#hopefully this doesn’t sound party pooper like

[cowboyshit]

also just something to keep in mind, there was discussion/rumor talk of hangman needing to take time off again in september, so don’t fantasy book yourselves too hard just in case this is his way of taking some time away again

[afriendlyblackhottie]

Dance, Dance

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Summary: there’s been too much going on ever since you started messing around with your best friend.

Pairings: Colin Shea x Black!Best Friend!Reader

Warnings: minors dni, smut, angst, fluff

(A/N: yaaaay it’s done. This was a fun little series. I loved writing it. Titled after the song Dance, Dance by Fall Out Boy. Thanks everyone that enjoyed. Like, follow, reblog, and comment ☺️)

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You didn’t even know it was possible for you to fake smile for this long. As much as you enjoyed doing the whole music thing, industry shit was kind of the worse. You’d been overdue for at least a glass of champagne, but now you needed something stronger like whisky.

Things had been hectic lately. Just getting stuff ready and playing ball. The label that signed you was a smaller offshoot of a bigger one and so now you were here watching Colin take one for the team and schmooze it up since he knew the rest of you hated this part.

It wasn’t like you were bad at the whole thing. It’s just there was only so much you could deal with before finally reaching your limit. And all the old men ogling you was definitely something you could live without.

“Hey,” Ryan, your bass player, greeted as he sat beside you. It was kind of funny seeing the rest of them in suits and shit. You didn’t think they could wear anything but jeans and converse.

Hell for Colin clothing was already optional. Now he was there wearing a suit. Playing the part. And doing it well. You couldn’t lie, though. He looked good as hell. Obviously you weren’t the only one to notice. The woman whispering in his ear right no clearly saw it too.

“Hey,” you said with a sigh. This dress was scratchy as hell, but it was cute. It was probably worth more than your rent so you were really trying to not mess it up. Fuck you felt awkward.

So, yeah things had been a little weird since they’d walked in on you on Colin’s lap. Not that they could see that his pants had been undone from how you were but let’s just say the rest of the band had been doing this thing where they’d been trying to figure out your couple name ever since.

Still you didn’t know how to act around them. Especially since you’d left like your ass was on fire. Unlike with the whole girlfriend thing, the two of you didn’t get the chance to talk even a little after that. It felt like life was pulling the both of you in so many directions what were you even supposed to say. Sure the guys managed to squeeze their jokes in but other than that nothing.

You’d had photo shoots and meetings and just all kinds of shit. Sure this was definitely the life you wanted and you kind of appreciated the distraction. Didn’t mean you wanted to keep living in limbo with him. So it’s not like you’d been avoiding him so much as finding the time to have serious conversations was kind of not there.

At the same time it’s like were you even prepared for whatever he had to say. You don’t give a guy head and then make out with him for him to stop and start with ‘I just don’t think-‘ and expect him to say something not terrible. Especially not a guy like Colin. Even if you were holding out hope.

You knew his track record going into it. Which is why those rules had been in place. You’d been around a thousand Colin’s. You knew how it went. It was hit it and quit it every time. What made you different. If he really wanted to talk he would have. Nothing had ever kept him from telling you dumb shit all the time. Suddenly he couldn’t text?

Whatever. You didn’t even want to care. This was about the music. It was your fault anyway. You’d known better than to get tangled up in him but you’d done it anyway. You’d just have to live with that.

“So what are we doing tomorrow?” He asked.

You shrugged with a sigh. “I dunno. Was just thinking about keeping a low profile. I’m not really feeling it right now.”

Ryan frowned. “You know Colin doesn’t care,” he replied with a chuckle. “You know how he gets.”

“That’s fine,” you replied with a small smile with a shrug, bringing your glass of whiskey up to your lips. Thank goddess for an open bar, though, right. At least that would help you through the night.

“Okay so,” Colin said finally coming over to plop down beside you on a barstool,“how we feeling about an after party?”

You shrugged while him and Ryan started talking it over. If anything you’d probably go back to the hotel but whatever.

You rested your chin on your fists as the boys talked. It’s not that you wanted to be sad girl right now. You should be the happiest you’d ever been and you were but fuck this is gonna sound so lame but you missed your best friend. But no you forgot to wear underwear and now apparently neither of you knew how to act around each other.

“What about you?” He asked. “You know we’re no good without our fearless leader.”

“I thought this was a party,” you said setting your glass down. “I didn’t realize I was leading you into battle.”

Colin chuckled. “Oh it’s us against the world, Baby. There’s always a war.” He winked as he grabbed your glass. Not even phased when you protested and made grabby hands for it. “I’ll get you a new one if you say yes.”

“Eat a dick,” you grumbled then tried to get the bartender’s attention.

“Who pissed in your iced coffee?” He asked with a chuckle. “Come on. It’ll be fun. Better than whatever the fuck this is.” Can’t argue with that.

You shrugged. “I’ll see. I’m kinda tired.”

He pouted. “Don’t be a party pooper. Come on. Don’t you wanna hang with us. Keep us out of trouble.”

“Keep him out of trouble,” Ryan corrected making you laugh.

“Yes. Fine. Keep me out of trouble.” He rolled his eyes dramatically. “Come on. I’ll make it worth it.”

“How?” You asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Well,” he started as he thought, “I’m already taking you out for breakfast tomorrow so that’s out.”

“You are?” You asked with a chuckle. This was news to you.

“Um, duh,” he said before poking your side. “Why wouldn’t I?”

You shrugged. “I dunno. It’s not that serious.”

Colin sighed, rolling his eyes. “Come on. I promise it’ll be fun.” He nudged you. Then his face softened. “Do you really not wanna go?”

