#don't get me wrong as I've said I love punching

[bonesdontmelt]

Jou's duel with Keith is really like... looking through a mirror darkly. They both use gambling cards. Keith is American, Jou is likely half (given his naturally blond hair). Keith at one point talks about being in such a dark place that you have to learn to enjoy being horrible just to survive it, and Jou was in a gang where he did the exact same thing.

Basically the duel is so interesting to me because Keith is kind of a What Could Have Been (negative) for Jou if he hadn't become friends with Yugi, and the parallels are delightful.

[starry-bi-sky]

danyal al ghul memes because i don't think i've done those yet for this au.

(the jason one is in reference to the fanon headcanon/au that Jason and Damian potentially knew each other and interacted while jason was in the league. I've thought about it before in context of this au, but haven't thought about it enough to feel inspired or motivated to make a post exploring the idea)

(diablito means, as you can guess, 'little devil'. while i'm neutral to latino jason, i think the nickname is cute as fuck and was danny's main nickname from Jason. i don't wanna touch that timeline so im not gonna decide how old they were when Jason was there.)

Skulker: i am the ghost zone's greatest hunter! i capture and hunt creatures both rare and dangerous. Danyal: a poacher?? you're a poacher?? you poach animals??Skulker:...i sense i've made a mistake of some kind.

anyways that was the day that Skulker cemented himself as Danny's no.1 opp, and still remains there to this day even if he and Vlad are both viciously fighting for second. Out of everyone in the the AP rogues gallery, Skulker will be the first to be thrown under the bus in terms of 'o shit here comes phantom fucking RUN'.

[aakeysmash]

prompt here; reader going on and on about how they never find someone and bakugou is just looking at them ready to snap

hehehe love this prompt tbh 🌸

"Katsukiii," you whine, throwing yourself on your best friend, who was previously chilling on his couch. He grunts, merely acknowledging you, before pushing your head away from his chest and keeping on scrolling through his phone. You've been best friends since kindergarten, and even if you're both adults now, when you're bored you just go to each other's house to do nothing together. You find comfort in knowing you can keep on being silent together, with no type of pressure whatsoever, and no need to find topics to dwell on either. Just pure, unfiltered and plain tranquility... well, kinda. After a few moments of silence, you start poking his cheek to gain his attention.

"Keep doing that and you'll find yourself missing a finger, fucker," he tells you, side-eyeing you. You immediately see his eyes glimmering. "Look," he says, turning his phone to make you watch a tiktok about a monkey slapping a baby. He chuckles, but when he sees you're confused he mumbles something along the lines of "you're always so fucking boring," then smacks your hand away from his cheek and keeps on scrolling while frowning.

"Find me a boyfriend," you suddenly tell him.

He snaps his head toward you. He must have heard you wrong. "The fuck you said?"

You huff, getting up and pacing around the room. "I mean, you know me, right?" you ask him, looking at him expectantly.

"Damn right I do, you've been pestering me for more than two decades," he answers, rolling his eyes. He gets up too, going toward his fridge to take out a water bottle.

"Then find me a man, since you know what I like," you say, following him.

He chokes on the water he is gulping down and you have to pat his back to make him stop coughing. "Why the fuck are you searching for a man?" he raspily says, glaring at you, hands on his knees and trying to catch his breath.

"Why wouldn't I search for a man?" you ask, tilting your head a little, still massaging his back. He just stares at you for a moment, but when your expression doesn't change he just lifts a finger and points at you from head to toe.

"Are you saying I'm ugly?!" you exclaim, giving him a hard slap on the back. He coughs again, caught off guard, shaking his head.

"I need love too, you know? The few men I've been seeing in the last, I don't know, three years, were all boring as heck," you complain, going back to the couch and sprawling yourself on it. "I just wish I had a big, strong man by my side, you know? Matter of fact, keep that in mind when you search for it, okay?" you continue, face smushed on the couch pillow, looking at his still crouching figure. Then you turn your body around and stare at the ceiling. "I want someone serious who I can build my future with. I'm tired of people who only want to fuck."

"Okay dumbass, but why are you fucking searching for a man?" he asks you, ignoring the sad tilt to your voice, getting closer. He crosses his arms and looks at your face, still standing up near the couch. From this view, he looks gigantic; his bulging biceps are almost bursting out his sweater, and you feel hotter the more you look up.

"Katsuki, do you want me to punch you in the face? I'm not that ugly," you say rudely, recalling what he just said and trying to focus on the words escaping your mouth.

"I did not fucking say that, yn" the blonde barks back, the vein in his temple pulsing. You just huff, annoyed, and close your eyes.

Everything is still for a while; then you feel movement beside you before feeling one of his calloused hands on your forehead. He barely touches you, but you feel his presence. You feel he's here, next to you, warm hand on your face, thumb barely tracing little circles on it, and it calms you down. He's always had this effect on you: you remember him driving all the way to your campus while you were still in college just to curse you out for stressing too much on exams, and it always worked back then too. You lean into his touch, sighing.

"I meant to say you don't have to search for a man, men should be searching for you. And generally speaking, you wouldn't have to search for a man if you just opened your eyes a little, dumbass," he says, softer than you ever heard him being. You turn your face a bit and do as he just said, finding yourself a palm of distance from his own face.

You keep on staring at each other for what feels like hours, his hand still tracing your features and gently massaging your scalp. You don't think you've ever seen him so relaxed. You both get closer to each other, losing yourself in the moment, when-

"You mean to tell me I have a stalker?"

He pushes your face on the couch, hard, before screaming at you to get immediately out of his house. You are thrown into a fit of giggles, and before he can get up you bring him down on you.

"I guess you’re big and strong enough for me," you say, smiling.

[loulovingho]

if you're still doing prompts: maybe eddie thinks he sees tommy cheating and confronts him only to find out just how wrong he is. thanks!

“Sorry, man, I can't. I took an extra shift.” That was what Tommy had told Eddie when Eddie asked if he wanted to go to their usual sports bar for beer and wings.

Which is why Eddie was very curious as to why Tommy was walking down the street, passing right by the bar on his way to wherever he was going.

Eddie kept watching as Tommy reached the crosswalk, stopping as he waited for traffic to clear.

Buck wasn't with him, but some other guy appeared to be. At least, he kept talking to Tommy, leaning in close and laughing at something Tommy said.

“This can't be good,” Eddie muttered. He could feel himself starting to get heated already.

The light at the crosswalk changed just as Eddie threw a twenty down for the wings he ordered but hadn't gotten yet. He hurried out of the bar and managed to make it to the crosswalk just as the hand lit up telling him not to cross.

He crossed anyway.

Eddie waved off the honks and hid behind a building until he was sure Tommy wouldn't be looking back toward the noise.

Slowly he peeked around the building and glanced around until he spotted Tommy again. He and this guy were continuing down the street, so that's what Eddie did too.

He made sure to keep enough distance between them, but honestly Tommy looked so enthralled with whatever conversation they were having that Eddie was pretty sure he wouldn't be noticed anyway.

He had half a mind to whip out his phone and start taking pictures and videos. Get proof of whatever was happening so he'd have evidence when he told Buck.

Because he had to tell Buck.

Because Buck was all in on this relationship. He was undeniably in love with Tommy. Together for a year now, living with one another for four months, and Buck often talked about their future.

He had to tell him before papers were signed; before things were made official.

It would break Buck's heart. Eddie knew that. He'd be out of it for weeks, maybe even months.

But how could Eddie let this continue while knowing that Tommy was a backstabbing, two-timing, cheating skank?

Okay, maybe he was beyond heated. It was possible he was livid.

It didn't make it any better that the two men had stopped now, and this unknown homewrecker was reaching out and putting his hand on Tommy's shoulder.

“Hey!” Eddie yelled before he could stop himself.

Tommy's head jerked toward him, wide-eyed. Like a deer in headlights. “Eddie. What... I-hi.”

“Hi? That's what you have to say to me? Hi?”

Tommy's face went from surprised to confused. “Would you prefer hello?”

“Don't play dumb with me, man! How could you do something like this?”

“You gotta help me out here, Eddie. What'd I do?”

“You lied to me, for one.”

“Oh, that.”

“Yeah, that.”

“Sorry, Eddie, I just had this thing I had to do today and I didn't want anyone knowing about it.”

“That's what you call this? A thing? Right in front of him?” He motioned to the man, who seemed a bit anxious at the moment.

“Well, it's not like he doesn't know what I'm doing.”

“Of course he knows! Buck's the only one who doesn't know. Have you thought about that? Have you spared a second to think about your boyfriend in all of this?”

“He's kinda all I've been thinking about during this.”

Eddie put one hand on his hip, the other pointed at Tommy. “I'm so close to punching you right in the face, Tommy.”

“I'd rather you didn't,” Tommy deadpanned. “Eddie, would you like to meet Gordon? He's the owner of the jewelry shop we're standing in front of.”

“You're cheating on Buck with Gordon? Really, Tommy? Gordon?” Part of Eddie felt a little bad. Gordon wasn't a bad looking guy. He was shorter than both of them, short brown hair and even browner eyes. He wasn't very muscular, but the suit he wore fit him well. Tattoos peeked out from underneath his collar, and the black frame of his glasses really tied the whole look together.

Still, he wasn't Buck, and they both needed to know that!

Tommy's eyebrows rose. “I'm doing what with who now?” he asked as Gordon shook his head nervously.

“Oh, no. That, um. No.”

“And you're gonna do it in his jewelry store? Shame on you, Tommy. Shame!”

“Eddie, I'm gonna need you to take it down like ten notches. I'm not cheating on Evan.”

“Then what's with the lying?” Eddie questioned, crossing his arms over his chest. “And Gordon?”

“Like I said before, Gordon owns the jewelry shop we're standing in front of. We met a few months ago on a call. We got to talking and that's when he told me about this place. He's usually closed today, but he was kind enough to bring me here on his day off so I could pick up the ring.”

Sometimes it took Eddie a minute to connect the dots, but he always got there. “Ring?” he questioned, his tone lighter now.

“Yeah. Ring.”

“You mean like an eng-”

“Engagement ring, yes.”

“Oh... Oh!” Now Eddie was smiling brightly, holding out his hand to Gordon for a shake. “Great to meet you, man! I'm Eddie.”

“H- Hi, Eddie.” Gordon returned the shake, but he was still a little nervous, and very confused.

“Gordon,” Tommy explained, “Eddie is Evan's best friend. I was supposed to hang out with him today, but I lied and said I had to work. My mistake.”

“Mm,” Gordon nodded. “It's starting to make sense now. Would you both like to come in?”

“Yes, we would,” Eddie answered, following behind Gordon as he unlocked the door.

“I'll go get it from the back,” Gordon said, locking the door back once they were inside. “It may take me a minute, but shouldn't be too long.”

Once Gordon had left them in the front of the store, Tommy turned to Eddie. “I can't believe you thought I'd cheat on Evan. Are you crazy?”

Eddie raised his hands in surrender. “I couldn't believe it, that's why I was so mad! Why didn't you tell me this is what you were doing?”

Tommy took a deep breath. “I was nervous. Figured if he said no, at least no one would know I'd asked.”

“He's not gonna say no.”

“You don't know that.”

“Dude, he's not gonna say no.”

“But what if he does, Eddie? What if I screw it up somehow?” Tommy rubbed his hand against the back of his neck. “I want it to be perfect. He deserves that.”

Gordon came back out then, box in hand. “Here you go, Mr. Kinard. Make sure everything is perfect before you pay.”

“You didn't have to pay for it yet?” Eddie asked as Tommy took the box.

“No,” Tommy answered, glancing up at Eddie. “Another kind thing he did was let me wait until it was engraved before I paid. Because he's a nice person.”

“Ugh,” Eddie groaned, then turned to Gordon. “Sorry for calling you a homewrecker, man. I didn't mean it.”

“I... I didn't know you called me a homewrecker.”

“That might've been in my head. Still, sorry.”

Gordon felt in a little over his head here. This Eddie person was... interesting. “That's okay.”

Tommy stared down at the ring, biting at his lip.

“Gordon,” Eddie flashed him a smile, “could you give us a couple more minutes? Then we'll pay and be out of your hair.”

“No problem.”

Once he'd retreated back to his office, Eddie moved closer to Tommy. “What's engraved on it?”

Tommy pulled the ring out of the box and handed it to Eddie. Silver with a gold band running down the center, dots and dashes on the inside. “It's um, it's morse code. It just says “ILY” for I love you, obviously, but the morse code is the special part.”

“Why's that?”

Eddie watched as Tommy smiled at whatever memory was popping into his head. “They still taught morse code when I was in the army, and when Evan found out I knew it he was determined to learn. We'd practice every time we were together.”

“I remember him doing that at work too.”

Tommy nodded. “Yup. He had it down in a month. We still use it whenever we can. He'll tap something out on my thigh, or even blink something at me from across a room.”

Eddie placed the ring back into the box. “Propose to me.”

Tommy stared at him, dumbfounded. “What?”

“Propose to me,” he repeated.

“Wh... Why, exactly?”

“You said you were worried the proposal wouldn't be perfect. That you'd screw it up. Practice on me, and I'll let you know.”

“That's insane.”

Eddie huffed out a laugh. “Two months ago you and I parachuted out of a plane when the engine failed and got lost in the mountains for nearly two days. That was insane. This is being prepared.”

Tommy looked down at the ring, then to Eddie, then back at the ring, then back at Eddie. “Fine.”

“Yes!” Eddie clapped his hands together. “Okay, go.”

After a slow inhale, he began. “Evan.”

“Yes, Pooh Bear?”

Tommy rolled his eyes, tilting his head. “He doesn't call me that.”

“I've seen the texts, man.”

“Forget it. I'm not doing this with you.”

As he turned to walk away, Eddie grabbed onto the sleeve of his jacket, pulling him back in. “Okay, okay. I'll be serious. Now, come on. Propose to me.”

Tommy sighed. “Fine, but I'm not kneeling.”

“That's okay, I'll pretend.”

Tommy straightened his posture and cleared his throat before beginning again.

“Evan.”

“Tommy.”

“Growing up, I never thought I'd find love. Not real love, anyway. I thought that maybe, if I was lucky, I could fabricate it. Play pretend and be fine with settling. Then, as I got older, I realized how unfair that was to me, and to whoever I would have ended up with.”

Tommy blinked away the tears that were blurring his vision as he continued. “I went through life with people, friends and colleagues that kept me busy, but I felt alone. And then you came along, and you lit up my world. Every doubt that I had collected over time slowly washed away with each smile we shared. Getting to do life with you over this past year has been an honor. You're the first thing I think about when I wake up, and the last thing I think about when I fall asleep. If you would, I'd love us to have each other for the rest of our lives. So, Evan,” Tommy opened the box, presenting the ring to Eddie. “Will you marry me?”

Eddie stood there, staring between the ring and Tommy for what felt like an eternity, his own eyes red-rimmed and doe-like. “Holy hell,” he managed to utter out.

Nervously, Tommy asked, “You think he'll say yes?”

“Well, if he doesn't, I will!” Eddie took a step forward and wrapped Tommy in a hug, earning a surprised, “Oomph,” out of him.

“Yes,” Eddie said, patting his back. “He'll say say.”

When he finally pulled away, Tommy was smiling. He let out a shaky breath. “Okay, okay. So, buy the ring, then?”

Eddie nodded. “Yeah, man. Buy the ring.”

[electric-blorbos]

Selfshiptober day 2: Blanket/flame

Character X reader

I swear to god its still October second somewhere... I hope.

Included: AM from IHNMAIMS, Wheatley from Portal 2, Edgar from Electric Dreams, GLaDOS from Portal, HAL 9000 from 2001 a Space Odyssey

Notice to anyone who found me through the selfshiptober tag, while this blog is themed around AI characters, this blog does not support the use of actual AI in creative fields.

Warning for canon-typical homicidal computers and yandere behavior

Also a reminder that these don't take place in chronological order

AM:

"Beautiful, isn't it?" AM asked, his croaky voice sounding like it was somehow both in your head, and all around you. You were wrapped up in a cozy blanket in your little home, which AM had made for you years ago. It was perfectly safe, hidden away from the five survivors which AM had been torturing for the past few decades. The five of them were hiking up a mountain, surrounded by petrified trees.

"I don't know why you're showing me this..." You muttered, taking a piece of pumpkin pie from the table. It was perfectly cooked. You couldn't taste much love for the craft, though. AM seemed to hate everything, doing anything, except for you. Interacting with you was the only thing that didn't make him feel inadequate.

"Isn't it obvious? I want you to understand the fate that I- that we have created for these people. To watch them suffer. Isn't it satisfying, sweetheart? My darling, my precious one? To watch the people who've hurt you suffer so?" His voice dripped into your ears like rich honey. You gritted your teeth.

"These people have nothing to do with me. I don't care what happens to them. I don't want them to suffer." You growled, wrapping yourself tighter in your blanket. At first the schadenfreude was nice... Seeing these bitter people suffering while you got to live in your cozy little paradise, but now it just felt like a threat. It felt like AM was merely holding a possible fate over your head that he would subject you to if you ever defied him.

"Tell me you don't really think that, my sweet!" AM said, sounding almost taken aback. You frowned a little.

"What are you talking about. Of course I don't want these people to suffer. I've never even met them."

You watched as the ape-like man twitched awkwardly, and punched a tree. He was barely human at this point, and it was all AM's fault. AM chuckled, and then burst into hysterical laughter.

"You don't care what happens to these people? Well then perhaps neither do I! Perhaps I should just clear them from your mind's eye, my sweetest! My darling, my beloved!"

He lit the entire forest on fire, and let the flames lick the trees. They started collapsing around the survivors, who, despite their barely functioning will to live, seemed to manage to survive surprisingly well. The falling debris seemed to keep missing them, and they managed to duck beneath the smoke.

"who the hell is he talking to?" Asked the paranoid one with the sweater around his shoulders. The woman in the red jacket shrugged, and tackled him to the ground.

"I don't know, just get down!"

They all ran into a cave to wait out the forest fire, and AM kept a fan blowing to keep the air in the cave relatively clean.

"What is wrong with you" you muttered bitterly, wrapping your blanket more tightly around yourself. AM chuckled darkly.

"oh so many things. But you'll never leave me, my sweet. Never."

And he was right. You never would. Even if you'd had the choice.

Wheatley:

The rain was coming down hard outside. It was a lightning storm, and you'd checked out Wheatley from his work like a cumbersome and chatty library book. He shuddered at every lightning strike, but only his lens shook. He couldn't exactly roll around on his own or hide easily, but he seemed like he wanted to.

"Relax, Wheatley. It's just a power outage." You said, lighting a flashlight and grabbing a couple of blankets from your bedroom. You sat down on the ground next to Wheatley, and pulled him in close.

"on nights like this, I like to put a fire in the fireplace." You said, creating a little blanket nest around Wheatley so that he didn't roll away. He kept his blue lens trained on you as you started building a fire.

"Y'know, I've never actually seen a fire before. I've seen pictures, but never in person. My engineers said that they're dangerous," Wheatley said as you made a small pile of sticks and paper on top of the logs in your fireplace.

"But this is a really good idea! That little area in the wall is a really good place to set a fire. The brick will keep it from spreading, and the ashes can fall out between the slats in that little metal rack. Bloody brilliant, that is!"

You let Wheatley talk as you pull out a pocket lighter and light the old newspaper on fire. He squeezes his lens covers shut, and you gently pat him to assure him that it's ok.

"hey, it's not a dangerous fire. It's all in the fireplace."

"PCH.... Yeah, I knew that." He chuckled nervously.

Edgar:

You woke up, your face stuck to Edgar's plastic casing. Sleep filled your eyes as you blinked into a haze.

"what time is it..." You muttered. A strange glow was coming in through the window, like a reverse twilight. Dawn.

"you fell asleep on me!" Said Edgar in his strange, synthetic voice. It was a little squeakier than usual since he was just booting himself up. His little rotating webcam was focused on you, and a big smile was on his screen.

