#honestly one person's name has not changed n that is haley's

[lovevalley45]

looking thru some of my old writing in the power payback sphere from 2021 and like. u can tell i def worked out a lot of stuff between then and now but one of them i love is a fic where kent (at least in this version) is legit like. yo sprout man we got beef but i'm gonna cover for u because u do not want red catching you out here. like oh how times change

[boldlyvoid]

Reacquainted on Christmas

18+ Hotch x Reader

Summary: he just needs a new pair of pyjama bottoms, she just needs a sleep shirt while in town and there's only 1 pair of pyjamas left at the store on Christmas Eve.

content warnings: meet-cutes, mentions of divorce, getting together, smut face sitting, unprotected sex, cum play,

word count: 3K

Shopping on Christmas Eve was never a good idea.

Sure, he wasn’t there for last-minute presents so his trip wasn’t as hectic as most. However, it was still horrible. Everything was a mess, picked over and left damaged for whatever sad person desperately needed it. He passed aisle after aisle of empty shelves and racks with only the ugly options left, wondering how the fuck he was going to find PJ’s of all things.

There’s a woman in the men's section, staring at the 4 options left and shaking her head. “Anything catching your eye?” He asks with a smile, attempting to make her night better.

She points to a set, “I literally just want a shirt, I don’t want to have to get pants with it, but there’s nothing else here,” she vents to him.

“I just need a pair of pants,” Aaron laughs, “want to split it?”

She lets out a sigh of relief, “I’d love that, I can’t believe I forgot a sleep shirt of all things.”

“Oh, you’re just visiting DC for Christmas?” He asks as he takes the pyjama set off the rack.

“Yeah, I work in New York but my parents live here,” she explains. “What’re you doing shopping on Christmas Eve?”

“Honestly,” he sighs, “it’s my first Christmas alone since my divorce, she has our son this year and I realized I don’t own anything that she didn’t buy for me… I needed a change.”

She takes the pyjamas from him, “so I’m buying these, then you can have something fun to remember with them?”

“Okay,” he smiles again. “Is there anything else you’re here for?”

She shakes her head, “no, but I did she some discounted chocolate over there that looks tempting?”

He laughs, “I’m Aaron, by the way,” he reaches out to shake her hand.

“Y/N,” she smiles back at him. “I’m actually staying at a hotel near here, would it be insane to ask you to come over for some room service with me?”

“Do your parents not have room for you?” He asks, not thinking anything of it.

She shakes her head, “no, they’re in a retirement complex, it’s a cute little apartment but I didn’t want to sleep on the couch.”

“That's fair,” he laughs. “And to answer your question, no I don’t think it’s insane to ask. I do however think that you should know a bit more about a person before you go somewhere alone with them…”

“You’re a cop?” She smirks like she got it right.

He laughs, “not really… I’m a federal agent.”

“Ahh,” her face lights up, she’s instantly more interested in him. “Me too, I work in the New York office… would I know you? You dress like you’re important?”

He laughs again, “It sometimes feels like a brag to say my title—”

“You’re not the director,” she cuts him off. “His first name is Jackson, the only Aaron I’ve heard of is the unit chief of the BAU. Agent Hotchner, I’ve sent a few applications to him and never heard back.”

He grinds his teeth together awkwardly, “that would be me…”

She laughs again, “well, now I get to show you what you’ve been missing out on.”

“Bring it on,” he nudges her playfully. “So are we going to stand in this aisle all night or are we going to get out of here?”

“Let’s get out of her,” she replies with a twinkle in her eyes, one he knows all too well from a life he lived a year ago.

Back before he was a husband and father before he was responsible and he could take home anyone he wanted. He never missed being free when he was with Haley, rather the love he had, and still has, for her was too pure to make him feel trapped. Even still, he never missed his bachelor phase until right now.

He knew this could go one of two ways. She either really does just want to split the pyjamas and share a meal and then never see him again, or they’re going to use this as an excuse to feel something good on Christmas Eve… and then never see each other again. Either way, he risked getting to know someone who would also leave him.

“I assume you have a car?” She rips him from his thoughts as they wait patiently in line to pay.

“I do.”

“Good, cause I don’t,” she laughs, trying to make small talk with him as best as she could. “did you have any plans for tonight?”

He shakes his head, “I was going to have some leftover Chinese in my fridge and work on some reports… but this sounds like a much better option.”

“The room service is almost as good as leftover Chinese,” she adds. “Something about it the next day just hits different?”

“You know, one of my team members might be able to explain exactly why that is,” he wishes he could fill the space with facts the way Spencer did. It was endearing in a way he admired.

“It really does feel like you’re bragging now,” she teases him with a smirk.

Her smile is infectious, he can't help but beam back at her. “I’m sorry, my team is more like family… I brag about them like I would with my son.”

“That’s cute,” she compliments him. “Did you see him at all today?”

He nods, “we exchanged presents at breakfast this morning before I took him to his mom's. It sucked but I want both of them to be happy.”

“So, I guess the divorce wasn’t your idea?” Her voice is as low as she can keep it so the people in line don’t hear them.

He presses his lips together awkwardly, nodding along with a sigh through his nose. “I couldn’t give her everything she deserved…”

“Because what she deserved isn’t what you deserve?” She profiles him. “She didn’t get that your job is important to you because your team is a family you never had?”

“Maybe I should have interviewed you,” he teases her. “I’ll consider you the next time there’s an opening.”

She shoves him, “funny. You’re just deflecting, I’m sorry if I’ve made you uncomfortable?”

“Oh no,” he shakes his head, keeping his voice just as low. “You’re right. She didn’t understand why I love my job and she couldn’t accept that I wouldn’t pick her over it.”

“Makes sense,” she’s quick to answer as it’s their turn at the register.

She pays, they put everything in a bag and she follows him through the exit towards his car. He places his hand on her back, guiding her towards his SUV and making sure they’re safe in the parking lot. His protective instincts were always on level 10.

He opens the door for her, letting her in and closing it once she’s safely inside. He’s not expecting her to pick the conversation back up as soon as he gets in and starts the car.

“How many people are on your team?”

“Including me?” He’s not sure why he asks, he could just say the answer right away. But he’s nervous around her suddenly. She gets him too well. “There’s eight of us. Where am I taking us?”

“My hotel is on 16th and Church street,” she says, and he knows exactly where that is, pulling out of the parking lot and turning towards the unknown.

“7 people who love you and see you every day over 1… I can see why you picked your job,” she shrugs. “I’m sure you’re either an only sibling or a lot older than them.”

“Younger brother,” he confirms her suspicion. “My parents were interesting characters, but I suppose you’re correct. Not having an abundance of affection as a child plays a big role in why I picked my team.”

“When doing what we do, that’s really important,” she reaches over and pats his hand as it rests on the gear shift. “You’d do anything for them, I can already tell.”

“I think they’d like you as well,” he can’t help but think about getting to see her at work all the time. She’d give him an opportunity to mix his personal life with work, if they overlapped somehow it might be easier.

“Are you expecting an opening anytime soon?” She teases again. “I’d love to transfer back to DC and be closer to my family.”

“We have agent spots available in the office, it’s still as important but I’m sure you’d like fieldwork more?”

“Does anyone work their way up in your office?” She asks, it’s a question he’d expect in an actual interview.

“They’ve had opportunities, but a lot of them enjoy what they do. While it’s not a normal 9 to 5, it’s still rewarding and doesn’t involve as much travelling.”

“I do enjoy office work,” she shrugs. “I think I spend more time doing follow-up reports and less time actually getting my hands on the creeps in the reports.”

“That's why I wanted to move into behavioural analysis,” he opens up to her rather easily. He always knew that driving made conversations easier for him, the multitasking took away his ability to feel anxious.

“What did you do before?”

“I was a lawyer,” he laughs, “can’t you tell?”

She laughs too, “I was thinking that or palace security— you have that stern look that the beefeaters have.”

It’s not often that he laughs at jokes about his sternness, they’re not all that funny. Unlike her, she makes him genuinely laugh which makes him incredibly comfortable.

“I was just tired of seeing criminals walk because the police didn’t build air-tight cases… I wanted to not only stop them before they killed too many people while also ensuring that they stay in prison forever.”

He pulls up to her hotel then, finding his way to the parking structure and paying for a spot. He pays for the whole night just in case, sure that it looks like he’s expecting something from her when really he just doesn’t want a ticket on Christmas morning.

When he turns back to her, she’s smiling softly at him while holding the shopping bag in one hand and reaches out for him with the other. “Come on, let’s go get cozy and order one of everything.”

He takes her hand with another smile, “Merry Christmas to us.”

—

To think she was sitting in nothing but a t-shirt and her underwear with a man who might become her boss one day was rather insane to her. She couldn’t believe that A; she bumped into a man she’s heard so much about on a whim, and B that he wasn’t at all as he was described.

He was warm and kind, soft and bubbly. She was told by friends that he was a hard ass, that getting a job with him was as unheard of as getting struck by lightning twice. He was someone who she imagined carried a permanent frown and never laughed, but this Aaron was the complete opposite.

They’re sitting on her queen bed with dishes of food scattered between them. Fries, pizza, deep-fried pickles, mini burgers, it’s the type of spread you’d see at a football party of 16, for just the two of them, but they eat it all. Placing the dishes back on the tray it came on and then to the dresser where it would stay till the morning.

He sits back on the bed beside her, nothing keeping them from moving in closer this time. He’s shirtless with just the plaid bottoms on, her legs are crossed with her shirt pulled down enough to cover everything and yet she wouldn’t mind if it didn’t. She felt confident and comfortable with him, he wasn’t expecting anything from her, she was saving him from a night of boredom and he was seemingly grateful for that.

The conversation carried between different cases they’ve had, ones that could have possibly overlapped and all the times they almost met before that. She really liked him, she really wanted to see more of him, and not just at work.

He’s so handsome, she tries her hardest to focus on his words and the conversation but she catches herself following the definition in his biceps and pecks, his cute pink nipples and the wonderful forest of chest hair that trailed down to his groin. He was more than handsome, he was sexy. Possibly the sexiest man she’s ever seen in her entire life.

“Y/N?” He snickers, drawing her out of her thoughts as she stared at him. All but drooling as she did so, embarrassing herself as usual.

“Sorry,” she shakes it off. “I just haven’t seen someone so buff in person before…”

“You can touch me?” He offers, voice soft and low so he didn’t scare her away.

“Yeah?” She double checks, “can I move in closer to you?”

He just nods, watching as she walks over on her knees, straddling his lap and hovering over it. Not sitting, because that would be too close, but close enough to grace her fingers over his skin. She moves along his muscled arm, he runs hot even in the winter, still so warm even with his shirt off all this time.

She rakes her fingers through his chest hair neck, down between his pecks and ghosting over the slightest tracings of abs. She smiles as he twitches, sucking in a shocked breath as her cold hands touch his belly button. “Are you ticklish?”

He shakes his head, “no, you’re freezing.”

“Oh,” she feels bad, “sorry, I’ve always had cold hands.”

“Here,” he interlocks both their hands, holding them in an attempt to share his warmth, “I’d like you to keep touching me, just as long as it’s not with your ice fingers.”

“Okay,” she whispers, tilting her head slightly and staring at him like he hung the stars in the sky. “I think my lips are warm?”

“Let me check,” he teases, leaning in and pressing his lips to hers.

It’s the first kiss she’s had in far too long. Melting into it, she presses against him harder, breathing him in and finally sitting in his lap. He starts to fall back against the pillows then, dragging her down with him, she rests their interlocked hands above his head on the pillow, holding him in place as she deepens the kiss.

She can already tell he’s growing hard under her, igniting something in her that she hasn’t felt in quite some time. She grinds against him as a result, moaning against his mouth as well, she’s too turned on to care.

He doesn’t mind, if anything he’s even more into it now. Letting her take control, laying there and letting her drag her barely clothed, slightly wet cunt over the crotch of his new pyjamas.

“More,” he says against her lips, “if you want more, that is?”

She laughs, “you’re so cute?”

“I’m nervous,” he admits. “It’s been 13 years since I’ve had sex with someone new.”

“So then pretend I’m not new,” she whispers. “We’re just getting reacquainted.”

“I like that,” he presses another kiss to her lips. “I like you, I like doing this with you, it doesn’t have to go any further if you don’t want it to…”

“But you want to?” She teases him, wiggling on his hard cock again, “I could tell…”

He bites his lip, closing his eyes and basking in the feeling of her dragging herself over him. “Please, I’ll do anything?”

“Yeah?” She’s intrigued. “Do you do oral? My last boyfriend didn’t.”

“Do I?” He looks almost offended. “Sit on my face,” he doesn’t ask. It’s an instruction.

She’s pulling her panties off so fast, crawling back over him and resting her knees on either side of his head, “are you sure?”

He licks his lips as he nods, spreading her thighs a bit and guiding her forward. She runs her fingers through his hair, disrupting his perfect quiff and watching as he digs in. Moaning at first contact, it’s all she wanted for Christmas. His tongue is like magic, he’s so good with his mouth as she grinds against it. Riding his face and tossing her own head back.

He reaches for her hands again, interlocking their fingers and holding her hands as she rocks back and forth on his tongue. Moaning uncontrollably, he groans against her and sends vibrations through her body. “Fuck, Aaron…”

“Cum,” he mumbles against her skin, returning his attention to her clit and attacking it.

She’s trembling, thank god he’s holding her hands or she’d be falling off the bed with the amount of power that rushes through her. Her orgasms have never felt that powerful before, her thighs are shaking, her vision goes black and she can’t catch her breath fast enough.

He lightly teases her as she recovers, making her body twitch and shiver as he does so. She crawls off of him, laying back against the pillow with a hand on her chest as she breaths heavy, “wow…”

“You have the prettiest pussy I’ve ever seen,” he whispers, kissing the side of her neck. “Your last boyfriend was a fucking idiot.”

“Yeah,” is all she can muster. “I’d return the favour but I’m dead?”

He laughs, “you don’t have to.”

She opens her eyes and stares at him like he’s the idiot, “if that's how good your mouth is, I bet your dick game will put me in a coma.”

He laughs, “you’re going to give me a big head.”

“It felt pretty big and thick,” she teases, spreading her legs again and pulling her shirt up and throwing it off. “Let’s test my theory.”

He laughs at her boldness, “condom?”

“I’m on the pill,” she shrugs, “I’m clean, I don’t do this… like ever?”

“Me either,” he doesn’t want her to feel bad for it. “Are you sure?”

She nods, “fuck me.”

“Fuck,” he groans, pushing out of his bottoms and settling between her legs.

He drags his fingers from her knees down the inside of her thighs before pressing them flat open, “look at you? Glistening and beautiful…”

He drags his cock over her cunt, rubbing her clit with the head and teasing her further. “Please?” She begs this time.

“Shh,” he whispers with a smile, pressing against her hole and pushing in achingly slowly. “Holy fuck.”

She loves the stretch, groaning with her head tossed back and eyes closed. When he bottoms out, he hovers over her and takes her hands in his once more. Interlocking them and resting them above her head this time, he presses a deep kiss to her lips. For their first time, it really did feel like they were lovers before, it came to them way too early to be the first time.

With each roll of his hips, his groin rubs against her clit as he fucks her. It’s the first time she’s been this close without direct clit stimulation like he really knew what he was doing. He was so good a this she couldn’t imagine someone giving him up.

Slowly making out, holding hands, raw missionary… it’s like a dream come true and with the sexiest man, she’s ever seen in her entire life. She moans into his mouth, she can’t help it as he hits that spot so deep inside her.

His hips sputter and she knows he’s just as close as she is. Grinding to meet his thrusts and gain more friction on her clit, she can feel another orgasm building in her gut while the sounds between her legs get louder. She’s soaking wet and it’s audible along with her moans and his groans, it’s more euphoric than any porn she’s ever seen.

“Gonna cum,” he warns against her lips, moving to kiss her neck and fuck into her harder.

She wraps her legs around him as she cums, holding him there and taking all of him just as he fills her up with the sexiest moan he’s ever heard. He trembles against her, it’s so hot she could cum again from just witnessing it. He breathes deep and hard, pulling out and releasing the mess he had trapped in her. It's a rush, the feeling is too intense she moans again as he sits up and uses his softening cock to push it back into her.

“Aaron,” she pants, “oh my god?”

He laughs, “that was the best sex I’ve ever had.”

“Merry fucking Christmas,” she teases. “What a gift…”

“Yes you are,” he makes it sappy as he reaches for tissues on the night table. He cleans her up a bit, laying down beside her and cuddling into her side, “thank you.”

“For what?” She laughs. “I should be thank you, that was amazing.”

“So are you,” he compliments again. “I’d like to see you again the next time you’re in DC?”

“Does this affect me wanting to put in for a spot in your office?” She asks seriously, “because then you’d get to see me all the time.”

He nods, “you got the job.”

She pulls him in for another kiss, holding his face in her hands, “Thanks, boss.”

He smiles against her lips, “I’ll send you the established relationship papers with your contract.”

She laughs, “you have to take me on 3 dates before I sign that,” she teases him right back, it was so easy.

“Okay, you’ve got a deal,” he kisses her again, and again and again… all the way into the morning.

All it took was a pair of pyjamas to change her whole life.

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[letarasstuff]

The Hotch Stare

(A/N): This was requested by an anon and is based on this post. I never ever want to be on the receiving end of a Hotch Stare.

Summary: Mouthing off is one thing, but mouthing off towards Erin Strauss?

Wordcount: 0.7k

✨Masterlist✨ ______________________________

Hotch never expected parenting to be easy. Once Haley was pregnant with their first, (Y/N), everyone told them about the stress and pain that they will endure over the course of the next few decades.

They knew of the terrible twos and got through them twice. They got through diaper duties, sleepless nights and several tantrums. But for this, they weren’t prepared and since Haley’s death, Hotch isn’t ready for them anyway: Teenage years.

