammit Hook, where are you?” she muttered.

“Miss me, love?” 

“Oh, goddammit!” she yelled as she flailed so hard, she was pretty sure she’d just flashed her breasts unwittingly. The bastard wasn’t even out of breath when he popped up right in front of her. “Stop doing that,” she laughed as she pushed his chest. “Why’d you stay down so long, you big showoff?” 

“On the contrary, I could feel you thinking down there, the amount of body language just in your hand told me you were contemplating some things. I merely wished to give you enough time to escape, should this game have become too much for you.”

“Escape?” she scoffed.

“Now, now, Swan - we both know of your affinity to run,” he said lightly, no accusations or contempt in his voice.

“Says the pirate who sailed away when asked to be a part of something,” Emma retorted. 

“I came back, didn’t I?” he questioned with a raised eyebrow. “You, on the other hand, left me to be eaten by a giant atop that beanstalk.”

“You’re so dramatic,” she laughed. “I made a deal with Anton to release you after ten hours, I just needed a head start, in case you…” Emma’s voice lowered to a whisper, not wanting to voice her early assumptions about his motives and intentions.

“In case I betrayed you,” Hook finished. 

“Sorry,” she whispered, looking straight into his eyes, imploring him to believe the sincerity of her words. Although she’d had her reasons at the time, it didn’t make her feel less terrible now. 

“Long forgiven, milady,” he whispered in turn. Then, in the next breath, he was back to the cocky pirate she knew. “Now, I do believe I won, and per our accord, you owe me the fee of one truth.”

“Congratulations,” Emma offered, extending her hand to shake, “you won, fair and square.” No trickery, she thought. Then she crossed her arms over her chest, which was still underwater, so it didn’t make her look menacing at all as she jutted out her chin and raised both eyebrows in a silent challenge to do his worst. 

“Why thank you, Swan. Hmmm, what shall I ask you?” he spoke, as if pondering his many choices. “There are truly so many things I wish to learn about you, I want to know everything, really.”

Emma’s eyebrows lowered as a shy smile crept over her face. It was stupid, she knew, but having this man before her, admit that he wants to know everything about her made her feel… cherished, adored, wanted. It was a foreign feeling after so many years of being alone. “Well, you only get one free question,” she said, trying to deflect the saccharine sweet feelings he was stirring within her.

"Pity, that, but I do remember the terms of our agreement. I do have one question picked out that I simply must know the answer to, before I endeavor to learn more. Fair warning, I may not have an Emma Swan internal lie detector,” he said as he leaned in closer to her, “but as I told you before, you are a bit of an open book, so I’ll know if you’re twisting the truth.” 

“I would never,” Emma objected dramatically, holding a hand over her heart as he had so often done when feigning injury to his pride.

“Good,” he replied, taking a step even closer. “Then tell me, love, when you said our kiss was a one time thing, did you mean it? And if you did mean it when you said it, do you feel the same now?”

 His close proximity was making her feel a little less confident than the facade she was putting on, but Emma didn’t break the heady eye contact he’d made, a beautiful shade of blue, looking into her, reading her. And how was the kohl that rimmed his eyes unaffected by the water? She might have to pillage some of that from him, it put her realm’s cosmetics to shame. God he was gorgeous as the moonlight shined down on them, she’d never noticed the hint of red to the scruff along his sharp jawline. “That’s two questions,” she murmured breathily as she thought of nibbling along that jawline. 

“Shall I rephrase?”

“Oh, the hell with it, I never meant it,” she confessed as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her bare chest against his and kissing him soundly. 

As their lips collided hungrily, over and over, Emma was pretty sure she heard Hook mumbling thanks to the gods. She felt a little of that same relief, as she finally admitted that denying herself this thing that she wanted was ridiculous now that everyone was safe. Running her fingers through his thick hair, she gave it a little tug, angling his head so she could deepen the kiss. The groan he elicited was sinful and it kind of made Emma want to rub herself all over him. 

Instead she ran her other hand over his chest, deciding to take her time, she’d wanted to feel that chest hair since the first time she’d seen it proudly on display. It wasn’t quite what she expected since they were both wet and it was matted to his chest. She smirked when he jumped, his hand tightening involuntarily in her hair as she ran a thumb over his nipple. 

“A little sensitive, Captain?” she teased, looking up at him through her long lashes.

“Aye,” Hook chuckled, “‘s been awhile.”

It’d been a long dry spell for her as well. And it’d been even longer since feeling any true emotion when with a man. It had merely been scratching an itch for so long that she was a little scared what this all meant. The tingling, unadulterated want she felt in every nerve of her body far outweighed the fear though. “Touch me,” she whispered as she wrapped both arms around his waist.

 “Bloody Hell, you’ll be the death of me, woman,” he muttered as he kissed her once more. He wrapped his good arm around her and pulled her in close. Trailing a path from her mouth to her ear, he bit gently on her lobe, and it was his turn to smirk as a shiver ran through Emma’s entire body.  “Would you be opposed to taking this back on land?” 

“We just got clean, I don’t want sand in every crack and crevice,” she giggled while wrinkling her nose. 

“Aye, that would be less than optimal,” Hook agreed, “though the place I have in mind won’t get your nether regions sandy.”

“What’s wrong with right here, right now?” Emma challenged. She was pulled up short when Hook’s cheeks went pink and he scratched behind his ear as he did so often when he was feeling slightly unsure of himself. Truth be told, Emma found it cute, although she’d never tell him that, she doubted the fearsome pirate captain wanted cute to be correlated to his reputation. 

“It’s just, I’d rather…”

Brushing the hair from his forehead, Emma smoothed her thumb over the worry line that creased his brow.  “What’s wrong?” she asked. When he made no attempt to answer, Emma decided to employ his own tactics against him. “Try something new, Hook. It’s called trust.”

Emma internally cheered as one of Hook’s mega watt smiles overtook his face. The smile that showed those adorable (another word she was sure he would not want associated with him) dimples, and crinkled the corners of his eyes. 

“Touché lass,” he conceded, “I’d rather be able to have use of all my appendages.”

Emma raised an eyebrow, gazing very obviously in the direction of his most manly appendage. “Ummm, it felt like it was working just fine to me.” 

“Christ, Swan,” he chuckled, “I assure you, everything is ready, willing, and able in that department. I’d like my hook.”

Emma’s jaw dropped and her eyes widened as she thought, not for the first time, about what that hook would feel like against her heated skin. 

“It’s okay, love, if it repulses you, I can just wear the brace without the hook.” 

Emma shook her head, a frown downturning her brows and her lips, “Stop-”

“But I assure you,” Hook continued without letting Emma speak, “if the hook repulses you, the wound will surely-”

Emma’s hand over his mouth was more effective in shutting him up. “Stop it,” she demanded, “right now.” 

Hook was a little taken aback by being commanded by the fiery version of Emma, he’d seen her fiery side before, and he liked it, he liked every part of her. He wasn’t taken aback by her fire, rather he wasn’t used to being bossed around. He was the boss. But as he stood there, with her hand over his mouth, he realized he’d follow her orders any day. 

“Do you think I’m unaware that you don’t have a left hand?”

Hook shook his head in the negative, since her hand was still covering his mouth.

“Do you think I’m so shallow as to be repulsed by your hook or your brace or your wound?”

Hook took longer to answer this time, contemplating what he’d said and what she was asking. He supposed his words may have left room for misinterpretation. Slowly shaking his head no again, Emma removed her hand from his mouth.

“Good,” she stated simply, reaching for his left wrist before he even realized she'd made a move. 

His head spun when he felt Emma’s touch upon his scarred flesh and his knee-jerk reaction was to pull away from her grasp. He struggled to find the words through the haze. “It was not my intent to imply you are shallow, Emma. It is my own reticence.” 

“Trust me,” she whispered as she took his left wrist again. Wrapping both of her hands around his forearm and blunt wrist. Emma repeated the words comfortingly as she placed the arm he was so ashamed of between her breasts and held it there, where he could feel her heart beating. 

“Your hook, your brace, or just this,” she squeezed his wrist, “has no bearing on how I feel about you. I care about you, Hook.” Her voice sounded shaky, even in her own ears. “You came back for me, you helped save my son, you make me feel wanted, you make me feel good about being me.” Removing one hand from his damaged skin, Emma wrapped it around the back of his neck and pulled his forehead to hers before closing her eyes and continuing. “I’m not ready for this part, and I apologize, because that is my hang up.”

“Hang up?” he questions.

“A simpleton’s way of saying reticence,” she answers with a small smile before continuing. “I hate words, they make things real, and messy, and although I mean everything I’m saying, that’s all I can handle right now. Please just…” she inhaled sharply as she tried to articulate her plea to let this be enough. 

“I understand,” he whispered, voice just as shaky as Emma’s. He placed his hand on her cheek, lovingly caressing the softness of her lower lip. “And I do trust you, love.” He pecked her lips once before continuing. “I know you don’t like words, that much was clear from the start,” he said with a knowing smile and another peck to her lips, “but I’d like to respond, if you’re amenable?”

Emma nodded her head, eyes still closed, still reeling from her own confessions. 

Hook kissed her gently again before prodding her to open her eyes. “I want you to see the truth of my words.” 

Emma inhaled deeply, then opened her eyes to look at him. She bit her lip, a nervous habit from her teen years, as she waited for his words.

“I want to be the one to bite this lip,” Hook growled, as he used his thumb to massage her lip from her teeth.

“Truth,” Emma giggled despite herself, nodding to let him know her lie detector was working.

Hook waggled his eyebrows and smirked at her, before resuming his more resolute demeanor. “I have never felt more naturally drawn to a woman than I do with you. Your fire and passion brought my dormant heart back to life, and for the first time in decades upon decades, I want to be a better version of myself, a version that has been long forgotten, the old Killian Jones who was an honorable man, with good intentions, and hope in his heart, not revenge.”

“You may have lost your way for a time, but you’re still an honorable man, Killian.”

“Gods above,” Hook murmured as he wrapped both arms around Emma and pulled her into nothing more than a loving embrace. He was in love with her, but now was not the time. Emma would undoubtedly run if any grand declarations were made. He hadn’t felt this vulnerable maybe ever and he longed to hear her call him by his given name again. 

“Emma? Hook?! What the hell?”

Emma froze in Hook’s embrace as the familiar, and annoying, and currently very judgmental voice sounded from the shore.

“Bollocks,” Hook cursed. “How shall we handle this, darling?”

“Can we just pretend he’s not there,” she deadpanned, face still buried in her neck, trying to keep reality at bay.

“Somehow I doubt that will work, but you are The Savior, you could give it a go.”

Emma sighed deeply before turning around in Hook’s arms, her back to his chest, so she could face their interloper. She placed her hands over his hand and wrist where they were wrapped around her waist. It was still dark as she faced Neal, so hopefully he wouldn’t see the eyeroll she’d just given him when she saw this silhouette of his hands on his hips like some outraged father. 

“Good morning, Neal,” she called to the shore cheerfully. “I must have lost track of time, I didn’t realize it was already your shift for bathing.”

“It’s not,” he muttered, “it’s still the middle- not the fucking point,” he interrupted himself. “It’s not your shift either, what the hell are you doing out here?”

As much as Emma wanted to tell Neal that she and Hook were doing exactly what he assumed they were doing, she abstained.  “I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” she snapped. 

“It is my business,” he snarled back, “we’re supposed to be here for Henry.”

“Don’t you dare!” Emma started, voice rising with rightfully earned indignation. “We came here to save Henry who is now safe and sound aboard the Jolly, but the reason we are here is because your deranged fiancée dragged him through a portal to sacrifice him to a madman.” 

“So you’re just going to throw away any chance of rekindling what we had, of being a family with Henry; so you can get laid by a dirty pirate.”

Emma pulled Hook’s arms around her tighter, keeping him anchored to her when she felt him start to pull away. She didn’t need these two getting into it again. 

“Oi! I bathe quite frequently, mate,” Hook quipped. “I was doing so when Swan and I happened upon each other.”

“Shut up, Hook,” Neal retorted.

“The one good thing that came from us, was Henry, but our relationship is long over. There is nothing to rekindle,” Emma sighed. She didn’t want to be mean, but she needed Neal to understand that she wanted nothing to do with him romantically. And she was not going to be lectured by the man who’d already blown up her life once. “Maybe one day, you and I can be friends for Henry’s sake, but that is the most we will ever be.”

“Ems, you don’t mean that. You’re under his thrall, it’s not real.”

Emma completely ignored the bait, choosing instead to stop this exchange in its tracks. “Hook and I are kind of busy,” she said with a lighthearted tone, while turning back around to face Hook. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she called over her shoulder, ”If there’s nothing else, we’ll see you later.”

“You mark my words Emma, when he abandons you after taking what he wants, you’re going to look back and regret this moment.”

“He’s stuck around through more shit than you ever did,” she called back, looking straight into Hook’s eyes.

Properly dismissed, Neal stormed off, muttering curses the whole way.

Emma dropped her head to Hook’s chest, exhaling with relief. “That felt good,” she said. 

“Well done, lass, though I’ve yet to see you fail, so I am not surprised Baelfire is no match for you. But perhaps we should make our way back as well,” Hook suggested. “I do believe he will be stirring the pot, come morning. You may want to be there to head off the storm.”

“I don’t care if he goes back to tell everyone, it’s not like it’s a lie, and at least this way, they will know we’re safe, and not missing. With any luck, we’ll be left alone for a bit,” she purred.

“Are you sure your parents will approve of you spending time with a dirty, one-handed pirate with a drinking problem?”

Emma’s head jerked up and she eyed him scrutinously. “First, you need to get Pan and Neal out of your head. Second, the only person who gets to decide who I spend my time with, or how I spend it, is me. And third, how do you know I don’t want you to be dirty,” she teased as she took command of his mouth with her own. 

Not giving him a chance to think further, Emma quickly kissed him again. She slid her tongue past his lips, rolling it against Hook’s, who was quick to reciprocate. She wrapped her lips around his tongue and sucked on it, eliciting one of the sexiest noises she’d ever heard. It was half growling and half begging for more. The buoyancy helped him to easily lift her and she instinctively surrounded his body with her legs.

Hook broke the kiss, in favor of exploration. His hot mouth trailed down Emma’s neck, licking here and nibbling there, never too rough, he didn’t wish to mark her, at least not where it would be visible. He palmed one of her breasts with his hand while running his thumb over her already pebbled peak. “Gods you are perfect,” he murmured before taking her other breast in his mouth and alternating between gently suckling and the graze of his teeth. 

Emma moaned softly in pleasure and torment as Hook worked her up, her clit throbbed and she longed to feel his hand or his mouth between her legs. Grabbing a fistful of his hair, she pulled his head back and gazed into his eyes, want and desire evident in her pupils which were blown wide and the way her tongue licked salaciously over her bottom lip before she bit down on it. 

She unwrapped her legs from around Hook’s torso, in favor of standing again. Sliding her hands down his back, she squeezed his ass cheeks before pressing her body against his. “I want you,” she whispered when she felt his hardness against her stomach. Emma reached between them to wrap her hand around his thick length.

“Swan,” Hook choked out, pulling her hand gently away from his overly eager cock. “I really don’t want this to be over before it starts.”

Emma smiled knowingly, the very thought of making him come early amping up her need. “Okay, you lead,” she agreed.

“Come with me.” Hook led her toward the far end of the pond, which was actually far larger than she’d realized. They rounded a large looming rock which cloaked the entrance to a small cave by the shore.

“You just know all the secret spots, don’t you?”

“I discovered many hiding spots over the years I spent on this cursed island,” Hook acknowledged. “I usually walk to this side of the water’s edge to deposit all my belongings before bathing. One can never be too safe with the keeping of his hook.” Extending his hand to Emma, he led her out of the water and into the shelter. 

They entered far enough to have a little privacy, but not so far as to be pitched in blackness. Hook pulled her over to a natural, rock-formed shelf. “Do you want a towel, milady? Perhaps my shirt?”

“I want you,” Emma growled, yanking on his hand and pulling him flush against her body and attacking his mouth again.

“Mmmm, as you wish,” he uttered between ardent kisses. 

Emma whined when he broke away from her again, “Hook!”

“Patience, darling,” he teased. Then he quickly grabbed his jacket and his towel, laying first the jacket down on the cave floor, followed by the towel. “So you don’t get sand in every crack and crevice,” he advised with a mock bow. 

Emma laughed at his naked bow before tackling him to the makeshift bed and straddling his hips. She wove the fingers of her left hand with his right, and wrapped her other hand around his wrist before pinning them above his head. 

She didn’t miss the way he jumped when she embraced his wrist, a fleeting look of helplessness crossing over his face. She kissed him softly, tenderly, wanting to calm his nerves about his perceived flaw. When she felt his body relax against hers, she started to trail kisses across the line of his jaw before veering back up to his ear. “Has anyone ever told you, you are beyond gorgeous?” she whispered before sucking his earlobe into her mouth.

“I tell myself this all the time, but it does sound much lovelier on your luscious lips.”

“These lips?” Emma asked, sitting up just slightly and running her tongue along her bottom lip.

“Aye, the very ones,” Hook struggled to get out of her hold, as he tried leaning up to taste her lips.

Emma kept a firm hold on him though, enjoying this little bit of control. She could feel his cock against her ass, hard for her, twitching each time she nibbled and sucked at his skin. She continued to trail kisses downward, along his neck, across his pecs. His hips thrusted upwards when she bit down on his nipple and flicked her tongue over the sensitive flesh. “Patience,” she mimicked his earlier command. 

Hook’s melodramatic exhale made her giggle as she scooted further down his body, gently rubbing her wet core along his cock. “Bloody hell!” Hook cursed while deftly flipping them over.

“Don’t you want to see what else these luscious lips can do?” she asked with a wicked grin. 

“Gods above, I do. But I swear you will unman me the moment you wrap your lips around me.”

Emma smirked at him, eyes alight with lust.

“You little minx, you like that idea don’t you?” 

“Maybe,” she admitted, a confession really, despite the ambiguity of the answer. She’d already resumed stroking him.

“Fuck,” Hook hissed at her touch. He was torn between his ego needing to pleasure her first and his baser instincts demanding he let her do her worst. 

Emma watched Hook, saw him struggle with the decision, his eyes squeezing shut when she ran her thumb over his tip. Without waiting for his answer, Emma rolled them back over and licked from his base to his tip before sucking the head of his cock into her mouth while continuing to pump him.

  Her clit ached as she reveled in the wrecked expression on his face, Hook was watching her every move, lip pinned between his teeth as he struggled to hold out. She knew he was close when his hand balled into a white knuckled fist on his stomach and she gently cupped his balls to massage them. The sound that left his mouth was positively feral as he came hard, warm and wet in her mouth.

She savored the moment, he hadn’t lasted long, and she’d been the one to do that to him. But that was all she had, a fleeting moment before she was being rolled to her back. 

Hook held her in his blunted arm and dove in for a kiss, not caring at all that his taste was still on her tongue. He smiled against her lips when he felt her spreading her legs beneath him. “Eager, are we?” he asked between kisses.

“Don’t tease,” she panted into his mouth.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Hook slowly caressed his hand down her neck, stopping to play with her breasts for just a moment before continuing down to where he knew she was desperate to be touched. He parted her lips with two fingers and slid his middle finger into the warm wetness waiting for him. “Gods, Swan, you’re soaked.” His cock was already coming back to life as he thought about sliding into her wet heat.

Emma’s eyes rolled shut as Hook massaged her clit with her slippery wetness and any response she could’ve made was forgotten. Her mouth parted with an involuntary whimper when he switched it up, suddenly, but oh so easily slipping two fingers deep inside her. She contracted around his fingers, then pushed down, welcoming the penetration. 

Hook fucked her with his fingers, circling his thumb over her clit, while watching her cheeks flush pink and her breasts bounce as she rode his hand. Longing to taste her, he repositioned himself between her legs, chuckling at her whine of protest when he had to stop for a moment. 

“Oh fuck,” she panted when he resumed loving her clit, this time with his tongue. He alternated between licks and flicks and sucking. Emma’s head spun dizzily, she’d experienced oral sex, but apparently she had never experienced mind blowing oral sex. She threaded both hands into his hair and tried desperately not to be too rough. “Oh my god, I’m gonna… I’m gonna…”

Hook chose that moment to thrust his fingers back inside her and Emma was gone, she came harder than she ever had, warm and tingly and wet as Hook continued to thrust his fingers into her and suck on her clit. She saw stars or dots or something behind her eyelids and there was a rush of waves nearby, or maybe that was just the adrenaline coursing in her ears. The little aftershocks pulsing and throbbing in her clit were heavenly and oh my god, that was fucking amazing, she thought.

“Get up here,” she purred, pulling on his hair.

“It seems someone was just as primed as I was,” Hook smirked as he slid back up the length of her body.

Emma silenced his smugness by wrapping her legs around waist and flipping him to his back. The rush of air that left Hook’s chest made her chuckle as she placed her hands on his cheeks and whispered to him between kisses. “Well, you’re very, very skilled,” she praised.