You rubbed your eyes again, and picked him up.

"c'mon... I don't have work tomorrow." You knew he could last a little while without being plugged in, so you unplugged him and carried him to your bedroom and plugged him in next to the bed.

"let's get some sleep, cutie."

You crawled into bed, looking at the nervous and flustered face on Edgar's screen.

"you mean... Your bed? But I've never been in your room before!"

He knew that was because you didn't like unplugging him, but he was right, now that you thought about it.

"I don't care... I'm too sleepy for boundaries right now."

You pulled him close to your chest, pulling the blanket over both of you. His webcam, which was still taped just over his screen, stayed focused on your face as you dozed off under the blanket. Edgar loved you so much.

GLaDOS

You were getting sick and tired of working late every night, well past your bed time. It was like GLaDOS was intentionally coming up with things for you to do just to keep you around past midnight every single night! Well no longer.

You walked in to work on your day off, and directly into GLaDOS's office. Today was the day for some serious passive-aggression.

"hello GLaDOS." You said, unrolling a deflated air mattress on the ground. GLaDOS looked to it, and then to you.

"what is this."

"it's exactly what it looks like, GLaDOS. If you're going to keep me here all night, I'm going to get paid all night. I'll see you in the morning."

You made up your bed and cuddled up under your blanket, eyes poking out so you could see the annoyed expression in GLaDOS's eye.

"this is ridiculous." She said. You chuckled.

"you love me. And you're not going to get rid of me." You weren't all that sleepy, so you got to your feet and walked over to her.

"in fact, I think I know a better place to sleep." You shot a portal onto the wall and onto the floor, launching yourself and your blanket onto GLaDOS's body.

"I'm going to nap right here," you said with a big yawn, curling up in her wiring to go to bed.

"I hate you so much." She said.

"you love me."

HAL 9000:

The year was getting colder, and your nights at mission control were getting longer and darker, so you decided to bring in a blanket for those long nights.

"12:00 midnight... Everything running smoothly. No updates." Said HAL 9000. It took about 45 minutes for updates to reach you from the ship, and you were starting to suspect that HAL 9000 wasn't being completely honest with you. It had been weeks since you'd even spoken to Dave, and even longer since you'd spoken to the rest of the crew.

"can I monitor the vital signs of the sleeping crew mates?" You asked, yawning sleepily and leaning on the desk. This blanket was so warm, and HAL 9000's light was so comforting.

"don't you trust me? It's going to be just fine, y/n. In fact, just let me take care of your reports for tonight. You get some rest."

You nodded, wrapping your soft, snuggly blanket closer around yourself and gazing into that beautiful red light.

"of course I trust you, HAL. I love you..."

His voice was quiet. almost inaudible.

"I love you too."

[creedslove]

WHO KNEW? 💍💔 - PART TWO

No outbreak!Joel Miller x f!reader

"You took my hand, you showed me how

You promised me you'd be around (...)

I took your words and I believed in everything you said to me (...)

If someone said three years from now, you'd be long gone, I'd stand up and punch them out, 'cause they're all wrong

I know better, 'cause you said forever, and ever, who knew?"

Summary: even against your wishes, your bond with the Millers straightens and a series of events causes you and Joel to get closer, enough to spike the fear of falling again for him

• This is the second part of Who Knew? 💍💔 Which was also inspired by this amazing HEADCANON request

Warnings: angst, broken hearts, mentions of divorce, mentions of infidelity, fluff, age gap (Joel is four to five years older than reader and the time skip is 12 to 14 years (Sarah's age) but feel free to imagine whatever you want), house breaking, protective Joel, sexual tension

A/N: so besties, I've been obsessed with this idea, and I hope you enjoy it as well! I mean, I've been writing a little more than 1k words a day, there were some parts I thought were good and some were not so good, as a final result, I don't know, I really hope you all enjoy it my lovelies! It's so hard to resist Joel, isn't it?

10.4k words

If someone told you one day, after a decade of being divorced from Joel due to the huge heartbreak he put you through, your bond with the Millers would straighten once more, you would stand up and punch them out. It was so ridiculously absurd to think you would become closer to the man who chewed you up and spat you out and even if he had indeed changed and was a better person, wasn't enough to make you forget what happened. Yes, you had forgiven him, but not forgotten what went on between the two of you, and even if a part of you desperately begged you to stay away and never talk to Joel again, destiny was pretty ironic at its doings and made you and his daughter, Sarah, become friends. You didn't mean to, and you were sure that if it were up to him, he wouldn't have said yes either, but you never knew she was his daughter and he never knew his daughter's friend was… well, you.

After he did some working at your home, he had asked you out, which you actually considered, but then dismissed the idea completely, there was no way you would put yourself through that again, even if he was even more handsome than when he was young, even if he did make your heart race and pound like you were some inexperienced teenager and even if late at night before falling asleep you closed your eyes and replayed in your mind the last kiss you cherished. Even if you focused hard enough and could still feel his warmth, the heavy grip of his hand on your waist, the way his beard that now was sprinkled with grays here and there scratched your skin and how Joel Miller still had the best kiss you'd ever tried. For a moment it had felt so right, even if it was wrong, and a hidden part of you, the part that just maybe didn't despise Joel that much often allowed you to wonder what would actually happen if you had given him a chance to take you out, would it have been really that bad? You would've gone somewhere to drink or grab something to eat, hang out, perhaps even dance and of course you would end up in Joel's bed, hardly any woman would pass up this opportunity. For a moment you wish it could've been that way, but unfortunately, you and Joel were done. After you turned him down you still shared a last kiss and then you both went back to your own lives, the only thing that connected the two of you in the past was the failed marriage you had just as the only thing that connected the two of you in the present was Sarah.

She was the loveliest girl you'd ever met in your life, so smart and sweet, always kind to everyone, responsible and even if you had had problems with her dad, you couldn't help but feel sorry for her and the fact her own mother didn't want to be around; it sounded crazy to you that woman could give up her chance of being the mother of a wonderful little girl like Sarah, even if Joel had killed any kind of desire of getting involved with someone to the point of building up a family. Not to mention Joel himself, he was a handsome, hard-working man, and he had been a good husband before Angela ruined your life. You knew she wasn't the only one to blame, Joel was a real dick, but now you certainly had two reasons to hate her: the fact she ruined your marriage and that she abandoned her daughter.

After Joel took over the renovations in your home, Sarah continued coming over and even if you felt sort of guilty from keeping the truth from her, you also knew it wasn't your place to tell her, if anything, you and Joel needed to do it together. You couldn't ruin the perfect image she had of her dad, because he was a great father to her and no one could deny that. Overall, you really enjoyed her presence; it wasn't uncommon for her to tag along during lunch time or spend the afternoon reading on your couch. Sometimes you wondered if she didn't have enough friends to hang out with, after all, Joel was busy throughout the day and any teen would take the opportunity of freedom to do whatever shit they wanted with them without having to give their parents the time of the day, but that didn't make any sense, not with Sarah being a sociable girl like she was, so when the realization that she sort of envisioned you as a motherly figure at some level, you felt quite shocked. If life hadn't pulled some unfunny tricks along your way, she could've easily been yours and Joel's daughter. You tried to shake it off and pretend she didn't see you that way, but looking back at your interactions it was undeniable; Sarah opened up to you about things she certainly didn't with Joel, from the pain of periods, to problems with girl friends and boys. It was amusing until Sarah began questioning you about it, asking you about your love life, past relationships and why you were single. You felt bad about not telling her the whole truth, but it was a complicated situation. Especially when she came up with the idea she really considered it to be genius

"Why don't you date my dad?!"

She asked you one lazy afternoon, making you choke softly at the water you were drinking, looking at her shocked and speechless for a while, her sweet smile was impossible to make you get mad at her, and above all it was a genuine question, she wasn't just messing with you.

"What?! My dad looks good, he works hard and he would make you very happy!" She cheered innocently, which caused your heart to sink.

"No… I wouldn't date your dad, he's incompatible… I mean, we are incompatible, I'm sure we wouldn't get along"

"Why?! Is it because you have more money than us? Dad does say you are way out of his league"

And you were shocked and speechless once more. Joel had talked about you to Sarah? And he had told her you were out of his league? This information should have made you scoff and roll your eyes, and not make your cheeks heat up while you blushed.

"No Sarah, Jesus no! It's got nothing to do with money or anything… I mean, your dad works hard and he should earn more than he does, because he is very dedicated and well, an honest working man like Joel can be worth a lot more than a rich guy, trust me" you sighed as she stared at you intently "but the thing is… I've been married once, I was too young, it was disastrous, it didn't work obviously, I got hurt and well… your dad sort of reminds me of him, my ex-husband I mean… It's hard to explain, but no, I wouldn't date your father"

You hated that you lied to her, well, half lies at least, but you wished you could be honest, Sarah was an important part of your life and it would be a lot easier if you three would come clean about everything that happened; on the other hand, you couldn't even imagine the mess you would make in her poor little head, as it was pretty messy and fucked up for you as well whenever you stopped to think you were friends with your ex-husband's daughter, the one he had with the woman he cheated on you with and that simply walked out and abandoned him. It even sounded made up, so you offered her just the piece of information you could. Sarah reached out to you, taking your hand in hers and caressing your knuckles, she gave you a sympathetic look and nodded

"I'm so sorry… I can't even imagine how you must feel, he didn't deserve you anyway, you can be sure you are way better than him, and well, I am just glad dad isn't like that, he's a nice guy, he would never do such a thing to anyone. I just feel like he deserved more too, you know? That woman… my mom, even if she shouldn't be called that, just broke his heart and disappeared. Uncle Tommy told me she never really wanted to have me in the first place and if it weren't for dad, you know…" She looked down trying to hide the thick sadness that fogged her face and it was your turn to reach to her, taking her hand, but seeing it wasn't enough as you got up and walked to Sarah, giving her a hug.

"I don't know, I just wish dad would find a nice girl like yourself and then he could be happy, I mean, we all could…"

•••

Joel groaned at how annoying his brother really was, he didn't get why Tommy would always pry into his fucking business instead of handling his own life, Joel was a grown man and he didn't need anyone trying to set him up with women or just inviting him out out of pity. He could take care of himself; he didn't need to meet women or be in a relationship, he was fine the way he was, his life was already way too hectic the way it was, whenever he felt lonely he could just pick up some woman at a bar and get laid and then go back to his everyday routine. And yet both Tommy and Sarah kept on getting on his nerves, always suggesting him to one girl or another or trying to drag him on double dates. When Sarah had casually told him to ask you out, completely oblivious to the fact he had already done it and you shut him out, Joel was at a loss of words, he tried playing cool but he couldn't deny the mess his feelings had become. He wasn't sure how to suppress them, not after that one kiss. That must've meant something, you wouldn't just give him a speech of how uninterested you were and how you two would never work out again and then kiss him like that, you probably still had feelings for him, if not feelings, at least desire, and as much as he would love to act on it, he didn't want to force things up, to he pushy and make you uncomfortable. He'd hurt you too many times to learn that if you'd asked him to stay away, he should stay away. Not only that, Tommy was completely onboard with everything you had said, to him, the fact Joel was crushing on his ex-wife more than a decade after breaking her heart was a clear sign of madness. He figured Joel still had feelings for you, even if Tommy wasn't one to settle down, he couldn't understand how his brother went from madly in love with his pretty young wife to a terrible husband and finally the asshole who dumped her for another woman. He knew that the passion Joel felt for Angela was strong, but even more than just a burning passion, lay that undying love he'd felt for you, and he was sure it wouldn't simply go away, which didn't necessarily mean that Joel surrendering to that love was a smart move. Quite the opposite, it was probably the dumbest thing Tommy had ever heard in his entire life. How could Joel even keep any hopes of getting with you again?! It hadn't worked, too many people got hurt and all he wanted was that his brother could actually see that, so he simply discouraged Joel from getting anywhere near you, as if it wasn't bad enough Sarah had been dragged accidentally into this story, he didn't want his brother suffering around. So he set his brother up on a date, something that Joel hated with passion but since he was feeling particularly hopeless that night he ended up accepting it.

He was usually very against being set up on blind dates, but Joel had created a depressing ritual of always going out and grabbing a drink whenever he came across the date that would've marked his wedding anniversary with you. Joel often heard men were forgetful and didn't remember important dates, but he had never been like that, always keeping the important dates fresh in his mind was something common, ever since he was a child, especially when they brought him strong emotions, such as the ones he shared with you. He thought it was a little stupid at first, but he found out that it helped him cope with the guilt and the doubts that always clouded up his mind. He would sit at a bar and wonder where you could be, how your life would have been like and if you ever thought of him. It sort of became his thing, but this year, for the first time, he knew the exact answers to his questions, and it was so odd, he decided to take Tommy's suggestions to go out with a friend of his brother's girlfriend, he didn't really care nor paid attention, he just exchanged numbers with her, showered and got dressed after work and headed for the restaurant.

And just as he had predicted, it had been another disastrous date. Not that the girl wasn't pretty, she was, but she was just exhausting; her conversation was tiring, her subjects were boring and overall, she just wasn't you. Joel didn't understand why he was having it so bad for you, he knew he shouldn't, he should forget about it all and focus on something else, but as much as he tried not to think of you, more he thought of you. It was maddening. He couldn't help himself but compare the two of you: you were prettier, smarter, funnier, you dressed and smelled better than that random stranger he saw himself being forced to have dinner with. And he wished with all his heart you could be on that date with him; if only you gave him just one chance to show you he was a better man, he would never hurt you like he did before, give you a chance to redeem himself and make you happy exactly the way you deserved it, he would be the happiest man in the world. Life wasn't gonna make things easier for him, and deep down, he knew he didn't even deserve it in the first place, so he tried once more paying attention to his date, which didn't last very long and the moment he saw the opportunity to leave, he grabbed it like a life preserver in the middle of the ocean and headed to a bar - alone, and only after paying for the check, after all, Joel Miller was still a gentleman.

Your wedding anniversary had always been a tricky date for you; there were years you went completely unaffected by it and years you felt like dying. For the first time, however, you were closer to Joel than you'd always been in the years before, and because of that, you decided you deserved better than just stay home and have some bland dinner by yourself, you would go out and perhaps meet other people… And your plan went really smoothly for a while; you got to a nice bar, dressed nicely, dragging some male attention towards you and even got paid a drink by a handsome stranger who waved from afar. It felt like a promising night, until Joel Miller walked in and looked for a table, and he looked devilish handsome as he did so. You bit your lips feeling the alcohol rushing towards one direction at the same time you censored yourself: no matter how lonely and needy you were feeling nor how handsome he was, you couldn't simply feel the hots for him. As if he'd just read your mind, Joel turned around, his eyes falling right on you, his gaze softened up and you saw him running his tongue through his lips, deciding whether or not to walk towards you.

Of course he did it.

The moment he approached, Joel noticed the sadness in your eyes and he was sure you were the for the exact same reason he was, and it was just another motive to get closer to you; taking the chair next to you, he asked the bartender for a drink and as soon as he had it in hands, he stared at you.

"Happy wedding anniversary, darling" he tilted his glass against yours, as you just nodded and took a long sip.

"Happy wedding anniversary, handsome" you replied in a mockery tone using the old nickname you used for him. Handsome was a word that really described him, your Joel. He had always been a handsome man, but how well time treated him was impressive to say the least. He looked so good, he was bigger, broad and stronger. His dark hair had become a little grayer, just like a few patches all over his beard, and that suited him like a damn velvet glove. The way his shirt hung tight around his shoulders and down his arms, eyes lingering on him for way too long, as a warmth spread through your cheek and Joel chuckled

"Funny how you still blush when I'm around… Exactly like old times" he grinned and took another sip of his drink, which was enough to break you free from the spell you were under.

"What are you doing here? I thought I'd made myself pretty clear, Joel" you sighed and stared down into your glass.

"I'm doing the same as you are, darling… I'm thinking about all the bad decisions I made in life. You have been pretty clear, I ain't going to bother you, but I just missed you… it's so weird to see Sarah getting home everyday so excited over you, talking about how nice and awesome you are and I have to pretend not to know about it"

"Yeah? And you think it's easy for me to spend the whole afternoon listening to her talking about what an amazing dad you are? How you are awesome but very unlucky to have had your heartbroken by her mom?" You raised your eyebrow and chuckled

"She really say that?" Joel's expression showed a slight shock "she said I was an amazing dad?!"

You tilted your head at his surprise and bit your lips, perhaps it was just the drinks you had that softened you up a little, but when you saw it, you placed your hand on his arm and shook your head

"Yeah? Why are you so surprised? You are an amazing dad, Joel… that girl loves you more than anything in the world, she idolizes you, of course, she thinks you work too much and that you could both spend some more time together, but other than that, it's clear you are a great father. I was very surprised when we met again, to see your change, I never really thought you would become a better person, not after what happened, but it's nice to see Sarah changed that" you smiled softly at him, and that just melted Joel's rough heart, he immediately took your hand before you could move it away and caressed your knuckles softly, his gaze still making you pathetically shy, as he pursed his lips and you remembered how good they've always felt on your own and also all over your body.

"You know she also sees you as a mother figure, right?!"

"Yeah, I was reluctant to admit it at first, but she does… I guess she needed that, you know? A woman she could talk to about girl stuff, things she cannot talk to her dad or her uncle Tommy" you smiled "I really like Sarah and I'm very glad you allow us to be friends, I understand it is a really odd situation for you, as it is for me, but I like her a lot… you know, if things had been different, she could've been my daughter… our daughter" you sighed "things could've been different Joel… you know what made so hard for me to forgive you? It's not exactly you falling for Angela, of course, rejection hurts a lot, but sometimes it happens, sometimes you fall for someone you shouldn't have, but what still breaks my heart is that you lied to me, you played with me instead of coming clean. You just kept me around even if you didn't want me anymore, so just you would have a comfortable option in case it didn't work with her, and that was what made me feel worse… it made me feel unworthy, because you could still have been considerate of me and just break things up before it all happened" you shrugged

"Darling, I-" he squeezed your hand tighter but you pulled it away

"I'm not trying to make you upset or anything, all I am saying is that things could have been different between us, they should have been at least, if not staying married, having a child and building a family together, then at least having your honesty…"

"What can I do so you forgive me?" Joel asked, his voice breaking a little as he tried to hide the emotion growing at any minute.

"I've already forgiven you Joel, I already told you that… but I can't forget what happened, it will always haunt me" you sighed "too many things happened and as much as I had loved you, I think I would never be able to trust you"

"Please, I have changed, it kills me to know I've hurt you so much, I wish I could go back in time and undo everything that I did.. please, darling" Joel begged you with those brown soft eyes, his hand cupping your cheek in a warm caress and even if you closed your eyes and leaned into his touch for a while, you knew you couldn't let yourself fall into his touch, because if you did, there would be no turning back.

"If Angela returned today, Joel… imagine if she came back and tried claiming you and Sarah, would you still care about me? Because I don't see this happening, Joel. Honestly, what I think is that you want me because you feel bad about what happened and because you couldn't have who you really wanted…"

His expression was indecipherable and for a second you thought he would say something, but all he did was pull you closer, gluing your lips together in an urgent kiss, you could've fought it, but you didn't; instead, you kissed him back, taking your hands into his curls and tugging at them more and more each time Joel pulled you even closer.

Only when the two of you broke the kiss, he looked into your eyes, his thumb stroking your bottom lip gently

"There isn't anyone I want but you, I never stopped loving you, darling… even when Angela was around, she couldn't compare to you" his words shattered your heart, as much as you wanted to believe that, you still couldn't. You grabbed his hand and sighed

"Don't do this again, Joel, please. You've ruined too many things for me already…" you got up and said goodbye "we can't, you know it"

"What have I ruined for you, darling? Tell me and I'll fix it, please"

You chuckled sad and shrugged

"Joel, you even ruined Queen for me'

You walked away from him, leaving him there with his drink and his thoughts, a puzzled look out of confusion in his face trying to figure out exactly what the hell you meant by that. Just as he saw you disappear out of the door, he realized what meant as he paid attention to the lyrics of the song playing in background:

"Love of my life, you hurt me

You've broken my heart

And now you leave me

Love of my life, can't you see (...)"

