#forgot i bought the book so i can read it before it comes out. still haven’t read naked lunch either 😬

[vaperarmand]

mostly i can’t wait to see luca guadagnino’s queer. WELCOME BACK CALL ME BY YOUR NAME ❤️

[7seas-of-ryy]

The Bet | Part 2

Author’s Note: I really wanted to make a Part 2 for this!! I have MANY wips right now so hopefully I'll have more for you guys soon :) also I absolutely LOVE all of your comments and will reply to them as soon as I can! <3

Summary: You won the bet but exactly how funny are you??

Pairing: Azriel x Reader

Warnings: none, let me know if I need to add any :)

---

The bet you made with Cass and Rhys was the best thing to ever happen to you. A few days after you won, the entire inner circle went out for a night at Rita’s. Rhys and Cass had stayed true to their word and bought your drinks the entire night but the best part was Az had admitted his feelings to you.

The two of you went on a couple dates and eventually he asked you to be his. It was the happiest you had ever been.

You were currently sitting with the shadowsinger, each reading your books in silence when you spoke up.

“Ya know…I once heard a joke about amnesia… but I forgot how it goes!” You told the male with a grin on your face.

He gave you a loud laugh and pulled you closer, kissing the side of your head.

“When did you come up with that one?” He asked with a grin still on his face.

“Oh I just thought of it.” You said with a smirk, satisfied you made him laugh.

“You’ll have to tell Feyre that one, I think she’ll like it.” Az told you.

You nodded your head in agreement and you both went back to reading your books.

---

You were currently in the Summer Court with the rest of the inner circle for some business. You were all looking out at the sea, enjoying the view when you spoke up.

“What did the ocean say to the beach? ...Nothing, it just waved!" You said, stifling a laugh.

Az began to laugh immediately, Feyre joined him soon after. What you didn’t see was Feyre elbowing Rhys and Cass, forcing them to laugh at your joke. Mor just chuckled, seeing everything go down.

The spymaster pulled you in close to his side, resting his hand on your hip. He gave his brothers a quick glare over your head when you weren’t looking and they held up their hands in defense.

---

You were sitting with Cass and Rhys, waiting for a chance to tell them the new joke you learned.

“Hey, did you guys hear about the guy who got hit in the head with a can of soda??” You asked them, feigning a look of concern.

“What, oh no! Is he ok??” Rhys questioned.

“Yeah, he was lucky it was a soft drink!” You told them with excited eyes.

The two males sat across from you with blank faces, not budging even a tiny bit.

“C’mon you guys!! That was funny! Az would’ve laughed.” You huffed a breath.

“He only laughs because he’s getting some from you!” Cass stated, causing Rhys to hit his shoulder.

You gasped and placed a hand on your chest in offense.

"I'll have you know, Az loves my humor!! You're just upset because he thinks I'm funnier than you!" You smirked at Cass.

"She's got you there, she is waaayyy funnier than you." Rhys added, also smirking at the male.

"I hate both of you." Cass deadpanned.

---

A few days had passed and you were walking through the house trying to find the spymaster. You were passing by Rhys’ office when you heard him speak.

“It’s not that serious.” Rhys spoke.

“Yeah, just relax.” Cass added.

“It is that serious, I will not relax, and I will hurt you if you don’t listen to me.” Az threatened.

You gasped, not sure of what they could be discussing that was so serious. He sounded so upset with Rhys and Cass, you were about to burst through the door to figure out what was going on when you heard Cass speak again.

“I won’t laugh at Y/N’s jokes if they’re not funny!” Cass whisper shouted.

“It's really just the puns, they're awful!! I can’t fake laugh at those.” Rhys said in the same tone.

There were a few beats of silence before you heard Az sigh.

“Listen I know how bad the jokes are, but she loves them. You guys know how much I hate puns but do you see how happy she gets when she tells us a new joke? So I don’t care how hard you have to try, you will laugh at her jokes and tell her you like them.” He told his brothers.

You left to go to your room and didn’t hear the rest of the conversation. You felt conflicted. On one hand, you were hurt that he never actually liked your jokes but on the other, your heart melted at the lengths he was going to for you. But if he was lying about something as simple as liking your puns then what else was he lying about? Before you could continue to spiral, the male in question walked in.

“Hello my love, what’re you up to?” He asked you with a sweet smile, pulling you in for a kiss.

You turned your head last minute so his lips landed on your cheek. He gave you a confused look and tried again. This time, you put your finger on his lips to stop him, looking up into his face.

“What’re you doing?” His voice muffled by your finger.

“You don’t like my puns.” You stated simply and pulled your finger away.

“What?! Of course I do! They make me laugh so hard!” His voice got higher the longer the sentence went on.

“Az, stop. I heard you threatening Cass and Rhys.” You admitted.

His face dropped, shoulders slumped, and he looked genuinely devastated.

“Let me explain-” He started but you were quick to cut him off.

“Don’t…I’m not mad. Maybe a little sad that you don’t think I’m funny but when I heard you saying all of that…I think I fell even more in love with you.” You told him as your cheeks reddened.

“Really?” His eyes brightened instantly.

“Yeah, no one has ever gone through that much trouble just to make me happy.” You beamed.

“I really do love you so much… Also I do think you’re funny. I just really hate puns.” He told you.

“I love you too,” You spoke as you wrapped your arms around his neck, “And just so you know, you are o-fish-ally off the hook for pretending to like my puns.”

Genuine laughter came out of the male in front of you this time. He pulled you in closer and wrapped his arms around your waist.

“Alright that one actually got me.” He whispered as he laid his forehead on yours.

He slowly leaned in and brushed his lips against yours, a soft exhale leaving him. A few blissful moments passed before he began to whisper.

“Just so you know, I would’ve endured and laughed at your puns for eternity.” Az confessed.

“Would’ve? No you definitely will be doing that.” You retorted.

Az just let out another laugh and pulled you back down for more kisses. A lifetime of puns didn’t sound so bad, as long as they were coming from you.

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[envysparkler]

Jason might’ve mentioned a passing interest in meeting Robin—the old Robin, because he was going to be the new Robin, only judging from the low, furious conversation and the death glares, Bruce hadn’t exactly mentioned that to Nightwing—but he wasn’t expecting Bruce to leave him alone with the guy.

“Justice League emergency,” Bruce had interrupted, cutting off Dick’s half-hearted tour of the parts of the Cave Jason hadn’t explored, and disappeared through a zeta tube with a simple behave for Jason and a growled watch over him for Dick.  Leaving Jason with the guy that spent the entire visit seething in unconcealed distaste.

Alfred wasn’t home, he had left on one of his rare days off, or perhaps he was aware of the cloud of tension that formed whenever Dick and Bruce got too close to each other, and Jason understood that heroes and emergencies were a part of life, but he didn’t enjoy that that meant that Jason and Dick were left alone in the abruptly resoundingly empty Cave.

“Right,” Dick muttered, not quite under his breath, “I don’t know why I ever expect anything different.”  The bitterness was palpable.  “Two and half goddamn hours, and he leaves to space.”

Jason shrunk back slightly.  It had been clear from the start that this visit was not for him, and his desire to meeting the original Robin had fast dwindled in favor of getting out of ground zero before Bruce and Dick actually started yelling.

Dick blew out a sharp breath and turned on his heel, suddenly enough that Jason flinched.  Dick froze, staring at him like he’d forgotten that Jason existed.  Jason couldn’t read the expression on his face, and didn’t think he wanted to.

“Jason,” Dick said, carefully pronouncing his name.  His blue eyes were sharp and cold.  “So.  New Robin, huh.”  His face stretched into a smile that looked warm for all that it was plastic.

“Yup,” Jason said, inching back another step.  “Uh, it was nice to meet you.  I guess I’ll see you around.”

“Where are you going?”  Perfectly level, calm and even, but it still forced a chill down his spine.

Jason had been terrified of Batman, but terrified in the way he was of shadows and ghosts.  Abstract.  Not real.  Once Batman had proved himself to be human, all that was left was a man—large and trained and dangerous, but who got scolded by his butler and forgot to put on matching socks and bought Jason a stepstool to reach the books on the tallest shelves.

Bruce wasn’t scary.

Not the way that Richard Grayson seemed to be.  Quicksilver manipulation of his expressions, smiling when he didn’t mean it, and cold, cold eyes—Jason wasn’t reminded of monsters or demons.  He was reminded of the gang members that watched him ducking into alleys with just a little too much intent, the narrowed eyes of his mother’s dealer, the bright, fake smiles that marked the cops he had to run from.

And Jason was here with him, all alone.  Robin—Nightwing—trained and dangerous and currently looking at Jason like he wanted to leave him in pieces for Bruce to find.

Jason had read a book with facts about robins just last week.  Robins are territorial birds, and disputes can get physical.  Fights to the death often occur.

“Upstairs?”  Jason hated the way it turned into a question.  “I was reading a book, and—um, I wanted to finish it?”

“We haven’t finished our tour,” Dick said, and Jason had preferred the low-voiced hiss to the casual neutrality.  “Come on, there’s lots of cool stuff here I bet Bruce hasn’t shown you yet.”

Jason dithered in place, casting a glance at the stairs—Dick was already walking away, heading for the back of the Cave—but as much as common sense was shrieking at him to stay away, go upstairs, don’t stay down in the dimly lit cave with the guy that hates you, Jason was still the kid that looked at the Batmobile and decided to steal some tires.

“Fine,” Jason said, hurrying up to match Dick’s pace.  “But I don’t know what you can show me that Bruce hasn’t already.”

“Oh,” Dick’s expression twitched, something flashing for a second, “You’d be surprised.”

~#~

Jason, mouth agape and neck protesting as he stared up at the acrobatics equipment, was speechless.  Dick was breathless and flushed and grinning widely, and fuck, this was what Jason had wanted to see.  Not Bruce’s sulky other son, or the cold, dangerous Nightwing, but Robin.

“Bruce showed you that yet?” Dick teased, calling down to him from where he was swinging upside down from the ring.

“How do you do that?” Jason breathed out, too amazed to feign at disinterest.  Dick had moved like he was an actual fucking bird, like gravity was for lesser things.

“Practice,” Dick laughed, flipping off from the ring and flopping down on the safety net.  Even across the rope, he was all fluidity and grace, flipping once more before he reached the ground.

“Bullshit,” Jason rebutted, looking up at the silks and the ropes and the swings, the scaffolding, the way Dick flew—“Tell me the truth. You’re a meta, aren’t you.”

Dick laughed again, bright and twinkling.  He looked much happier than the sullen teenager that had met Bruce’s hesitant hope with a scowl.  “Nope, just practice.  Grew up in the circus.  I could fly before I could run.”

“That’s so cool,” Jason said, looking back up at the scaffolding.  “Can you teach me how to do that?”  Flying through the air, spinning and flipping without a care in the world, unbound by physical constraints…it sounded like the best thing in the world.  It sounded like freedom.

It took him too long to realize that Dick hadn’t responded.  He turned towards the older boy and saw Dick stock still, expression frozen in a pinched grimace.  When he saw Jason staring at him, he turned away.  “Sure,” Dick said, in a voice that wasn’t even remotely believable, and Jason flushed at the reminder that Dick didn’t want him here.  “Maybe later.  You need a lot of training first.  How about you show me what Bruce is teaching you so far?”

There was a bite to the words, and Jason had too much of Gotham in him to not respond to the challenge.  “Was that an offer to kick your ass?” Jason retorted, stalking past Dick and towards the sparring area.  Need a lot of training first.  Well, while perfect Richard Grayson had been growing up in the goddamn circus, Jason had been living on the streets.  He knew how to fight.  “I’m ready when you are, Dick.”

That cold smile was back, like Dick was trying to figure out just where he wanted to stick the knife, and Jason thrummed impatiently on the balls of his feet as Dick slowly made his way to the sparring area.

[violetrainbow412-blog]

The important date [R. L]

Remus Lupin x fem!reader

word count: 5.1k

an: I was very excited to write this. I'm latina and Kuku completely won my heart and I think he's absolutely like a young remus. If you want to read more of this you can tell me and I would be very happy to see a comment or reblog. Kisses!

People who might be interested: @fairysluna @madame-fear @luceracastro @luv4fati

You were quite nervous when you knocked on the door of the modest apartment whose address was written on the folded paper inside your pocket.

You had tried to look your best before leaving the house, but the wind on the way had messed up your appearance slightly and while you waited for a response you ran your hands through your clothes, trying to fix the damage.

After a few seconds no one came out and as you knocked a second time the fear of having gone to the wrong place settled in you. You were startled when the door finally opened and a boy appeared, about your height, with long black hair and whose bare chest was covered in tattoos.

“You aren’t my pizza.”

“Uh, sorry. “I probably went to the wrong house” you exclaimed sadly.

“I don't know if you were wrong, but you can come in if you want,” the boy said, smiling mischievously at you while winking at you and leaning against the door frame.

“You weren't wrong! I'll be there in a moment” a voice spoke from inside. He sounded agitated, but you still recognized him.

The stranger looked at the apartment in disbelief and then looked at you from head to toe, as if he was analyzing the situation.

“Are you coming with Remus?” You nodded. “Okay, so I… Excuse me?”

Without waiting for your response, he half closed the door and then you lost sight of him, leaving you just as confused as at the beginning.

Sirius, oblivious to your sight and hearing, practically stumbled down the hall until he reached Remus' room. He was trying to comb his hair at the same time as the toothbrush rested in his mouth.

“Do you want to explain to me why there is a pretty young lady waiting for you out there?”

“She's my college classmate,” he said in a half-understandable way.

The place was so tiny and there were so many books everywhere that he almost fell when he went to spit the toothpaste into the sink, trying to hurry as much as possible.

The apartment was always messy, in general, but the one who made the least mess was Remus. His only problem was the ridiculous amount of sweaters, boots, and pieces of literature he bought at second-hand places, which had slowly managed to plague his piece of space.

“Are you wearing that expensive cologne you bought last time?” mocked James, who had been in the living room but thought it appropriate to join the conversation. “And you're combing your hair.”

“Is she the one you stay with to study so often?” Sirius insisted, his brain spinning events.

"Yes, sometimes"

“And why did she come here?”

“Because I invited her to dinner.”

"Here?!"

“No, in a restaurant”

Both James and Sirius were slightly taken aback, as there had been no mention of you in any previous talk and it wasn't very common for Remus to do that kind of thing.

“And why didn't you go to her house for her?”

“She said it was on the way,” he responded breathlessly. He was still struggling with putting on his shoes.

“Bad there, Moony. You should be a gentleman and go pick her up at her house instead of keeping her waiting.”

“I would have done it if it hadn't been for the fact that you two idiots forgot to pay the rent that is due today. I had to pass a while ago and the time was barely enough for me”

“Didn't you pay, James?”

“I thought it was your turn!”

“Anyway, that doesn't matter anymore.” Remus got up to search his dressing table for a few golden rings “It's late and I have to go.”

“You can't leave us like this! What's her name? Have you kissed her?”

"He is right. Come on, introduce us to your girlfriend.”

“She's not my girlfriend yet,” he exclaimed, taking a last look in the mirror. He looked good, to have done it so hastily “But I plan for her to be today.”

The jaws of both listeners almost dropped to the floor at that statement and if they were already curious about the stranger's appearance, that had only increased their interest.