Ever since (Y/N) hit her teens, she went through some changes. The greatest is her newfound attitude. For her father, it seems like her sass level grew a hundred times over the summer. To anything he says, she got a quip right back at him. In exchange, Hotch has the infamous Hotch Stare for her. Which shuts the mouthy teenager up pretty quickly. Honestly, it shuts anyone up in no time.

Today (Y/N) decided to pay Aaron a visit at the office after school. “Hey Dad”, she greets him as she enters his office. He looks up from his paperwork and smiles a ghost of a smile at her sigh. “Hey Honey, how was school?”

The teenager sighs as she sits down on the couch. “Nothing interesting, you know, the usual. What about-” (Y/N) is cut off by the sudden opening of the door. A “geez” is muttered under her breath.

“Hotch, I need these filed and sorted by yesterday”, an older blonde woman throws what looks like a mountain of paperwork on the Unit Chief’s desk. (Y/N) looks up at her speechless, clearly still not noticed by her.

“Uh, I try my best. But I still got other reports to fill out. I think you need anybody else to do that for you, if you want it to be done as soon as possible, ma’am.” The teenager still can’t put a name to that person, but she gets more aggravated by her the more she talks so demanding to her father.

The blonde doesn’t even blink at Hotch’s honest response. “I don’t care, I want you to do it. It has the highest priority right now.” Seeing her father getting chewed out with an ounce of respect for him, makes (Y/N) snap.

“And here I thought you have to be an adult, who knows basic manners like knocking and greeting someone formally, to work at the FBI. But I guess this just isn’t tru-” As she looks up, the teenager sees her father shooting her a mean glare. It immediately stops her. “Uh, if you need me, I’m outside”, she quickly mutters and takes her backpack to escape the awkward situation.

For the next ten minutes (Y/N) hides in the bathroom until she musters up the courage to go out into the bullpen again. A smiling Derek greets her there. “My girl, you have some nerves going and talking to Strauss like that. I think somebody has to give you a medal or something, nobody dares to say something like that to her.” At this her eyes widen.

“That was Erin Strauss?! Shoot, I have to flee the country. Uhm Derek, tell my dad that I suddenly got super sick and had to go home. I need to pack a back and dunno, take the next train to-” “(Y/N)!” Said teenager pales. “It was nice knowing you, lil Hotchner. I will hold a speech at your funeral, I promise”, Morgan pats her back and goes to his own desk, while (Y/N) walks up the stairs to her father’s office.

“Close the door behind you, please.” At this she prepares to get yelled at. Instead he stands up and shakes his daughter’s hand with a big smile. “Congratulations, you just did something I wanted to do for years. Just make sure to not cross Strauss’ way for the next few weeks, then you might have a chance to stay alive. But we still have to talk about your attitude towards superiors.”

(Y/N) nods, mentally preparing for the oncoming lecture at home.

[miracleonice87]

Thousand

a Tyler Seguin one shot

a/n: I’m back! Last week was busy for me and this one is, too, but I have three other WIPs coming up after this one within the next little bit, so stay tuned. also idk if anyone else watches One Tree Hill (I know Tyler does 😉) but his family gives me major Nathan, Haley, Jamie, and Lydia Scott vibes in this one.

summary: still playing for the Stars, Tyler is recognized for his 1,000th career game and celebrates with his wife (the reader), family and team.

warnings: husband and dad Tyler being cute with his family and becoming a slightly silver fox (I think that def deserves a warning); hint of a daddy kink lollll

_____

February 22, 2025

Dallas

“Mama! Can I wear my new jersey from Uncle Jamie? Please?”

You pursed your lips, fastening the back onto your emerald earring as you looked at your five-year-old son’s reflection behind you in the mirror. You turned away from your vanity to meet him at eye level.

“Baby, you should wear Daddy’s jersey tonight,” you told him gently, rubbing his back. “We’re celebrating a really big milestone for him, so he’s gonna be recognized out on the ice, and we’re gonna be there with him, remember? I know it would mean a lot to him if you wore his jersey.”

Luca pushed his bottom lip out just a smidge, pouting just like Tyler was famous for doing. You bit your own bottom lip to hold back a laugh.

“Okay. Well, can I wear Uncle Jamie’s next game?” Luca bargained.  

You smiled at his tenacity and smoothed your hand over his crisp white dress shirt that you’d laid out for him. You put your forehead to his and assured, “Absolutely.”

Luca perked up and stood a little straighter at your promise.

“Thanks, Mama,” he said. You kissed his cheek and said, “You’re welcome, baby. Thank you for understanding.” He nodded and turned to leave the room, presumably to pull a 91 jersey from the ever-growing collection in his closet. He stopped short and turned back to look at you.

“Hey, Mama?” he began. “Hmmm?” you prompted, trying to fasten your necklace and suddenly wishing you’d had Tyler put it on you before leaving — not only was he much more capable, but the way he always kissed the nape of your neck after securing the clasp made you melt each time.

Luca paused, smiling down at his sock feet before lifting his gaze to you again.

“I’m really happy for Daddy,” Luca said with a smile so sincere it made you melt. You were such a sap for these Seguin boys.

You nodded, choking back tears. “That’s sweet, baby,” you said. “I’m really happy for him, too.”

_____

An hour later, after dressing yourself, your son, and your two-year-old daughter, you pulled into the private parking area within the gates, Luca bopping up and down in his car seat, ever anxious to get inside the arena. The moment you unloaded both kids, they took off for the door to the arena.

“Luca Paul Seguin, slow down, please!” you instructed in your best mom voice, fumbling to throw both your purse and the diaper bag over your shoulders. “Hold onto your sister’s hand, bub,” you requested.

Luca smiled brightly and turned toward Harper, extending his hand toward his toddling little sister, who took it with a giggle. You finally caught up to the two of them and scooped up your daughter as you stepped onto the elevator, headed to the front office floor. When the doors opened, you were greeted by Tom Holy, the Stars’ VP of communications who had become a close friend over the years.

“Here are the real stars of tonight’s show!” he exclaimed, clapping his hands once, making you laugh. Luca ran to him for a hug and Tom playfully dusted off Luca’s little shoulders that now donned his favorite black Seguin jersey.

“Nice jersey, Luc! Hey, I gotta tell you, though, we have something else for you and your sister to wear tonight — if you want to,” he said.

You shot Tom a warning look as he produced a black tote bag from the reception desk, telling him, “You did not.”

He gave you a wink and said, “Do you know us at all by now? Of course we did.”

Much to Luca’s delight, Tom pulled two home green jerseys from the bag, with white 91’s printed on the back and sleeves and the “A” adorning each chest. But the nameplate didn’t hold your last name — instead, it read “DADDY,” with “1,000” printed below the jersey number. Luca jumped up and down with the jersey in his hands, while Tom handed the smaller jersey for you to dress Harper in.

“And we got a little something for you, too,” he added, reaching his hand into the tote bag once more. Your eyebrows shot up, caught off guard.

“Why me?” you questioned, feeling completely undeserving.

“Because, he says it himself all the time — he wouldn’t be the person he is without you,” Tom told you earnestly. “Tonight we’re celebrating all of you.”

He handed you a small black box and you froze for a moment before he extended it further, insisting that you accept it. You slowly grasped the box and pulled it open. Inside lay a pin nearly mirroring the style of lettering on the back of the kids’ jerseys, but instead it read “Seguin - 91 - 1,000,” encrusted in diamonds and emeralds.

You covered your mouth with curled fingers, attempting to steel yourself so that the waterworks wouldn’t commence just yet. You warmed inside at the incredible kindness of the gesture, giving Tom a hug.

“Thank you, Tom,” you said softly. “You guys are always first class.” He waved you off as you retrieved the pin from its box and fastened it on the lapel of your long black blazer, paired with a lacy camisole, jeans and black heels. You propped Harper on the desk to switch out her jersey for the new one, Luca having already made his own outfit change.

_____

In the tunnel, you had Harper on your hip and held tightly to Luca’s hand to prevent him from running to the ice and interrupting warm-ups. Your kids were used to standing at the boards where they could watch the guys drill and give their dad knuckles on the glass — where he could tap his blade in front of them each time he skated past. But not tonight. They might not realize it for years to come, but tonight would be even more special than watching their dad skate in front of them.

After a few minutes, you felt a hand come to rest on your shoulder — Jim Nill’s. You smiled at him and leaned in for a hug as he greeted you warmly and gave Luca a fist bump.

“And this little one…” he added, tapping Harper’s nose lightly as she grinned up at him. “She’s gotten so big. She’s too cute — you sure she really belongs to Segs?”

You laughed and remarked, “Pretty certain, yeah. If you saw her dramatic side, or how she is with the dogs, you’d see the resemblance.” It was Jim’s turn to chuckle.

Tom sidled up next to the two of you and advised you on how the presentation would go.

“So, we’ll roll out the carpet, and you guys will head all the way down to the end. Jim and Bones will follow. Tyler will come and stand next to you guys on the ice and then we’ll do the presentations,” he instructed. “That sound okay?”

You nodded and smiled at Tom. “Yeah, it sounds great. Honestly, I’m just a little nervous about holding onto these two so none of us fall on our asses,” you half-joked.

“Well, Gramma can help with that.”

At the sound of the familiar voice behind you, you spun around and gasped, while Luca exclaimed, “You’re here!”

There stood not only Jackie, but also Paul — the two were always willing to come together for momentous occasions in their children’s lives, especially now that you and Tyler had given them the gift of grandchildren, and you were grateful. You had had no idea that they were coming, even having spoken to Jackie the day before, asking her once more if she was sure she didn’t want you to book her a flight to Dallas.

Tears welled in your eyes as you shook your head, completely at a loss for word as they flanked you. You squeezed each of them tightly and whimpered, “Does Ty know?”

Paul shook his head. “He has no clue,” he responded. Jackie added, “And the girls are up in the suite already. They wanted to watch it all up there.”

You could only shake your head repeatedly, barely having time to recover before hearing the PA announcer ask the fans to turn their attention to the ice. You dabbed the corners of your eyes with your knuckle and passed Luca duty off to Jackie, keeping a hold on Harper yourself, as Tom smiled and winked at the five of you.

“Not even a warning, Tom?” you teased, sniffling. He chuckled and squeezed your shoulder.

“No way,” he remarked. “Your reaction was priceless.” You shared another smile before you saw Rick stepping onto the green carpet near the boards.

“Here we go,” you breathed, leading your in-laws out to the ice past Rick as directed, not without him stopping you to give you a kiss on the cheek, squeeze Harper’s hand, and pat Luca on the back.

You stepped carefully along the fabric-covered frozen surface, concentrating on a beaming Tyler before you, Harper already reaching her arms out for him as he waved at her. You knew immediately that there was no point in fighting her on wanting to be held by her daddy, so as soon as you reached the end of the carpet and gave Tyler a peck, you handed her off to him, Tyler kissing her rosy cheeks.

The crowd “awww’d,” but you could only concentrate on the dumbfounded expression Tyler wore upon looking up from Harper’s “Daddy 91” jersey to smile at you before noticing his parents only a few feet behind. Rarely, if ever, left speechless, Tyler was completely in shock.

Jackie came forward to reach for Tyler, singing, “Surprise!” as she threw her arms around his neck.

“Oh, my god. I can’t believe you guys are here,” Tyler finally said, his voice shaky. Jackie kissed his cheek and pulled away to wipe tears from her eyes.

“We wouldn’t have missed this for the world, son,” Paul assured as the two men embraced.

After thanking his parents, Tyler crouched down to greet his boy — practically his own self, in miniature.

“Cool jersey, bubba,” Tyler said, glowing with pride as he nudged Luca’s chest and squeezed his hand.

“It says ‘Daddy 91’ on it!” Luca pointed out. Tyler giggled boyishly and kissed Luca’s forehead. “It sure does, doesn’t it,” he said, Luca nodding.

Tyler stood upright once more, snaking an arm around your waist as you held onto Luca’s shoulders in front of you, smoothing his hair affectionately. Tyler then noticed your new pin, running the back of his index finger over it and commenting, “Wow. This is unbelievable.” You could only nod.

“You look beautiful, baby. But what, no ‘Daddy’ jersey for you?” he asked softly with an ornery grin, making your cheeks warm as you pushed your shoulder into his chest. You shared a quiet laugh and he kissed your temple, then the PA announcer turned over the floor to Jim.

“Stars fans, you all know better than most just how much this night means to our number 91,” Jim began. “We as an organization have watched him grow, both as a person and as a player, since his fourth year in the league. We have witnessed the way he has blossomed, from an outstanding young player into a seasoned veteran. Tyler Seguin has become one of the most prominent leaders of this franchise, and I know I can speak for all of us when I say that we could not be more proud to call him a member of our family.”

The crowd cheered, so loudly that Jim had to pause, Tyler blinking back tears as he squeezed your hand tightly and nodded to the fans appreciatively. Even Harper began to clap, making Tyler laugh and kiss her sweetly, sniffling when he looked back to the crowd.

“Tyler, we thank you for the role that you have played thus far during your time as a Dallas Star, we look forward to many years and celebrations to come, and we recognize you tonight for reaching another milestone in your career in the National Hockey League — 1,000 games. We are thrilled to have your lovely wife and your beautiful family here with us tonight to celebrate you. Now I invite our captain, your dear friend, Jamie Benn, to join us and present you with gifts from your teammates, then Rick and I will proudly present you with gifts on behalf of the organization.”

You had held your emotions together decently thus far, but when Jamie glided over to you with a huge bouquet of white roses in one arm and a small gift box in the other hand, you felt tears trickle down your cheek. Jamie stopped in front of your family, greeting you first. He gently grasped your shoulder and kissed your cheek as he placed the bouquet in your arms.

“For you,” he spoke. “Love you. Thank you for everything you’ve done for him — for all of us.” You nodded, reaching up on your tiptoes to wrap your arm around his neck and whisper a thank you of your own into his ear, Jamie smiling at you tenderly when he pulled away.

“And for this guy…” Jamie began, extending the black box, which you now could see was marked with the Rolex logo, Tyler’s way as Tyler wrapped his arm around Jamie, hugging him tightly, the two of them exchanging private words of gratitude. You swiped at your tears as you watched Jamie pull back to kiss Harper’s cheek, making her squeal with delight at the attention her favorite uncle was showing her.

You all laughed, and Jamie turned his attention next to his godson. He bent at the waist to look Luca in the face, his wide grin growing even bigger. Jamie held out his fist and the two engaged in their special shake and bake handshake, Jamie ruffling Luca’s chestnut brown curls atop his head as he stood straight again.

“Love you, buddy,” Jamie told Luca, extending his hand for a low-five. Luca slapped his palm and beamed up at his beloved uncle. “Love you, too,” he confirmed, Jamie winking at him.

Next, Rick approached and presented Tyler with a gorgeous crystal award, engraved with Tyler’s name, the Stars logo, and the date and statistics from his 1,000th game against St. Louis a few nights before. Jim gifted Tyler a silver hockey stick from the Stars organization to commemorate the occasion, and Tyler thanked them both profusely, hugging them as the PA announcer asked the crowd to now look to the scoreboard for a video tribute.

This was one part of the evening you had known was coming — Tom had arranged for you and the kids to be filmed congratulating Tyler on the actual night of his 1,000th game, in the wives and girlfriends suite. You had inquired about who else was being asked to be part of the video, and Tom rattled off the names of some of Tyler’s closest friends, current and former teammates, and most respected fellow athletes — his sisters, Freddy, Derrek, Marchy, Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Jordan Spieth, Dak Prescott, and many of the Stars he had played with for multiple seasons all made appearances, including Jamie, who smiled at you as he skated behind you to watch.

“1,000 games. Did you ever think we’d all be here?” Jamie asked you softly as the video started, glancing Tyler’s way.

You, too, looked toward your husband, his face lifted to the Jumbotron, and you noticed the way his handsome features had only become more distinguished with age and the few grey hairs sprinkled near his ears and in his beard. He always groaned when you jokingly pointed them out, but you loved them — in your eyes, they told the story of his life as a man, his life as a hockey player, his life as a dad, his life with you. This occasion was just another chapter of Tyler’s dream come true — your dream come true.

You glanced back at Jamie and nodded, smiling. “Actually... yeah,” you answered, a hint of surprise in your tone. “I think I did.”

_____

Late that night, long after you’d put the kids to bed — with Luca having insisted on sleeping in his new jersey — you and Tyler lay cuddled up on the couch, wine glasses now empty on the end table, feet entangled on the ottoman. The gifts Tyler had received were propped on the mantle across from you, out of reach of children’s hands and dogs’ paws. Tyler kissed the top of your head, inhaling your scent deeply as you absentmindedly fiddled with the button on his loosened dress shirt collar.

“Are you happy?” you asked softly. Tyler breathed a chuckle. “I don’t think happy even begins to cover it,” he told you, smoothing his hands up and down your bare arms. “It’s more like… amazed. But it’s not even because of the 1,000th game.”

You rolled your head toward his to look up at him, meeting his gaze. “What do you mean, baby?” you asked.

He glanced at the new additions to his memorabilia collection and then back at you, the corners of his mouth twitching into a thoughtful smile.

“The ceremony was great. The best. I’ll remember that for the rest of my life,” he told you. “But what I’ll remember most is the way you looked, carrying the baby and just smiling at me walking onto the ice. And the moment I saw my parents with Luca between them.” Tyler’s voice quivered as he spoke, and you tightened your grip around his waist, laying your stomach against his to lean up and kiss his jaw. Tears shone in his eyes as he gave you a grateful look, pulling your hand to his lips to kiss your fingers.

“My career has been far better than I deserve,” Tyler added. “But what makes me the happiest is just getting to do life every day with you, and the babies. And my parents and sisters, too. I’m just really feeling blessed.”

As he sniffed, you pressed a kiss firmly to his lips and said, “Life with you is more than I could’ve ever wished for, Ty. Every day is like a celebration of the love you and I share. Everything else, like tonight — it’s just icing on the cake.” Tyler nodded, giving you one more kiss as he whispered his gratitude for you.

