#cut to me standing in the corner of my bathroom at 4am with my forehead pressed against the wall trying to not have a breakdown 🙃

[seventh-district]

day after day i am reminded yet again that it is all but impossible to heal in the same environment that hurt you

[neoneversleeps]

night shift | l.tn

pairing: underground boxer!ten x nurse!reader 

genre: fluff, slightly suggestive humor, (teensy tiny splash of angst if you squint)

warnings: mentions of blood

description: 

Sometimes you think Ten only started dating you because you’re a nurse. 

words: 2.6k

notes: i’ve had this idea in the back of my mind for a while but @chittapornswife ‘s love for Ten compelled me to write this at like 2am last night (or this morning??) anyways, T, you inspired me and this is dedicated to you. (ily <3)

The clock ticks closer to the 4am mark as you wait on your colleague to relieve you of your twelve hour shift at the hospital. The halls are relatively quiet except for the occasional shuffling of feet or hushed whispers between passing doctors. You sift through some paperwork at the front desk, looking to get some last-minute work done before you have to leave. 

“Happy to go home?” Kiana, your coworker who works at the front desk, asks you as she sits down with one steaming coffee in her left hand and another cup extended towards you in her right. Your gaze flicks from the coffee to her kind face for a second and you thank her before accepting the warm beverage into your freezing hands. Your fingertips welcome the scorching heat of the liquid. For some reason, your hands were always ice cold when you spent time at the hospital.  

“Yeah, I am.” You give a small smile as you return to looking over a patient’s filled out form. “Have anyone waiting for you?” Kiana questions, a smile on her face and a curious lilt to her tone. You chuckle breathily. “Yeah, actually, my boyfriend.” You watch as Kiana takes a sip from her coffee, her hands curling around the cup as she hums in acknowledgement. “He’s still up at this time?”

“Probably, yeah.” You can picture Ten in your mind as he sits on your couch in the living room, lip split and skin decorated in bruises, but a smile on his face all the same. You hope he’s there when you get home, you hate it when he’s not. Because no matter how many times he reassures you, when you open the door to an empty couch, you always assume the worst. “Does he also work a night shift somewhere? Or why does he stay up so late?” 

Kiana’s questions pull you back to reality, and you release your lower lip from being worried between your teeth. “Yeah, something like that” You laugh a little nervously. Kiana raises a brow at you, but doesn’t push any further. You take a sip of your coffee, the dark liquid trickling through your mouth and down your throat, leaving a bitter taste in its path. It wasn’t exactly easy to talk about Ten’s “profession”, if you could even call it that. A couple of times a week, he would make his way over to a club in downtown Seoul. Instead of heading to the people packed dancefloors, he would take the stairs down to the basement floor of the building, where the nightly boxing matches took place. Needless to say, they were illegal. 

Despite his smaller statue and lean figure, Ten was known to be a safe bet against nearly all the opponents he faced. The fact that he had a background in contemporary dance made him much more flexible and have faster reflexes than other boxers. Whereas most of the men that entered the ring valued strength, Ten valued his sharp senses and fast paced mind. He caught onto his opponents moves almost before they could execute them, and quickly found a way to dodge or counteract them. Which didn't mean that he ended up unharmed, of course. 

Once. Only once you had accompanied him to one of his fights, still in the relatively early stages of your relationship. You shudder at the memory, the smell of blood and sweat, the sound of flesh hitting flesh and the flickering light of the meek lightbulb that hung above the ring still all too vivid in your mind. 

A tap on your shoulder causes you to swivel around in your chair. Your colleague smiles down at you, ready to trade places with you to begin her shift. You smile back and bid goodbye to Kiana as you start heading out into the streets of the city. The fall weather brings with it a cold wind as you step into the night. Despite the ungodly hour, the city still buzzes with activity. Skyscrapers decorate the vast expanse of the night sky with their varying blotches of light, making up for the lack of stars in the firmament. 

You wrap your arms tightly around yourself to keep out the cold as you make your way down to the nearest bus station. The bus arrives just as you get there, door opening with a sound that could only be described as the mixture between a hiss and a screech. You step onto the vehicle, moving to sit somewhere near the back. The bus is basically deserted at this hour and you pull out your headphones from your jacket pocket to plug into your phone. You place the buds in your ear and hit play. 

The calming rhythm of Jonas blues’ Fast cars relaxes you as you lean against the cold glass of the window. Tiny droplets of water from the earlier rain travel down the glass slowly, blurring the colours of traffic. You sigh as you close your eyes. The weight of having three consecutive twelve-hour-shifts weighs down on you and the aching of your muscles and joints becomes very apparent. You open your eyes and stifle a yawn, stretching your sore limbs in the hope of relieving some of the pent-up pressure. 

The fifteen minute drive is over before you know it, and you thank the bus driver as you get out at your stop. You walk up to your apartment complex, stifling another yawn as your feet direct you towards the main entrance. As you trudge into the small lobby, you glance at the elevator. The words “Out of Order” are still sprawled into a sign that's taped to the front, just as it had been when you left the day before. 

You groan as you take up the stairs to the fifth floor, your feet protesting in pain with each step you took. It feels like an eternity until you finally reach the door to your apartment. Reaching into your bag, you fumble around before your hand wraps around your keys. 

Your various keyrings jostle together as you turn the key, hearing the lock click as you enter the narrow hall that leads to the living room of your apartment. You lock the door behind you and place the keys back inside your bag before hanging it on the coat rack that stands on your left. 

In the few steps it takes for you to reach the living room, your heart beats just a bit faster than it was before. You were always nervous coming back home, terrified to find the familiar couch empty. 

As soon as you see the back of Ten’s head you breathe out a sigh of relief, making the man himself turn around to face you. “Baby! You’re home!” His voice is happy and a smile plays on his face, but all you can focus on is the deep gash above his left eyebrow. He gets up from the couch and rounds it’s corner to come greet you. 

He leans in for a kiss but you stop him, frown on your face. “That needs to be disinfected.” You state matter of factly as you inspect the cut in closer proximity. “Yeah, I know.” Ten says as he playfully rolls his eyes. “But can I atleast get a kiss first?” The frown stays etched on your face and you shake your head no. “Bathroom, now” 

Ten obliges, albeit begrudgingly and makes his way over to your shared bathroom. You take off your shoes and jacket before following him. Ten is already sitting on the counter, his pink lips in a slight pout. Ignoring his expression,  you rummage through the drawer under the sink. You pull out a first aid kit and a washcloth you keep reserved for times like these and get to work. 

A wince leaves Ten’s mouth as you press a cotton ball doused in disinfectant to his cut. Your eyebrows are drawn together harshly in concentration. “Can you relax your face? My forehead hurts just from looking at you.” You give him a pointed glare and intentionally push the cotton ball into his wound with a little more pressure. “Ow! Hey!” Ten exclaims in protest but you just shoot him another glare, pulling out a butterfly bandage and placing it over the cut. “Ok, maybe I deserved that.” He chuckles as his hand comes up to run through his black tresses. You clean the few trails of dried blood off his face with the dampened cloth and then move to step back.

“Ok. I’m done.” Ten hops down off the counter and a strong wince escapes him as he does so. Alarmed, your eyes search his body for any sign of further injuries. There's no blood visible, at least, but you don't fail to notice how one of his arms is protectively glued to the his torso on the right. Moving the arm away despite Ten’s flurry of objections, you pull up his shirt to reveal a patch of greens and blues painting the skin near his ribs. Your first worry is that his ribs are broken so you press your hand to the area, careful to put pressure on only a certain spot in case they were actually fractured. “Does this hurt?” You ask as you glance up to see Ten’s reaction. “A bit, yeah.” 

