#even after henry tells him to his face that he basically meant nothing to him and that he was just a pawn and a plaything for him

[butchdykekondraki]

im thinking about dave and henry again :-(

[tangle-twer]

Ta-Da! Id like to finally present Detective Henry Hyedway Esq, my first real Detective Grimoire oc and the culmination of my headcanon that Grimoire mentored under another detective. I would like to give my massive thanks to @itsty1err ; Henry would not look nearly this good without his phenomenal second pass (Which i will include under the cut, after his bio and a small bonus)

Detective Henry Hyedway Esq. is one of, if not the most famous private detective in the country. Over his long tenure, he's solved every case he's ever been hired on with dignity and flourish, charming everyone he meets with his sensitive, inquisitive manner. His exploits became the focus of many bestselling books, and Hyedway makes massive donations to worthy causes across the globe with the royalties.

However, if you asked him what his greatest achievement was, Hyedway would tell you all about his faithful apprentice, Detective Grimoire. As soon as he saw him at the Academy, he knew that the young boy had potential to become a great sleuth on par with himself, and immediately took the young flatfoot under his wing. The two became close, and Hyedway considers Grimorie himself to be his most impactful and important work- and he makes sure his work is nothing short of Perfection!

"My greatest dream, my life's wish, is that one day everyone will look upon Grimoire's face- in a newspaper, on a broadcast, in a book- they'll look at him and say... that's Hyedway's boy." -Detective Henry Hyedway Esq.

Bonus!!!

And now, the process!

My initial drawing, done approximately 9 o'clock at night. I had a basic idea of who I wanted Grimoire's mentor to be and what he'd look like-That caplet, top hat, and mustache werent going anywhere!- and I wanted to illicit the same tone as Sherlock Holmes and Professor Layton, someone with decades of detectiving experience for Grimoire to look up to.

Razz's second pass! When I shared my first draft with the discord server we were in (10pm ish) and mentioned I would need to take another whack at the design, Razz asked if he could draw out a sketch of his ideas. I said yes, and even included some notes I wrote out for myself. I had gone to sleep shortly after, and woke up to Razz telling me he was finished. Little did I know that when Razz said "sketch" he really meant "Colored turnaround"! I was floored when I saw this, and I owe the quality of Hyedway's incredible design to Razz going above and beyond and I couldn't be happier with what we did together!

[jakelandryshorts]

Matt Experiments with the Chronivac: Little Secret

Clay watched as Henry and his boyfriend walked up the sidewalk to the frat house. He didn’t want any trouble but when Matt tried to walk in, he had to tell him no. “Frat members only until tonight,” he said, grabbing Matt by the collar.

“What? Really?” Henry grumbled. “Just let him in. He’s basically an honorary member anyways.”

“No,” Clay said. “He’s your boyfriend.” Then pulled Matt back to the edge of wooden patio.

Henry instinctively reached out for Matt. But when Clay’s hand refused to let go, he shot the big man a nasty glare. He clenched his fists. Matt was quick to stop it. “It’s alright. Don’t get in trouble just for me.”

The continued menacing glare on Henry’s face, meant this still wasn’t over. “Under who’s orders?” he demanded through gritted teeth.

“Jeff’s,” Clay answered. He didn’t like getting into it with the other guys, but being ‘security’ meant that he still had to be the one to uphold the rules. Whether or not he agreed didn’t matter. He was just meant to be a big wall of meat. At 6’4” and 310ish pounds, it was good both on and off the field from blocking people from getting past him. Though, not very good for anything else. He always felt slow and bloated and not a single woman even looked his way.

“Where’s Jeff?” Henry growled.

All Clay could do was shrug. “I’m on house guard duty. Not Jeff’s personal security.”

“Whatever,” Henry pushed past Clay into the house.

Clay crossed his arms and returned to his position. He looked down to still see Matt right in front of him. “You should probably go. Jeff doesn’t really like you. And Zach’s even worse.”

“I’ll be fine,” Matt said. He hopped his little body onto the guard rail around the patio and kicked his feet back and forth. His eyes were completely focused on his phone as it looked like he was typing out a novel.

“What—” Clay stopped himself. He wasn’t supposed to be talking, just guarding. But seeing Matt type so diligently in front of him was sparking his curiosity. “What are you typing?”

“Just got a new idea,” Matt smiled devilishly up at him. “Thought I’d test it out, you know?”

“Test it?” Clay didn’t know what that could possibly mean. “Like post it somewhere?”

“Something like that,” Matt continued to rock slightly on the guardrail. “How are you feeling by the way?”

“Good?” Clay lied. Something suddenly came over him and he felt like he’d been hit by a ton of bricks. His body just felt so lethargic and fat. He knew it’d been pretty bad, but he’d always tried to keep a positive spin on it. And it didn’t help that Matt just kept leering at him. The stranger part being that he licked it.

“Oh? Even after you and Alan broke up?”

Anger, fear, regret, and several other emotions all bubbled up inside of him. “How did you know that!” Clay hissed. He crossed the patio in a single step and grabbed Matt by the collar.

“Just a guess,” Matt shrugged it off like it was nothing. It didn’t matter that Clay was over twice his size, he acted like the other man was absolutely nothing. “Alan came in with a really sad look on his face about 2 weeks ago, wouldn’t tell anyone why and then you started to gain weight. Well… I should say fat.”

“How are those two things connected?” Clay’s grip tightened. He knew the answer, but wasn’t about to admit it.

“It’s simple, when an unathletic guy fucks you, you gain your full strength back. And when it’s consistent, you might even gain a little more,” Matt said. The normal way he spoke just spooked Clay all the more.

“How-How do you know that?” Clay asked. His grip loosened, then tightened again. “Did Alan tell you!?”

Matt shook his head. “Nope. He didn’t say anything. Wouldn’t tell anyone why he was so upset. Just that it wasn’t any of their business. But you know, two things happening close together it kind of makes sense…”

“But…”

“But what?” Matt continued. “Is it because none of the other frat guys noticed? That they just keep acting like you’ve been shirking your weight training or eating too many cookies? Nah man, the only people who really notice the change are guys who can affect it. And you wanna know how I know I can affect it?” Clay nodded. “Because you’ve been hard ever since you grabbed my shirt.” Matt’s hand shot between Clay’s legs, cupping his balls then sliding along his hard dick.

Clay jumped back, letting go of Matt’s shirt. His face burned red.

 “So did you break up with Alan or did he break up with you?”

“I—” Clay took a moment to answer. His cock was rock hard, almost throbbing at the gentle brush against his dick. It’d been forever since he’d actually been touched there by someone he liked. Sure, the guys had gotten him a couple of hookups with a girl or two right after the breakup, but it felt nothing like Alan being inside him. “I broke up with him…”

“Hmmm…” Matt’s eyes lit up. It was the first time it looked like he didn’t actually know the answer to something Clay said. “Really?”

“Yeah,” Clay said sheepishly. “I didn’t want the other guys to find out...”

Matt let out a devious laugh as he broke any distance between them. Clay felt himself back up into a wall. His small body put all of its weight against Clay’s. “You won’t need to worry about that,” he chuckled. His small hands drifted down Clay’s hefty weight. They only seemed to love the slopes and curves of his body as they slid down, gently groping some of his more sensitive spots. But it was feeling that light weight pressing against his that really turned him on.

He barely even realized when Matt’s hand slipped into his shorts, under his underwear and gave his dick a good tug. “OH GAWD!” Clay cried out. His fingers gripped against the wooden siding on the house. Every part of his body seemed to flex. Another tug. Followed by another uncontrolled belt of a moan. He couldn’t help it. Feeling those soft, delicate but masculine hands pull his dick was too much. Nature had taken over. Any conscious thought was flooded with absolute joy as he finished in his underwear.

“Oh fuck…” Clay moaned again. A flood of endorphins were filling his mind. He barely even recognized as he was spun around onto the door. His shorts fell to the ground, big round bare ass pointed towards the street. “M-Matt?” he looked over his shoulder, just barely seeing the other man.

“You want to be ready for tonight? Don’t you,” Matt mocked. His dick was hard as a rock and pushed into Clay’s sensitive anus.

“OH FU—” Clay cried out. His fists banged against the door as Matt fucked him. Even though he’d just cum, he was hard again. Feeling his insides invaded was even better than he remembered. Each thrust sent a new wave of pleasure through him. Not to mention the warm feelings gently massaging each and every one of his muscles. He could feel a lot of the fat melting away and turning back into hard earned muscle. His heavy moobs quickly tightened up into firmer pecs. The heavy belly that hung out in front of him turned into a strong muscular gut.

Clay’s body seemed to naturally curve to allow Matt easier access. It didn’t matter that Clay was growing taller, Matt continued like nothing had changed. If anything, he’d picked up the pace. Pounding him harder and faster. Matt’s small hands gripped Clay’s hefty love handles while Clay’s massive hands banged on the door. Each thrust sent another shock to Clay’s system and his hands pounded against the hard wood of the door.

Matt gasped, then squeezed his body hard. One final thrust and Clay could feel his insides being painted white. The sudden sensation sent a massive wave of pleasure through him and his entire weight landed on the door, making the old wood creek and then break under his massive weight. The two fell to the ground, Matt still on top of Clay’s back.

“Oops…” Clay muttered as he felt the hard ground beneath him. It took a few seconds for Matt to get off of him.

“Guess you really were pent up big guy,” Matt gave Clay a pat to his back.

Clay worked through the endorphin ridden haze and stood back up. He picked up the door like it was nothing, placing it next to the doorframe. Then looked around the house. No one came running. “This is our little secret?” he asked.

Matt must have liked the use of the word little, as Clay was anything but. He easily blocked any door frame, having to duck a bit to enter and twist as his wider shoulders would brush up against either end of the doorframe. “Yeah,” he chuckled. “Our ‘little’ secret.”

“Thanks man. Now just disappear. I’ve gotta get cleaned up and I’ll be right back,” Clay said. “I’ll just say I missed you. Alright?” Matt nodded as he watched Clay rush to the bathroom.

More Stories over on my wordpress

[watchmegetobsessed]

Crushing - Harry Styles

a/n: just a little something that was inspired by a tiktok and @pastequeharry​ !

pairing: Harry X Famous!Reader

word count: 2.2k

masterlist

“Welcome back, I hope has everyone returned from our little break because we are playing a fun little game with Y/N, who by the way won a Grammy award for best new artist this weekend, so congratulations on that!”

Ellen smiles at you widely as she claps along with the audience and you’re just smiling shyly, still not quite used to the sound of it.

“Thank you,” you nod looking around.

“Okay, we are going to play a round of who’d you rather. Are you familiar with the game?” she asks you.

“Yes, I’ve seen others play it before.”

“Great. For those who don’t know the game, two people will show up on the screen and Y/N will have to choose one. Whoever she chooses will come with us to the next round and at the end we’ll know who is her ultimate crush.”

“Ah man,” you huff, feeling a little nervous about who they are gonna show you and the audience laughs at your reaction as your fingers dig into the armrest of the armchair you’re sitting comfortably in.

“Are you ready?” Ellen questions with a smile that tells you just how much she is enjoying this.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be, but let’s get started,” you chuckle nervously.

“Okay, let’s see our first pair,” she starts and two pictures show up on the big screen and on the smaller one at the front of the stage so you don’t have to crane your neck. “So we have Zendaya and Tom Holland. Who are you choosing?”

“You really had to start with two of my biggest Marvel crushes?!” you whine and the audience starts laughing again as you chew on your bottom lip, trying to decide. “I love them both, but I’m gonna have to go with Zendaya, because in height, we would be better. I’m sorry Tom, I still love you!” you declare, looking around all cameras, hoping they all got your confession.

“Alright. So now we’ll keep Zendaya and move on to the next person, who is… Harry Styles. Zendaya or Harry Styles?”

The blood rushes out of your face as you see a picture of Harry, memories of the two of you meeting at the award show in the weekend flooding back to your mind. Harry has been a crush of yours since probably forever. You’ve been a fan of his since his One Direction days and your career started to take off sometime around the time he started his solo career, only difference is that it took you a little longer to earn yourself a name in the industry. But this weekend you finally met him for the first time, in real life, without you just watching him on the stage with four other men.

You spotted him at the area that led to the red carpet, he was about to step out when his eyes laid on you and though he was wearing a mask, you still knew he was smiling from the little wrinkles in the corners of his eyes. Your breath caught in your throat, stopping in your track as you were holding up your gown so you wouldn’t trip and fall with all the cameras around.

“Y/N! Hi!” he greeted you stepping closer, as if the two of you were old friends.

“Hi!” you managed to speak up, feeling completely starstruck.

“Love the gown! You look wonderful!” he complimented you and you could feel your cheeks heating up so fast.

“Oh, thank you, but I think you’re stealing the show with the boas,” you chuckled making him laugh as well.

“Thank you. Congrats on the nomination, I really hope you win by the way.”

“You do?”

“Of course. Listened to the album, it’s really good,” he nodded and your heart skipped a beat. Harry Styles listened to your album and he liked it? This must be Heaven, but when did you die?

“Thank you so much! I hope you win too, though your chances are better with your three nominations,” you joked making him laugh again.

“Yeah, just a little,” he nodded. “Here, let me help you.” He offered you his arm helping you step up the few steps that lead to the area where the red carpet photos were taken and you were thankful for the help, though you could already hear all the camera’s clicking in your way and you knew the photos would be all over the internet by the next day.

You only met one more time during the evening and you could only congratulate to each other on the wins before you both were snatched away, but you still play your conversation with him in your head before you go to bed in the evening.

“Um, Zendaya is everything but I’m gonna play this game honestly so I’ll choose Harry.”

The audience starts cheering and clapping at the decision as Ellen smirks at you, nodding along.

“No need to be shy, we all have a crush on Harry probably,” she jokes making you laugh. “Okay, next up we have… Harry Styles and The Weeknd.”

“I’m gonna stick to Harry,” you answer probably a little too fast, but if you’re being honest, they can’t show you anyone at this point who would beat Harry.

“Harry stays, next we have Harry and… Florence Pugh.”

“You guys made sure to make it hard for me!” you chuckle staring at the screen. “But I’m still gonna stick to Harry, though I love them both.”

“Alright, for the next round we have Harry Styles and Niall Horan.”

“I’m upset, because as a One Direction fan, I should not be forced to choose between them,” you point at Ellen, giving her a hard look which the audience finds quite hilarious.

“I’m sure you had ranked them before, don’t be shy,” she smirks and you sigh rolling your eyes.

“Okay, no offence to anyone but Harry stays. Sorry Niall, I still love you though,” you add with a smile.

“Harry is in a winning streak, it seems. Okay, let’s see his next opponent. Harry against Chris Evans.”

“Harry,” you answer with a sigh, crossing your legs, knowing well you will not choose anyone over Harry.

“Fast answer, great. Harry Styles or Ariana Grande.”

“Love Ariana, she’s a queen, but Harry,” you answer with a smile, the audience enjoying your obsession over Harry Styles and at this point you are not even trying to hide it.

“Harry Styles or Henry Cavill?”

“Harry,” you answer right away.

Henry’s picture disappears and Harry’s moves to the middle as the game comes to its end.

“Seems like we have a winner here. Harry Styles beat everyone!” Ellen chuckles as you glance at the big screen, blushing a little, but you are hoping your makeup is covering it well.

“You said it yourself, everyone has a crush on him,” you shrug, trying to play it cool.

“Yes, but not everyone was helped out by him,” she smirks as a photo of the two of you appears on the screen from last weekend and you cover your face with your hands as the audience goes wild.

“He is a gentleman,” you sigh dreamily.

“He really is and I have to say that the two of you look great together.”

“Oh stop it,” you chuckle, playing it over a little, just to make it less obvious how giddy even the thought makes you.

“Well, now we know that he is your number one choice, hopefully he’ll take the next step,” Ellen chuckles before moving on and asking you a few more questions as part of your appearance on the show.

Weeks go by and you kind of forget about the whole interview. It blows up the next few days, but nothing really happens, people just get excited that you are crushing on Harry just like everyone else, but it dies down pretty quickly.

You barely recovered from your Grammy win and yet you are already marching towards another milestone in your career. None other than Gucci asked you to be part of their new campaign in an amazing photoshoot and you just couldn’t say no, not that you ever even thought about it. After some online meetings and sending emails back and forth the first fitting’s day has finally arrived and you are buzzing!

Heading down to the showroom to go over every outfit they want you to wear for the photos, you can’t wipe the excited grin off your face. Growing up you could only dream about owning anything Gucci, now you are going to be promoting them so it truly is a dream come true.

Arriving you are walked into the showroom that is now filled with racks of clothes and there’s a podium with three mirrors surrounding it for the fitting.

“Y/N! Hi! So nice to finally meet you after all the emails and calls!” Nancy, the creative director of the campaign greets you.

“Nice to meet you too!”

“We are in a little bit of delay, I’m very sorry about that, but we can start in about ten minutes, if that’s alright with you.”

“Oh, no worries. I’m free all day,” you assure her before she thanks your patience and runs off to finish off whatever she was doing before.

Wandering around you take a look at the beautiful clothes on the racks, blown by basically everything you see and you can’t wait to wear the outfits that were meant for you. In the back of the room, a part is closed off for a changing area and you hear the door opening as Nancy walks out first, talking to someone following her behind and when you see the person, you freeze.

Harry Styles walks out, wearing a just a shirt and jeans, looking very casual but still, unbelievably hot. The man could wear a potato sack and still look better than any other men.

“Thank you so much,” he smiles at Nancy before his eyes lay on you, a wide smirk tugging on his lips in realization. “So nice to see a familiar face!” he beams, walking closer before he pulls you in for a short hug that catches you by surprise, but also warms your chest.

“Hi, didn’t expect to see you here, though you are kind of one with the brand at this point,” you tease him making him laugh.

“I am, yeah. I heard that you would be featured in the campaign as well. Amazing choice,” he smirks, glancing over at Nancy who smiles proudly, clearly agreeing with him.

“Y/N, I’ll get the changing room ready for you and we can start in five, alright?” Nancy informs you.

“Yeah, thank you!” You nod in her way and she is already off to do the work, leaving you and Harry alone.

“So, I learned some interesting information the other day,” he hums with a serious face and he got you curious about what it could be.

“Yeah?”

“Mhm, you know, I was watching The Ellen Show and you were on, playing a little game.”

“Oh my God,” you breathe out, already feeling the heat crawling up your neck to your cheeks. Harry smirks down at you, clearly enjoying that he got you so nervous and embarrassed of what happened.

“I wish I knew about your little crush earlier!” he teases you, making your groan.

“And why is that? So you could pull my leg at the Grammy’s when I was already shitting my pants?”

Harry lets out a chuckle shaking his head as he hides his hands in his pockets, his eyes running up and down your figure before they meet with your gaze again.

“No. Because then I wouldn’t have talked myself down from asking for your number.”

You can’t help the stunned reaction that takes over your face at his blunt flirting, your lips part as your eyebrows shoot up while Harry just stares back at you with a sly smirk on his deliciously pink lips.

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yeah, but now that I know that you are crushing on me just like I’m crushing on you, I think it’s time to make the first step. So…” he pulls his phone out and hands it over to you and continues while you type your number in. “I’m not just asking for your number, but I happened to hear that you have nothing else planned for the day, is that true?”