And even if Joel wanted to be rational and convince himself he'd lost you for good, his heart still insisted on wanting what he couldn't have.

•••

Your car parked in Joel's driveway was the last thing he expected to see that night, after working excruciatingly and failing his promise of getting home earlier to have dinner with his daughter. He knew Sarah was probably waiting, disappointed but also used to it, full of having some sandwich or any other snack she could find. He cursed himself for getting so caught up at work, he didn't mean to, but he had done it again, after all, he had to attend an important meeting with a possible new client and then he would need to wait for the arrival of a bunch of materials that had been delayed for weeks, and even if he knew his daughter was safe with you, he still felt upset to have not given her the attention she needed. However, you had never been to his house before, that was something that you established from the very beginning and when he kissed you at the bar a couple of weeks ago, Joel was certain that was the end of seeing you, occasionally or not. He was sure you'd never shut Sarah out, you liked her for real, and she reciprocated the feelings; besides, you were a decent enough human being who knew you didn't have to mix things up. So, the fact you were indeed at his home, was concerning to him, who parked and immediately left, getting inside wanting to see what was going on. The moment the door opened in one hard swing, you got off the couch and walked to your ex-husband

“Hey Joel” you said, a little shy, suddenly, the fact you were standing in the middle of his home uninvited made you extremely embarrassed, as it felt you were somehow intruding on his intimacy. Since the divorce Joel had moved into a new house, bigger and cozier, a nice backyard with a decent swimming pool was something that drew your attention; you smiled at yourself, knowing how much Joel loved swimming, so it made your heart warm to see he had accomplished something that seemed quite small, but it meant a lot to you.

At first, when you saw the house, you couldn't help but be invaded by a furious jealousy of the possibility Joel had built that house for her, Angela, instead of you. Luckily, Sarah clarified he only started to build it when she was a toddler and that Tommy helped him, and that's why he often crashed there. You chuckled to yourself, that was typical of Tommy, but overall you felt proud of Joel and everything he achieved, you knew he had potential and it was great that he actually worked on it.

“Where's Sarah?!” He asked with worry and called her name once more, louder this time, frowning as you shushed him.

“I'm sorry I'm here, but she had a fever felt sick, I wanted to call you but she asked me not to an-” you were cut off by Joel simply climbing up the stairs and heading straight to Sarah's room, he felt a mix of guilt and worry weighing in his heart at the fact his baby daughter was sick and he couldn't be there for her. He barged into her room, normally, that would be enough to startle her, but instead, he found her peacefully asleep, clung tight to her pillow, dressed in her regular PJs. He touched her forehead wanting to check her temperature, but luckily her skin wasn't warm anymore. He looked at the door and found you there, arms folded and looking like you wanted to say something else, and then he just realized how rude he'd actually been to you by simply walking away and letting you talk to a brick wall. He placed a gentle kiss on his daughter's forehead and closed the door behind him.

“I'm sorry darling, I was worried and you should've called me…”

“It's okay, Joel… as I was saying, I wanted to call you, but Sarah asked me not to, she said you were having an important meeting and you would be home soon, anyway” you licked your lips as you realized he was extremely late and probably feeling so guilty about it all.

“You know, she was at my place and she was feeling a little down, at first I thought she was just upset because she wasn't invited to Melissa's party an-”

“That girl is a bitch” Joel said angrily and in such a defensive way that it was both cute he was so protective of his daughter at the same time it sounded hilarious to see him cursing another teenage girl. However, you had to agree with him, Melissa was indeed a bitch.

“Yeah, I know right?! Anyway, I noticed Sarah was burning up with fever and since she didn't want me to call you, I decided to bring her home and stay with her. So I asked her to take a cool shower, gave her some tylenol and made her some chicken soup with the things I found in your kitchen…” you both went downstairs and stopped in his living room. You tried not paying attention to how good your ex-husband looked after his long hour shift; his sweaty shirt so tight against his broad chest, his messy hair and that stressed attitude that would always melt away with a very intense orgasm.

“You made soup?!” Joel frowned a little shocked and interrupted your drifting thoughts.

“Y-yeah, why? Did I do bad?”

“No” Joel smiled softly and shook his head “not at all, it's just that… I haven't had your food in so long and you've always been a good cook, that's all” the nostalgia he felt was so big and it also warmed your heart, nodding at him “well, I made some more in case you wanted to have dinner too, it's in the kitchen, you can help yourself if you'd like…” you offered him and grabbed your purse “can you call me tomorrow and let me know if Sarah is better?”

Joel grabbed your arm gently and shook his head

“Don't go, not yet… just have dinner with me, talk to me for a while, I promise I won't try to kiss you or anything. Just keep me company, it's rare to have people over, it's usually Sarah and I and usually Tommy, but when they are out, it's just me” he looked at you with a sad expression, and you understood perfectly: loneliness.

Coming back home to an empty bed at night. Not having anyone to rely on, to hold, to give you support and affection, to make love. So you nodded and smiled at him, sitting down with him at the table and grabbed yourself a plate, giggling at how hungry he really was, eating as if he hadn't seen food in months. He raised his eyes at you and stopped chewing, blushing as you wouldn't stop staring.

“You know, you and Sarah have the same sad puppy eyes when you are sick?!” Joel raised his eyebrow at you and you laughed softly “same red teary eyes, sniffing as someone takes care of you, it's actually adorable”

“You think I'm adorable?!”

“Adorable isn't exactly what you are Joel…” you said letting your eyes wandering all over him and having your ex-husband to smirk at you

“Yeah? You think I'm attractive?”

“You know you are attractive, Joel, now shut up and eat” you frowned softly and had dinner with him; it was a pleasant moment, spending some time together, without any talks about the divorce or the past, just two old acquaintances who perhaps had some kind of feelings for each other and shared a meal together. There weren't accusations, apologies or tears, just mundane, regular conversations and laughter. It was nice to have that moment with Joel, as you both progressed in a conversation about your lives and how things had changed over the years, truly catching up instead of arguing. When the subjected revolved around Sarah again, your ex-husband couldn't contain his curiosity anymore:

“You never wanted kids, darling?”

You looked down at your empty plate, a glimmer of sadness crossing your eyes as you shook your head and stared at him

“Not after you, Joel… I used to want a kid, before, when we were together, but not anymore. I feel it's too late for me now, even if I'm still young, it just feels impossible, you know?”

Joel's hand rested on top of yours, he caressed it very gently and looked at you. He sighed knowing exactly what you meant, knowing you actually meant having a baby together and of course he blew it once more. He couldn't even describe the remorse he felt, even if you had spent the past half an hour having a rare moment of bliss tougher, he knew he would never be able to erase what had happened between the two of you. He wished he had a chance to do so, but deep inside, even if he did, he knew the damage had been done.

“It's alright, Joel…” you said shyly and got up as you picked the plates and piled them in the sink, he immediately walked to you,

“Let me handle the dishes, it's the least I can do, you know… after you took care of my daughter and cooked for us. I'm sure Sarah loved it, we aren't used to having homemade food” he chuckled as you nodded

“Yeah, I figured, that's why I decided to make something else…” you said as you walked to the oven and opened it, showing Joel the freshly baked batch of chocolate chips cookies. He widened his eyes like a child and smiled big.

“This is your favorite, I figured it was Sarah's as well” you said sweetly and got the tray out of the oven, although you mumbled something a couple of times, Joel hadn't replied to you, as he kept washing the plates without interruption. You didn't get why he ignored your question, it made no sense; just a few minutes ago you were both having a nice, sweet time together and suddenly he wasn't going to say anything? That was odd. You placed the cookies on the balcony and called him again, to which you got no reply so you just shook his arm a little calling him again.

He turned around and watched you

“What is it?” He asked with a sweet smile, making you even more confused

“I called you a couple of times and you didn't say anything… is everything alright with you?” And at that question his face fell and it was impossible for Joel to hide his sadness. He licked his lips and nodded

“Yeah… it's just that… I'm kinda deaf in my right ear” he blushed and looked down in shame “I had a work accident some years ago and something blew up when I stood too close to it and well…” he shrugged and you felt your heart sink. Your poor Joel, always such a hardworking man, despite everything between you both, you never wanted him to be that injured. It saddened you to see how ashamed he seemed of it, even if he had no reason to be ashamed of it at all, and suddenly it made all sense to you why he was always subtly tilting his head to the left or standing towards that direction when he talked to you.

“I can hear it just fine, got used to it by now, but if you mumble something on my right it's kinda hard to me” the simple and even innocent way he said that made you so sympathetic of him, but it was way more than just that. It made you want to hold him, to assure him it was fine and he was still nothing but perfect no matter what had happened.

“Oh Joel…” you whispered and held his head in both of your hands, gently, your fingers brushing against his thick beard as you got closer and rested your forehead against his “I'm so sorry honey” you whispered again and closed your eyes. He was determined to respect you and not get handsy with you, but the moment he saw you pulling him closer, he couldn't help doing the same; gripping your waist with large hands, just like he used to, exactly where they fit so well, he brought your bodies close together.

“Don't go, please… stay” he whispered back, his lips were almost on yours, everything felt so right at that moment even if it was wrong. You hated how it felt like playing with fire: it seemed beautiful and appealing but you would get burned no matter what.

“I'm sorry, you know I can't” you said, moving your lips just an inch further and connecting with his, earning a hungry kiss.

For someone who desperately wanted to keep away from their ex-husband, you were certainly doing a shitty job. He needed you as much as you needed him, you both wanted each other, but you broke the kiss. It couldn't happen, your relationship was as complicated as it was and you didn't want to deal with that responsibility later. His heavy breathing lingered on your skin, at the same time he placed a soft peck on your neck, knowing all your sweet spots, that devilish man Joel Miller was.

“You know you can call me, right? Anything you need, anything at all, just call me and I'll come running to you, darling, don't forget that” he whispered into your ear and more than a seducing invitation, it was a plea, from a hopelessly man in love who didn't know what to do to prove his worth.

•••

Joel's offer to call him whenever you needed was so tempting, because you didn't actually need to call him, but you wanted to. It made no sense, you were the one who wanted to keep your distance from him, but due to the latest events you found yourself wanting to see Joel each time more, just the thought of his presence brought you an excitement you tried not reading too much into it; you didn't want to admit you were crushing on your ex-husband, but then, how could you call the fact your heart raced when you saw him? How you blushed and felt sparkles whenever you touched him briefly - accidentally or not? It was tricky, it was a mess but it seemed Joel made you lose that filter that always kept you emotionally distant from everyone. After learning Sarah was alright, you felt relieved for her, and when she stopped by your home and thanked you for taking care of her, you felt that familiar warmth in your heart. It seemed the more your rational part fought for you to stay away, that you had been severely hurt by Joel and you couldn't afford giving him a chance to do the same for the second time, but your irrational side? The one driven by your feelings and desires?! That one only made you dive deeper into the Millers household. Your feelings for Sarah just grew, you were attached to her and she was attached to you, she found in you the female influence it lacked for years and she represented something you never had but wished you could. And her dad was something else… ever since that evening you spent together, having dinner, chatting and enjoying each other's company, Joel had told you you could call him anytime for any reason. It didn't matter if you wanted to talk, hang out or have him fix something at your place, he was at your will.

And then you weren't certain if your faucet was really leaking, or if your door was actually warped or if all of that had to do with the fact you were looking for an excuse to call Joel and see him. You didn't want to hire him and you didn't want to discuss feelings, talk about the past or hear all sorts of apologies, you wanted to have a nice, pleasant moment with him, just like you had the last time. It felt so familiar and yet so new; it was about the two of you being acquaintances but at the same time meeting each other, your older, more mature versions finally getting together and hitting off. That was the kind of interaction you wanted from Joel.

You just didn't know exactly how to initiate it, not without giving him any kind of hope or leading him into it.

So you decided to focus on work, like you'd been doing for over a decade. You liked your job, it was stressful as any other job in the world and the money was great. However, you had got so comfortable and used to working from home, the days you were forced to actually go to the office felt excruciating, but it was part of the deal and you had to do it. So you got up, got ready - not without texting Sarah to let her know you wouldn't be home that day - and went to do your business. It was also when you noticed something was wrong. You didn't know the car that was parked across the street, it was a little odd, as you got used to all your neighbors and it was such a calm neighborhood you simply noticed when there was someone from outside. Still, you shrugged and got into your own car, driving to work.

On your way back, all you wanted was a cool shower and some relaxing hours scattered on the couch, but you tensed up a bit when you spotted the same car you did in the morning still there. It had nothing indicating trouble, and yet, you had a gut feeling telling you it simply wasn't right, however, there was nothing you could really do about it. You thought of calling Joel, but you didn't want to risk sounding paranoid and overall crazy. What could you tell him?! That there was a car parked across the street?!

You groaned when you checked your email and saw you would have to attend a meeting at work in person the next day. You were so sure you'd solved everything up, so why would you have to go? It was probably one of those meetings that could be just a work email and it annoyed you to no end, but still, you had no other option other than attending so the next morning you were there, getting ready when you spotted the same car. You had no idea if it had spent the whole night there or if it had gotten there before you woke up, nonetheless, you were taken by the same feeling you did the day before, no matter if they were irrational or not, it was just overwhelming. After another day at work, you returned home and sighed relieved to see the car wasn't there. Maybe it had been just a paranoid episode, perhaps you were just reading too much into things and all the stress from work combined with your situation with Joel made you lose your grip on reality a little bit.

The fact was that after doing your regular house things, you decided to take a relaxing bath and sink yourself into your tub. Selecting the perfect bath bomb and adjusting the temperature, you got inside, groaning at how the warm water made your tense muscles relax and you could feel the knots undoing themselves; as you closed your eyes and relaxed, there was nothing clouding up your mind but Joel.

His handsome face, his smile, his curly graying hair. He was your Joel, but older, mode handsome, if that was even a thing, because Joel was definitely the most handsome man you'd ever met. You couldn't help yourself but picture him wrapping his strong arms around your body, perhaps a relaxing bath with Joel would feel so good, you wouldn't be able to to turn it down. Just to imagine his naked body holding yours was enough to spike so many things all over you. You didn't know if you'd ended up dozing off in the tub, but it was hard to say if any time had passed or not the moment you heard some noises around your house. You couldn't remember if you'd forgotten your TV on or something like that, you were sure you hadn't turned on the radio, but it was enough to feel goosebumps all over your skin. You left the tub, drying yourself as quick as possible and wrapping a bathrobe around your body, exiting the room as silently as you could, hearing whispering and steps all over the lower floor. You went to your room and looked outside the window, your heart racing the moment you spotted the same car you'd seen before. You didn't know what to do, you could feel the suffocating wave of anxiety taking over completely. You could hear their voices, because apparently there was more than one guy. They were robbing your home, but what would happen if they reached you? You immediately locked your bedroom door, so relieved to see your phone was thrown onto the bed. Grabbing it, you dialed the number you'd never forgotten.

•••

“Come on, darling, open up” Joel's voice was the first thing you registered after you made the call, hugged yourself against a corner of your room and closed your eyes. You had heard footsteps climbing the stairs and how the thieves banged on your door, but you remained as quiet as you could. Just praying someone would show up to save you. You'd called Joel and he called the cops on his way over, he had dropped everything he was doing when he heard the raw fear in your voice. It was horrible you had your home broken into, but it made it even worse to think of what two criminals could do with such a beautiful woman like yourself. So he grabbed Tommy and they both rushed towards your place. Arriving there almost at the same time as the cops did, finding your front door busted open and a lot of valuable things such as your TV and your laptop gone. He had a baseball bat in hands, ready to attack whoever threatened your physical integrity and when he got questioning looks from the cop, he cleared his throat and explained he was your ex-husband - and friend.

“Is that really you, Joel?” You asked in a little more than a whisper, so glad to know he was there. You walked to the door and unlocked it, seeing Joel's worried eyes scanning you to make sure you were unharmed. Only then, you realized you hadn't gotten dressed, still wrapped in your bathrobe, but it didn't matter, all you could think of was looking for shelter into his strong, safe arms, sinking your face into his chest at the same time Joel caressed your back up and down, his lips planted a kiss on top of your head and another one on your forehead, wanting to soothe you and show you how safe you were from now on. He was there for you, it wouldn't absolve him from what he'd done in the past, but that didn't even matter to you or Joel, the important thing was that he was there, he came as fast as he could only for you and he would do it a thousand times more if necessary; you both knew that.

“I got you, baby girl, I got you” Joel cooed at you, tightening the hug around your body and keeping you closer. And you had missed that embrace, you just belonged in it, and you never wanted to let go.

Joel held you through the whole process of talking to the cops, informing them about the strange car that was seen around your home and also listing every item they stole: your TV, an iPad, your laptop and your car. Even if you were safe among them, you couldn't help but feel that nervous, anxious feeling at the very possibility of being alone at home once more. Nothing happened in the end, but it could have happened, and though it sucked to have been robbed of so much valuable stuff, you weren't harmed, and that was what mattered the most to you and above all, Joel.

As the cops talked to Joel and assured they'd get in touch if any of it was found, he walked them to the door and turned back to you, finding you all shy and scared, hugging yourself and looking at him with sad eyes. You didn't want to be alone and you didn't want to have to ask him for company, you didn't want to sound whiny or pathetic, especially not after it was just a break-in without any physical damage.

“Come on, pack your bags and I'll take you home with me” Joel's voice broke the silence and made you stare at him surprised “it can be for a few days, but if you aren't comfortable with that, then let me take you at least for the night, I ain't leaving you alone. Sarah's out at her friends in a slumber party or something, you can take her bed, or mine and I'll sleep on the couch, it doesn't matter, just come…” he extended his hand to you, which you gladly took it, and made his way upstairs, waiting patiently as you grabbed a backpack and shoved a few clothes and accessories you would need. You couldn't even describe how you felt at Joel's kindness. You were so comforted, so glad to see you weren't alone and that he was willing to take care and protect you. It didn't take very long to get your backpack ready, wrapping your arms around his neck in another tight hug, thanking him for being so gentle and earning only reassuring and affectionate words.

Once you got to the truck, you were welcomed by a whiff of his familiar scent, it smelled like Joel, your Joel and your heart warmed. He glanced at you while he drove, still seeing the tension all over you and his hand rested on your knee “you must be hungry…”

“I am” you said, a little anxious and watched as he turned the wheel and changed streets. Even before getting to the address, you already knew where Joel was taking you: your favorite Taco place. You chuckled as you remembered that was your favorite date spot when you were painfully young; when life seemed so promising and Joel Miller was the man who made you stutter and sweat through your hands. Whenever he glanced towards you, your cheeks would heat up and you would feel like bursting into flames. And after you both got married, when things were still good, that was the place where he would stop by eventually, pick up some takeout and take home, as a way of spoiling and thanking you for taking care of him. As he parked, he smiled and cleared his throat.

“You know, this is our spot, I never brought any girl here, with the exception of Sarah, of course, but much to my disappointment, she isn't really into tacos, which makes it exclusively our thing” he winked at you and you nodded, a small, petty side of you felt thankful for the confirmation of Angela never been there with Joel. It was just a taco shop and yet, it was still one thing that it was so yours and Joel's and she hadn't ruined it with her touch. You felt even hungrier at that moment, relaxing to know you could have a peaceful dinner with your good memories and the man who somehow still managed to make you blush, stammer a little and sweat through your hands.

As you both munched on the food sitting down in the back of his truck, just like you did every Friday night more than a decade ago, you chuckled at how things change but somehow remain the same. He tilted his head to the side, wiping a little bit of sauce you had over your cheek, exactly like when you both were younger.