You feel around the area, but his ribs seem fine, the bruising only affecting the skin above them. All damage looked to be just on the outside. You breathe another sigh of relief as you meet eyes with your boyfriend. There’s a sheepish smile on his face. “Did you know your hands are cold as fuck?” You roll your eyes at him. “You ask that everytime I’m done fixing you up, Ten. I think you know the answer by now.”

He takes ahold of your hands and presses his own over them, rubbing slightly and blowing warm air into them to try and up their temperature eve just a little. You close your eyes at the comforting feeling, all the tiredness that had been washed away at the sight of Ten suddenly seeping back into your bones. A small silence surrounds you two for a while.

“Now can I kiss you?” There’s a light laugh that bubbles out of your throat despite your previous anger and your eyes flutter open. You lean up slightly to capture his lips with yours and his fingers come up to cup your cheeks as he smiles into the kiss. You’re always too tired to stay mad at him, and besides, you had given up on the futile arguments you once had over Ten’s nightly activities long ago.

You pull away with a shake of your head. “You’re lucky I love you. Because if I didn't, i would definitely not put up with this shit.” Ten laughs and together you slip out of the dimly lit bathroom, first aid kit laying forgotten next to the sink. 

Your chin rests on top of your hands, your tired eyes following Ten’s figure as he flits around the kitchen, determined to prepare you a salad since “it’s not good to go to bed on an empty stomach”. You’re amazed at the energy with which he moves, it seems as though despite how much he would work or how little he would sleep, a certain spark of energy never left his body.

He recounts tales of his day at the volunteer center as he starts chopping up the vegetables. Ten did in fact, have a day job. His work at the volunteer center entailed anything from volunteering at animal clinics down to nursing homes. Your boyfriend loved what he did, yes, but it didn't exactly pay the bills. And as a nurse, you don't exactly have very deep pockets either. Hence, the fights. 

In some way, ten had also grown attached to the world of underground matches after so many years of being wrapped up inside it. He had been boxing long before you had met him. It was crazy to think but, some of the guys who worked there had become Ten’s friends, or more like extended family over the years. You had met most of them, and they were all nice, definitely not people you’d expect to meddle in that kind of business.

Then again, anyone who met Ten wouldn't ever come to think that he fought underground boxing matches for a living. 

The bowl of salad clattering down before you lifts your droopy eyelids with a jolt. “Eat your salad, and then it’s off to bed, ok?” You nod slowly, taking the fork Ten hands you and starting to eat. Ten moves around the counter to stand behind you as you sit on the bar stool. His hands come up to massage at your shoulders. You can't help but let out a moan at how great it feels to have some sort of relief to the tension in your muscles. “Whoa there. Are we gonna have to take this to the bedroom?”

You swat at his hand lightly. “Too tired.” You whine, voice slightly muffled by the chunk of salad in your mouth. “ I just wanna use the bed for sleeping.” Ten lets out a chuckle and plants a gentle kiss to the side of your neck. “ I know.”

After your bowl is cleaned out, the two of you get ready for bed. Ten lets you use the bathroom first. Your body's dangerously low energy level makes it hard to not fall asleep right there in the shower, but you brave through it. You rinse the rest of your toothpaste out of your mouth before stepping into your bedroom, already clothed in your cozy pyjamas. Ten presses a quick kiss to your forehead in passing as he heads to get ready himself. 

You flop onto the bed and wriggle around to get under the covers, sighing in content once you embrace the comfort of your sheets. The dark curtains of your room are drawn closed to keep out the rays of the sun that is surely about to rise, and you find yourself grateful for the darkness that surrounds you like a blanket.

You've nearly drifted off to sleep as you feel the bed dip ever so slightly behind you, your boyfriend clearly trying not to disturb you. Out of sheer habit, you turn around and wrap one arm around his waist, while settling your head on his chest, resting just above his heartbeat. You're ready to drift off into sleep, but an odd thought that’s been swimming around in your head for pops up in your mind before you do.

"You know, sometimes I think you just started dating me because I'm a nurse." 

Your voice comes out in a sleepy mumble and you think it takes a while for Ten to truly figure out what you had said. He snickers lightly once he does. "What, so that you could properly patch me up after my fights?" 

Eyes closed, you nod against his chest.The vibrations of his laugh run through you. "Anyone can patch up a few bruises and cuts, you don't need a medical degree for that. I started dating you because I liked you." 

Mind hazy as you slip in and out of consciousness, you only manage a hum in response. 

"And do you still like me now?" 

"I don't like you, silly. I love you." 

You smile to yourself at that and snuggle further into your boyfriend's side as his arm comes to wrap firmly around your waist. 

"I love you too."

The city outside your windows awakes to a new day as you lie in Ten's arms, the force of sleep finally leading you into your own little world of dreams. 

[inmyblindspot]

the record room (jane/kurt fanfic)

It started that first night, the night she came home.

 After they’d each caught their breath and blinked away their tears, Jane set her bag down beside the couch and they stood awkwardly in the living room before they both spoke at the same time.

 “Do you—“

 “Maybe we should—“

 They both stopped and chuckled, shaking their heads as they offered each other a small smile. They were quiet again for a moment but somehow, the awkwardness was fading as they found comfort in being together, in their home.

“This is pretty,” Jane finally said, nodding towards the record room where the faint sounds of the music he’d been listening to was coming from. “What is it?”

 He glanced over his shoulder and then back at her with a shrug.

 “Sarah sent it to me a while ago,” he said. “Finally got around to putting it on.”

 Jane nodded and shrugged off her jacket, laying it over the arm of the couch.

 “Maybe...” she glanced around and then back at him. “Maybe, we can just have a drink and listen for a while?” she suggested and Kurt couldn’t help the deep sigh of relief he let out.

 They both knew they had a lot to talk about, a lot to work through. And they knew they would. But tonight they could just take a breath and find some peace with each other.

 “Yeah,” Kurt said softly, nodding as he walked towards the kitchen to get a glass for her. “I’d like that.”

 He followed her into the record room, watching as she sat down on the foot stool, leaning back against the doorway. He reached for the bottle of Scotch on the shelf and filled her glass, handing it to her before sitting back down in the chair.

 They sat quietly, sipping their drinks, listening to the music together, glancing over at each other every so often. It was during the brief break between songs when she surprised him, reaching over and resting her hand on his knee.

 He stared at it for a moment before hesitantly covering it with his own, his breath catching in his throat as he felt her fingers curl around his.

 “I’m really glad you came home,” he whispered, his voice breaking as he blinked back his tears. She swallowed thickly and nodded, tightening her grasp on his hand.

 The next song started up and they both glanced over at the record player before she turned back towards him, her eyes soft.

 “Me too,” she whispered, keeping her hand in his. “Me too.”

 ***

 It was a few nights later when they were finally able to get home in time to make dinner together. Kurt had picked up the ingredients for his Thai curry, having figured out a vegan version that they could both enjoy a few months earlier.

 He had gotten started in the kitchen while Jane had disappeared into their bedroom to take a quick shower and change. He heard the shower turn off and poured them each a glass of wine as he went back to chopping.

 It was when he heard the music flow in from the record room that he turned around and saw her rounding the corner, her hair wet and cheeks flushed from her shower.

 She wore a soft smile on her lips as she sat down at the counter, reaching for one of the glasses and taking a sip of wine.

 “Need any help?” she offered and he returned her smile, shaking his head as he glanced back down at his cutting board.

 “I’m good,” he said, chopping the last few of the vegetables before he reached for the package of tofu. “Just glad to have your company,” he said and she smiled, resting her cheek on her hand as she watched him work. “And a few tunes,” he added, nodding past her.

