#fic: don't hold your breathe waiting for me 'cause the ocean needs you more

[anosrepasi]

Title: don't hold your breathe waiting for me 'cause the ocean needs you more Fandom: Assassin's Creed: Odyssey Pairing: Brasidas/Kassandra Tags: Modern Era, Modern Kassandra, Canon Compliant, Museum Visit, Grief/Mourning, if you believe in reincarnation this just makes everything worse, Tragedy Summary:

“Strange to think this is all a person may amount to, his ashes and his kleos.” -- Kassandra finds herself in Amphipolis after 2000 years on her way to answering the staff's call to return to the lost city.

This is my contribution to this year's Brasideia! I had this in my drafts for a while once I started playing AC:O again and it was awesome having an event to get me focused on finishing it. I've become a complete Kassidas fan over the last year and thinking about either Brasidas' death or Kassandra becoming the keeper of memories makes me cry so I decided to combine the two. Thank you to @aeide and @findusinaweek for hosting Brasideia 2024 and keeping this little corner of fandom alive and well. I really enjoyed participating and am looking forward to seeing what everyone posts!!

[levisgirll]

hi cutie! 💖🥺

i got request for u because i know you'll make an awesome work 🥺 what about Levi's marriage proporsal headcanons/fic? i just thought he will be so sweet~ :D

you don't have to do them if you don't want to!~

take care mina, have a good day 💖🥺✨

𝐋𝐞𝐯𝐢'𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐚𝐥 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧

text: Heya An 🥺 tysm for your sweet words and for this amazing request!! and I would GLADY do this request :,) (i rlly hope you like it 💖) Also have a great day!! and make sure to take care of yourself, love you! ✨. this really gave me feels writing this i-

synopsis: Levi has decided to propose to Y/N after such a long tough journey and finally out of the walls. The end of the battle and the war. He wanted to live outside the walls with his only special Y/N. How will he proposal Y/N though? And how will he act?

soft & cute fluff, modern au ♡ —

Finally...Levi is going to do it 'Today'. No more backing away. He had it all planned out and everything. Why was he still...hesitant?

"I wonder how Y/N will react....will they even like the ring I got for them..?" Levi said as he was hold the ring box and looking at it.

'Wait....Will they even say yes?' He put it back on the drawer and start pacing around.

'Ugh...I cant believe this...I am actually being nervous? Fuck...I find killing 40 titans at the same time way easier than this...so much for used to being called humanity's 'strongest' solider'. Fucking hell.'

He stopped, and turned around. 'No...If I don't then someone will take Y/N away from me.' That got him back up and he finally took out the ring box he had there for a month now. He will do it. Today.

Levi is such a private man and he loves that only between you guys. Not really a big fan with bringing everyone together and all, he couldn't even think words clearly when he looks at you and stutters, so how will he do that with EVERYONE here while proposing and saying what he thinks his ‘cliché’ speech? Hell no.

He wanted it to be so special. He wanted to remember this memory and grave that in both of your minds. He was going to propose to his lover this evening.

He had the idea already figured out, and it took him around a month to prepare it and get it perfect. He was doing this all while seeing you everyday, and had to try and hide it from you. Which kind of made you a bit of suspicious. He would usually go out during the afternoon to that 'same' expensive ring shop and stand there for 3 hours trying to pick the perfect ring.

"Um...Sir, I can help you if you would like?" The retail assistant would say as she approached Levi who had such a serious look, as if he was making a life or death decision. "No. I need to pick this, cant be someone else." He would say and his eyes glued to the collection of beautiful rings. He takes a long time to buy that ring just for 'you' that day. Nothing but full of his love all poured into it as he finally picked one.

He called up the people to set up and get ready with the preparation today at 10pm.

After he hanged up, he went to his contacts and pressed 'My Dearest'.

Y/N picked up, “H-Hey Love, how are you hm?" Shit. Why did I fucking stutter, I hate my life. He would say cursing himself under his breathe.

You picked that up, and started to chuckle which made his heart flutter. "I'm alright love! Just out with Sasha and Christa shopping....Is something wrong?"

Levi: "No. Can I see you tonight at 10pm? I will pick you up." Please say yes for this....

"Hmm...Yup sure! See you then, Love you!" You said that so cheerfully that he wanted to see you 'now' and hold you.

"Great. I love you too Y/N." He said that and he was holding his phone so tightly. This is it.

It was 10pm, and Levi has picked you up. You looked so amazing and beautiful to him, that he just stood there and gazed at you so lovely, losing his focus.

You started to blush, "Levi..." you said as you waved your hand at him.

"Oh...Um...You look gorgeous." Fuck Levi why do you keep messing up, I haven't even take them there yet.

Levi then took you to one of the top 10 hotels that they had, but this one was special. It was a beach resort hotel! When you both got in to check in, everything was made in glass, sparkling everywhere. But you were the one sparkling beautifully to him.

"Oh my god Levi...I did not expect this! If you told me we were going to a beach resort I would have dressed up so pretty."

“Tch, dont be silly. You are already pretty.." He said that as his cheeks had a faint red blush.

As you guys checked in, you sat and laid on the bed on your back. “Hmm, so what is the occasion Levi?" You go straight to the point which got him off guard. Of course you would ask.

"Nothing, Just that I remembered you wanted to come here so I decided to take us both here today" His heart was now racing. He was actually going to do it. You looked outside and saw the beautiful beach shore.

“Oh lets go check it out!!". You got excited and got up from the bed.

“No! Not now...lets get comfortable and change. I even bought you a gift. If you want to wear it...and we can head to the beach shore, Hm? Ill see you there.”

Weird. Levi would always go to places with you and he has always waited for you, but today was different.

As you changed to the outfit Levi bought for you, you went towards the sliding glass door to open it and stepped outside to find Levi.

As you stepped outside and wore the sandals that was there, you headed  towards the beach shore which was kind of dark. Not much lights.

“L-Levi..!!” You yelled out, a bit nervous. As soon as you called out his name, lights started to brighten as you were approaching the shore and you see beautiful decorations that was hanged up, full of beautiful roses, lilies and others that were glooming with the light.

You see Levi standing by the shore, and he turned around. “Y/N.”

He called out your name instead of ‘love’ which meant that he was serious.

You started to get worried. What's going on? You stopped and stood beside him looking at him.

“Remember...When we first saw the ocean...and first stood at the beach shore.” He said that as his grey eyes were looking at the waves that were driven by the wind so calmly.

“Yea...I do remember it clearly. It was one of my best moments.”

He continued. “We...won, and some of our comrades survived, but...we did it and got through it and I am glad you are here alive with me.” He started to sound....sad? “I never expected this new lifestyle and to be honest, I am glad I am living it with you by my side....You.” He stopped and turned around to look at you. “Stood by my side till the end Y/N, and believed in me, but...not only that but you also saw me as a human being while everyone thought I was heartless. You gave me hope, and you started to make me feel that I deserved to be loved, and I don't think anyone would have made me feel like this if it wasn't for you.”

You stood there so startled, you eyes started to widen. Is Levi really saying this all...? You knew he was a bit talkative with you only but, this....this is different.

Levi then took out what looked like a seashell..? He was looking at it then, handed it over to you.

“Oh wow, this is so pretty!” You said amazed by how it looked and you looked back at Levi.

“Levi, Thank you for your sweet words...I am so happy hearing that from you.” You said while holding on to it, you couldn't stop smiling.

Fuck just say it Levi. “Y/N, I know I have been the hardest to love....so I want to recreate this beach shore memory with asking you something....”

As he was saying that you noticed the seashell, could open? So you did that...and you saw a beautiful diamond ring shining. You froze.

He held your free hand with both of his warm hands and caressed it, “Y/N, will you...m-marry me?” He said that as he looked directly to your eyes that was open up.

Silence. This made Levi worry so much. He looked down but then noticed tears dripping, which made him look back at you so quickly and you started tearing up as the wind started to blow your hair and the ocean waves crashing.

“Yes...I want to be your Mrs. Ackerman. I want to live the rest of my life with you!!” You said that while crying and this made Levi panic, and he quickly hugged you, covering you with his muscular arms and....he started to cry with you too.

“Y/N, thank you. I won’t fail you, I can’t wait to have moments like this for the rest of our lives.” He went back, and looked at your beautiful face, and proceed to kiss your forehead so lovely.

“Y/N!!! Levi!!” You both got startled and looked to the other side and you saw...all of your friends!

“Oh my god....guys!” You saw everyone from Levi’s squad including Hanji who was screaming out your names and all your friends started to run towards you guys.

You then noticed, the whole beach shore started to brighten and you saw beautiful wedding decorations hanged up, heart balloons, a huge long table filled with delicious savory, desserts and drinks while soft jazz music started to play.

Connie and Sasha rushed with celebration poppers and popped that to everyone and confetti's were all over both of you and everyone started to laugh including Levi.

He actually rented out the whole beach shore just for this special occasion to make a special experience, and even planned a surprise celebration after that with all of your friends.

This went on for what left like forever, and everyone headed back after congratulating both of you and you both went to your beach resort room.

You guys did not sleep that night and actually stayed up together talking about how this special evening went, about the future while holding hands, being cuddled up and leaving each other soft kisses throughout the conversation.

Now, everytime you think or even go to the beach shore, you think of Levi’s amazing romantic proposal. This man really took a long time figuring this out and wanted it special cause you deserved that.

And, whenever you look at his steel grey gaze, you saw the love he had for you, and you saw your soon to be husband that you will spend the rest of your life with.

ᴏᴋᴀʏ ᴛʜɪs ᴡᴀs ʟᴏɴɢ ʙᴜᴛ ɪ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴇᴅ ᴡʀɪᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʜɪs ᴀɴᴅ it ᴀᴄᴛᴜᴀʟʟʏ ᴡᴀʀᴍᴇᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴍᴇʟᴛᴇᴅ ᴍʏ ʜᴇᴀʀᴛ !! ɪ ʜᴏᴘᴇ ʏᴏᴜ ʟᴏᴠᴇ ɪᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀɴʏᴏɴᴇ ᴡʜᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅs ᴛʜɪs ᴄ: IF ʏᴏᴜ ᴅᴏ ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ʟᴇᴀᴠᴇ ᴀ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴇʙʟᴏɢ! ɪ ᴡᴏᴜʟᴅ ᴀᴘᴘʀᴇᴄɪᴀᴛᴇ ᴛʜᴀᴛ sᴏ ɪ ᴄᴀɴ ᴋɴᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜ ᴀʟʟ ʟɪᴋᴇ ɪᴛ 🥺 ♥

[writer-ish]

makai

Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x f!MC (Dr. Brooke Spiers) Word Count: 3.4k Rating: 18+ (NSFW - minors dni) Author's Note: makai (mah-kigh) - one of the four key directions on Oahu, but used on all Hawaiian Islands; makai means "toward the ocean".

Premise: A follow-up fic to this text exchange. Ethan and Brooke meet for a little pre-planned Hawaiian rendezvous.

Hey, I’m here. Where you at?

Brooke taps out the message on her cell phone, keeping one eye on the almost-empty lobby.

It's late now - late for check-in, late for milling around, late, it seems, for Hawaii itself - and she'd be lying to herself if she said she wasn't feeling a bit sleepy—a bit like, maybe, she should be getting up for a six AM shift in Boston after having gotten a good seven hours of sleep the night before?

