#gettting older

[doodle17]

How would an interaction with C.H.O.N.K baby Raz and young Adam would go?

Lil guy would just be staring into Adam's soul, curiously, meanwhile Adam is a little uncomfortable

"Why is he looking at me like that? Do you... want me to hold you?" He asked nervously, holding his hands out.

Lil Raz looks at his hands and squints suspiciously, but holds his arms out, gesturing for Adam to pick him up.

"Oh! Alright, then!" He picks up the bab, and Raz just sits there content in his arms.

Jeeze what are they feeding this kid?

[bluebellhairpin]

my parents have been put under the illusion that i am a good painter, and while I do enjoy painting i don't think I'm actually as good as they think i am.

[3eyesdivine]

Babysitter

long awaited and heavily requested.

warnings ; 18 + only, smut, foreplay, intimate and highly sexual scene, teasing, dirty talk, age gap ( 21 & 38 )

Faye had been babysitting her neighbor's kid for years, and the two had developed an unshakable connection. Her neighbor was a six-foot-three Samoan-Italian man in his late thirties who had little time for women in his life. He was a busy man who was always on the road, so Faye became someone he trusted to look over his child.

Unfortunately for Faye, she had strong feelings for the man.

He goes by the name Roman Reigns and is a professional wrestler. His physique was beautiful, breathtaking enough to halt any lady in her tracks. Aside from his long black locks and nicely trimmed facial hair, what tied it all together were his large and broad shoulders, rough and massive hands, and overall towering height. 

"I'm home!" The woman hears a deep, rich voice speak. Her head snaps up, and she notices Roman hovering over her while she played dolls with the man's child. The little girl jumps up and travels into her father's arms, where he wraps her in a strong hug.

Faye gets up, holding the dolls, and smiles at the sight.

Roman looks at the woman and holds up a finger for a quick second. "Wait right here, I'ma get her to sleep." 

Faye nods as she watches the two walk down the hall and enter the bedroom on the right. After a few minutes, the man returned. His gaze was fixed on Faye as he took off the jacket that matched the rest of his attire, and she watched him swing it over the back of the couch. 

The woman smiled and began gathering her belongings to leave, but was deterred by Roman, who placed a hand on her bag, prompting Faye to look up and gaze at the man in confusion. 

"Stay for a while, have a drink with me. Have you eaten?" He questions, taking the woman's things and placing them back onto the couch. 

Faye smiled. "Uh, no. I haven't eaten actually. I maybe had a snack or two though.” 

The big man shook his head and grabbed her hand, leading her to the kitchen. 

"Since I can't be home all the time, I prepare meals for my daughter.." He trails off, opening the refrigerator and grabbing a couple sealed containers in which contained prepared food that looked absolutely delicious. 

Faye smiles and moves next to him, watching as he took the tops off of each one. "Oh, wow. Roman, these look amazing." She complimented, looking back up at him before scooting the food away. 

Roman watched her, brows furrowing together, as his mood dipped slightly and his thoughts filled with embarrassment and puzzlement. 

"To be honest, Roman. I'm not hungry but there is something I need to tell you and get off of my chest. Can we talk in your room?" She says. The woman felt anxious as she felt she was way too young for this man, seventeen year age gap too young, to be precise. She didn't want to sever their friendship, but it was the right thing to do.

Right?

Walking into the man's room, the two sit on the edge of his bed, each holding a glass of red wine. 

Faye places her glass on her lap and keeps her eyes fixed on the ground as she begins to confess what she'd felt was like a sin. Her family would kill her if they discovered she had feelings for a man who was nearly forty years of age.

"Roman, there's no other way to say this and I know it's wrong and i'm so sorry." The young woman takes a deep breath before continuing. "I like you, a lot."

The air in the room was dense, and Faye wouldn't dare to even peek at the man.

"Have you ever been with an older man before?" He inquires. From the corner of her eye, she noticed the man stand up and take his spot in front of her. 

She felt rough hands grasp her jaw delicately, drawing her eyes away from her lap and up to the broad man standing over her with that dominant aura that suited his whole presence. Faye shook her head, and time seemed to slow down. Roman let his hand fall from her face and onto his black leather belt.

The woman felt herself getting wet as soon as she saw how easily he unbuckled his belt with one hand, having her willing to risk everything. 

"Let me show you the heaven men my age can bring you to that these young men know nothing about, doll. Hm?" He bragged, his voice sounding enticing, aided by his raspiness and an abrupt dip in octaves. 

Faye nodded, allowing the man to push her down upon the burgundy  bedding. His hands wandered her covered body, and he could feel his cock hardening and showing. The woman looked down and felt hot considering how big he was; his bulge was brutally evident, and his print was huge. 

Roman followed the woman's eyes and smiled with a deep chuckle. "You see that, ma? I bet you ain't ever had nobody fill you up like I'm bout to." 

The woman's chest heaved up and down wildly, her mind felt fuzzy, and she felt so lightheaded from delectation that she hadn't noticed she was entirely exposed from hip to feet, the man's face buried against her thighs as he left a path of kisses up to her wet cunt. 

Finally, his lips reached her lower ones, and he kissed her naked skin, spreading her pussy to kiss on her clit before opening his mouth to allow his tongue to explore her hole and taste her juices. His oral abilities demonstrated a wealth of expertise, demonstrated by the way he'd flatten his tongue here and there as he delivered long, slow licks to the way he lapped at her pussy and ate it like he'd been starving for far too long. 

"Oh! Yes, Roman, Yes!" The woman yelled and as a result was greeted by a hand slapping against her mouth in an attempt to keep her quiet. 

With his free hand, the man pushed two thick fingers into the woman's slippery entrance, finger fucking her at just the right tempo; everything he did felt almost too perfect, but the woman hadn't gotten the complete experience.

Faye felt like she was on cloud nine; she could feel her orgasm emerging  swiftly, and she knew the man was feeling it as well when she clenched around his fingers while he groaned against her pussy. Pulling his mouth away, he sped up the tempo of his fingers and grinned as the woman's back raised off of the bed, spilling her juices all over the sheets and the man's shirt. 

"Fuck, ma." He whispered, his hand moving away from her mouth and down to her thighs, spreading them apart to get a better view at how much she had come and, more importantly, the mess she made. 

Sucking her nectar off of his fingers, the man stands up and picks the woman up with ease before flipping her onto her stomach. 

He positions her on all fours, shifting her a few times until her ass was situated just as he liked it. Finally releasing his cock, the man moans in relief and strokes himself a few times before setting himself against Faye's pussy. The man slipped in slowly and gently, reaching forward and forming a ponytail of the woman's hair as he held it and drove her head back slightly. 

Faye's mouth dropped open, enjoying the painful way her pussy stretched out to fit the man's cock inside of her. It hurt so much, but it also made her even fucking wetter. This was the only form of pain she'd tolerate and deal with as the needy woman she was for him. 

"I know it hurts, baby. You're taking daddy's dick so good." He praised, slowly picking up his pace and tightening his rough grip on her hair. 

The room was warm and smelled like sex. Their bodies were sweaty, and the way the moon's dazzling light shined into the man's room and nestled upon their skin was like a work of art. 

Roman's thrusts increased in speed, striking hard and deep, as he bent down and locked his lips with the hers. The two groaned into the kiss, drool traveling down the woman's mouth, which the man quickly cleaned by licking from the bottom of her chin and back up to her mouth before engaging in a kiss more intense than the last. 

Roman's hip motions became merciless as he withdrew from Faye's lips. He pushed the woman's face into the pillows and hammered in her pretty cunt relentlessly. 

Faye couldn't keep herself quiet for the life of her, hence it was a good thing her face was buried into the soft padding beneath her head. The sensation of his dick massaging her walls, exactly like his fingers had done a few minutes prior, was too much. She was already shaking and twitching as she was coming up on her second orgasm. Her body was utterly incapable of being motionless. 

"You gon' come huh, princess?" Roman grunts, pulling his bottom lip between his perfectly straight teeth. "Gon' head, mama. Come." 

Faye's head was spinning as she came hard and soaked the man's big dick in her secretions. Shortly after, the man came, filling the woman up with his warm load. By now, the man's hair was most likely damp from perspiration, and the sheets were a deeper crimson from both bodies' sweat and the woman's two intense orgasms. 

Pulling out, Roman laid down and pulled Faye's body on top of his. 

"You're all mine now, darling. Understood?" He spoke confidently yet breathy to which the woman responded with a weak nod before drifting off into a deep slumber. 

Tags ; @headoftheetable , @wonderingfashion , @bijouxcarys , @jstarr86 (if I didn’t tag you it’s because you do not have any indication on your page of being 18 or older, sorry !)

Here’s that fic you’ve all been waiting for! I put my soul into this at this point so I hope you all enjoy, lol!

As always, requests are always open! Much love.

[sooguru]

FORGIVE ME FATHER!

⌗synopsis ⸝⸝ 𝜗𝜚 ── father suguru is always here to help, especially when a sweet little congregant says she has something to confess.

⌗cw ⸝⸝ 𝜗𝜚 ── TABOO CONTENT AHEAD. sacrilege , older priest!suguru , oral sex (m receiving) , dirty talk , daddy kink , religious talk , praise , creampie , spanking and dumbification.

─── ⋆⋅ 𝜗𝜚 "FATHER can i talk to you please..?” your brows were furrowed, plump lips forming a pout as you looked up at your priest, standing by the door of his office.

“of course.”

suguru gave you a soft smile, moving from behind his desk, ushering you into his office, closing the door behind you.

“what can i assist you with?”

you nibbled on your glossy bottom lip, hands fiddling with the skirt of your dress. the dress you wore just for him. you could feel his eyes boring into you, waiting for you to say what was clearly bothering you.

“i wanted to..confess”

you whispered, eyes meeting his, staring at him, getting lost in his gaze. the older man nodded, smiling at you as he held his hands together, his rosary squished between his calloused grip.

“of course my dear.”

his smile was warm, staring at you curiously as your body sank to the floor, sitting on your knees in front of him, your eyes dragging up his body, finally landing on his face, suddenly feeling hot. you clasped your hands together, closing your eyes, brows still furrowed.

“f-forgive me father for i have sinned..it’s been a week since my last confession..”

suguru peered down at you, specifically at your lips as you spoke. he noticed your demeanour, wondering what you would say next. your senses were being overwhelmed with the scent of his cologne, your mind feeling foggy.

“i have been struggling with..obscene thoughts, they continue to play on my mind, i fear that i won’t be able to control these desires any longer..”

your eyes were still tightly shut, your thighs squeezing together as those same thought continued to plague your mind. sinful images of father suguru bending you over, taking you from behind, or with him between your legs, lapping at your pussy. you kept your eyes closed, your body reacting to the wild scenes playing in your mind.

“p-please…please help me father suguru..”

suguru’s hand softly caressed your face, pushing your head forward before you were bet with something hard pressing against your cheek.

“of course my dear.”

he cooed, your eyes fluttering open, met with he sinful sight of your priest. his bulge was evident, poking though his robes, tempting you further. he was still smiling down at you, patting your head gently while pushing your head through the slit in his robe, your head pressing against his bare cock, pre-cum oozing out from his fat tip.

“your penance my dear.”

he groaned as your tongue dragged along the underside of his cock, your clit throbbing as you slobbered over his girth, pressing kisses along it while your tongue coated the length in your spit. your lips wrapped around his tip, his hand on the back of your head slowly pushing you down, helping you take more of his cock even though he was already touching the back of your throat.

groans slipped from suguru’s lips, his hands gripping your hair slightly as he started to thrust into the warm cavern which was your mouth, the cold metal of his rosary pressing against your wet cheeks as he kept your head still. he cursed under his breath, brows furrowing as he looked down at you; tears welling in your eyes, grazing your cheeks as the fell, saliva dripping from the sides of your mouth to coat his cock, plump lips wrapped around his girth like a perfect doll.

“God’s perfect creation.”

he grunted out, cock hitting the back of your throat, bruising the soft flesh as you gagged and choked, eliciting moans from the man above. he yanked your head back, breathing hard as his cock leaked with pre-cum and saliva, his eyes dark, filled with a carnal need and desire. suguru pulled you up gently before finally getting a taste of you, his lips moving against yours, tasting himself on your sweet tongue. his hands busied themselves with sneaking up your dress, roughly ripping your panties off, his fingers desperately getting a feel of your dripping cunt.

“so wet for me my angel”

he mumbled, sucking on your bottom lip as he pushed you back into his desk, turning you around and bending your over, lifting your ass up as he bunches the your dress up to your waist, finally getting to see your glistening pussy. he groaned lowly at the sight, his thumb pressing against your clit, rubbing quickly while his other hand slipped two fingers in, pumping them in time with his thumb, his fingers making a scissoring motion to stretch you out while also hitting your g-spot, needy moans and whimpers erupting from your mouth.

“d-daddy- i”

suguru’s ministrations sped up, his cock twitching at your words.

“what is it my angel? i’ll make you feel better soon, all your sins shall be forgiven in no time.”

he pulled his fingers out, his sticky hand grabbing your face from behind, lining his cock to your drooling cunt, his tip prodding as your hole while he kissed your cheek, smiling down at you as you both maintained eye contact. suguru revelled in the power he had over you, his cock slowly slipping in, stretching you out further, making you take every thick inch.

“hngh..oh god..”

you whimpered out, your eyes threatening to close but he made you look at him, a shit eating grin etched onto his lips as he looked at your blissful expression, pleasure and lust swirling in the brights of your eyes.

“don’t take the lord’s name in vain angel.”

he reprimanded, hand coming down to land a harsh spank to your ass before slamming the rest of his length in you, the painful stretch causing a cry to leave your lips, soon followed by the pleasure of being so full. suguru didn’t wait much longer after that, his thrusts turning quick and fast, his tip abusing your g-spot while his girth continued to stretch your slopping hole out beautifully.

the sounds of your moans and his groans mixing together to create a sinful symphony was more than you could bear, your mind already starting to feel empty, struggling to speak as incoherent blabber left your mouth.

“‘s soo good daddy..!”

“yeah? daddy’s cock making you feel good angel? keep going with your penance..”

he whispered in your ear, biting the shell of it as he felt your gummy walls tremble around his cock, sucking him in deeper, your eyes tearing up as you panted and gasped.

“‘m gonna cum daddy-! hngh!”

“that’s it, let me make you feel good. only i can get you like this…the power of the lord..”

tears rolled down your cheeks, drooling as you took suguru’s cock like a champ, panting as you came all over him, juices squirting against his robes and dick, the action bringing the older man even closer to his impending orgasm, eyes rolling back as he fucked you through your orgasm, your mind going blank, the only thing on your mind being the white hot pleasure he gave you, stars filling your vision as he got deeper, thrusts getting harder and more erratic, clearly close to cumming.