 She glanced over her shoulder towards the record room and then back at him, shrugging her shoulders.

 “Thought it would be nice,” she said and he nodded, briefly turning towards the stove before he turned back around towards her.

 “It is,” he agreed, glancing up at her with a brief smile before returning his eyes to the tofu. “Really nice.”

 ***

 It was the middle of the day on Saturday, a week after Jane had moved back in, and they were snowed in.

 It had started snowing the previous afternoon and they had made it home from the office just before the city started to shut down, enjoying a quiet dinner and calling it an early night.

 They’d had a leisurely morning, making breakfast, sitting at the counter together as they ate and each read a bit of news. Jane grinned when she saw Kurt’s phone light up with a Skype call from Bethany and they both leaned in to chat with her.

 She had to blink back her tears as Bethany proudly held up the pictures she had drawn for them that week. In each one, Bethany had drawn herself, standing between Jane and Kurt, holding on to each of their hands as they did different activities – going to the park, visiting the zoo, and, her favorite one, doing yoga. Or “yoya” as Bethany called it.

 Jane smiled as she felt Kurt hand rest on her back, gently rubbing her shoulder blade as she cleared her throat and complimented Bethany on each picture, telling her that she couldn’t wait for their visit in a couple of weeks . They said goodbye as Allie called for Bethany to get ready for her swimming lessons and she waved goodbye, blowing a kiss to them before hanging up.

 Jane chuckled as Kurt set down his phone and she wiped at the corners of her eyes as she smiled at him.

 “I miss her,” she said quietly and he nodded, resting his hand on her knee for a moment before giving it a gentle squeeze.

 He’d visited Colorado once without her and it had been one of the hardest parts of their separation. He knew Jane had called Bethany on Skype a couple of times during their time apart and he was glad and grateful for that, but being there without her had made him picture what a future without her would be like. And he hadn’t liked what he pictured.

 “We’ll be there in a couple of weeks,” he promised, breathing a sigh of relief as he said it and she nodded, resting her hand atop his.

 They moved into the record room shortly afterwards, bringing fresh cups of coffee with them as they settled in on the carpet and pulled out a few records. They took turns choosing records, listening to them as they sipped their coffee and watched the snow fall outside.

 One song ended and another started up as Kurt stood up, setting his coffee cup down on the shelf. He reached for Jane’s, setting it down beside his and then extended his hand to her. She stared at it for a moment before placing her hand in his and allowing him to help her up.

 Her lips curved up into a smile as he gently wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her other hand against his chest. She stepped forward, folding herself into his chest as he gently swayed them back and forth to the music.

 “I missed this,” he murmured into her hair, his arm tightening around her waist and she tilted her head back to look up at him, raising her eyebrows in confusion. They hadn’t really ever danced very much.

 “Dancing?” she asked and he chuckled, shaking his head as he leaned down and rested his forehead against hers.

 “Holding you,” he whispered and she took a deep breath, a faint blush creeping into her cheeks.

 He waited for her to pull back, for her to tilt her head back down or turn to glance out the window. But she didn’t. Instead, she leaned closer, her nose brushing his as she lifted her chin and gently pressed her lips to his.

 Their kiss was soft and sweet and tender but not hesitant or awkward. There was a comfort in it, in knowing that this was where they belonged and they were finding their way back there.

 Jane smiled and chuckled as they pulled apart, resting her cheek against Kurt’s shoulder as he pulled her closer. The song ended and the next one started but neither of them made any move to pull apart.

 “Maybe we should dance a little more often,” he said quietly and her smile grew as she nodded, keeping her cheek against his chest.

 “I’d like that.”

 ***

 He woke up to find her side of the bed empty and frowned, lifting his head to see if she was in the bathroom. But he saw the door wide open and it was dark and empty. He glanced over at the clock – it was just after 4am.

 Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he pushed himself up and set out in search of her, pushing away the flash of worry he felt in the back of his mind.

 He didn’t have to look far, he found her curled up in the chair in the record room, the blanket from the couch draped over her. He frowned as he saw the box of tissues in her lap and the small wastebasket she’d pulled in from the bathroom on the floor beside the chair.

 He sat down on the footstool and gently reached out, pressing the back of his hand to her forehead.

 “Mmmmm,” she murmured, shifting in the chair as she stirred awake. He kept his hand against her forehead for a moment, frowning as he felt her warmer-than-usual skin and then rested his hand against her neck, cupping her jaw.

 “You ok?” he asked quietly and her eyes fluttered open as she gave him a small nod. But her warm skin, glassy eyes and red nose told a different story. “Why’d you come out here?”

 “Didn’t want to wake you with my sniffling and coughing,” she said quietly, her voice scratchy and stuffy. “Or worse, get you sick too.”

 He shook his head and moved the box of tissues to the side, wrapping one arm around her waist and hooking his other under her knees. He had her scooped up in his arms before she could protest, marching back towards their bedroom.

 “You need to be in bed,” he muttered as he stepped into the hallway and he knew she really must be feeling rotten when she didn’t bother to argue, instead resting her head against his shoulder as he carried her.

  She’d almost dozed off again as he laid her down in bed, pulling the covers up over her shoulders before he headed back into the hallway. He stopped in the kitchen, putting on the kettle before he collected the box of tissues and the wastebasket she’d had in the record room, taking them back to their bedroom. He set the tissues down on her bedside table and the wastebasket on the floor and sat down on the side of the bed.

 He watched her for a few minutes, reaching out and brushing her hair off her face before he heard the whistle of the kettle and rushed back to the kitchen to pull it off the stove before it woke her. But she was sitting up in bed, propped up against a few pillows when he returned.

 “Sorry,” he said with a sheepish smile and she chuckled, shaking her head. “Here, have this, I put a little honey in it,” he said, handing her the hot mug he was carrying. She nodded and accepted it, gently blowing on the hot liquid before she took a few sips.

 She handed him back the mug after a few minutes, leaning back against her pillows as he set it down on her bedside table.

 “You’re quite the nursemaid,” she quipped, keeping her eyes closed as her lips curved up into a smile. He chuckled and shrugged, resting his hand on her knee as she let out a few coughs. “We should try to get a couple more hours of sleep before we have to go to work.”

 He raised his eyebrows at her and shook his head, even though her eyes were still closed.

 “Uh, we are not going anywhere,” he said, standing up and walking around to the other side of the bed. “You’re staying in bed today. And I’m staying home to take care of you.”

 Jane started to protest but had to pause for a small coughing fit, punctuating it with a series of sneezes and then blowing her nose twice.

 “I rest my case,” Kurt said, turning off the light before he slid back into bed beside her.

 “Fine,” she relented, too exhausted and sick to put up much of an argument. “I’ll stay but you’re going,” she insisted, holding up her hands when he started to argue. “Forget it, there’s no reason for you to stay here and I’ll just get you sick too. You shouldn’t even be in here with me...”

 He chuckled and shuffled closer to her, wrapping his arm around her waist as he pressed his lips to her forehead, smiling at her grumble of disapproval, even as she curled herself into his chest.

 “Just rest,” he whispered, pulling her closer as he rested his chin on top of her head. He took a deep breath, remembering what it was like to have her in his arms again. “I’m fine...perfectly fine.”

 ***

 It was two weeks later when he found her asleep in the record room again. But this time, she hadn’t snuck out of bed in the middle of the night to spare him from her cold. He was arriving home after midnight on a Friday night.

 He sighed as he saw her curled up, an empty glass of wine on the small side table and the blanket tucked up under her chin. He quietly made his way into the room, sitting down opposite her as he reached out and brushed his fingers against her cheek.

 She stirred awake, her eyes fluttering open and she smiled as she saw him.

 “You’re home,” she whispered, sitting up slightly. “I’m glad.”

