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smgsecretsanta · 8 months

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A gift from @galaxyzone to @qusok!!!!

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A/N: I really liked the request for a summer camp fanfic, so I thought I would give that a go! Just a disclaimer that I haven’t written fanfiction in years, but I am very confident in my writing ability, so I hope you enjoy it! Also, this story is essentially a Summer Camp AU and is not tied to the canon game, as the characters are all about the same ages (except Charlie) instead of there being like a 6-year age gap between Erin and Kate, for instance. In this story, Jamie & Erin are 14 while Kate & Mark are 16. I also may have incorporated some of my headcanons about the characters, as well as some headcanons I’ve seen from other people because I liked them! Oh, I also have included a little easter egg referencing The Quarry if anyone happens to catch it. It’s very subtle but let me know if you find it! Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoy it! <3

Jamie always hated these things. The stupid orientations on the first day of camp where the adults go over the rules & regulations, give sleeping arrangements, discuss the “itinerary” of activities instead of actually doing said activities, talk about the code of conduct, etc, etc. It was already hard enough for any teenager to sit still for a prolonged period of time and listen attentively while monotone adults droned on and on, let alone a teenager who already has difficulties with attention regulation such as Jamie. As the counselor moved on to talking about how meals would work, Jamie huffed and slouched even lower in her chair.

As she scanned the room, she recognized only 2 familiar faces. One was a man, one of the counselors, who was sitting up at the front with the other counselors, flipping through a stack of papers. Charlie was the director of activities, which Jamie considered a joke since she was pretty sure the man would lose his own head if it wasn’t already screwed on. Actually, Jamie questioned if it was even screwed on tight enough, or possibly even a little too tight. That would explain his constant stress responses to every little hiccup he encounters. The other face Jamie recognized belonged to a boy, another camper whom Jamie knew from both her previous 2 years at camp. He was wearing a well-loved gray hoodie and had his favorite camera strapped around his neck. During their first year at camp together, Jamie and Mark didn’t know each other too well. Jamie was extroverted and liked socializing and getting into trouble with the other kids, whereas Mark was more introverted and preferred keeping to himself and his camera. However, all of the kids that Jamie had hung out with during her first year did not attend camp the following year, leaving Jamie to make new friends. One of the only faces she recognized was Mark’s, so she decided to adopt him as her designated introvert, as many extroverts like to do. Even though they were different, the two of them got along pretty well and Jamie was happy to see that he was back.

Just then, the girl sitting next to Mark leaned over and whispered something to him. She had auburn hair and was wearing a beanie that looked almost as well-loved as Mark’s hoodie. Jamie didn’t recognize her. Was she someone Mark knew from school? Jamie shrugged and resumed slouching in her chair. She bent her head back, looking up at the ceiling, and heaved a sigh. These stupid things always dragged on.

After the orientation finally ended, Jamie quickly found her cabin and was surprised to already find another girl inside. She didn’t notice Jamie come in, she had her back turned towards the door and was rummaging inside her bag.

“Hey,” Jamie gently greeted the girl to get her attention.

“Oh!” The girl spun around, holding something in her hand. She greeted Jamie back with a small wave, “Hi.”

The girl was wearing a yellow t-shirt over a black long-sleeved shirt and a pair of headphones around her neck.

“I’m Jamie,” Jamie stuck her hand out for the girl to shake.

“Erin,” The girl replied as she softly took Jamie’s hand and gave it a gentle shake.

“It’s nice to meet you, Erin.”

“You too,” Erin gave Jamie a soft smile.

Their hands lingered a little longer than normal, still awkwardly and slowly shaking for a good couple of seconds before Jamie chuckled and retracted her hand.

“What were you looking for in your bag? You forget something?”

“Oh, no, I was looking for this,” Erin held up a blue inhaler. “There’s probably a lot of dust and stuff at camp, so I wanted to make sure it was accessible, because the last time I had an attack and didn’t have it on me, it was— well,” She stopped herself short. “I’m sorry, that’s probably too much information, i-it just helps me breathe.”

“You’re good,” Jamie gave a small, amused chuckle. “I don’t mind, I like learning things about people. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t care.”

“Oh, well that’s a relief,” Erin plopped down on her chosen bed as Jamie set her bag on the other bed and started to unpack. “I’m just so used to people getting annoyed with me for sharing too much.”

“Those people are lame,” Jamie said in such a blunt tone that caught Erin off-guard, but in a good way. She wasn’t used to other people immediately having her back in such a confident manner like the one Jamie exudes.

“Yeah,” Erin giggled. “I guess so.”

“Go ahead, say it.”

“Say what?”

“Say, ‘those people are lame.’ It’ll make you feel good, promise.”

“…Will it?”

“As someone who’s been saying it practically my whole life, yes. I guarantee.”

“O-okay… Those people are lame?”

Jamie stopped rummaging in her bag and turned to Erin.

“Mmm, no. Like you mean it.”

“But what if I don’t mean it?”

“Come onn, just say it.”

“Okay, those people are lame…”

“Louder.”

Erin looked around, unsure of herself, as she was a much more quiet and reserved person than Jamie was. It would appear that Jamie had found her designated adopted introvert for the summer.

“I won’t judge you,” Jamie encouraged her. “In fact, I’ll think you’re pretty cool. Go ahead, let it out.”

“Alright… Those people are lame.”

“One more time.”

“Those people are lame!”

Jamie chuckled, “Pretty good, does that feel better?”

“A little,” Erin admitted with a sheepish smile, tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Good! Sometimes you gotta let that stuff out instead of letting it bottle up, y’know?” Jamie finished unpacking most of her stuff before she turned back towards Erin. “You wanna go look around?”

Erin looked up at her, “Don’t you still have to finish unpacking?”

“Eh, that stuff can wait, I wanna go see everything. Wanna join me? It’ll be fun!”

Erin, wanting Jamie to continue to think she was cool, shrugged and placed aside the book that she had gotten out.

“Sure, I suppose. Where are we going?”

“Anywhere! I wanna see what kind of activities they have set up.”

Jamie headed for the cabin door and Erin followed after her, inhaler in her pocket and headphones still around her neck.

At another section of the camp, Mark sat on a bench and pointed his camera at a small family of ducks floating in the lake across from him. As one of the ducks popped back up from the water and shook its head, Mark clicked his camera and took a couple of quick photos. After a short succession of shots, he took the camera away from his eye and reviewed them, determining which ones to keep. As he clicked through them, the auburn-haired girl strolled up to him.

“Get anything good?” She asked him.

“Just some trees and ducks,” He turned the camera screen to show her his favorite from the bunch, which was a snap of the duck shaking off the water.

“Looks good! Is that a new camera?”

“My mom got it for me for my birthday. She gave it to me a little early so I could have it at camp.”

“That was sweet. How is your mom?”

“She’s good. She says hi.”

“Ah, well, tell her I say hi back! You know… when you get back home, of course…” She trailed off before letting out a sigh as she sat next to him. Mark chuckled and turned towards her.

“For sure. You all unpacked?” He shut his camera off and put it back in his camera bag.

“Yup! Ah, so, Mark… I—”

“I’m really glad you could come along this summer, Kate. It’s a lot of fun and I’m pretty excited to finally share it with you.”

Kate gave him a soft smile, “Me too, Mark. I’m really happy we get to have a fun summer together. There’s just, um…” Kate looked at her hands, picking at the skin around her fingernails.

“Who knows, maybe if you enjoy it just as much as I do, we can come back next year and be counselors or something.”

“I thought you had to be eighteen to be a counselor.”

“Oh, yeah, you’re probably right. I just assumed that because sixteen was the cutoff for campers, that meant that seventeen was the eligible age for counselors. Although maybe there’s a junior counselor option? I don’t know, it was just a thought.”

Kate gave him another warm smile, “Well, you should definitely look into it, I think that would be really great for you. Maybe you could teach these kids about photography!”

“You think I could?”

“I don’t see why not. You’re a really good photographer, Mark.”

Mark couldn’t help but blush a little. “Thanks, Kate. Maybe you could teach them about journalism or something!”

Kate smiled at him again, although this time it was more of a sad smile. He was so excited and she was so happy to see him thinking about the future, especially since the Mark she’s used to usually just lets life happen. How was she supposed to tell him about her mother’s new job and about how it would take her away from him?

“Mark, I have to tell you about something—”

“Hey, Mark!” Kate was cut off by Jamie, who was waving and walking up to them with Erin at her side.

“Hey, Jamie, good to see you again!” Mark stood up and caught Jamie slightly off-guard with a hug.

“Oh, hey, yeah, you too!” She patted his back before they let go.

Mark, realizing he had to make introductions, awkwardly gestured to Kate, “This is Kate, we go to school together. She’s that friend I told you about last year.” He then turned to Kate and gestured towards Jamie, “Kate, this is Jamie, she was my friend last year at camp.”

Kate stood up and shook Jamie’s hand, “Nice to meet you, Jamie.”

“You too. Mark told me a lot about you last year. In fact, sometimes it seemed like he wouldn’t shut up about you.”

Kate looked at Mark, who opened his mouth to object, clearly blushing. “Really?”

“I— I wouldn’t say I wouldn’t shut up about you, that’s… an over-exaggeration, I just had a lot to say about… school, and… stuff…”

“Uh huh,” Kate smirked before turning back to Jamie. “Well he told me a good bit about you too, he said he had a lot of fun last year.” Kate then turned to Erin, “What’s your name?”

“I’m Erin.” Erin awkwardly lifted her hand, unsure of whether or not she should hold it out for Kate to shake. When Kate extended her own hand, Erin clumsily took it and gave it a small shake. “I’m just… Jamie’s roommate. Or, uh, cabinmate,” she said before she awkwardly folded her arms just so she could have somewhere to put her hands, which she was suddenly overly conscious of.

“I’m taking her around, showing her all of my favorite spots, telling her which places to stay away from, et cetera,” Jamie jumped in, taking the attention and pressure off of Erin.

“Did you show her the waterfall?” Mark asked.

Kate echoed, “Waterfall?”

“There’s this little lake that we all used to go swimming in, and above it there’s this stream that has a mini waterfall flowing into it.”

“I haven’t gotten that far yet,” Jamie answered. “I was actually heading that way now when I saw you guys. You… wanna join us?”

“Sure! Kate, you wanna go?”

Kate hesitated. She knew that she shouldn’t put off what she needed to tell him, but she also knew that she technically had all summer. She figured it was best to not dump it on him right away, so she said, “Sure, that sounds like fun.”

“Alrighty, campers, let’s goo!” Jamie started leading the way, Erin right behind her, and Mark and Kate behind Erin.

When the four of them made it to the waterfall, they laughed and talked about everything they thought of, simply having fun getting to know each other. They splashed around in the water a bit, but Mark was resistant to getting his favorite hoodie wet while Erin was protective of her headphones, not wanting them to get ruined. They hung out for about an hour or so before a counselor came looking for them.

Later that night, after dinner, Kate knocked on Mark’s cabin door just as he was finishing getting unpacked. Because the doors had mesh windows on them, Mark could see Kate standing outside under the glow of the lantern that was mounted on the outside wall.

“Come in, Kate!” Mark called to Kate, and she opened the door to let herself in. Mark was organizing his camera bag for what Kate could only guess was maybe the fiftieth time since they got to camp that day. Mark’s roommate was sitting on his own bed on the farther side of the cabin, listening intently to something on his phone with earbuds in his ears. “Hey,” Mark greeted Kate, “What’s up?”

“Hey, Mark, do you have a minute?”

“Luckily I just finished unpacking, so yeah! Why?”

Kate shrugged, “Wanna go on a walk? It’s really nice out tonight.”

“Sure,” Mark finished crewing a lens on his camera. “Should I bring my camera?”

“I don’t know how good the lighting is here at nighttime.”

Mark looked down at his camera, contemplating what Kate said. “Good point,” he said as he put his camera back in its bag and zipped it shut. “Okay, let’s go!” Mark grabbed his gray hoodie and wrapped it around himself, zipping it up, before following Kate towards the door. Before leaving, Mark turned to his roommate and said, “I’ll be back, man.”

His roommate gave him a small thumbs up as an acknowledgment before Mark followed Kate outside and let the door swing close behind them.

“Where to, m’lady?” Mark asked Kate, putting his hands in his pockets.

“Anywhere, really, I just thought it’d be nice to look at the stars. It’s so much easier to see them here than back in the city.”

Mark followed Kate’s gaze up towards the sky, where he could indeed see more stars than he had ever seen back in Chicago. “Think you can recognize any constellations?”

Kate chuckled, “No, I’m not really familiar with any constellations.”

“You’re not?”

“No, not really. What makes you think I am?” Her tone wasn’t snappy at all, she was genuinely curious as to why he thought that about her.

Mark shrugged, “I dunno, I just thought since you’re into crystals, that you would be into all of that kind of stuff.” Mark gave her a sheepish smile, which Kate returned.

“Nah, not really my thing. I do like astrology and studying the zodiac signs, but I’m not really a constellations girl.”

Mark let out a chuckle and said, “Fair enough.”

The two of them walked in silence a bit longer, appreciating the night sky and the sounds of the crickets around them. They eventually made it to a little hiking trail that led away from the main camp. As they started walking down the trail, Kate looked at Mark, who was still admiring the night sky. Kate smiled to herself. She was going to miss this big dork a lot.

“Mark, I kinda have to tell you something.”

Mark looked back to Kate. “What’s up?”

“Well, firstly, nothing is wrong,” Kate reassured, not realizing how strange of a statement that was to start off with until Mark gave her a weird look.

“O-okay? Is everything ok?”

Kate was suddenly very aware of the cool breeze that was blowing through the trees around them.

“Y-yeah,” Kate let out a shiver. “Everything is f-fine.”

Mark, noticing Kate shivering, immediately unzipped his jacket and, without saying anything, removed it from himself and wrapped it around Kate’s shoulders. She gave him a sweet, grateful look before graciously taking it and putting her arms through the sleeves. What was she ever going to do without this big meatball? Once Kate had the hoodie on, Mark wrapped an arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him so she could share his body warmth. Kate had always been one of those people who got cold pretty easily, and Mark was always more than happy to warm her up.

“What did you wanna talk about?” He asked.

“S-so,” Kate let out one last shiver before relaxing into his embrace. “You know how I told you my mom was looking for a new job?”

“Yeah, she wanted better pay and a better work environment, right?”

“Right… Yeah, so… She, uh, she found one.”

“Oh yeah? That’s great!” Mark smiled at Kate, who still looked nervous, which seemed strange to Mark considering the good news she just shared. “So how come you don’t seem happy?”

“The job is in Georgia.”

Mark stopped walking and loosened his embrace on Kate.

“What?”

“The job is located in Georgia, which means… We have to move,” Kate gave him a sad look. Mark dropped his arm and turned to face Kate fully.

“You’re moving?” Mark searched Kate’s face, looking for some type of indicator that there was hopefully some good news to balance out the idea of them having to split up. “When?”

“At the end of the summer. When we get back home, I basically have to start packing right away. Our flight is August 28th.”

Mark felt like someone had just jabbed a needle through his chest.

“So…” He started, trying to wrap his head around what he was hearing. “What does this mean, then? For us?”

“It, well… It means we have to break up,” Kate’s voice hitched as she said that. She hated the idea of them having to break up, but she hated the idea of a long-distance relationship just as much. “I’ve never done long-distance before, and to be honest, I don’t think I could handle it. I just think it would be even more painful than just being friends, which I don’t wanna do either, I want to be with you, I just… I don’t have a choice. Not until I’m an adult with my own job and can stand on my own feet.”

“You have a job.”

“I mean a real job, one that pays an actual living wage.”

Mark looked down at the ground, not wanting her to see the pain on his face. Mark was one of those people who hated the feeling of sadness so much that he would rather feel anything else, even if it was anger. To him, it was easier to be angry than it was to be sad. It was like an unhealthy coping mechanism designed to suppress his feelings rather than regulate them.

“Is this why you came to camp with me this year? Because you felt bad that you’ll have to leave me?”

“No, Mark, I wanted us to have a good summer before I have to go! I didn’t want to dump it on you right before we leave, which is also why I thought I should tell you now instead of at the end of summer. That way, I figured we could just focus on having a good time before, y’know…” Kate trailed off, not wanting to finish the thought.

“Kate, how am I supposed to have a good time when I know that it’s going to end when we go back home?”

“Because we can make the most of it, you know, knowing that it’s… our last few months together. We can go all out— water balloon fights, hiking, scavenger hunts, swimming, all that stuff!”

“But knowing that you’re going to leave doesn’t make me wanna do that stuff, it makes me just want to reverse time or find a way to keep you here. Or, well— not keep you here, at camp, but I mean— like, keep you in Chicago. With me.”

Kate gave him another sad look, not entirely knowing what to say. It wasn’t her choice to leave him, she very much wanted the opposite, but her mom needed this new job to better make ends meet.

“I’m sorry, Mark, I wish I had a choice. You know how much my mom needs this job.”

Mark sighed, feeling his anger wash away as soon as he looked into her eyes. From just one glance, he could instantly tell just how much this was tearing her apart. That was the thing about Kate’s eyes— they always did the best job at portraying her inner thoughts and feelings, even more so than her words sometimes. That was one reason she often wore sunglasses when she could— they allowed her to be mysterious whenever she was around people she didn’t fully feel comfortable letting in. Mark, however, was not someone she felt the need to keep a guard up around.

“I’m sorry, too,” Mark took Kate’s hands. “You’re right, I know that, and I know you don’t have a choice, I just…” Mark sighed again. “Tell me there’s a chance that it’s not goodbye forever?”

“Oh, definitely not, you know I couldn’t do that,” Kate pulled her right hand free and used it to cup Mark’s face.

Mark looked back down at the ground, feeling slightly overpowered by the emotion glistening in Kate’s eyes, afraid that he would fully break if he were to continue looking into them; but it was too late. A tear started rolling down his cheek, which Kate promptly wiped away upon feeling it reach her fingertips.