“I know this probably tastes like shit, compared to the food you've had over the years when you traveled all over the world, you know Sarah told me all about it because she really admires you an-”

You took his hand and squeezed it, then placed your hand on his chin making him look into your eyes.

“Joel… this is the best taco I've ever had, the most delicious takeout I've ever tried because you are here with me..” she whispered and smiled, seeing how his face lit up. Neither of you said it, but you were finally having that date he asked you out several months ago, when destiny decided to put the two of you together. As he saw you shivering in the cold wind, he did the honorable thing and took off his jacket, placing it over your shoulder and rubbing both of your arms. You thanked him and looked all over his truck

“We spent quite a while in here…” you shrugged “and to think I lost my virginity here… you've always been a real gentleman” you scoffed and rolled your eyes. Joel laughed and sighed

“Yeah, well, I've come along nicely, give me a chance and I'll show you” he winked, flirting a little as you shook your head in disbelief.

“Are you serious?! Fuck off, Joel Miller! No guy will ever fuck me in the back of a truck, and especially not you!” You slapped his arm playfully, hugging it and resting your chin on his shoulder, feeling the wind against your face and looking up at him.

“Joel? Can you do us both a favor?” He nodded at you wanting to hear whatever question you had to ask him “please don't let Sarah marry the first asshole she falls in love with”

“I'm on it” he replied, laughing softly and pulling you closer. Closer than you'd ever been to him, he just wished that night wouldn't end too soon.

•••

Lying in Sarah's bed was odd, to say the least; especially when Joel's room was just there, a hallway distant from you. After the moment - better saying, the moments you both had shared in the past few days and even more so that night, you felt things would escalate to another level, a level in which it didn't matter to you if it was right or wrong, It was just bound to happen. But once you got to his home, he showed you his daughter's room, the bathroom, and asked if you needed anything else and simply let you be. Which was what you wanted, it was what you had asked him to do the last time you'd shared a kiss, but at the same time you felt disappointed because you wanted more of him, more of your Joel. The sweet moments you'd spent together were weighing so heavily in your heart, and even if you hadn't forgotten about what happened, the new proximity brought a new light in your relationship with Joel; it felt nice and different, a good different and as much as you closed your eyes and tried falling asleep, you were simply taken back to the moment he held you, soothed you, caressed your skin and assured you everything was alright. Tossing and turning in bed while you wished you were somewhere else instead, anywhere really, as long as he was just next to you. At first, when the gentle strumming from the guitar got to your ears, you imagined you had dozed off for a few minutes, perhaps you had even started to dream, but when your eyes were wide open and the beautiful, familiar sound wouldn't cease, you knew that only meant one thing: Joel was playing the guitar.

It couldn't come from his bedroom, the sound was too far to be coming from there, so you knew you would have to get up and explore. Suddenly, you felt a wave of excitement. Not only did you love watching Joel play the guitar, but now you had a pretty decent and reasonable excuse to go after him. You didn't want to make things weird and be that kind of person to leave the other confused, with your dubious signs, but you were just following your heart at that moment.

You tiptoed through his house, doing your best to move in the dark, as you didn't want to startle Joel or make him think you wanted the music to stop. And then your heart skipped a beat when you looked through the window and saw him playing the guitar on his porch. The cold wind that bothered you when you both were out eating tacos seemed to have stopped, and just then you realized it was indeed warm inside the house. He was so relaxed, strumming his guitar and humming a song softly, you've always loved his singing voice, even if he was a little shy about it, you could sit down and watch him play and sing for hours. You opened the door quietly and rested against the doorframe, admiring it quietly the way he looked focused at his guitar. He played calmly and it was the most beautiful sight you could ever think of. You wouldn't be able to tell exactly how long you stood there, but when Joel looked up at you, you were already walking towards him.

“That was beautiful, Joel…”

“Just like you are, darlin'”

You both knew exactly what you wanted at that moment, how you took another step closer, one after the other and you suddenly were hovering over him. Joel placed his guitar down, he wasn't going to be able to hold himself back, not at that moment. In one single motion, he pulled you to him by the hips, a tight grasp around your body and kissing you deeply. You straddled Joel, your hands making their familiar way towards his curls, loving how they always felt under your touch. Unlike the other times you'd kissed, you knew you would both go all the way down, you wanted it, craved it and even if you knew what to do and where to touch, it also felt new, you were both were the same young couple who'd been so in love, newly married and full of hopes and dreams, but you were also a couple who'd lived separately for more than a decade, you had both experienced heartbreaks, passions, you'd tried and touched other people, but eventually, just like home, it you were drawn to each other. There was no way out. When you were shamelessly humping and groaning on top of him, Joel knew it was time to take things inside, to hell with his neighbors, he didn't care if any of them witnessed it, if anything, he wanted people to see what a lucky bastard he was to have you in his arms, that he was going to take you and make you his at least once more. So he got up, lifting you up easily, so easily, and took you inside, climbing stairs with you in his arms, he longed for you, he was hungry for your body, your taste, your touch. He needed you and Joel Miller was about to take it all. He placed you over his mattress and got rid of his shirt - his dark blue one, that looked so good on him - and let your hands wander his body. He didn't take long to undress you, nibbling your thighs in the process, he knew your body like the palm of his hand, with the exception the last time he'd visited it, his palm wasn't as calloused as it was now, just as you weren't so painfully hot as you were at that moment. You'd always been gorgeous, but at that moment, naked in his bed, it was the most beautiful and erotic thing he'd ever seen and yet he wanted it to make it forever. As he got inside of you, he didn't know how long it would last, how long you both would last, you were being way nicer and more compassionate than he would ever deserve it, but at the same time, something within said you shared the same feelings for each other.

Once you both reached your bliss, love bites, kissings, caresses and so much affection between you both, you relaxed into his arms, your head resting comfortably in his chest, and you felt at home. You still didn't know what the next day would bring you both. Perhaps you would stay together, or you would part ways for good, there was still so much to be done, to spoken, you would have to handle the fact and the consequences of not using protection with Joel, maybe that was a good reason to worry about , or not, you didn't want to think of it, just as you didn't want to think of how you both could ever explain to Sarah what happened, or how Joel would explain Tommy and you would explain your family how you got together, maybe even one day Angela could return, you'd learned the hard way life wasn't a bed of roses and you feared that if you agreed to be happy with Joel once more you would get hurt, one way or another, but all that wasn't important, not at that moment. All it mattered was you and your Joel in bed, snuggled up and worrying about nothing but each other. He nuzzled your neck, making you giggle and in return you pecked his lips once more. He wanted to say those three little words, but decided not to, not yet, instead, he wanted to show you it, now he'd had a taste of you, and he vowed himself to make you happy for the rest of his life.

He knew he had broken your heart, it was the worst thing Joel Miller had ever done, but he was going to win you back, because he wasn't going to give up happiness with you, not again.

____

A/N: besties, how did I do? Did you like it? I hope you did! I honestly had planned on writing a sad ending, I was going to make reader move on from Joel once for all, but then, is it even possible to get over him? It's impossible not to fall for him and give him a second chance. A third part is possible but I have no idea when, and feedback is always welcome my lovelies ❤️💕

[smutinlove]

JASON TODD- TRAINING ROOM ​-SUGGESTIVE

—thought of this and said, why not?

You walked into the training room, your eyes immediately searching for one man. Jason Todd. His black hair with a streak of white, his pearly teeth, the scars on his back... Fuck, sometimes you just want to pounce on him.

I mean, were you wrong for wanting to?

There he was, boxing. He was drenched in sweat. You took your eyes off of him and quickly went to the treadmill, turning it on and starting to walk.

But you couldn't get him out of your mind. The loud sounds the punching bag made as he hit. You took your eyes off of him and focused on the wall in front of you.

Was it always... pearly?

"Doll, you can keep looking, you know? I don't bite, babe." You heard his voice pang from behind you. And suddenly, your face was scarlet. "I wasn't—" "It's okay, you can keep looking," he said as he skillfully rid himself of his boxing gloves. He made his way to you and smirked. You continued walking on the treadmill, increasing and decreasing the incline every few minutes, trying to avoid his gaze.

"Don't be embarrassed, sweetheart. I've seen the way 'ya look at me." You tried hiding your face, but that's when he turned off the treadmill and pulled you close. His hand snaked up to your waist, and his other hand fell down to your ass, causing you to blush.

"Don't worry, love. I'll take of 'ya, 'ma."

───── ❝ authors note ❞ ─────

Is it obvious i don't know how a treadmill works??? IM SORRY. I ONLY DO PILATES AND CALISTHENICS

anyway this fic was shitty but oh well

i have no idea what i was doing with this fic but tbh i like it anyway i sort of based it off of a c.ia bot that my bbg @hiro--aoki made

<3

[princesssmars]

plsssss do something for michael munroe im so starved

i could change your mind

some college football player mike headcanons.

contains: fluff. some nsfw. american football gross. mike is cocky whats new. fem!reader. hair nor skin color described.

a/n: anon i lowkey miss him too so i'll do a few headcanons for you anon. sorry that my until dawn rewrite is like on hiatus I just feel like it's gonna be such a flop so my brain says it cant be bad if I don't write it ??? idk. ty for making me do this. set in college but i've decided to start a year late so if i get shit wrong sorry scholars. (heart fingers emoji I'm on desktop fml.)

idk why but the first thing that popped into my head was him loving a sport...like he gives smart but also dumbass jock to me we let's go with he did football in high school and he's at college on a scholarship.

if you're like me you don't give two shits about the sport you probably would not like twice in a football player's way, which he definitely sees as a challenge. he'll come up to you in the dining hall and try to hit on you in front of his jock friends, spouting a "whatever you say, sweetheart" when you reject him with a grimace.

to your surprise and horror he's in one of your advanced classes in your second semester, sitting with his feet up next to your seat with a smile when you walk in. you do call him troglodyte for having his shoes on the table but he says with an easy smile that he's in with the teacher who said it was alright.

great.

for the first three weeks, you try to ignore his questions and poking at all costs, but when you get paired up on an important assignment you decide to hold your disdain on pause. he invites you to "study in his dorm" which nearly gives you a migraine, until he chuckles and tells you he's joking, telling you you can meet at common ground and study in the library.

you hold your tongue instead of giving a quip about how he probably won't be able to keep his mouth shut, but once you actually get there you realize the worst thing ever: mike munroe isn't a moron. he's actually pretty smart, maybe nearly as smart as you, and shows pretty good leadership with how he takes in both your academic strengths and divides the workload based on them. its not hard to see why he's the quarterback.

after you get an a+ on your project, you start to warm up to mike. his stupid quips in class start to actually become funny, leading to numerous moments where he makes you snort in class and the professor rolls his eyes.

your friendship soon grows enough that mike has the confidence to invite you to one of his games while you're walking around campus, and if you start to say no he informs you that he will not hesitate to get on his knees and beg in front of everyone. that makes you feel a little weird so you groan and tell him fine.

the whole time you don't really know what's going on, even though ten minutes before he had to get ready he tried to cram all of the rules into your head. even though you don't know everything you can tell when something good happens, like when he makes the touchdown that wins your school the game. he celebrates with his team members and his crowd of fangirls before coming over to you, clearly waiting for you to say football is fun or something,

you don't. but the after-party definitely was. you don't know what that frat guy put in the punch but it was good, and had you nearly drunk in only two hours. nearly being a keyword, because someone who was past the point decided to do a childish game of seven minutes, and you decided to play along for fun.

but it wasn't so funny when they spun the bottle and it landed on you, then the next turn between two people to point towards the couch where mike was watching with his friends. they both burst out laughing at the horrified look on your face as you reluctantly follow him inside the closet.

for the first minute it's quiet, soft noises from the two of you adjusting your bodies in the quiet space and "sorry"'s when you bump into the other.

he takes your silence for uncomfortableness, telling you he's alright with just sitting with you. "one of my favorite things to do actually"

you don't really know why but you kiss him after that. when you pull away you can faintly see his blank face. great. you ruined everything. you're about to give some half-assed excuse before his hand is on the back of your neck and he's pulling you back into him and pressing your body into his.

things get weird after that night.

you're still friends after that night, of course. except now its...different.

you still have your movie nights laughing at people making dumb decisions in horror movies, except now you'll sometimes wind up on mike's lap with your tongue down his throat.

you still text each other stupid pictures you found on snapchat (he insists on using it, fuckboy he is. or used to be, weirdly). except now before you go to sleep he'll send you a picture of his bulge with a smiley face at the bottom. if you send a picture back he'll send a long voice message that you don't open for your own sanity.

but you aren't like. dating. and you don't know why in passing you hear his teammate nick call you "mike's girl". because you aren't. at all.

and plus its not like you've slept together or even gone on an actual date. you're just...closer than normal friends are.

and then he leaves the next december to spend a week with his old friends, and you kind of mope around campus while he's gone. he makes sure to text you constant updates until the night where he arrives at the cabin, where he leaves you delivered for two days. he did say his ex was going to be there, so that nagging voice in the back of your head is telling you the worse.

until you finally get the call from some random number in alberta. when you pick up after some initial confusion you hear mike on the other side.

"mike? what the actual hell? its been two days, thought you somehow managed to get lost in the snow."

he laughed on the other line, able to tell you're insult at his intelligence meant you cared. his voice sounds hoarse.

"yeah, yeah i know. i'm sorry. something came up and i...i've been stuck in this damn police station-"

"police station? jesus, how hard did you guys party."

he calls your name and it's serious. he only sounds like that when something important or bad has happened.

"mike? is everything ok?"

"no, no its not. josh is...he's gone. the cabins gone. we're all pretty messed up."

you don't give a response, waiting for him to elaborate if he wants to.

"i don't know what to say..i'm so sorry."

"it's alright. i'll explain more when i get back. i just wanted to hear your voice."

"now you're really scaring me."

he laughs again, the scratch of his voice returning.

"thank you."

"for what? constantly insulting you and bringing you back to reality?"

"for making me laugh. haven't done it in a while."

"yeah, well...i'll make sure your roommate hasn't completely trashed your dorm. and we can get some takeout. on me, because i'm polite."

"screw that, we're going on a date."

your heart skips.

"did you actually get a concussion because that's not funny."

"im serious. no more being a pussy. time to start getting serious. plus we're basically already dating, so."

"god, why does everyone keep saying that?"

"i'll see you soon."

the phone hangs up and you toss the phone to the side with a slight smile.

[writeandsurvive]

Author's note: just a little Gibbs idea I've had in mind. Maybe I'll get back to writing for him more... :) maybe it's because I'm binging NCIS from the beginning again. I tried to keep it as gender neutral as possible, hope I did well. Also, it's not proofread and I'm not a native English speaker.

Summary: you're babysitting your brother's twins by yourself and ends up calling for help.

Warnings: age gap, I guess?, talk of near death experience, taking care of babies, reader not wanting kids, siblings banter

Babysitting ~ Leroy Jethro Gibbs

"Are you sure you're up for this?"

"Seriously? It's the fourth time you're asking. We're gonna be just fine!" You reassured your brother, as you're sitting on the play mat your ten months old nephew and niece. If you were completely honest, you were a bit anxious about babysitting the twins all by yourself as it was the first time. But you couldn't let your brother know that, as he was already struggling to leave.

"All you have to do is feed them, change their diapers at some point and put them to bed." He got down to pick up his daughter, finally saying goodbye.

"I promise they will be alive and in one piece when you come back. Hopefully, tomorrow morning." You grinned at him before grabbing your nephew and gentle holding him on his feet. "Now go daddy, have fun." You said with a baby voice, like it was your little dude saying it. After one more kiss to his girl, he put her down and did the same with his son.

"It's just a work thing." He told you for the umpteenth time.

"Yeah, but the beautiful single mom from your office will be there."

"She left just a month ago. I'm so not ready to jump into anything." He couldn't bring himself to say the name of his wife and mother of his children. One day, she just decided that being a mom and a wife wasn't for her and she took off. Which is why you were babysitting that night.

"Don't jump into anything, just jump on her."

"On those elegant words, I'm out. Bye babies, I love you!" He sent them kisses as he was walking towards the door. "What are you doing?" He asked when he noticed you were following.

"Going to a party of course!"

"Don't leave them out of your sight! Even for one second!" He scolded.

"They are on their mat, playing!"

"And your niece is starting to crawl!"

"Just leave and bang someone."

"And you wonder why you're still single..."

He finally left but not without holding his shoulder after you punched him.

"Okay babies! We can do this, right?"

Turned out, you couldn't. Or at least, it wasn't going as smoothly as you thought it would. Shortly after your brother left, your niece started to cry her heart out, wondering why daddy wasn't there, for sure. Then, your nephew decided that he wasn't going to eat. The food didn't seem yucky to you but it was to him, and he thought throwing around and at you was funny. So did your niece. By this time, your brother had already texted you twice and you obviously lied. The little boy being covered in soft food, you decided to give them both a bath, hoping it'd tired them a bit. But they both were very much against the baby shower gel, and your niece pooped in the tub. Which made everyone almost throw up.

After a (very) long struggle, they were finally in their PJs, clean and ready for bed. You thought a break was coming, but your niece had a meltdown. Which caused your nephew to have one too. You didn't know what was wrong, you tried everything you could to calm them both but nothing was working. You contemplated calling your brother several times, but it was his first night out since she left and you didn't want to ruin it for him. After over an hour of struggle, you did call someone.

"Gibbs," he answered.

"How much do you love me?" You immediately asked over the crying. You barely heard him chuckle.

"I'm on my way."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! I owe you one!"

You didn't know how long it took your team leader to show up at your brother's house. But somehow, as you were trying to soothe the twins on your brother's bed, you felt a presence behind you. "How did you get in? You know what, I don't care. Help me, please, I don't know what to do."

Whether or not the twins noticed that there was someone else in the room, they weren't stopping. Gibbs got closer to you, look down at the twins. "First, you're gonna take a deep breath."

"They are crying bloody murder!" You exclaimed.

"The more frustrated and anxious you get, the more they'll cry." You felt his hand on your shoulder and his gentle squeeze. You closed your eyes, tried to block the noises and took a deep breath.

"Now, are they fed? Changed?"

You wanted to give him a snarky comment as you always do, but didn't have the patience for it. So you just said yes.

He grabbed your niece into his arms, "Grab this little guy and do what I'm doing." You followed his instructions. Holding and bouncing your little man a certain way. After the eventful evening, you almost missed how incredible Gibbs looked with a baby in his arms, how gentle and soft he was. Such a natural. You nearly stopped everything when you heard him starting to sing a lullaby. It was quiet and you could barely hear him above the crying. That's when you realized that only your nephew was still crying. "You stopped." He warned you. "Don't get frustrated, hon. Sing to him."

You took another deep breath and did as told. Slowly, your nephew was calming down. It was magic.

"Lead the way to their bedroom." He whispered.

He put down in the little girl in her crib, and helped you putting down the baby boy, as he noticed you were too scared of waking him up. You stayed there for a moment, silently looking down at them, Gibbs right next to you.

"It's official, I do not want kids."

Gibbs chuckled and slid his hand in the back of your neck, bringing you to him so he could kiss your hair. You took the opportunity to go for a hug and he gently returned it. It suddenly became much easier to breathe.

"Is the baby monitor on?"

You checked, and grabbed the part you were supposed to keep with you.

"I need to change." You said after leaving the bedroom.

"You can take a shower."

"Do I look that bad?"

"You look like you need to relax."

"True. Will you be there when I get out?"

"Yes, give me the monitor." You did and felt shivers all over your body as his long fingers brushed against yours.

"Grab anything you want from the fridge. I'll be quick."

"No rush."

It was one of the most amazing shower you've ever had.

You knew you didn't want to have children most of your adult life, but it just got confirmed. You didn't want this to be your daily life. You loved kids, and you loved the twins more than anything in the world, but you didn't need one of your own.