“I'm leaving, don't wait up for me.”

"Wait!"

“Bye,” he said, hurrying down the hallway toward the exit.

Sirius and James immediately followed him, but before they could ask anything he had already opened the door.

“Remus.”

"Hi, sweetheart. I’m sorry for the delay,” he apologized benevolently, as he leaned down to kiss your cheek in greeting.

The two curious people managed to see this exchange and then Remus closed the door, but not before giving them a warning look that was responded to with an expression of astonishment and another of pride at what they had just seen.

“How well he kept it, right?”

“Why do you think he didn't want to introduce us?”

“Possibly because you are in pajamas, I flirted with her, and because there are pigs that live in better conditions than us.”

“But he still could have told us something. We are your friends.”

“Give him his space. Maybe it's a nice thing he wants to keep for himself."

“That's why he's been so happy lately,” James reflected.

“Yes, it is likely.”

A knock was heard on the door and the two began to fumble with each other to open it first, eager to be able to see even a moment more of their friend's woman.

But it wasn't them, it was a thin boy dressed in uniform.

“Good evening, Sirius Black?”

“Yes, it's me,” he responded disappointed, taking a bill out of his pocket and receiving the pizza box in his hands while James returned to lie down on the couch.

By this point you and Remus had already left the building. During the way he offered you the full explanation for his lateness, trying so not to get angry with him.

“It's okay, I didn't wait too long,” you reassured him. “I guess those are your roommates.”

“Sirius is the one with the tattoos and James is the one with the glasses.”

“They seem nice”

“They are a little weird, but when you meet them you like them”

With one deft movement Remus placed you on the inside of the sidewalk and both of you took a moment to observe each other. You were wearing a tight white long-sleeved blouse, underneath a strapless dress with a floral print, and you were wearing your comfortable brown leather boots. He, looking completely elegant, in a beige trench coat over a light blue formal shirt and a kind of scarf with lines that combined both colors. For a few months he had been growing his facial hair, which made him look older, but in a good way.

"Where will we go?"

“There is a restaurant a few blocks from here. He looks calm and I thought you might like it. James orders food delivered sometimes and it tastes good.”

“Good” you smiled. You trusted your friend's good judgment in choosing a place.

The truth was that the beginning of your friendship was somewhat curious and you would have to go back a while to understand it.

A few years ago, Remus had his doubts when Sirius and James encouraged him to enter a Muggle university. They had decided after graduating from Hogwarts and moving to the apartment they shared in search of independence and adventure, but the brunette still didn’t have a clear picture of what he wanted for his life. 

Furthermore, he didn’t have as many financial resources as his friends to live comfortably and study at the same time. He allowed himself a year of work to raise money, even without knowing if he would use it for an education or something else, and since in that time he saw that they were both comfortable in what they had chosen, he decided that he could give the Muggles a chance. Although he had some administrative problems, since Hogwarts wasn’t a validated school for those cases, after sending a letter to Albus Dumbledore to ask for help, everything was solved and he was able to enter the philosophy faculty in a modest institution.

Before you, Remus didn't have many friends. He was able to start a conversation with his classmates and function in the classroom, however, he almost always spent his time in his books or at home. Sirius invited him to art school parties but when he attended, beyond drinking and making sure his friends didn't do anything stupid, he didn't do much.

His life had been quiet until you met him a few years later. The link that brought you together was that you had enrolled in an elective sociology class at the university and it turned out that Remus had chosen the same one. Despite being quiet, the boy quickly gained your attention due to the scars on his face and arms, which you still hadn't dared to ask about and he hadn't talked about.

Although you were curious, you tried not to observe him too much so as not to make him uncomfortable, but when he had to present a topic or answer questions it was inevitable to focus all your attention on him.

Remus didn't even notice your interest in him until, as fate would have it, the professor assigned pairs for a project and you were his lucky partner.

During the first meetings he felt out of place and even a little uncomfortable, since he wasn’t so used to spending time with other people outside his circle or studying in company. But he soon began to enjoy working with you and eventually recognized that you were an excellent teammate. You almost always spent it in the library because the atmosphere was calmer, although sometimes you would look for a lonely meadow on campus to lie down and continue moving forward. On one of those occasions you discovered that the boy carried chocolate all the time, because he shared it with you to lighten the hours, and it had become a habit to bring something to eat.

The weeks passed and when you presented the product you obtained the highest grade as well as congratulations from your teacher, with which Remus felt more than satisfied. He thought that once what you had in common was over, you wouldn't want to continue frequenting him, but he was surprised when you started looking for him to have breakfast together and he, to reciprocate, accompanied you some afternoons when you stayed in the library to study or walked with you to the bus stop.

You soon discovered that he was, in addition to being intelligent, kind and that he had many qualities that you liked. Likewise, he saw another set of attributes in you that made him feel the same.

As the weeks passed, you began to get along well and by the middle of the course you could already tell that you were friends. Less than a month after finishing it, you had already fallen in love.

“How is your hand?” Remus asked in the middle of a silence, when you had already gone quite a few blocks.

You had cut yourself by accident a few days ago and when he saw the wound he was quite worried, because it didn't look pretty at all.

“Better, it almost doesn't hurt anymore and the antiseptic helps a lot”

As you said that you raised your palm covered with a big band-aid, as if trying to show him that it was true, and he took the opportunity to capture it with his. Remus had a lot of experience with wounds and wished he could heal them with magic, however, he knew it was forbidden.

"It is good to hear"

He searched you for some sign that you didn't want him to hold your hand but, beyond your flushed cheeks, he found nothing.

You continued walking and talking about some other things until the boy stopped at a picturesque place. A couple of people could be seen through the large glass windows, illuminated by the warm light from inside.

Your hand missed his warmth when he let you go to open the door for you and then you followed him to a free table, with a view of the outside but private enough. All around paintings were decorating and some plants too.

You expected Remus to choose the seat in front of you but he decided that the one next to you was better, with your knees touching under the red table.

“Good evening, welcome,” a young girl, who couldn't be older than your age, greeted you. She was a beautiful redhead and her metal badge said Lily.

After she left a couple of menus, she asked you if you wanted any starters or something to drink, to which you denied.

“I thought we were going to a cafe or something.”

"You don’t like here?” 

“On the contrary, it is too cute. If I had known, I could have worn something better.”

"What are you talking about? You look beautiful,” Remus said, without thinking, and you laughed sheepishly.

“You're not far behind,” your hand went to his neck, where you adjusted a fold “You look like a professor.”

"Is that good or bad?"

“I like the professors. I mean, their style” you stuttered. “They look elegant.”

Although you had never spoken openly about what you felt, both of you had the suspicion that the other person felt the same way. Those moments of indiscreet flirting were signs of this, in addition to the multiple daily actions that showed interest and affection for the other.

Still, Remus felt insecure about himself. The physical marks on him were only the most superficial, since he was too afraid that if he confessed to you about his lycanthropy you would end up being scared or simply believing him crazy. He couldn't talk to you about the magical world and that made it even more complicated.

He didn't have much experience with girls in the romantic sense, but he liked to think that he wasn't doing too badly with you. He really liked you, so he wanted to try as hard as possible to win your heart and hoped that he would be worthy of your affection even despite his various flaws.

When the waitress returned you ordered a glass of wine and Remus simply ordered tea, wanting to be as calm as possible to talk to you. The last thing he wanted was for his statement to be ruined by alcohol.

The moments with him weren't awkward but, honestly, the atmosphere demanded a certain composure and it wasn't until after a while that you started chatting like you always did. You talked about final exams and products to be delivered soon, discussing the topics and making some suggestions that could be useful.

When the girl returned Remus ordered a stew for dinner and you ordered some meat pie which soon arrived. You ate it with pleasure, keeping the conversation when it was appropriate.

“Have you thought about what you will do during the holidays?”

“Probably visit my parents. And if not that, maybe enter a summer seminar”

"Study more?" the brunette laughed.

"It's a possibility. I think it would be too boring if I don't. And you?"

"I don’t know yet. Maybe look for a job, or…”

“Let's take a seminar together,” you murmured excitedly. However, you later added: “I mean, if you want.”

“I might consider it,” he murmured with a tight-lipped smile “So we could spend more time together.”

“It's strange, you know? This semester I have felt so happy studying with you. I didn't think college would be so interesting until I found you in that class."

Remus's heart began to rumble in his chest when he heard you say that and it was inevitable to smile. You liked to see him smile.

“Did I ever tell you I wasn’t sure about going in?”

“To sociology class?”

"To the University"

"Oh really?"

“I thought I could have dedicated myself to something else. In Hog... High School I was a good student and I thought it would be enough to get a job. But James and Sirius entered a college and then I thought I'd do it too."

“Remind me to thank them later,” you joked. If they had not convinced him, you probably would never have met “Will you ever introduce them to me?”

“Do you want to meet them?”

“They are your friends after all, right? But only if you feel comfortable, I wouldn't want to…”

“Okay, that would be great. I just feel a little embarrassed sometimes."

"From me?"

"No! From them. No, don't even think about it from you” he hastened to say and both of you laughed “It's about them. Sometimes they act like idiots, like Sirius did a while ago."

“I thought I was just imagining it, but he's kind of… flirtatious, right?”

"Quite a bit, I would say. I would like it to be limited to girls, but I don't think anyone is safe" he laughed. "But don't worry, he won't bother you anymore now that he knows that you...”

Remus fell silent as he realized what he was about to say and you noticed the sudden interruption.

"That?"

“That you are my friend”

To be honest, the answer disappointed you a little. You had been waiting for any kind of sign or proposal for a while and you thought that statement might have been in the answer. And although Remus already had those plans in mind, you clearly weren't aware of it.

There was silence for a moment as the two of you reflected on the conversation, for different reasons, and you tried to make it less awkward by eating some of your dinner.

“It’s raining,” you said after a while, eager to change the subject “I forgot my umbrella at home”

“We'll figure it out, don't worry,” he said happily, oblivious to the feeling he had provoked in you. You had practically finished your dinner when he asked, “Do you want dessert?”

You nodded at that and ordered a delicious red velvet cake and he, as expected, a chocolate one. After this you tried to talk about something else, convincing yourself that you were thinking about nonsense instead of enjoying the moment with your friend. With the boy you liked. 

At some point he excused himself to go to the bathroom and you were left alone at the table, playing with what was left of food on your plate. You looked around as if expecting to see something interesting, but all you saw was the rain falling outside and a pair of people sitting a few tables away from you. They looked happy and from the way they looked at each other you assumed they were a couple. As you watched them you wondered if that was what people thought when they saw you with Remus, because the way they interacted was the way you did; Is that what other students would say when you spent hours in the library, talking quietly and barely distanced from each other? Did anyone think you were a couple when they saw you laughing lying on the grass at dusk?

You considered the possibility of being the first to confess what you felt and wondered if it would be better to wait. Remus called you sweet names all the time and in the last few weeks he had started to become more physically affectionate; he greeted you with a kiss on the cheek, he held your hand from time to time, he even sheltered you in his arms that time you had a terrible morning and all you wanted to do was cry. But did that mean something else or was it just the courtesy of a good friend?

You wanted to continue reflecting on it, but your musings were interrupted by the waitress's voice calling your attention.

"Miss?"

"Yeah?"

"This is for you"

She held a beautiful bouquet of pink carnations with clouds surrounding it, wrapped in white fabric and topped with a ribbon. The sight unsettled you, but out of inertia you extended your hands to hold the gift. It was heavy and gave off a mild smell.

"W-What is this? Who sends it?" 

“The gentleman over there,” she pointed out happily.

For a second you felt nothing but confusion. Had someone been stalking you? You didn't remember anyone you knew when you walked in and receiving flowers from a stranger was ridiculous, because the most you could have imagined was that they would buy you a drink. But when you turned and saw that it was Remus who was smiling shyly at you, you understood what it was about.

“Oh my God…” you whispered barely audible, your cheeks turning red “Thank you, you’re so kind.”

“To serve you” she exclaimed, probably happy to have been a participant in that demonstration of love, and then she withdrew.

Trying to calm yourself down, you turned around to talk to the boy, who was still sitting on the stool in front of the bar. You spent a few seconds looking at each other, him slightly uneasy and you feeling completely blushing.

“Are you not going to accompany me? I have some cake that the boy I was with left”

“You'd have to be a fool to abandon a girl like you,” he muttered on the way to the table. He sat on the opposite side to where he was initially, as if he wanted to maintain the fantasy of being someone else who accompanied you. “Did you like them?”

“They are beautiful, you wouldn't have bothered”

“They have something there” he pointed out and in his eyes you could see some nervousness. You took a paper envelope between your fingers from which you took out a small note.

A modest gift for the most beautiful and interesting girl I have ever met. I feel like you brought color to my life and every day I am happy that you found me, wondering what I did to deserve the grace of such a wonderful human being.

It's been a while since my heart has been uneasy about your feelings towards me and at the same time certain about how it feels about you.

I'm sorry if I'm not that good with words, or that good in general. I just hope I'm enough to win your affection and be lucky enough for you to say yes.

Sincerely, Remus.

The boy watched you with a mixture of anxiety and concern as you read the words, waiting for what your reaction might be. You read the entire note twice, just to be sure it meant what you thought, and then you looked at him.

In your eyes, he had never looked more handsome.

“Say yes?” was the only thing you managed to say. It was the part that intrigued you the most about the note.

“To the question I want to ask you, of course” 

“You're not going to ask me to marry you, are you?” you tried to joke, feeling your heart race with anticipation.

"Not yet. But we can start as girlfriend and boyfriend, what do you say?”

Remus was a very curious guy. He was shy and quiet at times, but when an idea got into his head no force could convince him otherwise: he was determined. And he was sure what he wanted with you.

One of your hands went up to his cheek and your thumb caressed one of his scars, one that went down to touch his lips, feeling free to be able to observe him more closely now that you knew you could do so.

"This bothers you?" you asked sincerely.

"What?"

“That I am touching you like this. Your scars”

"I don't mind. I've gotten used to them."

“That was the first thing I noticed about you.”

“Do you think they are ugly?”

“I think they make you look sexy,” you said honestly again and he let out a laugh that was somewhere between nervous and amused. “They make you stand out.”

You were so close to him that he had to lean just a little to kiss you.

“I don't think anyone has ever said that about them.”

“I really like you, Rem. That's why. And I would like to pretend that I need to think about it more, but I know I would be very happy with you. I already am, but... I want to be with you"

“Is it a yes, then?”

“But first I need to do something” you explained and with the help of your hand, without giving him time for anything, you brought him closer to steal a kiss.

Remus gasped in surprise, but put up no resistance and delighted in feeling the taste of your lips mixing with the chocolate he had previously eaten. You were kind and careful with him, who tried to reciprocate as best as possible. 

When you separated from him, your cheeks were red and your eyes were bright.

“It's a yes”

“Did you need to kiss me to decide?”

“I had already decided, I just wanted an excuse.”

And then Remus laughed again. Unable to contain his excitement, he approached you until he hid his face in your neck, trying to drown out his blush, and you felt tickled by his hair rubbing against your skin. Now the closeness of that way between you was correct, no one could say anything and you had the right to do so.

“I was so afraid you would say no.”

“Have you seen how I look at you?” you murmured in his ear “To be so intelligent you miss a lot of things.”