[alexandrablake]

love, jj

Prompts: 88. “I never meant to fall in love with you, I just did” from this prompt list! Pairing: Jemily, technically Word Count: 2,456 Warnings: Mentions of death. A/n: Red (@hurricanejjareau) picked this prompt. thank you, ily. that is all.

                April 29, 2011 Emily,

        Hey. It’s me. I’m sure you can tell by my handwriting. I’ve had you look over enough of my reports that I’d honestly be kind of disappointed if you didn’t. And before you say anything, yes, I know we play Scrabble, but that doesn’t count. I need to talk to you. God, Emily, I just need to talk to you. To see that you are alive, that you are well, and, honestly, to see that you are real. 

        These past few weeks without you have been awful. Everything is different. I’m spending more and more time around the office. The way we all skirt around your name like you never even existed is just painful. For a while there, I almost started to believe you weren’t real. And that’s a big fear of mine- to wake up one morning not worrying about you, because I know that’s all you have right now. You have Hotch and I thinking about you, and that’s it.

        Depressing. And nothing I need to tell you, but it’s not like you’ll read these anyways. It’s nearing two months since you “died.” I don’t think Rossi has processed it yet. Penelope is a shell of her former self coping. Even Ashley seems distraught. Spence has dealt with far too much trauma, and yet, I’ve never seen him like this. He’s been at my house everyday this week, crying and then sleeping on the couch. It’s heart wrenching, and it takes everything in me to not tell him you’re okay. That you’re alive. But I can’t, not with Doyle still out there, always being a danger to you.

        But, my God, is Morgan the worst to be around right now. Second to only Penelope Garcia, you were Derek’s favorite person in the team. No point hiding it, you’re all profilers and I spend way too much time around you guys.. He’s gutted. Honestly, I think he’s the one person here who has really “accepted” that you’re gone. Even Hotch is off. But not Morgan. And that’s the horrifying part. He’s the exact same person that he was before you left, but now his smiles are a little too wide and his gestures are a little too exaggerated. It’s terrifying to be around. 

        I guess that leaves me. I’m doing okay. Miss you everyday, but I feel bad every time I do because I know the truth. I know where you are (kind of) and I know that you are alive. They buried you. They know where you are, too, but for them, that’s six feet under.

        Love, JJ

        March 1st, 2011 Emily, 

        Me again. Today was better, I think. I know we like to say that the serial killers never take a vacation, but they seem to be on one right now. It’s just a bunch of consulting on relatively low level cases. Thank God, because I don’t think any of them could handle a case right now. Reid didn’t sleep at my house last night, which is improvement, I think. He definitely didn’t sleep, but I’ll take what I can get. Derek is almost worse.

        It’s lonely here without you. Penelope isn’t herself, and I find her sitting at your desk all the time. She’s stopped staring at your photo constantly and now avoids the hallway with all the memorials so she doesn’t have to walk by you. She’s in her office even more than she normally would be. There’s boxes of cupcakes being brought in all the time. She’s an absolute and utter wreck. 

        You remember that feeling we all felt when Haley was killed? When we all stood around her casket and watched with teary eyes as Hotch and Jack said their final goodbyes? The feeling that nothing would be okay again? Yeah. That’s about what’s happening now, but now it’s not just Hotch feeling like his life is over. It’s all of us.

        And God, you must be so lonely. 

        Love, JJ

        April 10th, 2011 Emily,

        Today was an all-time low. Everywhere I looked, there you were. Oh, there you were grabbing coffee after an all-nighter spent at my house. Oh, there you are, legs dangling over the side of the chair you’re lounging in because you don’t know how to sit properly. Oh, there you are, smiling at Hotch as you talk animatedly in his office about God knows what. Oh, there you are, downing shots with Rossi.

        Your ghost was everywhere over this office, over my life. You were this office, you were everything. I can’t go anywhere to escape you. How can you have a ghost when you aren’t even dead?

        April 11th, 2011 Emily, 

        Another crying Spencer night. They’re off on their second case, a spree killing in Tampa. I don’t know. At this point, I’m kind of lost. I’m spending far too much time at that office even though I don’t work there because it’s one of my last connections to you. I just… miss you, I guess. No, I know I miss you. 

        I just can’t stop feeling guilty. I’m causing all this pain in the team and in all your loved ones. I was the one who told Hotch you survived, I was the one who suggested you “die.” This is all my fault. 

        Hotch told me he was doing assessments of the team. That shouldn’t be happening. You should be there. I’m not going to ask for the results, and I don’t think I would be allowed to if I asked. I just don’t want to face the reality of what I’ve done.

        Love, JJ

        May 15th, 2011 Emily, 

        Hey, it’s been a while. Not much has changed. I haven’t been to the BAU since my last letter. I can’t face them anymore. I can’t sit within those walls that seep of you. I can’t face you.

        God damnit, Prentiss! Why did you go after Doyle? You knew we could have helped! This could have all been avoided if you would have trusted us!

        May 15th, 2011 Emily, 

        I’m sorry. It’s not your fault. I just miss you. A lot.

        May 22nd, 2011 Emily, 

        With you being gone, I’m starting to realize how much I depended on you. You were my person. If I had a problem, I came to you. If I wanted to get drunk, I came to you. If I wanted to get a break from the overwhelmingness of the testerone of our workplaces, I came to you. If I just wanted to escape, I came to you. 

        I’m still avoiding the BAU as best as I can. Even Hotch and I haven’t been talking. Spence is still coming to my house, though. Still crying. He misses you so much, Prentiss. We all do. 

        When Elle left, I didn’t think any of us would recover. She hadn��t been there for the longest time, but she was an integral part of the team. But we recovered. Then, when Gideon left, some of us were fine, but Reid? I genuinely thought he would never be the same. And I guess he isn’t, but he still recovered. And now you left. So if the pattern continues, we’ll recover.

        But I don’t think I will. Because every waking minute of every day (and even some of the sleeping ones), the thought that we will never catch Doyle haunts me. The thought that I will never see your beautiful face again. The thought that I will never actually get to talk to you again. 

        They don’t have those thoughts. To them, you are dead, under the ground, declared dead on the table. To them, there’s no chance they’ll ever see you again. So, for them, if we don’t catch Doyle, yes they’ll be irrationally angry because the son of a bitch who killed you is still out there, but catching him never had any more reward than revenge and putting another bad guy in prison where he belongs. They won’t realize that not catching him means they’ll never see you again because they don’t even know that’s an option. 

        I love you, JJ

        June 1st, 2011 Emily, 

        The worst part of all this is that I know you’re out there, lonely. I would say afraid, but I know you. Emily Prentiss doesn’t get scared, I know. But you’re alone, in a place that isn’t here. All I want to do is help you. And I can’t because if I do, there’s the possibility that I’ll make everything worse.

        So, I’m trying to focus on positives: happy memories and good things to happen. Like, the other day, I walked through a market and, when I passed a flower stall, all I smelled was that expensive perfume you used to wear. The stuff you stopped using because it made Reid sneeze? The stuff you still use when we would go out on the town? Smelling it made me want to go out and buy a drink and dance the night away. 

        And when I was shopping for new shoes for Henry, I saw a pair of boots that I knew you would buy the instant you saw them. They were lace-up, black with a bit of heel (I know your never-ending goal is to get taller), and there was a slight rose decal on the top. I could hear you shouting, “These are men squashing boots!” because you’re never embarrassed in public. I could see the smile you give me, a flash of blinding white teeth. And I knew the smile I would shoot back because happy Emily is my favorite Emily.

        I love you, JJ

        June 18th, 2011 Emily, 

        You missed Morgan’s birthday. 38! It was a pretty somber occasion because we all knew that something was missing. And it was the day before your 3 month anniversary of being dead. Garcia tried as best as she could to fill the gap, decorating the bar that Rossi rented out very extravagantly. Material items could never make up the lack of you. We all just ended up getting drunk.

        I think it’s really starting to hit Hotch. When I take Henry to hang out with Jack, Aaron��s quiet. Granted, he’s always quiet. (Not around you, though. You always bring out the best in people) This is a different quiet, though. He’s almost silent. I think he’s beating himself up. You know Hotch, anniversaries hit him hard. I think he hoped you would be home now, Doyle staying in the maximum security he belongs in. 

        But the rest of them are moving on. Spencer isn’t having the breakdowns he used to have. Penelope and I can go out for coffee without there being this heavy weight sitting on us. Ashley even joined us once, and it didn’t feel like she was replacing anyone. Rossi is smiling much more. Morgan is still acting a little fake, and he pulls sleepless nights every now and then, obsessing over the case. But he’s better. He can focus on cases, and Penelope tells me that they can go hang out without him being too absent-minded. 

        Hotch is the one I’m really worried about. We both remember the aftermath of Haley’s death. The grieving, the silence, the sleepless nights, the constant fidgeting so he could keep his mind of it. That’s what’s happening now. He’s just as worried about you as I am. We both know the possibility of never seeing you again.

        That leaves me. Three months later and I wouldn’t say I’m much better than I used to be. I still have trouble hanging around them. I still find myself grabbing my phone to text you something before remembering that I would never get an answer. I still find myself longing for you, for your smile, for your touch.

        I love you, JJ

        July 17th, 2011 Emily,

        I think this will be my last letter. I’ve come to a few realizations, and, even though I still desperately need to talk to you, writing these are one of them. 

        One: This isn’t healthy for me- nothing about this is. 5 stages of grief. We both know them, they have to do with the unsubs all the time. These letters are classified as denial. And I need to get through all five. Yes, you aren’t dead, but you may as well be. I can’t see you, I can’t talk to you, I can’t know where you are. There’s a death certificate. You were “buried.” And I need to get to acceptance. I need to accept that I may never see you again. I can’t just exist in this state of limbo forever. 

        Two: You are okay, and you can care for yourself. I guess this goes under the first one, but I don’t really care. You don’t get as close as we did are and not have an ever present worry of “what if she’s not okay? What if I’m not there to protect her? What if she needs my help?” But that’s where the denial thing comes in. I think that I’ve been doing that to myself because it keeps you near to me. It keeps you alive. Because if I can worry about you, there is still a you to worry about. Therein lies the issue. There is no you to worry over. To the world, you are dead. And I need to accept that. Because the you that does exist is perfectly capable and doesn’t need my help. 

        Three: Not having you here is the worst part of this all. Technically, you were gone before you left because I left, but we still talked and hung out. We still went to bars on alternating Saturdays. But we can’t have any of that anymore. And I think that’s what made me realize the last thing. 

        I am completely, utterly in love with you. And that’s terrifying. Unrequited love stories are the worst to read, but here I am, writing one. I loved how hot you looked when you tied your hair up. I love the way you carried yourself. I love the way you smiled at me when Reid went on one of his tangents. I love the way you looked at me when I delivered the profile. I love our hushed talks on the plane when everyone else is asleep, talking about everything and nothing.

        The worst part? You are the missing piece in this puzzle. You, Emily, were the one thing I never took into account when planning my life out. I didn’t mean to fall in love with you, I just did. Yet, here we are- me, writing crappy letters admitting my feelings, and you, halfway across the world, completely unaware of the havoc you’ve wreaked on me.

        I love you, JJ

[gubes-sweaters]

Mind, Body, and Soul 5

Authors note: Hey, so it's been a while oops. I’ve been writing one-shots in between writing chapters 4 and 5 only because I wasn’t sure where to take this series, but I’ve figured it out and now I’m back. I still have 3 or 4 one-shots written that still need to be edited. This chapter has a couple of switches of the POV. Sorry if it’s a little confusing, but it’s the easiest way to write the story. Also, I know Gideon and Rossi didn’t work together in the early season, but I’m changing it. I realize the TL of a lot of the members is off, but it’s all intentional for the story.

Content warning: Nothing I can think of, but don’t be afraid to tell me about a warning I should put in.

Word count: 2.7k

Chapter 5: New Member of the BAU

*ring ring*

*ring ring*

I shift under Spencer's grip trying to reach my phone as it's ringing. He’s such a heavy sleeper that by the time I wiggled out from his arms and grabbed my phone he was still sleeping. He just rolled over before snoring very quietly. I look at my phone and see it's my dad! Shit, I was supposed to meet with my dad at ten today and it's already eleven. I'm not even ready this is such a disaster, what am I supposed to tell him? Oh, don’t worry dad I’m just busy because I’m in the back of this guy’s car and I slept through my alarm! He’s going to kill me because I'm supposed to meet some of my dad’s work friends then go out to lunch with him.

“Ciao papà,” I say trying to sound like I'm awake. He can probably see through my bullshit though because I'm a shitty liar, and he's a profiler.

“Where's my bambino and why isn't she at the BAU right now? My colleagues want to meet you.”

“Sorry, I spent all night studying and I must've slept through my alarm I'll be there as soon as possible,” I technically lie to him I did sleep through my alarm.

“Okay...well, I love you. I have a security badge ready for you. All you have to do is tell security who you are and you're here to see me,” He's clearly not convinced but I don't think he cares enough to press the issue.

“Okay, love you too. Bye!” I hang up then turn to Spencer trying to wake him up.

I shake him over and over until he finally stirs. Seriously how the hell does he sleep so heavy. Once I get him up I explain that I’m supposed to have lunch with my dad and I’m supposed to meet his coworkers now that he’s coming out of retirement for whatever reason.

“Okay, yeah give me a second to clean up the back, and we can take you back to your apartment,” He says while rubbing the sleep out of his eyes.

“Thanks,” I say before planting a gentle kiss on his cheek.

He blushes at me before signaling for me to hop out of the trunk. We make a collaborative effort to clean out the trunk and sit the back seats back up. We then get in the front and make small talk on the way back to my apartment. Once we arrive I feel that pit in my stomach again, the same one I feel every time one of us has to leave.

“Thanks for yesterday!” I say before turning to open the car door with the bear we made yesterday. When I asked who's keeping the bear he jokingly said we’ll split custody and I guess this is my week. Before I could open the car door he placed his hand on my forearm very gently like I was made out of glass. He has this pained and disappointed look on his face.

“Can I see you again?” He asks just barely above a whisper.

I just respond with a nod and a quick kiss before I hop out of the car and wave goodbye. All I see is a wide grin on his face and a wave before I disappear into my apartment building. I knew Stella and Raven weren’t home because neither of their cars was in the parking lot. That meant I could get ready quickly and slip out of the apartment without any questions being asked.

I set the stuffed bear on the bed and begin getting ready. After I shower, dry my hair, brush my teeth, apply a small bit of makeup, and slip on a sweater and jeans I’m finally ready to leave. It’s only one pm, so I'm not making a horrible time given that I was already late. I then practically drive like a mad man to the BAU. I stop at security and tell them I’m here for my dad David Rossi. I get directions to the floor and where my dad’s new office is. I walk into the bullpen and see two very familiar and comforting faces, but the others belong to complete strangers. I immediately spot my dad’s old partner Jason Gideon and the Unit Chief Aaron Hotchner. I met them both when I was in middle school, but the rest of the team was new to me and my dad as well. He’s been there for a couple of months since his book tour was just now ending. As soon as Gideon sees me he walks towards me with his arms outstretched.

“Hey kiddo it’s been a long time. I may be getting old, but I’ll never forget that face.” He says while engulfing me in a hug. Honestly, I talked to Gideon probably more than my dad growing up. This is odd because he didn’t have the best relationship with his own son, but he was always like a cool uncle. Then the same click happened to me and Aaron Hotchner when we first met. He always wanted kids and some of the only times you would see him smile and laugh was around kids. He and his wife Haley jokingly called me their test run when I would spend time with them. When my mom and dad were both busy I spent a lot of time with Haley because I didn’t want to be with a nanny.

“Hey, guys!” I say before hugging them both once more.

“So, how’s school been? You’re not getting into any trouble are you?” Uncle Jason asks before nudging me as the three of us walk towards my dad’s new office. I can see two people’s eyes on me from the bullpen then suddenly a third when a blonde woman who doesn't look much older than me comes strutting out of her office flashing me a quick smile.

“You know me, I’m David Rossi’s daughter, so I seemingly can't stay out of trouble,” I joked with them as we arrived at my dad’s new office. It had a shiny new nameplate that said “David Rossi” on the front of it. Gideon knocks and I feel a wave of nostalgia. I remember in the 6th grade visiting my dad at the BAU and walking up to my dad’s office hand in hand with Gideon. Now I’m much older and much taller, but much hasn’t changed. After a few seconds, my dad opens the door with a huge grin on his face I swear he hasn't changed since I was a kid. He still wears overly expensive suits and a watch that probably would pay a year and a half of my rent if not more.

“Ah, there she is. Oh, how I’ve missed you,” He says before eloping me in a bear hug.

“Come I want you to meet my other co-workers,” He says as the four of us walk back down the stairs where a small conglomeration of desks are.

“Everybody this is my daughter (y/n),” My dad proudly says while the three people went to introduce themselves. The first being the woman walking out of the office earlier. She is tall and blonde. She looks a little young to be a profiler though.

“Hi, I’m Jenifer Jareau, but you’re more than welcome to call me JJ. I’m the communication's liaison,” She says as she sticks her hand out for me to shake. After a woman with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes also extended her hand out to me. She was wearing a tan leather jacket with a black top beneath it and black dress pants along with tan ankle boots.

“Hi I’m Elle Greenway, it’s nice to meet you these three have been talking about you all day,” She says while gesturing towards my dad, uncle Aaron, and uncle Jason. Lastly, a tall very muscular man walks up to me with an awful lot of confidence. He’s wearing a tight heather gray t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Accompanied by his gun sitting snugly on his hip.

“Well Hello I’m Derek Morgan and you must be an angel,” He says forgetting that my dad is standing right behind me either that or he doesn't care. I shake his hand before my dad clears his throat not amused by Morgan's antics.

“Well, now that you’ve met my team it’s about time we went to lunch. Aaron don’t hesitate to call me if something pops up about that DC hacker case,” He says as we walk away and Uncle Aaron just responds with his usual very stern-looking face and a slight nod.