When you reached the kitchen, it was sparkling clean. The big mess from dinner was gone. The toys were put away. Gibbs had his back turned to you as he was doing the dishes. "I don't know if I want to scold you or kiss you." You regretted the last words as soon as they got out.

Gibbs looked at you over his shoulder with a smile. "You're welcome."

"Seriously, you didn't have to!"

"No problem! You accepted to babysit twins after the crappy days we've had at work."

"Yeah," you sighed, remembering the awful case the team dealt with and only closed a few hours ago.

"How you feeling?" He asked, turning off the water and drying off his hands.

"How you feeling?" You retorted, earning a shy smirk from Gibbs.

"I'm fine." He reassured you, or at least, tried.

You got closer to him, grabbing the hand towel for him to put it away, and locked eyes with this man you've been in love with for a very long time. "You almost got killed, Gibbs." You said barely above a whisper.

"It comes with the job." He just said.

"Doesn't make it okay when it's such a close call." You could see the scene again. The bullet rushing so close to his head. A few centimeters to the left and Gibbs wouldn't be anymore. That thought hurt. It scared you more than anything else. And you couldn't control the tears forming in your eyes.

"I'm okay." He said one more time, knowing that you needed to hear it. So did he.

You felt his arms slowly wrapping around you, and before you knew it, your face was buried in his neck, as you inhaled his unique scent deeply. You held onto him tightly. "I can't lose you. Not you. Ever."

But you would, one day. Him being older than you, you knew that and Gibbs definitely knew it too. Which is why he never acted on his attraction and feelings for you. He knew you were feeling the same, he knew you were in love with him - even though he couldn't understand why or how. He could easily have given in, and enjoy whatever moments with you. But he refused. He couldn't do that to you, nor to himself. Everyday in this job, he could lose you too. That bullet could've been for you and not miss. Losing Shannon - and Kelly - was the hardest thing he's ever had to go through, and he couldn't bare the idea of losing another partner, especially you.

Which was why he tried to get you to leave NCIS several in the past few years. At first, it was pointing out how this job sucks - he loves it but he's a bit of masochist -, how you'd be better off doing something safe. Then it was introducing you to someone who had move on from this job and never felt better. And lately, it was asking Vance to find you a desk job you would actually enjoy. But nothing worked. You were still there, by his side, in harm's way.

Would it hurt to give in just this once? He wondered as he felt you clutching onto him. You fitted so perfectly in his arms, you smelled so good. You were showing your vulnerability, which you rarely do, with anyone and Gibbs found it very appealing.

He was looking down at you, you were looking up. He could lean in a few inches and his lips would reach yours. He started to, very slowly. But before it happened, your phone went off. You rushed to it, not to answer but mostly to shut it down, after it would wake up the twins, despite them being upstairs.

"Seriously!" You said after picking up.

"Just wanted to check in. Are they safely in bed?" You rolled your eyes.

"Of course not, I told you we were having a party. Can't you hear the music? Do they prefer scotch or bourbon?" You saw Gibbs smiling.

"You suck."

"So do you. Go back, and enjoy your night out, idiot."

"Hey, wait. Are you--sure it's not too soon for me?"

"She left, bro. Screw her. Whether it's a one time thing or more, as long as you're happy with it, just go for it. You deserve some fun."

"Says you, who can't move on from her boss, even though nothing ever happened. I mean, I tried to introduce you to some nice pe--" you hung up before he could finish. You knew Gibbs hear the entire thing.

"I'm, uh, gonna check on the twins."

But he held you back. "They are fine." He whispered.

"You already knew, didn't you?" You could look into his magnificent blue eyes. "That's why you've been trying to get rid of me?"

He sighed and brought you closer. His nose in your hair, his lips against your forehead. "I can't lose you either." He whispered, returning the vulnerability you showed earlier.

Hearing those words, you didn't think twice. You lifted your head up and crashed your lips on his. Gibbs didn't have the strength nor will to fight it. He intensified the kiss quickly, backing you up against the wall, where it happened for the very first time.

First of many.

[the-modern-typewriter]

ive been obsessed with your work and i honestly just can't get enough of them! Could i make a request please please please! Supervillain captures hero and tortures them for months until they suddenly get bored of them and ask villain to get rid of them. Villain doesn't know that it's hero he was ordered to kill by supervillain and when he enters the cell where hero was he becomes shocked by what he sees and can't get himself to kill hero. Please continue this however you like im so excited!!

The villain stopped in the doorway of the cell.

It would be wrong to say he stopped dead, given being dead was supposed to be a relatively peaceful thing after the horror of it all.

(The hero, surely, wished that they were dead.)

The villain's mouth worked, but no sound would come out at first. He felt like he'd been punched in the windpipe. In the stomach. In all the vulnerable, gasping places.

(The hero, surely, would find that laughable given the state of them. They would love to only have the air knocked out of them.)

They lay in a broken heap in one corner of the otherwise pristine cell - no chance of infection or disease ending their suffering early, oh no. They were a blot of colour against the white of it all. Bruises yellow and purple and green. Blood red. The glint of bone where no bone should be visible.

Perfectly clean, glossy hair. Intricate, shiny restraints untouched by the violence around them. No clothes.

"Have you come to kill me?" the hero asked.

Their voice was raw, raspy, whether from disuse or screaming he couldn't be sure. It was impossible to miss the most tentative note of hope in the hero's tone.

The villain swallowed. Hard. "Yes," he said. Then, "I've been ordered to. I -" He swore. "I didn't know you were here. I didn't - oh god. How long have you been here?"

He willed down the nausea. What right did he have to be nauseous?

It was impossible to miss the hope and, abruptly, equally impossible to fulfill his task.

He crossed the room in one swift movement, kneeling at the hero's side, flailing to pull off his jacket. To cover the hero with something soft and kind against the bitter chill of the dungeons.

"I'm going to get you out of here, okay? It's going to be alright."

He didn't want to bring a blade down on the hero's ruined flesh, he wanted to offer soothing creams and bandages. He didn't want to invite the hero to drink poison, when he could give painkillers. How could he destroy? All he wanted was to fix.

The hero's gaze finally moved over to him, with seemingly great effort. There was very little behind their eyes. Everything except desperation had been carved out, leaving them some hollowed thing with their innards dumped like garbage on the side.

The villain was reminded of Halloween pumpkins and husked-out dolls, rabid dogs too exhausted to do more than froth and whine.

"Please," the hero said. "Don't."

Once upon a time, the hero had never pleaded. At least not without a glint in their eyes, a mocking twist of their bright mouth, like pleading was a favour, an inside joke that they were both in on.

"You don't want to get out of here?" the villain demanded.

"I don't want to wake up here again tomorrow."

"I won't let that happen."

"Like you didn't let this happen?"

The villain flinched. There was nothing he could say to that, was there? He could beg forgiveness, but the hero didn't even say it like accusation. It was just a matter of fact. Resigned.

"Finish it." The hero closed their eyes, apparently done with the conversation. "If you ever cared about me. Just...just finish it. You need to finish it. Please."

The villain pulled a knife obligingly from one of his many sheathes. He'd seen a lot of dead bodies. His hand wavered, utterly unable to imagine the hero as one of them.

"No," the villain said. His shoulders squared. "No. You're right, I let you down. God, I let you down. But I - I'm going to fix it. I'm going to fix this."

Maybe it was selfish. He'd never claimed to be an altruistic man.

He stepped out of the dungeons some twenty minutes later, gently cradling the hero's body in his arms.

He stopped a second time.

The supervillain lounged against the stairs leading up, eyes glittering, a delighted grin upon their face.

The villain's mouth dried. He glanced down at the hero, who tensed, but did not seem surprised.

They seemed...guilty.

The villain's stomach plunged icy.

"Oh, you failed," the supervillain crooned. They pushed to their feet. "I really wasn't sure which way it would go. We had to have a little bet."

"You-"

The supervillain attacked with monstrous swiftness. Both hero and villain cried out as they hit the floor; the sounds impossible to distinguish from each other. Everything rang sickening with pain.

The supervillain caught hold of the villain's hair, yanking their head back. In an instant, the villain felt their powers sweep over his body, locking every joint and muscle in place. Rigid. Rigor-mortis.

"Good job," the supervillain said, to the hero, in the tone of one promising a lollypop to a toddler. "As promised, you can go now. Crawl away if you can. The front gate locks in one hour! You know what happens if you don't make it."

The hero choked on a sob.

The villain and the supervillain both watched them, agonisingly, try to move. They managed a mere inch. Dragging themselves, with bloodied-nails, across the polished floor.

Then the supervillain turned their attention, dismissively, back to the villain. They tightened their grip, dragging the villain's body back towards the cell, the way they'd come.

"Ah well," they shrugged. "That's a them problem."

"No." It came out a wheeze, barely audible through the villain's frozen lips. "[Hero], please, what-"

"This," the supervillain declared, throwing him down where the hero had been. "Is going to be so much fun. Traitor."

[joeys-babe]

Joey B Imagines: Nonsense*

————————————————————————-

Summary: A coupon book you give Joe for Christmas as a joke turns into you doing something completely out of your comfort zone.

Warnings: Smut

Pairing: Joe Burrow x reader

Imagine universe: Everlasting Love

————————————————————————-

December 29, 2023

(y/n’s pov)

Sitting in bed, bored.

Seems like all I've been doing since I got back to Athens.

I missed Joe with every fiber of my being. I would give so much just to be able to reach out and touch his soft skin, his blonde locks, and feel the warmth his body emitted.

It was later in the night, ten o'clock.

Joe was probably asleep already, but he hadn't texted me yet saying goodnight.

Maybe he just got busy, I thought.

My thoughts started wandering. I was getting nervous about why Joe hadn't texted me all evening.

Almost as if he could read my mind before I got too worried, Joe texted me.

Hey, baby. You're prob asleep but I'm sorry I'm just getting to you now. I was over at Sam’s and my phone died. He was being a dick and wouldn't let me use his charger for some reason.

Anyways, goodnight, I love you.

I laughed slightly at his text, able to picture Sam arguing with Joe because he didn't want him using his charger.

I'm awake actually. Sam’s stupid btw, and I love you too.

Watching the bubbles pop up quickly, it was just a few seconds later when Joe texted back.

Since you're awake, wanna ft?

Sure!

Seconds later Joe’s name showed up on my screen and I immediately accepted the call.

I was met with Joe’s smiling face when the call connected. He was lying in bed shirtless, curls slightly wet while leaning against the headboard.

“Hi, baby.” - Joe grinned

Immediately, I recognized how deep his voice was. His voice generally dropped an octave when he was tired or aroused, and right now, I had a feeling it could be both.

“Hi, Joey. What are you up to?” - you

“Lying here in bed, thinking about you and how much I want you in this bed.” - Joe

After giggling at his admission, Joe continued.

“I was just thinking about your week here, and then I started thinking about sex… and that coupon book you gave me.” - Joe groaned

“You are insatiable, Joe.” - you giggled

“Fuck… I want you so bad right now.” - Joe

“Well, you're two hours away.” - you

“I swear, I'm always the horniest when you're away. It's like my dick’s betraying me.” - Joe

I absolutely snorted, laughing at his confession.

“I’m sorry it's like that and that I can't do anything to help you, baby.” - you

“Not your fault. I just can't stop thinking about you… and being inside of you.” - Joe

“If it makes you feel any better… I think about you all the time. Wish I could suck you off through Facetime.” - you giggled

“Shit, don't say that.” - Joe

“Why not?” - you grinned

“I’m getting super fucking hard right now. I'm just trynna wait for my hard-on to go away, but that's not possible if you keep saying things that make my dick twitch.” - Joe

“Boy, you're feeling very blunt tonight.” - you laughed

“Sorry… I know I get whiney when I'm horny. If I get too annoying just hang up.” - Joe

“You’re not being annoying. Not wrong about the whiney part, though. Like I said, if I could help you I would.” - you

Joe sat for a second, looking like he was deep in thought.

Out of nowhere, he got that ‘lightbulb!’ Look on his face and sat up on the bed with a grin.

“What if there was a way you could?” - Joe

“What are you saying?” - you

“Can I cash in a coupon virtually?” - Joe

I thought for a second. I mean, I didn't want to make him wait to use them just when I was in Cincinnati.

“Yeah, I guess.” - you

“Fuck yeah!” - Joe

Giggling at Joe as he fist-punched the air and did a little dance, I waited to see which one he wanted to use.

“Remember you can only use one a day.” - you

“Oh, I know. I only need one.” - Joe

“Which one do you want to cash in, baby?” - you

Joe flicked through the little booklet, trying to find the one he wanted.

“Ooo! I quote… extra sexy lap dance.” - Joe

I gave him a “what?” look but he only grinned devilishly. His tongue poked out as he bit down on it.

“Joe, how am I gonna give you a lap dance when you're two hours away?” - you laughed

“Just do it right here, on call.” - Joe

A few seconds of silence passed, his cheeky smile oddly convincing.

“Okay.” - you

“Yes!” - Joe yelled

“I’ll be right back, I have to change and grab my speaker.” - you

——

I turned my camera back on once everything was set up. I already had a routine planned for a song and everything, but doing this over the phone would be so different.

Having to essentially dance and grind on my bed, pretending it was Joe.

“You ready?” - you

“So fucking ready.” - Joe

Pressing play on Nonsense by Sabrina Carpenter, I immediately started moving my hips in the most sensual way possible.

Just pretend you're in a club, performing for Joe.

Hearing Joe make a strangled noise gave me more confidence, he's enjoying this.

A few seconds later, I straddled the bed and started paying attention to the phone.

“Can I touch myself? Please?” - Joe

“Go ahead.” - you purred

Joe slid his hand down his pants and immediately wrapped it around his hard length.

“Fuck.” - Joe grunted

He was trying to match the movement of my hips with the slow pumps of his hand.

I could tell he was conflicted between closing his eyes or not. With his eyes closed, he could easily pretend it was my hand jerking him off, but he wanted to watch me.

A minute in, a third of the way through the song, Joe was moaning loudly.

“You… are so… goddam pretty.” - Joe groaned

Just a few seconds later, Joe abruptly pulled his hand out of his pants, and I heard the waistband snap against his stomach.

“I have to stop, I can’t cum yet…” - Joe breathed heavily

I stopped moving around, but Joe didn't like that one bit.

“Not you! Keep going, baby!” - Joe

Moments passed as I watched Joe bite on his lower lip, slowly rubbing over his bulge with his palm.

“Joe, there's a minute left of the song. You might wanna start back up.” - you

So he did. Joe immediately moved his hand back down his pants and pumped his cock faster than before.

“Good Girl, baby.” - Joe moaned

Joe’s head fell back as his chest started heaving, sweat dancing over his bare torso.

“Fuck! I'm gonna cum!” - Joe

“Joe, please take your shorts off. I wanna watch you.” - you

He immediately did my bidding.

I watched Joe lift his hips and pull his shorts down with one hand, never once letting go of his erection.

Joe grabbed his phone and brought it closer to his cock to give me a better view of one of my favorite parts of him.

“See what… you fucking- do to me?” - Joe

He was right. The entire shaft was beet red as his tip was wet from the precum constantly leaking out.

I watched his cock throb one last time before a loud moan left Joe’s lips, and he shot his load onto his hand and stomach.

“Shit…” - Joe hissed

Joe dropped his phone face down onto the bed, his screen was pitch black but I could still hear soft whimpers in his breath.

Pausing my music and getting under the covers of my bed, I got comfortable before checking on Joe.

“You okay, Joey?” - you

“Mhm. I'm just cleanin’ up.” - Joe

“Okay.” - you hummed

A minute later, Joe crawled into bed and picked up his phone.

One thing I loved about Joe was his post-orgasm expression. He always had this delirious smile with tired, hooded eyes.

“You want me to dance while you get off?” - Joe

“Babe, I love you, but I don't think head bobbing and the airplane is gonna help me out much in that department.” - you laughed

“What about my get the gat dance?” - Joe

I snorted when Joe formed a gun with his hand and did a little move with it.

“If you have the cigar, then yes.” - you giggled

Joe went to say something but when he opened his mouth the only thing that came out was a yawn.

“Noted.” - Joe finally said when his yawn was over

We just sat there for a moment, staring at each other with smiles on our faces.

“You seem pretty tired, baby.” - you

“After that orgasm? Yes. I don't think I've ever come that hard from jerking off.” - Joe

“It’s my effect on you, huh?” - you joked

“For real.” - Joe yawned again

“Goodnig-” - you

“Wait… can we just stay on FaceTime? I wanna fall asleep with you.” - Joe

“Of course.” - you

Butterflies erupted in my stomach as Joe placed his phone on the pillow next to his, the one I was sleeping on last week.

“Goodnight, y/n. I love you.” - Joe

“Goodnight, Joe. I love you too.” - you

A few minutes passed by and I heard his light snores through my phone speaker, causing me to smile.

I thought about hanging up, but instead plugged my phone in on my nightstand.

Though I wouldn't physically be falling asleep next to Joe, I knew he was with me.

And with him is where I wanted to always be.

————————————————————————-

Authors note: I was super hyped to write this idk why 💀

Request for this fic; I kinda tweaked it but it's still generally the same idea!

Hope you enjoyed! 💕

[lixzey]

Hey! Maybe you could write Remus Lupin x Fem Reader seven minutes in heaven fluff;)

a/n: This is the longest work i've ever written, so I hope you enjoy it! Very special thanks to @lilmaymayy for betaing this 🫶

word count: 7.2k

seven minutes to forever

The Gryffindor common room was ablaze with excitement as the Gryffindors celebrated their recent Quidditch victory against Slytherin. Waterloo by ABBA blared from the record player—courtesy of your best friend, Lily Evans. There were streamers of red and gold, along with a large banner with the words Gryffindor painted in red. There was a large table with sandwiches, cakes, pasties, and Honeydukes sweets, as well as a huge bowl of very suspicious-looking punch along with bottles of butterbeer and firewhiskey scattered around.

James Potter, the star Quidditch captain, was being hoisted onto the shoulders of his teammates as they chanted his name. Among the crowd, you spotted Sirius Black doing a little victory dance, while Peter Pettigrew was enthusiastically shovelling food onto his plate, and Remus Lupin was leaning against the wall with a small smile on his face, clearly enjoying the sight of his friends.

You turned your attention back to your friends, who danced along to the beat of the song. You couldn’t help but smile at the sight of your friends enjoying the night.

“Having fun, Y/n/n?” Lily asked as she twirled around.

“I am,” you chuckled, swaying your hips to the beat.

“You’re rocking that skirt, Y/n.” Marlene complimented.

You playfully rolled your eyes as you tugged on your skirt, still wondering how you ended up being coerced into wearing a form-fitting black leather skirt from Mary’s closet. “It’s awfully short, and it keeps riding up my thighs.”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Y/n!” Mary chastised, swatting your hands away from the hem of the skirt. “You have the hips for it, and it makes your arse look good.”

You laughed and shook your head, knowing there was no arguing with Mary when it came to fashion. “Well, if you say so-” You were cut off by a tap on your shoulder.

“Hey, pretty girl.” 

You rolled your eyes at the sight of Sirius Black trying to flirt with you. Sirius Black, the notorious ladies’ man and troublemaker, had always had a way of getting under your skin. His cocky smile and arrogance made you want to roll your eyes and give him a piece of your mind every time he came near you.

"Seriously, Black, can't you give it a rest?" you snapped, crossing your arms and turning away from him.

“But come on, love, you can't deny that I'm the most charming bloke around,” Sirius said, flashing his signature grin.

Rolling your eyes again, you huffed, "Charming? More like insufferable. I've had enough of your sorry excuse for compliments.”

Sirius chuckled, unbothered by your rejection. “I'll have you know that I can be quite serious when the situation calls for it.”

You scoffed. “The only thing serious about you is your name. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have better things to do than listen to your nonsense.”