“You set the bar very high, love.”

Emma beamed at his compliment, her cheeks warming. She wasn’t sure what it was about this man that made her feel unlike she’d ever felt with another man. Like she was special and desired, it made her feel sexually free in a way she never had. Sitting astride Hook’s solid body, she caressed her hands along his chest, exploring his now dry chest hair, it was just as thick and glorious as she’d imagined. 

Emma could see the scars littering his flesh and she’d felt more when they’d been in the water and her hands had explored the expanse of his back. She wondered how rough his life had been to have this many physical scars. Her heart constricted a bit at that thought, especially already knowing he had just as many emotional scars as she did. She was both taken aback and a little frightened when she realized she wanted to know so much more about Hook. Maybe it was time to stop running from good things, Emma thought, her mind once again weighing the pros and cons of a relationship. Her train of thought was lewdly interrupted by a thrust of Hook’s hips, his hardness tapping at her back.

“Ready so soon, pirate,” she said in a husky tone while rising up on her knees and guiding him to her core. She ran the tip of his cock through her wet folds, both of them moaning with unadulterated lust. 

“Fuck yes,” he growled, thrusting his hips upward again. 

Emma cried out as his tip slipped inside her, a wave of arousal pooling and her belly tightening with want. She slid down his generous length, slowly savoring the drag against her slippery walls. She planted both hands on his chest and stilled her movements when he was fully seated, adjusting to his size. 

“You alright, love?” Hook asked, squeezing her hip gently while he circled his thumb over her hip bone.

She nodded her head and opened her eyes, which she didn’t realize she’d shut, to gaze down at the gorgeous man below her. “You feel good,” she praised, lifting her hips and sinking back down on to him. Emma set a languid pace, delighting in the sensation of fucking, the drag along her walls, angling herself so he hit that spot.

“That’s it, lass, take what you want,” Hook encouraged as Emma rode him; slowly at first, then building in pace as her cheeks flushed and a light sheen of sweat broke out across her forehead. He wished, not for the first time tonight, to be able to touch her with two hands. He encouraged her to touch her breasts as he changed course to play with her clit. 

Emma’s thighs began to burn as she worked to bring them both to that sweet edge of release, and the delicious friction between them built higher and higher. She palmed her breasts, tweaking her nipples and watched as Hook thumbed her clit in time with her thrusts. His hooded eyes roamed her body, and he bit down on his lip as he watched his cock disappear inside her heat over and over. She liked watching him watch her and the small grunts he gave each time she impaled herself and ground against him were hot. Emma found herself at the edge of bliss again and she whimpered as Hook began thrusting up into her.

Hook was having a hard time controlling his ardor, he wanted to flip them and plunge deeply into her. She was a vision, flushed pink, sweaty, breasts bouncing as she rode him to the edge. And then he heard her...

“Come with me, Killian,” she panted.

...and he was undone. The plea in her tone as she said his name and the massage of her walls against his cock as she began to come, ended him. He came hard and hot with a cry of her name, filling her with his seed until it began to spill as she continued to ride him through both of their releases. 

As euphoria traveled throughout her body, Emma slumped into Hook’s body. She’d never felt so gratified as her entire being thrummed with bliss. Hook turned them to their sides and kissed her fervently. Wrapping both her arms around him, Emma gave as good as she got, their tongues and lips engaging lovingly. She lost track of all time as they lay together, parting only when they needed breath. “That was-”

Hook covered her mouth much as she had covered his earlier. “Don’t,” he whispered with a pleading look in his eyes.

Emma wrapped her fingers around his palm and removed his hand, giggling quietly. “I didn’t mean it the first time, and I damn sure wouldn’t mean it this time,” she assured him, noting how his shoulders sagged in relief. “I was going to say that was amazing… brilliant,” she murmured into his ear. 

Hook chuckled, remembering the time he’d said those words to her. “Aye, Swan, we still make quite the team.”

Emma could only smile at the seamless harmony that flowed between them. And she kissed him once more before snuggling into him. 

As a sated exhaustion made itself known in her body, Emma rejoiced that it was still dark outside of the cave. A vigorous yawn and stretch wracked her body, and Killian chuckled lightly again.

“Did I wear you out?” 

Emma laughed as the same yawn tore through Hook, no sooner had he spoken his teasing words. “I think we wore each other out,” she snickered. 

“Aye lass, I believe you’re right. How about we get washed up and head back to the Jolly? I’ll give you the captain’s quarters, even though you lost.”

Emma rolled her eyes. “Brag much?”

“What is the fun in winning a wager if I cannot gloat?”

“Such a pirate,” she muttered before rolling him to his back again. “How about we share the captain’s quarters?”

“Deal,” Hook accepted without hesitation. 

A half hour later, they were standing in the cave, bathed, and mostly dressed, Hook had gone to get Emma’s clothes for her from the opposite shoreline. 

“Shall we?” Hook asked, offering Emma his hand. He frowned when she made no attempt to move.

“I’d rather…” she started, a blush coloring her cheeks.

“Ah, I understand,” Hook said, quickly understanding. “Shall we head back in separate directions? Or perhaps, I’ll just stay here for a bit and come back later in the morning.”

Emma rolled her eyes again, this time with a bit of frustration, as she placed her hands on her hips. “That is not what I was going to say.”

Hook raised an eyebrow in question, waiting for her to explain.

“Has nothing I’ve said tonight gotten through to you? Or did that mind blowing sex make you forget?” She took his heavier than expected leather duster from where he had it draped over his arm and turned around to lay it out on the cave floor. 

Turning to face Hook again, she cupped his face in both hands. “Let’s recap, I like how you make me feel, I’m not worried about everyone finding out, best oral ever, sensational sex, no running away. I fancy you, Killian.” Emma finished her statement with a gentle kiss.

The gobsmacked look on Hook’s face made her laugh out loud. “I was going to say I’d rather spend the rest of the night here with you. We already know everyone else will know we’re safe. Even if Neal doesn’t outright blab; if Mary Margaret and David start to worry, he won’t hesitate to spill what he knows.” 

“You fancy me, love?”

Despite heavily stroking his ego by admitting he was the best she’d ever been with, it figured the part he’d pick up on was the closest she’d get to any kind of outright confession of feelings. Emma smacked her hand to her forehead. “Yes, Killian, I fancy you. Don’t get all cocky about it.”

“On my honor, I’ll not get cocky,” he promised before leaning in to kiss her, “as I quite fancy you as well. But you already know that.”  

Laying down on his jacket, the two snuggled together, Emma in panties and Hook’s shirt and Hook in his birthday suit.

“You needed to get naked again to go to sleep?” Emma asked with a little sarcasm in her tone.

“I’ll have you know that style and comfort do not go hand in hand, Swan. Those leathers, though appealing to the eye, do not make for great sleep clothes. Besides, all pirate’s know the only way to sleep when there’s a lovely lass in his bed, is in the nude. You know… easy access.”

“Why am I not surprised by that, Killian?”

“I’ll never tire of hearing you call me that,” he answered. 

“Killian,” she whispered.

“Aye, love?”

“Nothing, I just wanted you to hear me say it again.”

A boyish smile broke out over Killian’s face as he pulled her in tighter to his side. “Good night, Swan.”

“Goodnight, Killian.”

The End

Tagging some lovely shipmates - please let me know if you don’t want to be tagged - or if you’re reading and want me to tag you. 

@laschatzi @qualitycoffeethings @hookedonapirate @wordsmith-storyweaver @kmomof4 @winterbaby89 @hollyethecurious @wyntereyez @hooklineandswan @teamhook @let-it-raines @whimsicallyenchantedrose @spartanguard  @tiganasummertree@apromisednightcap  @xemmaloveskillianx @elizabeethan @cocohook38 @optomisticgirl @darkcolinodonorgasm @jennjenn615 @timeless-love-story @girl-in-a-tiny-box @thesschesthair @galadriel26 @ultraluckycatnd @lifeinahole27 @therooksshiningknight @kday426 @djlbg @superchocovian @itsfabianadocarmo @lfh1226-linda @delightfully-difficult-pirate @thejollyswan @csalltheway @xarandomdreamx @vvbooklady1256 @withheartfulloflove @resident-of-storybrooke @mcakers @gingerchangeling @searchingwardrobes​

[everafterkeiji]

Song: About the Boy by Little Mix

Summary: Wherein a red head manages you to act like a fool in love

Pairing: Eijiro Kirishima x fem! reader

Warning/Genre: CRACKTIVITIY AND FLUFF

Word count: 5.4k

Quirk: Enchantment / Magic

Abilities : Flight, can cast spells, your emotions help you increase the amount of energy you blast, when you use your quirk your eye color changes to your favorite color (Y/F/C)

Symbols: Bold+Italic = lyrics , Italic= memories/text/thoughts

A/N: PLEASE this song is a bop and it just goes so well so pls listen to it!!❤️

You were just walking, a coffee in your hand with earbuds in blocking out the noise of the streets. You were on your way to your dream school, UA, while mindlessly scrolling through your phone thinking that you could reach your school earlier than you expected. You were nervous to say the least to meet the people that literally brought down the bots like it was nothing. Even if you aced the test, it was still intimidating to be in the same room with such powerful people. Do they even recognize me? Fuck I can't hold a conversation on my own. You thought. You took in a sip of your coffee in hopes that it can calm down your nerves.

Yet the universe regards your wishes when a body hard as a rock came in contact with yours. With one hand holding on to your hair and the other on your waist protecting your fall as you screamed in surprise when you both land on the street with a thud. The hardness of what you felt softens when you see bright red hair in your vision. The stranger- actually very handsome stranger that was on top of you looks at you with red wide eyes.

Did I die and heaven gifted me my dream boyfriend?

"Miss? Miss? Oh my god- I'm sorry for being in this position- I mean- Some guys weren't looking and their car was heading your way and you couldn't hear me so I had to save you- Are you okay?" He says panting, you take in the view in front of you as he helps you stand up brushing off the dust in your clothes, you silently thanked yourself for not dressing into your uniform knowing you can change into it with a spell. You were holding his hand. At the sight of it you immediately blush, ignoring the giddy feeling in your chest.

Man is he cute. You thought.

"Can you hear me?" You nod but you were loosing your cool when your shirt was drenched in coffee. You also frowned at the sight of your now broken earphones laid out on the street. You thanked the heavens that you had iced coffee. His eyes turn to your outfit, biting his lip in regret wishing he could've pushed away the coffee before ruining your outfit.

"I'm so sorry about your shirt! I can buy you another one-"

"T-thank you." You managed to say while he gives you a shy smile with a hand to his neck.

"It's nothing! Heroes should always save people shouldn't they?" You smile at his words.

He actually saved me.

You couldn't help but compare the events to some fairytale when a dashing young man saves you-that part alone was true but your imagination stops when you check the time on your phone.

"H-holy shit I'm gonna be late! I'm so sorry, I have to go! Thank you!" Your eyes glowed as you flew, not looking back to the red heads reaction to your sudden action. To say he was surprised was an understatement. You, in mid air, recites a spell to teleport your way into school. You landed in front of the gates of UA as you quickly utter a spell to freshen your appearance as you enter. When you arrive at front of the classroom, your hand couldn't reach the knob with how it was shaking yet you took a deep breath opening it to see people chattering away.

You decided to take a seat at the left row when a sudden red head comes running in the room.

"Hey! I'm so sorry I'm a bit late something came up and-" his eyes lock with yours and you teleport in front of him and he jumps a bit when you appear, the class looking at you two curiously. They were taken aback by your quirk.

"It's you."

From then on you swore on your life to avoid the red head but seeing his warm smile, his kind eyes, his charm, how can you do such a thing? As far as the class knows, you are by far the most powerful one knowing you can do anything just by a spell, basically everything you wished for can be handed to you in a silver platter. However, how can one Kirishima Eijiro make you weak to your knees? Was it his physique? His personality? His kindness? You couldn't pick your poison on what exactly drawn you the red eyed teen.

Something about the boy

Trying to find a logical reason on what makes this man so interesting to you was the most troublesome thing to do. Why is that when he talks to you every function in your body stops? Whenever you open your mouth you tend to loose track of what you wanted to say and end up mix matching your words.

It's the verse in my head

The words that make me stutter

Ever since you met him, it was like his presence took away your ability to speak. Nothing has ever drawn you to such a being before but acting weak in front of him wasn't something you wanted to do. You're basically a witch, seeing you fly the first time you met him he already knew he was curious about you too. You were already outstanding in his eyes, what else can you possibly do? Shapeshift? Make him fly? All you can do was try to avoid him like the plague so your heart can contain itself from letting him have it yet even with a smile on his charming face, it already makes your surroundings filled with such vibrant colors.

The change from gray to color

You often use your flight to catch up with him sometimes, knowing he was always intrigued with how easy it was for you to float around like that. Sometimes you use your quirk whenever he drops something, that's when you raise a finger while the fallen objects simply follow your finger as you placed them back on his hands. No matter how much you used your magic in front of him it never fails to make him stare in fascination.

Even his little buddies were interested in you, Mina always making you do tricks in the air while Kaminari begs you to lay a spell on Bakugo. Which of course you granted Minas request instead of Kaminaris knowing how powerful and pissed off Bakugo can be, it can possibly lead to your grave. But of course, whenever Kirishima had a favor you were bound to do it in a heartbeat. He once requested to teleport with you finding it so convenient and absolutely captivating how you can just pop up in different places.

"Do you trust me?" You asks helding out a hand in front of him, he nods happily while you utter a spell setting you're destination to be outside of UA. His hand tightens around yours and you smile while you zap out of the classroom seeing flashes of light before landing just in front of the gates of UA with a swoop sound. Kirishima raises his fists to the air with adrenaline filling his body.

"That was so cool, Y/N! Man, your quirk is literally something else. How can you do that so easily?-" His next words became a blur to you when you just stand there admiring him. With a smile to your face, you just nod at his words not even bothering to listen. You were sure he was rambling on and on about your abilities and once again your heart speeds up taking in his compliments.

A guaranteed bet

Oh, I found my lucky number

Even when you found yourself bruised and exhausted, the worried red head would always check up on you after training. At times when you felt like you weren't giving your best at your battles, he would manage to change your perspective on yourself making you push your limit. Which causes you to overuse your power making you unconscious in the middle of the fight while Kirishima and the others crowd around you, bringing your drained body to Recovery Girl. He would be right there along with Kaminari once you've regained strength.

The feeling that you get

Can't help but make me wonder

You will do the exact same thing to him. Bakugo will test out his powermoves on Kirishima and Kirishima will take it like the man he is but Bakugo ends up overworking the boy leaving burns on his skin. Watching him fight was something so intriguing to you. He knows he isn't good with long distance fights yet you offer him with your kind words edging him to do better. You would wrap bandages on his arm whenever they were ugly with scratches and burns or cast a spell to supply with him food and beverages when he missed lunch.

No need to try

He's just right

Oblivious to your actions, you continued to show how much you care for your little angel, earning teases from Bakugo and Sero yet you disregarded their comments and kept casting spells just to see his winning smile fall upon his face and that alone completes your day. You've gone to malls together, Kaminari, Mina, Sero, and Bakugo tagging along. Even if you intended to be with him only.

"Hey Kiri?" You asked tapping his shoulder gently while you flew above him leaning downwards to reach his shoulder. He turns around with a smile in his eyes when he sees you above him, you were in a sweater and leggings so whenever you flew above anyone, no one could dare to land their eyes under your shirt or your skirt, which everyone respectfully turns away -but Mineta? He was obviously the reason why you were conscious on your outfits.

"Hey Y/N! What's up?" He asks while you circle around him before you floated just in front of him with your cheeks pink from gaining the courage to ask him out.

"I was wondering if we can hang out at the mall if you're um available or if you want to- it's okay if you say no though-" he cuts you off with a chuckle before you landed on your feet, lowering your head thinking it was the best way to hide your flustered state.

"I'd love to Y/N! I'm down for anything plus I think there's a new movie out so I'm excited to watch it with you guys!" He says excitedly and you sighed thankful that he didn't reject you but you tensed up when you felt an arm wrapped around your shoulder. You turned your head to see a smirking Kaminari with his eyes on you as you rolled your eyes while he pulls you closer.

"A NEW MOVIE? I'M DOWN! What about you guys?" Suddenly Mina and Sero pop up behind Kirishima as you nudge Kaminari with you elbow, glaring at him while he laughs at you.

"Ooh we're going to the mall? I'm coming with~" Mina says clapping her hands while Sero chuckles beside her saying he wanted to come as well.

"Bakugo?" You only hear a grunt from him then you lower your head while Kaminari laughs at you. You raised your head shooting daggers his way and his eyes widened making him remove his arm around your shoulder before hiding behind Kirishima, scared you were gonna lay a death spell on him.

Nonetheless, you enjoyed their company even if it didn't go as well as you planned. When you were caught staring at Kirishima, Bakugo rolls his eyes before grabbing you to the corner pulling you away from the rest.

"Oi, look at me." He says and you look up at him, thrills running down your spine knowing you were never this close to Bakugo before. Soon, you were questioning how you were even alive at this point.

"W-what is it Bakugo?" You asked shakily yet he smirks at you.

"You got the heart eyes for shitty hair, dumbass?" Your eyes widen before you look away and he teasingly chuckles at your dismay.

"Ah, shitty hair huh? You might wanna lessen that stare of yours. Everyone knows you shit head." You cover your face in your hands and Bakugo chuckles again at your state. You stare at him- well it came more as a glare when you tried to appear stronger to the explosive boy.

"D-do they? Look, as much as I like him, I really couldn't care less if he doesn't notice."

He's got that something

I can't let nobody tell me no

"You wanna mutter a love spell on him, cupid?" Bakugo teases laughing at you. Your eyes glowed before making him turn to you with his eyes rolling. He covers your mouth before you can even cast a spell on him. His smirk resurfaces on his face.

"So you're willing to die so you can cast a spell on me huh extra?" You roll your eyes at him before removing his hand on your mouth.

"I'm not making him fall in love with me, stupid. I can't and I won't. Its against the use of my quirk."

Even if you were able to cast spells, you weren't allowed to cast a spell to make someone fall in love with you or for someone to die upon your spell not because of some forbidden chant, but it was because you couldn't handle the pressure and power of it. Casting death upon someone was not something to take ever so lightly. You were well taught enough to know the spells needed for death but your emotions and morals won't allow you. The amount of energy for you to even obtain to cast a spell that strong will certainly make you pass out not to mention to enormous guilt that will weigh on your shoulders once you do so.

"Y/N?" A voice appears beside you and Bakugo. You both turn around to see Kirishima with curious eyes. The sight in front of him suddenly marking a memory in his mind seeing you so close to Bakugo, especially when Bakugo had a prominent smirk on his face while he was staring at you. He only broke the conversation when he felt a tug on his heart seeing you two.

Bakugo leaves you two alone with yet another smirk tugging on his lips.

"No wonder that dumbass likes her." He mutters under his breath.

You believed that even without a love spell, there was no way you weren't going to succeed. Even if you had to cast a dozen spells just to make him smile, just to see his eyes lit up whenever you show him magic, just to see him be happy because of you, it was all worth it. But how far can your patience reach when he's gone busy with internships?

You knew that him, Midoriya, and the others were quite busy because of their internship and the more days pass by you, the less you see Kirishima. You were stuck in class paying attention to whoever was up front, or just fighting with Kaminari to test out some new spells you learned. Sometimes, you would choose to hang out with Bakugo and Sero just to avoid your thoughts whenever you worried about him.

Yet on the other side of the field, he misses you as well.

He misses to be able to feel your presence around him, he misses to see how powerful you were, he misses your little gestures or gifts that you bring to him. Though, in the back of his mind, he can't help but think of you and Bakugo. Seeing you two so close at the mall, made him feel small all of a sudden. What were they talking about? Why was he smirking like that? Are they secretly dating? His mind was filled with questions but then again he thinks that Bakugo wasn't a dating person. He was conflicted if he should just ask you directly or just observe on the sidelines.

Bakugos words were ringing in your head about a love spell. You've never casted a love spell. Yet alone even find a spell to do it since you feel guilty meddling with a person's emotion towards someone. Now that Kirishima had his hands busy, there's no harm done if the person you badly wanted to cast it upon wasn't here. You just wanted to try since a love spell was much easier to conjure than a death spell. All you had to was utter the designed chant but you were questioning if it even works without the potions or herbs. You were indeed a powerul being so you did skip ahead on the steps.

Having a heavy book on your hand was laid out in your bed just switching back and forth between pages. Your fingers drag across the surface of the paper reading the chant in your head. You sighed, this isn't gonna work. This chant is literally older than All Might. You thought. As your fingers brush against the rough surface, your eyes landed on a love spell that required no potion or exchange. It was said to be a spell that enhances the attraction but some pages were torn off making the sentences confusing, yet the chant was still there.