“It is,” you nod, feeling out of breath as you hand him back his phone, your number saved in his contacts.

“Then how about grabbing lunch after your fitting? I happen to have nothing today as well, we should take advantage of it,” he suggests and you can’t push your stunned smile down.

“Sounds good,” you nod, biting into your bottom lip.

“Great. I’ll run some errands while you are here and I’ll be back in about an hour.”

“You could stay here if you want, I don’t mind it,” you tell him, feeling like he is only leaving because he doesn’t want to intrude.

“I would love to, but I really want to see the final outcome of the campaign and not spoil it for myself,” he smirks making you chuckle.

“Alright. Then see you in an hour.”

“Yeah,” he nods with a boyish smirk before turning around and walking out of the showroom.

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed it!

[dreamkidddream]

Hi, I like your work.

If you could I have an obey me request of the brothers and( if possible the undatebles). About a mc who is changing their habits to be healthier (like exercise and healthy eating).

Cause thats what am doing at the moment and I would like the encouragement.

Thanks

Good luck with your journey and you can do it! I’ll probably do the Undateables in a separate fic, but I’ll definitely do them in the future. Reader is gender neutral!

The Brothers with MC Who Wants to be Healthier

Lucifer

He supports you, just don’t let it get in the way of your studies 

Doesn’t really understand why but he doesn’t voice it aloud, and he likes that you’re actually making the effort too, showing a surprising amount of self discipline

He was amused (and worried) when you started working out with Beel, but was relieved when you came back okay and not missing any limbs

Still makes him worry though

He’s too busy to try and workout with you, but he does try to change his eating habits so you don’t feel like you’re doing this alone

(And this would explain why he’s been just a little bit crankier in the mornings since he cut back on his coffee intake. He won’t give it up completely, but he’s trying for you)

He does well keeping you on track though and knowing how strict he can be, it never got to the point of being overwhelming. It’s just his way of encouragement because he really means well and wants the best for you

Praises you so much, and you know it’s the truth too because Lucifer doesn’t just say anything to anyone. And takes his time in showing just how he is of you too, especially behind closed doors

He’s super proud of you, and he’s smug about it too. You’re his, you bear his pact mark on you, so he can’t help but show off your progress. It’s his sin, after all 

Brags to Diavolo like the proud boyfriend he is

Mammon

He somewhat understands, but doesn’t at the same time. You look beautiful, stunning, hot, sexy FINE to him, but if that’s what you wanna do, you’re not doing it alone!

(He claims that you owe him some Grimm and that you’ll discuss payment later, but he’s honestly just excited to be doing this with you and doesn’t know how to handle it)

When he says that you’re not doing it alone, he wasn’t kidding. He’s right alongside you (even though he’s already by your side literally all day every day) putting in the effort 100%, and he’s a great motivator too!

Mammon is a model, so working out and healthy diets aren’t new to him. He takes on the role as your very own personal trainer, even if he forgets that you can’t eat all the food that he can or do everything that he can since you’re human

He’s confused but he’s got the right spirit!

His energy is just contagious! Doesn’t matter what you guys did, whether it was eating something instead of the usual Hellfire noodles or coming back after you guys finished a run, he’s always facing you with a blinding smile on his face every time

Mammon is basically your partner in crime and vice versa, so DUH he was gonna do this with you! What kind of first man would he be if he didn’t?

You’re not alone in this MC, and he’ll make sure it stays that way

Leviathan

OOF, he feels like he’s the wrong person to approach with this

It’s not like he doesn’t want to support you! He does! But, we all know how he feels about doing anything physical or doing anything that will take him away from his safe haven...

(With the exception of video games, anime, and Ruri-chan of course)

He REALLY doesn’t understand why you’re doing this, to him it’s like pure torture!

But, he sees how happy you look and how much energy you have now, so (with your help) he looked at it from a different angle...

That you were LEVELING UP

That’s what got him hype

(He still wouldn’t do it with you unfortunately)

He would unironically go on one of his rants and just be in awe at how much you’re powering up, waayyy better than his video game characters or some weak anime MCs; it’s just his way of encouraging you to keep going

He’s still too embarrassed to be straight forward to you, but you’re an inspiration to him. He expects nothing less from his Henry!

(If you see him trying to do any type of exercise in his room: no you didn’t!)

Satan

He finds it endearing to be honest, and he’s glad to help. Maybe he can find some helpful information in one of his books...

He’s not gonna act like your personal trainer like Mammon but he’s gonna be like your personal tutor but for your health!

“MC, make sure you don’t overdo it. I know you want to keep pushing yourself- and you’re doing more than a spectacular job- but you’ll end up hurting yourself if you overexert. How about you do some stretches as a cool down instead?”

Believe it or not, if he does do any type of workout with you (which would be somewhat rare), it would be stretches, only because it is somewhat calming and helps with how tense his body can be

And he enjoys the time he gets to spend with you

But he’s never afraid to give you motivation or give you compliments; he does it proudly and rather bold

Even if it seems like he’s just teasing you, Satan is being 100% honest. You’re already perfect in his eyes, but it just makes it more obvious seeing you doing something for yourself and being happy about it

Asmodeus

I feel like Asmo would be one of the most helpful brothers (besides from Beel of course) because he likes to take care of himself, and that includes eating healthy and working out

Even though doesn’t like to sweat and he hates the idea of feeling gross, he won’t whine (as much) because it’s something that he wants to do. He’s very big on self-love and having confidence, and he’s a firm believer in feeling good about yourself always, no matter what shape or size you are. After all, you gotta feel good to look good!

Plus, he has taken some devilishly selfies of his sweat glistening on him and he knows his fans go wild for those~

But this isn’t about him right now, you should’ve said something sooner MC, he’s glad to help!

Gives you new recipes to taste test together too! New recipes to try with you + new DevilTube videos= a recipe for views (and more time to be selfish with you)

GYM SELFIES

Also prepare to wear matching gym gear too. You guys are going to make progress and in style!

One of his favorite full body workouts hat he loves to do with you is yoga. Not only does it really become a peaceful time for you both to share, but it also gives him the opportunity to show just how flexible he is and how flexible he can make you~

Seriously though, Asmo is here for this! He will always be the first one to praise you for your accomplishments, and even if you feel like it’s small or that you didn’t really accomplish anything, he’ll make sure to prove you wrong

Beelzebub

He caught you doing some workouts in your room, and when he spotted you, it only meant one thing-

WORKOUT BUDDIES

You didn’t even have to ask him for help because he was already 100% on board with it

It’s only a handful of times that you’ve seen Beel be so serious before, so you were shook tbh

But don’t worry, it’s still gonna be tons of fun for you both!

He’s not gonna micromanage you or anything, and he invites you to his workouts all the time. Even if you have to remind him sometimes that you’re a human and you can’t just lift 1000 pound weights like it’s nothing-

The best spotter, no questions asked. If he even thinks that you’re struggling or he sees your arm shake in the slightest, he’s already behind you, holding up the bar and asking if you’re okay

If weights aren’t your thing or if you don’t feel comfortable going to the gym, he doesn’t mind doing at home workouts either! And he’s the best at correcting your form too

Even though he’s known for his insatiable appetite, he’ll still eat healthy with you. He may not know a lot about human food, but he does know what’s good for the body

Of course he still eats full course meals and will just burn it off like nothing, but he can skip out on Madame Screams’ pastries if it means keeping you motivated

You try to tell him that it’s okay for him to eat whatever, but he’s already shaking his head at you, telling you that you guys are in this together, and that’s that

You ended up splitting some sweets with him on your cheat day because you a.) felt bad and b.) wanted to thank you for being the best gym partner ever

He ate majority of it but still

Not to mention the encouragement that he’s always giving you! If it’s an off day or you feel like you didn’t do your best or enough, he’s already there giving you a smile and pulling you back on your feet, saying how much you’ve improved and how far you’ve come, and Beel isn’t the type to just say anything. He really means every word, and it’s more than enough to keep you going

And his high-fives >>>>>>>

The couple that gains together stays together, and he won’t lie; he feels more pumped in his workouts with you by his side

Belphegor

You weren’t coming home for your daily afternoon cuddle session(s), and when you did come home you were drenched in sweat and brushed him off for a shower. It went from occurring just once a week to every other day, and it was making him moodier than usual

When you explained it to him, he was whiny but supportive. Of course he supports your journey to a better lifestyle! He’ll just be supporting you from the comfort of his bed-

You’re definitely dreaming if you think you’re about to get him to join you working out (you should’ve went to Beel if that’s what you’re looking for)

But he’s great at being your cheerleader though! He stays in the room while you’re working out and he’s really cheering you on with his little chants (I mean it’s while he’s lazing around but still are you really surprised?), but you can’t help but still find it endearing and a way to stay positive

If ya’ll seen the new episode you understand what I mean lmao

He’s not one for moving around, but he can help you with what you eat

He’s pretty decent in the kitchen, and he’s got some safe-for-humans healthy snacks that he “borrowed” from Beel and some recipes that he got from Barbatos and Asmo

(Somehow Solomon overheard and volunteered himself to cook and Belphie doesn’t think he ever ran so fast in his life before when he walked away to go grab his “recipe book”)

Makes small remarks about your progress and says it like it’s the most obvious thing in the world, showing that he does notice the changes you’re making even if you don’t. Really helps you stay motivated!

His words may come off as dry and sarcastic sometimes, but he means well. He may have a bit of a hard time showing that he cares, but he does. And he cares a lot about you, more than he can express

Is also prepared to give you cuddles as both rewards and to make up from before

[canarypoint]

Highways and Heart Eyes

A/N: hi it’s been a while...(?) unrelated but the brie larson thing that’s going around is stuck in my head because it’s like 60% of my fyp on tiktok rn. this is inspired/based on a story my mom told me last week lmao

A/N #2 (edit): so i’m an idiot and i forgot to give it a title but if anyone noticed that before i edited it, no you didn’t.

Pairing(s): Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Warning(s): none? my really bad attempts at writing flirting?

Steve can say with one-hundred percent certainty that I-95 is simultaneously one of the greatest and worst things built in his time in the ice. The potholes are concerning enough, add to it the barely-bright-enough street lights and the exhausted, largely untrustworthy drivers racing their way home at almost midnight?

He almost prefers fighting Nazis or the Chitauri.

The drive itself has been boring thus far, but he thinks it might be taking a weird turn when he finds a car sitting on the side of the highway, its driver leaning against the hood flailing their unoccupied arm around while the other holds something up to the side of their face.

Steve puts his blinker on, pulling his Stark-issued (as Tony loves to call it) car up to the parked vehicle.

“Everything alright?” he asks, wincing when the person flinches at his voice. “Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.”

“I’m fine, just waiting for a friend,” the person answers automatically. They slide their phone into their pocket with a sigh, finally turning to Steve. “Oh my god, you’re Captain America.”

“Please, Steve is fine,” he answers with a soft laugh, trailing off in a silent question.

“Y/N,” they offer in return, their hands fidgeting.

“Nice to meet you, Y/N. Are you sure there’s nothing I can do to help?” he asks one more time; something tells him their earlier remark was a way to ward off creeps, not an actual response to his question.

Y/N looks at the passing traffic for a moment, their eyes squinting in contemplation. “Yeah, actually,” they say through a sigh. “My car’s out of gas and my phone just died…”

“Ah, I see. Let me call a friend of mine and we’ll have you back on the road in no time,” he offers with a smile, already slipping his phone out of his own pocket.

“Thanks, Captain,” they say with a mischievous smile as Steve laughs again.

“Steve,” he jokingly reprimands as he dials the first name he sees on speed dial. “Hey, Nat, I need a favor…”

•••

Steven Grant Rogers is an idiot. A brilliant soldier, a great man, an amazing friend, a fantastic leader (usually), but he is still an idiot out of work and off the field.

He called Natasha at eleven-forty-three at night to ask her to drive all the way to the outskirts of Cecil County, Maryland from New York City, just so she could sit with a complete stranger while he drives to the nearest gas station (it’s forty minutes away, because of course there’s major traffic tonight). If she’d known he just needed to refill someone’s tank, she would’ve stopped and gotten it on the way over.

Though, the person in not-so-perilous peril is pretty cute.

“I’m so sorry,” you ramble for the millionth time. Natasha just smiles and waves you off.

“It’s fine, I promise.” She means it, just as much as the first time she said it. It’s the thirty-seventh, not that she’s counting.

“Yeah, but, you’re an Avenger and like- you probably need as much sleep as you can get and now you’re wasting your night basically babysitting me and-”

“Hey, hey, breathe. I promise this isn’t a waste of my time. It’s not every day I get to spend time with a beautiful person,” Natasha interrupts. Honestly, how you manage to say so much in so little time is baffling.

You look down, and she can just barely make out the small smile on your face. You don’t say anything after that, and Natasha finds your suddenly-flustered state adorable.

“So,” she says. Why not start a conversation? Best way to figure out if you’re secretly a threat or not, it is her job after all. Not because in the fifteen minutes she’s known you, you’ve given her a sense of peace she’s never experienced before, she tells herself. “What were you doing out so late?”

“Oh, I was visiting a friend for the weekend, I’m on my way back to New York now,” you answer. It’s interesting how easily you’ve let your guard down around her.

Natasha hums, nodding her head as you continue to ramble about your trip. She finds herself smiling the more you talk, and eventually she asks you how you and your friend met.

“We met at NYU, she was my girlfriend’s roommate our first two years. Then we broke up and she became my roommate.”

Natasha’s eyebrow raises at the first ‘girlfriend,’ but she frowns when your smile falters. “I’m sorry.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. It was what, four years ago?” you answer, your smile already back. “I think she’s on the west coast now, probably living out her dream as some old, rich, white guy’s newest plaything.”

Natasha can’t help but laugh, you sound so optimistic and innocent and yet the insult is anything but.

“And what about you? Living out your dream in the Big Apple?” Natasha asks.

You sigh almost dreamily, “Yeah, I work at a boxing club for kids in Queens. We teach them self-defense and give them a place to stay if they need it. Spider-Man actually stopped by a few weeks ago, said he was ‘in the neighborhood.’”

“That’s amazing,” Natasha says honestly.

“It was, he let some of the older kids try out his web shooters.” The redhead holds back a laugh at your obliviousness.

“I meant your job,” she corrects gently.

“Oh,” you laugh. “Yeah, I’m just trying to do my part to help people,” you reply softly. “I didn’t have a lot growing up, and my parents were never really around. I don’t want what happened to me to happen to them, too.”

“You are… something else, Y/N…” she trails off, hoping you catch on.

“Y/L/N,” you supply.

“It’s nice to meet you, Y/N Y/L/N.”

“You too, Natasha Romanoff.” The two of you laugh as Steve’s car finally approaches.

•••

Three days go by and you can’t get your conversation with the Black Widow out of your head. Looking back, you realize she was definitely flirting with you, and you were just too exhausted and oblivious to notice. It’s embarrassing to say the least, but you doubt she even remembers. It was probably just her way of filling the silence.

You internally sigh, refocusing on your surroundings.

“Jab,” you instruct, holding your target pads-clad hands up. Henry, one of the newer kids at the gym, throws his left arm forward, his feet sliding as his glove makes contact with yours. “Stand your ground, plant both feet down firmly.”

The kid corrects his stance, smiling when you nod your head in approval.

“Jab, again.” He hits the target, and you smile again when he doesn’t slip. “Nice job, buddy. Take five. And get some water!” you yell after him as he runs to the bench.

You take your gloves off as the front door’s bells chime, turning to greet the guest. “Hey, welcome, I’ll be right… with you…” you trail off as you make eye contact with a certain redhead.

“You wouldn’t happen to know a Y/N Y/L/N, would you?” she asks playfully. She leans on the front counter as you jog your way over.

“Maybe, anything they might be able to help you with?”

Natasha watches as a kid walks up to you, asking for help with her boxing wraps. “Well,” she watches the way you simultaneously help the little girl and watch Natasha with ease. “I was told there’s this awesome place that helps kids learn how to fight, and I thought I’d stop by and show ‘em how an Avenger does it. Plus, I heard Spider-Man was here once, and I think having the Black Widow come by would be a much cooler story to tell.”

You laugh, ruffling the kid’s hair before whispering to her that she’s good before turning back to the Avenger. “I- Thank you,” you say softly. “You didn’t have to do tha-”

“No, but I wanted to. Plus, I was wondering if you wanted to get coffee after your shift?” she says as you lead her towards a locker in the back.

“You can put your stuff in here, they’re employee lockers, so no one’ll mess with them,” you tell her when she glances around the room. “And yeah, I’d like that.”

Natasha beams, and it’s immediately ingrained into your mind forever. Maybe getting stuck on a busy highway wasn’t too bad after all.

[reidyoulikeabook]

How The Team Figure Out You’re Together

These are the first criminal minds drabbles i’ve ever written so please go easy on me! So these are ‘how the team figures out you’re together’ for: Hotch, Spencer, Morgan, and Emily.

Summary: With a team of profilers around, it’s only a matter of time until at least one of them figures out you’re together. This is how you give yourselves away.

Warnings: Some short and non-specific references to drugs and case-violence. Gender neutral reader in all cases except Emily’s (happy to adapt this if wanted!)

A/N: this is a new blog and i’m accepting requests so please feel free to fire any headcanon/drabble/fic requests my way :)

Hotch

With your jobs being what they are, there’s a need for a very clear boundary between professional and personal. So, at work he’s Hotch, Hotchner, sir. At home, he’s Aaron, babe, sir. It took some getting used to at first, there were some slips of the tongue at home when you’d shout “Hotch, dinner’s ready!” But, for the most part, you’d gotten pretty good at slipping into it with relative ease. To you, it’s kind of like they’re different people anyway. Stern leader Hotchner who barks commands is an entirely different person to deal with than Aaron who asked to borrow your pink fluffy socks while you watched a romcom last night (he said he had forgotten to do laundry, but you had your reservations about whether that was true, not that you blamed him).

It’s a Wednesday morning and you’re all sat on the jet, having been called out to a pretty gnarly case in Idaho.

Hotch is making himself a coffee when the plane jerks and you all go flying and he trips sideways and

You’re shouting “Aaron!” in a concerned tone before it even registers that it’s left your mouth

And Morgan’s looking at you with that shit-eating smirk on his face, quirking his eyebrow as if to say ‘Aaron? Did you just say Aaron?’

Hotch is more flustered than anything, he’d thankfully already set down the pot and the coffee he was holding wasn’t too hot so he’s just wiping himself off with napkins and trying to ignore the fact that Emily’s staring at him and his cheeks are a little more flushed than he’d like them to be

You try to play it off with a much more casual “Are you okay?”

 He looks at you and nods, comes to sit back next to you but sits a little straighter in his seat and makes an exaggerated effort to talk to Dave

You and Aaron laugh about it when you get back to the hotel room together that night. He puts on an imitation of your voice and mimics the way you’d shouted his name, shaking his head, “You know if you’re going to react like that when I’m a cup of coffee that could be a problem in our line of work.”

You roll your eyes, “Well you’ve got a bullet proof vest for unsubs, I’m sure we can find something to protect your hands from the very real threat that is boiling water.”