“Hey,” Kate said softly. “We still have all summer before we have to worry about it. Let’s have fun, okay? I want you to show me everything you love here, like Jamie was doing with Erin. I want to see all your favorite spots, I want to do your favorite activities, I want to do dumb, reckless teenager stuff before we have to deal with boring, shitty adult stuff. Can we please do that?”

Mark nodded, “Yeah, of course.”

Wanting to ease the tension a little, Kate joked, “Good, because I’m really looking forward to crushing your ass in a water balloon fight.”

Mark chuckled. “You wish,” he said.

“Is that a challenge? Alright, buster, well we’ll just see who crushes who then, won’t we?” Kate gave him a playful kiss, which Mark quickly melted into, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her closer. The two of them deepened the kiss, not wanting to let each other go. They could have stayed like that for hours if it weren’t for their need to break for air. When they finally parted lips, they kept their faces close together and leaned their foreheads together. They held that position for a good minute or so, feeling more connected than they ever had before. Neither of them was sure what they would do without the other, but they both figured they would put that thought off for as long as possible. For now, they just wanted to be present together, keeping company in each other’s warm embrace.

Back at the cabins, Jamie and Erin were chilling in their respective beds. Erin was reading a book, while Jamie played with a baseball, bored out of her mind. She suddenly looked over at Erin, who was still wearing her headphones around her neck.

“I’m bored,” Jamie said, getting Erin’s attention. “Do you wanna do something?”

Erin, sensing that Jamie wanted her full attention, placed a bookmark in her novel. “Like what?” She asked.

Jamie pondered before suggesting, “I kinda wanna go back to that lake. You feel like swimming?”

“Oh, uh, I don’t know. I’m not much of a swimmer.”

“Do you know how?”

“I do, I just… don’t do it very often.”

“Well, why not do it now? Did you pack a swimsuit?”

Erin wasn’t sure why, but she felt herself blushing at the question. Erin wasn’t the most comfortable person in swimming attire, especially not around someone she just met, and especially not around someone as intriguing and alluring as Jamie was.

“I-I, well, I— I mean, I did, but—” Erin stuttered.

“Okay!” Jamie popped off her bed. “Then let’s go!”

“Oh, uh, r-right now?”

“Yes, silly, that’s why I asked if you wanted to do something,” Jamie said in a light-hearted tone to let Erin know she was joking and not actually making fun of her.

“Oh, o-okay, sure!” Always the people-pleaser, Erin put her book aside and got up to get her swimsuit.

Jamie took a quick moment as she observed Erin rummaging through her bag. There was something adorable and charming about Erin’s awkwardness that Jamie couldn’t really explain. Jamie had been aware of her attraction to girls for a while now, but this attraction was especially interesting to Jamie because Erin wasn’t typically her type. She was used to being attracted by the girls who exuded even more confidence than Jamie did, but there was something about Erin’s soft and caring nature that Jamie couldn’t help but be drawn in by. Though Erin likely saw herself as an open book, she was somewhat of a mystery to Jamie, who couldn’t wait to learn more about her.

Once the girls both had their swimsuits on underneath their camp clothes, they started on their way back to the lake. They walked in silence for a few minutes, appreciating the nighttime ambiance, before Jamie noticed that Erin still had her headphones around her neck even though they were going to go swimming.

“Hey, can I ask you about something?” Jamie asked.

“Sure.”

“What are those headphones for? The ones you’re always wearing?”

“Oh,” Erin blushed as she looked down at said headphones, not even realizing she was still wearing them. “I guess I just get so used to having them on me, sometimes I forget to take them off when I don’t need them.”

“Have you ever fallen asleep with them on?”

“No…” Erin chuckled before a realization hit her. “Wait, yes…”

Now Jamie chuckled. “Yes?”

“Yeah, I forgot that one time I— well, it’s kind of embarrassing…” Erin trailed off.

“You can tell me,” Jamie reassured, “I won’t judge you. Trust me, I’ve heard plenty of crazy stuff from plenty of people, nothing really fazes me anymore.” Jamie and Erin both chuckled.

“Well, sometimes I use them for noise canceling. You know, to drone out overwhelming noise?”

“Yeah, lots of people like noise-canceling headphones.”

“Right, and, well… One night I heard… some people arguing and it just got to be a little too much for me, so I put them on and curled up in my bed, trying to ignore it, and I… eventually just fell asleep,” Erin let out a sheepish chuckle, not sure if she was sounding dumb or crazy or both.

“Ah, I’m sorry those people were arguing so much,” Jamie frowned.

“It’s okay, I’m used to it.”

From Erin’s demeanor and tone of voice, Jamie could sense that the arguing wasn’t just annoying neighbors, but likely possibly coming from somewhere within the same house that she had been in. Not wanting her to feel uncomfortable, Jamie changed the subject.

“So, what do you wanna do when you grow up?”

“Me? Oh, I don’t know…” Erin pondered the question before replying, “Well, I like doing sound editing.”

“What does that entail?”

“Sound editing? Well, it’s kind of like how movie editors choose certain sound effects for their scene, or how they’ll balance their channels so that the music doesn’t overpower the dialogue or vice versa. I’ve been doing it for a little while by making edits and things, but I’m just getting into doing it for shows. This past year, I helped with the sound design for a show that the theatre department put on at my school. It was really fun, and they said they’re always in need of more tech people, because, y’know, most kids want to do acting, so I said that sounded great, and…” Erin suddenly realized she was probably rambling. Feeling self-conscious, she quickly finished her thought, “Anyway, yeah, sound design! I like it,” she let out another sheepish chuckle.

“That sounds like a lot of fun,” Jamie smiled at her genuinely, allowing Erin to relax the tension she hadn’t realized she was holding. “I’m glad you’ve already found something you’re so passionate about, not everybody has something like that.”

“What about you?”

“Nah, not really. I kinda like art but I have no idea what I’d do with it, you know?”

“Well,” Erin started, “I think the thing about art, is you can do anything you want with it, really. What kind of art do you like?”

“I dunno… I like colors.”

“Have you thought about technical theatre at all? Maybe you could do lighting design. They use colors all the time, depending on the mood and atmosphere of the scene.”

“I hadn’t really thought about that, no. Maybe I’ll look into it,” Jamie smiled at Erin, who returned the smile.

When they finally reached the lake, Jamie stood up on a rock that looked much too slippery to Erin.

“Careful, Jamie!”

Jamie chuckled, “I’m fine, don’t worry.” She looked at Erin, who looked even more captivating under the moonlight shining through the trees. “You know, you’re cute when you worry about my well-being like that.”

“I just don’t want you to—” Erin cut herself off, realizing what Jamie had just said. “Wait, cute?”

“Yeah, that’s what I said,” Jamie said, not backing down from her very true observation regarding Erin’s adorableness.

Erin’s cheeks suddenly felt very hot. “I— I don’t—” Erin stuttered, hoping that it was too dark for Jamie to see just how red her face had turned. “I don’t know what you’re—” Unsure of what to do with her body, Erin awkwardly shifted her feet, accidentally stepping on one of the wet rocks. “Oh!”

Erin suddenly slipped and stumbled forwards, into Jamie’s readied arms.

“Whoa! You okay there?” Jamie chuckled as she helped Erin get reoriented on her feet.

“Oh, y-yeah, thanks…” Erin started blushing even more, which she hadn’t even thought was possible. “Can I ask you something now?”

“Of course,” Jamie replied as she sat down on one of the drier rocks. Erin slowly followed suit, making sure to check that the rock was dry before sitting on it. When she was seated, she let out a small huff.

“How are you so…” Erin trailed, searching for the right word.

“Awesome?”

“Cool. I mean, like— chill.”

“You mean how am I so confident?”

“Y-yeah, I— guess that’s the word I was looking for.” Erin smiled sheepishly.

Jamie shrugged, “I don’t know, I guess I just learned how to fake it really well.”

“You mean, you… don’t actually feel confident?”

“Well, no, I do— but I didn’t always. I guess my dad kinda helped me with that. He’s an actor, so I guess it kind of runs in the family… even though I’m adopted,” Jamie cocked an eyebrow, realizing how silly it sounded for her to have inherited something from someone she wasn’t biologically related to. It was the first time that day that Erin had noticed Jamie double-guessing something she said, which made her seem a lot more relatable than she originally did.

Erin smiled at her. “That still makes sense, though, if he taught you.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Jamie returned the smile.

They both made direct eye contact for the first time that day and instantly found themselves looking into each other’s eyes for longer than anticipated. Neither of them could quite place their finger on just what exactly was so intriguing to them about the other person, but they were both experiencing the same butterflies and racing heartbeat. They weren’t sure what gravitational force was at play when they found themselves slowly leaning in, suddenly much closer to each other.

Jamie broke the silence, “Am I crazy, or do you feel something too?”

“I-I don’t know, I mean… I feel— something, I just— it’s new to me,” Erin admitted, having little to no experience with crushes or the like.

Jamie smiled at her. “It’s new to everyone at some point. I can help show you if you want,” Jamie said, not wanting Erin to feel pressured.

Erin blushed again. The idea sounded so daunting to Erin, but in a completely amazing and incredibly tempting way. She had never received this type of attention before and she wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. Not knowing how to respond, Erin simply nodded.

“Okay, only if you’re sure though,” Jamie reassured.

“Y-yeah, sure, I’m sure,” Erin stuttered, causing Jamie to emit a small chuckle.

Jamie looked back into Erin’s eyes, ensuring that she was good, before finally closing the gap and tenderly touching her lips to Erin’s. Erin quickly leaned into it, giving Jamie the greenlight to deepen the kiss on her end as well. Her hands swiftly moved to Erin’s face, placing each palm on a — still very red — cheek. Erin placed her hands on Jamie’s upper arms, not completely sure about what to do with them. The two of them both leaned into the kiss more, but Erin must have leaned in a little too far because she suddenly slipped off the rock she was sitting on and plopped onto the ground, breaking the kiss and catching Jamie off-guard.

“Oof,” Erin grunted as she dropped to the ground.

“Oh, are you okay?” Jamie asked with a hint of amusement in her tone.

“Ugh, yeah… I should have figured that would happen to me,” Erin said, chuckling at her own misfortune. Jamie joined in her giggling, slipping off of her rock and joining Erin on the ground.

“Maybe we can try again later, when we’re in a drier environment,” Jamie suggested.

Erin perked back up. “Y-yeah, that would be— great. Maybe there’ll be fewer rocks, too,” she joked, and the two of them giggled some more.

“Well,” Jamie said, leaning back on her hands and looking up at the night sky, “Maybe for now, we can just admire the stars and listen to the crickets.”

“Yeah, that sounds good,” Erin smiled as she joined Jamie in looking at the sky. “It’s so beautiful here. You can’t see the stars anywhere near this well back in the city.”

Jamie looked at her. “What city are you from?”

“Chicago.”

“Dude, no way, that’s where I’m from too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah! We should definitely keep in touch after camp is over. If you want to, of course.”

Erin giggled, “Yeah, I think I’d love to.”

The two of them smiled at each other, both even more excited for the summer they were about to have than they originally were. After a moment, they turned their gazes back to the clear night sky.

Jamie pointed up at something she saw. “Is that a shooting star?”

Erin looked at where she was pointing and squinted before giggling. “No, I think that’s just a plane.”

“Oh,” Jamie said, disappointed, as she put her hand back down on the ground behind her. “Can’t believe I was just about to make a wish on a plane,” Jamie joked, earning an even heartier giggle from Erin, which of course made Jamie smile.

The two of them sat in quiet for a moment before Erin asked, “So, uh… Were we going to go swimming? I mean, like, did you still want to?”

‘Yeah, for sure, I mean… if you want to,” Jamie looked at Erin, who returned the gaze.

Erin shrugged, “I dunno, I mean… I’m pretty good just looking at the stars, but I don’t know about you.”

Jamie smiled. “I’m good with that too.”

Erin smiled back at her. “Cool,” she said before catching Jamie’s eye.

They both leaned in and shared another gentle kiss before pulling back, Erin feeling her cheeks get flushed once again. After a moment, they both gazed back up at the twinkling stars and sat there for a good while, simply enjoying each other’s company and the atmosphere around them.

#smg secret santa #supermassive games #the devil in me #kate wilder #mark nestor #markate #erin keenan #jamie tiergan #jerin

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snowyfrostshadows · 5 months

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Wind Spoilers under the cut

Well.

That was certainly a book.

The prologue was kinda funny with Splashtail deciding to reject the nine lives from Starclan and using Curlfeather's choice to receive them as one of his reasons to kill her making him one of the stupidest villains in the series.

They can do as they always have and give a leader their nine lives regardless of that cat's actual morality or actually do something interesting for once and refuse to enable an antagonist.

He gets ahold of all this power but one good hit or sickness and he's dead. Alright. Great planning skills there bud.

But then I realized that Splashtail's decision frees Starclan from having to make that choice.

This way they can stay the wise (yet somewhat powerless) spirit cats the clans can turn to for guidance.

Speaking of Starclan giving out lives, I hate how everyone knows Nightpelt's story despite it never actually being public knowledge. Hell I don't think Fireheart found out and he figured out everyone's secrets.

But no. Since readers know every single trivia bit and history of the clans, the cats get to as well which is so....boring.

It takes out some of the awe and way histories can be changed and retold to fit certain narratives or having characters actually do some digging and discovering things out for themselves.

I know this is primarily a series for children but Erins I am begging you, give your target audience some credit. Kids are smarter than most people give them credit for and actually you know. Enjoy a good mystery here and there.

Another thing that was frustrating to read was having cats ask permission to move the plot along or sit around in a circle discussing stuff and judging each other for it. I. Can kinda see what the Erins are trying to do; make things more of a group decision and have older characters/past povs part of the story but man. In actuality, it just makes things drag on and characters flatter.

I miss the days when cats could sneak out and move the plot on their own and show off their own initiative. With Nightheart and Sunbeam waiting around for permission it just. Makes them feel...... incompetent? Like they literally can't do anything with being told to?? And this makes their chapters a slight pain to go through because nothing really important happens in them or they're just there to observe Frostpaw 's plot and comment on it I guess.

On another tangent, I. have no idea what they're doing with this arc's villains.

The first few books set them up as cunning and clever cats whose strengths are in being subtle but now... they're kinda all over the place.

Curlfeather was the mastermind but apparently just. Did this all on a whim because her mate died and picked a random apprentice to share her plans with but couldn't bother keeping up a pretense of even pretend respect around him and just. Spoke down to him. Okay

Berryheart wasn't happy over the new rule allowing cats to swap clans and was willing to start up a evil book club and set up a sort of rebellion of sorts but then....they just...don't really follow through with that? She gets exiled, curses out the clans, and then....joins a clan she hated to the point of accepting a co-leader ship position from an unstable teenager openly stating his plans to attack her former clan and she's just okay with it because I guess she's just.......an unreasonable woman...

Alright.

And then there's Splashtail.

On one hand, I'm a lil disappointed on how far off the deep end he's gone but absolutely fascinated at the decline in his mental state.

He got his power.

He exiled Frostpaw.

Managed to convince nearly every cat around the lake she's the insane liar and then.

He just. Loses it.

Makes his clan fight each other with claws out, doesn't bother to allow the camp to be cleaned, kills his own deputy and appoints a cat who by all logic, would maybe be the first to kill him given the opportunity as deputy and he's portrayed as the biggest threat to the clans.

Him. One, singular cat that the leaders of the other clans know only has one life.

That any one of them could kill proving to Riverclan that Splashtail wasn't approved by Starclan and was actually lying about Frostpaw.

But no. We get yet another book with everyone sitting around talking about what should be done and why they can't and basically holding Tigerheart back by his tail to keep him from cutting this arc's runtime in half.

The poor man sees the problem, has a solution, wants to end problems before they impact literally everyone in yet another clan wide war but gets called the Real Villain for most the arc by everyone.

Frostpaw and Tigerheart are the real MVPs of this arc in terms of story and literally keeping me invested in this thing.

#warriors #warrior cats #a starless clan #wind spoilers #congrats to wind for being the first book in a while to frustrate me to the point of mentally banging my head against a wall while reading #i don't know if it's cuz i /just/ read a really good fanfic before reading wind but man #this book sure was something

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marnikula · 5 months

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A little blurb to the fanfic I am currently writing

Just ignore the fact that this has nothing to do with anything in my previous post except that both fanfics have to do with CM

Anyways, here is a little unedited blurb of the fanfic I am currently working on, please enjoy and let me know if you want more:

(Just a note, I know that Supervisory Director is not an actual position, it's just needed for the story, so go with it)

Aaron Hotchner had a deep dislike towards Strauss and he usually made the bare minimum of effort to hide it. She grated on his nerves with the way she saw herself as a benevolent ruler yet acted as a dictator. She was always filled with an air of confidence, and Hotch wasn’t blind enough to say that it was unearned, despite his personal dislike for her. She had managed to get to her position through her own hard work, and he could respect that, but something was off about her that day.

She was fidgeting, fixing her hair and neatly pressed suit when no fixing was required. Hotch hadn’t been told what the meeting was about today, only that it was of the utmost importance, but he knew Strauss was aware of what was happening. Before he could deduce what was happening a woman walked into the room. She looked to be late 20’s or early 30’s. Her suit was neatly pressed, the wine red, almost maroon, complementing her black turtle neck. A subtle golden chain hung around her neck, matching the simple golden studs that adorned her ears. She exuded confidence as she walked, her flat black shoes making a soft yet resounding sound every time she took a step.

Going to stand behind the desk the woman finally spoke. Her eyes glinted with something akin to intimidation as the words left her mouth. “Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner and Section Chief Erin Strauss I presume. I am Supervisory Director Juliet Moretti.” The introduction was short and to the point, a handshake to each punctuating her words as she spoke. Motioning for them to sit down Moretti did the same, the chair seeming to act as a throne to her. If you asked Hotch he would never admit this, but he found the confidant woman in front of him intimidating.