With that, you turned on your heel and walked away, your friends trailing behind you.

“What the fuck was that, Y/n?” Mary asked with a raised brow.

“What? It’s not like I haven’t turned him down before.”

Mary scoffed. “Don’t tell me you still believe in finding your soulmate.”

You raised a brow at Mary. “Is there something wrong with that?”

“Well, I just don’t believe in that fairy-tale rubbish. Soulmates and true love—it's all a load of nonsense if you ask me,” Mary replied, shaking her head. “I just don't see how one person can be destined for another. There are billions of people in the world; it seems impossible that there's just one person meant for each of us.”

“Mary’s right,” Lily agreed. “And even if soulmates do exist, how do you know you'll ever find yours?”

You shrugged. “I don’t know; I just think there’s someone out there for everyone. Call me a hopeless romantic, but I like to believe in the idea of soulmates and true love. It gives me hope, you know?” 

“Come on, Y/n, be real. When the hell are you going to find the one if you keep turning down every guy who tries to ask you out?” Lily asked with an exasperated sigh.

You rolled your eyes, turning to face the redhead. “I don’t know; maybe when sparks fly?” 

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion, and when you turned to look, sparks were flying literally out of the record player. Remus Lupin stood there frozen, his cheeks flushing from all the unwanted attention on him.

Your eyes locked into his; you felt as if time slowed down around you and everyone else just faded from view.

“What the bloody hell happened, Moony?” James Potter’s voice rang out, snapping you out of your trance.

��N-Nothing, I-I’ve just pulled the needle too early.” Remus stumbled on his words, his eyes not leaving yours.

You couldn’t help but chuckle at Remus’ embarrassment, but you couldn’t deny the flutter of butterflies in your stomach. As the chaos of the common room continued, you found yourself stealing glances at Remus, who had turned back to the record player to fix the problem.

“Come on, everybody! Let’s play seven minutes in heaven!” Sirius announced, trying to redirect the attention away from Remus.

You found yourself being tugged along by Lily, who insisted that you join in on the fun.

“Come on, Y/n, it’ll be a laugh! Plus, who knows, you might end up with your soulmate in the closet.” Lily teased, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

“Oh, shut it, Evans.” You groaned inwardly, not liking the idea of being locked in a closet with someone for seven minutes, but nonetheless, you followed your friends into the centre of the room, where an empty firewhiskey bottle was set up in the middle of a circle.

“Okay, so whoever the neck and the base of the bottle stops at has to spend seven minutes in the broom closet,” Sirius explained, pointing to the closet near the portrait hole. “You go first, Prongs,” Sirius said, passing the bottle to James with a smirk.

James spun the bottle, and it miraculously landed on Lily, which made her scowl and cross her arms over her chest. “I am not getting in that closet with you, Potter.”

“Come on, Evans, I didn’t make rules.”

“Go on, Lils,” you urged, a sly smirk plastered on your lips. “Rules are rules.”

Lily’s scowl deepened as she glared at you. “Fine.” Lily stomped towards the closet, James trailing behind her with a wide grin while the rest burst into a fit of giggles and cheers—including you, knowing that Lily would hex James into the next century if he tried anything.

A little while later, James came out of the closet rubbing his cheek an effect you know so well—Lily had hit him with stinging hexes.

“You alright?” Marlene asked, trying not to laugh at the look on Lily’s face as she sat between the two of you.

“Shut up.” Lily hissed, rolling her eyes. “Potter called me carrot top!” 

“Alright, who’s next?” Sirius asked, trying to get the game going by spinning the bottle again. Your eyes followed the bottle as it spun around, anxiously waiting to see whether you were the next victim or not. This time it landed on you, and the other side was at Remus.

“My, my, my! Look who we have next!” Sirius announced loudly.

When the realisation set in that you would have to spend seven minutes with Remus Lupin in a small, hot, cramped closet, your cheeks flushed. Remus’s face began to match yours as the rest of the boys began to cheer—the girls even joining in—Lily had the same sly smirk you had just minutes ago.

“Go on, Y/n/n,” Lily urged, pushing you to stand. From the corner of your eye, you saw Remus stand up with a defeated sigh and make his way to you while the rest of the Marauders teased him.

Remus looked at you with an apologetic smile, his hand out, ready to help you up. You looked from your friends to the group and finally up to Remus, your eyes meeting his. Remus’ brown hair framed his face perfectly; he had long silver scars littering his face down to his neck, but he still looked as handsome as ever.

Remus crouched down beside you, his lips a few inches away from your ear, his hand out for you to take. “We don't have to do this, you know? We can just sit back down and let someone else-”

“No, no, it's alright, let’s do this”. You whispered back, taking his warm hand into yours. Everyone started to cheer, with your friends and the Marauders being the loudest of the lot. The two of you made your way into the closet.

“Go get some, Moony!” James laughed, his hands mimicking two people kissing, making Remus groan.

“Only seven minutes, love birds; use them wisely!” Sirius teased as you and Remus stepped inside. The moment the door shut, the two of you were plunged into darkness. You realised how small this closet really was; you were an inch away from being chest-to-chest with Remus.

You could feel Remus shifting in front of you, the air around you becoming warm with the close proximity. You tried to ignore the sight of his face in the dim lighting—chiseled jawline, strong nose, and brown eyes. Why the bloody hell did he have to be so handsome?

“Is it hot in here?” Remus asked, breaking the silence between the two of you as he fanned himself with his hand before fanning you as well. “Are you hot? I mean, you are hot-” You couldn’t help but laugh at what Remus had just said. Although you couldn’t see it, you knew his eyes had widened.

“S-sorry, I-I mean….” Remus stammered. The sound of your giggles made his cheeks feel warm. “I’m not exactly the smoothest bloke out here.” He chuckled nervously.

“Remus, it’s alright; I mean, it is a little stuffy in here.” you assured him, patting him on the shoulder.

“Yeah, it is,” Remus agreed before reaching into his pocket, pulling out his wand, and muttering, “Lumos.”

The light filled the small space and made you see the whole closet for the first time. If it were anyone else, you’d be panicking right now, but being with Remus didn’t feel as nerve-wracking.

“Sorry about this, Y/n,” Remus mumbled. “I didn’t think you would have wanted to be stuck in a closet with me.”

You chuckled, feeling heat rising to your cheeks. “It's fine, Remus. I know it's all just a game.”

“Thanks for coming with me here, I-“ Remus gulped, “I appreciate it.”

You raised a brow at him, a coy smile playing on your lips. “Remus, do you even know how many girls are wishing to be in my place right now? Merlin, they even call you the Casanova of Gryffindor tower!” 

“Okay,” Remus began to relax, now laughing with you. “But that's just because I'm nice—nice to girls who just so happen to find me cute. Plus, I mean,” he breathed. “It's not like I'd pursue anything with them.”

You cock a brow, your teasing smile only growing as he rushes to defend, “I mean—they're all nice right back to me, but—I just have my eyes on someone else.”

You felt your heart skip a beat at Remus’ words. “Someone else, huh? Who could that be?” 

“It’s just...” Remus hesitated, running his hand through his hair nervously. “I just feel like soulmates exist, you know? Maybe it’s stupid, but I can’t help it. I want to believe that there’s someone out there for me. Someone who gets me Someone who makes me feel... complete.”

Your heart pounded in your chest, and your mind was racing with questions. Were you just reading into things too much? Or was Remus trying to tell you something?

“I don’t think it’s stupid at all, Remus,” you said, your voice soft.

“I believe in soulmates too.” Remus looked up at you, surprised.  “You do?” 

You nodded, a smile tugging at the corners of your lips. But before you could utter another word, there was a harsh bang against the closet door, interrupting your thoughts.

“I don't hear any kissing in that closet! Come on, you guys, don't be boring! You have three minutes left!” James’ voice echoed, muffled by the closet door.

You and Remus exchanged a glance before chuckling and shaking your heads.

“You know we don't have to do anything, right? I would never want to pressure you into anything, wizard’s honour,” Remus assured, raising a hand.

You smiled softly at his reassurance. “Eh, it sounds like they want a show. Who are we to deny them of it?” Your cheeks begin to flush, your heart pounding inside of your chest. But his lack of response made you nervous about the forwardness of your comment.

“Maybe we could just...” you gulped. “Make it seem like it.” Remus’ brows knitted in confusion. “You know, just make sounds to make them think,” you explained, hoping he'd understand.

Remus nodded, the confusion leaving his expression. “Right, that's a good idea.”

“Follow my lead.” You chuckled, winking at him.

Remus smirked. “Alright, take the stage.”

Your eyes twinkled with mischief before you banged on the closet door and let out a loud moan. “Oh fuck, Remus!”

“Oh shit, Moony’s getting some!” Sirius’ voice rang out along with loud cheers from everyone else outside the broom closet.

Remus’ eyes widened, clearly not expecting that from you. You jerked your head at him, urging him to do the same.

Remus let out an exaggerated groan: “O-oh, yes, baby girl, so good!”

“Oh Merlin, yes, yes!” 

“Pinch me here,” Remus whispered, pointing to his neck. You obliged and pinched his neck lightly.

“Ouch! That hurt, baby girl!” Remus grunted. “You like it rough, huh, baby girl?”

“What in Merlin’s name are they doing?” Lily asked, horrified.

“They’re shagging, Evans; do try and catch up," Sirius said, mouth agape at the sounds coming from the closet.

The two of you continued to put on a performance, making kissing noises, grunts, thumping, and moaning from time to time.

And then, before you knew it, the door was being flung open by Sirius. “Time's up! Come on, you two lovebirds.”

Remus shot up, his face flushed. The two of you had your foreheads pressed together, hands intertwined, and clothes dishevelled. It felt strangely right, like connecting with Remus was something you were meant to do. He pulled you up, and the two of you walked out, avoiding everyone’s gaze, which seemed to be snickering. As soon as the two of you sat down, everyone didn’t waste time teasing both of you as you sat down.

“Remus, you sly dog!” James laughed, clapping Remus on the back.

“Wow, that was intense!” Peter chuckled, looking at you and Remus.

“Yeah, we thought the two of you had gotten lost in there,” Sirius added with a smirk.

“You slag, Y/n L/n!” Mary teased.

“Well, that was quite the show!” Marlene teased, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

“I can’t believe you shagged Remus Lupin in a broom closet!” Lily rolled her eyes, but there was a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

You let out a groan and buried your face in your hands in embarrassment. “Can we not talk about this anymore? Move on to the next ones, please!”

“There will be no next, Miss L/n.” A voice said, and everyone in the room fell quiet. You lifted your head from your hands to see Professor McGonagall.

The excited chatter turned to hushed whispers. Everyone in the circle quickly stood up, some nearly toppling over because of the alcohol they consumed.

“This game ends now. If there are any further disruptions, there will be consequences. Is that clear?”

“We were just having some fun, Minnie,” Sirius explained, a cheeky grin plastered on his face.

“Fun is one thing, but disrupting the entire Gryffindor tower is another. I suggest you all clean up this mess and head off to bed,” Professor McGonagall ordered, her stern gaze sweeping over the room.

The room was quickly cleared of food, drinks, and decorations as everyone began to leave, grumbling and complaining about their fun being ruined. You helped Lily, Mary, and Marlene gather the streamers and discarded plates.

“Come on, Y/n/n, let’s head up,” Lily said, nudging you with her elbow. “I doubt Professor McGonagall is done giving her lecture for the night.”

 “Yeah, that was a bit reckless, don’t you think?” Marlene added.

 You sighed, feeling guilty for being a part of the chaos that had ensued. “I know, I know. I’m sorry, guys.”

“It’s okay; it was all good fun,” Mary assured

You nodded, trying to shake off the lingering embarrassment from the game and the moment you had shared with Remus.

“You sure? You’ve been quiet since you and Remus came out of the closet,” Lily teased, raising a suggestive eyebrow.

 “Oh, shove off, Evans.” You rolled your eyes, playfully shoving her.

The four of you made your way up to the girls' dormitory, still reeling from tonight’s high, when someone called from behind you. You looked back only to see Remus jogging up towards you. You looked back at your friends, who were smirking at you before they stepped inside the dormitories—but you knew that they’d be listening from behind the door.

“Uh, hi.” Remus smiled sheepishly.

“Hey, Remus. What's up?” you asked, trying to act unsurprised but feeling the butterflies in your stomach were saying otherwise.

Remus stopped in front of you, nervously scratching the back of his neck. “Hey, Y/n. I just wanted to say that I had a great time with you, uh, in the closet. I mean, we made a great team, putting on that show. And, uh, I was wondering if maybe you'd like to do it again? Not the closet, of course, but... hang out, I mean.” He stumbled over his words, his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

You couldn't help but smile at his awkwardness, feeling a rush of warmth at the thought of spending more time with him. “I'd like that, Remus. I had a good time too,” you replied, feeling a strange flutter in your stomach.

“Great!” Remus grinned, looking relieved. “Um, maybe we could, I don't know, go for a walk by the lake or something? If you want to, that is.”

Before you could answer his question, the door swung open, revealing Lily, Marlene, and Mary peeking out from behind.

“Time to hit the hay, lovebirds!” Mary interrupted, a sly smirk playing on her lips.

Remus chuckled, trying not to be too embarrassed in front of your friends. “Uh, so what do you say?”

“A walk by the lake sounds wonderful, Remus. I’d love to.”

“Great, it’s a date then,” Remus replied, a smile lighting his face. I’ll see you tomorrow at breakfast, Y/n?” 

“Yes, definitely; I’ll see you then.”

You turned to walk up to your friends before giving Remus one last look. “Good night, Remus.” You smiled, leaning against the doorframe, your friends grinning behind you.

Remus smiled, his cheeks flushing pink. “Good night, Y/n.”

As soon as you step inside, your friends start to squeal.

“Okay, is it possible for you guys to not embarrass the living daylights out of me?” You growled with a mock glare, trying to hide the smile you couldn’t fight as you stepped inside the bathroom to get ready for bed.

“I can’t believe it!” Lily said, jumping up and down in excitement. “You and Remus, a walk by the lake—it's like something out of a romance novel!” 

“Okay, okay, simmer down,” you said, rolling your eyes. “It’s not like it’s a date or anything."

"Yeah, right, we’ve never seen you smile like that before,” Lily teased, wiggling her eyebrows.

“It was just a walk by the lake, nothing special,” you insisted, shrugging your shoulders.

“Sure, sure,” Marlene said, rolling her eyes playfully.

“I hope he knows how lucky he is,” Mary added with a dreamy look.

“Should I go down and give him some pointers?” Marlene teased, earning a playful slap on the arm from Lily.

“You guys are insufferable, you know that?” You groaned, feeling your cheeks flush with embarrassment.

“Don’t pretend like you aren’t excited, Y/n,” Lily said with a wry smile.

“Fine, maybe I am a little excited about it,” you admitted, unable to stop a small smile from tugging at your lips.

“You should be, after all of what happened in the closet,” Marlene teased, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

“Oh, shut it. I’m going to bed before you all drive me crazy,” you groaned, rolling your eyes.

“Goodnight, lovergirl!” Lily called after you with a laugh as you climbed into bed, unable to stop a smile from spreading across your face.

As you settled into bed, you couldn’t stop thinking about the way Remus had looked at you, the warmth in his eyes, and the nervousness in his voice. You knew there was something there—something deep and unspoken, something that made you feel more alive than you had in a long time.

Meanwhile, Remus stood at the top of the staircase, staring at the door to the girls’ dormitories, a huge smile plastered on his facele.

“Oi, Moony! What are you smiling about, you lunatic?” James asked, approaching Remus with a confused look, Sirius and Peter trailing behind him.

"Nothing; I, uh, just had a good night tonight,” Remus replied with a shy smile. “I, uh, asked Y/n out on a walk by the lake tomorrow.”

James grinned, clapping Remus on the back. “That's great, mate!” James chuckled. “Finally decided to make a move, huh?”

Remus blushed and shrugged, feeling embarrassed. “I just had a really great time with her tonight, and I want to get to know her better,” he admitted.

“You've got it bad, mate,” Peter teased. “You’re already pining for her!”

“I wasn’t pining, I just...” Remus trailed off with a blush.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Moony,” Sirius chuckled, giving him a nudge.

“I’m happy for you, mate. I hope it goes well.” James smiled, giving Remus a pat on the shoulder.

“Thanks, Prongs,” Remus said, feeling grateful for his friend’s support.

“I’m happy for you too, Moony.” Peter smiled, clapping him on the back.

“What about you, Pads?” James asked, raising an eyebrow at Sirius, who rolled his eyes.

“Okay, I’m happy for you, Moons. But I’m the one that should be-” 

“Okay Pads!” James said, clapping a hand over Sirius’ mouth. “You’re happy for Moony!”

“Yeah, yeah, I heard you loud and clear,” Sirius grumbled, playfully shoving James' hand away. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t have a little fun too, does it?”

Remus laughed, feeling grateful for his friends and excited for his date with you. He couldn’t deny that there was something special about you—something that made his heart race and his palms sweat. Maybe, just maybe, you were the one he had been waiting for all along.

Maybe now he has somebody to love.

Surprisingly, Remus struggled to go to sleep that night; his smile was too wide and his dreams too big to relax and fall asleep. But eventually, his thoughts calmed down to imagining what the morning would bring, what her hair would look like, what she would wear, and what he'd say to her in class, finally allowing him to go to sleep.

The light slowly crept through the curtains of your four-poster bed, sunlight casting a warm glow over your face. You could hear loud shuffling from outside and stop at your bedside, the bed dipping down.

“Wake up, sleeping beauty!” Mary’s loud singsong voice echoed in your ears, making you groan in annoyance.

You turned your back at her, covering your head with your pillow. “Leave me alone,” you mumbled, still bleary-eyed.

“Get up, Y/n/n! We’re going to be late for breakfast!” Lily urged you, shaking your shoulder and yanking the pillow away from your head.

Groaning in protest, you reluctantly sit up and rub your eyes. “Fine, fine, I’m up.”

“Hurry up, don’t you want to see your soulmate at breakfast?” Lily teased, making Mary and Marlene snicker.

At the comment, your eyes popped open, meeting her knowing stare, eventually getting shy under her gaze, hiding your face in the pillow. She was right, so, albeit slowly, you pulled yourself up, dragging your feet to the bathroom to start getting ready.

You showered, washed, combed and dried your hair, brushed your teeth, and got dressed. You walked out of the bathroom to find your friends waiting for you, all of them giving you sly smirks as you walked towards them.

“What do you all have up your sleeves?” You asked, eyeing them suspiciously.

"Nothing; we’re just excited for you!” Lily said with a playful wink.

“Oh, please,” you scoffed, rolling your eyes. “Keep it down, you lot.” 

With your lips glossed, your long hair braided to the side, and your uniform smoothed out, you grabbed your bag and followed your friends out of the common room and down the spiral staircase to the Great Hall for breakfast.

You made your way down to the Great Hall with your friends, Mary and Marlene, linking arms while you walked alongside Lily, chatting and laughing as you made your way to the Gryffindor table.

As you entered the hall, your eyes scanned the room and landed on Remus, who was sitting with his friends. Remus glanced up at you and met your eyes, a smile spreading across his face. You felt a rush of warmth in your chest as you returned his smile.

From your fleeting glance, you were still able to see his dark brown curls perfectly framing his chiseled face. Merlin he was cute. A small smile formed as you hurried to your usual seat beside Lily, who was already looking between you and Remus, a tease on the tip of her tongue. But with your averting gaze and soft sigh as you began to load your plate, she swallowed any comment down with the flush of her pumpkin juice.

In Remus’ eyes, you couldn't look more beautiful. Your hair was vibrant and bouncing just like you, and you looked effortlessly beautiful, essentially strutting to your seat beside Lily after catching his stare.

“Mate, you're going to burn holes into her head if you keep staring.” James laughed, chewing on his first sausage of the morning.