Rather than waiting for her elderly boyfriend to meet her for a late-night swim - and a little more, hopefully - after sleeping a total of five half-lucid hours on an airplane in the last twenty-four hour period.

She's about to text him again, when she hears a voice from behind her.

"Christ, enough with the texting already."

Whirling around, she can't help the grin that splits her cheeks at the sight of him. Without responding, she throws her arms around his neck, squeezing him in an impromptu hug. His hair is a little damp and appears freshly washed and there's the sharp, pleasant, and familiar smell of his cologne that she inhales when she presses her body to his.

He seems almost nonplussed at her public and spontaneous affection, his arms staying at his sides for a beat longer than they should, before he returns her embrace. She giggles as he even takes her for a half spin, kissing her neck before setting her down, hands lingering at her hips.

"Well, aren't you in a good mood," he comments, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.

She shrugs, giving him a cheeky grin. "It's nice to see you. Plus," she adds, taking his hand and interlocking her fingers with his as she starts to walk, "I'm in vacation mode, so you're going to a get a much better version of me for the next few days."

He allows her to lead him out of the lobby and to the stone pathway that will eventually take them down to the beach.

"I like the version I get at home," he remarks once they're in the open air, which smells like hibiscus and coconut and the reminiscent warmth of the sun still emanating from the stones.

As they walk, he tugs her closer and puts his arm over her shoulders. She smiles up at him as she wraps her arm around his waist. He returns it, staring down at her with an inscrutable look, but one that causes a bloom of warmth to start in her chest and work its way outwards.

"It's nice to be somewhere different, though." Resting her head on his shoulder, they continue to amble down the path. "I like us at home, too, but…" She trails off with a shrug. "We work a lot. And don't see each other outside of work enough. I mean, I thought with you suspended I'd at least get a date night, then you had to go and get your freaking job back!"

He throws his head back and laughs, a loud, head-shaking, self-deprecating thing.

"Oh god, I've really done you wrong, haven't I?"

"Yes!" she insists, though she can't stop her own giggles. "Not even a dinner out. Our first movie in months was on the private jet that Vik got me."

Ethan rubs his chin thoughtfully. "I haven't gotten you a private jet yet?"

"Nope." Her hair tosses against her cheeks as she shakes her head, unable to keep the smile off her face. She loves teasing him, she loves being away with him, she loves—she cuts her thoughts short and focuses on their banter. "For shame, sir."

He glances at her and she sees the heat in his gaze as she calls him "sir". She bites her lip and looks up at him innocently. His eyes go from hers down to her lip in an instant and she laughs again.

"You're like one of Pavlov's dogs, I swear." Breaking free from him, she jogs lightly ahead of him down the path, her sandals slapping the pavement with her movements. "Anyway, your old bones are slowing me down. Keep up!" She takes off towards the beach, her sundress whipping around her legs, even as she can hear his bit off curse from behind her.

"I'm not running!" he calls, his voice growing distant as she puts more space between them.

"Your loss!" she yells over her shoulder, before turning around and jogging backwards to tease him even more. She screams as she sees him gaining speed quickly and her shrieks turn into hysterical giggles as he ducks down and lifts her effortlessly over his shoulder, continuing on without breaking his stride.

She buries her face in the thin cotton of his shirt so that she doesn’t wake up all the other sleepy inhabitants of their resort with her giddy snorts, especially when he playfully smacks her butt as he carries her steadily to the beach. Soon, she feels his steps change as his feet sink into the soft sand.

"Wow." His voice is soft and, even though it's coming from somewhere near her rump, it still carries over to where she is, hanging securely off his shoulder.

"I want to see!" She squirms and he grips her bottom, holding her still as he reaches up with his other hand. She feels him wriggle his finger under the heel strap of her sandals and she stills, waiting as he removes first one and then the other. Leaning forward, he places her down gently and she immediately wiggles her toes in the warm, fine sand before whirling around to take in the view.

"Oh, wow," she breathes as well, because truly there isn't another word for it.

The moonlight reflects off the dark surface of the waves, illuminating the gentle ebb and flow of the tide. Dark shadows on the horizon appear to be mountains or something in the distance - she hadn't had a chance to check out the beach in the daytime upon their arrival, so she's just seeing it now for the first time, perhaps not in all its colourful splendour, but still, majestic and beautiful in its own right.

And the stars - Brooke can't remember the last time she'd seen so many of them. They sparkle in the inky blue firmament like someone had tossed an infinity of tiny diamonds on a velvet tray. She breathes in the salty sweet air deeply as her and Ethan take in the view together, silently, for a moment.

"Thank you for asking me to come here with you," Ethan says quietly, eyes still on the sea and the sky. "I didn't realize how much I needed this… this quiet beauty. This moment of serenity."

She quirks a smile at him, taking his hand in hers. He looks down at their intertwined fingers and then back up at her face, his eyes warm and soft, the pale blue glistening in the moonlight.

"I did," she tells him simply with a little shrug, still smiling up at him.

He looks at her for another beat, his eyes conveying a message that only her heart understands, then he turns to her, stroking her cheek softly with his knuckles, before leaning in to place a soft kiss on her lips.

She cups his cheeks in her hands and returns it, keeping it soft, sweet, open-mouthed and warm. After a moment, she pulls back and looks up at him, the smile back on her face. It’s silly, but it almost feels like a permanent fixture tonight; one she can't get rid of even if she tries.

He’s watching her again, eyes heavy and heated, even in the glowing light of the moon. He slides his thumbs over her cheekbones in a light caress. "Brooke, I—"

Even though they’ve gone down this road many times before - the incomplete sentences, the longing looks, the words that are felt but not said - Brooke still feels her breath catch and her heart rate increase as she waits.

They stay suspended like that for a moment, the waves and the moon their only companions, when suddenly the call of a night bird, tropical and unfamiliar, breaks them from their reverie.

Ethan looks up and Brooke looks away, disappointed - though not surprised - that the moment got away from them again without any new revelations.

“Looks like we have company,” Ethan remarks, his voice carefully composed, even as he pulls her closer, rubbing her bare arms with his hands.

“Well,” Brooke replies, still determined to make this a good night, “as long as our only company is avian...” She pulls away from him, reaching up and teasing at the straps of her sundress. “What do you say we go for a swim?”

Biting back a smirk, he looks back and forth across the long expanse of beach. Her gaze follows his, ensuring along with him that they truly are alone. As much as she thrives on the spontaneity of a moment like this, she'd rather not have any of their colleagues - or any guest for that matter - see her naked. Which is exactly what she plans on being in due course.

“Looks pretty quiet.” His gaze locks in on hers again. “No?”

She nods, teeth catching at her bottom lip as she slowly backs up towards the water, pulling the straps of her dress down to fall on her upper arms. “Indeed it does, Dr Ramsey.” She pulls one arm out and then the other, leaving the dress clinging to the tops of her breasts. She continues to step backwards until her feet hit the shoreline, warm, frothy waves caressing her ankles. She laughs in delight and looks down, sliding around in the wet sand.

Ethan is closing in on her, his shirt already off. She sees he’s holding her sandals and his shoes in one hand, shirt slung over his arm.

“How’s the water?” he asks, though his eyes are still on the beach, as though he’s looking for something.

When she realizes his apparent destination, she can't help but shake her head fondly - he's walked over to one of the resort chairs, stacked up neatly for the evening, and is placing their shoes and his shirt on the pile.

Heaven forbid they get sand on them, she thinks, unable to stop the swell of affection she feels for her fastidious man.

Making her way over to him, she shimmies the dress up and over her head.

“Space for one more thing?” she asks innocently waiting for him to turn to look at her.

When he does, she gets immediate gratification at his dumbstruck look.

She had foregone a bra completely, so she watches as he takes her in from head to toe, nipples already stiffening in the exposed night air and under his gaze. She'd also pulled out the "special occasion" underwear, a lacy, boy-cut confection that she knew he'd appreciate.

And by the look in his eyes, he seems very appreciative.

Smiling cheekily, she shimmies down the underwear as well, tossing it to him before wading further into the water.

For all her bravado, standing stark naked on a public beach for longer than thirty seconds stretches the limits of her comfort, so it feels nice to seek both warmth and privacy in the languid tropical waves.

She had almost been worried that the water would be cold, but instead it's the perfect temperature - just nice enough to submerge herself in without feeling like she's entering a frigid bath. She wades out a bit deeper until the water just skims the top of her breasts and she turns in time to see Ethan entering the water.

Her heart picks up speed as she admires him, his naked, muscular body limned by the moonlight, walking into the ocean like some sort of reverse Poseidon, his eyes fixated on her and her alone.

Brooke shivers in a way that has nothing to do with water temperature, goosebumps lifting the fine hairs on her arms as she waits for him to get to her. The anticipation is sweet, but not as sweet as seeing him up close, smiling down at her as he collects her in his arms.

Their naked bodies slide together and she instinctively wraps her legs around his waist, feeling his arousal at the crux of her body. She kisses his neck, his jaw, his cheek, as his hands glide down to her bottom to lift her higher.

"This is nice," she murmurs, twining her arms tighter around his neck.

He hums in agreement, stroking her back up and down with one hand as they quietly watch the moon ripple on the horizon.

"I love touching you like this." He presses a kisses to her shoulder, squeezes her tighter. "If I could keep you this way, naked, pressed up against me, your skin on mine—if I could hold you like this forever, I would do it."

"Might be difficult to get work done." Her response is flippant, but his words have struck a chord deep inside her and her heart twangs painfully at the implications.

He snorts. "I don't care. Who needs work."

She pulls back to look at him, affecting a look of shock. "I'm sorry, who are you, and what have you done with Dr. Ethan Ramsey?"

He shakes his head, burying his face in her neck. When he speaks again, his words are muffled against her skin. "Dr. Ramsey has learned more in the past three years than in any of the previous years combined." He pulls back to look at her, one hand still holding her against him securely, the other pushing her damp waves back from her face. "Learned and grown and just—" He shakes his head before continuing. "Just tried to be better. To do better. Thanks to you." He kisses her and she can taste the salt on his lips.

"I can't take all the credit," she whispers against his mouth as they pull apart after a beat.

"Why not?" he whispers back, pressing another salty kiss to her lips. "You do it all the time at work anyway."

"Hey—!" She pulls away indignantly. "It's not my fault I’m the only one who can actually solve our cases—"

He laughs loudly and spins her around, making her lose track of her indignation as she dissolves into helpless giggles.

The warm water swirls over their bodies and she tightens her arms and legs around him. Her giggles inadvertently turn into a soft moan as she feels him, hard against her centre, settled right between her spread legs.

He tucks a kiss below her ear, nipping lightly at her pulse. "I want you so bad," he murmurs, sucking gently on the spot where he bit.

"So what are you waiting for," she breathes, her head lolling back as her hips move restlessly, her body stroking wetly against his length.

"Not in here," he groans, "the bacteria—not good for your—" He grunts as she presses more tightly against him, continuing to rub intimately in a way that has them both moaning.

"Have I ever told you—" She gasps, her breath coming out in short pants. "—how hot it is when you say the word 'bacteria' during sex?"

His response is a muffled groan into her shoulder as her jerky movements become more frantic, chasing the climax that has been inevitable since the first touch of salt water on her bare skin.

It's an odd sensation, the languid warmth of the ocean surrounding them while a different, more intimate, kind of wetness grows between. She misses the feel of him inside her during a moment like this, but there is something strangely, captivatingly erotic about making love this way. Their bodies sliding together in a new sort of intimacy, his rigid heat captured between her velvety folds.