Processing the title Moretti introduced herself with, Hotch finally understood Strauss’ anxiety for this meeting. A Supervisory Director. Someone with the authority to ruin both of their careers and disband his unit by just filing some paperwork. Moretti was someone with power, not just in the way she carried herself, but also in her position in the bureau.

What did she want with them?

#hotch x reader #bau #hotch #criminal minds x reader #criminal minds #criminal minds fic

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harmonyckrs · 9 months

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My Curious family headcanons + some more photos of them in Miitopia

I believe that there are multiple universes and alternate realities in the Sims 2 and that their genders/sexualities would change in some of those alternate realities, but this is generally how I perceive them

Tycho, Nova and Lewis are also included here. Lewis isn't technically a Curious family member but I felt like including him anyway

Also this post is going to be really long. It's going to be divided into Lola/Chloe specific headcanons, then Curious Brother headcanons, followed by a timeline division based on whether the events of the PSP game occur

Lola and Chloe are only around two years older than Jenny, and they use the Elixir of Life to maintain their youth

Lola and Chloe are the same height, and are both taller than Jenny. Chloe sometimes gives off the illusion that she's taller due to the way she and Lola style their hair

Chloe enjoys aerobics and dance, despite being a generally lazy person. Lola engages in aerobics sometimes but only when she's dragged into it by Chloe or Kristen

Lola and Chloe both resent Jenny and the Curious brothers as they believe that Glarn completely abandoned them in favor of his new family

Jenny is aware of Lola and Chloe's existences as Pollination Technician #9 told her about them, and keeps them a secret from her brothers as she was afraid that they would start pestering them with questions

Chloe is agnostic and dislikes astrology, and makes fun of Erin for believing in it. Lola is also agnostic but will humor Erin from time to time because she's not a jerk

Chloe, Lola and Ajay are close friends and Chloe and Ajay will occasionally act as each other's wingmen

Lola likes to buy something as a souvenir every time she visits a new place

Vidcund is the tallest, followed by Lazlo and then Pascal. The height difference between them isn't that big though

Pascal was Glarn's favorite and Lazlo's was Kitty's favorite. Vidcund was the neglected middle child and Jenny was the rebellious older sister who mellowed out once she became an adult

Glarn would make constant comparisons between Pascal and his younger brothers, which caused Vidcund to resent Pascal. Although he tries to be subtle about it, Pascal knows about it and thinks that Lazlo secretly hates him too (he doesn't)

Pascal was one of those people who focused entirely on his studies when he was in school and got really good grades at the expense of having no social life, and Nervous was his first friend

Lazlo was able to get good grades without trying. Vidcund struggled a bit more compared to his brothers but was still able to perform decently well

Vidcund has a hard time making friends and usually makes them through Lazlo introducing him to people. Circe was the first friend that he made on his own

Pascal is sometimes envious of Vidcund and Lazlo being close to each other, and would develop strong feelings of loneliness from time to time

Crystal Vu was someone that Vidcund met through Lazlo. The three of them also smoke weed together

Pascal dislikes Crystal as he believes that she's leading Lazlo on and has ulterior motives for pursuing him (she is and she does). Crystal sees Pascal as Lazlo's overbearing brother who hates fun, and will often make passive aggressive remarks towards him while also making (failed) attempts to turn Lazlo against him

Nervous has listened to Pascal complain about Crystal so many times that he also developed a hatred for Crystal Vu before he even met her. They probably still would've hated each other though, as Crystal is also demeaning towards Nervous and secretly supports the Beakers' actions

Pascal enjoys playing the piano and uses it as a way to de-stress

Lazlo wanted to pursue the adventurer career and become a space pirate but was pressured into becoming a scientist by his parents

Vidcund also wanted to get into show business and become an actor, but chose science because it felt like a safer option

Sometime after Pascal was abducted, he manages to befriend Lazlo who helps him talk to Vidcund and sort our their family issues, helping Vidcund get over his resentment and Pascal with his feelings of loneliness

Pascal, Vidcund and Lazlo become close friends once Tycho is born. What happens to them afterwards depends on the timeline

Good Ending (Tycho never gets kidnapped):

Pascal, Vidcund and Lazlo find out about Chloe and Lola while sorting through Glarn's old stuff, which included a diary. Lazlo attempts to reach out to them through Erin, but they reject him

Lola and Chloe are slightly more receptive to Vidcund, as the three bond over how bad of a father Glarn was to them which later causes them to open up to the rest of the famly. Chloe gets along more with Lazlo, while Lola gets along better with Pascal

Crystal ghosts Lazlo sometime after Nova was conceived. Lazlo later finds out about Nova's existence once Crystal flees Strangetown after her supervillain identity is exposed, and Nova is placed in Lazlo's care instead

Tycho and Nova are good friends, and all of the other children they have are also good friends with each other

Lewis is there too, but grows distant from Nova once she enters private school. Lewis got rejected and envies Nova for getting in, which is why he acts like a dick when they talk to each other again in college

Bad Ending (Vidcund gets mind controlled and kidnaps Tycho):

Chloe and Lola both leave Strangetown before the events of the PSP game, and never reconnect with the rest of their family. Jenny keeps the secret of their existence with her to the grave

Vidcund cuts off contact with Pascal and Lazlo out of guilt and briefly seeks comfort in Circe (nothing romantic, just them bonding over being mind controlled and having their relationships ruined over it) before leaving Strangetown and disappearing almost entirely

Lazlo tries to search for Vidcund but reconnects with Crystal instead and moves to Belladonna Cove with her. The two of them have Nova together before he discovers her secret identity as a supervillain, and leaves her while taking Nova with him

Pascal becomes paranoid and overprotective of Tycho. This causes some conflicts between them once Tycho becomes older, but they still have a decent relationship with each other

Nova and Tycho become pen pals sometime after Lazlo left Crystal. Nova was able to visit Tycho at one point when she was a child, which was also when she met Lewis. However, Nova and Lewis forgot to exchange contacts and don't meet again until college

Tycho and Nova are aware of Chloe, Lola and Vidcund, and sometimes make up stories about what might've happened to them and what they might've been like

There is also a "neutral ending" where Tycho doesn't get kidnapped but Vidcund disappears anyway (he'll return eventually, don't worry). Some premades get a slightly worse fate than they do in the bad ending but it's a small price to pay for everyone else. This one kind of falls under fanfic territory and has a bunch of sim OCs though so I'll save that for another day

#pascal curious #vidcund curious #lazlo curious #lola curious #chloe curious #tycho curious #nova curious #lewis sancho #headcanons #the curious miis

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dooplissss · 8 months

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i would like to know about the ocs 🫴🏽

bless you

ok I have way more than just these but these are the current standouts, maybe I’ll do a part 2 tomorrow bc i cant stop talking about my silly little guys

Emmett & Marasmus: Newest oc for dnd, pact of the undead warlock. Emmett was just living his life til he ate the wrong mushroom for dinner and it revealed itself to be a god named Marasmus that wants people to praise it, so it took over poor Emmett’s body and puppeted him around, turning his hometown into a cult. Emmett broke out of his stupor and escaped after nearly feeding a spore to his brother and he’s been running ever since, his body slowly being eaten by the monster that inhabits him. Also they bicker constantly, real Beacon and Duck Newton vibes.

Emmett is truly just some guy who doesn’t deserve to have this wannabe god parasite stuck to him but that’s how these things go. He’s so sweet and ofc he loves his family bc I’m predictable and make that a trait for nearly all my ocs. I tend to avoid family drama or at least do it in a different way than most people, in that I prefer my characters to be striving to get back home or avoiding going home because they feel they don’t deserve to be a part of their family anymore, but always always always they are loved despite everything bad they’ve done/think they’ve done. I really hope the game goes long enough to see Emmett get to hug his brother again and forgive his mom for not being able to help him, he’s the only one of my ocs who’s been wronged by his family and even then its neither of their fault. God he needs a hug so bad

Salem & Erin: god this guy is so fun. Salem is a skellington who started as a rich brat that got peer pressured into a ritual that makes you immortal, 40 years later he had a heart attack, died for a second, and then started rotting alive. He spent decades alone in his big mansion haunting his own halls, bored out of his skull. Occasionally people would come thru, be terrified by him or try to kill him, but largely he was just left there. It took him years to work up the courage to enter his son’s room and reminisce about him; he was married a long time ago, but as soon as he floated the idea of having his spouse and child go through the ritual too they up and left him.

Eventually a realtor, Erin, comes to the house to sell it, and she’s the only person who isn’t scared of him. It’s the first conversation Salems had in years and they become friends, her daughter Olivia makes clothes for Salem to disguise his form and help him gain the courage to leave the house more and more. Salem lets more people into the house, especially artists he really loves art, and eventually lets people live there while he moves in with Erin and Olivia once he feels safe enough to live among people again.

Originally Erin and Salem were supposed to just be friends but ofc I started shipping them and ughhh they make me insane. They’re both divorcees and have talked at length about how they’ll never make that mistake again, but Salems been in love with Erin since the beginning. And he’s the least subtle person on the planet so ofc everyone knows, including Erin and she’s just patiently waiting for the day when Salem admits how they feel, however long it takes. I made Salem for dnd and his quest is basically to find a way to undo his immortality, but tbh every time he joins a campaign it dies soon after so I think I want to try making a comic or a series of vignettes or something for him anyway, especially since I’ve had a lot of time to think about plot hooks and stuff.

this is the only fic i have them but i really love it please clap

Tillian & Somlen: The OCs of All Time. I literally have a tattoo representing them, they mean so goddamn much to me its hard to put into words like they changed me as a person. Somlen isn’t my oc, he belongs to my dm, but the two are so tied together and influenced each other so much it all kinda blends together.

Tillian is a haunted one bard who grew up in the town of Winslow, a little prairie town that had something Wrong in the well that caused all the sounds to warp. The crops whispered, the blueberries gossiped, her mom echoed, her dad sang, her brother spoke backwards, and when Tillian herself spoke everyone would hear something different (I had a d100 list for what they would hear). After someone disappeared while doing recon inside the well, the town boarded it up and went their separate ways. When Tillian’s family went to stay with her aunt, she said hello to her cousin and instantly killed him with her voice.

She went to bard college to help get her voice back, and as the game started she was simply looking for answers to why this happened and what caused it. She meets with the group, starts adventuring, and one fight goes so bad she gets fully 3 failed death saves killed. Something picks her out of the river of death and brings her back to life, and that’s when she buys a haunted doll, a homebrew item from TAZ that takes that final death onto itself.

As the adventurers leave town, she feels her bag moving on to find oh fuck the doll is alive and its an asshole. The doll says his name is Somlen and he was cursed after he slept with the wrong person. Tillian HATES this guy at first but ah fuck, if she dies he’s going to die in her place so she has to be more careful. And as she talks to him more, she starts to warm up to him. He cheated on his girlfriend and he’s the perfect picture of the horny bard trope, but he wants to do better and become a better person.

Things happen, yadda yadda, Tillian finds out the location of the hag that cursed him and they kill her, taking the curse away but Somlen is still stuck in the doll body, they need powerful magic to get him polymorphed back to human. The group decides to go to a city but, as a lark, one of the npcs decides to try her luck to change him back and she rolls a goddamn nat 20. Somlen is human again and oh god he’s in his birthday suit. While Tillian is in total shock, the group gets him clothed, Somlen jokes around and plays it cool up until he gets back to Tillian, who just. Wordlessly takes her signature scarf, the one her dad knit for her, and wraps it around him and hugs him. And it hits them both like, they did it, he’s safe, and Somlen would do anything for her and vice versa.

They go into the city where they get a clue to visit the outskirts where Tillian’s aunts house is, except its old, like really really old, all that’s left is a hole down into the basement. And when they get in, Tillian can feel something trying to communicate with her, and she learns this place is over 2000 years old and so is she. That night, when she sleeps, she wakes up inside the well surrounded by hundreds of faces and she knows every single one of them. The thing that lives in the well tells her to bring her friends back for it, and that’s when it hits her: This thing, the Uvuuduam, has been sending her out every hundred years to go collect a group of adventurers and bring them back to feed them to this monster. It controlled her into tracking down every villager of Winslow and throwing them down into the well, including her mom and dad and brother. She is as much the thing haunting her home as this awful creature is.

She wakes up, silently collects her things, and leaves everyone behind to spare them. They catch up, ofc, but she is desperate to spare them from this fate. She offers them a anti-scrying necklace so they can leave her and be untrackable, but no one agrees to take it, they’re all in it to save her much as she begs them not to. She is absolutely broken by this revelation, but the group and especially Somlen are there to hold her together.

They send some time leveling up and preparing to go to her town, and finally the day comes when they arrive. They go into the well and face the Uvuuduam, it’s a tough fight (we had a irl sleepover to play it all the way thru), but they do it and she severs this horrible things neck as she screams, her voice finally returning to her after all these years. Everyone in the well wakes up, she reunites with her family, and (this part always makes me cry) when she sleeps that night, it’s the first restful sleep she’s had in 2000 years. She and Somlen stay behind in Winslow, finally home.

Like. They are truly everything to me. They are foils in so many ways but it just makes them stronger. Tillian is an aromantic bard, helping me realize I myself am aro, and it always gets to me that she loved so fiercely and so much and it was used as a weapon against her, that the monster knew it could depend on her to make connections strong enough to make people willing to do anything for her and therefore bring back its food. She loves too much for her own good, but she’s safe now, she’s with her family and the people she loves and god forbid anything try to take advantage of her ever again.

Also these two are just funny. Two halves of a whole idiot. Tillian is a neurotic mess at all times, Somlen is full of himself, they’re life partners and also an inseparable comedy duo. They’ve seen each other at their very worst and choose each other without hesitation over and over. They’ve both had their free will ripped from them thru curses and manipulation and they vow to break the hold others have on them, they would tear the world in half if the other asked. And just. Tillian wants nothing more than to return home while Somlen runs as far away from his past as possible, but he finds a home in her and he helps her win back hers. They love each other and they are best friends forever :’) also I’ve written so many fics about them and I still have so many more I want to write lmao

#tillian and somlen #emmett #salem #i could talk about tillian and somlen for ten thousand years and i will #ocs

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cloudlessly-light · 2 years

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The world was on fire and no one could save me but you - Part 1/3

A/N: So this is a extended version of one of the smut prompts I've done, the idea still stuck with me. I hope you like it!

Summary: Emily and Aaron get married, then divorce but do they find their way back to each other? Chapter title: We love because it’s the only true adventure Rating: Excplicit Word count: 5.1k Warnings: Smut, mentions of alcohol, mentions of death, fluff, angst

Aaron knew that the moment he met Emily, that she would forever change his life. Emily Prentiss came into his life like a hurricane, right when he was on the cusp of breaking. Elle had left, Jason was slowly losing his hope on humanity and his faith, his marriage was barely holding together. And all of a sudden there she was, a dark-haired beauty filled with determination, a mission, something to prove. He had wanted to fight it, fight her, but came to find that it was impossible to do so.

She’s a hurricane that instead of tearing things apart, somehow fixes everything. It’s one of the first things he notices, her passion for others, for the people around her as well as the people they meet every day, victims and witnesses alike. She’s relentless, stubborn at times, she’s exactly what he had been craving.

Emily knew it would be a challenge settling into her new life, a backstory of a desk job packed neatly in her folder like she neatly packed away the last few years of her life. She had been in the Midwest, had worked for ten years, that was her story and she rehearsed it until she almost believed it. Lauren Reynolds didn’t exist anymore.

The first time she met Aaron he felt like a breath of fresh air, a complete opposite to Ian, black hair and eyes dark enough to drown in. A stiffness to him that she knew she would have to work through. But she did, slowly, and after a few mishaps she could feel the change in him.

She loved her knew life, loved how it was clean and organized and nothing like Interpol had been. She relaxes as she lets herself truly become Emily again, had almost forgotten how it felt to be herself after so many years of being Lauren, but between joking with Derek and girl’s nights with JJ and Penelope, she found it. She found herself.

Almost a year goes by, some things crumble down around them, Jason leaves the team, Haley leaves him but they carry on. It’s strange, finding his footing as his personal life falls apart and he’s forced to take on even more of the workload without Jason. He should have known that Emily barely bats an eye when he comes to her that day, almost begging for her to come back to the team after she refused to give in to Erin Strauss. She never admitted it, but he could tell and as furious as he was that he had been right about Erin, he admired Emily.

It's the first real turning point for them, sitting next to each other on a plane and talking like two normal people for the first time without the backdrop of murder, violence and despair.

They grow closer, it’s slow and subtle and they both know that they’re getting a little too close. It’s a razor-sharp edge, his hand on her shoulder lingering a little too long, her eyes on him a little too intent. They both know they shouldn’t, but both knew that they wanted more. It had been close calls, a few almost kisses that both ignored the day after, it was frustrating being so attracted to another person that you could barely see straight.

“Hey,” Emily pokes her head through the doorway and he looks up from the file he had been reading through. “want to go get a beer or something?”

“Not tonight, maybe some other time?” He gestures to the large pile of files next to him on the desk and she sighs but nods and then leaves as quickly as she had appeared.

Less than thirty minutes later she shows up again and he almost cracks a smile at her determination as she shows him the two beers she hid under her jacket.

“Emily.” He tries to chastise her but the softness in his voice is apparent and she only closes his office door with a wide grin.

“If you can’t come to the beer, the beer comes to you.” She has both bottles open and is taking a sip when he gives in with a small shake of his head.

“I guess one beer would be okay, it’s after hours after all.” He agrees and clinks his bottle with hers as he tries to ignore how the smile on her face makes his own lips twitch in a smile.

“It is, everybody has gone home.” Her eyes move to the window of his office once before landing on him again.

“So why haven’t you?” He unbuttons the top button of his shirt and removes his tie before relaxing back in his chair, immediately feeling more comfortable.

“Didn’t seem fair, you’re always working later than the rest of us.” She shrugs and tries to force herself to keep her eyes on his and to not flicker down at the small patch of skin that’s just been revealed to her, the familiar feeling of want settling inside of her quickly.

“So you thought that tempting me with a beer would be enough?” He teases, a smirk on his lips before he takes another swig from the bottle in his hand.