Meanwhile, an excited yet nervous boy was on his way to your room. Kirishima finally had the time to be with you and he was more than anxious to face you knowing the tightening in his chest was making his mind race at the thought of finally seeing you. Though the thought of seeing you with Bakugo, had the poor boy rethinking his actions.

The chant only had one requirement, and that was nothing more than your emotions. If your emotions portray what you desire, the chant was sure to work on whoever your target was. You felt that without Kirishima around your emotions weren't as deep than you thought, putting you at ease. You sigh as you brace yourself for a chant, taking in a deep breath. Your hands placed on top of the spell with your eyes glowing before closing them as an aura surrounded you.

"Fall upon me and obey with bliss, as he whose heart shall belong to me, with the name that lie on my lips, to love and intertwine his heart to me, you are mine to be-"

"Y/N?"

"KIRISHIMA?!" Your eyes widen as great winds surround the two of you before the once crimson red eyes of the teen stood in front of you glowed pink as the wind surrounds him. It happened so rapidly that you were off your feet flying towards the teen that lay unconscious on your room, shaking him with worry.

"Kirishima?! Hey, hey wake up!" You shout shaking him up and Bakugo walks by your room to see his unconscious friend flat out on the floor. His vermillion eyes widen as he takes Kirishima.

"OI SHIT HEAD WHAT'D YOU DO?" Bakugo shouts and you shake your head as the blonde helps Kirishima stand up, his arm on Kirishimas shoulder being a wall for him to lean on.

"I d-don't know! Come with me." You grabbed Bakugos shoulder as you utter a spell teleporting you to Recovery Girl. Bakugo was surprised at how fast you landed but he only laid down Kirishima before grabbing your arm harshly pulling you outside her room.

"Mind telling me why the shit head is passed out on your room?" You fidget with your fingers, your heart racing. Did it work? It was an accident! Why didn't I lock my fucking door? Why was he here anyway? Your mind hurting from the power that you released, and it was most definitely hurting because of the worry.

"Fuck Bakugo I don't even know! I was just practicing a s-spell okay! And Kirishima just came in okay and the spell was directed to him-" You were cut off when Bakugo when raised you by grabbing you by the collar of your shirt, making you float so you don't loose balance at how he easily lifted you off your ground before you flew.

"It's the love spell isn't it?" You gulped as he stares at you, bringing your face closer to his before you give him a silent nod lowering your head, then your feet reaches the surface now that he sets you down.

"Ain't that desperate huh extra?" He smirks but you punch his chest, catching him off guard.

"Oi shit head what'd you-"

"IT WAS AN ACCIDENT OKAY! I'm not fucking desperate for Kirishima to acknowledge me or like me back, Katsuki. He just came in my room, I didn't even know he was coming back!" You shout back but he only shake his head.

"Dumbass you don't need a fucking spell-"

"Y/N? He's looking for you." Recovery Girl comes behind you two and you jump at her voice.

"I- thank you ma'am." She nods at you but before you can open the door Bakugo stops you midway.

"Oi, don't you think that stupid spell of yours have a shitty side effect? Who knows what shitty hair will act like." He scoffs and you sigh, running your hand to your hair.

"So what? I can't talk to him?" He flicks your forehead with his fingers and you hit his shoulder while he smirks.

"Ah it's a love spell isn't it? Isn't he gonna act all clingy and shit?" You shrug your shoulders and Bakugo grabs your head shaking it lightly while you slap his hand away.

"And they say that you're the smart one." You roll your eyes at his comment before opening the door nonetheless. You were face to face with a sat up Kirishima with a hand to his head.

"K-kirishima?" Bakugo almost wanted to laugh at your stutter but you nudge him with your elbow earning an annoyed groan from the blonde.

"How are you feeling shit head?" Bakugo asks and Kirishima just eyes you two but once his eyes leave the blonde, Kirishimas eyes linger on you more.

"I don't know what happened, my head just really hurts but Recovery Girl says nothings broken so I'm fine! What's got you guys so worried?" He asks with curious eyes and you both shake your head.

"I'm just glad you're doing okay, Kiri. Are you sure you're not feeling anything weird?" You ask, your heart pounding. Kirishima shakes his head and looks at you.

"Nah, I feel okay! I guess I was just exhausted and passed out. I'm fine, Y/N, I swear. What about you? I haven't seen you in days." He gives out a small chuckle and you sigh in relief.

It didn't work, you and Bakugo thought.

"I'm fine, Kirishima." You smile at him and returns the gesture back at you, yet the guilt was now weighing over your shoulders knowing you casted a spell on him. Kirishima took notice of you had your head hung low and you were playing with the ends of your skirt. His hand reaches your hair, gently caressing your hair and while your wide eyes and flustered cheeks were hidden from him, it was no denying that you were shaking.

I've got it bad. Kirishima thought.

You look up at him while his hands were still caressing your hair. You were searching for traces of the spell on his eyes but you found nothing but the glimmer in his eyes when he stares back at you.

"I'm glad I get to hang out with you again, Y/N." He says and you just simply wanted to faint at his kind words and you hear a very displeased scoff behind you.

You and Bakugo just observe Kirishima for the rest of the week. You two would sometimes discuss if you accidentally conjured it onto someone else that was named Kirishima but you think otherwise. You even asked your parents but they said love spells were always a hit or miss. You even thought about asking help from Midoriya, which you knew he would accept, but this issue was between you three. Kirishima was just being his usual self, nothings changed. Everything was the same as before but for Kirishima, his feelings were weighing down his heart. The more he saw you and Bakugo have your little conversations in a corner, he already knew his chances were slim to none but he still wanted to be with you with every chance he gets. Thankfully, Kaminari delivered the news that you two weren't dating when he saw Bakugo hit you in the head.

I won't stop until the girl is mine. Kirishima selfishly thought. Finally realizing he wasn't gonna waste his time anymore. He knew it was selfish, but were your little gifts and tricks to him could mean you liked him too?

Months of being with you, admiring you from afar, denying the feeling in his heart whenever you flew around him grabbing his attention, the care you give him when he's injured, it was all to overwhelming to finally come to a decision that he is in fact, in love. Maybe the spell didn't work and he's come to the light or perhaps the spell actually worked and it increased his attraction towards to you. But the way his breathing came to a halt whenever you were in the air fighting against his classmates, or whenever he feels this warm feeling in his heart whenever you laugh or check up on him, he knew he felt something else.

For you and Bakugo, he was just being his usual hero self. Helping you here and there and following you wherever you went making excuses just to be around you. It looks as if the roles were reversed now. You were once the love sick puppy following him around but now your cautious and almost distant still afraid of the spell. Now it was Kirishima that was falling under your spell. Volunteering to help you with training or even carrying your things. Bakugo took notice of his actions but didn't pay any attention to it knowing Kirishima already told him his little crush for the magical girl.

Got me running around like I'm a lovefool

Taking me down I can't stop

But the guilt was unbearable on your side.

You knew even if the chant was a fail, you still directed it to him. Who knew what side effects could have been given to him? What if you never revert the spell? Is his soul tied to yours? While the guilt was eating you away, you're fingers hover over his contact texting him finding no more excuses to hide what you've done.

hey kiri! do you think you could meet up with me at the mall?

In which he responded to rather quickly.

heyy! yea sure be right there in 15 mins!

He got me feeling like a girl gone mad. You thought while you patiently waited for the boy. Meanwhile, Kirishima had his feet on the ground ready to be with you but his nerves quickly shut down wondering what's gotten you to meet up with him so sudden. When you spot his figure, you signal him a wave and he sits next to you with a warm smile.

"Hey Y/N! You good?" You bit your lip, anxious to tell him the issue you've had for weeks. He frowns at your state and takes a step forward landing his hand on your shoulder, giving you sympathetic smile.

"You can tell me anything, Y/N. It's just me." He says the concern in his voice evident. You take a deep breath before finally speaking.

"Kirishima, I'm so sorry for casting a l-l.. l-love spell on you. It was accidental though! I wouldn't think about putting a spell on you! Y-you just came in so suddenly and I lost control over my power- I didn't know if it worked though but-"

"Wait wait.. a love spell?" He tilts his head in confusion and you lower your head still trying to relieve the stress.

"It didn't work though! You're not showing any signs of love or anything.. right?" His eyes widen and his cheeks blossomed with the color the same as his hair. He lets his hand reach the back of his neck before staring at you, his heart pounding at how anxious he was.

"I- I don't think you need a love spell for me to like you cause I already do." You've never whipped your head much faster than now. You look at him, searching once again for any traces of the spell yet nothing. Nothing but genuine feelings.

He liked you.

You.

"A-are you sure? I'm assuming it's because of the spell huh? I promise I'll try to revert the spell-"

"No amount of spell can make like you the way I do. Even if the spell was accidental, I don't think it was accidental for me to fall for you." Did you past away? What sweet heaven was this? Taking notice of how tensed and quiet you were, Kirishima sighs before looking at you.

"If you're with Bakugo, I completely understand. If you don't like me-"

You stopped his sentence when your hands found its way around his neck and your lips finding its home with his lips. He had his eyes open but once he registers what's happening he immediately pulls you closer, hands to your waist like how you first met, his eyes closing at the sensation of your lips in sync. Everything around you was a blur except for feeling of having him this close to you. You were too overwhelmed and contented with what was happening, you let loose of your quirk. You two were floating and he seems to smile even more as he continues to lay his love on your lips. You pull away resting your forehead on his with a smile that no one can ever tear down.

"God, Kirishima I- I like you so much. Just from the moment we met and no spell can ever change that." You say before you two landed on the ground and your hearts were screaming for joy at this point. Kirishima chuckles in front of you before he pushes a strand of your hair behind your ear making you blush even more.

"Guess I can say I'm under your spell then huh?"

"Oh god."

[guessimwritingficsagain]

To been seen, part Four (Frankie Morales x Reader)

Summary : You get a text. You freak out.

Author’s note : I am very very soft for Frankie.

Also, I have a few days off and I thought I have been really self-indulgent so : the cheese gift really happened to me (best birthday ever, he got me a Mont d'Or because he knew I had planned on eating one with my best friend to celebrate), the Edward Scissorchands movie thing really happened to me, and the "date" with the grandma too. In France, the Opera is often showed in movie theaters. When I was a teenager, I thought it was quite the event, though. So I got invited. Next thing we saw together with that guy was the movie Black Swan and I made sure someone was tagged along.

The holidays came and went in a blur of laughter, hot chocolate was big sweaters. You were happy. And Jessie was happy too. January came, and went, too. Everything was slow. So you watched the movie you’d bought, and a bunch of others too.

February was over before you knew it, and when March warmed up the air, you found yourself, one morning, looking at the screen of your phone like the message would disappear if you blinked. You turned your eyes to the cupboard that contained the empty box of chocolate that sat there, hidden from the sniggering remarks of Linda, and looked back at the screen. The text message was still there. You put the phone down, abruptly, fingers tingling and burning and went to get a glass of water. Your eyes landed on the bottle of wine, still unopened, and you almost spilled your drink. You went back to your phone in a hurry, opened the chat you shared with your friends and sent

Who the fuck gave Francisco fucking Morales my phone number ?????

You waited, breathing hard, hoping anyone would answer. Nothing came, not right away. Phone on the table again, you slumped on the couch, nervous breakdown on its way. You couldn’t do it, there was no way you could do that, you couldn’t, that would kill you, you wouldn’t survive this.

Time floated for a while, up until your phone vibrated and you jumped. You’d been so caught up in your thoughts you hadn’t noticed everyone had answer, Anna, Jessie and Linda with a simple « not me » but James …

James had sent a

Go get some

And an eggplant emoji.

James, then.

Okay.

Okay.

You were fine. You could answer a text. You knew the drill, by now. You knew how to pretend you were not freaking out every time Frankie did something unexpected and kind, like that time he offered you chocolate and a bottle of wine for Christmas. You had coping mechanisms, now, to hide the fact you had a doctorate in yearning.

You’d replayed the Christmas Scene so many times in your head you sometimes thought you made it up, but the reminders were there, in your flat.

You’re replaying it now.

You’re getting out of your car, with ten minutes to spare before work starts. It’s almost six. You spot Frankie’s truck on the parking lot and you’re a bit surprised but mostly delighted, even more so when you see the man himself jogging towards you. It takes you a minute to see he’s holding presents. By the time he gets to you, you’re confused. He smiles a breathy hello before handing you what he’s got in his hands. You stare at the neatly wrapped packages for a bit, like the dumbass you are, unable to put two and two together. Maybe it’s for Clara ?

It must be for Clara.

You take them. Say thank you. And Frankie answers :

« Open them. »

Your braincells must have left the building like God in Supernatural, gone off to do the Macarena dance somewhere very far away because all you can answer is what and you know you sound like a dumbass and you feel like one too.

The lack of reaction is getting to Frankie, you can tell, because he’s rubbing the back of his neck and you feel bad that he’s embarrassed so you say :

« You got me presents ? »

Well, except you don’t really say it. More squeal it. Or shriek it. You’re not sure. It feels like a repeat of that moment a boy you’d liked but never made a move on offered you fucking cheese on your birthday and was all embarrassed about it and you didn’t know what to do or say because his birthday had been a few days before yours and you didn’t get him anything.

You add, for good measure, because why the hell not :

« But I didn’t get you anything. »

Like maybe he’s going to take them back, or maybe the moment is going to rewind except you don’t want it to rewind because Frankie has gifts for you, just for you.

Maybe he got something for Jessie and Anna, too ? You wonder. And Linda. You know he goes there to buy books. Maybe he showed up and got her some stuff. Not books, you hope. Stupid to buy books to a bookseller.

All of this goes through your mind and in the meanwhile Frankie’s waiting and when you finally put your bag down on the hood of your car to carefully open the first present, your body finally moving, you don’t miss the sigh of relief that escapes Frankie. It’s a box of chocolate, a fancy one at that. You recognize the brand. You hold it for a while, before you set it down with your bag and say thank you in a voice that’s way too small. You open the second one, then. Wine. White wine. Wine that you actually love. Your favorite. You wonder how he knows that.

You’re holding the bottle the way he’s holding his breath : tight. You lift your eyes to meet his and you can tell he’s embarrassed and a bit blushing. He rearranges the cap on his head and announces :

« Merry Christmas. »

You say it back, smile so big your cheeks hurt because Frankie got you presents for Christmas. You put the bottle with the rest of your stuff and then, on a whim, you throw yourself at him for a hug. He closes his arms around you, and one hand comes up right between your shoulder-blades, his thumb just here, sitting on the back of your neck, skin against skin and maybe you’re dead and in heaven right now.

You stay like this way too long and at some point you mumble against his shoulder that you really didn’t get him anything.

« It’s fine », he answers as he lets go, hands squeezing your side briefly.

You get into work late.

And now, you got a text. You opened it, read it again.

Maybe you could do this. Maybe you could take it to the next level. After all, you’d became closer to the boys over the last two months. Santi could have sent you that text, right ? That text didn’t have the word date in it. Maybe you were friends now. Frankie’d gotten you Christmas presents, after all.

So you read the words again, and before you could talk yourself out of it, you sent a yeah, sure, I’m in !

Your eyes went over his message once again, just to make sure the words would be burnt into your brain.

Hey, it’s Frankie. I know Friday’s your day off this week. I got two tickets to that new Marvel movie and one with your name on it. You in ?

You could spend two hours in a dark room with Francisco Morales right next to you. No problem. None at all.

———

He’d picked a screening that ended around seven. Your mind supplied just in time for dinner, and you kicked the two remaining braincells you had. You’d decided to drive there separately and were now sitting next to each other, you explaining the Marvel timeline and him listening intently. You were a nerd, but, him, not as much. You didn’t try to think too hard about the fact that he was doing this for you, because he was not as much into comics or movies as you were.

The whole thing was pleasant and relaxed.

This was not a date, you reminded yourself.

You got dinner after that, dissecting the movie as you ate - nothing fancy, but it was nice. The conversation shifted, at some point.

« Yeah, I get what you mean : movies are not the place to make a move. Especially when there’s a hot guy on the screen. I mean, what chance do you get when you’re watching a movie and Oscar Isaac is right there ? » Frankie laughed.

You nodded, getting another sip of your drink, and, as an afterthought, added :

« You know, Santi kinda looks like Oscar Isaac … »

Frankie grunted :

« Never, ever, tell him that. »

You promised you wouldn’t. After that, the two of you told each other stories about your worst dates, and you remembered :

« You know, when I was younger, before I met James, I hung out with a bunch of guys. I was like, fourteen, and they were sort of … beginning to understand I was a girl, you know. There was this guy, a good friend of mine, who actually told this other guy we weren’t going to see a movie. I remember, it was a special screening of Edward Scissorshands. So, my other friend never showed up and the guy told me he couldn’t make it. »

« Let me guess, the other guy told you later he thought you weren’t going ? »

You laughed.

« Yeah, basically. And then this guy I went to see the movie with invited me to a really fancy thing. It was a Wednesday afternoon, I remember. We got lunch. I didn’t pay for anything because he’d invited to come along with him and his grandma. Let me tell you : after that, I made sure to always have someone with us when he invited me somewhere. »

Frankie’s laugh was something you’d never grew tired of, you knew that.

———

Months went on, like that, with you and Frankie hanging out to see movies, and everybody showing up for Benny’s fight when you could (Jessie and you had to keep James updated, those nights, because he’d gone back to Washington after new year’s eve but wanted to know everything). Jessie had started dating a guy, at some point, and you didn’t find him that great but Will hated him.

« When are you gonna make a move ? » You asked, one evening as you were sipping beers with him at his place.

« When she doesn’t have a boyfriend dull as dishwater » He answered without missing a beat.

You knew this was the moment, then. You had two options : say nothing and let things be, or say something and get those idiots together. You thought hard, about the phrasing of your next sentence, and settled with :

« For you, she’d dump him. »

Will froze at that, just for a second, and quipped back :

« I’ll make a move when you make a move on ‘Fish. »

So that conversation was happening. You’d hoped none of the guys had noticed but obviously, at least one of them had. And you knew, by now, that his ex-wife had left him, had left Maria too. You knew he was available. You sputtered a bit and Will, kind Will, let it be. You enjoyed a nice evening with him, not once wondering why he sought you out, because Will and you didn’t hang out.

The answer came a few days later, with a simple text from Frankie.

Come over please

———

« I need you to take care of Maria », Frankie said as he opened the door. He looked really tired, like he hadn’t slept in days.

Please, he added, begging but you didn’t quite understand what he was begging for.

You complied, never stopping to think that this was the first time you saw Maria, never stopping to think about what might be possibly happening, even as Frankie went to his room, muttering apologies. It hit you when you put the girl to bed, and you remembered Frankie and the way he’d been looking at you that day, when he’d asked if they could throw a birthday party for their late friend’s daughter.

It was around that time, last year.

You walked hesitantly towards Frankie’s bedroom and stared at the white paint in it for a while. You were nervous, and actually turned around to smoke a cigarette outside, the air a bit too chilly for you, but cold enough to wake you up and give you the strength to walk to Frankie’s bedroom and knock.

So you did it.

He didn’t answer, but, feeling bold - or rather, feeling like you needed to do it - you opened the door anyway. The room was almost dark, the moonlight giving you an idea that Frankie was curled up, on his side. You put a hand on his shoulder. He put his on top of yours. You chose - you chose - to take it at a silent invitation, lifted the covers, and got, fully dressed, right next to him. Because friends do that.

———

When you woke up, he was staring at you. While your brain tried to make sense of the situation, you asked, voice heavy with sleep :

« What time is it ? »

Seven, Frankie answered. Maria’s gonna wake up soon, he added. You were too tired to say anything else, because when you’d laid down next to him you’d felt like your heart had been about to burst so you’d just listened to him, his breath steadying as he’d got to sleep. You’d finally got to sleep too, but it was too damn early for you.

Later, you’d blame what happened on your foggy brain : you snuggled closer, and Frankie let you. Then, it hit you. At that moment, right next to him, it hit you : you were not friends with him. You were pretending to be, but you were not and never would.

You couldn’t.

You wanted to wake up everyday like that, to Frankie telling you it’s seven, Maria’s gonna be awake soon. You wanted everything and friends just wouldn’t cut it.

Two things happened at once, then : you were realizing how much you liked - loved - Frankie when he gently took one of your forearm and brought it to his lips. All of the feelings hit home just as he was kissing the soft skin on your wrist and you froze.

He saw it and let go immediately, muttering apologies, while you were still processing what you felt about him. When you reached to grab him, to tell him how good that was and how wanted him to do it again, it was already too late.

[scullydubois]

Only the Light (ch. 3)

Description: Missy moves in with Scully post-One Breath/Scully’s abduction. In this chapter, Scully goes through her morning routine and gets a surprise...

part 1 here. part 2 here. tagging @today-in-fic​.

“Only the Light” won the poll, so it’s now the official title! Yay! Thank you for voting and thanks for all the feedback--I love your comments. This part is the longest yet (and the best imo)--enjoy!! 

