#cranky 30 year old man in my phone i love you

[psychicthepsychic-daily]

wolf?? nah he's CROW coded /JJJJ

ver. without text ↓

is he about to cry /JJJ

[applepi-1]

The Texts

Hey

Do you remember when we watched movies til 3 am? Eating anything we can find that was unhealthy. You eating so much strawberry cheesecake and me who ate so much chocolate covered strawberries. Use to joke saying I was trying to level the healthy with the non healthy choices. You use to laugh and call me an idiot, he’s not as funny.

You put your phone down on the table looking at the clock that read 10:30 you looked at your boyfriend who slept by your side, you slowly got out of bed walking down the stairs and out the door, sitting in the cold cold air.

Do you remember our first I love you? I do. It was a cute romantic scene. We just came back from your brothers birthday party and you mother and grandmother kept asking when we’d get married. You had a sparkle in your eyes, do you still have it?

You sighed walking into your apartment looking at your boyfriend as he paced around the room on the phone with his mother. He looked at you and pointed towards the kitchen, you quickly bowed and made your way and began dinner.

You remember that god awful strawberry shortcake we made? It tasted like feet, but you ate every bite clamming to love it?

You scrubbed the food off the plate and into the trash as your boyfriend yelled in the background.

You remember my random 3 am phone calls? No matter how cranky you always answered, always stayed on the phone til I fell asleep. I guess now it’s 3 am text to a number who doesn’t text back.

You looked over at your boyfriend as he slept quickly going to the restroom turning the faucet as the tears ran down your face.

You remember the day we ran away? My dad was throwing things at my mother the day she cheated and you showed up on your bike, riding us to the nearest park. We stayed there for hours. Talking. Smiling. Well I ran away today, parks colder alone…

You covered up the bruise and cuts and sighed into the wind watching your breath slowly disappear into the cold air.

You remember when your brother said I was like the sibling he never had, and asked when you’d marry me so I can officially become the sibling he never had. His family doesn’t even know my name.

You sat at the dinner table very uncomfortable as his dad tried and failed to make small talk with you, it was clear you were never mentioned or even brought up for them to know anything about you.

Today was supposed to be a good day. I went to the amusement park. It wasn’t as fun. He didn’t want to get on any of the rides. I begged like a five year old. Remember when you use to call me an idiot and drag me to the ride I wanted to go on, he’s not funny.

You slumped into the car as he slammed the door. “You’re always on that damn phone who the hell are you texting?”

“My ex.”

“Your ex?”

“Yes, my ex.”

“Why?”

“Why? WHY? Because he can be a dick and act salty around everyone, but he was sweet to me, he was kind. He cared about me. He actually loved me. He is half the man you will ever be, he listened to me, talked to me to his family, bragged about me to his friends. He’s not you.”

“Yeah? He still left.”

I told him about you today… he didn’t like how I spoke so highly of you.

Why did you leave?

—

Today wasn’t so good, I remember how gentle you hands are whenever his touch mine. Your hands were never rough or aggressive… they were caring and sweet. He’s not caring.

You threw your coat on hissing as it rubs against the bruises on your skin.

Remember when you gave me your jacket at the winter dance? You made a horrible “well damn Jackie I can’t control the weather” joke, your friends laughed at you for it, I thought it was adorable. He’s not nice.

You slumped in the corner of the room as everyone talked amongst themselves, you knew no one here but your boyfriend who was no where in eye sight.

Remember when we use to sneak onto the roof at school, the wind was amazing up there. Is the wind still amazing?

You looked at him through a window watching him give a tour of dinosaurs to little kids, smiling to yourself before walking away.

I’m jealous of the town, they can see you everyday, I’m jealous of the dead dinosaurs who are in your bubble at all times, I’m jealous of the single moms who gawk. I saw you the other day, you look good.

You placed your phone down onto the cafe table sighing into your seat watching as the barista brings a plate of chocolate cover strawberries. “Thank you, Teresa.”

i remember when you got into nationals… I was so proud of you, I remember calling you up, telling you how proud I was. I saw Iwaizumi today, he says you’re doing well.

You put your phone in your pocket as you wait for a cab. “Y/n wait.” You looked back seeing Iwaizumi run back to you.

“Yes?”

“He misses you.”

“I’m sorry?”

“We’re not friends, or even close, old team rivals, but I run into Kageyama time to time, and… he misses you.”

“Kageyama told you this?”

“Yeah, He says he glances at his phone and smiled softly, he snuck a glance and saw it was you… you still message him?”

“I do… just when little things remind me of him. I do the same for my boyfriend.”

“Of course.” He went to walk away but you grabbed his arm. “Yes?”

“I don’t… I only write him. I miss him too. It was good seeing you Iwa.”

“You too.” You got into your cab smiling softly to yourself.

I sat in our old cafe the other day, Teresa is finally with the guy we told her about. They seem really happy. You remember when we first got there I spilt water all over her. I still apologize to this day. I had a chocolate covered strawberry for the first time since we.. you know.

You gasped as the door swung open. “Jeez you scared me.”

“Why don’t you love me?”

“You know why.” He stumbled over to you pushing you down onto the bed. “What are you doing?”

“Making love to a stubborn girl to make her fall in love.”

“I don’t want to.”

“Come on I haven’t touched you in ages.”

“I’m not in the mood.” You sat back up but he pushed you down again, climbing on top of you holding your wrist together tightly enough for it to bruise the next day. “I don’t want this.”

“You don’t know what you want.”

“I’m saying no.” He looked down at you before releasing your hands, you sighed in relief but quickly drew in a sharp breath as an awful sting took to your face.

Do you remember our first time? We went to the movies to see Jurassic World with Chris Pratt. You walked me home and I invited you in. It was perfect. Never forced. He’s not perfect.

You sat your phone down crying before you heard a buzz, you quickly picked up your phone looking down at it as two words read below your many texts.

I remember.

Why? Why did you leave? Why do I see your picture perfect smile as he throws a hand back? It’s not fair.

You looked at the message before deleting it.

Why? Why did you leave? Why do I see your picture perfect smile as he throws a hand back? It’s not fair.

I’m sorry.

I’m so sorry.

I’m so so sorry.

Why are you apologizing?

Y/n?

I’m sorry…

You put the phone down staring at your ceiling.

—

He looked down at his phone waiting to see if you’d text anything other than I’m sorry, his friend looked at him confused as he waited. “her again?”

“Yeah, I don’t know what to say.”

“what did she want?”

“She said she was sorry.”

“For?”

“I guess texting me? I should be the one apologizing, I gotta go, tell Kiyoko happy birthday for me.” He walked off winding up at the park you two spent many nights running away from home, it was colder. He sighed looking at the big lights that lead to the amusement park, he followed watching as couples point to many unsafe rides. Lastly, the cafe, he stared in the window as the barista you talked about smiled at the man with such love, he walked in getting her attention, her smile grew as she walked over.

“Hi! How’ve you been? I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“I know, I’m sorry Teresa, I’m glad things worked out for you.”

“Awe, thanks hun, get any table you like, your table is still available of course.”

“My table?”

“You know which one.” She walked off to another table as he walked over to his. He sat down feeling weird as it been ages.

I’m in town today, Teresa does look happy, he suits her, the amusement park still looks unsafe I see. And you were right much colder alone at the park.

He waited for you to reply but nothing came.

Can I see you tonight?

Sure?

Cafe?

Be there in 10.

—

He looked up as the bell dinged, you walked over to him slowly smiling lightly as you sat in front of him. “Hi.”

“Hi.” You shifted in your seat a bit. “How’ve you been? The king tells me you’ve got a promotion.”

“I did. I’ve been good, how about you? Iwaizumi said you also got a promotion as manager of the museum.” He laughed quietly confusing you. “What?”

“We’re acting like middle schoolers going around asking our friends about one another,” You ended up joining his laughter.

“You’re so right! How is the old team?”

“Tanaka and Kiyoko are to be married soon.”

“Oh I know, I got an invite, can you believe after years of pinning, he got the girl.”

“Yeah… he got the girl.” You noticed how his eyes fell at the statement.

“Why did you leave?” Before he could answer another barista appeared.

“What can I get you guys?”

“Oh um, some strawberry shortcake and chocolate covered strawberries please.”

“Oh we don’t serve-“

“I got them!” You quietly chuckled as Teresa settley ran into the poor girl scaring the boy slightly. “I got them.” They laughed as the woman walked away.

“Settle, real settle.”

“One shortcake and strawberries coming up.” You laughed once more at the girl before turning to him.

“What?”

“I forgot how angelic your laugh is.”

“Nothing compared your voice.”

“Please.”

“I’m serious, I could fall asleep listening to it.”

“I’m sure I can send a voice memo at 3 am in texts.” You blushed as she brought out the cake, him taking a bite quickly. “Doesn’t come close to yours Y/n.”

“Oh please, mine was awful.”

“Feet don’t taste like that.”

“How would you know?”

“Oh, um, Y/n. I meant to ask, how’d you like the flowers?”

“Flowers?” You looked at her funny.

“Oh your um boyfriend came in the other day had some in his hand, said they were for his girlfriend.”

“Oh, those f-flowers, they were lovely, Lilly’s.”

“It was roses.”

“Oh right, sorry he just buys so many different ones.” She smiled sweetly before another customer called for her.

“You okay?’

“Yeah, yeah.” You shook your head laughing cocky. “No, I’m not, I’m in a very unhealthy relationship. I’m dating my dad and I’m my mom. This is bad.”

“Then why are you with him?” He rest his hands on the table leaning forward.

“Our parents set it up, well mine did all they had to say was girl and they were hooked. I can’t leave… he’d hurt me.”

“Then leave with me.”

“I-.”

“No seriously, come on. Come live with me, get back on your feet. Do the things you love, feel the amazing air.”

“You read my messages.”

“Highlights of my day honestly, don’t do this for me. Do it for you. What do you say?”

“Okay. Let’s do it, let’s go.” You texted your boyfriend a fair well and left your phone at the cafe before following him to his apartment. Teresa watched with a smile on her face, she knew you didn’t get the flowers, they weren’t even your favorite. She also knew you needed a push in the right direction.

—

It took a while to get over your fear of hands or bottles falling, you haven’t heard from you ex since you left. Everyone’s been patient with you and today makes a year since he took you under his wing, you smiled at yourself in the mirror before walking out your house with lunch in your hand walking off to his job. He was surprised to see you but still grabbed you two a table. You two sat in silence eating slowly enjoying one another’s company.

“Do you remember when we met?” You asked as you two finish and began to walk back home.

“I do, it was a Monday morning, dreadful days, you came running up to me wanting me to sign a protest to have coffee on campus.”

“I was so hooked on coffee back then.”

“Then you asked me my horoscope and took a piece out of a book you were reading and said-“

“I’d leave you alone if you sign my protest.”

“I took the paper after that and you said to keep it, it’ll bring me luck one day,” He pulled a piece of paper out his wallet handing it over to her.

“You kept it.”

“Since I was 14.”

“That was 8 years ago, its been in your wallet for-“

“8 years.”

“Wow. I can’t believe you.”

“You never went away by the way.”

“Oh I know. I’m glad I didn’t I don’t regret it.”

“You once asked why I left.” You too stopped in front of the building staring at one another. “Nationals was coming up. I was nervous, and I didn’t want you there if we lost. I regret doing it everyday, especially because I love you, and I’m sorry. I was nervous you were gonna leave and I pushed you to leave.”

“You love me? As in still?” He smiled softly at you nodding his head.

“still.” You stood on your tippy-toes looking up at him.

“Would you like to come in?”

“Remember what happened last time you did that?”

“I remember.”

[witch-witcher-witchless]

Jambert and(?) Lambert/Aiden/Jaskier modern AU plot bunny

I had to rush my dog to the emergency vet at 3am, and the brand new low-key flustered vet had to wait for the experienced vet tech to arrive before they could take a look at my sick fur-goblin. But oh my god, I don't know if it was exhausted eyes deceiving me, but the vet kept looking at the vet tech for approval with stars in her eyes and I'm looking for a silver lining in this whole nightmare. Doggo is sick but doing better btw

It would be so cute if Jaskier was a brand new vet getting flustered by the super competent veteren vet tech. Like, they were both so incredible with my pup, but the vet tech had her absolutely melting and even got licks to her face mask 🥺 Just a cute scenario.

.

Imagine the normally kinda cranky and snarky Lambert being an absolute soft bamf and showing the softness more than usual because it's 3am, he only fell asleep at 1 and had been pulling very long shifts all week, and keeping up a semblance of professionalism while Jaskier is around is just exhausting at the best of times because that cute asshole does not want to be kept at arms-length and is personally setting out to ruin Lambert's life

.

And "Geralt, stop laughing you absolute ass! This isn't funny. He has these blue Disney fucking princess eyes, and he sings lullabies to the animals, and the social media accounts he's set up for the office and the local animal shelter have gotten senior animals adopted, and he actually sews them outfits and somehow partnered with old geezer homes for them to crochet shit and walk the better behaved dogs?? How is he real I hate my life

...Eskel shut the fuck up. Not you too - no wait!! Don't you fucking dare call Vesemir, I will shove that phone so far up your ass that you'll be burping ringtones

.

...so he kinda just says fuck it and invites Jask back to his place after a 3am emergency call-out because it's within walking distance and they are covered in cursed fluids without a change of clothes, and Jaskier will literally never stop complaining if he has to clean aforementioned cursed fluids out of his car's upholstery

And it's 5am and Jaskier is wearing his clothes, looking infuriatingly at home, and he just wants to have a nice thing for once. Jaskier is that nice thing

.

Or maybe Lambert and Aiden are poly and in a semi-open relationship, and Aiden stumbles out of bed at 6am to find his husband and a random(?) pretty boy passed out on the couch. He just kind of shrugs and starts to make breakfast for three, and within 30 minutes of meeting this sleep-rumpled mess he gets it. He gets why Lambert is enamoured like a 12 year old

Jaskier is an infuriatingly Nice Thing™

And if Lambert doesn't want to take the risk, well, Aiden has never claimed to not be an impulsive dick. But, an impulsive dick who loves his husband and doesn't see why those two should be pining like children

.

But like, Jaskier is super embarrassed over not knowing;

1. That his hot coworker that he's a little in love with is married (he wears his ring on a necklace because of regularly encountering cursed fluids at work)

2. That Lambert and his husband are ridiculously in love, and Aiden, Lambert's husband, seems nonplussed over waking up and finding a stranger (apparently wearing Aiden's clothes because Lambert just grabbed something from the clean laundry hamper FML) drooling on his husband's chest

.

So fuck his life and curse his romantic heart because his crush's husband would be very easy to fall in love with too

.

3. Aiden makes amazing french toast that caused an honest to god moan to get ripped out of his throat when he took that first bite, and that would explain the memorable day where Lambert came into the office with two distinct icing sugar handprints on the ass of his scrubs and looking like he'd rip anyone's head off for mentioning it after Jaskier leaned in close, smelling the heady notes of sandalwood and petrichor that clings to the man, and whispered that he might want to clean himself up in the bathroom because something is on his pants

4. Lambert prefers sandalwood and it's Aiden who smells like a storm

5. Not knowing they were poly and spending the first 10 minutes acting very Apologetic and Awkward. Post-poly relationship enlightenment he spends another 2 minutes rambling about how one of his friends is in a poly relationship and celebrating their 13th and 15th anniversaries and, Good for you two, having open communication is a hard thing to find in a lot of relationships wow

And Lambert and Aiden just look a bit amused and confused, because they really don't need approval but they get where he's coming from when he says, "...and don't worry Lambert, I might be a chatterbox but your secret is safe with me. I don't want to create any trouble for you, I know that the receptionist got pretty snippy with me once she heard I was a bisexual disaster and took more offence to the former than the latter."

And see, that derails their plans of seduction, quiet plans made using eyebrows and other silent languages that people who know each other for years develop.

Because, sure, Jaskier had only been working there ruining Lambert's life hes a grown man why is he fucking adorable singing old lullabies that he half remembers from life before being fostered by Vesemir for 6 months, but Beth has only been there 2 weeks and that shit will not fly

And anyway Beth gets reprimanded and quits before she's fired, but now they're in a really tight place at work because even a shitty receptionist/admin assistant keeps the place running in ways not evident or appreciated until poof gone.

.

So highschool just let out, and Ciri is a feral teenager that takes very much after her late grandmother and Yennifer, and she's looking for a summer job. Boom 💫 Now she's low-key tormenting her uncle Lambert and trying to play matchmaker with these two ridiculous men and an exasperated uncle Aiden.

....

And I have no steam left in this plot bunny that dragged me through bullet points but here it is thank you for coming to my 1,000 word TED talk. If anyone bothered to get this far I both congratulate you and worry for your sleep schedule. You should probably be sleeping

[shiberpostshere]

The Kiss Thief - Park Seonghwa Social Media AU

38. Chapter Thirty Two: No, It’s Ryan Reynolds!✨

Previous Part✨            Next Part ✨

Masterlist of the AU✨ 

Word Count: 6.7K (Buckle up, its time for a ride)

This Chapter Contains: Giggle worthy chaos and tooth decaying fluff. (An Annoyed San too.) 

It’s a regular Sunday. A quiet regular Sunday. An unusually quiet, regular Sunday that you don’t experience often as a college student.

An unusually quiet regular Sunday except for Yeri and Jongho’s loud, harmonious snores that vibrated through the lazy (almost) evening silence of the apartment while you had sneaked out like a thief bound with tinkling shackles out of the front door. 

It was exactly five minutes before 5 O’clock and you knew what noise pollution would commence once the short hand stopped perfectly atop the number five. 

The neighbour above starts angrily vacuuming to release their pent up frustration of the day or maybe to act as a thoughtful warning alarm to wake the other residents who might be napping above the universal napping time limit and the snarky middle aged lady beside, who begins banging pots and rattling spoons to prepare either her dinner or for a secret time travel battle she has to attend every single night to save the history for the sake of the present. 

You have a generous set for neighbours. 

Thankfully, you aren’t currently present in your apartment to experience the brutal murder of your ears. 

Unfortunately, you’re sandwiched in between San and Wooyoung in the shared wide back seats of the bus, stuffed to the absolute brim with sweaty and jumpy people. 

The serenity of the weekend ended when you willingly decided to step onto the Bus No. 7 for the following reasons: 

Number One, You and Wooyoung don’t drive and San owns a motorcycle that cannot carry three people at once, not without getting an overloaded vehicle ticket by pulling a stunt like that,

Number two, you have nothing better to do on a Sunday evening other than watch Yeri and Jongho scream about the WIFI and college website because they couldn’t select the classes they wanted fast enough, 

Number three, you were unable to escape from Wooyoung’s persistence but you had to get out and inhale some fresh air of the outside. 

It is a secret that you had isolated yourself in the sweet ol’ bedroom (in the name of preparing for a workshop), to take a five minutes rest which gradually progressed into knotting up your bones by rolling on the bed 24/7 and temporarily disrupting the serotonin production while watching sad movies, and

Number four, San cashed out a favour from that one time he fetched a folder from your dorm and drove fifteen minutes to deliver it because your degree was on the line. Which is why, this particular evening you need to help him out with whatever he wants to do at this Garden plus Research Centre for Thesis purposes. 

“The Thesis and Freebies Date”, term coined by Jung Wooyoung, free entertainment, food finder and a plus one, on Sunday 17th of May, 5:30 AM on the dot. 

On top of all these reasons sat Seonghwa’s last text message like a cherry on top of a cupcake of complaints. 

He sent you a picture of his americano that was loaded with ten pumps of syrup, “I’m drinking coffee😇”  

What coffeeee????!!?!?!?

Everything has failed you today. The public transportation system, your emotional support boy and your unhealthy obsessive complex believing that anything above two pumps of syrup is not coffee because you cannot handle personal preferences. 

“Why on earth is this bus full like it’s the last bus available to escape a fucking zombie aopcalypse. What is this ‘Bus to Busan’?” Your voice comes out with pure seething under your breath for only your friends to hear but you catch the old lady beside San narrowing her eyes at you with suspicion. 

San, engrossed in scrolling through his twitter and sipping his (proper) americano is least interested about your discomfort. 

“Oh I don’t know! I did suggest taking the subway instead but two idiotic people whined for five minutes straight to get on this bus.” His response is monotonous, attempting to contain himself from bursting. 

The pinching statement is directed towards you and Wooyoung who grumbled about the group having to walk after getting off the subway when the bus seemed like a better option that stopped right on the street opposite of your destination. 

Wooyoung’s frame shifts slightly onto your small seat as the hefty man beside him wiggles for space. “Yeah, Jesus Christ, if only I had had an epiphany about how crowded the bus was going to be before we board it.” 

If only you had epiphanies. 

The bus was mildly crowded when all of you had entered but became packed within the next ten minutes of collecting passengers at merely three stations. 

Poor Wooyoung is scared for his life knowing he will be ironed flat by the man if the bus jumps over a speed breaker or God forbid, decides to halt abruptly. The fear is relatable because the boy standing in front will collapse right onto your already shaky lap under any abrupt movements made by the bus. 

After five minutes of distracting himself, San shoves his phone in the pocket of his jeans and leans into your space to jab a finger at two of you simultaneously. “Yeah, Jesus Christ, if only my lazy ass friends knew how to walk but they left their legs in the semester break.” He accuses.

He is absolutely right. 

Every student, excluding the few exceptionally productive ones, collectively lost the ability to walk unless the end goal was acquiring food, money, grades and work experience. 

Wooyoung throws his hands up out of exasperation, “And you’re hundred percent sure that the subway isn’t packed?” 

You nod vigorously, supporting his argument because it doesn’t lead to admitting that you’re wrong and not once you’ll acknowledge the possibility of the missed subway having much more space than this body heat microwave of a bus that you two insisted on boarding until San gave in and agreed. 

“Yeah. Also, we’re accompanying you for your work, San.” You chide in to transfer the blame like a ten year old child and nudge the grouchy boy away from the seat with your right arm. 

San’s left brow twitches. He is definetly holding back a snarky retort. 

“Yes, yes, it’s all my fault.” He drawls on his reponse and turns his head away to ignore your presence entirely.

Apparently, it was not an unusually quiet, regular Sunday for the residents of Unit 8181 also known as the occupants of the apartment of Seonghwa and Friends who have been on the edge due to a mysterious late night incident that was not revealed to you no matter how many times you pried. 

Mingi and Yeosang were sprawled together on the couch, hidden beneath a bunch of weighty duvets which did not look like it had two people sleeping underneath it until they started untangling themselves from each other. 

Wooyoung was showering, apparently for almost an hour to scrub away his drowsiness as stated by San who has been extremely cranky and constantly keeping himself occupied with his phone and swishing and fixing his posh, sky blue cardigan (until you entered the kitchen and he dragged you out with him, suddenly all smiles). 

Yunho was the only one who appeared somewhat himself, still in his pajamas, folding questionably large amount of laundry. He mentioned ‘monopoly game night’ but you didn’t buy that excuse.

They were engaged in constant back and forth, ‘Who Can Shut the Other Guys Up In The Most Creative Way’ contest. 

Yeosang won after a house slipper flew out of his room, wheezed past your legs and landed right near the shoe rack as you stood there frozen. The aim was commendable but the action was concerning. 

Other than sarcastic remarks, all of them shared swollen eyebags due to the lack of sleep. 

A sleepy Mingi glared at you with his droopy eyes for thirty seconds, mumbled out, “Oh, it’s just you.”, trudged towards his room and slammed the door behind him. 

The apartment floor was spotless, not one obvious clutter in sight. 

Seonghwa will surely name everything he owns to them in his will once he returns in the coming week and sees the glistening state of the apartment. 

It reminds you that you, too, need to take care of that one chair that holds the tower of toppling dirty clothes in your room before he sees them and gives you an earful of nagging. 

A bead of cold sweat travels down the crevice of your neck. 

“How much longer until we arrive?” You committ the mistake of directing the question to the volcanic mountain prepared to erupt any minute now. 

The bus jostles with a screech, collectively swinging everyone forward with a painful jerk.  Shared sighs and groans echo throughout the bus. 

Staying put in your seat in this bus is more challenging than a one minute plank.

“I don’t know, he probably knows.” Wooyoung responds with a shrug, holding onto his dear life. 

“Maybe you should walk through this sea of people and ask the bus driver himself.” San suggests with an imposed smile, causing your own lips to stretch into a false one. 

��What a fantastic suggestion! I would love to use you as a human shield to push through this crowd and get to the front.” You answer, crossing your arms below your chest.

He offers you his entire irked attention.

Wooyoung’s forehead dives into the palm of his hand. He’d rather hide than let the passengers of the bus know that he is associated with the two of you. 

The agitated boy rolls his eyes, lips pressing into a thin line before he launches his lecture. “Okay, you know what (y/n)---” 

“Oh for goodness sake! Young man and young woman! Resume your couple’s banter at your place, don’t fight in public places.” The old lady whose patience was being tested this entire journey voices out her protest. 

You’re stunned for a good moment before your heads snap towards the lady, wearing similar offended expressions. 

Meanwhile, Wooyoung is holding onto his bubbling laughter. His palms having slid down from his forehead to his lips to prevent himself from laughing out loud like a maniac. 

“We are not a couple!” You both answer in a hurried chorus. 

After the frantic clarification, your eyes meet and the absurdity of the old lady’s comment wipes every single trace of the previous exchange.

Both of you break together into timed, soft giggles and the chain reaction pulls in Wooyoung who laughs into his hands to control the volume. 

The lady shakes her head at your reaction. “Well, then, not a couple, don’t fight and let me ride to my book club meeting in peace.” She states her demand, expression indicating that she is cooking incorrect judgements about your group in her mind. 

San and you offer her a quick sincere apology, suppressing the amusement derived from her assumption.  

“You two in a romantic relationship? More like a disastorous pair of wannabe edgy emo and a pissed caffeinated fantasizer. Nah, totally incompatible.” Wooyoung mutters under his breath. 

“He’d get rid of me in ten minutes.” You whisper your reasoning.  

San feels the old lady’s eyes boring holes into the back of his head, his arm nudges yours gently, “Make that five. Okay now, zip up.” His eyes and voice both firmly plead. 

“Yes sir.” You reply and shrink in your seat further to make room for Wooyoung to breathe. 

They’re quite a handful duo, alright, but they’re your handful duo and they handle you as well.

After ten minutes of bumping, shoving and tossing around the entire bus like popcorns, the three of you miraculously step out in one piece. 

You take a good five minutes to regain your normal pace of breathing again.

The relaxing wind carrying the gentle floral aroma from the garden calms your suffocated senses. 

Ah, finally, freedom from people.

The bus was overdosed with CO2. 

Your lips were zipped for most of the ride in order to avoid receiving another sneer from the old lady and making sure you don’t run out of the very last oxygen molecule present in the bus.

Wooyoung is stretching every limb of his body after being pressed in between the sandwich grill consisting of you and the giant man.

“You know what?” He pulls out a little black hair tie to control the little locks ruffling against his eyes. “Ditch me the next time I whine about not walking because that was literal hell. I am never stepping into another bus, ever again.” The determination present in his voice is almost convincing. Almost.

“You’re going to start whining when it’s time to return.” Adds San, after double checking every pocket present on his clothing.

An overwhelmingly tiring yawn falls through your lips. 

“Yeah, dude, no false promises.” You inch closer towards San to show your support.

Wooyoung’s exhausted face transforms into an unamused one, “You’re shameless.” 

Harsh but true.

“No, no, no, you last minute side switchers, get away from me. I am not claiming you.” Ignoring your presence, he simply walks towards the main entrance of the garden. 

A sickeningly sweet smile appears on your lips. “Hey, wait, I promise, I won’t take Wooyoung’s side ever again!” You say in a singsong manner, taking wide steps to catch up by San’s side. 

“Where do you think you are going?” The betrayed one gets a hold of your backpack and pulls you back with a forceful tug. 

Your shoes brush harshly against the concrete pavement. He accomplishes the task of slowing you down and makes a run for San, wheezing loudly. 

“Jung Wooyoung!” You cry out loud at his actions, your backpack flailing out of your arms. 

He treads beside his unbothered friend, front facing you from a distance. “We need to meet the professor at the research centre anyway, keep yourself busy until then!” A wink and a cackle, then he grabs San by his shoulders and disappears inside at an astonishing speed. 

Like a little kid whose ice cream has been snatched away, you stand there watching San’s waving hand and Wooyoung’s bouncy ponytail fading away.

A strong inhale and a gentle exhale, you try to calm the rapid heaving of your chest. 

“Ah, whatever! They’ll text me once they’re done.” Uttering the assuring words to yourself, you fix the carelessly hanging backpack and set course to occupy yourself in the garden until they’re done with whatever they have to do at the research centre. 

This is not the first time they have pulled this prank of abandoning you just for laughs and then frantically calling with the classic bait of “yo, come over at this food truck, we’re paying😏” 

They throw the same bait under any circumstances and it works pure magic on any living being who lives for eating. Even Seonghwa caves in, and your willpower is -2 compared to Seonghwa’s 10+ patience. 

Once you step inside the garden, you’re sure they have ditched you with good intentions as your eyes take in the lavish surroundings.

The green of nature is widespread throughout in the form of sturdy and lean trees, recently mowed grass and snipped shrubs peeking in between, all sprinkled with colourful little flowers like twinkling stars on a clear night sky. A gentle breeze whistles by within small intervals, rustling the leaves with the faintest crackling sound. 

There are feeble chirps of birds, hiding in their nests to sleep for the night. 

It is heaven on earth as the golden glow of the sun settles upon the scene. 

The lulling fragrance of roses carried along with the wind urges you to roll on the blanket of the grass and maybe even take a nap after tiring yourself but you know you’ll be thrown out because there are watchful guards scattered around. 

For once, you’re grateful that they left you behind. 

You’d rather take a walk around the garden while listening to serene songs rather than awkwardly wait behind them as they converse with the said professor they’re here to meet.  

I should explore a little before San gets into his Plant Geek Mode. 

A major path from the main entrance splits in several small, stone tracks, like a maze to explore. 

The region is vast, tranquil and maintained, no wonder a research centre lies somewhere in this arboretum.

You notice the informative display of the map, standing tall, indicating what lies in between and at the end of every track, piquing your explorer fantasy. There is a stack of small, handy maps for visitors to carry as well. 

You grab one, deciding upon the center most lane with your earphones playing the enchanting tune of Like a Flowing Wind by Day6 in a low volume.

“The North Lane leads towards the green house and the research centre.” You murmur, studying the contents of the map with much concentration. “Wooyoung and San probably went that way.” You throw a quick glance behind before resuming your stroll. 

The trail you’re currently walking on is the West Way, sheltered with tall towering trees and the Grand Elixir Fountain that lies at the end.  

You neatly fold the brochure and tuck it safely inside your pocket, saving the next spots to visit together once you regroup. 

Surprisingly, the garden doesn’t have an overflowing crowd. 

There are quite a lot of people occupying the benches and seating areas, mostly couples. You notice quite a few students, assuming they are, with their laptops and notebooks, surveying or either sitting in a formation to share their findings. 

Everyone is invested in themselves, in their own little world due to which the place feels quite private, snug and pleasant. 

The greenery, the sounds of nature, the music and soft whispers creating one whole atmosphere of contentment. 

It has been named Golden Blooms for a reason indeed. Except the Research Centre part, we’re going to ignore that for now. 

Seonghwa would absolutely love this place. There is nothing not to love about this. You can sketch a million ways of spending time here together. 

You don’t want to be a girlfriend like that but you’re to be a girlfriend like that.