No, but even though you were irritated with him you still felt like a lovesick puppy. And his eyes had gotten all romantic looking. It was so hard not giving in to him.

That’s how you found yourself out in the New York air. Crossing your arms in front of you. “What’s this?” You asked as you walked up to a limo.

“Our ride,” he said, into your ear.

“Hey, Colin,” the woman greeted him with a smile as she walked passed to get in. “You coming?”

He had the nerve to smile at you all brightly as he grabbed your arm. “Isn’t this cool,” he said as he sat beside her. You on the other side of him. Why didn’t you just go back to the fucking hotel when you had the chance.

The entire way to the party was filled with them laughing and talking. The entire time you were thinking say something, anything, but no you sat there awkward as hell. Ryan and your drummer James were sort of trying to include you while your rhythm guitarist Parker had decided to go to the hotel. You wish you’d just gone with him. You knew that’d be your first mistake.

You hated being in such a sour mood. Especially with so many people around. “You want a drink or something?” Colin asked into your ear, trying to talk over the loud music. You sighed, putting on another smile on as you nodded.

You tried to follow behind him, but this place was crowded. Looking back you saw that Ryan and James were no longer next to you either. Shit. Way to make this situation better, right.

Well Colin was right at least. This was better than that place crawling in suits. You walked along trying to find at least one of the men you came with and you were officially over it. Then you saw the balcony and decided to check out there next.

The fresh air was kind of nice. Maybe you just needed to clear your head for a minute. Hell you were ready to go to bed anyway.

Maybe tomorrow you’ll spend the day in the city. Doing whatever you wandered upon. No thinking about the next few months and how everything’s going to go from zero to one hundred. Not that you weren’t looking forward to it, but for now you wanted to welcome a little bit of peace.

Hopefully there’d be no thoughts about a certain guitar player either. That you doubt, but you could try. You yawned and groaned. Fuck it you’re leaving.

“Of all the people I thought I might see tonight,” a familiar voice said before you could get inside.

That voice made you stiffen. Then you started groaning as you turned to face him. “As if my night couldn’t get any worse. What are you even doing here?”

“What you think you’re the only one that gets invited to parties?” He asked.

When you’d parted from your last band, it wasn’t exactly the nicest situation. You always made your rule clear even if you’d broke it with Colin. Even with him it’s not like he did what Andrew did.

Things had been going okay with them, but it was nothing like now. This time around it felt so real. Like musically you were meant to be. Maybe that’s why you didn’t want to ruin things by blowing up even if Colin was sending you enough mixed signals to write an album about.

Back then though. It wasn’t like this. Yeah you liked your other bandmates back then, but with Colin, Ryan, and James it almost felt like a family. You all meshed. You all got along. Despite everything going on you loved them.

With Andrew’s band there was never a connection. You played. You went home. Over and done with. So the night he corned you, trying to kiss you it came out of nowhere. When you told the rest of them didn’t care. You were replaceable. Then you saw that flyer and decided to say fuck it and quit.

“What are you doing here?” He asked now, taking out a cigarette.

You shrugged. “That’s none of your business.”

He scoffed. “Heard you guys got signed. Who’d you sleep with to manage that?”

“Well, it wasn’t you.”

He rolled his eyes. “Who you here with? The new guys you’re blowing?”

You clenched your jaw before taking a deep breath. He didn’t know. Who the fuck cares. So you started walking away because you really did not give two shits.

“Yeah, my friend Dina was telling me you fucked her ex,” he said.

Your back stiffened as you stopped. Closing your eyes. God you wanted to scream at him, but he wasn’t worth the trouble. Wasn’t worth causing a scene. That’s what you told yourself last time and that’s what you were telling yourself now.

“Yeah said she walked in on you too,” he said coming up behind you.

“Dina doesn’t know what what she’s talking about.” You took a deep breath then bit your tongue, but still didn’t turn to face him.

“Well she sure had a lot to say. About how much of a whore you turned into after being a little tease.”

You closed your eyes suddenly feeling sick. You shouldn’t let it get to you. You knew it but fuck. This is why you didn’t do this. You didn’t need the drama.

“Dude, fuck off,” you finally said wrapping your arms around yourself as tried walking away again, trying to tune out whatever shit was spewing out of his mouth.

Promising yourself that you wouldn’t cry. Eyes finally catching Colin’s as he did a grin spread and then quickly fell from his face. Standing around the same girl from earlier. At least he managed to keep up with her.

He started walking towards you without a word and seeing his way was the only way towards the exit there was no avoiding him. That’s when you felt fingers grabbing at your wrist. Twisting your arm so you had no choice but to face him.

In between the, “you little sl-“ and Colin pushing him away from you, you’d ended knocking into someone. Beer spilling on the front of your dress. Way to make a shitty moment even worse guys. This was a fucking loan. Thanks for that. Fuck tonight just wasn’t your night huh.

“I’m so sorry,” a drunk girl slurred, putting her hands on your shoulders.

“No it’s okay,” you sighed feeling your eyes prickle with tears. Fuck you hated it. Your chest suddenly feeling tight. You had to get the fuck out of here.

As soon as you made it to the elevator you took a deep breath. Closing your eyes and leaning down the wall as the doors closed.

“What the hell was that?” Colin said. You squeezed your eyelids. The little bit of frustration that had left, coming back in an instant. “Did he hurt you?” He asked, grabbing your hand. “What the hell happened?”

“Stop,” you said, snatching it away. “Just… stop.” Your heart felt like it was sinking into your chest. You just wanted to eat and shower snd sleep. Fine fuck it. Shower and sleep. You’ll eat in the morning. You just wanted Colin to stop following you and for him to shut up.

“Hey!” He stopped you as soon as you got off. “What’s wrong? Just tell me what happened.”