“Ethan, I—” Her voice catches and his fingers tighten on her bottom, holding her to him in a way that hits that exact spot she needs it to. "Ah—ah!" She feels her muscles clench as a wave of pleasure crests…then crashes down over her. She lets out a moan, throwing her head back, the movement lifting her half out the water. Her nipples hit the cooler night air as her breasts emerge from the sea, and the feel of it in contrast to her climax sends prickles of sensation across her skin.

Ethan ducks down, kissing between her breasts as his hips jerk and finally still. He lets out a long groan through clenched teeth and she feels a bloom of warmth between them as she holds his head tightly against her chest. She can feel her heart pounding and his heartbeats echo hers from where his chest is pressed, closer to her stomach.

They hold each other for a protracted beat, the only sounds the crashing waves and their ragged breaths.

"Would you consider that," she finally says, still slightly breathless, "acceptable for my pH balance?"

He snickers deeply into her skin as he wraps his arms around her tighter before releasing her slowly. She allows her body to dip back and float leisurely on the bobbing waves. Letting out a contented sigh, she looks up at the stars, her eyes catching on a streak of light separate from the rest.

"Look!" She sits up quickly and grabs Ethan's arm, pointing at the sky.

He looks up as well and they watch as two, three stars make a quick descent from their position, a trail of sparkles in their wake.

"I've never seen a shooting star," she breathes, mesmerized.

He doesn't reply, so after a minute she glances over at him. He's staring at her, a soft smile tilting the corners of his lips. She can't see his face that well, even in the bright glow of an almost-full moon, but she recognizes the gentleness in his expression, the curve of his cheek as the shadow of a dimple barely appears.

She loves him so much.

She loves him so much that her heart aches with it, like a balloon that's about to pop or a cup that's overflowing.

She loves him for all his flaws, for all his hubris, for the ways he tries to be so good, and for all the ways he fails.

Her eyes well up as she looks at him, the words yearning to tumble from her lips. To tell him that she's always on his side. That he's hers, no matter what. There's no one else and there never will be.

That this is it, for her.

Instead she smiles back at him, albeit a little tremulously, and she leans forward, pushing off with her feet as she wades back to the shore.

He follows her quietly and they dress quickly, clothes awkward and difficult to tug onto their still-wet bodies.

As she grabs her sandals and goes to walk, he grabs her hand to stop her and pulls her into his arms.

They stand there for a bit, quiet and still, and Brooke feels all the little moments that have brought them here swirling around them in a hopeful nostalgia; the promise of things to come, built on a foundation of what they've surpassed.

"Time to sleep?" She looks up at the rumbling sound of his voice, blinking her eyes tiredly without even having realized just how tired she was.

"Mmm," she agrees, pulling away. "Your room or mine?"

He looks askance at her and she groans good-naturedly. "Fine, we'll be good. But see if you last more than one night without me. Just see!" She pokes his shoulder and grins at him and he catches her hand and holds it tightly against his chest, over his heart.

"Meet me for coffee tomorrow morning?" He brings her hand up to his lips and presses a kiss to the palm. "Hawaii has the best—"

"Yes, yes, I know, you talked my ear off about it on the plane, I remember." She shakes her head. "You're so boring I literally don't know how I stand you."

He grins at her and shrugs good-naturedly as they begin the slow walk back to the resort. "I try not to tempt fate too often by asking that very same question."

"Probably for the best." She tilts her head onto him and he drapes his arm around her shoulders. They meander down the path, away from the ocean, in comfortable silence.

She knows, deep down, how he feels about her. And if the final show of her loyalty to him is for her to wait until he's ready to tell her, well, then—

She'll wait.

[george-fabian-weasley]

diving deep down — g.w.

Summary: Sometimes you just needed to know that you’re not alone in this world.

Words: 1,726 words

Warnings ⚠ : TW implied depression, TW mental health, TW drowning, mentions of lack of breath, TW implied suicide, Read At Your Own Risk, platonic!george, neutral!reader, mentions of crying, Angst, Happy ending (sort of), comfort!au

Disclaimer: I am sad for a few days now so here I am, writing yet another comfort fic. Please note that if you’re struggling and you need someone to talk to, my messages is always open for you. I love you all so much, you’re not alone. Comments andReblogs are appreciated, enjoy!

masterlist! | general taglist! | buy me a coffee!

It was a quiet night at the Astronomy Tower, most of the students had gone to sleep and there were very few prefects patrolling the school hallways.

You felt at peace.

There was just something about being alone on the Astronomy Tower that feels so... intimate. At this point, it had become a personal spot for you to just come and lay down on the floor, and stare up to the sky. Sometimes the sky would give you a show, a comet shower on rare days or a bright full moon on the other. And sometimes even the sky needs rest, yet still gifting you a night of clouds and rain, lullabying your thoughts to slumber.

Nothing to do up here actually, but that’s what you desired. To do nothing, to wait for nothing, to talk nothing, to be expected of nothing, to expect nothing. In the life of yours that is full of ups and downs like merciless tidal waves of the bottomless ocean crashing upon your small wooden ship, doing absolutely nothing is the spine that holds your sanity in a piece.

In peace.

None of your friends knew about this spot of yours when you're stressed or disheveled, or simply need some time alone. But you're quite fond of it; the thought of them not knowing. Don't get me wrong, you absolutely adore your friends, but alone time is needed very badly for a while. To just be yourself and calm down without the bickering noises or the loud laughter or the constant jabs or the playful sneers.

What you didn't know, though, was one of your friends had kept his eye on you. Every week after dinner, you would always disappear right after dinner to Godric knows where. And George always wondered where you’ve had been.

"So this is where you disappear to every other night," George's voice startled you as you flinched slightly. "Bloody hell, Weasley..." You groaned as you massaged your chest, trying to ease your fast-beating heart from the shock.

"Sorry 'bout that," George muttered and cleared his throat, walking over to sit next to you. You watched him sit down and looked up to the tower's internal dome, "Wow, someone hasn't dusted that ceiling for a while."

You rolled your eyes at his quiet remark, you assumed he's talking to himself in the hushed tone he did. "So, what do you do here?" He asked you, turning to you curiously.

“Nothing.”

He raised an eyebrow, “Nothing like... literally or figuratively?” You sighed quietly, “Literally nothing. I just like to lay down here, stare up to the ceiling or the skies, and take a break from everything,” You briefly explained.

You laid down on your back, hands on the back of your head as you stare up to the dark sky. You saw from the corner of your eyes that he followed you suit, laying down beside you with his arms as his headrest. You glanced at him, he was looking up to the sky with a blank expression, causing you to furrow your eyebrows.

You had expected him to say ‘How boring’ or any other sassy remark, but George just stayed silent, being by your side without any other word. And when he did speak, all he said was:

“Do you mind if I join you any other time?”

You pursed your lips at his ask of permission. As much as you would like to have company, the Astronomy Tower has become your safe space for a long while. Suddenly sharing it with someone else, and whisk away the peacefulness and serenity, you only fear for the tidal waves to grow bigger by time; before swallowing you whole like a beast it is created to become.

“I... I don’t know, George. I like it when it’s just me up here,” You answered honestly, sighing heavily, “Let’s just say that this spot is my safe space, and by sharing my safe space with someone, I might lose my mind.”

“I-I don’t expect you to understand so I don’t care if—” “I do understand, so don’t sweat about it.” “... What?” George turned to you with a smile, “I understand, Y/N. You don’t need to explain it to me, I get it,” He said gently, before turning his head back to the sky.

“Sometimes... A safe space is all you need to escape for a while; to make sure that you won’t run away for good.”

You looked at him with narrowed eyes, “Do-do you...” You trailed off, not wanting to say what it was in your mind. It’s impossible, George has everything he wanted in his life, fame, a loving family, loyal friends, great pranks. His life is incredible.

But with only a somber look he sent your way, you figured that you might be wrong.

“George...” You trailed off, not knowing what else to say. He uncomfortably chuckled, “You know, sometimes I think to myself, why do I feel like this? When I have an amazing family, a supportive twin brother, great friends, and incredible pranks to accomplish. But what I learned over the past few years...” He paused, licking his lips slowly.

“... is that the monster chooses randomly. It chooses without criteria, without any care of the good things in your life. If it chooses you, then so be it.”

You wish to say you don’t know what he’s talking about. But you do, oh you do very well. 

“... You could be having a wonderful time with your friends, and when it touches you, everything vanishes and all you could think of are the bad thoughts,” You spoke quietly. George turned to you, huffing a sad smile at the mere thought of you understanding him. 

So you’re like him.

“Yeah, what an arsehole,” George tried to joke to lighten up the mood, but the smile on his lips didn’t really last long. “... I don’t even know why it chooses me. Out of all people in the world, it chooses me to be the host of these-these crumbling thoughts...” You continued, eyebrows furrowing at the frustration brewing inside of you.

“And they stayed,” George muttered. You sighed, “For a while, too.” George huffed a cynical smile, “It’s giving us such a cruel game to play. Winning or losing, but at what cost?” You blinked slowly, feeling your heart ache heavily at the thought of your friend suffering as much as you do, or even more than you thought.

“... Everything.”

“Truth to be told...” You trailed off, gulping at the nerves you had to say this sudden confession to George. “I think I’m losing the game,” You whispered, wishing to God that he wouldn’t hear you so you won’t have to repeat yourself.

“Why would you feel that?” His soft voice didn’t do you any justice.

“At first, I found the feelings as silly, so I brushed them away,” You bit your lips, still debating whether you should tell him or not. Whether you should burden him with your feelings or not. “I kept getting these thoughts one by one and I thought I can endure it but it just,” You find your eyebrows furrowing at the lump of your throat growing bigger and bigger, “it keeps coming and coming and coming until I had to accept them all at some point at the same time and I just... I felt so out of breath,” The words coming out of your mouth were getting faster as time passed by as if if you don’t let them out in time, they’ll never come back out again.

The dams of your tears had broken down. Your chest was heaving up and down without rhythm and you felt your lungs constricting all the air you had.

“They’re- they’re choking me and I can’t breathe I- I feel like I’m drowning, I’m diving deep down in the ocean and-and I can’t swim and slowly and slowly and slowly I- I can’t see the light anymore and I- I’m losing the game, George! I’m losing the game-” Your voice had cracked and you were sobbing on the floor, the desperation in your voice was so painful for George to hear, he felt like your words had created a mirror; broken down into little pieces of sharp-edged glass. And each one of them had struck him straight into his heart.

But his hand gripped yours securely.

You looked down to the intertwined hands, and you looked up at him already staring at you, “You’re not losing the game, Y/N,” His voice; firm yet trembling, the glint in his eyes tells you that he’s saying this not only for you, but for himself as well, “You’re fighting it.”

“You’re fighting it, and you are so strong for doing so. The cruelest game to be created, and you’re fighting through it. You’re fighting, like the fighter you are,” George’s sudden words of encouragement caused you to feel your chest constricting. Your eyes suddenly feel heavy with teardrops, you felt heard. You felt needed. You felt supported.

So with tears still rolling down your cheeks, you squeezed George’s hands, “Like the fighters we are,” You voiced out, a small, quivering smile on your lips. George felt warmth in his insides, grateful to have an understanding and supportive friend like you. He nodded and cracked a wide grin; amidst all the tears rolling down and wetting the floor, “Like the fighters we are.”