“that’s it angel, you’re gonna make daddy cum so hard.”

he bit your shoulder, moaning as he spilt his cum into your quivering pussy, painting your slippery walls white, making sure to give you every spurt of his cum as he let you go, your body weak against his wooden desk. he slowly pulled out of you, groaning as he watched his cum slip from your pussy in chunky globs. he took his thumb, gathering some of his cum on it, drawing a cross on your forehead before kissing your cheek.

“you have been absolved of your sins my dear.”

[wileys-russo]

Could you write leah x alessia x reader where less getts a yellow card in a match and y/n isn't best pleased about it so leah tries to get them to make.uo with eachother

she just hiiits different in an arsenal kit. also PSA just because i write this does not mean i actually ship less x leah in real life! also decided to make it a red card for the extra drama

seeing red II a.russo x l.williamson

you anxiously bounced your leg from where you sat watching your girlfriends play at the emirates, sighing with a shake of your head as alessia was given a yellow card for shoving someone in the back.

ever since she'd joined arsenal her confidence on the pitch had clearly grown and you weren't the only one who'd noticed that she was more aggressive in her style of play.

so had liverpool who were clearly targeting both her and katie, the infamous card receivers of the team their reputation proceeded them. katie was already on a yellow but had at least calmed down somewhat, knowing that next came the dreaded red.

but that didn’t stop them. so whether it be pulling shirts, taking out legs, yanking on hair, liverpool were doing all they could under quite a laid back referee to wind both girls up, and it was working.

you watched as alessia and several of her team mates started to protest the card, the blonde throwing her hands around and reenacting how she was pulled back by her hair just a few moments before the shove. which admittedly the liverpool played had acted up in their dramatic falling to the ground and front roll.

you bit your lip nervously before leah finally stepped in, gently pushing alessia away and pulling her to the side, getting in her ear about hopefully calming down as kim stepped in to speak with the referee, obviously apologizing on her players behalf as he nodded and blew the whistle for play to resume.

you watched with a frown as alessia shoved leah away with an annoyed shake of her head, your other girlfriend sighing and jogging back to her position as alessia readied herself to play on.

you hoped she'd calm down, surely now she was on one card she knew she just needed to suck it up and be careful. there was only ten minutes plus stoppage time left, you knew she could do it you just hoped alessia felt the same.

turns out, she did not.

within five minutes of the first card you watched as one of the players held her back by her shirt as she shot for goal, meaning the blonde went tumbling to the ground and kicked it out instead earning the opposition a goal kick.

well that seemed to just about do it.

within a few seconds alessia was back to her feet, rounding on the liverpool defender and grabbing her shirt in her balled fists, getting in her face angrily as the girl held her hands up clearly trying to show she wasn't involving herself.

then things got worse. having had enough alessia harshly pushed the girl to the ground, sending her falling onto her ass before storming off, ignoring the referee's whistles after her, already knowing what was coming.

sure enough came the second yellow, and then the red, your girlfriend already making her way to the tunnel, shoving leah away who tried to comfort her.

your lips pursed into a thin line of disappointment at the older girls behavior, having warned her multiple times about this new often reckless attitude and how it was going to bite her in the ass.

and here the proof was in the pudding.

thankfully even now down to ten beth managed to score, putting them up 3-1 and clenching the win. nine minutes of injury time added on to play and you watched with wide eyes as your other girlfriend raced down the pitch for the final corner of the game.

then with a perfectly angled kick from frida, your blonde lover put her head to it and it sailed into the back of the net. you cheered loudly and proudly, blowing leah a kiss as her eyes found yours with a cheeky grin and the whistle blew to end the match.

waiting for your girlfriends to both join you in the family and friends box you busied yourself chatting with their team mates loved ones. knowing alessia would likely be getting quite the talking to not only from leah but her coach, it didn't surprise you as you were one of the only few left waiting.

eventually you spotted leah enter first, making a beeline right for you with a beaming smile. "well hello beautiful." the blonde rasped, picking you up into a hug and spinning you around as you grinned, pecking her a few times on the lips and mumbling how proud you were of her.

"you're looking very waggy today my girl." leah winked, nodding to her jersey which sat on your top half, alessia's puffer on over the top of that as the prada sunglasses you'd stolen from one of them sat on top of your head.

"waggy hm?" you grinned, spotting alessia entering over leahs shoulder, glancing around until she spotted you both. leah noticed the way your face changed at the sight, sighing as she realised you were clearly upset with the other girl.

"hey love, take it easy on her." leah warned quietly in your ear as alessia joined you both. "hi gorgeous." the tall blonde grinned in your direction opening her arms for a hug, chewing her gum with a smug smile that was annoyingly attractive.

"can we go please?" you directed the question to leah, grabbing your bag and completely blanking alessia who scoffed. "what did i do?" she asked her other girlfriend with a frown as you brushed past her heading for the exit.

"you know exactly what you did less." leah rolled her eyes, gesturing for the two of them to follow you as alessia huffed.

"it's not my fault they were all picking on me today, you even said i was being targeted!" alessia defended herself to leah who only hummed, having already ripped into her girlfriend about the card once the match had finished.

"yes and i also warned you about retaliating being giving them exactly what they wanted. but did you listen? no. you big dope!" leah shoved the taller girl as they hurried after you into the elevator.

"so unfair." alessia mumbled, crossing her arms and you felt her eyes burning into you longingly but you held firm, leaning into leah who wrapped an arm around your shoulders.

as the three of you reached alessia's car you kissed the oldest blonde goodbye, having driven yourself this morning while they'd driven together needing to be there earlier. "hey!" alessia called after you with a frown as you quickly walked off to your car, again completely blanking her.

"oh you have some serious grovelling to do." leah chuckled in amusement as she slid into the passenger seat of the mercedes, alessia shooting her a dirty look as she slammed her door closed.

"help me." the younger of the two requested with a pout, leah rolling her eyes and leaning over to kiss it away. "fine. but you still need to make it up to her, you know how worried she already gets about injuries the last thing she needs on her mind is worrying about cards and fist fights love." leah warned sternly buckling herself in.

"i pushed her over i wasn't gonna get in a fist fight with her! well...not yet."

~

returning home both girls arrived after you, your car already parked in the driveway as they made their way inside. as alessia struggled to take her trainers off leah ventured away to find you, seeking you out where you stood in the kitchen.

you glanced over with a soft smile seeing leah enter, the older girl kissing your cheek hello and snagging a protein smoothie out of the open fridge where you'd been trying to work out what to cook for dinner with what you had.

alessia entered next, leah sending her a look as she pulled herself up to sit on the counter and your other girlfriend cautiously made her way over to you. when you refused to look over she attempted to go in for a hug, grunting as something shoved into her stomach.

looking down she realised you held out a protein smoothie effectively blocking her from touching you, which she accepted as you closed the fridge and moved over to leah. you leant against the counter in between the blondes legs, pulling out your phone and resting your head back against her chest as you flicked through for recipe ideas.

"baby please come on. i'm sorry!" alessia put down the drink and frowned at you from across the room. "are you?" you spoke sharply, glancing at her as she hesitated. "well-" the brief pause was enough for you as you scoffed, quickly exiting the kitchen as they both heard you flop down into the lounge instead.

"yeah nice one, genius!" leah rolled her eyes, hopping down from the counter and shoving the taller girl with a shake of her head. "what! i'm sorry i got a red for it but i'm not sorry for standing up for myself. did you want me to lie to her?" alessia huffed, annoyed at your lack of attention toward her.

"she can still hear you, idiots!" you yelled out from the lounge with a roll of your eyes, flicking on the tv to drown them out.

"go and shower, i'll talk to her. and when you get out this contains a brain. try to use it yeah?" leah knocked harshly on alessia's forehead as the younger girl smacked her hands away with a scowl, storming off to the bathroom.

"don't." you warned as leah appeared at the end of the lounge, looking down at you with an amused smile. "what?" leah feigned innocence, gesturing for you to sit up as she sat down, your head falling to her lap as her fingers carded through your hair.

"where's this come from babe? we've both been carded before." leah asked quietly after a few moments, still playing with your hair as you sighed and rolled onto your back, looking up at her. "i know. but they were clearly trying to target her today, and the more she gives in and kicks off the more thats going to happen." you started to explain where you were coming from.

"and if that keeps happening and she gets on the wrong end of a poor tackle or something she might..." you trailed off as leah nodded in understanding, knowing that ever since she'd done her acl your worries for them both being injured had grown ten fold.

now knowing your anger was coming from a place of worry, leah bent down to tenderly kiss your forehead as you sighed. "you need to tell her that then sweets, she might actually listen to you." leah cautioned as you nodded, knowing she was right.

"we're letting this overshadow the fact someone scored today though!" you remembered suddenly, moving to sit up and straddle the blondes lap. "oh you noticed that did you? was nothing!" leah waved it off casually with a shrug before sending you a beaming grin, pulling you in for a kiss.

her hand coming to rest on the back of your head deepening the kiss you both failed to notice alessia return, the striker rolling her eyes at the sight of the two of you making out, jealously pumping through her veins as she threw herself down on the other end of the lounge with a scoff.

the noise caused you to pull away, resting your head on leahs shoulder and looking to the grumpy blonde across from you. "go on." leah murmured in your ear, patting your bum with a firm look as you nodded and stood up.

alessia looked up as you kicked her feet apart, moving to stand between them and stare down at her with an annoyed look on your face. though as promised you explained just why you were so frustrated with her, features softening as guilt flooded alessia's at the confession.

the striker was quick to apologise, this time sincerely and with a promise she would try her very best to be more careful and considerate.

with a nod of acceptance you collapsed into her awaiting arms which wrapped around you, your legs wrapping around her waist as she shuffled forward, squeezing you tightly and mumbling how much she loved you in your shoulder as your hands pressed at the back of her head and you nodded.

moving your hands to gently rest on her cheeks you kissed her sweetly, thumbs caressing her jaw as the striker kissed your palms with a soft smile, the tall girl melting into a puddle every time you showed her any sort of affections.

“but don’t entirely lie gorgeous, you find it quite hot when we get angry on the pitch.” alessia grinned knowingly, her large hands moving to squeeze your thighs teasingly. “maybe just a tiny bit.” you left millimetres in between your fingers making alessia laugh, one of your favourite sounds.

"excuse me. third girlfriend is feeling a bit left out here!" leah interrupted the sweet moment from the other end of the lounge with a frown as alessia's grip on you tightened and your head fell to her shoulder, glancing to leah with an amused smile.

“come here then stroppy.” gesturing for her to move closer the three of you shuffled around until you were comfortable, your body wedged in between them as your top half rested against leah, your legs draped across alessia's lap as the girl massaged your feet.

your girls.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for making a bad joke and the way i handled my friend's reaction to it?

tw for physical violence

for context we're all fairly young, no older than 16. i know this might just be teen drama but its been weighing on me a lot.

a couple months ago me and this one girl, "A", were really close. me and her bonded over the fact that we were both russian, since our school doesn't have many russian people.

we were in the same friend group and she became close friends with "B". then as a joke A started teaching B simple russian, stuff like "hi" and "my name is" etc. during recess A showed the rest of our friend group how well she taught B. we were all having fun and i decided to throw my two cents in.

i told B that there was one more really important phrase she had to know, and told her how to say "go fuck yourself" in russian. this wasn't the smartest thing but everyone thought it was funny, including B, but A got really angry with me.

A said that i was being irresponsible and that she "would kill me". i laughed because i thought she was joking and after a couple minutes of that she came up to me and pressed onto my neck.

whether or not she meant it but she was basically chocking me for a good 20-30 seconds or so, until she got off. i was asking her to gett off me the entire time. i was still laughing a bit because i didn't have any time to process any of it.

it had a really big effect on me and i was completely out of it for around two days, and i wasn't really talking to her. on day three i decided to confront her about the situation, and did so over text.

here i probably was the asshole as i came off quite passive aggressive about it and i asked her to tell me she would never do it again, and said that if she doesn't want to be friends with me because i cant handle her "jokes" she can just leave.

she said that it was just a joke, and that if im so sensitive i shouldn't be friends with her, but later said that she wouldn't do it again.

we're not friends anymore but we still have mutual friends, one of which told me that A thinks that i was overreacting at the time. i'm starting to think so too.

AITA?

What are these acronyms?

[short-honey-badger]

Peppermint Tea 23 - Lavender 6

I'm back with another! Sorry, this one took a bit to get out. Is shorter than my last couple ones but I hope you enjoy!

Warnings! Kissing. Relationship stuff is talked about. Ya know how it goes lol.

Masterlist

Mihawk is quiet for a long time. Guilt eats him up on the inside, and the hopeful look in Shanks’ eyes just makes him feel even worse. This amazing man was willing to look past his blunder, to forget about the animosity that surrounded the two of them over a misunderstanding some 14 years ago. He licks his lips, thoughts running a mile a second, and soon finds that he wants nothing more than to start over with his angel and Shanks. Dracule is a selfish man, and he couldn't let this go.

However, there was the pressing matter of his angel's past, and now, more than ever, did his guilt and fear of your rejection seem so close. Mihawk wants to tell you, wants you to know of his involvement in the destruction of your home, but his mouth won't move, voice frozen at the thought of having to explain himself to you. Instead, he tightens his fingers around Shanks’ hand and gives a slow nod. Later. He would tell you at a better time. Just…not now.

“Starting over…sounds good. To know you again, Shanks,” Dracule murmurs and catches those chocolate eyes that shine in careful optimism. He feels your hands tighten on his shoulders and glances up to see a happy little grin curling your lips.

“Is this something that you want?” Mihawk asks you, but you are already nodding and leaning down to drop a kiss on the cheek that is turned toward you.

“I don't see any harm in trying. I'm already rather fond of the beach bum,” you tease gently, and it seems to shatter the tension around the three of you. There would be plenty of ups and downs, and trust would have to be regained, but for now, the three of you were content to bask in the new relationship you all now shared.

Shanks brightens, and his smile is almost blinding as he stands and shuffles forward, letting Mihawk and his chair hold his weight as he reaches for you. His hand finds your jaw, and the pirate pulls you in for a kiss before you can get a word out.

The redhead has been wanting to kiss you since the moment you introduced yourself the first time he happened upon your island. Your lips are chapped, rough against his own, but it’s better than anything the Emperor could have imagined.

Mihawk watches the younger man kiss you, and the only envy he finds swirling in his chest is the want to be included in the not-so-innocent display.

Kissing Shanks is so much different than kissing Mihawk. His lips were a little thinner, and he used more teeth and tongue than lips, selfishly devouring you in a shameless display of possession. Your lips are sore when he pulls away, but the Emperor looks nothing less than satisfied before he releases your jaw to tuck his knuckle under Dracule's chin, angling the other man towards Shanks, and then he dives down to seal his lips over Mihawks.