You scoffed and rolled your eyes. “You don’t have to pretend to care okay.” You shrugged. “You weren’t thinking about me ten minutes ago.”

“What do you mean I was looking all over for you,” he said furrowing his eyebrow.

You rolled your eyes again. Ugh it felt like you couldn’t stop. “Yeah, it sure looked like it.”

“I was. You can ask Ryan and James. Alyssa was helping me.”

“Do you think I’m fucking stupid, Colin?” You asked raising your eyebrow. “I get it. We messed around and you’re a fuckboy or whatever. It’s not like I was expecting to be different or something. You do this all the time. That’s fine but you don’t have to pretend like you give a shit. And I’m the fucking idiot for thinking you would because I thougt-” your voice broke as you just shook your head and walked away.

Colin stood there looking stunned. Feeling like he was one second away from puking. Finally taking a deep breath when he realized that if he didn’t catch up to you know you’d get into a taxi without him.

“Wait, Y/N,” he called out.

But you didn’t turn around. Heart thumping in your chest. You blew out your cheeks and rested your head against the window. Feeling there was a lump in your throat.

You felt like such a baby. All teary eyed in a cab. Red eyed as you made your way to your room. Crying in the shower. Then not stopping as you settled into bed. And for what. You fucking up the one thing you always told yourself. Listening to your stupid vagina. And your heart as much as you hated to admit it.

Not only was it stressful to think about what this would do for the band, but you and Colin had really built up the best connection. Now what happens. You’re not gonna get that with someone else. And that was the worst part.

Your eyes were so heavy, but you were suddenly so awake. All that complaining about being tired. Now look you can’t even sleep. Your head felt too heavy. Nose too stuffy, too.

You scrolled through your phone. And may or may not have done a small dive into who this Alyssa girl could be. Then message after message started rolling in now that it was a little passed midnight. You’d get to them in the morning. You’d also stole his weed pen so you could relax a little bit.

So. Sucks to be him.

That’s when you heard the door open. Stomach flipping and mouthing, ‘fuck.’ Dropping your phone because if you could pretend you were asleep maybe he’d leave you fuck alone. Ugh he probably got the key from the front desk.

The television was still on and it’s not like he’d never walked in on you sleep in front of the TV before so he’d think nothing of it. Your back was facing the door so it’s not like he could see you. You’ll take your chances.

You heard crinkling and him shuffling a little, but you were mostly trying to be quiet. A few moments later you heard him getting down on his knees beside you. “Hey,” he whispered into your ear before kissing your temple.

Nope. Go away.

“I know you’re awake you little thief.” He chuckled, but then stopped when he realized you clearly weren’t giving in. Turning over away from him. Colin took a deep breath. “Babe, I’m sorry.”

Your eyebrow raised. Okay so maybe you weren’t expecting that.

“I’m sorry I lost you tonight,” he sighed. “I’m sorry for not talking about things sooner. And if I made you think there was anything going on with me and Alyssa. Who does not like me by the way. She’s into Ryan,” he added, with a chuckle.

You snorted out a laugh. “Seriously?” Finally breaking your silence.

“Uh huh.” He laughed. “I know right. They kept dragging me between them once he found out. I felt like I was in fucking middle school.”

Then it got quiet.

“I’m sorry if I made you think you were just a booty call,” he finally said.

Your eyes opened, but you still didn’t turn to face him. You weren’t really sure what you were supposed to say or do if you did.

“You have always been more than a booty call. I get that I’ve done things before, but I’d never treat you like that. Why do you think we haven’t had sex. I couldn’t have our first time be on that gross fucking couch.”

… fair.

Ugh.

UGH.

You wanted to pull his hair. Not even in the sexy way. He was so annoying. Why couldn’t you just have been asleep so you could have been mad at him for a little longer.

Colin didn’t wait for you to respond as he got in behind you. Scooping you into his arms from behind. “You’re my best friend, Baby. I’d never fuck us up. I don’t wanna lose you.” Then he started kissing your cheek softly.

“You’re so annoying,” you mumbled, but still didn’t turn over.

“Maybe,” he said. “But it’s cuz I can’t stand when you’re mad at me.” He sighed wrapping you up in his arms. “Remember that one time? And it was just over lyrics.” He chuckle. Then when he realized you weren’t laughing he sighed again. “I promise I’ll make tomorrow better. Well today. Or whatever. You know what I mean.”

“I’m surprised you didn’t run in here on some I have to be the first shit.” You finally turned to look at him and he was quick to kiss your forehead. Eyes ask puffy. Nosy really stuffy. He didn’t care. Just wanted to have his lips on you.

“I am, but now I can’t stop apologizing.” He chuckled. “I really am sorry.”

“We can work on your road to forgiveness plan.”

“As long as you’re the one paving it I’ll do whatever it takes.”

You rolled your eyes. “You’re so corny.”

“Maybe.” He chuckled. “I’m just trying to get you to smile.”

You sniffled. God he was so annoying. “I know.”

He looked at you softly before swiping his lips across yours. “Okay now I’m gonna be the first person. Happy birthday, Baby.”

Another sniffle as you couldn’t stop yourself from chuckling softly. “Thank you. How do you know you’re the first?”

“Oh you’re cool because all our little fan girls are wishing you a happy birthday,” he said with a laugh.

“You’re just jealous.”

“Never. You deserve it.”

“Stop being such a fucking sap right now.” You whined pushing him away.

“Nope. I actually have a surprise for you,” he said, letting go so he could get out of bed. “No peeking!” Then he kissed your cheek again.

Of course you weren’t gonna listen, but since he wasn’t made of glass you couldn’t see. His body blocking whatever view you may have had. Just heard the flicker of a lighter.