He laughs, jostling you closer to him and kissing the top of your head, “So dutifully concerned. You got the worried spouse act nailed.”

“And on a plane full of profilers.”

 “They won’t say anything.”

 “No, luckily for you they respect you too much to mention it to you.”

They do mention it to him though. You manage to get past maybe another two weeks before you all go out for drinks together. Apparently, they had their suspicions, but your accidental ‘Aaron’ was all the confirmation they needed.

They’re all incredibly happy for you though. Which is nice, even if part of the reason they’re so happy is because it means they have something to tease you about.  

Spencer

You and Spencer have been close ever since you joined, what with you both being the babies of the team. It bonded you together, that and the fact you got on really well.

He always comes to either you or J.J with problems, and lately he’s been leaning on you a lot more.

But nobody really thinks all that much of it, J.J’s just had Henry and Spencer probably doesn’t want to worry about bothering her with his problems. That’s what everyone chalks it down to.

Until you’re on a case that involves drugs. Spencer’s a little on edge throughout the case and you stay with him throughout. You bring him coffees and ask him questions to help keep him distracted, stay late with him so you can focus on narrowing down the letters that have been sent in by the unsub. You don’t know all that much about handwriting analysis but you play it off as just providing a second set of eyes. Spencer really appreciates that.

Like he really appreciates that. That you easily play off your concern for him as just you helping with the case. It’s said with such ease and so convincingly that he almost believes it and that takes the pressure off, makes him feel less like a burden.

He manages to keep himself together while you work the case. You keep a watchful eye on him, not suffocating him or hovering, just making sure he knows you’re close by.

And everybody thinks you’re just being a supportive friend, because J.J is there to lend a hand too.

It’s not until the end of the case, when the unsub has been caught, interviewed, everything is wrapped up, that he lets himself fall apart a little.

You’re headed back to the hotel room you and Emily have been sharing, when you come back to find Spencer stood outside of it.

He opens his mouth to speak but the words don’t come out.

“It’s okay,” you say, taking a step to close the gap between you, “Can I?”

He nods.

You wrap your arms around him, holding him just the right amount of tight. And he practically falls into your arms, clasping your body to his. His eyes squeeze shut and this look of contentment. The tension in his body releases for the first time in days. You have one hand resting on his back, holding close to you. The other is smoothing down the errant curls of his hair.

“I’m so proud of you Spence,” you murmur, “I’m so proud of you.”

Emily gets off the elevator and, yeah maybe it’s not such an unusual sight to see you embracing. Unusual for Spencer but after a difficult case like that it’s more than understandable.

No,it’s when he opens his eyes slightly that it clicks for her.

The safety he feels, the warmth, the trust, everything that’s conveyed in his eyes. It’s a look of a man who knows he’s home.

Morgan

 You’re pretty sure that everybody on the team at least knows that Morgan has a crush on you.

 He’s never really been very subtle about it in all honesty, he’s been incredibly protective of you since you joined, has gone out of his way to make you feel included and make you laugh and just take care of you however he could.

 Somehow you were the only person who hadn’t realised how he felt about you.

 And when that changed, after a particularly tough case when you leaned into him and he looked at you and you got a little too close and he kissed you and…

Well, after that, you did kind of see what he meant by “Not being sure how much more obvious he could be about it”

It’s after your fourth sleepover together that he says it, “Wanna ride into work together?”

“And people will think we’re coming in together becaaaause?”

Baby, everybody knows I’m crazy about you.”

“Yeah they know you’re crazy about me, I think I’ve done a little bit better a job keeping myself together.

He rolls his eyes, he knows you’re right and it equal parts irritates and impresses him that you’re the youngest of them all, have the least experience, and somehow have managed to act like nothing has even changed between you the past few weeks.

Even though it has, by a lot.

 “Come on, please?”

 You have to give in to him then because he looks at you so softly and with so much love. And you do want to put him out of his misery of having everybody at work thinking he’s pining for someone who doesn’t have any idea about it.

 It’s just fun seeing how frustrated he gets at how well you’ve kept it together.

Luckily it’s just a day of being stuck at the office with paperwork, you only got back from a case two days ago and the serial killers of America seem to be allowing you one kindness.

Morgan has his arm around you from the moment you hop out of the car.

“I thought you wanted to tell the team?”

He chuckles, kissing the top of your head, “I want to tell everybody.”

But he’s happy, he’s smiling. So you let him steer you inside, with his arm around you. He greets absolutely everybody you pass whose name he knows, and one guy whose name you don’t know but he claims ‘either works in homicide or sex crimes and definitely spends way too long staring at your ass whenever he drops by.’

Emily, Rossi, and Spencer are all sat at their desks when you come in.

“Good morning,” He greets loudly, making sure to get their attention.

“Morgan!” You chastise him.

Emily grins when she looks up and spots you, “Well look who finally made his move.”

“Two weeks ago actually,” he corrects, “I just wasn’t allowed to show it off before now.”

“Even better, Hotch owes me 20 bucks.”

Emily

Neither you nor Emily are out at work. And that’s fine. Really, you like it better that the rest of the team doesn’t know this aspect of your business. If anything, it makes it easier. You two can head home from a night at the bar together, or share a hotel room, or grab breakfast together in the mornings without raising any suspicion at all. Heteronormativity has very few perks, but you’re willing to admit that’s one of them.

It’s a Saturday, J.J and Garcia are off out for drinks. They tried to convince you to go to girls night but this was a Saturday night off. You had your own girls night planned.

You told them you were busy with an old friend, and Emily said she had a date (technically hers wasn’t a lie).

Dinner and wine quickly evolved into kissing on the couch though.

“You’re so pretty,” she mumbles against your lips.

“You’re prettier,” you correct her.

Your hands tangle themselves in her hair, she shifts so that she’s basically sat on your lap. The kisses are more urgent now, deeper, passionate. Her hand is on the small of your back, pulling you closer to her.

And then you hear it.

“Emily we know you’re home! The lights are on! Come and drink with us!” Comes the shout of Penelope, from the front door.

“Yeah Emily, we have tequila!” J.J slurs in support.

Naturally, being semi-tipsy adult women, you decide the best plan is for you to hide. So you creep up the stairs, deciding the spare bedroom is the safest, hiding behind the door.

Emily answers, meaning to get rid of them but before she can even react, Garcia is on her. Arms flung around her while she wails drunkenly about how happy she is that Emily’s back from her date.

“Wait! Where is he! You have sex hair!” Garcia, annoyingly observant even when hammered, notes.

Emily’s so busy being smothered in Garcia’s hugs that she doesn’t even notice J.J making her way up the stairs.

And that’s how you come face to face with her.

“_____!” she exclaims, “Wait, why are you here? This isn’t the bathroom. Garcia, ____’s here!”

And there’s no real way to explain your way out of that one. Not between Emily’s tousled hair and the fact you are hidden away upstairs. You fabricate some excuse about coming over after Emily’s date and how you’d been planning to call them to ask them to join. They’re just drunk enough, and polite enough, that they don’t press it. You know they know.

Neither of you are really too bothered that they know. Half the reason you hadn’t bothered telling them was dealing with a whole sideshow about it.

And if thinking you really don’t want them knowing stops that from happening? Well, you can both live with that.

[boldlyvoid]

congrats on 800 boldy I was wondering if you can make something with ❤️🔪💊🤬🤡 I'm thinking after the jeid love confession

Thank you !!!!!!!

request: Stabbed in the back by a co-worker, mutual pining, angst, Spencer x reader

cw: mentions of cheating, divorce, slut-shaming lowkey, angst with a happy ending

It wasn’t a secret that she had a crush on Spencer. Everyone had suspected it, the only thing that was stopping them from actually getting together was the fact she was his co-worker and the last time he crushed on a co-worker, it didn’t go over well— at least that’s what Penelope said to Y/N when she asked why he was so distant.

What she didn’t know, was that earlier that year, JJ had made some revelations to Spencer… she told him she loved him and Spencer still didn’t know how to deal with that fact. He knew she was married, he loved his godsons, he thought she was pretty and being with her would be interesting but he didn’t love her anymore.

She didn’t learn about that for a while, she was working alongside JJ and Spencer for months and never had a single inkling that there was anything going on between them. She learned by standing in Penelope’s doorway, listening to her talking to JJ, a conversation she really shouldn’t have been listening to. All it does is confuse her and send her down the wrong thinking path.

“I’m not leaving Will, he knows about what happened and we talked it out and I think it’s going to be okay,” she explains to Penelope, “all he really said was it was a tough pill to swallow and then he offered to see a counsellor and we’ve been fine since.”

“How did Spencer take getting turned down a second time?” Penelope asks, and Y/N leaves before she can hear the answer.

She’s storming into the bullpen and sitting at her desk roughly, she can’t believe she’s confided in those women for months only for them to be keeping such a secret to themselves. They let her think she had a chance with Spencer all while JJ was messing around behind her husband's back with Spencer… and how could he do that?

“Hey,” she hears his voice and it makes her want to throw up.

“Don’t talk to me,” she snaps at him. “ever.”

So he doesn’t, he just frowns and walks away, confused and upset, she places her head on her desk and sighs. She was going to need to find a new job, she couldn’t do this anymore. But really, her mind was stuck on how Spencer could do something like that… she was married and he’s so sweet?

She’s not sure how long her face is laying on the paperwork, but eventually, she ends up cuddled into her own arms as she rests her head on her desk and just tries to get over it. She didn’t have any work, she wasn’t going to get yelled at, most of them took a nap whenever they could. It was a good excuse for her to get a minute alone.

She’s standing with Spencer in the elevator on her way home, he’s nervous and shaking and she knows he wants to ask what he did wrong. She can’t handle the silence so she pulls the emergency stop and turns to him with a fiery expression, “how could you?”

“What?” He’s beyond confused, pleading with his eyes for her to tell him what he did so he can apologize.

“JJ and Will are in couples therapy, you almost tore apart their marriage… how could you do that to Henry after everything your parents put you through?” She yells at him louder than she wanted to.

“She told Me she loved me, I didn’t love her back, she’s in therapy because she was the one who wanted to cheat, I have turned her away for months now,” Spencer shouts back, defensive and angry. “I would never do that to Henry.”

“I’m so sorry,” she panics, “I heard her telling penny and I just got so mad at them and you and now I’m just embarrassed, I’m sorry.”

She pushes the button back in for the elevator to start moving again, but Spencer pulls it back out. “No, tell me the real reason you're so mad, you barely know Henry and you don’t particularly care for Jennifer either…”

“I guess it was the talk of cheating that triggered the outburst,” she lied turning away from him.

“You have 1 more chance to tell me the truth.”

“Because I wanted to ask you out months ago and JJ told me not to, she said you were going through something, and she meant she was trying to get you to sleep with her!” She yells, “are you happy now? You have 2 teammates fighting over you, I’m sure you’re thrilled!”

“Ecstatic,” the sarcasm is sharp enough to cut her.

“You’re too great of a person to stoop that low,” she whispers this time, turning to him, still avoiding eye contact.

“Do you want to know the real reason I turned her down so many times?” Spencer whispers right back, placing a hand on her chin and tilting her face in his direction.

His eyes are beautiful, she nods as she looks at him finally, “it’s because I fell in love with someone who made Jennifer Jareau seem boring to me, I met this wonderful woman who made me feel smart and loved and she makes wonderful cookies just for me, she’s so much better than that cute media liaison that I crushed on 15 years ago.”

She doesn’t know why she’s crying, but she is. “Really?”

He nods, “I turned her down, 1 because I don’t love her like that and 2, because I knew she was in the wrong. No matter how interesting it would have been, I don’t want her anymore, I’m not even sure why I did in the first place.”

“You were basically still a teenager when you met her,” she laughs through the tears, “young, dumb and full of cu-“

“Hey,” he cuts her off with a smile.

“Would you like to go out with me then?” She changes the topic to a more appropriate one, “please?”

“I’d love nothing more.”

[strawberryspence]

Vienna

Angst | Spencer Reid x FEM! BAU! Female

Summary: Spencer meets the love of his life while Reader continues to the search for her love for life.

Word Count: 2,1k.

Warnings: angst, no happy ending, reference to having sex, lots of sentimental stuff, rossi has a part in this he was the only old OLD member

Writer’s Note: Hello! I am sad, so this happened... I wanted to clear up that I used the song Vienna in this, tho the meaning of the song is more of a “slow down, you have a whole life ahead of you.” I took the song and made it the direct opposite which for me is “find yourself and never stop until you find it. vienna (your destined destination) waits for you.” I didn’t edit this and I wrote it in one sitting so I am sorry for the mistakes. This is basically me venting out my emotions and I am not entirely sure if this made sense.

Spencer knew that you would change his life the moment you stepped foot in the BAU conference room.

You were a new agent with a fiery passion for the job. You were a Psychology Professor before quitting and took up Criminology and after that you ended up in the BAU. You were eager to learn, always on the go and was always energetic to do any job Hotch gives you. You had a heart of gold and would do absolutely anything for anyone in the team and Spencer was in no doubt completely in love with you.

It took Spencer a year and a month to finally ask you out. By this time, you were already close. It wasn’t hard to be friends with you, you radiate warmth and brightness and you were always so kind to everyone. He honestly felt embarrassed and weak. You were this amazing, strong person but Spencer... he was only Spencer.

“W-would you like to get dinner? Or... L-like coffee?” Spencer fidgets with his fingers, staring at his stained converse as it lines up to your black ankle boots. The contrast was jarring, it shows the two opposite spectrums of your personalities. When he looks up, your face was hard to read and it makes his heart beat harder against his chest.

“Like... a date?” Spencer watches as you chew on your inner cheek, something you do when you’re nervous or anxious.

“Yes... But if you don’t want to it’s okay! You can forget what I sai—“ Spencer raises his hand as a sign of goodbye, as the other grips his satchel. He turns halfway before you hold his catch his arms, stopping him from leaving.

“No! I want dinner! I mean, coffee! Whatever it is!” He looks back at you, a smile now forming in your face, and no matter how many times Spencer have seen it, it still catches he’s breathe.

“Really?” A grin starts forming in his face as he watches a shade of pink color your cheeks, “Yes. Tell me when and where. I’ll be there.”

The date was perfect. Spencer picks you up with a bouquet of daisies in his hands. You pick one of the daisies, clipping it in your hair for the rest of the night making it hard for Spencer to look away from you for the rest of the night. He reserved a table for two in a small, quaint cafe. Even with the nerves Spencer had, the date went smoothly. You talked, he talked and it was just like any other day but this time it was a date.

That date leads to another one, and another one, and another one, until you both finally made it clear that you two were dating.

It leads to numerous adventures.

To museums where Spencer becomes your own tour guide, where he teaches you everything he can teach you, where he watches you become one of the beautiful art pieces and where he realizes that he can take something so beautiful and surreal home.

To libraries where Spencer opens a book, any genre, and reads it you as you both take a journey to another world together, where you watch him read books that he probably already have memorized in the back of his head and where you realized that the world is so much bigger than you thought. More than anything it makes you itch for that world.

To movie nights which more often than so ends up with you on his lap, making out like you were both craving for something only the other can give. If it does, you both end up in bed, tangled in each other as both of you catch your breathe as you make love to one another. If it doesn’t, you both watch a movie chosen by the other and just sit in comfortable silence, cuddled into each others warm body.

To coffee shops where you both try as many different kinds of pastries, making a list of which one has the best pastries. The little corner shop down the street near the library is where Spencer learns that you liked croissants but only if they had chocolate in them. In the cafe down on 5th near the pet store, you learned that Spencer liked his blueberry muffin with cream cheese. The expensive, posh coffee shop in the high end street is where you were both kicked out for laughing way too much when you both realize that a muffin costs ten dollars each.

It leads to numerous sleepovers on Spencer’s double bed. Waking up to a new day with you was the best thing in the morning. Waking up tangled with your limbs all around him, waking up to you making him his favorite coffee and pancakes in bed, waking up to your naked body pressed unto him as you dream of him some place else.

It leads to home cooked dinners with silly dance numbers in the middle, warm hugs after hard cases and silent whispers of It’s okay’s, picnics in the park with packed sandwiches and it leads to five hundred, eighty one, forever treasured I love you’s.

One date leads you to numerous adventures and dates with Spencer.

But it was also a year and a month into the relationship when Emily video calls you both for a job offer in Interpol. She says, it would be a breathe of fresh air for the both of you. A new adventure. Together.

Spencer was set in his ways. Virginia was the closest thing he’ll ever have to a home and that’s because of the BAU. They were family. Penelope and JJ are the sisters he never had. Will, Henry and Michael was his extended family. Derek is his best friend and he loved being near him and Hank. Hotch and Rossi was the closest thing he’ll get to some kind of a father figure and he didn’t want to lose that in his life. He has long set his roots in this place, his home and he immediately shakes his head and declines.

He looks over you when the silence was to deafening to ignore and it doesn’t take a profiler to see the hesitation in your face. There was a spark in your eyes, the same one he saw when you first came to the BAU, the spark of excitement. You look at him and you see the way his eyes shines with sadness as he realizes that this was what you wanted. You shake your head at Emily and declines.

Emily smiles as she says her goodbye before reassuring both of you that there will always be a position open for the both of you in her team if ever anyone changes their mind.

That one video call leads to exactly six fights about the job opportunity. Spencer knew that you wanted to go and the selfish part of him wanted to hold unto you. So he did, he held, and he held, and he held until he couldn’t anymore.

Spencer stays late at the BAU one night. The two of you haven’t been the same since the job offer. You have left earlier to go home as he stares at the place he has called his home. Can he leave this? Was his love for you enough to leave everything he has known half his life?

“What’s keeping you here?” Spencer snaps out of the thought, looking up from his paper work to Rossi leaning over the railing right across his office.

“Nothing.” He looks back down, but he can see Rossi giving him a soft smile, “News flies fast around here.”

Spencer snaps back his head, “What?” Rossi nods, “We all know.” He continues to chew on his lip.

“I don’t know what to do.” Rossi walks down the stairs, walking closer to Spencer, “You remember Y/N’s first few weeks?” Spencer nods, the memory of your first week still vivid in his mind.

“You remember how before she was in the BAU she was a psychology professor? When she came on her first day,” Rossi smiles, reminiscing as he continues, “Remember how eager she was to do everything? There was this spark in her eyes and she was just passionate about the job and to learn?” Spencer nods again.

“Kid, in my life, I have met two kinds of people. The Mover and The Homebody. The Mover is the one who moves, they never get enough of the high that life can give, they go around looking for more adventures to learn and to help them grow,” Rossi looks down at him, a sad smile on his face, “Then there is the Homebody. Its not a bad thing to stay in one place. They are the ones who set roots in one place and grows in that place, they get comfortable and make that place in their life their home.”

“Are you saying I am a homebody? And Y/N is a mover?” Rossi forces a smile, giving his shoulder a pat.

“If you’re so smart then tell me, why are you still so afraid.” Rossi sings before giving him one last smile as he turns his back, not giving Spencer the chance to ask what he meant.