“It was worth a try.” She chuckles and he joins her before they fall silent. She can see the tension in his body, how as much as he would have loved to just forget about the work still left, he couldn’t and she places her bottle down on the table sigh a sigh. “Can I help you with that?”

“No, it’s mostly me signing things. Wouldn’t look too good if your signature was suddenly there.” He finishes his beer and places the bottle on his desk. “Thank you though.” When his eyes find hers again they’re kind and soft and Emily feels her cheeks burning slightly.

“Not a problem.” She suddenly feels hot, almost uncomfortably so and she knows that it has nothing to do with the temperature of the room and everything to do with the man across from her. “I should get home, I’ll see you tomorrow.” She stands up and he does the same and she almost wants to roll her eyes at him. Always the gentleman, she thought.

He walks her to the office door, not really sure why but knew that he wanted to ask her to stay, wanted her close. The smell of her perfume makes him inhale, something safe in the scent of it.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” He says and opens the door for her but she doesn’t move, only continues to look at him in the way that makes his heartrate quicken. The energy in the room switches quickly and his hold on the handle tightens as she turns fully into his body, his eyes move from her eyes to her lips and back. “Emily…” He whispers, some part of him still fighting what he knows is inevitable.

“I know we shouldn’t.” She says just as quietly but still lets her hand move to slowly stroke his cheek, his stubble rough against her palm. “But I want to.”

He closes his eyes at her touch, head falling forward as he tries to get control of his body as he reacts to her.

“Tell me to stop and I will.” Her words are a breath against his neck, her body much closer to him than she had been a moment ago.

“I don’t want to stop.” He admits and before his brain could stop him once again, he catches her lips in a kiss. She almost seems taken back by it, a second of tension before she relaxes into his body as she lets herself finally feel him, taste him.

She hears his low groan in his throat, feels his hands as they circle her waist and pulls her even closer to him and she lets him. Her own hands move to his neck, her fingers find his short hair and she smiles against his lips as his breath hitches as she rakes her fingers through it.

When they finally break apart, they’re both panting for air but neither move away from each other.

“It’s about damn time huh?” He says before she has the chance to and she chuckles against his neck.

“Will you regret this tomorrow?” She’s happy that her face is hidden from him, she didn’t want him to see the vulnerability on her face but knew that he could hear it in her voice.

“Not if you won’t.” He pulls away only to move his hand under her chin and angle her face up so he can look at her properly. “I think we both knew we would end up here.” He smiles when she nods and pulls her into another kiss, this one softer than the previous one. “Let me take you out this weekend? And we’ll talk about it then?”

“Are you asking me out Aaron Hotchner?” The words are mumbled between kisses before she moves back enough to put some space between them.

“Yes Emily, that is what I’m doing.”

That’s how it starts, how they start. In the stillness of his office late at night and it seems fitting that the place where they first met, is the place where they move forward.

Their first date that was only supposed to be dinner, but then turned into dinner and a walk, turned into a glass of wine at Emily’s turned into him spending the night and not leaving until he had to go pick up Jack the following day. He leaves with a kiss and a smile, a promise in his touch and Emily can’t keep the grin off her own face as he leaves, nor the blush on her cheeks when she sees the marks he had left on her body.

The following Monday he drags her into his office before anybody else had gotten there and kisses her.

“We can’t do this here.” It still doesn’t keep her from pressing kisses against his neck. They had agreed not to tell anybody, not until they knew where they were headed.

“I know.” His hand tangles in her hair and when she moans he presses her harder against the wall. “Fuck I can’t get enough of you.” His voice is raspy, thick with want and it makes her shiver. “We’re flying to Denver today, but when we come back I want to cook you dinner.”

“Okay.” She agrees easily, kisses him one more time before he moves away from her and she quickly runs her fingers through her hair before exciting his office. The bullpen was still quiet, but only seconds after she had made her way towards the kitchenette, Spencer and Derek walked through the glass doors, greeting her with smiles.

It’s only two months before the team finds out, all curtesy to Dave who figures them out within two days of joining the team.

“You moved on fast.” He comments on the plane and when Emily freezes up and Aaron looks at him with a warning in his stare his own eyebrows raise in surprise. “Oh.”

“What’s going on?” Derek asks from his spot on the couch as Spencer came to sit beside him, JJ who had been reading her book closes it as she looks between Dave and Aaron, the men obviously caught in a stare-down.

“Nothing.” Aaron says and the edge in his voice couldn’t be mistaken.

“Aaron and Haley aren’t together anymore.” Dave knew Aaron, had never been afraid of him the way some people were, but he didn’t realize that his newfound happiness with his subordinate was something to be kept a secret from the team.

“That’s not news.” Derek says as he leans on his elbows. “And that’s not what you meant.”

Aaron took a moment to gather his thoughts, this was not how they wanted the team to find out. He can feel Emily, still tense, beside him and his eyes flicker to her quickly. It’s a wordless conversation done in less than a couple of seconds and he sighs.

“Me and Emily are dating.”

Emily didn’t think she’d ever seen her friends this quiet before and she wasn’t sure how to handle the silence.

“You’re what?!” Derek was the first to speak and his anger didn’t surprise either of them. “What are you playing at? Hotch you just separated, are the papers even signed yet?” The judgmental tone made Emily want to cringe but it only made Aaron angry at what he was insinuating.

“Watch your tone Morgan.” He saw the way the other man wanted to fight it, could tell that there was nothing Derek would want more than to keep going, but in the end just shook his head in disbelief.

“How long has this been going on?” Spencer asked, his voice more surprised than anything and Emily smiled at his innocence.

“A couple of months.” She said and took Aaron’s hand. The moment they touch she could feel the tension in him lessen.

Derek looked at the exchange quietly and scoffed before standing up.

“Have fun trying to get this past Strauss.” He muttered while walking away to sit on the other side of the plane, trying to get as much space between himself and them as possible. “Ridiculous.”

When they landed Emily left the jet with a heavy feeling of guilt in the pit of her stomach. She knew that things would change now, their whole team dynamic would change and she was afraid of the consequences.

“Hey, Emily.” JJ caught her attention as they headed towards the SUV’s. Her hand landed on Emily’s shoulder; her hand warm through her blazer. “Is this serious, between you and Hotch?”

Emily smiled gratefully at her and nodded.

“It is, we’ve been trying to find a time to tell all of you. This was not the way we planned it.” She gave a sarcastic chuckle as her eyes found Derek getting into one of the cars, still not talking to anybody.

“In that case, prove him wrong. Prove everybody wrong. If you’re happy then we as friends are happy for you.” JJ pulled her into a hug. “You do realize that Pen will want all the juicy details right?”

“Oh God.”

A year later they have proved everybody wrong and are moving into their first house together. It was fast, but it felt right and as Emily stood in the middle of boxes in the kitchen with Aaron cooking them breakfast she couldn’t remember ever being this happy.

“You look hot.” She smiled from across the kitchen island as he winked at her and flipped a pancake with ease.

“So do you.” His eyes lingered on the hint of cleavage visible from his shirt on her body, only two buttons buttoned across her chest. “Come here.”

She was quick to walk around the island and wrap her arms around his neck. She heard the scrambling of the pan falling in the sink, barely saw how he turned the stove off before his hands came around her to pull her closer.

“I’m going to fuck you on every surface of this house.” He whispered against her ear as his lips trailed down her neck.

“We already got a head start.” She breathed as his teeth scraped over her pulse.

“Guess some surfaces will just have be twice then.” He gets the buttons of her shirt unbuttoned and the fabric off her before she has time to think about anything except how he’s able to turn her to mush with just with his voice. He sets her on the counter and rips her panties off with a smirk as she gasps.

“I liked those.” She comments as he moves to stand in between her legs.

“I’ll buy you new ones.” He kisses her to shut her up, swallows down her moan when his fingers move through her folds. “Always so wet for me.”

“Don’t tease me Hotchner.” She tries to grind into his touch but his other hand on her hip stops her. “Honey.” She pouts and he laughs because Emily Prentiss doesn’t pout.

“We have all day, and trust me baby, it’s going to be all day.” He wiggles his eyebrows and it’s her turn to laugh, the sound quickly being broken off into a moan when his fingers press inside of her. “You won’t be able to walk when I’m done with you.”

“Seems impractical since we only have tomorrow to finish unpacking.” She muses but then his fingers curl and her hips buckle in response and she knows that they’re done talking for now. She pulls him into a kiss instead, pushes her tongue against his as his palm press against her clit and his other hand move over her body.

Aaron tweaks one nipple and swallows down her gasp before trailing his lips down her neck. His hand moves from her chest and into her long hair, he tugs it and she moans as her head falls back with the movement and he sucks one taut nipple into his mouth.

“Fuck, Aaron.” She claws at his shoulders as he holds her still by his firm grip on her hair, his teeth biting on her nipple hard enough to sting and then she’s coming hard enough to feel her body slide on the counter. He’s quick to let go of her hair and to wrap his arm around her hips as his fingers continue to pump inside of her until her moans have quieted down and she’s kissing him again.

“I love when you come for me.” He whispers when they break apart and Emily’s forehead is pressed against his.

“Fuck me,” Her hands are already pulling on his boxers to get them off his hips “I need you to fuck me.”

Aaron didn’t need to be told twice, quickly kicking away his boxers and lining himself up with her. He watches her face as he runs the tip of him through her folds, her slick coating it as she whimpers each time he nudges her clit. When he thrusts inside of her it’s slow and deep and he doesn’t stop until he’s buried inside of her and she’s clinging to him from the stretch.

“How do you always feel so fucking good?” He groans as he slowly pulls back only to push deep inside of her again. His hands move to her hips, holding her steady as he slowly picks up the pace. The sound of their moans, labored breathing and skin slapping against skin echoes through the house.

Emily finally gives in to her body as the pleasure builds and she falls back against the cold marble of the counter. She arches as Aaron’s hands moves from her hips to between her thighs, his fingers quicky circling her clit slowly, a contrast to the way his hips snap harder against her. His other hand moves to press low on her stomach and he groans as he feels his shaft inside of her.

“Fuck!” She jerks at the feeling, his cock suddenly feeling even bigger.

“You feel that pretty girl? That’s how fucking deep I am inside of you.” His voice is barely a breathless growl, his orgasm building with each thrust inside of her.

“It’s so good, so fucking good. Please don’t stop.” She mumbles through her own hazy pleasure, the tension in her body intensifying by each swipe of his thumb on her clit.

Aaron wouldn’t dream of stopping, not when Emily begged for him not to. He watched as her body trembled, her hips grinding to get him as deep inside of her as possible. His finger moved a little faster over her clit, he angled his hips slightly, and then she was coming with a scream.

She was pretty sure that she blacked out for a couple of seconds, the pleasure bordering on painful as she felt her orgasm in her entire body. She was barely down from her own high when she felt Aaron giving in to his own release, his groan low and shaky as he came inside of her.

He could feel his legs almost give out as he came, his hands gripping the counter to keep steady as he tried to catch his breath. When the cloudy fog of arousal lessened and their breathing had returned to normal, Emily sat up and kissed him softly.

“Let’s clean up and I can blow you in the shower.” She smirked as she jumped off the counter with his help.

“You’re insatiable woman.” He slapped her ass and she laughed and took his hand.

“You were the one who wanted to fuck everywhere, what was it you said, ‘I won’t be able to walk when you’re done with me’?”

Emily had expected co-parenting to be much harder that it was. Sure there had been fighting and words said with spite in the beginning, but Emily understood why. Aaron had moved on with her quickly and Haley had never imagined that the first woman he would be with after their separation would be someone he would get serious with. But there Emily was, already such a presence in his life that it wasn’t surprising that she would become a presence in Jacks as well.

It took a few months after Haley finding out, but they found a balance and after seeing how comfortable Jack was around Emily, she had relaxed some, even went as far as having the occasional coffee with Emily when dropping off Jack if Aaron was at work.

“I didn’t want to like you.” Haley would joke and Emily would laugh.

“Would it have been better if I was some 21-year-old college student?” She teased and Haley would immediately shake her head.

“Oh God no, could you imagine?”

“Horrible.” Emily agreed and clinked her coffee cup with Haley’s.

“He’s going to ask you to marry him!” Penelope all but shouted at her and Emily stopped with her glass halfway tilted towards her mouth.

“What?” She stared at the blonde who nodded.

“You said that he’s been acting really weird and you’ve been together for a long time now. You live together. He’s going to propose!”

“Pen,” She laughed at the overly excited blonde and JJ shook her head beside her. “you didn’t go all Garcia on him and tracked his credit card or anything did you?”

When all they got was silence in return Emily’s jaw fell open and JJ gasped as she hit Penelope on the shoulder.

“Penelope!” She chastised, “you can’t do that!”

For a couple of seconds everything was quiet as Emily just stared at Penelope across the table from herself.

“I…” She started slowly, already squirming slightly “I was curious?”

But the proposal doesn’t come, a week goes by, then two and soon enough it’s been almost three months and Emily had chalked whatever Penelope had seen up to the bracelet she got as an anniversary present from him. She’s not unhappy with it, maybe a little disappointed but she was happy with him, in their home and she didn’t need a ring for that.

“Honey?” He calls through the house as he walks through the door, getting home later than her like he always did.

“In here.” She’s cleaning up Jack’s toys, the toddler asleep in his room upstairs. She throws the toy truck and superhero into his drawer in the living room before standing to greet him. “Hi honey.” She kisses him gently and breathes in the smell of him when he pulls her close.

“Sorry for being home so late.” He mumbles into her neck as he hugs her. “I wanted to have dinner with you and Jack.”

“It’s okay, we had pasta. Child friendly and Emily cooking friendly.” She jokes as she turns back to pick up the rest of the toys. She doesn’t notice his eyes on her until she stands back up.

Aaron watches her quietly, the woman in front of him that cares for his child like it was her own, a person with the biggest heart he’d ever seen. He considered himself lucky, that someone like her ever wanted to be with someone like him. When she turns to face him, hair falling over her face, his son’s toys in her hands and a gentle smile on her face he can feel his heart skipping a beat.

“What?” She asks when he continues to look at her.

“Marry me.” He can see the confusion flitter across her face, a moment of hesitation before she breaks into the biggest smile he’d ever seen.

“Did you just ask me to marry you while I’m in stained sweats in the middle of the living room?”

“Yes.” He steps closer to her and the toys in her hand fall back to the floor as her hands comes to rest on his chest. “Marry me.”

“Of course I’ll marry you, you idiot.” She ignores the way her voice shakes as she speaks and instead lets him kiss the air from her lungs. When he pulls back and goes to his briefcase she isn’t sure what is happening until he’s pulling out a small box.

“I bought this months ago, and I had planned something much bigger, something fancy because that’s what you deserve…”

“This is perfect.” She interrupts him, wanting him to know that anything would have been great, but this was perfect because it was them. Her hand trembles when he slides the white gold band over her finger. It’s a simple ring, a diamond that wasn’t too small but wasn’t something that would draw attention to it, it felt like the perfect fit and she couldn’t take her eyes off it.

“You are perfect.” He kisses her again, his own smile making it more teeth than lips but he didn’t care, he would have forever with her.

“Can I talk to you about something?” Aaron asks one night while in bed, the thought appearing as of nowhere.

“Yeah.” Emily closes the book she had been reading and turns to him.

“When you first joined the team it said that you had been in the Midwest. JJ asked you about it once and you kind of froze up.”

Emily could feel her heart beat faster in her chest, could feel the anxiety simmering already as she looked at him with wide eyes and a nod.

“Then Strauss let us know that it had been a cover, that you had been working for Interpol.”

“Mhm.”

“You never talk about it. Why you had a misleading file or about what you did there.” His hand land on her hip and his thumb rubs over her hipbone gently. “I guess I’m just curious about why?”

“I-I did undercover work. I’m not allowed to talk about it.” She decided to be as truthful as possible without having to disclose what she had to do, how far she had gone, losing herself along the way. She was afraid that if she told him that she had fallen in love with a terrorist and murderer, that he would never look at her the way he did right then.

“Okay sweetheart.” He kissed her forehead, seemingly content with her answer. “I’m here though, if you ever can and want to talk about it.”

“I love you.” She settles into his chest, hand over his heart and she feels his hum in his chest.

“I love you too.”

They don’t have a wedding, they go to city hall with Haley and Jack and it’s enough for them because they have each other. But Emily should have known that Aaron would have arranged for their dinner to be with the whole team, their friends surprising her with celebratory shouts and laughs.

When Aaron kisses her, Derek is the first one to cheer for them, his support never ending after the first few months of refusing to acknowledge them as a couple. Emily laughs at him and her hand finds Aaron’s under the table before leaning into his side.

“You sure this was enough for you?” He asks and she hums, content to just sit there with him. When Jack climbs into her lap she turns her face towards Aaron’s with a smile.

“I’ve never been this happy. This is perfect, all of it is perfect.” She strokes his cheek gently “Stop worrying baby.”

“Emmy.” Jack gets her attention, the three-year-old still hard to understand sometimes. “You happy?”

“Yes Jack, I’m happy. Are you happy?” She laughs when he nods enthusiastically. “That’s good, is daddy happy?” She turns back to Aaron who’s also nodding.

“I’m very happy.”

“And we are happy for you!” Dave interrupts having heard the conversation and raising his glass in a toast. “To Aaron and Emily!”

“Aaron and Emily!” The team and Haley raise their glasses in sync as Jack laughs, the sound carrying through the restaurant.

They were blissfully happy together. Married, talking about another child.

They were happy until they weren’t.

George Foyet tears their lives apart in the blink of an eye. After his attack on Aaron, Emily watches as he falls into a downward spiral. She tries to be there for him, watches as his obsession grows but she doesn’t fault him for that. Haley and Jack were gone because of Foyet, and no matter how hard she tried to reassure Aaron that things would turn out okay, she knew that it wasn’t something she couldn’t promise him.

When Haley was murdered she was pretty sure a part of Aaron died with her, something lost forever. He leans on her like never before as he grieves. She supports him the best she can, is there for him and Jack as they all try to navigate this new life, a worse life.