 “I’m so sorry,” he said, shaking his head as he rubbed his hands over his face. “I ruined our night.”

 She had surprised him a couple of days earlier with tickets to a concert that night. One of the bands that they’d been listening to a lot lately was playing a show at a club not far from their apartment. They’d planned to go for dinner first, to one of their favorite restaurants, and then to the concert.

 It would be their first “date night” in ages and she’d hoped it would be something fun and carefree and special for them. And it would also be celebrating something they’d been enjoying a lot together lately, something that had become part of their reunion – music.

 But it hadn’t been meant to be, as one of Kurt’s old cases had come back up and he’d been called in to consult on it. Jane had waited at the office for him for a while, hoping they could still make their dinner reservation, before he’d poked his head out and told her to head home.

 “I’ll hopefully be out of here soon,” he said, biting his lip. “I can swing by the apartment to get you on the way, no sense in you waiting around here.”

 She’d begrudgingly agreed and gone home, taking advantage of the time to shower and change and wait for him. She quickly realized they would not make their dinner reservation and cancelled it, but held out hope for them to still make the concert.

 But that hope soon faded too as the text came that he was being pulled into another meeting on the case.

 Now, as she sat up, reaching out to rest her hands on his shoulders, she could see how upset he was.

 “Hey,” she said softly, reaching up and cupping his cheek in her hand. “Stop that, it’s okay, there will be other concerts,” she reassured him but he shook his head, resting his hands on her knees.

 “You went to all this trouble and I made us miss everything,” he muttered and she chuckled, leaning forward and pressing a soft kiss to his forehead.

 “It wasn’t any trouble,” she murmured, pressing another kiss to his temple. “Everything OK at work?”

 He sighed and nodded, offering her a small smile as he took a deep breath.

 “It’s fine,” he assured her and she nodded, gently brushing her thumbs against his jaw. They were quiet for a moment before she leaned in, kissing him.

 It started soft and tender, as all of their kisses had been lately, but after a moment, she deepened it, leaning forward as she hooked her arms around his neck. He responded immediately, wrapping his arms around her waist as she shifted forward, crawling into his lap, her lips never leaving his.

 It didn’t take long for them to start pulling at each other’s clothes, his hands pushing her T-shirt up her torso as her fingers worked on the buttons on his shirt. After a moment, they pulled apart, gasping for air as they grinned at each other.

 Jane pushed Kurt’s shirt off his shoulders before lifting her arms up for him to pull her T-shirt over her head. He tossed it behind her and she leaned down again, wrapping her arms around his shoulders as her lips returned to his.

 “I miss you,” she murmured against his lips, her fingers raking through his hair as she pressed herself against him. He groaned, his hands sliding down her back until they reached her backside, pulling her closer as he bit at her bottom lip.

 He noticed her use of the present tense – miss, not missed. They had found their way back to each other in so many ways, but not this way yet.

 “I’m here,” he whispered, pushing forward as she leaned back, falling back into the chair that she’d been sleeping in earlier as she pulled him on top of her. She held his face in her hands as he hovered over her, bracing himself on the arms of the chair.

 “I’m here too,” she said, finding his eyes with hers. He held her gaze for a moment, nodding as he leaned down and kissed her again, smiling against her lips as she wrapped her whole body around his.

 He hooked one arm around her waist as he pushed himself up with the other, pulling her with him as he stood up. She let out a giggle against his lips as he moved towards the doorway, carrying her with him and he tore his lips away from hers, raising his eyebrows at her.

 “Something funny?” he teased and she grinned at him, biting her lip as he walked them down the hallway and around the corner into their bedroom.

 “Just happy,” she said, letting out a surprised squeak as he tripped over something and fell forward onto their bed, landing on top of her. They both burst out laughing before Kurt leaned down, kissing her again before propping himself up on either side of her as she gazed up at him.

 She took his face in her hands, brushing her thumbs against his cheeks as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

 “I love you,” she whispered and his lips curved into a smile as he opened his eyes and found hers.

 “I love you,” he echoed, leaning down to kiss her again, grinning against her lips as she folded her body around his, pulling him closer to her.

 “I want you,” she whispered in his ear and he nodded, his hands sliding down her sides to rest at her hips. He lifted his head, kissing her again before resting his forehead against hers.

 “You have me,” he promised her. “Always.”

[tatooedlaura-blog]

Preparation

the series read as follows:

Superman … Monday … Cheezy Pouffs … Bacon … Stumbling … Trail Mix …  Punch ... Friday

___________________

Maggie was not pleased.

“I don’t need any help. I will be fine. I’ll scoot around on my backside and …”

Scully stopped her, “Mom, there is no Earthly or un-Earthly way you are going to be able to get up on a toilet, reach the toothpaste, eat anything other than the crackers you have on the bottom shelf of the pantry because if you try to cook, you’ll burn the house down.”

Charlie cut her off, “mom, it’s either Dana moves in or I do and do you really want your son helping you go to the bathroom. I mean, I will, no complaints but just think about it for a minute.”

“Charles …”

“Hey, even my full name isn’t going to change my mind. It’s her or me, take your pick.”

Mulder seriously loved the whole family at that moment, Scully smirking beside her hulking brother, Charlie’s arms crossed, eyebrow raised, mock challenging the woman who could take his ass down with one cobalt-blue stare. It was the face-off of the century and no one flinched, Maggie holding her own until Charlie dealt the final blow, “I’ll be cooking for you as well, don’t forget.”

She caved instantly, dropping her drug-addled body back to her pillows, “Dana.”

Charlie grinned, “sorry I had to bring out the big guns.”

Scully poked her brother with her elbow, “and you’re okay with me watching the kids at mom’s?”

“Sure. Just don’t scare the littles with too many ghost stories because I know Mulder well enough to know there’d be visuals and a slide show and they’d never sleep again.”

She poked him again simply because he existed and was younger than her, “I’d unscare them with scientific explanations.”

“And put them right to sleep. Good idea.” His grin dropped to smirk, “science nerd.”

Mulder, through all this, had been watching Maggie slowly drift out of consciousness, eyes shut, head rolling slowly to the side. Nudging the two, “come on. She’s asleep and we don’t want to wake her.”

After whispered goodbyes to unhearing ears, they took another five minutes in the hall to finalize dropoff times and other familial nonsense before Charlie headed to work and Scully pulled out her phone, realizing they should probably tell someone in the FBI why there weren’t at their desks.

&&&&&&&&&&

Mulder made it to the Hoover Building by 2pm, heading to Skinner’s office immediately, hoping to catch his boss in the forgiving mood he was when Scully had called earlier.

Skinner’s angry forehead vein rage told him otherwise, “yes?”

“Sir, I was wondering if you’d like to do a quick review of the cases before I write them up or would you like me to leave you alone for five minutes so your blood pressure doesn’t burst your eyeballs?” He really should have known not to joke at that moment, especially when he’d seen AD Kersh leave the man’s office moments earlier but he did and he paid for it by being handed four other incomplete files to deal with and a look that told him he would be doing these files without an iota of bitching.

He left unscathed.

Later that evening, armed with bags of Thai food and guacamole from O’Henry’s taco truck, he headed to her house, having read her text stating, “I need Guac and spice … help me out.”

He complied and her dinner table was soon littered with bags, boxes and single serving forks in cellophane, the feast waiting for her to come home from the hospital, which she did ten minutes after he walked into her living room. Taking one look at the spread, she gave him a smile that made his toes hot and his fingertips itch to touch her, “you are the best text answerer ever.”

Cracking his knuckles, he handed her a paper plate, “have at it.”