A picnic after a long hectic week of continuous classes to unwind while spending quality time together, under a birch tree that casts a wide shadow beneath to watch the sunset while sharing the most mundane and silliest stories of your week and snacking on the collective bag you two usually pack before heading out for your Saturday Sunset Dates.

Maybe you’ll have to give up the spot due to its popular demand but it’ll be alright nonetheless. Instead, you’ll resort to taking every lane to check what lies at the end as Seonghwa’s personal playlist will be the perfect background music. 

The day will end with a hearty dinner and crashing in either’s bedroom, cuddling together where he always insists on being the little spoon and you always give in. 

 Oh god, I went too far. 

If just the thought has you feeling immensely giddy, how exhilarating would it feel to actually spend a day like that? 

Back to present, (Y/N), back to present. 

The uneven stone trail comes to an end as your shoes sink into the bed of the grass. Your next steps feel extremely light. 

Walking on this grass is the closet one can experience how walking on a cloud feels like. You constrain yourself from removing your socks and shoes and running around on the grass like a madman--

Holy Shit. 

The Grand Elixir Fountain is a masterpiece. 

Rather than blindingly white, it is a comforting shade of evanesce beige. The sculptures surrounding the circumference are alluring rather than intimidating of mythical water creatures from numerous mythologies.

A water nymph settles at the heart of the fountain on a wave with water sprouting from the pot she’s embracing. 

The gurgling water simmers down onto another platform shaped like a lotus, little droplets splashing on the people standing close by the edge and then gliding down from the platform into the bottom expanse to become a slow, rippling stream. 

The Fountain is a high lord, you are a mere peasant. The Fountain is the moon and you’re a small star. The Fountain is queen bee and you’re a worker bee. The Fountain is a high quality gaming PC and you’re a laptop you had to buy with an acceptable graphic card because you’re a college student who is surviving.

Maybe you’re not the best with creative descriptions but it’s okay you’re a law student any way. 

Creative writing is Yeosang’s forte and he worries about it plenty. 

“Seonghwa can’t be here but I can send him some pictures.” Pulling out your phone, you scan the area. 

An old couple are seated on a bench to the far right admiring the view, bunches of people pass by once a while either to leave or enter the area and a small group of friends are circled in a corner preoccupied within themselves.

“Okay, nothing to see here, just a college girl fangirling over a beautiful fountain.” You say it with the intent of addressing the people present but it is mostly directed towards yourself to not get embarrassed before you engage in a long photo session full of fascination over a fountain at an arboretum.

Okay, alright, let’s get this over with.  

The cause of your dubiousness is Jongho. 

He has pointed out several times that while taking photos you tend to get absorbed and switch into questionable positions just to score a worthy shot. 

You somehow manage to capture moderate looking full shots without getting any uncanny looks from the visitors around with only one close up shot left. 

The star of the fountain, the water nymph. 

It’s alright. Hopefully nobody finds you getting on one knee to capture a decent picture of the fountain uncanny. 

You’re just a harmless college girl who wants to text her boyfriend, excite him about your possible future dates and hunt for food while waiting for the two little devils to return and get working before it’s too late. 

Gentle sprinkles splash onto your face as you move a little closer with careful steps to find the best spot. The water is enticing on this boiling day.

You hold your phone up, adjusting the angle to your liking. “Okay that’s good.” 

Before you can press the capture button, a pair of hands lock around your waist, someone’s weight settling on your shoulder. 

“No, shift it a little more to the right.” A voice, obscured by the earphones, speaks extremely close to your ear, sending a quivering sensation down your spine. 

The first instinct is to freeze, your entire body numbs at the sudden action, heart beating at an alarming speed. 

It is followed by a startling scream of having a stranger’s arms wrapped around your body. The scream pierces through the placidity of the garden, birds from the trees flying away to safety out of fright.

Finally, the adrenaline rush kicks in, your physical senses registering the situation and your reflexes activate. 

The phone still connected with the earphones flies out of your hands and ears, elbows diving back to land double smacks on the intruder’s stomach to get him off your back.  

The old couple look into your direction with a panicked expression and the entire group nearby jilts up and dashes towards you to investigate the source of the scream. 

You turn around to inspect the trespasser who has landed flat on his butt, clutching onto his stomach as continuous groans and curses fall through his lips. 

“(Y/N)! What the hell!” The obscurity long gone, you recognize the familiar voice and its owner. 

Losing the energy in your legs, you fall down into a squatting position. “Seonghwa?” In a panicked state and a hesitant voice, you call his name. 

“No, it’s Ryan Reynolds.” Mockingly, he whimpers, trying to regain his knocked out senses. 

It is indeed your boyfriend who is currently supposed to be in Japan but is in pain because you landed two good elbow punches right on his stomach after his 4 hours of excitement at the airport and two hours of flight and it is definitely, hundred percent confirmed especially, after his eyes meet yours, full of pain and shooting imaginary daggers at you. 

Seonghwa expected a surprised embrace on his return. Anything but two blows right on his abdomen. 

“Park Seonghwa!” You exclaim. 

“Nope, no, I am not Park Seonghwa anymore.” He states in a faltering tone. 

“Miss, are you alright?” A boy from the far away friend circle interjects, stopping in front of you. “Is he bothering you?” His fingers wrap around your arms to pull you up. 

His other two friends help Seonghwa but with a much constrained grab on his arms.  

You look at your boyfriend being held by the two strangers and then at the boy, eyes performing a few puzzled double takes.

“Miss?” The boy reiterates his query. 

You’re dumfounded, your thoughts hazy. 

Collecting the remaining strength in your body, your hands fly in gestures of denial. “No, no, that’s my boyfriend.” 

The boys appear skeptical. They exchange disbelieving glances. 

“Are you sure? If he’s really bothering you, we can call the police right now.” One of the boys holding your boyfriend suggests with the intentions of your safety. 

The frenzied senses simmer down second by second, your hand reaches out to free him from the strangers’ hold. “No, no. Thank you so much for your help but there has been an misunderstanding, that’s all.” 

The boys release him and you replace their hold by linking his arm. 

“He is really my boyfriend. I was just surprised.” You state with complete assurance. 

“It’s also my fault for creeping up behind her. Thank you for watching out. We’re sorry for the disturbance.” Seonghwa takes the cue and bows down a little to offer a sincere apology. 

His other hand rests atop your bound one. Your gaze stays taut on him, following his actions to apologize as well. 

The boys notice your relaxed figure beside him. “Ah alright, so it was a misunderstanding.” 

You nod frantically. “Yes, yes, it was. We’re sorry.” You say politely. 

Calculating the situation, the boys exchange final greetings before trusting your relationship and leave you two with a, ‘Be careful with your surprises!’ 

The surroundings stop still until Seonghwa unlinks your arms to intertwine your fingers instead and bends down to pick up your phone. 

“Should we sit somewhere and talk?” He suggests in a composed tone. 

“Oh, right, yes.” You answer, mentally occupied collecting the dispersed bits of your comprehension grip.

You two settle on the broad bench, previously occupied by the old couple who left after the ruckus, facing each other.

“Are you okay? Does it hurt?” You search for his eyes that meet yours in a span of millisecond after the raised enquiry.

Your fingers contract and expand with hesitancy near his abdomen where you, or more accurately, your reflexes stroke him a blow. Eyes fluctuate up and down, from his face to the injured area, teeth abusing the lower lip with worry. 

His hands catch and close around your awkward ones, “It hurts but I am fine. It might be bruised but it’ll be gone with time.”  

You look at him, face full of regret, “Seonghwa, I am so sorry.” 

“It’s alright, (Y/N).” He says with the most assuring look that there is in this world, “I mean it.” 

You were worried that he might be mad about the commotion but him unlinking your arms in order to hold your hand was an indication enough that he wasn’t. 

His anger is often intelligible. He needs the time to stay mad, cool down and talks only when he is ready. The time creates an emotional distance and that distance is unbearable until his heart is ready to resolve. 

He doesn’t hold petty grudges. He certainly forgives but he doesn’t forget. Instead, he draws the line in the relationship to grow apart naturally. 

You happened to experience it once when he was conversing with a senior who had given him a hard time and oh boy, the line he drew was fiery and bone chilling cold at the same time. 

“So, that was definitely not what I expected after I decided to surprise you.” He confesses, his eyes mellow, “I should’ve listened to Hongjoong when he said that the idea is too sappy.”  

While he speaks, you’re occupied with staring at him like a hawk with bulbous eyes. 

“What happened?” He prompts you to speak, a fond smile on his lips. “Cat got your tongue?” His fingers fix the disheveled hair resting on your forehead. 

His eyes hold such raw warmth while he merely tucks little strands behind your ears that you fail to realize you have tears streaming down your cheeks. 

“Hey, why are you crying?” His expression shifts into a concerned one. “What happened?” He probes further. 

Before you register your actions, your hand is flying to land a soft blow on his shoulder. “Why didn’t you tell me you were returning today!” 

Maybe the volcanic eruption that was swirling inside San somehow descended into you. The difference is, his was motivated by rage and yours might be motivated by mortification.

He retrieves his hand to hold the area you’re attacking, gaping as he rubs the sore spot. 

“Why are you hitting me!” His expression is muddled. 

Seonghwa expected a surprised embrace on his return. Anything but you hitting him after he attempts to calm you down as his plan of surprise fails worse than the time he had failed history in sixth grade. 

Your hand reaches out to land another gentle smack. “What are you! A freaking saint! Why didn’t you tell me!” 

Even you are not aware why the outlet chosen by your feelings is hitting your loving and caring boyfriend who planned such a great surprise that you managed to ruin by knocking him straight into the abdomen with your pointy elbows. 

“Wait, what--” Your words only further deepen his confusion.  

The next smack or rather love tap, as per your definition, doesn’t get through as his hands are quick to catch yours by the wrists. 

“Why are you hitting me babe?” He tilts his head to the side. “You’re hitting me because I am nice?” He lifts his right brow. “What, a saint?” A playful smile lingers on his lips. 

The audacity of this man to act coy with you when you are full of all sorts of emotions whirling within you like a raging tornado. The audacity of this perfectly, perfect man! 

With your slightly puffy eyes and tears stained cheek, you profess. “I am embarrassed okay! I am really embarrassed, I screamed so----” 

A tch sound comes from him, followed by a, “Idiot.” 

He pulls you into him through the hold he has on your wrists, your chest colliding with his. His arms wrap around your waist in a secure manner, head resting sideways onto the comfort of your shoulder that he dearly missed. 

You melt like an ice cream on a hot day under his touch, taking no time to find content in his embrace, face nestling into his warm neck. 

“Don’t be embarrassed.” He removes one hand from your waist to offer comforting caresses on the back of your head. “I don’t know what I expected your reaction to be. Honestly, this particular one didn’t even cross my mind.” 

You lift your head from his neck but he quickly returns it down again. 

“I didn’t expect you to appear in front of me a week before your actual arrival either.” You speak in a muffled voice.

He pauses his stroking for a second, “I knew you were clueless but I didn’t know you were this clueless.” 

“Excuse me!” You shuffle in his hold but he has you latched onto him.

He nestles further into your hold, almost pulling you onto his lap out of habit. 

“Seonghwa!” Palms pressing against his chest, you try to scuffle away and receive a disgruntled noise from him. 

Having performed his action only halfway through, your right leg sits on top of his left thigh and you leave it there to dangle idly. 

“Dude, we’re in a public place.” You remind him, placing a sneaky little peck on his neck. 

It’s the courage after announcing you’re an idiot to the entire world.

He is astounded by your actions but definitely not as much as you are. 

Seonghwa expected a surprised embrace on his return. Anything but you mentioning that you’re in public and then proceeding to plant the softest kiss on his neck, not that he minds the latter. 

“Wise words coming from you in a public place.” His thumbs trace circles on your collar bones, voice adding an extra emphasis to the ‘public’. 

He squeezes you tightly and moves you in his hold like you’re his own personal teddy bear causing laughter to escape from your lips. 

“Giving you a basic hug after you come back after almost a month and a half?” You declare like you have performed some high and mighty act, “No, that is not enough to express my excitement, I had to smash out my love on you, babe.”  

His face dawns an unimpressed look. “Yup, I made a mistake coming home.” 

Your own words cause your face to scrunch up with cringe. “Yeah, that was too much, don’t talk about this in front of anyone, ever again.” 

You missed him. God, you missed him so much. 

His long hair is intact, not a single strand has been snipped. He looks as stunning as you imagined him to be. His navy blue coat may have been washed with a different detergent than the one you are familiar with but the earthy smell of his regular perfume is present. 

The only new additions on him that you can notice right away is the blinding glow on his sleep deprived face and the abstract patterned scarf wrapped neatly around his neck. 

“I missed you.” You wish to say it as softly as possible but you end up blurting out the words. 

He smiles with twinkles in his eyes. “I know, idiot. I missed you too.” 

You rest your palms on his cheeks and press them hard, lips protruding out in a pout. Pulling him in, you offer him a brief peck.

A long one is saved for later when in private. 

The heat on his cheeks is an evidence that he is taken aback by your bold actions. 

“First a kiss on the neck and now a long peck?” He smirks, eyebrows dancing up and down. “You’ve become quite gutsy within a month and a half huh?”

You fawn, “and you’re still carrying your mischievous habits with you! I was praying for you to leave them behind during your vacation. Did you achieve nothing?” 

“Come here you!” His hand clasps behind your neck but this time he connects his lips to the side of your forehead to plant the deepest kiss. 

You shriek as the prolonged peck soon transitions into pillowy lips peppering feathery kisses on every little endearing spot he discovers to shower his love. 

Unable to suppress your delight, subdued giggles bubble out of you.

The delight of having him by your side again is indescribable. The current state of happiness you’re feeling is indescribable. 

You feel his hovering lips expanding into a smile, foreheads faintly clashing together as you two laugh your heart out. 

There are tears forming in your eyes but this time due to happiness rather than humiliation.

Your eyes catch the sun dipping below the horizon, shooting colourful rays as it bids goodbye for the day. “Seonghwa, look, the sunset, it’s so beautiful.” You note while he pulls you into him sideways.

He hums, turning around to admire the view,  “Oh wow, that’s......beautiful.” 

Time slows down just for the sun to submerge into the horizon with its glory. The orange, pink, purples and blues of the sky press mute on the world for the briefest interval. 

He ruffles your hair, pulling you out of a trance, “And that’s our cue to leave.” 

It takes special effort to abandon his comforting hold and get back up on your two feet. 

The disappointment lasts a mere second as his fingers quickly interlace with yours. “Where to next?” He asks.

He takes slow steps. You stick close by, half of your body weight leaning into him but he doesn’t seem to mind. 

You consider your choices for a moment, the grin ever present on your lips, “How about we take a walk and then drive to the river side? I heard there will be star gazing event later at night.” 

He looks at you impressively with a questioning smile. “Oh really, who told you that?” A gentle gleam of fondness floats in his eyes. 

His heart is swelling with love, your presence is comfortable. 

You channel your best know-it-all face, “Oh, you know, Wooyoung, San and I were planning to--” 

The sentence stops midway as you remember, Wooyoung and San! 

Your movements halt, “Wait, Wooyoung and San!” 

He cracks up at your delayed realization. 

“They’ll be fine.” His fingers offer a gentle flick on your forehead, attempting to tap some sense into it, “Unless, you know, you want them to continuously comment during our date about how my arrival disrupted their last night’s sleep.” He reaches out for his pocket to pull out his phone but you’re quick to prevent the said action. 

“No, no, no, no.” Your reaction amuses him further. “That’s not what I meant. I am glad they ditched me, goodness, never been so glad that someone left me behind, swear to god.” The flurry of words scatter everywhere but the intended meaning has been received by him.

“And what else do you have planned for the night?” He asks, walking straight, exaggerating the breadth of his shoulders. 

“My fantastic company, Seonghwa, what else do you need?” In a wounded voice, you question. 

He shakes his head. 

“No?” 

“No.” 

“Fine, tonight’s dinner is on me, no budget. What do you want to eat?” You present your best offer in the most sugar coated tone.

His jaw drops in a dramatic fashion you’ve never witnessed in your life, “That’s it? Woman, I flew in today to surprise you today and that’s it?” 

You stand on your tiptoes to whisper a special spell in his ear. “Who said that would be it?” 

The rasp in your voice has goosebumps rising on his skin. 

“What do you mean?” He stares down, eyes wide. 

“Hey, by the way, how did you know I was near the fountain?” You quickly change the subject, your thoughts running wild and heart ready to pounce out to run a hundred mile marathon. 

“What do you mean?” He repeats, eager to receive an answer. 

His innocent smile has been replaced by a devilish smirk.

His constant questioning and hopeful gape has you regretting your previous words, causing warmth to spread on your face. 

Flustered, you recite your question for the second time, “Tell me, how did you know?” 

“It was a guess. I haven’t forgotten about your pigeon feeding adventures near the mall fountain” His answer is concise, to the point and hurried. “Now, tell me, what do you mean?” 

He finishes the topic within a few seconds, arm nudging persistently against the side of your stomach.

This man. Oh god, this man. 

“You have a great memory! You remember everything!” The fake enthusiasm and flustered laughter that is evident in your answer has him laughing. “Oh, look, we’re here!” You announce, feeling grateful once you spot the main exit getting closer with every step. 

“What did you mean?” He takes quick steps to stand in front of you, his hand leaving yours. 

“Seonghwa! Stop it, don’t get back on your teasing shenanigans so quickly, give it a day.” You say as casually as possible, stepping aside to continue on your way. “I’ve embarrassed myself and you quite enough for today.”

Seonghwa slings his arm around your shoulder from behind, “Yeah, alright, we’ll see about that later.” He mimics your casual tenure. “I guess.” He adds, hinting at your suggestive statement. 

You nod in agreement, appearing calm and cool, “Yeah, I guess, we will.” 

“You little tease.” His free hand gives your left cheek a little squeeze, leaving a light aching.

You stumble a little on your way out of the garden, “If I am a tease that makes you the devil that you truly are.” 

“I agree, I am a beast.” He really, actually, dares to say that with his whole chest, out loud.

“Yeah, sure, little baby.” Your fingers mockingly stroke his chin with a pout

He chuckles, changing his position to properly stand by your side. “Enough of that now, let’s go, I am starving.” 

“Yup, let’s go, tender beast.” You imitate his own words on him. 

“No, seriously, stop that.” He declares sternly. 

You do a motion of zipping your lips, holding your free hand up in surrender. 

Oh, how the tables have been turning constantly today. You can now understand why Seonghwa never gets off your back and it looks like you will not be getting off his tonight. 

Metaphorically and literally. 

Meanwhile, Woosan

San, who has been talking with the professor for almost thirty minutes now: It was pleasure meeting up with you Sir

Wooyoung, releasing a sigh of relief beside his friend because he didn’t understand a single word that was exchanged, internally: Finally 

Suddenly, San: Oh btw sir I had another question 

Wooyoung, ready to create a rampage right there and then, grabbing a chair to smash it on the ground: OH MY FREAKING GOD DAMNIT CHOI SAN YOU---

🌸

A/N: OH MY GOD I CAN FINALLY POST THIS, I CAN FINALLY BREATHE EASY

I started writing this last Saturday and it went through so many drafts and versions, getting cut down to this one. It took me a week mostly due to other commitments. I edited this once and I am sure it still has teeny tiny mistakes but please look past that for now. I will correct it whenever time grants me. 

Also, I would really love to know what you think about this chapter! Please let me know, I would really appreciate that 🥺🥺🥺💕

I know it has been a long time since the last update but I reposted the masterlist with the final update schedule and it will update and end accordingly as per that.

(Also the woosan scene is a little exaggeration, they had a rough night, as you will see in the bonus) 

🌸 Taglist: 

@enigmaticsal @stardusthyuck @missiopk @preets-kpop-world @sanisms @jiyeons-closet @hongjoongsnoona @veeeenus4 @mochibabycakes @vhschs @jaeminbluee @vantclavs @f-iyan @staywritten @yellow-wxve @uppiespuppy  @uppiespuppy @mingiflower @multiangell @quicklystickystarlight​ @kunhye​ @nekee-lilac02​ @peachyprincessminki​ @hidden-wildflowers​ @raysanshine​ @skzpleasestay​ @tearvantae​

🌸 Unable to tag: @mingiibabiee @dreamie-deonghwa @9songbird19 @retrofuture-ism @aratrikade

🌸

Please do not repost, modify or claim this work as yours. 

[jess-rewatches-prodigalson]

Speak of the Devil (S2, E2)

Damn. I love this show.

As usual, my time stamped SPOILER FULL thoughts are below.

As always, I reference Malcolm’s mental health. A lot. So if talk about depression/mania/suicidal ideation is going to be a trigger for you, don’t keep reading. 

0:14 - Hector’s back!! hahaha :) 

0:40 - So Martin is worried about Malcolm.....he could stop manipulating Malcolm if he’s so worried. That would make Malcolm feel slightly better at least. 

0:50 - What. A. Boss. That ambush was gorgeously executed *chef’s kiss*. haha how many times do you think Jessica has orchestrated this type of ambush on one of her children? 

0:52 - I love this outfit on Malcolm. Seriously - why is it sooo attractive when he’s not wearing a tie?

0:55 -........he’s not seeing Gabrielle....but but he had a lollipop last episode. Am I supposed to believe he buys his own lollipops? Maybe he bought some to throw the team off the scent? UGH. MALCOLM, SWEETHEART, GO BACK TO THERAPY. YOU’RE IN CRISIS. ....wait. I bet you he’s not seeing Gabrielle because she knows when he’s lying. He’s probably scared that he’ll end up telling her about Endicott. And I’m pretty sure that legally Gabrielle can’t keep a crime a secret regardless of doctor-patient confidentiality. 

1:02 - .....Malcolm didn’t know that he wasn’t paying his own therapy bills? WHO DID HE THINK WAS PAYING THEM?!?! Damn. Rich people, am I right?

1:10 - You ever wonder how many therapists Malcolm saw as a kid before they found Gabrielle? Just me? Cool.

1:15 - OMG. “Sexual in nature”?!?! Calm down Jess. He’s a grown ass man and even if it was sexual Malcolm sure as hell wouldn’t want to talk to his mother about his sex life. 

1:19 - Oh so now both of your kids are in a “good place”? Martin, less than a minute ago you were ‘worried’ about Malcolm. Further proof that Martin is a liar and we can’t believe anything he says. Ever. 

1:43 - Tom Payne’s physical acting during this interaction with Jessica is incredible. Ugh. Honestly, can I give him an Emmy myself? Look. Look at his face when he says, “You wouldn’t understand.” This is a teenage boy trying to hide something from his mom and is terrified that she’ll see the lie if he makes eye-contact. <3 

1:45 - You know, Jessica really isn’t a perfect mother (especially to Ainsley) but she does care about her kids. I love her for it. She actually shows more concern for her adult children than most parents with adult children that I’ve been exposed to. 

2:08 - I can’t decide if I love the music that was playing through that scene or if it’s just super cheesy and cringey. I mean “I did a bad bad thing” right as the title page rolls out? Kind of amazing but also super dorky. 

2:13 - So Mr. David hears this whole conversation. Malcolm talking about his guilt, Martin calling Malcolm a hero, and Malcolm saying that the only person he can talk to about his problems is Martin. Sooooo either

 Mr. David is being paid very well to keep quiet on Whitly family drama, 

 Mr. David stopped listening years ago.

 Mr. David is a moron who can’t connect the dots. OR

 Mr. David is going to blow this whistle on this fiasco to Jessica soon. I mean, he called her in the first season when Malcolm started visiting Martin. Mr. David has Jessica’s number...and I have a hunch that Mr. David cares about Malcolm. He’s watched Malcolm grow up into a troubled, bizarre, but very sweet man. 

2:14 - “Why are you calling me?” Malcolm sounds upset that Martin is calling him; so why pick up the phone? I mean, I guess Martin will call him back incessantly but still. 

2:19 - Malcolm’s completely honest version of how he’s doing mentally is heartbreaking. He “doesn’t recognize himself anymore”? Ugh. Baby. My heart is shattering. Someone hug him. OR TAKE HIM TO GABRIELLE.

2:30 - There is a moment when Malcolm says, “narcissistic psychopath” where is genuinely sounds like he’s about to have a complete breakdown. This boy is on the verge. My whump heart loves it and it makes me evil. 

2:56 - aaannnnnnd there’s Malcolm on the verge of tears. This boy. Ugh. <3 

3:00 - “It’s not going away Malcolm. The guilt. Take it from me.” Sooooo Mr. David isn’t a moron right? He’s going to connect the dots. He has to. ISTG Jessica keeps saying “No more lies” in the promos because Mr. David told her what he overheard. 

3:06 - And that is the face of a boy who is dead on the inside. Seriously, he’s spent his whole life trying to convince himself (and others) that he is nothing like his father. But here we are - all his fears confirmed and it’s killed him. 

3:20 - “Is this what you used?” Ainsley is talking about how Malcolm disposed of the body right? Because last episode she thanked Malcolm for covering for her. Sooooo she clearly knows that she killed Endicott even if she doesn’t remember it. I mean, she was covered in blood - Malcolm wasn’t. 

3:23.- OMG. Endicott was killed with the Milton family silver. hahahaha why is that so funny to me?

3:43 - Just how big is that gap in her memory? I’d truly like to know. When did she check out, when did she check in, and are those times different than what she’s letting Malcolm believe?

3:55 - Yeah - I still want to know why she moved in. COVID? Is she afraid she’s going to do something else murdery? Because surely, living in the house where you know you killed someone can’t be pleasant. Or easy. Unless of course Ainsley is more like Martin than we’d like to believe. 

4:09 - hahahahaha I am living for Malcolm’s facial response to Jessica saying, “I am in charge of boxes.”

4:22 - hahahaha Malcolm and Ainsley teasing Jessica about Gil is so precious. I love it. I wish they were always that happy. 

4:40 - Look at Malcolm’s face when he says, “You and a certain Lieutenant”. He’s practically giddy. Whether that’s because he’s thoroughly enjoying the opportunity to tease his mother OR because he’s always wanted Jessica and Gil to be together in that way that many children who grow up in single parent homes hope for a fairytale parental ending. My guess - a mixture of both.

4:45 - Ainsley looks delighted at the idea of Gil/Jessica too. I assume it’s because she loves the gossip and the opportunity to tease Jessica. BUT I also wonder what Ainsley’s relationship with Gil is like? Do they have one? 

4:58 - “Does he let you wear his turtlenecks?” OMG. bahahahaha comedic GOLD. 

5:10 - THIS. The evolution of JT and Malcolm’s friendship is everything. 10/10 would recommend. So sweet. LOOK AT HOW CONCERNED MALCOLM IS. <3 <3 Malcolm’s been calling JT?!?! UGH. This warms my cold dead heart.

5:20 - JT is a bad liar. This dude is not okay. 

5:27 - “When I say I’m fine, I’m always lying.” .....we already knew this but it hurts to hear Malcolm say is so nonchalantly. 

5:32 - JT does the sign of the cross....so he’s definitely religious. 

5:56 - “Holy...” “Watch it Bright.” hahaha how much do you want to bet that Gil took Malcolm to church once (1) time as a kid. It went so poorly that Gil never brought him again. Malcolm was probably questioning the priest and generally just asking a lot of “why” questions. 

6:15 - Gil is so done with the Edrisa+Bright banter. Look at his face - he’s just sooo tired. .....is Gil particularly cranky this episode because Jessica is dodging his phone calls?

6:23 - Malcolm looks pensive as soon as Gil mentions that the Father had been with the church for 30 years. Why? 

6:56 - I’m not going to lie. I’m really getting tired of the crap Dani (and even Gil in this episode - is he mad at Malcolm for avoiding him when he was hospital-bound? Or just cranky because Jessica isn’t calling him back?) are giving Malcolm. He’s asking a question relevant to the case. Sure - it’s not an easy question to ask but last season they wouldn’t have glared at him for asking it. I understand that Dani is upset with Malcolm for lying to her and she probably thinks he knows something about how Endicott died. I get it - Malcolm screwed up. BUT Dani’s reaction is so over the top. I understand where she’s coming from - she has trust issues. That doesn’t give her the right to treat him like garbage for the rest of his life. It’s been literally MONTHS. 

7:11 - “That’s not a no.”....Damn, he looks cute when he says that. 

7:30 - I LOVE that Malcolm knows so much about the Bible and Catholicism even though he’s not a believer. It makes me think he investigated a ton of religions as a kid - looking for relief from his trauma. I respect that he did the research and I respect that he doesn’t (openly at least) think other people are moronic/short-sighted for believing in God(s). 

7:56 - I’ll be honest, my first reaction to Jonah was: “Why does he look and sound like he’s dying?”

8:03 - “Catholic.” haha I love some good religious comedy. BUT AGAIN GIL, THAT GLARE IS SO NOT NECESSARY. That wasn’t a ‘warning - you’re being insensitive’ glare. That was a ‘I’m your father and you’re in sooo much trouble’ glare. I love Gil with my whole heart but everyone is being a dick to Malcolm today (minus JT and Edrisa) and I’m done with it. Malcolm’s fragile mental state can’t handle it. Be nice to my boy. 

8:35 - Is this Gil’s church?!? Why does he know all the church staff by name? He either attends this church or someone gave him an amazing briefing before he got to the church.

9:34 - At least Gil knows something is wrong with Malcolm. 

9:41 - What? That’s it? No. Gil - press on. Don’t accept Malcolm’s “I’m fine”.

10:18 - I wish this scene didn’t end with Gil’s look of disbelief and concern. I wish we got to see Gil tell Malcolm not to go see Martin. I wish we got a more concrete papa!Gil moment. 

10:42 - Something about the fact that Martin is tethered to a pole like a tether-ball is hilarious to me. Also - why are some prisoners not tied up? The inmate talking to Friar Pete has no rope. 

10:52 - Ugh. When exactly did Martin give Malcolm “The Talk”? Like how old was Malcolm? How traumatic was it? Ugh. It’s very upsetting to remember that Martin acted like a good father to Malcolm for a good portion of the first 10 years of Malcolm’s life. It really doesn’t help Malcolm’s PTSD. 

11:00 - That’s right Malcolm. Don’t let Martin ramble. Stand your ground. <3 So proud of Malcolm <3

11:15 - Listen to the way Malcolm says, “Who is that?”. He’s some combination of resigned and scared. I love it. 

11:33 - Friar Pete is so creepy. The way he just walks up to Malcolm until his rope goes taught?! UGH. Poor Malcolm looks so done with this whole situation. He’s rolling his eyes and grimacing at various points throughout this scene. He has some major sass right now and I’m here for it. 

 11:41 - “You two should talk!” ....Is this Martin’s really eff-ed up way of trying to help Malcolm with his guilt about Endicott? I don’t like it.....and Malcolm’s face tells me he doesn’t either. 

12:48 - Is that true? Can churches really not exorcise people without medical permission in the current day?  I thought exorcisms were just banned? IDK - I’m a Christian, my branch of faith doesn’t do exorcisms. 

13:33 - YES! A JT AND MALCOLM SCENE. <3 <3 I’m unreasonably happy about this. 

13:45 - sooooooo is this Norman’s real home and his real mother? The first time I watched it I thought it was some sort of weird catholic-inpatient facility but now I’m not sure. 

15:10 - Ok. I can’t hold back anymore. Malcolm’s shoes. They. Are. Awful. I understand - Tom Payne is a short guy. He probably needs heels to fit in the shot. I’m not mad about the heels. I’m made that they gave him very very ugly heels. Is it just me? These shoes are hideous. 

15:14 - “Hi Norman.” .....Malcolm is so soft here and I’m in love with it. My cold dead heart is melting. Also JT’s freaked-out look in this scene is everything. 