You watch attention easily caught by the way Shanks shoves his tongue past the warlord’s lips and the soft groan that leaves the older man. Arousal pools in your stomach at the lewd sight, and you can't take your eyes off the way Mihawk opens up for Shanks, yellow eyes fluttering shut as the redhead plunders his mouth like a true pirate. You are still watching when the kisses slow to a stop, and Dracule blushes prettily when he catches you staring.

“Shameless,” He admonishes quietly, but you just grin and shrug.

“I like to watch,” you answer honestly, and your blunt reply sends Shanks into a fit of giggles. Mihawk already looks annoyed and shoves at Shanks, sending the redhead back to his feet.

“Alright. That’s enough of that,” the warlord grumbles and turns a disappointed look your way. Mihawk takes in the flush high on your cheeks and the way you still seem out of breath and can tell that you still aren’t feeling up too much.

“You should be back in bed, resting and getting better. Did you take your medicine while we were gone?” Dracule demands, and you shrink under the attention of the sudden attention of both men. The warlord has stood, looming over your smaller form, and Shanks stands pressed against the back of the other man, brows raised, and expecting an answer.

“Well, I nooo, but I planned to,” You stamper out and take a step back, cheeks burning. It’s surreal having such powerful men looking at you like this, and you find yourself suddenly nervous, feeling like the naive girl you'd been before Mihawk found you.

“Such a naughty girl,” Shanks murmurs from behind Dracule and leans into the other man, hooking his chin over Mihawk's shoulder. He catches your flush, and it only makes the redhead want to tease you more, but he won't, for now.

“Can't we stay in the living room? It's been days,” You plead quietly. And wow. When did your life come to this? Having to beg for the things you wanted. You weren't above it, though, and angled a wide-eyed look at both men, fluttering your lashes and pouting your lips, “Please, Mihawk? I'll be good.”

The warlord can't help the smug smirk when you say his name and doesn't put up much of a fight in the face of your cute pout, “Fine. I suppose you look well enough to stay out here.”

The grin you reward him with is enough to satisfy him, though it's replaced by embarrassment when Shanks opens his fat mouth.

“My treasures are so cute together. She's got you wrapped around her little finger, Hawkeye,” the Emperor gushes, and his arm wraps around the older man's waist to hug him close with a big cheesy grin.

“Like you are not?” Dracule grumbles, but then you are slipping around the chair and pressing yourself close to his chest, one hand tangled in his shirt while your other hand finds Shanks wrist.

“That's not exclusive, you know that, right? I'd leave this island if you asked me,” You declare, and you surprise yourself and both men with your passionate words.

Shanks thinks of you on his ship, wind in your hair and the salty sea spraying you with foam when the waves crash along the sides. He thinks of showing you everything he's already seen just to see the look of wonder on your face and the joy in your eyes. But then the imagery takes a turn, and Shanks sees you pale and washed out, shivering under the threat of the other Emperor’s and the World Government.

Dracule imagines you in his castle on Gloom Island, dancing through the long hallways and chatting with Perona. He sees you tending to his gardens, your own seeds and flora over taking his plots. But like Shanks, Mihawk's imagination takes a dive, and all he sees is Big Mom, her meaty fist clutching you in her grasp.

“As much as your offer means to us,” Mihawk murmurs and his hands find your hips, pulling you flush against his front in a possessive display, “We'd prefer you to stay here for now, Dear One. At least until the world calms back down.”

Shanks hums in agreement, eyes half lidded as he watches his treasures, “Let's not worry about that right now, though.” He murmurs and gently tugs Mihawk, and in turn, you gently just to grab their attention, “Take her to the couch, and I'll meet you there, yeah?”

Dracule doesn't argue, and when Shanks releases him, he bends and grabs you under the thighs, hefting you up with ease. You wrap your legs around him, face pressed in the crook of his neck, suddenly worn out and sleepy. Maybe you aren't quite up to snuff like you thought.

Mihawk settles in the plush cushions and keeps you in his lap, focusing on wrapping his haki back around you while Shanks runs back to the bedroom to grab the medicine Hongo prescribed you. Dracule tugs a blanket off the back of the sofa and wraps it around you, tucking you in after he helps you take the chalky tablets with a sip of lukewarm tea. It's not long before you doze back off, and Mihawk sighs as he settles in for the next couple of hours.

“Need anything, Baby?” Shanks murmurs as he leans over the back of the couch to drape himself along the older man's shoulders. He doesn't care that their new relationship is still new, the Emperor has missed Mihawk, and not that he has that permission back, there was a lot of lost time for them to make up for.

Mihawk hums, a tiny smile painting his lips as he leans back to flick his eyes up to Shanks. The redhead is as handsome as ever, “Not right now, Red.”

Shanks lights up at the old nickname, his smile becoming impossibly wider as he loops around the couch to sit beside his partner. He snuggles close, feeling giddy when Mihawk lifts an arm for Shanks to rest against his shoulder. A nap with his treasures sounded like a swell idea right about now, and Dracule must agree for the older man slips off before Shanks. The emperor swears to himself then that there would be nothing in this world that could take you or Mihawk away from him. He would turn the world upside down for his treasures.

@writingmysanity @djbumblebee @goth-mami-writer @myradiaz @fluffybunnyu @bookandstar @foggyturtleknightangel @browneyedhufflepuff @anastasiyax

[blues824]

Hi! May I request the housewardens with a Raven!like s/o from Teen Titans?

💜 She's the daughter of a human mother and demonic father

💜 She's an empath and able/can sense both pain and disease and can remove them, assimilating them to her own body and expunge them but at a cost of great physical pain. She can also read the emotions of others and control them, also granting her telepathic-like insight into their minds.

💜 Her weakness is strong emotions. She has the ability to feel other people's emotions. But if she comes into contact with an individual with strong emotions whether good or bad, it will overwhelm her and bring her pain.

💜 Her main power is the ability to channel her Soul Self, projecting her spirit outside of her body to scout, fight, or manipulate objects.

💜 She is quiet, troubled, brooding, grim, moody, seemingly emotionless, intelligent, studious and sarcastic. She can always come up with a smart remark.

Take your time with this ask, and don't rush to finish it :)

I apologize, but since I didn’t have any motivation I will be giving you three housewardens. Can’t believe I have over 700 requests-

Riddle Rosehearts

He is very intrigued since you were a demon-human hybrid. However, you used your powers for good rather than how your father originally intended, and that’s something that he looks up to. You don’t let your parentage define you, and he takes a page from your book in that aspect.

Honestly, Riddle overwhelmed you a lot because he was always angry and in pain because of his past and how he is scared to disappoint his mother. When you told him, he realized that if he wanted to be with you then he needed to change his ways. So guess who started going to therapy!!!

Riddle doesn’t like your sarcasm, but you were very down-to-earth, which he appreciated. You both were quite the pair, only told of in old romantic but tragic novels. This most definitely showed in how you both liked to write letters to each other; a rather formal way of communication, reserved for the two of you.

When he overblotted, you were torn. However, you used your soul-self to battle him. He didn’t even see the raven before being easily taken down by it. The last thing he remembers before being taken to the infirmary was you rushing over and holding his body close. Even when he attacked you, your love for him was still there.

Leona Kingscholar

He was wary of you because you were a very powerful demon, but you often used it for the good of others rather than just yourself. He respects the fact that you are trying your hardest to not be like your dad, since he tries not to suck up to his older brother’s expectations as well.

Unfortunately, his anger became an overwhelming source of emotion and energy for you, and you had to write a short note saying so when you saw that he was getting increasingly upset at you avoiding him. Once he was informed of this, he started taking measures to relieve his anger, like exercising more.

He loved how feisty you could sometimes be, especially when you were sarcastic. You both could go back and forth for hours because you both didn’t like losing battles. Instead of calling you ‘herbivore’, he probably called you ‘Poe’ after Edgar Allen Poe.

When he overblotted, you took quick action and used your Soul-Self powers. You used your actual body as a diversion so that you had the element of surprise, and it worked. As he saw the raven go back inside your body, he couldn’t help but feel proud of you for making such a quick decision without hesitation.

Azul Ashengrotto 

He was intimidated by you. You were a powerful half-demon who couldn’t be kept under a contract because that’s not how this works. It’s like how he can’t steal the ears of a beastman because it was biologically instilled within them.

Azul doesn’t tend to show too many emotions, but you can sense his fear and insecurities and it makes you a bit anxious. You tell him this, and he just feels exposed. However, he has been taking active steps to getting to a place where he can look in the mirror and feel good about himself.

This cecaelia is the type to like your sarcasm when it’s directed towards someone who is doing something stupid (Ace). When it’s directed towards him, he is low-key kind of offended. Like, weren’t you supposed to be on his side?? You didn’t have to call him out on his shady business deals…

Anyways, when he overblotted, your speed wasn’t affected by being underwater. Someone might have thought you were descended from a sea animal because you actually moved faster. You used your Soul-Self and managed to defeat him while causing a distraction with your actual body (think scarecrow in a field). Last thing he saw was you running over and making sure he didn’t hit his head as he fell.

[ghoulfuckersincorporated]

Do you have any more Cooper fics or thoughts on him? Pre-war and also post, I love the way you characterize him

Oh, don't you worry, my friend. There's so much Cooper in the pipeline it'll make you sick. Mostly smut, but some fluff and some light angst, as well. Multiple Cooper items in the pile of posts I'm about to push out over the next several days. I have what feels like endless thoughts about him in particular, though, so maybe to tide you over I'll share what I've been thinking about Pre-war!Cooper the last couple days:

Roosevelt would be such a cockblock in your relationship with him, sometimes. He loves that dog so goddamn much that he would feel absolutely awful banishing him when you're trying to get cozy.

He is allowed in the bed (you aren't heartless, after all), and he likes to laze around in it with you in the evenings when the two of you are getting ready for bed. Generally, he vacates when the two of you are ready to turn in, finds one of his preferred spots to spend the night in. However, if you're looking for some alone time, an "early turn-in", he does not appreciate it. How dare you infringe on his daily schedule?

You've lived with Coop and Roosevelt for several months now, and he's grown quite accustomed to your presence. You love the little guy. However, when you emerge from the en-suite bathroom, freshly showered and wearing some comfortable lingerie you'd snuck past your boyfriend, smirking as he eyes you up and down, you can't help but really notice his presence. Settling beside Cooper, you pepper the side of his throat with kisses and kitten licks, smirking when he squirms and hums in response. After a moment, you pull away a few inches, diverting your attention.

"It's time to go, bud." you tell the little guy sweetly, petting his head and jerking your own towards the door. However, he stays put, looking past you and at Cooper expectantly. He's smart. He knows how much sway he has over the older man.

"Aww. Look at him, honey. He doesn't know any better!" he says, both man and beast together giving you two pairs of the most pitiful, pleading eyes you've ever seen.

"I know." you huff, mostly playfully, rolling your eyes as you toss yourself back down, trying your best to splay yourself erotically across the sheets. "I don't mind him being here. I just want some alone time with his daddy and he's taking up about a third of the bed."

The former cowboy's neck flushes as he continues to drink in the sight of you, and after a moment he sighs.

"Come on, bud." he says, rising from the bed and disappearing into the hallway. The dog follows, pausing at the doorway to double check if you're also coming along. When you don't move, he leaves you behind. For several minutes, you're alone; tunneling your way underneath the sheets, you curl up on your side and sigh, waiting. Fortunately, when you hear the older man's footsteps coming back down the hall, you can't hear the clacking sound of canine nails on the hardwood accompanying them. He pulls the door shut behind him as he enters the room.

"Alright, where were we?" he asks lasciviously, sliding beneath the covers beside you, spooning his body along yours. Wrapping his arm around your waist, his lips move to your nape. You giggle at his demeanor, at the ticklish sensation of his breath gently moving down your spine.

"Is he settled down?" you breathe as his softly calloused hands begin to grope across your skin.

"Yeah. I gave him a little treat and sat with him for a few minutes. He was falling asleep." he murmurs in response, grinding against you just a bit. Your lower lip creeps between your teeth, and you feel yourself begin to relax back against him, ready to get lost in your lover.

However, after another minute or two of gentle foreplay, there's a scratch at the door. Freezing, the two of you lock eyes. Cooper's small smile is as guilty as you've ever seen him. Sighing much deeper than before, you roll over onto your side. You suspect you might not be getting laid tonight.

Or maybe the two of you are fooling around on the couch as Roosevelt sleeps like the dead in the corner, curled up in an old bed that he's had longer than you've been around, longer than Janey's even been alive. The living room is filled with the quiet sound of his little snores mingled with the soft pants and sighs of the two of you. Up until now, you've kept things fairly PG-13, but he can tell that you're getting more and more worked up, and the way your hands grope and pet at him is inflaming him, as well.

However, the halted little groan he lets out when your tongue draws a thick stripe up the side of his throat is met with a cessation of the snoring, and it draws his attention to where his little four-legged companion is resting, cringing when he realizes he's now awake and watching the pair of you.

Cooper tries his hardest to let you do what you're looking to do, he swears, but as your lips trail down his chest, your delicate hands moving to undo his belt, he can't look away from the border collie in the corner, whose white face is now gazing back at him with rapt attention. His little head even quirks to the side, as if to say "What's up? Are you having fun without me?"

It's all too much. He almost feels like his child is in the room, watching him without really understanding what's going on.

"Wait, sweetheart." he interrupts you, his hands gentle on your wrists as he stops you from lowering his zipper completely. "I can't. He's lookin' at us."

"Coop!" you whine softly, your head dropping backwards in playful frustration.

"Just let me hold you for a few minutes and he'll go back to sleep." he responds, pulling you flat to his chest as you struggle lightly. "Then we can sneak upstairs."

"Can't we just be quiet? He doesn't know what's going on."

"That isn't really the main problem." he chuckles awkwardly, though he sort of disagrees with you, anyway; his erection is also flagging majorly. "I think I might need to warm up again."

The way you roll your eyes at him in response stings just a bit, but you cuddle yourself up closer against his chest anyway, your lids drifting closed in the dim light. He knows you don't mean anything by it, and he understands your frustration. It's not like he doesn't want to watch you gag on his cock or anything.

But, at the end of the day, both of you have to prioritize the pup you agreed to love and care for, and neither of you minds all that much...even if you have to sneak into the bathroom for a quickie in your own house from time to time.

[emberfrostlovesloki]

Your Side of Town [Aaron x Reader]

Photo credits: Left (@taybrinafavs) Center (@dilfgifs) Right (The Killers - From "Your Side of Town" music video)

Prompt: When the reader starts going to UC Riverside to get her PhD, she meets the dangerous and enigmatic Aaron Hotchner in her Tax Fraud class. She is forced to ask why she likes him, and if he is as dangerous as her friend, Emily Prentiss, says. 