His breathing told you that he was laughing and then you were silent for a moment. Your hand slowly caressed his side while you traced patterns on his back, although he probably didn't feel them because of the layers of clothing he was wearing. Through it all, you thought about how nice the boy's warmth felt against you. Like it felt meant to be.

“We should go,” he said, when he finally left his room and looked at the time on the wall clock. Closing time was almost approaching. “Is it okay if I call a taxi to take you home?”

“Yeah.”

“I'll go pay the bill and be right back, okay?”

“Let me give you some money…”

"No way. No,” he stated firmly. He got up from his seat and, by the way, now he stole a kiss from you “Wait here.”

You did it obediently and while you did it you took the opportunity to observe and caress your bouquet. They were beautiful and you wondered how Remus had planned the delivery. It hadn't been something spontaneous, he already knew the purpose of the date from the beginning and that only made you feel more like a girl in love.

He showed up a few minutes later and, after thanking your red-headed cupid profusely, you waited for your taxi at a table near the exit. When it arrived you practically had to run to avoid the rain, but that didn't matter to you because while you were doing it the brunette held your hand to prevent any accident.

The elderly driver started the engine after you told him your address and silence reigned for a moment, with only the barely audible music from the radio.

“Do you want to stay with me tonight?” you asked, after a few blocks. No one lived with you and it seemed cruel to you to send Remus back to his apartment.

“Do you want me to stay?”

“There is enough space. And you must be tired”

You weren't trying to make a sexual innuendo in your words. You just wanted to make the moment last as long as possible.

Remus agreed without much resistance and upon arriving at your apartment, which fortunately was in order, he was respectful by telling you that he could sleep on the couch if you wanted. He seemed so decent to you that you accepted his proposal, taking charge of bringing him enough blankets and pillows to make him comfortable.

He had already taken off his shoes and jacket when you sat down next to him to wish him goodnight. You didn't think he would look much more handsome unkempt and with disheveled hair than he did at first.

"Thanks for the invitation"

“It's the least I could do after everything today,” you said, shrugging your shoulders.

“Was it a good date?”

“It was a great date” you exclaimed honestly and for the third time that night you approached him to kiss him.

This time you took the time to savor the contact, prolonging it as much as possible and causing a spark to settle between you. Remus quickly learned that your lips were soft and definitely more expert than his, with all of that making him feel a little dizzy. You reveled in the feeling of his large hands holding your waist, not knowing where else it was correct to place them. If you could have, you would have kissed him all night, but you separated only because you knew that the desire existed in you and him, afraid that if you followed your prudence wouldn’t be enough to stop you from making love to him on that sofa.

He looked completely enthralled with you as you watched him and you knew you most likely had the same expression. After all, so many months of longing between you were summed up in the pleasure of that physical contact that you were discovering.

“Go to sleep, pretty,” he suggested “I'll be here in the morning.”

“Good night, Remus. If you need anything, go to my room, okay?”

A part of you wanted him to look for you in the middle of the night, but you knew that both of you were hesitant to make any moves to go to such extremes. The boy just nodded and then, still not convinced, you headed towards your room so you could sleep.

That night Remus dreamed of you and you dreamed of him, with the sound of the rain lulling you, only a few meters away between you, and a beautiful bouquet resting on your nightstand.

You didn't know if that was happiness, but at least that's what it felt like.

[johnsbleu]

Hold My Hand: John Wick x Reader Chapter 177

warnings: nsfw moment, stalking, mentions of blood hmh masterlist

Since John has some things to get done today, you and Ronan are having a girls' day. He kissed you both goodbye after breakfast, then he left for the day. You took Ronan to the toy store so she could pick something out before you took her with you to the store to pick up some stuff for dinner. She played with her new toy the entire time and said hi and waved at every person who walked past. It’s her thing right now, and it’s probably the cutest thing ever.

After a trip to the grocery store, you ran a few more errands as quickly as possible since you didn’t want her to grow fussy, then you headed back home. It is a pretty warm day, so you definitely want to spend it outside. Ronan has some toys to play with and you have a book you’ve been dying to read since you brought it home from the shop a week ago.

When you pull into the driveway, a smile immediately spreads on your face. John is back and he’s standing by his car talking with Jimmy. You’re sure he just forgot something, so you pull around his car so you don’t block him in the driveway, and when Ronan sees her favorite guy, she screams with excitement. She’ll never tire of seeing him, and that’s also pretty fucking cute.

“Daddy!” she yells from the backseat, and you roll down her window and laugh when John rushes over.

“Hi, bug.” he leans in and kisses her cheek, “Did you get a new toy?”

From the rearview mirror, you see Ronan hold it up to show her daddy, and she smiles when John gasps and asks her questions about it. Jimmy even comes over to check it out too. John moves aside so Jimmy can talk to Ronan, and he opens your door and smiles at you.

“Hi, baby.”

“Hi,” you give him a small bashful wave that makes him laugh, and he reaches out to help you from the car so he can hug you. “What are you doing home?”

John gives you a quick kiss before gesturing to the house, “Forgot something I needed, then I stopped to talk to Jimmy.”

“Oh, so you still have things to do?” you ask, and he nods his head and smiles when you frown. “Okay. Well, I already did all my errands for the day, so hurry up.”

“I’m letting you two have a girls' day.”

You nod, “We’re having one! I bought some nail polish for her. I found this kind that is strictly made for children, so it’s non-toxic, vegan, cruelty-free, and all kinds of other stuff, and I’m totally losing you because your eyes have glazed over and you’re just nodding your head.”

John starts to smile, “I was listening.”

“Then what did I say?” you put your hands on your hips as he stares at you with a stupid grin on his face. “Exactly.”

“You said it was safe for Ronan to use.” he takes your hands off your hips and wraps them around his waist, pulling you close, “I just have a few more things to do, then I’ll be home.”

You look down when you feel Ronan tugging on your shorts, “Okay, well, we’re having a girls' day and we’re going to paint our nails with non-toxic, vegan, and cruelty-free nail polish.”

“Yeah, I was listening,” he teases, and you roll your eyes before leaning up to kiss him. “Say goodbye to daddy, Ro.”

Ronan hugs tight to John’s leg, then reaches up for a hug. He lifts her into his arms and hugs her, then he kisses her plump cheek before putting her down and kissing you again. You wave bye to Jimmy as he heads down the driveway after saying his goodbyes, then you hold Ronan and wave as John backs out.

“Bye, daddy!” Ronan yells, and you laugh as you look over at her. John taps the horn a few times, and she giggles loudly.

You blow a kiss to John and wave at him, then you take Ronan into the house to paint your nails.

__

It’s super warm this afternoon, so you and Ronan got settled on a blanket under the tree in the yard. She’s running around with Bleu and Sadie while you watch her, and you laugh when she trips and tumbles to the ground. You’re only laughing because she immediately gets up and keeps running around as the dogs chase her, giggling non-stop.

One day, she fell, and John immediately made a huge deal about it, which, yeah, is completely understandable, but because his reaction was so intense, so was hers. She sobbed. She didn’t even hurt herself. She just tripped over her feet. John took her into his arms and cuddled her until she felt better, then later she did it again (She’s a toddler, what do you expect?), and you playfully gasped and said "Uh oh!” and had a much more laidback reaction. She didn’t cry. She just got up and said “I okay,” before running off to play. You told John that if his reaction is intense, she’s going to feed off that.

It’s like those videos where the parents use their hand to hit the door, then they say “Oh no, are you okay?” to the baby, who then starts crying. They didn’t even get hurt. They’re just basing their reaction on yours.

Ronan is a Wick through and through, though. That girl will fall seven times and get back up eight. She is so John’s daughter.

You tilt your head back and close your eyes when a light breeze blows past, but you look down when you feel something hit your arm. You furrow your brow and pick up the candy wrapper, then you look around the yard.

Usually, you don’t get much litter in the yard. Mill Neck is very adamant about picking up any and all trash left around. You’ve never even seen a cigarette butt on the sidewalk before. They constantly patrol the neighborhood and the lake behind your house and are always picking up trash.

When another wrapper blows past, you quickly sit up and grab it before standing up and scanning the yard. Maybe a raccoon got into the garbage last night. You walk over to the garbage can to investigate with Ronan and the dogs right on your heels. She’s found a stick that she’s now waving around, so both dogs run off and finally plop down in the yard for some rest. You sure wouldn’t want to be in the way of her and that giant stick.

“Careful, Ro.” you say as you walk around the side of the house, “Uh oh, not near the windows.”

Ronan looks up at you with her big brown eyes--she is so John’s twin--then she nods her head and takes a few steps away before waving it around some more, knocking it against a flower pot and a patio chair. You make your way to the back of the house and keep looking around for any wrappers while Ronan gasps and finds more sticks to play with, you assume.

“What the hell?” you whisper to yourself when you find another wrapper for an energy bar.

“Momma!” Ronan calls out, and you turn around to see her walking over with a plastic bag in one hand and a clear water bottle that is definitely holding something that is not water.

“Put that down! Now!” you yell loudly and completely on impulse, and Ronan drops it and immediately starts to cry. You didn’t think about how your tone would absolutely scare her. You quickly rush over and grab her hands since she always sucks her thumb when she’s tired or sad, and you rush her into the house while she cries. “I’m so sorry, baby.”

You take her into the bathroom and immediately put some soap on her hands, scrubbing them vigorously and lathering the soap up nicely before rinsing it away. She’s still crying, but you’ll console her in a minute.

After drying her hands, you walk out to the living room and set her in your lap as you sit on the couch. You move her wispy brown hair from her eyes and press a kiss to her forehead. Her thumb immediately goes into her mouth. Thank god you washed her hands.

“I am so sorry that I yelled, baby.” you whisper against her warm forehead, “What you were holding was icky, and I didn’t want you to get dirty. I’m sorry. I love you.”

Ronan nuzzles into the crook of your neck and tries to say she loves you back. You give her a big kiss, then you hold her tight in your arms, rocking her gently. It’s almost nap time for her anyway. It doesn’t take long for her to fall asleep, so you carry her up to her room and let her rest for a bit before wandering back outside to check everything out--this time with gloves and a pair of tongs.

You pick up the bottle Ronan had and inspect it. Definitely pee. You search the bag and find more energy bars, protein bars, and an energy drink. There’s a receipt too, and it’s dated for just a few days ago. You try to recall if any work was done on the house around that time, but no one has been here.

From the corner of your eye, you spot a wrapper catching the sunlight, so you walk over and find a few more behind a bush, along with a matted-up blanket. It’s definitely time to call John.

You peel off the gloves and toss them on the ground next to the other wrappers, then you grab your phone, cradling it between your ear and shoulder as you walk back into the house for another pair of gloves and a garbage bag.

“Hey,” John answers after the third ring, “Can I call you right back?”

“Uh, yeah, that’s fine. No biggie. Just call me back when you can.” you say, then you hang up with John. You bring the garbage bag outside and snap a quick picture of what you’ve found, then you send it to John with no context. He’ll want to see a picture of it anyway when you talk to him.

After gathering everything in the garbage bag, you sit down on the side patio and wait for John to call you back. He does after about 5 minutes.

“What the hell was that picture you just sent me?”

“Have we had anyone over in the past week working on the house?”

John is quiet while he thinks, “No. Last time someone came out was for the pool. Why?”

“Well, I just…found that stuff in the bush behind the house.”

“What?”

You shrug, “Yeah, I found some empty wrappers blowing through the yard, so I went to look around, thinking it was a raccoon or something. Ronan found a bottle of something that is definitely not water.”

“Peach, when I asked if I could call you back, you should have said no because it was important. I would have dropped what I was doing.”

“It’s okay. You don’t have to drop everything for me.”

John scoffs, “It’s not okay, and yes, I do. I’m down the street right now.”

You smile as you get up and walk over to the driveway just as John pulls in. You hang up the phone and stuff it into your pocket, then you shrug when John looks at you.

John immediately gets out and rushes to you, “Are you okay?”

You nod as he looks you over, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

“Where is everything?” he asks, and you point over your shoulder. He takes your hand and drags you with him, “Don’t ever say this is nothing, mouse. This is important.”

“I felt like maybe it was nothing. Maybe it is nothing.” You hope anyway. “Maybe it’s Logan’s stuff from when he stayed out here once before he moved in.”

That doesn’t make sense though. The receipt was from a few days ago, and Logan has been staying at the house for a while now.

“Logan has been here for months. It can’t be from him.” John takes a deep breath and kneels down to look at everything, “You have gloves or something?”

You hand John the tongs. He looks up at you and laughs before taking them.

“We’ll need a new pair,” John says, shaking his head, “Definitely not flipping burgers with this anytime soon.”

Taking a deep breath, you kneel down next to him, “What do you think?”

“I think…” he takes a moment and looks at everything before looking at you, “I think someone has been staying in our backyard.”

“Staying?”

John clenches his jaw, “Or worse.”

You swallow hard and nod your head, nervousness and uncertainty settling into your gut, “Like…watching us?”

The thought makes you absolutely sick. Not only could someone be watching you, they could be watching Ronan. It’s a huge violation of privacy. And creepy. So fucking creepy.

“I gotta call Jimmy,” John says as he stands up. He reaches for your hand and helps you up, “Make sure every window and door is locked.”

“I will,” you look up at him and nod, and he quickly leans down to kiss you. “I love you.”

John is sensing that you’re scared, so he smiles softly as he cups your face, “I love you too. Now go inside.”

You hold his gaze as you tear up and watch his demeanor change from the soft, caring man you married to the cold, ruthless Baba Yaga. He immediately cracks when he sees a tear slide down your cheek.

“I’m going to protect you,” he whispers against your temple as you cry, “I’m going to protect you and Ronan both. Please go inside. I need to know you’re locked inside and that you’re safe.”

“What about you?”

John lets out a small laugh, “I’ll be fine. I’ll keep my phone and my keys on me at all times. Set the security system too.”

“Okay,” your chin wobbles as you look down and close your eyes, then you look up at him, “Find whoever this is.”

“Trust me,” John looks into your eyes intensely, “I plan on it.”

You watch John as he walks away, but he abruptly turns around and rushes back to you, reaching for you. He takes your face in his hands and presses a deep and desperate kiss to your lips, then several soft ones, before resting his forehead against yours for a moment.

“I’ll always protect you, Y/N.” he whispers, tears rolling down your cheeks when you look at him. Using his thumb, he wipes them away and kisses your forehead. “Get inside and lock that door.”

__

Unfortunately there’s been no news the past two days. That’s a good thing and a bad thing. There’s been no signs of anyone coming into the backyard since John put up some security cameras. When you went to bed last night, he was looking at the security cameras, and he was still looking at them when you woke up this morning.

As soon as you realized that someone was staying in the backyard, you packed a big bag for Ronan and took her to your parents' house. They understood and even offered their guest bedroom to you and John. He jumped on the opportunity, but only if it was for you to stay there, not him. You’re not going anywhere if he isn’t with. Ronan is safe with your parents, but you’re not leaving John’s side.

Logan was made aware of what was going on too, and you and John felt it would be best if he wasn’t at the house either, so he’s staying with Jimmy and Tess. He wanted to be a little closer so he could get his things for work, plus he gets along really well with Jimmy.

The living room is too open for John’s comfort, so he’s been making you stay in your bedroom. At night, you can close the curtains and lock the door to the balcony and know that no one can see in, but you can’t do the same in the living room.