It didn’t take long for them to finish eating, Mulder relaying the dazzling story of his day with Skinner’s forehead vein and the now completed files, which were sitting quietly in Skinner’s inbox ready and waiting for Monday morning, “you finished files? Without me harassing you about it? Awww and I missed it.”

Watching her mocking frown face, he shoved her lightly down to the cushions of the couch, “I’d attack you for some lovin’ but I’m tired and need a place to sleep.” Settling his head on her thigh, hand wrapped around knee, “I recall something about wanting to do this but without the clothing interruption.”

“You want to sleep on my leg while naked?”

Eyes closing, comfortable in the world, he snuggled her muscle for a moment, “next time.”

Next time wound up being 4am, when Mulder got up to go to the bathroom and returned to find Scully’s pants gone, afghan covering from neck to the top of her bare legs. He smiled, dropped his suit pants and settled in, Scully commenting once in a sleepy giggle that she had a feeling she’d be getting beard burn in the oddest of places over the next 70 years.

Mulder agreed.

&&&&&&&&&&&

“Do you want to help me grocery shop? Do you want to stay here and Mom proof the house? Do you want to do both? Neither? Either?”

Mulder, having just walked in the front door to Maggie’s house, stopped dead in his tracks, “Mom proof?”

“Yeah. Move rugs out of the way, take breakables off shelves, clear paths to bathroom and kitchen, clean counters and tables and vacuum so she doesn’t feel the need to scrub the moment I turn my back.”

“Your mother sounds like she’s going to be a sneaky handful.”

Smiling at him, beckoning him further than the door jamb, “she’ll be fine but I’d like to make this as easy as possible, plus with all the kids coming, we’re going to have to change sheets and make beds and find a place for mom to sleep.” Scully ran a hand over her face, “good lord, what have we done? We’re going to be dead by Wednesday.”

Mulder laughed, “what’s all this ‘we’ talk, woman? I’m giving you 23 minutes today and then I’m gone until this house population is down below three.”

Without hesitation, “this ‘we’ talk translates to ‘you gave me a red M&M so you are stuck with me and my family for the duration of the universe’.”

He liked her an awful lot at that moment and telling her so by nudging her to the staircase and pointing a step up until she moved and could look him in the eye, he then wrapped his substantially long arms tightly around her torso, “I will shop and cook and clean and scrub and sheet and fluff and move and shift and de-rug all you want me to … just say that whole red M&M thing again.”

After a lengthy kiss, she rested her forehead against him, “I love you, too, Fox Mulder.”

“Not gonna kiss me again until I scrub a bathroom, are you?”

“Not on your handsome little life.”

“Then to answer your original question, I would like to go grocery shopping with you, then organize the shit out of this house and cook until we have enough food to feed an army at a moment’s notice.”

Before she pulled back, she reached around and squeezed his butt, eliciting an eyebrow raise and a jump from Mulder, “that’s a reminder of rewards to come.”

“You’re killing me with those hands.”

“Two points for me.”

&&&&&&&&&&&

By Saturday night, Mulder was downright exhausted. He had no idea how Scully was still standing and not complaining of crushed toes, muscles aches, headaches, cuts, scrapes and general bruising. He felt like he’d run a marathon with his eyes shut through metal piping and broken glass while she stood there in the living room, fresh and pure as a fucking spring daisy.

She gave him a look out the corner of her eye, “doing okay? Dead on your feet yet?”

“Fell apart two hours ago. I’m now just a shell running on automatic.”

Having moved clothes and other sundries there earlier in the day, she scrunched a handful of his dirty shirt in her hand, tugging him along towards upstairs, “come on. My bed awaits.”

He halted her with lead feet and eye squinting, “we’re sleeping on your old twin?”

Because she was in a weirdly tired, weirdly wired kind of mood, she winked at him, “I wasn’t thinking of doing much sleeping at first.”

Well, hell, now he was all for small mattresses and their place in his world, “are you suggesting we christen your childhood bed with raucous nakedness and bed-board bending badness?”

“Alliteration aside, Mr. Oxford, yes, I was thinking of doing some of that tonight, that is, if you’re up for it?”

Simply gesturing with a finger towards the stairs, she smiled and led the way.

Now, there wasn’t any bed board bending or breaking that they knew of but there was plenty of amusement, especially when they rolled out and onto the floor, Mulder landing heavily on top. Scully groaned as Mulder tried and failed to get off her, sheets tangled around his feet and the wood floor cold on his hot skin where the rug ended, “I swear, when we buy our own bed, it will be queen size … minimum. It will be memory foam and have a headboard that doesn’t squeak and for the love of God, it will not be anywhere near your mother’s house.”

He suddenly didn’t weight so much, Scully stopping his wiggling with her hands on his elbows, “what?”

Mulder stilled, then realized what he said, blushing slightly, eyes dropping, mouth quirking in a ‘did I say that out loud’ quarter smile, “nothing.”

Pulling herself up after he shifted for her, she settled her bare butt on the braided rug, leg over his thigh, hand on his knee, “when are we buying our bed?”

“Yeah, um, I didn’t mean to say that.”

She kissed his chin, “but you’ve been thinking about it, I assume.”

Looking at her quickly, he then ducked his head, “apparently.”

Going in for another kiss, this one more north than the last, “well, for future reference, I’ve never slept on memory foam but I’ve heard good things. Now, I need to go clean up and while doing that, I implore you not to look at the weird rug mark I now probably have indented forevermore on my right butt cheek.”

She could diffuse a situation like nobody’s business and truly grateful he didn’t ask her to marry him right then, he shut his eyes, “you have four seconds, then I’m lookin’ and I’m enjoyin’.” Scully scrambled up quickly but was still standing, facing away from him, when he opened his eyes after the allotted amount of time, “you aren’t moving very fast there, Agent Scully.”

Staying still, Mulder’s belly cinched tight as he noticed her hand by her face. Tripping once before standing, he turned her around by the shoulders, knowing what he was going to find …

And he did …

Her hand under her nose, blood seeping in tiny, life-draining drops between her clenched fingers.

[zachdtfdempsey-blog]

Overprotective

Request: Hey I was wondering if you could do a Zach x reader where you are Alex’s sister or best friend or something and he gets super protective of you? You can change anything (:

Word count: 2541

A/N: Thanks for the request! Not sure if this is what you wanted/expected, anon, but I hope you like it nonetheless! I felt I had a lot of creative freedom with this one, so I hope you guys like the direction I took this in. This took me a while to write, it’s almost 4AM right now LOL. (Btw, I feel like I focus a lot more on the reader’s relationship with Alex than with Zach, but trust me a majority of this imagine is filled with Zach scenes!!!) HOPE YOU ENJOY <3

Warning: A little bit of cursing

“Y/N,” Zach spoke in between kisses, “We should stop now.”

Breathless, you frowned as he pulled back from the kiss, “But I like kissing you.” You and Zach ditched your last class to hang out in the janitor’s closet. Well, make out in the janitor’s closet.

You and Zach began dating at the beginning of the school year; You were a junior, and he was a senior. You didn’t really take interest in him at first, knowing he was a jock, and probably an airhead. And neither did Zach, since he saw you as just another girl walking the halls everyday. Though, one day, you both were partnered up in AP Biology, your favorite subject, and soon you connected through your shared passion for science. He asked you to be his girlfriend during one of your study sessions, and you’ve been head over heels about him since then. 

“I like kissing you too,” Zach responded, grabbing your waist and pulling you closer to him. “But your brother’s gonna kill me.”