Pairing: College!Aaron x Non-BAU!Reader, fem!Reader. The reader uses she/her pronouns 

Category: Angst 

Word Count: 14.5K 

Content Warnings: Language, mention of drinking alcohol, beating [Aaron], mention of gangs and criminal organizations, a brief description of murder and blood. Please let me know if I missed any. 

A/N: Hi all! I hope you are all doing very well! This is a long note, but hopefully, it will explain this fic better before you read it. It started this story a few months ago when The Killers released the song “Your Side of Town.” It gave me such strong Aaron vibes that I had to write a fic based on it. I decided to write a college AU where the reader is in school with Aaron who is working on his law degree. I’ve made some changes to the setting and period, but I’ve tried to keep the characters as true to the show as possible, even with the changes. Much of this chapter is setting up the future storyline and depending on if people like this chapter or not, I might work on a part two. This is something very different for me, so I hope it’s okay. Please be kind to yourselves this week and do something you love, you are so special. If you enjoy this fic, likes, comments, and reblogs are appreciated! Love Levi - ❤️

List with all stories 

y/n 

y/f/c/d = Your favorite coffee (or coffee adjacent drink). 

d/b = department building 

y/l/n = your last name. 

y/f/s = your favorite subject 

The California sun beat down on y/n, as she walked toward campus She walked quickly, even if she didn’t need to. Her pace demonstrated her stress. She had barely slept even though she had intentionally gone to bed early. y/n couldn’t tell if it was worse to be in bed unable to sleep or be awake and dreaming, longing, praying for sleep. She couldn’t decide and she was too nervous to think about it at the moment. The walk from the commuter parking lot to the UC Riverside campus was pretty, but it was a hot day. As y/n dipped into her normal coffee shop, it was a bit more crowded than usual, but certainly not as bad as it would be at 10 a.m. 

Perhaps getting up and out of her apartment at 6 a.m. had paid off. As she reached the counter, y/n ordered a coffee straight and an iced y/f/c/d. She lingered by the pickup counter, looking at the mostly older patrons sitting and reading the local paper or chatting with friends who were up as early as themselves. 

These people didn’t seem like students. One or two of the twelve patrons of the shop could be seniors, but it was hard for her to tell. y/n knew she was rubbish at guessing ages. Always had been. y/n’s name was called shortly after and she made it back outside. From the coffee shop, it was only a short walk to the crosswalk that would take her onto campus proper. Because her hands were full, she leaned her hip against the crosswalk button. The electronic voice droned out, “Wait to cross, West Campus Drive.” y/n let out a sigh. She knew her anxiety was unfounded. She had graduated from undergrad, and then grad school, there was no reason she should not be able to obtain her PhD in four or five years or so. 

Even if this was the case, imposter syndrome was still a constant stalker. The crosswalk voice told her she was good to walk. y/n had zoned out, and sure thing. The walk sign was on. y/n got a move on. The road wasn't long, but cars were known to speed down the blind curve, and over the summer, when y/n had moved into her apartment, got to meetings with her advisor, gotten used to campus, and gotten to know her two roommates, she had seen many an accident on West Campus Drive. She didn’t fancy getting into an accident. Not when their life was finally coming to something. 

y/n had agreed that this was going to be the year that she stopped running from her past. She contemplated this as she made it safely onto campus and the short walk to her d/b. As she approached the door, a colleague whom she was getting to know, Ted Anderson, walked up the steps. He saw that she didn’t have a free hand and moved more quickly. He pulled the door open and flashed her a smile before saying, “Moring, y/l/n. You ready for this?” y/n gave him a small smile back and said, “As ready as I’ll ever be. I’ve got my syllabi printed, my two coffees, and Fraud in the U.S. tonight at six, so if it’s not a good day, at least it will be a busy one.” Anderson nodded as he moved behind her into the building saying, “I’m sure you’ll do great.” y/n gave him a soft smile as they diverted paths. Her office was on the third floor and his on the first. y/n wasn’t sure why she had been graced with an office with a window, but she would enjoy the sunlight streaming through the window as she worked. She had nothing to complain about there. 

The first half of the day went well. The two sophomore-level courses on _y/f/s had gone by quickly. The first day both lecture halls had been packed with around two hundred students each. The imposter syndrome seemed to melt away as a learned mask of confidence and the need to be in control took its place, even if the persona wasn’t fully formed yet for herself or the class. It was refreshing. It gave her the boost that she needed until lunchtime rolled around. y/n moved to the department office and got some copies of a reading from the student worker, got a fresh cup of much worse coffee from the shared office pot. 

The last two classes of the day were more varied than the first. One was a junior-level cross-cultural course on y/f/s and the last, at 3:30 p.m., was a freshman introductory course on y/n’s field of study. Although it already felt far too early to be behind on work on the first freaking day of the semester, that didn’t mean that there weren’t things to do. Chief of which was annotating the U.S. Fraud and Compliance course that y/n was auditing this semester. y/n’s field of study and research was primarily in equity and inequality in the United States over the last two decades. As it turned out, things like tax fraud and White-Collar crime turned out many of the policies that caused inequality and not murder or violence as the government and law enforcement liked to tout every year with new stats that “Crime was going up.” 

Sure Organized crime was a part of it, but a lot of the original crime syndicates had come out of the early 1920s because of prohibition and bootlegging. And new crime rings had popped up from the disastrous War on Drugs. The policy had only seemed to push cocaine into marginalized communities which allowed the law to continue over-policing and criminalizing those communities. Thus, the desire to audit the Fraud course. 

The elderly professor, Dr. Porter, had been kind enough to respond to y/n’s email asking if he would allow it. He had requested a meeting with her in his office in central campus. She had gone, and they made their introductions. Dr. Porter had asked, “So why do you want to take the course? It’s a pretty small class, with only twenty-two students. There’d be room for you, I just want to make sure we’re all on the same page. I’d require that you do all the work and participate in the class. It wouldn’t be fair to the other students.” y/n explained her research to the man and he listened and took some notes. When she had finished her explanation, Mr. Porter nodded and said, “That sounds very interesting. I’d be happy for you to take the course as long as you don’t think this coursework along with your teaching and research will be too much for you?” 

y/n had thought about this, labored about it even. However, she knew that it would be a lot. However, taking a course on the subject taught by an expert in the field, felt like a safer bet than trying to learn it all herself. That was just too much history and policy for her to attempt to grasp solo. With a determined look, y/n nodded and said, “Yes. It’d be an honor to Take this with you and your students. Thank you so much for making this accommodation for me. Porter smiled and said, “Well, thank you for your enthusiasm. Fraud and Tax Law isn’t something people usually get excited about. It’s bound to be an interesting semester.” The man’s words were a foretelling of the start of something much bigger than a student taking on an extra class.

         y/n turned her attention to the syllabus for the course. It was thick, with pages on pages about the class, an introduction for the materials to be covered, the four pre-class reading assignments, two pages of prerequisites, and then the grading system, required texts and materials, and lastly, The course calendar. y/n had skimmed it ounce and done all of the pre-readings which were stashed in a file folder in her suede shoulder bag. Now, she was going to sit down and thoroughly annotate the lengthy syllabus. When y/n had finished with that, she moved outside to get a quick bite to eat and another coffee before she would need to head to her office, grab her things, and head across campus to the Law Building. 

The quad was now much busier with students scurrying about to and fro. y/n moved into the crowd and moved her way upstream to the crosswalk she had been at a few hours prior. y/n had intended to pack a lunch, but in the bustle of the morning, it had slipped her mind. She wasn’t going to be too hard on herself about it. She would make sure to bring one tomorrow and all the days after. One meal out wasn’t going to ruin her budget. y/n did have to keep a pretty strict budget. Even if UC Riverside was a preeminent school in California, and even though her department had offered her a position in the program and waived her tuition costs, with rent, gas, and food prices all at a premium, the small pay she got from her lecturing always seemed to be running low by the end of the month. Thus, the need for a budget. If she worked hard enough and was dedicated to her financial plan, she would be able to start some savings. She needed that. She wasn’t going to be caught unawares like she had in the past. She wanted to settle. To stop running. And that took a different kind of work than constant escapism. 

After a light meal, y/n moved back to the coffee shop from before and got a coffee and a shot of espresso. y/n doctored her coffee the way she liked and then walked back to campus. If nothing else, her constant desire for coffee got her some daily exercise. Everyone she had spoken to had promised her that Cali would be a consistent cool temperature. However, as the five o’clock sun beat down on her, if did not feel cool. The month she had moved in with her roommates, the papers and TV kept saying that they were in a “record heat wave,” and that the heat was expected to keep rising until the first two weeks of September. y/n longed for it to be just a bit cooler. A 70-degree day would heal her and put her at ease. The heat did the opposite. 

Back in her office, y/n took off her blazer and fanned herself with some loose papers. She sat, and drained the espresso knowing this much caffeine was a bad idea so late in the day, but that was a later problem. For now, she sat down, took a few deep breaths, and gathered her things for her cross-campus commute. When everything was packed and ready to go, she checked her outfit, choosing to leave the blazer behind. She didn’t need to impress the people in this class as much as she did for her students. Entering the large lux building, y/n moved up the stairs to the fourth floor and found her class. There were still twenty minutes before the lecture would begin, but that would give her time to find a seat that was in the back so the real students could be close to Dr. Porter.

         There were four students already in the class scattered in the small space. There were tables, with two chairs at each table. They were set in two neat rows that led to the front of the room with the wooden lectern and the bulky equipment for the projector. y/n took a seat at the table on the far-left side of the room. There were three extra seats in the room to accommodate the twenty-two students and herself. Thus, she felt alright if she sat in the seat near the row and not next to the wall. It would give her a better view of the screen. y/n had an idea that she was going to be having a lot of eye strain this semester. A few more students moved into the room, and y/n got out her colored markers and notebooks, and the pre-readings along with the syllabus. 

Just as y/n was taking the first sip of her coffee, five students walked in followed by Dr. Porter who called her to the front of the class. y/n flushed slightly but waited for the man sitting across from her to get seated. He had a backpack slung over one shoulder, black Levi’s, a white shirt, and a leather jacket. He was far less professional-looking than many of the other students in the room. 

Some of the younger men even wore suits, though y/n was unsure if such gestures mattered to the law professors or not. The man was, if not professional, at least very attractive. He had smooth light skin and a sharp jaw. His dark hair contrasting his skin was short and had a little curve in the front, framing his face well. The man gave her a wicked smile, his dark brown eyes captivating as she moved past him now that he was finally seated. For a moment, y/n thought that those were the kinds of eyes she could get lost in. The thought only lasted that, though, a moment. She pulled herself together and thought, “Come on now, some pretty boy isn’t going to turn your head like a teenager, this isn’t a romance.’ Those types of feelings were uncharacteristic for y/n, and she let the idea pass quickly the man turned to who appeared to be his friend and said, “Yeah, I’d skip Constitutional with Leery. Try and see if you can get a section with Menendez. He made it fun, as strange as those sounds coming from me.”

         y/n moved down the aisle and got some looks from the other students. When she got to the older man, she smiled at him and asked, “What can I do for you, Dr. Porter?” Porter pointed to the Rolodex and said, “Do you know how to work these things? This one is frozen on a blank slide. I’ve not grown with the technology as you can see.” y/n nodded and said, “Let me see if I can get it working for you, Sir.” y/n moved behind the equipment and knelt. She made sure her skirt was at an acceptable level. Even if no one was behind her to see anything and she was wearing black tights, it was a natural teacher habit to make sure everything was covered appropriately. 

The slide deck appeared to be jammed. y/n fiddled with it with her finger for a moment and it slipped back into place with a satisfying click. y/n looked up to Dr. Porter and asked, “Do you have the deck you want to use for today?” The man nodded and looked around his desk for a second before he found the miniaturized slides and handed them to her. y/n slotted them into the space and pushed them down. She looked up at the screen and it now read the first slide: “Tax Fraud in the United States. LW5000. Fall 1991. Dr. E. L. Porter.” y/n stood up and the Doctor said, “You’re a lifesaver. I always need someone younger than me to help me with this new-fangled technology. How was your first day? Did everything go smoothly?” y/n nodded and said, “I’m happy to help anytime, and the first day was good. Busy but good.” Porter smiled and y/n moved back to her seat. Not all of the class hadn’t been paying attention to what was happening at the front, but some had been watching the two speak so causally with looks of veiled interest. 

y/n moved back to her seat, the man in the leather jacket shot her a quizzical look, one eyebrow raised higher than the other. y/n turned her face away from his gaze, trying to hide the rising blush in her face. She wished someone less attractive had decided to sit next to her. Honestly one of those pretentious suits would do fine, but she was happy with her spot and she wasn’t planning on moving. She was sure the attractive man would do something to irk her and stop whatever little infatuation she felt for him. 

The class started in earnest and because it was such a small class, the professor had everyone give a small two or three-sentence introduction with each student’s name, what year they were in, and what they hoped to do once they graduated. Dr. Porter started at the front and moved back. The answers ran the gambit from a desire to work in the FBI fraud department, to a criminal lawyer, to a CPA. y/n noted names of students who seemed particularly driven but not overconfident. She knew she was going to need help with the course given it wasn’t her area of study. When it got to the man sitting across from her, she looked at him. He raised a lazy hand and said, “Hey, I’m Aaron Hotchner. I’m in L2 and I want to be a public defender when I graduate.” At hearing his name, some gave a little gasp, and others shot him a dirty glare. This reaction didn’t seem to bother him. However, it left y/n at a bit of a loss. She had no clue why this man’s classmates had reacted this way. There was a dynamic playing out here that she was not aware of. 

The university taught around 26,000 students each semester and there was no way she could keep up with half the drama. It took half a second to realize that she was the last person who needed to speak, and she snapped back to attention. y/n gave a small smile and said, “Hi. I’m y/n y/l/n. I’m just auditing this class. I’m a PhD candidate in the y/d department. This class aligns with my research and Dr. Porter graciously is allowing me to sit in.” Porter inclined his head toward her and said, “We’re happy to have you Ms. y/l/n. Now with the introductions over, let’s cover the basics of the Criminal Tax System. It will be helpful if you pull out your readings as I will be calling on some students to answer questions.” 

Everyone shuffled to get the readings out of their bag. y/n looked as Aaron pulled the readings out of his shoulder bag and flipped to the first page of the reading. If he seemed very casual in his dress, the copious notes he had taken on the reading showed that he was at least taking this class seriously. y/n wondered if she should add his name to the list of people to try and befriend for help, but the class's response to his being here had her hesitate. She didn’t want to get involved in some bigger drama that she wasn’t aware of. She looked up from his papers only to catch his dark brown eyes. Both of them looked to the front of the class as Dr. Porter called on the first student for an answer. Neither y/n nor the enigmatic man across from her got called during the first three hours of class. The last slide on the Rolodex was the lengthy homework included a chapter from the required textbook and five separate cases for review. Dr. Porter dismissed everyone. Some students moved to the front to introduce themselves to the professor while others moved out into the hallway. It was dark as y/n moved outside. As she pulled her shoulder bag up and over her neck, someone called her name. y/n turned and found Parker, a student who seemed like a nice and cool student trying to catch up to her. y/n slowed and said, “Hey, what’s up Parker?” The girl beamed at being remembered and said, “I just wanted to hear more about your research. It sounds very cool.” y/n flushed and said, “Really? Thanks that’s nice.” The two walked in the same direction talking a bit about each other, the class, and y/n’s research. The whole walk made y/n feel like her work wasn’t for nothing, or extremely boring. The two women exchanged numbers as they headed toward different parts of campus. 