“I can’t do this.” you say as you turn around to look at John, “I can’t just…live my life in our bedroom. I miss our daughter. I miss our living room. I miss going outside.”

John sits up straight and nods, “I know. It’s not forever.”

“Well, I’m about to rage.” you say, and John smiles a little. “I’m not kidding. I’m about to go in the yard and scream at the top of my lungs. Why does this person get to have this control over us?”

“Because we don’t know why they’re out there watching.”

You pout with your whole body and flop face down onto the bed. John lightly scratches your back and smiles when you look at him, and he sets aside the laptop and opens his arms to hold you. After you get into his arms, he reaches for it again and sets it in his lap.

“This is all you’ve been doing for 24 hours,” you whisper, looking at the different views around your yard, “Aren’t you bored?”

“Yes and no.” he says, and you look up at him, “Yes, because not much is happening, but also no, because Jimmy was taking Sadie for a walk and got tangled in her leash and tripped.”

You start to laugh as you look back at the laptop, but the laughter quickly fades, “I just want to know who this person is.”

“Me too.”

Closing your eyes, you nuzzle closer to him, “Do you think they’ll show up again?”

“I hope so,” he whispers, rubbing your side, “I’ll be waiting for him when he does.”

__

Shooting up in bed, you look over at John as he quickly rushes out of the bedroom. You get up and follow behind him, calling out, but he’s not waiting for you. He flings the door open and runs into the yard, and you stay in the house for a moment. It’s pitch black outside; you can’t see anything. You rush into the kitchen and get a flashlight, then you step outside and shine it around the yard.

“John?” you call out, not stepping foot off the patio, “John?”

After waiting for a few minutes, you go back inside and lock the door, still searching in the darkness for him. You hear footsteps coming up to the house, so you wait a moment before you see John. You quickly unlock the door to let him in, then you lock it behind him as he pants.

“Did you see him?”

You shake your head, “No.”

“He…” he exhales loudly and stands up, taking the flashlight from you and covering the living room in darkness so no one can see the two of you, “He was in the backyard. I was falling asleep, and the motion sensor woke me up. He was back.”

“What do we do?”

John grabs his phone and calls Jimmy. Despite it being almost two in the morning, Jimmy answers on the third ring.

“He was back,” John says, reaching for your hand and leading you upstairs. “Yeah, I just chased him around the yard. He’s fast. No, no, she’s okay. She’s right here with me. She didn’t stay inside like I told her to, but she’s okay.”

You shrug bashfully when he looks at you. He made you promise that you wouldn’t leave the house when he went outside after dark, but it was on impulse. You couldn’t just let him run out there in the dark.

John shuts and locks the bedroom door, “Yeah. I’m gonna keep looking. Hopefully one of the cameras got a good view of him. Yeah, I’ll send it right over if I find something. Sorry for waking you up.”

Since you’re sitting next to John in a silent room, you can hear Jimmy telling John not to apologize and to call if he finds anything else. You smile to yourself. Jimmy really is the best.

John hangs up with Jimmy and looks at you, “I told you to stay in the house.”

“I know you did, but--”

“No!” he says sternly as he looks at you, “I told you to stay in the house. I don’t care what your excuse is.”

You furrow your brow in anger, “You can’t tell me what to do!”

“I don’t tell you what to do, Y/N, you know that. I’m telling you to stay in the house when there’s a fucking stalker on the loose. I’m telling you to stay inside so you don’t get hurt. I don’t know if he’s carrying a gun or a knife with him, and I don’t know what his intentions are. You stay in the damn house next time.” he says, and you both stare each other down. He raises his brows, “Understand?”

“Yes, sir.” you scoff, and he chuckles as he reaches for your hand. You sigh loudly, “Sorry.”

John tugs your arm to get you to move closer, “I can’t lose you, and you know I’m not telling you what to do; I never have told you what to do and I never will.”

“I know,” you frown as you look up at him, “I was just scared when you ran outside. I was only out there for a few minutes.”

“Next time it’s zero minutes, okay?” he presses a kiss to your forehead and helps you lie down. “Are you tired?”

You nod as you look up at him, “Yeah, but I can’t sleep.”

John rests his hand on your hip, “Well, can I distract you?”

“Well, shouldn’t you be watching the cameras?”

He takes a deep breath, “I chased him down. He won’t come back tonight, I promise. He knows we’re watching.”

“Then yes, please distract me,” you reach up to cup his face, then you pull him down to your lips as he slips his hand into your underwear and rubs your clit. He slowly slides his middle finger deep inside of you and lets out a small laugh when he feels how wet you are. You roll your eyes, “Yeah, yeah, so I think you’re hot when you’re assertive. What about it?”

John smiles softly as he looks down at you, then he pulls the blanket over you both as he moves down between your legs.

__

Tess and Jimmy came over first thing this morning, and the guys went outside to scope everything out while you made breakfast. They came back in and ate, still talking about what they should do next. You finished eating and went to the living room with everyone, and now you’re just sitting around trying to wrap your head around everything.

“So, we have a stalker.”

Jimmy nods, “Sounds like it.”

“Why would someone want to stalk us?” you ask, and Jimmy shrugs.

Tess shrugs, “People stalk for all kinds of reasons. Who knows. It could be something like they like your house or…someone is stalking John because they saw him at the mall and thought he was hot. People are fucking weird.”

“Could it be Matt?” you ask, and John shakes his head. “Are you sure?”

“It’s not him,” Jimmy chimes in, glancing at John. “I immediately checked with a buddy at the station. He’s not even in New York anymore. Lives somewhere in southern New Jersey now. We matched the dates from the receipt and he wasn’t in New York. As far as I know, he moved shortly after you got married.”

Tess chuckles, “After John beat his ass.”

“Maybe it’s your ex.” John says, and you look at him, “What was his name? Drake?”

You jerk your head back, “Derek? What? No! And why does it have to be my ex? We ran into him months ago. I haven’t even talked to him in forever, not since I ran into him, and he was cool about everything. You even met him! Why would it be him?”

“I don’t have anyone who would want to watch me.”

“You’re John Wick, of course you do!” you say loudly, then you shake your head, “What about your crazy ex, Rachel? She applied for a job at our shop and wanted to fuck you! She practically admitted it!”

John shakes his head, “It’s not her, but I don’t know about your ex.”

“Oh, so you’re blaming me for this?”

John furrows his brow in anger, “I’m not blaming you. I’m thinking about potential people.”

“Well, you’re really shit at it.” you say as you cross your arms, “Why does it have to be about me? Why is it my fault that this is happening?”

“Hey!” Tess stands between the two of you and puts her hands out, “Stop. Why are you two fighting when you should be leaning on each other for support?”

John closes his eyes for a moment before looking over at you, “I’m sorry. I just…I’m just trying to think of people.”

“Well, it’s not him.” you say, and John nods. “I can call him to prove it. Though…now that I think about it, I don’t have his number--because I don’t talk to him.”

“I believe you,” John says, and you nod your head. “I believe you, peach.”

Tess grimaces when you look at her, “But how do you know?”

“I don’t.” you admit as you shrug, “I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think it’s him.”

Why would it even be Derek? You ran into him a while ago at a restaurant and even introduced him to John and Ronan. It’s not him. He’s moved on and the break-up was completely amicable, and quite literally years ago. It’s not him.

You grab your phone from the coffee table and pull up Instagram. You get to his profile and see he’s just recently added to his stories, so you open it. Relief washes over you when you see that he’s not even in the state. He’s not even in the country.

“He’s in Costa Rica.” you say, turning your phone to show everyone, “From the looks of it, he’s been there for a while. Something for work. He’s been there nearly two months.”

“The receipt was from a few days ago,” John says, holding your gaze, “It’s not him.”

You let out a big breath and shake your head slightly, “I’ll be right back.”

You just need a moment to yourself, so you head up to your room. You sit down on the bed and put your head in your hands, then you rub your tired eyes. You’ve barely gotten any sleep.

“I’m not blaming you, peach,” John says from behind you, and you look over your shoulder as he walks over in the dark room. The curtains have been completely shut all day. He sits down next to you and wraps his arm around your waist, “I’m sorry that it came across like I was accusing you. This isn’t your fault. I don’t want you to think that at all.”

“It wouldn’t be him. He wouldn’t do that.”

John nods, “Maybe I just accused him for personal reasons.”

You furrow your brow when you look at him, but you nod when you see the guilty look on his face and his big puppy-dog eyes.

“I don’t want to be with him, John.” you say as you turn to face him, “I haven’t for years. I just want to be with you.”

“I know,” he nods, sighing loudly, “I know that. I just remember how he looked at you that night that you ran into him, and…I’m just being jealous.”

You smile as you reach over to cup his face, “You don’t have to be jealous of anyone ever. You know how much I want you. You know how much I love you, so please don’t be jealous of someone from my past.”

John looks at you and starts to smile since every now and then you get a little jealous about his relationship with Helen. Hey, you’re human, okay?

“I’ll do the same,” you say as he leans over to kiss your cheek. You smile softly at him before it fades and you begin to worry again, “Are we sure it’s not Matt?”

“It’s not,” John shakes his head. “As soon as we found the stuff in the yard, I asked Jimmy to look into it. It’s not him. Selfishly hoped it was, so I could beat the shit out of him again, but it’s not him. I don’t know who it could be, but if I’m honest, it’s…it’s probably someone from my past, not yours.”

You shake your head, “We don’t know that, John. We can’t jump to conclusions here. All we know is that someone has been staying in the backyard. We don’t know anything else.”

“Whether it’s someone watching us or staying in the backyard, we keep these curtains closed at all times. No more sitting in the living room either.”

“So,” you pause for dramatic effect, “We just…don’t live a life then?”

John sighs, “For now.”

You get up from the bed and exhale loudly, “Okay.”

John stands up and reaches for your hand when you walk past, and he pulls you into his arms and holds you, resting his forehead against yours. He tips your chin up and kisses you softly, leaving his lips there for a few moments before kissing you deeper. He slips his tongue into your mouth as he slides his hand down to your ass, then he grips it and cups your face in his other hand.

You get a little worked up from kissing him, so you pant as you lean back to look into his eyes, “Don’t leave me. I don’t want to be alone.”

“I’m not going anywhere.” he whispers, and you close your eyes, “Ronan is safe with your parents--Dan assured me of that. But I don’t want you leaving my side.”

Closing your eyes, you lean against his chest for a few moments, listening to his heart pounding. He wraps his arms around you tightly and holds you, then he rubs your back and nods his head toward the doorway, so you head back downstairs.

“You know, I was thinking…” Tess turns around and gestures to the floor to ceiling glass walls, “You might wanna get rid of this.”

“We are,” John says, and you scoff and look back at him.

You roll your eyes, “We’re not. I’m not changing my house because someone is being a freak and spying on us. We’re not getting rid of it. Sure, we’ll get some curtains, but the glass walls stay. We’re not ruining the aesthetic of this house.”

“Fuck the aesthetic,” Tess says, and you look at her.

“No. I’m not changing my house because of some person. You can’t even see our living room unless you’re standing in our driveway. The walls stay.” you say firmly as you look at them all, “I’m not changing my life for someone who is violating my privacy. End of discussion.”

Tess puffs out her cheeks and lets out air as she looks at John, “A spitfire, that one.”

“I know,” John smiles as he looks at you, “I love it.”

__

John has been patrolling the yard for the past two nights before bed. He goes out there and stays out until he’s searched every inch of the lawn. He checks the bushes, behind the garbage cans, and the dock on the lake. He checks the backyard nearly five times before you finally call him inside. He comes inside very reluctantly. You both make sure the house is completely locked up, the security system is set, and there are no lights left on inside before you head up to your room for the night and lock yourselves in.

“Should we get a gate at the end of the driveway?”

You look over at him as you both brush your teeth. You quickly spit out the toothpaste and put your toothbrush away before turning to him while he finishes up.

“No,” you shake your head when he looks at you, “I don’t want us to cut ourselves off from people here. Tess comes over too, so what am I supposed to do every time she wants to come over? Tell her that she needs to wait for me to open a fucking gate for her? Or tell her that I’ll meet her down there? I’m not locking us away. Plus Bleu and Sadie run from Tess’ house to ours.”

“I know, but--”

You take a deep breath, “I get it. You’re trying to protect us and I love that, but I don’t want to lock myself away because someone is watching us. I want to know who it is so we can lock them away.”

“And I’m going to find them,” he says, and you nod your head, “They have violated our privacy. They’ve made you feel unsafe in our home. I will find them.”

“I know you will.” you place your hand on his chest as you look up at him, “I believe you.”

John sighs as he looks at you. He’s been beating himself up over this. He can’t catch this person who is making you feel unsafe, and he feels like he’s failing.

“Do you still feel safe with me?”

“Of course I do,” you wrap your arms around his neck, “Why do you think I’ve been stuck to your side?”

John closes his eyes, “I can’t catch him though.”

“But you will.” you reach up and tuck a strand of hair behind his ear, “I know you will, John. We’ll catch him.”

Holding tight to one another, you stand on your tiptoes and bury your face in the crook of his neck, finding safety and comfort in his arms. You try to keep yourself from yawning, but you can’t, so you lean back and yawn as John laughs.

“Let’s go to bed.” he whispers, and you smile softly.

He won’t sleep a wink tonight, knowing that there’s someone out there, but at least he’ll be by your side.

__

Since Ronan has been with your parents at night, you and John have been spending the day with her. You’ve taken her to the museum and, of course, the aquarium--you put that season pass to good use, and thankfully she never tires of the place. You’ve been spending all day with her and John, but his mind is still back at the house. H’es laughing and enjoying the time that you’re all spending together, but his smile will slowly fade as the worries creeps back in. He knows that he can’t just sit there all day since whoever is stalking will show up once you aren’t there.

Ronan clearly misses you and John since she’s clinging to your hands as you walk through the aquarium together. Once she gets to her favorite part--the rainforest area--she lets go and runs over to crawl through the tunnel. Her giggle echoes through the tunnel, and you snap a few pictures of her inside as she points at the snake wrapped around the branch.

“I swear if she could get in there and cuddle with it, she would,” John says, and you look up at him, “She is too sweet.”

You look back at Ronan as she waves at the snake and talks to it, “I want this to be over.”

“What?”

“This…stalker shit. I want to be able to bring our daughter home.” you look at her and smile, “She deserves to be able to come home. She deserves to be able to play in the yard with Bleu and with us.”

John wraps his arm around your shoulder to pull you closer, “And you deserve to feel safe.”

“I don’t care about me.”

“But I do,” he says, hugging you close to his side, “And I’ll make sure that you both are safe.”

Ronan comes running back over to you, pointing at a colorful bird flying overhead, then she squeals with excitement and takes off running up to the next exhibit that is housing a huge lizard or something. Of course, she crawls into that tunnel as well and smiles when the creature crawls past her. John nudges you and points to the tunnel. You break out in a grin when you look at him, then you quickly crawl inside to join Ronan.

__

Men are screaming loudly in the yard as you shake on the couch, clinging to a pillow. There are cops everywhere, and their blue and red lights are flashing brightly through the window. There’s even one parked in the middle of your yard.