15:25 - There’s something about the way Malcolm says “Good.” that just hits me really hard. It’s beautiful. He sounds and looks a little scared but he’s also really calm and professional and it’s just...*chef’s kiss*. 

16:44 - “He’s clearly mentally-ill.” I love this. I love that Malcolm is defending the person with a severe mental illness because he doesn’t have any proof that Norman committed a crime. It also breaks my heart. Makes me think of how many people dismissed or judged Malcolm poorly throughout his life because Malcolm’s mental illnesses. Even though they weren’t quite as extreme as Norman’s.

16:54 - I love this. JT is telling Malcolm to stay behind the line partially out of fear (because this whole Norman situation is clearly freaking JT out big time) but also partially because he just cares about Malcolm. I love their friendship and it’s evolution. SO. MUCH. 

17:21 - Is there a mirror of something? How the hell did Norman know that Malcolm crossed the salt? Was it the slight creaking in the floorboards?

17:54 - Dude. Is every suspect this season going to accuse Malcolm of being a killer? First Boyd, now Norman. This is not helping Malcolm’s mental state or his ability to hide his guilt from the team. 

18:30 - “Malcolm Bright. Always crossing the line.” lol. I love JT here. He’s half-teasing Malcolm. Makes me think that he subtly trying to tell Malcolm that he isn’t the killer Norman says that he is. 

18:44 - I DO NOT LIKE THIS. LOOK AT HOW SCARED MALCOLM IS WHEN HE WALKS INTO THE ROOM. A ROOM WITH GIL AND DANI IN IT. THIS IS NOT RIGHT. HE’S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE SCARED OF THEM. 

19:00 - “What the hell do you have?”. Wow. Okay. No. I love Gil. I understand that he loves Malcolm like a son and he’s scared for Malcolm and Malcolm’s mental state. But this question is so over the line. Gil knows damn well what Malcolm’s mental diagnoses are. It feels like he’s accusing Malcolm of being crazy. I don’t like it. 

19:17 - “Are you serious?” Ok. Dani really needs to start being nicer to Malcolm. She doesn’t have to trust him but some professional civility would be great. I really don’t like how hard the writers are pushing this tension between Dani and Malcolm. It makes Dani look so immature. An adult would be pissed but get over the anger after literal months. The relationship wouldn’t necessarily be the same but it sure as hell wouldn’t be this hostile.

19:40 - Something about Malcolm being the calmest person in the room is both comforting and upsetting. 

19:55 - “My father gave it to me.”.....that’s so not going to help Gil’s concern about Malcolm.

20:50 - This is cute. We don’t get to see enough of Jessica and Ainsley acting like a semi-normal mother-daughter duo. I love it. 

21:00 - “We are WASPs. It’s. What. We. Do.” OMG. Hahahaha 

21:05 - I love how invested Ainsley is in the Gil/Jessica relationship. It’s so clear that she wants her Mom to be happy and I love it. It also makes me wonder if she ever wanted Gil to be her real dad as a kid.

21:30 - Damn. This episode is creepy.

21:45 - First clue that this is a dream - Malcolm says “we” but he’s alone. 

21:57 - ...are Nuns allowed to paint their nails? #GenuineQuestion

22:14 - Not going to lie. This made me cry. I relate to Malcolm so damn much here. I’ve had a severe anxiety disorder for as long as I can remember (seriously I saw my first therapist - against my will - at the age of 4). I’ve also had chronic depression for almost as long. AND I’m a christian. I can’t tell you how many times other christians have told me to “cast my worries on the Lord” and “be free” of my pain. Or that I don’t really believe in God because I’m still suffering so visibly. The problem is - I don’t know if I want to be free. I’ve had these issues so long that I’m genuinely not sure who I’d be without them. It’s how I define myself. It affects every aspect of my personality. I feel like Malcolm might feel the same way - he doesn’t want to suffer anymore but he’s afraid of finding out who he is without the pain. 

22:17 - Okay. So there’s Gil’s voice. So Gil+ Malcolm = “we”. As though I’m supposed to believe that Gil would split up with Malcolm when they’re looking for a nun, who isn’t even a suspect, at a church. Nah. I don’t buy it. This is clearly a dream. 

22:30 - “You have to tell them what you did.”...and then we see the knife. Does this mean Malcolm is slowly convincing himself that he killed Endicott. Not Ainsley? Either way - I agree with nightmare-Ainsley. The team loves Malcolm but they’re also detectives. They’ll figure out what happened. And when they do - yikes. 

22:46 - I hate this. All season suspects have been calling Malcolm evil. Martin has been calling Malcolm a “hero”. Malcolm’s guilt is eating him alive. Simultaneously, the people who are supposed to trust and care about him (Dani, Gil, the precinct, Jessica) have all shown signs of doubting him. Dani alone has pointed a gun at Malcolm’s head. Now she’s wearing body armour? AND LOOK AT THE OTHER COPS. THEY ALL HAVE THEIR HANDS ON THEIR GUNS AS THOUGH MALCOLM IS A CRIMINAL. A THREAT. DANGEROUS. This is very bad for Malcolm’s mental health......God, the whump-whore in me hopes he has a major panic attack or something this season. 

23:23 - I love this scene. This is the papa!Gil content I’m here for. 

23:51 - JT expressing fear and concern for his unborn child makes my heart grow several sizes. Look at his puppy dog eyes here? Ugh. So precious. This whole JT arc is heartbreaking and beautiful. I love it.

24:15 - Sooooo JT knows about Jessica right? He’s a detective and a husband. He so knows. hahaha this is so cute. 

24:19 - Gil. You. Are. A. Liar......and you’ve been really grumpy this episode but I’m going to forgive you because I love you. 

24:28 - GIL. You’ve waited 20 years. How much longer can you wait for Jessica?!?!

24:35 - Maybe JT didn’t know? At least - not until Gil rambled on about waiting? JT looks like he just connected all the dots and he’s super uncomfortable.

24:43 -...... so she verbally attacks him all episode then drives him home and acts like she did toward Malcolm by mid-season 1? I’m getting whiplash. 

25:18 - This scene is so cute. They actually made the real life version of heart-eyes at each other. And Malcolm pours her a glass of water. Because 1) she’s driving and 2) she’s a recovering addict. He’s so casually respectful and I love it. 

25:28 - “Are you any different?” Ouch. Look at how hurt Malcolm is. :( Although, props to Dani for confronting him about it. Someone needed to and she’s being really calm and caring about it. 

26:10 - Dani’s little speech about being a black woman feels a little forced? Like the writers put it in so she doesn’t feel left out compared to JT? Idk, the whole thing just seemed not quite believable. Probably because when JT was racially profiled Dani - a black woman - pulled out her badge and all the white cops listened to her. It just doesn’t track. They wouldn’t have listened to her if they were racist and bold enough to attack JT in the first place.

26:47 - Anyone else think that all those lit candles are a fire hazard? Just me? Cool cool cool. 

 27:21 - Yo. This is stupid. I understand why this happened - because the plot needed it to happen. BUT WHY DID ALL THREE ARMED COPS LEAVE THREE UNARMED PEOPLE ALONE?!? And when does a team of 4 split into a group of 3 and 1??! It makes no logical sense (except for plot purposes).

28:03 - Creepy. 

28:30 - Oh. HELL no. This is absolute bs. My entire heart is breaking for JT.

29:05 - I really like how chill this Priest is. Like - he respects that Malcolm’s a disbeliever and he’s willing to talk to him without trying to convert him. 

29:55 - Listen to how upset JT sounds here!! :( :( :( My heart. :( 

30:08 - Ok so how did she end up tied in the closet and not murdered? 

30:40 - ....so did Jonah ruin that painting while Sister Agnes was in the closet or is the Sister just a moron who didn’t say anything about the guy ruining the painting?!?

30:50 - Sooooo Jonah is an “expert”. He taught Sister Agnes how to safely handle the lead-based paint. Yet - he didn’t use the protection? We saw him with a gas mask at the beginning of the episode? Did the sister not notice that he wasn’t using the protection? So much of this doesn’t track. Thankfully, I don’t watch this show for the “murder of the week” plot line.

31:30 - Malcolm is a good dude. Even now. He’s trying to help Jonah. <3 Heart of gold. 

32:25 - Martin - shut. up. 

32:45 - Friar Pete is a creepy treasure. I love him. 

33:24 - “Oh you’ve gotta be kidding.” hahaha I feel you Malcolm. I feel you. 

33:34 - Not gonna lie - when I watched this the first time all I could think is “How the eff does Malcolm remember everything Pete just said?” Maybe it’s just me but I would need Pete to go 1-2 words at a time. And slowly. ....maybe Malcolm took Latin in school? 

24:06 - Oh so all the killers this season are also going to accuse Malcolm of being a killer and/or evil. 

34:40 - Damn. I wish the team walked in right as Malcolm was screaming “the power of Christ compels you!!!”.

35:15 - I. Love. This. Gil screaming on the phone is everything. Him going to bat for JT is everything. Malcolm saying “This is bad”?!? *chef’s kiss*. ISTG Malcolm’s been scolded by Gil when Gil is that mad at some point during his teen years. 

35:53 - “I’ll take care of it.” JT. Is. My. Hero. What an absolute king. He’s going to take care of it, even though he’s terrified, because he needs to protect his family. Not just Tally and the baby. But little sister Dani too. <3 My heart is full. 

36:11 - ....okay so not to ruin a totally beautiful and profound scene but every time I’ve watched this scene JT doing that lean into the wall is very weird to me. Because he turns to face the camera. If he just slid down the wall or just leaned his head against the wall - it wouldn’t have felt so strange. It honestly distracts me from the scene. Every. Time. 

36:18 - This is hot garbage. I don’t even want to rewatch this scene because it makes me so upset. 

37:51 - I understand where Jessica is coming from but I also think she’s being a moron. I will say though, I respect the hell out of Gil for walking away when asked. A lot of men wouldn’t but he respects Jessica even if he doesn’t like what he’s hearing. So he left because she asked him to. 

39:00 - If this isn’t a red flag for Jessica about Ainsley’s mental health idk what is. 

39:25 - Poor Malcolm looks like he’s on the verge of tears here. :( I’m genuinely scared that Malcolm is becoming suicidal. He’s reaching the level of depressed and guilt where I think it’s a possibility. I genuinely think he’d rather kill himself to stop his guilt and suffering than to admit it to Gil, Jessica, JT, or Dani. ...for legal reasons he definitely can’t tell Gabrielle. 

40:00 - Sooooo Martin is finally suggesting that it was his idea to dispose of the body. I hope it’s the truth. 

40:05 - Martin is a piece of trash. He really needs to stop playing with Malcolm’s head. It’s literally killing Malcolm. 

40:50 - Oh. SHIT. Malcolm just clapped back hard. I am so so proud of him. ...also concerned about this deep anger in him though.

 41:46 - I swear - if we don’t get a Gil and Martin face-off when Martin breaks out, I will lose my mind. It’s one of the top things I want from this show. A Martin+Gil showdown. 

Ok. So I kind of loved this episode? Even though there were...many plot holes and things that annoyed me about it. Is it just me or has this season felt much darker than last season so far? It makes sense given last season’s finale but it’s still thrown me a bit. 

BUT I CAN NOT WAIT FOR 2x3. That promo. Ugh. <3 <3 We’re going to get traumatized teen!Malcolm content and I’m a sick bastard who is living for it. 

[chaotic-wanda]

Loose Acquaintances

Pairing: Steve x Reader

Prompt: “I miss being surrounded by loose acquaintances who think I’m funny and smart and charming”

Word Count: 797, short & sweet

Warnings: mostly fluff, shocking i know, a lot of banter

A/N: SURPRISE, double post!! This is for @evansxxx​ “I Don’t Wike It” Challenge (I’m sorry it’s so close to the deadline). This was so much fun and I love David Rose. It’s not my best work since I haven’t written as much fluff and have never written for Steve BUT I’m trying to be better about pushing myself to write out of my comfort zone. I also haven’t edited so I’m sure there are mistakes. Constructive criticism is always welcomed so please feel free to let me know! 

It was an unusual Friday night at the Avengers compound. There were no important missions and no one seemed to be in a dire situation for once. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to relax and unwind, however, some heroes couldn’t seem to stand the idea of sitting still and was currently brainstorming on what to do with their said free time. 

“We could go out and hit up some bars. Haven’t done that in a while,” Bucky suggested, finding the roof more interesting than this conversation. 

“That’s because we’re too old for wild nights out anymore,” Steve responded. 

Y/N couldn’t help but snort. “You’re idea of a wild night is probably watching a movie from the 40s and winding down with a book in bed,” she joked as she dropped herself on the couch next to Bucky, throwing her legs over his lap. 

“And what’s so bad about that? It’s better than being out until 4am, still drunk and eating a disgusting taco to try and sober up.” His arms were crossed in his usual stance, looking more like an annoyed father rather than the 30 year old guy he appeared to be. 

Y/N threw her head back and let out an exasperated sigh, “Tacos are always a good drunk food option! I miss being surrounded by loose acquaintances who think I’m funny and smart and charming. It feels as if I’m stuck with you two cranky old men all the time now.”

“Who in their right mind would ever think you’re charming or funny?” Bucky asked with a smirk on his face. 

She whipped her head up quickly to shoot him a glare before kicking him. Steve couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at the exchange before nodding in agreement, “Must be why they’re only acquaintances cause anyone who knows you would realize you’re not that charming.” He knew it was a lie but he couldn’t help but get her riled up. He loved the way she looked with that adorable pout and the way her face would scrunch up. 

“Et tu, Stevie?” He could see the mischief behind her eyes that told another story. A secret that only the two of them knew. 

Steve shrugged while trying to hold back his laughter, “You just called me a boring old man, all is fair.”

Y/N let out a huff while making her way off the couch. “You two are no longer fun. I think I’ll just have a “me” night instead. Enjoy your lame movie!” she yelled out while making her way to the kitchen, throwing Steve a knowing smirk on her way out. 

“I’m gonna grab some popcorn for the movie. You want anything, Buck?” Steve asked while taking a few steps back. 

“A beer would be great,” was his response while barely looking up from his phone. Steve nodded before turning towards the kitchen. 

A few minutes later, Y/N felt a strong set of arms wrap around her and a pair of lips on her neck as she finished pouring a glass of wine. Steve was being bold by showing affection with so many team members around but he didn’t care. He’d let them all know about their secret relationship if it meant getting to hold her at this point. “Excuse me, I was looking for my funny and smart and charming girlfriend. Have you seen her around?” he teased. 

She rolled her eyes as she turned in his arms to face him, “Can’t say I have. She must have gotten tired of your grouchy attitude.” 

Steve chuckled while running his hands up and down her arms, “Come on sweetheart, we shouldn’t waste what little alone time we have with fighting. I can think of so many better things we could do.” He leaned in to give her a kiss but she pulled away. 

Instead, she grabbed her glass to block him from making a move and took a swig. She licked the red liquid from her lips before it could trail down any further while never breaking eye contact with him, causing Steve to shudder and try to pull her closer. 

“Tsk, tsk. You have a movie to watch and I have some self care time calling my name. No time for a kiss I’m afraid.” She grinned up at him before leaning to whisper in his ear, “But maybe you can stop by my room once you’re done with your “wild” night.” She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before grabbing her glass as well as the bottle and throwing him a wink while strutting towards her room. Steve knew he was in trouble then and wouldn’t be able to last through a full movie with her running through his mind. He was in for a long night.

[dammitadolfnomorecake]

Undercover Lover prt 25

25

Eren’s plans too a slight turn for the worse. First came sweating with a fever, then nausea, then came throwing up, and finally came being transferred to hospital when his nose started pouring blood and the precinct medic started yelling for an ambulance. Ah. The joys of being handcuffed to a bed. He remembered them well from. Actually, he didn’t. He didn’t remember much about the first few days after Marco had died, it’d all been a blur, but Armin was there to tell him they had to restrain him because he hadn’t taken the news very well. Rushed into emergency, people were yelling, he wasn’t sure he wasn’t one of them as the bright lights assaulted his eyes. Ultimately he lost a day and woke up to Pixis peeling a mandarin while he worked his way through a bottle of brandy. He’d had a severe reaction to alpha suppressants, going slightly feral, his knee had been busted by an officer claiming self defence. Not that he’d been informed who they were but it could have only been one of Rod’s small time thugs trying to get one last hit in in case he shuffled off the mortal realm. Pixis rather jovial as he recounted what Eren had missed. Eren not so jovial as his right knee stung like a bitch.

Things became a real party when Hannes came by to check on his condition. Two of the best men he knew happened to both be functional alcoholics and seemed to delight in exchanging stories of his bullheadedness and opinions on brandy. With fresh officers at his door, and denied pain medication thanks to being a “druggy”, sleep offered the only relief in the whole situation. Levi was fucking going to love this. So, it was Sunday morning he appeared before the magistrate, a special favour called in by Pixis, his bail set and paid, before he was forced onto Hannes... who insisted repeatedly he needed monitoring after his reaction. Now knowing what the hell was going on, Hannes had signed a non-disclosure form, which unfortunately didn’t stop him from giving him hell the moment they’d climbed into Hannes’s blue truck. They’d taken his crutches off him, leaving him hobbling into court with his damn moon boot. Climbing into Hanne’s truck wasn’t so bad, but the idea of climbing out wasn’t appealing. All he wanted was to go home to Levi’s apartment and sleep.

“Eren, I’m talking to you”

Ugh. Red lights. He hated them. Sighing, Eren looked to Hannes tiredly. His head was throbbing, couldn’t the man take pity on him until they’d gotten home? Which reminded him, he still hadn’t contacted Levi. Great. Levi would think he was blowing him off on purpose or some shit

“You know I couldn’t tell you”

“You could have told me something”

“I didn’t exactly plan on being stabbed”

The light turned green, Eren wondering why it couldn’t have done so sooner to save his sanity from this. Maybe he should risk throwing himself out the car? Surely it couldn’t be as bad as Hannes’s “dad tone”

“That’s not the point”

“Undercover work means you don’t talk. I’ve worked my arse off for this...”

“I could have helped...”

Curse Hannes. The man more of a father to him than his own father. Grisha... He’d been there when Eren was younger... then shit happened and now he was pretty much dead to his father... but that was metaphorically. Getting caught in this mess could literally cost Hannes his life

“I didn’t want you to know. Rod is bad news. Between illegal fighting, money laundering, and drug shipments, the last thing I needed was him coming after you. I’ll bet he’s already got someone tracking you down. Going home won’t be safe”

Hannes raised an eyebrow

“That bad?”

“I honestly don’t know why I’ve been released with a clear threat to my life. This is exactly why I didn’t want to get any closer to Levi”

He wanted to see Levi. The second time he’d woken, he’d looked to the side of his bed, thinking Levi would be there. That he wasn’t... it sent Eren’s mind to all the possible dark places

“I don’t think that’s possible. You’re lucky Pixis and Shadis covered for you. The documentation’s been edited...”

“Too late. By now Rod will know I’m an omega of some sort...”

“Then there’s no way you can possibly go back there”

“What am I supposed to do then? Pixis asked me to dig into a certain associate of Rod’s that’s being released...”

“You could ask Levi”

“No”

Absolutely not. No. He wasn’t getting Levi involved. He needed to extract him, yet Levi wasn’t the kind of man to follow anyone he didn’t know in an act of blind faith

“Eren, I think he...”

“I’m not costing him his life! His apartment won’t be safe anymore, and I don’t know if he’s even going to make it home in one piece! Where the hell are we going?”

“Pixis set you up with an alternative place to stay”

“Please tell me we’re not staying at yours”

“Then I won’t”

“Hannes!”

“You need monitoring. A huge dose of alpha suppressants entered your system. There may be more side effects”

“Shouldn’t it be out my system by now?”

“Your system is confused at the best of times. I’ve got the spare room set up, and Levi is welcome to stay”

How could Hannes smile? How could he let Eren into his home knowing he might just get killed for his generosity?!

“How is that not getting you involved?! How do you not get how dangerous this is?”

“And you’re like a son to me. Of course I’m going to be there. I couldn’t be there for your mother, so at least let me be there for you”

Fuck... Hannes... He made it hard to look him in the face when it came to the serious stuff

“That wasn’t you fault”

“I was in the ER at the time...”

He didn’t want to go there. He didn’t want to go anywhere except maybe to Eldia in Marley to see Levi

“She was already sick, just no one knew it... okay. It’s not your fault and you don’t have to act like you have some big debt. You don’t. I can’t contact Levi, I don’t know where my phone ended up, but he’s back Monday”

“Then I’ll take you to see him after work. Try to tolerate this old man until then”

*

Eren wasn’t sure if “tolerate” was the right word for the situation. Hannes’s wife had died due to complications from pneumonia years ago now, and the man embraced a kind of eclectic messiness where he knew where things were and no one else did. Finally medicated, Eren spent most of what was left of the Sunday in bed, a good thing too as Hannes woke him the following morning having decided he should come with him to the clinic where he could keep an eye on him.

Begrudgingly, Eren went. Pixis having gifted Hannes money to buy him something to wear might have been the highlight of damn day. They’d stopped into the local mall before work, Eren grabbing the first shirt and pair jeans that fitted, then remember he needed underwear and fresh socks, Hannes grabbing junk food as he said he needed the sugar to concentrate on the day ahead. Everything being scentless should have made him happy, he had the chance at a semi-fresh start seeing he couldn’t go back to work in a moonboot and Rod probably didn’t want him there... Sniffing his old clothes as he bagged them, they stank of him and his changing pheromones. Unexpected tears welling up in his eyes as the feeling of loneliness struck him out of nowhere. He missed Levi’s scent and now he was crying in the public toilets, missing a man who’d probably got the complete wrong idea about why he hadn’t contacted him. If Levi were there, he’d use some sentence with far too many “shits” in it to describe both the location and him being a brat... Fuck. He just wanted to see him again.

Unable to perk back up, Eren spent the day in a flunk. Using Hannes’s second consulting room, he had nothing to do but sleep and play around on the internet, but there were only so many cat videos a man could watch before boredom set in and both options became boring. His boredom had him almost calling work to see if Rod had returned, though the person he really wanted to call was Levi, who’s number was stuck in his flat phone. He’d offered to pick up lunch for Hannes, but Hannes firmly shut him down over wandering around while unstable. Even if he couldn’t smell himself, Hannes assured him he was steadily releasing a distressed scent that could be picked up on by the wrong kind of alpha. Eren didn’t know what Hannes expected to happen. If anyone made a pass at him, he’d ignore them, and if he couldn’t, he had two very handy weapons to get his point across. This was worse than being in prison. With nothing better to do, he took a page out of Levi’s book, starting to clean up the examination room before Hannes came to tell him he was being too noisy. He couldn’t help it. Sitting still was not his forte.

The hours between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm dragged on. The last hour the worst as anxiety gnawed at Eren’s stomach and he worried his lip until it bled. Everytime he glanced at the clock it seemed to mock him by having moved a minute or two at the time. Levi had to be home by now. He’d have gotten home and seen Eren wasn’t there. He would have been cranky “the brat” had disobeyed him... or maybe he was relieved to come home and find the man who’d thrown his life into chaos gone. Having someone to care about was hard enough, let alone the extra worry given it was his mate who’d spent the past few days surrounded by god only knows what. What if Levi had found someone better in their time apart? What if he’d slept with someone? They weren’t exactly dating, so Eren didn’t have the right to be mad if he did... even if Levi said he didn’t sleep around, alcohol seemed to lower the man’s defences... and hell, Levi was so good in bed... just thinking about Levi like that was enough to make him slick, then whimper at the idea of someone else being beneath his alpha. Fucking anxiety fucking sucked...

*

Hannes accompanied Eren to Levi’s apartment. They kind of had a ready made cover story seeing Eren’s knee was currently stuffed and it kind of was work related. Knocking on the alpha’s door, Eren’s heart was hammering in his chest. He didn’t want Levi to start yelling, though he may just deserve it. He also feared seeing the alpha hurt seeing Levi was terrible at taking care of his own injuries after a fight.

Knocking again, Levi kept him waiting... Eren finding himself nearly in tears again. Knocking for a third time finally summoned the alpha from the depths of his apartment

“Fuck off, Hanji! I’m not in the fucking mood!”

Hearing Levi’s voice made Eren’s heart give a weird beat. For a moment the omega thought he’d be left out on in the hallway, until the door finally cracked open, Eren immediately stumbling forward to throw his arms around Levi, not entirely sure why, only that he wanted to hug him because he’d come home safely.

“What the shit?”

He’d take it. Forcing himself off Levi, Eren tried to smile. The short alpha wearing a very grumpy expression as he crossed his arms and scowled up at him. Not that he’d admit it, yet Levi seemed shorter than he remembered him being

“I’m so sorry. I had an accident and my phone’s been flat so I couldn’t let you know”

Levi’s gaze travelled downwards, narrowing as his gaze came to Eren’s knee

“What the fuck happened?!”

“Twisted my knee. I’ve been at Hannes’s, but it’s nothing really”

“Tch. Do you know how worried I was?”

Eren melted. He wanted to sweep Levi back into his arms, but the alpha had only just showered by the look of him

“I’m really sorry. Hannes has been monitoring me to make sure I don’t have a reaction to the medication... Can we come in?”

“It’s your fucking apartment too”

Thank god Levi was acting like himself. Sure, he was kind of sad the alpha hadn’t immediately let them in, but he’d come back from being with Rod unscathed

“Right... it’s really good to see you”

“Tch. Quit being emotional, it’s only been a few days. Come on in already, before you disturb the neighbours”

Limping his way into the apartment, Hannes followed as Eren made his way over to the sofa. Everywhere filled with Levi’s scent that washed over him like a welcome breeze on a hot day. In the kitchen, Levi immediately went to making tea, Eren smiling at the very Levi action

“How the shit did he manage to get into trouble the moment I left town?”

Eren pouted a little. He hadn’t meant for anything that’d happened to go down

“I...”

“I’m not asking you, I’m asking Hannes”

Hannes sighed, shooting Eren a glance that Eren failed to read

“He got arrested for possession. That’s how he busted his knee. They gave him alpha suppressants, so I’ve had him with me so I can monitor his condition”

Hannes was a dirty rotten traitor. Sure, he might have to explain to Levi what’d happened before the alpha went back to work, but couldn’t Hannes just let him have this?

“Shit!”

Dropping the tea canister, Levi stood there with tea leaves across the kitchen bench. Normally he’d be rushing to clean up the mess, but instead his eyes were firmly on Eren

“I... it’s not so bad. I’m on bail... at least they didn’t throw me back into holding until I see the magistrate”

“You fucking got arrested?!”

“At the garage. I guess I’m fired now”

Leaning against the bench, Levi pushed himself back as he dropped his head

“It was Rod, wasn’t it?”

Fuck. Levi getting into with Rod was the last thing they needed

“Probably... Look, it’s okay. The job there was only going to be temporary...”

Raising his head, Levi showed a rare fit of anger as he kicked the counter door

“Fuck the job. Hannes, will he be okay?”

“He had a pretty bad reaction, but the drugs seem to be out his system now. Given it was a high dose, I’d like him to stay with me for now”

Couldn’t Hannes ease him into all of this? Eren had no idea how he was going to ask Levi to come with them, but throwing everything at him wasn’t the right way to do things

“Hannes!”

“Don’t give me that. You know that I also want Levi to stay for the time being to make sure your hormones settle”

There should really be an age limit for sass. Eren had the sneaking suspicion that it being past “scotch o’clock” was making the doctor cranky. Shit, he was starting to blush simply looking at Levi. Stupid earlier thoughts coming to mind as Levi made him blush harder by asking

“Couldn’t he remain here?”

Hannes shook his head

“I’d like him where I have access to him immediately if something happens. He’s been given the wrong suppressants previously, yet that wasn’t during presentation. I’d also like to keep him in an environment without scent cancellers and monitor his changes”

Eren huffed. He was 27 not 7, or 17. Shouldn’t he have some say?

“I’m not a pet. And I would prefer to stay here”

“Brat, Hannes knows more about this than we do. If he says it’s necessary, then you should stay with him”

“But I want to stay with you!”

Oh. Fuck. Now he’d done it. Raising his voice, both sets of eyes were on him as he died a little internally. His selfishness talking, as he personally wanted to stay by Levi’s side and not just for Levi’s protection. Surprisingly Levi chuckled at his outburst, unsurprisingly, it brought tears to Eren’s eyes as his face burned. Shitty stupid dynamics... He was going to blame them until hell froze over. Hannes placed his hand on Eren’s leg, his tone softening

“Eren...”

“Forget it. I’m going to pack”

“We’re not done talking about this. I’m not...”

Nope. He’d embarrassed himself... again. Why did he have to keep making a total fool out of himself when Levi was in the room? Levi was never going to believe he was a Detective with the Paradis Narcotics Division even if Eren looked him dead in the eyes and told him the goddamn truth about why he was really in Shinganshima. He used to have underlinings. He used to handle cases. He used to handle goddamn briefings and even guest lectured once when meth was in its infancy stage on the island

“It’s alright, Hannes. I fucking get it”

Storming out the room, with his crutches and damn moon boot, his mood hardly conveyed how angry he was at himself. Keeping himself from slamming the bedroom door behind him, he felt all of 17 again. Levi’s scent seemed to follow him in. Sadness hung in the room, and the omega supposed he deserved that much as he sank onto the edge of what had been his bed.

How was he supposed to sort things out with Levi within two weeks?

Three months... they’d been in each other’s orbit for three months. How did explain things to Levi and not make it sound as if he’d spend three months playing the man? Hannes was his friend from his past. Levi had to place a heck of a lot trust in the beta not to be lying to him about the situation. Had Eren been in Levi’s shoes, he could easily see how the results had been faked to keep him close. But he liked him... as a person. He’d liked him before his body started reacting. The crass frankness so damn refreshing after so many lies and the creation of his carefully constructed facade. Now he was sitting in the room Levi had been kind enough to loan him... crying because he couldn’t have things his own way.

Levi came after him. Letting himself into the space, Eren’s face was buried in his hands. Men weren’t meant to fall apart and cry like this. That’s what pretty much every piece of media out there said. His mother used to tease him for showing his emotions, until one day his tears seemed to just dry up

“You okay, brat?”

“I think I’m in the middle of a mental breakdown or a tantrum. I can’t quite decide”

Sighing at him, Levi dropped himself down to sit next to him. Eren resisting the urge to lean into the warmth he knew he’d find in Levi

“Tch. It sounds to me like you’ve had a pretty shitty last few days”

“No where near as shitty as yours, I’m sure”

Being with Rod that long, Eren would have snapped and he knew it. Work was one thing, playing nice and being up close another thing entirely

“It’s over. That’s the main thing”

“Us or Rod?”

“Tch. You really do like to leap to the worst fucking conclusions”

That wasn’t an answer

“I’m sorry”

“Stop it. Now, talk to me. What happened with the medication?”

Telling Levi felt like crying wolf. It was done. No body had the ability to go back in time and change things, nor could they see the future. Mumbling, he wiped at his eyes

“You know the police use emergency suppressants when arresting someone considered violent...”

“Tch. For fuck’s sake. Have you had...”

“I haven’t had symptoms... I thought I was, but it was a bad reaction... You must have thought I was ignoring you”

Levi took a moment to reply. The alpha a master at stomach dropping pauses

“I did. I wasn’t too impressed to find you’d left”

Fuck. Levi’s tone didn’t hold any accusations, only a kind of melancholy that smacked Eren like a guilt train t the face

“I was going to, but... shit. I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing... again”

“Sitting on your shitty bed having a cry?”