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

She floats outstretched through the sky as if it were the community pool she and Missy used to frequent as children. She tilts her face toward the sun, feels the warmth of it washing over her. Her eyes reflect the brilliant blue sky, mini-oceans in themselves. Her back is to the city, and she’s so high up she can’t hear one bit of the noise on the ground. She hopes this is what heaven is like. If this is heaven, she has nothing to fear. 

And then she’s falling, a casualty of gravity. Hell has found her. It always does. This is an unfortunate truth she must live with. The sky races past her and there’s a pit in her stomach so deep she thinks she must be breaking the laws of physics, her body stretching like a rubber band about to snap. Surely she is not a human being anymore. Surely she won’t be by the end of this.

The ground hurdles toward her. She can’t see it, but she knows. She wonders what shape they will find her in, or if she will even be found. She hopes for her family’s sake that she’s in so many pieces they can’t put her back together. It’s easier, she thinks, when the body doesn’t look human. Burying a radiant-looking thirty year old is sad. Burying a mangled mess of a corpse is a relief. 

As if on cue, her alarm chirps. She awakes in one piece and punches the alarm, reality whisking away the horror of her dreams. Sweat saturates her silk pajamas, leaving a morning dew of sorts on her sheets. The blankets were thrown off at some point during the night. She does not remember doing this, so she can only assume it was the work of the demonic force in her brain.

Waking up in a puddle of her own sweat has become commonplace since she was returned. The first time the heat was so stifling she thought she must have had a fever that broke, but the mercury thermometer in her bathroom said otherwise. Her body seems to have a mind of itself these days. 

For the time being, her mind is still functioning, so she pulls herself out of bed to get ready for work. This routine part of her day is a privilege she relishes. Very rarely does she get to function on autopilot.

It goes like this: first, she slips off her pajamas and changes her underwear. It is at this point without fail that she realizes she hasn’t bought a new pantyset in years, and wouldn’t it be nice if she did? This mental note slips away by the time she buttons her suit jacket and tucks her undershirt into her slacks.

Next, she switches on the bathroom light and performs the typical tasks of self-care--brushing her teeth, washing her face, and whatnot-- that some might find tedious or annoying. For Scully, they are soothing. She spends too much time thinking about aliens and not enough thinking about herself. She’s not sure she believes in either, but god, it would be nice to try. 

Veering close to the latest possible time at which she could still expect to beat DC traffic to the office, she brushes her hair (no time for a hundred strokes), dabs some concealer under her eyes, and swipes on her favorite lipstick. No need to go all out; she knows where she stands.

Finally, she opens her closet and stares at the rack of heels. They’re uncomfortable and damn inconvenient for an FBI agent, but Mulder’s tall and she is not. She had a fraction of her current pairs before she met Mulder. No coincidence. 

She chooses the tallest pair she owns because she needs the confidence boost. They’re headed to a nursing home in Massachusetts today, so hopefully there will be no running in the woods involved. 

She click-click-clicks down the hallway. The scent of strong coffee permeates the air. She turns the corner, and there’s her sister with a pot of coffee and two plates of scrambled eggs. It is seven o’clock in the morning, and they were up at 3am last night. The last thing Scully expects is for her sister to be cognizant, let alone to have cooked. 

“Good morning sunshine.” Missy slides a plate over to Scully’s usual spot at the table and pours the piping hot coffee into a ‘Kiss Me, I’m A Doctor’ mug. 

Scully pinches herself. No, she’s not dreaming. This is too happy to be one of her dreams anyways.

“This is a surprise,” she says as she takes a seat at the table.

“Well, I fell asleep on the couch and woke up at 5:30. I figured it’s been awhile since someone’s cooked you breakfast.”

Scully takes a sip of the coffee. 

“I don’t even cook myself breakfast.”

“Exactly.”

Melissa tops off Scully’s mug. 

“Is it strong enough? I couldn’t drink mine without adding about a half a cup of milk, so I figured I must be doing something right.”

Scully is so grateful to be waited on that it could be a milkshake and she wouldn’t complain. It is strong enough though, stronger than the milk and sugar mixture someone calls coffee at the FBI. 

“It’s perfect,” she says, meaning it.

“Good. I saw the end of that movie, by the way. You were right, it’s a real snoozefest.”

Scully laughs. “I actually like that movie. That’s why it helps me fall asleep.”

Missy scoffs. “They spend the entire movie pining over each other just for one chaste kiss at the end! Where’s the fun in that?”

“Probably shortly after that chaste kiss.”

Missy smirks, pleased that she’s gotten her sister to make a sex joke at seven o’clock in the morning. She softens her voice-- 

“I did want to talk to you, though.”

Scully finishes chewing the forkful of scrambled eggs in her mouth. 

“I have to leave soon or I’ll be late.”

“Late for what? One of Mulder’s slideshows?”

Scully sits back. Maybe Missy has a point.

“I’m sure you’re tired of my questioning,” Missy says, “so I won’t ask you another thing. Say what you need to say.”

Say what you need to say. So simple, yet so powerful. It occurs to Scully that no one ever gives her this type of shameless permission. They shouldn’t have to, but she’s never been one to talk out of turn. What a relief to have the freedom to speak plainly. 

She exhales. She has spent the past weeks playing back the few memories she has of her disappearance--she won’t call it the other word--and trying to decipher what happened to her. She is no closer to figuring it out than she was when Mulder gave her necklace back, but it might help to share what she does remember.

She launches into it, her memories flowing out in one long stream.

“You know, when I was in the hospital, I kept having this vision that I was in a lifeboat. There was a rope tying it to the dock and on the dock were all the people I loved, the people that were around me. You and mom and Mulder and the nurses.”

Melissa listens sympathetically, shocked and relieved that her sister is opening up.

“But I couldn’t move, I couldn’t do anything but sit there in that boat and hope that somehow, the tether wouldn’t snap.”

This is the most vulnerable Missy can remember seeing her sister since the passing of their father. There are a respected few who have witnessed Dana Scully reveal the inner workings of her mind. It’s a rare honor to witness Dana Scully reveal the inner workings of her heart. 

Scully continues.

“And then it did snap, and I had...I can only describe it as a near-death experience. Dad was there...He was in his uniform with all his medals and he told me that he loved me and—that we would be together again, but not yet.”

Missy nods along.

“So I guess...that kept me from going. That’s how I knew I had to stay.”

“Wow,” Missy breathes.

“From then on, I could hear everything you guys were saying. I heard you and mom telling me that I was below the criteria of my living will and I was trying to give you a sign…”

Her voice breaks. 

“I was so scared you would pull the plug on me.”

“Oh my god, Dana.” Missy engulfs her in a hug. “I am so sorry.”

Scully breathes into her sister’s neck. Her hair smells like the strawberry shampoo they used when they were children. She wonders if Missy still uses it, decides that now is not the time to bring that up. Instead, she lets go of the hug first.

“I started thinking, if I am below the criteria of my living will, maybe that’s the right thing to do. Maybe if I ever truly wake up, I’ll be so damaged I won’t be able to work for the FBI or have anything resembling a happy life.”

She sighs. “And you and mom said your goodbyes, and I was thankful, actually, that I got to hear them because so many people don’t and you just...never know with my profession.”

She bites her lip to keep from crying.

“And then sometime later I heard Mulder come in, and his wasn’t a goodbye. He touched my hand—I could feel it but I couldn’t respond—and he told me he was there. And I could feel his sadness, but I could also feel his hope. And that was all I needed, was hope.”

“He gave you the strength to wake up,” Missy says, partly as a question. 

“Or the courage to.”

Melissa considers this. She remembers how solemn she felt going to Fox’s apartment that night, delivering the news that her sister was weakening. This must be how nurses feel when they tell loved ones to say their goodbyes, she thought at the time. When he said he wasn’t able to go see Dana in the hospital, she was furious. How can you be so naive? she thought. Are you so afraid of pain you refuse to feel your own feelings? She realizes now this sounds like something she might say to her sister. 

Melissa decides not to mention her involvement in any of this. After all, she hadn’t succeeded in convincing Fox to go to the hospital. That was his own choice. Instead, she says--

“He was really looking out for you, you know. He was a soldier for your cause.”

The edges of Scully’s lips turn up the slightest bit.

“I don’t doubt it. Mulder is nothing if not a good soldier.”

Melissa thinks back on meeting Fox. She said that Dana had talked to her, that her soul was there. He didn’t believe her.

“Fox was exactly what you said he would be,” she tells her sister, “and somehow I was still surprised by the sheer force of his determination.”

Scully chuckles. 

“Well, I don’t exaggerate these things. If anything, I downplay them.”

“No kidding.”

Melissa wets her lips, letting silence rest comfortably at the table with them.

“You’re really lucky you know, to have him as a partner.”

Scully nods. 

“I know.”

And she does.

[fuwafuwamedb]

A Fisherman’s Kind of Girl (Cu Chulainn, Rin Tohsaka)

The lot of them were on the dock now, with the sun sinking into the lover’s embrace that was the horizon. Streaks of their shameless love affair colored the skies in rich burgundy and vicious violets. The smoke from their cigarettes billowed softly before their eyes, dancing towards the heavens above as they took in the last moments of the day.

“Fish were bitin’ good today,” their lead stated, the tone alone giving nothing to whether he thought that was a good thing or not. One never could tell with the old guy.

Glancing his way, Cu Chulainn gave a nod.

“This kinda day makes a man long for a lover’s embrace. Someone to go home to at the end of the night.” The man glanced to the other three. “A good woman knows how to do more than gut a fish and cast a reel. A woman makes the whole thing worthwhile. Makes the thrill of the reel in alive once more.”

“Feeling nostalgic about youth then?” Cu snorted.

“You ever been around a woman, boy?”

“Been around a woman?”

He could practically feel her in his arms already, brown hair a tangled mess and expressive eyes alight with all the waters of the seas. He could practically feel those vicious claws digging into his back and her sweet voice growing weak.

“Boy?” their lead asked.

“I know a good woman when I see one. I like them fiery, sir. A good woman for me is one that knows how to stomp her foot and glare right up at me with all the fires of hell in her gaze. Best part, a woman like that, great in bed.”

Did he normally talk this much?

Taking another drag, he can see the surprise in the gaze of the other fishermen with them. He could see two of them even exchanging a look, surprised more than anything.

“Women aren’t a mystery. You like a lass, you go up and you tell them. Worst thing you get is a swift swat to the face. Hurts no less than pining.”

“Spoken like a man who never gets turned down.”

Cu gave a small shrug.

“CU!”

The sound of the woman’s call stopped their chatter. At his name, Cu felt himself grinning a little.

She was running, fast. The sound of her feet running across the docks were enough to scare off any fish lingering around the dock. The woman’s hair was waving behind her as she raced his way. There was no missing the look on her face was bright, her cheeks flushed.

Just a gaze had him looking forward to what two weeks back in his homeland had neglected him.

“CU!”

“Ah, well if it isn’t-“

The knuckles of her left fist made connection where he had expected lips. His footing was slipping, sending them both careening back and his cigarette to land somewhere off in god only knew where. Her barrage of fists and curses came even as they reached touched the edge of that dock and further.

Ground, such a fleeting thing, came and went.

And where it went- a body of water came to greet them.

“YOU- ABSOLUTE- ASS!” Rin seethed. “HOW DARE-“

She bobbed underneath the soft waves of the water, forcing him to laugh as he wrapped his arms around the hellion and pulled her above water.

“YOU DIDN’T TELL ME YOU WERE HOME!”

“Early landing. You were asleep last night.”

“YOU HAVE BEEN HERE SINCE LAST NIGHT?!”

More fists, all of which were making the men on the docks shake their heads at him. He could see the fisherman lead’s smirk as he motioned the others away from their little scene.

“WHY DIDN’T YOU CALL ME THIS MORNING!”

“It’s a classes day for you,” Cu argued.

“I’d skip.”

They both went quiet at that. The fool was just glaring at him, expecting him to go ‘ah yes, of course. The classic Tohsaka habit of skipping for a legitimate reason.’ Meanwhile, he just waited.

She’d never missed a class.

There were things in the world that were constants. He loved fish. He loved spreading this woman out on her bedspread and listening to the languages that came spilling forth from her lips. She liked jewels and elegance.

Most of all- Rin Tohsaka was never late and never skipped.

“I’d have skipped,” she argues again, her eyes narrowing as they floated there by the docks. Those blue eyes clouded, watching him.

“And if you skipped, you would have had to catch up on things. You would have been spending tonight rushing through classwork instead of enjoying what I caught today. Now where would the fun in that be?”

“I still have classwork to do.”

“Oh?”

Rin motioned towards the dock, her brown hair a tangle of black mess that she wrung out slowly as he set her down on the docks. “Apparently someone had to come back without telling me, but felt no qualms with telling Sakura and Shirou. They said you spent the day fishing.”

“I did.”

She shoved him back at the water, sending him falling beneath the cooling surface.

“Hey! Hey- I have to come back with something more than a couple rocks.”

“Rocks?”

Cu shrugged, pulling himself onto the dock next to her. “There was this merchant in my old neck of the woods. Terrible guy. Had this awful collection of gems and jewels. No bags to carry them in. I decided to pity him a little and take some off his hands.”

“…where are your bags?!”

Cu paused.

“Cu?” Rin glanced over at him, her foul temper washed away. “Where are your bags at?”

“They’re um… possibly in your kitchen.”

“…You don’t have a key to my house. How did you get your bags in my kitchen? …When did you get your bags in my kitchen?”

It was a good thing this girl was cute.

[ralphemerson]

Hardest "goodbye" always started with an unexpected "hello"

Have you ever wonder how people can say that they love you but eventually, will change their mind all of a sudden? As if they didn't say such words? As if they already forgotten everything? I mean, how can they do that?

In my 22 years of existence. I almost experienced all of the heartbreaks. They taught me several lessons that I eventually applied in my life. But is it really necessary to experience it three fucking times? When I entered my last relationship, I'm too scared, I'm too sceptical. I came from a failed relationship and the fear of that to repeat again made me doubt but love's too unpredictable, love always come unexpectedly, it will caught you off guard.

It was December 20, 2019, I just came home from "simbang gabi". I was so anxious that time, because you know, failing grades, with board exam on the line. I was too pressured. I was scared to fail. I downloaded this app called "Profoundly", I have no idea how to use it, but I still gave it a try. I talked with several strangers, but this "Albay girl" really caught my attention. She was inspirational AF! Like, damn! How can someone can be this good in telling advice. I became comfortable with her. We talked a lot, day and night. I decided to add her on facebook, but I'm too hesitant to hit her up but I eventually found my courage. I chat her, and there where it all started. We clicked immediately, as if we already knew each other, as if we are a long lost friend. We talked about everything under the sun and believe me! It sounds cliché but it feels like time is flying whenever I'm talking to her.

We became comfortable with each other. We even told our secrets, our personal life to each other. We both came from a failed relationship and that day, I convinced myself, if I will be her man, I will never do such thing to her. She's too precious, she's too kind and I don't even understand how people can hurt someone like her? Are they dumb? Are they out of their mind? Also that day, I said to myself that I was ready. I was ready to fall in love again. I will take care of her and I will love her like no one else did. I want this girl to be happy. I want her to forget about her past. I want her to feel special because that's what she's really are. She's too precious to be hurt. That day, I told my self, I will risk everything for her. I will love her the way she deserves to be loved. I will forever be grateful to God that He gave her to me and I will not take that opportunity for granted.

At first, it is not easy, we are both hesitant to fall in love again but eventually, we took the risk and all I can say is, IT IS ALL WORTH IT. I became happier that ever! That was probably the best decision I ever made. IT WAS SO GOOD TO FALL IN LOVE AGAIN. I told myself that I will do everything to make her happy because she deserves it. I know her well, I know her past. I want to be with her no matter what. DISTANCE IS JUST A NUMBER. We don't considered distance as an excuse, rather we use it as an inspiration to love each other more. It all went smoothly, we had our best life ever. We are happy, we are contented. We know that we both love each other unconditionally and that feeling is CLOUD NINE.

February 25, 2020. The day had come. Finally, I'm gonna see her for the first time! I was excited and afraid at the same time. There's the thought of what if she don't like me when she see me personally? What if this might be our first and last date? That is my thought while I'm travelling to Cubao. But when I saw her, I was in the escalator, and she's waiting for me, it feels like I saw an angel, it feels like I'm in heaven. All the doubts, all the fear got away. I was totally in shock. I was mesmerized by her beauty. The way she talk, the way she treated me, that's all that I could ask for. She's very talkative and that's the way I like it. We talked a lot, as if it is not our first time meeting each other. I never felt that excitement before. That's my first time. I was nervous but she erased it all. She's very fun to be with and I already knew to myself that I will love her with all my heart, with all my might. Those meeting of us were the best moments of my life. The AliMall date, movie date, Intramuros date, National Museum date, Luneta date and even the "bardagulan sa LRT". Those memories will gonna be treasured forever.

Novermber 17, 2020. It is my birthday! She knew me too well. She knew how much I want to celebrate my birthday, she knew how much I want surprises. That day was the best birthday EVER!!! Just what I have said earlier, distance is just a number. If you want your partner to be happy, you will do everything to make them happy, no matter what form it is. Too much surprises, it feels like I'm floating in heaven. Damn, what I have done to deserve such a wonderful girl like her? Do I really deserve this kind of blessing? It feels so unreal. It feels like I'm the most special person in the world. My 22nd birthday was so special, thanks to her. ♥️

I will never forget that day and I will forever be grateful 🤗

But not all relationships are perfect. Even how you think about how perfect and happy the relationship is, there will always be challenges. I never thought of us breaking apart. I was confident because I know she loves me and I love her even more. I trusted her too much to the point that I never suspect her about doing something horrible but I was wrong. We broke up, she fell out of love. I keep questioning why but maybe even I did my best, it will always never be enough to someone who's focus on finding what's lacking rather that appreciating the effort you exert. I accepted it, I never doubted her reason because I thought I know her well. But I found out that there's already another guy who's making her happy now. I was devastated. I never saw that coming. I feel betrayed. I was stabbed in the back. My world crushed into pieces. I'm totally lost of words. I never expected that she will do such thing. I trusted her, I believed in her promises. We both promised that we will be there for each other through thick and thin. We both promised to each other that we will never be hurt again. But maybe, promises really meant to be broken.

There's no such thing as assurance. Even if you give it all, people will always find a way to see what's lacking. They will always find a way to make you look bad and they will eventually leave you in a blink of an eye, as if you never done good to them. People tend to choose what's convenient for them. People tend to forget everything when things doesn't going on their way. Life's a bitch and we need to deal with it.

Never trust too much. Never fall in love too much to the point that there's nothing left in you. People are unpredictable. One day they are good, but there will always the day that they will fuck us big time. Always know your worth. Always know what to give up. Loving someone with all your heart will never be an assurance. Learn to love yourself. Learn to respect yourself. In this world, where people always take each other for granted, the only one who you can rely with is yourself. Don't be too gaga for someone. Don't be too emotionally attached because the day you committed yourself to others is the beginning of losing yourself for others. Learn to know your limits. Learn to love yourself.

Life's too unfair, life's too unpredictable. That's how life works. We need to deal with it. We need to be prepared for everything. We need to brace ourselves for what will happen next. Don't be too complacent because there's no such thing as assurance. Learn to be defensive, learn to know your limitations. Don't give up too much, it will haunt you in the future.

We are all afraid to be hurt. We are all afraid to be left by someone we love but one thing that I learned about is to never be afraid to fall in love again. Never be afraid to try again. Take all the risk, take all the challenges but know your limits. It is okay to be hurt rather than to have "what ifs" in your mind. Don't be afraid to love again because if the intentions are pure, God will bless us with someone we deserve. If it failed again, it will be another lesson but it will always be a blessing. Don't find love, let love find you. We all deserve someone whom we can call "home". This might not be the right time, but believe me, God has a better plan for you. Sulk all you want, cry all you want but believe me, that tears will eventually stop. No one deserves to be hurt, we are all unique in our own ways. If that people don't see that in you, remember that not all people have the same view. We are all worthy in the eye of the right person. Maybe you will suffer, but eventually it will be a blessing and a lesson learned.

Love is beautiful, love is complicated. Don't be afraid to fall in love again. Don't be afraid to try again. Don't let anyone dictate you. Don't let anyone take away your rights to be happy. Just know your limits, love responsibly. As long as we are not stepping on others, then it is all good. We are all worthy, we are all deserving of love. It might not bring any good to us for now, but it is all part of the process. Even how dark the night is, the sun will shine again. The sun that will bring the beauty of life in us. We are all WORTHY. We are all UNIQUE. Don't let that experience bring the worst in you rather use it as a motivation. Always remember, YOU ARE ENOUGH TO SOMEONE WHO SEES THE BEST IN YOU. Trust God's perfect timing. TRUST THE PROCESS.