As she moved, yet again someone called her name. The voice was familiar and she whipped her head to the side to see Aaron now rambling beside her. It had become clear that he had been walking behind her and Parker, and y/n hadn’t noticed him. She chastised herself for not being more aware of her surroundings. y/n let out a breath and said, “Oh, it’s you. Is there something you want, Aaron?” Mr. Hotchner gave a sly smile indicating that he knew she knew there was more to him than he was letting on. Aaron replied to her question with, “Are you really smart or something, or really stupid?” y/n had not expected to be insulted in her first real interaction with this odd, odd, man and said, “Sorry, what?” Aaron laughed slightly and said, “Well auditing Tax Fraud with Porter? He’s like the most demanding prof in the department. He’s brutal from what I’ve heard.” 

y/n flushed, and was grateful that it was too dark for the man to see. She had heard of Dr. Porter's reputation as a strict and demanding professor. She wasn’t going to let on that she was unaware of the man’s full reputation. Instead, she said, “Well, on this subject, maybe I’m somewhere in the middle.” She hesitated and added, “And, he was the only person willing to let me audit the course. I might be a fucking idiot for agreeing to this, but I’m going to do my damn best. It’s the least I can do for Dr. Porter to let me in. The worst that can happen is that I’m the class clown and dunce. I’ll still have learned something if that’s the case.” 

It seemed that Aaron had not expected that response. He stopped in his tracks for a moment and looked at her with incredulity. He gave a very soft, “Huh,” and then kept walking next to her. y/n wondered, ‘Why was this handsome man walking with her? What he could want from her apart from a reaction was beyond her.’ Aaron looked like he was about to say something else, but another, new voice pierced the quiet atmosphere of the near-silent campus. Aaron and y/n looked over as a built man approached saying, “Hey, Hotch. How was the first day?” 

Aaron rolled his eyes and said, “Fine. Normal. How was your first day, Morgan?” The new man stepped into the light. y/n observed the new figure. He wore dark blue jeans and a loose green t-shirt had hid what y/n assumed was a built frame given the man’s strong forearms. The color of his shirt matched the deep tone of his skin well. The man looked her over for one second before saying, “Yeah it was fine. I mean I slept through my first alarm. So I skipped the rest of my classes for the day. Sunk cost ya’ know.” At hearing this, Aaron facepalmed and said, “Morgan, are you trying to buy yourself another fucking semester here?” 

It was clear to y/n that ‘Hotch’ and Morgan were friends given how casually they were addressing each other and Aaron’s use of profanity. y/n felt like she was intruding on a private conversation and was glad when she reached her turn-off. She moved to the left and Aaron called out, saying, “Good luck with all your stuff.” She looked over to the two men and said, “Yeah, thanks. See you next week.” As she moved farther away, she could overhear Morgan say, “Who was that chick man?” And Aaron’s response of, “Just a girl in my class. Now come on. Let’s go home. I’m fucking tired.” There was something so odd about Aaron, his demeanor, and his ‘friend’ to y/n. She shook off the encounter for the moment as she finally got to her car. 

When y/n got back to her shared apartment at around ten p.m., the lights were still burning downstairs. She thought, ‘Must be Emily.’ Emily was the only one that made sense. But the young attractive brunette didn’t normally stay up that late. Emily’s morning shifts required her to be up at around four a.m., so it was odd that she would be up so late. It certainly wasn’t Garcia. y/n’s most eccentric roommate, Penelope Garcia, seemed to be up all hours of the day and night. y/n had wondered if Garcia took uppers to stay up all night at the club or with her coding pals, or sometimes both at the same time. The one time Penelope had dragged her out to a rave, y/n found it miraculous that the spunky blonde with her gang of friends had elbowed their way to the back, found an empty table, and pulled out a clunky PC. The group, and Garcia in particular had a penchant for finding creepy guys online and making sure they got reported to whatever authorities seemed necessary. Pen was fantastic with finding people online, and y/n was glad she wasn’t on that woman’s bad side. Shockingly, Garcia hadn’t touched a drop of alcohol, but all four of her friends took pity on y/n, clearly not in her environment with the strobe lights and deafening music in the background. Each of the friends got her a drink and a nice man asked her to dance. It had been an exciting night, but not one she planned on replicating soon. 

When y/n entered the first story she was met with Emily smiling and holding out a glass of red wine for her. y/n smiled and said, “Em this is so sweet. What’s the occasion?” y/n noticed the uncorked bottle on the counter. Prentiss grabbed her glass and said, “To celebrate your first day of course. I know you’ve been stressed about it. So, first cheers. And then tell me how it went.” y/n clinked glasses with Em and began regaling her with the events of the day. She tried to keep it short, knowing that her roommate would want to get to bed soon. Prentiss listened with rapt attention. Emily never seemed like the type of person y/n could be close friends with. y/n would like to think she was easy to get along with. She kept the shared space clean, offered food when she made it, and tried to stay pretty quiet and unobtrusive, but the more time she spent in Emily’s company, the more she liked her. Emily was so dedicated given all the crap her job threw at her, especially all the sexism and misogyny she faced. But even on top of those hurdles, she generally was just a funny and caring person. Emily was fiercely dedicated to the people she liked and it seemed that y/n was one of them. y/n wasn’t sure if she had taken pity on her when she first moved in or not, but if it was the latter, y/n wasn’t even mad about it. She had felt truly lost when she first moved to the city, and Emily, given her beat as a policewoman for the LAPD, had told her where to avoid late at night and showed her around their apartment area thoroughly. That had been a kindness.  

As y/n finished wrapping up her narrative of the evening events, she included the strange interaction with the man who sat across from her saying, “And there was this really cute guy in my class. Strange but cute. He kind of insinuated that I was stupid for auditing the class which was insulting, but damn was he cute. Everyone else in the class seemed shocked when they heard his name.” Emily raised an eyebrow and said, “Well, who is this dude? Do you remember his name?” y/n rolled her eyes and said, “Well yeah. How could I forget given the reception he got? His name’s Aaron Hotchner. Do you know him or something?” At hearing the name, Em stilled and seemed to pale. This was not the response y/n had been expecting and she said quickly, “Should I know who that is?” y/n was at a loss for this response for a seemingly hot guy in a leather jacket. Emily took a deep breath before saying, “I’d stay away from him. The Hotchner name has a, well a reputation.” y/n furrowed her brows and said, “Okay. Now you have me worried. Who is this guy?” Em let out another breath and stroked her hands through her hair saying, “Well. I can tell you this. His dad, Mr. Hotchner Sr. is the head of one of the largest gangs in this part of the city. The man and his gang are in deep with the drug trade. As for his son, well, from what I hear he’s not involved. At least not yet, but people are keeping an eye on him.” 

y/n couldn’t stop herself from letting her mouth drop open. That was a real surprise. Suddenly the response of the class made more sense. To have someone of that status, studying law was an oddity. How Aaron Hotchner had chosen this path of study was bizarre. It wasn’t her place to think about it, but even if that was the case, the idea stuck with her. Prentiss could see this look stuck on y/n’s face and warned, “Listen, y/n. Just for your sake, stay away from him. I can’t tell you what Aaron Hotchner is doing with his life, but his dad’s not a good guy. I wouldn’t want you to get tied up in some unsafe stuff.” y/n flushed and said, “Don’t worry Em. I’m not planning on it. He might be cute, but given your new information, he’s not that cute. Now, pour me another glass. And I’ll be happy to pay you back for half the bottle, given how good this stuff tastes, I’m assuming it’s not cheap.” Prentiss held out the bottle and refilled y/n’s glass saying, “Don’t worry about it, sweetheart. This one’s my treat.” y/n smiled at Emily. She really was the best. Once they had finished off the bottle, both women moved quickly to their rooms and headed to their separate bedrooms. Both women fell into bed bed too exhausted to think about much more than sleep. 

The semester seemed to move like those in grad school had two years before. Without concrete classes to ground her, y/n’s classes and her weekly meetings with her advisor were the only things that kept time a constant. y/n had prepped for the larger sophomore seminar class, but the smaller classes she just arranged weekly. The law class also added a level of stability, if not a whole load of extra work on top of her own research and writing time. It was a burden but also allowed her time outside of her office to make some new friends. y/n found friends with Parker and Steven. They would prep for their case assignments. After the first three weeks of the class, when all three of them had been called on, now, they had a better understanding of how the class would be. 

It was a learning curve to be in a law class. It wasn’t like any of her other classes. There had been plenty of courses centered on discussion mostly, but this type of interrogation that the class required was difficult for her. y/n and her new friends who were more adept at law than her prepped for this type of questioning. Demanding, interrogatory, personal even. The group had all worked on coming up with practice questions, some more accurate than others. After the fourth class, the friend group had each been called. It had been y/n’s first time. She had been called about the United States v. Caldwell case in 2016. Her copious notes had helped her provide a semi-succinct response. The friend group walked across campus after class each going to their respective cars. As they walked, they talked about the class, and y/n’s response, and what she might have said differently. As they moved down the quad, they rambled slowly across the campus not wanting to leave each other’s company yet. 

A new voice was added to the mix as someone left one of the many buildings on the quad. y/n looked up and smiled. It was Spencer. y/n beamed, she hadn’t seen Dr. Reid in some time. She had met him at one of those awkward faculty socials. Everyone else at the social had at least one friend there except for her and Spencer. So naturally they had made their way to each other and introduced themselves. The young and brilliant Dr. Reid was teaching an abnormal psychology class and getting a third PhD in chemistry while also teaching. 

Suddenly y/n had felt very stupid and that her schedule didn’t seem that busy at all. Dr. Reid, having done this for a long time could see the look on her face and he rushed to reassure y/n that she was taking on a lot too and that he was just a freak who literally couldn’t get his mind to slow down no matter how hard he tried. That had made her feel better, at least a little. Then Spencer had asked her about her research and his genuine interest in her field had validated her even more. Her imposter syndrome slipping away. As it turned out, Dr. Reid was a fount of knowledge about her area of interest as well, and the young slender man offered to give her information or loan her any of his slew of books if she wanted. y/n had readily agreed and the pair swapped email addresses. y/n thought that if she was less busy she might have thought Spencer was the type of man she might be attracted to. But she was too busy for an attempt at a romance and she had just moved in. Getting her feet under her was her current goal, not finding a fling. Perhaps, if she survived the semester she would think about it later, However, she would be surprised if the young man wasn’t taken already. From what she could see, he was a catch. After the mixer b, both of them had spent their social batteries and Spencer was nice enough to drive her to her car in the commuter lot. As they parted ways they vowed to meet up for a coffee and chat soon. 

They had met up once before the semester started for coffee at another place the genius liked. They had both bemoaned making syllabi and the heat and anything else they wanted to get off their chests. The conversation had been cathartic. Unfortunately, the semester had picked up at a furious pace and they hadn’t met up since then. Spencer had been kind enough to send her an email or two checking in, which she had responded to. y/n was very pleased to see him again in person. She called him over, and Dr. Reid’s long legs got him to her in a few strides. Reid was in a sweater vest and black slacks with his distinctive brown shoulder bag. The two friends checked in. After a brief conversation, y/n introduced Spencer to her friends. 

Everyone said their hello’s and the four of them now moved across the large campus. The lights on the quad seemed to be placed haphazardly, not fully or well illuminating the space. Emily had told y/n to carry pepper spray when she walked at night. y/n assumed that Preniss had multiple stories of nights gone wrong for young women on campus given her job as a policewoman, and y/n believed her. Thus, y/n always carried some pepper spray with her in the side pocket of her bag, just in reach. The group rounded a corner to see the first strong light of the night. The beam of light from a solitary lamp shone down on a large imposing figure silhouetted against the glow of the light. Suddenly the warm camaraderie of the night that had been forming between the new and old friends felt like it was cut with a knife. Something felt very wrong about the person standing in the shadow and the group of young adults stopped in their tracks. Even though all their cars were in this direction, nobody felt like moving forward. Noting the palpable tension in front of them. 

They all stood there for a minute looking to see if the figure would move, but he didn’t. The figure stood stock still, apparently unaware of the group's intimidation of him. Or, perhaps that was the goal as another, familiar voice came from behind them. The four students turned and y/n was surprised to find Aaron approaching them with a stiff gait. y/n was used to seeing him smooth and loose and what appeared as ease, but this was not that. Suddenly y/n wondered if that apathetic demeanor was all an act that Hotch put on. Aaron stepped forward and everyone in the law class they shared with him cocked a weary eyebrow. Hotch sighed and said, “I’m not joking, beat it. Find an alternative route or take thirty minutes to talk in the library or something. Just don’t be here right now.” Parker, Steven, and Spencer’s eyes all moved to the man in the shadows and then turned, but y/n kept her eyes glued on Aaron. 

After hearing Emily’s warning about him, she had withdrawn a bit in class. Hotch had spoken to her a few times, and she engaged him in light conversation about her research and job as a senior lecturer. It seemed that the conversation never steered in his direction. It was never about his life or his choice to join law school even though y/n had tried to get him to say something about himself. The man was infuriatingly hard to read. y/n wasn’t sure why she was trying to get him to speak about himself. It wasn’t like Aaron was interested in her. For the most part, when he talked to her, it seemed to fill empty silence during the breaks in the class. y/n didn’t want to be involved in any drama, certainly not anything that would get her in trouble. But the enigmatic figures of Aaron were enticing in his way. Perhaps it was just the intrigue of someone like him. She was personally familiar with more white-collar crime, but the grit and darkness of the mob, or the mafia, or whatever his father was involved in had caught her attention. y/n assumed it was like a bad case of curiosity killed the cat. y/n hadn’t turned yet as the rest moved back from the direction they had come from. She watched as Aaron turned toward the man. Aaron’s shoulders were tense beneath his jacket. She could feel that he was ill at ease. y/n caught sight of Aaron’s friend from before, Morgan, standing a few feet to the left of Aaron. She hadn’t seen him in the gloom of the night until now. It seemed that this meeting might have been planned ahead of time given the coordination. 

y/n felt someone take her hand and she looked up at Spencer. Dr. Reid didn’t say anything. He just pulled her away from the scene. The tension only seemed to grow as the group moved farther away. Spencer looked back once as he hustled y/n down the path. Whoever had joined the man who had told the group to leave gave Spencer a grateful nod before moving toward his friend. Reid chose not to look anymore, as he wrapped a protective arm around y/n’s waist and said, “I’ll drive you to your car. Mine’s in lot B anyway. Not far from the commuter lot.” y/n looked up at him again, and gave a small smile, saying, “Yeah, thanks that’d be nice.” y/n resisted the urge to say, ‘You’re a terrible liar, Spence. We both know that lot B and the commuter lot are on opposite ends of the campus’ but she kept that to herself. y/n was grateful to have a colleague like Spencer to give her rides at all. y/n quickly said goodbye to her other friends and joined Reid at the stairs that led down to the parking area with his car. y/n’s head was filled with thoughts about Aaron and what was happening back at the quad. If Aaron was going to be okay. If he had expected to be meeting that man tonight or if it was as much of a surprise to him as it had been to all of them. Given his tone, she assumed that it was a surprise to him too, but she may never be sure. 