“I’m not enough for him.” Aaron tells her quietly one night, only a few weeks after Haley’s death.

“You’re more than enough for him.” She makes sure that he looks at her, hands on his cheeks. “You saved him.”

“I couldn’t have done this without you.” He blinks away tears and lets her pull him into a hug, lets the scent and feel of her envelope him.

Months go by, and somehow they slowly get back to themselves, something Emily didn’t think was possible. They manage work and Jack with the help of Jessica and somewhere along the way Aaron was able to say Haley’s name with a smile.

They get back to being happy after a year of grief and just as she feels like maybe things would be okay again, she gets the call.

She meets Sean and his eyes flicker to the rings on her finger before he tells her that Ian has escaped from prison. She feels dread, like ice along her spine as her worst fears are becoming reality.

“Am I in danger? Is my family in danger?”

“We all are.”

#hotchniss #hotchniss fanfiction #hotch x emily #Criminal Minds Fanfiction #hotchniss smut #criminal minds smut #aaron hotchner x emily prentiss #aaron hotchner #emily prentiss

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moonybadger · 11 months

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MORE WC THUNDER SPOILERS

EDIT: Added some more thoughts on why I don't think the ThingTM that happens to Frostpaw probably won't doom spiral as much as I'm seeing a lot of people worry about

I'm sorry but I think Frostpaw getting caught and released spayed was so funny LMFAO I know this could definitely blow up in our faces later on if the Erins decide to do anything with it, but tbh considering they barely bring up after Frostpaw initially notices it and the fact that she's already wanting to return to being a medicine cat I really doubt it will (like I don't think the fact that she can't have kits now is going to influence her decision to be a medicine cat, especially after all the therapy she went through in this book specifically)

Just to build on this thought a little more, I think the main reason I don't think it's going to become a big thing that convinces Frostpaw to be a medicine cat is because Warriors is not subtle whatsoever and they probably would have had Frostpaw think something like "she felt like a part of her was missing" when she initially notices the spaying scar and Smokey would have been way more apologetic about the whole thing. I think if it was going to be a Thing then it would already be foreshadowed as a Thing. But Frostpaw already wants to go back to being a medicine cat independently of the spaying and her entire arc this book was basically healing from the trauma she's suffered; Riverstar probably would have brought it up with the other big revelations she was shown so if she needed to she could recover from the shock with the park cats.

I've been wrong before about Warriors so it might come up in the way that everyone is worried about! But I personally am not, not in the way I was worried about Squirrelstar being killed before she could become leader.

#I know I could dig deeper and find Implications but to me the implications are just that that was hilarious #bored badgering #warriors #At this point I would be shocked if it ever gets mentioned again

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ten-cent-sleuth · 2 years

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Hi!! Nice to meet another Zibell fan and fic writer! I have to admit that my time on Tumblr is a bit sporadic (real life is way too busy), but I'm always glad to talk about Zibell and writing fic for them. I've written a lot of romantic fic for them, but I definitely enjoy the platonic friendship on screen, so I could really go either way with them. Do you ship them romantically at all or just platonically? Any favorite moments?

[Disclaimer: I am only on S3 of the show, so some of my comments might not be (as) applicable anymore. Also, there might be some prime Zibell moments from S4 and S5 that I don’t mention when talking about my favourites because I haven’t seen them yet. Sorry!]

I could go either way with them too! I read (and write…maybe… 👀) romantic fanfic for them, and I’m definitely on the lookout for budding feelings between them when I watch the show. However, when it comes to their canon relationship atm, I only ship them in the sense of “I’m rooting for them”, not in the sense of “I want them to be together”. It’s like you said on another post: I’d like their professional dynamic and platonic intimacy to develop some more before they drop any romantic ILYs (I’d be down for some platonic ones though; tv needs more of those!) or passionate embraces. I think there are some things they can discover about each other more meaningfully (to me) if they aren’t in an exclusive, committed relationship when they learn them.

(I answer the rest of your question below the cut, but it’s looong so be warned lol.)

Like, some things are kind of expected to be shared when you’re dating someone, and the idea of Maggie and OA sharing those things with each other just because they want to instead—just because they feel comfortable turning to each other before any friend or family member or even side character love interest, even though on paper they’re simply colleagues!—is really quite special to me. For example, when OA shows up at Maggie’s place and confides in her: his seeking her out means more in my eyes because, traditionally, he’d be expected to disclose what’s troubling him about his past if Maggie were a romantic partner, but not when she is merely a professional one—at least, not the details, not in such a personal setting, not when their job is already done. Plus, the fact that they don’t always share these kinds of things with each other (e.g., Maggie doesn’t tell OA that she suspects Erin has relapsed and that she is making the big decision to help her move back to a rehab centre) suggests that they aren’t yet at a place to let each other in so completely. That being said, I don’t want to suffer through another Bensler torture method! There is a difference between a tasteful slow burn and a fourth-degree scorch, Dick Wolf! And it’s not just the length of it, either, but the pacing! I could last twenty-four seasons of romantic tension between Zibell as long as it’s not a dragged-along, low-key out-of-character romantic tension, y’know?!

[deep breath] Sorry. Where was I? Right, I ship them platonically and would like them to get a happy ending together romantically at some point, but that should be a decent way off imo. On the show, at least. I’m an impatient, lovesick twat and will absolutely peddle and plead for romantic art, fic, and edits on Tumblr, YouTube, and AO3. :)

As for favourite moments… If you mean scenes that won points for their relationship in my book, I would say any where there was a Thing they had to talk about but were resisting until the crucial instant where they chose to let down their walls to the other. So when a case directly hits close to home, when something personal is bothering them and affecting their job, when the two of them are disagreeing and need to get on the same page… Those moments. Those conversations. I live for those small, subtle relationship development milestones! Also, anytime they back each other up. I’ve said this before, but when one of them gets snarky and the other smirks to themself, or when one of them successfully captures a person of interest and the other smiles in gratitude/pride, or when one of them seconds the other’s hunch against the rest of the JOC… I also live for those small, subtle signs of a healthy, stable foundation, ’cause that’s what any future romance—if there will be any—will be laid upon, y’know?

Now, if you’d prefer my list of scenes that I obsessively re-watch for the Drama and Feels, I can definitely be more precise. ;P

1x01 (their banter about OA’s arachnophobia and drawing; Maggie struggles with Emmett’s death and OA reassures her that her evac order was the right move; when OA goes to take down Bernardo and Maggie runs after him, their conversation was hilarious; their side whispering like the person they’re discussing isn’t right there; OA brings up Maggie’s husband and she shuts him out but also thanks him! OA and Maggie smiling at each other after the case; “All you need is a ride?” “For now”)

1x03 (the “Is it true? One in four women…?” conversation; the fight in the stairwell; “I always got your back, Mags”)

1x04 (Maggie tries to talk down the sniper and OA gives her Concerned Looks in the background)

1x07 (OA talks about his experiences in Iraq and Maggie gives him Concerned Looks in the background; Maggie tells him he can talk to her, and he takes her up on his offer!!)

1x14 (Maggie trusts OA with her suspicion, and OA trusts her instincts—and cares about her concerns—enough to look into it; OA accompanies and comforts Maggie at the hospital; “Wherever this goes, I’m with you”)

1x16 (OA gets shot, and Maggie is like “Don’t do that to me again” but also acknowledges he did a Good Thing)

1x19 (OA insists on hearing Maggie’s opinion about his friend; Maggie gives him Concerned Looks in the background whenever he gets worked up, and she mediates between him and Jubal)

2x01 (OA goes to Maggie for comfort; later, he apologises for not taking her advice but she apologises for offering it)

2x03 (at the end, when OA tells an embarrassing story to cheer Maggie up despite his having warned her about Caldwell, and it works <3)

2x05 (protective!OA when Maggie and Kristen briefly go UC)

2x06 (Maggie meets Mona ahaha, plus OA admits his insecurities about their relationship to Maggie and she reassures the heck out of him)

2x08 (Maggie sympathises with the widow and OA gives her Concerned Looks in the background; Maggie wrestles with one of the Russian spies and OA is worried until he finds her the victor and is subsequently all proud smiles; Maggie tries to persuade Isobel that the widow should know her husband was murdered and OA gives her Concerned Looks in the background)

2x09 (“Don’t touch her” … “Then do your job without putting hands on my partner” … need I say more?)

2x11 (basically all of their scenes this episode; protective!OA is always a win, and Maggie being scared to see Kristen but being supported by OA 100% was just <3)

2x16 (OA immediately knows something is up and wants to know what; OA doesn’t want Maggie to leave, and she knew that he would have been able to dissuade her from taking the UC case so she already accepted it before telling him hwkrhfjs)

3x01 (Maggie returns! HUG!! Maggie is standoffish but eventually confides in OA about what went down on her UC case; OA is impressed with and proud of his partner’s success…as well as her sharp clothes at the end of the ep hehe, though also maybe a little hmmmm when he first meets Nestor; also, Maggie backs OA up against Nestor!)

3x04 (judgemental was not a good look for OA lol, but he made up for it; also, the “I’m gonna be a little overprotective and make sure the guy you’re seeing is a good guy” speech was 10/10, was surprised a tv show had a man actually use the word “overprotective” about himself lol)

3x08 (Maggie backs OA up to outsiders but is upfront with him one-on-one)

3x11 (OA meets Erin; Maggie talks about Erin’s addiction and OA gives her Concerned Looks in the background, plus Maggie touching his arm to signal she’ll take the lead for the interrogation and him understanding; Maggie talks the bomber down and OA cuffs him, the touches and “Good job”s afterwards)

4x09 (Maggie gets shot and OA reacts; “I thought I almost lost you for a second”; Maggie offers herself up as a hostage and OA is…not thrilled)

4x12 (OA repeatedly checks in on Maggie’s state of mind; Maggie drives off with the bomb with OA begging her not to; OA helps her up after the car explodes; the two talk after the paramedics clear her)

4x18 (the hdqkrhcnekfhj breakfast they were having together) (…and ofc the whole sarin gas thing—“I can’t really breathe anymore”, OA’s desperation and continual “It’s going to be okay”s, OA carrying her—and OA’s speech and Maggie’s nod)

5x07 (Maggie returns! HUG!! OA being worried, Maggie confiding in him, the “Count them” confrontation, hooo boy I love me some angst)

Note that I’m only on S3, yet I know about some S4/S5 scenes and have jumped ahead to watch those lmao. I did say I was an impatient, lovesick twat!

Wow, okay, I talk a lot! Thank you so much for the ask—feel free to come back anytime, if you dare risk another rambling answer haha. :) Take care! <3

#cbs fbi #fbi #maggie bell #oa zidan #omar adom zidan #zibell #dazzlingstarlight #long post #sorry if i misquoted or mislabelled any episodes! lmk if i did and i’ll fix the numbers/words :)#also sorry if i missed any of your favourites!#i tried to be thorough (if you hadn’t noticed) but 🤷🏽‍♀️

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pomegranate · 1 year

Note

7, 16, 18, 29 for beejhawk

Thank you Marley!!!!!! 7 & 16 answered here

18. What does date night look like for them?

Well, we know Hawkeye is a HUGE movie fan and it’s something they can do in public while sitting really close to each other (prob as close as they can without anyone noticing), so I feel like they go to the movies a lot. I could also see them going to poetry nights and gatherings at the City Lights bookstore, meeting other like-minded folks, etc.

29. What do they disagree about & how do they meet in the middle?

I can see them bickering about a lot of pointless little things but they argue like it’s a sport, it’s not usually serious for them. The big things they might disagree on would be similar to their moral opposition in Preventative Medicine, in that they have different ideas about how to do what’s right. I could see Hawkeye wanting to speak up when there are injustices happening around him, but BJ is more concerned about how the fallout from speaking out could impact the two of them + Erin. Hawkeye would be more likely to do something that would end up with him in jail, while BJ would do anything to keep that from happening. I could see them meeting in the middle by BJ relenting if Hawkeye could find a more subtle way to fight for justice and Hawkeye would potentially try and curb his actions if he knew that there could be real consequences for the people he loves.

Idk if I explained that very well but yeah!!!

#asks #ask games #marley-manson #THANK YOUUU

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erin-bo-berin · 2 years

Note

me: that's it. I'm totally out of Steve fic ideas. I will never have another idea as long as I live.

also me, four hours later:

Best friends Steve and reader have just started moving their relationship into romantic territory, but things were very new, and they didn’t want to let the crew in on it just yet—they were still getting used to it themselves.

The whole group decides to go camping at the lake, which provides an ideal backdrop for flirtatious comments, stolen touches/glances around the campfire, and of course eyeing each other up in your swimsuits. Too bad you can’t do too much more than look, because the party’s constantly around, and already picking up on the fact that something’s shifting between the two of you (mostly bc lovestruck Steve's about as subtle as a brick wall).

When it’s finally time for bed, the kids head for their tent, and the older teens lay out under the stars. Praying everyone’s asleep, you invite Steve to sneak into your sleeping bag for some much-needed fluffy cuddles and—though it would be way too risky to actually do anything—you propose an idea: the two of you can certainly describe (in smutty detail) exactly what you would be doing, if you had some privacy.

SIGH. You know the drill, Erin. Only if you wanna. ❤️,☄️

How in the world do you come up with such amazing ideas? When I first read this I was INSTANTLY excited about writing this. You are a QUEEN. Thank you for always requesting ❤️

This is SO LONG, I’m sorry!

Also let’s pretend that the reader is Nancy in this gif because it’s so appropriate for the story. And because will I ever tire of using gifs of Steve looking THIS GOOD? No, I will not.

Campfire Thoughts

Steve Harrington x Reader

Warnings: Smut (Nothing actually too physical, but plenty of talk of sexual activities later on this fic)

Steve Harrington gave you butterflies.

As true as that statement was, the situation was much more complicated.

You and Steve had been best friends for years, since middle school in fact. You and he had became friends at only 12 years old when you both were still carefree, free of any responsibilities, complicated feelings and troubling social classes.

By high school, you’d unfortunately drifted apart when he took on his King Steve persona, so unlike the guy you knew he truly was. In the period he was like a stranger to you, you just got through high school. You weren’t popular like Steve, but you weren’t exactly unpopular. You had a small group of friends—which you were content with—and made decent grades. High school had pretty much been uneventful for you.

In a series of events, you two crossed paths again through mutual friends and picked up like you��d never been apart for so long. Although now, things were a bit different.

You two had just entered adulthood recently, leaving your teens behind you. At twenty, things had began changing. He was no longer the cute little preteen you’d once befriended, playing with during summer evenings and telling all your secrets to. He’d grown up to be a kind, thoughtful and handsome young man.

Now, your friendship had turned romantic. It was still so new, you’d yet to tell any of your mutual friends. It was still sinking in that you were Steve’s girlfriend and you were lucky enough to call him your boyfriend. You’d kept the development to yourselves as it was in such early stages and you and Steve slowly navigated the changes yourselves.

But, it was going to prove to be difficult to keep under wraps this weekend.

Somehow, you and Steve were roped into a camping weekend along Lover’s Lake. Even the landscape was taunting you with its name.

You were a bit disappointed to know that you’d have to share Steve with the rest of the group for the next three days.

It had been the younger teens’ idea to go camping, at first. Of course, since they couldn’t go alone, Nancy and Jonathan joined the trip, wheedling you two to join, Eddie and Robin rounding out your group at an even dozen.

You were a loud group, but the air was buzzing with excitement for fun and new adventures. The camp was set up and tents started to be assembled. There were just enough for the younger teens to split in two, you and the elders of the bunch deciding just to sleep around the campfire under the stars when it came bedtime.

For now, you attempted to keep your eyes from gravitating to Steve as he was bent at the waist, helping Dustin set up a tent. He pushed his hair back with a hand and you couldn’t even begin to describe the warm, fuzzy feeling of new love, newly formed attraction that fizzed inside you like an Alka-Seltzer.

He straightened and caught you smiling, sending you a gentle, but dazzling smile your way. You really needed to watch yourself around him or else your actions would expose yourself.

It was odd though, thinking about it. You’d spent years comfortable around him and all of a sudden you it was as if you were both shyer around one another. You felt like a giddy school girl with a crush. Perhaps it was just you and his way of navigating this new territory between you two, but it would be torture trying to micromanage your expressions without giving yourself away.

It wasn’t that you and Steve weren’t happy to share the news, but as all new things are, you were still getting used to them yourselves. Honestly, it was still kind of nice to have this period of time transitioning to a new phase just between you two. Having it be private for the moment made it feel that more magic and surreal.

It was Jonathan and Will who suggested the group go on a hike through the woods. It was quite amusing at the array of varying responses.

“Come on, we can’t enjoy a camping trip without hiking!” Will proclaimed.

He and Jonathan used to camp in their backyard when they were younger, dreaming about being able to do the real thing one day. Although Hawkins didn’t exactly have any true campgrounds around, camping near Lover’s Lake wasn’t a bad location.

“I’m up for it,” Max shrugged, following.

There were some whining. A majority of it coming from Robin, Dustin and your boyfriend.

Your boyfriend.

Would you ever get used to that?

You just shook your head, smiling to yourself at how endearing Steve was. It was amusing that he was complaining when even Eddie wasn’t, he being the one to quickly voice when he was not into something.

The rest of the group followed the Byers into the woods, but Steve stayed back, waiting for you. He smiled, gently knocking his hand against yours, daring to give it a quick squeeze.

“So why are you complaining about a hike, Harrington?” you asked out loud, following him and the rest through the trees.

“It’s hot,” he whined.

“There’s a lake, Steve,” Dustin called, “We can swim later. Stop whining.”

You chuckled, shoulder bumping into his arm. Your friends were none the wiser.

Or so it seemed.

•

The hike had been nice, but Steve was right. At the peak of the day, it had been extremely hot.

The lake was a welcome relief to sweaty and tired bodies. Everyone stripped to their bathing suits they’d purposely donned before the trek into the woods.