“So, I was gonna go with the old fashioned flowers and chocolate for an apology,” he started. “But since it’s your birthday,” he said as he turned around with a little cake in his hands, freshly lit numeral candles on top.

As he softly started to sing happy birthday you felt yourself tearing up again. Of course he had to do something like this. Sappy asshole. Just had to make it impossible to stay mad at him.

Now you were sitting with your legs criss crossed applesauce across from him. Not being able to help the smile that spread across your face.

“Make a wish, Baby,” he said. As you blew out the flame he looked at you softly. That same stupid romantic look in his eyes. And it was like you couldn’t help yourself as you started to lean in. Lips connecting and it almost felt relieving. 

Colin pulled away for a minute to set the cake on the night stand. Going back to you he pull you onto his lap. Lips moving against yours as you wrapped your arms around his neck then put your hands in his hair.

He laid you down. Thumb stroking your cheek. Tongues finally meeting. Kisses deep. Now sleep was the farthest thing from your mind. You just wanted to feel him.

All of the thoughts about how that was it had melted away. If he was going to be serious about this than you wanted it. Wanted him. “Colin,” you whimpered. His lips going against your throat.

“What do you want, Baby?” He asked in a whisper.

“You.”

Clothes started to be removed. Hands and lips going to intimate spots. Like between your legs as he made sure your pussy would be ready for him. His mouth touching you just how you needed. Moans and sighs spilling from your lips.

“Y/N, Baby,” he whispered as he wrapped his arm around your leg so he could spread you open for him. Getting snug between your thighs as he lined himself up. “You sure? We don’t have-“

You cut him off with a kiss. He obviously got the message as he started to push into you. The head of his cock already making your head spin.

“Colin,” you whimpered against his lips.

“That’s it,” he said. “It’s okay. I got you.”

You nodded and moaned, foreheads resting against each other. Looking into those soft blue eyes as he inched in. “Ah,” you squeaked.

“You’ve got this,” he whispered into your ear as he finally bottomed out. Staying still for a moment so you could could used to him. Fuck he was big. You don’t think you’d ever felt this full before.

Hips rocking slowly as his lips went back to yours again. “Colin,” you whimpered again.

“So fucking beautiful,” he whispered as he looked down at you.

“More?”

“Tell me what you do want, Baby. I’ll do anything you want.”

“Harder. Please.” Fuck you felt desperate. He was just filling you up so good. Just how you needed him.

He pressed his lips to yours as he started getting deeper. Rolling his hips into yours. Then pushing your arm above your head with his hands holding yours down.

“Right there!” You pulled away with a gasp.

“Where?” He asked into your ear not stopping what he was doing before pulling your earlobe between his teeth. Nibbling on it. Making your eyes go blurry.

“Oh,” you let out another little squeak. That wasn’t good enough for Colin, though. He wanted you to scream his name.

He raised up off of you. Getting on his knees and pushing your legs up by your ears. Hands on the back of your thighs.

Every time he went in, your body bounced from the force. Pussy squeezing him tight. He looked between you seeing the way your wetness covered him. “Fuck,” he groaned. “Pussy even prettier with my dick in it.”

Why was he doing this to you. Was it not enough that he was about to turn you inside out? He had to talk to you like that too. Why was he trying to ruin you like this. He was fucking you like he wanted to be the only man to fuck you. Maybe he did. Maybe you wanted him to be.

“Ah, ah, ah, ah!” You cried out

“That’s it. That’s what I like to fucking hear. Doing so good for me, Baby,” he groaned. “Gonna fuck you all night. Keep you full a me. Want that?”

“Uh huh,” was all you could say. Your orgasm was hitting you so hard. “Colin. I’m cumming.” It was like you were weeping. “Oh my god.”

“Fuck yeah,” he groaned as your pussy tightened around him. Orgasm gushing out of you. “That’s my girl,” he said as he put his hand on your clit. Coaxing it out even more. “Keep cumming for me, Baby. That’s it.”

It happened so quickly. One minute he was fucking into you and then the next his face was between your thighs. If he was trying to make you squirt he got his wish. Your legs shaking, body spasming as he forced you there.

You covered your eyes with your hand just as he pushed back into you. Where he grabbed your arm to push it up so you were no longer covered. “Don’t you ever cover yourself, you hear me,” he said as he started fucking into you again. “I want you to look at me when I make you cum.” He put his lips against your chin.

Fuck. This was gonna be a long night.

You don’t know how many times you’d orgasmed. Just that it felt like once they started they didn’t stop. Just the way he was getting you there and trying to keep you there was almost too much. As soon as he came in you, you were ready to pass out. Your body officially worn out. But forced yourself to use the bathroom before bed even though walking really didn’t seem like a great option at the moment.

Then you got back in his arms. Snuggling into him. Colin holding you tight. It felt like where you were supposed to be.

As the sunlight broke, you were so worn out that you stayed like that for a minute. Him waking up first with your head tucked under his chin. Yawning and checking the time. Not that he cared. He’d stay like this for as long as you wanted him to.

When you started to stir, he nuzzled you with his nose. Kissing your forehead gently. “Morning, Birthday Girl,” he whispered in a raspy voice.

You moaned and stretched. Putting your head in his neck again. “Not yet.”

He chuckled. “We have to get to brunch.”

“There’s always dinner. I’m tired.”

He smacked your butt. “No, no, no. I’m not letting you sleep the day away. I gotta make up for yesterday.”

“Make up for yesterday by being my pillow. And we can have sex in between.”

Colin laughed softly. “As tempting as that is, we gotta get up.”

You took a deep breath out your nose. “Fine, but I get to pick off your plate.”