You stared at his bloated eyes and red nose, smiling to yourself gratefully, “I don’t know how you do it,” You said honestly. “What? Staying alive? I’m scraping on the floor,” George deadpanned, causing you to laugh at the sudden brutal honesty.

George scoffed a curious smile at you, wiping away his tears, “Is my agony funny to you?” You couldn’t stop laughing so you only nodded, causing you to be shoved at the shoulder with a dramatic “Hey!”

It only caused you to laugh more, unfortunately for George.

He watched as you laughed at him, and without him knowing it, he was laughing with you. As the both of you calmed down, you smiled gratefully at him, your hand squeezing his again, “At least we’re not diving deep down in the ocean.”

“Well, this time,” George turned back to the sky, the first genuine smile on his lips of the night, “We’ll fight our best not to.”

TAGLIST:

@multifandom-but @sirenswhispers @lilac-skies-xd @obsessedunicorn24 @foggyturtleknightangel@evewithluv@softlyqoos @fandoms-pizza-wifi-ym13 @lilypad-55449 @fiantomartell @hopemalfoyweasley @just-here-to-escape-from-reality​ @bucketandpotato@klausdatprettyboi @adoregin @littlechillies @phuvioqhile @sweetnspicysimp @wand3ringr0s3 @harrypotter289 @emptyporsche @tallyovie @the-unmanaged-mischief @missmulti @gcdricreads ​ @moonvicake @amourtentiaa @lunalovecroft @loveboyhalo @lupinsclassroom @breadqueen95 @iwritesiriusly @weasleyclaw @sevsbitxh @freds-slut @acosmis-t @colorfulprofessornickelangel @vote4weasleys @anchoeritic@alluringshawn @cute-sidney@anna-banana-13 @lostaurorax @emrysts @rosietoesy @lilgeorgie78 @prismarts @an2402lths

[everyhowlmarksthedead]

big brother to the rescue.

BEN MILLER

TRIPLE FRONTIER. ┃ USEFUL LINKS.

❝ request by @meteora-fc: hello hello! hope you're doing well :) i was thinking about a ben miller fic where when they're in the bar towards the beginning the reader is there with her friends and the boys push benny to talk to her bc he's getting distracted from conversation by her across the place. thanks a ton 💖

❝ words: about 1.6k.

❝ a / n: if you'd like to read a second part, lemme know! don’t forget to comment and reblog if you liked it, i’d really appreciate it!

“C’mon, little brother. She’s been looking at you the whole night”. Will says palming his back, after catching him distracted for the third time.

“Go, before I do”. Frankie challenges him with a petty smile, knowing it’s going to be enough to force the boxer to take the step.

Taking a deep, deep breath, finding in that gesture the encouragement he needs, Benny goes straight to you, waiting for the bartender to serve you another beer.

At first, you don’t notice his presence, until the unknown guy stops by your side leaning too over the bar. You two cross your gazes, sharing a soft smile that makes your knees tremble. The blonde looks really good, but for some reason, you have the feeling that he could be an idiot, so when he throws at you one of those horrible pickup lines, you can’t help but roll your eyes.

“I’m gonna give you advice. Don’t hit a girl like that”. You just reply with a chuckle, referring to his words.

“I’m more into hitting men”.

For a second, where you were about to leave with your drink, you squint at him having a sip and trying to understand the meaning of his affirmation.

“I box, professionally”.

“Oh…” You nod your chin, puckering your lips, showing him that this fact doesn’t impress him at all. “Congrats. Good luck in your next fight”.

Not giving him the chance to continue the talk, you come back to your table under the attentive looks of your friends, who are laughing at the poor guy and the gesture on his face. His brothers, on the other hand, have slapped their faces whilst shaking their heads disappointed. As soon as Benny joins him, Santi slaps the back of his neck, causing him to choke in his beer.

“There must be something wrong with my eyes, ’cause I can’t take them off you? Really, Benny? Really?”

The guys are laughing when Pope repeats his sentence, as Will puts an arm over his shoulders. “You’re lucky to have me… Big brother to the rescue”.

Anna nudges you, making you turn on your stool to watch a second guy walking towards you, very secure of himself. The only thing you wanted tonight was to have fun with your friends and seems it’s not going to be an option. Crossing a leg over the other and nailing an elbow on the table, resting your chin on your palm, you force a smirk when he offers you a kind smile.

“Good nights, ladies, sorry to interrupt. William, a pleasure”.

The man holds your free hand without asking for it to stretch it. Firmly. Like only a soldier would do —as your father does. He turns for a second to his friends, laying his oceanic and hypnotic eyes on you with a charming and funny grimace on his face.

“Sorry ‘bout my brother, you know... too many punches”. He has captivated your friends, who are gasping for him and the honeyed tone he’s using, covered by a raspy voice. “He has watched you looking at him and he was nervous, but he’s not a bad guy. Just a little asshole. But he’s worth it, believe me”.

“Okay”. You reply slowly, raising an eyebrow earning your attention little by little.

“He has begged me to not come, but I think you’re too smart to not have a date with him”.

“Your brother was right, you didn’t have to come. And you’re wrong, more or less. I’m very smart, but having a date with him doesn’t seem a very intelligent idea”.

“Got it. But he’ll be waiting for you at seven in Kaleo’s, tomorrow night”. A negative it’s not an option to the soldier, showing you his perfect white teeth in a huge smile clapping his hands before leaving. “Good night, ladies. Have a good time”.

Since last night, you've been debating with your friends if you should go to the date just to prove both men were wrong. Lucy would call you crying if you text her in case the guy is another idiot.

The first test is to see if he'd wait for you, arriving thirty minutes later than the hour William told you. Your heart can't help but race a little when you find the blonde boxer sitting on the hood of a black Mustang, in front of the restaurant. Wearing a white t-shirt and black jeans, he has both legs crossed and his hands laced over his lap. Head bowed down and a sigh escaping his lips as he checks the clock on his wrist. Poor guy, he's thinking you are not going to come.

You send a picture of him to the chat group where your friends are asking you if he's still there and, in less than a second, you receive a bunch of heart emojis from all of them. Keeping your phone in a pocket, as you tuck in your hands too, you begin to walk towards him. Step by step. Taking your time with a soft smirk curving your lips as you come closer and closer. Watching him texting someone too, you roll your eyes, imagining it's to some random chick to hang out with, due you have stood him up. Until you're almost leaning above his shoulder and you see he's texting his brother —who is very interested in knowing if you're there or not. You melt as he replies: “amma wait another thirty minutes, maybe there's traffic”.

“You can say to your brother I'm here”. You whisper into his ear, taking him by surprise and causing the boxer to jump off from the hood.

“Oh, fuck. You scared the shit outta m— Where you readin' my phone?”

“Nah, I've some witch in me”. You lie terrible, feeling goosebumps on your arms when his gesture changes suddenly.

A grin like a Cheshire cat decorates his face, offering you his phone as he pressed the small microphone in the bottom right corner.

“Hey, big brother, I came. I hope you weren't wrong”.

“I'm Ben, by the way”. He introduces himself as keeping his phone in a pocket, to offer you his right hand.

“(Y/N)”. You stretch it then, feeling a little nervous at his touch.

“So, this is the plan. We have a beer, and if you think I'm a freak, you can run away before dinner. No questions, no explanations. You just… leave”.

God, that's really sweet. He's nervous too and you can see in his blue eyes how scared he is if you really decide to disappear.

“Deal”. You accept, tilting your head to the restaurant.

A couple of minutes later Ben is sitting in front of you and the first thing that captivates your attention is the fact that he doesn't put his phone on the table. Living in the technology era, everybody keeps an eye on their devices. Constantly. But he's not like everybody. He wants to talk. Know about you. What you do in your free time, what you do for a living, what unveils you at night… And you talk for hours.

Ben tells you what pushed him to be in the army, why he decided to dedicate his life to boxing and he also jokes about how you could fix him up after his fighting. Something like a plan of the future. Together. As friends —as he points out to not make you feel uncomfortable, thinking that he is forcing you to have a relationship. You also discover that your taste in music and movies are very similar, just like your hobbies. And that makes you think about the fact that William will tell you “I wasn't wrong”.

The boxer gladly takes you home, not stopping your chat even when one of the two of you doesn't know what to say, Benny has shown you in some way he enjoys too much the sound of your voice though —how it goes a little higher when you're excited about something, how your throat vibrates when you laugh. And he's falling in love with the disgusted tic that wrinkles your nose when you don't like something, in a funny gesture.

You would die for staying together a little more, but you have obligations to attend tomorrow and your friends haven't ceased sending your texts asking you how it's going. As Ben stops his car next to your house, you sigh not knowing what to do —if just say bye, thank you, ask for his number, kiss him? Yes, you'd like to kiss him right now, but what does it say about you? Should you wait until the second date?

“Got a fight tomorrow night if you're free”. His proposition pushes you back to reality, turning at him on your seat while resting a shoulder against it. “You can invite your friends, mine will be there”.

“Your brother too?” You ask giggling, noticing the change on his grimace to somewhat underwhelmed because of your interest.

“Yeah, he will come”. Ben mumbles pressing his lips after nodding briefly.

“Ugh… Is he the kind of person who has fun saying I told you?”

Ben's gesture suddenly changes again. The shine in his blue deep eyes reappears and you provoke him a strong laugh when you furrow your nose like he literally adores.

“You've had a good night then?”

“Yes”. You don't hesitate to respond, leaning towards him to press your lips on his cheek with a loud kiss.

“See? He told you”. Ben can't help but make fun of you, earning a soft punch to his shoulder that makes him laugh one more time. “It's in the Holou gym, at seven”.

“Okay, I'll not forget it”. You reply, taking your phone and setting an alarm an hour before starting to have time to get ready. “Good night, Ben”.

“Good night, (Y/N)”.

GENERAL TAG LIST: @mayans-sauce @peoniarose @destynelseclipsa @band-psycho @myakai13 @petlaufeyson @-im-fantastic- @horsesandwolvesaremyanimals @rocketqueen @rosieposie0624 @ellyseveronica @jessprins13 @diaryofkali @ravenmoore14 @starrynite7114 @kenbechillin @miahelen @monkeyluver4546 @sheeshgivemeabreak @jadesamhart @rawrlittlepanda-95 @megapeacelovemusic-blog @katsav17 @skits90s @wildsould1221

TRIPLE FRONTIER: @phoenixhalliwell @goldielocks2004 @pedritomando @spideysimpossiblegirl @im-an-adult-ish @chibsytelford

[poguesrforlife]

Polar Bear Wrestling | JJ Maybank

Hey, what’s up..it’s been a while! Second JJ fic I wrote even though I have an exam tomorrow but yolo am I right? Something like that (exactly that) happened to me last weekend with my friends and I just had to imagine what JJ would’ve done in this scenario. Enjoy! xx

Trigger warning: swearing, blood, angsty (kinda), fluff, and little bit smutty because I can’t help myself

Word count: ~ 2,220 words

You and JJ are just having fun in secret and everything seems smooth sailing until you get hurt at a party and JJ turns into protective™ mode!

You did not know who’s idea it was to throw a kegger in the middle of the week but at this point you were too drunk to care and quite happy about it. 

The chateau’s garden was crowded with people, mostly poques from your school, but also a few kooks and occasional tourons. Some song from the Cure was playing on the speakers and your gaze wandered over the string light adorned garden, drowning it in beautiful colours of the rainbow.