Ten minutes ago, you and John were just sitting on the couch watching a movie when you both saw something from the corner of your eye. It was the stalker. He was just standing there, watching you through the window. You saw him but didn’t react. You just quietly whispered to John, but he already knew. He had spotted him a few minutes before you mentioned it. He said he wanted to play it cool and see if he could sneak away. Before John could even do that, the stalker banged on the window, and John immediately jumped up to chase after him while you called the cops.

The door opens, and you instantly tense up until you see that it’s Jimmy.

“Where’s John?”

“I don’t know!” you get up and walk to him, “He ran out.”

Jimmy rubs his hand over his face and looks outside, “We can’t find him or the guy.”

“There!” someone yells, and you see the stalker running across the lawn with John hot on his trail.

Jimmy puts his arm out to protect you and keep you inside, but you push past him and run onto the patio. You hear the splashing of water as if someone is running along the shore, then a gunshot rings out and causes you to freeze for a moment. Your blood runs cold, and everything is silent for a minute, like the entire world went on mute. But another shot rings out, and you immediately take off running. You hear several more gunshots and duck down when one hits a tree next to you, then you keep running to John.

“Wait! No!” Jimmy yells as he chases after you. “Don’t look!”

You have to. You have to look. Because you know who was shot. You know it deep down. John didn’t have a gun when he ran outside.

As soon as you get closer, you see John. He’s holding his side. You run up to him and immediately press your hand over his, searching his eyes.

“I’m okay.” he says, nodding his head as he pants, “I’m okay.”

“No, no, no!” you cry as you help him sit down. You move his hair from his face before looking up, “Help!”

John coughs a little and reaches up to touch your face, “Peach, I’m fine.”

“You’re not fine,” you cry as you lift his shirt to look at his side covered in blood, “Oh, my god! Help!”

Jimmy slides up next to you and immediately applies pressure to John’s side. He yells out something to another cop, but you can’t hear what it was over your cries.

“Please don’t leave me,” you whisper to John as you lean closer, “John…”

John opens his eyes, “I’m okay. Just a graze. Did they catch him?”

You look over your shoulder to see two cops wrestling someone down onto the ground, and you catch a glimpse of the stalker before you look back at John, who is trying to keep his eyes open.

“Mrs. Wick,” an EMT kneels down next to you and looks at your hands that are covered in John’s blood. She smiles softly at you, “Let’s get up so we can get him into an ambulance, okay?”

“I don’t--” you reach for his arm and cling to it, “I don’t want to leave him!”

She smiles sincerely, “You can stay by his side the entire time, I swear.”

“I’m fine!” John says as he tries to get up, but Jimmy pushes him back down. “Get off! I need to find him!”

“They got him, man. He’s in custody.” Jimmy says, and you lightly rub John’s arm to get him to look at you.

You lean down and kiss him, “We have to get you to the hospital.”

“I don’t want to go.” he whispers softly, and you lean closer, “I need to find him.”

“He’s in custody. He’s not going anywhere.” you say, rubbing his cheek softly, “But we need to get you to a hospital.”

John closes his eyes in defeat and nods his head, “Fine. I can walk though.”

The EMT smiles when you look at her, “Nice try, Mr. Wick. You’re going on a stretcher.”

He’ll run otherwise. He’ll chase the car down to get to that guy, you know it. It was personal before, but now with the gunshot wound in his side, it really is.

You stand up while they get John onto the stretcher, and you smile when he reaches for your hand. You walk alongside him as they push the stretcher through the yard to the ambulance, then you get in after they put him inside.

“Mrs. Wick,” an officer says, and you look over at him. “We’ll need you to come to the station to identify the suspect.”

You shake your head, “I’m not leaving John’s side. You hold him there until then.”

“Yes, ma’am.” he nods before walking off.

To be honest, it felt kind of nice to have all that power just then.

You look back at John and smile softly when you see him looking at you, “We’re gonna get this all fixed.”

“Don’t cry,” he whispers as he reaches up to cup your face, “I’m okay.”

Immediately, you start crying harder as you lean down and rest your forehead against his. He wraps his hand around your arm and squeezes lightly as the ambulance pulls onto the street and turns on the lights and sirens. The EMTs in the back are getting something set up for John while you sit back and hold tight to his hand. He’s still trying so hard to keep his eyes open.

“Peach,” he says with his eyes shut, and you lean forward until you’re closer to him, “I love you.”

You smile and let out a small laugh, “I love you too, but you’re scaring me. Don’t start saying goodbye.”

“I’m fine. I’ve been through worse,” he laughs with his eyes closed. He hums when you rub your thumb over his cheek, “Stay with me though, okay? I’ll protect you.”

“I know,” you smile, resting your head on his chest, “I’m staying right here.”

__

taglist:

@spiderfangirl22 @im--blushing @ruby-octo @sunnythebunny7 @livetosing21 @lilithlinen @ladyren33 @multifandombliss @tnu-ree @scream-queen-25 @beingnerdyissupercool @sakurachan-9

[monsterswithimagines]

Undisclosed Desires - Part 18

Joe Goldberg x female!Reader

Summary: Twenty minutes before he would have met Guinevere Beck, Joe meets you instead. You intruige him, but it will soon become clear that there is something off about you.

Words: 618

Masterlist

(Help I'm running out of Joe gifs)

Listen if you still need a minor smut warning at this point, you're reading the wrong fic.

You are so comfortable right now.

You are sprawled on my couch. You're reading Brief interviews with hideous men. You are wearing a very loose green shirt that keeps slipping off your shoulder, so you have to pull it back up.

You slept over last night. You were in my bed. Your hair was sprawled across my pillow. It's basically normal now, but I still consider it special.

I'm cleaning. You tried to help me, but I told you not to. You're tired. You've had a rough week at work.

Besides, it's not your fault I've let this place go lately. It's nearly Halloween and I haven't cleaned properly since late September. That's on me.

I dust shelves and I vacuum and I return things to their rightful places, but my eyes keep slipping to you.

You are not wearing a bra.

You notice me watching, but you only smile and look back at your page. I can't believe you can read at a time like this.

“Good book?” I ask.

“Great book,” you answer. “I bought it at this amazing bookstore.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah. Mooney's rare and used. You ever been?”

“Can't say that I have.”

You laugh and roll your eyes. Then, you put your book to the side and open your arms and I go to you.

Making out on my couch is better than cleaning. Having sex on my couch is better than just about anything. There isn't a lot of space and you wrap your legs around me to keep me in place and our intermingled, ragged breathing is loud in my tiny apartment, but I know from experience it sounds even louder in your shoe box.

When we're done, I get up and go back to cleaning. You pick up your book again, uncaring that you are only in your shirt and nothing else now.

This is our routine. We can be doing just about anything and take a break for a good fuck. If we'd had sex in my bed, it would have been making love and we might have stayed and cuddled for a while after we were done, but the couch is too uncomfortable for that and the sex was quick and rough and you like that, you like it a lot. And, (Y/n), so do I.

Another few minutes, and you get up and stretch. Something cracks, and you wince.

“You okay?”

“I stayed in one position too long.”

You disappear into the bathroom and I take a moment to tidy things around where you've been resting. Your panties go in my pocket. You'll just think it went behind the furniture somewhere. You keep replacements around here, but they are all clean and this one is wet because while I was cleaning, you wanted me. You always want me. You are a sex maniac. But only for me.

The apartment is pretty clean now. I'm happy with it. You come out of the bathroom and tell me I did a good job.

“Thank you, ma'am.”

“I guess now you'll want a reward.”

I shrug and grin. You roll your eyes a second time and stand on your tippy toes to kiss me sweet and slow.

I humm.

“Okay, that was a pretty good reward.”

“I'm glad you think so,” you say.

There's a knock. You dart to put on jogging pants while I go to open the door. It's Paco. His mother isn't home and he forgot to bring a key when he went to his friend's house this morning. I let him in and you make him a snack and ask him how school's going.

This is our life. This just might be our life forever.

[yellowkitkieran]

To Have and To Heal (Part 6)

Masterlist

Read part 1 here

Word Count: 3.3k

Summary: Single working dad Martin Odegaard is navigating the ups and downs of parenthood all on his own, and he’s struggling. That’s not to mention football, life and... love?

Martin Ødegaard is late.

Being a teacher, tardiness isn't something you normally tolerate. But when the offender is a tall, fit, blonde, Norwegian man that you have a massive crush on, you guess you can grant him a pass. 

You fiddle with the hem of your glittery gold dress, absently wondering if it's too much. You stared at it on the mannequin in the Chanel window display for what felt like hours before you decided you had to have it. You rationalized your outrageous purchase by saying it was a birthday present to yourself, ignoring the fact that you'd bought a pair of boots and said the same thing the week prior. Looking your best tonight was a non negotiable, and as soon as you tried the dress on you knew you had to have it.

Did you nearly drain your savings to afford it? Yes. Do you care? Not really, when you're positive Martin might lose his head at the sight of you in it.

The gold, half-sheer fabric hugs your body in all the right places. The fitted sleeves stop an inch above your wrist, allowing you to showcase the thin gold tennis bracelet passed down by your mum a few years back. The dress falls to your mid thigh, showing plenty of skin whilst also not causing a scandal among your colleagues. The metallic threads woven throughout catch in the club lights, attracting attention from all corners of the room but not from the man you crave most, because he's still to arrive. 

Half heartedly, you wonder if he's forgotten. Or perhaps the lads invited him out at the last minute and Martin decided that a night drinking with his friends sounded more appealing than hanging around at a teacher’s birthday party. 

Jen presses a drink into your hand, confident as ever in her fitted blue party dress. No matter where you are, she is usually the star of the show, but today you’re somewhat glad she’s turned it down a notch. "Quit staring at the door, live a little. He'll show up and if he doesn't, well then guess what! I'll help you find someone to forget about him." Jen touches your elbow, guiding the glass in your hand to your lips. "Drink! Have fun! Let loose and live for once in your life!"

Without a second thought, you down your drink amidst cheers from your friends, slamming the glass to the table when you've finished it. You make eye contact with Martin when you do, who's just walked in the door looking devilishly handsome as always. 

Martin's blonde hair is perfectly messy, one little strand sticking straight up like he'd nervously fiddled with it outside. He wears a red and black flannel unbuttoned over a plain black shirt, and a pair of skinny jeans that his muscular thighs look set to rip out of at any second. Even his shoes are modest, a simple pair of white high top converse. The only thing about him that screams money is the silver watch on his wrist; without it he may as well be an average London boy out for a night of fun. 

Somehow, he's even more gorgeous dressed like this than when he's wearing all designer or an Arsenal tracksuit. You love his modest appearance, like he'd chosen each piece with you in mind, to ensure he did everything he could to keep the spotlight off himself and firmly on you. It's sweet, as is the way he grins when you wave to him. 

Martin comes over and places a book sized box on the table before stuffing his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "Happy birthday, Sunshine,” he says, the greeting rolling off his tongue as easily as a plain hello. “Sorry I’m late.”

"Thanks," you squeak out, then clear your throat. You're determined to get through this night without embarrassing yourself, so you try a touch of banter and say, "I was beginning to worry you forgot about little old me! Party started at eight and it's now… nearly nine, Mar!"

"Ah yes, sorry I know,” Martin apologizes, and you swear a bit of pink finds it’s way to color his cheeks. “It's just that Atla wouldn't let me leave and I wound up having to bribe her with a new set of paints I had been saving for her birthday to convince her to stop clinging to my leg like a little animal." 

Oh God, how selfish of you! Of course Atla wouldn't want her dad to leave her, especially when she isn't used to him going out except for matches, when he'd be gone for days at a time. It’s perfectly reasonable to assume that he wouldn’t want to leave until he knew Atla was settled. 

"Right, I'm sorry! Of course that's why you're late, I shouldn't have assumed. That’s adorable though, that she loves her daddy so much that she couldn’t stand the thought of you leaving!"

Martin waves a hand, his voice like silk as he says, "Ah please it's alright. I should've messaged you or something. Though I would've had to email you through your school account, which you probably wouldn't have seen anyway, I doubt you check that on nights out."

Maybe it's the fact that you've already had enough to drink that you're feeling slightly buzzed, or maybe it's simply your new confidence in this dress, but you hold out your phone to Martin, a blank contact on the screen. "Put your number in then! I'll message you and you'll have it in the future then."

Looking slightly stunned, Martin takes your phone and types in his number before handing it back. "There you go- this is for you by the way, Sunshine," he says and nods towards the box he brought, a timid smile on his pale lips. 

You run your fingers over the red wrapping paper and fiddle with the loops of the bow in the center. "You can call me by my first name, you know, Martin. I thought we were friends and all that?" 

"Ah, but I like Sunshine better… how about if I call you solskinn instead? Would that be acceptable?" 

This man… you swear he knows exactly how to make you fall head over heels. It doesn't seem like he even realizes what he's doing which is the most mind blowing part- how can someone not realize the effect they have on another person? 

You smile when you realize Martin is waiting patiently for an answer and stutter out, "um- yeah, yes that's fine Mar… I'm gonna wager a guess that it's just Sunshine in Norwegian?" When Martin nods, you feel heat creeping up your cheeks, desperately willing them to not burn too brightly. "Yeah, I like that then Martin, you can call me that."

"Good, because it goes with the gift I got you. Go ahead and open it! I'm excited to see if you like it." Martin shifts a foot closer to you until he's inches away. You aren't sure if you're imagining the heat radiating from him or if it's truly there, either way you don't care. When you turn your head to look up at him before you rip off the paper, you have to crane your neck to see his pretty smile and the impatient glint in his eye. His beauty stuns you for a moment, the alcohol in your veins inhibiting your good sense and whispering that it’s a perfectly fine idea for you to stare at him a touch longer than you probably should. 

Jen's sharp elbow to your side brings you back to reality as your best friend saves you for the first time that night. You smile awkwardly at Martin then tear into his gift, gasping when you see the brand embossed in the white box.

"Chanel? Martin what did you do?! I can't accept this-" without opening the lid, you try shoving it towards Martin. Whatever it is, you know it isn't cheap. Martin shouldn't be dropping hundreds of pounds on you when he has Atla at home. 

"Honestly solskinn please, just open it," he murmurs, sliding it towards you again. His hand finds a place between your shoulder blades as he leans in to be heard over the music, "It's customized so I am not allowed to return it anyway. Trust me I can afford it! Please just open it and see. If you truly hate it, I'll pawn it off to one of the lads' girlfriends or something."

Ah, right. It can't be anything too personal then. Hopefully it's something small, though knowing Martin and that look on his face, it's the exact opposite. Taking a deep breath, you place one hand on either side of the box and bring it in front of you. You aren’t sure why you’re so nervous to see what he’s picked out, but something tells you that everything is about to change. 

You pull at the lid, wiggling it free. You're acutely aware of Jen's eyes burrowing into your skull as you peel back the white tissue paper, Martin's hand burning a brand into your skin through the material of your dress. "I hope you like it," he murmurs as you pull out a small, white leather crossbody bag with a tiny sun emblazoned above the clasp. You run your fingers over the gold chain strap and the embossed decoration, not having any idea what to say.

Martin fiddles nervously on your left. Your back suddenly grows cold when he removes his hand, raking his fingers through his hair instead. You're stuck staring at his gift, awestruck by the thought he's put into it as much as its price tag. 

"Uhh… do you like it? If you don't just tell me-"

"I love it," you interrupt, eyes wide when you turn to him. "Honestly Martin it's perfect- thank you so much!"