“DC hacker?” I ask as we exit the bullpen and make our way to the elevator.

“Let’s not talk about work. I want to know about school how are you?”

“I’m doing good I guess I've been a little distracted as of recent but I'm keeping myself on track I promise.”

“Atta girl,” He says before the elevator doors open, and he leads me out to his car.

-----Time Skip----

“So how are Raven and Stella I haven't seen them since I went to sign the lease again last year.” I can tell what he’s doing he’s making awkward small talk, so he feels like he's an integral part of my life. I appreciate the effort and I can’t shit on him too much because at least he’s making an effort. So I’ll play into this and make him feel better for the time being. I’m hoping that he doesn't feel like utter crap because we have nothing important to talk about besides this DC hacker case that I can’t get out of my mind. I haven’t talked about it since we were in the car because he clearly doesn’t want me to know anything about it since he keeps dodging my questions.

“They’re doing pretty good. I mean we don’t have any classes together this year because our majors are somewhat different, but we live together, so we're still close.”

“Oh, how's that friend you were telling me about? Penelope Garcia, that's her name right?” He asks as he leans in close to me. If I didn't know any better I would think he's shamelessly profiling me right now. We continue to talk about school and my friends throughout lunch. For someone who has such an extra and boujee person, he didn't talk about himself at all. Which is not my dad's usual behavior at all.

“Well, that's good to hear. So I was thinking after lunch maybe we-” As if God himself answered my prayers my dad's work cell starting ringing. I can hear small mumbles from the blonde woman I met earlier I believe her name was JJ. I can't exactly make out what is going on but either way, I'm taking whatever excuse I can get.

“I’m sorry sweetheart I’m going to have to cut this short that was a call from work. On the bright side, I’m not going to be on my book tour anymore, so whenever I have a day off we can spend time together.”

“Of course!” I say trying to humor him.

“Well, I’ll drop you back off at the FBI building.” He says before flagging down the waitress to pay for the check.

----Rossi’s POV----

I walk back into the FBI building after dropping (y/n) off. Aaron, Gideon, and I feel terrible for using her to get information. I feel the worst out of the three of us because I promised her after going back to the BAU this time would be different, but she's currently just another pawn in a game she didn't agree to.

“So what do we have Aaron?”

“Follow me to the round table we got all of the information needed from another technical analyst in the building Kevin Lynch.”

As Aaron and I walk into the room JJ is giving Gideon, Morgan, and Emily all of the information we need to know.

“This is Penelope Grace Garcia. She is a 28-year-old female. We didn’t have many people to contact for information on her because her birth parents are no longer alive. Her parents passed in a car accident ten years ago that was caused by a drunk driver. Since then she has seemingly lived a low profile life and has managed to stay under the radar when it comes to the justice system. We have been able to get enough evidence on her because of her close relations with David Rossi's daughter (y/n) Rossi. We are going to bring her in for questioning. She’ll likely have no prior knowledge of interrogations because she’s been able to fly under the radar. That also makes her extremely cocky, and she’ll think that we have no information on her. Our job is to be as docile yet forward as possible. We want to be docile, so she’ll trust. She has so much skill that Strauss approved for us to recruit her into the BAU. She’ll be of more use to us than she would be in jail. That’s all for now.”

As JJ finishes with the profile we all gather our things and mentally prepare ourselves for the interrogation. I was advised to stay out of it just in case she knew I was (y/n)’s father. Given the fact that she’s an elite hacker that isn’t such a farfetched statement.

-Hotch’s POV-

“You have two options either you can serve jail time or you can work for us at the BAU,” I tell her just before Morgan walks back into the room.

I have her make a quick resume, so we can hire her onto the BAU. I think she has potential and that she’s just putting up a tough front. I have to give her props though because I’ve seen grown men crumble a lot easier than her. Once we’re able to strike a deal with her I have Morgan unlock her cuffs. I make sure Morgan knows to tell her that she can’t talk about any of this with (y/n) for a while especially since the case involving her isn’t fully closed.

-(y/n) POV-

I finally make it back to my apartment when I get a text from my mom asking how lunch with my dad went. As I unlock the door to my apartment I text her back and let her know that it was okay, but dad was acting super weird. I told her it seemed like he was interrogating me. She just let me know that it’s out of habit because he’s a profiler and it’s not that big of a deal and to not read too much into it.

I feel like there was something that I had to do but I can't remember. It’s not until I check the calendar on my phone and realize Daisy’s birthday is in two days and I didn’t get her anything. I’m far too lazy to leave my apartment for a second time today which was supposed to be my day off. I also don’t want to go alone maybe I should text Spencer and see how busy he is.

Me: Hey, I have a birthday party to go to on Saturday. I still need to get her a birthday present would you mind coming with me tomorrow?

Spence: Sure, what time should I pick you up?

Me: How about 10?

Spence: Sounds good I’ll see you then :)

.

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Taglist: @haylaansmi @rexorangecouny

[shannaraisles]

Detective Serena Langford

(profile created by @possumsunshine​)

QUICK READ OF YOUR DETECTIVE:

Name: Serena Langford Pronouns: She/Her Sexuality: Heterosexual Love interest: Mason Best friend: Nate Main skill: Combat Secondary skill: People/psychology Main personality trait: Friendly Secondary personality trait: Genuine Why did they join the Wayhaven PD?: Rebellious youth Relationship with Rebecca: Not close, not hostile Relationship with Bobby: Ex-boyfriend, trying not to think about it Verda or Tina?: Tina Murphy bite?: Neck Murphy’s fate?: Escaped Rescue LI or Rescue Sanja?: Sanja

GENERAL:

Full Name: Serena Rose Langford Nickname: N/A (until Mason starts calling her "sweetheart") Birthday: 29th February Age: 29 Pronouns: She/Her Sexuality: Heterosexual Hair: Chestnut brown, natural loose curls to mid-back, worn down Eyes: Hazel brown, 20/20 vision Height: 5'4" Piercings: Two in each earlobe, right side of nose Tattoos: A small pair of purple and pink Sweetheart candy hearts on her left side (side boob), with the words Fuck and Off inside them Clothing Style: Girly, bright; tends toward pretty dresses, cardigans or jackets, and combat boots with pockets Apartment Style: Cosy and warm, lots of soft things and comfortable furniture, warm colours on the wall, photographs and old artwork, and lots of books

STATS:

Personality: Charming | Intimidating Impulsive | Cautious Sarcastic | Genuine (a bit of both) Friendly | Stoic Easygoing | Stubborn Traits: Heart | Mind Optimist | Pessimist Team Player | Independent Main Skill: Combat Second Skill: People/psychology Professional Outlook: By the Book | Bend the Rules (a bit of both)

KEY DECISIONS:

Reason for joining the Wayhaven PD: Without much in the way of parental supervision or discipline growing up, Serena was an angry child and teenager, fairly quick to fall in with the "wrong" crowd, committing acts of petty vandalism and minor violence. She cleaned up her act when she went to college, but then he happened, and she dropped back into bad habits. Thanks to the memory of her father (and unknown to her, her mother's influence), she was offered jail time or community service assisting the police in Wayhaven. She took the community service, met Tina, cleaned up her act, and never left since. Murphy bite:  Wrist | Neck | None Murphy’s Fate: Captured | Escaped Rescued: Love Interest | Sanja

ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP:

Love Interest: Mason Why them?: Honestly? Because he showed an interest and enjoyment in getting under her skin, to begin with. She's always been drawn to the "bad boy", but has been burned a few times, so her reactions are not enthusiastic. The fact that he starts losing some of his sharper edges while not giving up on teasing her just appeals to something in her. And she kind of understands the prickly outsides - she used to do it herself, and she knows how lonely that gets. Bold, shy, or mixed?: She is shy as all hell when he starts flirting, and it doesn't really improve. Serena's been burned, and has made herself touch-starved through trying to avoid another burning, but Mason slides right past all those barriers without even trying. What were their first impressions of each other?: Serena thought he was gorgeous, an absolute jerk, and wanted to know why; Mason thought she was pretty but too weak to handle the world, and part of him wanted to protect her from it. What do they find attractive about each other, mentally or physically?: Obviously they both share a very physical attraction! Serena is absolutely enchanted by Mason's eyes; he's fascinated by the way her body curves as she moves. Mentally, it's almost a case of opposites attract on the surface - Mason loves her softness and the quiet she carries around with her, but also finds her ability to throw herself competently into combat incredibly hot; Serena is intrigued by the softer glimpses she gets of his personality every now and then, and she actually enjoys his often crass sense of humor. What do they do to spend time together?: In the beginning, their time together consisted of him just being present while she went about her daily life, but slowly he started to incorporate his own activities into hers. They don't really set time aside for each other so much as mesh their day-to-day until it feels wrong not to know exactly where the other is at all times. What are their love languages?: They're both quality time/physical touch people How do they handle being apart from one another?: They're usually okay about it, but the longer it goes, the more irritable Mason gets, and the more edgy Serena gets. If the reason for being apart is a mission, Mason will be a growly nightmare for anyone else he's with while he waits; Serena is a quiet worrier Do they argue? How do they handle arguments and disagreements? How do they make up?: They do argue, usually over Mason's inability to people anyone he doesn't have a connection with and Serena's inability not to people with anyone she meets. Arguments are fiery flare ups - no shouting, but tense words (and a lot of looming on Mason's part); disagreements are calmer, more irritable than angry, and usually quickly settled. Making up after an argument involves intimacy and pillow talk. What does their future look like?: Serena genuinely doesn't know. She's almost afraid to think about the future, not wanting to have to acknowledge that she might have to say goodbye at some point. Mason, on the other hand, just assumes that she will always be there, and sees no need to bring it up in conversation. Anything else you’d like to share: Even after becoming official, he still loves teasing her, just because she always reacts with the same shy flutter he got from her the first time. It's even better when they're not alone.

BEST FRIEND RELATIONSHIP:

Best friend: Nate Why them?: He feels like a safe haven for her, someone she can be quiet with, who won't judge her for having moods and is happy to just hang out in silence. Nate is her confidante; everything she tells him is absolutely sacred and secret, and he will only use what he knows to nudge Mason if he's absolutely certain the problem is with him, not both of them. What were their first impressions of each other?: Serena's first thought was "tall". Nate thought she was adorable, at first. What do they do to spend time together?: Perhaps unsurprisingly, they spend a lot of time in the same room, reading different books, in comfortable silence. They also will visit museums and watch documentaries, and Serena loves picking his brain about the history he's lived and how it differs from what's taught and studied. She also got him into geo-caching, thanks to one day at a loss for how to spend time with both Nate and Mason without one or the other getting bored and weird. Anything else you’d like to share: Nate is the only person Mason will allow to play with Serena's hair. Anyone else touches it, he will start a fight, physical or otherwise.

OTHER RELATIONSHIPS:

Relationship with Rebecca: Awkward, but not hostile. Serena gets that her mother's job is the reason they never really spent time together, but she does still resent her for putting her career ahead of her daughter. They have a professional working relationship, but Serena has been burned too often to try for anything closer, no matter what Rebecca wants. Relationship with Rook: She never had one. She has no memories of her father, and Rebecca never talked about him. The closest thing she had to a father was the grumpy old man next door who let her smoke on his porch when she was twelve. Relationship with Bobby: Ex-boyfriend. Serena's first real love, she threw herself into it, shared everything with him ... and then he used what he knew to sell copies of his college paper. These days, she does her best to avoid him as much as possible,and when she can't, she tries to let him do all the talking so she won't give away how angry she still is with him for his behaviour when they were young. Relationship with Verda: Close and friendly, probably the closest to a true family dynamic she has before Unit Bravo enter her life. Hates keeping the secret from him, but knows him well enough to know that he would not take knowing it very well at all. Relationship with Tina: Roommates at college who never really grew out of each other, definitely more like sisters than friends. The only reason they don't live together is because Serena has issues with opening her home to random friend groups, and Tina definitely doesn't. They joined WPD at the same time, for different reasons, and most people attribute Serena's change in attitude to her friendship with Tina. Relationship with the Mayor: She cannot stand the man, but does her best to be professional and polite with him. Relationship with Capt. Sung: Professional, but uncomfortable. He is her superior and she obeys, but she knows he only gave her the job because he wanted to not have to be in the station daily. Relationship with Haley: Went to school together - not the closest of friends, not enemies, just were in the same friend group for a while. Haley was one of the few who did not back off from Serena when she went off the rails. Relationship with Elidor: Serena absolutely loves Elidor, especially those fantastic hugs he gives out! Relationship with Tapeesa: She thinks she's sweet, and will go out of her way to sneak her chocolate when she can. Not a friend, but not indifferent, either. Relationship with Unit Alpha: They're fun every now and then, but she doesn't like the way they tease Bravo. UB are her boys, she's got their backs no matter what. Relationship with the Maa-alused: More fascination than anything, but also considered to be a friendly ally by Falk and his kin. Serena's not sure quite what she thinks of them, and is a little afraid of their capabilities. Do they have any other important relationships, past or present? (Relatives, friends, etc.?): The most important relationship - her cat, Zeus. So named because, before she got him neutered, he'd fathered most of the kittens in the neighbourhood.

PERSONAL BIO:

Describe their personality: Friendly, warm, but doesn't take shit lying down. She can be relied upon to think of others as individuals, rather than part of a collective. Life does, on occasion, suck, but she's determined to suck back. Strengths: Kind, friendly, will break your nose if you push her Weaknesses: Keeps a lot to herself, insecure, shy at times Where in the world is their Wayhaven?: Scottish Highlands, south and a little east of Aberdeen What is their personal history?: Looked after by various neighbours after Rook's death when she was two, Serena didn't really see much of her mother at all during her formative or teenaged years. She was a good student in primary and middle, but started to go off the rails in secondary school, hanging with the "wrong" crowd, and being repeatedly picked up for drug possession, vandalism, and theft. Attended two years of university (age 18-20), where she met Tina and made fast friends with her. However, also dated Bobby and the break up was the catalyst for her dropping out and going home. Tina also dropped out around the same time. At a loss, and with no parental approval or disapproval, Serena went back to the old crowd, but this time was picked up during an attempt to jack a car. Because of her previous arrests, she was on the verge of getting jail time, but for the intervention of Rebecca, which resulted in Serena being put into community service with the police force of Wayhaven. She thrived in the role, and when her community service was over, both she and Tina joined the little police force together. Fast forward eight years, and the old detective retired, leaving a gap in the hierarchy. Serena suspects she was promoted purely because of who her father was and who her mother is, and resents both of them for it. If they weren’t a detective, what would their dream job be?: If there was a way to get paid for being curled up in a comfy chair, reading, that would be it.

RANDOM FACTS:

Zodiac sign: Pisces Hobbies: Reading, combat training, hiking Likes: Comforting patterns and soft textures, a good physical fight, hugs Dislikes: Being underestimated, getting drunk, the neighbours using all the hot water in the building before she showers Drink of choice: Coffee Starbucks order: Caramel macchiato Favorite food: Haley's maple pecan pastries Favorite color: Red/grey Favorite music: Classical piano Favorite genre (and favorite movie/book/etc): Action or romance. Favourite action film is Demolition Man; favourite romance book is Sense & Sensibility. Favorite season: Autumn

[hopelessromanticspoonie]

Helping Hands - Chapter 4

Series Masterlist here

Chapter Summary: Natasha makes Haley an offer, Haley and Loki share another late-night conversation during a storm, and a plan is formed.

Chapter Warnings: Mention of previous injuries, implications of previous abuse

A/N: I KNOW the gif is our dear Sir Thomas Sharpe. But he has black hair, so just, like, pretend?

“How are you feeling?

Haley squinted and blinked away her slumber, lifting her hand to shield her eyes against the glare of bright, sterile lighting above her. A quick mental check of her body with a few small twists and stretches, and she could fairly confidently answer Nat with a grumbled, “Probably better than you. Healing just as I always do.”

The bed shifted, and Haley finally opened her eyes enough to clearly see the lethal blonde perched on the side of her bed, looking a bit worse for wear with dark circles under her eyes and a gray tinge to her skin. Somehow she was still gorgeous, which was honestly just unfair. “You didn’t have to do that for me.”

Color stained her cheeks, and she dropped her eyes to her hands, pleased and confused to see that someone had scrubbed the blood from them while she had been sleeping. Probably the same person who changed her into the itchy, thin gown that scratched against her skin. “It’s nothing.”

“No, it’s not. You could have died.” Nat winced a bit when she reached up to brush a bit of hair out of her eyes, dropping her hand to her side. “Once I’m healed up, I want to help you, too. Say a bit of fight training? I don’t want you to ever need it, but in my experience, it… helps.”

She didn’t know Natasha’s past. She didn’t know anything about her besides the fact that she wasn’t gifted any superhuman abilities like her or Loki, or given some sort of serum to make her different, like Bucky and Steve. But there was wisdom in her brown eyes, shadowed with pain and a darkness that worked to pull her full lips into a frown and knit her brow together. Whatever she had faced before living in this tower and fighting for the good of others, it had given her an understanding of the unease that lingered constantly at the back of Haley’s mind. That much was clear. 

“I’d like that, yeah. Thanks.”

Nat nodded her head, standing up slowly and heading toward the door. Just before she left she waved her hand at the bedside table, calling out, “I caught Loki leaving that for you this morning.”

It was a plush black hoodie, the exact same as the one that had been cut from her body the day before, freshly washed and still warm from the dryer. She reached over to hug it to her chest, smiling at the glow that stretched within her at the familiar scent of spice and mint lightly perfuming the fabric. 

She would have known who had gifted it to her even if Nat hadn’t spilled the beans.

~

They were so high in the sky the thunder rattled her teeth just before each blinding flash outside the floor-to-ceiling windows making up an entire wall of her room. The dark sky rolled just beyond her eyes, illuminated with frequent lighting to reveal heavy clouds thick with rain that pelted the glass in fat, heavy drops. It was too much. To go from a life spent underground, rarely seeing the sun, to practically living inside the vicious storm was proving too frightening to handle alone.