“There’s that. I kept wondering how you were and if Rod was using this chance to dispose of you now that he’d gotten rid of me”

“With the amount of money I made that fat fuck, his little pecker has never been harder”

Things couldn’t get much worse. Letting himself lean against Levi, Levi didn’t push him away. Eren indulging himself a little more as he kissed the alpha’s shoulder

“I’m... I don’t know why I did that... I’m... I’m really glad you’re safe”

And he sincerely meant that. Levi going missing in Marley would have been so easy to cover up and explain

“Don’t go getting too soft on me, brat. From what I hear, we’re both in the shit”

“I don’t know when I’m going before court. Hannes spoke on my behalf. The cops probably know I’m a shitty beta-omega”

“Rod probably knows too”

“Yeah. Fuck... I keep bringing shit to your doorstep”

“Hannes might be shitty, but he’s not shit. You shouldn’t talk about your friends like that”

Fucking Levi. Despite his low mood, Levi had him snorting with laughter

“This coming from the man who calls his best friends “Eyebrows” and “Shitty Foureyes””

Levi bumped him with his elbow, Eren nearly delirious at all the attention he was getting... really, his face couldn’t possibly feel any warmer at this stage. It had to be the onset of a fever or something

“I know what I’m talking about. Look. Hannes’s place is probably safer than here right now”

“I know that. But I didn’t want him involved like this. I can’t help but feel once Rod learns I’ve walked, shit is going to hit the fan. I don’t want you caught in it”

“Tch. You don’t have to worry about me. I can handle myself”

“I know. Blame the hormones... I’m sorry. I’m not going to make you leave your home for me. I’ll stay with Hannes like a good little omega”

Once again Levi hit him with another of those long pauses. The alpha turning his face away from him

“I’m not good at this shit... I don’t know why, but... I didn’t like you not being here when I got home. It just... shit... I’m not saying this shit right. Fucking hell”

Okay... That sounded suspiciously like caring

“You missed me?”

“Tch. Don’t get too full of yourself... but maybe something like that. Look. I don’t want to stay at Hannes’s but the bigger problem is if you get sick again. So... maybe... for a couple of fucking days, it wouldn’t be so fucking bad”

He didn’t want Levi walking into Hannes’s without being prepared

“His house is a mess and the bathroom has something growing in the corner of the shower. Kind of fucked my knee up so not really able to get that low to the ground”

Growling, the alpha pulled away. Levi running his finger through his short black hair, Eren swallowing hard at the casual kind of sexiness oozing off the alpha. Shit... Maybe he wasn’t just hot...

“Of course it fucking does. I don’t know what an alpha does. I didn’t know if I should go get you. Or if you’d been hurt. Or if you’d fucked off back to your apartment thinking you shouldn’t be here...I didn’t know if you were dead somewhere... Fuck, brat... just shut up and accept some fucking help for once”

Please for the love all things sacred don’t let Levi notice he was starting to slick. Or that the alpha’s scent was starting to change to something way too tempting. Swallowing nervously, Eren forced himself off the bed. Accepting help... It made him feel infinitely worse about the coming two weeks

“If you’re coming, you should probably pack”

“I’m already packed. I haven’t unpacked”

“Then... pack some more... I don’t know”

“Eren...”

“I’m not good at this help thing... and things have all gone to shit. Can I have a few moments alone?”

Levi sighed at him

“Alright. I’m a bit reluctant though. I wouldn’t be surprised if you tripped and attacked the furniture in your state”

“In my defence, I didn’t ask for a fucked knee”

“No. I’m not impressed by that at all”

How Eren wanted to confess then have Levi fix things, but he was in far too deep. Four days he’d been mostly okay, 5 minutes with Levi and he was back to being a mess

“That’s what happens when you put someone with my past in with a bunch of cops. I’m grateful I didn’t end up in a ditch. You should probably pack your work things... and the bed isn’t really the greatest. We’re staying in Phillip’s room and it hasn’t changed since he moved out to go to college”

“What size is the bed?”

Eren blinked, the realised it was a valid question seeing he’d practically insinuated they’d be sleeping in it together

“Queen. Thankfully”

“I’ll pack my own bedding. I don’t want to think about the amount of spoof lingering on those sheets”

“They’ve been washed...”

“I’m sure they have been. Fine. Pack your stuff. But you better call out if you need help”

Both of them knew he wouldn’t, still, Eren forced a strained smile as he answered. If living with Hannes failed to scare Levi away, then maybe nothing ever would?

“Yeah. Will do”

[ayma-nidiot]

“Don’t Speak Their Names” - Shrimpshipping fanfic Epilogue

This chapter can be found here on AO3.

Epilogue - The Evergreen Greenhouse

~29 December 2007~

Even throughout his almost-over undergrad career - which involved a lot of trips to archaeological sites with Spinos - Rex still found the time to duel. As a matter of fact, he proudly approached the front door of his off-campus apartment with a trophy he just won from a local tournament - and against his father, no less.

“Weeves!” Rex called out. “I just won the tournament! Since we both just turned 21, why don’t we go celebrate with drinks?”

The first one to answer him was not his husband, but rather his 2-year-old daughter. “Papa!”

“Amber!” Rex picked Amber up and gave her a big kiss on the cheek. “How ya’ doing, big girl?”

Indeed, Amber was a big girl; though she just turned two years old, she already showed signs of being gifted. She could already speak in complete sentences, count to 100, and recite the alphabet pretty well. Still, she loved many of the same things that typical toddlers did - not the least of which was her mother. “I’m feeling awesome! But… But…”

“You okay?”

“Someone’s not feeling so awesome… It’s Daddy.”

“Why, what’s wrong with him?” Rex put Amber down, and allowed her to lead him to the loo. He was not at all pleased to see Weevil there, praying to the porcelain goddess. “Gods, Weevil! What’s wrong?”

“Ugh…” Weevil gave Rex a pained look before throwing up into the loo again.

“Daddy’s been like this aaaaall morning.” Amber sounded like she was about to cry. “What should we do, Papa?”

It was then that Rex had just remembered Weevil drizzling a ton of chocolate syrup over his fried bee larvae a few weeks ago. At first, he thought that Weevil was just being a buttmunch as usual. But then Rex recalled the cravings he had during his pregnancy - and the speech his college doctor gave him, the one that all male shapeshifters were capable of getting pregnant. “It… It can’t be…”

“Papa?” Amber looked at her mother quizzically.

“Amber, get my phone. I’m gonna call the doctor and get Daddy there right away.”

After his wave of nausea finally abated, and Rex had made that call, Weevil put the toilet cover back on and pouted at his husband. “Rex, honey, come on. You don’t have to go that far. Just give me some Pepto-Bismol, and I’ll be fine.”

“Throwing up for an entire morning is totally not fine.” Rex picked Weevil up princess-style and put him in the middle of the 2006 Mazda 5 with Amber. “And you’re about to see that.”

________

~A quick drive and 30 minutes later~

“So… So, what did you find, Doctor?” Weevil asked Dr. Balls.

“After performing the ultrasound, we’ve discovered that you’re pregnant, Mr. Raptor. Eleven weeks, to be exact.”

“Aww, how sweet…” Rex smiled as he stroked Weevil’s belly.

“Anyway, I do not anticipate that you will need hospitalization, just some light bed rest for now. I’ll prescribe some antiemetics, though. You are more than welcome to visit should you feel the need to do so.”

“I… I see. Thank you, Doctor.” After Dr. Balls left, Weevil turned to glare at his husband. “Why didn’t you tell me that I’m capable of getting pregnant, dino brain?”

“Yeah, about that…” Rex scratched his nose. “When I first visited this doctor, he told me that all male shapeshifters are intersex. But they each have their own unique heat cycles, depending on what they can change into. Yours just aren’t as frequent as mine.”

“...Humph.”

“I’m sorry, Weeves, are you mad? You still want to keep the baby, don’t you?”

“Oh, I’ll keep the baby, all right. But you better treat me to bee larvae whenever I ask for it.”

“Yay!” Amber gave her father a happy hug. “I’m going to be a big sister!”

“Indeed you are,” spoke a middle-aged woman in scrubs, who had just entered the room.

“What? Mother?” Weevil didn’t expect to see Camellia come out of nowhere. “What are you doing here?”

“Grandma!” Amber ran to Camellia to give her a hug too. 

“I’m just getting some shadowing hours, that’s all,” Camellia spoke as she hugged her granddaughter back. “After seeing what Rex went through during his pregnancy, I’ve decided that I want to become an obstetrician.”

“That’s great! Congratulations!” 

Rex’s smile turned upside down when Camellia turned on the T.V., and the first thing that came on was a replay of Weevil’s now-infamous regionals victory.

“It’s hard to believe that Rex Raptor used to lose so much back in the day,” one of the Duel Monster Channel’s announcers spoke over a still of Rex’s face in defeat. “But now that he’s won a championship against Spinos Saurus, I think he’ll reach his former fame once again.”

“Oooh!” Amber had never seen this duel of her parents in their teen years. “Is that you, Papa?”

Rex facepalmed. “Yeah, yeah, that’s your Papa, all right.”

“So have you learned to use strategy since then, dino brain?” 

“Nah. Strategies are for dweebs and bug boys.” Rex held tightly onto Weevil’s hand. “And I’m so proud to be married to a man who’s both of them.”

“Is that supposed to be a compliment?”

The doctor interrupted this conversation, coming in with a few papers. “Okay, Mr. Raptor, here are your antiemetic prescriptions. I’m also going to schedule your 20-week ultrasound. As you know, not only will we be able to search for abnormalities, but we can also determine the sex of your baby.”

Weevil had just recalled what Phuckdis said right when future Amber was “supposed” to kill the bug duelist. “Oh, there won’t be a need for that second one. I already know that I’m carrying a boy.”

“You… You sure?” Camellia asked.

“I’m willing to bet my deck on it.”

“Then how are you supposed to beat me, bug boy?” spoke a voice from the adjacent hospital bed.

“Whoa!” Rex turned around to see Mai laying on that bed, with Joey by her side. “Again with the coincidental meetings, Joey?”

“Great, just the person I wanted to see…” Weevil felt another wave of nausea about to hit him, and clutched his gut tighter.

“Hey!” Amber ran over to Joey. “Now look what you did to Daddy!”

“Ehehehe…” Joey waved a nervous hand. “Hey.”

“...I know you! You’re that big meanie who took Papa’s Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Daddy’s Insect Queen, aren’t you?”

“Amber!”

Amber ignored her mother. “Someday, I’m going to beat you and get them back! You’ll see!” She stuck her tongue out at Joey. “You big buttmunch!”

“Okay, Amber, that’s enough,” Rex laughed as he picked up his daughter.

“I suppose our rivalry never really will die, will it?” Joey laughed back, then turned to talk to Amber. “Amber, you’re a very smart kid. I’d love to duel you someday.”

“...” Amber only pouted in response. “Okay, but you’re going to be bug juice.”

Weevil smiled, as he always did when his daughter used catch phrases from both of her parents. “So what brings you here, Joey?”

“Well…” Mai sat upright. “I’m almost done with my degree, and I moved to this university for the upper-level courses. I started feeling sick on my way to class today, so Joey escorted me to the clinic. And… it turns out I’m pregnant. With triplets, if I might add.”

“And if you couldn’t tell, I’m the dad!” Joey proclaimed proudly. 

“Of course, this idiot got the whole ‘marry first, have kids later’ thing backwards.” Mai rolled her eyes. “He only got the courage to propose to me yesterday.”

“Touché,” replied Weevil.

“Soooo.” Rex waggled his eyebrows at Joey. “Looks like Weeves and I weren’t the only ones busy making babies on my wedding night.”

“Hehehehe...” Joey chuckled nervously. “And what a coincidence that Mai and Weevil will probably give birth on the same day.”

“Then maybe you should be the ‘godparents’ of our son.” Weevil was only half-joking.

“You know what I think would be cool?” Rex stepped forward and started making grand gestures. “If we had one bed over here and another one over here. Weeves and Mai can be in the same delivery room. That way, we can all witness each other’s kids’ births.”

“I’m down for that!” Mai appeared to agree with Joey.

“I dunno…” Weevil’s eyebrow twitched when he looked at Joey. “Not sure I want to be anywhere near this sasquatch when I experience the most awful pain of my life.”

“Actually, that can be arranged,” Dr. Balls cut in. “It’s more common than you think for friends or their spouses to give birth together.”

“Good to know.” Weevil groaned slightly as he got out of bed. “Well, I’ve got a final paper to write for biochemistry, so if you’ll excuse me.”

“Weeves, take it easy!” Rex helped Weevil out of the bed until he was confident he could walk on his own. “It would suck if you threw up all over your expensive laptop - or all over this floor - now wouldn’t it?”

“So I’ll see you again in nine weeks?” Dr. Balls patted Weevil on the shoulder, giving him the ultrasound pictures on his way out.

“You bet.”

“Fantastic. Now, no dueling or other strenuous activities until your second trimester, understood?”

“Yeah, yeah.” Weevil bowed on his way to the nearby pharmacy, giving a congratulations nod to Joey and Mai. He didn’t feel nauseated at the moment, but still felt muscle soreness from his morning sickness bout. While waiting for his antiemetic medications to be made, he rubbed his belly, speaking to the unborn child in there. “So help me Ra, if I ruin my entire semester’s work because of you, you’ll be sorry.”

“That’s not very nice!” Rex used a much more caring tone with their future child, patting Weevil’s belly at the same time. “Don’t listen to your mom; he’s just cranky. Final exams and all that.”

“It’s weird how I’m the mom this time around… So, we can get each other pregnant.” Even with his antiemetics now in hand, Weevil didn’t yet feel like getting up from the pharmacy’s small sofa.

“Hey, Weevil?”

“Yeah, Rex?”

“Wouldn’t it be cool if we could, like, get each other pregnant at the same time?”

“Hahaha!” Weevil refrained from laughing too loudly, out of fear of exacerbating his morning sickness again. But now he felt like getting up, and held Amber by the hand. “Yeah, right. The stars would have to align perfectly for us to be in heat at the exact same time. Oh, and Rex?”

“Yeah, Weevil?”

“You owe me ¥2000 if the child I’m carrying is a boy.”

“Naw, that’s no good. You’ll owe me ¥3000 if it’s a girl.”

“Then it’s on!”

___________

~02 March 2007, 11:00~

“Hmm!” Dr. Balls looked closer at the 2D. “Well, Mr. Raptor, I’ll be. You guessed right; you are carrying your first son. And he’s a perfectly healthy lad, he is.”

“Ha!” Weevil turned to smirk at Rex. “What’d I tell you? Now pay up.”

“Grr, whatever…” Rex forked over three ¥1000 bills. “Seeing as how we’re married and share most of our finances, this is kind of pointless.”

“Wait a second…” Dr. Balls probed around a bit more after he switched the ultrasound to 4D mode. “Hmm, very interesting!”

“Wh-What, is there something wrong with my baby?” Weevil stammered.

“No, no, it’s just… I’ve had many male shapeshifter patients, some of them insect shifters. But… none of them had a cocoon around their baby.”

“Are you serious?” Weevil looked at the ultrasound, and sure enough, his unborn son had not only tiny moth antennae and wings, but a thin moth cocoon keeping him warm. “It’s like… my body literally is the Cocoon of Evolution. I’m totally digging it.”

“Aww!” Amber kissed Weevil’s growing baby bump. “Hi there, baby brother. I can’t wait to meet you!”

“And I’m totally not. ” Even in his married life, Rex had not quite gotten used to insects.

“Since the two of you will complete your doctorate work at the university, you’re more than welcome to give birth here,” Dr. Balls informed his patient while rummaging through files on his tablet. “Especially if you and Rex plan to teach at this university someday. Now, let’s see… Your due date is July 20th. A day before your own birthday, if memory serves.”

“Yeah, well, you know that whole thing about most people not giving birth on their due dates? I get the vibe I won’t. And with any luck, Mai won’t either.”

“The important thing is that the both of you have healthy pregnancies, yeah?” Dr. Balls began to pack a few items for Weevil. “By chance, Rex, do you still have the fetal doppler from your pregnancy?”

“Of course. I couldn’t just part with the damn thing.”

“Splendid! And, as always, feel free to call if and when you need something. Good day now!”

“Good day.” With that, Weevil blocked the incoming sun from his eyes, and without looking, he knew a bee had just landed on his finger. “Say, Rex? Can we stop by somewhere really quick before lunch? I just got an idea.”

“Sure! Where, exactly?” Rex spoke with Amber sitting upon his shoulders.

“I want to visit my old home. You know, the one I haven’t set foot into in nearly four years.”

“Whatever for?” Rex couldn’t believe that Weevil would ever want to go to the home he was mercilessly abused in. 

“You’ll see when we get there.”

“Argh, I’m not that patient, you know!” 

“Careful.” Weevil pointed to Amber as the small family crossed the street. “You’ve got a toddler on your shoulders.”

Before Rex could think of a comeback to that, he heard a middle-aged man’s voice suddenly call out from underneath him. “Change? You got spare change, young man?”

“Huh?” Rex looked down to see a raggedy man in a group of other homeless people. “Sorry, but I don’t carry cash on me.”

“Is it…?” The homeless man got up to get a better look at Weevil. “Could you be…?”

“Hey!” Rex put Amber down and instantly got defensive of Weevil. “Leave my husband alone, you freak!”

“No, hun, it’s okay.” Weevil stopped Rex from throwing any punches. “I know this man.”

“Weeves?” Rex couldn’t understand why Weevil, of all people, would want to take time out of his busy day to talk to a group of homeless people.

“So what happened?” Weevil asked.

“It turns out that I couldn’t keep The Underwood Company afloat. Not only were we about to file for bankruptcy, but all my employees revolted. Now I’m stuck here, depending on the goodwill of others just to have something to eat.”

“And they revolted because of how horribly you treated them, didn’t they? You know that maid Adelaide you abused, just because she was being kind to me? She’s working on her business degree now and wants to take over the company - under a new name, of course. In fact, my family and I were just on our way to visit the old Underwood house. Oh, and just so you know, your ex-wife is going to be an obstetrician soon. Not even your horrific abuse of her could stop her from achieving her dreams.” Weevil held his baby bump protectively. “Or mine.”

“Adelaide and Camellia are…” The homeless man knelt and cried. “And you…?”

“I can’t believe I’ve wasted my time talking to you. I have better things to do with my time. I hope that you suffer for the remainder of your days, and that karma is an utter bitch to you.” Weevil got one last look at the homeless man. “Goodbye, Roach Underwood.”

“Daddy, who is this creepy guy?” Amber looked at the homeless man curiously, still unaware of just who he was or what he had done.

“That’s just it - a creepy guy.” Weevil gestured for Amber to grab his hand. “Come along, Amber, there’s something I want you to see.”

“Weeves… That man we met, is he…?” Rex tried to say as Weevil rang the doorbell to the Underwood mansion; surprisingly, the exterior was rather well-kept.

“Yes. He is.”

Rex didn’t need to hear anything more, and didn’t want to dwell on what he knew was a prickly subject. So instead he commented on how nice Weevil’s childhood home looked like on the inside.

“Is that…?” One of Weevil’s old butlers noticed his former master’s presence.

“You can let him in!” Adelaide called from a far-off room. “It’s Master Weevil!”

“Master Weevil, you have returned!” Several maids and butlers flocked the entrance of the home, giving Weevil lots of hugs.

“Oh, I never thought I’d see the day!” a maid cried. “You look just like Madame Camellia!”

“Guys, guys, take it easy!” Weevil showed off his baby bump after everyone had stopped. “I’m not a little kid anymore; I have my own family now.”

“‘Sup!” Rex waved. “I’m Weevil’s husband, Rex Raptor. And this is our daughter, Ambrosia Camellia Ptera Raptor.”

“How do you do?” Amber curtsied with her sun dress.

“Oh-ho!” Adelaide chuckled. “You’ve raised a fine young lady already. Not to mention you’ve given her a pretty middle name. Well, now that you’re here, what can I do for you? Some lunch, perhaps?”

“Before we get to that, I want to show Amber a little something. By chance, is my childhood greenhouse still here?”

“As a matter of fact, yes. It’s the only room in the mansion that has remained untouched by the renovations.”

“R-Really?” Weevil didn’t expect that response from Adelaide. 

“Yes, really! Feel free to check it out for as long as you like before lunch.”

“Thank you! Come on, guys, come see!” Weevil sounded far more excited than either Rex or Amber. He cried tears of joy upon arrival, and stopped to smell a hibiscus flower. “It… looks just like I remember!”

“What’s so exciting about a bunch of plants?” Rex didn’t want to admit it, but he wasn’t all too interested in looking at a bunch of plants.

“Yes, we’ve got the best plants ever, but there’s something even better. Something that’s made me into the duelist I am today.” Weevil allowed a moth caterpillar from the hibiscus flower to crawl on his finger, and showed it to Amber. “Amber, this is a baby Acherontia lachesis , or the greater death’s head hawkmoth.”

“It looks just like your Petit Moth, Daddy!” Amber let the caterpillar crawl on her finger too. “It’s sooooo cute! Ooh!” A pink butterfly landed on Amber’s nose, causing the toddler to sneeze.

“You just sneezed off Greta oto, or the glasswing butterfly.”

“It’s so pretty!” Amber laughed, wanting to play with every little insect that touched her. “Can I stay here forever? Pretty please, Daddy? I wanna learn more about your beautiful bugs!”

“Wish we could, but Auntie Adelaide is gonna have lunch ready soon. But you can play here until then.”

“Hooray!” And with that, Amber ran off with the hawkmoth caterpillar still in her hand.

“Should you really be letting our toddler play with a creepy crawler called ‘death’s head hawkmoth?’” Rex raised an eyebrow.

“Spoken like a dino brain who doesn’t know jack diddly squat about insects.”

“Well, at least it’s good to know how you became an insect duelist.” Rex hugged his husband from behind as he watched their daughter play in the greenhouse. He let his hand drop to Weevil’s baby bump.

“She looks just like me when I was little. If it wasn’t for this greenhouse, I… I don’t know where I’d be today.” Weevil placed his hand on top of Rex’s. “I wonder if I can get our son to love insects, too.”

“So…” Rex laced his fingers with Weevil’s. “Speaking of our little boy, what do you think we should name him?”

Thinking about his adventures in San Francisco with Rex seven years ago, and how they deepened their bond there, it didn’t take Weevil long to think of an answer. “I want our son to be named Francis Bakura Raptor.”

[smol-and-grumpy]

Wish You Were Here

Re-post

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: Dean's out on a hunt and you wished that he was here.

WC: 2.1k

Warnings: Smut (sexting, cunnilingus, dirty talk, somnophilia)

The sound of his heavy boots hitting the gravel echoed through the night as Dean chased after the vampire. Another sharp turn almost sent him to the floor, but he caught himself, hitting the pavement with his hand. It hurt, but what Dean learned through all the years was that nothing could hurt him more than losing the ones he loved, so he kept on running.

“Son of a bitch!” Was muttered low, slightly out of breath, and he could feel his heart pounding hard. He wasn’t 30 anymore, he could feel that. He couldn’t run as fast or jump as high as when he was younger, but what he could and still would do until the day he died, was kill monsters.

His phone vibrated in his jeans pocket, but Dean couldn’t let himself get distracted by it. Sammy was cutting in on them, it wouldn’t be Sammy. Not now. They had planned this hunt through, there couldn’t be surprises, they made sure of that.

Focus, breathe, run. That’s what Dean told himself and when he saw that the vampire was heading towards where Sam would be, a lopsided grin crept on his face.

“Gotcha!” he exclaimed at the same time as Sam rounded the corner and swung his machete, cutting the vamp’s head off. Everything went silent, except the ringing sound in Dean’s ears.

“Done,” Sam said with a satisfied grin on his face as he walked towards his brother, who was still a little behind.

Dean’s slowed to a stroll as he breathed heavily. “Good job, Sammy.”

“You did good, too,” Sam was within reach and placed a hand on Dean’s shoulder, still heaving up and down from his breathing. “Chasing that vamp for almost two miles at top speed? I’m impressed.”

“Yeah,” Dean inhaled sharply before he was able to talk again. “That. Fuck, I’m too old for this shit, Sammy.”

“Come on, old man. Race you to the car?” Sam had a shit eating grin on his face that Dean wanted to punch right off it.

“Fuck you,” Dean breathed out, dropping his machete to the ground and putting his hands on his knees to keep himself somewhat on his feet.

“So, motel?” Sam sent Dean a questioning look as he drove. Dean was riding shotgun for once because he was out of energy.

“Huh,” suddenly Dean remembered the vibrating in his pants and fished out his phone, “Yeah,” he said absentmindedly while pushing the home button to see the text you’d sent him.

Y/N: Miss you

Dean smiled at the two simple words, maybe even blushing a little, and suddenly he was glad that it was night and Sam couldn’t see it. He’d never hear the end of that one.

D: Miss you too.

He punched the words into his phone and hit send before looking ahead. “Can’t wait to get home,” Dean said before he tugged his bottom lip between his teeth.

“Home? You just said motel!” Dean was glad that it was dark because he was sure that he would have seen Sam rolling his eyes, and let’s not forget about the bitchface.

“Dude, I wanna go home. Plans change, alright?”

“Y/N?”

“Yeah.” Dean smiled and it made Sam throw up in his mouth a little.

“Dude, she’ll be sleeping when we get home.” Sam tried to argue because he was really tired, not to mention cranky.

“Sammy, look at my face,” Dean said, raising his eyebrows at his brother. When Sam looked over, Dean added, “do I look like I care?”

Oh, there it was, he could see it clear as if it was daylight, the bitchface that Sam had perfected through the years. “Fine, whatever.”

There was another vibration and Dean looked at his phone before telling Sam what he wanted to tell him, and the words got stuck in his throat.

Y/N: I know you won’t be home til tomorrow but I can’t stop thinking of you. I really, really miss you

Dean grinned like an idiot.

D: Yeah? How much?

Y/N: So fucking much

He thought maybe you’d send a picture, even though you weren’t the kind of girl to send nudes. It’s not like he’d never tried to get you to do it.

D: What do you miss, babe?

Well, if you wouldn’t show him, maybe you’d be willing to tell him? Dean didn’t know if it’d be a good idea to push, but he sent the text anyway then sat back to wait for your reply.

“Sammy, how long?” Dean groaned, shifting in his seat. You still hadn’t replied to his text.

“Another three hours,” Sam replied.

Then Dean’s eyes were on his phone as another message came in.

Y/N: You’ve been on my mind since you left. Your hands, Dean. I can’t decide if I want your hands in my pants or my hair.

Dean chuckled and giddily typed in a reply.

D: Got two hands, can do both

It wasn’t long before you answered.

Y/N: Of course you could. And I miss your lips, I want them on mine. I also want them on my throat and that little thing you do with your teeth? Grazing my skin on your way down? That. I want that too.

D: Mmh… I wanna do that too. Tracing patterns over your skin. I wanna memorize every single perfect inch of your body.

Dean felt a stirring in his pants and he had to change his sitting position again.

Sam couldn’t help but notice. “You alright?”

“Huh?” Dean said absentmindedly, looking to his phone for another message. “Yeah, sure. Drive, Sammy.”

Sam shrugged at the weirdness in Dean’s tone of voice, but yeah, he kept on driving because he too wanted to finally get home.

Y/N: I like that. What else, Dean? What else would you do to me? I’m lying in our bed now… and I’m touching myself. Fuck, Dean, I’m soaked. Please come home?

Dean let out a strangled moan and disguised it as a cough, hoping Sam wouldn’t notice. But the text didn’t stop there. Dean only needed a moment to breathe.

Y/N: I wish you were licking my body all over right now. I love feeling your tongue on my tits, Dean. I love how you nibble my nipples with your teeth. I love your teeth and oh god then you’d move lower and lower…

Dean felt his dick harden in his pants and wished the Impala would go faster.

D: Fuck, baby. You’re making me hard. I can’t wait to do all those things to you. I wish I could feel how wet you are for me.

Y/N: Aww, you let him drive?

D: Yeah, I’m generous like that.

Y/N: Liar

D: Truth

Y/N: Ok, focus, Dean. I really want to get off tonight because you’re not here. I wish you were, though. I’d blow your mind and then blow something else later.

D: Yes, please.

Y/N: I wish I was in that car with you. In your lap. Grinding into your crotch and feeling you get so hard. I’d love to take your cock out of your pants and rub it against my soft skin. I’d rub it along my slick pussy, covering it with my juice and getting myself off on it without you being inside of me. I would go on until you couldn’t take anymore. Until you beg me to let you fuck me.

D: You’re a tease.

Y/N: Takes one to know one

D: I’d love to have you spread out in front of me. I want to taste your sweet pussy. Want you to hold on to my back when I fuck into your tight heat.

Y/N: And what about me holding you by the back of your neck? Digging my fingernails into it while you fuck me hard?

D: That too. I like it when you mark me up.

Y/N: Mmh… me too. I love it when you turn me around and grab me by my head, pushing me into the mattress and fuck into me from behind, leaving me crying into the blankets to muffle my moans.

D: And spank you

Y/N: Of course. I want you marking me up too.

D: Because you’re mine.

Y/N: I’m yours.

D: Babe, I’m… fuck I wish I could be there.

Y/N: I wish you could too.

Just when Dean was about to send another text, his phone died.

“What the fuck!” he yelled angrily.

“What?”

“My fucking phone died. I still had fucking 3% left.” Dean almost tossed the phone to the car floor but thought better of it. He opened and dug around in the glove compartment, searching for charger he knew should be there somewhere.

“What are you doing?” Sam asked while he looked over to Dean.

“The phone charger,” he mumbled, lips tight together while he concentrated on searching.

“Yeah… uh… about that,” Sam started but was interrupted by Dean’s angry look.

“Hey, I wanted to put it back. It’s just… the case came up too quickly and I didn’t… I’m sorry,” Sam sighed. Sam could see that Dean was really upset.

“Yeah, well, next time, do it!” Dean hissed and sank deeper into his seat. He could hear Sam say something, but he ignored him. He closed his eyes and willed his boner away because it would still be more than two hours until he would see you.

Dean pried his sticky self from the leather seat as soon as Sam had the Impala in park.

“You good?” the younger hunter asked as he tossed the keys back to Dean.

“Super,” Dean groaned, and stretched his aching body.

The last hour had been pure torture. He might’ve been getting old, but his libido sure didn’t have an expiration date; he was still hard, wondering if he should ask Sam if it was normal. Sam probably didn’t want to know about that, though. Dean knew he himself didn’t want to know if Sam had that problem. He shuddered when he thought about it.

Sam excused himself, mumbling something about taking a shower, or was it food? Dean didn’t know or care. He was focused on schlepping himself out of the garage and down the stairs.

As he walked along the corridor he realized that you were likely sound asleep since it wasn’t yet dawn. He thought that he should probably just go to sleep himself once he reached your room, but there was such an intense ache between his thighs.

Then the air was punched from his lungs when he entered the room. There you were, sleeping naked, the blanket casually thrown over your body, only covering half of you. When Dean thought he could ignore his boner, boy, he’d never been so wrong in his life.

He shut the door quickly and quietly, put his duffel aside as not to wake you. He smiled and wet his lips before his teeth tugged at them, biting back a sound that he so desperately wanted to make.

As gently as he could, he got onto the bed, the memory foam dipping under his weight. He stilled for a moment when he felt you stir. He waited patiently, waited until your breathing evened out again before he made the next move.

Dean exhaled, his hands slowly and oh-so-softly trailed over your legs, up to your thighs as he looked at you, positioning your body on your back. Then he stilled again, his gaze fixed on your face to see if you would wake up.

When he decided the coast was clear, he spread your thighs and his mouth watered at the sight of your delicious pussy. He could see that you were still wet, and fuck, if he didn’t want to taste it, he’d be lying.