Spencer later learns from Penelope that it was a song written by Billy Joel. He asks Penelope if he can hear it by himself in her bat cave and she immediately agrees, leaving him alone with a song someone wrote in 1977 that perfectly fits and embodies you. As the final beats hit his ears, Spencer lets go of you.

The next twenty one days comes in a swift. Spencer stands in the airport as the team says their teary goodbyes to you. The team leaves to give the two of you space and privacy to say your goodbye.

“Spencer... I am sorry.” Spencer gives a smile. It wasn’t fake, there was no bad blood. He wanted to let you go, to go find the best version of yourself.

“This is what you need in your life to grow. I am happy for you.” Your eyes sparkle in tears as your heart softens.

“I’ll be back, if you are still in the same place as we are today, can we pick up were we left?” Spencer nods, as he opens his satchel and reaches in for a box.

You open it and inside is the same daisy you pinned in your hair on your first date, but it was dried and framed. You look up at him with questions in your eyes, “I stole it from you after our first date. I kept it for future purposes but it’s more suiting to give it to you right now.”

“Last call for passengers of flight 582 bound for London. Again, last call for passengers of flight 582 bound for London.” You both look at each other as the announcement rings through your ears

“I love you.” You whisper. Spencer gathers up all the courage he has and pulls you into one last kiss. His hands stays on the curve of your neck as he pulls you closer to him and as you snake your arms around his arms.

Spencer kisses you with fervour and fear. This was the last he’ll kiss you and if he had to tattoo it in the back of his mind he will. He will remember the distinct taste of your peach lip balm, the way your lips moves against him and how your hand presses hard on his back to pull him closer. Spencer pulls away when a voice in his head screams at him to not let you go. He had to let you go now before he change his mind, screams and beg you to stay with him. His heart breaks a little more as he sees tears flowing down your cheeks.

You pull him into one last hug and it sinks in, his holding you for the last time. He tries to memorize how your hands wrap around his neck and how you perfectly fit between his arms. Your body vibrates as you sob against him.

You pull away from him with tear stained cheeks and barely catching your breathe, you smile through it as you wave at him, “Goodbye Spencer.” You sobbed as you start backing away from him. You see him clench his hand as tears start filling his eyes.

“I can’t wait to meet who you’re going to be. Good luck, Y/N.” Spencer raises his hand to wave at you as the inches between the two of you grow bigger.

“Thank you. I love you.” You bid him goodbye before turning your back on him and running to your gate number. Spencer smiles through his tears as you give your ticket to the airport staff. You look back at Spencer and give him one last smile before boarding the airplane.

“Vienna waits for you, my love.”

-

taglist (if you want to be added, please message me 🥰): @all-tings-diego @shemarmooresfedora @averyhotchner @samuel-de-champagne-problems @bingereid @sweetandsunny @reidsbookclub @spencerreid-187

[eminems-skittles]

fireworks [aaron hotchner x reader]

aaron hotchner x fem!reader warnings: fear of fireworks, mentions of nightmares word count: 2.9k

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ:⠀ *⋆.*:･ﾟ .: ⋆*･ﾟ: .⋆

The sun shone down on the small stretch of beach the BAU team was currently situated on. Since it was Fourth of July and they didn't have a case, the team decided to rent out a mansion, Rossi's idea not theirs, in a small beach town they once visited on a case. Surprisingly they found a house that could accommodate everyone, including everyone's spouses and children. No one was quite sure where Rossi found the house and everyone shared the same theory. It was actually his but he didn't want anyone to know. All the adults were able to have their own rooms, while the kids all shared a room that was filled with bunk beds. The house itself was a beautiful Cape Cod-style three floor mansion with a pool, large yard, guest house and access to the beach.

   Everyone was currently either sitting on the beach or playing in the water. Hotch, Rossi, Spencer, Emily and Y/N were currently sitting on the beach. Hotch and Rossi were getting snacks set up at the picnic table. Spencer and Y/N were lounging on the sand, Spencer opting to read a book while Y/N and Emily watched the kids splash around in the water. Penelope and Derek were chasing around Jack and Henry while JJ and Will took a walk up the beach.

   "So I was thinking we do some fireworks tonight?" Rossi said, his voice raising so Spencer, Emily and Y/N could hear him. Y/N froze when she heard him, her body stiffening subconsciously. No one seemed to notice her small change in demeanor. No one except Hotch. When he caught her eye, he sent a look as if to say, 'everything okay?' Y/N shook her slightly before looking over at Rossi and telling him that was a great idea. Emily and Spencer followed suit, chatting excitedly about the small fireworks show they were going to have.

    "Y/N! Y/N!" Jack shouted, running up the beach and launching himself into Y/N's arms. Henry, Derek and Penelope were following closely behind.

     "Oh!" Y/N groaned when he landed in her lap, with his arms around her neck. Her arms immediately wrapped around him to hold him up before she looked down at the little boy."What's up buddy?"

      "Do you want to go swimming with us?" Jack asked, his eyes lighting up. Y/N almost melted on site, her heart warming at the fact he wanted to spend time with her. She quickly glanced at Hotch, who was smiling back at her.

        It was no secret that Hotch and Y/N were a couple. If Y/N wasn't at the BAU or on a case, she was at Hotch's house, spending time with him and Jack. They are constantly touching when they think no one is paying attention, sneaking kisses and holding hands. What they fail to notice is that everyone, is in fact, paying attention. Everyone's hearts melted the first time they saw Y/N with Jack. The team knew Y/N wanted kids, she'd been talking about it before her and Hotch even thought about getting together. And after seeing her with Jack, the team had all decided she'd make a great mom someday. In Hotch's eyes, she was already the perfect mom for Jack. Not that he was replacing Haley, but he knew Jack needed a motherly figure in his life. However, Y/N still felt out of place in Jack's life. She knew she wasn't his mom but she felt like she was more to him than his dad's girlfriend. Logically, the next step for her would be his step mom, but her and Hotch weren't anywhere close to getting married.

     "Of course, bud," Y/N smiled at the little boy. "Give me a second, okay? And then we can head down there together."

     Jack nodded excitedly, clinging onto Y/N as she stood up. Y/N laughed and moved him so he was balancing on her hip. Jack decided to keep himself busy by playing with her hair and poking her face every few seconds. Y/N walked over to Hotch, who was setting out paper plates.

    "Hey buddy," Hotch said when he saw his son, his heart almost stopped when he saw the two most important people to in his life. He leaned over to Y/N and kissed her on the cheek. "Hey you."

     "Hi," Y/N whispered, leaning against him slightly. "We're going in the water if you want to come with us."

     "Please dad! Come swimming with mom and I!!" Jack exclaimed, wiggling in Y/N's arms. Just like that, Hotch and Y/N froze. Y/N looked at Hotch with confusion and a small trace of happiness in her eyes and Hotch just looked back at her, his expression mirroring hers. Everyone around them froze as well, carefully watching the situation.

      "Okay, buddy, I will. Let me just finish helping Uncle Dave set lunch out and I'll be there in a few minutes, okay?" Hotch asked, a small smile appearing on his face. Jack nodded and put his head on Y/N's shoulder. Hotch leaned moved to kiss Y/N's temple before whispering,"You okay?"    

       Y/N didn't know how to respond so she just nodded before heading down to the water. Jack giggled when Y/N dropped him in the water without warning. When Jack stood up again, he splashed Y/N and tried to chase her.

       "So, that was new," Rossi said, looking at Hotch. Hotch was facing the water, a giant smile on his face while he watched Y/N and Jack chase each other.

      "Yeah, it was," Hotch said, unable to wipe the smile off his face.

      "Do you think she liked being called mom?" Emily chimed in, her head resting on her hand.

       "I do. You know her, she's always talking about being a mom and having kids of her own someday," Hotch replied.

      "So you guys have discussed having kids, then?" Rossi asked, studying Hotch's face.

      "We have," Hotch said giddily. "Not anytime soon, but we have talked about it before."

       Without saying anything else, Hotch jogged down to the water. He wrapped his arms around Y/N before falling into the water. Jack just stood there giggling.

       "Aaron Hotchner!" Y/N gasped, wiping water away from her face. "You're lucky I love you or else you'd be sleeping on the beach tonight."

        Hotch just laughed and wrapped his arms around her waist and kissing her. Jack groaned in disgust and splashed them both. The two shared a look before they started chasing Jack around. The small family continued to play in the water for ten more minutes before Rossi was calling everyone back to the picnic table for lunch.

        "Hey buddy, why don't you head up there? Y/N and I are going to just talk for a few minutes," Hotch told Jack. Jack nodded before running back over to Henry. Once they were alone, Hotch grabbed Y/N's hand and the two started walking along the sand. "Is everything okay? I noticed you tense up when the fireworks were mentioned."

     "Yeah, yeah, I'm okay. Just don't like fireworks, that's all." Y/N said, leaning into Hotch's shoulder.

      "If you say so....mom," Hotch laughed, nudging her with his shoulder. "How did you feel about him calling you mom?"

       "I kind of liked it. I know that technically he shouldn't call me mom and I'm not trying to replace Hayley, believe me," Y/N rambled. "Is it okay that he called me mom?"

      "Of course it is, Y/N. We both know that you aren't replacing Hayley. Jack knows that also. There's nothing to worry about," Hotch said calmly. He pulled Y/N into a small hug and kissed her forehead. The two made their way back to the picnic table, Y/N opting to sit next to JJ, Emily, and Penelope. Jack was sitting on Y/N's left, occasionally bumping into her arm.

      "So, what did you and Hotch go talk about?" Emily said, shoving a piece of watermelon into her mouth. JJ and Penelope both leaning in to hear the conversation.

        "Just about what the little one called me," Y/N said vaguely so she wouldn't catch Jack's attention.

       "What did he call you?" JJ asked confused. She had been walking with Will when the whole 'ordeal' occurred.

       "He called her M-O-M," Penelope whispered.

       "Oh my god, no way! Is that a good thing?" JJ asked, very excited for Y/N.

        "Yeah, yeah it is." Y/N said smiling. "Aaron and I talked about it, and we basically just decided that if Jack wants to call me M-O-M, then he can."

        "That's really great, Y/N," JJ said, patting Y/N on the shoulder.

       "Yeah, I'm really happy," Y/N said, smiling at her friends.

       The rest of the group fell into a conversation, laughing and joking. Sometime during the conversation, Jack climbed into Y/N's lap, laying against her. Y/N held him closely, rubbing his back gently. When she checked on him, he was fast asleep. She adjusted him so she could carry him into the house before walking over to Hotch.

        "Hi, love," Hotch said. "Is he asleep?"

        "Yeah, I'm just going to take him up to the house so he can sleep. I might take a nap also, didn't sleep well last night," Y/N said quietly.

         "I know, hon. I felt you tossing and turning all night, and I meant to ask you about it this morning," Hotch said concerned. "What was keeping you up?"

         Y/N looked around at their friends before shaking her head. "I'll tell you later, okay?" She said quietly. Hotch nodded, watching as she took Jack to the house.

          "Okay Jack here we go," Y/N said quietly, walking into Jack's room. She woke him up long enough for him to change into his PJs. While he was changing into his pajamas, she went to her room and changed into comfier clothes as well. She went back to Jack a few minutes later and knocked on the door. Jack opened the door, and lifted his arms for Y/N to pick him up. Y/N lifted him and carried him to his bed Y/N tucked him in before kissing his forehead. "Sleep well, sweetie."

          "'Night mom," Jack mumbled before falling back asleep. Y/N smiled before leaving the room. She made her way to the room she was sharing with Hotch and climbed into bed, falling asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.

         An hour or two later, Hotch went to go check on both Jack and Y/N. After checking on Jack, who was still sleeping soundly, he went to his and Y/N's room. He stopped just outside the door, listening. He heard cries and muffled screams coming from inside the room. Without hesitation, Hotch threw the door open, quickly scanning his surroundings. Nothing in the room was out of the ordinary, except Y/N tossing and turning in the bed, cries leaving her.

      Hotch hurried over to the bed, immediately pulling Y/N into his arms. She didn't have nightmares often, but when she did, Hotch always held her until she calmed down and woke up. He brushed the hair out of her face and kissed her forehead.

     "Y/N, my love, please wake up," Hotch whispered. "It's just a dream, it won't hurt you."

     Y/N woke up almost immediately, and cuddled closer into her boyfriend's chest. She whimpered when she felt him hold her tightly. They sat there in silence for a few minutes.

     "I'm sorry," Y/N whispered, tears falling down her face.

     "You have nothing to be sorry about, Y/N," Hotch said quietly. "How long have the nightmare's been happening?"

       "Uh, about a week or two, I'm not sure. I don't remember what they're about. I always forget as soon as I wake up. The only thing I remember is extremely loud booming sound that won't go away," Y/N said, hiding her face in Hotch's chest.

       "Like fireworks?" Hotch asked, and Y/N nodded. "Is that why you tensed up when Rossi brought it up?"

       "Yeah, I guess. I didn't make the connection earlier, though," Y/N said, leaning her head on Hotch's shoulder.

       "Do fireworks normally cause you to panic like this?" Hotch asked her.

      "I think so. They just sound so much like gunshots, you know?" Y/N whispers. "The sound just sends me back to rough cases."

      "I get it, Y/N. Trust me, I do," Hotch started. "Why'd you keep it from me?"

      "I don't know. I didn't want to bother you," Y/N said, looking down at her hands.

       "You can never bother me, Y/N. We can figure out an alternative to fireworks, if you want to," Hotch said quietly.

      "No, no, I don't want to ruin everyone else's fun. It's only for a little bit, I can suck it up," Y/N said, laughing lightly.

      "Okay, but if this happens again please don't hesitate to tell me. I don't like the idea of you struggling with something by yourself." Hotch said, kissing her temple.

       "You'll be the first to know," Y/N smiled at him. "What's everyone up to?"

        "Rossi, Will, Derek, and I were sitting on the porch, drinking some of that fancy stuff Rossi always has. Emily, JJ, and Penelope went to explore the town. Spencer is reading or sleeping, I'm not sure. And Henry and Jack are both taking naps." Hotch said. "And now, you and I are going to cuddle or go for a walk on the beach, it's your choice."

        "Can we go downstairs and just hangout with everyone?"  Y/N asked, beginning to get out of bed.

         "Of course," Hotch said climbing out of the bed and leading her down stairs. They went outside and sat with Rossi and Will. Soon after they sat down, Spencer came down from his room and joined in the conversation. Eventually, Emily, JJ, and Penelope returned from their trip and settled down on the outdoor sofa with everyone else. Jack and Henry opted to stay inside and play video games instead of hanging out with the adults.

         The group shared stories and had a light conversation while Rossi began to cook dinner for everyone. Dinner was ready fairly quickly and everyone decided to go eat on the beach and watch the sunset. After dinner, Rossi and Derek decide to start setting up the fireworks while everyone else grabbed blankets and beach chairs from the house.

           As soon as it was dark and everything was set up, it was time for the fireworks. Jack and Henry were hanging out on a blanket in front of all of the adults. Will and JJ sat the closest to the kids, with Emily and Spencer sitting in chairs next to JJ and Will. Penelope sat in between JJ and Emily, the three excitedly talking about the show they were currently binging. Hotch and Y/N sat next to Will, the group of adults forming a semi-circle around the blanket.

         "Are you okay?" Hotch whispered in Y/N's ear when he noticed how tense she was.

         "Yeah, just nervous, is all," Y/N said, grabbing Hotch's hand.

         "Okay, guys! Are you ready?" Derek shouted from the spot of the beach they had the fireworks set up. Everyone cheered and chatted happily, waiting for the fireworks to start. Jack ran over to Hotch and Y/N and laid across both Hotch and Y/N's laps.

      Soon the sky was filled with blasts of colors and their ears were filled with loud booms. Everyone 'oohed' and 'awed' at the bright fireworks against the dark blue sky. Y/N leaned her head against Hotch's shoulder, watching the night sky light up. She flinched with every boom and Hotch held her closely against his side.

      "You're okay," Hotch whispered in her ear after a particularly loud round of fireworks caused her to whimper and jump. With every reassurance, her panic melted away. "I've got you, you're okay."

      The fireworks lit up the night sky for about thirty minutes before everyone grabbed their chairs and blankets getting ready to go inside.

        "He's asleep," Hotch whispered, motioning to his sleeping son.

       "You take the chairs and I'll carry him in okay," Y/N said, picking Jack up and balancing him on her hip and his head immediately fell onto Y/N's shoulder. Once Hotch grabbed the chairs, Y/N and him went back into the house, wishing everyone goodnight.

        "Let's tuck him in," Y/N said, walking up the stairs to Jack and Henry's room.

        "I can carry him, Y/N," Hotch said, worried he was too big for her to carry.

       "Love, I got this. I carried him up here earlier today, remember?" Y/N laughed. Once they got to the room, Y/N set Jack on the bed and both her and Hotch tucked him in. Y/N smiled before gently kissing the sleeping boy's forehead and whispering, "Goodnight, bud."

       Hotch said goodnight to Jack before he and Y/N left the room. They went back to their room and changed into their pajamas before falling into bed. Hotch pulled Y/N against his chest and kissed her forehead.

     "You're really good with him," Hotch said after a few moments of silence. "It makes me really happy to see you guys get along so well."

    "He's a really good kid, Aaron," Y/N said, smiling up at her boyfriend. She paused for a second before continuing. "Thank you for today. You helped me more than you'll ever know."

    "You're welcome, love. I'd do anything for you," Hotch whispered before kissing her lips gently. "Now come on, let's try and get a full night's sleep, yeah?"

   Y/N nodded before snuggling into his chest. "I love you, Aaron Hotchner."

    Hotch beamed at her before kissing her forehead. "And I love you, Y/N Y/L/N."

[butchdykekondraki]

i think the fact that dave still talks so highly of henry, even in the flipside, is super interesting. she doesn't even stop to consider the fact he might be evil, or mean in general really, even after he literally blinded her in one eye for no good reason other than to ''teach her a lesson''. and like, yeah, of course she wouldn't, he basically taught her everything she knows. i think the fact that she doesn't even hesitate to call him a kind person is super interesting, specifically because he does it in front of dee, someone henry directly harmed and who's family henry destroyed, without stopping to consider the fact she might have a differing opinion. dave doesn't even consider henry evil until the end, and that's only after henry tells her to her face that she meant nothing to him, and even then she still tries to deny it and henry has to literally reiterate that no, he's dead serious, dave really did mean NOTHING to him. the fact that dave, quite literally, died and then outlived henry all while thinking that he was some great, caring person who helped her at her lowest out of the kindness of his heart is such a testament to how manipulative henry is. anyway i just think they're dynamic is neat

[hyunjilicious]

bath time [henry cavill]

A/N: Ok, i wanted to make this as domestic as possible, so basically this is just plotless SMUT + a fair amount of sex talk. Also, for the sake of this one shot, imagine Henry is not famous. It’ll make sense later. That being said, I hope you’ll enjoy this, and please don’t hesitate to tell me what you thought! (4.5k)

-

"There are literal drops of sweat rolling down my sides" you huffed, throwing your bag onto the floor and kicking off your shoes.

Behind you, Henry sighed as he closed the door. As soon as you heard the lock click, you turned to see him shuffling out of his shirt. It was a swift motion; just a half second after he grabbed the back of his collar and until the material was off of his body and all crumpled up in his hand. "You got nothing on me, love" he shook his head.