The kids had discovered a rock they could jump safely from into the lake. Their whoops and cries filled the early afternoon, laughter, voices and splashes accompanying the other joyous sounds.

Steve sat on a log around the yet to be lit campfire. It was typically a lot cooler at night this late into summer with fall slowly approaching, its cool fingers like a whisper of a touch over the entire town of Hawkins. By nightfall, the fire would be very much welcomed.

No, he’d yet to shed his shirt or head to the lake because he sat watching you. You did funny things to his stomach, twisting it in knots in the most pleasant way, his heart skipping at any sight of you. You were beautiful lit by the bright sun behind you, all the way up on the rock, ready for a dive.

He’d seen you in a bikini plenty of times before, but it was so much different this time. You were his and he now felt he could appreciate just how beautiful you were. It almost like it was a rite of passage to finally let go of the worry about his stare lingering on you for too long, back when you’d both been under the delusion that you were only platonic.

There was nothing skimpy about the bikini, it was just the same as the other girls were wearing, a high waisted bottom with most likely a matching top, but something about the one you wore was positively magical. The bright print was loud and colorful, but looked amazing against your skin tone. The top, which tied behind you neck and around your back with a thin, yellow string, covered enough of your boobs to the point it showed off just the swell of them. They’d bounce gracefully when you ran, laughed or moved, basically.

All to say was Steve was practically in a trance because of you and it was effortless on your part, you were just busy laughing and diving into the lake. You surfaced, pushing your wet hair back and waved towards him, smiling in his direction.

He was pretty sure this scene beat Phoebe Cates one in Fast Times, for sure.

“Take a picture, it’ll last longer,” he heard a familiar, teasing voice.

He looked over to see Robin walking over with an arm full of wood for the campfire later on. Jonathan and Eddie were busy chopping a supply of it while Nancy and Robin aided.

His face heated, embarrassed that he was caught staring.

Robin dropped the pile next to the fire pit for easier access when they needed it, then cocked a hip, putting her hand on her hip.

“It’s totally obvious, you know.”

“What is?” he asked, trying to play innocent.

“That you’re in love with Y/N,” she smiled at him, motioning her head to where you were splashing and laughing with Max.

He said nothing for a moment, just studying you from the distance.

“Is it?”

“Why don’t you do something about it, then?” Robin asked.

He tried to keep the smirk off his face, but found himself smiling as he turned back to watch you.

“Maybe I will.”

•

You had just pulled yourself out of the lake, ringing out your dripping hair when the rest of the older teens finally joined having finished their earlier tasks.

“Done already?” you heard behind you.

You whipped around, seeing Steve.

“Not in the slightest, it’s refreshing,” you chuckled, “I was heading back up to “Jump Point” as the kids are calling it. You coming in?”

“Yeah, one second.”

He pulled off his shirt, turning to toss it towards his stuff and your eyes couldn’t help themselves. They completely had a mind of their own.

You took in his tan back, muscles rippling with his movements, moles littering the entire canvas in a way that should not be as attractive for something so innocuous.

Sure, you’d seen Steve shirtless many times, but you’d never quite appreciated him like this. You were now kicking yourself for all the time you’d wasted. He turned back to you, his chest on display now.

He was fit, but not ripped, which was definitely more your style and he made it look so good. His biceps were the true star of the show, fitness wise, nice, natural, but definitely defined muscles were there. More moles scattered over his chest and stomach—how did he make them look so good? Maybe because it was just a part of him, just something they was uniquely his.

Also, when the fuck did you start appreciating chest hair? It made him look more mature than his 20 years, reminding you that he was now a man and no longer that little boy you once knew. The dark hair wasn’t unruly or as bad as some you’d seen—it was middle of the ballpark. Not a huge amount, but not nonexistent either. It spread over his chest and pecs and you were most likely staring too long. By his amused gaze, he’d most definitely noticed.

Your eyes looked, a small smile on his face and you stared at him a beat longer than probably appeared normal. A throat cleared behind him and you both turned to see Dustin, eyeing you both.

“Everything okay here?”

“Yup, just ready to take a dip,” Steve nodded.

“Yeah, I was just heading back up,” you said, pointing to Jump Point.

He nodded, still looking as he didn’t quite believe you both, but walked off without further comment, heading back up the makeshift boulder diving board.

“Actually, I have a better idea,” Steve grinned, scooping you up, in his arms, heading straight for the lake.

“Steve!” you squealed, laughing, holding onto his neck, “What’re you—ah!”

You shrieked as he tossed you into the lake, sending you into the cool water before you knew what was happening. You heard a splash following soon after and you surfaced, Steve popping up next to you, shaking his hair of water like a wet dog.

Droplets of water sprayed you and you laughed, putting your hands up in front of your face as if that would protect you from the liquid attack.

“Steve, stop!”

You were laughing so hard, your stomach was cramping from the effort, but you didn’t care. You couldn’t feel more carefree.

Knowing his arms would be concealed under the water, he wrapped them around your waist, pulling you to him.

“Hey,” he smiled, laughter fading into a quiet happiness.

“Hey,” you responded, peering up at him.

His wet hair dripped down his face, water droplets gliding down the smooth skin and you found yourself wanting to kiss each one, just for the pleasure of kissing him.

His usual brown eyes shone in the sunlight, turning them a brilliant light brown, as warm and captivating like they were liquid honey. His smile—one of the many things you loved about him as he had such a nice smile—lit up his face. But this was one of his special grins that was broad and slightly crooked, his light pink lips parted just enough that you could see not only his row of white teeth on the top, but a peek of the bottom row. It was your absolute favorite smile of his.

The six kids were currently playing chicken a few feet away, occupied with who could knock over the first person out of the three pairs. Max was on Lucas’ shoulders, El on Mike’s and Dustin on Will’s, their shrieks and laughter floating over to you and Steve. You saw Robin and Eddie on the shore, feet dipping in the water. Eddie smoking a cigarette which Robin quickly plucked from his lips and tossed into the water, much to his dismay. Nancy and Jonathan were swimming laps around one other, lost in their own world and it was an adorable sight.

Steve took the opportunity to steal a kiss, while everyone was preoccupied.

His lips were soft against yours, gentle as he kissed you sweetly. For such a chaste kiss, it was still passionate and sensual, leaving you wanting more than just one taste of his lips.

It was over before you realized and you already missed his lips. One look at home told you he felt the same. At this point, you didn’t care if everyone found out about you two if it meant you could stay here and kiss him more.

“Hey Steve! Will you carry me on your shoulders? Me and Will keep losing over here!” Dustin hollered.

“It’s not my fault you’re ticklish!” Will scoffed, amused.

“Tickling shouldn’t be allowed as a means to defeat!” Dustin protested.

“Ah, duty calls,” Steve grinned wryly, though he looked like he wanted to do nothing but stay with you.

“Go on,” you chuckled, a shy smile on your face.

His kiss was still lingering on your lips, making them tingle. Your head felt light and fuzzy like you’d drank one of the beers in the ice chest at the campsite that was being saved for later. One kiss and you were practically drunk on Steve—not that that’d been the first one. There had been lots and lots of kissing in the last few weeks.

“Catch you later,” he smiled, swimming away.

When you looked back toward the shoreline, you saw both Robin and Eddie smirking at you before looking away quickly, realizing they were caught.

You swam back towards them, reaching for your towel on a nearby rock, wrapping it around you before sitting down next to them.

“What are you two so smiley about? Don’t tell me you’re planning a practical joke of epic proportions,” you teased.

“Can you be any more obvious, Y/L/N?” Eddie smirked.

You blinked.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you clearly have the hots for Harrington,” he replied, brow arched.

“And it’s so obvious he likes you too,” Robin said, “Everyone can see it but you two, apparently.”

You had to hide your small smile, as you looked down, bringing your knees to your chest, locking your arms around them. Your answering response was sly.

“I don’t know. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see what happens, don’t we?”

•

Evening was approaching and a chill cooled the air significantly. Steve, Mike and Will helped Jonathan start the fire, everyone else breaking off to do different tasks.

After drying in the sun, you’d slipped your shirt back on until you went to change in one of the tents before the boys started the bonfire. You’d shed the bikini, opting for the longer, looser, pajamas pants you’d brought with you. You slipped on an old t-shirt you’d packed to accompany it, although you found yourself wishing you could curl up in one of Steve’s shirts. When you returned, you saw a few others already in their makeshift pajamas.

Nancy and Robin were gathering the packed roasting sticks, laying them out. They were going to be the skewers for the hot dogs the group had brought to roast over the fire—marshmallows later for the inevitable s’mores.

You joined Max and Dustin, helping them set up the nearby picnic table in a little serve yourself bar-like fashion. Nancy, being the most organized of the group really had thought of everything.

There were hot dog buns for those who wanted them and a small variety of condiments—mustard, ketchup, relish and mayo. Anyone who wanted mayo on their hot dog baffled you, but, each to their own.

Eddie was sticking hot dogs on the skewers, handing them out to the kids who’d come to claim one. Lucas worked on laying out the s’mores half of the picnic table.

With a few bags of marshmallows—that surely would go quick with the size of your group—a pile of graham crackers still in their sleeves and a numerous amount of Hershey’s chocolate bars, the set up was complete.

Everyone gathered around the campfire once it was blazing, the warmth chasing away the chill. A variety of conversations went on, the chatter and the crackling of the fire oddly comforting to you.

Hot dogs were roasted and prepared. The cooler that held a mixture of water bottles, beer and soda was soon dwindling.

“Uh, I don’t think so,” Eddie said, snatching a beer out of Mike’s hand as he passed.

“Oh come on, you’re drinking!” he protested.

“I’m also not 14,” Eddie replied, tossing it back into the cooler.

“Lucas snagged one too,” Mike said, brow raised in defiance.

“Nope, nope, nope. Hand it over Sinclair,” Steve said, jumping to his feet, hand out.

“Oh come on,” Lucas whined.

“Didn’t you guys drink when you were our age?” Will asked, the other boys nodding like he’d made a good point.

Steve grabbed the unopened beer from Lucas, opening it for himself, Lucas grumbling in response.

“Yeah and look how we turned out,” Steve replied.

“Pathetic?” Max deadpanned.

“Just remember who drives you to the mall,” Steve warned, taking a swig of the beer.

El giggled, taking a bite of her hot dog, giving Max a look you could only describe as a sibling would when mom or dad scolded you.

“Yeah, yeah, you know I love you,” Max waved off.

“I’m so under appreciated,” he mumbled.

You snickered, trying to hide your face and laughter. You loved the ease of the banter between this huge group of friends. It felt like home.

Steve still picked up on your giggles. He winked at you, nudging his foot against yours. You send a nudge back, as if letting him know you appreciated the gesture.

There were bouts of silence as everyone enjoyed their hot dogs. Normally, you weren’t crazy about them, but something about how they tasted after being roasted over the fire just made them extra delicious.

At one point, you thought you saw a few boys each put three or four away on their own. Surprisingly, no buns were left when you were done.

Nancy discreetly packed the hot dog condiments away in her bag as it became fine for dessert. You swore, it would be utter chaos if it wasn’t for the young woman.

“Who’s ready for s’mores?” Robin called.

You couldn’t tell who was more excited for them, the kids or Steve and Eddie. Robin tossed a bag of the marshmallows to El and she opened them, beginning the passing around of the bag.

The person would get one, stick it on the end of the skewer and pass the bag along. Steve grabbed two when the bag reached the end of the circle at you two. He handed you one with a smile.

“Thanks.”

You slid it on the end of the metal rod, holding it out to the fire, slowly turning it.

“You been having fun?” you asked, peeking over at him as he concentrated on not burning his marshmallow.

“I have,” he nodded, “I never would’ve thought I’d be admitting camping is so much fun.”

“Same,” you laughed, “But they typically make loads of things fun,” you said, nodding towards the rest of the group.

“Yeah, but you’ve also made it better too,” he said softly.

“I have?” you asked, surprised.

“Yeah, you have.”

Your gaze stayed on him, lost in the world of just Steve, everything else seemingly melting away. He stared back at you just as intensely, seemingly as lost in your eyes as you were his.

“Y/N! Your marshmallow is on fire!” El shrieked.

You snapped out of your daze, head whipping to see that, yes, your marshmallow indeed was on fire. You pulled it back with a curse, blowing the flame out, revealing a charred marshmallow.

“Anyone want a well done s’more?” you teased, wincing at the heat as you pulled off the ruined attempt, tossing it into the fire.

You bent, getting another one to try at your second attempt.

“You gotta keep it rotating,” Steve told you.

This time he spoke in his normal voice, so it wasn’t unusual to feel a few of the others’ gazes on you.

“Like this. Here, you want, Dustin?” Steve asked, offering up his own prepared one so he could show you.

“Uh, hell yes,” Dustin said, plucking it off, popping it into his mouth, nodding approvingly.

“Okay, that was perfectly done, dude,” he said, giving Steve a thumbs up.

“See? I know what I’m doing,” he chuckled, coming to stand behind you, “It’s all in the wrist.”

His hands covered yours on top of the metal, showing you how to twist it, making sure each side was toasted to perfection.

You felt the stares of the others, but chose to ignore them.

“And there you go,” Steve said, stepping back as you pulled your second marshmallow away from the flames and blew on it.

“Okay, that is good,” you said, licking your sticky fingers, “I’m going to need at least five more of those.”

You went to grab a chocolate bar and graham crackers from the table for you and Steve when you overheard Max, Lucas and Dustin who were across the way, grabbing sodas.

“What’s up with Steve and Y/N today?” Lucas asked, “They’ve practically been eye fucking all evening, ow! What? It’s true!”

You stifled a laugh, knowing Max, ever the girl meant to keep Lucas straight as an arrow, had most likely just hit her boyfriend for that comment.

“Yeah, I saw one of those weird moments earlier. It was awkward, they were just standing there gawking at each other,” Dustin said.

“And they say us kids are clueless about things,” Max sighed, “I wish they’d just get together already, we all know they like each other.”

•

The night had darkened and now only the light of the fire cast a glow over the group of people around it.

Some of the others had started telling ghost stories, but you were only half listening as you bit into your second s’more.

“These taste so much better around a campfire, don’t they?” you mumbled unintelligibly, mouth still full.

Steve chuckled.

“You got some chocolate on your mouth,” he said.

He didn’t even wait for you to attempt to get it, he just reached over, thumb swiping it from the corner of your mouth. The dark hid his intimate gesture, it going unwitnessed by your group of friends. Oh, how you wished you could kiss him then and there.

But then he turned his attention back to the story being told and you did the same, taking another bite of your s’more, your mind filled with Steve.

•

The night wound down when the fire had grown lower, bellies were full and yawns were being passed around.

“Bedtime kiddos,” Robin joked, half out of it herself.

Good nights were exchanged as the younger six headed to the tents and sleeping bags were pulled out by the rest of you. The night was beautiful. The stars were shining brightly, the temperature just a hair from being too cool and the sounds of crickets chirping could be heard in the woods, the quiet shushing of the lake a peaceful sound to round it all out.

Eddie helped Jonathan toss more wood into the fire, to keep it going for as long as possible as the rest of you slept out under the stars. While Robin and Nancy set up their sleeping bags, you unrolled yours. Somehow, the only one you owned was big enough to fit two, though you weren’t entirely sure how you’d come to own it.

Steve laid his out next to yours and you slid into your own, eager to gaze up at the stars. You understood why many people were fascinated by them because they truly were brilliant tonight.

The soft shuffles of everyone else soon quieted after a few murmured exchanges of goodnight. You were all spread pretty far apart, Eddie a good ten feet from you and Steve to your left, Robin already fast asleep at about the same distance away to your right. Nancy and Jonathan shared a sleeping bag all the way across the campfire from you two.

“Steve,” you whispered, turning your head towards him.

“Hmm?” he responded.

“Will you cuddle me?” you asked, playfully pouting, “My sleeping bag is big enough for both of us.”

He chuckled, sitting up, already moving to your side.

“Now how can I say no to that?”

You opened the top, letting him slide in before he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you towards him as far as he could while you still faced him.

“Better?” he whispered.

“Much,” you confirmed.

“I’ve been wanting to do this all day, myself,” he said, “I’m sorry we haven’t had much time to ourselves.”

“It’s okay. Today’s been fun,” you assured, “Although I wish we could have some alone time too.”

You chuckled softly, glancing over at the closed tents, “Just too many people around.”

“I know.”

He kissed you gently, briefly, just a small reassurance.

“Believe me, the things I would do to you if we could be alone right now,” Steve said.

Your fingers traced over his chest, feeling the warmth of his skin through his shirt.

“Why don’t you tell me about those things?”

He looked wary at first.

“You sure? With the others around?”

“They’re asleep,” you whispered, “Why not?”

“Well,” he said, as if trying to think where he should start, “I’d love to kiss you without any limitations.”

“How so?” you asked.

“At first, I want to kiss you soft. Delicate, sweet. But of course, I can’t just tease you like that. I also want to kiss you passionately. Hot and heavy. Lips gliding over each other’s, my tongue twirling and dancing with your own. I might even throw in a little bottom lip tugging in there, if you ask nicely.”

“And what about your hands?”

“They’ve got a lot to explore, sweetheart. I want to caress your face, hold you by the back of the neck, pull you closer by your waist, squeeze your sides. I want to be able to run my hands over your bare skin, so I’d trace them up your shirt, over your stomach. But of course, your shirt has to come off. Your pants too. Fuck, all your clothes at this rate.”

He exhaled deeply, biting his bottom lip.

“The day I get to see you naked will be an amazing one.”

His reverent whisper made your body heat, more than just in the face.

“Why do you say that?”

“Because I know it’s beautiful. Just like you. And also, I’m going to take my sweet time with it. Memorizing every inch. Kissing every place I possibly can. These though,” he motioned to your chest, “I already know I will love.”

“We all know you love boobs, Steve,” you laughed, a bit breathlessly.

“Yes, but yours are absolutely perfect, I know it. And I am going to enjoy the ever living fuck out of them when I get the chance,” he rasped.