[fredcilier]

winter wonderland → fredco

TAGGING → Freddie Facilier & Marco A. Dale (@marcoalandale)

TIMELINE → Christmas Break 2020

SETTING →  Sherwood Forest

SUMMARY → While home with Marco for the holidays, Freddie gets to see what a snowy paradise Sherwood Forest can sometimes be.

"Keep your eyes closed just a liiiiitle longer," Marco nearly sang, holding Freddie's hand as he guided her as gently as he could towards their destination. "We're almost there, I promise!" He wasn't usually the kind of guy who got nervous about anything, but being so close to Freddie was enough to make him a little jumpy. It was mostly in a good way though, with only a little bit of fear that he'd accidentally guide her into a tree or something worse and she'd regret coming home with him to Nottingham for the holidays. As he spotted the frozen river that cut through the Sherwood Forest in front of him with fluffy snow on the banks, though, those worries entirely floated away from his head like balloons that weren't tied to anything. There was no way the sight of all this wouldn't make her feel happy to be there. "Okay, okay, and nooooooooooow --" he held out the word as he stopped in his tracks, holding her hand still as they faced the prettiest part of the winter wonderland in the woods "-- open them!" Instead of looking out at the icy scene with her, Marco opted to look at her face instead, wanting to take in the look when she saw how gorgeous the area around them was. "Ta-da! As your Sherwood tour guide, it's my job to show you all the best parts of being here, and the frozen river? Is something I've always loved. It looks amazing AND the snow by here is the cleanest and best for snow angels or building snowmen. Or having snowball fights," he prattled on before nudging her with his elbow.

When Freddie had lied and said she'd been invited elsewhere this Christmas as a way of avoiding spending another year pining in the Bayou, she hadn't expected Marco to actually turn her lie into a truth by volunteering his home to her for the holidays. She wasn't complaining, though. His family was just as welcoming as the Dubois' had always been, and having a cute boy falling over himself to make sure she had a good time wasn't so bad, either. Still, she'd been staying a little aloof, not the type to trust people easily in the first place and definitely not wanting to go and open her heart to someone else just 'cause he was willing to take her in and make her feel special. Today was an exception, though. Closing her eyes, letting Marco lead her god knows where... it was the least she could do, and when he finally told her it was time to open her eyes, Freddie wasn't disappointed. "Damn," she breathed, glancing around at the frozen river and the fluffy white snowbanks surrounding it. "You sure this place is real and you didn't sell your soul to some witch to magic it into existence?" she asked him, arching an eyebrow. She vaguely processed that he'd said something about snowballs, and snow angels, and snowmen, but those things could wait. For now, Freddie just drank in the sight of it, eyes wide and lips slightly parted in awe.

Marco's smile grew even wider as he watched Freddie take in the view. He loved what he saw; there was something extra special about showing someone he cared so much about a place he cared so much about too. It was incredible in the first place that she was here at all, because truth be told, Marco had always had a soft spot for Freddie. She was so impressive, but more than that, she saw potential in other people too. She was cool and kind and smart and nice and when her smile met her eyes it felt like warm butter sliding down the toast of his heart. And right now, her eyes were full of wonder and it made him want to hug her and hold her and spin her around in the winter wonderland, but he hugged his arms around himself to hold back. "I'm pretty sure!" Marco laughed. "But heck, even if I did, this place is worth it, isn't it? It's like heaven on earth! I try to come down here every winter, sometimes just to sit here and look at it all. And the river is really fun to skate on too, if you dare!" He was talking about all the wonderful things there but all he could look at was Freddie.

After several years in Auradon, it always caught Freddie off guard, the way things could still surprise her. As she continued to gaze at the snowy wonderland before them, she couldn't help but think that she'd never seen anything like this before, and she appreciated that Marco had probably known that when he'd chosen to show it to her. "You right, can't imagine my friends on the other side making anything this pretty or peaceful. Think if you sold your soul for it, there'd be a few more strings attached," Freddie agreed, turning her attention from the snow to the guy beside her instead. He was a surprise to her, too. So sweet, and always seeming to want what was best for her. There was no hurdle she tossed at him that he didn't seem willing to jump, and she kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for him to decide she wasn't worth all of that after all. It wasn't fair to him, really, the way she teased him and tested him, but after years of being hung up on Liam... She guessed she didn't even know what else to do with a genuinely nice guy, one who seemed like he might be the real deal. Freddie kept him at more of an arm's length than she should, and instead of letting that bother him, he still did things like this for her. "Skating, huh? Think I might like to try that, long as you don't mind me being too good at it," she joked, having to look away from his blinding smile before it made her feel too much. Instead, she stooped down and scooped up a ball of snow, deciding there was so much to do, but that patting it together and gently lobbing it at his chest was a good place to start. "Losing a skating race might hurt less than me whooping you at a snowball fight though," she laughed wickedly, already scooping up a second ball to hit him with.

Marco had never really thought about the friends on the other side that the Faciliers talked about -- how could he, when the friends he had on this side were so amazing? He wasn't sure he wanted to know about that other stuff anyway, it sounded almost scary. Still, he laughed at her comment and when she finally turned to look at him, he swore his heart jumped a whole beat. She was so pretty. So pretty and so funny and so here. Just seeing her in Sherwood was enough to make him feel melty all the time. "I love that you're good at things," Marco blurted when Freddie mentioned skating, and it was true. Thankfully, she hit him in the chest with a snowball before a full list of things he loved about Freddie spilled out of his mouth like a waterfall. He burst out laughing at the contact, his eyes widening in surprise. "Bring it on!" he giggled, scooping down to get his own snowball made. He padded as big a snowball as he could, and he ducked so that he could have a better chance of hitting her with it before getting hit again. He yelled out "For Sherwood!" as he tossed it at her, getting started on forming some more balls to lob at her. Snowball fights were one of the best parts of winter, and sharing it with Freddie was something he knew he'd never forget.

Sometimes, Freddie laughed off the way Marco talked to her like he was just joking, just being over the top as some kind of game. Other times, though, he looked at her like this, like she was something completely magnificent and like he really did think the world of her, and it stopped her completely in her tracks. How could someone so genuinely good and nice really be so into her ? It didn't compute, but damn, it didn't have to make sense to start doing things to her heart. "Nah, not just good, great," she retorted, her usual brash confidence hiding the fact that being around him when he was like this really did catch her off guard. "Wow, you taking me down for your whole home?" Freddie laughed, ducking out of the way of his onslaught. "I'mma beat you just for me," she shot back, eyeing his giant snowball with trepidation. If that shit hit her she'd end up cold, and she'd never been great at the cold thing... but it would be worth it, if she could catch him unaware. Leaving all but one of the small pile of snowballs she'd started accumulating lying on the ground, Freddie decided to take him by surprise, racing forward and trying to tackle him so that she could make damn sure to give him a face full of snow.

Marco had no doubt that Freddie would be great at snowball fights, because duh, she was good at everything, but he wasn't a slouch at this either. It was fun to laugh and tease each other but he wanted to put up a good fight; maybe then she would realize he was like one of those manly men she liked so much, and even if she didn't, a snowball fight was too much fun to half-ass. Still, even as he told himself to go hard on her, he packed the snowballs more loosely than if he was going against Cassie or Rachel or Robbie or Mary Kate or anyone else he'd grown up with. Freddie was just different. She always had been, and he'd known it since he met her and hadn't been able to look away. He'd expected her to start throwing her small pile of snowballs from a distance so when she raced at it, he was genuinely startled and an "ooph!" escaped him as he fell back, tripping on the snow and falling on his back. He giggled, despite being covered in snow and Freddie. "Truce, true," Marco laughed, looking up at her. "Are you okay?"

Freddie hadn't expected to actually manage to topple Marco over with her attack, but she grinned wickedly in her triumph, relishing in it for a moment until he started talking again, calling for a truce. "Wow, you gonna give up that easy?" she teased, trying to ignore the way that even though layers of snow-friendly clothes, she liked the way his body felt pressed up against hers like this. Was that all it was, though? Just his body? She didn't know, and it didn't seem fair to follow some kinda urge knowing that her stupid, traitorous heart was still hung up somewhere it didn't belong. "I'm more than good, I just won my first snowball fight'a the trip," Freddie taunted him, still not in any particular hurry to move. "You for real about that truce thing, or am I gonna get up just to get tossed right back down into the snow?" As she said it, a lightbulb went off in Freddie's head, and she said, "Actually..." as she rolled reluctantly off of Marco, flopping into the snow beside him and starting to wave her arms and legs around to make an angel.

Marco's face was lit up, both with adrenaline and with a blush that came from being so close to Freddie. He hadn't been expecting it, and it was so nice feeling someone on him and seeing her face just inches from his. He probably could've laid there like that for hours, until his body heat melted the snow beneath him and his jacket got all wet and useless and he got so chilly that he had a cold, and it would've all been worth it just to be so close to her and her smile. "I hadn't even thought about faking the truce," Marco admitted with a grin, "but thanks for the idea. I think we're good though, for now." He added that last part with a chuckle and then, sadly, she was off of him. A lump in his throat formed as the closeness was cut off but it was okay, because she was making snow angels and it looked too fun not to join in with; his arms and legs started going too, but his head stayed looking at her. "Your form is great! You never told me you were an expert snow angel maker," he smiled.

"'Course you didn't," Freddie laughed, shaking her head. Was there an ounce of badness in this boy's body? Or was everything about him just sweet and kind all the time? She'd never met anybody like him; even the supposed 'nice folks' of Auradon had their dark sides, their judgmental tendencies or their insecurities that made them lash out. And everybody on the Isle knew how to be mean, whether they were all the time or not. Marco was a breed of his own, though, and it made her wish that she could feel that tug towards him, that inescapable pull of her heart that had been drawing her to Liam for years now. She wanted it so bad, but she just wasn't there yet, and Freddie had to wonder if she ever would be. In the meantime, though, he was a hell of a friend, and he'd be fun to corrupt a little. Not now, though. Not in this snowy wonderland where everything felt so beautiful and peaceful. "And boy, you're not the only angel around here. I was born for this," Freddie laughed, spreading her wings gracefully again. She snuck a peek over at Marco, though, his smile infectious as he made a snow angel of his own. This might not be the guaranteed 'get over someone else quick' trip she'd hoped it would be, but it was making her feel safe, and appreciated, and welcomed, at a time of year when nobody should be alone. She could have stayed like this all break, but she knew there was more to do and more to see, so she flashed him another wicked grin and asked, "So you gonna keep letting me be better at alla this snow stuff than you, or is there something we're gonna do today that you're better at than me?" she quipped, knowing that whatever lay ahead was sure to be just as good.

[deanwinchesterjournal]

Keep Your Socks On

Image by https://twitter.com/ameegtwt 

Johnny Storm looked around in distaste, “Um, did Venom attack you in here or what?”

Peter stopped digging through the pile of dirty clothes and looked back at him, “Oh screw you.”

“Dude I'm serious, this place is...well this place is.”

Peter went back to searching for a shirt that didn't have food stains on it, “Well not all of us can live in The Jetsons and have robot maids.”

Johnny laughed, “Well sure, but they have invented washing machines.”

Peter picked up a shirt and smelled it, “I've been busy.”

“I just got back from Shiar space, stopped a civil war from breaking out, stopping a bunch of aliens from killing a bunch of other aliens. My clothes are clean.”

Peter sighed and pulled his t-shirt off, “Good for you.”

“I mean how hard is it to...”

Peter spun on Johnny, “I have rent. I have bills. Web fluid doesn't pay for itself and I haven't had a lot of spare change around. That ok with you?”

Johnny held his hands up and took a step back, “Ok fine, my bad.”

Peter shook his head and pulled another shirt on, “It's just not been a good month.”

“So then do them at my place.”

Peter paused, “Your place?”

“Yeah.”

“The Baxter Building?”

“Yeah,” he said and then paused. “Well it's technically my place. A quarter of my place. Well I don't know if my name is on the lease but I live there.”

“You want me to do my laundry at the Baxter Building?”

Johnny shrugged, “Why not? It has a big ol electrostatic cleaning thing that removes dirt like on a cellular level and Reed set this gadget up where the clothes come out of the dryer feeling like a cloud!”

Peter just stared at him.

“What?” Johnny exclaimed, “Look, man, come over on Sunday, bring your clothes, we can split a six-pack and hang out while you do your clothes.”

“I'm supposed to what, swing over with my hamper?”

“Oh yeah, well no. I'll come by and pick you up in a Fantasticar.”

“And how do I explain Johnny Storm showing up at Peter Parker's place?”

“I don't know, how do you explain it now?”

“You're not hovering outside my place in uniform, in civilian clothes no one knows who you are.”

Johnny scoffed, “Bitch, everyone knows who I am.”

Peter rolled his eyes.

“Ok, how about this. You come by Sunday, leave your clothes. I'll have a Herbie cloak over and grab your stuff?”

“You want to send a droid over to pick up my dirty laundry? Isn't that overkill?”

“Do you know how many of those things are floating around the house with nothing to do? Trust me, picking up your crap is like a vacation to them.”

“I highly doubt that.”

“PETE! Come on man, let me help you.”

Peter looked down at the pile and sighed, “Fine, but it just seems like a lot of trouble.”

Johnny flashed one of his million-dollar smiles, “I know you do, that's why I'm offering.”

The statement confused Pete, but he ignored it.

Sunday

“And this is my place!” Johnny said opening the door.

Peter marveled at the huge space. There were five, ceiling length windows overlooking New York, an impossibly large TV, a couple of leather chairs, and a bed big enough for the Giants to practice on in case their stadium flooded.

“You live here?” Peter asked, gobsmacked.

“Well this is my room, I have a place downtown but this is where my stuff is.”

Peter walked around, looking at the old pictures of him and his sister, before they were transformed, half a dozen baseball trophies from high school and several pictures of Johnny and his dad in racing uniforms.

Peter picked up one of them, “Your dad raced?”

“He was a mechanic, taught me everything I learned,” he answered proudly.

“Cool,” Peter remarked, putting it back down, “Should we check on the clothes?”

Johnny laughed, “Dude, the Herbies are programmed to defend against Doctor Doom, they can handle your underwear.”

“Whatever,” Peter said, walking around, looking at the other kick knacks.

“You up for some Overwatch?”

Peter looked over at the TV, “On that?”

“Kinda,” Johnny smiled, “Reed made me a couple sets of these,” he held up a set of high tech glasses, “We play it in our minds.”

Peter walked over as if in a trance, “Really?”

Johnny gestured to one of the chairs, “Sit and let me school you.”

The two men slipped the glasses on and spent the better part of an hour killing each other in virtual space. Peter took the glasses off and sat there, “Man, that is intense.”

“Right?” Johnny said taking his off, “I mean it's like you're really there.”

Pete nodded and then let out a huge yawn, “Sorry, rough night,”

Johnny raised an eyebrow.

“Please, unless you count getting pounded by Rhino...”

Both of Johnny's eyebrows went up.

“NOT LIKE THAT!” Pete screamed, “Jeez get your mind out of the gutter.”

Johnny chuckled, “Jeez dude, it was a joke.”

Pete nodded, “I just need a nap.”

“Then take one,” Johnny suggested.

“My clothes aren't done yet.”

“Duh. I meant here.”

“What? Where?”

Johnny looked at the bed, “Um, there.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I'm beat too, probably lay down as well.”

“With me?” Peter sounded shocked.

Johnny made a face, “Dude, that bed is larger than your apartment. It's a nap, not a proposal.”

“No way man, that's weird.”

Johnny shook his head, “Pete, we're in the 21st century now, you do know two guys can take a nap in the same bed and hump right?”

“It's weird.”

“You're weird.”

Peter said nothing but looked longingly at the bed.

“It's like they say, Pete, it's not gay if you keep your socks on.”

Parker looked at him confused and Johnny just smiled at him.

“Fine, but I still think it's weird.”

Johnny laughed, “And I still think you're weird.”

Pete sighed and fell face-first into the bed, “Oh my god.”

Johnny jumped in on his side, “I know right? Unstable something or other.”

Peter didn't hear him, he was already asleep.

Peter Parker was in heaven.

He had never felt so safe before, swallowed in what felt like a cocoon of sunlight, and snuggled deeper into it. He just laid there, half awake and half asleep, listening to the breathing around him.

The breathing?

He came awake completely and felt the arms circled around him. Johnny had wrapped himself around Pete, becoming the warmest big spoon in history. Peter tried to move but Johnny's arms were locked around him. He pushed harder and said, “Johnny, Johnny wake up!”

After a few seconds Peter struggled harder, making sure he didn't use his strength and hurt his friend. He grabbed one of Johnny's hand and began to pry it open when he heard, “Jesus Pete, relax.”

“You're awake? Get off me!”

This time he pushed Johnny and the blonde went flying off the bed.

“What the shit?” Johnny exclaimed, flying up from the floor.

“Dude, what the hell?” Peter screamed.

“What is your damage man?”

“You were holding me!”

“Oh please, you sighed and leaned back into it before you knew it was me. You liked it.”

“YOU WERE AWAKE THE WHOLE TIME!”

Johnny sighed and rolled his eyes, “Man you are so fucking square.”

“I'm not into guys dude!”

“And I am?” Johnny asked.

Pete said nothing.

“Look, man, we were asleep, we were just snuggling, there is nothing gay about that.”

“Not gay?”

Johnny walked over to Pete, “Are you gay?”

“No!” Pete said instantly.

“You think I am ?”

Peter hesitated and Johnny's hands balled up into fists.

“No, no I don't think so!” Pete admitted.

“So then tell me, how can the two of us taking a nap be gay?”

“We were snuggling!”

“And that's gay how?”

Peter's eyes almost bugged out.

“Look man, people need human contact. And there is no one in the world I know that needs it more than you. I know you're single right now and your life sucks because it always sucks. You liked it because you need it.”

“It's gay!”

“IT'S NOT GAY!” Johnny roared.

Both men stared at each other, their breaths heaving.

“Look Peter, you have problems. I am your best friend and that isn't saying much because you don't have many. And you're freaking out because we enjoyed a nap and a snuggle. That has nothing to do with gay or straight, it has to do with your damn issues. You're a smart guy so I think you know this.”

“I don't need to snuggle!”

Johnny cocked his head, “Dude, you need serious snuggles.”

“Not from you.”

“Then who?”

And Peter didn't have an answer.

“You're too uptight to just go pick a girl up and spend a night with them, you are tragically single and you don't trust any of your friends enough to just relax.”

“This is nuts.”

“Fine,” Johnny said walking away, “Your laundry is done, take it home, and try to forget all this but I don't think you can. Because you liked it Pete because you need it. You need human contact and that was all I was offering.”

“You planned this?”

Johnny rolled his eyes, “Just go, Pete, before you say something you're going to regret.”

Peter thought about it for a moment and then decided, his friend was right. He went to find his laundry and go home.

And forget about everything Johnny just said.

The fight had been as brutal as it had been quick.

One thing about working with the Avengers, there was a lot more clean up after than he was used to. Hawkeye, Nova, and him had been left to pick up the debris leftover. Clint had asked him what was wrong and the next thing you know he was telling him everything.

“Like....cuddle, cuddle?” Hawkeye asked.

“Right?” Peter said, “It's not just me right?”

“No way, I would have freaked.”

“Thank you!” Peter said, going back to the cleanup.

Nova sighed loudly.

“Sprung a leak kid?” Hawkeye asked him.

Sam looked up and looked like he was about to say something and then shook his head, “Nothing.”

Both men looked at each other, shrugged, and went back to their conversation.

“So what do I do?”

“If it was me? Find a new friend.”

Another sigh.

Peter glanced over for a second and pressed on.

“Yeah, I mean I don't even know what to say to that. No I'm not interested in you like that?”

Louder sigh.

“What's your damage?” Hawkeye asked.

Nova looked up and glared at Peter for a moment, but held his tongue.

“What?” Peter asked, “You got a comment? Say it?”

“You're homophobic.”

“What?”

“You're homophobic and you're both Neanderthals.”

Pete and Clint shared a glance, “Anything you want to tell us Sam?”

Sam dropped the ton of cement he had been holding, “See? So now I say something and you both automatically assume I'm gay. That's homophobic man.”

“I don't have a problem with gay people,” Peter insisted.

“Then why are you so bent out of shape that something your friend is trying to do is gay? Or going to make you look gay? Or that even it being gay is bad?”

Peter stopped.

“Both of you are so weirded out about a guy touching you, that you can't even see what he was talking about.”

“So you'd just snuggle with another guy?”

“Yeah, all the time.”

They both stared at him.

“Me and my friends have no issues with each other. Sometimes I need a hug and my friends give it to me with no judgment. And sometimes, we're lonely and just want to be held. So yeah, we snuggle, it's pretty common with anyone born in this century. And by the way, even if my friend WAS gay and needed a snuggle, I'd give do it in a second because it is my FRIEND asking for love. The fact you two dinosaurs can't see the difference between love and sex is the reason gay people hide who they are.”