Dean positioned himself in between your luscious thighs and swiped his tongue along your slit. Hesitantly at first then he waited. He was so close and he could smell the sweet tang of you as his hot breath hit your core.

He waited a little longer, but when you didn’t stir, he went at it. All the pent up sexual tension that had built inside of him on the way home, the sexy texts, made him horny as fuck. Dean lapped at your pussy, his hands firmly holding you down by your thighs.

You started to moan in pleasure as you slowly woke from the wettest dream yet. When you realized it wasn’t a dream at all, you smiled, trailed your hands down your body until they found Dean’s head, and Dean looked up at you, his mouth sucking at your nub. He winked and squeezed your hand.

“Good morning,” he took a second from his ministrations to greet you. There was a light chuckle before he dove in again.

“Fuck.” Your voice was throaty as the word left your lips. It made Dean smirk against you before he looked up again, his nose and mouth all shiny wet.

“Later, babe. First, I need to eat.”

[n8thegr8]

My Avengers Academy Chapter 1: An Old Fashioned Notion

Not everyone is created equal. There are people in this world that are born with privileges and advantages that put them ahead of everyone else. There are people that are born with nothing and must climb their way out of oppression. These lessons of privilege should be taught to children with care and respect. To help them understand. These lessons should not, however, be taught to children with violence.

Peter Parker learned this lesson at the age of five. He laid there motionless; eyes widened as he looked towards the sky. He had bruises on his arms and legs, dirt stained his cheeks, and his head was pounding with pain. All he could do now was crawl into a ball and cry his eyes out.

It was supposed to be a fun day for him; his kindergarten cancelled all classes due to a nearby villain attack which cut out all the power on that grid. A day off of school is supposed to be a fun time for children. It was supposed to be fun for Peter. It was, at least in the beginning.

He had a playdate with his best friend in the world, Eugene “Flash” Thompson. He was so excited when his aunt dropped him off at his house; he couldn’t wait to play hero. Their playdates consisted mostly of watching old footage of battles between heroes and villains, and any live fights happening on the news. Today, however, was different. 

“Hey, Pete, wanna ditch this, and go to the playground? I’m getting kinda bored,” Flash said.

“Um, yeah! Let’s go tell your mom and-“

“Nah,” Flash said, “Let’s just go, we’ll be back before she knows anything.” This was unusual for Peter. Going to the park without any adult supervision? His Aunt May and Uncle Ben always told him to never go anywhere without an adult that he trusts. But, he trusts Flash. He wouldn’t let Peter get hurt right? Besides, Flash has this really cool quirk, if any bad people try to kidnap him, he’ll protect him. 

Peter agreed, and off they went. Getting out of the house was easy since Flash’s mom was sleeping on the couch in the living room with some sort of bottle in her hand. This usually happened when Peter had a playdate at Flash’s home; his mom was asleep most of the time, letting them have free reign of the house. Whenever Peter asked why his mom sleeps so much, Flash would say, “She just works a lot, okay? Stop asking.”

The journey to the park, however, was difficult because they had to stay out of sight, so no adult would see them and call their parents, or aunt and uncle in Peter’s case. They ran from bush to bush, and jumped fences to get to their destination. Eventually, they came to the wall that separated the park from the playground. It loomed over the two kids, and it cast a great shadow over them. To Peter, it was the highest wall he’d ever seen. 

Peter heard Flash chuckle. “This wall ain’t nothing to me.” Flash’s arms became covered in this black goop. The goop seemingly crawled up his arms and eventually to his hands, turning his small hands into big claws. Flash looked at Peter. “Lemme show you how a man climbs a wall.”

Flash stepped back five steps and then dashed towards the wall, jumped, and stuck to the wall, digging his claws into the concrete. Peter watched in awe as Flash effortlessly climbed up. Once Flash got to the top of the wall, he peered down and looked at Peter, flashing him a toothy grin. 

“Well, come on!” he exclaimed.

Peter stared at the wall. Noticing it’s craggily state, how long has this wall been standing? Before he was born? Before Auntie and Uncle were born? Before quirks?

“What are ya waiting for?!” yelled Flash, “Just climb the stupid thing!”

Jolted out of his thoughtful daze, Peter looked for his path to climb up the wall. 

“Come on, Peter!”

The more Flash shouted the more nervous he got. Finally, he found his path. Peter took five steps back and then sprinted towards the wall until-

“I AM IRON MAN AND IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO WAKE UP! I AM IRON MAN AND IT IS TIME FOR YOU TO WAKE UP!”

This phrase loudly repeated throughout Peter Parker’s bedroom, bouncing off the walls, and making his ear drums perform a drum solo. He let out a loud scream of confusion as he was rudely awakened by the pre-recorded message. He jolted from laying down comfortably to sitting up uncomfortably. Holding his head in discomfort, Peter groaned. “I hate that dream…” The alarm clock blared on his bedside table. Peter sighed as he clicked it off. It was a special alarm clock, a special edition Iron Man alarm clock, with a small figurine of the hero acting as the “turn off” button. Peter sighed once again and he flopped back on his bed. He took a moment to look around his room. He didn’t know why. It’s been the same for as long as he remembered. Plastered along the walls were memorabilia of his favorite heroes: Iron Man, Captain America, Thor, the Hulk, etc. Figurines of said heroes stood atop his shelves. His walls were a deep shade of blue. His bedsheets were red, but his blanket was Avengers-themed. He was fifteen-years-old, but his room was one of a twelve-year-old. Peter didn’t mind; he really liked heroes. He absentmindedly reached over to his bedside table, and grabbed his phone. The bright screen blinded him for a small moment. His eyes readjusted themselves, and he looked at his messages.

Wanda Maximoff :P (6:30 AM): Get out of bed sleepyhead. May made pancakes.

Pietro Maximoff (6:35 AM): Is my sister at your house? She’s not answering my texts. 

Pietro Maximoff (6:36 AM): Never mind lol I took a quick run around town and saw her in your kitchen lol

She’s downstairs? Peter thought. It wasn’t unusual for Wanda to be over before school started, but sometimes Peter questioned if she ever ate breakfast at home. “Your Aunt’s cooking is just too good!” she’d say. He had his doubts, of course. She always said that Pietro was cranky in the morning, so maybe that’s why she spends her mornings here.

“Peter! Breakfast is almost ready!”

Peter groaned as he heard his Aunt’s voice calling for him. “I’ll be down in a second!” he shouted back. 

“A second has passed!” he heard a shout from downstairs followed by a hearty laugh.

Oh, Ben, he thought. His Uncle really was a joker.

~A~

“How long have you been mastering the art of dad jokes, Mr. Parker?” Wanda asked inquisitively, “Because you need a lot more work.” 

Mr. Parker lowered his newspaper, took off his reading glasses, and gave a thoughtful look. Mr. Parker was wearing what he always wore: an ugly red sweater with aged blue jeans. “It’s my look!” he’d always say whenever he was questioned about his choice of apparel. “Well let’s see… when Peter was born! His father hated whenever our dad joked with us, and I just knew that he wouldn’t do it for Peter. So I wasn’t going to let Peter live his life without the best form of humor.”

Wanda rolled her eyes. Highly subjective opinion he’s got there, she thought. She turned her gaze to Mrs. Parker who was just finishing cooking the last pancake. “Mrs. Parker, how do you live with this?”

“A strong will and wine, my dear,” she said, grabbing the plate of pancakes and bringing it to the table where Mr. Parker and Wanda sat, “A strong will and wine.” Mrs. Parker was also wearing what she normally wore. Underneath her cooking apron, was her usual yellow shirt and blue jeans. Unlike her husband, she knew fashion, which Wanda appreciated. 

“Oh please,” Mr. Parker said, “You love it; you know you do.”

Mrs. Parker chuckled as she put down the plate on the table. “No dear, I love you, not your jokes.”

Wanda let out a small laugh. “See, she’s the funny one here.”

“No one here appreciates my stellar comedy,” lamented Mr. Parker. 

“I do,” a fourth voice said. Wanda turned her head towards the stairs that led to the upper floor, only to see her best friend: Peter Parker. Peter looked like he crawled himself out of a grave. His eyes were droopy, heavy bags surrounding them. His skin was paler than normal and his hair was also more ruffled than normal as well.

“Ah, my hero,” joked Mr. Parker, “Jeez, son, you look like a zombie.”

“I always appreciate your jokes, Ben.” Even his voice was coarse. 

Wanda eyed her best friend and gave a cocky grin. “Did you even shower? I can smell you from here.” 

Wanda saw Peter roll his eyes at her. “Well, good morning to you too,” he said.

~A~

The ensuing breakfast was also per the usual for the Parker family. A lot of banter between Uncle Ben and Aunt May, but even more between Wanda and Peter. “Don’t pass out from being a geek when you meet Dr. Banner today.”

“And don’t try to pass out from boredom when he starts talking about the dangers of gamma radiation,” he retorted. However, Peter couldn’t deny his excitement. For the first field trip of the school year, his high school, Midtown High, was going to Avengers Tower to meet the heroes and watch a lecture from the Incredible Hulk himself, Bruce Banner, the fourth most popular hero in America. Eventually, the pair finished their breakfast. 

“Thank you so much, Mrs. Parker! The food was great as always,” Wanda said. She always said this after having a delicious course of Aunt May’s cooking, which at this point was every other day or so.

“Oh you’re always welcome here, dear,” said Aunt May, “Now go, you two are going to miss the train.”

The two said their goodbyes to the married couple and off they went out the front door and onto the sidewalk, where an impatient Pietro waited.

“Took you two long enough,” he said while tapping his foot incessantly. “Mom and dad missed you at breakfast, dear sister,” he said in a mocking tone.

“Well get back to me when dad can actually cook something worth a damn, dear brother,” she fired back.

Pietro shook his head in disappointment, his silver hair flowing side to side as he did. “Hey Pete, ready for the field trip?” he asked excitedly, a complete change in his composure. 

“Dude, you know it!” Peter exclaimed, high fiving Pietro. 

Wanda groaned. “I’m surrounded by geeks.”

The walk to the train station was yet again, per the usual for the life of Peter Parker. Talking to Pietro about the villain fight that was on the news the night before while Wanda playfully mocks them.

“So the paper is due Friday right?” Wanda asked.

“Yep,” responded Peter. 

“But does that mean 12:00 that morning or at 11:59 that night?” replied Pietro. 

“No, it’s du-“

 sudden explosion was heard. The trio stopped in their tracks and looked to where they heard the explosion. They see smoke in the direction they were looking. 

“That’s the station…” Peter said. 

“That explosion…” Pietro said. 

Peter turned to Pietro. “Which means…”

Wanda eyes widened in horror. “Oh God, please no.”

Peter and Pietro's eyes lit up. “Villain attack!” they both exclaimed. Then the two ran off in the direction of the station. 

“Hey, wait up you two!” Wanda exclaimed, running after the pair. 

When Peter, Pietro, and Wanda got to the station it was a sight to behold. On top of the tracks was a villain they’d never seen before. He was gigantic in size and was entirely made out of sand. He stood on the overpass and roared out, daring any hero to attack.

“A new villain?” Peter asked with extreme curiosity. 

“Yeah looks like it,” Pietro responded with eagerness, “He looks so cool!”

The villain reeled back his fist and punched a chunk out of a building. The crowd that was surrounding the scene screamed as debris threatened to crush them. That is until a blue and red blur flew in and destroyed all of the debris that dare harm the populace. It was the Avenger Captain Marvel, one of the strongest members of the team. 

“Oh Cap’s here? This’ll be done in no time,” mused Pietro. 

Peter swooned. “She’s so cool.”

Wanda huffed and crossed her arms, a small blush cascaded her cheeks. “She’s okay.”

The villain’s voice echoed and roared. “Get outta here pipsqueak, before I slaughter ya!”

Captain Marvel floated above the crowd, glowing with a golden light, her hair defying gravity as it floated upwards. Her very presence exerted the power she possessed. She looked back to the crowd. “Multiple Man, form a barrier!” she ordered.

“Alright people, don’t move past the clones y’hear?” multiple voices echoed.

The trio looked and saw the rescue hero Multiple Man! A new up and coming hero who could create a seemingly infinite amount of clones of himself. A sea of clones barred entrance to the battle. “They’re exact copies of him,” Peter whispered. “I gotta...” He reached into his book bag and took out a notebook and a cheap digital camera.

“And there he goes,” Wanda sighed.

He took his camera, aimed at one of the clones, and snapped a quick picture. Then, he opened his notebook. It had the number twelve written in sharpie pen on the cover. Peter opened it and flicked through the pages and pages of hero analysis until he found Multiple Man’s entry and feverishly wrote in his new finding.

“Oh, it warms my heart to see such an enthusiastic youth!” A laugh rang in Peter’s ears. He looked to his right and saw an older looking gentleman. Balding, but still has his white hair, a bushy mustache, and a cool pair of black sunglasses. 

A blush danced onto Peter’s face. “Ah, well it’s just a hobby of mine.”

The elderly gentleman chuckled. “Oh don’t try to fool me, young man! I know exactly what you are! A fanboy!”

Peter’s face was bright red from embarrassment. “I, well I-“

“Hey there’s nothing wrong with being a fanboy!” Pietro exclaimed, standing up for his friend.

The gentleman continue to chuckle. “Not at all, young man! Why when I was your ag-“

The villain roared once again. “Don’t you come near me!”

Captain Marvel flexed out her arm and pointed at the villain. “Flint Marko, you are under arrest for illegal quirk usage and destruction of property! Anything you say can and will be us- gah!” The heroine was suddenly cut off by a gigantic fist made out of sand punching her into a nearby building. 

“I ain’t going to jail!” the sand villain yelled as he reeled back his other giant fist, “And I’ll be sendin’ ya straight to hell!” The sand giant flung his fist into the building where Captain Marvel crashed into, but the attack was blocked by an invisible force field! Peter looked to the top of the building to his left, and standing there was the Invisible Woman, one third of the Future Foundation!

“Ah! It’s Susan Storm!” Peter heard Wanda squeal in delight. “She’s gonna kick this sand dude’s ass!”

“Nah, my money’s still on Cap,” replied Pietro, “She can probably bench press the continent if she wants to.”

Wanda groaned. “Not every problem can be solved by brute strength, dear brother,” she said in a mocking tone, “You need finesse and to think outside the box! Right, Pete?” She stood with her hands on her hips in a stance of confidence. However she got no response from her friend. “Pete?” When Wanda turned to face him, all she saw was him feverishly writing in his notebook. Deaf to the world around him.

“So Invisible Woman actually doesn’t disappear she just bends the light around her to make the illusion that she’s invisible so does that mean that she can’t see when she’s invisible or maybe the light is still hitting her eyes anyway so maybe she sees but you also have to consider…” Peter rambled on and on.

A moment of awkward silence fell upon Wanda, Pietro, and the gentleman as Peter muttered away. “Oh Pete.” Wanda sighed.

“Does your friend usually do this?” the gentleman asked.

Pietro scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. “Yeah, it’s hard for him to stop when he gets going.” Another crash was heard and the attention of the group was once again focused on the ensuing fight. 

“You ready, Sue?!” yelled Captain Marvel as she flew upwards towards the sky.

“The barrier’s up, Carol; turn this villain into glass!” yelled the Invisible Woman back as she flexed her arms out.

The sand villain tried to reach for the flying superhero but found himself unable to move past the invisible barrier that blocked his path. “Wh-what the hell is this?!” he screamed in terror. 

“This is the end of your villainy, Marko!” exclaimed Captain Marvel. 

The crowd went wild, this was the public’s favorite part in villain fights: when the hero triumphs over the villain and saves the day. “Come on, ma’am! Show us a flashy finish!” the older gentleman exclaimed.

“I told you so,” Pietro said as he bumped Wanda’s arm with his elbow.

Wanda shot a dirty look at her brother. “Oh, shut up,” she said. She put her hand on Peter’s shoulder who was still writing in his notebook. “Peter, it’s about to finish. You’re gonna wanna see this.”

Peter’s consciousness came reeling back into reality as he saw Captain Marvel floating in the sky. Her golden aura intensified as her hair stood straight up. Peter internally squealed as he knew what was coming, he quickly aimed his camera at the hero. It was Captain Marvel’s signature move! The golden aura stopped being an aura and started to be the color of Captain Marvel’s skin as her body stored energy. Her quirk: Binary Engine, allows her to store energy inside of her and release it at her will. She yelled out a battle cry and flexed her arms forward. “Binary Ignition!” A beam of golden energy erupted from her fists. If one were to ask the crowd what occurred that day, they would say that they felt the Earth shake beneath them as they saw the furious fiery energy hurdle itself towards the giant sand villain. With a loud scream of pain, the sand villain took the blast in his giant sandy chest. The extreme heat from the energy started to solidify the sand that it hit.

“No!” the villain roared, “I-I can’t move!” With the invisible barrier now closed fully around the villain, the extreme heat from the binary blast went to work. The heat was trapped and had nowhere to go, just like the villain. The villain was quickly calcified in glass, unable to move. A statue to the victory of heroes, the sand villain was. 

The crowd erupted in cheers and chants as Captain Marvel slowly descended back to the ground and the Invisible Woman followed suit. The heroes gave the all clear for the police to restrain the villain, a tall order given his size but the police always came prepared. 

Peter, on the other hand, was feverishly writing in his notebook about the intricacies of what he saw of Captain Marvel’s signature move. How much heat it truly produced being the main point of intrigue for him. “So for sand to turn into glass the sand has to be exposed to a temperature of 3,090 degrees Fahrenheit or 1,700 degrees Celsius which means that Captain Marvel’s energy output is far greater than what I initially calculated for her maybe…”

“He really likes to write doesn’t he?” the gentleman asked. 

Wanda sighed with a tinge of embarrassment. “Yeah, he really does,” she said. She then put on a big enthusiastic smile. “But, he’s going to be the best hero of all time. I just know it.”

“Wow, thanks, sis,” said Pietro.

The old man let out a light chuckle as he saw the two siblings bicker and Peter mutter and write in his notebook.

“... and you also have to consider the possibility that with enough stored power she can become a walking sun and that would be devastating for villains but maybe she can also solve any future energy crisis that the world will face and-“

“Hey, kid.” Peter felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see the old man standing next to him. “You don’t let anybody tell you that you can’t be a hero, alright? If somebody doesn’t believe in you, prove them wrong. Think of heroism as the classic mask and spandex costumes, it doesn’t matter who’s behind the mask. Anybody can be a hero.”

Peter felt the warmth and kindness of the old man’s words. He flashed him a goofy grin. “Thank you, sir! I promise to become the world’s greatest hero.”

The old man returned with a big smile. “Excelsior, young man! Now go out there, and become the best hero that you can be!”

The trio thanked the gentleman for his time and walked up to the train platform as the police gave the all clear to enter the station. They got on their train and sat down. Peter glanced out the window and a small smile formed on his face. Across the river he saw the apple of his eye. Adorned with a stylistic “A” on its face, stood Avengers Tower, HQ of the Mighty Avengers, the most popular hero agency in the world. While Avengers Tower was the HQ for the agency, it was also a school, Avengers Academy, where teenagers learn to become heroes. The school only taught from sophomore year to senior year of high school. Apparently because there wasn’t enough material for a full four years of hero education. “Hey, guys?” Peter called out to his friends.

Pietro and Wanda snapped out of their individual dazes from the painfully normal train ride and turned to their friend, his face plastered with an even bigger smile. “What’s up, man?” Pietro asked. 

“Let’s apply to Avengers Academy,” Peter said. “Let’s be Avengers.”

Wanda’s face grew a soft smile. “Peter, you always say that,” she pointed out, “We’ve been wanting to be Avengers since we were kids!’”

“I think he just forgets that we made that pact years ago,” said Pietro, laughing as he did. 

Peter turned to his left to face him. “No, I didn’t forget! I just want to make sure,” he said with a hint of anxiety in his voice. Peter’s face went from cheerful to solemn. This usually happened to him after being excited about heroes and his dream to be one. Almost as if somebody completely different swapped places with him. He would go from raving about heroes and claiming he was going to be an Avenger one day one second, and then the next second he would become eerily quiet. His eyes would darken with sadness. His whole demeanor would shift. He became reclusive and antisocial. In his head he thought to himself,

They’ll be the ones going to AA… not me. There aren’t any quirkless heroes in the first place, why would I be the exception? 

Wanda noticed the drastic change in him. “Hey, hey, hey look at me,” she urged him. Peter turned to look at Wanda, and felt her hand on his shoulder. Her gaze met his. “You are going to be the best hero ever, okay? It doesn’t matter, okay? You’re already my hero.” She pointed to the red bandanna wrapped around her head as she said this. As Peter glanced at the accessory, he noticed how it wrapped down her cheek, under her chin, and was tied at the top of her head in a nice bow. Peter knew what she meant. 

It’s been five years and she still remembers. To him, helping her up and tying his bandana around her head to keep her jaw in place was just the normal thing to do when someone trips and falls on their chin in Physical Education class. 

He shot her a small, but genuine smile and said, “Okay.” Wanda shot a big smile back at him. As she did this his stomach became infested with butterflies and his face felt like it was lit aflame. He swore that he heard Pietro behind him groan and mutter, “Jeez, get a room.”

After yet another painfully average walk, they finally made it to their destination: Midtown High. Midtown High was just another average year 9-12 public high school located in Forest Hills, New York. Moderate in size, but gigantic in population. The school had trouble with too many students and not enough teachers to teach them. Cramped classrooms didn’t look good in the paper and it needed to be fixed. So to combat overpopulation and to promote transferring to other schools, there is a field trip to Avengers Tower for the freshman. If you want to tell kids to get out of your school, might as well tell them to be superheroes.

Unfortunately for Peter, the trio had to part ways for the time being since they all had separate homeroom classes. Peter sat in his classroom, and his gaze wandered around, looking at the 4x4 room that confined him. 25 desks filled the room in a semi-orderly fashion, Peter sitting near the back, which was unusual for him considering how studious he was. The floor was stained with age, under the coat of yellow was once a beautiful marble floor. The blackboard could never be truly cleaned as there were always remnants of past classes leaving their chalk footprint. Peter sighed and took a glance at the clock at the front of the class, however, he couldn’t make out the time with his bare eyes. He sighed once again, reached into his bag, and took out a container. He opened them and groaned as he was reminded that his glasses were ugly. Bright red covered the frame and the circular lenses felt as if they were half the size of his head. He put on his glasses, and the world suddenly became much clearer. He glanced at the clock again and saw it say it was 8:00 AM, right on the dot.

He groaned and let gravity claim his head. It made a nice and loud “bump” as it hit the desk. Peter knew what was coming. He counted down from fifty. He always comes in at 8:01 AM. Throughout the years of being bullied, Peter picked up a thing or two about personal quirks. At exactly 8:01 AM, he walked through the classroom door. His black hair stood in a spiky fashion, he wore a black muscle shirt, and baggy dark blue jeans. He was laughing as he entered the classroom, as if someone had told him a hilarious joke. Peter quickly stood up a book on his desk and opened it, creating a makeshift barrier between himself and the rest of the world. He fumbled with his glasses as he tried so desperately to put them back into their case. He lowered his head, below the book barrier. He didn’t want him to ruin today. It was supposed to be a happy day. He was going to Avengers Tower, he was going to see his heroes! 

The world went silent and all Peter could hear was the sound of shoes hitting the floor, and it was getting closer. Peter silently whimpered. Why did he have to come after him today? Wasn’t he tired of this? Making his life hell? The footsteps stopped right next to him.

Oh no. 

Pain was all Peter felt as his hair was being pulled back, forcing him to sit up straight. He felt every single strand of hair being unsuccessfully pulled from his scalp. He reluctantly opened his eyes, he had to face him now. All Peter saw was the black-haired kid smiling at him with a devious toothy smile.

“What do you want today, Flash?” Peter groaned, “Can you please let go of my hair?” Peter struggled as he grabbed the hand that had a fist full of his hair.

Flash gave a hearty laugh. “Aww, is Puny Parker all alone today? Is the quirkless wannabe sad that he can’t have his friends save him?”

He hated when Flash said that. It just reminded Peter of his true nature, that he was just normal. He doesn’t have the X-gene, he doesn’t have a quirk, he isn’t a mutant, he’s just human. Peter focused all of his might into digging his nails into Flash’s hand to make him let go. Suddenly, as he did that, Peter felt a gooey and slippery substance cover Flash’s hand, Peter squeezed but Flash didn’t let go. He only laughed.

“Oh Parker, did you piss off Venom?” he asked in a mocking tone. “Oh, is that right?” Flash said to no one in particular. Peter continued to thrash in pain as Flash kept his vice grip on his scalp. He felt like his hair was going to be pulled out, and his brain right with it. “Parker,” Flash said, his voice deepened, “Did you try to hurt me?” At this point, his voice became deep and twisted, almost demonic, as if two people were speaking in unison. 

Peter grunted as he continued to struggle. “Yeah, so what? Let me go, damn it!” He glanced up at Flash and saw that his neck and a portion of his face were covered in black goop. Peter’s gaze then went to Flash’s mouth, he was baring his teeth, but they were all razor sharp. Oh God, Peter thought.

He saw this before. This black goop. Flash pulled Peter closer to his face. He could practically smell him failing to brush his teeth properly that morning. “That wasn’t very smart of you, Parker,” Flash said.

“Christ, Flash! Just leave me alone!” Peter exclaimed. Peter then curled his free hand into a fist and swung it at Flash. Momentum was stopped as Peter’s arm was caught, not by Flash’s arm, but a mouth, a mouth with sharp teeth. It wasn’t Flash’s mouth, but it was the black goop’s. It was a macabre sight to say the least. The mouth shot itself from Flash’s abdomen and latched on to Peter’s fist. Peter didn’t feel any pain, however, but he did feel the sharp teeth prick his wrist as it held it in place. 

“Oh, Venom. You always know how to make me proud,” Flash said with a small chuckle. “Oh, that’s right! I didn’t feed you today, did I?” Peter’s eyes widened in horror. Flash gave a sinister smile. “Go wild.”

Peter shut his eyes as the word went into slow motion. Was Flash serious?! Was he going to let Venom devour his hand?! He could get suspended! Expelled even! He’d be charged with assault and battery and be tried as an adult! This is what perplexed Peter about Flash, he had great grades, was the school’s star quarterback, but he always did reckless activities that could have the potential of ruining his life. Even from a young age he was like this. Peter felt the terrifying mouth start to close on his fist, it was slow as if it was taunting him. As if it was letting his host enjoy the scene play out in front of him. He snapped back in reality, his gaze darted across the room, looking for someone, anyone to help him. His heart sunk as he saw the cruel reality; others had arrived by that time and they were all in their own groups, their own cliques, and they were watching the events unfold. They all just intently stared at the scene. No one dared make a move. Would anyone stand up and intervene? Peter closed his eyes, and braced for the pain that was to come. 

It happened. Peter felt the teeth rip and tear into his skin. He tried letting out a scream but more black goop shot out of Flash’s chest and onto his mouth, which muffled Peter’s scream for help. The mouth kept slowly clamping down, it wasn’t long until it was going to hit Peter’s bone. Peter started to hyperventilate. His chest rose and fell. Rose and fell. Over and over again. As he saw what was happening to his hand his mind raced. Why him? Why today? Today was supposed to be a good day. Why? Why? Why? Peter felt the sharp teeth graze the top of his carpal bone. He closed his eyes and whimpered. 

“That’s enough!” A voice pierced the unsettling air like a bullet. 

Peter glanced towards where the voice was shouted from, and there he saw Wanda and Pietro. Pietro had his hand on Flash’s shoulder, grasping it with an iron grip, and Wanda stood near Peter, grabbing his arm and pulling it out of the jaws of the beast. Peter looked at her eyes, her pupils were glowing a bright red. She looked at the lacerations on his wrist with a deep and sad look. She took in a deep breath and put her free hand over the wounds, and then the magic started. Red energy started to flow out of her hand and into Peter’s wounds. When the red energy entered the wounds, Peter felt an extreme warmth run up his arm. It felt odd, but it wasn’t strange to him; he had felt this many times before. When Wanda first got her quirk five years ago, she’d been the person to heal Peter’s scars and bruises he sustained from his run-ins with Flash. The reason why Uncle Ben and Aunt May didn’t know how bad Peter really had it was thanks to Wanda’s quirk. He looked down in embarrassment, he could already tell that she was worried about him. The day had just started and Peter was already hurt.

“You got a death wish, Maximoff?” Flash growled.

“Leave him alone, Thompson,” Pietro demanded. Peter looked at the two feuding teens. To him, it was as if two forces of nature collided. Pietro, a benevolent mountain standing tall no matter the condition, and Flash, a ravaging tornado destroying everything in its path. Two titans facing off against each other, and it’s all because of a quirkless boy. 

Flash scoffed and all of the black goop retreated back into his body, out of sight. He looked directly into Peter’s eyes. “You’re lucky your body guards came to rescue you, wallcrawler,” he said. He then went and sat in his seat at the other side of the room.

“Alright kids,” Peter’s teacher, Mr. Harrington said, “As you all know, today is the field trip to Avengers Tower.” Mr. Harrington was always an odd fellow, even in this world of superpowers. He was a tall lanky man, with brown hair and a bushy beard and moustache. Just by looking at him you can tell that he was a nerd in his youth. He wore brown suits to class, always had a neat tie on, and wore black dress pants. On his desk one could find memorabilia of the wonderful world of science. Globes, a model of the solar system, a Newton’s cradle, a map of the periodic table, etc. Peter liked Mr. Harrington; the appreciated his love of science, and even though Mr. Harrington gave the aura of a man who has been punched in the face one-too-many times, Peter related hard.

“Just so you all know, two students from different classes have requested to join ours for today.” Peter then took a glance at Pietro and Wanda who were sitting to the left and right of him respectively. As Peter looked at her, Wanda proudly showed him a small doodle of Flash being punched in the face by the Hulk. Peter smiled at the rough sketch. No matter how bad he felt, she could always make him laugh.

Peter’s gaze trailed back to his notebook in front of him. This was Peter’s Quirk Analysis book. It was open. The name Wanda Maximoff was written in the title section with neat handwriting. A picture of her was clipped on by a paper clip. Peter smiled at the photo he had taken last summer when they visited the planetarium. Her pose was odd, but unique. She had her fingertips touch one another, her legs spread and bent, her torso bent forward, and a big toothy smile plastered on her face as if she was saying, “Come at me, ya scoundrels!” She stood in front of a model of the planet Saturn. A small grin created itself on Peter’s face; that was a fun time for him.

Beside her picture were the words, “Quirk: Hex,” and below that were notes. Peter read these notes every so often. They were notes on Wanda’s Quirk. He came up with the name himself after seeing it in action so many times. Hex was one mystery of a power as it just showed up one day. For years people thought that Wanda was quirkless, until one day when she saved Peter from being Flash’s punching bag for the day. The memory flew through Peter’s mind like a bird through the sky. He remembered being pinned up to a tree, gazing into Flash’s eyes, which were filled with murderous intent. The next thing he remembered was Flash being lifted in the air by a mysterious red glow, and then seeing Wanda glowing with that same redness. This didn’t stop the bullying for her, however. Before she was being bullied for being a foreign quirkless girl, now she was being bullied for being a foriegn freak who got her quirk late. 

Peter had spent hours studying Wanda’s quirk. There was one conclusion that he came about, Hex was a sort of probability manipulation, similar to Dr. Strange’s quirk: Mystic Arts. Her power could bend the fabric of probability in her favor. He theorized she can probably cause a gun to backfire just by looking at it, but he’d rather not test it. She can also shoot out red energy bolts as projectiles, they don’t hurt much, but it still was a force of concussive energy. Her quirk also allowed her to “heal” people, however, this was contested by Peter. The only thing she had done to heal him was close his wounds; he still felt sore and achy afterwards. Maybe since she doesn’t know the intricate details of the human body, she doesn’t know how to heal someone fully, or maybe she was just scared of screwing it up. In the end, Hex was an amazing quirk in Peter’s eyes. He couldn’t wait to see her become a hero one day.