“When do you not?” He rubbed your back. Colin reached over to grab his phone to check the time. “Wait, what the fuck,” he chuckled.

“What?” You asked, with a yawn.

“James said, ‘I’m happy for you guys really but we’re going to breakfast without you if you don’t hurry up. Happy birthday y/n.”

You laughed. “What?”

“The one before it was stop having sex we’re hungry. Ryan said, ‘Colin stop being the Yoko Ono of this ba-‘I’m the Yoko On- oh now they’re fighting about it.”

You snorted. “They’re gonna argue about this all day, aren’t they?”

“Yeah probably.” Colin laughed.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

[alwaysmarveling]

Rock Band

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x fem!reader

Warnings: None, just fluff :)

Word Count: 3.2k

A/N: Not too sure how I feel about this one, but it’s Wanda so hopefully you guys enjoy it (also I miss playing Rock Band)!!

“You ready for game night, Bird Boy?” Bucky winked.

“You bet, old man. I’m going to crush you, just you wait.” Sam smiled at Bucky with a glint in his eye and mischief clear in his voice. “You guys coming?” Sam turned to look at you and your girlfriend. “The theme is Wii games. Even Thor is coming.” You looked at Wanda for confirmation before answering.

“Yeah, sounds fun. Don’t know if we have the same need for total domination as you losers, though.” Tony laughed from his position in the chair next to you.

“Just you wait, kiddo. You’ll get into it. They all do.”

“Even if I do, I doubt it’ll be that hard to take a bunch of grandpas down,” you winked at the men before scooping some salad into your mouth.

“Since when am I a grandpa?” Sam scoffed.

“Since you became old, which, according to my calculations, has been… oh, right, always. Grandpa in spirit.”

“Well this grandpa is going to beat your ass, so just prepare yourself,” Sam challenged.

“I personally would like to go back to the ‘losers’ thing,” Steve countered. “The only loser is going to be you. Do you even know what games we’re going to be playing, Y/N?”

“Nah, but I figure whatever it is I’ll win,” you smirked.

“Oh, someone’s feeling cocky today. I’d be scared if I were you.” You turned your head slightly to your right, noting how Wanda’s lips curled upwards at Steve’s warning. “Nat has yet to be defeated in Mario Kart, and I, for one, am pretty decent at Smash Bros.”

“You’re on,” you winked at him, the table beginning to clear out. “See you tonight.”

When everyone had left the table but you and Wanda, you turned to your girlfriend. “I suck at Mario Kart. And Smash Bros,” you whined, burying your face into the crook of her neck. “What got into me?” Wanda laughed and ran a hand down your arm.

“You’re too competitive for your own good, detka. If it makes you feel better, Nat already knows you’re bad at Mario Kart,” Wanda smiled, reflecting on the many game nights the three of you and Carol had had together over the years.

“That doesn’t make me feel any better. I’m going to be a loser,” you complained, your voice muffled.

“You’ll be fine, babe. You’re good at, um... What's that game called again?”

“Mario Party 8?”

“Yeah, that one!”

“I can’t win game night with one game, Wanda.”

“Well, you’re always a winner in my book,” your girlfriend reassured you as she played with your fingers.

“Cute, Wan,” you huffed. “Maybe there is a way I could be a winner…” you smiled. When Wanda began to shake her head furiously, you began to beg. “Please, baby, you don’t have to do a lot. Just distract them a little? Please? Pretty please?”

“As much as I love you, Y/N, there is no way I’m messing with their minds just so you can win a game night.”

“I guess you have a point,” you sighed, making sure the fake sadness was clear in your voice. Wanda only laughed, brushing your cheek with the back of her hand.

“I’ll make it up to you. I promise. Besides, if you win, I can’t kiss away your pout.”

“But if I win, you can kiss me as a little ‘good job,’ you know?”

“You’re cute when you pout, though.”

“Am I not cute when I’m smiling from the pure joy of winning?”

“Weren’t you just saying you didn’t want ‘total domination’ less than five minutes ago?”

“Don’t change the subject,” you grumbled. Wanda chuckled, pressing her lips to your forehead.

“Sorry, printsessa. You’d better go practice if you want to try to win tonight.”

“I suppose,” you mumbled, pulling away from the witch. “You’re going to help me, though, right?” Your girlfriend pecked you on the lips, causing a smile to slowly form on your face.

“Of course.”

---

Later that night, you and Wanda were sprawled across your bed watching the first show that played when you turned on the TV. Your head laid in Wanda’s lap as Wanda traced invisible patterns in your hair and along your face.

“Okay, but why is ‘womb’ pronounced ‘woom’?” you spoke up. “Shouldn’t it be ‘wom’? You know, like ‘bomb’? Or what about ‘tomb’? Why is it pronounced like that? Who said that putting a ‘b’ at the end of the word makes the ‘o’ long for some words but not others?” Wanda brought her gaze down from the screen to your face, her brows furrowed and nose scrunched.

“What the heck even made you think of that?”

“I don’t know,” you shrugged, “I’ve just been thinking.”

“Maybe you should be thinking a little less, printsessa,” Wanda giggled, drawing a swirl on your cheek with the tip of her finger.

“That tickles, Wan.” That didn’t stop the witch, who simply pinched your cheek before resuming her tracing. “But I thought you liked my thinking. I have some pretty good thoughts,” you defended yourself, crossing your arms in front of your chest.

“Like ‘what would happen if the French used the Statue of Liberty like the Trojan Horse?’” Wanda raised her eyebrows.

“It was a hypothetical!”

“A pretty bad one, if you ask me.”

“Well sorry, Miss Smartypants.”

“You can be smart too, dorogaya. You just… have your moments,” she winked at you.

“I hate you,” you grumbled, turning away from her so that you were facing the flashing screen, images playing across it but neither of you really sure—or caring—what was going on.