And sleep? Out of the question. Not even with the comfort of her hoodie wrapped around her and all of the blankets cocooning her in the middle of her expansive, too soft bed could she keep her eyes closed once the deafening boom and crack of the storm battered against her ears.

She left the solitude of her bedroom, a sliver of hope guiding her to the living area where she yearned to find a distracting companion. If her efforts were futile, at least the space was bigger, and it wouldn’t feel as if she was right in the nasty elements. Her silent prayers, given to any deity that would listen, were answered in the form of Loki, draped across the couch and watching television with concentrated curiosity.

“My brother appears to be quite angry this evening.”

She scurried over to sit beside him, crossing her arms over her stomach and balling her hands up into fists in the fabric of her overly long sleeves. “Thor?”

Loki paused the television, dropping the remote onto his lap before running a hand through the midnight black locks spilling over his shoulders with a nod. “The God of Thunder, as he was known on Asgard, and as some of the ancient Midgardians worshipped him. What became a trip seeking freedom and adventure in our youth accidentally started a bit of a following amongst the Nordic people, centuries ago. Quite fascinating, really.”

She blinked. “So he can’t really control Thunder. It’s just a name.”

“Oh, no, he most certainly can. Lightning is more his forte, though. I am sure if you ask him he would be more than happy to demonstrate for your entertainment,” Loki corrected her with just a hint of bitterness lacing his tone.

“But he can’t do magic like you? He isn’t like you?”

Just then a particularly close bout of thunder shook the tower, and she squeaked, pressing herself further into the back of the couch so that her leg rested along the length of his and the back of her head brushed against his hand. His thigh was warm and firm through the combined layers of fabric of her pajama bottoms and his jeans.

The devilish smirk that he directed her way made her tummy flutter oddly beneath her hands. “No one is like me, little one.”

She didn’t know a man’s voice could go that low and sound with such promise, soothing like cool satin and teasing her skin into tingling goosebumps. Normally, any deep voice she heard was laced with threats and growls, demanding things of her that she didn’t want to give. But, if Loki was seeking something with that heated tone, some instinctual part of her knew that it would be good. His eyes shone as his hand dropped from behind her to curl over her shoulders, his thumb rubbing gentle circles over her arm.

“The storm cannot reach you in this tower,” he assured her, glancing up at the deluge muddling the bright lights of the city that never slept. “You are safe.”

They all kept repeating that: safe. Sometimes it didn’t sound like a word anymore. Like it had lost all meaning from how often it was repeated behind sad smiles and heavy sighs. She knew they meant it, but it didn’t silence the nagging doubt at the back of her mind that couldn’t place Mr. Shaw with the still faces she had climbed over during her escape.

But it was quieted when she was curled up next to Loki beneath the strong weight of his arm, searching his expression for the telltale signs of pity. Pity made her feel weak, like some broken doll with too big brown eyes and full lips that had its hair shorn off by a vengeful toddler who didn’t know how to properly play with the nice things it had stolen. 

But the understanding that permeated his lingering stare?

That made her soft, warm and content and hopeful. For what, she wasn’t sure. She didn’t have a name for the tiniest flicker of longing that itched in her fingertips. Could his silken hair soothe that need?

Where were these thoughts coming from?

She had to blame the reality television Sam and Darcy had insisted she watch - to "teach her the ways of the world", they’d claimed. Or maybe it was the soap operas Nat had suggested.

“I know that you have not seen much of this realm. I was watching a program concerning the Nordic nations I spoke of earlier. Would you care to join me?”

It was better than sitting in the darkness of her room all alone. And Loki wasn’t terrible company, even with the unnameable feelings stirring in the pit of her belly. “Sure.”

He restarted the television before disappearing for a few minutes, leaving her to stare at the lush green fields, black sand beaches, and jagged cliffs cut into mountains of snow and ice that sparkled so brilliantly she thought she’d never seen anything more breathtaking. The din of him rummaging around stopped just before he came back to the couch, settling back against her and handing her a plate of treats and a steaming cup.

“Hot cocoa with miniature marshmallows and whipped cream, and double fudge brownies,” he supplied, taking the plate and balancing it on both of their thighs.

She couldn’t stifle a moan when the sweet sugary dessert melted on her tongue, closing her eyes to savor the taste.

“I thought you might like those,” he mused, taking a bite of his own brownie before turning his attention back to the dancing green and blue lights across the night sky on the screen. “Ah, northern lights.”

“Are they real?”

He smiled gently at the awed expression on her face and gave her a small nod. “They are. I will ensure you see them one day.”

~

“Absolutely not.”

Loki’s rage tensed along his back as he faced down the entire Avengers team.

She had faint memories of brightly colored pictures on a beige wall, young men dressed in outrageous outfits and all posing seriously for the camera, women grouped together and pouting with silver eyeshadow and wavy hair. The Avengers reminded her of those distant images, grouped together with solemn expressions on their faces.

“I gotta side with Loki on this one,” Tony agreed, taking off his glasses and shoving them into the pocket of his jeans, following the fidgeting gesture with both hands so that his shoulders almost touched his ears. “She isn’t bait.”

“It’s the best shot we have of luring that asshole out of hiding. He’s going to want her back.”

She didn’t know anything about the black, eye-patch sporting man separated from the rest of the gang. He had strolled in, called for a meeting, and then waited impatiently for everyone to congregate in the living area. But his voice was hard, his black suit - stark, and his stare - cold. It reminded her too much of her former owner - the topic of their discussion.

“Fury.”

The unknown man - Fury - stood up and leveled Nat with a frigid glare. “Get her ready. We’ll catch this bastard.”

And then he left just as quickly as he’d come, pulling out his phone to make a call, effectively cutting off any further attempt at talking some sense into him.

It was hard to breathe against the terror that seized her like a vice. Nat, Steve, and Tony all approached her at the same time, but it was Loki that turned and reached her first, tugging on her wrist until her trembling frame was tucked securely beneath his arm.

“I won’t let him touch you.”