Back in the quad, Aaron scowled. How many times had he told his father, and his father’s men over and over again to not find him in public? If he had to be dragged into some sordid affair that his dad had caused. Morgan stepped a few feet toward Aaron but Hotch raised a hand and said, “Don’t get involved Derek. I don’t expect this to be anything but some intimidation crap.” Morgan nodded and took a step back, but the built man still slipped a hand to the back pocket of his pants fingering the cool metal of his diamond back gun. Derek kept his eyes on Jeffries, one of Mr. Hotchner Sr.’s largest enforcers. Derek thought it was stupid to send Jeffries, if Mr. Hotchner wanted his son’s attention, that would not be the man he would send. 

Hotch stepped forward and said, “I don’t have anything to say to my father. He knows that so what the hell does he want with me.” Aaron was standing right next to the man. Even though Aaron was tall, he was nothing compared to Jeffries. Jeffries was a mountain of a man. Hotch was not intimidated. This man was here to threaten him physically. He was here to impose a different kind of demand on the son of the Boss. After an unsettling moment of silence, in a deep voice, one laced with the stress of a chain smoker, Jeffries said, “Mr. Hotchner Sr. wants to meet with you on Saturday at the Mercado Club. His treat.” Aaron scoffed and replied, “You think I’m going on his turf on a meeting night? God the man needs more of a grip than I thought. Jesus.” Hotch took a breath; he took a moment to look to the side, and he saw Morgan uncomfortably shuffling from one foot to the other. Aaron turned back to Jeffries and said, “You can tell my father that’s not happening. I’m out, and I don’t know how many more times I can keep telling him that.” The large man replied, “Tell him yourself on Saturday at the club. I’m not a messenger pigeon, and Aaron, this is the third time you’ve blown off your father. He’s not pleased and you know how he gets, so this isn’t a meeting I’d push off.” 

Hotch let out a big breath and gave a small nod. He wasn’t looking forward to a meeting with his old man, but whatever fuckery his dad could impose on his life wasn’t worth a half hour of animosity and argumentation about his life goals. Jeffries sensing a concession from Aaron, gave a tiny nod and moved out of the solitary spotlight and back into the darkness. As large and imposing a man as Jeffries was, he easily and quickly slipped back and away into the darkness of the campus. Aaron was so angry at having been contacted against his direct wishes. Not only had his father contacted him in public, putting his image in question, but he had done it in front of… Aaron considered what to call the people in his class. They weren’t his friends precisely, but colleagues and classmates felt a bit too dismissive. Aaron thought especially of the woman who was auditing the class. From their first meeting, he had assumed that she had no idea who he was. That rarely happened to him, though he assumed someone had filled her in after the fact. Even if that was the case, she had remained respectful and friendly toward him. Every time she or he entered the class, she would ask how he was doing with an interest that didn’t seem forced or faked. It was the first real interaction he felt like he had had in the department in years. 

Aaron thought it was rather pathetic, but looked forward to the beginning of each class just to have a few words with y/n. Hotch’s mind switched back to the present as Morgan approached him. Aaron looked over to his friend and saint, “Did you know this was going to happen?” His voice came out harsher than he intended, but Derek’s demeanor told him that his friend and pseudo-bodyguard had been more aware than he’d been. Hotch let out a scoff and said, “Unfucking believable. You should have told me and I could have walked fifteen thousand other ways back to my car.” Morgan put his hands up and said, “Listen, Hotch. I couldn’t have stopped it. And I know I stick with you more than your old man, but technically he’s still paying me to look out for you. And there are some things that even I’m not going to argue with.” Aaron could understand where Derek was coming from and he lifted a hand saying, “I get it. I’m just pissed. Now, let’s go home. I need to get wasted or something after tonight.” The pair moved together into the darkness with a sense of their friendship slightly strained. Aaron’s life was taking a turn he had desperately tried to avoid, but it seemed his family, and his past was haunting him like a ghost who just would not quit. 

y/n got home safely. She quietly moved into her room. She took a hot shower, letting the warm water steam up her small bathroom. Even though the rent was outrageous, there was the perk that each of the women had their own bathroom and shower. Her mind swelled with images of Aaron standing in front of the large man. She thought about what Emily had said about his father being the head of some sort of gang. y/n hadn’t had the time time to look into it at all. Her interactions with Aaron had all seemed pleasant and if she didn’t know about his shadowy past, she might have just thought he was some cocky young man trying to look cool with his rings and classic leather jacket. These thoughts persisted until she was in bed and eventually asleep. In the morning, y/n got dressed for a meeting with her advisor and office hours. y/n started a big pot of coffee. She knew that Em would be down in a minute because the shower upstairs had just turned off. True to form, Prentiss was down the stairs just as the coffee was finished. y/n poured her roomie a mugful, and Emily gave her a gentle smile. The brunette in her police uniform with cuffs, and gun and all. As the woman drank their liquid breakfast, y/n’s brain flashed to last night and she asked, “Hey Emily. What kind of gang is Aaron’s father the leader of? There was some threatening guy on campus last night. It seems he was there to talk to Aaron or something.” 

Hearing this, Em’s ears perked up. She had been trying for two years to impress her supervisor. She had gone above and beyond in terms of the effort and hours she put in on the street. She picked up shifts and did the jobs no one wanted. And all her efforts had been for naught. She was still in her entry-level position and had crappy entry-level pay. At this point, Emily was looking at anything to try and get a step ahead of all the other men in the department. She had started looking at stalled cases or those that were backlogged at the department. One of those cases was the Hotchner crime ring. The thought of a new lead had Emily on her toes. Prentiss was excited but also realized that y/n could have also been in a degree of danger. Emily thought about her words before she said, “Well, from my research and knowledge of the gang activity in the area, I can tell you this, Mr. Hotchner Sr. isn’t running some West Side Story turf gang. The man is in deep. His gang is a criminal organization. I’d say that it was closer to the mafia than a gang, but he doesn’t have quite that much influence yet. If the department would only spend a few more dollars looking into that group, they’d easily find more than they have now. Honestly, it’s infuriating.” 

This was all news to y/n. She wasn’t versed in any of the things that Emily was talking about. There was a moment of silence before Prentiss said, “So the guy you saw, the one that spoke to Aaron, did you hear any of that conversation? Did you see the man at all?” y/n shook her head no and replied, “Not really. Aaron told us to leave another way. I can tell you the guy was big, but I couldn’t see him very well. He was weathering a suit, but that’s about it.” Em nodded and took another thoughtful sip of her coffee. When she set the cup down, she said, not to anyone in particular, “I swear gangs and drugs are ruining this city and the cops aren’t doing a thing about it.” 

Just as Emily said this, Garcia entered the room. She was dressed in her normal eccentric style. She had star decals on her face and wore a bubble gum pink lip. From the blonde's energy, it was hard to tell if she was just coming back from an all-nighter or just heading out for brunch. y/n asked the clarifying question, “Pen, you just getting in or going out?” Garcia beamed and said, “I just had a lovely night out. Club, club, another club, and then my friend JJ’s house. You’d both like her I think. Now what did I hear about gangs and drugs? You’re not planning on locking me up, are you Emily?” Prentiss laughed at this and said, “Garcia, you’re forgetting that Lexaporo and Adderal are prescription medications. Unless you’re selling your pills on the side of the road, you’re scott-free in my book.” 

That had all of them laughing. Penelope, after getting a cup of coffee, did ask genuinely, “But really what gangs are you talking about?” Emily looked over to y/n and said, “Well Aaron, the ‘bad boy’ in y/n’s class had a run-in with one of his father’s associates on campus last night. Tense affair.” Garcia’s eyes went wide and she said, “From what I’ve heard about the Hotchner group from my friends and fellow hackers they aren’t to be trifled with. Let’s hope Aaron’s father doesn’t want anything serious with his son.” y/n frowned at hearing this. She had never assumed that Aaron’s circumstances were easy. Clearly, from the class's perception of him, they weren’t, but an actual threat of harm or violence to her classmate set her nerves on edge in a way she had not anticipated. However, the time on the clock on the wall caught y/n’s attention. She needed to leave to make her appointment with a student struggling with grades. y/n burned her mouth as she chugged her coffee and said, “Sorry, gotta run ladies. See you both tonight!” With that, she grabbed her backpack and purse and dashed out the door and toward her car. For the rest of the busy day, y/n forgot about Aaron Hotchner, but she would be reminded of him again soon enough. For now, there were the problems of today to solve. 

For Aaron the week went by both shockingly fast and maddeningly long. Time felt like it was playing a sick prank on him as he waited for Saturday night. Hotch went to his normal classes and studied as much as he could given the circumstances. He did shockingly well given the circumstances. Finally, Saturday arrived and Aaron and Morgan drove toward the Mercado Club on the far East side of town. The club was packed. Saturday nights were disco nights with drinks half off. This ensured that the large space was always packed for meeting nights in the more private backroom of the establishment. Morgan had a designated spot on the street and parallel parked between two of the gang member's cars. As Morgan stopped the car, he grabbed Aaron’s shoulder and said, “Listen, man, don’t make this hard on yourself. How many times has Richard done this to you? Know know what he’s gonna do to you if you say no again, so just… just think about it before you say no. If you make me wash blood out of these leather seats again, I’m making you pay for it this time.” 

Derek said this out of a genuine concern for his friend. Morgan had seen this song and dance before and the look in Aaron’s eyes told him that it would be the same old result. After all, money didn’t matter to Hotch. He had more money than he needed, even if he didn’t want to admit it. The fifty dollars it cost to clean or even redetail Morgan’s car didn’t matter to the older Hotchner sibling. Derek wished it did, for his friend's sake. But he had said his peace, and he couldn’t stop Aaron from walking out of the car with a determined stride. Derek followed quickly after Aaron. 

Aaron, clad in his normal leather jacket moved into the club. He had access to the service entry which led to quieter corridors and direct access to the gang's private meeting room. Aaron, however, refused to use his key and elbowed his way through the thick crowd of dancers and revelers. After about five minutes, he made it to the back corridors and toward the club room. Unceremoniously Aaron, and shortly after, Derek, moved into the crowded room. All eyes of the gang members moved to the two new additions to the room. Richard Hotchner, seated at the center of the room raised a hand and quieted the room. Mr. Hotchner Sr. said, “Good of you to join us, gentlemen. Take a seat and we’ll continue the meeting. There were only two extra chairs open in the room. One was in the back and the room. It was clear that Aaron was to take the seat next to his father. Hotch did as expected and sat next to his father. The young man could have laughed at the scene. It felt like something out of The Godfather, except he knew what was coming once the meeting was over. The meeting which covered Hotchern Sr.’s continued plan to spread drugs and gain ground throughout the East and West sides of town seemed to go on forever. Aaron listened as each sector spoke and gave updates with half interest. His father’s criminal activities and need for power and control were the juxtaposition of the life that Aaron hoped to build for himself. He had seen the real pain that his father had not only inflicted on his men, but on the community the gang encompassed as a whole. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to escape his father's control. 

After another hour and a half, the meeting adjourned as Richard raised a hand. Everyone, including Derek, stood and left the room; that was, except for Aaron. Once the whole gang was out, two large men entered the room. One was Jeffries, the other was another security man just as big and intimidating as Jeffries. Richard looked at his son and said, “You know what I’m going to say already.” Hotch sighed and replied, “And you know my response, Dad.” Richard sighed and said, “Every time we have one of these meetings I pray for a Prodigal Son, but I get a Cain instead. But either way, this is in your blood boy and you can’t fight it forever.” By ‘In your blood’ Aaron knew that his father meant, ‘You will take responsibility for my criminal organization. To take the reigns and make it bigger and better than ever before.’ \

At this comment, Aaron said, “Fuck my blood, and fuck you too.” Almost instantaneously after this remark, Hotch’s face was thrown to the side due to a harsh slap to the side of his face. Aaron leveled a glare at his father and managed to say, “Have me beaten black and blue again Dad. It’s not gonna change my mind. I’m never joining you.” Richard shook his head and replied, “You asked for it. And one day, one day it’s gonna work son. Just you wait.” With that, Richard stood and motioned for the two security guards to do as Mr. Hotchner Sr. wanted. Outside the room, Derek stood and listened to the sounds of violence and brutality that were happening inside the space he had just been sitting in. Morgan cringed as the rhythmic sound of fist against flesh continued. The occasional grunt from Aaron cut through the sound of violence. 

After around a half hour, the two large men dragged the barely conscious body of Aaron from the room. Morgan did nothing to stop them. He just followed after them as they dragged Hotch’s body down the quiet hallway. Aaron was unceremoniously dropped down the two concrete stairs to the back entrance of the club. Morgan flushed his body to the railing as Jeffries and the other man moved back inside. Once the security detail was inside, Derek rushed forward toward Aaron’s prone figure. Hotch muttered incoherently against the concrete as Morgan lifted his friend up and toward his car. Derek thought, ‘Yup, it’s gonna be another interior cleaning job tomorrow,’ as he hauled Aaron’s bloodied body toward his parked car. 

Morgan lifted Aaron into the passenger seat and buckled him in. Hotch made a whimpering sound as he was jostled for a moment. Derek, though he was paid by Richard, cared more for his employer's son than he would like to admit. They had built up a pretty strong friendship over the years they had known each other. It had been tense at first because Aaron didn’t want and resented having a bodyguard. This was when he was still in high school and Richard was in some hot water with both the FBI and another gang that was trying to recruit some of his men. Morgan was already a member of the gang and was a loyal member given how young he was. It was only natural that he guard Aaron from any unwanted attention and keep the Boss’s son out of trouble. 