“You love me.”

“Nuh uh.”

“Yeah huh.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No, I-”

“Guys, game night is starting,” Tony knocked at your door.

“Okay, we’ll be down in a second,” Wanda told him. You didn’t listen for if he had left, instead turning your gazes back to each other.

“Okay, maybe I do love you a little bit.” Wanda raised her brows, her finger now running along your lower lip.

“Only a little?”

“I might be able to be persuaded otherwise, but as of right now, yes, a little.” Wanda hummed before leaning down to join your lips.

“What about now?” she asked, her lips brushing yours as she spoke.

“I love you a medium bit.” She kissed you again, this time a little longer than the last.

“And now?”

“I love you a lot a bit,” you whispered. Wanda smiled, giving you one last kiss before sitting back up.

“I love you a lot a bit too. Now, let’s get down to the living room. I believe we have a bunch of ‘grandpas’ waiting for us.”

---

“Wanda, Y/N, I missed you. How has life been treating you on Earth?” Thor waved at the two of you. You guys had little time to wave back, let alone respond, before Tony spotted you.

“There they are,” Tony clapped his hands together. “We were just about to get started. First on the agenda is Smash Bros because this one,” he aggressively pointed in Steve’s direction, “said he needs to go to bed before 1. Party pooper.” Steve rolled his eyes. 

“Some of us just don’t want to destroy our entire sleep schedule in one night.” He turned away from Tony to face the two of you, holding out one controller. “We’ve got one spot left, who’s playing?”

---

More than three hours later, the clock read 11 PM and the group of you had made it through several games. As you expected, you hadn’t won anything, but Wanda held her own in Smash Bros and was actually close to beating Nat in Mario Kart at one point (that didn’t last long, but you were proud nonetheless). Thor beat you all at Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, but with all the jumping and yelling going on at the time, you weren’t sure the tower would hold up long enough for you guys to actually finish the game.

“Are you planning on winning any time soon, Y/N?” Nat winked at you from her spot on the couch, one leg resting above the couch and the other bent at the knee on a cushion.

“Oh, shut up,” you laughed. “You know that I suck at video games.” No one else could hear your conversation with the chaos going on over Cooking Mama. That’s right, Cooking Mama.

“I actually thought you were playing us the first couple game nights. And then I finally realized you were just that bad,” Natasha chuckled, quickly having to dodge the pillow you’d thrown in her direction.

“Would it kill you to sit normally for once?”

“Yes,” she smiled, “Yes, it would.”

“How’re you doing, babe? Not too upset yet?” Wanda joined you on the couch with a peck to your cheek.

“Doing just dandy, Wan. See, I can be a good sport.” The witch laughed.

“I’ll check back in with you in an hour.”

“Hey, ladies, we were going to play Rock Band. You guys interested?” Bucky held up the controllers.

“Who won Cooking Mama?” you asked, a smirk clearly written across your face. Bucky rolled his eyes before responding.

“Clint. Now are you guys joining, or what?”

“Mm, I think I’m going to grab a drink. I’ll enjoy the show for a little bit first,” you winked as you slowly rose from the couch.

“She’s only saying that because she doesn’t want to lose,” Sam scoffed. “Y/N’s just upset she can’t deliver on her promise to beat us all.”

“Just you wait for Mario Party 8, Sam. Just you wait.”

“We don’t have that game,” Bruce whispered to you apologetically. “We let Peter borrow it for the weekend. Sorry, Y/N.”

“Are you serious?” You threw your hands up.

“Coward,” Clint teased, sticking his tongue out at you.

“Oh, calm down, Clint. Rock Band doesn’t even have a winner,” Nat chastised.

“Yes, it does! Whoever gets the highest score wins.” The redhead simply rolled her eyes before winking at you.

“Alright, I’m in. Put me on guitar. You coming, Wan?” Natasha turned to her.

“I’m a bit exhausted from the last game. Soon, though,” the witch promised.

“You want anything, babe?”

“A water would be nice,” Wanda smiled at you. “Thank you, detka.”

“Of course.” You squeezed her hand before heading toward the kitchen.

“How come you didn’t ask any of us if we wanted anything?”

“Okay, Sam,” you turned, crossing your arms, “Do you guys want anything?” A chorus of “no’s” echoed through the room. You shook your head, letting out a puff of air before continuing into the kitchen and grabbing one water for you and your girlfriend.

After a small argument over the song choice, Sam, Bucky, Nat, and Tony were all jamming out to ‘Say It Ain’t So,’ and you couldn’t help but laugh from your position on the couch. Wanda’s left arm was wrapped around your waist, holding you close to her, not that you were complaining. You appreciated the body heat, and her, of course.

Sam did have a pretty decent voice, you had to admit. You didn’t think he’d get so into it, but it was quite entertaining.

Speaking of entertaining, it was extremely difficult to hold in a giggle every time you looked at Bucky. Not that he was bad at it—he was surprisingly very good—but it was obvious he’d spent hours playing this game. Eyes closed, head shaking frantically side to side, and cheeks rosy, one might’ve thought Bucky was actually playing at a concert. You were sure Bucky had his part memorized, which was quite a lot for a guy who was still complaining about all the “confusing, new technology nowadays.”

Nat couldn’t be farther from the opposite of the Winter Soldier. As one might expect, she was hitting every note, but from the look on her face, you had a harder time going up the stairs without tripping than she was having playing the game.

And Tony, well, you didn’t really know what to expect with him, but it certainly wasn’t this. For a guy with all the charisma in the world, you thought he would’ve been more… coordinated. He dropped a drumstick at least twice already, and he could never seem to hit the pedal when he had to use the sticks at the same time.