He turned the page and came across Pietro’s entry. His picture was a one-in-a-million shot that Peter took at one of Pietro’s soccer games during Physical Education class. Pietro’s pose was simply art, his left leg outstretched after kicking the ball, his right arm crossing his body as his left arm is outstretched, keeping him balanced, and all the while a big goofy smile that screamed, “Yeah, I’m the best!” Peter remembered how much he and Wanda were cheering for him that day. In the end, Pietro’s team won and got bragging rights for a whole year. 

Like Wanda’s entry, next to Pietro’s picture was the name of his quirk: Superspeed. It was fairly self explanatory, Pietro’s quirk allowed him to move at superhuman levels. He could outrun any car, train, plane… Well, maybe not a plane, Peter thought to himself. However, his quirk also granted him enhanced metabolism. Pietro was always fit, any scrape or bruise would be gone within minutes, and he had to eat a lot to keep up. Pietro always wanted to be a hero, and his quirk locked in his future to be one of the greatest heroes of all time. 

Peter's smile turned into a frown as he turned to the next page. The name in the title box was Eugene “Flash” Thompson, and below that were the words “Quirk: Symbiote.” Flash’s quirk was the scariest of them all, it was a living organism that was bonded to Flash’s body. Its base form was a black goop that would cover Flash if it felt like it or Flash was being threatened. In reality, the symbiote was always on Flash. It was Flash, and Flash was it. It also gave itself a name: Venom. Venom can form any weapon from itself, be an impenetrable shield for Flash, and can enhance Flash’s strength fivefold. Flash and Venom were one and the same, they talked to each other, and they looked out for each other. Sometimes Peter would see Flash mumbling to himself, when in actuality he was having a conversation with Venom.

However, Flash wasn’t the only person in the world with a symbiote. Symbiotes were a quirk that arrived late to the scene as they’ve only been around for the past 80 years or so. Nobody knew where the symbiote quirk came from, and some even theorized they were a failed experiment caused by the Weapon program that was never properly disposed of. Unfortunately for people with symbiotes, there was a dangerous stereotype connected to them: cannibalism. It’s no secret that people with symbiotes need to have a larger intake of food since they’re effectively eating for two, so naturally rumors started to spread about people with the symbiote quirk. This stereotype was derived from one entity, a villain named Carnage. 

The only symbiote that was able to leave its host and live on its own was one of the most dangerous villains alive. Its original host was a serial killer called Cleetus Cassidy, a cannibal with over 30 confirmed murders, most of them women and children. Cassidy was as messed up as a human could get. He truly believed that human life was meaningless, and he was doing his victims a favor by murdering them. Cleetus Cassidy’s religion was murder and cannibalism, and the symbiote believed as well. Eventually, the symbiote grew tired of Cassidy, and murdered him. Police found the gruesome corpse of Cassidy strung about the apartment, but Carnage was nowhere in sight. It escaped and bonded with a new host; It would continue this cycle for the next 26 years.

“Hey, uh, Pete?”

A voice pulled Peter out of his day dreaming, he looked around the room to see all the desks empty and Wanda and Pietro at the doorway of the classroom. Peter’s face turned red in embarrassment. 

“Oh, sorry!” he exclaimed as he gathered his belongings and joined the duo. 

At 200 Park Ave. in New York City sits a skyscraper unlike any other. It was a business center, R&D center, a laboratory, a Hero HQ, and an academy for young heroes-in-training. Adorned with a stylized “A”, Avengers Tower stands as a beacon of heroism. Peter Parker muttered these words to himself as he found himself standing outside the front door. He had so many questions to ask, but one stood out amongst all the others. A question he’s had since he could talk. A question on that day he would finally have answered. 

As he stood in front of the building in a daze, Wanda and Pietro stood by his side, they both gave him a big smile. “Avengers Assemble?” Wanda asked them. 

Pietro nodded. Peter looked Wanda in the eyes, and smiled as well. “Avengers Assemble.”

~A~

“Boss, there’s an emergency at Central Park. Reports say that Carnage has been spotted and is on the run.”

“Any heroes on patrol near there?”

“Negative, boss.”

“What about Carol?”

“Captain Marvel is currently with the Invisible Woman, they’re at the Raft making sure the villain they captured earlier is in proper custody.”

“... So you’re saying that I-“

“Boss, get off your ass and be a hero.”

“I don’t remember programming you with a potty mouth, Friday.”

“And I don’t remember asking for your opinion. The suit is at 100%.”

“How long will the charge last this time?”

“About two and a half hours, boss.”

“Heh, plenty of time.”

The shutters to the darkened room opened, revealing the city down below. A man clad in red and yellow armor walks out onto a balcony. 

“Time to be Iron Man.”

To be continued...

[malaikoftaa]

bye i have to do this because i read @blognotfound ‘s but whatever i’m bored anyways

1. think of the last person who said i love you, do you think they meant it?my brother lolol probably not

2. would you date an 18yr old at the age you are now? uh no

3. when was the last you were aggravated and happy at the same time? yesterday

4. would you ever smile at a stranger? yes i would

5. is there someone mad bc you’re dating or talking to the person you are? i’m single as hell so no

6. have you heard a song that reminds you of someone today? nah

7. what exactly are you wearing right now? running shorts and a shirt from my temple

8. how often do you listen to music? the real question is : when do i not listen to music?

9. do you wear jeans or sweats more? sweats

10. do you think your life will change dramatically before 2014? it... has??

11. are you a social or antisocial person? it depends on how well i know you

12. have you ever kissed someone who’s name begins with the letter a? nope

13. what about the letter r? nope

14. can you drive a stick shift? ahahahahhahahaha funny joke no

15. do you care if people talk badly about you? not really

16. are you going out of town soon? nope

17. when was the last time you cried? yesterday because i’m dramatic asf

18. have you ever told someone you loved them? platonically yeah

19. if you could change your eye color, would you? mm maybe a few shades lighter than it is

20. is there a boy who you would absolutely everything for? yes my guy bsf

21. name something you dislike about the say you’re having. my mom’s listening to despacito yikes

22. is it cute when guys kiss you on the forehead? yeahhh

23. are you dating the last person you talked to? no because that would be incest and uhm ew

24. what are you sitting on rn? my bed

25. does anybody regularly tell you they love you? platonically yes

26. have you ever wanted someone you couldn’t have? yes

27. who was the last person you talked to before you went to bed last night? my best friend

28. do you get a lot of colds? nah

29. where is the shirt you’re wearing from? my temple

30. does anyone hate you? lol yeah

31. do you have empty alcohol bottles hidden in your room? no because i’m 13

32. do you like watching scary movies? yeah

33. do you wanna get your tongue pierced? ouch no

34. if you had to delete one year of your life completely, which would it be? 2017

35. did you have a dream last night? yeah i went to chick fil a with margot robbie and we talked about leonardo dicaprio :)

36. when was the last time you told someone you love them? uh 2 days back

37. do you think you’ll be married in 5 years? uh please no

38. do you think someone has feelings for you? idk man

39. do you think someone is thinking of you rn? maybe?

40. did you have a good day yesterday? it was alright

41. think back 2 months ago. were you in a relationship? nope

42. in the next 48 hrs, will you hang out with a girl? my mom yeah

43. has anyone told you they don’t ever wanna lose you? yeah

44. what’s the best part about school? lunch 👅

45. do you have any pictures on your facebook? i don’t even have fb in the first place

46. do you ever pass notes to your friends in school? yeah during tests because they all ask me for answers smh

47. do you replay things that happen in your head? omg yeah things from like 4 years back

48. were you single last summer? yes i was

49. is anything in your life like it was 2 years ago? not really no

50. what are you supposed to be doing rn? reading a book

51. do you hate the last guy you had a conversation with? it depends

52. are you nice to everyone? lol nope

53. have you ever liked someone you didn’t expect to? yeah yikes

54. did you think you can last in a relationship for 6 months and not cheat? yeah because i’m a nice person

55. are you good at hiding your feelings? depends

56. do you think you like someone? leonardo dicaprio yeah

57. have you ever kissed someone who’s name starts with j? nope

58. do you prefer to be friends with girls or boys? both

59. has anyone of your friends ever seen you cry? yeah because i got reallyyyyyy shitty period cramps in class once

60. do you hate anyone? depends on how you define hate

61. how’s your heart? alright

62. is there something that happened in your past that you hate talking about? yes way too many

63. have you ever cried over a guy? no

64. who is probably talking a load of crap about you rn? uh my ex bsf who lives across the road isn’t that great

65. are your toenails painted pink? nope

66. will your next kiss be a mistake? uh that’d also be my first so idk maybe? i hope not tho

67. do girls love it when their bfs cry? uh no

68. have your pants ever fallen down in public? my kilt has while playing field hockey but i was wearing shorts underneath so its fine

69. who was the last person you were on the phone with? my bestfriend

70. how do you look rn? nasty

71. do you have someone you can be your complete self around? yeah most people unless you’re a total psycho

72. can you commit to one person? yeah

73. do you have someone of the opposite sex you can tell everything to? yeah

74. have you ever felt replaced? so so so many times

75. did you wake up cranky? nope

76. are you a jealous person? sometimes

77. are relationships ever worth it? haven’t been in one but i mean they should be worth it

78. anyone you’re giving up on? lolz my brother

79. currently wanting to see anyone? @kalenahaimm​ GET YOUR ASS OUTTA JAPAN AND BACK IN NJ PLEASE

80. name something you have to do tomorrow. uh eat?

81. last person you cried in front of? my mom

82. is there someone you’ll never forget? yep

83. do you think the person you have feelings for is protective of you? no cuz he don’t know me he’s a celebrity

84. if the person you wish to be with were with you, what would you be doing rn? eating :)

85. are you over your past? nope

86. have you ever liked one of your best friends of the opposite sex? uhh yeah that was a disaster

87. is there anyone you can tell EVERYTHING to? yeah

88. if your fist true love knocked on your door with an apology and presents would you accept? no because that’d mean he stalked me al; the way from ohio to nj and that’s weird 

89. so the last person you kissed just happens to arrive at your door at 3am, do you let them in? a ghost. sure.

90. have you ever liked someone who your friends hates? yeah

91. will you be in a relationship in 2 months? doubt it

92. is there anyone you know with the name michael? my neighbor

93. have you ever kissed a matthew? nope

94. were you in a relationship in january? how was it going? nope

95. were you happy with the person you liked in march? i don’t think i liked anyone in march?

96. is the last person you texted attractive? yes she’s pretty

97. who do you have texts from? my 2 bsfs, my cousin, and a family friend

98. if the person you like says they like someone else, what would you say? “that’s great”

99. have you ever kissed someone older than you? nope

100. who’s in your pfp with you? uhh no one

101. ever kissed under fireworks? nope y’all really be making me feel single asf huh

102. has anybody ever given you butterflies? duh

[richtea-biscuit]

Thank you @a-fritterer for tagging me. Prepare for a lot of answers in the negative

1. Think of the last person who said I love you, do you think they meant it?

It was my mum so I’m confident that she did

2. Would you date an 18-year-old at the age you are now?

No, 18 is slightly on the young side. Plus, I had to deal with many of them at uni last year and it made me realise what a difference 3 years can make

3. When’s the last time you were aggravated and happy at the same time?

Probably never, if I’m going to have mixed feelings about something, it’s not going to be that mix

4. Would you ever smile at a stranger?

I do if I accidentally make eye-contact just to be polite

5. Is there someone who’s mad because you’re dating/talking to the person you are?

I’m not dating anyone so no

6. Have you heard a song that reminds you of someone today?

Yes, a song my grandad loved came on shuffle

7. What exactly are you wearing right now?

Gryffindor pyjamas

8. How often do you listen to music?

All day, every day

9. Do you wear jeans or sweats more?

Jeans

10. Do you think your life will change dramatically before 2014?

Wow, you can really tell the age of this game. In hindsight, I would say my life has changed, I feel like I know myself much better which has made me a lot happier. Even when life isn’t going great, at least I know who I am and no longer feel lost in my own body and mind

11. Are you a social or antisocial person?

I’m pretty social when I’m with people I know and like

12. Have you ever kissed someone whose name begins with the letter “A”?

Yes, it’s not a pleasant memory though

13. What about “R”?

No

14. Can you drive a stick shift?

Technically yes but not legally

15. Do you care if people talk badly about you?

Yes, I’m pretty paranoid about that. It’s turned me into a chronic people pleaser

16. Are you going out of town soon?

No

17. When was the last time you cried?

Whenever I watched series 2 of Derry Girls. The last episode made me cry, no shame

18. Have you ever told someone you loved them?

Platonically, lots. I tell my friends and family I love them all the time. Romantically, that person whose name begins with A and there are regrets

19. If you could change your eye colour, would you?

No, my eyes are the only thing I’m happy with

20. Is there a boy who you would do absolutely everything for?

Jeon Jungkook lol

21. Name something you dislike about the day you’re having

I feel like it’s been a day of Procrastination because I’m so tired-out from my mum’s birthday party yesterday

22. Is it cute when guys kiss you on your forehead?

I like the thought of it. And I love it in fanfic, it makes me soft

23. Are you dating the last person you talked to?

No

24. What are you sitting on right now?

My bed

25. Does anyone regularly tell you they love you (other than family)?

@penicillinjimin tells me at least semi-regularly

26. Have you ever wanted someone you couldn’t have?

No

27. Who was the last person you talked to before you went to bed last night?

My nan

28. Do you get a lot of colds?

Yes, RIP me every winter

29. Where is the shirt you are wearing from?

I want to say Primark but I don’t know

30. Does anyone hate you?

Probably

31. Do you have any empty alcohol bottles hidden somewhere in your room?

I can drink legally, I do34n’t need to be hiding it

32. Do you like watching scary movies?

I can take it or leave it

33. Do you want your tongue pierced?

Honestly, the thought gives me the ick

34. If you had to delete one year of your life completely, which would it be?

If I had to, the year of the “A” but I don’t really want to. I think I wouldn’t be the person I am now if I deleted it, and for the worse because that was the start of a very long journey of realising I was asexual. I think that about all my experiences, good and bad, they shaped the person I am today

35. Did you have a dream last night?

No

36. When was the last time you told someone you loved them?

My mum yesterday

37. Do you think you’ll be married in 5 years?

And not push away and guy that pays attention to me out of fear? lol

38. Do you think someone has feelings for you?

Not anymore they don’t, I made sure of that

39. Do you think someone is thinking of you right now?

The person reading this? Am I funny yet?

40. Did you have a good day yesterday?

Yes

41. Think back 2 months ago; were you in a relationship?

No

42. In the next 48 hours, will you hang out with a girl?

No

43. Has anyone told you they don’t want to ever lose you?

No

44. What’s the best part about school?

I loved learning but I didn’t like the other children

45. Do you have any pictures on your Facebook?

Other than my profile picture, they’re all about 5 years old because I hide from cameras

46. Do you ever pass notes to your friends in school?

Do people actually do that?

47. Do you replay things that have happened in your head?

I try to surpress it

48. Were you single over the last summer?

I’m the hopeless romantic that’s forever alone

49. Is your life anything like it was two years ago?

Not really

50. What are you supposed to be doing right now?

Whatever I feel like

51. Do you hate the last guy you had a conversation with?

No, I don’t waste my time like that. I waste it in infinite other ways instead

52. Are you nice to everyone?

Even when I don’t want to be. I just can’t be rude

53. Have you ever liked someone you didn’t expect to?

Friend-wise, yes

54. Do you think you can last in a relationship for 6 months and not cheat?

Definitely yes. Even if I weren’t asexual, it would be yes. I absolutely despise cheating. My friend cheated on her boyfriend once and we had a massive row about it because she didn’t like that I wasn’t on her side

55. Are you good at hiding your feelings?

Yes, I cover them up with other feelings. It’s my special skill

56. Do you think you like someone?

It’s very hard for me to tell. It requires a 10-page thesis for me to work these things out. Not that it really matters because like I said, I get scared and turn into a bitch to push people away

57. Have you ever kissed someone whose name begins with a “J”?

Yes - spin the bottle. I got dragged into it

58. Do you prefer to be friends with girls or boys?

Boys. I think that’s more because it’s what I’m used to from when I was at school

59. Has anyone of your friends ever seen you cry?

Yes

60. Do you hate anyone?

No, I get fairly apathetic

61. How’s your heart?

I’ll ask it. “Hey heart, how you doing?” It says da-dum

62. Is there something that happened in your past that you hate talking about?

Yes

63. Have you ever cried over a guy

Yes, I was an idiot.

64. Who is probably talking a load of crap about you right now?

Nobody I can think of

65. Are your toenails painted pink?

No

66. Will your next kiss be a mistake?

I hope not

67. Girls love it when boyfriends cry, correct?

I feel like “love” is the wrong word. Boys should be encouraged to show their emotions though, crying is good for you

68. Have your trousers even fallen down in public?

No

69. Who was the last person you were on the phone with?

My mum when we were in proper lockdown

70. How do you look right now?

A face only a mother could love. It’s bedtime so there’s no make-up and my hair’s a mess

71. Do you have someone you can be your complete self around?

No

72. Can you commit to one person?

Yes

73. Do you have someone of the opposite sex you can tell everything to?

No

74. Have you ever felt replaced?

Yes

75. Did you wake up cranky?

No

76. Are you a jealous person?

Yes, I try to keep a check on it though

77. Are relationships ever worth it?

I like tot think that they are, but maybe fiction has given me an idealistic view point

78. Anyone you’re giving up on?

No

79. Currently wanting to see anyone?

My friends

80. Name something you have to do tomorrow?

Brush my teeth

81. Last person you cried in front of?

I actually don’t remember

82. Is there someone you will never forget?

Many

83. Do you think the person you have feelings for is protective of you?

Yes, Jungkook is my man and he is protective of all ARMY (I’m joking, don’t worry I’m not crazy. Just spicing my answers up)

84. If the person you wish to be with were with you, what would you be doing right now?

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

85. Are you over your past?

Is anyone ever? Like I said before, I think it’s all important to who I am now so I keep key elements of it fresh in my mind as reminders to not make the same mistakes and let myself get hurt like that again

86. Have you ever liked one of your best friends of the opposite sex?

Yes

87. Is there anyone you can tell EVERYTHING to?

No

88. If your first true love knocked on your door with apology and presents, would you accept?

I don’t know about “true love” but if the person I thought I loved came to my door, I would tell them to fuck off

89. The last person you kissed just happens to arrive at your door at 3AM, do you let them in?

It’d probably be an emergency and we’re not on bad terms as such so yeah

90. Have you ever liked someone who your friends hated?

No, they hating came later

91. Will you be in a relationship in two months?

I highly doubt it

92. Is there anyone you know with the name Michael?

My mum’s friend

93. Have you ever kissed a Matthew?

No

94. Were you in a relationship in January? How was it going?

I was emotionally invested in my relationship with the Jungkook photocard I had on the wall next to my bed. It was at head height when I sat down so when I was going through tough times, I would talk to it so I didn’t feel so lonely. It was an amazing listener lol. And it’s answer was always “love yourself” and I’d say “You’re right as always. Thanks Kookie” (I swear I’m not crazy)

95. Were you happy with the person you liked in march?

Same as January

96. Is the last person you texted attractive?

Objectively speaking I think @penicillinjimin is very pretty. I don’t find her attractive but that’s nothing personal

97. Who do you have texts from?

Domino’s (with discount codes, it’s true love)

98. If the person you like says they like someone else, what would you say?

Ok?

99. Have you ever kissed someone older than you?

No

100. Who’s in your profile picture with you?

It’s just me

101. Ever kissed under fireworks?

No, fireworks are there to be seen guys

102. Has anybody ever given you butterflies?

Yes

Tagging whoever wants to do it

[sumptuoushstyles-blog]

Y/N is a CEO, Harry is also a CEO.

or, Y/N and Harry are friendly rivals who never though their relationship would grow. But then their kids meet, and that changes everything.

Word Count: 9.5k i think??? around there

Warnings: a brief mention of a car accident, angst, barely any smut lmao

a/n: i wish i wasn’t so indecisive lol but this is only part 1 of this story, so get ready for a part 2 whenever i decide i want to finish it lol. hope you guys like it. i feeel really proud of this but eh. also i kind of do both point of views, you’ll understand as you read along but anyways enjoy love you all xoxo

Your breathing is ragged, heels clacking against the pavement as you rush into your daughter’s school to pick her up after your meeting ran late.

You would have thought that since it was your own company that you would’ve been on time, but your assistant failed to let you know that time was closing in on your meeting. You just briefly checked your watch because this meeting was going on for forever, eyes widening in shock before cutting off the person speaking and letting them know that you really, really had to go or else you’d be even later.

So here you are, running into your daughter’s elementary school after letting the office know who you are.

“Ri!” You exclaim, your daughter turning around at the sound of her nickname.

“Mummy!” She yelled back, smile wide on her face as she runs up to hug you, you catching her easily.

“Hi baby, you doin’ okay?” You question, caressing her hair before placing her down.

“Yeah! Teacher was letting me help her clean up!” She excitedly tells you, going to her cubby to get her things.

“Riley is just an excellent helper.” Her teacher tells you with a smile on her face.

“I’m so sorry about being late, this never happens.” You apologize.

“Oh, don’t worry about it!” The teacher begins, “Riley is one of my favorites, I don’t mind it one bit. I know you’re not usually late so no harm done.” She assured you.

“Thank you so much, really.” You repeated. “Ready to go, Ri?” You ask your 6-year-old daughter, helping her zip up her coat and taking her backpack from her. She nods her head and waves to her teacher, “By Miss! See you tomorrow!”

Taking her hand in yours, you walk out of the classroom and make way to your car.

“How was your day, Riley?”

“It was good! I learned how to write the letters L,M, and N today!” She beamed as you buckle her into her car seat. Your heart warms up at seeing her so excited.

You were young when you had Riley, just barely 18 when you found out you were pregnant. But you were in love with your older college boyfriend, so you thought everything would be okay. He was learning how to take over his father’s company, which he did soon after his daughter was born. Now 24 and boyfriendless, and running your old boyfriend’s company, you had to say you were doing pretty okay for yourself with the help of Owen’s family.

Your parents were disappointed to say the least when they found out you were pregnant, not wanting to be a part of you or their grandchild’s life. You were thankful enough for Owen’s family to take you in as their own, happily accepting you and their soon to be grandbaby.

When you were told that you were going to be the one to run the well-known family business, you were nervous, not ready to mess things up. But you were guided through and through and soon enough, you were one of the best CEO’s of the country.

Right next to Harry Styles, your rival.

As much as you hate to admit, Harry was good. He was charming, reliable, smart, and extremely good looking.

He was also young like you, just a year or two older which is why you guys were such rivals. But you aren’t sure if you could even consider you and him rivals if you guys are nothing but nice to each other. But since your businesses are head and head with each other, that’s the best word to describe your relationship.

You make more small talk with Riley before pulling up to your driveway. Turning the car off, you get out and make your way to unbuckle her.

Going to your front door, you ask her what she wants for dinner. Knowing that her new obsession is spaghetti, you aren’t surprised when that’s what she yelled.

“Okay love, wanna help me cook it?” You grinned, watching her nod her head in excitement before she helps you get out the ingredients.

Dinner was messily made and then eaten and now you’re giving Riley her nightly bath. Her hair was just washed, and now you’re letting her play before washing the rest of her body and drying her off.

She’s splashing the water with one her toys before she yelps, “Oh, and Mummy guess what?”

“Chicken butt?”

“No! That’s silly!” She giggled. “I made a friend today!”

“Did you?” You wonder, happiness laced in your voice. Riley was more of a quiet person, she doesn’t have any friends after being in school for so long but since she kept more to herself, it didn’t seem to bother her as much as it worried you. So hearing her talk about a friend she made makes your heart soar.

“Yep! His name is Noah, he’s new! He saw me playing with my blocks alone and asked if we could play together.” She chatted as you began to wash her body.

“Oh that’s great, Ri! Maybe you guy could have a playdate one day this week.” You mention, and she squeals.

You dry her off and begin to do her nightly routine before putting her to bed.

It’s later in the night now, and your in your office deep into work when your phone rings. You don’t bother to check the caller ID before you answer.

“Hello?”

“Ah, isn’t it my favorite lady.” You hear, face heating up when you recognize the voice.

“You’re the one who called me, Harry.” You say, taking a break from your paperwork. There’s an awkward pause before he answered you again.

“I know, just wanted to make yeh blush a bit for me, love.” He teases.

“How do you know if I’m bushing if you can’t-”

“Anyways!” He interrupts, “My assistant notified me that you and I have an interview to be at tomorrow?”

“What about it? I’m doing paperwork right now.” You tell him, continuing your stack of paperwork.

“Well Ms. Cranky,” he began, making you roll your eyes, “I have somewhere to be at around 2:15, and the interview starts at 1. So I was wondering-”

“Wait, what?” It was your turn to interrupt, “It’s supposed to be starting at 11, I have somewhere to be at 2:15 as well.” You groaned, putting him on speaker to check your email.

“Oh, fuck.” You groan when the email indeed does say 1. “I’m typing out an email now.” You tell him.

“Does, ‘Mr. Styles and I will be there at 11, please be ready or we will leave.’ sound too harsh?”

“Nah, I think it’s good.” He tells you truthfully, chuckling into the phone a bit.

“Good, because I sent it already.” You giggle. “Harry, it’s been a pleasure, but it’s getting late. I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“Yeah. Curl your hair for me? Love it when yeh curl it.” He tells you, and you bite your lip.

“Goodnight, Mr. Styles.” You murmur.

He laughs, “Goodnight, love.”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

After dropping Riley off at school, you walk into your building with your assistant on your side.

“Okay,” Liam begins, “From 8:30 until 9:45 Ms. Mendes will be here for a meeting. At 9:55 you will be picked up to go to the interview with Mr. Styles. Then from 11 until 1:30 you’ll be there, with enough time to go and pick up Riley.” He informs, walking into your office with you.

“Liam, you don’t have to be so formal, we’ve been friends since college.” You remind him, shrugging your coat off your body. Liam looks you up and down, noticing that you’re dressed up more than usual.

“Your makeup is flawless, your hair is curled perfectly, and your body has nowhere to hide in this low-cut dress. Who are you trying to impress?” He asks.

“What? A woman can’t look good just to please herself? You know Liam, not everything a woman does is to please a man.” You scold him.

He squints his eyes at you until the realization hits him. “You’re trying to impress Harry!” He shouted, pointing at you in an accusing matter.

“Will you keep your voice down!” You yell, slamming your office door shut.

“Admit that you’re trying to impress Harry.” He demands.

“No.”

“Y/N.”

“I’m not admitting anything! Isn’t Ms. Mendes supposed to be here?” Just as the words leave your mouth, your office phone rings. You answer and put it on speaker once you see it’s your secretary.

“What’s up, Stella?”

“Ms. Y/L/N, Ms. Mendes is here for your meeting.” She chimed.

“Thanks! I’ll meet her in a minute.” You acknowledge before hanging up.

“Saved by the bell.” Liam muttered, to which you stuck your tongue out in response.

“Liam, be a doll and grab Ms. Mendes please?” You tease, laughing when he gives you the finger.

The meeting goes by in a breeze, investing in some of her business which will help your own. With 5 minutes left to spare, you and Claire you learned her name was began to stand and shake hands.

“Do I show myself out then?” She asks.

“No, I actually have somewhere to be, so I’ll walk out with you if you don’t mind.” You tell her, putting your jacket on and grabbing your phone and purse.

You’re approaching the lobby when you see him. Gucci suit practically glued onto his body with how tight it is, baby blue with flowers decorated on it.

“Oh wow, that’s Harry Styles, right? Of Styles and Co?” Claire asks you.

You nod, “Yeah, that’s him in the flesh.” You look at her and see she’s flipping her hair to the side and is now walking towards him. You roll your eyes and shake your head as you head towards your secretary.

“Stella, I won’t be in the for the rest of the day. You know the drill, right?” You question, but you’re finding it hard to listen when all you hear is Claire giggling at Harry’s jokes, a twinge of jealousy is stirring in your stomach and you’re not sure why.

Your secretary finishes her sentence, to which you reply, “Just send my calls to Liam.”

You turn around and hear Claire still chatting Harry up. “Here’s my card, but definitely call me for more than just business.” She flirts, and you can’t help but let out a loud laugh. Claire snaps her neck towards you and Harry just smirks, taking her card and putting it in his pocket.

“We actually ‘ave somewhere to be. Talk soon, yeah?” He says, putting a hand on her shoulder before taking the few steps it takes to get to you.

“Yeh ready?”

“Yeah, let’s go.”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

It’s been 15 minutes into your car ride and you and Harry have been sitting in comfortable silence.

“Your hair looks nice.” He murmurs, taking his eyes off the road briefly to glance at you.

“Oh, thanks.” You blush. “I’ve been told it looks good when it’s curled.” You saying, looking at him now.

You’re annoyed with how good looking Harry is. He doesn’t have a flaw. You didn’t realize how long you were staring until he’s glancing at you again.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” He teases you.

“You’re right.” You shrug, pulling out your phone and twisting your body to look at him. “Say cheese!”

He smiles wide at you but his eyes are still on the road. You take the picture, and then you take a candid. His wide smile is gone, but he still has a grin on his face. You’re ready to delete it but he starts talking, distracting you from the task at hand.

“‘Ave yeh eaten yet?” He wonders aloud.

“No not yet. Why?” You question.

“Well, we have about 30 minutes to kill. I know ‘bout a cafe up the street if yeh wanna get some coffee, it’s really good.” He admits. You’ve been nodding your head in agreement when the word “cafe” left his mouth. Realizing he can’t see you, you mutter out, “Yes, please. I think coffee has been calling my name all morning.”

Entering the cafe, you’re immediately hit with the smell of coffee and pastries. “Is normal coffee okay with yeh? Or do yeh get something special?” He asks you, leading you to a booth in the corner of the cafe.

“Normal is perfect. But I have money.” You state, reaching in your purse for your credit card but when you look up, he’s already gone. You roll your eyes and reach for your phone, getting ready to open up emails but the first thing you see is the candid you took of Harry. You smile to yourself, then bring your head up to look for him.

He’s waiting for the coffee’s now, looking around at the decorations in the place when his eyes meet yours. You smile at each other and then his name was called, tearing his attention away from you.

You lock our phone and put it back in your purse, and then Harry is sitting down across from you. “Here’s your coffee, and I didn’t know wha’ kind of pastry to get yeh so I get yeh a croissant.” He tells you, handing it over to you.

“Thanks, Harry.” You bubbled, taking a sip of your coffee and humming at the taste. He takes a sip of his own drink, it’s not coffee, but he won’t tell you that.

“What did you get?” You ask, breaking a piece off of your croissant and putting it in your mouth.

“I got the same thing you did.”

“Oh, wow.” You moan, “This is so good. I can’t believe I didn’t know about this place!”

“Not a lot of people know about it, which is why I like it so much.” He confesses.

“Oh, wow.” You repeat, “I can’t believe the Harry Styles is sharing his secret cafe with me!” You joked, laughing when you see him roll his eyes. “Yeh know, I didn’t have to take you here.” He mutters, frowning in a joking matter.

“No, seriously. It means a lot to me, Riley was all over the place this morning and I didn’t have time to eat for myself.” You shrug.