Aaron was, at the time full of anger from recently losing his mother and was making reckless choices for himself and the gang. He had hated Morgan, but the man had pulled him out of some bad situations numerous times over the years. The more time they spent together, the more Hotch sympathized with Morgan. Not in the awkward pitying type of way that many had when Derek was asked to open up, like in counseling centers or at one disastrous youth program he had been sent to. No. Aaron understood why Morgan had turned to a gang for security, and community too. Even if it was a bad community. One rooted in violence and illegality. Derek had to chalk it up to the fact that Aaron’s father was the leader. Aaron had to have seen to full spectrum of reasons for people to join a gang. And a full spectrum of violence as well. The beating Aaron had received tonight was no different than any other except that Richard hadn’t joined in. This was another thing he and Hotch had in common. The first time Aaron had taken his shirt off in front of Morgan, it had been after a workout or something, Derek had been shocked to see a smearing of dark purple and yellow bruises mottling the man’s skin. Morgan had asked if a group and jumped him, but Aaron’s response of, “I only got jumped by someone I know. Don’t worry about it.” It wasn’t until weeks later that Morgan saw Richard strike his son, and suddenly it all made more sense. Then Morgan felt sympathy for Aaron as well. After they came to more of an understanding, Hotch had stood up for Morgan against his father a few times and that had sealed their friendship. Morgan rode as smoothly as he could back to their apartment, with just the radio playing some rap on a low level and Aaron’s labored breathing for company. 

The next Monday, y/n arrived at class just on time. She was surprised to see that Aaron wasn’t in his normal seat. She did shoot Parker and Steven a smile as she pulled out her notes as the lecturer began. During the break, y/n moved to the ladies room. Midterms were fast approaching and almost everyone in the class was huddled up making study plans. y/n had already made her study plan with her friends in the class. As she washed her hands she heard a pained sound coming from the men’s room which was just a wall away from the women’s restrooms. y/n quickly wiped her hands free of water and moved outside. There was no one in the hallway and she got close to the door of the men's room and called out, “Hey, um… are you okay in there?” There was a pause and then a little grunt as someone from inside said, “I'm fine.” The voice was familiar, but there was a lisp in it which was making it hard to pinpoint. There were still another twenty minutes to the break, and y/n was interested to see who was suffering in the bathroom and stood leaning against the wall. After around five minutes the door opened and she looked up. Aaron Hotchner was the last person she expected to see limp out of the bathroom. y/n’s eyes widened as she looked at his face which was bruised on the left side. His lips were also split on the top and the bottom. Without thinking much y/n said, “Jesus Christ. What happened to you?” Hotch’s eyes snapped to her. He hadn’t thought anyone was outside. He had been stranding himself in the bathroom for longer than he had thought. He wasn’t sure why he had even come to campus in the first place. It wasn’t like he could go to class like this. Or perhaps he was toying with the idea he would go to class. To make his life harder, or to give his classmates something to talk about, or because he just couldn’t care anymore he wasn’t sure, but y/n had caught him off guard. Her use of expletives for one and the genuine concern on her face as she looked him over with an intense stare. 

Aaron thought of fleeing for a moment. Of running, or limping down the hall as fast as he could, but he realized that he needed help. Help from someone not so invested in him as the son of a gangster and criminal. If that was anyone in the class, it was y/n. As the sound of the lecture room door opened, Aaron moved quickly. He grabbed y/n’s wrist and pulled her into a hallway and then left into another hallway. This one was less lit. Half of the fluorescent bulbs in the hallway seemed to be out and those that were functioning flickered rather ominously. The turn of events had happened so quickly that y/n didn’t say anything until they were stopped in the hallway when y/n said, “Aaron, what’s going on? What happened to you?” 

The original concern was still in her voice, but there was an added edge including a hint of fear for herself. She looked around the space as if expecting something or someone to pop out of a doorway or darkened corner. Aaron took a deep breath and said, “Listen. Sorry for being so abrupt. I don’t even know why I’m here really and I’m sure I’m going to get an earful from Dr. Porter when I come back next week, but I saw you and I thought… well I thought I’d ask a favor, even if I don’t deserve one.” Hotch’s left eyebrow was cocked and y/n listened for him for a minute as if he was speaking a foreign language. She snapped back to herself as her watch beeped the five minutes before class started again. y/n asked, “What’s the favor?” Aaron seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and said, “Can I get your notes from today’s class before next week?” You could fax them to me or I could get them from your tomorrow in your office or something? I’d understood if you said no. It’s just that I really can’t fall behind in this class.” 

There was a very short silence as y/n considered. She didn’t have a lot of time to think because she needed to get back to class, like, now. Two thoughts ran through her head. The first was from the more rational and logical part of her brain. The part that Emily would agree with. It said, ‘Ma’am, look at him right now. Something bad happened here and I don’t think he just tripped on the library stairs. It probably has to do with his family or gang involvement or something. Don’t. Be. Stupid.’ But the other part of her brain said, ‘Look at him. That’s gotta hurt and those cuts and bruises were a few days old which meant they had hurt more back then.’ Going against her logical brain she said, “Yeah. I’ll give you my notes. She rummaged around in her purse pulled out an old receipt and pen and jotted down her home number. She handed him the slip of paper and said, “Here’s my number. Call me later and we can coordinate a meeting time.” 

She had just seen the contents of her bag and she noticed that there was an ibuprofen in there along with an assortment of random stuff. She asked, “Have you had any painkillers recently?” Aaron’s eyes snapped back to her. He looked surprised that she was still talking to him. He looked back to the ground and said, “It’s been like three hours now or something.” y/n pulled out the bottle and undid the cap quickly. She really needed to get back to class and she rushed to tip two tablets into her hand. She closed the bottle and half-pressed the pills into Aaron’s hand. She said, “Call me later,” and then ran back to the lecture. The lecture was in full swing when she got back and y/n noticed that she was about five minutes late. She tried her best to slip into the room. At least she sat at the very back, but her tardy return had a few of the guys in suits and one or two girls in the class giving her the stink eye. 

Dr. Porter also glanced at her, but it was brief before he returned to talking. The rest of the class, y/n had conflicting emotions. The first of which was that she felt bad for being late. Dr. Porter had taken a risk on her, and she was probably letting him down. The other thought she had was if she had made a catastrophic mistake in waiting to see who had been in the men’s restroom. She knew that Em would say she was stupid for getting involved, and part of her agreed, but when she had seen the normally cocky and confidant Aaron Hotchner in such a state, she had let her emotions get the best of her. She pondered if that was her fatal flaw or not. y/n did her best to push away these thoughts and focus on the lecture. If all else failed, she could just ignore Aaron’s call. Little did y/n know that getting involved with Hotch would do much more than cause her stress in Tax Fraud. 

The class progressed as it normally would with just a hint of awkwardness. Dr. Porteer did call her, but her response was coherent and she defended her point about the verdict in the U.S. v Ofshe case and how the drugs that had been obtained and the oversimplification of the government violated the defendant's Fifth Amendment rights. After she had spoken a ghost of a smile graced Dr. Porter’s face. He was happy with her response. If y/n was anything, it was thorough. 

When the class ended everyone filed out of the room, and y/n approached Porter. Parker finished asking a 1uqtion quickly and moved out of the room, patting y/n on the shoulder as they left. y/n and Dr. Porter were alone and y/n said, “I’m sorry for being late after the break. Something, personal, came up. I didn’t expect it to take that long.” Dr. Porter looked at her, a hint of concern in the crinkles at the corner of his eyes. He asked, “Is everything alright, y/l/n?” y/n let out a sigh realizing that saying anything was opening avenues to conversations that she might not want to elaborate on. To keep Aaron’s situation private, she simply said, “Well it’s not me that’s having the problems, It’s a friend of mine. They’ve gotten themself into some trouble and I just needed to check in to make sure they were okay. Porter nodded but didn’t look convinced,  and said, “Alright. Well if you ever need anything, or feel overwhelmed with all that you’re juggling this semester, you can always email me or see me during office hours.” y/n smiled warmly and said, “Thanks. Dr. Porter. That means a lot to me.” The older man gave her arm an affectionate squeeze before letting her go for the night. 

The drive home was peaceful,  serene even. It juxtaposed the earlier moment of tension from that evening. y/n hoped to stay relaxed for the rest of the night. Just do some reading, have a glass of wine, a very hot shower, and hit the bed. Her hopes for calm and quietude were crushed when she got into the apartment and Emily was leaning against the kitchen counter with a deep frown on her face. Before y/n even had the chance to ask, “What’s wrong, Prentiss?” The strong-minded brunette said, “You’re ‘friend’ called about five minutes ago.” This stopped y/n in her tracks. y/n knew that Emily was talking about Aaron, and she was about to get an earful. She steadied herself as her roommate started saying, “y/n, Aaron Hotchner is not the type of guy you want to get tangled up with, okay? I might sound nice and charming and play-act as a ‘bad boy,’ but there is nothing good about him or his family. Promise me you’re not going to be so stupid as to meet up with him and give him your notes. What if he starts expecting things from you? Have you ever thought about that scary moment on campus last week?” 

y/n while taking the verbal reprimand hadn’t thought about the fact that Aaron’s injuries could be related to that event on campus. Had something bad happened to him after Spencer had dragged her away? Although y/n realized that Aaron might have been in a serious and dangerous situation, that didn’t stop her from still being concerned for him. In some small way, y/n was annoyed that Em was so tied into her personal life. So what if she wanted to give Aaron her notes? But the logical part of her brain stopped her from snapping back. y/n took a deep breath and said, “I see where you’re coming from Em. But, he looked so hurt tonight. Desperate. If giving him my notes in a public place, like the coffee shop is a crime, then so be it. I told him I would, and I’m one to keep my promises.” y/n expected some sort of reprimand, but instead, Em sighed and said, “Fine. Call him back. I left his number on the pad on the fridge. But for the love of god, either have me. Garcia, or Spence come with you whenever you meet him?” y/n smiled and said, “Thanks Em. I knew you were a softie under that hard shell of yours.” 

Em scoffed and said, “Well I might be a softie for you. Aaron Hotchner is another matter entirely. At least with you knowing him, I can snoop in on his life. You never know, maybe he’ll give you a hint about his dad and you can pass that info over to me.” y/n rolled her eyes and said, “Whatever you say Em. Now let me call him back. Buffy’s coming on in a half hour and I don’t plan on missing another episode. Do you wanna join? There’s a bottle of red in the fridge we can share?” Emily nodded and said, “You bet. I’ll get the channel pulled up while you talk to your boyfriend.” That comment had y/n rolling her eyes again, but she didn’t say anything as she moved into the kitchen. 

As Prentiss had said, there was a note on the notepad stuck to the fridge that read ‘A.H.’s Number,’ and then a list of seven digits. The phone hung to the left of the fridge. It was egg yolk yellow, a design choice that y/n still didn’t understand as the rest of the kitchen was a pale blue with white accents. Ignoring the contrasting colors of the kitchen, y/n tapped on the phone number and held the receiver to her ear as the dial tone beeped. After the second ring someone answered, but it wasn’t Aaron. The low, husky voice said, “This is Morgan. Who is it?” y/n paused for a second before replying, “Um, this is y/n. y/l/n. I’m calling for Aaron. I’m in his Tax Fraud class, and he wanted my notes from today? I was just trying to arrange a meeting.” y/n stopped talking. She felt like she had said too much, or maybe not enough. The silence was awkward and lingered. Finally, Derek who had mercifully pulled the phone away from his mouth called out, “Hotch, a girl’s on the phone for you.” After a moment, Derek  said, “He’ll be here in a minute.” Then there was silence again. y/n tried to think about where she knew Morgan from. The voice wasn’t wholly new. She had scant few encounters with Aaron and she tried to pinpoint each of them in her mind. The night last week came to mind and she thought of the other man that had been with Aaron as Spencer had pulled her away. She assumed this was the same guy. She pinned the name, Morgan in her head in case she ever needed it. 

She had no clue why she would ever need it, but it couldn’t hurt. After another minute there was more sound, a muffled conversation, and a small grunt before the phone clicked a bit and Aaron’s familiar voice tapped in on the line. He said, “Hey, y/n. Sorry I was out back. Thanks for doing this by the way.” y/n nodded and said, “Yeah. No problem. So my schedule is pretty full this week but I can do Wednesday morning, Thursday in the evening, or Saturday morning. Does one of those times work for you?” Aaron replied, “Saturday works for me. Any place work for you? I can come over or we can meet anywhere that works for you really.” y/n didn’t hesitate as she said, “Let’s do the coffee shop near West campus. You can come and copy my stuff while I grade or read or something.” 

There was a softy, nearly inaudible breath before Hotch said, “It’s a date. Is 9:00 a.m. too early for you?” y/n replied, “Nope. Nine is good. See you then.” Hotch replied, “Right on. See ya then.” Then he disconnected the call. y/n did the same. y/n sighed, again questioning why exactly she was doing what she was. Was it care, curiosity, or a little of both? She couldn’t pinpoint it in her mind. There was also the fact that Aaron had said, “‘It’s a date’” in an infuriating manner. Like he knew that was going to spark some kind of response. Of course, it was a joke, but even so, it irked her because it was working. 

y/n let out a sigh of frustration. She looked up at the clock and realized that she needed to grab the glasses and wine as Buffy would be starting soon. Just as the new episode started. Emily and y/n settled in and just like clockwork, Garcia came down from her room. The charming Pen shuffled into the room and sat down on the couch. y/n knew her third roommate would be down once the show started and had already poured a glass for her. Em was looking at y/n as if asking, ‘So, when are you meeting him?’ And Garcia was looking at Emily as if asking, ‘What’s going on? Why do you have that look on your face?’ Thankfully Buffy was the silencing buffer. None of them dared talk during the episode. It was that important to them. The group's shared love of the campy monster of the week show drew them together in a funny way. In the beginning, y/n thought she was too much of a nerd for Prentiss, but it turned out even the dedicated policewoman couldn’t be turned down by Angel and Spike's charm. They would have to debrief once the commercials started in ten minutes or so, but for now, there was a calm as they all sat in front of the TV. 

The week went by quickly. y/n’s advisor got sick on Wednesday night and emailed her saying that he wouldn’t be able to make it to their Thursday morning meeting. This opened up her morning and she planned to sleep in. That was the plan at least. However, at 7:30 a.m. a knock on her door woke her. y/n was groggy as she made her way to her door. A sharp crack of thunder and lightning had her come more to her senses. It was pouring cats and dogs. y/n rubbed her eyes as she opened the door to the hall light. Emily was standing outside in her uniform. y/n asked sleepily, “What is it Em?” Prentiss bit her bottom lip and said, “My car won’t start. Engine problems. Can I borrow your keys or can you give me a ride to the station? The brunette looked embarrassed to ask, but y/n understood her predicament and said, “Yeah I got you. Let me put on a bra and some pants.” In under ten minutes, the duo were out the door. y/n drove slowly and carefully. The rain continued to pour down. y/n felt a small feeling of dread in the air. As they got to the station, y/n said, “Just give me or Garcia a call when you need to be picked up if you don’t get a ride from your co-workers, okay?” Em nodded and said, “Thanks a million. y/n you’re a lifesaver.” y/n got back into her car and drove to campus. Even though she didn’t have an umbrella, she got half-soaked walking to her office, and Mary Janes squeaked awfully on the floor. In her office, y/n sat down in front of a stack of papers, half of them her students and the other half her own. There was a loud crash of thunder and y/n looked out the window when she saw a dark hooded figure standing outside her office in the downpour. She couldn’t see the person's face in the beating rain. A sound in the hallway caught her attention for a moment. Another pair of noisy shoes. By the time she looked back out of the window, the figure was gone. She shook her head wondering if she’d made up the man. She let the thought pass as she kept working late into the night. 