Unfortunately for you, the song quickly came to a close and a new distraction arose—you.

“Y/N, no avoiding it any longer. C’mon, get up here. Which one do you want to be?” You glanced reluctantly at Wanda before answering. If you wanted to play to win, your best bet was singing, but none of the Avengers, including Wanda, had heard you before, and you were in no rush to change that. At the same time, your girlfriend was right; you definitely had a competitive side to you, and seeing the looks on the guys’ faces when you won would be a glorious sight. But maybe it wasn’t all about winning, after all, Wanda had promised you a kiss…

“Put her on the mic,” Natasha smirked. She removed the strap of the toy guitar from her neck before handing it to Steve. Before you could protest, the microphone was shoved into your hands and someone pushed you towards the front of the room.

“Good luck, Y/N,” you barely heard Wanda call from behind you, more worried about what you were going to do.

“Okay, so, Steve and I will be on guitar and bass, Thor on drums, and Y/N on mic. We ready?” Bucky scanned the room for approval. When everyone except for you nodded, he went to choose a song.

“‘Wanted Dead or Alive?’ Really, Buck?” Steve shook his head.

“It’s a good song,” he shrugged, moving to his spot next to Steve. “Should we show them how it’s done?”

“Ha, funny of you to think you’ll win,” Thor boomed, rubbing the drum sticks together.

“Y/N? You’re awfully quiet.” Sam smirked.

“Oh, shut up, Big Bird. Let’s just get this over with.” The man held up his hands in surrender as he backed away from you slowly.

As the first few measures of the song passed, you made a decision. Screw what the rest of the Avengers thought, you were going for it. You took a deep breath as the words rolled across the screen.

“It’s all the same, only the names will change.” The second you started singing, you heard everyone else go quiet around you. Steve, Bucky, and Thor all stopped playing for a second, and you could practically feel everyone’s mouth drop as you forced your eyes to stay on the screen in front of you.

“Every day, it seems we’re wastin’ away.” Just keep going, you told yourself. As much as you wanted to shrivel up in a corner somewhere far, far away, you had already started this. Might as well finish it.

“Another place where the faces are so cold, I’d drive all night just to get back home.” A whistle erupted from behind you—it had to be Tony—and amongst the hooting and hollering, you smiled, relieved, as the rest of the Avengers seemed to snap back into it.

The rest of the guys got back into the groove, and at one point you weren’t even sure you could hear yourself over Thor’s rather enthusiastic drum playing. You had a hard time not laughing at Bucky when you were watching him earlier, but it was pretty much impossible to not laugh now when you were seeing him with Steve. They were definitely feeding off of each other’s energy, and, wow, was it a sight. You’d never seen them this… loose before. They’d definitely need a comb after this game.

Nevertheless, your teammates’ antics helped you fully relax into the song, and it was over before you knew it. On the last beat of the song, you heard a loud crack and whirled around just in time to dodge part of a drumstick coming straight for your face.

“Thor, what the heck are you doing, man?” The god laughed sheepishly.

“Are you trying to kill my girlfriend?” You glanced over at Wanda, who looked ready to grab Thor around the neck. One stern look from you made her hesitate, but the anger remained obvious in her eyes.

“I guess I got a little caught up in the game. In my defense, your human toys are way too fragile.” After one harsh glare from Wanda, the god swallowed and added, “I apologize, Y/N.”

“Dude, how the heck are we supposed to keep playing with a broken drumstick?” Clint inspected the broken piece, which was at least the size of his palm, passing it from hand to hand.

“Ah, forget it. We can just switch to a different game. Y/N’s would’ve won the rest of the rounds anyway,” Bruce shrugged as he pointed at the screen.

The rest of the Avengers followed his finger, and sure enough, you had finished with a perfect score.

“Okay, Y/N, I’ll give it to you. That was good. How come you never told any of us you could sing?” You laughed, shaking your head.

“Nobody asked me.” You shrugged before handing the microphone to Bruce, allowing the conversation to return to what to do about the broken drumstick and returning to your seat next to Wanda. “Babe, I defeated the grandpas,” you whispered before pushing your face into the crook of her neck. More relaxed now that you were safe next to her, she chuckled, grabbing your hand.

“You did. I thought you would’ve been more excited about it?”

“I’m very happy about it,” you murmured, just loud enough for her to hear.

“You’re cute when you’re embarrassed,” she smiled, squeezing your thigh. You whined, prompting your girlfriend to laugh softly and kiss the top of your forehead. “I wouldn’t mind hearing you sing more often. You’re a good singer, malyshka.”

“Thanks,” you muttered.

“Wow, Wanda, you didn’t even know your girlfriend could sing?” Clint teased. With the conversation back on you, you pushed yourself further into Wanda’s body. She reassured you by tracing small circles at the top of your knee.

“Obviously none of you knew about it either.”

“I did,” Natasha smirked, causing you to look up at her in shock. “I heard you singing in the shower the other day when I went to drop off the sweatshirt you left in my room.” You threw your head back in laughter before chucking a pillow in her direction, which she easily caught.

“You suck. You put me on singing on purpose!”

“You wanted to win, didn’t you?” your best friend shrugged, clearly not feeling bad for what she had done.

“Okay, okay, can we get back to game night now?” Sam whined. “Sure, Y/N can sing. But can she dance?” Everyone groaned playfully as Sam pulled out a copy of Just Dance. “Natasha, you’re not allowed to play,” he quickly added. The redhead crossed her arms, a smile on her face.

“Fine with me. Go get ‘em, Y/N.” You grinned. Giving Wanda a peck on the cheek, you stood from the couch yet again and rolled up your sleeves. This was going to be a long night.