Without thinking, you throw your arms around Martin's neck for a bone crushing hug. Every muscle in his body goes rigid for a split second, like he's warring with himself. Then his arms engulf you and you nearly sigh when you’re slotted into the perfect fit of his embrace. He's warm and soft in all the right places. Calm- that's how you feel in the moment, as if a hug from Martin is all you needed to erase your frantic thoughts and worries. 

"You're welcome," he says into your hair, so quietly that you nearly miss it. You want to cling to him for the entire night, but you force yourself to release him after a few more precious seconds. 

“I really do love it, Mar. It’s such a thoughtful gift.” You allow yourself to touch your fingers to the back of his hand, trying to encourage him to let loose and be himself. 

“I was worried you wouldn’t, I thought maybe it was a bit too much. I wasn’t sure on the color either, I had no idea there was so many choices for things!” You laugh, imagining Martin looking like a lost child in the store until someone took pity and offered him help. “The salesperson was really helpful though, she said white was classic and that you’d probably like gold cause most people choose that with this bag and… and I’ve gone off on a tangent, haven’t I?”

You tip your head to the side, studying Martin as you say, “have you? I didn’t really notice to be honest. I don’t mind listening to you chat. Really, I’m a good listener, I’m used to toddlers telling me the most mundane details.”

“Ha- yeah I suppose that must be true, Atla always wants to tell me every little detail on our way home, right down to what colors she painted the trees with in art that day.” When Martin speaks about his daughter, his entire face lights up. You can tell how much he cares for her, how immense his pride is for his little art prodigy. 

If you had it your way, you'd stay here chatting to Martin all night. You have books full of questions to ask him, things you want to know about his life, his passions, his family, his culture… but your friends apparently have other plans. 

"Haaaapy biiiirthday to you!" 

You internally groan, spinning on your heel and being greeted with a round cake overflowing with candles. 

"Haaapy birthdaaaay to youu!"

Jen grins, stepping into your personal space and forcing you back a step, causing you to knock into Martin to avoid getting a face full of burning birthday cake. Martin's hand shoots out to your waist, steadying you. You're focused entirely on his touch whilst your friends finish their song. It takes an enormous amount of willpower to pay attention and keep a grin plastered on your face to cover the way Martin's hand makes you want to scream. It doesn't move until you lean forward to blow out the candles and everyone claps, Jen giving you a look that tells you she's set her master plan into motion. 

After you've cut and divided out the cake, you finally find your way over to Martin. He stands mostly alone, for once flying under the radar in an establishment full of uni students and young adults that couldn't care less about a football player amongst them. He leans with one arm on a high table whilst he chats to one of the people you'd invited. Martin does a double take as you approach, swaying your hips slightly while he quickly wraps up his conversation. 

"Do you want any cake? Or does your strict diet not allow for any fun, sugary foods?"

Martin laughs, a musical, magic sound that you instantly want to bottle so you can hear it whenever you please. "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I'm not allowed to have any cake tonight. I am about to get a drink though, would you like anything?" 

"Mmm, seems a bit backwards if you ask me, but alright I'll buy it. I'll have whatever you're having? And I'll come with you." You add the lastbit on impulse, glad you did when Martin's face lights up. 

You follow Martin through the crowd, grabbing his flannel at one point to avoid being separated in the sea of people. Martin slows his pace when he realizes you're struggling, then reaches a hand towards you for you to take. 

Time seems to slow to the point of molasses around you when your hand slots into his. You swear a jolt of electricity sings through you when your palm slides against his calloused one, fitting perfectly together like a matched pair. He guides you through the crowd with ease, like this somehow isn’t giving him the same butterflies as it’s giving you. 

Is Martin doing this on purpose? Does he realize the effect he has on you, or is it simply a coincidence that everything he's doing tonight sets your heart on fire? You don't care either way, you just pray it's not a one time thing. 

Martin hesitates at the bar and you get the feeling he doesn't want to let go. You open your mouth to tell him he doesn't have to but you're far too slow, and he drops your hand before you can get a word out. A stone of disappointment settles in your gut as you fold your empty hands in front of you. 

Martin orders two of a drink you've not heard of before. Whatever it is seems fancy because it takes ages, which you're very aware of thanks to the silence that stretches between you. Martin's mood has changed in the time it's taken to get from the table to the bar and you have no idea why. You hate it, you want the Martin from five minutes ago. You want the Martin that hugged you and was soft as downy clouds, not this steely, closed off version of him.

When the drinks come, Martin slides one your way and says, “If you don’t like it, I can get you something else.” Fruity bursts cover the slight burn of alcohol when you take a sip. The drink goes down easy, and before you realize it you’ve finished half. You grin, setting your glass on the bar. 

“It’s good! I like it, you’ll have to tell me what it is so I can order it more often. Although I have to admit, I took you for a straight whisky kinda guy.” Your shoulder bumps Martin’s in an attempt to loosen him up. It works at least slightly; some of the tension drains from him. That light you love dances in his eyes again, the blue of his irises even brighter somehow.

Hold on- love? No, no. You don’t love anything about Martin… You can’t, he’s your student’s father, but… what an amazing father he is. You’ve not met a man like Martin, who balances such a demanding job with being the perfect father. Atla loves him so much and you would have to be blind not to see how much he loves her as well. His world revolves around his blue eyed, blonde haired, outgoing little girl. 

And that is precisely why you’re falling for him. It isn’t slow anymore. It’s more like a plane crash, sending you into a helpless, tumbling free fall that has you toppling arse over teakettle. There’s no denying it anymore. You may as well admit it. 

Taking a deep breath, you gather every bit of courage you possess. “Martin- can I ask you something?”

Your heart hammers in your chest. Your thoughts are treason. You don’t care. You’ll pay whatever price the universe demands to know the answer to the question that has been plaguing you for ages. 

Martin glances over at you, runs a strong hand through his hair. He cheats his body towards you, elbow bent as he leans on the bar and says, “um, yeah sure. What is it?”

You barrel ahead before you can change your mind. “I just- would you wanna go out some time? Like, as… as maybe more than friends?”

At first, Martin looks like he might laugh, as if he thinks you’re joking. His cute little dimples come out to play for only a second. Then his expression morphs into disbelief, then something almost like disgust as it dawns on him that you’re completely serious. 

You hate yourself. You hate him. No, you don’t. You just wish you could erase your words, pull them back and keep them locked up deep inside your heart where they belong. You’ve let yourself be vulnerable for the first time in as long as you can remember, and now that decision will haunt you. 

“I’m sorry but I can’t do that,” Martin says, taking a step back, one hand pressed hard to the center of his chest. “Sorry but I- I have to go.”

“What?” Your stomach sinks to your feet. Fuck, you’ve really messed it all up. “Martin, wait, you don’t have to go.” Your hand shoots out for his wrist, but the second your fingers brush his skin, he jerks his arm away like you’ve shocked him. “Martin I’m sorry, just forget I said anything. I’m half drunk and I don’t have a filter.”

Your world crumbles at your feet as Martin shakes his head. He’s like a spooked animal, set to flee thanks to your admission. “I have to go,” he repeats, before turning on his heel and making a beeline for the door. He leaves you at the bar, shellshocked and alone, trying to process what’s just happened.

Why couldn’t you just keep your mouth shut?

[ecargmura]

My New Boss Is Goofy Episode 10 Review - Autumnal Short Stories

This episode is a bit different from the rest in that it’s more of a compilation of short stories compared to one whole episode. Fortunately, these little stories revolve around the theme of autumn. Basically, this episode is summarized as Momose and Shirosaki doing cute things in autumn, ft. Hakutou, Aoyama and Kinjou.

The first story is about Shirosaki and Momose meeting up during work and then an acorn hits Shirosaki’s shoulder. He thought Momose was calling him, but since the latter didn’t want to embarrass him, he told a white lie by saying he likes acorns. The segment ends with Shirosaki giving acorns to Momose and Kinjou giving Shirosaki a squirrel kigurumi. This is a cute way to start the episode.

The second story is just a cute halloween-themed episode where Shirosaki and Momose stumble upon a halloween festival while out for work. Shirosaki gets scared as usual. There’s an instance where Shirosaki tried going left, but went right and smooshed his cheek against Momose’s. After kids were telling them how to differentiate left and right, they bought them candy as thanks. Cute. It’s okay, Shirosaki; I get my left and rights mixed up at times too.

The third story is about Momose and Shirosaki out on a drive for work-related purposes. Momose was amazed by Shirosaki’s driving skills, but he’s still a goof as he tried getting out without removing the seatbelt. Afterwards, on their way back, they saw a vending machine that only took small bills. So, as Shirosaki went to the convenience store to ask for change, Momose reflects on the difference between Shirosaki and Kurono, his old boss. When Shirosaki comes back, he has a bag of beverages and snacks; unfortunately, Shirosaki forgot he was supposed to ask for change and paid everything with credit card. I get you Shirosaki; that happened to me too! At least, Momose likes driving with his boss now. The little flashback with Shirosaki making a mistake at his driving test was hilarious; I just hoped he got his license on his first try—I got mine on my first try and I still wonder how I did so to this day. There’s also a small segment where Aoyama and Kinjou are in a car together. Aoyama even has a Kumatte-chan GPS!

The fourth story is about Momose and Shirosaki working from home due to a mass infection at Minette. Hakutou’s wondering why they’re at home today. Shirosaki makes a big goof by trying to drink something with his mask on. Since they’re at home, Momose reassures he can take off his mask, which he does. Drinking something with the mask on was something I did once. I think the biggest highlight of this segment was the fact that Aoyama was telling the others that he isn’t wearing any pants underneath. Aoyama, TMI!

The fifth segment is about the two going on a day trip. They decided to buy a book to keep themselves occupied on the train. As a book lover myself, it’s nice see what sort of books they chose. Momose chose a poetry book that contains healing poems; I feel like it’s perfect for someone who needs some mental healing. Shirosaki chose a mystery book with a cat on the cover; I bet he picked it precisely because there’s a cat on the cover. It turns out that Shirosaki already figured out the culprit…because he bought and read the book before. It’s okay, Shirosaki! Having multiple copies of a book is normal for bookworms.

The sixth segment is about taking Hakutou to the vet. Is it just me or has Hakutou gotten bigger? He looks a bit bigger than he did in previous episodes, especially the part where Shirosaki picked him up. Also, the cat noises Hakutou makes are so cute! Props to Hiro Shimono for having such a cute voice! The part about the stethoscope was cute. Also, the taxi driver from Episode 6 has returned!

The seventh segment has the quartet go to an autumn festival. They reflect over what they did in festivals in their youth. Shirosaki had danced but went off course due to his goofiness. Aoyama tried goldfish scooping but they all swam away from him. Kinjou tried flirting with a girl; it turns out he was just being playful towards his mom. Momose had always been kind; when he got the yoyo, he gave it to his mom. The story moved Shirosaki. I think the most hilarious thing is that the habits of their childhood was still implemented onto their adult selves as they repeated the same things they did before, with Aoyama failing at goldfish scooping again, but is given a yoyo from Momose and then Shirosaki getting lost, so Kinjou gets him back by playfully hitting on him. All of their childhood selves were adorable.

The eighth segment has the main duo go to another company to earn a deal. Momose is nervous because he had gone to that company in the past but failed to get a contract; Kurono blamed him for that. Shirosaki sensed his nervousness, and then told him how he managed to overcome nervousness. In the past, he and Aoyama went to another company to negotiate a deal, but his nervousness got to him that Shirosaki accidentally spoke in an arrogant tone. Fortunately, Aoyama was able to do damage control by saying that Shirosaki speaks like a haughty queen when nervous. Despite his mistakes, they managed to get a deal. The story warms Momose’s heart and they actually got a deal! The part where they high-fived was so silly. Momose was trying to call a taxi but Momose mistook it for a celebrating and did a high-five. Haha, never change, Shirosaki.

The final segment is their day off where they legit go on a date. They go to various spots like a restaurant, then the park where they proceed to explore and even go on swan boats! They were talking about how couples who ride swan boats break up, but if they ride the boat with the eyebrows, they’d be together forever; guess who rides the boat with the eyebrows? I think the funniest part about this segment is at the post-credit scene where Shirosaki was like “Wait, we didn’t need to ride the boat with the eyebrows because we’re not a couple.” MM-HMM! SURE!

While this episode was different in terms of formatting, the vibes were still there. We’re now in the double digits when it comes to episode counts. There are only 12 episodes, meaning there are two more episodes left. I’m sad. What was your favorite segment of this episode? I liked the final segment where they went on a date!

[gellavonhamster]

13 books meme

Tagged by @littlestsnicket (thank you ❤)

1) The Last book I read: One Piece Novel Heroines by Jun Esaka, which I've already been posting about enough not to elaborate here

2) A book I recommend: can I copy your homework plagiarize the answer to this from the person who tagged me? Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke. I know a lot of people find it too long or just not their cup of tea, but it's one of my all-time favourites, one of those books that feel like they were written for me specifically, and I cannot help recommending it to others :)

3) A book that I couldn’t put down: I remember reading TFOTA #2 and #3 (The Wicked King and The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black) in a single day. I was feeling unwell, and it was cold outside anyway, so I just spent most of the day reading in bed. I recall being surprised by how engrossed I was - the first book of this series didn't grow on me until well into its second half.

4) A book I’ve read twice (or more): I have this sideblog on Twitter where I post a quote from Dracula per day (yes, manually, I don't know how to make bots lol). I just move down the text and skim it and pick sentences that catch my eye, and when I reach the end, I start from the beginning again. So, in a way, I am constantly in the process of rereading Dracula

5) A book on my TBR: Chrétien de Troyes' Perceval and a bunch of its continuations, Lolly Willowes by Sylvia Townsend Warner

6) A book I’ve put down: the thing is, if I don't really enjoy a book but still can find a good thing or two about it, I will keep reading and hoping it will improve eventually, and if I don't enjoy a book at all, I forget about it as soon as I put it down. Out of sight, out of mind - unless I particularly hate it. When I try to think of any books of the latter kind, the first to come to my mind usually is A Discovery of Witches. I found the worldbuilding really interesting, but damn, the protagonists were so annoying that I wasn't going to struggle through that brick of a book for it.

7) A book on my wish list: I need to get a copy of The Bad Beginning, The Wide Window, and The Hostile Hospital, and then I'll have the entire ASOUE collected! Would also love to get any other Snicketverse books; I only have Poison for Breakfast - bought it literally last weekend. I could buy them online, of course, but: 1) I prefer to avoid online shopping if there is realistic possibility for me to come across that item offline; 2) accidentally stumbling onto these books in bookshops (especially second-hand ones) when I least expect them feels like such a right experience for this series that I am inclined to continue acquiring them that way.

8) A favorite book from childhood: Winnie-the-Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner... truly formative shit, responsible for at least 50% of my sense of humour

9) A book you would give to a friend: I was at my friend's place recently and noticed she had the exact same copy of Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury as I do. When I told her about it, she told me it was I who gave her that book (I forgot 🤦‍♀️) and that she loves it and rereads it almost every autumn :') So this one has definitely passed the test.