Even in the darkness of your entrance hallway, you could see faint traces of light reflect from tens and tens of sweat droplets all over his body. The curls that would normally frame his face were now glued to his forehead, and if you didn’t know any better you’d have thought he had just gotten out of the shower.

"Has it ever been this hot?" you mumbled, rushing into the living room and turning on the air conditioning. "Like, is this normal?"

"Normal?" Henry laughed, walking past you and into the kitchen, "Most likely not. But I think we should get used to it"

"I'm sorry, mother nature" you whispered, moving towards him.

You settled against one of the counters, and watched Henry rummage through the fridge. "Have you heard about Costa Rica?" he asked over his shoulder.

"No... What about it?"

"Apparently-" he said, straightening his back and closing the fridge. He handed you one bottle of water, and as you opened yours, he placed his’ against his chest, and rolled it down his abdomen. What a sight, but he didn't seem to have done it on purpose. "They're gonna be the first country in the world to completely free themselves of single use plastics and fossil fuel. In 2017 I think, they ran on 100% renewable energy for 300 days"

"Can we move there?" you asked, "That's incredible"

"I hope it's true and that they keep this going" he sighed, and finally opened up his bottle to take a sip.

By now, the cool air from the AC had barely started to reach you, but your body temperatures were already starting to drop. You decided to hop into the shower, and Henry affirmed he was going to do the same after he unpacked the bags. Although you felt a bit guilty letting him do this all by himself, you figured you'd be even eventually, since you were the one to cook dinner that night.

You didn't bother to grab any clothes before heading into the bathroom. You just walked in, turned on the water, threw all your clothes onto the floor and jumped into the shower. It felt heavenly. For a few minutes, you didn't even move, just allowed the water to drip down your body and wash away all the layers of sweat you had acquired during your morning errand run. 

Just when you grabbed the soap, you heard the bathroom door open, "Yeah?" you mindlessly called, assuming Henry must be needing something from his cabinet.

Nonchalantly, he just walked inside, not even bothering to look at you. He just sighed with relief and started unbuttoning his jeans.

“What are you doing?” you laughed, expecting him to just grab something and then leave.

With obvious surprise on his face, he raised his gaze, “Getting ready to shower?”

“Here?” 

He stopped dead in his tracks, his pants hanging onto his thighs for support as he had already undone and unzipped them. “Is this a problem? Do you want me to leave?”

Judging by the look in his eyes, he seemed a bit offended, but still willing to give you the privacy he thought you wanted.

“No, no.. Don’t leave, what the-” you chuckled, pulling the curtain to the side as an invitation for him to join you, “Just thought you were gonna shower in the other bathroom that’s all”

“What would I do that?” Henry shook his head, shuffling out of his jeans, “I can go if you want me to-”

“Jesus christ, Henry” you scoffed, and waved your arms for him, “Just come here”

“Why are you acting weird?” he laughed, taking off his underwear and walking towards you. He stopped just before stepping inside the shower, and looked at you with a devilish smirk on his lips, “Did you do something stupid?”

“I didn’t oh my god” you rolled your eyes and grabbed his forearm.

He followed your guide and stepped in. As you raised your hand to reach for the soap on the corner shelf, Henry wrapped his arms around you from behind. The water hadn’t yet reached his body, but he was still a bit damp and a lot sticky.

You let out a shriek, “I think we know who won the sweating contest”

“Of course I won, love” he laughed, burying his head into your neck. He spoke softly, in a low tone, but he did it so that his breath fanned directly against your neck, “Didn’t think there was any question about it”

“It was worth a shot” you laughed and turned around in his hold.

You took a few careful steps backwards, and pulled him after you. Leaning against the tiles, you stood and watched him walk directly into the water stream. It poured down his body, along his sides and down every calloused dimple of his frame. With your eyes trained on his body, you reached out and handed him the bar of soap, “Wash yourself for me, please”

“I take it I should put on a show” he laughed and you just nodded.

And he did try. “Ok, but like gimme a second to prepare” he commanded, pointing a finger at you.

“Whatever you need” you giggled and watched him grab a lufa, soaking it in ridiculous amounts of shower gel. He looked up at you, grinning proudly as he pushed his hair away from his face.

What you expended him to do was to sensually rub that sponge all over his body and have your mouth water in an instant. However, he had other plans. Henry held the eye contact as he closed the distance between the two of you, pressing you all the way back and against the cold tiles of the bathroom wall. 

“I know it’s not what you were waiting for” he chuckled in your ear, “But I think you’ll like this better”

There was no actual reason for you to argue and try to convince him otherwise, so you just hummed in agreement. He took it as his cue to get going, so his arms snaked around your frame, meeting at the base of your spine. The atmosphere, the hot water, his body so close to yours - everything was working on making this moment as intoxicating as possible.

You felt the soothing material rub against your back as Henry pushed his hands upwards along your spine. In the meantime, his lips pressed against the side of your neck, fervidly kissing away all your self control. 

“Ok, ok-” you moaned, tilting your head to the side. Your words were molded by the smile on your lips, “I see you, ok”

Henry kissed his way back up to your lips, “I have no idea what I’m doing, but I’m glad it’s working”

“Oh, it’s definitely working” you eagerly nodded. He happily attacked your lips with another kiss, and you almost gave in entirely. Without any warning, he went full in, his tongue lewdly parting your lips, tasting you with no trace of hesitation. You arched your back against him, and in response, a soft moan escaped his throat. For a short while, he kept the message going, the rough touch of the lufa awakening your senses. It was nice while it lasted, but when he dropped it, you didn't feel like complaining. 

His rough palms pressed against the skin of your back, lustfully caressing their way up your spine. Pure, lascivious need dripped from his lips, suffocating you in the immense pleasure he was able to lay upon you, even through just a kiss.

As caught up in the moment as you were, your reality was instantly shaken up by the feeling of his cock fiercely twitching against your thigh. Not even a moment’s worth of hesitation followed, as you suggestively dragged your right palm down his callused body, only to grip his hardening member into your hand.

Henry gulped deeply into the kiss, his lips freezing for a second. Allowing his forehead to fall against yours, he spoke with his eyes closed, “You’re asking for it”

The threat came in what was probably the most sexual way possible, but he meant it. As crazy as you were about shower sex, it was a no go. You and Henry have been dating for almost three months now, and even with all the lube in the world, shower sex was still off limits. This was one of the very few moments it came as a bother, because you two never encountered a situation where you couldn’t find a place to do it.

“It won’t hurt to try” you suggestively brought your lips between your teeth, looking up into his eyes through your lashes. 

As you spoke, your hand traveled along his cock, with the profound intention to get him to agree.

“It probably will, darling” Henry chuckled, along with a knowing shake of his head, “Just let me wash you, yeah? And we’ll finish this later”

“Or I could just finish this now” you smiled, the grip of your fingers tightening ever so slightly around his cock, “Please?”

“Can you not?” he laughed, “I’m-”

Seeing him about to disagree, you lustfully guided your thumb along the slit of his penis, moving it back and forth at an agonizingly slow pace. It was enough to get him to shut up.

“Fuck-” Henry grunted. His hands slammed into the wall on either side of your head in hopes of finding another source of balance, while his head urgently fell back.

“Knew you wouldn’t be able to resist me” you smiled, fisting his cock into your hand.

Feeling his member harden against your palm made your mouth water. Directly in your line of sight, you could see Henry’s chest, vehemently rising and falling, as water dripped down his skin. His flexed arms framed your body, trapping you between his massive figure and the wall, and it all worked in your advantage. 

“Look at me, baby” you smiled, nudging the side of his abdomen.

Less than a muscle put at work, his head fell forward as if it was the most difficult task in the world. Henry watched you from under a pleasure induced frown, a vulgar color tinting his cheeks towards the most errotic shade of red.

“Go on, love” he encouraged you, as if needed.

The pleasure was all yours. The choked back moans that would manage to escape his throat were all you needed in return. Despite the warm water that was pouring on top of your bodies, his breath was coarsely hot, fanning against your lips.

Picking up your pace, you could feel his cock getting harder by the second.

Cupping his cheek into your free hand, you effortlessly guided him to meet your lips. Although covered in miniature droplets of water, his lips were dry under the strain you put on him. You worked him up beyond expectation, feverishly consuming his whole self control.

A soft purposeful moan from you and into his mouth was the last drop, “Angel-” he whimpered.

“I got you, baby” you teased, speaking lewdly against his lips.

Looking down between your bodies, your eyes landed on his inflamed tip, ripe precum dripping onto your fingers for the shortest of seconds, before being washed away by the endlessly pouring water.

“Are you gonna cum for me?” you moaned, consuming his remaining ounces of vigor as you worked devious amounts of pressure against his slit.

Bottom lip tortured between two rows of merciless teeth, all Henry managed to give you was a nod. A nod of approval, one which brought a smile to your lips.

“Come on” you deplored, crying your words without any kind of shame, “I want your cum, baby, give it to me”

“Fucking hell!” Henry groaned, rubbing his forehead against his shoulder, “Really want it, huh? Couldn’t fucking wait to get out of the shower?”

“Nope”

“Better get on your knees then” 

Vividly maintaining the eye contact, you lowered yourself in front of him. You opened your mouth, getting ready for him, but you weren’t there yet.

Henry wrapped his hand into your wet hair, pulling you towards him as he took a few steps back. His cock hung proudly in its full glory inches away from your starved lips, but you decided to wait patiently like you know he loves so much.

With his fingers still gravely tormenting your roots, Henry made you look up. The fervor in his eyes was reflected in the length his cock had reached. “Tongue out, angel. And look at me, yeah?”

You nodded eagerly.

Henry worked himself through the remaining energy he had left, fisting his cock with nowhere near as much lust as you did just minutes before. But you were on your knees, mouth open and tongue out like the good girl he loves to fuck so much, so it was only a matter of time until he pushed himself over the edge.

He didn’t cum without a warning, that came in the form of a harsh tug of your hair.

In waves, his cum coated your tongue. The water was still full on pouring behind you, yet all that was audible were his moans, and the plethora of curse words he found suitable to express himself.

“Jesus, fuck-!” Henry cried, mercilessly pumping his cock.

He was nearing the end of his high, but he kept going. The sight of you proudly swallowing his cum added to his pleasure, forcing his head back, “Fuck… Y/n…”

Your teasing side awakened, and in the head of the moment, you pushed yourself up, circling your lips around his tip, sucking the last droplets of his juice directly into your mouth.

As soon as he finished, Henry collapsed against the wall by his side, panting heavily, eyes trained somewhere on the other side of the bathroom.

“Thank you, daddy” you laughed, choosing his thighs as the perfect element of stability to help you stand up. You happily kissed his lips as soon as you reached his level.

“Oh, this is nowhere near done, baby girl” Henry taunted, effortlessly spinning you around and slapping your ass, “Out”

“What do you mean out!?” you questioned confused.

You tried to turn around, but Henry forced you out of the shower, stepping out right after you.

“We’re changing bathrooms,” he said sternly.

“Why?”

“As cute as I think it is that your pussy is too tight for my cock-”

“It’s the water!” you protested, slapping his hand, “My pussy is just fine”

“Your cunt is perfect, I never said it wasn’t,” Henry laughed, kissing your lips, “But I got an idea, so now go and run a bath”

“What’s this idea?” you asked as you started to walk out of the bathroom.

“What does it matter? You’re always down for everything I want”

“Oh god” you exclaimed, the way he worded it making your cheeks catch on fire.

“Isn’t it true?” Henry teased, slowly approaching you.

“When you put it like that…”

“Go” Henry shook his head. He slapped your bare ass before you two parted ways, “I’ll be right there”

And you did as told, forcing every brain cell in your being to not buzz with anticipation. Things with you were new anyway, but him acting like this brought upon you a whole new feeling that ached all the way down between your legs. Working on autopilot, you ran the bath, added some random and forgotten bath salts to the mix, and about ten minutes later Henry joined you. The light here was dim, contouring the perfect romantic atmosphere you knew had no place in the room right now. 

“Come here” Henry encouraged.

He was sitting down at the end of the tub, the water reaching up to barely cover his abdomen. You obediently crawled over, on all fours, stopping only when your face was inches away from his.

The salacious smile on his lips should’ve come as a warning, but you were too out of it, so when his hand brushed against your inner thigh, all your senses went crazy. He wasted no time before finding your pussy, probing your folds for just a second before slamming his pointed fingers inside of you.

“Fuck” you panted, squeezing your eyes shut, the impending feeling of his fingers filling you up having an unanticipated effect on you.

“Look at me” Henry commanded, roughly gripping your chin into his hand, “None of that, love, ok? I know you can take my fingers”

With tears of ecstasy coating your eyes, you nodded your head up and down, biting harshly into your bottom lip.

“How’s it feel?” he asked proudly, his grin worth a million words, “You’re already wet as fuck”

“Feels fine” you breathed, getting used to the feeling.

“Fine won’t do, darling” Henry shook his head.

This time, when he kissed you, he shoved a third finger inside your cunt, making you gasp directly against his lips. The pain of the impact dissipated quickly, as Henry pressed his thumb against your clit, working experienced circles against it. 

“Hmph, Henry-” you cried, falling forwards to hide your in the crook of his neck.

“That’s it, love” he encouraged, caressing your side, from your hip up to your breasts with his free hand, all while maintaining the pace of his fingers on your pussy. His movements were aggressive and impatient, pushing your buttons and spreading your boundaries beyond control.

“Oh, god- I- what-” you moaned. 

Complete randomness, and it for sure wasn’t meant to make any sense either. The experience in its whole was new and so was the feeling that was forming inside your belly.

“Cum on my fingers, Y/n, ok? Don’t hold back.”

“Ok, fuck” you whined, arching your back as you white knuckled the edge of the bathtub for support.

Henry picked up his pace, roughly fucking you pussy with the kind of roughness you didn’t think you’d ever find enjoyable. Yet there you were, a moaning mess, squirming uncontrollably as you waited for an orgasm to calm the fire in your veins. 

“How come I’ve never had you ride my fingers before?” Henry chuckled, the arrogance of his tone twisting your stomach into a knot, “No fucking work for me, and I get to see you like this?”

After processing his words and allowing your mind to soak up the dominance in his voice, a loud moan escaped your throat. You tried to muffle it by slapping your hand on top of your mouth, but you were too late.

“Don’t do that” Henry said, ushering you hand away, “Think I didn’t feel your pussy clench around my fingers?”

“Oh- This is just, Henry, what are- fuck.. I’m so close”

“Cum, doll” he taunted, grabbing your chin again. He slammed his fingers deeper inside your cunt, spreading your walls and putting pressure against all your spots, “Make a mess of my fingers, love”

And that was it. The last drop. The last profanity your mind was able to take before slipping down a spiral of endless pleasure. Your reality distorted to the point where the only thing you felt was the urgent touch of his fingers. And he worked you until he saw every last drop of pleasure leave your body, and it still wasn’t enough. As satisfying and exhausting at it was, you were not ready to have his fingers leave your body.

“You’re so fucking beautiful” Henry said, his voice managing to bring you back to reality.

You licked your lips, uselessly trying to moisten your mouth, “Yep.. yeah..”

As you came down from your high, you cuddled into his chest. The water around you was starting to get cold, but you didn’t care, and neither did Henry.

“You good?” he questioned, the warmth of his tone coming in perfect contrast with the taunting attitude he had been displaying in the past minutes.

“So good” you smiled, content.

“Up, then” Henry laughed, slapping your hips.

Reluctantly, you did so but not without a whine, “Why?” 

“I wanna see if you can take me now”

Your heart panged, and you felt like hesitating, but the mere thought of him stretching you up beyond your limits excited you. “Just- go slow, yeah?”

“I won’t do anything you’re not ready for, angel” Henry assured you, guiding your hips so that your opening aligned with his already hard again member, “I’ll just slip my cock inside, and let you adjust, that’s all”

“That’s all?” you questioned, unable to hide your faint disappointment.

“I’ll do more if you can take it” he chuckled, “But if you can’t, I’ll stop and we’ll get out so I can properly fuck you in the bedroom”

“Ok, I’m not made of glass!”

“We’ll see”

“Stop!” you laughed, “It makes me feel like this inexperienced little girl”

“How is that not a turn on?” Henry questioned, “I don’t get it”

“Well, I’m not one”

“You’re not a slut either, but we both know how much you love it when I call you that”

“So what do you prefer?” you laughed, “A slut or an inexperienced girl?”

“You know what I fucking prefer, Y/n?” Henry spoke, loud and clear, after taking a deep breath of air, “I prefer my girlfriend who wakes up at 6am everyday to work on her PhD but deepthroats my cock before lunch like her life depends on it”

“Oh wow” you giggled, “I did not expect-”

“What didn’t you expect, hm?” Henry interrupted you, “Didn’t expect me to want to fuck your brains out every time I see you in a pencil skirt and heels? Or that half the time I look at your lips I think about shoving my cock down your throat? Or that the fact that you’re 7 fucking years younger than me and working on your fourth degree, turns me the fuck on?”

“Then fuck me” you said, “Now, rough me up, I can take it”

“Another thing you might not have expected-” Henry grinned, guiding his cock to your entrance and tracing it back and forth, “The fact that I still don’t think you’ll be able to take me, turns me on more than thinking you might be able to”

With your heart on fire, you leaned in, trapping his face in between your palms. He welcomed you mouth open, tongue ready to take control, as his hands settled on your hips.

You concentrated your mind on the kiss, on his taste and on the feeling of his tongue wagging dominantly against yours, while he sank his fingers into your flesh, pushing you down against his cock.

When his tip pushed past your folds, you whimpered against his lips, but none of you showed any signs of wanting to stop. You kept lowering yourself, the stinging sensation between your legs only growing more and more intense with every other inch of his’ you’d take in. Henry kept kissing you, peppering the moment with the occasional lip bite that only worked in your favor.

The way he moaned against your lips, the way you felt his throat vibrate with every grunt he released, made you more and more eager.

“So, so, fucking tight, fuck” Henry groaned, “Fuck me”

You nodded yes, sharing the feeling with him. Your eyes were covered in unshed tears, as the hazardous feeling between your legs only intensified. 

“Are you ok?” he asked as soon as you completely lowered yourself onto his cock.

“Yeah” you said, “This is actually nice. Kinda”

“Come here” he cooed, motioning for you to lay down against his chest. As soon as you did, the stinging sensation between your legs blew up. On the other end of the spectrum, Henry threw his head back, moaning out loud.

“That good, huh?” you teased.

“Fuck, love” Henry chuckled in disbelief, “Your pussy was made for me and I don’t wanna hear otherwise”

“No one’s gonna tell you otherwise, baby” you giggled, “Don’t want any man to think about fucking my mouth other than you”

“Good,” Henry said sternly.

“Doesn’t it turn you on though?”

“What?”

“Think about other men wanting me but I’m all yours?” you asked, your voice a bit lower.

As he put his thoughts together, Henry closed his eyes, rubbing his cheek and chin, “Depends”

“On what?”

“Now I’d fuck your brains out while some dude watched and cursed that he’s not me. But I can’t promise that this will always be the case”

“Do you get jealous easily?”