And somehow, she believed him, mentally holding onto the fervently whispered promise with a death grip that only rivaled that of her fingers clutching at the folds of his shirt. 

~~~

Series taglist: @kneel-before-queen-loki @alexakeyloveloki @from-hel-i-with-love @cleocc @cateyes315 @coldbookworm @rjohnson1280 @bambi-butt @skiddleskaddle​ @myraiswack @ilovetardis @midgardian-mistress​ @lisaspageofstuff​ @lokis-high-priestess @bluestaratsunrise​

Little Bit o’ Loki taglist: @myownviperroom @grahoundart @darealbellabelleoftheball @boubouinscarlet @iamverity @rt8815 @lots-of-loki @otakumultimuse-hiddlewhore @ms-cellanies @rosierossette @thathedonistgirl @lokixme

Whole Shebang taglist: @just-the-hiddles @yespolkadotkitty @nonsensicalobsessions @vodka-and-some-sass @he-is-chaotic-she-is-psychotic @myoxisbroken @brokenthelovely @polireader @wiczer @littleredstarfish @the-broken-angel-13 @arch-venus25 @xxloki81xx @jessiejunebug @tinchentitri @sllooney @devilbat @vikkleinpaul @bouquet-o-undercaffeinated-roses @angelus80 @wolfsmom1 @kthemarsian @toozmanykids @claritastantrum @princerowanwhitethorngalathynius @sabine-leo @lovesmesomehiddles @peterman-spideyparker @wegingerangelica @bluefrenchfries604 @catsladen @snoopy3000 @silverswordthekilljoy @villainousshakespeare​

[nocturnegyser]

The Start of Clean Trash

Warren x Raccoon(reader)

A/N: I wanted to expand this little world a bit and make a story about the band Raccoon started, it’s also kind of a prequel to, “The Feels”, so plz enjoy but if it sucked plz be mean. (I can also take requests if u want...)

———

(y/n) has been at Xaviers for over a month, and has been doing relatively fine for the most part. Considering this is the first time she’s lived apart from her older brother.

(Y/N) also played guitar and always dreamt of starting a rock band, she could shred like Brian May and had the voice of Haley William, she was the perfect punk rocker.

She and Warren would occasionally would rock out together but never really perform in front of anyone, plus Warren was busy with X-Men training and (y/n) with classes.

That’s when (y/n) decided to start a band.

———

One day after classes, after getting permission to start a band from Charles, (y/n) was making posters for her band.

The poster read, “Wanna join a band? Join me! (y/n) anytime at the music room after 3:45pm to 6:45pm!”

(y/n) was hopeful about the turnout, expecting at least a few people to show up.

After putting up the last poster on the message board outside, “You think anyone’s gonna show up?” Warren asked.

“I’m hoping so, there’s gotta be at least one other individual here not too busy to join a band,” (y/n) responded

“Yea, sorry I couldn’t join..”

“Nah you’re fine, when responsiblites call, you answer.... at least I think that’s how that saying goes,” (y/n) snickered

Both headed inside for the time being.

Not too long after, a relatively new boy walked up looking at the poster

“....New band huh?.. that could be interesting.”

———

The next day (y/n) was waiting at the music room for what felt like hours, even though it had only been 29 minutes.

“Ugh!! Man.. I thought at least SOMEONE would have been interested. Oh well... I guess all that convincing was for not.” (y/n) said to herself discouraged

Almost at the same time as she began to lose hope, a tall boy came walking in the music room with a maroon instrument case.

The first thing (y/n) noticed was his big rat ears and tail, and secondly, his eyepatch.

“Uh... I was wondering if you were still holding auditions for the band?” the intriguing character asked

“Uh... yeah sure, of course. What do you play exactly?” (y/n) asked astonished that anyone came at all

“I play the bass,” the boy responded

“Oh wow! Exactly what I looking for,” (y/n) responded, both smiling a bit, “Tell me a bit about yourself, Mr.....”

“Palneski, Mars Palenski, I started coming here about 3 months ago.”

“Oh that’s perfect, I’ve barry been here myself, a month and a half now to be exact.”

“I’m an Aries, I began playing bass when my sisters boyfriend taught me...”

“Aww”

“Yeah, he ended up going to jail on running an underground poker ring.”

“Oh...”

“Yeah.. he was pretty cool, he made me this eyepatch”

Accidentally mishearing him, “He put you in that eyepatch??!!?”

“No no no! You misheard me, I said he made me this cool eyepatch, my dads the one who put me in it,” Mars then flipped his eyepatch up revealing a red bloodshot eye

(y/n) was a bit horrified but even more intrigued

“What happened there?... if you don’t mind me asking..” (y/n) asked

“Meh, pops went off the deep end one night on me and my mom, she had clipped her ears and tail before she met my dad, imagine their surprise when a freak like me popped out,” Mars revealed

“Well you’re not the freak in this situation,” she reassured him

“But other than that, I’d like to join your band if that’s cool”

“Yea yea of course, you’re the only person to show up so far so... show what you can do”

“With pleasure,” Mars replied, then plugging his bass that was pastel pink with purple paint splatters

Mars took a deep breath and began playing the baseline from Vulfpecks Sky Mall

(y/n) immediately knew what he was playing and was impressed he was pulling it off

Like every musician, there were things he needed improvement and missed a few notes but (y/n) hardly noticed or didn’t care

After his more than adequate performance, (y/n) stood up clapping with sparkles in her eyes

“You’re in! Welcome to..... I don’t have a band name,” (y/n) giggled

“Awesome! when are practices?” Mars responded

“Well that’s the thing, you’re the only one to really show up to this, we don’t have a drummer yet,” (y/n) responded.

“But if you want, you can help hold auditions for a drummer if you”

“Meh, not like I’m doing much, I don’t see why not,” Mars replied while packing up his bass

With that, (y/n)’s band finally has a start.. somewhat

———

The next few days proved to be fruitless.

No one showed up or wanted to join (y/n)’s or Mars’s band

“Man... you’d think with a prestigious enough music programs you’d think there’d be at least one other kid wanting to wail on drums,” Mars sighed

“Yeah... well I almost started this with another drummer but he’s got training,” (y/n) signed in response

“You know a drummer? who?” Mars asked

“His name is Warren, big metal wings, thuggish looking”

“Oh I saw him around, didn’t think you two hung out”

“Yeah, our schedules don’t always link up unfortunately,” (y/n) then staring off in thought about hanging out with Warren more

Mars noticed this and decided to speak up, “You like him?”

This caught (y/n) way off guard, “W-what??! what makes you say that??”

(y/n) now blushing

“I can tell by the way you stare off when talking about him,” Mars teased

“Well... it’s not that I LIKE like him, I just think he’s... cool, ok?”

“Yeah, cool. Got it,” Mars then looking forward himself a little surprised he was able to get that out of her

———

Finally, after almsot 2 weeks of waiting around, (y/n) finally had someone audition for drums

(y/n) and Mars were overly excited, (y/n) more than Mars

(y/n) immediately began interrogating the individual trying for the drums but they didn’t seem all that interested

“So tell us a bit about yourself,” (y/n) began, Mars was just sitting back in his seat with a semi interested look

“I guess I started drums in middle school band,” they replied

“Awesome, you ever play in a rock band before? Not that that’s a requirement, neither of us have either, we’re just curious,” (y/n) asked

“No, I don’t play to rock, mostly classical or school songs,” the already disinterested drummer responded

“Oh, well uh, we’re a rock band so.. I dunno if that’s-“ (y/n) began explaining before Mars cut her off

“Listen, we’re not looking for anything in particular, but I can tell you don’t wanna try out for this band, do you?” Mars immediately taking over

“Not really, I haven’t drummed in a while and honestly, wanted to drop it forever ago but my parents wanted me to try out..”

“So... you don’t want to join?” (y/n) asked a little sad

“No, sorry”

“That’s ok, let us know if you change your mind,” (y/n) letting them know before they walked out

“UGH!” (y/n) then slamming her head on the table

“We didn’t even get to hear how they sounded!”

“I’d imagine maybe not very good if they haven’t played since middle school..” Mars added

———

Immediately the next day, Warren was waiting in the music room for Mars and (y/n) with an audition ready, but not from him, his apprentice.

(y/n) stood there trying to take in what she was looking at

Warren Worthington III, one the the schools most intimidating residents/students and former horseman of the apocalypse... with a 5th grader drummer apprentice

Warren immediately began explaining what was happening, “Ryan here, decided he wanted to give your band a try, (y/n).”

(y/n) still standing there dumbfounded, sat down and began asking Ryan the usual

“So... tell us a bit about yourself, Ryan”

Ryan, very timidly began, “Well... I’ve only been going here 2 months and... and...”

Taking a deep breath, finall let out what he wanted to say, “I would like to join your band!”

Ryan now blushing

(y/n) finally grasping what was happening, understood what was going through Ryan’s head

“Ok, go ahead and play us something if you’d like,” (y/n) then motions towards the drums

This is the moment Ryan had been waiting for, the moment he spent hours training under Warren

Ryan began with a slow tempo Single Stroke Roll which transitioned into a picked up tempo Rebound Stroke

Warren had been watching from the door while (y/n) and Mars sat there in awe at what Ryan was able to do

after finishing, Ryan sweating and breathing harder than ever

(y/n) and Mars both immediately began clapping and both at the same time in unison said, “You’re in!”

Ryan having aspired to join a band of his own, finally happening, he bang crying and ran off the strage to go hug Warren to thank him for everything

(y/n) seeing this interaction made her heart flutter a bit

Seeing how good he is with kids, she began having thoughts

I wonder how he’d be with his own child, what kind of father would he be?

Immediately realizing what she’s thinking she began blushing

Ryan then decided to introduce himself to Mars and he took a liking to Ryan immediately and took him on as an apprentice as well

(y/n) walked up to Warren, both blushing a bit

“Thanks for giving Ryan a chance, (y/n).” Warren thanking (y/n)

“Ah, well, I was more than likely gonna let him join anyways, no one else was showing up, well one other person did but they weren’t interested”

Both giggled to themselves

I’ve never seen Warren giggle to easily (y/n) thought to herself

“Well.. I suppose we should get our newest addition situated and uh...”

“Oh, yeah for sure.. I guess I’ll just...”

“Yeah.. I’ll see you around I guess”

Both still blushing as Warren exited

———

Both Mars and (y/n) having gotten to know Ryan, (y/n) decided they should come up with a band name

“It should be something that represents all of us,” (y/n) stated

“How about... overnight heartbreak?” Mars suggested

“I never got my heart broken before... not by a girl at least,” Ryan responded

“The harmonies of The Gifted?” (y/n) already not liking her own name idea

“.....Well.. Ryan can manipulate water... you and me are trash animals..” Mars pointed out

“Trash animals??” (y/n) raising a question

“Yea, rats and raccoons are primarily found in trash cans”

“I’ve only been found a dumpster ONCE, and that was to find my tamagotchi I accidentally threw away,” (y/n) retaliated

“I’ve been found in multiple dumpsters, multiple times,” Mars said almsot bragging

Both forgetting Ryan was right there

“Uh well... I like cleaning so.. I’ve never been in a dumpster...” Ryan chimed in

“Cleaning huh...” Mars commented

“Clean... dumpsters.... trash animals..... cleaning trash animals....” Mars was saying random thought out loud to spark an idea for the other

“Clean.....”

“Trash....”

“Clean...”

“Trash”

“Clean”

“Trash”

“Clean Trash!!”

Both Mars and Ryan going back and forth before in unison coming up with a name

(y/n) immediately loved it and the trio had finally decided on their name

“This is gonna be fun,” (y/n) said fist bumping both Ryan and Mars

———

[timelock97]

Time Never Stops

Chapter One: Always Interrupting

Word Count: 1763

Prologue

Warnings: Language, fluff

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Present Day]

I enter my newly furnished recording studio with a water bottle in one hand and a plate with a sandwich on it in the other. I set the plate down and reach under my desk to start my computer for today's events. While I wait, I spin around in my swivel chair and look at the room. The black and green padding on the walls were set in a diagonal pattern, and a white board with this weeks schedule placed in between some of the padding. Two bookshelves sit nestled against the back wall on either side of the door; the shelves are covered in merch, fan gifts, and several pictures of friends and me. Most of the pictures had been of Tom and I throughout the years, my favorite of the bunch sitting beside my monitor on my desk. His arm is around my waist while he stands behind me, donning a pair of black swim trunks, smiling into the side of my face as I laugh in a black and white checkered bikini. We are standing in the ocean, vacationing in Hilton Head, South Carolina, when we were seventeen.

Tom Holland, my best friend for as long as I can remember, and long time crush. Gotta love that the one person that knows you the best, happens to be the one that you fall for so easily. I didn't know if it was his sunshine smile, the infectious laugh, or the fact that he knows me better than I know myself; but, he is the one person I wish nothing more to have at my side for the rest of my life. However, it isn't that simple. With him being busy with his acting career and me being busy with YouTube, we hadn't had much time to spend together, not that it would have changed anything. Tom is my best friend, and that was that. I just have to be happy that he is still in my life after all these years, and hadn't lost contact while we went from immature teens to slightly more mature adults.

I smiled when my computer finally loads. I log on and set up my software before I clap my hands together, testing the frequency of the mic. I set up the game, placing my headphones over my beanie covered hair, and check to make sure that everything is running smoothly before I click record on the second monitor. I smile at the camera and begin my intro, "What's up, guys? You're on with Timelock! And today, as you can already tell, we are playing Detroit: Become Human. I have been beyond excited to play this game for the past three weeks, but of course since I was away in the UK visiting with Dan and Phil doing some fun videos and joining Sean, aka Jacksepticeye, and Mark, aka Markiplier, for a charity livestream kept me from starting the game. Which reminds me, I cannot believe how well we did on the livestream and I wanted to thank everyone who watched and participated with us across all platforms. You guys are amazing. Now going back to the game, Sean said that it is worth the wait, so without anymore interruptions, I hope, let's get started!"

~

"Holy shit, so that's what happened to Kara." I breathe as I move the character from Alice's room down to the first floor. I glance up at the next activity for the character, "See Todd for further instructions." I let out a gasp as I watch the scene unfold in front of me, watching as Todd yells at his daughter and frighten her. "Shit, I thought that was going to end badly, I mean, it could have. This game is already super interesting, now I know why everyone has been talking this game up! But, guys, the clock is ticking! Thank you so much for watching, and if you enjoyed the video, don't forget to give that like button a little bit of love. And I will see you, in the next one! Time-" I jump as my phone begins to blare the old Spider-Man theme song from inside my desk. I glance at the drawer and pull it out to see a picture of Tom sticking his middle finger up his nose, his name place directly over his face. I roll my eyes and look back at the camera. "I said there would be no interruptions, I stand corrected." I answer the phone, "Hold up thirty seconds, I'm saying my outro."

Tom's laugh echoes through the receiver, "Okay, okay."

"Let's try this again. Time resume." I point at the screen for a few seconds before I end the recording and place my phone back against my ear. "You really have impeccable timing. What is this, the sixth time in the past two weeks?"

"Sorry, love, figured you would be done by now." He chuckled, "And I miss you."

"I miss you too, Thomas." I smile, grabbing my camera so I can begin uploading the recording to my editing software. "How's filming?"

"Good, good," he pauses, shifting in the background. "We actually finished yesterday and are going to be heading out to start promoting the movie, then I am off to start filming for the newest Avengers movie."

"Ooh," I enthuse, plugging in my camera and shifting to save and close out of the game, "That sounds amazing, Tom." I sigh, happy to hear that he was doing well after long months of filming, advertising, repeating. "But it also sounds exhausting."

"Honestly, it is," he sighs. "How was London and Brighton? My mum said you visited and Harrison was sending me snapchats of you at the flat."

"It was really nice. Actually, Harrison decided, even though I discussed it with him a month previous, that he did not want to let me stay. However, Tessa pushed past him into the hallway when she heard me." I pause my rant as I hear Tom laugh at the statement, "It was an entertaining two weeks in London, and I spend two days with your mum, dad, and brothers. It was nice spending time with them and not having to worry about working." I say, watching the video finally load up into the editing software. "And Brighton was amazing. When you're home, and I can find time to fly out, we have to go and spend a week out there. Its beautiful."

"Sounds like a plan, bug." He sighs.

"I do have to edit, do you wanna Skype so we can continue the conversation?"

"Yeah, I'd love that," he whispered. I quickly pulled up my Skype, after a few minutes, his face popped up into my screen.

"Hey! Its my favorite boy!" I yell, throwing my hands over my head. I watched as Tom's smile fades as he looks behind me with knitted eyebrows. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"That's not your normal studio, is it?" He asked, sounding concerned.

"Oh, I thought I told you the good news?" I said rolling backwards so that I was in the middle of my recording studio, "I got the apartment!" I looked at him in excitement, but I noticed he wasn't smiling. "What's wrong? I thought you would be happy."

"I- I am, I just," he runs his hand through his hair, "God, I've missed so much by being gone all the time."

"Tom..." I murmur, "Hey, it's okay. What you're doing is just as important-"

"But, it's your first flat," he whispers, "I was going to come and help you unpack, make sure that your first night wasn't spent alone," he pouts at me, but I can see the small smile on his lips at the promise he made me years ago.

"I didn't spend it alone! I made a girls night out of it! I had Izzy, Haley, and Mia spend the night with me and it was a lot of fun. I know you wanted it to be you, but when you get done with everything I can show you the place." Tom sighs and places his head on his fist. "I know what'll make you feel better, how about I promise next time you are here we marathon all the Marvel movies."

"All the movies?" he teases, his frown disappearing. I nod and he smiles back, "That sounds awesome." He laughs.

I roll back up to my desk to start editing while Tom tells me about some of the more entertaining things that have happened the last few weeks. Another Skype message pops up from JacKyleGameplays, interrupting his rambling. Hey, TL. We and the girls are going to play some prop hunt, wanna join? ~Jac

"What was that?" Tom asks, tilting his head to the side.

"GameSquad wants to play prophunt," I state, getting ready to tell them that I had some things to finish and wouldn't be able to get on today.

"I'll let you go then-"

"No, it's okay, I can stay on." I tell him, looking back at the camera, "We always get interrupted, I can play prophunt any other time. I almost never see you anymore."

"You sure? I don't mind, I can just call later." Even though he says it's fine, I can see in his eyes he really doesn't want me to hang up.

"Nope, I want to talk to you, I can always talk to the GameSquad." I finish sending the message and mute the rest of my chats, "There, no interruptions this time."

"Is it because I am Mr. Always Interrupting?"

"Damn straight," I say giggling, "Now, who out of all the people you have played as is your favorite character? And you can't pick Spider-Man."

"But, I am Spider-Man!"

"No, you are Thomas Stanley Holland!" I shout playfully, making him laugh, "My best friend since two years old, my tiny-toddling husband, knight in shining armor, and the one person that knows me better than I know myself."

He immediately begins to laugh harder, "My Mum sent me that video of us "getting married" last week."

"I asked if she would since we found it. I was hoping it would make you smile."

"It did, my little lovely wife." He sighs, "and my favorite character? Definitely your best friend, because that's the one I get to play for the rest of my life."

A blush creeps up my neck as I look away from the screen, "That's cheesy, and you're only saying it because I said it first!"

"But being your best friend is my favorite thing, you know me more than I know myself."

"I should, I've known you my whole life" I whisper.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way," he says with a dopey smile. "Now, what were you recording before I so rudely interrupted?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: Comment and reblog! What did you think? Let me know if you want to be tagged. IDK what else I’m supposed to put at the bottom. I’m going to try and post chapters Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday (since I already finished writing it).

@revenantwriting

Chapter Two

[dragonlover56]

I posted 1,261 times in 2022

That's 1,039 more posts than 2021!

18 posts created (1%)

1,243 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@valenrambles

@dracofelin

@spookywitchnerd24

@shiftythrifting

@sylvaniian

I tagged 1,256 of my posts in 2022

#not my art - 247 posts

#aesthetic - 116 posts

#art prompt - 84 posts

#warrior cats - 80 posts

#cats - 52 posts

#nature - 38 posts

#me - 36 posts

#blood/// - 26 posts

#pokémon - 26 posts

#religion/// - 24 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#they even agreed not to tell priya’s family bc it might set them off (i think she’s hindi so that adds another layer bc stereotypically the

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

If I had a nickel for every person I know who has a cat named after the serial killer Dexter, I’d have two nickels. Which isn’t a lot, but it’s weird that it’s happened twice.

The fact that they know each other has to be worth at least two more.

1 note - Posted August 31, 2022

#4

Body horror ahead beware

I got my wisdom teeth out Friday and it’s healed to the point I can actually feel the meaty holes in the back of my mouth and I absolutely hate them

The worst part is I’m incredibly paranoid about getting stuff in the holes, especially now that I can feel them, but the back of the mouth is where humans are supposed to chew most foods so I can barely eat anything, which as you can imagine is doing wonders for my digestive tract (/s), which means I’m super nauseous, especially because I can feel the awful texture of the big meaty holes in the back of my mouth

Long story short, I hate it here

1 note - Posted July 13, 2022

#3

I haven’t changed my bio since 2016 and don’t plan too anytime soon or in the future so

Dead/Frog /// They/He/She /// 20

If you’re looking for the FR stuff that’s at @dhm-rising

My trigger tags are formatted as #subject/// but sometimes I forget

I also don’t tag death mentions unless it’s a spoiler but I do tag dead things

Please don’t look for discourse here it is never the day and I am never the one unless I ask

5 notes - Posted April 24, 2022

#2

Honestly, as much as I liked Velma x Shaggy when I was a kid, I am absolutely over the m o o n that we finally got confirmation that Velma is canonically gay

I could’ve used that kind of representation as a kid, (even if my parents probably would’ve banned the show in our house bc ooga booga gay people bad) but that wouldn’t have made it any less important just by it’s existence

I do kind of wish it could’ve been a more permanent character (maybe even bring back Marcie bc I adore Marcie), but we don’t know if Coco will be reoccurring just yet (unless she was actually the villain, but I haven’t watched the movie yet so I digress), but that’s honestly probably an entire other bridge to cross in probably not the near future just because it’s taken us t h i s long to get confirmation of what I think we all know

Also bonus note: I had no idea that Haley Kiyoko was Velma in the 2009 film series until just before writing this post, but my gods talk about dramatic irony lmao

13 notes - Posted October 8, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

I call this “Smokey Ponders The Orb”