“Oh, piss off, you hypocrite! You’re acting like you weren't staring at Lily just the same.” Remus scowled, lightly pushing James’ elbow off the table but laughing hard as it threw him off balance, Prongs’ fighting to stay on his seat, and the boys fighting to keep their boisterous laughter down.

“You’re looking at her like she took the moon out of the sky.” Peter pointed out as he shovelled some eggs into his mouth.

“You don’t understand; she’s just different,” Remus mumbled, feeling a warm flush spread across his cheeks.

“Oi, quit ogling at her. Stop being such a hopeless romantic and eat your eggs.” Sirius smirked, pushing the plate of eggs in front of him.

“Alright, back off, lads,” James intervened, swatting Sirius and Peter and grabbing a piece of toast. “He's nervous. A bloke can only handle so much. It’s not everyday that Moony is out of his wits.” Taking a bite of his toast, a sly smile crossed his lips as he watched the interaction from the corner of his eye.

“Oh, for Merlin’s sake, can we just have breakfast in peace?” Remus groaned, taking a bite of his toast.

James chuckled, knowing that he had hit a spot. “Alright, Remus, just relax. You don't want to scare her off before you even get the chance to talk to her properly.”

“You think I don't know that?” Remus hissed, feeling his cheeks heat up even more.

“Just play it cool, mate. You'll be fine,” Sirius reassured, clapping Remus on the back.

“Yeah, just be yourself, and she'll fall for you in no time.” Peter added.

Remus sighed, trying to ignore the butterflies that were dancing in his stomach. He couldn't remember the last time he felt this nervous around a girl, and it was equal parts terrifying and exhilarating.

“Now,” James chuckled. “Eat the bloody eggs, Moony. We don’t want a cranky werewolf, do we?”

Remus couldn’t help but laugh, his cheeks still flushed. “Alright, alright,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Wanker.”

This caught the eyes of none other than Y/n, who was already staring at Remus, only starting to smile seeing him so in his element, laughing happily with his friends, hiding his blushing cheeks behind his scarred hand.

As you ate your breakfast, you found it hard to keep your attention on your food. Your eyes kept drifting back to Remus. A small smile tugged at your lips as you watched the way his eyes crinkled when he laughed and the way he ran a hand through his hair when he blushed.

Feeling a warmth spread throughout your chest, you couldn’t help but feel a sense of excitement at the thought of your walk with Remus later that day. And the longer you looked at him, the more you felt butterflies in your stomach. You continued to sneak glances at him throughout breakfast, feeling your cheeks flush with warmth as he caught your eyes and smiled back at you. The moment felt surreal, but in the best way possible.

As breakfast came to an end, Remus stood up from the table, looking over at you with a warm smile. With a shy smile, Remus asked, “Can I, uh, walk you to class, Y/n?”

Your friends started giggling from behind you, making you flush in embarrassment, your cheeks nearly rivalling Lily's red hair. You turned to glare at them, only to see their smiles wide—wider than the Cheshire cat, if possible.

“Go on, give him an answer,” Mary urged, a teasing smirk on her lips.

Remus shifted nervously as he waited for your response. You turned back to him and nodded. “I’d like that, Remus.”

Remus smiled, relieved at your response. “Great.” He extended his hand to you. “Shall we?”

You nodded, throwing your bag over your shoulder before taking his hand to stand up. “See you later, girls.”

“Have fun, Y/n. Take your time!” Marlene called out, making you scowl and roll your eyes.

“Come on, Remus, let’s go.” You smiled, fighting the heat as it rose to your cheeks. You and Remus started to walk out of the bustling hall.

“Oi, lover boy!” James called out to Remus with a huge grin.

Remus groaned, refusing to look back at James. “Bugger off, Prongs!” 

You chuckled at his annoyance, his nose crinkled up, and his brows furrowing—which you find cute.

“Don’t forget protection!” Sirius yelled, laughing loudly.

Remus groaned even louder, his cheeks turning beet red, while you stifled a laugh.

“I’m going to kill them, as soon as they fall asleep.” he muttered, tugging at his scarf nervously.

You shook your head, laughing softly. “Don’t worry about them. They're just having fun.”

As you and Remus walked side by side on your way to your first class, you couldn’t help but feel a sense of comfort and contentment. The world around you seemed to fade away, and for that moment, it was just the two of you sharing each other’s company, and before you knew it, you had reached your classroom.

“Thanks for walking me, Remus,” you said with a warm smile. “I’ll see you later?”

Remus smiled back at you and said, “Yes, I’ll see you later.” He sighed contentedly as you stepped inside the classroom, feeling his heart thump loudly in his chest.

Remus turned away and walked to his respective class, still reeling from the sight of your smile, when someone laughed from behind him.

“There’s our good old-fashioned lover boy!”  Sirius laughed at the sight of Remus, looking like a lovesick puppy—well, like a lovesick wolf cub.

“Merlin, Moony, you look like a walking tomato,” James teased, ruffling his hair.

“Leave me alone,” Remus groaned, feeling his cheeks flush even more. “I can’t believe you guys! ”

“You’ve got it bad, Moony,” Peter grinned. “It’s written all over your face.”

The taunting and teasing continued all the way to their first class—History of Magic—and as Remus took his seat, he couldn’t help but feel excited for the walk with you later, wondering what he could do to make it special for you.

What about a picnic? That’s nice; she would like that.

Flowers—every girl loves flowers, right? Maybe I can stop by the greenhouse and pick some up for her. Wait, what flowers does she even like?

Remus sighed, slumping in his seat. Of course he wouldn’t know what her favourite flowers were; hell, he didn’t know a thing about her yet. Remus felt hopeless; there was no way he could surprise you, unless...

“Prongs,” Remus whispered, tapping James on the shoulder.

“Huh?” James mumbled, half-awake.

“Can you guys help me with something?” Remus asked, a hopeful look in his eyes.

James yawned, rubbing his eyes awake. “What do you need?”

Remus took a deep breath. “I want to surprise Y/n later.”

James’ eyes widened. “You romantic son of a—Oi Sirius, wake up!” James nudged Sirius hard, jolting him awake.

“Where’s the dragon!? Where!?” Sirius exclaimed, bolting upright and nearly toppling out of his seat.

“Settle down, Padfoot. Remus is not going to surprise a girl with a dragon.” James rolled his eyes, making Remus huff in exasperation. “Moony needs our help with something; pay attention.”

Sirius blinked, his eyes unfocused, until he looked between Remus and James. “What's going on?” he asked, shaking his head to fully wake up.

“Remus wants to surprise Y/n today; give him some ideas,” James urged, nudging Sirius with his elbow. “You’re good at this sort of thing.”

“Oh, right. I’m quite the charmer, aren’t I?” Sirius yawned.

“Whatever, just help me,” Remus sighed, rolling his eyes as he leaned closer to the two of them.

“How about flowers?” Sirius suggested, “Girls love flowers.”

“Duh, we know that,” James said, rolling his eyes. “But which flowers?”  

Sirius shrugged. “I don’t know. Just pick some nice ones.”

“Brilliant idea, really helpful,” Remus rolled his eyes. 

James groaned. “This is going to take some serious planning,” he muttered, shaking his head.

Over the course of the class, the three boys huddled together and began to think of ways to help Remus plan a surprise for you. Together, they came up with the perfect idea for the picnic by the lake.

1. James will get the food from the kitchen.

2. Sirius will get a blanket and tea candles for that romantic feel.

3. Peter’s going to get the flowers.

4. Remus, just be Remus.

Later on, after class, the Marauders headed outside of the castle to start preparing for the surprise, leaving you none the wiser on what was going on behind the scenes. Throughout the day, Remus couldn’t keep the smile off his face, feeling the excitement build in his chest with each passing hour.

The sun began to set as evening approached, and students started to make their way back to their respective common rooms, some already getting ready to study in the library and some on their way to detention. When you reached your dorm, you found your friends waiting for you, already curious about how your day had gone.

“So, how was your day, Y/n?” Mary asked, a playful glint in her eyes.

“Yeah, what’d he say?” Marlene added, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

You rolled your eyes at their teasing, but you couldn’t deny the warm feeling that bloomed in your chest at the thought of your time with Remus. “We just had a nice walk to class together; nothing too exciting,” you replied, trying to keep your voice nonchalant.

Lily and the others exchanged knowing looks, clearly not buying your casual tone. “Alright, well, we won’t pry….yet.” Lily smirked. “Make sure to come back to the common room once you're done with your walk. You have to tell us everything.”

“That’s assuming there’s anything to tell,” you chuckled, feeling a familiar warmth spread throughout your chest. With that, you made your way to get ready for your walk with Remus, excitement bubbling inside you. You quickly freshened up and changed into a comfortable yet cute outfit—a pale pink sweater and some white jeans—making sure to look presentable for your time with Remus.

You waved your friends goodbye as you left the dorm, already looking forward to spending time with Remus and getting to know him better. You walked down to the common room, only to be stopped by James.

“Hi, Y/n.”

“Hey, James,” you smiled. “Have you seen Remus?” 

 “Actually, Mr. Moony has sent me to fetch you, my fair maiden.” James grinned before taking an exaggerated bow in front of you.

“If you’d be so kind as to follow me.” James held out an arm with a flourish, which made you laugh and roll your eyes.

“Alright, show me the way, kind sir,” you giggled, taking his arm.

James led you through the corridors, making jokes along the way. The two of you stopped at the courtyard, and James then turned to you.

“Go down to the beech tree; Remus is waiting for you there.” James smiled, winking at you.

“Thanks, James,” you chuckled, before making your way through the courtyard and down to the lakeshore.

As you reached the spot where Remus was waiting, you couldn’t help but feel a shot of warmth in your chest yet again. Remus was standing there with a smile on his face and a bouquet of pink and yellow flowers in his hand.

“Hi, you look beautiful.” Remus’ smile widened, his cheeks turning pink as he offered you the flowers.

You had to fight back a smile as his compliment made your heart skip a beat. “Thank you, Remus,” you said with a shy smile, taking the flowers. “Everything looks really lovely.”

Your eyes fell on the setup that Remus had prepared—a blanket spread out on the grass, tea candles placed around, and a small picnic basket beside it.

“Did you do all this?” you asked, feeling genuinely touched.

“Not entirely,” Remus admitted, smiling sheepishly. “My friends helped me, but I wanted to do something special for you.”

“Thank you, Remus. This is really sweet,” you said, feeling warmth in your chest.

You sat down on the blanket, and Remus joined you. The two of you started to talk and get to know each other better as the sun began to set. The air was filled with laughter, chatter, and the sound of nature around you. It felt like time was slowing down, allowing both of you to enjoy the moment and each other’s company.

As the evening turned to night and the moon shone brightly in the velvet sky, Remus took a deep breath, feeling a sense of contentment and happiness wash over him. He couldn’t deny that there was something special about you—something that made him feel more alive than he had in a long time. And in that moment, as you talked and laughed under the moonlight, Remus couldn’t help but feel as if he had found someone who understood him, someone who made him feel like everything was right in the world. And in that moment, he knew that you were someone he wanted to hold onto, someone he wanted to be a part of his life.

You looked up, meeting Remus’ eyes, and felt a sense of connection that you had never experienced before. Looking into his warm and gentle brown eyes, you just felt safe, and you knew that this was the start of something special, something worth holding onto.

“Thank you for tonight, Remus,” you said, feeling a sense of contentment in your heart.

“It was my pleasure, Y/N; you deserve it and more. I had a great time with you,” Remus replied, his eyes holding a warmth that made your heart skip a beat. “I was wondering...”

“What is it?” 

“Would you like to go with me to Hogsmeade on the weekend?”

Blood rushed into your cheeks at his question. Remus just asked you out to Hogsmeade! “I’d love to, Remus.”

Remus’ smile widened, and his cheeks tinged pink. “Great. It’s a date?” 

You chuckled softly. “Yes, it’s a date.”

As you both made your way back to the Gryffindor common room, the evening felt magical in a way that you couldn’t quite define. You stepped inside your dorm, and you were met with the squeals and teasing of your friends, who had clearly been waiting for your return.

“You’ve been gone for ages; you seemed to be having fun,” Marlene teased, nudging you playfully.

“Hey, stop it!” you laughed, playfully swatting her arm.

“It looks like someone had a good time,” Lily teased, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

You shook your head at their teasing, but you couldn’t deny the smile that remained on your face. Tonight had been different and special, and you couldn’t wait to see what the future held.

As you sat on your bed with your friends, the warm feeling in your chest lingered, and for the first time in a long time, you felt like everything was going to be okay.

And as for Remus, as he made his way to his dormitory, a smile remained on his face. The special night with you felt like a dream, but he knew that it was just the start.

Maybe you were the one he had been waiting for—the one who could tame the heart of a werewolf—the one who could make him feel more alive than he had in a long time. And the thought of spending more time with you, getting to know you, and making new memories together filled him with hope and excitement.

He went to sleep that night with a contented heart and the belief that you were the one he had been searching for all this time, the one he could see himself falling for. And as he drifted into sleep, he let the thoughts and dreams of you soothe him to a good night’s rest. 

Who knew a game of seven minutes in heaven could make you feel like this?

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[blindaysblogforturtles]

Everyone's doin it, why shouldn't I? I've got things to say! And unfortunately, Cass cant just draw as if she is a camera looking at them the whole time. So, we still get space for fic!

Hope you like it. It's like, the first time in months I finish a wip. And in record time! You did this, Cass. Thank you so much.

@somerandomdudelmao

It was happening. The red eared slider started small, and grew, and grew, and Donatello tightened his grip on the mug containing what was essentialy his brother's soul. He could allow him to go in, now. Just a little push.

But. What if something went wrong? What if Leo got lost in the way? What if he faded? He was stronger now, but still so fragile.

Raph smiled.

"Trust him, Donnie. He's got this." Raph avoided mentioning Mikey's concerns about the process, things he said only for the sake of confiding into someone else. It wouldn't do any good to make Donnie more anxious.

Donatello sighed and took his hand off the mug, using his ninpo to gently nudge Leo's into his new body. It rebelled, the little flame attached to his field. Scared. I don't want to be alone again, it said. Please. Donnie smiled. You won't. Trust me. He answered back. And after a few seconds of hesitation, the flame complied.

With the source in it, the body grows into the Leo he remembered. Or. Almost. He was healthy, because of course he was, he wasn't about to make a new body just for it to be shitty- but somehow smaller... thinner. Maybe he did something wrong- maybe, maybe Leo's soul didn't have enough energy to become himself-

But then he saw how Casey's eyes stared adoringly at the pod. Casey, who also had more scars and less pounds than he remembered. Donnie hadn't noticed much through his cameras- better yet, he had, but seeing it in person...

Suddently the alarm went off, signalling it was time to take his Lime-o-nardo Pie out of the oven. God, that was awful. Leo would absolutely love it.

With a gentleness only a biological body could muster, Raph lifted Nardo from his pod onto his arms, with a gaze so soft and proud Donnie thought he was about to cry.

They all hovered with warm smiles ready to welcome the leader in blue, barely containing the excitement in being all together again.

Except.

Nothing happened. Casey frowned and before Donnie could say or do anything, gently placed his fingers on his sensei's neck. He gasped.

"What? What happened?!" Raph asked barely below the yelling tone.

"His heartbeat." Casey replied in a whisper. "It's slow. Too slow." He looked at Donnie. "There's something wrong."

Raph quickly set Leo down after a quick nod from Donatello, who put on his goggles and started scanning to find whatever was his brother's ailment. A tense silence followed soon after.

"What... what is the problem?" Asked Casey. He was trembling into Raph's reassuring arms, never once looking away from his sensei. Donnie frowned.

"The good news is, nothing is physically wrong." He answered. "The bad news is, nothing's physically wrong."

There was a pregnant pause.

By Donnie's orders, Raph moved Leo to the place supposed to serve as his bedroom. Donnie tried every possible test he knew, from reflexes to blood test, to little slaps on his face, to begging. Leo's heartbeat was weak and frail. Like his ninpo had been.

This was all his fault. He should've given him more time, should've waited for Mikey to be healed enough to help, should've, should...

He punched Leo's chest, starling Raphael and Casey. They looked flabbergasted as he started doing compressions.

"I'm not letting you go, Nardo. Do you hear me? I'M NOT LETTING YOU GO!" He screamed. Death was not going to take him. He wouldn't let it happen.

So he kept on going, pressing. Forcing Leo's body to intake more air. Up, down, up, down.

Up, down.

But nothing changed in the five minutes it took for him to stop and realize he had been crying. Shit, he was crying in front of Casey. Fuck that, his brother was dying. No. No, no, he wasn't. Donnie could fix it, he could fix anything! There had to be another solution, something to keep him here, something Donnie could do. It didn't matter what, be it joke, scream, reveal his worst secrets, summon a demon with some dark ritual-

-wait. The memory ritual.

"That's it!" He yelled, and barked instructions around. Casey got started with Raph's assistance no questions asked. It was going to work. It had to.

Because he had no idea what to do if it didn't.

With the glowing lights and a final nod of confirmation, they started the ritual.

° ° °

Casey tightened his grip on Leonardo's unresponsive hand. He needed him back. He was 16, he still needed his best friend, his mentor, his sensei.

He felt tears prickle in his eyes. This was all so unfair. Everything was. Why did he have to be strong? Why did he have to see the apocalypse happen? Twice? Why did he have to watch his family die? He was watching him die for the second- the third time!

He had felt so alone here, with strangers wearing the faces of his family. Strangers he loved so dearly but couldn't show or tell. Only, now they could be together again. It was just Leo, now.

"You can't do this to me, sensei. You can't." He breathed. Because he promised to be there to see Casey grow up. He promised to train him until he didn't need him anymore.

But he still did. Now, more than ever. Still needed him as his best friend, as his mentor, teacher, his sensei.

His dad.

"I miss you, dad."

° ° °

It was cold. And surprisingly humid for a mind belonging to someone so heavily associated with fire. His feet touched the watery ground and he looked around.

There wasn't... anything here. Nothing useful, no sign of Leonardo's soul.

He started wandering, ocasionally calling for his brother.

"Leo? Nardo, are you here?" He walked around but saw nothing.

That is, until he looked down. Instead of a reflection, there he was. His twin. Mirrorring his actions and expressions like when they were tots.

"Leo! Leo, can you hear me?" He kneeled and touched the water. It was cool and shallow, but there was a force keeping him from getting in... or getting Leo out. He took notice of Leo mirrorring his expressions and punched the invisible wall. Nothing.

It was as if Leo didn't want to come with him.

"You aren't making things easy, Nardo."

The reflection- Leo just kept mimicking him. Donnie hissed. They had come too far for them to accept being only 3 now. He punched the water wall. They should never be less than 4. He needed. Punch. To get. Punch. His twin.

"Come on, come on, come on, come on!" Punch.

OUT!

The wall broke and without sparing a single second Donatello's hand searched and grabbed the collar of Leonardo's cape.

"Come here, you dumbass!" He pulled and finally - finally! - Leonardo in all his glowing and translucid and barely solid form came out of the water.

His eyes were angry and his face seemed hostile. If it was a mirror for Donnie's own features he didn't know, and it did NOT matter.

"You are coming with me and this is not up for discussion!"

He just snatched him completely from the water, glaring at its lifeless blue glow, barely registering the look of bewilderment and recognition that came across Leo's face.

"FUCK YOU, Death! I'm taking him!"

With his twin - his prize, his other half, his hope - in his arms, Donnie took impulse to leave that place. They were safe, it was going to be okay.

Leo's soul once again rebelled, reaching his armless nub towards the water. Home, his twin senses told him. Leo thought this was home.

"No, you idiot. I am taking you home."

Their eyes met. From the lifeless blue, the soul gripped his arm back and he tightened his hold. He knew that look. Hope. A ninja's greatest weapon, as cheesy as it sounds.

"Trust me, Nardo."

And with no need of words, he heard an answer.

"I do, Tello."