“You got up at 7 this morning to come with me and wait in a line for 3 hours just so I can get one piece of paper” Henry said, “Pretty sure I don’t have any reason to be jealous yet”

“Aw, this is so sweet” you gushed, leaning down to kiss him again. By now the water was dead cold and the feeling between your begs was starting to dissipate, but your mind was in a different place, “You were so cute and now I don’t wanna say what I had in mind”

“Oh god” Henry chuckled, shaking his head, “By all means, please, tell me”

“Ever tried Chatmix?”

“No, what’s that”

“Well…” you hesitated, “It’s a site.. Where people go and masturbate together”

His face fell, “And what do you exactly wanna do?”

“I want you to fuck me while strangers watch”

For a second, he failed to answer, but eventually, a smile creeped up on his lips, “Are you serious?”

“Yeah… I mean no one would know who we are and I think it’s really hot to like you know… I mean.. I just think it would be hot to have people watch us.. And see how good you fuck me, and how I do whatever you tell me because, I don’t know... I’m your good girl…? and I want people to like see how you… own me?”

The color on Henry’s cheeks drained. All the life in his features wilted away, and for a second you couldn’t believe how badly you just fucked up. But the warm tone in his eyes soon got replaced by a wicked shade of carnal blue, and the corners of his mouth tilted upwards, proving that you might have just been wrong. Before he opened his mouth to speak, you felt a faint pang deep in your belly.

“Did you cock just twitch?”

Henry cleared his throat, “Chatmix you said?” 

“Yes”

“Do you wanna-” he started asking, voice an octave higher.

“Like right now?”

“Yeah? Or not-”

“We should” you affirmed.

Henry nodded, seemingly deep in thought.

“Did you cock just twitch again?”

“Ok, let’s go”

[baubabble]

���Diamonds and Dances” Spencer Reid x F!Reader

Summary: You and Spencer used to date at the Academy. When you graduated, you broke it off. Later, when you are assigned to the BAU, old feelings resurface. When Hotch assigns the two of you to go undercover together at an event, how will those feelings evolve?

Word Count: 5258

Warning: None

Song I Wrote To: “Cherry” by Harry Styles

Note: My first attempt at writing Spencer! Thank you for all the love on my Hotch series!

-------

“If you love somebody, let them go, for if they return, they were always yours. If they don't, they never were.”― Kahlil Gibran

The case had finally hit a dead end.

You and the rest of the team were sitting in the Los Angeles FBI Field Office, staring at the ceiling. Four couples had been brutally murdered at local events over the past sixth months and so far, the local agents had nothing. When Garcia was given the request for assistance, Hotch had taken the case immediately.

You had been at the BAU for more than a year now and you had never been this frustrated. You could tell that the more seasoned agents such as Morgan and Rossi were just as annoyed that no leads were surfacing as well.

Spinning lazily in your chair, your eyes fell on Reid as they usually did. Spencer Reid was the one that got away in more ways than one. You and the doctor had met at the Academy and instantly hit it off. The two of you had dated for almost a year before you had broken it off. Spencer was going to the BAU and you were going to sex crimes. It was just the way it had to be. You were happy to make a clean break rather than trying to tackle a complicated relationship.

That is until Strauss had requested you to join the Behavioral Analysis Unit. You had been hesitant at first for many reasons. Then, Aaron Hotchner had called you personally and encouraged you to take the position. He was aware of your history with Reid and said he would do his best to make sure the environment was as professional as possible.

Which is how you found yourself at a crossroads with your current case. “I’m about to shove pencils in my eyes,” Garcia said from beside you. Penelope had been asked to join the team on this case due to the unsub’s signature at hacking into security systems and traffic cams.

“You too?” you asked, turning to her.

“My brain has never felt tired before,” Garcia said. “Is this normal?”

“I think we all need some rest, Baby Girl,” Derek said as he rolled over to Penelope and began massaging her shoulders. You watched the action with a hint of envy. There was too much going on inside your head for anything right now. Pushing back from the table, you stood up.

“I need some air,” you announced and headed out of the conference room. The team watched after you for a moment before returning to their work, except one member’s eyes remained fixed on your exit.

------

Spencer Reid was the best problem solver the team had.

He never had problems with finding the missing puzzle piece in the case or analyzing a criminal’s motives. However, there was one problem, he couldn’t quite crack.

You.

Reid had never gotten over your breakup. He sat awake for nights after you had broken it off trying to figure out what he had done wrong. He had confided in everyone he knew. His mother said that you just weren’t the right person for him, but Spencer disagreed. You were perfect for him, perfect for each other. He didn’t know what went wrong. One day the two of you had been smiling, laughing, and then it was like a switch had flipped and you just ended it.

Then when you had joined the BAU, hope reentered Spencer’s mind. Perhaps this was a chance to tell you how he felt and maybe even rekindle something from years before. However, those thoughts were quickly dismissed when he overheard a conversation you were having with Penelope about a man named Robbie, your new boyfriend.

Watching the way your face lit up when you spoke about the new man in your life felt like ice to his heart. He remembered when you used to look like that when you spoke about him and now it was reserved for someone else. Shortly after this, he had confided in JJ about the issue, finally expressing his thoughts to another member of the team.

“It’s been years, Spence,” JJ had told him, rubbing his back affectionately as he sat on her couch watching Henry play with a new toy Will had bought him. “It’s normal for people to move on.”

“But I haven’t,” Spencer had said. “I haven’t, JJ, and I don’t know if I can handle seeing her every day and knowing she’s with someone else.”

“Who knows,” JJ had said, “maybe the universe will be in your favor.”

“You know I don’t believe in any of that.”

“Maybe just this once you can,” JJ had said before squeezing his arm and then dropping the subject altogether.

------

You stood out on the terrace of the field office, listening to the bustling city around you.

You never liked Los Angeles. It wasn’t like DC, there were too many people, too many skyscrapers, and the grating sound of traffic always made you want to scream. When you were working in sex crimes, you would head to the roof when things got too complicated to try and clear your mind. Most of the time it would work, other times, such as now, would just make you more irritated.

“You know, I’m not sure the air in this city is the best for clearing your head,” Hotch said as he exited out onto the terrace. You smiled to yourself as you stared out at the City of Angels.

“Did Penelope tell you to check on me?” you asked as he joined you at the railing.

“Maybe,” Hotch said with a shrug. “Are you okay?”

“Just frustrated,” you explained. “It’s been a while since we’ve been at such a big roadblock.”

“I wasn’t referring to the case, (Y/N),” Hotch said with a knowing look. You sighed, turning to look at him. “I’ve noticed you’ve seemed out of sorts for the past couple of weeks.”

“Which means the rest of the team has too,” you figured.

“Maybe, but they won’t confront you about it.”

“But you will?” you asked, amused.

“I’m your boss, it’s my job,” Hotch said. You smiled at that. “I’ve just seen a change in you and I’m assuming it is to do with your personal life.”

“Isn’t it always?” you asked with a chuckle. “I’m okay, Hotch. Just going through the awkward phase that happens after a breakup.” Hotch nodded in understanding.

“Ah, you and your boyfriend ended things,” he realized.

“Yeah, but I don’t want to make a big deal about it. Especially at work,” you said with a look that conveyed more than the words you were saying.

“I completely understand,” said Hotch. “On the brighter side, I think we may have an idea on how to draw the unsub out.”

“Am I going to like it?” you asked. Hotch grimaced. “I’ll take that as a no.”

-------

You were right, you definitely didn’t like it.

“Undercover?” you asked as you leaned against the wall of the conference room. Spencer sat in his chair across the room from you, avoiding eye contact.

“It’s the best idea we’ve been able to come up with,” Rossi said, “plus, with your work in sex crimes, you have the most undercover hours next to Emily.” You held your tongue before you could suggest why Emily just couldn’t do it. “You are the unsub’s type and so is Reid. If we are correct about the profile and where he is hitting next, the two of you should be the perfect lure.”

When Hotch and Rossi explained that you and Spencer would be going undercover as a married couple to the next charity event in hopes of finally catching Daniel Hill, the unsub, you were less than thrilled. This would not be your first time going undercover, that wasn’t the issue. The issue was that you would have to pretend to be married to Spencer and by the looks of it, he seemed even less than thrilled about the situation.

“Is this going to be a problem?” Hotch asked, glancing between you and Reid.

“No, Sir,” you said and Spencer shook his head.

“It may be a little bit awkward with (Y/N)’s boo,” Morgan joked and Penelope kicked him under the table. When you didn’t laugh, Derek realized what the look on your face meant. “Oh…(Y/L/N), I didn’t realize…”

“It’s fine,” you said, pushing off the wall. “Robbie and I are done. It’s been done for a bit now and I’m fine. Let’s just get this over with so none of us have to stay in this city any longer.”

“Amen to that,” Emily said.

“I’m going to send debrief packets to your hotel rooms,” Hotch said. “The event is tonight so I need you to be ready.”

“Yes, Sir,” you and Spencer said at the same time. Hotch then dismissed the rest of you and you headed for the door, needing to get back to the hotel and start preparing for the evening. Spencer caught up to you as you walked through the office.

“Hey,” he said, pulling you to a stop, “are you going to be okay with this?”

“Yes, Spencer,” you said. “It’s our job and we’ll get it done.”

“I know, but we haven’t really worked closely together since you joined and to put on an undercover operation like this…” he trailed off, but you could tell what he was thinking. You always could.

“Spencer,” you said softly, “do me a favor, okay?”

“Anything.”

“For the next ten hours or so, let’s not be (Y/N) and Spencer. I agree that we have never truly talked about what happened between us since I joined the team, but tonight is not the time. I want to, I do, but we need to get through this night. So, until we get this son of a bitch, we are just two agents on a mission. No baggage. Deal?” Spencer let out a breath, his eyes narrowing slightly as he mulled over your words. Eventually, he nodded.

“Deal.”

-----

The undercover packet had arrived just as you stepped out of the shower.

It was a basic cover. You and Spencer would be attending the event as Mr. and Mrs. Kelling, a wealthy couple from Maine. Your alias, Miranda Kelling, was nothing like you and that was how you preferred it. The more you could distance yourself from an undercover mission, the better. Spencer was playing Anderson Kelling and he was the president of a tech conglomerate that Garcia was writing up now. At least he would be able to cover for the both of you if anyone asked any questions.

A little bit later, a knock came at your door, and you were met with a smiling Penelope. In her hands was a white garment bag. “Please tell me it’s not pink,” you said as you let her in.”

“Oh, please,” Garcia scoffed. “You act as if I don’t know you at all. Undercover or not, I know you would never wear pink.” You laughed quietly as Garcia laid the bag out on the bed and unzipped it.

The dress was simple. A dark eggplant color that was low in the back and high at the neck. The slit was tasteful and knowing Garcia, it would fit you perfectly. However, while it was beautiful, your heart jumped just looking at it. The color of the gown was the same color as the dress you had worn on your first date with Spencer when he had taken you to a film festival. Whether Penelope knew that or not, didn’t matter. You knew it would matter to him.

“Do you like it?” Garcia asked. You nodded, unable to speak. “I can get something else if you don’t.”

“Penelope, it’s great,” you said, “really. Please tell me you have shoes to go with it.” Garcia then smiled and held up the other bag in her hands.

“Strappy or pumps?” she asked, shaking the bag before you. You gave in and laughed along with your friend as you let her accessorize you for the gala.

It was another hour before Garcia left to meet up with Morgan and JJ who were outfitting their security van that would be parked in the loading zone of the venue. The next time someone knocked on your door. You knew who it would be.

Pulling the door open, Spencer stood there with his hands in his pockets and his signature smile. You stepped aside and he entered, looking around the room awkwardly. “Did you read through the packet?” he asked, trying to make conversation.

“Twice,” you assured him. “Is that why you’re here? To make sure I did my homework?” you asked, amusement in your eyes. He rolled his eyes and you could tell he was starting to loosen up a bit more.

“I just wanted to make sure we were on the same side for the cover,” he explained “And to give you this,” he said as he dug into his pocket and produced a small velvet box.

“Ah,” you said, realizing what it was. He handed it to you and you took it quickly, placing it down next to the necklace Garcia had brought for you to wear. You didn’t want to open it in front of Reid. Everything was already awkward enough. “So, Mr. Kelling,” you began, “tell me about your company.”

The two of you went back and forth asking questions about each other’s covers. Pretending to be other people was actually helping you talk to him. Thinking of him as this imaginary husband was much easier than staring into those warm brown eyes and seeing the man who once held you like you were the most important thing in the universe.

“You know,” Spencer said as he lay on his back on your bed, “Morgan was supposed to do this with you.”

“Derek? Undercover as a tech guy?” you asked with a laugh. Reid sat up and looked at you as you sat at the small table, your file in your hands. He smiled softly as you chuckled. “That would have been something to see.”

“Maybe next time,” Spencer said. “You know, once he’s had more time to prepare. Hotch asked me because I didn’t have to do any additional research. I would have said no, but we need to find this guy and since we’ve already gotten his accomplice, I just thought—”

“Spencer,” you said, cutting him off, “you’re running on fumes.” He took a breath. That was something you always said when he started rambling when he got nervous. It was also something he did when he was avoiding what he was actually saying.

“Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” you said, “but just for the record, I’m not upset you were assigned to do this mission with me.”

“You’re not?” he asked. You shook your head.

“Nope,” you said and it was the truth. In fact, you were just incredibly nervous about being this close to him for the first time in years. “So stop stressing. Everything is going to work out fine.” You got up and approached him. You gripped him by the shoulders and looked at him in the eye. “Now, go put on your tux so we can get this bastard.”

------

You stood in front of the floor-length mirror as you fussed with the gown.

Garcia sure did know how to pick ballgowns. The deep purple dress fit you perfectly. Paired with the nude heels and the light jewelry, you looked as expensive as Miranda Kelling was supposed to be. The large diamond sat on your left hand felt way too heavy. You lifted your hand to your face, tilting it so the diamond glittered in the low light.

When you had first lifted the lid to the box, your eyes had widened at the sheer size of the diamond. Apparently Rossi knew someone in LA with ties to a jeweler and you were renting the piece for the evening. Just placing it on your finger felt...wrong. And not just because of the price,  but because you imagined the first time you wore a wedding ring it would on your actual wedding day and not for a sting.

The thought of Spencer having a matching band on his left hand sent a thrill through you that you weren’t expecting. It wasn’t as if you hadn’t thought about it in the past. When the two of you were together at the academy, the subject of marriage had come up frequently. It was always said with a bout of laughter afterward. Neither of you had ever said anything to make the other think that you were being serious, but at times, you definitely were. Snapping out of your thoughts, you finished your look with a swipe of lipstick and then headed for the door.

Stepping out into the lobby of the garish hotel, you spotted Rossi immediately. He was dressed as a chauffeur as he would be the one to take you and Reid to the event to keep up appearances. Walking around the corner, you finally saw your date for the evening. Spencer wore a perfectly tailored tuxedo. His hair was combed and his shoes shined in the glittering light of the chandelier that swung above him. Hearing the clicks of your heels, he turned towards you and his mouth fell open.

He quickly controlled his expression, but you had seen it. The look in his eyes as he beheld you strolling towards him. It was a familiar look, one he had given you in the past and everything began flooding back. You tried to ignore it as you joined him and Rossi. “This is all very ‘James Bond’,” you said, looking at the three of you.

“Well, just go easy on the martinis you two,” Rossi said with a small smile. Then from his pocket, he produced a white rose. “Morgan got the partner to talk and he agreed to help if we offered him a deal. He made the call and told Hill that the target this evening will be with a beautiful woman and wearing this on his jacket,” Rossi said as he tucked the rose into Spencer’s lapel.

“Great, nothing says ‘murder me’ like a rose,” Spencer muttered as he adjusted the flower. You smiled to yourself at his attempt at a joke. Rossi was watching both you, his eyes flickering back and forth.

“Just stick to the plan and this will all be over before you know it,” Rossi said as he gestured you out to the car. You and Reid followed him, neither of you saying anything. You had expected it to be awkward, but this felt...alien. It was also starting to become clear why Hotch had assigned you to this mission with Spencer. He most likely figured you wouldn’t have to do much acting, but seeing him dressed up and with that wedding band on his finger, you felt as if you were looking at a stranger. You had no idea how you were going to make it through the evening.

-----

Arriving at the venue, Rossi helped you from the car, giving your arm a final squeeze before leaving you in Spencer’s capable hands.

As Rossi drove away, Reid held out his arm to you. Slipping into the character of Miranda Kelling, you took his arm and smiled at him warmly. Spencer, or rather, Anderson, smiled back and led you into the venue.

The party was fit for Los Angeles. The garish decorations were shiny metallic and smartly dressed waiters milled around with flutes of champagne. The other patrons were dressed just as well as the two of you and as they laughed, more champagne was poured and more money was spent. You weren’t even sure what charity they were supporting at the event.

Your eyes scanned the surroundings, trying to pick up on any agents, but Hotch had said nobody was going to be on the floor except for the two of you. Hill was too smart and would pick them out in a heartbeat.

You and Spencer walked around the room, keeping close to one another. As a waiter passed by, you grabbed a flute off the tray and drank half in one go. The liquid courage did nothing to satiate the nerves that bubbled in your stomach. As you finished your drink, you looked for another, but Spencer had stepped in front of you, giving you a concerned look.

“What?” you asked, keeping your face pleasant in case the unsub or others were watching.

“What’s wrong?” he asked. “I know you aren’t thrilled to be with me tonight, but I can also tell that something else is bothering you.”

“Very perceptive,” you said, avoiding eye contact. “Look, I can’t talk to you about this right now.” He sighed and then took your hand. To anyone else, it would just look like a husband holding his wife’s hand, but you knew he was feeling for your pulse point. Something he always did when he wanted you to tell him the truth. It was both charming and infuriating.

“Is this about Robbie?” Spencer asked and your hand froze in his grip. He nodded to himself as he realized he had finally guessed right. “He never deserved you.” You took your hand back and tried to walk away. However, Spencer had another idea. Gently taking your wrist, Reid pulled you to the dance floor, spinning you into his arms.

Not wanting to cause a scene, you played along, placing one hand on his shoulder and the other in his right hand. The two of you swayed back and forth in silence for a moment before he finally spoke again. “You look so beautiful,” he said softly.

“Spencer,” you sighed, dropping your gaze to the buttons on his shirt, “please don’t.”

“Why?” he asked.

“You know why,” you said, your eyes meeting his. He looked down at you as if you were the only person in the room and it took you back to the first time you had danced with him.

It was at an event the Academy hosted for the new recruits. The two of you had just met during orientation and he had been bold enough to ask you to dance when he noticed you sitting by yourself at a lone table. Both of you had been very awkward on your feet, but you had managed to get a rhythm going and among all the laughter and stepping on toes, it had been the first step in developing feelings for the man before you.

“I noticed the color of your dress as soon as you walked into the lobby,” Spencer said, his fingers curling tighter around your own. “I always did love you in purple.” Ducking your head, you rested your forehead against his chest, just trying not to think about his hand on your waist or the fact that he was wearing the same cologne he always did. The one that smelled like wood and parchment. Reid pulled you in closer, his hand moving to the small of your back.