“I want to be able to hold them, massage them, grip them tightly. Kiss them, lick them and leave love bites all over them so people know they’re mine. I want to be able to pinch and tweak your nipples and suck on them until I make you moan. I bet you make the most beautiful sounds.”

Your body was catching up to the buzzing in your head at his words, you could feel the start of arousal between your thighs, but you weren’t going to stop him now.

“I’d kiss my way down your stomach, stopping here,” his hand trailed down your stomach, his touch burning its way through the fabric of your shirt to stop just at your abdomen.

“Spread your thighs because I want to taste you,” he whispered, eyes never leaving your face, “I’d kiss your thighs, making you squirm and beg for me to put my mouth where you want it the most. Right on your pussy. There, I’d tease you because I want you to whine and beg me for my touch. I’d lick you gently, making you so impatient. You’re always impatient, I bet you’d be worse then. You’d go wild when my tongue circles your clit, flicking against it, enough to make you jolt. But what’s truly my specialty is a combination of my fingers and my mouth. I’d slide one finger into you and you’d be so wet. God, you’d be so wet for me, Y/N.”

You were positive you already were now, a dull throbbing having started within you, at some point during his latest revelation. You squeezed your thighs together although it did little to help.

“I already am,” you whispered, although you hadn’t intended on letting that fact slip.

He groaned lowly, his hand holding you close against your back, sliding lower towards your ass.

“Where was I?” he swallowed hard, “Oh yeah, driving you crazy with both my fingers and mouth. I wouldn’t stop with just one finger, no, you’d be so good for me, I’d give you another. I’d curl them inside of you making you moan and arch into me because I’m working you so good, I haven’t even gotten to my mouth yet, baby. I’m sucking on your clit, tongue flicking against it and you’re pulling on my hair making me even harder than I already am. I wouldn’t want anyone else’s hands in my hair but yours, baby. You can mess it up any day.”

You can’t seem to look away from him, captivated by what you were wish was actions right now, not words.

“Your moans would be music to my ears. I’m sure you’re the only one who’d be able to make them sound so sweet and so dirty at the same time. I can’t wait to make you moan my name. I promise you right here and now, I’ll do it. When you cum, it’s the best sight as you shake and tremble for me, squeezing around my fingers so tightly it makes me even more desperate to bury myself in your sweet pussy.”

“Steve,” you groaned softly.

“Ah, getting turned on are we, sweetheart?” he smirked, other hand moving from the side of your neck, up to your cheek to cup it.

“Getting? No. That happened at least ten minutes ago.”

He chuckled deeply, gaze heavy on yours. You weren’t sure if he was as entirely turned on as you, but he was sure getting into the part.

“Feel what you’ve done to me,” he whispered hotly.

The hand on your back pulled you closer to him, pressing you against him. You felt his arousal against your thigh, so dangerously close to where you wish he could be in the moment. That definitely dissolved any doubt you’d had about him not being as turned on as you.

“Fuck,” you breathed, softly.

“If we weren’t in the middle of the forest with only tents nearby, I’d have my way with you right now,” he said lowly, “But I don’t want our first time together to be in a fucking tent. Or on a camping trip. I want it to be nicer than that.”

“What do you want to do?” you asked, your breath fanning over his.

Steve gave you a short, quiet laugh in response.

“What don’t I want to do is probably the better question.”

“Tell me,” you said, “Please.”

“Let’s not jump into it, baby. I gotta get it in first,” he smirked, “But when I do, holy shit, it’s the best feeling ever. I bet you’re all warm and tight and so, so wet. All for me. I’ll know that everyone else can’t hold a candle to you because you fit me like a glove, squeezing me so tightly. All I’ll ever want is just to be wrapped by your walls making you feel so good.”

“You’ve got some high expectations, Harrington,” you said, licking your lips as they suddenly became extremely dry from your deep breath.

“I know it because I know it won’t be just sex with you, Y/N. We already know we’re in love with one another, so it’s going to be incredible to finally be connected to you so intimately. That’s not something I shared with just anyone. In fact, I’ve not shared that with anyone because without knowing it, I was waiting for you.”

The words, the sentiment was so sweet, even in the midst of the filthiest dirty talk you’d ever heard him voice. But, it made your eyes water and you blinked them back quickly. There would be another time for emotions.

“I appreciate that, Steve and as sweet and wonderful the sentiment is, you’re not getting by with not finishing your wishes.”

“Darn, you caught me,” he teased.

“What would you do next?” you asked, eagerly awaiting what else he had in store for you in this fantasy.

“Well when I’m already inside you, I can have you anyway I please. Missionary while I hold your hand tightly, fingers laced through mine. Riding me, so I can see those amazing boobs of yours bouncing in my face. On your hands and knees where I can hit hard and deep within you. Bent over a table, while you clutch the sides. Whichever way, the one thing they’d all have in common is you falling apart on my cock.”

His voice has become raspier, a deep groan to the edges of certain words. His finger traced gently over your cheek, such an opposite action in comparison to his words.

“You have no idea how much I want that,” you said.

“Oh, I think I do. Remember?”

His hips press against yours and you accidentally let out a quiet moan.

“Shh, can’t wake the others,” he teased.

“I haven’t even gotten to tell you what I want to do to you,” you responded, looking up at him through your lashes.

“What do you want to do? Tell me,” he uttered, moving a piece of hair behind your ear, “Trust me, I want to hear all about it.”

“Well, if we’re having an honest hour, your chest hair drives me wild.”

You had to hold in a grimace because your first sentence into this was probably the weirdest thing you could’ve said.

“Oh really? How much?” he was smirking.

“I about go feral. Like “want to rip off my own clothes and just present myself to you” kind of feral.”

“What would you do if I said I’d want you to drag your dripping wet pussy over it? Make yourself feel good, hmm?”

“I’d be all for it before the words were out of your mouth, but this is about you, not me.”

“Do go on,” he prodded, finger tracing your lips, inhaling deeply when you took it gently between your teeth before releasing it and kissing it.

“I wanna make you feel good, too,” you said in your hushed tone, “I wanna hear you moan, too. I want you to moan as much as possible because that shit gets me going.”

“Duly noted,” he responded.

“I’d fall to my knees, pulling your impressive cock out. Honestly, are we sure it’s going to fit?”

His chest shook with silent laughter.

You just realized you had no idea where the two shy people from earlier went, this exercise bringing out the shamelessness and boldness in both of you.

“I’m sure it’ll fit. Now, please, don’t let me interrupt you.”

You decided to waste no time getting to the point.

“I want to wrap my lips around your cock and make you moan without abandon.”

“Jesus, fuck,” he breathed.

“I’d run my tongue around the head, sucking on it before taking you in my mouth and sucking on it like it’s my favorite summer popsicle.”

You wondered briefly if you’d looked this dazed when he was talking to you earlier. His lips had parted, eyes lidded and face looking flushed from what you could tell by the light of the fire.

“Of course my hands can’t be left out. I’d grip and squeeze you, pumping what I can’t fit in my notify, the other fondling your balls because I’m sure that would drive you nearly insane. I’d look up at you, seeing you so blissed out, hands running through your hair, moans falling from your beautiful lips and want nothing more than you to cum hard in my mouth. When you do, I would suck you dry, not wasting a single drop. Then I could take my time kissing you anywhere and everywhere on your body, leaving as few or as many hickies as I wanted, to mark you up as well. Maybe then grind against your thigh because you make me so horny. Then I’d let you take me anyway you’d want and bend me like a fucking pretzel. How does that sound?”

It took him a moment to actually respond and he had to take a deep breath, shifting enough to run a hand through his hair before he spoke.

“I really wish we weren’t camping right now,” he chuckled, voice gravelly.

“You and me both.”

“Well, I definitely don’t need the fire to warm me up now,” he teased, “How about you?”

You groaned, realizing just how badly your little exercise had backfired on you.

This camping trip would be the death of you.

#steve harrington #steve harrington smut #steve harrington fic #steve harrington blurb #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x fem!reader #steve harrington x reader #stranger things #stranger things blurb #stranger things fic #stranger things smut

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leggerefiore · 2 years

Note

cute headcanons for how ingo's kid and emmet's kids would like bond and hang out with each other? i feel like they'd be super close :)

I need to stop talking about these kids lmao

● No matter the situation, they all view each other as siblings. They're always raised around each other, and it isn't rare to sleep over at the other's houses. (Though in poly scenarios, they are quite literally siblings so their behaviour is just regular siblings dynamics over being close cousins.) Emmet's girls are older than Ingo's son, so they often get a bit protective of him.

○ The girls think Erin, Ingo's son, is a bit too meek and often watched as he got picked on or manipulated by people. They take different approaches as to how to handle these situations. Emma, the older twin, approaches and gives a terribly frightening expression until they leave him alone. Most people barely last five minutes. If they don't stop, she'll use her pokemon to run them off and take Erin to his parents. Inka, the younger twin, runs up to the bully and yells at them. She often throws out empty threats, but will end up chasing them off with her pokemon, like her twin. Both comfort him afterwards and assure him that whatever the bullies told him were wrong.

● They also love to pretend he was a baby when he was a younger, and Emma, who adored playing house, would pretend he was her child. Many times he ended up with his hair braided and style while bad child makeup ended up on his face. His nails were painted, too. Inka was more aggressive and preferred to play tag or wrestle with him. If she ever got in trouble for being too rough with him, she claims it was to toughen him up. Ingo never was okay with it. (He was accepting to Erin's softer, quieter nature.)

○ Erin eventually got into playing house, too, and Emma cooed over how cute he was handling baby dolls and baking in her toy oven. She was more than happy to play along with him, letting him borrow her aprons. Inka was enthused when he seemingly found his competitive spirit and suddenly became more aggressive in their games. They both have fought over who gets his attention because they never want to do the same thing.

● Erin looks up to the two girls as role models. Emma's calm demeanour and ability to articulate herself well reminds him of his father and makes him natural respect her. Inka's more independent, active way of handling things alongside her lack of impulse control is something he wishes he could imitate. Though, when he was younger, he wished they would have stopped treating him like a toy over a person. It was fun sometimes, but they did occasionally forget he had thoughts and feelings. Both worked to amend it as they got older, however.

○ Inka and Emma are twins, so they have an innate closeness that barely anyone without it can understand. (Though, thankfully, Emmet gets it entirely.) For the longest time, they likely could have easily been mistaken for the same person, but subtle differences were always there. Emma loved to be dressed in frilly, over-the-top dresses as a child while Inka dreaded the very thought of being in anything other than a pair of shorts and a baggy t-shirt. They respected each other's choices, but Emma did whine that she wanted Inka to match with her. (Inka and her get into arguments over that still.)

● Emma tries to use the "I'm the older sibling" often, which leads to Inka asking if an hour really made that much of a difference (and ignoring whatever else she says). They actually bicker quite a bit, most of it light and meaningless. They oppose each other in a lot of ways. Emma is clingy and enjoys her parent's attention on her while Inka is independent and hates how her dad coddles her. (They argue over him, too. Emma hates that she calls him by his name instead of dad while Inka says it's weird that she still tells him everything going on in her life.)

○ They do get along, still. While Emma may have cried when Inka cut her hair short to separate herself from twinhood, their bond is still strong and prevailing. Whenever Inka feels insecure or upset, she calls Emma to talk and ask her for advice. The older twin is happy to comfort the younger. Emma does the same with Inka and loves that she still finds her dependable despite their insignificant age difference. There is a simple, natural comfort they find in each other's presence. (Even though Inka acts super independent, she is terrified of losing Emma. They have always been together, she would be distraught without her. Emma feels exactly the same.)

● Rarely, the girls still do match. It's always in more casual clothes, but they pull it off well. When they were younger and still completely identical, Inka would often pretend to be Emma in order to get out of chores. Emma was not better and did the same, however. No matter how different they act, their similarities are still innumerable. (Neither admit how they still move in sync and mimic the other's movement perfectly.)

#interna fi

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bugichor · 3 years

Text

Flirtation with a Heathen (2/3)

pairing: father paul x reader

word count: around 2.5k

summary: you attend communion. there’s another subtle battle for control between you and the priest.

tags: light sm-t, like there’s not actual stuff happening here but there’s description of fantasising about sm-t, flirtation.

warning: themes of religion, catholicism, loss of faith, considering your relationship with god and biblical texts.

link to part 1

and part 3

You go to mass that Sunday. You’re not sure why you do. But you go.

Erin is taken aback when you take a seat next to her, nudging her from her usual spot on the aisle side of the pew. Something about sitting on the aisle is comforting, maybe it’s the idea that you can get out easily, run for the door if you start believing a word he says about the existence of God; but somehow, you don’t feel as if you will.

St Patrick’s is full to the brim with chatter. There are more people in the church than you’ve ever seen in your entire life on this island; and you used to come to church everyday as a child. There’s a religious revival occurring and, somehow, after the ten years since your teens of heathenism, of giving up on God, you’re a part of it. You’re here, attending church on a Sunday, because the new priest in town asked you - no, told you to come along.

“This is a surprise.” Erin smiles at you, gorgeously. She seems glad to see you, but there’s a hint of confusion in her brow. “You should’ve told me you were coming, we could’ve walked together.”

“I didn’t know I was going to.” You admit, and it’s truthful.

You were one of the last to arrive today, taking that solitary walk from the intimidating doors of the church to your new seat, and it wasn’t out of necessity either. You lived five minutes from the place - realistically, most did, it wasn’t exactly a big island - but you hadn’t decided to come until the doors of the church had already been opened and people were milling through. You’d been wrestling with the idea for most of the night - tossing and turning in your bed that didn’t feel comfortable at all, no matter how you positioned the blankets or the pillows or how many times you beat your mattress into submission - wondering whether it would make you look weak to turn up, or needy, or wanting, or desperate, or any of the other emotions that filled up your body the moment you laid eyes on him.

And then, all of a sudden, just twenty minutes ago, you decided to come. There was no longer any uncertainty or lack of assurance about whether it was the right idea: you had to go. It was like some force, some presence had ordered it and your body was no longer your own as it went through the motions of putting on clothes and brushing your teeth and making your hair semi-presentable. You were going to church that day and you had no more say in the matter.

Erin looks at you strangely when you tell her this, but eventually smiles and dismisses your weirdness.

“You know, most people would just say they wanted to sit with their best friend for two hours and ogle over the hot priest. But I’m glad you’re crazy enough to think some presence sent you here. I missed that about you. Makes me feel semi-normal.” She says and you relax a little on the pew, smiling at her words. Because at least if you have lost your mind over this, your friends are just as lost as you.

Your conversation ends when a hymn begins. You stand out of your seat, like the rest of his congregation, and begin to sing along quietly, with no need to glance at the words in the book Erin is holding out for you both. These songs are forever embedded in your brain from years of forced childhood Catholicism.

You turn your head to watch as Warren and Ooker head down the aisle, faithful altar boys as ever, even with the presence of a new priest. You keep your eyes on the back of their heads as they pass, trying to ignore the priest as he passes your place in the pews and failing miserably when the shoulder of his chasuble brushes against your arm lightly. A buzz of electricity flows through your veins at the slightest touch and you have to look at him, have to watch as the raven-haired priest takes his place at the podium, his tone deaf singing ringing in your ears like he’s the only person in the room. It was a bad idea to come today. You thank your past-self for sitting next to your fellow trauma-ridden friend Erin over the devout Annie Flynn.

You’re captivated, as everyone else is, when he begins speaking. He thinks out loud about the amount of people here, the self-titled nonbelievers that have started turning up each Sunday for mass, and wonders why they don’t attend everyday. Why Sunday? Why the bare minimum? This takes him on the track of why Sunday is God’s day, that it’s not for convenience or necessity, but to honour the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and you feel as if you would be bored of his ramblings if he wasn’t so goddamn charming. You listen intently as he continues his sermon on the importance of mass, the importance of God, the power he holds and the gifts he bestows on us, watching the way his lips form the words with sinful thoughts swallowing your brain.

Your mind is swimming with images you just can’t control. Images of you kissing him, of his collar falling into your hands as he returns the action, desperate and needy and putty in your hands. You picture the way his large, veiny hands would cup your neck, pulling you in for more and more and more. Light tingles flow through your fingers as you envisage tugging his belt away and kneeling for him, his pants falling to his ankles and revealing what you so wanted beneath. And he’s shaking with anticipation as you let your breath settle against his length, tickling his senses and teasing his mind, until you finally give him what he wants, what you want to give him. And God, would you show him what he’s been missing in his celibacy, would you tempt him into sin and change his life forever.

You bring yourself back to reality, focusing yourself again to listen to his words. His eyes cross the room, making eye contact with his followers, but when his eyes reach your own, you hear a faltering of his breath, a misstep in the practiced presentation he’s giving. A grin encompasses your lips at this mistake, your eyes locked with his across the heads of his congregation, and a little blush forms on his cheeks as he returns to his lecture, a barely noticeable stumble to anyone else but not to you. Now who’s the one being humiliated? Now who’s the one losing their balance?

Twenty minutes and a prayer or so later, and you’re in line to receive Holy Communion. You skipped it last time, sitting back as your friend Riley often did, but not today. Not for the reason of remembering Jesus’ sacrifice or becoming closer to Him, no. But instead because you wanted to see the Father squirm as you had just a few days ago.

When you approach him at the front of the church, he looks confused. His eyebrows narrow a little, furrowed in that bookish way you find so attractive. You smile at him, innocent enough, and he snaps back into motion, holding out one of those silly little wafers that taste of absolutely nothing at all.

“The body of Christ.” He says rhythmically, practiced and performed perfectly, as expected.

You accept the wafer from his hand, your fingertips brushing against his own as you take it and God, who knew that communion could feel so sensual. Your eyes are locked with the pools of deep brown before you, but you’re the one in control here, you hold the power today, you are the intruder in his sacred house and he is the nervous owner asking ‘who’s there’ to the darkness.

“Amen.” You state, a light smirk on your lips, and set the wafer on your tongue slowly, ensuring he watches every subtle moment of your detailed performance. The priest’s smile wavers a little and he breaks eye contact with you, unable to match your gaze.