“C’mon Y/N we’re playing beer pong and I need you on my team!” Kie yelled from across the yard where they carried a table outside. 

You were quick to support your best friend, always down for a good drinking game. 

“Who are we playing against?” You scanned the garden looking out for a particular blond surfer dude.

JJ owed you a rematch after the last party where he beat you together with John B. You couldn’t deny that you maybe also just wanted to make sure that he wasn’t flirting with some random girl again. Ever since the two of you started hooking up in secret you started to get more than a little bothered by all the attention he got from other girls. You told yourself that no feelings were involved but sometimes you weren’t so sure.

“Sarah and John B,” Kie waved the couple over to take the other side of the table where she had professionally filled up the cups.

“Rock, paper scissors…winner starts,” John B announced and promptly won the match.

Kie and you sunk one ball after the other into the cups, although most of them unfortunately only hit the rim. Sarah was surprisingly good at the game and you had to down more than you expected. That didn’t really help your already intoxicated state.

Good for you and Kie however, you were even better at beer pong when you were drunk. And at this point you were too drunk to care about anything except winning this match. 

When John B’s ball went way over the table you picked it up and hit your head lightly on the table’s corner. It hurt a bit but you weren’t too bothered by it. You had to win that game and there were only two cups left on the opposing team’s side. 

You concentrated on the furthest cup and with a flick of your wrist the ball cleanly fell into the cup.

“And that’s how you do it!” You screamed and turned to an excitedly jumping Kiara to give her a high five.

However fell the happy expression from her face rather quickly after looking at you and was replaced with wide eyes and an open hanging mouth.

“Fuck! Y/N, you’re bleeding!” Kie exclaimed, already storming towards you and looking out for someone to help.

Your hand went up towards your forehead, where the dull ache was centered, and came away red. Good thing you weren’t one to faint at the sight of blood. 

“Shit,” You swore under your breath and made your way towards the bathroom inside the chateau. 

Kiara was hot on your heals, fussing over you and grabbing Pope on the way inside.

“What did you do?” He asked and immediately went towards the cabinet with the first aid kit. You were glad that you could always trust him to be the rational one. Because Kiara was close to hyperventilating at this point. 

“Kie, it’s gonna be okay. It doesn’t even hurt that bad,” You tried to calm her down while you grabbed some towel and tried to stop the bleeding. 

“It doesn’t look okay!” She pointed out her hands flying towards the reddening towel in your hands. 

“Baby, can you get Y/N some ice?” Pope distracted her while he was preparing some disinfectant.

Kie nodded vigorously, glad to be of service and hurried towards the kitchen.

You let out a relieved sigh and looked towards Pope thankfully, “Thank you. I love her, but sometimes she can be a bit…”

“Overbearing?” He finished for you and gave you a knowing smile. You laughed in agreement and went back to focusing on your little wound. 

“This is going to burn,” Pope warned before pulling the towel away and starting to clean the cut above your eye with a disinfected cotton pad. You hissed at the burning contact and would’ve rather pulled away but you knew it had to be done.

“Doesn’t look like you need any stitches,” Pope analysed as he took a closer look at the cut. At this point you were really glad that Pope invested so much time in his medical future. 

“It doesn't even hurt, I’ll be fine,” You agreed and looked at the towel that was quite red but the wound finally had stopped bleeding.

“I couldn’t find any ice but this will do,” Kiara showed up with a frozen beer can in her hand that had a kitchen towel around it. 

“I’m not gonna walk around all night with a beer can pressed to my head,” You argued and made your way out of the bathroom. You were here to enjoy yourself and this little incident wasn’t going to stop you from doing so.

“If you don’t cool it, you’ll have a black eye tomorrow,” Pope warned but it was clear that you wouldn’t listen to him. He knew his friends pretty well and when it came to you and JJ every rational thought went out the window. The two of you were perfect for each other but also the most trouble anybody could cause. 

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” You scoffed and picked up one of JJ’s snapbacks that was lying around the kitchen. You loved wearing his hats to get a reaction out of him, mostly that reaction him being annoyed with you for stealing yet another cap.

“See, you don’t even see the bruise like that.” You showed off your new look but Kiara and Pope just rolled their eyes at your carelessness. You grabbed the beer out of Kiara’s hand and opened it instead of holding it against your head.

“Well if you’re not going to listen anyways we might as well win the game,” Kiara threw in and pulled you back outside with a slight smile. 

And you did win graciously as ever, as drunk as ever. 

You were about to get another cold beer inside the empty kitchen when you felt a pair of arms around your waist. 

“I’ve been looking for you all night.” A familiar voice whispered in your ear and you melted against his chest.

“Should’ve looked better,” You mumbled and turned around to be met with JJ’s sky-blue red-rimmed eyes from the weed and alcohol. 

He gave you a sloppy grin and his hands wandered over your backside pulling you closer to him. If it weren’t for all the people and your friends outside who could catch you, you would have fucked him right there and then.

“You look good with my hat,” He stated cheekily and leaned in to give you a peck on the lips, “but I’ll take that back now.”

“JJ, no-“ You tried to stop him, remembering the cut above your eye but it was too late, the hat was off. 

You knew how protective JJ was about his friends but after the two of you started sneaking around it was even more intense than before. You were quite scared about his reaction.

He looked shocked at the cut just below your eyebrow and the already forming bruise there. His jaw clenched when he took a step back from you.

“Who the fuck did this, Y/N?” He seethed and was already making his way towards the door to beat up whoever dared to touch you. You on the other hand hadn’t even thought about JJ assuming that someone hit you.

“What?” You were too confused to move at first but then your reflexes kicked in. “JJ wait!”

You grabbed for his arm but he yanked it away, one foot already out the door. He was furious and you’d never seen him like that before. You tried another time to stop him, yelling his name repeatedly and succeeded with a strong hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t you try and tell me to not get in trouble, Y/N! I don't give a fuck right now. When somebody hurts you, do you really expect me to just stand by and do nothing?” He yelled at you and you could see the desperation in his face as his shaking hands raked through his blonde hair.

“JJ, no one touched me,” You explained in a low voice to calm him down. Some people were staring in your direction. You grabbed his hands in yours, making soothing circles with your thumbs, and led him back inside. “It was an accident, J. I was just drunk and a bit clumsy.”

JJ looked at you with scrunched eyebrows, like he was not really believing you, but you felt his hands relax slowly in your grip.

“What?” He breathed out and let his eyes wander over your left eye repeatedly.

“I tried to pick up a ball while playing beer pong and hit my head,” You told him and sat down on the kitchen table, pulling JJ between your legs. 

“Oh.” JJ’s gaze dropped ashamed at your interlinked hands before he mumbled a “I’m sorry.”

You lifted his chin with one hand and giggled at his pouty expression. “It’s okay Jbae.”

“I don’t know I just assumed…” He stopped mid-sentence to take a deep breath and his hands caressed the wound above your eye carefully.

“You have to be more careful,” He lectured you and pecked the cut slightly.

Butterflies rose in the pit of your stomach at the touch of his lips on your skin. This side of JJ was so new to you. He had always been protective but he had never been this sweet and caring afterwards. You really enjoyed having him all to yourself in these moments.

“And you have to control your temper,” You reminded him and saw the guilty grin on his face immediately.

“Yeah… the combination of both of our flaws together will probably only cause trouble,” He laughed and placed his hands on either side of your body as he leaned in.

“You love my clumsiness,” You argued and locked your arms around his neck. This close you could smell his undeniable JJ scent: cigarettes, weed, the ocean and freshly cut grass. It was intoxicating.

“I do,” He agreed softly and placed a kiss on your jaw which made you gasp lightly. “But let’s just say that you wrestled with a…uhm…what are they called again? Snow-bear?”

You giggled as he struggled for the word while peppering your jaw and neck with kisses. You guessed the adrenaline rush had stopped and the both of you were back to being just a little bit too drunk. 

“A polar bear?” You guessed and looked at his crystal blue eyes for a second.

“Yes!” He exclaimed excitedly, like a little child. “You wrestled with a polar bear and he jabbed at your eye but the bear obviously looks much worse.”

“Obviously!” You nodded and smiled at him. “So…polar bears in Outer Banks?”

“Oh shut up!” He complained and before you could retort anything his lips crashed onto yours.

You pushed into him as your lips moved against his. The kiss was fiery and you gasped slightly as JJ bit your lower lip. You couldn’t contain the moan that escaped you when his tongue entered your mouth. Your hands grabbed strands of his blonde waves while his grabbed your hips and pulled you closer to the edge of the table. 

“Fuck Y/N!” He groaned as his groin met with the spot between your thighs and attached his mouth to your jaw once again. 

You threw your head back at the feeling and swore under your breath. But when you heard John B screaming from outside you were brought back to reality.

“Fuck JJ,” You pushed him away slightly and he whimpered at the loss of contact. “Not here, not now Jbae,” You reminded him, your hands framing his disappointed face. 

“I hate that fucking rule,” JJ mumbled but brought some distance between you anyways. 

You hated the rule as well, but you knew it was made for a reason. No pogue-on-pogue-macking or you would risk the entire friend group. Even though everybody seemed to have broken it anyways.

“C’mon, let’s get back to the party,” You smiled at him and slipped your hand into his.

“Fine, but I’m not leaving your clumsy side.” He placed his hat back on your head with a smirk and pushed it down a little bit so the bruise wouldn’t be obvious to everybody. 

“Fine by me,” You grinned and gave him a peck on the cheek. “And maybe later we can continue where we left off..”

At the sound of this JJ’s smirk turned into a thousand watt smile as he followed you outside, grabbing your hand a bit tighter. You couldn’t help the warmth that spread through your whole body as you looked at his gorgeous face and thought about his sweet protective side and what might happen later this evening. This boy would be the death of you.

[brattyfics]

drunk dialing | writer wednesday

Pairing: Angel Reyes x Black!OFC

Summary: Angel's ex-girlfriend gives him a call one night when she has too much to drink.

Tags: Angst, Toxic!Angel, Unresolved Feelings, Alcohol Consumption.

Word Count: 1.5k

1:16.

“She doesn’t need anymore.”

The words barely register over the hustle and bustle of the packed sports bar. Basketball reruns play on the television, old school r&b blaring over the loudspeakers. The bartender takes one look at Summer and the way her frame is slumped over just slightly, the way her dark brown eyes have glazed over, and nods his agreement. From their places on barstools, her friends thank him, not-so-subtly sneaking glances at Summer from the corners of their eyes. She can’t bring herself to care. They don’t understand. She’s drowning in the liquor but also an ocean of misery. The waves steadily pull her down further at each turn.

No one understands, so she takes special care to savor the dark amber liquid as it burns her from the inside out.

2:29.

Last call in the state of California is 1:30 am for any establishment that sells alcohol. Businesses like the bar that so graciously hosts Summer and her friends can stay open later, and they usually do. Most patrons abide by state law, using the time to sober up by stuffing themselves with greasy foods-- pizza, fries, chicken wings. Instead of drinking, they make plans to come back and meet up with the strangers they have become fast friends with or say goodbye to their college buddies in town for the weekend.

If You Think You’re Lonely Now plays as patrons began to shuffle out. Summer hums along.

If you think you’re lonely now, huh

Wait until tonight, girl (If you think you’re lonely now)

I’ll be long gone (You just wait until tonight girl)

And you’ll never find another man that’ll treat ya’ right

And then there are the lonely.