“Why are you doing this?” you whispered.

“I don’t want you to think about him,” Reid said, turning you both in a slow circle, “because I can’t do it anymore.” Pulling back, you looked up at him with curious eyes.

“Do what?” you asked.

“All those months when you were with him… seeing you smile when you and Garcia spoke about him or when he would drop flowers off for you at the office,” Spencer sighed. “I couldn’t handle it, (Y/N).” Hearing that confession slip from his lips made you stumble in your heels. He kept his hands tight on you, keeping you steady. Just as he always had. “I never stopped loving you,” he whispered.

Your eyes fell closed at his words and every emotion you had tried to shove down since the day the two of you had parted ways came surging back into the forefront of your mind. Spencer Reid was looking at you as if you hung the moon and while he would probably say something along the lines of ‘that’s impossible, a human wouldn’t be able to hang the moon’, that was what you saw in his eyes.

“Don’t you remember?” he continued.

“Spencer…” you said, but he couldn’t stop.

“My mom, (Y/N),” he said. “Don’t you remember how much she loves you? You were one of the only people who could keep her calm and she loved to tell you stories about the things she’s learned over the years. I remember everything about our time together.”

“You have an eidetic memory,” you reminded him.

“That’s not the reason I remember,” he said, placing his hand under your chin. You couldn’t help the tears that pricked your eyes at his words. At that moment, the mission was forgotten and everything was moving in slow motion. “Tell me, (Y/N),” he said, “tell me that you don’t love me, Tell me and I’ll stop.”

“I can’t do that,” you whispered. A small gasp escaped him at your confession and it was as if his entire body relaxed at your words. Spencer leaned forward and rested his forehead against yours, drinking you in. The orchestra in the background played a score fit for the moment and if you weren’t supposed to be on duty, you would have stayed in that moment forever. Spencer pulled back and glanced down at your lips, but before either of you could move in closer, you spotted a man watching the two of you.

“What’s wrong?” Spencer asked.

“Hill,” you whispered, plastering a fake smile on your face as you looked up at your fake husband. “He’s dressed as a caterer. The long scar on his cheek is just as the partner said. Looks like Morgan’s interrogation techniques are getting better.” Spencer took you and spun you around so he could get a visual, glancing briefly before grinning down at you. He then lifted your left hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it.

“Shall we go somewhere more private, Mrs. Kelling?” he asked and you nodded, taking him by the hand and dragging him towards the service hall. Everything in you was fighting to stay focused as you slipped back into your FBI persona. With Spencer’s confession, work was the last thing you wanted to do, but this man had killed enough people and the two of you were the last chance to take him down.

You and Reid pushed into the hallway, giggling like drunk teenagers.

You stumbled on your dress and he held you up, pulling on his bow tie. It didn’t take long for the killer to follow. You and Spencer were pressed against a wall, Reid’s hands going into your hair. He smiled down at you and slinked away as if you were playing a game. When he went to follow you, that’s when you were grabbed from behind.

“Move and she dies,” Hill said, waving his gun around. Spencer raised his hands in mock surrender and then he looked at you. “On your knees!” Hill yelled, but Spencer didn’t move. With a quick nod to you, you slammed your stiletto into the top of his foot. A shot rang out as the bullet pierced the ceiling, but you both moved faster. Spencer grabbed hold of the unsub as you took the gun from his grasp. Reid spun Hill around and slammed him into the floor.

“FBI,” Spencer said, “Daniel Hill, you are under arrest for the murders of Caitlin and Adam Dever, Brooke and Ryan Wood, Joanne and James Black, and Greta and Lewis Joy…” as Spencer continued to read him his rights, you disabled the gun and let out a deep breath. From your right, Hotch and Prentiss came running down the hall, their guns were drawn. JJ and Morgan weren’t far behind.

As Spencer got Hill to his feet, you turned and walked away. There was too much going on inside your mind and you had to get air. Walking past, Morgan, you placed the confiscated gun into his hands as you continued to move past your team. You could hear Reid calling out to you, but you couldn’t stop moving. You just needed to think.

-----

Once everything had calmed down, you all went back to your respective hotel rooms.

As soon as your door closed behind you, your heels were off and you headed right for the balcony. Garcia had texted you earlier and told you Hill would be processed and that Rossi and Emily had gotten a full confession out of him and his partner. That was enough for you to relax a little bit further, but there was still the issue of what happened before.

Then, as if the universe was listening there was a knock on your door. Pulling the sliding door behind you, you went to your door. You didn’t need to look through the peephole to know who it was. Unlocking the chain, you pulled open the door and were met with Spencer. He was still wearing his disheveled tuxedo, but his hair was no longer neat. It was how he always wore, the way you loved it. In his hand was a single yellow lily, your favourite flower.

You stepped aside and invited him in, closing the door quietly behind you. “You just left,” he said as you turned to face him. His long fingers were holding the flower by its stem, twirling it around.

“I just needed time, Spencer.”

“I know,” he said with a soft smile and then offered you the flower. You took it, pressing its petals to your nose. “I know how you think (Y/N), which is why I waited a bit before showing up here.”

“You always did know me best,” you said as you lay the lily on the stand by the door.

“I still like to think I do,” he said, reaching for your hand. You let him take it as you had earlier on the dance floor. He dragged you towards him, placing his hands on your hips gently. “You are so incredible,” he whispered.

“I never cared about him as much as I cared for you, Spencer,” you admitted. “When I broke things off after we graduated from the Academy, I thought I was doing us a favor. I thought it would be too complicated, that we would struggle with the time apart. I was so wrong. I am so sorry that I didn’t believe in us enough to stay.” Tears were rolling down your cheeks at this point and Spencer was shaking his head.

“Don’t apologize, (Y/N),” he said. “I understand. I think I always did, but I meant what I said earlier: I never stopped loving you, (Y/N) (Y/L/N).”

“And you think I did?” you asked. “God, Spencer, I love you so much and I should have told you the moment I walked into the BAU.” Spencer’s face split into a grin and he didn’t even hesitate to pull you into him. His lips met yours and your hands wound into his unruly hair. Light burst behind your eyes as the two of you finally said hello once again. Spencer Reid was the one for you and you would never doubt that ever again.

“One is loved because one is loved. No reason is needed for loving.”― Paulo Coelho

[raleighcarrera]

sucker punch

foreign affairs | m!blaine hayes x mc (kennedy monroe)

blaine and kennedy take their hot tub party inside. an extended scene from chapter 11.

catch up: knockout (E) / on the ropes (T) / outpoint (T) / parry (E) / pulling punches (T) / ringside (T) / saved by the bell (T)

tagging: @pixeljazzy ; @zigtheeortega ; @pixelsandkink ; @writinghereandthere ; @choicesarehard ; @dakotawinchester ; @blainehellyes ; @thefirstcourtesan 

~3.2k words | E (18+)

“you know,” kennedy murmurs, shivering as blaine continues to press a slow, sucking trail of kisses across her bare shoulder, “as nice as this has been... i’m starting to get cold.”

“well, that won’t do,” blaine answers, without lifting his head, “guess i’ll have to heat things up.”

despite the fact that they’ve been in the hot tub for what’s probably going on too long, and she’s starting to prune, her hips wiggle excitedly under the water. after the attention blaine’s given her tonight, she can’t help but to perk up curiously, his words piquing her interest. “again?”

this time, blaine does look up at her, grinning crookedly. “if you want.” beneath the water, his fingertips walk up the inside of her thigh. “but if you really are cold, we can take this into the shower.”

she glances back into blaine’s room over her shoulder. “peter’s still out?”

blaine snorts, lowering his head back to the crook of her neck. “he made sure to tell me he’d be at the bar with dionne all night. he even said he’d knock very, very loudly before he came in. you know him -- subtle as a brick.”

“i don’t think that’s the saying,” she breathes, struggling desperately to hold on to the braincells rapidly leaving her while blaine bites at her collarbone. “it has to be, like -- as subtle as a brick through a window.”

“like i care.” his hands slide slowly over the curve of her hips, pulling her in closer. “you must not understand how long i’ve been waiting for this.”

“believe me,” kennedy sighs, lifting her hand to push her fingers through blaine’s hair so he’ll lift his head and look at her again, smiling sadly when he catches her eye, “i do.” 

he leans in to kiss her, then, so thoroughly that she forgets, for a moment, who and where they are. she forgets that they’re not just any two adults, away from their real lives for the weekend at a resort where no one will find them. she forgets that she should be downstairs, cozying up to her fake boyfriend. she forgets that the fantastical peace blaine’s created for her up in his suite is due to disappear at midnight, back into a pumpkin she isn’t allowed to interact with when there’s others around.

blaine’s hips push up against hers, rocking forward so forcefully water sloshes up out of the hot tub and onto the deck. “shower,” he murmurs again, “i need a little more room for what i wanna do to you.”

kennedy shivers, glancing around cautiously before stepping out of the water, yelping as soon as the freezing air hits her skin, her body breaking out in goosebumps. “jesus!”

she can hear blaine laugh from behind her, but only has a moment to pout before he’s wrapping his body around hers, blanketing himself over her back and snaking strong arms snugly around her waist. “i’ve got you. come on.”

they walk together awkwardly through the sliding glass door from the balcony, though she makes no move to shrug him off as they head inside, their clothes forgotten on the deck. her eyes scan blaine’s room while he leads her to the bathroom, and when he finally lets her go so he can fiddle with the knobs in the shower, she plants her hands on her hips and asks, “how come you and peter got such a nice room? dionne and i were set up with twin beds.”

alexei and henri have a standard suite, too, not that she wants blaine to know she’s already seen it. she’s not eager to bring up anyone else’s name -- not now that they finally have some alone time. 

blaine ducks his head, grinning as he holds one hand under the spray, testing its warmth. “i pulled some strings,” he says, “you know -- in case i needed an excuse to get you up here.”

he holds a hand out to her, and she slips her fingers into blaine’s, letting him pull her through the glass door of the shower. “you don’t ever need an excuse.”

“i know,” blaine says, as steam starts to fill the room and water beats down onto his face, “but... i guess i wanted to do something nice for you. us. and this was the only way i could make things special while still keeping them private.”

she’s stunned. there’s something so touching about blaine trying to make magic for her even with the circumstances of their situation so firmly in their way. not for the first time, she marvels at the reveal of blaine’s hidden second side -- the sweeter, softer traits he seems to expose only to her, cultivating some of her most treasured possessions unknowingly. 

kennedy clears her throat to distract from the heaviness that’s suddenly weighing down on their conversation. “peter doesn’t care you basically upgraded his room to a honeymoon suite?”

blaine laughs, and she finds herself stepping closer until she’s under the water with him, too, compelled by the sound of his honest joy. “nah. he’s cool like that. plus, i think he could see on my face how desperate i was to get you alone.”

she makes a soft noise in the back of her throat, looping her arms around his neck. “sweet talker.”

he shrugs carelessly, flicking wet hair off his forehead. “it’s true. watching you with alexei is impossible.”

kennedy sighs, expression twisting into one of sympathy. “i’m sorry. you’re always so worried about how hard this must be for me, but... it can’t be easy for you, either.”

the way blaine looks away lets her know immediately she’s hit the nail on the head. he grimaces. “i can’t say i love it.” there’s a beat of silence before he lifts his hand to her face, stroking damp fingers across her cheek. “so -- will you at least give what i said some thought?”

her eyebrows arch high in question. “which part?”

“the letting-me-take-some-of-the-heat-off-you part.” as she studies him, she sees that the look in blaine’s eyes is serious, a far cry from the way he’d joked and vented with her about the paparazzi out on the deck. “i know you think it’d just make an even bigger mess, but... think about it, okay? i hate what this is doing to you.”

“i’ll think about it,” she promises, pushing up onto her tip-toes to steal a quick kiss from blaine, desperate to get the tortured look off his face.

except that the kiss he gives her back is a far cry from the brief peck she’d intended. blaine’s hands rest on her hips and he angles his head down to seal their mouths together firmly, kissing her as deeply as he can. with a gasp, she twists her fingers into his wet hair, swaying closer to his chest while the weak international water pressure continues to patter quietly down onto the shower floor around them.

blaine backs her into the wall, the tile cool against her skin. his grip on her tightens as he pulls away to take his kisses across her face again, nipping a path below her jaw. “tell me you don’t have anywhere else to be tonight.”

she stares up at the ceiling, the offers she’d had from tatum and ayna floating through her mind. at the very least, she should probably put on a show of spending a little more time with alexei, though the thought of leaving this shower to go sit at the bar and make small talk is -- 

kennedy shakes her head. “no.”

“good,” blaine murmurs lowly, pushing her wet hair back off her shoulders to give himself more room. “‘cause it’s gonna be awhile before i’m done with you.”

“promise?” she breathes, arching her back to try to get closer to him. if fooling around with blaine in the hot tub was meant to take the edge off, it’s had the opposite affect. she’s acutely aware of the fact that it’s been what feels like forever since they last slept together, before the scandal broke. her hands push insistently at his back to try to force him closer.

“oh, you can count on it.” one of blaine’s hands slips between her legs with purpose, his fingers hardly pausing to tease before they brush against her clit, effortlessly falling into a rhythm that makes her shiver. 

kennedy’s head tips back against the side of the shower and she sighs, exhaling a hitching moan of blaine’s name when he pauses to suck deliberately on the sensitive patch of skin behind her ear she’d made the mistake of groaning loudly at one too many times, whenever his teeth got near it. now it was a weak point he constantly exploited. “blaine. god.”

“this is what i want to do out there,” he explains, free hand trailing from her thigh around to her ass and back again. “on the slope -- in the lodge -- anywhere. everywhere.”

“blaine,” she says again, more urgently this time, “i --”

his own hips rock forward in a slow grind, cutting her off effortlessly. “of course i want people to know,” he continues, through a moan, “look at you. jesus christ, kennedy.”

her whole body feels hot, burning up in a way that has nothing to do with the steam from the shower. she squeezes her eyes shut and focuses only on blaine and the wrecked sound of his voice, each desperate slide of their bare skin, and how his fingers know just what to do to push her right to the edge, until she’s shaking and her thighs are trembling where they’re trapped, pinned wide by the breadth of blaine’s body between them.

“you’re so gorgeous,” blaine sighs, just before he kisses her again, swallowing each of the moans that spill into his mouth, the wordless sounds of pleasure she can’t hold back fortunately muffled by the heavy shower doors and the space between them -- tucked away in blaine’s bathroom -- and the rest of the resort.

“please,” she begs, eyes blinking open slowly to focus on his face, “i need...” 

she trails off, captivated by the oddly serious look he’s wearing again, his eyes blazing and intent where they’re fixated on her expression. “what? you have all of me.”

the words are uncomfortably comforting, so soothing it takes everything she has to remain upright, her legs wobbly where her feet are slipping on the wet floor. “blaine.”

“yeah.” his hand stills so he can instead shift his grip to her thighs, encouraging her up the wall. blaine tilts his shoulders, and then he’s able to lift her up easily, her legs locking around his waist while the muscles in his arms flex in a way that makes her mouth dry. “i’m right here,” he promises, fingertips trailing softly across her hips like the rivulets of water following his touch, “let me make you feel good.”

“please,” kennedy gasps again, already nodding before blaine’s even had the chance to push his hips forward. 

“christ,” blaine mutters, as soon as their bodies are pressed flush and the stretch of his cock has her groaning even more loudly, her head tipped back against the tile, “i could fuck you all day.”

the sound that escapes her is unintelligible, embarrassing enough to force her eyes shut. it’s affirmative, at least, and the way it makes blaine chuckle against her throat sends a shiver down her spine, her hold on his shoulders tightening. 

his head dips so he can set his teeth on the space between her breasts, biting a bruise into her skin that no one will see but blaine. while his thrusts chase her up the wall, she clings to him, relishing the chance to get the alone time she’d been desperate for and aching for it to never end at the same time. if dinner with her friends had been enough to make her forget her fake relationship, being with blaine could drive every last thought out of her mind, so that the stress of school and her relationship with her mother and the tabloid drama that followed her like a storm cloud evaporated into nothing, leaving her feeling light as air.

she might’ve even floated away, had blaine not been there to anchor her. fortunately for kennedy, he is, keeping her grounded and steady, making sure her head doesn’t run wild overthinking and second-guessing their every interaction; the blazing look in his eyes and the firm pressure of his hands, his mouth and his hips keep her rooted to the moment, so her head isn’t anywhere but in the shower with him.

as blaine lifts his head, and their eyes lock, she realizes that there’s no where in the world she’d rather be. there’s nothing -- no amount of peace with her mom, no chances to go back in time and have a better childhood or more time with her friends or the space to take the risks she’d never allowed herself to dare try -- that she would trade this for, nothing that could compare.

there’s only her, and blaine, and the leap into the unknown she’d taken when she first let him lead her through campus by the hand at the start of the semester, the chance that had already paid off tenfold. the chance that had changed her life.

she hadn’t looked back then, and she doesn’t want to, now.

“god, blaine,” she moans, pressing their lips together in a sloppy, imprecise kiss. it’s hard to do anything when it’s taking all of her coordination just to meet his thrusts, her hips rocking back against his while the shower continues to run luxuriously hot around them. “that feels so good.”

“yeah,” he returns, voice as tight as his bruising grip on her thighs, “you do, you just -- fuck, kennedy.”

she swivels her hips, gratified by the shudder blaine gives, and then his hand shifts between her legs again and she’s left leaning back against the wall, only held up by blaine’s strength and the force of his hips driving forward, his pace growing faster and arrhythmic, sloppy and eager.

her toes curl against his back and her eyes squeeze shut tight and it only takes a few more clumsy swipes of his thumb before she’s sobbing out a moan that’d be too loud for either of their dorms at vancross, with their thin walls and nosy classmates, but that feels perfectly fitting for the resort, nothing but the snowy mountaintops beyond blaine’s balcony winking back at them.

everything is a blur after that.

she’s dimly aware of the gentle way blaine sets her carefully back down on her feet, how her legs threaten to give out but he helps her stay upright long enough to kiss her tenderly, fond warmth in his eyes and his smile a mile wide on his face. somehow, her hair gets washed, and while kennedy knows she’s just about useless in the process, eventually she and blaine wind up on the sofa in the suite’s living room in fluffy bathrobes plucked from the closet, curled up together in front of the fire.

burrowed into the warmth of blaine’s arms, she’s certain she could probably fall asleep just then, and stay out for about a thousand years, she’s so exhausted. 

“we should do this more often,” blaine suggests quietly, breaking the comfortable silence that’s blanketing them. she can only barely hear him over the crackling log in the fireplace.

kennedy snuggles closer in towards his chest, cheek pressed to the plush material stretched over his skin. “it is kinda romantic,” she agrees, jaw stretching wide with an involuntary yawn. “i still can’t believe you set all this up for me.”

blaine’s broad palm rubs slowly up and down her arm. “all i want,” he says, “is to give you a little bit of normalcy. just -- regular dates, whenever we can get ‘em. you deserve that.”

again, she’s amazed. none of the people she’s ever dated or even thought about dating had seemed as concerned with what she wanted as blaine is, now. the thoughtfulness feels foreign and she’s sure she’s undeserving of it -- she’s selfish and reckless and a walking disaster, isn’t she? why is he so worried about making her happy when she’s done nothing but cause trouble?

before she can stop herself, kennedy hears her voice ask, “do you think you’ll still like me, when all of this is over?” there’s a heavy silence that she rushes to fill with an explanation. “you know -- when it’s not such a risk, anymore.”

she thinks about how in his element he’d seemed, earlier today, speeding away from the paparazzi and stealing kisses from her on the slope. how excited blaine had been when he called her dangerous -- her, kennedy monroe. professional wet blanket, twenty-three years in the making.