10) A book of poetry or lyrics that you own: I have a whole shelf full of poetry books, in fact. At least half of them weren't bought by me, but by my family members long before I was born, but presently all of them are considered mine :D Those that I bought myself include collections of poems by Christina Rossetti, Emily Dickinson, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Oscar Wilde, and Marina Tsvetaeva, among other things. And Useless Magic by Florence Welch!

11) A nonfiction book you own: I stumbled upon The Republic of Pirates by Colin Woodard in the same second-hand bookshop where I bought all the parts of ASOUE I currently have and couldn't believe my luck - I really wanted to read it after watching Black Sails! It's great.

12) What are you currently reading: Tristan and Isolde. Restoring Palamede by John Erskine. Really enjoying it so far; it sort of demystifies/disenchants Arthuriana but without excessive cynicism, with the narrator being understanding, perhaps even compassionate, when describing the characters' very realistic, human flaws. Technically I'm also reading E. W. Hornung's short stories about Raffles and Bunny through the Letters from Bunny Substack, but it's more like "desperately trying to catch up and failing". The stories themselves are delightful, but I was right to suspect that this way of reading books is not for me.

13) What are you planning on reading next? Dracula in Istanbul (the Turkish translation/adaptation of Dracula), courtesy of @seawilde <3

tagging @afoxnamedmulder, @seawilde, @lefresne, @uupiic, and @snckt; as always, feel free to ignore if you don't want to answer :)

[reality-inflicted]

This is a photo with more personal than artistic value (not saying that any of my photography has any of the former, but one can on the rare occasion hope that someone likes what I like). Somewhere in Nashville, Tennessee there is a little park. That park has, or at least it did about ten years ago, a little stage. On that little stage was the most askew little bench I've ever seen. And I loved it. I've never read a book about photography. I started out with a cheap ass little PoS-camera – i aimed it in the general direction of what I liked and I pressed the button. The camera did the rest.

After about a year or so i took money that I really didn't have and bought a small camera that I would bring with me on a trip to China. The plan was to write an article on the trip and to get it published and at least get some of the money back. I did actually manage to sell the articles (there were two of them), but the photos weren't taken with the new camera that I'd bought. On the second day of trip I got absolutely shit-faced in a drinking contest with a retired Major in the Chinese army and consequently lost the camera somewhere in a dark alley. Not a great success. I eventually bought a new camera for more money that I did not have. The last time I saw that it popped up was in a random plastic bag, a forgotten memento of forgotten times. I'd somehow managed to keep the camera though, which was a bit of a step forward I guess. As I geared up to go on my trip to the US, during which this photo was taken, i bought yet another camera I couldn't really afford. True to form I got shitfaced yet again on my second night, this time in San Francisco ��� a city notoriously unforgiving for drunken tourists. The camera, together with my headphones and some cash vanished. Luckily I'd managed to transfer the photos I'd taken previously onto an external hard drive (now sadly defunct and the photos – again – lost to time). I still had to buy another camera that I couldn't afford to document the remainder of my trip.

I have since lost that camera as well due to being shitfaced. As can be deducted I've had a very long and not very glamorous relationship with alcohol, however I am happy to report that I haven't lost anything to being shitfaced for quite some time now, which is always a bonus. I'd been toying with the idea of cutting down on the drinking before I went on the trip to the US (it will be ten years come December next year) but it would take about four or five more years before I finally felt shitty enough to go through with it. Alcoholism takes many forms – I was in no way drinking every day. But when I did it was always difficult to contain oneself to "just a few beers" resulting in increasingly self-destructive behaviour. What finally pushed me over the edge was the realization that I'd become that which I despise the most – my father. When he got drunk he turned into an absolute asshole and I started to see the same tendencies in myself or, rather, I came to accept that I showed those tendencies and I. Really. Did. Not. Like. That. One. Bit.

So I quit. I didn't drink a drop of alcohol for almost three years. Not that it did any good for my inherent ability to loose things. I still forgot headphones and laptops, but – increasingly – I noticed that I could find them again. In the hangover is a quiet despair, a disgusting apathy, that prevent you from handling even the easiest of tasks.

Today I have the occasional beer. Or a glass of wine with dinner once in a while. I can handle that – I know that some people can't and I place no judgement in that. I like to think, however, that I am at least a little bit of a better, albeit a bit more lonesome person. But that is ok. I like being alone. Like the bench above, all crooked like.

[cloudyyoimiya]

His S/o Adopts a Cat Headcanons and Scenario; Edgar Allan Poe

Possible warnings: mentions of anxiety.

I am in love with this man.

Anyways, one day you were strolling down the street, minding your own business. You had just bought some snacks for you and your boyfriend since Poe didn’t want to go out and run this errand himself.

As you walked by an alleyway, you heard faint meowing. Curious, you decided to investigate the noise. You walked into the alleyway and you found out what was producing the cute little noise; a small black cat. You picked up the noise box and noticed that they didn’t have a collar or have any indication of being someone’s house pet. You smiled as you put the little kitty on your shoulder, then started your voyage home.

When you were halfway home, you stumbled across a pet store that you frequented for Karl. Deciding it would be best, you entered the store and bought cat food, treats, a cat bed, a few toys, and a collar. You haven’t named the strange little furball yet, so you didn’t get a name engraved on the medal tag that hung on the collar. Instead, you only got your home address and name on it. Eventually you would come back, so you decided to think about a name for a while.

When you got home, you put the bags in the kitchen, then immediately went to go see your boyfriend. You didn’t know what his reaction would be, but you hoped for the best.

You knocked on the door to his study with the cat still on your shoulder. Poe said you could come in, so you did.

Immediately he noticed the cat and started to mildly freak out.

What if this cat would hurt Karl or him?

What if this cat took up all of your attention?

What if you loved this cat more than him?

He was anxious.

Poe asked where you got the cat, and you answered truthfully.

When you two were talking about the cat, they hopped down from your shoulder and ran up to Karl. Poe held his breath as he watched the two. Would they fight? Would they hurt each other?

When the cat started to inspect Karl, they flopped down on their side and started to play with his tail. Then Karl started to play with the cats tail. You started to chuckle. They seemed to get along just fine.

Over time Poe had gotten used to the cat. You had named the cat Pluto, and it turned out she was a girl.

Poe treated the cat much like Karl. It was a cute sight.

Karl had also loved Pluto as well. The two played, cuddled, ate, and slept together all the time.

Sometimes you’d catch the three all snuggled up in bed when you just got home from work.

Adopting that cat was one of the best decisions you’ve ever made.

Scenario…

You had just gotten home from work with a sigh. Working at the Agency was a very stressful job. Sometimes you wondered if you should take a few weeks off so you can mentally recover from the weight on your shoulders.

“Love?” You called out.

You took off your coat and hung it up. You then walked around the house. Eventually you were face to face with Poe’s study. You knocked on the door a few times before you awaited for an answer.

“Come in,” a quiet voice said.

You opened the door to the study, and observed the sight in front of you. Poe was typing away at his typewriter, not even sparing you a glance. He had a plate of food near him, which surprised you. Usually he forgot to feed himself while he was working, so this was a welcomed sight.

You sat down on a chair nearby. You looked around the room, fondly smiling at the countless books in the bookcases Poe had. You have read every book he had, each one with a certain fond memory that you could easily recall. Curious, you glanced at your boyfriend.

“How is the new book coming?” You asked, slightly louder than normal.

Poe jumped only the slightest bit, then raised his right index finger to his mouth.

“Please, speak quieter,” he mumbled.

You nodded. “Is something the matter?”

He shook his head no, then rolled back on his chair. On his lap you found Pluto and Karl sleeping, cuddling each other subconsciously. A small smile crept on your face at the sight.

“How precious,” you whispered.

Poe nodded as he got back to work. “I’m.. happy that they love each other.”

“You and I both.” You leaned your head back on the chair, looking up at the ceiling.

You’re just so happy that the three you love the most get along.

a/n: i was cuddling with my cat while i came up with this idea

also, pluto is a reference to a cat in one of the real edgar allan poes works. it’s a short story called “The Black Cat”, and the cats name is pluto. i thought i was clever LMAO

Requests open!

[ohyoufool]

Writing Patterns

Rules: List the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there’s a pattern!

Tagged by: @doggernaut and @montrealmadison my besties!!! I am so touched!!!!! and aren't we lucky that I just hit 10 posted fics?? And because I can't stop yapping, I put a little note about each of them.

austin (check, please!, bitty/jack)

"Jack comes to Georgia like a summer thunderstorm."

(this one is alternately titled 'I went through a lot of breakups last year and got into country line dancing and it shows')

call of the champions (check, please!, lardo/camilla)

"It’s Lardo and her board."

(THE FUCKING FIC. I AM SO PROUD OF HER. and also I bought a sick salt late city 2002 olympics leather jacket because of it and it's basically my whole personality)

creation myth (check, please!, bitty/jack)

"It goes like this."

(this is me and @montrealmadison's magnum opus, and I learned how to bind books just to immortalize it)

sloshed with gold (check, please!, bitty/jack)

"Jack’s phone starts ringing halfway through his Tuesday morning jog."

(if you like nhl!bitty and photographer!jack, she's your jam. not sure if I will ever like the way I wrote this one but eyyyyyy it exists)

rocket man (voltron, keith/lance)

"The fireflies were flickering above Keith’s dark hair to light the path. He stood on the porch as Lance looked out from the doorway. There was a moment of silence. “You will help me keep him here this time, won’t you?” he asked."

(I won't apologize for voltron. I am too far past the shame. i wrote a paper on voltron queerbaiting and it got me into college. I owe her everything.)

season of the witch (check, please!, bitty/jack)

"Sometimes, Bitty gets carried away with baking."

(um fun fact there's apparently been a typo in the first line of this one for the last THREE YEARS ?????? its fixed now but dear god. I would delete this if it didn't have the second most hits of any check please fic i've written. I cant reread it it makes me want to die.)

don't waste another mile or minute (not kissing me) (voltron, keith/lance)

"Light. An unusual amount of light. Keith throws his elbow over his face as he peels his eyes open, wincing as the sun blasts through an open window."

(an OLD banger that I wrote at my first internship because it was so boring. some clever lines but my writing has improved tenfold since 2018)

and all I can taste is this moment (voltron, adam/shiro)

"There is absolutely nothing like flying, Takashi Shirogane, sixteen, almost-professional pilot, assumes. He assumes because he hasn’t been allowed to fly (yet), but if the simulator gives him any idea of what flight is like, Shiro is going to be hungry for it for the rest of his life."

(my magnum opus before creation myth, and the longest thing I've ever written (48k). yall ever yolo on a rarepair and write a biblically accurate cold war fic? no? just me? ok.)

last sunrise in the wasteland (voltron, keith/lance)

"The first time that Keith kisses Lance, the sky is the color of cotton candy. "

(this is my fic with the most hits which is great except there's a softcore porn scene in it I forgot about and subsequently subjected my grandpa to when he was reading it and making edits for me. so now it makes me want to die a little thinking about that. no he never brought it up.)

In my veins (carry on, baz/simon)

"On the worst day, Baz wakes up in Simon’s arms, the cursed tattoo glaring at him in the morning sunshine. Simon is still passed out, body curled into Baz, chestnut curls bouncing with each heady breath. The mark bitten onto his neck from the night before flashing like a highway sign on his neck."

(once someone bookmarked this with the tag 'out of character' and it has haunted me every single fucking day since I read that. WHY DID THEY BOOKMARK IT IF THEY DIDN'T LIKE IT. sorry it drives me crazy. I DONT UNDERSTAND.)

Tagging (no pressure, and anyone else can also jump in!): @justlookfrightened @bittysthesis @chaoskiro @zimbits-my-love @parseisflat @a-very-gay-disaster @dessertwaffles

[nirikeehan]

hiiiiiiii I'm READY for blackwall/thalia to make me feel things, how about kingdom come au-full "An open secret" from the evocative prompt list? <3

Hi Rowan!! I dithered a lot on whether what I was writing was actually answering the prompt, but I think I got there in the end. I will probably add this to the next chapter of Kingdom Come. Enjoy!

For @dadrunkwriting

WC: 1065

---

He kisses her on the temple and eases her out the door. He would take the day off, but he’s expected at company headquarters; there’s always one minor crisis or another the subordinates aren’t equipped to handle. Thom urges her to explore Markham, get a feel for the place proper. In a few days he’ll have the time to show her around himself. 

Thalia stands on the front stoop, belly full of the breakfast he made her, feeling untethered. The rain has evaporated, replaced by brilliant azure sky and the crisp warmth of early autumn. The cobblestones and stucco walls practically glow in the sun. Exposed, her face warms like a blush. She starts down the street, boots clicking underfoot.

She admits roaming the city for the day is a good idea. She needs to put space between them, lest his magnetism cloud her thinking. She still feels off-kilter from the rapid turn of events, wonders what exactly she agreed to in the bath this morning. Can she really stay here, as his — what’s the term? Mistress? Mortification seizes her. Paramour? Barely better. Lover? 

She cringes, narrowly sidestepping a noble in grey velvet who heads toward a golden-domed, marble columned building — the magistrate court. She heard the bells ringing at breakfast, signifying the start of autumn session. Thom told her, full of pride, how close his townhouse is to the beating heart of Markham’s legislature. 

The nobleman gives her a dirty look, and Thalia hides behind her hair, a thing one can do when it’s short and loose. He doesn’t recognize her, though there are plenty who might. She’s not the Inquisitor anymore, but her movements are still commented upon in the broadsheets; Leliana and Josephine both send her snippets from Orlais and Antiva when the gossip is especially salacious and outrageously wrong. They stopped when Cullen died, for which she is grateful. She has no desire to know what the rabble thought of that. Or what they’ll think, when they find out she’s sought out, for comfort, the war criminal she helped slip the noose. 

No one has to know, she reminds herself. Thom’s voice, in her head, assuring her.

Markham is a city of stone and plaster, of buildings built on top of streets and streets on top of buildings. Unlike Ostwick, which stands upon the sea and teems with gardens and canals, the Markham flora is far more deliberate. She spots a tree planted here on a walkway, another there, encircled by fences and dropping their scarlet leaves in lazy intervals. The wynds twist, turn, grow narrow and widen again on a whim. Thalia recalls the street that took her to the inn; the boulevard runs into the university, which was a place Thom suggested she visit while sopping up egg yolk with a piece of bread. His other hand strayed to hers, his thumb massaging a pale knuckle. It’s got a spectacular library, he said, almost sly. He knows books hook her like a fish.

 She recalls the book he was reading in bed last night, before they made love. In her haste she forgot to see what it was, and when she woke in his bed with reams of sunlight across her bare back, it had vanished. She has no idea what he might like to read. It troubles her. How can he seem so mysterious to her still, after all these years?

She crosses the street, keeps walking past the university entrance. Some things she can resist. 

---

Thom strolls into company headquarters — a stout fortress built into Markham’s outer walls, once a part of the city watch before it fell into disrepair and he bought the place cheap. He hears the lieutenants drilling recruits in the courtyard, the reassuring sound of shuffling feet and the clash of practice swords. This place is his pride and glory, the new life that he’s built upon the ashes of the old, and surveying it in the morning sun, he feels a swell of lightness deep in his chest. 