13 notes - Posted January 20, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[botanistlester]

A Dance With Death

Summary: Dan is the God of Death, who helps people to the Underworld when they pass. One day, he randomly pops up at a masquerade ball for Prince Philip's coming of age ceremony. He doesn't know why he is there, but it's hard to focus on his job when the prince asks him to dance. Word Count: 7,919 Warnings: character death, blood, graphic depictions of dying A/N: Many thanks to Haley ( @haleykinz) for this WONDERFUL idea! I just kinda took this idea and ran with it, and now it's far too long. As you can see, this does have character death in it. BUT, it is a happy ending. I mean, Dan's the God of Death, what do you expect? Also thank you to Jillian ( @jilliancares) and Elizajane ( @snowbunnylester) for helping me develop this fic, and thank you to Hannah ( @flyingstarshowell) for betaing this for me :') love u all

Voted Second for Best Combination in the phanfic awards 2017! tag urself, god edition art by haley art by @dilshamster​ Read it on AO3!

-

Dan has a guilty pleasure.

It’s a weird one, that’s for sure, something that most people like him don’t have any desire for. But he can’t seem to help it, honestly. He likes the way people move around him, how they laugh and dance and genuinely don’t care about anything else in the world. He likes the way girls’ dresses flow as they twirl and the way men wear little bow ties around their necks. Hell, sometimes girls wear bowties, and Dan likes that too.

And for a single moment, nobody thinks about death.

Masquerade dances are the perfect excuses for Dan to be himself. Well, kind of.

He’s dead. He’s been dead for thousands of years, in fact. He is a creature of the underworld, one made of bone and paper-thin flesh that he can mould to his liking. He have s changed his appearance sometimes, just because he could. Once, he had found himself moulding into Shrek and had laughed for a good three weeks before deciding to change it up.

His current appearance was one that he’d taken quite a liking to. He looked human. As human as someone without a soul could look, at least. He had dark brown eyes and curly brown hair to match. His skin was pale, because he was dead of course, and there were two dimples in his cheeks when he smiled. He towered over other humans, but he kind of liked it, and he wore black because he was dead, damn it.

To some, he was known as the devil. To others, he was known as death. But to Dan? He was Dan. Just a guy who accompanied those who passed on their journey to the Underworld. He made sure that they didn’t get lost, like the fumbling babies they truly were upon dying, made sure that they didn’t get stuck in Purgatory, and for God’s sake, don’t drink the water, Susan.

That’s why Dan liked masquerade balls so much. He liked how nobody knew who he was, how nobody paid attention to death staring them right in the face. He liked the life that flitted around the room, and he definitely liked the punch that made his brain rattle in his skull.

He thought he looked particularly snazzy that night. His hair wasn’t as frizzy as normal and actually had some defined curls, which was nice. A black mask covered his face, one decorated with rubies and had roses crawling up the sides. It perched upon his nose like a bird and he liked the protection it gave him. He was wearing an all-black tux as well, including a black undershirt and a black bow tie. He wore a black cloak just because he could, because he was Death, and he was extra, damn it.

He looked like Death himself. Pun intended.

He didn’t have to worry about whether or not he was invited, because he could just say a name and have it pop up on the list. Being a person of the Underworld had it’s perks, he supposed.

Today was one of the days where Dan popped up at a masquerade dance without expecting it. Normally, whenever somebody was close to death, he would just pop up somewhere and he'd have to wait for a little bit to know who was actually going to pass, and today was one of those times.

It just so happened to be at a masquerade ball, much to Dan’s excitement.

He made his way through the crowd, watching as the humans all chattered away, dancing to weirdly fancy violin music. They ate little cakes on tiny porcelain plates and their drinks were in champagne glasses, regardless of whether or not it was actually alcohol or not. Just from this, Dan figured that he was at some sort of important event.

Maybe something to do with royalty?

He blended in for a while, tried to chat to some of the humans as if he were one of them, as if he wasn’t rotting flesh stretched around dead bones. Meanwhile, he kept his eyes on the lookout for anything out of the ordinary, for someone who would randomly drop dead, sending their soul into the fourth dimension.

Nothing yet, so he engaged in a conversation about how the punch was absolutely divine with a woman wearing a white dress made mostly out of feathers. Dan didn’t quite understand human fashion, but he appreciated the absolute absurdity of it anyway. Back when he had been alive, Dan had been wearing pretty much just a loin cloth, so the evolution of clothing was always so fascinating to him.

Suddenly, a hush fell over the crowd and Dan thought, this is it. The humans all turned, the music stopped, and a trumpet started to sing a tune that hurt Dan’s ears. He didn’t know why there was a trumpet playing when someone had died, but Dan didn’t pay any mind to it and stepped forth, trying to shove himself between the masses to the center where he would be able to walk the poor soul to the Underworld.

Except, nobody was dead.

For some reason, everybody had turned to look at a man. He walked onto the floor wearing a navy blue blazer with a white undershirt and black bowtie. He was also wearing black dress pants and had various pins on his blazer that screamed royalty. His hair was as black as a raven’s wing, his skin putting Snow White herself to shame, and his eyes sparkled against the blue of his dress clothes. There was a white mask perched against his face, pearls dancing around the edges. It made his skin seem ever more pale, but it also made him seem to shine.

For a moment, Dan lost his breath. And then he remembered that he didn’t have to breathe in general, so he let out a useless breath anyway and gaped because that’s what he felt like he should do. If he had a heart, it would have stuttered a beat, probably fallen out of his ass and shattered on the floor.

Dan didn’t believe in love. He was a god of death, not a god of love. Adoré was in charge of love and all things gross, not him.

And yet, for a moment, Dan forgot he was the god of death. He looked around for any signs of Adoré hanging around. Maybe she’d hit him with her magic love potions or something. But alas, she was nowhere to be found, and Dan caught himself staring at this beautiful human once more, taking in the beauty mark on his cheek and the way his eyes sparkled three different colours in the light.

The trumpet stopped singing, and a voice rang out then. “Thank you all for coming to our Royal Ball to celebrate Prince Philip’s coming of age! By the end of the night, we are hoping to find a bride for the Prince, who will carry on the Lester name.” Dan glanced around to find the source of the voice, and he found the man a little ways in front of Philip, holding himself with his head held high and his fist to his chest. It was a bit strange, but Dan didn’t question it.

He didn’t quite understand human customs yet, apparently.

The ball commenced then, and Dan stood back as a mass of people flocked to the prince like bugs to a light. Dan crinkled his nose, figuring that it would be pretty horrible to have that many people stood around him, so he decided to leave the prince to himself (no matter how badly he also wanted to flock to him). Instead, he busied himself by looking around, taking in the exquisite details of the room.

There were giant pillars that cast shadows on the floors and paintings on the ceiling of various flowers and trees. The floors were black and white marble, and Dan could even see gold glinting on the floor under the bright lights. Lanterns hung on the walls, long mahogany tables lining them, obviously pushed out of the way so that people could use the dance floor. A few people were eating at the tables, and there were butlers carrying around plates of food.

One approached him, and Dan couldn’t help but be surprised by that. Usually if he wanted to talk to a human, he was the one who typically approached them. Someone had mentioned to him before that it’s because he has an uneasy aura, which he could understand. He is Death after all. “Would you like a strawberry fudge brownie bite?” the man asked, and Dan couldn’t help but snort at how not fancy the foods were.

“Of course,” Dan said nonchalantly, and then he took three off of the plate just because he could.

The man held up his finger. “Ah, only one per guest,” he said timidly, and Dan frowned.

“I’m taking three,” he told the man, cocking his head with a smirk. He narrowed his eyes, basking in the way the man seemed to shrink under his gaze. “Or did you have a problem with that?”

He knew he was scary, and he took full advantage of that fact. He knew that his eyes would glow red on command, something that the humans didn’t fully understand - something the humans didn’t want to understand. So they quaked in their shoes, terrified for their lives, and gossip spread around towns like wildfire about a man with eyes of blood and a cloak of black death. Most people didn’t believe in Death, but the folktale was there nonetheless, a story to tell the kids at night to make them stay in bed, a story that made people fear the dark.

The man fled. Dan smiled at his three brownies and began to dig in.

Dan was halfway through his second brownie when he heard a chuckle behind him. He didn’t pay any attention to it at first, because this brownie was truly delicious so he didn’t really care about anything else, but then a voice followed the chuckle, and Dan furrowed his eyebrows as he realised that the person was talking to him.

“Excuse me?” the voice came again, and Dan turned, only to nearly choke on his brownie. He swallowed it down, cleared his throat, and tried to look presentable, because the prince was standing in front of him, his eyes shining against the blue of his blazer. He looked so alive that Dan wanted to press his head against his chest to listen to his still-beating heart.

He didn’t understand why he was having these feelings all of a sudden. He’s seen many humans, many that were alive, and even more that were dead. None of them gave him a fuzzy feeling in his chest that made him wonder if he had come back to life. None until the prince of wherever the hell they were, at least.

Dan set his brownie on the table. He’d seen enough humans to know that he was supposed to bow down when he was graced by a royal presence. He didn’t usually care about human customs, but for some reason when it came to this ethereal specimen, he just couldn’t help himself. “What can I do you this honour, your grace?” he asked, a bit confused as to why the prince was talking to him, of all people.

The prince smiled, a pink tongue sticking out between his white teeth. His eyes sparkled and Dan was once again in amazement of how alive he was. Dan didn’t want to think about how one day, he was going to be the one to lead this beautiful human to the Underworld, never to be seen again. “That was impressive how you just ordered the servant around like that. I’m quite intrigued.”

Dan was at a loss of words, rather taken aback, so he just fiddled a bit with his cloak. He bit the inside of his cheek. He was supposed to be Death, he scolded himself. Now was no time to be shy about it. So he smiled, his lips that weren’t really his lips turning upwards. Under the scrutiny of the prince, he felt as though he could feel every twitch of his muscle, as though he were a machine being watched for any mistake. It was a strange feeling, one that he couldn’t quite put his finger on. “Thank you?” he said, a bit confused at the statement.

This just made the prince laugh, who threw his head back heartily, showing the skin of his neck. Dan could see his adam’s apple bounce and his tongue felt heavy in his mouth. “I like your cape,” the prince said sincerely, and Dan frowned despite himself.

“It’s a cloak,” he corrected before he could stop himself. Immediately, he internally groaned and wanted to bash his head into the wall. Why would he say something like that to the most beautiful human in existence? He probably thought he was weird now or something.

But Prince Philip just laughed, and shook his head a little bit. “I like your cloak then,” he corrected himself, and his smile was blinding now. Dan could feel the presence of the hundreds of other guests around them, watching them, but Philip didn’t pay any attention to them. His eyes were all on Dan, and God, Dan must have died all over again. “I’m Phil. And you are…?” Phil. The nickname made Dan’s cheeks warm, which is weird because he definitely didn’t have any blood in his veins the last time he checked. “I’m Dan,” Dan replied dumbly. There was a reason he was the god of death, damn it! He wasn’t good with people, didn’t understand them! The last time he was human, he didn’t have any of the new age crap they had, so it all went over his head.

“Dan,” Phil said, and the name rolled off of Phil’s tongue like it was greeting an old friend. Dan shivered because it’d been awhile since anyone had said his name. Or maybe it was just because it was Phil who was saying it. “Would you like to dance with me?”

Dan’s first instinct was to eye the brownies he’d set on the table. There was still one and a half left, and they were so good that he didn’t really want to leave them. But then he cleared his head a little, yelled at himself a little bit, and had a moment of realisation that a prince wanted to dance with Death.

... What?

Dan gaped at him. “You want to dance with me?” he asked stupidly.

Phil smiled and didn’t say anything, just extended an arm to him, and Dan could do nothing else but take it. He didn’t quite know what was happening or why Phil wanted to dance with him, but he did know that Phil was supposed to be looking for a wife and Dan was supposed to be looking for a lost soul. However, when Phil’s arm curled around his waist, and his hand settled on Dan’s shoulder, Dan’s mind went completely blank.

He couldn’t see anyone else, couldn’t think of anything else. All he could focus on was the prince, how he was so full of life, how his skin was illuminated under the lights. It was like he was emitting his own golden glow, like he was some otherworldly creature that had captured Dan under his spell. It was unsettling, but Dan didn’t pay any attention to that.

He laughed a little when he tripped over the prince’s feet. He’d never danced before in his life, but Phil was quick to steady him, his arms strong and supportive, and Dan could feel himself falling deeper into infatuation for this human. He was really going to have to get on Adoré’s case later, because she was no doubt playing a trick on him.

They danced until Dan’s feet were aching and Phil’s breath was coming out in short gasps, but they were grinning nonetheless. They didn’t pay any mind to the people around them, and Phil seemed to be ignoring the whole wife thing completely.

Dan was curious though. He’s always been a curious guy; it was just in his nature. So he brought it up when they broke away to grab some punch from one of the servants, served in some crystal champagne glasses that were far too fancy for punch.

“Why are you wasting your time dancing with me when you could be looking for a beautiful bride?”

Phil paused before he could take a sip of his drink, and Dan’s eyes were drawn to the glass. Something was niggling in the back of his mind, but he couldn’t quite tell what, so he decided to ignore it instead, hanging onto every word that Phil said. “I wanted to dance with you,” Phil told him, smiling as Dan met his eyes again. He swore he could get lost in those eyes. “Out of all of the people in the room, you were the only one who stood out to me. You and that cape, that is.” He flicked Dan’s cloak with a finger to accentuate his point and Dan gasped in mock offense.

“Excuse you, this is a cloak!” Dan exclaimed, watching as Phil lifted the glass to his lips once more.

All of a sudden, Dan could feel everything turn to slow motion. His fingers began to tingle and his eyes widened in horror. The glass rose to Phil’s lips inch by inch, and Dan’s chest began to ache. The god of death inside of him began to tremble with want, the way that it always did right before someone was about to die, and-

Holy shit, Dan was here because Phil was going to die.

He didn’t know what to do. For the first time in his immortal life, Dan didn’t want to see a human die and go to the Underworld. In fact, he didn’t want to see this human die at all. Phil was too good, too full of life, and Dan didn’t think he could fathom it if he had to watch those gorgeous blue eyes slowly lose their light.

Without thinking, Dan caught Phil’s wrist in his hand. Phil squeaked and a little bit of punch spilled out of the chute and onto the pretty marble floors, staining it with the poison. Their eyes met, Phil’s expression one of horror and confusion, and Dan didn’t even have to see his own reflection to know that his eyes were glowing red, his cloak seeming to flutter without any breeze in the room.

Dan was well aware that people were staring, that a guard was yelling at him to unhand the prince, but all he could focus on was the fact that Phil was safe, that he wasn’t going to die tonight.

“Don’t drink the punch,” Dan said, his voice coming out as more of a growl. He could feel his physical body start to dissipate and he let go of Phil’s hand to throw the punch on the floor before lifting his hood up to cover his face.

“Dan, what-?!” Phil gasped out when he got over his initial shock. He reached out to grab Dan’s arm, but his hand went right through him. Dan watched, his stomach sunk to the floor as Phil flinched away, staring at his own hands as if they’d offended him themselves.

Before Dan could completely disappear from sight, he smiled as best as he could. But it was a sad smile, knowing that he would most likely not see this man again for a very long time. He didn’t know what would happen because he just defied Fate, but he knew it would not be good.

“Someone is trying to kill you,” Dan told him in a soft voice. “Please don’t make me come back here. I really don’t want to have to help you travel to the Underworld.”

Phil didn’t get to reply before Dan vanished into thin air, leaving chaos in his wake. He only knew that he would no longer be able to show his face around Phil’s city again without changing his features.

After all, the God of Death isn’t welcomed to masquerade parties.

-

“Dan, what the hell?”

Dan opened his eyes to find that he was in the deity conference room, a huge colosseum in the sky where the gods held important meetings. He should have figured he’d end up here after the stunt he’d pulled.

It was Adoré who’d spoken, her rose coloured eyes filled with fury. Her ebony skin shined in the iridescent light of the colosseum and she wore intricate patterns of gold that sat against her skin like it was engraved into it.

Dan frowned and rubbed a hand through his face. He could feel the bones jutting out from his cheeks, the skin having dissolved from his bones. He focused on his soul and formed a body for himself once more, despite how it made his head ache and his bones crack. He just really didn't feel like walking around as a giant skeleton in front of the other gods at the moment. “What are you yelling at me for?” he mumbled, pulling his cloak back over his head.

This time his statement made a round of grumbles travel its way around the table. Dan sighed, bracing himself.

“You can’t just fuck with fate, Dan!” Theos, the God of Fate shrilled. Dan knew that this would happen; Theos never liked him, even though Dan had never really screwed around with fate until now. Yet now that he did, Theos was taking full advantage of his hatred. Dan didn’t really blame him. He didn’t know what had come over him in that ballroom, but it was definitely not Death God-like. “Do you know what you’ve done?!”

Dan could guess, but he shook his head anyways because he liked hearing Theos freak out on him. It was a bit funny to see such a small man - only rearing on three feet tall - yelling at him in a strong voice, his face turning the same shade as a tomato. It was rather hilarious and Dan found himself stifling his laughter, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed over his chest.

“You- how can you be so relaxed right now?!” Theos snarled, shaking his head with a scoff. His beautiful golden locks of hair flicked around the air and Dan watched in rapt fascination. If he truly wanted to, he could also have hair that bodacious and beautiful, but he found himself more comfortable in his current form, and that saddened him greatly. He wanted cool hair too. “You just upset the sequence of time! That man - Philip Lester - was supposed to die tonight. What is going to happen to the time sequence now?! That man currently doesn’t have a fate! He is literally a being with no meaning!”

Dan frowned. He didn’t like the way they were talking about Phil. He was too good of a person to die. He should live a happy life, maybe have a wife and kids, and then Dan could watch from afar as he lived to his fullest potential. And only when Phil was ready, Dan would be there to take his hand and walk him to the Underworld. Now was not his time. “Well then just make up a timeline for him. It’s not that hard, and you and I both know it.”

The whole table gaped at him, and it was Leonidas who spoke next. He was the God of Time, and Dan was pretty sure he and Theos were sleeping together. “Dan, you unfathomable idiot.” Leonidas flexed his muscles and Dan hummed, staring at his biceps. Physical bodies were so fascinating. Theos was a lucky man. “I’m afraid it doesn’t quite work like that.”

“Well, why not?” Dan asked, feeling like a child stomping his foot. The entire god race was pissed at him and Dan didn’t understand why. So what? Death saved a life. Sure, it was ironic, but they were literally gods. They could do what they wanted.

“If a god saves another human, none of the other gods can touch him,” Adoré murmured in her soft tone of voice. This time, she seemed sad, as if she could look right through Dan and see exactly why he’d decided to save Phil’s life. “Philip literally doesn’t have a fate anymore. He has no reason to live. The entire world will be against him now and he’ll most likely be dead within a fortnight at this rate. It’s nothing Theos or Leonidas or you can fix. He’s a goner, Dan.”

Dan’s heart dropped. Well, if he had one. He felt like he had one, that’s for sure. How many millennia has it been since he’s felt like there was a physical muscle beating in his body? He didn’t have emotions, he didn’t have feelings. And yet, he still felt as though he was going to pass out. “You’re lying.”

“I’m not, Dan,” Adoré murmured quietly, and the whole room went completely silent, waiting for Dan’s reaction.

Dan couldn’t breathe. He could never breathe, but now his entire chest was constricting and he could feel his skin beginning to melt away, revealing his true form. He didn’t have enough energy to keep on the mask anymore, it seemed. Why had nobody told him of this? Why was he so blissfully unaware that if he saved a human life, he would have to end it shortly after? Phil had a life before Dan. He had a reason to live. He could have had a happy night before passing.

And then Dan had to get involved and ruin it all.

“Are… are you in love with him?” Adoré asked, and Dan’s head snapped up.

“No!” he snarled, his cape beginning to rise and his eyes shining red. “I’m the God of Death, Adoré, I don’t have human emotions like the rest of you!”

It seemed to cause a riot throughout the colosseum, because everyone started talking at once. Dan could make out snippets here and there, but nothing really stood out to him. They were all rambling, coming up with their own theories, trying to figure out why Dan had saved a human if he didn’t feel anything for him. Dan didn’t know why either, but his head was beginning to hurt. He hated being scrutinized by the rest of the gods like a piece of bad meat.

“Wait!” a voice shouted then, and all of the attention was turned to the end of the table. Gabrielle stood tall. She had climbed on the table and her white hair shone in the godly light of the room. Her purple skin sparkled silver and her eyes burned blue bullets into Dan’s body. He froze, uncertain as to why the God of all gods was talking to him. She usually didn’t give a care in the world about what the rest of them were doing. When they were fighting, she was usually cooing over the dogs that were birthed every day on Earth. Dan didn’t know too much about her besides that fact, but he always thought she looked cooler than the rest of them. “Dan,” she said, pointing at him. Dan raised his eyebrows, pointing to himself. He could tell that she was talking to him. There was no need to point. “You were a human before you became a god.”

Dan rolled his eyes. He’d known that already, could remember being a human. So why did that have anything to do with the topic? “Okay, yeah, I know. I remember.” He scowled, raising an eyebrow. “The fuck does that have to do with anything, Gabrielle?”