“what,” blaine laughs, still rubbing his hands all over her, “you mean when the thrill wears off?”

her heart sinks. that’s exactly what she’d meant. “yeah.”

blaine’s hand pauses, then lifts to her chin to tilt her face up and back so she’s forced to meet his eyes. kennedy blinks as she sees the sincerity in his expression, out in the open for anyone to read. the look on blaine’s face is a mix of so many things she’s seen him cast in her direction before -- protectiveness and worry, fondness and exasperation, affection and awe and wonder with just a touch of disbelief. when their eyes lock, her heart stutters to a stop and then picks back up in frantic double-time.

“duh,” he snorts, as though she’s just said the single most ridiculous thing he’s ever heard. “i’m obviously not doing this just because i’m into sneaking around. this blows. i wish you’d fuckin’ out me.”

she relaxes against him, feeling a little silly in the face of blaine’s honesty. in all the time they’ve been together, he’s hardly given her a reason to doubt him. 

“look, i told you i’m all in, and i meant that, okay?” his thumb slides across her jaw and then his hand brushes her hair back behind her ear, sweeping the wet stands off her cheek. “this whole thing is weird and stupid but it’s awesome at the same time, because no matter what happens, i still get to do shit like this with you. and i’ll do anything to make these moments for us. i don’t care what it takes.”

“okay,” kennedy sighs finally, when his intensity makes her stomach start to squirm, “enough, i don’t know how much more i can take. it’s like you’re trying to make me fall head over heels for you.”

the joke is meant to cover up her genuine reaction, which is that she’s touched, blaine’s words prodding at a soft spot of vulnerability deep within her. fortunately, he takes the bait -- probably sensing her desperation for an out and being as wonderfully accommodating as always. a familiar smirk pulls across his face. “is it working?”

she playfully swats at his shoulder, ducking out of reach of the pillow he reflexively lifts to swing back at her. they grapple on the couch until blaine tumbles down onto his back, pulling her with him, and kennedy stretches out happily over his form, leaning down until they’re nose-to-nose. 

it’s embarrassing, how much she likes him. embarrassing how much he knows. but when he grins at her like that, she can’t do much more than shrug and sheepishly admit, “it kind of is,” a matching smile spread out blissfully on her own flushed face.

[hb-writes]

Thank you. I can take it from here.

Inspired by my 100+ lovely followers, @love-me-a-good-prompt’s “THANK YOU IDEAS” prompt list, and a suggestion from the lovely @cas-kingdom​

Summary: From the Little Lady Blinder Universe. Clara Shelby wants to bake her brother a special treat for his birthday but needs a bit of assistance in gathering ingredients. 

Featuring: Tommy Shelby, John Shelby, Clara Shelby, and Nipper (Shelby cousin)

-----

Clara stared at the space between the topmost cupboard and the ceiling, to the spot where Polly set the sugar, far out of her and Finn’s reach, rationing it now that she saw how much the pair were shoveling into their afternoon tea. 

Clara had already collected the other ingredients, mixed the dry things together, waiting on the sugar in the hopes that someone taller would pass through, but she could wait no longer. 

She didn’t need much, knew that her brother wasn’t particularly fond of sweet things anyway, but the biscuit she chose still called for a small measure of the stuff, so Clara pulled over a chair and climbed onto the counter with a clean wooden spoon, intending to push the small container close enough to the edge for her outstretched fingers to reach. 

Clara yelped and the spoon clattered to the floor as a pair of hands on her waist tugged her from the countertop.

Tommy settled her on his hip, an act he nearly regretted when she latched her flour-covered hands around him. 

“You’re not meant to be home yet,” Clara said. 

“And you’re not meant to be up on the counters.” Tommy shifted her to glance at the mess on the table but Clara quickly pushed his face back to her’s with a flour-covered hand. 

“Arthur said you had a meeting.” 

“I did,” he answered, the two words coming out slow, with a hint of suspicion. “What are you up to?”

“Nothing.” 

Clara tried to pull out of his arms but Tommy held her there, turning them both towards the mess again.

“It doesn’t look like nothing.” 

“Nothing that concerns you, then,” Clara corrected. “Let me down, Tommy.” 

“Let you down so you can climb back up on the counters?” 

“Wouldn’t need to if Aunt Polly stopped putting the sugar all the way up there,” Clara answered, pointing towards the canister and reaching towards it from Tommy’s arms.  

Tommy chuckled. The sugar had spent a portion of his childhood on that shelf as well thanks to John. 

“What do you need the sugar for?”

“Because I need it,” Clara answered, all pouting lips and big shining eyes. “Please, Tommy?”

“Tell me what you need it for,” Tommy said again.

Clara groaned, going a bit limp in his arms. “But it’s none of your business,” she answered.

“None of my business? Not much under this roof that falls under that category.” 

Clara knew all about the different types of business to be found in the Shelby household. There was the betting business and family business and women’s business and funny business. In the months since the boys returned home, Clara had learned that her brother seemed to think he was entitled to have a hand in all of it, though he often declined participating in the funny business, more often just accusing her and Finn of it.  

“Well, this does,” she answered. “It’s Clara business.” 

“Clara business, eh?” he said. “That sounds like something that’ll only end in trouble.”

“No, it won’t. I promise, Tommy.” 

“You promise?” 

Clara nodded and Tommy let her down, reaching up to grab the sugar from the top shelf and placing it in her hands. “I’m going to hold you to that.” 

Clara smiled before skipping away from him to plop the container down on the table. She began scanning through the recipe to find her spot and Tommy lingered, flicking open his cigarette case as he watched her.

“You know you’ve got to clean all this up before Aunt Polly comes back or she’ll be after us both,” he said, waving the cigarette around at the mess.

“I will,” she answered. 

Tommy stepped over to her, glancing into the mixing bowl. “An—”

Clara pushed her brother towards the shop doors. “Thank you. I can take it from here.”

Tommy opened his mouth once she had him over the threshold, about to step back into the room, but Clara tugged on the string holding the curtain back and the red velvet fell between them.

“I said I can take it from here, Thomas!” 

Tommy didn’t really like biscuits but Clara noticed that he always lifted a savory biscuit from her Hinkley’s bag whenever he found one. It was a special thing Mr. Hinkley made from time to time, the rosemary biscuits, and the baker had given Clara a basic recipe after she promised not to open a competing bake shop down on Watery Lane. 

Clara knew her brother didn’t really like birthdays either, not his at least, and there had been a consensus among the family, decided over a month prior, that they’d not be doing anything special for him. There would be no cake, no presents, no acknowledgment whatsoever, but Clara had kept quiet on the subject, not agreeing to a thing the others said but not voicing her own opinion either. The way she saw it, it was none of their business if she chose to make biscuits on a random Tuesday afternoon, even if that Tuesday was the same day Tommy happened to have been born.

While the biscuits were cooling, the smell of fresh rosemary spreading throughout the first floor of the house, Clara stuck her head through the curtains to the shop to see they were full up with business for the afternoon. 

She whispered to her cousin Nipper who was sat at the table closest to the door. It was a loose description, calling Nipper and Henry cousins, but they were something close to that, some sort of relation on the Shelby side made closer to her and Finn because they were the only other set of twins in the family.

“That smells good,” he said as he came to stand beside her, his hand moving to push the curtain aside. “What’s Aunt Pol—“

Clara pulled the curtains tight around her head. “Can you send Tommy back?”

“Why don’t you get him yourself?”

“Because I promised I won’t cause any trouble.”

Nipper laughed at that. “Guess you’re out—”

Clara disappeared behind the curtain before he could finish, coming back with a warm biscuit. “I’ll give you one if you send him back. And if you don’t tell John.” 

Nipper was just teasing his little cousin, would’ve given in to her without the biscuit offering but he’d not say no to the bribe either. He took it from her outstretched hand before popping it in his mouth and heading across the room to where Tommy and John were talking.

“Clara’s asking for you,” Nipper said, still chewing the bit of biscuit in his mouth.

“Me?” John said.

Nipper shook his head. “No, she wants Tommy.” 

Tommy pushed the ledger back into John’s hands. “Keep on the books, John. I’ll be right back.”

John hummed. “What are you chewing on, Nip?” 

“Nothing,” Nipper answered, clearing his mouth with a final swallow and a swipe of his sleeve across his lips, both pointless maneuvers as John’s nose had already picked up on the rosemary wafting into the shop. 

“Doesn’t smell like nothing,” John said. “It smells like...”

“Clara business, eh?” Tommy said as he came through from the shop, the doors cutting off John’s words as Tommy closed them and turned to his sister, specks of flour across every bit of her. 

“It can be Clara and Tommy business now, but we have to keep it a secret.” 

“Why’s that?” Tommy asked.

“I don’t know,” she answered. “It’s you that doesn’t like celebrating birthdays.” 

Birthdays. Tommy released a light scoff, almost a laugh. He’d forgotten, hadn’t thought about his own birthday since before France, not since he’d spent the miserable day sat at Greta’s bedside. Tommy shook his head as Clara pulled the plate of biscuits out from behind her back. 

“They’re not sweet ones,” she said, setting the plate on the table. “I know you don’t like them sweet and I know everyone said we aren’t supposed to talk about your birthday but I just thought if I didn’t make a very big deal and didn’t tell anyone else then maybe you wouldn’t be mad and...”

“I’m not mad,” Tommy said as he took a cookie from the tray, taking a small bite. He was surprised, and a bit touched, but certainly not mad. 

Clara smiled, relieved her brother wasn’t upset. 

“But we do have a problem, you and me,” Tommy said, swallowing and wiping his hands off as he came down to her height, poking his sister in the shoulder. “You promised me there’d be no trouble at the end of this bit of Clara business but now I’ve got a brother out there in the shop sniffing out these biscuits like a rabid dog,” Tommy said, his eyes going wide. “You know how John is about sweets...almost as bad as you.” 

Clara giggled. “I told Nipper not to tell him.” 

“Yeah, well, you’ve started quite the commotion out there in the shop, nearly a riot. I think we may have to share these secret biscuits, eh? Just tell the boys they’re a special Clara treat and we’ll keep the birthday bit between you and me?” 

Clara nodded and Tommy made to stand up. Clara wrapped her arms around his neck before he could make any progress, her whisper so quiet that Tommy could barely hear it, his understanding of the words more from context than the hushed murmur as Clara wished her brother a happy birthday and placed a kiss on his cheek. 

-----

🏷:

@beautycinders

@buckybluebarnes

@cecii22me

@lovemissyhoneybee

@midnight-dreams-23

@mo-onstarrs

@pollyrepents

@unicorndetective22

[spartanguard]

game changers

Summary: Emma’s son’s hockey team—the one she started when got cut from another—is about to play for the state championship. Along the way, she found assistance—and attraction—with the grumpy ice rink manager where they practice. Winning isn’t the only thing on the line; hearts are, too. (aka the Mighty Ducks: Game Changers AU no one asked for.)

A/N: HAPPY BIRTHDAY @thesschesthair​!!!!!!!! wishing you the most awesome, amazing, furry birthday yet!!! After our conversations about the Mighty Ducks series—especially that scene at the end—I couldn’t resist throwing this little thing together in honor of the day. Hope you like it, and thank you for being such an amazing friend!! Love you!!!!

1.6k words | rated G

If someone had told Emma at the beginning of the season that they’d be here, she’d have laughed hysterically and asked what drugs they were on, because she wanted some. There was no way this little ragamuffin team—that, honestly, was half started out of spite—would even make it to the state tournament, let alone to the final.

Yet, here they were, about to face off against the elite team that had cut her son from the roster before the season even started. (She could grumble on for days about the state of youth hockey and the money involved and any other number of social injustices, but what it really amounted to was how it highlighted her own feelings of inadequacy as a young-ish single mom next to all the rich ladies who already had college advisors for their middle schoolers.) 

The puck hadn’t even dropped and she was already a bundle of nervous energy, as much as the pre-teens around her in the locker room. It hadn’t been easy, getting here—god, it hadn’t been that long ago some of these kids could barely even skate—but this was more than they had ever anticipated. She knew she should be dispensing some sage advice, but it’s not like she was ever that experienced in this kind of situation; foster kids didn’t have much of an opportunity to participate in organized sports (part of why she’d been so adamant to make sure Henry had these opportunities).

But then an increasingly familiar presence appeared at her side, gave her a sideways grin she was growing to love, and addressed the kids with a speech that was the perfect combination of encouraging and celebratory.

It may have been a stroke of luck that she found Killian Jones in that run-down ice arena, because none of this would have worked without him. 

And the grin Henry was giving her as they headed out to the rink was worth all of it.

(The way her heart jumped every time Killian was near? Pleasant side effect. But also: not a priority right now.)

The team filed out of the room, leaving her to bring up the rear. “You alright, love?” Killian asked, coming up alongside her, concern furrowing his expressive brow.

“Yeah, just nervous,” she admitted. “Never thought we’d even be here, but now that we are—is it wrong that I really hope we win?” Logically, she knew she’d proven whatever point she’d already set out to prove—that hockey could still be fun, that money was no replacement for drive, that she was capable of running a team. Winning states, though? That would just put it in bold text.

“Not at all,” he assured her. “You’ve done an amazing job with these kids. And Swan: I’ve yet to see you fail.”

The honesty shining in his blue eyes was almost overwhelming, and a sudden tension formed in the narrow space between them; she hadn’t even realized how close he was. Close enough to...no, she couldn’t follow that train of thought. She’d done enough of that for one lifetime, and knew he had, too

So she stepped out of his space, took a deep breath, and started to head out of the room. “Let’s do this, then.”

*********************

She’d hated him, at first. She wasn’t even sure how she managed to convince him to let the team use the rink, despite the “no hockey” signs plastered everywhere. It had to have been Henry—that kid could warm even the hardest heart.

Which was probably the only reason Killian agreed to help coach, too. Emma knew absolutely nothing about the sport other than what she’d seen watching; but how could she teach the kids the difference between icing and offsides if she didn’t even know? Heck, she could barely stop on her (rented, figure) skates without crashing into the boards. 

And she was totally ready to respect Killian’s rule—until Henry found out who he was and couldn’t stop talking about him. About how he actually founded his previous team, and had a pretty respectable minor league playing career until a hand injury ended it, but went on to be a fantastic coach—for a while, ultimately flaming out at the college level. It wasn’t her business how he ended up managing a secondhand rink in the less-nice part of Boston, just that he continued to let them use it. 

It took a couple soul-crushing defeats before he stepped in and helped her teach the kids the basics, and as it turned out, they made a pretty good team. He was fantastic with the kids; Henry liked him a lot; hell, he was even great with her ex. It was perfect—almost too much so.

Because he could also read her far too well.

It only took one run-in with Regina, one of those rich moms, for him to figure out there was more to her starting this team than met the eye.

He sussed out her history with Neal pretty quickly, despite only meeting him once—her reaction said enough.

And when she put distance between them—a lot of it, for almost two weeks—after they shared a rather intense hug after their first win, he called her out on her bullshit.

“Don’t try to tell me you’re not avoiding me, because I’m actually quite perceptive and this? This is avoiding.”

“I know,” she confessed. “But...I can’t take the chance I’m wrong about you.”

They continued to skate around...whatever this was between them. Emma tried to chalk it up to physical attraction—because damn, was he ever: dark, shaggy hair (with a few lighter strands mixed in), piercing blue eyes, the right amount of stubble, and a bit of chest hair that teased her from under the henleys he wore, which also did a good job of showing off the fact that his playing career might be over, but he was still in fine form.

But it was so much more than that. He was a kindred spirit, in a way. She just refused to admit that.

*********************

From the moment the puck dropped, it felt like she didn’t take a breath. She and Killian moved with and around each other fluidly, giving instructions, cheering the kids on, maybe yelling at the referees a bit, but ultimately doing everything they could to support the team.

With less than 30 seconds left in the third period, the game was tied 3-3. “Do you trust me?” Killian asked her at the start of their last time out.

“Of course.” She’d never been more sure of anything.

He nodded at her and then turned to the kids, describing a play that, if all went well, would net them a goal and secure them the win.

She was silent with anxiety as she watched the line skate back out. Killian returned to her side and then squeezed her hand. “This’ll work, I promise,” he said, and gave her one of the soft smiles he didn’t give very often.

All she could do was nod and then turn her attention back to the ice.

She still wasn’t exactly sure what he’d told them to do, but it was genius, whatever it was; the kids were completely in sync, passing the puck surely and accurately, until it was in Henry’s possession—and then it was in the net.

The light lit up, the siren rang out—they’d just won the state championship.

She didn’t know whether to scream or cry, so she settled for some combination of both and instinctively threw her arms around Killian, not giving a fig about propriety. They won.

(It was almost worth it for the sour looks on other mom’s faces—but even more for the unstoppable grin on Henry’s.)

She was barely aware of anything during the awards ceremony—not until Henry was shoving their (surprisingly heavy) trophy in her hands.

Back in the locker room, the kids were passing the trophy around, admiring their medals, taking selfies, and Emma had to brush a tear away at the sight. It was more than she had hoped for at the start of the season. 

She turned away to a corner, so she wouldn’t embarrass Henry or something by getting too emotional, but Killian quickly swam into her vision. “What’d I tell you, Swan?” he said softly, reaching up to brush away a tear. “Bloody brilliant, love.”

“Please,” she scoffed, though it was a bit watery. “That winning play was all you. That was amazing.”

Killian blushed, the tips of his elfin ears turning pink. He was about to say something, but then a cry came from the team, who had suddenly gathered around them. “Hey, coaches!”

They both turned to look—and were immediately drenched in coolers of Gatorade. The kids began to whoop and holler and laugh, but Emma and Killian were frozen in place for a second.

Until she looked across at him, grinning at her through his (very wet) fringe 

If starting a hockey team had been a rash move, it was about to be topped—because she finally caved, grabbed him by the lapel of his coach-like sportcoat, and hauled him into her, finding his lips with hers. 

He tasted like—well, Gatorade, and he stiffened at first, but then wrapped his arms around her and deepened it. He kissed her like he meant it, and she gave it right back. It would probably throw a wrench in a lot of things, but she didn’t care anymore. It just felt good; it felt right.

They did eventually have to come up for air, and not just because the their impromptu shower was making their clothes stick to their skin uncomfortably (she couldn’t help but notice the red-tinged dampness of his chest hair through the open vee of his dress shirt and vest). Some of the kids were playfully gagging, but Henry gave them a thumbs up.

If someone had told Emma at the beginning of the season that she’d end it by kissing her assistant coach in a victory celebration, she’d have thought they were completely mad. But as she dragged Killian in for another kiss (of many more to come), she was so glad it was real.