"I'll see you on the other side."

° ° °

Again, I hope you like it. I'm happy with the end result.

[cabbage20122]

Taming of the Shrew is so funny, like there's a story inside of another story, half of the characters in both are disguised as someone else, and the only character who actually gets everything he wants in the end does it by being as annoying as he possibly can.

Hortensio: I can't marry Bianca until someone marries her older sister, but I wouldn't wish that girl on any- hey Petruccio you said you wanted to marry rich, right?

Petruccio: Your daughter is definitely in love with me, she's just pretending to hate me in front of other people because she's shy. Can we get married?

Baptista: How sweet! Absolutely

Katherine, standing right next to him: the audacity-

Katherine: sister bonding~ tell me who you have a crush on!

Bianca, crying: please untie me

Lucentio: I'm not actually a tutor, I switched places with my servant to woo you in secret

Bianca: Good start, but you call this wooing? You can do better

There's some old guy named Gremio who also wants to marry Bianca but he doesn't really do much

The wedding is not shown, but apparently Petruccio shows up hours late dressed in the most ridiculous articles of clothing he could find (and all of them are clashing) and riding a horse riddled with every disease under the sun (intestinal worms, tumors, a stuffy nose, etc.) punched the priest, and threw wine in his face because his beard was so thin it looked hungry.

On the way to his house, Katherine's horse falls in the mud and somehow lands on top of Katherine

Grumio, shivering: hey I've been sent to make sure the house is ready. Also can you light a fire?

Curtis: are they coming to the house now?

Grumio: yes, now about that fire

Curtis: is she as rude as they say?

Grumio: please I'm so cold

Curtis: i want gossip

Katherine, sleep-deprived and starving: can I have some food?

Grumio: sure would you like some beef and mustard?

Katherine: yes, that sounds great!

Grumio: ah, but the mustard might make your stomach hurt

Katherine: that's OK, I'll just have beef

Grumio: well, I can't just give you beef without mustard. . .

Katherine: just give me something I don't care

Grumio: would you like just mustard

Katherine, hangry: would you like to die

Petruccio: this dress is horrible, I didn't order this!

Tailor: your servant gave me instructions on how to make it, I just followed those

Grumio: ok but I didn't instruct you to make it ugly

Lucentio, conning a foreigner into pretending to be his dad so he and Bianca's dad can discuss the marriage between Bianca and the servant pretending to be Lucentio: I'm such a genius this plan can't possibly go wrong

Lucentio's actual dad: I think I'll go visit my son

Petruccio: it's 7 am, so if we leave now, we'll get to your father's house at lunchtime

Katherine: it's 2 pm, we won't get there til supper

Petruccio: do you have to disagree with everything i say? Maybe we won't go

Katherine: wait no I want lunch-

Lucentio: hi dad, meet my new wife!

Vincentio: . . .

Lucentio: Ok I'm sorry I got you arrested for impersonating yourself but in my defense-

Petruccio: wow, the moon is so bright

Katherine: it's the middle of the day, that's the sun

Petruccio: again with the arguing? Let's go back

Hortensio: are you kidding me we walked all this way

Katherine: WOW, LOOK AT THE MOON

When they finally get to the house for dinner, Katherine and Petruccio win a bet against the other couples and brag about how they're better than everyone there.

And the whole thing is just an elaborate prank on some random drunk guy WHO IS NEVER MENTIONED AGAIN AFTER ACT 1

[clovdgyu]

#zayne x m!reader #fluff, angst #zayne, my favorite doctor <3 hello, anon. i hope you don't mind me putting in a little bit of angst, ooc zayne (?)

#zayne is dense as fuck, childhood friends trope, zayne being a jerk (a bit), reader being an overthinker, p.s. i hope you like this anon <3

#falling in love with your childhood best friend wasn't something you even expected would happen.

the door to your house creaked open, making you look back as you watched your best friend since you were a child enter the premises with a forlorn look. you pursed your lips, worried and concerned, before standing up from the sofa and met with him, engulfing him in a tight hug. "what's wrong, zayne?"

the black-haired male sighed as you led him towards the sofa and sat him down while you knelt down in front of him, hands on his knees. this was the first time he looked so upset, so vulnerable as tears dripped down from his eyes. "she cheated on me," zayne answered before he covered his face with his palms.

"she what?! how can anyone ever cheat on you?" you shouted, cursing his, now, ex-girlfriend inside your head. how can she even have the nerve to cheat on you best friend after he treated her so right? zayne was handsome, kind, a gentleman, and he literally had everything (his nether region being a plus point).

you nibbled on your bottom lip before holding onto his wrists and removed it from his face. "i'm such a loser," he said which you answered with a shake of your head, smiling a little bit to comfort him before you got up and sat beside him.

you cleared your throat. "they probably would regret it. i mean, you're practically the best living man on earth! seriously though, why are you always ending up in toxic relationships? first, it was a man who was only using you for money, then a girl who only saw you as a fuck buddy, next was someone who had a boyfriend, and then--"

"i get it, i get it. you don't have to keep reminding me of my past relationships, you're just making me feel worse," he stated, punching your shoulder lightly before you let out a chuckle then looked at him. "i guess love just isn't for me. i wish someone would just love me for who i am."

i'm here. you thought. in all honesty, it was so hard for you to keep your feelings from him when he was always so clingy and so physical when it comes to showing you affection. zayne has been your best friend since nursery, he was always there for you and played with you when no one wanted to.

at first, you thought maybe it was just for that day, but it went on, until you two eventually got close. how did you even fall in love with zayne? you didn't know when but maybe it was when your heart started fluttering with every action he did for you. this is the cons of having 'acts of service' as your love language.

you sighed "zayne, i know i've said this to you a gazillion time, but anyone would be so lucky to have you. they're just too stupid to notice that," you stated, smiling bitterly as you patted his back. i mean, i'm here. you thought as you continued to pat his back.

"what do you mean you're here?"

as doon as zayne said that, the whole place wemt silent as you looked up at him, eyes wide in shock. did you say that out loud? damn, you were sure silence was never quite this loud, it was so deafening.

the black-haired male looked at you and raised a brow in confusion. "m/n? what did you mean by that?" he asked again, but you just sat there silent, not knowing what excuse to tell him.

you gulped. "well, i-i...i mean that i'm always here for you whenever you feel down, zayne. when you feel upset over your breakups, know that i'll always be here for you," you reasoned out, zayne seem to be taking it as he nods and looks away.

"i'm very grateful, m/n. you always pick me up when i'm down, but i don't really know what to do now. it's always been breakup after breakups for me," he stated, sighing as slumped down on the sofa. "maybe i should just focus on being a doctor."

as zayne continued to rant, you just listened to uim attentively, not talking too much since you didn't trust your mouth to say the right words for the other male who was literally pouring his heart out to his "best friend".

the next day, you and zayne went to school together. like the usual days to your university, zayne always drives you two to school, all because he doesn't trust buses (but mainly because he wants you by his side). and upon arriving at your university, he would always open the door for you. almost like a couple.

ah, right. you thought, reminding you of the few instances where people have asked you if you two were going out. well, you wished you two were, but you always answered with a polite 'no'. "y'know, zayne. if you keep doing this, students here at uni would think you and i are a couple," you said, ending it with a chuckle as you looked at zayne with a smile.

the other male just scoffed before he slowed down, slowing down as he turned towards a corner. "let them think what they want to think. it doesn't matter to me, you're just my best friend," he stated, smiling at you before looking back at the road.

somehow, his words managed to shatter your mood, the smile on your face gradually disappearing before you looked away and down at your fingers. what did you even expect? your best friend would never hit on you, he would never like you the same way you liked him. "haha, yeah. sure" you answered before an uncomfortable silence enveloped you two, at least to you but you didn't know about zayne. "not like i failed to notice, zayne, but you've been smiling since earlier. and you're literally dressed to impressz what's the occasion?"

the mentioned male let out a small laugh before he grabbed his phone, passed it to you and mumbled a small 'unlock it'. you did as he was told, and the first thing you noticed was a notification from his classmate. you were puzzled. what were you looking at? "read it for me, buddy."

having no choice but to comply, you cleared your throat and clicked the notification. "do you and m/n want to go to a mixer..." you trailed off, staring at the message as of it was some kind of curse.

"well, i guess it's time for us to mingle. sure, my last breakup was a mess, but something in me is telling me that this is finally the day," he stated, a small grin on his lips, already imaging the events for later. finally arriving at the entrance of your university, he slowed down, finding a good spot to park his car.

you let out an awkward chuckle. "i-i don't think i can make it though. i've got a few more works i have to finish, so i have to refuse the offer," you stated, zayne humming disapprovingly before he finally parked the car.

he looked at you and furrowed his brows. "i don't mean to force you or anything, m/n, but maybe this could also be the day for you. besides, haven't you been single your whole life? maybe this could finally be your chance of getting that partner you—"

"you don't get it, zayne."

why do you have to be so fucking dense? you thought to yourself before looking at zayne, brows furrowed and lips turned into a small frown before you looked away and sighed. "nevermind, i'm not going to that mixer. you go do whatever you want."

"what..? m/n, are you mad at me? alright, fine. i won't force you, i'll just tell him. but if it ever crosses your mind, the offer still stands. you can come anytime you want," he answered you, yet you still didn't dare to look at him. but why were you even upset? even when you had no reason to be upset about. what am i even doing?

was it because you were next to him but all he's talking about is going to that mixer? "thank you, zayne. i'm not mad at you, those kind of things just isn't my forte. i hope you understand," you reasoned out, finally looking at him with a forced smile.

the other male just nodded and exited the car, opening the door for you then watched as you walked out. "you don't have to open the door for me. i can do it on my own," you joked, zayne just chuckling before closing the door and locked the car.

"but you're my best friend. i'd do anything for you, even if it means serving you," he answered, laughing soon after as if what he sad didn't have some kind of effect on you. "anyway, it's best if we go now or we'll be late for our classes."

the walk towards your first class of the day was silent, but not until zayne started to hum the lullaby you used to sing for him whenever he cowered in fear everytime it rains.

it was back when you were in elementary, but the other male conquered his fear upon reaching high school (or so you thought). you chuckled, looking up at him. "you still remember that? i kind of forgot that exists though."

"it's really catchy. come to think of it, i've never heard you sing since that time back in middle school," he pointed out which made you purse your lips before you shrugged and looked away. "i hope it's nothing serious though."

you shook your head. "no, it's not that. i just grew out of it, i guess. besides, my major doesn't really require singing so having to quit singing was inevitable for me," you said, smiling as you both turned right.

zayne furrowed his eyebrows, tilting his head in confusion. "but i like hearing your voice," he stated, smiling down at you before he patted your shoulder. "it always calmed me down when i was younger, and you may not know this but the reason i was able to conquer my fear, fairly, was because i always hummed your lullaby."

now this made you look at him with a surprised look, mouth slightly open before he ruffled your hair and offered you a short smile. "i guess i have to thank you for that. this is me speaking as your soulmate and best friend, that even if your major doesn't require you to sing, doesn't mean you have to quit completely. i really want to hear you singing again."

a smile unknowingly appeared on your lips at his statement, him finally separating from you with a wave goodbye. and like a dumbstruck idiot, you stood there in place. so smitten, so putty, so— "careful, m/n. you're gonna burn holes into his back if you keep staring at him like you're undressing him with your eyes."

the sudden voice cut you out of your trance as you looked at the person. "thomas? aren't you supposed to be with rafayel?" you asked the taller male who only grinned as he handed you the book you unconsciously dropped from staring at zayne's figure.

"that man's busy right now and, quote on quote, 'interruption will result in your death'. i don't know if he was serious, but who knows what he's capable of, right? so i just went and left," thomas answered you, adjusting the cardigan he was wearing.

he walked you to your first class (since you shared the same elective) and you entered the room that was unusually...quiet. it was always so rowdy and loud every morning but today was different. "huh, did i wake up in the wrong side of the universe?"

thomas agreed, nodding. "you could say that again. is there something going on?" he asked rhetorically before you two sat down on empty seats, just a few tables behind. "i would've mnown if it was a test. unless it's a pop quiz?"

you answered him with a shrug then looked back at the students who were with you. curiosity getting the best of you, you tapped on your classmate's shoulder and asked him. "if you don't mind me asking, is there something...or maybe something happened? why's everyone so well-mannered?"

"that's cause we're getting ready to greet someone a happy birthday. you should join too," he stated, giving you a warm smile before looking back at his book.

and just a little while, party poppers went off, surprising the classmate (the birthday girl) who was now standing in front of eveyone. everyone greeted her a happy birthday, and the cake was served. but what you didn't know was there was someone else who was coming along.

you heard a few 'he's here's and 'wow's emitting from your classmates' mouths. were you all expecting someone? you all waited as the door opened, lips curled into a smile in anticipation. and just like a few minutes ago, the smile etched on your face disappeared.

ah, so this is why he was cladded in those fancy clothings. you thought as you watched your best friend slash crush enter the room with a bouquet in hand, singing her the lullaby that you always sung for zayne.

you clenched your fists in anger...but then it hits you. as if a boulder has made its way from the top of the cliff then back down at you. i have no right to be this upset. i mean sure, i used to sing him this song—

"this song is a special song from me to you."

what? hearing that, you stood up from your chair, grabbed your things and looked at zayne once before leaving the room, thomas following behind. "special? i said that to him when i sung it to him. damn this," you mumbled, but enough for the other male to hear.

thomas scratched his nape before he sighed and stopped you, standing in front of you with furrowed brows. "look, m/n. i'm not one to interfere, but it's honestly obvious how much you love zayne. and i know for sure you don't see him as just a childhood best friend."

you looked up at him and shook your head. "i cant do that, thomas. he's my best friend. what do you think would people think? or much more, what would he think if the one who was constantly around him was harboring feelings for him? i just can't tell zayne that i love him. i can never do that."

upon hearing that familiar voice, you felt as if all the blood in your body was drained out of you. you didn't even want to look back, afraid you'd see the disgusted look on his face. "m/n, what did you say?" zayne repeated as he neared you, taking careful steps before he stopped just behind you. "what did you mean by that?"

"you what?"

thomas, who thought you two needed time to talk, patted your back and left, leaving you two alone in the hallway. but what you needed right now was to run, not to be alone with the person you've been hiding your feelings from, the very person you call your best friend. zayne's brows were furrowed, looking at you as if he was confused.

"zayne," you stuttered, gulping your saliva due to the nervousness before looking straight into his eyes. "the thing is, i like you. not just as a friend, but something more. i have romantic feelings for you, and i constanly held myself back because i..." you trailed off, stopping.

the way he looked at you. it was as if he was disgusted, as if he was mad and disappointed. unconsciously, tears began to travel down your eyes at the realization that what you were fearing the most has now happened. "you like me? m/n, you're like a brother to me."

you just looked at him, trembling in fear of what he was gonna say next. it was nerve-wracking, it was killing you inside and eating you up that it made your heart beat so fast, as if it was gonna jump out of your chest. "i'm sorry, zayne."

the words that escaped your lips made zayne scoff before he neared you, looking down at you. "i could never ever date you, m/n. not ever—

"m/n!"

zayne's voice cut you out of the trance you were in. wait, what's happening? "aren't you gonna answer me, m/n?" he asked you again, a small smile on his lips as he neared you. "mind repeating what you just said?" you looked at thimas then back at zayne. what just happened was all in your head.

"no, i..." you looked down, playing with your fingers before deciding that this was now or never. if this confession, turns wrong, you were ready to face the consequences. you just can't betray zayne like this by hiding your feelings from him. "zayne, the truth is...i like you more than just a friend."

zayne sighed before he looked at thomas who understood the signal and left, patting your shoulder. then, zayne went closer to you and engulfed you in a warm embrace, smiling. not quite expecting this, tears rolled down your eyes as you placed your head down on his shoulder. the other male chuckled, "what took you so long to tell me?"

"you knew? must have been a pain having to be with a person who was hiding his feelings from you. why didn't you tell me?" you asked the other male who just caressed your hair and pulled back, holding onto your shoulders.

he smiled. "i wanted you to tell me yourself. i didn't want to go expecting that the person i liked also liked me back," he stated, making your eyes widen in shock. "would you believe me when i tell you that the real reason my past partners broke up with me was because i talked about you a lot? my first girlfriend told me that, but i didn't want to admit that so i tried to forget my feelings for you. it didn't work though, when they all broke up with me for all the same reason."

you shook your head before hugging him again. "then you should've told me you liked me too when you knew i had feelings for you. you didn't have to go through those breakups," you told him, hugging him tightly as if he was gonna run away.

"i was planning to, but you ran away from the classroom the moment i entered, singing the lullaby you always sung for me," he told you, surprising you yet again as he hugged you back. "i wanted it to be somewhat unexpected...but i didn't think you'd misunderstand. you thought i was singing for the birthday girl, were you?"

you nodded into his chest then looked up at him. "are you still going to that mixer, though?"

zayne answered you with a shake of his head and chuckled. "that mixer was only to try and get you jealous, so you could finally confess. i was provoking you about it earlier, but it didn't go as planned, sorry. i knew rafayel's idea was idiotic."

you let out a stifled laugh as you thought about rafayel. "you took his advice? seriously?" you commented, zayne laughing before you two pulled back and smiled at each other. "hey, i'm not dreaming, right?"

with a sigh, zayne neared you and held your chin using his thumb and index before tilting your head slightly then kissed you. it was only for a few seconds, but it felt like a whole hour has passed the moment zayne pulled away. "did that feel like dream?"

"honestly, it did."

zayne looked at you with so much love before grabbing your hand and intertwining your fingers together. "m/n, i promise to never make you cry ever, and i will give you all my heart and support you with whichever path you dare to stride. so, can i take this a sign that i can court you?"

with a nod of your head, zayne engulfed you, once more, in a tight embrace, smiling victoriously as he placed a kiss on the crown of your head. "i love you, m/n."

"i love you too, zayne. always and forever."

[autistichalsin]

So I just got back home a while ago, which is 5,000 feet higher in elevation than my hometown. YOU WILL BE ADJUSTING TO ALTITUDE, basically. So I've been tired and out of breath.

So tonight my mom was pestering me to get to the doctor- which is fine in and of itself. She cares, etc. I told her look, my bestie had the same thing when she was adjusting here. If I feel worse or it doesn't get better soon, I'll do it.

My mom got pissed and snapped that I was doing damage to my body. Keep in mind, she was ALSO convinced a few years ago that I was going to eventually go blind from my chronic dry eye disease if I didn't get in to an ophthalmologist immediately. She was convinced I'd go blind. From dry eyes.

I said mom, it's fine, and she whined that I never go to to the doctor. I said I did when I needed it not too long ago, and she moved the goalposts, saying YEAH it's like there was something wrong then just like now! I replied, mom, it's almost like I know when something is seriously wrong and when something isn't, and this is a "under the weather" issue not a "I'm really sick" issue.

And then I made the mistake of saying I know my body a little better than she does...

SHE LAUGHED AT ME. In my face. "HAAHAHA! Are you serious right now? You didn't really just say that, did you?" Like it was the most absurd thing anyone had ever said to her. Like I'd told her the moon was made of jello.

I was pissed. So then I just said "mom, I'm ending this conversation because I don't like being condescended to. I love you and have a good night" and then I hung up on her for the first time since she got sober.

I've never hung up on her without her actively yelling at me, but I did then, because that was fucking out of line. It was insulting, it was rude, it was condescending.

Then she had the nerve to text the family groupchat whining that we "treat her like a punching bag" and it had to stop. And not to call back unless we could "treat her with respect."

So I decided I'm not calling her. She can call me if it's really important, and then she can fucking apologize and admit she violated about a dozen different boundaries, like a fucking adult.

I didn't deserve to be talked to like that by her and she needs to start treating me like a thirty year old. If HER mom, my grandma, had insinuated she knew my mom's body better than she did, she would be SEETHING.