As much as you loved your brother, you despised the fact that he’s never given Zach a chance. Ever since you and Zach began dating, Alex had been on your ass about every little thing you did. He drilled you half the time; You couldn’t even remember the last time you had a genuinely friendly conversation together. He definitely did have trust issues, and you hated that he always had to take it out on you. He particularly didn’t like Zach, mainly because of his past with Hannah. Several times you’ve tried to drill it into your brother’s head that you weren’t Hannah, that all those things that happened changed Zach for the better. But as you would expect, he didn’t believe you, and he didn’t want to anyway. Though, you couldn’t blame him. After all, you were his little sister.

You placed your hands on his chest, “Well, he’ll have to get through me first. Anyway, Bryce is having that big party tonight, so we can continue this there.” You kissed him on the nose, picked up your backpack, and stealthily snuck out of the closet.

You and Zach took care of the snacks as pools of guests arrived. Loud music was blaring from the living room, and colorful lights splashed against the walls of the dark kitchen. 

Zach finished pouring chips into a bowl, and went to throw the empty bag away in the trash. You were desperately trying to reach for the pack of plastic cups that was sitting on the top shelf in the kitchen cabinet, but you could not seem to reach it. 

“Need help, midget?” Zach asked, sneaking up on you from behind. 

You slapped his arm jokingly, “Fuck you, babe.” 

“When?” He asked with a smirk, making you bite your lip, trying to hide your grin. 

Changing the subject, you said, “Just help me reach the cups, please?” He then proceeded to lift you off the ground and sat you onto the counter, on which you stood up and grabbed the cups on the top shelf. You dropped them down to Zach, who stacked them onto the main counter. 

You sat on the counter, legs hanging off the edge, and brought Zach closer to you. You wrapped your legs around his waist, and your arms around his neck, as you thanked him with a passionate kiss. He held you by your waist and kissed you back, when all of a sudden you were interrupted by a familiar voice… your brother’s. 

“Well, look what we have here,” Alex remarked.

You quickly detach yourself from Zach, and hop down from the counter, walking towards him. 

“What are you doing here?” You crossed your arms, “Thought you’d be shadowing daddy at the police station for that career project or whatever.”

He grabbed some chips out of the bowl, stuffed them in his mouth, and talking with his mouth full, he responded, “Hm, that’s funny, because I thought you’d be studying at, what’s her name? Oh, Becca’s house tonight.” He spotted Becca across the living room, playing beer pong with the rest of the partygoers. “OH HEY BECCA!” he yelled across the room, in an attempt to make you feel guilty for lying.

You rolled your eyes at him. “I changed my mind. But seriously, you didn’t answer my question. Why are you here?”

“Oh, who could possibly miss out on one of the biggest parties of the year?” He grabbed a soda, and sipped from it. “Not me. Oh, also, if you didn’t notice, these are my friends too. Maybe you should hang out with people your own age.” 

You shook your head and glared at him in response. 

Before walking away, he grabbed the entire bowl of chips Zach had just prepared along with another can of soda. He walked towards Zach, who was standing behind you the entire time, and whispered loudly in his ear, “Just letting you know, if you break her heart, you bet your ass I’ll break yours too.”

Zach gulped, and you came in between them, “Alex, stop. Zach, excuse me.” You grabbed the bowl of chips your brother was holding and put it down, before pulling him by the arm and dragging him outside. “Can’t you give me a break? Can’t you give Zach a break?”

“I can.” You smiled at his response. “But I won’t,” he replied comically.

“UGH!” You groaned and threw your hands up in frustration, and made your way back inside the house.

“I’m doing this because I love you, little sis!” Alex yelled with a fake smile, before finishing up his soda can and crushing it in his fist. 

2 hours and over 10 shots later, you were sitting on Zach’s lap, laughing until you couldn’t feel your stomach anymore. The night had only just begun, as Bryce took out an empty beer bottle and placed it on the floor. “Who’s up for a game of spin the–”

“BOTTLE!” You screamed. Zach threw his head back, laughing, as he’s never seen you so drunk in his life. “Was I right?”

Bryce chuckled in response, “Yes, Y/N, you are correct.”

“Proud of me babe?” You turned around, face to face with your boyfriend, as he nodded and flashed a smile at you. You got off his lap and sat on the floor, volunteering to spin first. The others nodded in amusement at your drunken manner, and you grabbed the bottle and gave it a good spin. It landed on Zach, of course, and everyone “ooh’d” sarcastically in response. 

You spun around to see Zach still sitting on the couch, and commented, “Oh, shit! I get to kiss him?” You sat onto the couch, as Zach put his arm around you. “ARE YOU ALL JEALOUS? I get to kiss the finest man in this room right now, ” you said, the room filled with laughter. Nobody was as fucked up as you were right now. You began to hit on your boyfriend, throwing bad pick up lines at him, making him giggle, until he finally shut you up and kissed you. You threw your arms around him and kissed him back, slipping your tongue into his mouth. 

Whistles and “ooh’s” echoed throughout the house, until a loud clapping sound broke out from the corner of the room. You broke the kiss to look up to see Alex. “Great, just wonderful!” He called out snidely. 

You stood up, struggling to balance on your two feet, as Zach stood up behind you and held you to keep you from falling. You waved your arms out. “You’re still here?!” 

“You’re still here? Or on another planet right now?” He answered, flaunting a mocking smile. 

“You know what, big brother,” you almost fell over, but Zach caught you. “You need to stop following me everywhere, because guess what? I have a life. Okay?” You began to walk towards him, Zach following behind with his arms out in case you lost your balance. “I am tired, of you, telling me what to do, drilling my ass every single day, giving me, and Zach, a hard time. I like Zach, and Zach likes me, whether you like it, or not. Like, why can’t you, let me, be, fucking, happy?” you grew breathless, yet you tried to leap forward to get all up in your brother’s face, before Zach jumped in front of you to hold you back. 

He held your shoulders, and looked in your eyes, “Y/N, stop taunting him. You’re drunk.” 

You realized what a dickhead you were being, and nodded in response. You stopped breathing for 2 seconds, before you puked all over your boyfriend’s torso. Gasps and groans could be heard from all around the room, and tears began to fill your eyes as you felt embarrassed and helpless. Alex stared at the floor blankly, taking in everything you said to him. “I’m, I’m so sorry–” You said softly, before Zach cut you off with an “it’s okay.”

“Nothing to see here guys,” Zach told the partygoers who were blatantly staring, so they brushed it off and continued their game of Spin the Bottle. He took his shirt off and carried you to the bathroom, kissing your forehead. He put you down, and closed the bathroom door behind him. You fell to your knees, crawled to the toilet, and let it all out. He held your hair back, and rubbed your back, comforting you. He used his T-shirt to wipe your face when you were finished. He grabbed a cup by the sink, filled it with water, and let you drink from it. You exhaled, leaned back against the toilet, embracing your knees into your chest. 

“Just breathe, babe,” Zach said, grabbing your hand and rubbing it. 

And suddenly, without warning, tears began to fall from your eyes, and you couldn’t help but cry into him.

“What’s wrong?” He asked worriedly, holding you tight. “Why are you crying, Y/N?”

A loud knock banged against the door, ruining the moment, and Zach pulled you up off the ground to lead you out of the bathroom into an empty bedroom. 

Alex caught a glimpse of him bringing you into the room, and so he discreetly followed. He stood by the door, close enough to be able to peek in and listen, but far enough so that you and Zach wouldn’t notice him standing there. 

Through the door’s crack, he watched Zach sit you down on the bed. 

You began to cry even more, Zach being exposed to your emotional vulnerable side for the first time. He sat next to you and held you in his arms, rubbing your back, and kissing the top of your head. Your arms wrapped around his torso, as you cried into his chest. Never have you felt this close to your boyfriend before, at least emotionally. As shitty as you felt, nothing could beat the feeling of Zach’s arms being wrapped around you; You felt safer than you’d ever been.