The ones at the bar every evening without fail, using it as home in place of the one they lack. They slide the servers bribes, crisp and crumpled twenty dollar bills across the bar top. She watches with tired eyes as they slide shot glasses back in exchange. Summer thinks she would try her luck if it weren’t for the mother hens watching over her with careful eyes. Her friends-- Aliyah, Jasmine, and Nia already think she’s a ticking time bomb. The last thing she needs to do is give them the ammunition they need to call her an alcoholic.

3:34.

It takes a while for the bar to clear out. Nia has to use the bathroom at the last minute, complaining about it being filthy when she returns. Jasmine mutters an obviously while Summer pitifully sips the last remnants of her drink. The melted ice cubes ruin it, she can’t taste the bourbon at all, but every little drop counts, right?

Summer refuses the hand offered to her by Aliyah as they stumble out into the parking lot. Aliyah hovers with her arms poised to catch her just in case. Nia absentmindedly plays a card game on her phone behind them, and Jasmine heads up the group, her keys noisily jingling as she swings them back and forth. She’s the designated driver and the only one sober enough to drive.

It’s a typical summer night in California, dry but cold and windy, so they quicken their pace. With every step, Bobby Womack’s crooning is stuck on replay in Summer’s mind. The lyrics resonate with her…

When it’s cold outside who are you holding?

...and she’s about to voice her thoughts when she sees it.

“Is that a phone booth?!” The words come out more hysterical than probably they should. Sure, it’s been like ten years since she’s seen one in person, and she didn’t know they still existed, so she’s a little excited and a lot drunk, but it’s just a phone booth. One that’s narrow and brightly lit in the midnight blue of the night. Aliyah, who forgot her glasses at home, squints at the white blob until she can make out its shape.

“I think it is.” She sounds a little mystified herself, and that’s all the encouragement Summer needs in her state. One minute she’s cheesing wide, and the next, she’s sprinting across the street towards the phone booth, giggling and tugging her short dress down the whole way.

The girls yell after her, but she tunes them out, snatching the ice cold phone off the hook. She’s even more enamored when she pulls the heavy metal to her ear and hears the dial tone.

It works!

High heels click loudly behind her. Summer turns just in time to see the girls come to a stop behind her, out of breath and unamused. Jasmine leans over and rests her forearms on her knees. “What the hell?” She hisses, glaring daggers at her friend. Summer ignores her, punching the chunky silver buttons like she’s in a trance. Even inebriated, she knows them by heart. One number after the other, she dials the one person she knows she shouldn’t.

Angel Reyes.

She vaguely registers her friends telling her to put the phone down. She knows that she’s making a mistake, but the armor she wears to protect herself from the world is too heavy. She strips it away, her inhibitions lowered. All she wants is him.

Ring...

“She’s been drinking. We should do something.” Sweet Aliyah is always the voice of reason. Nia sounds bored and over the situation. “This is so dumb.” Jasmine tugs on her arm. “Come on. You’re drunk.”

Ring…

“There’s no harm in a phone call, right?” Aliyah says, but her voice is shaky. She’s wrong, and they all know it.

Ri--

“Hello?” The reception is shitty, and the volume in the earpiece low, but with one word, Summer’s hooked all over again. She doesn’t say anything for several moments, the sound of her harsh breathing the only thing that transmits. There’s a long, tense moment where Summer tries to convince herself to hang up, but then Angel says, “Baby, is this you?” She hates the sob she releases into the phone from the simple words. She draws her bottom lip into her mouth to quiet the sound. Her girlfriends freeze, unsure of what to do.

“Y-yeah, it’s me.”

“You been drinking, mami?”

“Maybe.” Summer sways, and Aliyah is there, using her arm to prop her best friend up. It’s a silent act of support, a reminder that Angel isn’t and shouldn’t be the center of her universe. She has supportive friends, a loving family. She doesn’t need him.

“Where you at? I’ll come get you.” She doesn’t need him, but she’s tempted to tell him to meet her back at Jasmine’s place. It’s only a ten-minute ride from his place, five minutes if he speeds the way she knows he does.

Speeds the way he did when she caught him at Vicki’s with Adelita. He had been acting shady for months, whispering on the phone, keeping odd hours. She had felt like a crazy woman when she put the tracker on his bike, but her intuition was validated when she saw his location. She followed him, expecting to find him with one of Vicki’s girls. Instead, she found him there with Adelita and her protruding belly, rubbing it with his large, ringed hands like a doting father. Like they were some happy fucking family.

Summer had nearly lost her mind, knocking over furniture, breaking bottles from behind the bar. Luckily for them, EZ caught her wrist and restrained her. The sight of Angel shielding that woman, protecting her when he hadn’t protected her feelings, was ingrained in her mind. Realizing that all the men she regarded highly and looked up to as older brothers and uncles had been lying, and helping Angel hide his cheating, was something she would never forget.

Being betrayed like that should have been enough to make her stop loving him, but... it just wasn’t. Summer often found herself wondering what was wrong with her. Why did she pine after a man that hurt her so badly? Sure, Angel’s handsome, and funny, and sweet, and really, really good in bed, but he’s not good. Not for Summer.

She sniffles into the phone, “I don’t want you to. I don’t want you.” She tries to will the words to be true, but the tears gliding down her face tell a different story.

“Why call me then?”

“Too much liquor.”

He snorts out a laugh but then pauses as if considering something. “Yeah, me too.” Summer swears she can make out the sound of Gilly shouting something in the background, but maybe she’s so drunk that she’s imagining things. Maybe she’s making it all up in her head because she longs for their relationship back. She always finds herself back at square one when it comes to Angel, wishing things could go back to how they were, that she could erase all the bad and keep all the good.

You see the night's the time when the needs come out

When your needs come out to breathe

And the jonesing starts and there ain't no way you can sleep, ooh

“You hurt me.” Summer doesn’t bother to hide her bitterness. She knows Angel won’t acknowledge the words because the only pain he can recognize is his own.

“Summer, why are you calling?” His voice has an edge to it this time. He’s daring her to make a decision, pick a side. Either she wants to be with him, or she doesn’t. His gruff tone, the callousness with which he says the words should make her want to turn away from him.

Instead, it makes her heart lurch.

She feels desperate to hold onto him, so she says, “'Cause I-I...I love you.”

Notes: The prompt is from @autumnleaves1991-blog Weekly Writing Challenge. Summer Walker - Drunk Dialing...LODT & Bobby Womack - If You Think You’re Lonely Now inspired this fic. Let's all pretend you don't have to pay to use a pay phone lol. Do you like to see moodboards/covers for fics? Please let me know. Hope you all enjoy!

General Taglist:

@woahitslucyylu @briannab1234 @sheeshgivemeabreak @breakingnewsin-no-oneasked @angelreyesgirl @blessedboo @glimmerglittergirl @apantherinmypastlife @brownsugarcoffy @marvelmaree @starrynite7114 @scuzmunkie @thewarriorprincessxo @sadeyesgf @pearlkitten33 @imanerdychubbyqueen @literaturefeen @ourlittlesecretsoveragain @everyhowlmarksthedead @yourwonkywriter @trulysuccubus @sparklemichele @luckyharley1903

Angel Reyes:

@claytoncardenasbabymama @adaydreamaway08

[rixxy8173571m3w1p3]

Sweater Weather

I enjoy the headcanon of Doofus Rick having a variety of sweaters. And after looking at stock photos, I was inspired to write this fic. Hope you guys like it.

In this fic Ricks sweater causes some conflict.

____________

In the great vastness of space, one could learn the true meaning of loneliness. For miles upon miles, floating upon nothing, you could say it was like sailing across the sea. Yet, unlike the salt or crashing waves of the ocean, you two would navigate across star systems or avoid asteroid fields, while at the same time enjoy the peace which comes from being somewhere uncongested. However, as fascinating as it was to go on intergalactic, space adventures, one of the things you didn't enjoy was the extreme temperature changes; most of the time, you'd stay in the ship or stay home if a planet's climate was too cold for your taste, but on this occasion, Rick needed an extra pair of hands when you two stopped on Mars after spending most of the day at the Jerryboree.

After Zeta-7 had traded a few items of his own to obtain what he came for at a reduced price, you two ran as fast as you could back towards the ship, but by the time the ship was out of the Martian orbit, you were chilled to the bone. Rubbing your arms, you shivered. "I wonder if I'll ever get used to this."

Your breath came out like a cloud of smoke and the cold that had seemed mild at first had numbed your face and extremities. Rick turned up the heat, as well as turned on the seat warmers and offered you a freeze-dried Phytonian branch worm, but you passed on the offer. You knew it would have warned you up straight away, but the last time you tried one of those things, you had a stomach ache for three days. Concerned, he placed the ship on autopilot and did his best to search around in the back seat for anything you could use to warm up, but then as though it struck him on the head he groaned. "Darn it, I-I forgot that I removed the spare blanket to wash it."

"Where is it now?"

"I-I left it in the dryer."

You thought of telling him that it wasn't his fault he forgot it since you had distracted him this morning with a video about ninja cats, but it wouldn't have helped the situation. "Ricky," you tried to ease him with a weak smile but your teeth chattered. "it's not a big deal. Besides, we're not that far from home."

However, he wasn't convinced. You weren't as experienced when it came to space travel, but you knew well enough of the possible dangers associated with extreme body temperature shifts. The chill you had spread deep into your bones until you thought you'd rattle if shaken; a lick of fear traveling down your spine but otherwise you didn't feel too bad. Nonetheless, Rick was concerned for your well-being, and knowing you two were hundreds of thousands of miles away from your dimension's version of Earth, he made a decisive decision and started removing articles of his own clothing. "Whoa, what are you doing?"

With a blush, he handed you not only his knitted Jerry sweater but also his labcoat; leaving him in a thin t-shirt which had a snoopy patch on the right shoulder; how cute. "I hope it'll s-suffice until we get home."

"But what about you? What are you going to wear?"

Flashing you a stern look which left little room for argument, you slipped on his sweater and lab coat, and was delighted to feel a little more like yourself and relaxed by its scent; it was his essence; that of vanilla, of his home, and something you couldn't quite think of; chemicals perhaps. "Hmm, your clothes are a lot more comfortable than I expected them to be. How um…..how do I look?"

Turning down the lights and switching back to manual, he nodded. "It suits you m-mi corazón."

You admired its softness and passed your hand over the tight, twisted knit. It was a lovely shade of light sage green, and had a picture of a smiling Jerry holding a titanic ship model; you thought it was sweet that it was a picture of his friend. So many things this man-made or owned had a purpose or a story; this piece was most likely made to brighten up the day that the Jerrys in his care were having. Your Rick really was a good man; better yet because he saw the value in regular folk who probably didn't see it in themselves. "I like your clothes, Rick," you commented; your heart warmed by his goodness. "they seem to carry bits of you in them."

"Th-that could be said about any piece of clothing that's been worn. They carry bits of our DNA." he stated matter of factly.

"Eh….that's... I mean I get that, but that's not where I was going with this. I meant that they're soft and warm like you Ricky. You enjoy dressing comfortably, don't you? You own a variety of sweaters."

"Wh-who doesn't? I've sort of been dressing th-the same way for the last twenty or so years but when I met you, I had more opportunities to dress up. However, the older I get, the more often I'm in need of something a-a bit warmer and gentler on my skin. Actually, some of my clothes are locked to my particular genetic signature so that they'll or adjust according to the weather or climate. That way, I'll have less t-to carry on certain excursions."