His office stands in the corner of the second floor. He breezes through reception, greets the boy on duty, steps into the courtyard to observe those training. After offering words of encouragement, he heads down the corridor to the main stairway. Payne stands by the base of the stairs. He is a nervous young man of some thirty-five years, skinny where Thom is broad, with hair the color and texture of a weasel. When Thom found him, Payne was serving a sentence for poaching, not because he’d been caught, but because his guilt had been so great he’d turned himself in. He’s a good second in command — not too ambitious, eager to please. 

Payne stares at him. “Are you all right, ser?” 

“Why wouldn’t I be?” 

“It’s just— you were whistling, ser.” 

He snorts. “Didn’t think I was capable?” 

“Er, no, it’s not that. You just— seem in good spirits, is all.” Payne breaks into a sweat, as if accusing him of lightening the till. “More so than usual, I mean.” 

Thom blinks, lets out a hearty laugh. “Think it will damage my frightful reputation?” He’s known as the man in black to the company, possessing the gravitas of someone in perpetual mourning. He claps Payne on the shoulder and ascends the stairs before his startled subordinate can respond. 

He enters his office, flanked by his own amusement. He’s sitting at his desk, sorting a mountain of correspondence, when Sera breezes in. Her nose is scrunched as if she’s caught whiff of some rubbish. “All right, spew.” 

“I beg your pardon.” He does not lift his eyes from the parchment in front of him. A far flung prince would like to hire the company to protect him on his pleasure barge in the Waking Sea for a month. He tosses it in the discard pile.

“Everyone’s talking about it.” Sera paces back and forth, agitated. 

“About what?”

“You!” She points a disgusted finger at him. “They’re saying that you’re… happy.” 

Thom sighs. “Sera. It’s a beautiful day. Our coffers are full, my men are flourishing. Why wouldn’t I be happy?” 

Sera stares him in the face. She holds his gaze and refuses to blink. “You fucked her already, didn’t you?” 

The facial hair can only hide so much. A mischievous smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. Sera’s eyes widen. 

“Beardyyyyyy,” she wails. 

[monsterswithimagines]

Undisclosed Desires - Part 6

Joe Goldberg x female!Reader

Summary: Twenty minutes before he would have met Guinevere Beck, Joe meets you instead. You intruige him, but it will soon become clear that there is something off about you.

Words: 845

Masterlist

Saturday can't come soon enough. I feel like this week has lasted an entire year.

Then it's finally Saturday morning. I'm happy to go to work today, because at the end of the morning shift, you'll be waiting for me. My reward for my work. You won't even mind that I won't have time to change out of my usual clothes - it's a deliberate choice on my end, because you like how I look. You told Nadia about it on Twitter just three days ago.

@MoonShadow_: waarom zijn jongens in boekwinkels altijd zo lekker 😭😭

Which translates to: why are boys in bookstores always so hot

I didn’t realize you were thinking this way, (Y/n). If I'd known, maybe I would have made a move already.

Candace wasn't nearly this hard to read.

Candace wouldn't have been worth all this waiting, though.

I'm not ashamed to admit that Candace was a wrong choice. I thought I saw something in her that wanted to be known by me, to be taken care of, but I was wrong. You, on the other hand, are unknown to almost everyone except your dear childhood friend. It must be so lonely. But when you're with me, you won't have to be alone anymore.

Ethan notices I'm distracted today, but he doesn't say anything about it. He's happy to take over the regular customer service duties if it means I'll run up and down the basement stairs carrying heavy books from eight to twelve. Ethan is the kind of guy who swears by a Kindle.

You'd never use a Kindle, would you? I can't imagine it. You buy books way too often to bother about something as asinine as digital reading.

Maybe if I tell you the Kindle is everything that's wrong with modern-day America, you'll laugh and agree with me. But then again, maybe you'll just think I'm a ‘gatekeeping dick’. That's what you called someone on Twitter when they said The Secret History was awful and that only insufferable, snobbish, self-absorbed, classist rich kids would ever think to read this shit. Don't kill me, (Y/n), but I kind of agree with the guy. One day you'll see my side.

I kind of agree with you too, though: the world needs to learn how to read again, it doesn't matter where they start.

I used to judge people for what they bought at Mooney's, but now I don’t anymore. At least they're reading. You're making me a better person that way. You're making me realize that even if people are just reading whatever bullshit they saw on TikTok, at least they're reading.

It's one pm, and you're late. I'm not too upset about it, though. You texted me about an hour ago.

YOU: omigod joe!!!

YOU: my boss is super pissed i forgot to send a client this important email

YOU: i gotta fix my mistake i might be like

YOU: 15 mins late

ME: Don't worry. Take your time.

YOU: 😅

I didn't reply to your smiley. What on earth am I meant to say to a picture of a smiling face? Besides, a smiley isn't worth nearly as much as your actual smile.

And there you are.

Only ten minutes late. It could have been worse.

You look flushed like maybe you ran here, and your hair is a mess so you've covered it with a beanie again, but you also look so happy to see me. I'm happy to see you, too.

You hug me.

“I'm so sorry,” you say. I'm not sure what you're apologising for, because I'm still trying to get over the fact that you hugged me. “I've had such a crazy morning.”

“You're not even that late,” I assure you, which is true. Candace used to be hours late, sometimes. Sometimes she didn't show up at all. “Do you mind giving me a minute? I want to wash my hands and stuff.”

I don't need a minute. I've been ready to leave for a while now. But I think you might need some time, and I can tell you won't ask for it.

“Yeah, yeah,” you say. “No problem.”

So I turn and I head to the bathroom. This means leaving you alone with Ethan, which may be risky. Ethan might say something stupid, or something about me. But then again, I don't think he'd ruin ‘getting some tail’ for me.

In the bathroom, I wash my hands and check my hair. I look how I always do after a shift at Mooney's, but I think that's fine.

You look beautiful, (Y/n). It's too soon to tell you something like that, but you do.

I emerge. You look calmer now. You're waiting in the office - Ethan must have let you in - sitting with your hands behind your head and your feet on the table. Stretched like that, I can see a bit of the skin above your jean shorts.

It's deliberate. You're taunting me.

“Hey,” you say. “All ready?”

You're wearing make-up. You don't usually wear make-up.

“All ready,” I agree.

[giraffefeather]

Absolutely love playing DAII for the first time with minimal knowledge. Like... all I know is Anders blows up the Chantry. At some point.

(Post got long, have a courtesy cut) Spoilers up to the end of Act II.

So I'm just wandering along Kirkwall, doing whatever quests pop up. I somehow managed to acquire Fenris at the VERY END of Act I. Like the last quest before finishing the main quest. I kept wondering when he'd show up.

Meanwhile, I've already decided to romance Anders. (Even though Fenris's voice hit me like a fucking freight train and I very nearly switched sides immediately). And I'm just blindly doing what he asks because he's my future husband, you know?

Totally forgot about the conversation with him about meeting at my house. Went to my house to read a letter and BAM! There's Anders! My Champion is absolutely a moron and definitely forgot in game, but hey, pleasant surprise, right?

And I'm jumping from quest to quest so randomly that I managed to complete Aveline's goofy date quest and then immediately followed it with my mother dying in the most horrific way. The fucking whiplash nearly broke me!

Every decision I make either pisses off Anders or Fenris. But Anders is my boy, and the only other warrior option I have is Aveline and I am not dealing with her! So I have to take Fenris. I have somehow managed to keep his friendship level just above rival, but boy does that elf dislike Hawke. And Anders. Jury's still out on if he likes Varric.

(My Hawke is a dual-blade rogue, so my party is always Anders, Varric, Fenris. For balance! Yeah... not because their banter has me giggling like an idiot)

Thought for sure that Anders was gonna blow up the chantry during his Justice quest. Was mildly disappointed when the Chantry was intact.

But uh... hey Anders? Trying to give away your prized possession to Varric? Keeping secrets? Absolutely eluding to some type of betrayal? WHAT DID YOU DO????? Mentally preparing for the worst while desperately trying to convince him to stop this nonsense or at least TELL ME WHAT THIS NONSENSE IS! (I need to know but I refuse to spoil it).

Haven't looked up any guides except the one for the Books of Evil. Because fuck that one. (I have a desperate need to get every achievement I can, to do every quest available).

Hey, as someone whose very first DA experience was a Qunari Inquisitor... where are the lovable Qunaris? Why do I have to hate and kill all of them as Hawke? Justice for Qunari! (Or at least give me a Tal-Vashoth that survives Kirkwall)

IMMEDIATE distrust of Meredith. What's up with her? No... don't tell me. Not yet.

Why am I so surprised at the amount of swearing in game? I mean DAI wasn't exactly PG, but feels like DAII has the language while DAI has the nudity. Is there nudity in DAII? Do I really want to see it? Or do I just want DAI to say fuck?

I started my playthrough months ago before returning to it. I do not remember naming my dog "Jurn." Why did I name my dog Jurn?? It's not even funny stupid, just stupid stupid!

Checks out for my Hawke. She really is just stupid stupid. Varric is truly holding this team together.

Constantly asking myself what the plot of this game is. Act I, make money. Got it, easy enough. Act II? Qunari for some reason? Act III.... ????

Isabela you little shit, come back to my party! I sided with you and you just up and left?? Come back! I miss you at the Hanged Man...

Bethany has been unavailable for like half the game. I didn't notice her absence for the majority of Act II. Idk why I thought I could just take her from the Circle if I ever wanted to. I just... didn't ever want her in my party. (I feel kinda bad, but with the Hawke family history, I have a sneaking suspicion she won't survive Act III).

I keep hearing about Anders's cat. He keeps talking about kittens. Where is this cat??? When does he get a cat? Can I pet it?

Act I has scarred me and I am hoarding gold like a dragon. I have bought exactly 2 things. An armor upgrade I found for Isabela (who is absolutely never in my party) and a gift I was curious about. That gift was immediately forgotten until I started talking to my companions. Suddenly, I had a gift for everyone that I picked up on my travels. I have no idea which one was the one I bought.

Really need to look into those armor upgrades... It's Act III and everyone is in their beginner armor. Except Isabela. But... she's fucking gone, so...

I love that Varric keeps track of kills. I'm ashamed that my Hawke is an idiot and probably has less than everyone else.

If I hear "out of range" one more fucking time... shut up and do your rogue jump into battle, Hawke. You're embarrassing me.

I keep hearing about this Sebastian fellow. I hope I get to meet him. I think I have all the add-ons. I just don't trust myself to find the right quest to find him. Maybe he's late game?

Love/hate that all my poor decisions come back to haunt me. Refuse to pay the loan shark dwarf? Yeah, we're getting ambushed at every turn. Hawke is very good at making enemies.

Merrill, sweet ray of sunshine, daisy with the eluvian, you scare me. But damn, I really want to see if the eluvian works (reason number 76 why Fenris hates me).

WHY DOES ANDERS ALWAYS BRING ME TO THE SEWERS??? THIS IS NOT VERY ROMANTIC, ANDERS!

Keep forgetting to protect Varric in battle. That man has used more injury kits than I care to count. I love the idea that he keeps telling all this to Cassandra, too. Like "yeah we had to battle the Qunari, but I was knocked out for half of it. Anyway, here's what happened while I was out cold."

Have I mentioned my battle skills are absolutely horrendous? Like button mashing is a strategy, right? Varric having to tell Cassandra, " yeah so we were fighting like 8 shades and 2 rage demons and Hawke was... waving her daggers at an empty corner for 3 minutes."

Hey uh, how does Varric know what went on in the privacy of Hawke's bedroom when Anders came to visit? And why is he telling Cassandra? Varric, I have questions and concerns.

Anyway, I'm loving this game, and how different it is from DAO and Origins. I like that I never know what the main plot is. I mean, yeah, mages vs templars, but I mostly know that from DAI and other lore referring to it. While playing, it just feels like Hawke is a person doing her best to meddle in absolutely everything with no game plan. And it's lovely!

[freedom-barricades-bighero16]

Chronicle of Abuse v2

Hey guys... I need help.

I've been thinking about what kind of a person my sister really is, whether all this is just sibling rivalry or she's actually been abusing me for years. I've talked to many counsellors, support staff and my therapists but they don't seem to have an answer. Maybe you'll know the better terminology to describe her behaviour and I'll let you be the judge.

When we were toddlers

Has hit me before.

Has sent me a threatening note. She even explained what it meant to me: She is allowed to hit me (repeated three times) and she is allowed to scream at me.

She abandons me whenever her friends / my older cousin comes along.

Always made me play the bad guy in our games, or in my drawings.

When we were children

Again with the threats. She threatened to tattle to our mum by using a "special device" to send her notes, and I was petrified because she would scream at me instead of disciplining me properly.

Slammed me against a wall once during a fight. I cried and my parents asked her what did she do, and she said that she did nothing.

When she first went to middle school, her own bullies got worse so she kind of took it out on me (can't really blame her for that)

Started creating some really weird stories. When I expressed that I'm uncomfortable with them, she gets angry and I have to pretend that I liked them.

Jumped out into the road many times just to avoid a dog, and throws a tantrum every time she sees one (which is a lot). You have no idea how much her dog phobia traumatized me

Sometimes says I'm not allowed to do certain things while doing the same things herself.

Told me many times that our parents are spoiling me and that I'm an entitled little brat, and she would get very upset if Mum and Dad finally agreed to get me something but she didn't have the same exact thing. In fact, now when I get something for myself, I'm kind of still dreading her throwing a fit.

After Mum almost divorced Dad over not having a cake for her birthday, my sister threatened that she would throw a tantrum like Mum did if she doesn't have a cake for her birthday. (She told me this when we're alone, I think. I forgot if Dad was present too)

My Dad has told her to not scream at me many times, but she never listened to him.

When we were teens

If I told my parents that I'm disagreeing with what my sister said (I often had to whisper), she would get really close to my face and GROWL.

We went to the same primary school and were both bullied by our classmates. When I cry, my sister tends to just tell me to shut up.

She got into Harry Potter and Game of Thrones for a bit, continuing on the weird stories. She would also read out the books in an accent that sounds more like English (which personally, I found very pretentious). I couldn't leave or she'll yell at me.

She tried to pressure me into dating boys when I came out as bi, and was very dismissive and asked me if I'm making everything related to LGBTQ+ when I came out to her as gay, and tried to adopt a more butch look.

Technically this doesn't count as affecting me, but there was a time where my sister wanted a manga but my Dad said no, so she threw another tantrum until he finally bought it for her.

She literally said "You're not allowed to treat me like this" when I'm unhappy with her. It happened a few times I think.

Demanding me to take a post down on my social media if it had swear words.

She would scream at Smokey like she did with me whenever he bit her (basically, being a typical baby kitten). I told her to not do that, her response was "What else can I do apart from screaming?"

When we are adults / Present day/ Ongoing

The transphobia. She once told me that she has heard of trans people saying that what Rowling said isn't transphobic, but now I'm pretty sure she was lying to me.

Constant, overt anti-Chinese racism. This happened after I told her her rants about dogs in the family chat are making me very uncomfortable.

Just being dismissive to literally anything that has to do with me, even when I'm trying to warn her about a cryptocurrency scam that I almost fell victim to.

So, there you have it. That's as much as I can think of right now.

I've heard from some friends that my sister might be a narcissist, while my parents often told me she has a lack of awareness of things/inertia and that she's very blunt in general. It almost felt like they're letting her get away with the stuff she did.

I've been trying to find support for dealing with a possibly abusive sibling, but I don't seem to find anything. I need your help. Please. I don't know what to do.