Still cuddled up into his chest, you begin to speak. “Zach, he doesn’t want me to have anything to do with you. You know why?” You spoke between sniffles. “Because of Hannah. Because of what happened. I know you, Zach. I know you changed. But he doesn’t want to believe that. You’re the one person who’s made me truly happy this entire year. I couldn’t be more happy that you came into my life, but I also feel like I’m letting him down every time I see you.”

“Shh,” he responds. “It’s okay, babe.”

“It’s really not,” you break the embrace, and lay down, your head on his lap. “I miss my brother. I feel like ever since I started seeing you, I grew distant from him, but not because of you, because of me. We had a really great brother/sister relationship, Zach. I just wish I could fix it, but I feel like he’ll never warm up to you, to us.” 

“Babe,” he said, playing with your hair, “What happened in the past has been done. We can’t change it. Every single day I feel sorry for what I did. You know that. But you also need to know that you can’t control your feelings, and Alex can’t control his either. Whatever Alex feels about us is his problem, so don’t beat yourself up for someone else’s feelings and opinions that you can’t control. Remember, Alex loves you and wouldn’t do anything intentional to hurt you, he’s your brother.”

Still standing outside, Alex sighed deeply, eavesdropping on this heartfelt conversation between his sister and her boyfriend.

“I want you to know, I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you either,” Zach continued, “and maybe someday he will see that. But you have to give it time. Don’t give your brother a hard time because he wants to protect you.”

“But he gives me a hard time,” you answer.

“Y/N, I have a little sister too. And you may not see it but, I am extremely protective over her. I’ve always been. And what I see from Alex is that he’s only being a prick towards you to warn you of the heartbreak or hurt you may find ahead of you,” he held your hand. “But I can promise you that you won’t find it. Not as long as you’re with me,” he kissed your hand. 

Watching the entire thing unfold, Alex stood outside, soda in hand, as he teared up and smiled.

“How did I find such a good person like you? I definitely don’t deserve you,” you respond. You sat up next to him, placed a hand onto his chest, and continued, “You’re way too hot for me, dude.” 

Zach chuckled, and gestured for you to lay back down, “Okay babe, you’re seriously shitfaced right now. I think what you need is some rest. I’ll be here.” He kissed you on the lips and lifted the covers over the both of you.

A “thank you” escaped from your lips as you closed your eyes and fell asleep without effort.

You wake up the next morning, confused out of your mind. You were in your own bedroom. You felt an arm around your waist; Startled, you turn your head ever so slightly to see that it’s a shirtless Zach. In your bed. You were extremely clueless as to why he was in your bed, shirtless. 

Oh my god. Did we do it? You thought to yourself. Your eyes wandered around the room, eyeing Zach’s shirt on the floor, stained with vomit. Oh, nope. That was me.

Suddenly, you gasp, upon seeing your brother standing at the entrance of your room, drinking a glass of water. You try to cover Zach up with your bed sheets, as Alex chuckled quietly.

You stared at him with a concerned look on your face, waiting for a witty remark to escape his lips, but instead he whispers with a smile, “I brought you both home. You were both drunk. Well, actually, he was tipsy, you were fucked up. Like for real, fucked up.” 

You exhaled sharply, as a smile creeped up on your lips. 

“But anyway,” he sipped his drink, “I think you were meant to be with him.”

[txy27-blog]

Title: Roommates Chapter: 6/? Rating: T Pairing: Gary/Pete Summary: Neither of them really enjoy their jobs, but they have to make money somehow. Author's Notes: sorry if there's any mistakes i got baked and super inspired at like 3AM and i'm posting this at 4AM so just let me know if you spot any errors;; hopefully i can update again soon! for now, i'm gonna binge-watch worst cooks in america 💞

Pete stared at his reflection in the mirror as he brushed his teeth. He was content with the way his hair was right now. He used to always keep his rowdy curls cut super short, but he's grown to love having a messy mop of curls on his head. He leaned forward and spit into the sink, washing his toothbrush off and bringing it back up to his mouth before spitting again. He slid his toothbrush into the holding cup and left the bathroom, spotting Gary waiting by the door.

"C'mon Petey, we don't have all day," He taunted, smirking at Pete's flushed cheeks.

"Sorry I don't want bad breath all day at work," Pete retorted, slapping his roommate on the arm as he passed him and opened the door. "Are you still picking me up tonight, too?"

"No, I thought you were gonna spend the night at Sunoco," Gary rolled his eyes as he locked the door behind them. "Yes, moron."

Pete stuck his tongue out as they headed down the hall. "Jerk."

"Loser."

Pete leaned against the counter, surveying the empty store. His eyes darted to the also empty lot, and he couldn't help but let out a discontented sigh. There hadn't been many customers today, which just made his shift feel even longer than it was. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, absent-mindedly scrolling through his notifications for anything interesting.

...

...

...

There was absolutely nothing interesting. He checked the time. 7:15PM. He was scheduled to get off at nine, and Marsha was supposed to be in around eight-thirty. Only seventy five minutes, but at this rate, it'd feel like decades. With a groan, he slid his phone back into his pocket and willed for a car to pull into the lot, someone, anyone, he needed a distraction.

Lo and behold, familiar beat up excuse-for-a-car pulled into the first parking spot, and out stepped Jimmy. He made his way around his car and to the front doors, opening one and immediately noticing Pete behind the counter.

"You work here?" Jimmy asked incredulously, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, you gotta do what you gotta do," Pete managed to hold back a grimace. He hated this stupid gas station, but work wasn't easy to find, and money was money, so he couldn't really complain too much. "What are you here for?"

"Munchie food," He smirked before adding, "A couple cans of monster. A pack of cigs for Zo." His smile slowly dropped at the mention of his girlfriend. He didn't wait for Pete to respond as he made his way down an aisle, grabbing a bag of Funyuns and examining them. Pete pulled his phone out of his pocket again, mostly as a distraction so he didn't end up staring at Jimmy the whole time. He scrolled through Facebook, reading statuses made by his former classmates. According to her status, Lola was pregnant, and Johnny was the dad. Apparently. He scrolled further. Christy got a new puppy. Algie posted a photo of his college's library. Gord is now single.

"Whatcha lookin' at?" Jimmy's voice startled him, but he managed to not drop his phone. He put it away and began scanning Jimmy's items. A bag of Funyuns, beef jerky, Sour Patch Kids, and two Monsters.

"Just what people have been doing with their lives. Lola's pregnant, Gord just got out of a relationship, nothing too interesting."

"Both of those things suck," Jimmy commented, squinting to see what types of cigarettes they carried. "Get me a pack of...Marlboro Black 100's."

"Okie dokie," Pete murmured, turning around and standing on his tip-toes to reach the pack on the top shelf. He grabbed it and scanned it, dropping it into the bag with the rest of Jimmy's purchases. "That'll be...twenty dollars and fifty two cents."

Jimmy dropped a twenty and a single into his palm. "Keep the change," He said, grabbing his bag. "Has Gary gave you my number yet?"

"No," Pete replied, smiling sheepishly.

"Of course not. Here, give me your phone, I'll just give it to you now," Jimmy rolled his eyes. Pete grabbed his phone and pulled up the contacts app, creating a new one before handing the phone over. Jimmy punched in his name and number before sliding it back. "It was good to see you. Stay in touch," He did a two-finger salute off his forehead before exiting the store. Pete waved as he pulled out of the parking spot and left the lot.

The quiet settled in, and Pete let out another sigh. The next hour was going to drag by.