A small thrill fills your bones as you walk from him toward Bev Keane, much in the way as he’d left you the last time you spoke, and find yourself enjoying the sensation of eyes on your back, the power you hold as you sip your helping of grape juice and return to your seat, all without one look back in his direction.

Once the last prayer is over, the church doors open once again and you’ve received your first sacrament in ten years. Did it make you believe in a divine power again, in God? Not really. But you did find your own meaning, your own truth. And that truth was that Father Paul, though charismatic and powerful on this island, is more than vulnerable to the subtle flirtations of a heathen.

You walk out with Erin with the intention of going straight home, but don’t get very far. She wants to wait for Riley at the bottom of the church grounds and insists that you wait with her; insists that you stick around and hang out with them for a while. You agree but quickly regret your decision when you notice Riley embroiled in conversation with the priest, the two of them walking in tandem towards you, and oh God, you might’ve made a mistake.

“Ah, y/n.” Father Paul greets you courteously, without a shred of the discomfort you’d just caused him showing on his face. “How lovely to see you participating in communion this morning. Do I sense a resurgence of faith?”

He’s smiling, the unwavering confidence in his eyes intimidating you somewhat. He knows what you were doing. And he’s making a point to show you just how unbothered he is by your attempts to rattle him, to seduce him. If anything,

“I’m not sure just yet, Father.” You comment, smiling with as much conviction as you can muster. “But your sermon was good. Less mediocre this time.” You tease. He smirks, confident in the knowledge that you don’t mean that at all, confident in how captivating and powerful he really is.

Your eyes are locked together, neither of you wanting to break eye contact first and show weakness, so much so that you don’t notice the confusion on Riley’s face or the smirk Erin gives you as she takes Riley’s arm and pulls him away from the two of you. And you’re alone with him again, most others already gone from the church grounds and Beverly Keane busying herself with the post-mass clean up inside. It’s just the two of you. And that is both exciting and terrifying all at once.

“I’m glad you enjoyed it so much.” Father Paul states. “Was it more comfortable for you, sitting next to Miss Greene? Less guilt in your heart, perhaps?”

You consider him for a moment, studying that gorgeous face of his; the deepness of his eyes, those pretty smile lines and wise wrinkles, the few locks of curly, dark hair that fall along his forehead, the character of his toothy smile and tempting lips. And you find yourself wondering how the hell someone could pull off a chasuble so well, or at all, for that matter.

His words take you off guard slightly. It surprises you that he’d bring up the sinful thoughts you’d admitted to him so casually. Was he comfortable with it? Encouraging it? Did he care that you spent mass wishing you could kiss him? Did he want you to think of him in that way, in his Church, in the face of God? Did he enjoy it?

“Yes, my mind was definitely free to wander.” You admit, your fingers tensing as the desire to touch him filled your body.

“I gave some thought to your predicament last night.” He says casually.

You have to bite the inside of your lip to stop yourself from grinning at the idea of him thinking of you in the evening, alone, free from the eyes of others in that little house of his, free to do whatever he needed to do when he thought of you. Maybe it was similar to what you wanted to do when you thought of him in the night, your fingers tracing little steps down the curve of your hips and dipping beneath the hem of your pants.

“You did?” You ask, feigning innocence. Your eyes are hooded as you look at him, betraying you and showing the lust you’re feeling inside.

“Mhm, it dawned on me that perhaps confession would help you tackle these unwanted thoughts you’re suffering with.” He suggests. The darkness in his eyes makes you salivate and he is enjoying this, isn’t he.

You steady yourself, doing your best not to become overwhelmed, not to do something you’d regret later. The suggestion of confession is eating at your restraint, the lust the idea of being alone with him in that dark little box and confessing your most carnal urges encourages sends tingles throughout your body. It is taking everything in your power not to touch him, not to take his face in your hands and press your lips together and lose yourself in his body and his hands and his tongue.

“I don’t know, Father.” You say, smirking a little. “I’m not sure telling you all of my innermost desires would be the best idea. For either of us.”

His cheeks tint a little when you say that and you’re filled with a twisted sense of pride. His body is betraying him, showing signs of the wanting that he most definitely is trying to hide, and that thought turns you on even more.

“Perhaps not.” He eeks out his words, a hitch in his voice.

Your conversation all but finishes there when you decide to leave the priest to his own devices, assured in the notion that he is struggling with some temptation of his own. You feel his eyes follow you as you walk away from the church that day, sending the most beautiful electric sensations throughout your veins, and you consider the idea of going along to mass again next Sunday. Maybe you’ll visit confession, even. Whatever happens, you are hungry and the little hints of flirtation the two of you have going on is not satisfying that carnal urge inside. You want more, need more. And the uncertainty of whether you will get your fill of him is enough to drive you insane.

#midnight mass #father paul #father paul x reader #Father Paul x oc #hamish linklater #midnight mass fic #Father Paul fic #words

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ladyfogg · 3 years

Text

Another Round

Fic Summary: You and Colin have been avoiding each other ever since the two of you were interrupted the other night. However, when Mare calls you to come to the bar to pick up Colin, you’re left with no choice but to deal with a very drunk Detective Zabel. Love Exists Masterpost. The Evans Fics Masterpost.

Fic Rating: Mature

Pairing: Colin Zabel/Female Reader

Warnings: Language, mild spoilers

All you want is a quiet evening at home.

The investigation into Erin’s death had shaken everyone to the core in Easttown, and you are no exception. In a place where everyone knows everyone, to have such a sudden and violent crime happen is enough to put the citizens on edge. You are feeling it and you sure as hell know Mare is feeling it. You’ve been doing everything in your power to be there for her and do what she needs but it’s hard since you’re not a full-blown detective. At least, not yet. You hope to be one day once you’ve had enough training and gone through all the proper channels.

For now, you’re content on being Mare’s trainee. Well, more like assistant but technically you’re a trainee. Actually, your exact title is Junior Detective but it makes you feel like you should be wearing a badge made of construction paper attached to your shirt by a safety pin. So you stick with trainee. Though that hasn’t stopped Mare from calling you ‘Junior’. Whether it’s to keep you at arm’s length or she just enjoys annoying the shit out of you, you’re not sure. You assume it’s a little of both.

Anyway, back to the quiet evening thing. You’ve been home for a few hours, settled into your tiny apartment with a slew of snacks and the latest crime docuseries on Netflix when your phone goes off.

You see it’s Mare and immediately pick up. “Hey, everything okay?”

“Yeah, yeah everything’s fine.” You can barely hear her over the background nose. Tons of people are talking over each other with loud music thrown into the mix. “Sorry to call you so late but I need you to come down to the bar.”

“Do we have a lead?”

“Not exactly. It’s Zabel.”

Instantly your heart drops and you get to your feet, immediately scouring the floor for your discarded shoes. “Did something happen? Is Colin alright?”

In the background, you hear, “Heeeey, hey, Mare! Is that her? Are you calling her? Lemme talk to her.”

You hear her struggle for a moment before telling him to knock it off. “He’s fine. Just drunk as shit,” she says once she manages to get the phone back from him. “Can you come pick him up and take him home?”

“Oh, um…alright.”

“Is that a problem?”

“No. No, not at all.”

“I just figured since you two—”

“Oh we didn’t end up…we haven’t…” You stop yourself from going any further and embarrassing the both of you. “I’ll be there in five minutes.”

Ever since Mare interrupted you and Colin about to go at it in his hotel room, things have been more than a little awkward. Despite confessing how much you like each other, neither you nor he has made another move. Before it was spontaneous and a spur-of-the-moment decision, fueled by passion and excitement. By now, you have lost yourself in your own head and you get the sense he has too.

The two of you can’t even make eye contact without him quickly looking away and blushing. It’s adorable, yet incredibly frustrating to say the least. But the case is more important and you’ve been more than happy to forget about the embarrassing incident.

When you get to the bar, you’re faced with a vastly different Colin than you’re used to. The second you walk through the door, he calls your name excitedly and stumbles over, beer in hand.

“Oh my gosh you’re here,” he slurs, throwing an arm around your shoulders. “Mare! MARE! She’s here!”

“Yeah, I know, Zabel, I called her.” Mare’s face is as stoic as ever, and yet you can still see the corners of her lips twitch up into an amused smile.

“You wanna shot?” he asks you. “Yeah! YEAH, let’s get shots! Imma get you a shot!”

“No, Colin, I’m good,” you say but he’s already stumbling away. “Colin? Colin! Oi, whatever. How long has he been like this?”

“Since I got here,” Mare says, shoving her hands in her pockets. “Sorry, I thought you two were…I mean, the other night…”

“Nothing happened,” you say. “Since, you know, you interrupted. Things have kind of been awkward and we haven’t really talked about it.”

“Well, he’s certainly in a talkative mood tonight,” Mare says as you both watch Colin flag down the bartender and loudly ask for two shots. “Just make sure he gets back to the hotel in one piece, alright?”

“Will do, boss.”

“Thanks, junior.”

“Ugh, you know I hate it when you call me that.”

She smirks, patting you on the shoulder as she walks by. “I know.”

You make your way through the crowd to the bar where Colin is currently leaning. “Come on, Colin. I’ll take you home,” you say.

“Not before you do a shot with me!” he insists.

“Can’t, I’m driving. Besides, I think you’ve had enough.”

“Come ooooonnnn,” he slurs, nudging you with his shoulder. “Just’the one lil one? Then I’ll go…scout’s honor!”

You can’t help but chuckle, not used to seeing him so carefree and silly. After a moment of contemplation, you ease yourself onto the nearby stool. “Fine. Just the one.”

“That’s what I’m talking about!” Colin exclaims, sitting next to you. “Shottttsss!”

The bartender slides two shots over and you make a subtle motion for him to cut Colin off. He gives you a nod of acknowledgment, slyly swiping Colin’s half-full beer bottle as he moves on to take care of someone else.

“Okay, okay, okay, we need a toast,” Colin says, handing you one of the shots.

“Oh really? To what?”

“Hmmmmm…” Colin’s face scrunches adorably as he tries to get his drunk mind to think. “How ‘bout to us?”

You raise your eyebrow. “Us?”

Colin leans in close, pressing his forehead to yours, his voice dropping low. “Us. You know, me an’ you.”

“Didn’t know there was a me and you.”

“Could be. Should be. We did almost…you know.” He leans in close to your ear and loudly whispers, “Have sex.”

“Yes, yes we did almost have sex.”

“So?” he gestures with his shot, spilling some in the process. “To us?”

“To us then.”

You clink your shot glass against his before knocking the drink back, trying to hold in a cough as the liquid burns your throat. “Dear god that’s strong.”

“YUP.” Colin slams his shot glass down on the countertop, then winces when he realizes what he did. “Oops. Is’okay. S’not broken.”

“And we’d like to keep it that way,” you say, sliding the glasses off to the side. “So, what you say I take you home?”

“Wait, wait, wait, not yet. Let’s talk.” He puts his hand on your arm to stop you from standing. “We need’a talk.”

“About?”

“I’m sorry about the other night,” he apologizes, head slumping on your shoulder.

“You don’t have to apologize, Colin. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“But I did. I did. I should’a talked to you about it after but I chickened out.”

“Yeah, well, I could have talked to you too. I guess I also chickened out.”

“Here’sa thing. I jus’…you’re soooo beautiful and I get all tongue-tied around you and say stupid shit and I know you’re going to realize there’s someone better for you, and I just…”

Realizing he was way too far gone to be having such a serious conversation in the bar, you slide your arm around his waist. “Hey, hey, let’s talk about it later, okay? Come on. Let’s get you home.”

“Home’s too farrrr.”

“I meant your hotel room.”

“I don’t like it there. Take me to your place.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“I won’t try anything. Swear. I jus’…I don’t wanna go back to my empty hotel room.”

Your heart aches at the puppy-dog eyes he gives you and you find yourself relenting. “Fine. But you’re sleeping on the sofa and I’m not cleaning it up if you get sick all over yourself.”

“Thas’fair.”

You help Colin settle his tab with the bartender and then you escort him out of the bar, your arm still around his waist. His arm goes around your shoulders again but it’s mostly so he can attempt to walk straight. Eventually, you are able to load him into your car before climbing behind the wheel. The shot didn’t do much of anything and with your place being so close, you know you’re okay to drive.

Colin reclines his seat back, shutting his eyes. As you make your way towards home, you’re sure he’s fallen asleep until you hear, “Y’know, y’er really pretty.”

You smile to yourself, keeping your eyes on the road. “Thanks, Colin. I think you’re pretty too.”

“Really???”

“Yes.”

“Ugh, I’m so stupid. Should’a called you for a date the day after all that happened.”

“It’s okay.”

“NO! No is’not. I ghosted you.”

“Colin, I don’t think it’s ghosting if the other person doesn’t reach out to you either.”

“It’s not?”

“Not really. Pretty sure that just ignoring each other.”

“Oh. Okay good. Well, not good we ignored each other. Good you didn’t think I ghosted you. Cuz I would NEVER do that to you.”

“Good to know.”

“And you won’t do that to me. I know you won’t. You’re too sweet. You wouldn’t break up with me two weeks before our wedding.”

Your heart sinks when he says this. Chancing a glance at him, you notice how sad his eyes are. Truth be told, you don’t know much about Colin, mostly because with the intensity of the case, the two of you haven’t had time to properly get to know each other. But his drunk words are way too specific to be a hypothetical scenario.

“Is that what happened to you?” you ask tentatively.

“Yup. Not sure how it happened. Or why. She just woke up and said, ‘hey, I’m not in love with you anymore’. And I’m like ‘s’ok, can I put my bagel down first?’…” he babbles, head rolling to the side so he can look at you. “Jus’ like that. Done. No more.”

You reach over to take his hand. “I’m sorry, Colin. That’s…that’s really shitty.”

“Isn’t it? I mean…I don’t know wha’ happened. But…whatareyou gonna do?” He squeezes your hand and brings it up to his lips so he can place a sloppy kiss on your knuckles. “We’ve been driving for a loooong time.”

“It’s been five minutes.”

“Really?!”

“Just close your eyes. We’ll be there soon.”

“M’kay.”

Not long after, you pull into your driveaway, letting go of his hand so you can park the car and shut it off. You sit there for a minute, admiring his side profile as he lays there with his eyes closed. He is a handsome man. You can stare at him all day. Every time he greets you with that wide smile, your heart skips a beat and your stomach does a little flip-flop thing.

He must feel you staring because he opens his eyes and gives you a crooked smile. “We there yet?”

You smile back. “Yeah, we’re here. Let’s get you inside.”

“Okaaay.”

With you guiding him and doing most of the work, you help Colin up the walkway to your place, pausing now and then when he sways and puts too much weight on you. Once inside, you dump him onto the couch before going back to lock your front door. Briefly, you pause to send Mare a text letting her know you’re both safe, before shutting your phone off and tossing it onto the counter. You shrug out of your coat and shoes before rejoining Colin in the living room where you left him.

“This is a nice place,” he says, sprawled out on the couch with his head nearly hanging off the armrest. “Looks homey.”

“If by homey you mean small, then yeah. It’s real homey. Come on. Sit up so we can get your coat off.”

“Tryin’a strip me down, you saucy minx,” he slurs, leaning forward as you try to pull the long coat off his arms. “I know your game and I accept.”

Laughing softly, you manage to wrestle him out of the coat before he flops backward. “No games tonight, Zabel.”

“Fine but at least a kiss?”

“That’s definitely not a good idea.”

“Jus’a lil one…come on, lil kiss…” he says in a soft voice, trying to lean in. “Jus’a peck. Lil smooch.”

Still laughing, you gently force him to lay back down. “Not while your drunk. Maybe in the morning if you’re feeling better we can have a little smooch.”

“Been thinking about kissin’ you for days,” he admits as you start to untie his shoes for him. “And picturing you on top of me. That was nice. I liked that. Let’s do that.”

You toss him a grin as you slide the shoe off his foot. “Like I said. Maybe…If you’re a good boy.”

His smile widens and he wags his eyebrows. “I’ll be’a good boy for you.”

After ridding him of his other shoe, you tuck a blanket around him. “Sleep it off, Colin. We’ll talk in the morning.”

“Wait, wait, wait, don’t go,” he urges, grabbing your hand as you make a move to stand. “Not yet. Don’t go yet. It’s jus’…I wanna talk to you.”

“Okay. About what.”

“Everythin’. Anythin’. LIFE! Let’s talk about life.”

“It is way too late and you’re way too drunk to talk about life.”

“It’s just…the thing is…I’m getting to that age, right? I’m getting to that age where I’m starting to look at my life and I’m going…well, here’s what I thought it would be and…here’s what it actually is…” He throws his hands up with a sigh and a shrug, letting his thought hang there.

You’re all too familiar with that feeling. And yet, you have no idea how to respond. He’s not the only one looking at his life and wondering what the hell. There you are, living in the same town where you grew up, a detective in training living in a shitty, tiny apartment with neighbors who press their noses to the window every time you set outside. You haven’t had a relationship in years, mainly because you know every single guy in town and have grown up with them. The thought of dating and settling down with any of them does not appeal to you in the slightest. Never did. Not that that’s the only way to live your life but it’s something you would like to do someday. With the right person.

“Am I making any fucking sense?” he asks, more to himself than to you.

“Yeah, yeah, you are.” You reach up to lay a hand on his cheek. “Get some rest, okay. I’ll be just in the other room if you need me.”

“Mmm, okay. Rest sounds good. Sleep good.”

He rolls onto his side, taking your hand with him and almost pulling you across his body. You manage to wiggle free with a chuckle. By the time you get up to shut off the living room light, he’s already snoring.

You have too many questions and not enough answers. This man, this big hero detective that is supposed to help solve the case seems just as lost and alone as you feel. You wonder if that’s why you were drawn together. Two lost, lonely souls who found each other among such darkness.

Too tired to go down that train of thought, you slip away to your room, wondering just how much Colin will remember in the morning.

#colin zabel #evan peters #mare of easttown spoilers #love exists

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