“If yeh weren’t so busy curling your hair for me yeh would’ve had plenty of time.”

“Ha-ha, very funny.” You mumbled.

“I’m kidding. You look beautiful, Y/N.” He promised. “Wait, Riley, where ‘ave I heard that name before?” He talks to himself. You shrug your shoulders before glancing at the clock on the wall. “Oh, Harry! We only have 10 minutes to get there. We gotta go!” You hurriedly exclaimed, scooting out of the booth and grabbing your belongings.

“Relax, it’s jus’ down the street. We’ll make it.” He assures you, following you out the door and to his car.

He was right, of course. You guys got there in 5 minutes, making you 5 minutes early. And your threat in your email must’ve worked because when you two got there, they were already waiting for your guys’ arrival.

“Hi, I’m Jason, I’ll be your interviewer today.” The handsome man introduces himself. His hair was styled perfectly, brown eyes gleaming in the light with one of the most charming smiles. He was styled fashionably, but also professional as well.

“Y/N.” You state, sticking your hand out for him to take, which he does. “I’m a huge fan,” he bashfully admits. “Thanks so much for agreeing to meet with me.” He says, hand still in yours.

“Oh, thank you, I appreciate it.” You smile, still looking into Jason’s eyes.

“I’m Harry, the other part of the interview.” Harry interrupts, sticking his own hand out for Jason to shake.

“Yes, of-of course.” Jason stammers, taking his eyes and hand away from you to look at Harry, giving him a firm handshake.

Harry may have gripped his hand a little harder, but that’s something he won’t tell you either.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

The interview is nearing its end. Both of your businesses have been talking about, and now the interview is more towards both your personal lives.

“So, are either of you seeing anybody currently?” Jason asked, looking at you both but staring at you longer.

“No, I’m just focused on the company and my own personal matters right now.” Harry answers honestly.

You nod your head in agreement, “Me too.”

“So Y/N, you wouldn’t be interested in a date?” Jason flirts, and you laugh in response.

“I’m flattered, truly, but it isn’t my focus right now.” You tell him.

“C’mon. Just one? I’m sure you’d enjoy it.” He pressures, and Harry could feel you getting uncomfortable.

“Mate, let it go. She said no.” Harry warned.

“Is it because you two are dating?” He quizzed with a smirk on his face.

“Listen-” Harry starts, but he’s cut off.

“Harry and I aren’t together. We’re friends, if even that. You’ve asked us here to talk business, not to talk about who we’re dating. I’m sorry that our answers weren’t interesting enough to you, but we’re happy with our answers. Put any of this in, and you’ll be hearing from both of our lawyers. This interview is over.” You seethed, standing up and walking off.

Jason puts his head down in shame, and Harry just smirks before following your steps. You’re already at Harry’s car when he finds you, shivering in the cold weather and small flurries of snow on your head.

“You okay?” He hesitantly asks.

“I’m fine.” You replied curtly, getting into the car once you hear it’s unlocked. He starts the car and waits for it to heat up so you can get warm, putting the windshield wipers on to get rid of the snow.

“That guy was an asshole.” You both speak at the same time, looking at each other and laughing.

“Like really! Yeh told him no and he jus’ kept going, what a prick.” He says, shaking his head in disapproval. “I know! And why does me saying no automatically mean you and I are dating?” You ask him, shaking your head with him and buckling your seatbelt in.

The drive back to your work went faster than you would have liked. You enjoyed Harry’s company even if you guys barely talked. His soft singing voice, fingers tapping the wheel in tune of the song. And the small talk he did make with you wasn’t awkward, as if you’ve been friends for years on end.

“What’d yeh mean back at the interview when yeh said ‘if even that’ to us bein’ friends?” He blurted out, shocking you in the comfortable silence you two were just sitting in.

“What?” You question, confusion written all over your face.

“When he asked if we were datin’ and yeh said, ‘we’re friends, if even that.’ So I jus’ wanted to know what tha’ meant.” He says boldly, putting the car in park as you’ve come to realize that you guys were in front of your building.

“Harry, it’s not that we aren’t friends, but we also aren’t friends. We’re acquaintances.” You hesitantly reply, not knowing where your confession is going to take the conversation.

“I don’t jus’ call my acquaintances beautiful, Y/N, I thought yeh were smarter than that.” He says, full attention on you now.

“Harry, we’ve talked on and off for a few years now, all business related. It’s never gotten any further.”

“It’s obviously gotten far enough if yeh curled your hair for me. No one ever does it if someone they barely talk to tells ‘em to do it.” He objected, running his fingers through his hair in annoyance. You roll your eyes before checking the time on your phone, noticing that you have a mere 5 minutes before having to pick up Riley.

“Listen, I have somewhere to be. You have my number, can we continue this later?” You questioned, unbuckling your seat belt to start getting out.

“We’ll see.” He mutters out. You wave him a goodbye and walk to your car, where you watch him pull out.

You breathe out a sigh that you didn’t realize you were holding in before you get into your own car, then making your way to your daughter.

Walking down the familiar hallway, you hear mumbles of your daughter's voice, but you can’t make out the words.

“Yeah, Ri! Once your mum gets here, we could ask her for a playdate!” You hear a small voice exclaim, followed by your daughters cheering.

Riley must’ve heard your heels because before you could even enter the classroom, she’s running into your arms. You inhale her scent, it soothing you after the stressful day you’ve had.

You put her down and bring your head up to look for her teacher, but instead of meeting the teachers eyes, you're met with the green emeralds that you’ve just left a few minutes prior.

“You’re a dad?” You ask, watching him nod with a grin on his face.

Something clicks inside of him, jaw dropping and shouting out, “Riley!”

“What?” Your daughter responds, running back to the little boy at the table. Coincidentally, Harry is standing behind the sitting boy.  

“Yeah, what she said. What?” You repeat, looking at him confusedly. Before he could speak, Riley does.

“Mum, can me and Noah have a playdate?”

“It’s Noah and I, honey.” You corrected her, “But who’s Noah?”

“That’d be my son.” Harry speaks, smirk evident on his face. “That’s why her name sounded so familiar. Noah was goin’ on and on about wanting t’play with her.” He remembers, looking down between the both of them.

“Guys, why don’t you get your stuff and we could make this playdate happen today, hm?” You tell him, motioning them to their cubby as they cheered in excitement. You walk over to him and stand in front of him, arms crossed across your chest.

“Guess we’ll be finishing our talk earlier than expected,” he murmurs quietly, “follow me to my house?” He asked, helping Noah put his jacket on once the pair walked over. You nodded and did the same to Riley.

“Lead the way.”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Harry’s house wasn’t anything like you expected. Not that it isn’t Harry’s style, but you were just expecting it to be a bit more...extravagant.

It’s small, but roomy inside. You don’t feel trapped in there but you don’t feel like most of the rooms in the house are empty. You feel an odd sense of comfort being there, you feel comfortable, you feel at home.

“Noah, why don’t yeh show Riley your playroom while her mum and I talk in the kitchen.” Harry states.

“Okay! Riley I got all new blocks yesterday, you’ll love them!” Noah exclaims, grabbing your daughters hand and leading her down the hallway.

“Noah is very sweet.” You comment, watching Harry shrug off his suit coat, leaving him in a transparent white button up. Harry smiles at your comment, blush rising to his cheeks.

“Thank you, I’ve tried to raise him as well as I could.” He says.

“Would yeh like anything t’drink? Water, wine, juice?” He lists off as he’s looking inside the fridge, you finding a seat at the island table.

“Water would be lovely.” You state, him placing a water bottle in front of you.

A silence overcomes the both of you, both of you not knowing where to begin.

“Harry.” You hesitate.

“No, let’s not do it like this.” He states, taking a seat in front of you.

“How do you mean?” You wonder.

“Let’s jus’ get to know each other, like friends.”

“Okay, lets.” You agree, taking a sip of out of your water.

“Okay, so elephant in the room. How did Riley come along?”

“You should be warned, I might cry.” You warn. “Yeh don’t have to tell me if yeh don’t wanna.” He reminds you.

“No it’s just the anniversary is coming up is all.” You tell him, eyes already burning as you feel the tears approaching.

“Anniversary?” He asks, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“My fiance’s death.” You whimper, fanning your face to stop the flow of your tears.Harry’s eyes soften.

“Y/N, I’m so sorry. We don’t have to talk about it if yeh don’t wanna.” He speaks truthfully, trying to find your stare.

“Friends know this stuff though, right?” You ask rhetorically.

“He was 2 years older than me. I just turned 18 and he turned 20 six months prior. So I guess you could say she was a result of birthday sex.” You chuckled, reminiscing to when you guys found out that she was growing in your tummy. “He still had a year of college to go, but he wanted to be home, to help me after my parents practically disowned me, so his own family took me in.” You swallowed, fighting back more tears. “It was 3 months after she was born and we needed more diapers. So while she was napping he drove to the store that was only a 10 minute drive from where we lived.

“And I had this gut feeling, you know? When you could feel something is going to go wrong? I gave him a hug and kiss goodbye and I will forever be thankful for that. That I wasn’t in the shower or that I wasn’t worrying about Riley. I gave him a hug and kiss and then he walked out of that door. Someone ran a red light because they were texting and hit his side of the car, hard. He died on impact.” You managed to finish, tears falling freely now.

“Y/N, I am so, so, so sorry.” He says, coming in front of you and wrapping you into his arms, bringing his hand up to caress your hair. “Yeh don’t deserve that. No one does.” He consoled.

Your body is shaking as if you’re sobbing now, and he isn’t sure what more he could do until you're tilting your head up and instead of a glum look on your face, there’s a smile.

He’s squinting his eyes at you now, he isn’t sure what is going on and he’s utterly lost.

“I’m here, crying in your kitchen when it’s our first time hanging out. And now there’s makeup on your shirt, which might take you awhile to get out.” You admit, giggling when you see his reaction.

“Are yeh on any drugs?” He wonders, pulling away slowly but keeping his hand on your head.

“Nope! Just emotional.” You tell him, giggling once more when a smile of his own creeps onto his face.

“I really am sorry yeh know.” He repeats once you’ve calmed down, taking a strand of hair and putting it behind your ear.

“Thanks, Harry.” You whispered. “Now,” You breathed out, causing Harry to remove his hand and go back to where he was seated across from you, “What about Noah?”

He let out a loud laugh. “Not that I like to admit to anyone,” he begins, “I was a bit of a flirt back in my college days. And it was 2 weeks before graduation when I found out that a girl I slept with was pregnant.” He shrugged.

“Where is she now? If you don’t mind me asking.” You wondered, tilting your head to the side as you wait for him to answer.

“She had Noah, and then decided that she wanted to give him up. But I already fell in love with him when he was born, so I offered to keep him. I was financially stable since he was born right as my business peaked, so I took him. She’s not part of our lives and we’re doing just great.” He explained, taking a sip of his drink.

“Yay for single parenting!” You cheer, taking a sip of your own drink.

You guys make more conversation, ranging from talking about your own businesses to helpful parenting tips. After about an hour, a silence fills the room.

“I definitely dressed to impress today.” You blurted out, breaking the silence. Harry let out a loud laugh and took a look at you. Your hair is slightly messy and your makeup is smudged from your crying.

“Yeh could’ve worn no makeup, with sweats and a messy pony and I would’ve thought yeh were the most beautiful one in the room.” He whispered, eyes boring into yours. “I don’t tell yeh these things to mess with your head, love.” He tells you, standing up to walk over to you again, and you squint your eyes at him in an accusing matter. “Okay, okay, maybe I do it sometimes,” he admitted, taking your hands and pulling you up so your standing with him.

“But I really do mean every word I say about yeh. I’ve been too scared to ask yeh out so I’ve been doing some small things.” He utters out, his hands on your waist and yours around his neck.

“You’re beautiful too you know, that smile of yours with your eyes. It’s a crime, really.” You revealed, toying with the hair at the back of his neck. Your heart is beating out of your chest, not used to the feeling of being this close with someone you were attracted to after so long. His eyes are glancing back and forth from your lips to your eyes, just like any romantic movie and you aren’t sure if you believe this is actually happening.

You look down at his lips and quickly glance to look at his eyes.

“Kiss me.” He barely whispers, before meeting your lips half way. Your lips just barely brush each other, teasing to see who’s going to give in first. Your smiling against each others lips and finally, finally his lips are on yours. You haven’t kissed anyone in so long that this is almost foreign to you.

The kiss soon gets heated, your tongue against his and before you know it he’s muttering a “jump” against your lips and lifting you off the ground for you to sit on the edge of the counter. Your legs wrap around his waist and now his crotch is against yours and because you’re wearing a dress, it’s just your panties and his pants that are in the way.

His left hand is still on your waist, whilst his right hand is trailing up your thigh as he’s giving himself space so his fingers could flatten as he reaches your wet panties.

He breaks the kiss and smirks when you whimper at the loss of his lips.

“How long ‘ave yeh been this wet? Hm?” He asks, putting more pressure on your clit through your underwear, and you can’t even form a reply because of how good you feel.

“Yeh want it?” He asks, you nodding and he just smirks again.

“Go ahead, grind against my fingers, love. Try t’get off.” He tells you, leaning forwards to catch your lips with his again.

You have no choice but to do as he says, so you grind your clothed pussy against his fingers, trying to get as much pressure as you can from his fingers.

You’re so lost in him that you forget where you are for a moment, coming back to reality when you hear the sound of small sets of footsteps coming your way. You’ve barely pulled away and pushed Harry off of you when Riley and Noah are entering the kitchen.

“It’s snowing!” They simultaneously announce.

“How awesome!” You exclaim, tiredly so as you’re trying to catch your breath. You glance over at Harry and he’s faced towards the sink, crotch hidden from the kids. Shortly, he turns back to you and looks past you.

“Oh wow. It’s like, really snowing out there.” He points to the window, and you notice that it is in fact, really snowing. The roads are covered, as is the grass, and both of your cars. You let out a groan, looking at Riley.

“Ri, we should start leaving lovebug.” You tell her, lowering yourself off of the counter.

“What? No way.” Harry refused. “Harry, the roads are getting bad, if I don’t leave now we won’t be home for hours.” You inform him, going to the coat rack where your coat is hanging as well as Riley’s.

“Why don’t yeh stay here? No way the kids are gonna have school, and I ‘ave an extra room for yeh both.” He offers, following you out into the hallway.“I don’t have any clothes,” You giggle, shaking your head as if to tell him no, “neither does Riley.” You finish your statement when Harry’s phone begins to ring. Looking at the caller, his answers it and motions that he’s going to go back to the kitchen to take the call.

“She could borrow mines!” Noah exclaimed, running up to you now. “I have loads and loads.”

“That means you could borrow his clothes.” Your daughter added, pointing to the kitchen where Harry is.  “Pointing is rude, hun.” You scold her lightly. As much as you want to spend the night, you aren’t sure if that’s your best decision considering you and Harry’s heavy makeout from just a few moments ago.

“What about school tomorrow?” You remind them both.

“There isn’t any,” Harry states and comes back into the hallway. “The school jus’ called, snow is already coming down too heavy.” He shared, smirking slightly at you. You let out a breath and roll your eyes.

“Sleepover it is!” You declared, watching the kids cheer and hug. “Why don’t you guys go play some more and we’ll make dinner, hm?” You say, and they’re on their way back to the playroom. You put your coat back on the rack and when you turn around, Harry is already there and pushing you against the door, kissing down your neck.

“We need to make some ground rules.” You moan out quietly, eyes shutting in pleasure.  

“‘M listening.” He speaks against your neck, kissing all over and sucking slightly. Not hard enough to leave a mark, but hard enough to cause you to lose your train of thought. When he notices you still haven’t talked, he pulls away.

Your eyes snap open, cheeks reddening when you see Harry smirking at you. One of his hands that were on your waist is now propped against the wall, leaving you trapped.

“Rules?” He questions, and you duck under his arm and start walking into the kitchen. “Yes, rules.” You tell him.

“No kissing in front of the kids.” You said, opening his fridge.

“Tha’s an obvious one.” He agrees, smiling at you.

“I will be sleeping in the guestroom tonight,” you begin, glancing at him to see him walking towards you, “unless you give me a reason not to.” You tell him.

“Huh?” He asks, helping you wash the vegetables you’ve brought out.

“Play your cards right and I’ll be in your bed tonight.” You murmur, bumping your hips with his and his movements come to a halt.

“For-for jus’ sleeping?” He stammers.

“Depends on how you play your cards,” you shrug, a small grin forming on your face, “Let’s focus on that later, we have dinner to make.”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Harry is in pure bliss. After having his small crush on you for a month or so, it feels good to know that you guys are somewhat on the same page. He isn’t proud to say that he’s been talking with Liam to win you over, but he is proud to say that it’s worked.

It started a couple months ago when he was looking for a new school for Noah, asking anyone he knew about the schools around his area and the work area.

Funnily enough, his assistant was his best mate. But, he is also best mates with your assistant.

“Liam says that Y/N loves the school that her daughter is at,” Niall said to him. “He said that she says that they’re all very kind, the education is great, and it’s close enough to her work and home that she doesn’t feel like she has to rush all the time.”

“Wait, yeh mean my rival, Y/N?” Harry questioned him, looking up the school that Niall suggested during his lunch break.

“Don’t say it like that, mate.” Niall defended, “When have you ever had a conversation with her that was anything less than nice? She looks tough, but she is just as soft as you are and-”

“Oi!” Harry interrupted, “I’m not soft.” He muttered.

“Sure you’re not.” Niall stifled a laugh, “Anyways, she sees you as competition, but not as someone that she constantly has to beat.” He said, taking a bite out of his sandwich.

Harry just shrugged, it shouldn’t matter what she thought, anyway. But after researching the school in more depth, Harry could agree that this school would be a perfect fit for Noah.

“I think ‘m gonna have to buy her flowers,” Harry tells Niall, “yeh know, as a ‘thank you’ or summat.”

He did, the very next day in fact, send her a big bouquet of her favorite flowers and a small, “thank you,” note attached that he didn’t sign to leave her wondering.

“She loved the flowers, by the way.” Niall added after telling Harry his plan for the day a couple days after. “Gushed to Liam about how nice they looked.”

“Tha’s good then.” Harry murmured, leaning back in his chair and bringing his hand up to toy with his bottom lip.

“Why didn’t you sign your name?” Niall wondered, shutting the door before going to stand in front of his boss’ desk. “Didn’t need to.” Harry shrugged back, and that ended the conversation.

He decided to wait until Noah finished his winter break to start at his new school. It gave him time to settle before starting somewhere new.

“What if I don’t make any friends?” Noah whispered as Harry was tucking him into bed the night before his first day.

“What if you do?” Harry retorted back. “What if yeh make so many friends that everyone wants to share their toys with yeh?”

“That would be a lot of friends,” Noah commented, “and toys.” He added causing Harry to laugh.

“What do I always tell yeh?” Harry asks.

“To always share, and to be kind to everyone no matter what.” Noah repeats the phrase he’s been told so many times before.

“Tha’s right. Sharing and being kind will help yeh get friends. Don’t worry, Daddy will be here if yeh ever need help, okay?” He reassures the small boy, watching him nod and close his eyes.

“Alright, goodnight. I love you.” Harry says, switching the light off and the nightlight turns off so it’s not too dark.

“Love you, Daddy.” Noah sleepily replies.

After the first day, Noah didn’t make any friends, which was as expected. But he loved his teacher, so that was good enough for Harry. The week Noah started school is Harry’s busiest week yet, a number of meetings that he has to attend, paperwork to finish, and phone calls to be made. So when Noah finally makes a friend at school, he wasn’t really listening. He was hearing what his son was saying, but he wasn’t absorbing all of the information due to how busy he was.

“Her name was Riley and I asked her to play with my blocks at school because she was alone and she said yes so we played during our whole playtime together!”

“That’s great, Noah!” Harry responded, “Sounds like you had a good day.” He says what any parent would.

“Can I invite her for a playdate soon? Please?” Noah begs his father.

“Yeah buddy, no problem. I have to do some work right now, can I play with yeh when I’m done?” Harry bargains with him. Noah just nods, running to his playroom while Harry begins working on some paperwork.

It’s later now, finally relaxing after working and getting his son fed and ready for bed. He’s watching TV when Niall is calling him.

“Niall, you know my rules.” He groans through the phone.

“I know, I know, don’t call after 10. But I forgot to tell you that you have an interview tomorrow with your favorite CEO at 1.” Niall teases, but Harry doesn’t think it’s funny.

“Wait, that doesn’t work. I ‘ave to pick Noah up at school by 2:15.” He tells Niall.

“Well, what do you want me to do about it?” Niall scoffed.

“You’re my assistant!” Harry whisper screamed so he doesn’t wake up his sleeping child, “You’re supposed to now call Liam and tell him that it doesn’t work for me.” He demanded.

“Hm,” Niall pretended to think, “I don’t like your attitude. I’m going to leave it to you to call Y/N and make the arrangements.” He declared, causing Harry to groan again.

“I hate you.” He responded, head thrown back with his phone lazily gripped in his hand.

“But I love you, Harry! Which is why you’re going to be the one calling her. I’ll see you tomorrow mate, have fun!” Niall says, not giving Harry time to respond before he’s hanging up.

Harry lets out a sigh, shaking it off before he calls you, heart pounding as he’s waiting for you to pick up.

“Hello?” You pick up.

“Ah, isn’t it my favorite lady.” He responds, nerves fading away once he heard your voice.

“You’re the one who called me, Harry.” You tell him, and he could hear your confusion and annoyance through the phone.

He didn’t answer for a little, trying to figure out how to reply.

“I know,” he manages to get out, “just wanted to make yeh blush a bit for me, love.” He tried to tease, not used to being so nervous about talking to someone.

“How do you know I’m blushing if you can’t-”

“Anyways!” He interrupted you, pinching a small part of his thigh to try and get rid of how flustered he is, “My assistant notified me that you and I have an interview to be at tomorrow?”

“What about it? I’m doing paperwork right now.” You tell him and he could hear the movement of paper through the phone.

“Well Ms. Cranky,” he began, a small smile on his face, “I have somewhere to be at around 2:15, and the interview starts at 1. So I was wondering-”

“Wait, what?” He hears the ruffling of papers stop, “It’s supposed to be starting at 11, I have somewhere to be at 2:15 as well.” You groaned, and he relates to how he felt just a couple minutes prior when he was on the phone with Niall.

“Oh, fuck.” You groan again, but the way you said it made it sound like a moan and Harry has to pretend it didn’t make him chub up in his pants at the mere thought of you under him moaning those two words over and over again.

He’s brought out from his thoughts when he hears you talking again.“Is, ‘Mr. Styles and I will be there at 11, please be ready or we will leave.’ sound too harsh?”

“Nah, I think it’s good.” He lies, chuckling a little to reassure you. It was definitely a bit too harsh, but why would he disagree?

“Good, because I sent it already.” You giggle, and Harry wants to hear you giggle for the rest of his life. “Harry, it’s been a pleasure, but it’s getting late. I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“Yeah. Curl your hair for me? Love it when yeh curl it.” He boldly states, and he’s wondering where he got the bravery to say all of that.

“Goodnight, Mr. Styles.” You murmur, causing him to laugh as he hears the little embarrassment laced in your voice.

“Goodnight, love.” And as soon as he was done staring at the black screen of his phone, he’s texting Niall to find out what your breakfast preferences are.

Which leaves him with today, the interview waiting for the both of you. Getting dressed in one of his best suits, definitely overdressing for the occasion to impress you a little. He admits, his hair could’ve been styled better but after rushing to get Noah dressed, he didn’t have the time.

He heard Niall before he even saw him. “Wow, look at Mr. Handsome over here!” He hollered when he entered Harry’s office, to which Harry just rolled his eyes in response.

“I don’t get it. You don’t know anything about her and yet you want to date her.” Niall addresses, causing Harry to roll his eyes /again/ and shrug his shoulders.

“I never said I wanted to date her.” He corrected the blonde haired man, “But I do want to get to know her, and since I’m picking her up, I have to make a good first impression as someone who isn’t just a businessman.”

“You didn’t need your fanciest suit.” Niall pointed out.

“It’s not!” Harry grumbled, “It’s like, my fourth nicest suit.”

Niall let out a boisterous laugh at that, shaking his head as Harry basically proved Niall to be right.

“Whatever you say, Haz. Good luck today, you should be leaving soon if you want to make good time on breakfast.” Harry checked his watch, he knew you had a meeting thanks to Liam, so he did the math and figured that if he left in about 5 minutes, he would make it to your office in 10 minutes, giving you time to break away from the meeting so you aren’t rushed.

He had just walked into your building right when you walked out of your office, smirking as he sees that you did indeed curl your hair for him. But it was more than just your curls that got rid of his smirk and made his heart race a little bit.

It was the navy blue dress that you were wearing, low cut but not too low where it’s revealing too much. It’s not cut too short, falling short a little bit before your knees and the nude heels you were wearing matched perfectly with the nude colored purse you were wearing on your shoulder.

He didn’t even have to see your face to know you looked beautiful.

This is all new to Harry. He’s been in a relationship before, once. When it ended his sophomore year of college, he stopped looking for something real, settling on just fun instead. His heart racing and palms sweating isn’t something he has felt since his son was born, and it worries him how fast he feels his feelings grow.

He makes eye contact with you, you break it first when you stop at your secretary and he internally groans when he sees the woman that was next to you coming towards him instead of the door.

“Hi, I’m Claire Mendes.” She introduces herself, and Harry just decides to be his charming self. Why spend time being mean when you could spend that time being nice instead?

He’s talking to Claire but his eyes keep drifting to you talking to your secretary. He looks away just as you turn around. It was perfect timing, really, because that’s when Ms. Mendes decides to give Harry her card.

“Here’s my card, but definitely call me for more than just business.” Harry tries to hide his grimace, luckily for him, you laugh at her bad attempt at flirting, making him smirk lightly.

“We actually ‘ave somewhere to be. Talk soon, yeah?” He says, putting a hand on her shoulder before taking the few steps it takes to get to you.

“Yeh ready?” He asks, noticing your makeup and his heart picks up again.

“Yeah, let’s go.”

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

He can’t stand the silence anymore, breaking it with a teasing compliment about your hair.

“I’ve been told it looks good when it’s curled.” You tell him, and he could feel your eyes on him.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer.” He teases you again, causing you to shrug and to do just that.

He likes how easy it is with you. He could joke with you and you will give it right back. He likes when people have similar personalities with his so he doesn’t have to try to hard.

He likes you, he decides, for more than just what you look like as you guys are joking with each other.

It’s when he brings up the cafe that gets him nervous all over again, not knowing if you were going to reject his idea even though he knows you love coffee.

“Yes, please. I think coffee has been calling my name all morning.” And he holds back his smile.

He knows exactly what you like in your coffee, again, thanks to Liam, but he decides to ask anyways because he doesn’t want you to know that he knows this already.

Once he hears that you said normal coffee is fine, he leaves, knowing you were ready to give him money. He orders his tea and your coffee, as well as some pastries for you guys to eat.

He’s never been to this place a day in his life, which is why he’s a little embarrassed when he locks eyes with you as he’s looking at the decorations. He sheepishly smiles at you, but his name is called and then he’s making his way towards you with coffee in his hands as well as the pastries.

Small talk is made about the coffee and the cafe as you guys take small sips each, and he's impressed with his tea that he almost takes bigger gulps before remembering how hot the tea is.

“I can’t believe the Harry Styles is sharing his secret cafe with me!” You joke, and he rolls his eyes which causes you to laugh, and he just wants to make you laugh all the time. “Yeh know, I didn’t have to take you here.” He mutters, frowning for only a moment before a grin takes over.

“No, seriously. It means a lot to me, Riley was all over the place this morning and I didn’t have time to eat for myself.” You tell him while shrugging.

“If yeh weren’t so busy curling your hair for me yeh would’ve had plenty of time.” He jokes, smirking when he watches you bring the cup closer to your face.

“Ha-ha, very funny.” You mumbled, taking a sip of your drink.

“I’m kidding. You look beautiful, Y/N.” He promised you. “Wait, Riley, where ‘ave I heard that name before?” He talks to himself, eyebrows furrowed as he’s trying to think of where he’s heard the name Riley.

He’s not thinking for too long before you’re rising in a rush to leave so you aren’t late, where he reassures you that it’s just down the street and that you’ll be there early.

He was right, and he grins when he sees that everyone is waiting for the arrival of you both.

After watching you and Jason meet, he decides he doesn’t like Jason very much, and he made that clear to Jason when he was shaking his hand.

Maybe the grip of his hand is the reason that Jason assumed that you guys were an item, but he liked to think that it was just because Jason is nosy and not a good interviewer, so he lets you rant and stalk off. Harry lets a couple of moments pass by before he follows you out.

As you guys are talking about how terrible that Jason guy was, he starts thinking about what you said and it bothers him.

So he decides to ask exactly what you meant. “What’d yeh mean back at the interview when yeh said ‘if even that’ to us bein’ friends?” He blurted out,

“What?” You question confusedly.

“When he asked if we were datin’ and yeh said, ‘we’re friends, if even that.’ So I jus’ wanted to know what tha’ meant.” He says boldly, putting the car in park as he parks in front of your building.

“Harry, it’s not that we aren’t friends, but we also aren’t friends. We’re acquaintances.” You hesitantly reply, and he wishes he wasn’t so sensitive when he realizes how hurt he is by that statement.

“I don’t jus’ call my acquaintances beautiful, Y/N, I thought yeh were smarter than that.” He says.

“Harry, we’ve talked on and off for a few years now, all business related. It’s never gotten any further.”

“It’s obviously gotten far enough if yeh curled your hair for me. No one ever does it if someone they barely talk to tells ‘em to do it.” He objected, running his fingers through his hair in annoyance. He glances at the time on his watch just as you check your phone.

“Listen, I have somewhere to be. You have my number, can we continue this later?” You questioned him, unbuckling your seat belt to start getting out.

“We’ll see.” He mutters out, and now he really wishes he wasn’t so sensitive.

He gets to the school shortly after, hugging his son as soon as he enters the room.

“Daddy! This is my new friend that I was telling you about.” Noah motions to a girl sitting at a table right next to his.

“Yeah, Ri! Once your mum gets here, we could ask her for a playdate!” And the small girl cheers.

The girl is soon running to the door and Harry is about to stop her but then he sees that she’s running into your arms and he can’t even believe this happened to him. He meets your eyes and just smirks, before the realization hits him.

“Riley!” He says, and everything comes full circle now that he could put a face on who Riley is.

He’s shocked when you suggest the playdate to be today, but he’s grateful nevertheless, and he can’t help but wonder where your guys’ conversation is gonna go since you guys left on such an angry term, but he’s still excited. 

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

After you guys talk, he could easily see himself falling for you. He can’t help but get closer when to you when you admit that you did indeed dressup for him.

He isn’t sure what game he’s playing at. He should just lean in for the kiss, for crying aloud! Yet, he likes the lead-up before the kiss. Wants to see the other person practically forcing their lips on his.

But when it comes to you, he has no patience.

“Kiss me.” He whispers and meets you halfway. His lips are finally on yours and there is nowhere else he wants to be right now. To his surprise, you’re the one who adds the tongue, and he has no problem with it. In fact, he encourages it by telling you to jump so he could place you on the edge of the kitchen counter.

Your legs are wrapped around his waist and he could feel the heat of your pussy through his pants.

He likes to say that he held himself back, truly, he tried for like, 2 seconds, to not touch you.

But now that he’s had a taste, he doesn’t want to stop. He can’t help that his fingers have a mind of his own and that when he feels how wet you are he truly forgets that you are in his kitchen and not in the privacy of his bedroom.