He hefted the chunk of concrete over his head, “And ask yourself this if everything I just said was bullshit, why were you so concerned suddenly if I was gay or not? Why are you still? And what does that matter if you truly don't care?”

Before they could answer he took flight and sped away.

“Did we just get schooled by a ten-year-old?”

Pete knew Sam was older than that, but damned if the kid didn't have a point.

The next Sunday Pete texted Johnny.

PETE: YOU AROUND?

JOHNNY: YEAH WHAT'S UP?

PETE: YOU WERE RIGHT ABOUT THE DRYER THING, I'M ADDICTED

JOHHNY: LOL, COME OVER.

Pete was able to collect his dirty clothes in a pillowcase this time and was able to sling over to the Baxter Building pretty quick. Johnny's window was open and he came flipping in.

“How am I going to explain Spider-man in my place?” Johnny said closing the windows.

“Tell them your brother in law came to his senses and hired an actual superhero for your job.:

Johnny shot a flame jet at Pete's ass, making the other man jump.

“Hey! This isn't fireproof!”

“I don't know why you didn't keep the one Reed made you when you were part of the Foundation.”

Pete shrugged, “Just felt too expensive to keep.”

Johnny rolled his eyes and signaled for Herbie to come in.

“Another load of laundry,: he told the droid.

“Olfactory sensors indicate what he is wearing now is soiled.”

Johnny hid his smile, “Dude, Herbie just said you stink.”

“I didn't bring a change of clothes!” Pete protested.

“My closet, su closet,” he said opening it up, “Pick something to wear.”

Pete grabbed a t-shirt and a pair of jeans and started to change.

“What the heck are you wearing?” Johnny said looking at Peter step into the jeans, “What are you wearing?”

Peter made a face, “Um, are these special jeans?”

Johnny sighed, “One, you need to get Tik Tok, two, dude just put on some shorts, we're just chllin.”

Johnny found a pair of blue running shorts and tossed them to Pete. “Just slip those on.”

Pete sighed and pulled them on, tossing his uniform to Herbie.

The droid wished out, leaving Pete and Johnny alone.

“So, thanks for this,” Pete said after a second.

“Right, so you wanna dance around this or just talk about it?”

Pete shook his head and sat on the edge of the bed, “Man, you just don't let a guy get his feet do you?”

Johnny sat next to him, “Look, Pete, we've been friends since we were both teenagers. We literally grew up together, in a way. So when you storm out of here one week and then come back, trying to be all nice the next, I know you want to talk about it. Now we can just talk about it or I can wait the two hours it will take for your uptight ass to get to the point.”

Pete just smiled, “We have known each other forever, haven't we?”

“Ben was like an older brother, but you and me, we were the same age, liked the same things, were both figuring out how to be heroes....yeah man, it's been a stretch.”

“Right,” Pete sighed and ran his hands through his hair, “So you were just trying to help out, and I shouldn't have freaked out about it.”

“I agree.”

“And yeah, maybe I did overreact.”

“Completely overreacted.”

Peter gave him a glare.

“Anyways, so I'm sorry, and will you forgive me?”

Johnny chuckled, “Did that when I invited you over, so come on.”

He said patting the bed.

“What? No, I don't want to do that again.”

“Yeah you do,” Johnny said.

“Um, no I don't.”

“You do, that's why you came over. If you wanted to apologize you would have found me out on patrol. If you wanted to just see if things were cool, you would have texted me. You came over because deep down, you know I'm right. You are in a bad place, and you need a snuggle.”

“Please stop calling it that,” Pete said in a soft voice.

Johnny scooted closer, “Look man, you need to get all this gay, straight shit out of your head. Girls can hang out, snuggle, hug, say they love each other and no one thinks their lesbians. Why can't guys?”

Peter was holding his breath, “I don't know.”

Johnny put his arm around Pete's shoulder and pulled him in, “I love you Peter, you're my best friend and a great guy. Please...let me comfort you.”

Pete leaned into the hug but was still tense.

“Here,” Johnny said, pulling them both back onto the bed, “Just lay here with me, we don't even have to talk.”

Pete laid there as Johnny pulled him close and the two of them laid together, on the bed.

“Breathe...” Johnny said, running his hand through Peter's hair.

Peter let out a deep breath as he leaned into the movement.

“See? Just relax, you're always so worried, so focused. I get that, it's why you're a great guy but Peter...”

He wrapped his arm around the other man and pulled him closer until they were spooning, “Let go...I'll catch you.”

Peter could feel himself tense up.

“Shhhh....” Johnny whispered in his ear, “I'll catch you.”

Pete took a deep breath and leaned back into Johnny, who wrapped him in a bear hug and held him tight. At first, Peter didn't move, not sure what to do. And then slowly, Pete put his hand over Johnny's arm and pulled it closer. And the two of them curled up together, enjoying the silence and the human contact.

Within minutes, Peter was asleep.

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Avengers #209: The Resurrection Stone

July, 1981

“The Resurrection Stone: will it save the universe -- or destroy it?”

Well, the universe hasn’t been destroyed, at least circa the comics I read this morning. But it hasn’t really been saved either.

Still, pretty intriguing tagline. Pretty intriguing cover.

And written by J.M. DeMatteis. One of the Kraven’s Last Hunt guys. He doesn’t seem to do a lot of Avengers.

Let’s see how he do Earth’s Mightiest Team of Specifically This Four On the Cover.

We start with some silent intriguing intrigue as an alien ship crashes into Nevada and an alien crawls from the alien wreckage. Instead of distributing rings to people, he gets shot by a green guy who likes purple. I sure can’t think of several people that this applies to.

The shooter checks some possibly alien PDA but then beams up as the ship explodes.

How baffling.

Ok, J.M. DeMatteis. You have my interest.

So we start chapter one-

Chapter one? What is it with fill-ins and putting chapters in Avengers books. That three dooms one from a while back also did this.

Anyway, chapter one of this normal length Avengers adventure: “Love... and Death!”

So on specifically April 10th, 1981 2:17 PM (a fact which we must firmly ignore in these sliding timescale days), Beast has brought an old flame to Avengers Mansion to meet Wonder Man, Vision, and Scarlet Witch.

Presumably all of the other Avengers couldn’t make it. Or Beast didn’t want them meeting Vera.

Oh, and she’s not a new old flame.

Vera Cantor goes back to X-Men #19 in 1966. She knew him before he blue it! And she was the one who got away because mutant biz kept getting in the way.

But they had a chance meeting in a Soho bar and they’re giving it another shot!

I guess Beast is finally settling down from his wild party dating multiple women at a time days.

And y’know what? He and Vera are cute together.

Beast is exuberantly in love with her. He’s apparently been talking about nothing else for weeks.

Scarlet Witch: “Vision -- just look at the Beast’s eyes -- I’ve never seen them sparkle so. He must be in love.”

Beast is so excited he’s bouncing on the couch and jumping all over the place and bumping into Jarvis. Knocking the tea tray out of the butler’s hands.

Beast, pls. Reign in.

He does manage to catch the tray in his feet though. No spilling.

Its a bit weird that Jarvis is here to be bumped into. He’s supposed to have one of his days off to visit his mom and get some of that “near-mythical Yorkshire pudding.”

But he brushes off the question with concern over the bad impression all of this is giving the guest.

Vera doesn’t mind though. She’s used to his obstreperous (“noisy and difficult to control”) nature and finds how energetic he is to be part of why he’s so cute.

The blue fuzz surely does not hurt!

Oh. And then Vera takes a sip of the tea Jarvis brought and immediately keels over dead.

The butler did it??

Jarvis. You made it too strong!

No, no. Surely not. Jarvis would never make such an error or miss out on Yorkshire pudding.

“Jarvis” is actually... A SKRULL!

Beast wastes no time slamming the Skrull into the wall but said Skrull says ‘hey you want the woman to live again maybe keep your hands to yourself.’

And Beast backs off, sensing some truth in the Skrull’s tone.

The Skrull: “Ah -- that’s a bit more like it. Even in this vile atmosphere, I do so value my ability to breathe!”

By the by the by, this guy goes unnamed until 2008 in a Secret Invasion infobook but I’m not about that. His name is Jaddak.

Jaddak channels his inner-Darkseid and sits in the comfiest chair provocatively and begins on THE TALE OF THE RESURRECTION STONE!

Seems that millennia ago there was a space civilization in space that merged high science and high sorcery to bring an epoch of peace and plenitude to all then known worlds.

The epoch of peace and plentitude looks a lot like someone jammed Medieval knights and castles into rocket times.

Which I guess fits the whole union of science and magic thing.

And then the greatest scientist-wizard, Tus'Au, invented the Resurrection Stone and ruined everything.

The stone, as the name implied, could bring life back to the dead. And while that doesn’t seem too impressive by today’s standards where plot devices to resurrect the dead are so numerous (including just teleporting out of heaven) that it doesn’t bear counting, remember that this was an earlier, more innocent time. A filler time.

Everyone wanted this Resurrection Stone and a great war ignited that eventually ruined a thousand, thousand planets.

Amidst that nonsense, the stone itself was lost forever.

Until an Anthigorite archeologist named Krru, like, did some serious research. Around about 5,000 years worth of research. And thanks to all his book learning, he eventually found the stone.

Which was unfortunate because Jaddak had been stalking him this whole time, sure that he’d eventually find it.

He chased Krru over twelve solar systems, finally blasting him out of the sky over Earth. But when Jaddak searched Krru’s ship and checked the recorder-log, as we saw in the opening two pages, he learned that Krru had decided that the Resurrection Stone was inherently corruptive and should have remained lost.

You know an ancient magical stone is bad news when an archeologist goes ‘actually you don’t belong in a museum.’

So when Krru was shot down, as a last ditch effort, he broke the stone in two and sent both halves into Earth’s past so they’d be lost forever.

I have so many questions.

If they were sent to the past then they’d be in the present now unless destroyed in the past. That’s how time works.

Two, dick move, Krru. You think this thing is inherently corruptive and you drop it into Earth’s past, possibly altering the timeline? Fuck you.

But with the stones in the past forever inaccessible clearly, Jaddak decided, hey this should be the Avengers’ problem and not mine.

Jaddak: “I knew then that I needed... pawns. Powerful pawns.”

Wonder Man: “Pawns... as in -- Avengers. And that’s why you struck down an innocent woman?!”

Jaddak: “It seemed a splendid idea at the time!”

Pffffffft.

Ok, I know. I know. This is a terrible situation in-universe but also out of universe because they brought back Vera only to immediately stuff her into the fridge.

But this skrull going ‘look it seemed like a good idea at the time’ cracks me up.

Seemed like a good idea doesn’t cut the mustard with Wonder Man who just hauls off and punches Jaddak into the bookcase.

Vision even verbally pats him on the back for it.

Vision: “Well played, Simon. -- There was no need to listen to this madman's rantings any longer.”

But as the Avengers congregate to stomp on Jaddak’s head a few times, I presume, Beast stops them.

Cradling Vera’s body he says he’ll do anything to bring her back.

;__;

And that brings us to chapter two: “DOOM in the DARK AGES!”

Let me just get ahead of any hypothetical questions I wouldn’t even be able to hear until after the fact anyway. Tragically Doctor Doom does not show up.

Whoof, a lot of exposition at the beginning of chapter 2. Because a lot of stuff happened off-panel, between pages.

Real Jarvis had been contacted to make sure he’s okay. The four Avengers took a Quinjet to the Fantastic Four and told Reed Richards what’s going on. Reed went ‘sure I’ll lend you Doctor Doom’s time machine and send you to the coordinates a SKRULL gave you.’ And Jaddak went to go wait in his spaceship with Vera’s body.

So now the Avengers are in September 16, 1348, England. Prompting Vision to start giving a lecture on the bubonic plague.

Scarlet Witch: “Darling, please. Not now.”

Save it for the bedroom, Vizh.

The locals respond, understandably enough, with hostility to the people that just appeared in thin air dressed like clowns. They call the Avengers demons and unholy creatures and tell them to tell a wizard Devlunn to fuck off and that he can’t have any more of their dead.

Wanda decides that explaining time travel and superheroes from the FUTURE is more trouble than its worth. Instead, she plays along.

Scarlet Witch: “Devlunn? We are far greater than that upstart! He is a mere wind -- we are the storm!”

And then she fires off some of her bolts to cow the villagers so she can ask if anyone wants to take her to “this weakling Devlunn.”

See Wanda figured out based on the one comment that someone toying with the dead might be linked to the half of the Resurrection Stone they’re here to find. Or one would hope someone toying with the dead has a dumb magic reason for it!

One of the villagers does volunteer to take Wanda to Devlunn.

Villager: “I pray you four are as powerful as you appear -- for it will take great magicks indeed to best this lunatic child.”

Because, yup, Devlunn is a ten-year old child.

And yup, he has half of the Resurrection Stone.

He also has a big crowd of locals begging him to return their dead since they did promise to follow him and give him all that they own. Really, that’s a fair trade for some moldy old corpses, right?

Devlunn: “Why should I listen to you? When this talisman fell from the sky and whispered to me -- I knew then it could make me a god! And gods do as they please!”

Welp.

Beast: “No one should play god, Devlunn. -- Least of all obnoxious little boys! C’mon guys -- let’s get this over with!”

And Wonder Man punches the tower Devlunn is standing on and Vision SOLAR BEAMs it and a ten year old child falls off a tower.

And then he just stops in midair and floats.

Not sure why the Resurrection Stone also has flying powers. That seems beyond the scope of what it was designed to do.

That’s like if you had a scroll of fireball that also did your taxes.

Yes, that would be amazing. But the two things aren’t related things.

Anyway, Devlunn takes these four weirdos in stride.

Devlunn: “Ah -- so I’ve impressed you with my little trick! Good! For, you see, I know who you are! You are spirits from heaven to test me to see if I’m worthy of godhood -- to see if my talisman can do more than merely hold me on high like some wingless bird! You wish a show of strength -- a little play! And what you wish -- Devlunn-the-god shall grant!”

And then he sicks a horde of zombies on the fearless foursome.

The four realize the truth of Devlunn’s half of the Resurrection Stone. Because this is a cool magic artifact that conceptually splits in half instead of just physically or in terms of output or whatever.

Devlunn’s half gives life to the dead but only life without the spark of the soul. Aka, zombies.

Also, not very impressive zombies. They’re more pitiable than formidable. And Devlunn isn’t much of a necromancer.

The Avengers fight them. Well, except for Vision. Vision just lets them flail against him ineffectually.

Beast rushes through the pack of zombies, even grabbing one with his thighs to toss out of the way?, towards Devlunn and then takes the 1/2 Resurrection Stone like candy from a baby.

Revealing Devlunn to not be a great and powerful wizard but rather a very sad child.

Devlunn: “My stone give it to me! Give it back, I say! I was... nothing until it came to me! My family -- my friends -- all died! But the stone made me important! It gave me control over death! It made me safe! Please give it back! Please -- I want to be a god! I have to be a god!”

And then he collapses to the ground and starts crying while the Avengers are whisked away into the future by Reed.

So, that’s sad.

And I don’t imagine chapter three (“Rosenblatt’s Dance!”) is going to be any cheerier.

It’s now April 13, 1945. Dachau.

So. Yeah.

The Avengers blink into existence right in the middle of some Allied troops chasing some Nazis. And not being ones to miss a chance to go ape shit on some Nazis, Wonder Man goes ape shit on some Nazis.

Unlike the dark ages peeps, the Allied soldiers see some random people with superpowers wearing bright clothes and go ‘ah, superheroes’ and ask if they’re with the Invaders or the Liberty Legion.

Wonder Man: “Right. I’m... uh... Captain America.”

Phew. Timeline secure.

Anyway, they’re glad to see some superheroes because they’ve got a messy situation at Dachau. And its nothing that punching Nazis can fix.

So, yeah this is set at a concentration camp so its not going to be particularly happy.

The one who has the other half of the Resurrection Stone is a man named Rosenblatt. And this half of the stone also has half the power of the full stone. But in this case it returns the soul to a lifeless husk.

And Rosenblatt has used it to revive his dead wife and daughters and he’s joyfully dancing with their lifeless bodies while they beg him to let them go and free them of this existence.

It’d be really messed up if the usual superhero methods had to be applied here but thankfully the less employed but still common superhero empathy is in the quiver.

Beast approaches the guy and just talks to him.

Beast: “You have to set their souls free.”

Rosenblatt: “Are you the devil, come to take them? Well -- they’ve been in hell long enough. They’ll never be yours!”

Beast: “Look at them, my friend -- they will never be yours either. Not the way you knew them. The way you cherished them. Give me the jewel. P-please...”

And his words get through to the man who hands the half Resurrection Stone off to Beast.

And as before, the instant they have the stone, Reed yanks them forward in time.

Y’know. This only occurred to me on my second read. Maybe if Reed hadn’t instantly pulled them out of that time, it would have occurred to Beast ‘hey wait I have both halves now, I could combine them and bring this guy’s family back to life for real and not in some cursed half existence.’

Doesn’t really work with how the book goes, but it’s a thought.

And now for the thrilling conclusion: Chapter 4 The Cost!

April 10th, 1981, SPACE.

So we’re back in the then present.

A Quinjet flies into space, as Quinjets can apparently do, to meet with Jaddak’s spaceship. Jaddak contacts them over the space Zoom and tells Beast that he’ll have to teleport over alone with the Resurrection Stone.

The other Avengers think this is reeeeeaaally fishy and don’t really like the idea of letting Jaddak get the Resurrection Stone but they can’t tell Beast what to do. This is his weird fill-in issue quest and it has to be his decision.

So Beast teleports over alone. And finds himself in a chamber with a video screen. Skrull ain’t taking any chances.

He’s hidden behind an unbreachable wall. Through the video screen he tells Beast to deposit the stone in a portal which will send it over to the skrull who will test it for authenticity.

Then, he’ll use it to revive Vera. Swearsies.

Beast: “And why should I trust you?”

Jaddak: “Because I am a Skrull. Treacherous and savage as my people are -- we value honor more than life.”

Doubt.

Beast pauses to consider the power of the Resurrection Stone. Thinks about Devlunn and his zombies and Rosenblatt’s dance.

Beast: “Vera... I’m sorry. But this power is too much for any man to hold. I hope you can forgive me for what I’m about to do -- and I hope I can forgive myself!”

And then Beast slams the two halves of the Resurrection Stone together, KRUNCHing them into dust.

Jaddak: “Y-you crushed it! But that is... impossible! My plan was perfection! The vagaries of human love should have assured me victory!”

Wonder Man: “There are higher forms of love, Skrull -- but don’t strain your brain trying to figure out what they are!”

Because, yes, Wonder Man, Scarlet Witch, and Vision are also here now.

Vision intangibled onto the ship while Jaddak was distracted and used Jaddak’s own teleporters to bring the other two aboard.

As for that unbreachable wall?

Nah. Totally breachable. Wonder Man peels it open like nothing.

Jaddak tries to use Vera’s dead body as a hostage but Scarlet Witch blasts the gun apart in his hands with a SQUAKK.

So there may be a bird that used to be a gun loose on the ship.

And that just leaves one thing to take care of.

Beast jumps at Jaddak and starts slamming him around.

Scarlet Witch protests that Beast is going to kill Jaddak but Wonder Man tells her that Beast has to left off some steam.

Wonder Man: “He has to vent some steam or he’ll really snap! Besides you know Hank as well as I do -- that Skrull will get some much-needed lumps -- but that’s all!”

Beast: “Yeah. That’s our Beastie. A hero to the end. Can’t even bring myself to play the old ‘eye for an eye’ game. Not that it would do me one stinking bit of good. I’ve lost her -- forever.”

AND THEN AN EPILOGUE. Later that day at the Baxter Building.

Reed has been involved between panels this whole story and now he gets exposition exposited to him to fill in the gaps and in return he’s going to exposit too.

Wonder Man explains that he, Wanda, and Vision always intended to destroy the Resurrection Stone if Beast went through with the deal with Jaddak. Not that they thought he would. Knowing Hank McCoy and all.

But its a subversion of the ‘this is something he must do himself’ trope. Where they left the decision in Beast’s hands but also planned to go over his head if he made the wrong decision and put the scary power of phoenix down in the hands of the Skrulls.

Gotta keep your friends honest or something.

So now Reed has news. Weird news about Vera.

The poison that Jaddak used was super rare, so rare that Jaddak didn’t even know how it worked. He just had to be a murder hipster and goofed up.

Its actually a slow-acting poison that takes days to fully kill someone so Vera is technically only mostly dead. She could theoretically be cured one day.

So Reed has thrown her into a suspended animation tube and hopes to come up with an antidote eventually (which he doesn’t but Vera ends up cured anyway in Defenders #105 about a year later in another story by J.M. DeMatteis).

What is it about weird filler stories and having someone end up in a freezer tube to be maybe cured later?

Reed Richards: I know it’s not much of a chance, Beast -- but at least there’s hope.”