She walked towards him, still on the table, and her white gown flowed behind her as though it was performing a ballet. Dan always liked dresses, had even worn some on occasion, but they always felt too breezy for him to be fully comfortable. “You’re the only one of us who was born a human. What if those human emotions remained after you became the God of Death? What if you’re feeling something because that’s what your human part wants you to feel?”

“If that’s the case, then why did it take me tens of thousands of years to actually feel something?”

Gabrielle shrugged. “Obviously Philip triggered something in you that made you remember how to feel. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that. However, I think it’s wrong of you to act on those emotions and mess with the fate that Theos chose for him. That was a huge mistake on your part, Dan.”

Theos muttered aloud, “You tell him, Gab,” under his breath, and Dan resisted the urge to growl at him.

“But!” Gabrielle continued, holding up her finger to silence the other gods. Her eyes burned brighter and her cheekbones were sharp and slightly terrifying, but Dan has seen things, has seen Death itself, so he wasn’t scared of her in the slightest. “I pity you, so I’m going to let it slide this time.”

A round of groans sounded around the colosseum. Dan wasn’t exactly the most loved of the gods, mostly because he simply didn’t care about anything; he had to bet that most of them wanted to see him fall. But Dan knew Gabrielle, knew her more than any of the other gods knew her. She was there when Dan had become a god, had been there when death took him and abandoned him in Purgatory. She’d opened her arms wide, told Dan that he was special and that he could live an eternal life as long as he helped lost souls find their way home.

He hadn’t understood what she’d meant at the time, but he was eternally grateful for her and the way she’d raised him into the being he was today. In a sense, she was the mother that Dan had been craving since he’d shown his own mother her way to the Underworld.

“You can’t just let him get off with this,” Leonidas cried out, followed by angry nods from the other gods. The only exception was Adoré, who seemed a bit intrigued, staring at Dan with something curious and soft in those magenta eyes. Dan hated it.

Gabrielle snorted, rolling her eyes. “I can do what I want. Don’t talk to me, Leo. I’m talking to Dan.” She turned those blue eyes back on Dan, looking thoughtful. She twirled white hair around her finger until it was in a tight coil, kind of like a snake. “I’m not going to punish you because I like you and I think you had good intentions, Dan. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you display any human emotions.” Dan knew exactly the last time she was talking about. When he’d just walked his mum to the Underworld and he completely broke down in Gabrielle’s arms. After that, he couldn’t really feel anything at all, and that’s when he guessed his humanity left his body. “The fact of the matter is that Phil does not have a fate anymore because you saved him, so he will not be able to live. But I made the same mistake as you before, and it was the best decision of my life.”

Murmurs broke out around them, and Dan couldn’t look away from those bright blue eyes. He had a feeling that he knew exactly what she was talking about, but he couldn’t remember what it was. It was on the tip of his tongue, a memory on the edge of his mind that just couldn’t come to life.

Gabrielle smiled and memories flooded his mind.

He had just celebrated his birthday and had been out with some of his friends. They spoke an ancient language, one that Dan could understand because it was his original language. They were all shooting their bows and arrows, having a good laugh, when all of a sudden a cry came from behind Dan.

Dan had turned, found his friend staring in horror at a woman with skin that held a million galaxies and white hair that sparkled in the sun. She had an arrow in her shoulder, one that was oozing blood the colour of ink. Dan couldn’t tell much from the situation, but he could tell enough to know that this woman, this strange and alien woman, had just jumped in front of an arrow and saved his life.

He had sprung forward, speaking so quickly that his tongue tied up and he could barely understand what he was saying, but he found himself at her side, trying to pry out the arrow. His mum had been the healer in his village so he’d known a lot about medicines and how to patch people up, so he used that information to extract the arrow and stitch the wound with a needle and twine.

The woman disappeared after that, and Dan only saw her days later when he’d drowned in a river and she was there to greet him, kissing him on the forehead and offering him eternal life.

Now, Dan understood. She had made the same mistake as he had. For some reason, she had saved his life, and when Dan had later passed away, he was made into a God because he had no fate with life nor death.

Gabrielle smiled at him and she closed her eyes, ignoring the backlash from the other gods. She knew that Dan understood, knew that Dan could choose to follow in her footsteps for the person that Dan felt affection for. It was a rare circumstance, one that had only happened once before, but Dan was ready to take the risk.

Even if he didn’t want to watch Philip die.

“Go to him,” Gabrielle told him, and Dan nodded. He felt a bit brighter now, more hopeful than he had in his entire life.

He wrapped his cloak around his shoulders, put his hood over his head, and focused on the image of Phil in his mind. He didn’t know what he was doing at the moment, but Dan knew that he would show up wherever Phil was.

The colosseum broke into loud chatter as Dan dissolved from the room, only to pop up in a room that he’d never seen before. It was dark, the only light emanating from the open window where the moon was leaving a kiss of silver upon the walls. There was a bed in the middle of the room, and Dan figured that it was Phil who was wrapped up in the elegant duvet, a lump among the covers.

Dan watched for a moment, not moving. Now that he was here, he didn’t know what he was supposed to do. Wasn’t it a bit creepy to watch someone sleep? Would it scare Phil off if he had just randomly appeared in his bedchamber? Dan hesitated, not moving, and just waited.

He waited until a cough erupted from the bed and Phil moved, turning around in bed. He turned so that Dan could see his face, that beautiful face that Dan had missed so dearly in the short time they’d been away. Although, time passed differently between the realms, so whereas only a few hours had passed in the colosseum, Dan knew that a few days had passed in the human world.

His nonexistent heart dropped when he saw Phil’s face. His eyes were closed, he was sleeping, but he seemed horribly sick. His eyes were sunken into his head and his cheeks were caved in. He reminded Dan of what he looked like when he didn’t mould himself some skin, and it made Dan’s chest ache to see. His skin was so pale that there was a light blue tinge to it, and his lips were dry and cracked. As Dan watched, Phil coughed again, one that was congested and made blood spurt onto the sheets.

He was dying and Dan was here to take away his life.

Slowly, Phil began to open his eyes. Dan could tell that it took him a moment to focus on him, that he probably just saw a black shadow, but when he made out who it was, Phil smiled, albeit a bit bitterly. “Are you here to kill me?” he rasped out, letting out a sour laugh that made Dan frown sadly.

He didn’t want to kill Phil. He didn’t like seeing him like this. He missed when Phil was so full of life, that first moment that Dan had seen him and had been so enraptured by his beauty that it made him feel human once again. Seeing Phil like this, so close to death, made Dan hurt. He felt as though he could cry, as though he wanted to curl around Phil and shield him away from death.

Shield him away from himself.

And that was the worst feeling of all, knowing that he was the one who would have to bring Phil to his doom. Is this how Gabrielle felt when she had to see Dan to his own death?

“I’m here to offer you eternal life,” Dan told him sincerely, taking a step towards Phil. He had expected Phil to shrink backwards, because everyone was afraid of Death. But alas, he didn’t, just stared up at him, his mouth still in that half smile. Dan wanted him to smile for real, but Phil seemed so sickly that he wasn’t sure he would even be able to do so.

“Eternal life?” Phil mimicked, before coughing some more. This time it seemed worse than the others, staining the white sheets with crimson. Dan took another step forward and brushed the hair out of Phil’s face. Phil’s eyelashes fluttered under his touch, and Dan was amazed by how calm Phil seemed around him. “How is that? Aren’t you the God of Death?”

Dan smiled painfully at him. He was glad that Phil didn’t seem angry at him, didn’t seem scared of him, but he couldn’t help the pool of guilt starting in his stomach that told him you did this, you’re a monster, you ruined this man’s life. “Basically I pissed off the God of Fate by saving your life, so now you don’t have a place in life or death. So Gabrielle, the Goddess in charge of all of us told me that the only way to save you is if you become a god.” Dan paused. The words sounded rather insane when he said them, but he didn’t know a better way to explain it. “That’s how I became the God of Death, because Gabrielle saved my life. So I’m offering you another chance at life.”

Phil closed his eyes, and for a moment, Dan was scared that he was dead. But then he spoke, his voice a mere whisper. “Will I be a Death God too?” A pause. “And what happens if I say no?”

Dan didn’t want to think about the second question just yet, so he only focused on the first. He knelt to the ground beside Phil’s bed and found Phil’s hand under the duvet, holding it tightly in his own. He spoke in a hushed voice, almost like he was telling Phil a bedtime story, one that would follow him to death. “You will take on the role of a God whose soul represents you. That could range from anything from the God of the Sea to the God of Plants. You’re chosen based off of what your soul represents.”

Phil nodded weakly, taking this in. Dan knew what he was thinking: how had Dan’s soul reflected death? And what would Phil’s soul take on? “And my second question.”

“If you do not take on this duty, then your soul will be lost in Purgatory for eternity.”

That fact hurt Dan more than Phil could ever know. He hated how he’d done this, how he’d made Phil give up a life of eternal happiness in the Underworld for his own selfish reasons. He hated how he’s basically forcing Phil to become a god for his own selfish needs, because he hadn’t wanted to let a man he’d just met die from poison. He was the worst Death God the world had ever seen, for sure.

Phil laid back in his bed, turning so that he was staring at the ceiling. He was still holding Dan’s hand, which was a good sign, and his skin was so warm whilst Dan’s was ice cold. It made him feel as though he were on fire, but it was a good feeling, one that lit up Dan’s insides and made him feel something other than harsh emptiness.

“If I decide to do this whole thing,” he gestured to Dan with his free hand, but didn’t turn to look at him, “will I still get to see you?”

The words were so innocent, almost like a child who was fearing that they’d never see their mother again. They made Dan’s face feel hot, just like when he’d first met Phil, and he had to take a deep breath to force himself back to earth. “Of course you’d still get to see me,” Dan told him honestly, because at this point he didn’t think he would be able to stay away even if Gabrielle ordered him to. “You can’t get rid of me that easily. I destroyed your life, after all.”

That made Phil laugh, but it was weak and made him cough some more. He ended his chuckle with an elongated sigh;he looked truly and utterly exhausted. Another flash of guilt went through Dan but he tried to push it away. It wouldn’t be long now before Phil’s soul would leave his body and would join Dan in the fourth dimension.

“Tell me a story,” Phil murmured, and Dan could do nothing else but obey.

He told him a story of an immortal being, one who had no purpose into life other than to witness the death of others. He told him of how that being had grown bored of his undead life and found solace in masquerade balls because they let him hide away from who he was and just enjoy himself for once. However, one night, he saw a man so beautiful that he could have sworn his dead heart had come back to life and made him human again. They danced the night away and the immortal found himself falling for this human, only to find that he was supposed to be bringing death upon him. When the time came, the man found that he couldn’t do it, and ended up saving the man’s life instead, knowing that it would bring displeasure to the other immortals.

It was blindingly obvious that it was the story of how they’d met, of why Dan had saved Phil’s life, but Phil didn’t care. It brought a smile to his face, one that was weak, yet still so beautiful that Dan thanked the other gods for this very moment. Time was running out, and Dan could feel his cloak begin to quiver with the precipice of death.

Then Phil turned and looked at Dan and his eyes sparkled in the moonlight, despite the exhaustion on his face. He was still smiling and Dan didn’t know how he did it when he was dying so soon. “Can you kiss me?” he asked suddenly, and Dan was taken aback.

In his entire life, nobody had ever asked Dan to kiss them. Especially not someone who was more beautiful than Gabrielle herself, with eyes the colour of the grass and seas and skin so pale that it reflected the moonlight. Dan didn’t know what to do at first. He found it a bit ironic at the same time, those rumours coming to mind about how death would come to you if the God of Death gave you a kiss.

He pushed all of those thoughts out of his mind as he leaned forward and pressed their lips together. Phil’s lips were cold and Dan could taste the blood on his tongue. But the kiss was soft nonetheless, something meaningful and full of life despite the fact that both beings were anything but. Kissing Phil made Dan feel as though he’d been brought back to life, like his heart was beating and his blood was rushing through his veins. He felt warm all over, everything that death wasn’t supposed to be like.

When he pulled away, Dan kept his eyes closed because he wanted to bask in the feeling of kissing Phil. He didn’t want to open his eyes and come back to reality. He didn’t want to acknowledge the way Phil had gone limp in his arms or how Phil had slowly grown colder.

He didn’t want to see a cold and motionless Phil laying right in front of him, eyes dark and soulless.

“Dan?”

A ray of sunshine poked through the clouds. Dan twirled around, ignoring the empty body in front of him, and instead focusing on the being that was now standing behind him, standing tall and smiling so widely that it seemed as though his face was going to split in half.

If Dan had thought Phil looked alive when he was alive, then he was exuberant in death.

His eyes, those beautiful ocean eyes, sparkled with the light of a thousand suns. If Dan looked close enough, he could see rolling hills of grass in those gorgeous irises. His cheeks were tinted pink, his skin shining like the moonlight. His hair was glossy and seemed to have a life of its own, and he was emanating a certain bright light all around him, one that was a light yellow colour that Dan had never seen before in a God.

Before he could stop himself, Dan was crossing the short distance between them and hugging him close. He littered kisses over his shoulders and his cheeks, and they were laughing, and Phil was crying, and it was nothing like when Dan had accepted his own eternal life. This time, Phil was greeting him with hope and happiness, shining so brightly that Dan nearly had to shield his eyes.

“Thank God, thank God,” Dan whispered over and over, even though he knew that Phil was going to be here even after he’d passed, that he was going to stay with Dan for eternity and longer, until they were just specks of dust in a large, meaningless expanse of nothingness.

Phil was here, and he was never going to leave.

After they parted, Phil kissed Dan once more on the lips, and then took his hand. They were both ignoring the soulless body lying on the bed behind them, not wanting to look back at what Phil’s life used to be, and instead focused on each other.

“So?” Phil asked, cocking his head. He was smiling so widely that his tongue was sticking between his teeth. “What God am I, then?”

Dan didn’t have to even think to know the answer. He’d known it as soon as he’d first laid eyes on Phil, known it as soon as he saw that gorgeous smile and the way he carried himself. He knew it by the yellow glow surrounding him and the ethereal beauty that took Dan’s breath away.

“You’re the God of Life.”

Part Two

[somelittlewhitelies]

1-155 ;)

oh hey there, winky face

1: Name- Laura2: Age- 223: 3 Fears- dying alone, windows at night, and idk scorpions?4: 3 things I love- rainy days, my cats, my friends5: 4 turns on- honesty, a sense of humor, idk caring, making the first move? idk6: 4 turns off- assholes, fuckboys, liars, pickup trucks7: My best friend- Lauren8: Sexual orientation- straight9: My best first date- lol10: How tall am I- 5′6″11: What do I miss- MY FRIENDS12: What time were I born- idk I think around noon?13: Favourite color- blue14: Do I have a crush- nah15: Favourite quote- “a’ight” -Nick Saban (it’s not really that’s just the only thing I can think of right now)16: Favourite place- camp17: Favourite food- ok earlier I said it was tacos, but I’m feeling that it’s macarons right now18: Do I use sarcasm- never19: What am I listening to right now- random SNL sketches20: First thing I notice in new person- eyebrows. I know, it’s weird21: Shoe size- 9.5-1022: Eye color- brown/hazel23: Hair color- it’s reddish-brown right now24: Favourite style of clothing- comfortable25: Ever done a prank call? Lol yeah27: Meaning behind my URL- there isn’t one, I just kinda made it up my sophomore year in high school28: Favourite movie- idk I watched Moana a few days ago and it was good29: Favourite song- that changes daily30: Favourite band- The Civil Wars31: How I feel right now- I guess I’m ok. I have a headache right now32: Someone I love- MY GODDAUGHTER WHOSE BIRTHDAY PARTY WAS TODAY AND SHE’S SO CUTE33: My current relationship status- single af34: My relationship with my parents- we’re good at the moment35: Favourite holiday- Thanksgiving36: Tattoos and piercing i have- I have a cross pendant tattoo on the side of my wrist, my left earlobe is pierced twice, and my right earlobe is pierced three times37: Tattoos and piercing i want- I guess a daith piercing? And a tattoo of cartoon Calvin and Hobbes 38: The reason I joined Tumblr- Kate convinced me to39: Do I and my last ex hate each other? No40: Do I ever get “good morning” or “good night ” texts? Lol nope41: Have I ever kissed the last person you texted? Oh no42: When did I last hold hands? I honestly can’t remember? I can be a hand holder when I’m drunk43: How long does it take me to get ready in the morning? Depends on how much time I have. It can range from 20 minutes to 2 hours lol44: Have You shaved your legs in the past three days? YES last night actually45: Where am I right now? My aunt and uncle’s house46: If I were drunk & can’t stand, who’s taking care of me? Probably my friend Haley47: Do I like my music loud or at a reasonable level? Reasonable level since my ENT says I’m already losing my hearing48: Do I live with my Mom and Dad? They think I do49: Am I excited for anything? I’m getting a new car soon, so yeah50: Do I have someone of the opposite sex I can tell everything to? Yes51: How often do I wear a fake smile? Too often52: When was the last time I hugged someone? Earlier today53: What if the last person I kissed was kissing someone else right in front of me? I’m guessing it would be a bit awkward, but I feel awkward whenever I see anyone kissing54: Is there anyone I trust even though I should not? I’m sure there is but I can’t think of one right off55: What is something I disliked about today? I have a headache56: If I could meet anyone on this earth, who would it be? My soulmate? lol57: What do I think about most? When I’m gonna do my online homework58: What’s my strangest talent? I can make gimp keychains pretty well I guess?59: Do I have any strange phobias? Windows at night60: Do I prefer to be behind the camera or in front of it? Some of both, it depends on the day61: What was the last lie I told?  “yeah dad, I’m going to sleep right now”62: Do I perfer talking on the phone or video chatting online? They’re pretty even I guess63: Do I believe in ghosts? How about aliens? If there’s proof64: Do I believe in magic? Sure65: Do I believe in luck? Why not66: What’s the weather like right now? Humid67: What was the last book I’ve read? My history textbook68: Do I like the smell of gasoline? Yes69: Do I have any nicknames? Too many to keep up with70: What was the worst injury I’ve ever had? I pulled a ligament in my neck once71: Do I spend money or save it? I try to save it, but I usually end up spending it72: Can I touch my nose with a tounge? Yes73: Is there anything pink in 10 feets from me? Yes74: Favourite animal? Cats75: What was I doing last night at 12 AM? Trying to sleep76: What do I think is Satan’s last name is? Satan77: What’s a song that always makes me happy when I hear it? Most things by Cher tbh78: How can you win my heart? Be a good person and take care of me and have a sense of humor79: What would I want to be written on my tombstone? “She did what she could” (idk that’s just what came to my head)80: What is my favorite word? Shit81: My top 5 blogs on tumblr- LOL82: If the whole world were listening to me right now, what would I say? “If you voted for Trump, why the hell did you?”83: Do I have any relatives in jail? Not that I’m aware of84: I accidentally eat some radioactive vegetables. They were good, and what’s even cooler is that they endow me with the super-power of my choice! What is that power? Teleportation85: What would be a question I’d be afraid to tell the truth on? “What are you gonna do after graduation?”86: What is my current desktop picture? It’s a picture of my granddad fishing on a lake in Canada87: Had sex? Yes88: Bought condoms? Nope89: Gotten pregnant? NOPE90: Failed a class? Almost lol91: Kissed a boy? Yes92: Kissed a girl? Do cheek kisses count?93: Have I ever kissed somebody in the rain? Yes94: Had job? Ye95: Left the house without my wallet? Too many times96: Bullied someone on the internet? No97: Had sex in public? Nope98: Played on a sports team? Yes99: Smoked weed? Yes100: Did drugs? Not purposefully101: Smoked cigarettes? Nope102: Drank alcohol? Yes103: Am I a vegetarian/vegan? Nope104: Been overweight? LOL105: Been underweight? L O L106: Been to a wedding? Yep107: Been on the computer for 5 hours straight? 5 hours is child’s play108: Watched TV for 5 hours straight? Yes109: Been outside my home country? Yes110: Gotten my heart broken? Yep111: Been to a professional sports game? Yep112: Broken a bone? Nope113: Cut myself? On accident114: Been to prom? Unfortunately 115: Been in airplane? Yes116: Fly by helicopter? Nope117: What concerts have I been to? t o o  d a m n  m a n y  t o  s a y118: Had a crush on someone of the same sex? Nope119: Learned another language? I’ve attempted120: Wore make up? YEP121: Lost my virginity before I was 18? Nope122: Had oral sex? Yes123: Dyed my hair? Like 2 days ago124: Voted in a presidential election? Yes125: Rode in an ambulance? Nope126: Had a surgery? Yes127: Met someone famous? Yes128: Stalked someone on a social network? Who hasn’t 129: Peed outside? Yes130: Been fishing? Yes131: Helped with charity? Yes132: Been rejected by a crush? Yep133: Broken a mirror? Yep134: What do I want for birthday? idk I got what I wanted135: How many kids do I want and what will be their names? 2 and I don’t know what their names would be136: Was I named after anyone? Yep! My grandmother and my great-grandmother137: Do I like my handwriting? It’s readable138: What was my favourite toy as a child? I had a croched blank139: Favourite Tv Show? The X-Files140: Where do I want to live when older? Not in the south141: Play any musical instrument? HAHAHAHAHAHA142: One of my scars, how did I get it? My cat scratched my face when I was about 1143: Favourite pizza toping? Pepperoni but it’s TOO BAD I CAN’T EAT IT ANYMORE144: Am I afraid of the dark? Not really145: Am I afraid of heights? Hell yes146: Have I ever got caught sneaking out or doing anything bad? Nope147: Have I ever tried my hardest and then gotten disappointed in the end? Oh yes148: What I’m really bad at- most things149: What my greatest achievments are- I got elected president of my frat?150: The meanest thing somebody has ever said to me- I can’t remember151: What I’d do if I won in a lottery- put most of the money away for retirement and spend the rest152: What do I like about myself- I like how my eyes look I guess?153: My closest Tumblr friend- Don’t have one, the people on here I know I knew in real life first154: Something I fantasise about- being happy in the future155: Any question you’d like? nope