Emily did end up calling y/n and letting her know that Penelope had picked her up already. y/n was grateful for this. She was exhausted from her day and early morning. She quickly packed up the work that she was taking home with her and switched off the lights and lamps in her office. The rain had stopped hours ago, but it left the ground damp and mist and humidity rose off the earth like a dense fog. y/n got into her car and drove toward home. She took a shortcut to avoid a traffic light that was out. As her headlight illuminated a dark back alleyway behind a store, y/n saw for a moment the same figure from earlier that day. They were leaning over something else. ‘Is that a body?’ y/n stalled, startled like a dear in headlights, even though it was the reverse scenario. For a second y/n made eye contact with the person, and she distinctly saw blood on their mouth, staining their chin a gruesome red. y/n’s heart stopped beating and a moment later a loud honk from behind her shocked her. y/n was blinded by the bright lights behind her. She had not seen the sedan pull up behind her car. In a panicked state, she hit the accelerator and finished her drive home terrified of what she’d just seen. 

y/n rushed into the house and found Emily at the stove. Prentiss turned and her, “Welcome home” died on her lips as she saw her friend. Em turned off the fire under her boiling potatoes and asked, “y/n, are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” y/n swallowed trying to get some saliva back into her mouth and throat. She raised her and said in a hoarse voice, “I think I just saw a murder.” Emily’s jaw went slack for a second before she moved forward, police-like, and said, “Okay, y/n. You could have seen anything. It’s dark and gloomy out there.” y/n shook her head and said, “No, Em. Whatever I saw it was bad. I could feel it in my core.” Prentiss nodded, taking y/n seriously, the only one who would for a few days at least. She said, “Okay, y/n. Tell me everything. Think about things as clearly as possible. Don’t try and fill in any gaps, just tell me what you saw.” 

An hour later with Em trying to jog y/n’s memory to get the best information and writing down all the little and big details in her police pad, Prentiss said, “I’ll leave early tomorrow morning and check it out, y/n. Before I head to the station.” y/n’s eyes widened and she protested, “Shouldn’t we look now? There could be someone dying out there.” Emily dropped her eyes and sighed replying, “No, y/n. If what you say is true, then there’s nothing I can do tonight. I’d need more men, dogs, a whole setup.” After a pause Prentiss added, “And, y/n. There is no we in this. It’s dangerous. It’s safest for you to pretend you didn’t see anything tonight. Forget about it and don’t tell anyone.” y/n was frustrated by this response. However, she knew Em was correct. What could she do? Before y/n had a chance to say she was going to bed, Emily said, “Who are you bringing with you to meet Hotchner again?” 

y/n said in an almost deadpan voice, “Reid.” Emily frowned and said, “y/n, I’m going with you for that. I don’t trust Hotchner.” y/n’s head whipped up and she said, “Emily, it’s not like you can just stroll in there with Spence, and I. If Aaron and his family are as smart and powerful as you say, then he’ll know you’re a cop. I don’t think he’ll love that and I do still have to show up to a class with him, and sit across from him for the rest of the semester.” Prentiss could see y/n’s discomfort and replied, “I get it, y/n. And I know you’re trying to be nice, but I don’t want you going alone, and no, I don’t count Reid. I won’t walk in with you, and I won’t talk to you at all, but I will go and just keep an eye out.” y/n rubbed her tired eyes, saying, “Okay, Prentiss. We can talk about it tomorrow. I just want to go to bed now.” Em didn’t try and stop y/n as she moved past her and upstairs. y/n stripped out of her clothes from the day and fell into bed. She’d try and convince Em that she was a big girl tomorrow and didn’t need a bodyguard, but she was asleep before she could think of what she would say. y/n tossed and turned as she dreamed of the man outside her window and the person she’d seen with blood on their mouth, looking into her soul.

Text Break Banne by @cafekitsune

Tag list: @silk-spun @geminitapestry @alicewonderao3 @potatovoyager @samaldonado5 @princessjax @looking1016

Want to be added to my tag list? Please check out this post (linked) 

Want to send in a request? Please check out this post, CM Request Post (linked)

[aphverse-confessions]

Sylvanna’s constant disapproval of Aarmau in the series is kind of funny but if you look at how it started from her POV it’s lowkey horrifying

This was pointed out by another user here on Tumblr (can’t remember who), but the post basically talked about how Sylvanna let her 14/15 year old daughter finally attend a real life school and then immediately after that she watched as said daughter had older boys CONSTANTLY going after her the entire first year.

And then when her daughter goes to prom AS A FRESHMAN with one of these boys not only is it a super-senior, but said senior is one of the biggest delinquents in the school and is known for gettting into constant fights. Her finding out he’s her bf in LLP is justified tbh

Not a parent, but that’s a tough situation for her to be in.

.

[goddammitjosef]

*places subway surfers vieeo below you*

napalex is actually the PERFECT ship alexander and napoleon were meant for eachother actually well not really i dont think theyre good for eachother but theyre evil soulmates you get what im saying??? like they shouldnt be together but they are and i like it that way

alexander was RAISED ON IDEALS OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION his tutor was a FRENCH REPUBLICAN NAPOLEON WAS A PRODUCT OF THE REVOLUTION BOTH LEANED TOWARDS MORW CONAERVATIVE IDEOLOGIES AS THEY GOT OLDER IN THEIR CAREER WHILE NAPOLEON STARTED OFF AS A BOARDERLINE CORSICAN NATIONALIST LATER GRAVITATING TO WHATEVER THW FUCK YOU CAN CALL BONAPARTISM ALEXANDER STARTS OFF AS A LIBERAL MIND YOU HIS TUTOR WAS AN ATHEIST ONLY TO LATER TURN INTO A CONSERVATIVE ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN IN HIS LATER YEARS AND LESS OF AN IDEALIST YALL DONT EVEN GETT IT BRUHHH

alexander never wanted to be tsar and dr amed of living a life away from tsardom meanwhile napoleon did everythinh in his power to become emperor and got there THROUGH A COUP LOOK AT THIS COMPARISON THERES SO MUCH TO COMPARE AND SO MUCH TO LOVW ABOUT THWM

FROM THE TILSIT TO ERFURT AND THE QUOTES AND THE BED IT ALL MAKES SENSE ITS SO OBVIOHUS FAGGOTRY THEY SPENT LONH TIME IN ERFURT WHAT DID THEY DO IN ERFUET?????

im sorry to all my clone high mutuals who had to see this

[chaoticharrington]

Older!Eddie fic TBD

I know ive been saying forever that im going to write this fic thats been marinating in my brain for months. But Ive finally mustered up the courage and im writing my Older Eddie fic, ive never written something like this before. Its more than just smut and so far its my favorite thing ive ever written, theres so much of me in it. and like idk ive done so much research on it and i just really hope yall end up liking it. its going to be multiple parts and a partially slow burn and absolutely loads of smut... if youre into BDSM and Dom/sub dynamics youre gonna love this fic. Im gonna set a timeline of gettting part 1 out by this weekend so fingies crossed

[minecraftrelatedrandomness]

2 december pirates smp lore summary, aka WHAT HAVE WE LEARNT TODAY my god this is messed up

obvious disclaimers: spoiler warning, everything is roleplay

cw for livestreams:

apo: shouting, mentioned past torture of a child-like non-human entity (non-graphic)

kuervo: food insecurity mention, grief (via p!water), guns and gunshots, what we in the present day would call human rights violations (on at least 2 different levels), self-harm (hitting onself to ensure consciousness), shaky breath (possibly panic attack?)

apo summary (~30 mins)

apo finds graecie at the nightingale tavern, who confronts him about his motives

they sail to the "touching the stars" quest site for a more peaceful environment (graecie's idea)

graecie was trying to hard to stay calm, bless her

apo tries to justify himself, in that he came here in search of freedom and that he was trying to protect the isles from the "evil" of cruppy (whom he is convinced is a manifestation of the corruption and is gonna kill everyone)

he also thinks alphie will approve of his actions… and considers but doesn't tell graecie about martyn threatening him to kill acho (1 dec)

graecie continues to defend cruppy in that it, according to her, has the mental age of a toddler and that apo is compromising his "morals" for something he hasn't even been successful in achieving yet

graecie decides to stay at the quest site to mull things over while apo takes her boat (with permission) to go back to the isles

she also says that she refuses to give up on apo even if apo has given up on the nightingales (her words, summarized)

apo now believes he has to do something he doesn't want to do

apo lore revelations

apo might know more about cults than he initially lets on

the golden necklace he wears is a locket containing a picture of him and the former owner of the locket (probably alphie)

kuervo summary (~1 hour)

previously on pirates smp (1 dec), kuervo saw a cultist at the door to the kite tavern and got knocked out and yoinked

he wakes up in the amethyst cave where the rescue mission happened back on 13 oct (it takes him a while to realize this), and can't find a way out

he decides to take a nap because he's too tired to keep looking for a way out (chat was panicking because they thought he was gonna die if he did sleep)

cut to a shot of kuervo in the marnie cage getting zapped by a petrification beam and barely consciously trying to break out (overlaid with heartbeat effects)

kuervo then somehow WAKES UP in the tiny hut outside the big amethyst cave hole and finds a pistol with 4 bullets

he tries to figure out his surroundings, gets cornered by a cultist to get back down the cave or else, and then shoots the cultist (and… chat says he was having a whole panic attack after that)

CUE THE FLASHBACK to 16yo kuervo (recently promoted?) getting commended and invited to dinner with the armada commanders and being super excited about it (chat declares their undying adoration for him as a kid and i agree)

kuervo sails back to the isles by hijacking a cultist ship and is very salty about chat asking about his past, and decides it's too dangerous for him to hang around any longer

he leaves the kites and packs up his stuff to finish his revenge "quest", visits water in her home to comfort her about the wedding, say goodbye, and get supplies (like a lasting supply of food just in case he has to face food insecurity in the future, and money for another pistol)

he also revises his letter to the armada to come and get him and convinces water to send it off for him via the castaway. there is a promised goodbye hug in the kuervo lore "finale"

he moves into the main town tavern for his "last few days" on the isles to wait for the armada to come get him

kuervo lore revelations

kuervo is a VERY good shot with a pistol

he has a brother, implied to be older (probably alex if going by his last character lore stream on 13 nov); the brother was well-known in the armada

kuervo was almost definitely a child soldier (getting a "new" crew at age 16? he had to have been there for a while for that to happen…), probably indoctrinated into the autocracy that is naya (dw it happens to the best of us)

he didn't have that red hair (dye) streak at age 16

the cultists apparently experimented on him while he was asleep/unconscious… and it didn't work

kuervo has 8 rings out of a collection of 10, and intends to get his last 2. it's implied he might have killed the armada's commanders, 1 ring for each kill? (nothing is said directly on stream but this is the most likely option according to chat live reaction)

naya is located in the distant northwest

either alex is alive, or kuervo is planning to die. i personally suspect the latter, given the ending of his 18 nov stream

[tokerfriendly-g]

another year down packed ♒️

gettting older n idk how i feel about it 😵‍💫🎉

[sea-owl]

So, I know we bully the Bridgertons in the isekai au because the Spouses want nothing to do with them and reject all their attempts (which I find hilarious because I enjoy making them suffer)

But how do you think the Spouses would start falling in love with them? What are the things that make them "click" and see their respective Bridgerton in different lids?

So a big part of the change of perspective for the spouses is gonna back to two things. The first is the root between this divide between the two families, and that is Portia's fear for her family and the relationship she shares with Violet. Until that has some change in it, the spouses are almost guaranteed to be at arm's length from the Bridgertons. The champions for helping to solve that mess will be Lady Danbury and Mary. Though to be honest that's probably just a fun game for them or at least for Lady Danbury who lives for the drama and is the whole reason this started when she isekaied Portia.

The second thing is that the spouses have to learn to grow beyond the family and beyond the mothers. Now that is to say they don't love them and will always be there for the family. But part of growing up and moving forward is learning to move beyond your parents, which a part of that is starting a family of your own.

There are little things that help with that second part. Things that helped the spouses see beyond the Bridgertons public personas.

For Kathony it's when Kate sees Anthony not as the viscount but as the man who got thrown into a seat of power and essentially fatherhood before he was ready. She saw it when the siblings were playing pall mall, and she saw it again when she stumbled upon Anthony during a stormy night in the library. She was trying to find a distraction while he was letting himself have a vulnerable moment with some of his father's old things.

For Benophie, I want to say it's when Sophie discovers Benedict's sketches. You can see a lot of what the artist does in their work. There was such beauty in them it left Sophie stunned. Especially when she got to the sketches of herself. She never knew she could be so beautiful to someone.

Weirdly for Polin, I can see the change happening when Colin blows up on Penelope. Penelope recognizes Colin as a snake charmer. He uses pretty words, and while she loves pretty words, she thought there was nothing else. Then, one day, Colin caught her by surprise when he followed her doing some of her more illegal activities, and he blew up on her. It's not the fact that he was angry at her but the fact that he was angry because of his fear of her safety. The multi-level emotions she had never seen from him before were now there.

Saphne's change came when Daphne punched Simon and gave him a black eye. (He deserved it. Also, Simon has a strength kink, and no one is changing my mind on that) All the time Simon has known Daphne, she has been the model debutant. (We all know she has a body count in a literal sense, but he doesnt) This is the first time Simon gets to see more of the real Daphne.

Philoise happens right around the twins' birth. George died in war, leaving behind a pregnant and unwed Marina. Marina sadly passed in childbirth. Phillip adopts the twins, and Eloise, in a roundabout way, comes to his aid with parenting books or the closest thing to it in that time. The twins also take a liking to Eloise. We'll Phillip have to listen then, babies do generally have a good judge of character on who is safe.

Franchael happens around the time of John's death. Francesca, in this timeline, fell in love with Michael first but was still good friends with John. Michael, whose loyalties lied with his found family, still loved his cousin, and their relationship actually improved when Michael started living semipermantly with the Featheringtons. Mourning together over a loved one can bring people closer.

The babies really didn't have a big defining moment. They followed the older ones' leads when the two sides started getting friendlier, so did they. Being younger, they had more time to let things take a more or less natural course.