"Incredible, that'll certainly come in handy, but can I ask you something?"

"Y-yes?"

"I know you're focused on driving," you started, wondering if your assumptions were correct. "but is there a reason why you haven't looked me in the eyes since we left Mars, or am I just thinking too much?"

He visibly stiffened, but he still didn't face you. Rick seemed troubled, for he tightened his grip on the wheel. Maybe this hadn't been the best time to ask, but what else could you have done? If you didn't ask, how else would you have known? Still, if you had waited, you would've noticed the red light blinking on the control panel sooner. It was a caution light, but you weren't so concerned, but you should've been.

Rick had opened his mouth to answer, with a faraway look in his eyes, but in the blink of an eye he made a sharp left turn around some space junk; jostling you two as well as the cargo. That was another thing you hated about space was Earth's contribution to its pollution. Unknowingly, you two had deviated from the usual course by a few miles, leading you two into a dangerous situation. Whether it was the fault of his navigation equipment or his lack of focus you didn't know, but it took a couple of minutes of evading space junk before you two could breathe a sigh of relief. And at the first opportunity, he switched the ship back to autopilot. "I'm s-sorry about that. I'm usually a better driver." he started, scratching the back of his neck as he glanced out the window in search of an answer in the emptiness of space. You couldn't see anything except for a few stars and the Earth straight ahead, but you had a feeling that where he was looking was somewhere you couldn't see. When he was ready, he turned around in his seat to glance at you, but then quickly turned back to face the steering wheel. How odd. "T-t-to answer your question," he stammered. "y-you're not thinking too much. I've just been distracted."

"Oh, okay."

"Are y-you alright? Nothing hurts does it?"

"I mean, other than feeling wide awake now, no harm was done I guess, but what happened? It isn't like you to let your mind wander while we're out here. Rick, would you like me to take over the wheel so you can straighten out your thoughts?"

"No, it's not - I can do it. I got this."

"Are you sure?"

"Mhm, as long as I-I focus on the wheel."

He hadn't really answered your original question, but since you guys nearly avoided death, it probably wasn't a good time.

________

He parked the ship in his garage, and since it wasn't that late, you two walked over to your home. Rick hadn't said much since earlier, but you figured he'd let you know what was bothering him later. As soon as you crossed the threshold of your home, you started a pot of coffee for Rick to drink when it was ready. Then, you got a blanket from the closet and offered it to him just in case he was cold, but he didn't care for one. He was still in a mood, and you wondered if the reason you'd upset him was that you were still wearing his sweater. "You probably want this back right?"

Slipping out of his sweater and labcoat, you felt the temperature difference immediately and took up the blanket you had taken out and wrapped it around yourself. "Thanks for letting me borrow them. I'll be sure to pack something with me next time."

"I'm n-not sure if that's such a-a good idea." he said with seriousness.

"What do you mean?"

The lines around his eyes deepened, as well as the creases of his forehead, and there was a pensive cloudiness of his usually electric blues. Frustrated, he bit down on his lip almost hard enough to make it bleed. "B-because it's distracting."

"What?"

He continued. "I-I should've brought you home first or gotten the parts a different time."

"But I thought you wanted help." you sniffled.

"Y-you don't understand."

"What's there to understand?" you retorted; sinking into the couch as tears stung the back of your eyes, and threatened to come out. "You...you don't want me to help you anymore? I thought we were a team."

Your saddened state shifted his sour mood, and he apologized. "Gosh, please don't cry mi corazón, I-I didn't mean it."

"But you sai-"

"I'm not upset at you," he reassured you. "I'm disappointed in myself for allowing this to happen. I've become complacent and I-I should've been prepared. You could've gotten sick, hurt, or worse just because I got distracted. Next time I'll bring you your own sweater and snacks or whatever you want."

"Is it because you don't want me wearing yours? Did I ruin it or something?"

"No, it's because," he swallowed, unsure how to broach the subject. "cuando lo usas, es… es apretado."

What? You understood the part where he said you used it, but not the rest. Pulling out your phone from your pocket, you asked Google what all of that just meant, but the answer you got didn't help. "Rick, should I be offended?"

"I-I hope not. I promise it's not what you're thinking."

"Then what is it? I'm not getting any clear answers here."

"I um - I'm sorry if I offended you. It's not what I intended to do. I know what I'm about t-to tell you sounds silly since I had hoped I'd outgrow this, but I still feel shy around you."

This much you did know. He was overly conscious of himself, his actions, and how he might disappoint or be lacking, but most of all was hateful of his own inadequacies. Yet, for where he found fault, you found virtue and you would remind him of that, but in this case, you simply needed to listen. "That's okay, I already knew that."

"I don't feel like that all the time, but today I got embarrassed all of a sudden. I-I don't know what happened. Y-you were wearing my clothes and I saw your silhouette in the starlight and I got nervous."

Huh? That's what was bothering him?

"Why?"

"It um - it made me wonder what it'd be like if we lived together and…oh, it's embarrassing."

The hand which he had resting on the couch gripped the fabric tightly, and he was mortified because he had been distracted by you; which under normal circumstances he'd be able to remain calm. Covering his hand with yours, you gave him a squeeze."No, I would like to hear what you were thinking about very much."

Lacing his fingers with yours, you two sat there for a matter of minutes as he gathered his thoughts together. When he calmed a little, he confessed. "I thought about what it'd be like t-to wake up right next t-to you and not be alone anymore. I-I think about it a lot."

"Oh." That hadn't been what you expected. However, was it really so strange? He had intended to propose months ago, but ever since the moment had been spoiled he hadn't attempted to try again; if it had gone well, you two might've been married by now. Though, who was to say he didn't dream of it? Of what he'd always wanted, of a family or of the life in which he needed? Perhaps gentle encouragement wouldn't hurt.

"You know," you responded with a serious, but gentle candor. "you're not the only one who thinks about us living together. I'm very happy here and I love what we do together. And although we've had times where we respected one another's space, I don't mind if that changes. However, there are things that aren't so simple. For example, if I would've known that I could borrow your clothes whenever I liked I would've done so more often. Though, only if you hadn't been concerned about me getting accidentally poisoned by chemicals or radiation. Remember that time you literally fought with the laundry?"

"I do remember," he answered wistfully. "it's what prompted me t-to teach you how to use the freeze ray and laser gun correctly."

"I think the longer we're together, the more our lives will intertwine. Meaning, the more we move forward, the more training I'm going to need to fit into this lifestyle of ours. I think I'm going to need a portable scanner that'll allow me to check your clothes before I think of putting them on."

With serious, but tender eyes, he studied you. Then, he picked up his sweater which sat between you two and wondered. "Y-you want to wear my clothes? A great deal of them have seen better days. Are y-you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure," you brightened. "because I love the way your clothes smell. If you were away, it'd make me think of you and it...I don't know, makes us seem more domestic. Is that along the lines of what you were thinking?"

"Y-yeah."

"Cool. Glad to know we're on the same page."

Relieved, he pressed a kiss to your temple and seemed ready for that cup of coffee. And as you stood, ready to head to the kitchen to prepare it for him, you mentioned. "And by the way, I gotta tell you something important."

"Gee, what is that?"

Striking a pose, you made him chuckle; that was a good sign. "That it's totally cool to be into me and check me out. I don't mind, and it makes me happy that I know what it takes to catch your eye. However, there's an exception: when we're driving around in space, where anything could kill us, we gotta keep our eyes on the space around us unless on autopilot. Only then," you winked. "might it be okay to be a little distracted."

Fin

[katlyn1948]

Regrets and Mistakes, They Are Memories Made: Chapter 2: Don't Forget Me, I Beg

Summary:

Arya and Gendry see each other after five years and have a lengthy conversation

Notes:

So, I am not going to lie, I don't think this story is as good as some of my others, but I still wanted to write it. I am not going to lie, it is dialogue heavy and it is really choppy. I wish I had time to refine it, but I don't considering I am on my 12th work day straight and I also work this weekend as well. My brain is mush and I am not fully here mentally or physically. There is going to be one more part to this then I am finishing up this little short fic. I don't know when AUJ will be updated, maybe next weekend if my body isn't dead. By the time next weekend roll around I would have worked 18 days straight...at my job...in the same building...that I basically live at more than my own house...so yeah...enjoy my obviosuly crappy writing and I am hoping I am myself come the next few weeks.

Chapter Text

Arya waited, rather impatiently, for the door to open. The anticipation was eating at her. The nerves were bubbling in her stomach and with each passing minute, the feeling only got worse. She stood at his front door for nearly three minutes before it finally swung open. She was expecting to see his large figure tower over her, not a tiny little lady in a maids uniform.

“May I help you?” She asked Arya. Her tone was sweet and questioning.

“I hope so. I’m here to see Mr. Waters. I do have the right address?” Arya sneaked a glance at the crumpled piece of paper in her hand. Sansa has scribble his address in a haste and Arya wasn’t completely certain if the nine was actually and eight.

“Yes, this is the right address. Is Mr. Waters expecting you?” She questioned.

Arya shook her head, “No ma’am, he isn’t. I’m an old friend and I was hoping to see him.”

The old maid looked Arya up and down, a slight scowl forming on her face, “Follow me. You can wait in the parlor while I fetch Mr. Waters.”

The maid led Arya to the parlor room. It was small compared to the parlor in Winterfell, but was still adorned with intricate tapestries and paintings. There was a billiards table nestled in the corner of the room, while two loveseat couches splayed along the fireplace. A bookshelf covered the whole sidewall. It was filled with books that Arya had already read, with a few that she hadn’t heard of before.

“Please, sit. And what is your name?” The maid asked as she lightly pushed Arya into one of the loveseats.

“It’s Arya Stark. I’ve known Gendry…I mean Mr. Waters for quite some time.” She assured her.

The maid gave a curt nod and shuffled out of the parlor, closing the large doors behind her.

Arya began twiddling her fingers; something she did when she got nervous. It was the waiting that had her in a tizzy and as the minutes ticked by her heart rate would elevate. She kept thinking of all the worse possible scenarios that could happen with their upcoming (unplanned) meeting. How would he treat her? Will he be angry? Or will he brood, like her brother Jon? The more she thought about the situation, the more she wanted to up and run out the door.

As she waited for her best friend, she took it upon herself to wonder around the parlor. It was spacious and could be used as an alternative bedroom, if need be. The pictures on the wall were no doubt that of Gendry’s ancestors. Hundreds of years of Baratheons adorned the walls, all detailing some battle or conquest. Aside from the ancient paintings, there were plenty of photographs along the mantle of the fireplace. Some were black and white, while others displayed colors.

Arya looked through every single one, each photo becoming more recent than the next. It wasn’t until she reached the last three photos that her breath caught in her throat and tears welled in her eyes.

They were wedding pictures. Gendry’s wedding pictures. He was standing with his arm around the waist of a woman Arya did not recognize. Her hair was a red as blood and the smile on her face did not seem genuine. Gendry looked happy enough, although Arya noticed the lack of twinkle in his eyes.

She leaned closer to examine the photo thoroughly when her eyes caught the date on the bottom left corner. He married three years ago.

Arya picked up the photo from the mantle, unable to take her eye of the man in the tuxedo. She was so immersed in what she was looking at that she hadn’t heard the throat clear from behind her.

With a slight jump, she placed the photo back on the mantle and turned to see the ocean blue eyes she had been longing to see.

“Uh…hi.” Arya whispered.