Beast: “There’s hope -- !”

Follow @essential-avengers​ because one day I’ll be up to date on that blog and it’ll have Essential Avengers stuff and no miscellaneous reblogs of other stuff. Wouldn’t that be nice? Maybe? Also like and reblog if you like to reblog.

[7-wonders]

M A S T E R L I S T

*denotes smut

+denotes completed series

Updated 10/23/20

Michael Langdon

Series

+As Above, So Below--Your average, mundane life as a college student is flipped upside down when the man you thought you knew as your next-door neighbor turns out to be the God of the dead. When Michael lures you down to Hell, everything that you thought you knew about the world is proven wrong.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20 | Chapter 21 | Chapter 22 | Chapter 23

+Shatter--Your coven is at war with the Antichrist, who has sworn to bring about the total destruction of the world. The only problem is that your mortal enemy just happens to be your boyfriend, Michael Langdon. After the coven decides that your relationship can't stand, Michael takes action.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Epilogue 

Mad Love--A normal evening of studying quickly goes wrong when you’re kidnapped. Things somehow manage to take a turn for the worse when you find out why: to be the bride of the Antichrist

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9 | Chapter 10 | Chapter 11 | Chapter 12 | Chapter 13 | Chapter 14 | Chapter 15 | Chapter 16 | Chapter 17 | Chapter 18 | Chapter 19 | Chapter 20

Oneshots

And God Made Eve to Bear the Curse (vampire!Michael)*--Michael wants one thing, and one thing only–to drink from the oasis between your thighs.

Chord Progressions--In the post-apocalyptic world, you find music to be the only thing that makes living in an underground bunker with a bunch of spoiled rich people tolerable. The time finally comes for your interview with the mysterious Cooperative member, Langdon. Will you find your way to salvation? Or will there be more questions than answers?

Bathe Me In Blood*--After your numerous questions, Michael invites you to observe as he conducts one of his rituals. The turn that it takes is a welcome surprise for both parties. 

Late-Night Reading--Your new friend Michael (aka the Antichrist) asks you to read to him one night after he has a nightmare.

Ride It Out--The end of the world is terrifying, even when you’re the Antichrist’s lover. 

Driver’s Ed--Michael really wants to learn how to drive a car.

A Sanctuary Within the Sanctuary--The end of the world is more difficult to deal with than you had anticipated. Michael, appreciative of how you’ve stuck by him, decides to show you his thanks. 

Practice Makes Perfect*--Michael wants a baby. You want a baby.

In the Clouds*--After a heated argument leads Michael to show you who’s in charge, you float off into the clouds.

Baby Love--You find out you’re pregnant, and now comes the hard part: Surprising Michael.

Sacrificial Lambs--What you thought was just going to be an event to meet the members of Michael’s Satanic church turns into a ritual sacrifice, followed by your unofficial ‘dark’ baptism. As any normal person, you don’t take the murders of two innocent people well. 

Hurt--After an intense fight, Michael inadvertently causes what he does best: Hurt.

Sweet as Cyanide--Michael makes his final decisions for the Sanctuary, and leaves you with a cryptic warning about the upcoming Halloween party.

Without a Word--You’ve always been the light to Michael’s dark, the one who makes everyone smile instead of the one who scares people with a mere glance. Michael has never seen the clouds that lurk inside of you, threatening to spill over and ruin your carefully-constructed image. 

Twilight, Eat Your Heart Out (vampire!Michael)--Pondering your own mortality is never a good long-term solution, especially when you have to compare it to the immortal vampire you’ve found yourself entangled in a relationship with.

Family Man--Michael brings his family along to the last Outpost after realizing that he’s not willing to sacrifice his loved ones for his father’s plan.

Lost In the Shadows--As a naturally curious person, the odd mannerisms of your elusive new boss pique your interest, making you determined to figure out who, or what, he is.

Thinking of Sin (CAOS!au)*--Michael, having fully embraced his title as Antichrist and heir to the throne of Hell, invites you to join him as his father’s church, the Church of Night, celebrates one of their most sacred holidays: Lupercalia, the festival of passion.

Creature of the Night (vampire!Michael)*--Michael indulges one of your secret fantasies on Halloween.

Heaven & Hell Were Words to Me*--A surprise takes a turn that should be sickening, but instead only serves to draw you even further into the web that Michael has woven.

Labyrinth King!Michael headcanons

Vampire Michael Musings

The Thrill of the Chase--Your path once again crosses with Michael’s, this time under much more dire circumstances. Life and death, specifically yours, has suddenly never been more prevalent in your mind.

Marry the Night--Outpost 3 has never been quiet. When you awake and find that, for the first time in months, there’s nothing but silence, you’re determined to get to the bottom of it. Soon, you’ll wish that you had stayed in bed.

Warm and Real and Bright--A Tangled!AU, with Michael as a dark Flynn Rider and reader as Rapunzel.

Duncan Shepherd

Series

Love Me Now+--Meeting Duncan’s family for the first time, you’re faced with the glaringly obvious facts: You don’t belong. 

Part One | Part Two

Memento Mori--When being in the wrong place at the wrong time lands (Y/N) in the blood-stained hands of D.C.’s most notorious crime boss, Duncan Shepherd, she finds herself unexpectedly in his debt. Perhaps owing the dangerous man a favor would be more torturous if he weren’t so engaging.

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9

Beauty and the Beast!Duncan Shepherd AU

Wilted Roses Smell Just as Sweet--How Duncan came to become the monster that he is when he and reader’s paths cross.

This Place of Wrath and Tears--Jim is missing, and nothing can prepare you for what you stumble upon in your quest to find him.

A Gentleman’s Guide to Wooing Your Prisoner--You begin to resign yourself to life in a prison cell, when things somehow manage to become even stranger. Alternately, Duncan deals with his staff and fellow prisoners having hope for the first time since the curse was placed on his home and everyone in it.

This Cruel Trick of Fate--A quick blurb from Duncan’s POV.

Down the Rabbit Hole--You make a decision about your stay at the enchanted manor, but at what cost?

Oneshots

Gala Blues*--At a political gala, you’re ridiculed and objectified by some of Duncan’s colleagues. A fight ensues between you and Duncan, continuing to a standoff that can only end in one way.

 Kiss Me Through the Phone--The Republican jerk who follows you on Twitter turns out to actually be kind of nice. You’re more than content with him just being an internet acquaintance, but plans change when it turns out that he’s going to be attending the same event tonight as you.

Come Out and Play*--Your boyfriend, Duncan, has a few tricks up his sleeve to help you relax after the stressful day you had.

From the Desk Of...*--The mandatory class you’re forced to take this semester is enough to make you consider dropping out of college. The only thing that makes it bearable is your teacher: Professor Duncan Shepherd. He’s smart, handsome, witty, and, not to mention, twenty years your senior. 

Like an Animal* (werewolf!Duncan)--Duncan finds himself in big trouble when he gets trapped in an elevator with you the night before his shift and in the midst of his heat. (Werewolf!Duncan Shepherd)

Service With a Scribble--Duncan’s a dick to a cashier, and (Y/N) decides to get back at him with a healthy dose of kindness.

Violent Delights* (incubus!Duncan)--Accidentally summoning a seductive incubus leaves you between a rock and a hard place, but do you really want out of this as much as you claim?

As the World Falls Down--You’ve stood by Duncan through thick and thin, but when the true intention of the app he’s been developing is revealed, everything crashes down around you.

Inside Out--After one too many instances of Duncan being the token stuck-up rich guy, you’re ready to show him how the rest of America lives by taking him through a day in your life.

All the Time In the World--Life has thrown you a few curveballs lately. Between absolute chaos wreaking havoc at your job, being too busy to sleep and your schedule not meshing with Duncan’s, you’re stressed beyond measure. So stressed, in fact, that you don’t notice you miss your period until you’re two weeks late. 

Duncan Shepherd NSFW Alphabet*

Jim Mason

Oneshots

Kiss of Fire*--You only want what’s best for Jim, and that includes staying clean of drugs. Jim, who’s been bottling up his true feelings for so long, finally snaps after he finds out you flushed his stash. 

Half of My Heart--Jim was supposed to be better now. After his psychotic break, you and Medina had made sure that it was impossible for him to slip back into his old habits. But the morning comes, and so does the realization that he’s been lying to both of you. 

Xavier Plympton

Truth or Dare--A oneshot of Xavier being dared to play Seven Minutes in Heaven, and you’re the one that the group chooses to go with him.

Still Lovin’ You--You’re smoking weed with Xavier in the back of the infamous Vanta-C when things get a little steamy.

Shot Through the Heart--Being a ghost, you could handle. Your boyfriend killing people? Not so much.

Welcome Home (Sanitarium)--After two years, Xavier returns to the spot where he nearly lost his life...and where you did.

Cum On Feel the Noize*--Xavier has ideas on how to spice up your boring shift.

[xfanfics]

Destiel Fic Rec List Part 4

Last Updated in October 2014. Posted in May 2020 for posterity.  Listed in no particular order - the total rec list will have ~250 fics. Header graphic used with permission.

This part of the list contains: 31 fics.

Other Destiel Rec Lists: [1]. [2]. [3]. [4]. [5]. [6]. [7].

-----

The Shadow at My Window ❤ by Zombiecat E | 141k | Hot, AU, Underage, Wing!kink

As a fledgling angel, Castiel is not allowed to interact with humanity. He should be strictly observing and concentrating on learning to be a warrior of Heaven. Even so, he cannot seem to stop himself from visiting the human boy that leaves his window open at night. At first, it's only to get a glimpse of their world.. but all that changes the night he saves the boy's life.

AMAZING!!! I'm a huge fan of both wing!kink and the underage romance trope, and this hits the spot. I read this from when it was a WIP (on chapter 12), and it was so worth it.

Fearson's floating cigarette. by orange_crushed M | 11k | Fluff,  Magicians AU

"That son of a bitch," Dean says. He strangles the handful of french fries he’s been holding, and one by one their warm, helpless, potato-y insides crumble over the tops of his fingers. He feels a brief burst of irrational, almost homicidal rage. "That floppy bow-tie wearing son of a bitch.” Dean is gonna kill Jimmy Wonderman. He’s gonna shove a never-ending string of scarves down his throat. He’s gonna make him eat balloon animals until he floats off into space.

This was so sweet and charming I'm going to cry. Castiel's gentleness and pure heart is really explored in this fic, and I LOVE it.    

Sweaters & Cigarettes ❤by lemonoclefox E | 149k | Hot,  Fluff,  High SCchool AU, punk cas, nerd dean

Dean Winchester is in high school, crushing hard on Castiel Novak, the unbelievably hot goth who Dean does his very best to convince himself he hates, despite the fact that he can’t really stop staring at him. Dean tries, but when the two of them finally cross paths, their first conversation takes a surprising turn. And suddenly, they both find themselves falling harder and faster than they ever could have expected.

LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS FIC! The trope reversal is perfect, and in short, this is one of my favorite high school AUs EVER.    

Shortskirts 'Verse by twentysomething E | 22k | High School AU

So, they're in high school, and then they're in college, and it's mostly not about Taylor Swift, except when it is.

Leave My Body, Moving Up to Higher Ground by triedunture E | 17k | Alt!canon, Genderswap

Castiel must take a new vessel to return to earth, so he strikes a deal with a woman who isn't as willing as Jimmy had been. But Dean's in a bad way and Leviathan needs to be smote, so what else can he do? Wonderful and heartbreakingly lovely. Gender swap, of a sort.    

A Treatise on Longing by araftatsea T | 8k | Angst,  Alt!Canon, Aging

Set post-8x23: Cas falls and is reborn as a human infant. Dean waits for him. He wonders how he's going to explain to this guy that he was an angel, once, and he wonders whether Cas will still want him. Or if he ever did.

Oh god, this fic huuuurts. But in a good way.    

Santorum Will Pry My Porn From My Cold Dead Hands by AlreadyPainfullyGone E | 41k | Pornstar AU

President Santorum bans all pornography, and Dean decides to start his very own prohibition racket. Unfortunately, the only person he can find to 'perform' is Castiel.

Lots of porn. Complete with in denial!dean and confident!cas.    

One Night at Club Radiant by octoberskyfall E | 16k | Hot, Stripper AU, Dom!Cas

When Charlie showed up at the garage with a six-pack of El Sol and an order for him to chug them down before they reached the bar, Dean knew he was in for one hell of a night. Featuring Stripper!Cas and light Dom!Cas because of reasons. Happy Birthday, Dean!

Damn. Just um--yes. Please.  

Gargoyles on Motorcycles by mandraco E | 24k | Office AU, Socially Awkward Cas

After the latest in Dean's long string of one night stands steals the Impala and totals it, he makes a bet with Sam that he can abstain from sex while he repairs it. But Lisa and Matt's wedding is coming up and Dean needs a date he'll never be attracted to. Enter Castiel.

Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives by cymbalism E | 14k | Fluff,  Alt!Canon

After the apocalypse, Dean's living with Lisa and earning his keep by cooking dinner. Cas likes that Dean can cook. Dean likes Cas's company. But they could use a little alone time, and Dean has a lot to learn about what the rest of his life really means.

Smoke in the Mirror by letters_of_stars M | 52k

It begins with the flier hung in the library: art model needed for thesis project, will pay. Castiel figures it's an easy way to make some extra money, but modeling for Dean Winchester ends up complicating his life far beyond anything he could have imagined.

Selfie with a stranger by somuchforbaggles T | 1k | Fluff, AU

Cas lied to his family about having a boyfriend, and now they want actual photographic evidence. There's only one thing he can do - take a selfie with a stranger.

This is just adorable. Instant feel-good fic.    

Paper-Thin by snarkymonkey E | 15k | Fluff, Hot,  College AU, Dom!Cas, Sub!Dean, Professor!Cas

Dean is finishing up his master's program, heading on for a PhD in Engineering but spends most of the time silently ogling his gorgeous next-door neighbor, the new adjunct professor of English, pursuing his dissertation.So, really, no reason the two should ever interact. Except...the walls between their apartments are just so thin. And even though he swears he's seeing the guy all over campus, there's no way the exceptionally friendly Professor Novak has a thing for Dean. Right?

The Pumpkin Pie Started It by twerkstiel E | 8k | Hot, AU, Baker Cas, ABO, Omega!Dean Sub!Dean, top!cas, alpha!cas

Dean Winchester is your ordinary college student. He does his work, fixes cars, complains about being broke. Except when he visits the new campus bakery, he ends up getting more than the pie he asked for.

Just what I like in an ABO short fic: cute, porny, and hot sex ;)   

Leave My Body, Moving Up to Higher Ground by triedunture E | 17k

Castiel must take a new vessel to return to earth, so he strikes a deal with a woman who isn't as willing as Jimmy had been. But Dean's in a bad way and Leviathan needs to be smote, so what else can he do?

Wonderful and heartbreakingly lovely. Gender swap, of a sort.

Scratchmarks  by bookkbaby E | 11k | Hot, canon!verse, endverse, threesome, bottom!cas, kink

Sometimes, sex isn't a goal, but a method. A method to escape, a method to forget, or a method to communicate, and Dean doubts that his future self is listening to what Cas is saying.

Porny 2009!Dean/2014!Dean/2014!Cas with bonus feelings towards the end.    

Halfway by anythingtoasted E | 29k | canon!verse, s8, pining!dean

A Fallen!Castiel bunker fic; Castiel arrives back at the bunker after six months of being missing, with eighteen of his newly-fallen brothers and sisters in tow; shameless schmoop and angel-care ensues.

Bunker!Fic. Castiel has a flock of brothers and sisters to care for. Always a fan of the way anythingtoasted writes the dean/cas relationship development.    

Home is Where by chasingrabbits E | 15k | AU, Mental Disorders

Casual vagrant Dean Winchester blows into Palo Alto to check on his little brother. What is meant to be a quick visit ends up drawing out when he meets and accidentally ends up clicking with Sam's strange, grad student roommate Castiel.

The Graveyard by  amarillogrande E | 18k | College AU, bottom!dean, tattooed!cas

The premise is simple. You finish the bottle, you stick it up on the shelf. When you move out, you can look up and remember all the good times you had. Right?

Smooth Operator!Verse by wannaliveindeansdimples E | 15k | Fluff, Hot, AU, Long Distance Relationship, Phone Sex

Castiel is a phone sex operator and Dean is a first time caller.

Messenger Number 3 by gamesformay M | 23k | Theatre AU, Fluff

Opening night is closing in at the Lawrence Shakespeare Festival, and the play is cursed. As if that weren't enough for Dean, the head of the tech crew, to have on his mind. A tale of love, family, and iambic pentameter.

Dark Side of the Moon by imogenbynight E | 37k | Angst,  Astronaut AU, PTSD, Minor Character Death

Five months into his six month mission, an accident leaves Flight Engineer Dean Winchester stranded on the moon. It comes down to a man he has never met to bring him home.

Give All My Secrets Away by morganoconner T | 2k | Fluff,  H/C, Canon!verse

When Castiel needs to stay with Dean while the hunter is vulnerable and unable to defend himself, he doesn't expect it to end with confessions Dean doesn't mean to give.

Convenient Husbands  by Scaramouche E | 39k | AU, creature!cas, wing!kink

"It's only temporary, right?" Dean says. "Just until you're healed up, and then we'll never have to see each other again. So what do you say, Castiel, do you want to marry me or not?

Every Word a Piece of My Heart by smilla840 E | 10k | Dean/Jimmy/Cas

The war is over and Jimmy is finally free to go back to his family. Everything should be perfect – then why isn’t it?

The Parts of Our Sum by scaramouche E | 55k | AU, Friendship

Castiel, a former soldier, has worked for the Company his entire life. They've been good to him, providing clothes, shelter and new body parts whenever necessary. Now the Company's gearing up for a space exploration voyage, and Castiel's volunteered for the research team. During the preparation period, he meets Dean Winchester, who makes Castiel wonder about the things he's missed out on.

What Has Eight Tentacles and Isn't Allowed to Eat Pie? by Scaramouche T | 16k |  Fluff,  Canon!verse, tentacles

Dean watched an anime porn about this once, but real life turns out to be way less interesting. Or, the one where Dean gets turned into an octopus.

Shorten the Distance by APenToMyHeadandImDead T | 43k | Fluff,  AU, Teacher!Cas

"Nerdytr3nchcoat" and "Impala67" weren't looking for romance on the dating website called 'dateangels.com'. Castiel was looking for friends and Dean was just looking to get his nagging brother off his back. What they didn't expect to find was each other. [a long distance, online relationship fic]

Jump the Track by alysian_fields E | 83k | High school AU

It's Dean's senior year at Lawrence High, and he's already given up on himself. It takes the arrival of the strange, intense, awkward Castiel Delacroix at the school to prove to Dean that maybe his life is worth saving after all.

Blackbird Fly ❤ by artsyunderstudy E | 163k | Angst, High school AU, Sam/Jess, Drug Use, Mental Health Issues

In the wake of a mutual tragedy, the Winchester brothers befriend loner Castiel. Both brothers find something in him to hold onto as they try to remake their own complicated relationship and the home they've lost. Struggling with his own recovery, Sam finds himself drawn to the strong and lively Jess, while Castiel and Dean find comfort in one another. As consequences of their past emerge and threaten to tear apart what they've carefully rebuilt, they are all forced to reevaluate who their family really is, and what it's worth to keep it.

Oh the angst! This fic may be triggering for some, but the pros include a wonderfully portrayed sam/jess relationship, and stunning illustrations. Dean and Cas' relationship is heartbreakingly lovely and broken (but there is a happy ending).    

A Broken Man & The Dawn by n_nami E | 44k | Fluff,  COCKLES, AU,

After his brother dies in a car accident, Jensen is left to take care of his newborn nephew - and he’s in over his head. Also, he has the feeling that the guy who just moved into the apartment next door hates him because of the crying baby that keeps him up all night. As it turns out, Misha not only has that set of mesmerizing blue eyes, but also a lot of intuition when it comes to fussing, cranky babies.

Jeté by cadniganv E | 10k | AU, dancer!dean, photographer!cas

Castiel has been photographing their ballet company for two years now and he and Dean have barely exchanged six words, and yet somehow when Dean breaks his leg, it's Castiel who takes him home from the hospital and takes care of him.

[looselucy]

Vanish

December 1st It had been two weeks since I’d last seen Harry. It had been two weeks since anyone had seen Harry.