Gary grabbed the fryer basket handle and pulled the fries out of the grease, dumping them under a heating lamp and salting them. He checked the screen above the fry station, grabbing two large fry cups and filling them. He passed one cup to the drive-thru attendant and placed the other on the waiting tray of food at the cash register. He returned to the fryer, checking the screen once more. In bright green neon, a new order popped up. A number three combo, no garden, add cheese, and substitute fries for onion rings. He reached into the freezer, grabbing eight rings and dropping them into a basket before lowering it into the awaiting liquid. He set the timer under the basket, turning to look at his coworkers.

There was Duncan, who Gary could probably tolerate the most because he was constantly high. Hannah was okay, she was just really loud all the time. George was a nervous wreck and couldn't work front counter or drive-thru, he was bad with talking to people. Then there was Tiffany. He hated her with the passion of a thousand suns. She would incessantly flirt with him, and it bothered him to no end.

A new order popped up on the screen. A large fry and two Cokes. He reached into the freezer and grabbed the bag of frozen french fries, dumping a generous portion into a basket before plopping it into the oil. Someone tapped his shoulder. He turned around, slightly annoyed that the person didn't just speak up instead of touching him. The manager on shift, his eyes darted to her nametag, Cori, was standing behind him. She was a good foot shorter than him, but still somehow managed to look down her glasses at him. "We're out of patties, go get some from the freezer."

Wordlessly, Gary maneuvered his way through the kitchen to the walk-in freezer, opening the door to a faceful of chilly air. He walked inside, quickly looking around for the boxes labeled 'protein'. He spotted them in the corner, grabbing the heavy box with both hands before making his way out of the freezer, kicking the door shut. He walked around the corner, nearly bumping into someone.

"Shit," He cursed, stumbling back. His slight annoyance grew to heavy annoyance as he eyed the small blonde girl. Tiffany. God, he hated Tiffany.

"Oh, sorry, Gary," He didn't like the way his name rolled off her tongue, "didn't see you there." She took a step closer. "But now that you're here-"

"Tiffany, I have to give these patties to Cori," He said bluntly, stepping to the side to walk around her. She slid in front of him, blocking his path.

"Oh, come on Gary, give me a chance?" Her hand darted out to run up the length of his arm. She batted her eyelashes at him. "Don't you think I'm pretty?"

He ripped his arm away from her, a look of disgust on his face. His voice dropped to a harsh whisper, "Don't you ever fucking touch me again, you vapid little-"

"Get off of me!" She shrieked, stumbling backwards into the wall. The volume of her voice caused him to drop the box in surprise, and raised the attention of their coworkers, who quickly made their way to the back of the kitchen. Cori shoved through the forming crowd, scowling at him.

"What the hell is going on?" She demanded.

"He-he tried to touch me!" Tiffany whimpered, sending daggers Gary's way.

"What?!" He was suddenly flooded with anger. He turned to Cori. "You don't believe her, do you?!"

"I don't know what to belie-"

"Check the cameras!" He screeched, rushing ahead of her to the office.

"You need to calm down, Smith," Cori scolded as she followed him into the small room, Tiffany cowering behind her, crying crocodile tears. Cori logged into the computer, clicking on the program for the cameras. Four boxes popped up on the screen, showing different views of the restaurant. She moved the mouse and clicked on something, rewinding the cameras. Sure enough, there they were, in perfect view. And he didn't lay a hand on her.

Cori turned to face Tiffany, narrowing her eyes. She raised an eyebrow. "Care to explain?"

"He...He was..." Tiffany glared at Gary, before giving up with a roll of her eyes. "Whatever. I quit." She untied her apron and let it fall to the floor, pushing past Gary roughly and leaving the office. He let out a sigh of relief, waiting for Cori to inevitably talk to him next.

She pursed her lips before speaking. "I think it would be best if you left for the night," She said as she pushed her glasses up her nose. Something about the condescending stare she was giving him managed to piss him off more than he already was, but he miraculously kept everything under wraps. Gary turned on his heel and left the small office without a response. He felt his coworkers staring at him as he made his way to the back counter to grab his phone and car keys before quickly leaving out the back exit. A blast of cold air hit him, but he welcomed the cold. Maybe it would help numb him.

He unlocked his car as he got approached it, opening and plopping into the seat. He slammed it behind him, and immediately began beating on the steering wheel with his fists, screeching between gritted teeth in frustration. After a minute, he got tired and rested his forehead on the cool steering wheel, closing his eyes as the blood rushed in his ears. God, his head was fucking splitting. Maybe if he just rested his eyes for a minute, he'd feel better...

"You can go ahead and leave if you want, sweetie," Marsha shooed him away from the register.

"Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. We've been dead for the last twenty minutes, and according to you, all day."

"Pretty much. It's been eerily quiet for a Sunday evening," He replied as he grabbed his coat from the back office, slipping it on over his work shirt and zipping it up.

"I'm not complaining," She said with a shrug of her shoulders. "Now go on, get out of here."

"Actually, I have to wait for my ride to get here," Pete replied sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. He reached into his pocket for his phone, checking the time. 8:44PM. Gary was supposed to be off forty minutes ago...Where was he? Pete opened their thread of messages and shot him a quick 'hey' before shoving it back in his pocket. He faced the door, rocking back on his heels while watching traffic.

He impatiently pulled his phone back out, sending a 'you okay?'. He stared at the screen, waiting for a response. He blinked once, twice, before turning around. "He's uh, he parked at the McDonald's next door, so I'll be going now. See ya," He said as he pushed the door open and walked out. Why he had lied to her, he didn't know, but he shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and started walking in the general direction of Steak n' Shake.

He couldn't feel his fingers or his nose, and his ears were getting to that point too. He let out a shaky breath of relief as the Steak n' Shake finally came into view. He quickened his pace as he trekked up the small hill, practically breaking into a sprint at the apex. He immediately spotted Gary's car in the parking lot as he hurried down the road. Cold air filled his lungs repeatedly, causing his chest to ache, and he tried to breathe in his nose and out his mouth. He was almost there, just a couple more steps...

Pete approached the driver's side of his car, surprised to see a passed out Gary sleeping on the steering wheel. He cautiously tapped on the window, startling Gary enough for him to look over. His face went through a cycle of emotions, none that Pete could detect. He quickly started the car and signaled for Pete to get in. He happily obliged, walking around to the passenger's side and sliding into the seat, closing the door behind him.

"Holy fuck, Pete..." Gary said groggily, sleep heavy in his voice. "I'm so sorry, fuck, I just-"

"It's fine," Pete interrupted, staring at his hands in his lap. "Really."

"That wasn't very convincing," Gary sounded miserable. Pete looked over at him, examining his face. The bags under his eyes had gotten heavier, and his face looked a little thinner.

He considered what to say before speaking. "What...what happened? Where were you?"

"It's a long story," Gary offered weakly, putting his car in reverse and pulling out of the parking lot. "Some bitch tried to get me in trouble because I wouldn't, and I quote, 'Give her a chance'. I got off early and I guess I just...fell asleep in my car." He looked over at Pete as they stopped at a redlight. "I really am sorry, Pete."

"Like I said, it's okay. It wasn't even that far of a walk."

"Liar," Gary called him out. "Sunoco is at least a five minute drive from Steak n' Shake, so it's an even longer walk, and it's cold. You hate the cold."

Pete didn't even try to argue, nestling back into the warm seat. "You got me," He let out a soft laugh. Gary flipped on the radio, switching between stations before settling on some Puddle of Mudd song. Pete closed his eyes as waves of heat engulfed him. Right now, these seats were the comfiest thing in the world, and before he knew it, he had fallen asleep.

Author's Notes: just a head's up, there's not-so-subtle foreshadowing in each chapter about different things that are going to happen. i'll probably point them all out at the end, but it'd be fun to see if anyone could guess what's going to happen before it happens :^)