“Arya.” Gendry said, his tone flat.

“Uh…I heard you were married now. Found a girl, did you?” Arya nervously laughed.

“What are you doing here, Arya?” Gendry asked as he crossed the parlor to the small bar seated beside the billiards table. He pulled a copper looking liquid out of the liquor cabinet and poured two glasses. He turned to her and handed her a glass.

Arya took the glass from Gendry, her fingers slightly brushing his as she did. She immediately felt the electricity shoot through her body, causing her to stutter her words.

“I-I wanted to-to see you. You weren’t at the reunion party and I thought that I would stop by to see how you were doing.”

Gendry swallowed the contents of his glass whole and returned to fill it once more.

“Did you stop to think that there was a reason as to why I didn’t show up?” He asked harshly.

“You know what, forget it.” He said before she could even muster an answer.

Arya grumbled under her breath and downed her own drink. She set the glass on the coffee table situated in between the two loveseats. She circled the room before coming to face him. She hated that he was so tall against her tiny frame. She wanted to be able to look him in the eye without having to tilt her head up.

“Don’t be shy now, old friend. It’s not like you to hold back from telling me how you really feel.” She jabbed.

Gendry pushed passed her and went to stand in front of the fireplace. He placed a sturdy hand on the mantle and looked into his glass. Arya could tell that he was in deep thought as he swirled the glass in his hand.

With a deep sigh, Gendry took one last swing of his glass before turning his attention to the woman standing by the billiards table.

“You left without as much as a goodbye! Then you don’t write or call or text or anything for five bloody years! Imagine my shock when your sister calls me, tells me that you are coming back, and invites me to a fucking barbeque! I didn’t come because we have made a scene at your parent’s house, and you know it.”

Gendry began pacing the room. His hands were on his hips and he was muttering something under his breath that Arya couldn’t make out.

“It wasn’t intentional. I tried to write you and everyone else, but every time I picked up the damn pen, I froze, unsure of what to say.” She confessed.

She kept making excuses to herself. She kept telling herself that they weren’t worried or that they were too busy to read her letters. She didn’t want to interrupt their lives that they had made without her and before she knew it, her life had stalled while the rest kept on living. That was when she realized it was time to come home. She had seen most of the world, but none of those places felt like home, no matter how much she tried. She would settle in one place for a few months, then pack up and leave to the next destination. When she realized that she was chasing something unattainable, it was time to pack up and head back to Westeros.

Arya felt as if no one in her family could understand why she had to leave. Not even her best friend understood her growing need to get out of Westeros and that is what stung the most. Maybe that is why she never wrote to anyone.

“I know why you did it. Why you left.” Gendry suddenly said, as if reading Arya’s thoughts.

“Any why did I leave Gendry?” She needed to hear it. She needed to know if he knew the truth.

“Because you thought it was your fault.” His words sent fire through Arya’s veins. She never told anyone that she thought what happened was her fault. She never voiced how she felt after the incident and she regrets that she never did.

“It was my fault. I could have stopped it from happening, but I kept my mouth shut. I was stupid and stubborn and should have listened to my gut. Maybe if I did, then all those people would still be alive.” Arya hung her head in shame. The guilt had been eating at her for five years and even after all that time, she still felt like it should have been her that was dead.

Gendry walked over to where she was and wrapped her into a giant embrace, “Don’t say that. That crazy psycho bitch is the one who decided to blow up all those people, not you.”

Arya wrapped her arms around Gendry and the feeling felt so familiar. She missed the way he felt and the way he smelt. She breathed in his scent and it was the same musky scent of motor oil and grease. She wanted to hold onto him forever, but knew that he was still a married man and wouldn’t be right.

She gave him one last squeeze before releasing from his embrace.

“Yeah, well…I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” She said as she wiped the tears from her face that she hadn’t realized escaped her eyes.

“What do you want to talk about?” Gendry asked her as he made his way to the billiards table. He pulled two pool sticks down from the wall and handed one to Arya.

“You. I want to know what you’ve been up to.” She said as she grabbed the stick from his hand.

Gendry queued up the balls and made the first move. The balls went flying across the table, the blue stripped one landing in the right corner whole.

“Aside from the obvious? Well, Mott has gifted me his shop. He was retiring and didn’t trust anyone else to handle the shop. He handed me the deed and left it to me.” He said.

Arya’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head, “Gendry that’s amazing! I remember you saying you always wanted your own shop.”

Gendry nodded, “Yeah, Millie freaked when I told her. She said that a man of my stature shouldn’t be working in a motor shop.”

Arya took her move and socked three solid balls before missing on her forth.

“I take it that Millie is your wife?”

Gendry nodded as he took his shot.

“Where is Mrs. Waters, if may ask?” She inquired.

Gendry sighed, “She is on some business trip with my uncle. You remember Stannis. He took over my father’s company when he died. She goes on a lot of business trips.”

Arya noticed the way Gendry emphasized business, almost as if it was a different kind of business that that of a company.

“How many does she go on?” She asked him.

Gendry shrugged, “I don’t know, maybe two, at least, a month, and they are long ones. Some last nearly two weeks.”

He socked another ball into a socket, putting himself up by two. Arya twisted her face in frustration. She had always been good at pool, but when you travel the world and do not stay in one place for very long, it leaves little time to practice.

The ongoing game between them felt familiar and it brought back a memory that Arya had long forgotten about. A smile formed on her lips and light chuckle escaped her mouth. She was reminiscing and the encounter that happened nearly ten years ago made her laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Gendry asked as he looked at her perplexed.

“You remember the first time we played pool?” She waited until a broad smile appeared on his lips. He nodded in confirmation. “It was the first time Jon had brought you over to chill with him, Robb, and Theon. I think I was thirteen or fourteen at the time. I so badly wanted to be in the game room with you all, but my mother said it wasn’t proper. Of course, I didn’t listen to her and snuck in anyway.”

Gendry let out a laugh, “Yeah, and the boys were out getting snacks, so it was just me in that room. Then I saw you and you decided to challenge me to a game of pool. I for sure thought I would win, but you surprised me. We’ve been best friends ever since.”

Arya remained quiet as she watched Gendry sock another ball. Before she knew it, all of his balls were sunk and the only remaining one he had to sink was the eight ball. He lined up his pool stick and hit the que ball with force, causing it to go flying towards the eight ball. The eight ball bounced off the side and landed in the right corner pocket, ending the game.

“You win.” She said as she went to place the pool stick back in the rack. Gendry followed and they both made their way to the loveseats. He sat in one while she took the other across from him. They had each refilled their glasses of what Arya made out to be whiskey.

There was a comfortable silence between the two as they sat and sipped their drinks. They sat there for some time before Arya broke the silence.

“So, we are still friend then?”

She didn’t want to ask the question, but she needed to know the where they stood as friends.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t we be? Unless…you don’t want to be.” He said quietly.

Arya quickly shook her head, “No! Of course I still want to be your friend. I’ve known you basically half of my life. It’s just…when I left, it wasn’t on good terms.”

“That is all in the past, Arya. From here on out, we can still be friends.” He assured her.

Arya groaned in frustration. She hated that he wasn’t mad about the whole situation. He should be yelling in her face, screaming at the top of his lungs, but instead he is seated on the couch drink his whiskey.

“Why are you not mad at me!?” She yelled.

Gendry looked at her in with a hard glare, “I am mad, Arya, but I refuse to blow up at stupid situations.”

“I want you to blow up! I want you to yell and scream! Because if you don’t, then we can never repair our relationship! Just tell me how you really feel!” Arya screamed.

Gendry quickly rose from his seat and went to meet Arya face to face.

“You really want to know how I feel. I hated you, Arya! I hated you for leaving me during a confusing time. I tried to forget everything about you but it was impossible! Every damn day, I pined for you even though I knew it was a lost cause. Seven hells, Arya, I fucking loved you!” He let everything out. Everything he had been holding in for the last five years poured out of him like a flood. He turned back around, not wanting to see her face.

“You…stupid bull! Why didn’t you tell me?” She countered.

Gendry’s face twisted in confusion, “What the bloody seven hells do you mean, Arya?”

Arya shook her head in disbelief, “You could have told me! There were plenty of times. You could have told me the day I left or maybe even the day we fucked! You honestly believed that I didn’t love you too? You really are a stupid bull.”

“You…love me?” He asked in shock.

Arya sighed, “I’ve loved you since before I even knew what it was to love someone. But it doesn’t matter now, because I’m too late. You’re married and I will not ruin a marriage for my own benefit.”

Arya crossed the room and placed a soft kiss on Gendry’s cheek.

“Promise me something, don’t forget me, okay? Just remember all the good times. I’ll see you around, bull.”

Arya left the parlor and exited the manor, leaving a dumfounded Gendry to his ever confusing thoughts

[anosrepasi]

Fic authors self rec! When you get this, reply with your favorite five fics that you've written, then pass on to at least five other writers (if you’d like). Spread the self-love ♥️

Decided to make this a ✨ new years ask ✨

Behold, the (completed-not-WIP) Anosrepasi fic rec list, direct from the source:

Daylight - Horizon Zero Dawn - 5470 Words

My absolute favorite fic I've written so far is uh. based on two lines of dialogue in HZD and centered around Nil and Janeva. It asks how two deeply flawed people would address the concept of "rehabilitation" in a very unjust society with very imperfect methods, and I adore it so much in that it's about people doing their best and the reader also being horrified by what counts as the best. All my kingdom for more people to read Daylight and talk about these two with me lmao.

2. Like an old enemy, like the salt and the sea - Assassin's Creed: Valhalla - 4171 Words

A technically canon compliant ghost story about how fucked up the Sciropescire arc was of that game. Unfortunately Ivaar & Eivor had way too much chemistry for me to be happy leaving their story at the canon ending and I decided to say, hey you know what would be fucked up? A ghost. Getting literally haunted by regret. Multiple layers of dramatic irony to drive the knife home. I am very seldom drawn to writing for AC games but yeah these two got me.

3. Prima Lingua - The Old Guard - 16338 Words

Prima Lingua could possibly be 1st on the rec list but you should probably read Lingua Franca first and it felt disingenuous to put my most popular favorite fic as the top fic rec when I think my lesser known one-shots shine more. But yeah. Prima Lingua. This fic takes the award for the most challenging fic on this list and the one that's pushed me as a writer more than any others. The rewards for that though are so so worth it, this fic shines. While LF is good, this fic is i think even more of a soul mark on the series than the first fic. Every single chapter had something I was immensely proud of and I adore this story so much.

4. don't hold your breathe waiting for me 'cause the ocean needs you more - Assassin's Creed: Odyssey - 2449 Words

This one has opposite energy than like the salt and the sea but is also focused on doomed lovers. Did you know they found the remains of who they think is Brasidas of Sparta around the turn of the century? You can go see his alleged ossuary in the museum at Amphipolis? Fucking wild. Obviously when I learned this I thought Kassandra would probably have the worst museum trip in existence there to say goodbye towards the end of the game in the modern era.

5. understand that there is a beast within you that can drink till it is sick but cannot drink til it is satisfied - Baldur's Gate 3 - 4025 Words

The game gave us truth herb spiked wine and I'm not supposed to play that out for the most charged game of 20 questions in existence? I'm so happy with this piece, it came out splendidly and on reread still shatters my heart. I had so much fun playing with the world of BG3 here and adding to the romance that we got in game.

Thank you for the wonderful ask!!!