The morning after our karaoke night, I had woken in an empty bed despite the fact I had fallen asleep with him at my side, feeling almost disappointed to wake alone. No one had seen or heard from him since. I had text him just a couple of days after I’d seen him, asking him to come round, and received no reply. I was worried at first, thinking maybe he wanted to call an end to our truce, but when I turned up for our class on the Wednesday, I was met with a notice on his door. I’m out of town. Sorry for the lack of notice. Back soon, Harry. That was it. Nothing more nothing less. It had been two weeks and no one had heard a thing. I didn’t know whether I missed him, but I missed having him around. His lack of presence was noticeable, more so than I would have thought. Our trips to the pub hadn’t felt the same without him there. My nights hadn’t felt the same without having him and his company as an option. I didn’t know whether or not we should have been worried about him. I didn’t know enough about him, if he’d have any reason to leave, or even if he’d come back; I’d found myself questioning if this is what he did when he left places, left that idea lingering that maybe he’d come back, like he’d merely disappeared for a while and he’d return, only to be half way to rebuilding his life again somewhere completely new. I didn’t have a clue about anything, and I found myself questioning it often. “It’s fucking freezing!” Lin whined. “I like Christmas as much as the next person, but I tell you what, December is cold.” Chloe was big into the Christmas season, so on the 1st of December every year, we’d have a slight celebration. She’d buy a shit load of fireworks, and on the land behind her house, she’d light them all and we’d all stand in the freezing cold and watch them go off before proceeding to go indoors and get nice and drunk. We all liked the drinks bit at least. We were all standing in a row, big coats on, arms wrapped around our bodies, stood shoulder to shoulder watching Chloe arrange the fireworks. “I can admit, it’s certainly not warm.” I nodded, pulling my bobble hat on a little lower. “Are they nearly ready?” Libby tried her best to sound like she wasn’t complaining, but she did a terrible job. “My testicles are freezing off. They’re gunna drop on the floor any second now.” Niall was as wonderfully vulgar as ever. “Would you all stop whinging so bloody much?” She whipped her head to scowl at us directly. “This is gunna be great! It’s the biggest one yet, so just hold your fucking horses. We’ll be inside and we’ll be drunk soon.” “I’ll be drunk really soon, I’ve got beer.” Niall lifted his can proudly. “What? Where’d you get that from?” Lincoln sulked. “I want one.” “I’ve got a full crate in my backpack, grab one!” “Sick!” We all chimed in that we wanted one, Lincoln running around to Niall’s back and grabbing us a can each, passing them down the line until we were all stood there, still freezing but with a can each, which certainly eased the pain somewhat, but whatever beer Niall had chosen was blatantly cheap and rather nasty. But it was better than nothing. “OKAY EVERYONE, IT’S TIME! STAND BACK!” She lit them quickly before jogging back over to us, extremely giddy about the whole thing. They were lighting up in seconds, screaming up towards the sky, the lot of us cracking our necks to watch them. I appreciated her excitement, always; being around Chloe at Christmas was like being around a puppy, and I loved that, but no matter how hard she tried, the firework display was always underwhelming. Each year she’d declare that next year they’d be better, she’d spend more money, go to a better shop, get a bigger collection, but then the 1st of December would come back around and it would be as poor as it had been a year earlier. Most of them had a rather loud bang but no sparkle to accompany them, nothing to please the eyes,  practically all of our senses taking a beating. It was so cold it stung at the skin, there was an overwhelming stench of cow shit, it was loud, the beer was god awful, and the one thing that was supposed to be guaranteed was a good sight, and we didn’t even get that. It was over a couple of minutes later, and we all just stood in silence. I even heard someone tut at one point. “Well that was shit.” Niall was the first to speak. “Niall!” Chloe cried. “Chloe, I love you, and this is a lovely concept, but that was shit. Can we go and get drunk now?” “Urgh, fine. Next year, I’ll get more. If I just buy a few more, it’ll be really impressive.” I linked my arm through Louis’ as we began stumbling our way back to Chloe’s, my eyes on the ground the entire time, hoping not to fall. “Y’know what’s weird?” He began. “It feels weird that Harry’s not here, even though he’s never been to one of these before.” “I know what you mean. Kinda used to having him around now.” I sighed. “Has anyone heard from him?” “I don’t think so.” “I hope he’s alright. Strange to just up and leave without saying anything.” “I think that’s what he’s like though.” I shrugged. “I’m not sure he even thinks about it. He’s private, isn’t he?” “I wonder if he’ll stay here.” “I hope so.” I did want him to stay, for many reasons, not all selfish. There was just this part of me that felt like I didn’t know what to predict from him. I’d been trying not to think about it too much, but it seemed we were all getting increasingly attached to a boy who was a possible flight risk, but so quiet about himself that we’d never know for sure. Once we were back inside, we all immediately made our way down into the basement as not to disturb Chloe’s parents. It was expensive in Rosebury, meaning it wasn’t easy for everyone to move out into their own place. None of us had any intentions of living somewhere else, so that would involve getting a mortgage there, so it was a struggle. Houses rarely came up for sale, and even when they did, it would have set everyone back a fortune, despite the special treatment we got from the estate agents because we already lived there. I suppose I’d gotten lucky with my place, in some ways. I didn’t need to worry about that kind of thing. We said a brief hello to her mum and dad before we rushed downstairs. Chloe’s parents were minted, so their basement had a bar and a pool table and everything you’d possibly want for a night in drinking. That was one of the many reasons she’d stuck with them rather than renting somewhere like the other guys did. It wasn’t the kind of house you’d want to leave. Every time we walked in there it looked like Niall had died and floated off to heaven. “Who wants a game?” Lin yelled on his way to the cues. “I do I do!” I chimed. “Good, I need a word with you anyway.” Intrigued, I scuttled over to him, standing close by his side as he topped the cues up with chalk, music being turned on in the background and bottles being popped open. “What’s up?” “I was basically just wondering if you wanted to come to mine for Christmas Day?” “What?” I replied weakly. “Well I know you’ve spent the past few years with Sam, and I didn’t want you to be on your own this year. I spoke to my mum and dad about it, and we’d like to invite you to spend the day with us. If you want.” I felt like crying. I’d been trying not to think about Christmas at all, and I’d have never asked any of them if I could intrude on their days, so I’d been quietly aware that it was likely I’d spend the day alone. I’d thought even an invite from one of them would have been down to last minute panic, realising my dire situation a little too late. The fact that Lincoln had already thought about it, spoke to his parents, and taken me to one side to propose his offer made me well up, tears stinging my eyes. “Lin… I can’t believe you even thought of me.” “Course I did.” He shrugged. “Don’t feel like you have to-” “I’d love it. I was dreading being on my own, I’d love to.” “Sorted. C’mere, don’t get upset.” He swept me under his wing, dragging me into his body and kissing the top of my head. “We can’t wait to have you with us. Don’t cry.” Tucking into his side completely, I cried, just a little, just to get it out of my system, holding him tightly and hoping that was a good enough way to show how much I appreciated him, because words weren’t necessarily an option at the time. I was once again reminded and totally overwhelmed with the love I had for my friends, and the love they had for me.

December 2nd The morning after, I was feeling surprisingly fresh. I’d decided not to open the shop after anticipating the hangover from hell, but I felt fine. The night before had gone as expected. We’d drank a lot and laughed a lot, I’d cuddled Lincoln a bit more than I usually did, Chloe had been sick, Niall had sung a lot of terrible songs, Libby and Louis had gotten deep and emotional at some point. It was all a pretty standard procedure, really, and I couldn’t have asked for anything more. I was in the kitchen making myself some breakfast when there was a knock on the door, shooting my head to look, puzzled which one of them would have been in a fit state at such an hour to come to around to my place for reasons unknown. It didn’t add up. But I wasn’t expecting to open the door to Harry. He was inside within seconds, wrapping his arms around me, kissing me, almost lifting me off the floor with the force and strength he had before I was pushed against the wall, my fingers losing themselves in his hair. I couldn’t stop kissing him, but then at the same time, I couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. I was so glad to have him back, to be kissing him again, to know he was back in Rosebury and he was okay. “Where the fuck have you been?” I gasped against his lips. “Doesn’t matter, I’m back now.” I should have known I wasn’t going to get a straight answer from him, but I didn’t even have it in me to care. All I wanted was to kiss him, feel him, embrace the fact he was home. “When did you get back?” “Just now. Came straight here.” He groaned. The thought of him coming straight over to see me got me even hotter, that combined with him lifting me off the floor, pinning my body against the wall with his, I was a goner already. I instinctively wrapped my legs around him, kissing him with as much vigour as I could muster, already feeling enough pleasure to produce moans that pressed against his lips. It was only then that I fully accepted that I’d actually missed him. I’d missed his company, I’d missed his kiss, I’d missed the way I felt when I was with him. I didn’t know where he’d been or how long he’d be around for, but I was amazed by how thrilled I was that he was back. I was thankful that I was wearing so little, Harry bunching up my oversized t-shirt so it gathered around my hips, next unzipping his pants and pushing my knickers to the side so my crotch was clear for him, meaning that it was only seconds until he’d thrust into me, my back crashing against the wall. “Holy fuck.” I cried. “Did you get checked out?” “Really? You’re asking me that right now?” He stilled. “You have your dick in me! When else am I supposed to ask? You didn’t really give me an opportunity.” “Sorry.” He chuckled. “Just straight in there, willy-nilly. Literally.” “I’ve fucking missed you, Alfie Hunter.” He sniggered. “I’m clean. Do you need me to get my phone and show you the text?” “No, I trust you. Do you need me to show you mine?” “Depends what it says.” His breath hit my lips, slowly rolling his hips again. “I’m clean.” “May I continue?” He smirked. “You may.” I giggled. He kissed me again, clutching my neck with his hands, gasping and pushing into me, his thrusts harsh but his kiss rather gentle. I’d almost forgotten how good he was, or at least I’d tried to forget, to not think about it constantly in his absence. With the way I’d worried he wouldn’t return, I’d tried to avoid thinking about how good we were when we were together, the ecstasy I experienced every time his body met mine. Even feeling his smooth skin beneath my fingertips was something that brought a different form of life to my body. I was still utterly amazed by the chemistry we shared. It was hard to recall the months where we weren’t like that with one another. “M'so glad you’re back” I gasped. “Gimme some warning before you fuck off next time.” “I’m not going anywhere.” “Good.” Even when he was fucking me against a wall like that, both of us practically still fully clothed, it felt intimate. He was always so close, always so passionate in the way he kissed, the way his hands held me so tightly. I couldn’t see myself tiring of what we did and how we were with one another. His hands moved upwards, dragging through my hair, tongue tracing mine. I could feel the muscles in his buttocks against my heels, obsessed with each and every tick of his body. I could feel the slight tickling of his facial hair with the kiss we shared, something I wasn’t entirely used to. More often than not, he was freshly shaved, but it seemed in his time away he’d allowed his grooming schedule to go awry. I certainly didn’t mind. I could actually think of a few places I would have liked to feel his facial hair. His hand crawled up my t-shirt, gripping at my breast, his pace increasing, his tongue brushing harsh against my bottom lip. My back ached, my head was repeatedly bashing against the wall, but I was so enthralled by the strength he had keeping me in place, the power of his movements, the pain and how uncomfortable it was meant nothing to me. I pulled at his hair, dragging his head back with such force he grunted almost aggressively as I attacked his neck with my lips, licking and pinching at his skin, one foot lowering to land on the floor and steady myself, his movements becoming so harsh I felt like I needed the support. “Touch me.” I begged breathlessly. He reached down between our bodies to oblige, unlatching from my breast to lower his fingers to my nub, forcing my gaze to be back with his by crashing his forehead against mine, next biting my bottom lip. He was so full of fire, fucking alight, fucking burning. “Don’t disappear again.” I urged, the desperation clear in my voice, even shocking me to a certain degree. I’d become too accustom to who we were together, what we were doing. To have him vanish with no warning and come back with no warning had sent a siren blaring through my body that reminded me harshly that I was actually invested in our arrangement, that it was something I’d miss if I no longer had it. The excitement of having him back made me realise how badly I wanted him to stay. It was all so overwhelming. I became alarmingly hot, only experiencing seconds of him touching me and my whirring thoughts before heat burst through me, gripping my eyes shut, like I was trying to shun it, alarmed by the rush of that feeling. “Oh shit.” Harry gasped, sounding deadly serious, genuinely alarmed. “What?” I panicked. “It’s the grumpy cum face, it’s spreading to you.” “You’re such a bellend.” I laughed breathlessly. “You scared me.” “C’mon.” He encouraged, biting his lip, back to the matter at hand. “Finish.” He licked at my bottom lip to encourage me to open my mouth, doing so quickly so that our tongues could meet again, my full body shaking as I let go of the feeling, let it all wash out of me. I cursed repetitively, my body becoming bizarrely limp, so much so that even his strenght could no longer keep me in place. I began slipping down the wall, Harry trying to hold me in place, sniggering as I slid from my spot and our bodies detached. Seconds later, I landed on the floor with a thud, Harry laughing so much that he soon collapsed on his knees ahead of me, clearly finding my feeble state very amusing. “I’m weak. I’m too weak, I literally couldn’t stay up. What’ve you done?” With his hard dick still out, he fell backwards, crashing onto the floor and clutching at his stomach, not at all concerned about my weary state. We stayed on the ground, laughing together. It felt amazing to have him back.

“You missed out last night.” I told him, the two of us sat on my bed tucking into the pizza he’d ordered. “How come?” “We get drunk on the first of December every year, round at Chloe’s. It was fun, you would’ve liked it.” “Anything else interesting happen in my absence?” “It’s bloody Rosebury, what do you think?” The day had passed by in a flash. All we’d done was fuck and laugh and talk, the whole day. Hours had felt like minutes, darkness draping itself over our village without warning, sneaking through the streets like a fox before I’d even be able to comprehend how long he’d been there with me, how easy his company was. “Glad I’m back.” He mumbled after a mouthful. “Seriously, where’ve you been?” I didn’t expect an answer, but I wanted to ask. I think he had a moment there, a short one, where he considered telling me where he’d been. It didn’t last, but his silence was enough of a signal to me. The fact he didn’t immediately brush the question under the ever-growing rug was an improvement in itself. He hesitated, unsure what to say. “Um… Nowhere interesting, really. Nowhere I wanted to be.” “You wanna talk about it?” I offered despite the fact I knew he’d reject it. “Nah, it’s fine. Nothing you need to concern yourself with. Nothing you’d be interested in.” “You’re so fucking mysterious, aren’t ya, Styles?” “No, I’m just boring.” He tried. I rolled my eyes, not buying a word but not wanting to push the matter. His boundaries must have been there for a reason, whether it was the matter at hand, something from his past, or his way of not getting too close to me. Whatever it was, I didn’t want to place him in an uncomfortable position because I was intrigued to know answers to the variety of questions I had about him. I didn’t matter, really. His company was still desirable to me. “I thought maybe you were… in the process of moving somewhere else again.” I admitted shyly. “Nah. I think I’m sticking around. I like it here. I’ve got a good thing going on here.” “Yeah?” “Yeah. I think… this is the most settled I’ve felt in a place. I’m happy here. Being away… kinda reinforced that, so… Sorry, you can’t get ridda me that easily.” “I don’t want rid.” I huffed. “I would have no one to shag without you here. I’d be very sexually frustrated.” “M'just a piece of meat to you, aren’t I?” He grinned. I shrugged, receiving the middle finger from him before we went back to quietly finishing our food. Us doing platonic things together was becoming less irregular. We hadn’t started that way, but ever since that night where I’d taken food around to his house almost a month earlier, I found we were doing things like that much more often. It was needed, I thought; I’d said I wanted our friendship to be placed above anything else, and we’d lost it for a while, become completely animalistic with our attraction. I felt like we’d reached a healthy middle ground. “I was thinking about this.” He put down his half-eaten slice, defeated. “Y’know when you came to me with your rules, about how this is gunna work, with me and you?” “Mm?” “You said I can’t sleep with any of your friends. And like… Well, everyone knows everyone here. Everyone’s friends in Rosebury. So, basically, I’m only fucking you?” “True,” I had to agree, tittering lightly. “But, y’know… When you were away, for example. You could’ve done what you wanted then. With who you wanted. Know what I mean?” “Yeah, that makes sense.” He nodded, before looking right at me. “I didn’t, by the way.” “But it would have been fine if you did.” “You wouldn’t get jealous?” He asked, seeming surprised. “No. I don’t think so. Why, would you? If you knew I’d-” “I think I would.” He admitted. “In a weird way, yeah. I dunno if that’s me being possessive and weird or whatever, but I don’t think I’d like it. If it happened.” I couldn’t believe he’d confessed that. Despite what I was saying, I knew that if Harry had gotten back from his trip and declared he’d been with someone else whilst he was away, I wouldn’t be jumping for joy at the thought. It wouldn’t have made me want to stop, nor would I have been angry, but I suppose I could admit that it wouldn’t quite feel right, either. “Hm. I see what you mean. Maybe it would bother me, I dunno.” I acknowledged. “Don’t wanna test the theory, do you?” He grinned. “No.” “Exactly.” He sniggered. “It’d just be weird, wouldn’t it? I think if you told me you had I’d… Maybe wanna hate fuck you, just the once. Or… go the extra mile. Give you the best blowjob you’d ever had, just so you’d know I was the better option.” “I did it, I shagged someone else, gimme a blowjob.” He fibbed. “Fuck off.” I threw a bit of pepperoni at his face as I laughed. “I get it though. If I found out you’d slept with someone, I’d wanna give you the fucking ride of your life. Fuck the memory of it out of you. Remind you that... some guy can’t satisfy you in the way I can.” I liked that we were being so honest with each other. It didn’t seem to be adding any complications to what we’d agreed on, more like we were comfortable enough to admit that under any circumstance, us being with other people was not the ideal. That buzz of jealousy, no matter how minor and insignificant, was bound to be there. Noticing we’d both finished the food, I put the pizza box on the floor, laying down and staring up towards the ceiling before I spoke again. “So what’re you saying?” “I’m saying… I’m not gunna fuck anyone else. Not whilst we’re doing this. And I don’t wanna take the option away from you! If you… want to know you can, then it’s up to you. All I’m saying is… I won’t be doing it. I’ve got no plans to leave Rosebury again any time soon anyway, so it’s a given. But even if I do… I won’t be with anyone else.” He lay himself down next to me, waiting for me to respond. I rarely left our village anyway, and even when I did it certainly wasn’t to go out looking for sex. I couldn’t even imagine having a one-night stand with anyone. It didn’t feel a harmful addition to our agreement. “Okay. I won’t either.” I nodded. “Just me and you.” “Just me and you.” He repeated back to me. “Okay.” “And maybe Chloe.” “You fucking dare.” “I’m kidding, I’m kidding.” He chortled, taking my t-shirt between his fingers and dragging my body closer to his. “I wouldn’t.” He swept me into his broad frame, my face lost against his chest, shooting a weak punch to his stomach, to which he sweetly faked pain. “You better not.” “M'only teasing.” “Good.” I sulked, remaining close but looking up to him. “She’s gone off you now anyway.” “Good!” He cried, to my surprise. “Gets boring and awkward having to side step her advances.” “You’ve rejected her one too many times, she’s done now.” “Thank fuck.” He sighed, moving to bash the tip of my nose with his, speaking softly. “Got my fix with you, don’t I?” He kissed me, soft, tender, getting more of that fix he’d mentioned, his hand reaching up and glazing over the side of my neck before clutching there, the tips of his fingers landing at the top of my spine, quivers sparking from the spot and exploding through my body, such an exhilarating sensation. I threw my leg over his hip, pushing so I was as close to him as I could be, infatuated with the way it felt like his frame could swallow mine, like I melted into him. The kiss cooled, the two of us leaving gradual soft pecks upon the others lips until we stopped completely, Harry wrapping his arms around me to hold me close, resting his chin on top of my head, closing his eyes. I settled there, closing my eyes too, warm and protected. I hadn’t even realised that I’d ended up hugging him, how we both had our arms around each other. His were around my neck, resting at the top of my back. I had one arm wrapped around his body, my other hand on his chest, able to feel the steady beat of his heart. “Mm.” I grumbled, too cosy. “Don’t, I’ll fall asleep.” “Let’s sleep then. I’m knackered.” “It’s weird to sleep so soon after eating.” “We shouldn’t have eaten so late.” “Mm. I can’t believe we forgot.” I sulked. “We were so busy shagging that I forgot to eat. Madness. It’s so unlike me.” He chuckled, still managing to pull me a little closer, his heavy breathing sifting through my hair, feeling the way he sketched the tips of his fingers in small circles at the top of my back, making me even sleepier. I couldn’t fight it. The thing was, we hadn’t slept like that before. Usually as soon as we were tired, we’d distance, dart to one side of the bed and claim it, not even touching one another, our boundaries made clear. We could spend an entire day with our bodies latched, but when it was time to slumber, we dismissed that intimacy, drew the line. There was something different about actually spending a night’s sleep with our touches remaining intact. I’d slept with him physically, I’d slept beside him, but we’d never truly slept together, like we wanted to be in contact even when our consciousness was void. “It’s good to be home.” He whispered the final words of the evening. I stayed cuddled against him, falling asleep with ease, no matter how odd it felt, how aware I was that it was so different to how we’d been before. I didn’t worry. I couldn’t. Being that close with him and feeling so calm, it was impossible to. I didn’t worry. I should have.