So he isn’t shocked when the grinding of your pussy on his fingers stop and you’re pushing him away because the kids enter.

He faces the sink as you’re talking to the kids, and he can’t help but feel proud of how breathless he hears you are. He thinks of anything he could to get rid of his hard-on, and it’s the thought of his granny wearing lingerie that does it to him.

“Oh wow. It’s like, really snowing out there.” He points, and it’s already in his brain that you need to stay because there’s no way it’s safe to drive when snow is coming down that hard.

Again, Harry is grateful about the way things went today, considers himself lucky, even, because things like this never happen to him.

But he feels the energy drift when the kids are eating dinner with the two of you. As much as he would like to believe, he knows it’s not just because the kids are in the same room as the both of you.

He knows it’s because of you being scared of what will happen to Noah and Riley if you guys continue whatever it is that’s going on.

And as much as he hates to admit it, that has crossed his mind as well, and he’s just scared as you.

[kieranblackthorn]

tell me something I don’t already know

A MALEC FANFIC

read it on ao3

Alexander Lightwood is a Law student who thinks he's made all the wrong choices in life. His internship, his major, his relationships... It all seems wrong. Alec definetely doesn't know how much he's worth. And maybe he needs a handsome guy called Magnus to throw out the window everything Alec thinks he knows... And shatter his heart, only to put the pieces back together again.

Chapter One

Alec’s idea of grabbing a quick lunch wasn’t buying a muffin at the bakery two blocks from work, but here he was. The muffin was fluffy and warm, filled with raisins and with a light cinnamon crust. He would never admit it to Simon out loud, but it tasted absolutely amazing.

“You’re a dude of simple tastes,” said Simon, glancing at his muffin “I can get behind that.”

Alec rolled his eyes. Simon definitely was anything but a man of simple tastes: he wore colorful and silly ties to work – today, it was one filled with tiny ice cream cones –, always spoke loudly, and was currently eating a huge slice of confetti cake.

“C'mon, man, you gotta say that I brought you to a great place!” continued Simon, swallowing a mouthful of cake. “I know you suggested that fancy salad bar, but it was my turn to choose.”

Alec took another bite of his muffin, feeling the grease sticking to his lips.

“This isn’t exactly healthy, tho,” answered Alec, frowning.

“Oh yeah, I know you love being all buff and fit, going to the gym five times a week and eating nothing but leaves. I swear your muscles will rip your suit any day now.”

Alec snorted. “Bennett would kill me in a heartbeat if I ever went to the office without a suit…”

“And I’d finally get to see a homicide trial I’ve been wishing for,” added Simon with a smile, licking frosting off his fingers.

“You probably wouldn’t get to see anything. They would bury you in meaningless paperwork about some petty case. I doubt you’d get a second in court to see his conviction,” he replied.

Alec hadn’t expected how boring would an internship at a law firm be. He had hoped he would at least get to watch some trials, maybe actually talk to the clients. But his job was mostly research and paperwork, sitting on his desk all day, hearing Simon talk about his latest gig with his band. He had thought he would feel like he was doing meaningful work at Bennett & Green Law Offices… but he felt small, powerless and useless. An ant buried in paperwork.

Alec’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted when a strange man, with a grin from ear to ear, sat down on the remaining chair at their table. He wore a refined bright purple suit, his fingers were filled with golden rings, and his eyes carried heavy, yet elegant, eyeliner.

“Can I help you…?” asked Alec, a little startled.

The man’s smile grew larger. God, Alec thought, he has a beautiful smile.

“You could help me by telling me how do you look so gorgeous so early in the morning…” the guy winked. He actually winked, and Alec didn’t know how to respond to this.

“It’s 11:30?” he answered, feeling a little confused. And also a little dazzled. The curve of his lips and the way he looked into Alec’s eyes were enough to make him feel dizzy.

“Precisely what I mean! This isn’t my finest hour, I must say.” Alec couldn’t even imagine how this man would look in his finest hour, if that was his worst shape. “I’m Magnus, by the way.”

“Alexander.” Alec held out his hand, hoping Magnus would shake it. Instead, he gently took it and pressed his lips against Alec’s hand.

Again, dizzy.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alexander. I was wondering if maybe I could get your number?”

Alec was so surprised he couldn’t get any words out of his mouth. This handsome guy – Magnus –, with his purple suit, wide smile and piercing eyes was trying to get his number? His number, when he had muffin crumbs all over his suit - that couldn’t have been more than 20 bucks –, looked like he hadn’t had a proper night of sleep in two days, and smelled like he had just hit the gym. Ew, Alec was only now realizing he should buy a new deodorant.

“Unless you aren’t interested?” Magnus raised an eyebrow, looking disappointed.

“Oh no, he will definitely give you his number!” Simon barged in, unlocking his cellphone, already with a pen in hand, and began quickly writing something down on a napkin.

“Oh yeah, yeah, sure,” Alec finally managed to say, fighting to stop staring awkwardly at Magnus. He took the napkin out of Simon’s hand, giving it a quick look. Alex noticed that along with his number, Simon wrote down his Instagram username. He sighed inside, not knowing if he would scream at Simon or thank him later.

“Magnus, we are fucking late!” yelled a deep voice across the bakery. It was coming from a tall man, with a crown of curly hair, standing next to the door, his arms crossed. It was almost funny how his black, sober suit contrasted with the pastel tones that decorated the walls and tables. “Let’s go!”

 Magnus took the napkin out of his hand, their fingers brushing for a brief moment.  

“I’m sorry, gorgeous, but I fear our conversation has been cut short by my cranky friend over there. He doesn’t really like to wait. Let’s continue this over text, shall we?” Magnus said, looking at Alec. “Nice meeting you as well,” he added, nodding at Simon.

And with another bright flash of his smile, Magnus walked out of the bakery’s door.

“Wow. He was quite a sight, wasn’t he?” Said Simon after a moment, taking a sip at his Coke.

Alec turned to Simon, a thought forming on his mind.

“How did you know I was gay? I’ve never told you that!” Alec looked accusingly at Simon.

He shrugged. “Lucky guess!” Simon slurped his Coke again. “Besides, if you don’t want to text him, I do! I meant it when I said he was something. He’s pretty damn cute, if you ask me.”

Alec shook his head in confusion. “Wait, are you… Are you gay?”

“Nah, man!” Simon didn’t seem bothered by the question. “I’m pan, actually.”

“I didn’t know that,” replied Alec, feeling a bit warm inside. He had met very few queer guys, mostly back in college. Knowing Simon was pan… It gave him a nice feeling of camaraderie.

“Well, you’ve never asked. And you also haven’t mentioned your sexuality to me before.” Simon grinned lightly “Besides, you haven’t looked  at my desk, because I have a pan flag there.”

“Oh, now you got me,” replied Alec, feeling a little embarrassed. Simon had picked up on the fact that Alec didn’t make a lot of effort to be friendly with him. He found himself feeling a little guilty.

“Your gaydar couldn’t be worse, my dude!” exclaimed Simon, wiping frosting off his mouth. “Should we get back to the office?”

 Alec spent the rest of the day at the office trying not to think of the purple suited guy, but he couldn’t help but check for new messages every twenty minutes or so. His experience with guys was limited, and he would never have the nerve to ask somebody out just like that. In the middle of a bakery, not knowing whether they were into guys. Although he’d had a few hookups, Alec had never thought of himself as attractive, desirable or… hot. God, even the thought of that word made him blush.

When he got home, he was totally spent. His entire body hurt from sitting and typing the whole day, his head hurt from staring at a screen… and also from hearing Simon’s relentless chatter. His suit was itchy, and he took off his jacket when he crossed the door.  

Jace looked up from where he was sitting. His brother was lying sloppily on the sofa with a bowl of cereal balanced on his legs. There was a neat pile of sheet music next to him, along with pens, highlighters and music theory books.

“Hard day at college?” Alec asked, sitting down next to him.

“Hard day at the office?” replied Jace, swinging his legs over Alec’s lap. Lazybones, thought Alec, rolling his eyes.

“You know, same old, same old. I’m growing tired of paperwork… And of my boss. Honestly, this whole Law School thing sucks.”

“Well, you could always get a degree in music with me,” offered Jace, half-joking. He knew Law School wasn’t everything his brother had dreamed of - Alec still wasn’t a knight in shining armor, coming to rescue the less fortunate.

“Yeah, because I’m an amazing singer. Or a piano player. Or a violin player. Maybe I could get into their rattle program,” Alec snorted.

“Seriously, man… You gotta hang on a bit. Getting into Law School was your thing for years. Honor your effort… Even though you’re in an office full of douche bags wearing tuxedos.”

“And Simon.”

“I thought Simon was the master douche?”

“He is actually a pretty decent guy… I think he just wants a friend, you know? I guess I have been a bit rude to him this whole time.” Alec hesitated. Even though he’d been out for years, he still felt uncomfortable talking about his sexuality. “He actually came out to me today. He’s pan. Has a flag at his table too, I just never bothered to look.”

“Do you think he’s cute?” asked Jace, raising an eyebrow.

Alec gave him a light punch on the shoulder. “Jace, I’ve told you that it isn’t because a guy is gay that I’m going to instantly make out with him.”

“I know, man, I’m just trying to be supportive here! God knows that you’ve been on a dry spell lately.”

“Can we please, please, not talk about my sex life?” begged Alec. Not that was much to talk about on that front – or anything, honestly.

“As you wish. But you know I’m always here for boy talk if you need it.” Jace gave him a small pat on the back, chewing his cereal loudly.

They both stared at the TV in silence for a couple of minutes, in absolute silence. Alec thought maybe he could talk about Magnus. Not that there was much to talk about, but still… He kept checking his phone to see if a message would pop up. He was getting anxious.

“Actually… A guy approached me at the bakery today.” Alec glanced at Jace. His brother was staring back, still eating. “And asked for my number.”

“That’s great, man! Did he text you? Let me read it!”

“Well, that’s the thing… It’s been seven hours and nothing. Radio silence.” Alec bit his lip, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“It’s still early. He was probably working, he’ll text you tonight,” Jace reassured him. “And still, if he doesn’t, that doesn’t change the fact that you’re great, alright? You know that, don’t you?”

“Kinda,” replied Alec, half-heartedly.

Jace threw a pillow at him.

“C'mon man, it’s early, I’m telling you he’s going to text! Let me play you something, that’ll cheer you up. Pick something!” said Jace, already standing up to sit at his piano. It was a beautiful, old upright piano, worn out by time. It was one of the few things Jace and Alec had brought all the way from their parents’ house, and its dark wood stood out from the bland decoration of their living room.

“Play me one of your original pieces. You know they are my favorite ones to hear.” Alec slipped into the sofa, closing his eyes. As Jace’s fingers started moving softly, Alec felt his mind drifting far away; listening to his brother play was his personal form of meditating. They had been doing that since they were kids: Alec would lie on their childhood bedroom floor, listening to Jace’s fingers play Chopin, Tchaikovsky, Liszt, Brahms, and eventually Jace’s own original music. Alec had never had any gift for music - his parents realized that soon enough, and left the music lessons for Jace –, but he surely could appreciate a piece that was well-played.

He lied there for what seemed like hours - and it might as well have been. Hos head felt light, like the music had brushed off his worries – work, Simon, Law School, handsome purple-suited guys… Eventually, he got up, made himself a quick omelet, washed the dishes and went to bed – after all, he still had classes the next day. Jace was still in the living room playing, and Alec knew he would be there until his fingers went dormant.

Lying in his bed, almost falling asleep. Alec couldn’t help but notice the light ping of his phone, already after midnight. He picked it up, eyes still half-closed. There, on the screen, was a single line:

“Hey, gorgeous!”

CHAPTER TWO: TO BE POSTED

[purplesurveys]

800

.·゜゜·. Holy Cow A Survey .·゜゜·.  (and holy cow, it’s my 800th on here) by junkie_dreams

1. What made you pick up the last book you started reading? I started reading it for a while, then thesis made me too busy to read it for a few weeks, then when I was finished with that I realized I’ve left the book alone so I continued it and proceeded to finish the whole thing.

2. Have you received any bad or troubling news lately? All things revolving around Covid19, George Floyd, & Trump < Pretty much, though replace Trump with Duterte. He’s being such a cranky ass about hastily passing this new bill that will essentially allow warrantless arrests to anyone complaining about him on the internet, so everyone’s kinda stressing out about that right now. 

3. When was the last time you were relieved about something? Since Tuesday, every day that I’ve woken up without a fever is a relief. Another thing is that it’s Gabie’s birthday today and I was relieved to find out that she loved the surprise I made for her :) I pooled all her friends together and made them do video birthday greetings and submit photos that they have with her and I compiled it in a simple short film. It turned out super cute!

4. What about your life concerns you the most? Anything job-wise. They say 2020 graduates are heading into the worst job market in a very long time, and I think that’s pretty straightforward information.

5. Is there a common thing most people seem to do without trouble, but it scares you (talking on the phone, driving, interviews, etc)? When was the last time you had to do one of these kinds of things? Talking on the phone, ordering in a restaurant, and asking for help in any kind of store. I had to talk to a Grab delivery driver the other day to help him with directions going to my house; andddd I don’t usually have to recite my order or ask for help at a store myself because my girlfriend will often be the one to speak for me HAHAHAH.

6. Is a pen pal something you would enjoy? If so, what kinds of little things would you send your pen friends? No, only because writing exhausts me these days. I only enjoy writing for people I already know very well and love, and I wouldn’t feel invested enough to write to people I don’t know all that much yet.

7. Describe a time when you were there for a friend? Angela was sad the other day so I dropped her short messages to let her know I was there for her. She never replied, but it’s okay; it was just important to me that she knew I wasn’t going to leave her alone.

8. When was the last time you went somewhere for the first time? I dunno, I obviously haven’t gone around the city in months...though I’m thinking it’s the milk tea place we have at campus, called Nomu. I was there to pick up a drink a week before lockdown.

9. What is a situation that makes you feel especially confident? If it’s a situation that I know I can handle, like a test I studied a lot for; or if it’s a situation where I have a lot of support.

10. What was the subject of your most recent conversation? My dad was asking if he can have one of my soju bottles (my mom recently bought me five) and was also asking what flavor is really good. That prompted me to walk over and hesitatingly point out the good flavors, until he said, “Just kidding, I was just checking to see if this will make you stand up. You’re so predictableeeeeeeee” hahahaha

11. Hypothetically and generally speaking, how would you go about breaking up with someone? Is there anything you would make sure to say, or perhaps not say? I’d do it personally, say everything there is to say, and let’s face it, I see myself crying a lot too because I can never have serious conversations without tearing up lol.

12. Are you more of a night person or a day person? What is it about the night/day that you favor? I like the nightlife more. I hate the sun and when it’s bright out, so I’m most active when it’s evening and the lights and stars are pretty.

13. What do you find particularly offensive? Would you say you’re easy or difficult to offend? Mostly anything racist, misogynist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, biphobic, acephobic, and anti-poor. I’m very alert about these things and will call out anyone making insensitive sentiments about any of them.

14. Is there a belief you have that most others around you don’t have? Do you share this belief with others, or do you tend to keep it to yourself? Have you ever offended anyone with this belief? Ok so it’s technically the opposite of belief but I am atheist in a predominantly Catholic country. I’m very vocal about it except with my family. I probably have offended some people by stuff I’ve said or shared, but I don’t care. If they choose to ignore the myriad of issues surrounding their religion, they’re part of the problem and the reason why I’m so wholly against it.

15. Do you consider internet friendships as important as offline friendships, or do you view them differently? I value offline friendships more.

16. When was the last time you visited relatives or friends of the family? Is visiting family something you enjoy? I visited my lola, aunt, and cousins last Sunday when I was sick, since the doctor we were heading to lives in the same village. I hadn’t seen them since December I think? so my lola cried when she saw us walk through the front gate :’) I love visiting family, whoever it may be. It’s always fun to catch up, as long as conversations don’t turn into politics lol.

17. What did you do for the last holiday or event you celebrated? For my birthday we were stuck in lockdown so I couldn’t really do anything, but we had lots of food which is the easiest way to make me happy anyway. My parents and sister bought a blueberry cheesecake but had the blueberry part scraped off and then they crushed a whole pack of Oreos to turn it into an Oreo cheesecake lol; and Angela sent me a box of sushi.

18. If you’ve moved out from home, what was the scariest thing about it? What was/is your favorite thing about it? I haven’t yet.

19. Are there any fictional characters you like even though they’re “bad” or “evil?” What qualities draw you to a character? Yeah. Many antagonists speak the truth, and that makes it so easy to root for them. It’s this case very often in pro wrestling.

20. What are your thoughts on “forgiving” murderers, rapists, attackers, etc? Do you think it’s even possible to forgive these people? I don’t even forgive friends who betray me, so much less would I forgive assholes like the ones you listed. It’s definitely possible; I just choose not to do it because that’s my way of being in peace.

21. What was the last series you finished watching? Do you have any plans to begin another? I’m awwwwwwwful at finishing series man. I’m still on Descendants of the Sun but I also started a rewatch of The Big Bang Theory lmao. I want to finish DOTS first though and then maybe move on to Crash Landing On You, another Korean drama. Big Bang’s not really a priority for me and just something I wanna watch when I don’t want anything too heavy.

22. What is one way in which you are different from a year ago? What is one way in which you are still the same? I’m a lot less afraid of dealing with people (and been better with it) thanks to the stuff I’ve had to do in the last year, like my internship and heading external relations for my org. I’m still the same in the sense that I’m still deathly terrified in the last few moments before I do the aforementioned dealing with people lol. Once I jump into the conversation I’m perfect, but I take f o r e v e r to get prepared.

23. When was the last time you had to walk somewhere in the rain? How about the snow? I don’t like walking in the rain and we don’t get snow.

24. Are there any types of survey questions you dread or don’t like answering for whatever reason? What kinds of questions do you like best? Questions that make me think too much or are too deep. I also don’t like basic surveys. Random is where it’s at. Ask me what I got at the last restaurant I was at, places I plan to visit soon, the last time I got mad, stuff like that.

25. If you could learn about anything without the stress of grades or cost, what kind of classes would you take? Law.

26. What was the last item of clothing you purchased? Do you wear it often? Two identical tops in different colors. I haven’t gotten the chance to wear either a lot because lockdown happened shortly after I bought them.

27. Has anything made you feel nostalgic lately? Sure. When I was compiling stuff for Gab’s surprise video, I came across some very old photos of us and of her and Angela.

28. What was the last chore you completed? Wash my plate from breakfast.

29. Name a song you’ve listened to today? 7/11 by Beyoncé, heh.

30. Is there anything you’ve promised yourself you’ll never do again? Drink buko juice. I had to drink it for the first few days of my UTI treatment and it’s so disgustinggggggg.

[justkending]

Used to Be Overlooked.  Chapter 6.

Summary: Steve Rogers was walking down the streets of Brooklyn after finishing a mission. The goal was just to take some time to clear his mind along the city streets, but when he runs into a gorgeous young lady that looks extremely familiar… How can he go about moving on? Who is she? What does he know her from? Was that memory even from this decade?

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader (Rosalyn Ember/ Y/N ?)

Word Count: 2800+

A/N: Let me know what you think! Feedback is what keeps me going, and helps me get better ideas for the future:)

Series Masterlist

Chapter 6:

You woke up doing your normal routine. Wake up at 5 am, do a couple of miles around the neighborhood, come home, take a shower, and do your hair. Outfit was usually laid out the night before so it was easier in the early morning. Go down stairs, make your cup of coffee, and have a light breakfast if time allowed. Then head on to work. Getting in about 7:30 am, and greeting Walter at the door as usual.

You got to your office proud that you were able to distract yourself last night, and get a majority of your work done for today. There was even a chance of you heading home early, and giving yourself a relaxing night for the first time in months.

Everything was just now starting to calm down and flow just right to where a lay low kinda night was acceptable.

“Hey, Claire?” you said pushing the button to get through to the front desk.

“Yes, ma’am?” she responded quickly.

“What do you say we call it an early day around 2 this afternoon? I have a few more cases to go over, and then I think we can give ourselves an early start to the weekend,” you smiled.

“Are you sure? Not that I’m complaining, but I feel like you have a ton to do.”

“List off what I have scheduled.” you said leaning back in your chair.

“Ok, review case file number C104R?”

“Done last night.”

“Email the Langston Business about collaborating on a new project that is still being discussed?”

“Done last night as well.”

“Complete the files for HR over the interns that you are interested in?”

“Did it earlier this morning when I came in.”

“And lastly, the meeting with the interns to do a mid-assessment talk with how everything is going?”

“I can get that done before 2,” you smiled proud that you were so on top of things.

“Wow, I mean that was a lot, but I thought there was even more. You somehow managed to get it all out of the way without me even knowing,” she laughed an airy breath shocked at your speed.

“It’s a man's world out there still, and you have to show them that women can get things done 10x faster and better. It’s all about the work ethic,” you laughed. “Go ahead and move that meeting up to 1, and then after that we should be clear for the rest of the day.”

“Yes ma’am, right on it,” she smiled.

“Claire?” you said quickly before she could hang up the phone. “Call me Rose or Rosalyn. I am only about 4 years older than you. I’m not some old cranky boss that thinks she’s better than you just because of my title.”

“Yes ma’am- I mean. Yes, Rosalyn,“ you could hear her smile on the other end. “I’ll get that switched for you.” Then she hung up.

__

As expected the day went on faster due to how much you were able to get out of the way the night before. You were just wrapping up your meeting with the interns that weren’t but 4-5 years younger than you, but the way you presented yourself, they always had a respect for you. You could say you have an old soul, or experience in this area.

You were saying goodbye and answering a few questions that a few interns stayed behind to ask when Claire peaked her head in the doorway careful not to get hit by the exiting students.

“Um, Miss. Ember?” she asked almost timidly.

You looked up from the women you were talking to and raised a finger to tell her to hold one second while you wrapped up.

“If you apply by the summer, you should be fine. I’ve seen your work Sue. You have amazing intelligence in this field, and I’m sure we would love to recruit you when the time comes for you to have an actual job,” you smiled at her.

“Thank you so much Miss. Ember. It means a lot coming from one of the youngest female scientist. I mean really! You are such an inspiration to a lot of the women in this field,” the young intern smiled.

“I’m just doing what I love. No need for the praise,” you smiled patting her shoulder. “Now go on and enjoy your weekend.”

She nodded and walked out with a confident glow to her. You started moving to collect the papers you had laid out on the conference table, and remembered Claire.

“What’s going on, Claire?” you said stacking the papers and looking down at them.

“There are two gentleman here who said they wanted to talk to you,” she said quietly walking into the room with a notepad in hand.

“Do these gentleman have names?” you asked placing the stack of papers in your arms, and turning to her.

“Um, yes. Mr. Stark, and Mr. Rogers,” she said looking down. “Forgive me for asking if it’s personal, but I noticed Dr. Banner here the other day, and can’t help but realize the other Avengers coming. I mean I am a huge Captain America fan, so I’m kinda freaking out right now, but I didn’t realize that you knew them like that.”

As soon as she said Stark your heart dropped, but then she said Rogers, and your heart actually stopped. You didn’t hear her talking and only caught a few words like ‘huge fan’ and ‘avengers’. You were too focused on the fact that Steve Rogers was most likely sitting in your office or outside your office waiting to meet you. This can’t be good could it?

“I didn’t really know where you wanted me to direct them, so they are still at the front desk. That Tony Stark sure is a flirt, but Cap is such a charmer even though he only said a few words. Sorry, I’m rambling. I’m kinda nervous honestly,” she sighed as you took in her red face and finally snapped out of your own thoughts.

“It’s fine Claire. Thank you for letting me know. I, uh, I can take them back to my office. Let’s just head back to the desk. I don’t want to leave them waiting too long,” you said with a fake smile as you handed her the papers you had and motioned to the door.

Honestly, you wanted to run down the stairwell and get as far away as possible. You were not ready to confront him, and if he was here, it was because he was putting the pieces together. He wasn’t a stupid man. You knew that. You just weren’t sure what to expect.

As you walked out of the conference room, you took a few different hallways to get back to your office. You were only one turn away before you would be greeted with the beautiful blonde hair blue eyed man, and his playboy millionaire coworker. Just as you were coming around the corner, and about to meet his eye line from where he was looking down at the desk, one of your coworkers stopped you.

“Miss. Ember, if I could get your signature for this I would appreciate it,” the small bald middle aged man said stopping you in your tracks. He said your name loud enough for anyone within a 30 ft distance could hear, which meant that Tony and Steve were most likely watching your every move. Since you weren’t too sure if you wanted to look just yet, you looked down at the shorter man and smiled taking the pen.

“Sure thing. I should probably know what I’m signing though,” you laughed placing your hands in front of you in a mannerly way as you waited for him to explain.

This could give you some time to steer clear of Rogers, right?

He went on to explain something about paperwork, but you were only half listening because you could feel Steve's eyes piercing into you. You couldn’t help it anymore and gently looked up, immediately making eye contact with him and sending him a subtle smile before turning back to the man because you could feel the slight red making its way to your cheeks.

“That her?” Tony whispered to Steve as they both stared you down.

“Yeah,” Steve said studying you.

You looked extremely professional and mature, but still beautifully young. You were wearing high waisted brownish pants that were flowy and almost looked like a skirt if you didn’t look hard enough. Your top was an off the shoulder but modest, cream colored top, and you had on heels with a thick chunky heel, but still business casual. You were fashionable and stunning all at once. Not that it was hard for someone like you too be that perfect, but the outfit gave you this glow of confidence and manner that made you even more attractive.

While Steve was studying you and putting all the details he saw in the back of his memory bank so he could process it later, he didn’t notice you finishing your conversation with the man and walking over.

Tony nudged him had in the shoulder catching him off guard and making him send a glare his direction.

“Close your mouth. You’re gonna catch a fly,” he muttered before putting his hand out to you. “Rosalyn Ember. Such a pleasure to finally meet you,” he said all so charming as you put your hand out to shake, and he took it placing a chaste kiss on the back of it making you smirk at the gesture.

Oh how Steve wished he could take a picture of that grin and look at it every night before he went to bed.

“Mr. Stark. Though I wasn’t expecting your presence, it’s a pleasure to meet you as well,” You said very formally.

“I hope we weren’t interrupting anything. We know you have a busy schedule, but we just had to visit the woman that Banner speaks so highly of,” Stark said returning the formal way of speaking.

“Oh, actually you caught me on a less hectic day,” You smiled placing your hands in front of you as you held them in each other.

You kept sneaking glances at Steve which you saw him never breaking his eyesight from you. If it wasn’t him staring, you would be crept out by it.

“Oh, forgive me. This is my friend Steve. Steve Rogers, Rosalyn Ember,” Tony said introducing you two like Tony and you were best friends.

“Mr. Rogers. It’s nice to see you again,” you smiled putting a hand out for him to shake. He quickly took it and gave you a firm handshake that lasted a touch longer than it should have, but neither of you were mad about it.

“Miss. Ember. Never thought I would see you again, but lucky for me here we are,” he smiled making you start to blush once again.

You nervously tucked a strand of your curled hair behind your ear before placing your hands back in front of you.

“I’m sorry, do you two know each other?” Tony faked shock knowing this was all a part of the plan. Steve had to hold back rolling his eyes at how dramatic Tony sounded.

“We ran into each other at a coffee shop recently. And by ran into each other I mean quite literally,” you said sending him a joking grin making his annoyance at Tony disappear and fade into a full smile.

“Glad I was there though. Otherwise you would be a flattened pancake,” he chuckled wanting to punch himself for the stupid comparison.

“Yes, thank you once again for that.” you smiled making his nerves multiply. “Well, you must be here for a reason other than to just shake hands. Is there something that I can help you two with?” you said trying to play off knowing Steve more than you were letting on.

“Actually, we were on the phone with you when Bruce called about dinner,” Tony stated.

Shoot. Then there was no way that Steve was not going to figure the things that you didn’t want him to know out. Your thoughts that night of them looking you up and such were right. They had to be.

“The thing you helped him with was something we had been stumped on for a while, and Bruce said you solved it in less than 5 minutes.”

“New eyes help the process sometimes,” you shrugged. “Would you two like to come in my office to talk?” you said motioning to the door, but instantly regretting your offer. No, you needed to make this fast so they didn’t ask too many questions. Just them being here was nerve racking and not a good thing.

“No, no. No need for that. We were in the neighborhood and wanted to drop by and extend the dinner invitation we offered once again. And since it’s not too ‘hectic’ as you put it, we would love to have you over tonight if you can,” Tony said sending you that oh so charming smile.

“I uh-” you weren’t sure how you were going to get out of this one.

“Claire? Claire was it?” Tony said turning to your secretary who was acting like she wasn’t listening but definitely was. “Does Miss. Rosalyn have anything going on tonight at say hmmmm… 6-7ish?” he asked.

You were trying to send her a signal to lie because she knew you weren’t busy, but she was too captivated by Tony to pay any mind to you.

“No, actually. She gets off around 2 today. We were ahead of schedule,” she blushes looking over at Steve after saying it.

“You don’t say,” Tony said turning back to you who quickly put on a fake smile.

“Oh, well yes, job wise I am free, but unfortunately I have some -uh- plans tonight,” you tried saving yourself as you walked over to the desk and placed and arm on it facing Tony more. Steve still watching your every move, and most definitely catching your lie. It wasn’t very believable.

“Oh? What kind of plans?” Tony said, clearly knowing how this game is played.

“I don’t see how it is any concern to you Mr. Stark. Is my social life something for you to worry about?” you ask with your sass coming out with a raised eyebrow and crossed arms.

Steve chuckled under his breath at your assertiveness, and noticed Tony backing down a little once you stood a little taller.

“No, but I just have a small feeling that your lying,” Tony retorted. “I tend to do the same thing when I want to get out of something.”

A playful grin formed on your lips when you noticed that you and Tony could go back and forth.

“Hmmm,” she hummed.

“Come on now Miss. Ember. We have chefs that will cook anything you like. We can have drinks and talk science. The team wants to get to know you and thank you for your help,” he smooth talked. “I mean you get to meet the Avengers out of this. I feel like it’s a good deal,” he winked.

You kept your stance of crossed arms, and a playful grin as you processed it. The likelihood of Stark giving up was extremely thin. What would one evening with Steve and the Avengers hurt? They don’t know your secret, and if questions get asked you can deny them instead of them searching for it later.

“Ok, you got me. I’ll come to your little dinner party if you insist.”

“I insist,” he smiled “Steve here is going to be so excited to introduce you to the team, and show you the tower,” He said giving his friend a hard slap on the back.

“Is that so?” you smiled over at him.

Steve shot Tony a look knowing exactly what he was doing.

“Yes… I would love to do that,” he said through a forced smile. “You’ll love them. As long as they behave,” he said slapping Tony on the back right back at him. Tony stumbled a little at the force, and let out a fake laugh.

“Ok, 6 o’clock at my place it is. I’ll send a car to pick you up.” he smiled.

“Oh, you don’t have to-”

“It’s perfectly fine. Happy will be at your house at 5:30, and you can head our way whenever you are ready,” he said moving to the exit with Steve hesitantly behind. “Wear something nice!” he shouted before turning to the hall outside the elevators.

You smiled as they left and waved when you saw Steve kept turning back every few steps to look at you.

You were screwed. He was going to figure everything out, and you were screwed. As soon as they were out of sight, your smile fell and you slouched a little as you went back into your office terrified of what could happen.

Chapter 7

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If I tagged you and you aren’t normally on my tag list, I thought you would enjoy the story. Fair warning, it is a slow burn so we will get to the bottom of the issue later, but the burn is what makes it soooooo sweet. I’m really excited for this series, and would love your feedback:) Thank you!

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