[moonlightlullaby]

just like magic

summary: Reader has a card up their sleeve, leaving Spencer intrigued, flustered and impressed.

pairing: Spencer x gn! non-BAU! Rossi’s offspring!Reader

category: fluff 

A/N: this is one of the first gn!reader pieces that I’ve written, so please let me know if I’ve slipped up somewhere!

word count: 2.5k

No sooner had I opened the glass door leading to my dad’s “humble” backyard than Henry’s and Jack’s fresh and joyous laughter filled my ears and warmed my heart. The sight that accompanied it only adding to my gleeful state, making my heart soar and melt instantly.

Spencer Walter Reid, the bright young Doc who I’ve known - and had a patent crush on - for nearly six years now, is entertaining the kids with a magic trick. I can’t help the smile that splatters on my face as I watch the scene unfold.

“Here, angelo mio.” my dad caresses my back as his other hand offers me a glass of wine. I take it and we clink our glasses together before making our way to the cozy wooden picnic table where his other colleagues are chatting. On our way, I go off-track and get closer to the sweet magician and adorable kids. “Hello, boys!” I extend my free hand, high-fiving both of them as they harmonize a “Hi” back to me. At Spencer, I flash a smile and wink and, without waiting for his reaction, I turn around and soothe Jack’s hair as I begin distancing myself. 

“Oh what a sight for sore eyes! Y/N, you look fantastic! As always I mean…” in her very own manner that never gets old, Pen is the first to greet me, clapping in excitement and giving me a home-like hug. “Oh please! Have you looked at yourself in the mirror?” she waves her hand and rolls her eyes in a way that tells me both to stop tooting her horn and to keep the compliments going, making me giggle. “And I’ve said this before, but I’ll do it again. You need to show me where you’ve bought these rings, P.”

“Oh! I have an idea,” JJ chimes in. “we should go shopping tomorrow!” by the time she finishes her sentence, I - along with Penelope, Prentiss and Tara - am nodding my head fervorously. “I’ll take you up on that one.” Em voices what all of us are thinking.

“I mean, unless a case pops up…” JJ drags it out, contorting her lips. “We won’t,” Hotch reassures everyone. “these past two weeks have been hectic and we all have overworked ourselves. You deserve the weekend off.” to which Derek, Tara and my dad, in sync, raise their glasses.

“So, ladies,” Derek hugs me, grinning. “where are we going tomorrow?” 

“We? Oh my chocolate thunder! Much as this pains me,” Pen places a hand over her chest to fuel the scene with more drama. “you’re not invited.”, which earns gasps and scoffs from him.

I lean my head on his shoulder, giving his hand two taps. “Yeah, Derek. Sorry,” I turn my face to him. “but, how are we supposed to have boy talk with you there?” the girls nod along in agreement and he smirks. 

“Boy talk, hun?” 

The thing is, Derek - much like every other person in the team... well, almost everyone - is well aware of my not-so-subtle crush on his oblivious friend and he never spares me some teasing. Thankfully, before he can take his teasing any further, I’m saved by the bell - and by the bell, I mean Henry and Jack. 

“Y/N/N, Y/N/N!” knowing how much I love magic, Henry starts pulling me towards Spencer, giving me only a second to hand my glass to Derek. “Look at this! Spencer, do it again, do it again!” 

“Yes, show Y/N the cool trick!” Jack says energetically after waving me over.

Spencer smiles at me, giving us a small nod, and turns his back to us to prepare himself for the show. I sit crisscross next to the giddy boys, feeling thrilled myself. “Alright,” Spencer turns around, observing his audience and clasping his hands together. “are you ready?” 

“Yes!” we eagerly respond in unison. 

“Y/N, I know you’re very fond of magic yourself.” I hum in agreement. “So, are you familiar with th- oh! Wait,” he furrows his brows and narrows his eyes, scanning my face for a millisecond. “what is this?” he steps closer to me, kneeling slightly and reaching for my face. The boys get more agitated and giggle. “This what?” I look back and forth between the magician and them, who immediately cover their mouths trying to conceil their giggles and to keep any secrets from escaping. “Excuse me.” Spencer mumbles before placing his hand on the side of my neck. 

This simple gesture - a shy touch, a brief moment of intimacy - is enough to make my heart skip a bit, and I’m sure Spencer notices the sudden change in my pulse because his gaze momentarily leaves the side of my face to my eyes before travelling back to its original spot.

“This.” suddenly, I feel a ghost-like touch on the back and side of my neck, and, ahead of me, all I see is Spencer pulling an endless thin colorful - scarf-looking - cloth. I can’t contain the laugh and loud snort that escape my lips, inciting the boys, Spencer and even the grown-ups over there to burst into laughter as well. 

By the time the entire cloth is out, my belly and cheeks ache and a tear is found in the corner of my eye. “Impressive, Doc! Very impressive as always.” he grins in return.

“Your turn, Y/N! Do a trick too, please” Jack suggests - well, orders basically since he knows I wouldn’t ever turn it down - and is backed up by an eager “yes!” from Henry. 

“Oh you also do tricks?” Spencer sounds less surprised that I do than that this fact was unknown to him. 

During some of my nights as Henry and Michael’s and/or Jack’s last-minute babysitter, I had to, in spite of how sweet and obedient they are, resort to desperate measures, such as magic tricks - some of which I’ve learned with the sole purpose of entertaining them. To Spencer, however, I’ve never had such opportunity. Not until now.

“Well, not as entertaining as yours, I’m sure, but yes.” I stand up, wiping bits of grass from my bottom.

“Umm, ok, I have a new one to show you, guys. I just… You wouldn’t have a deck of cards and a pen to lend me for a minute, would you?” 

“The pen, I don’t. The deck of cards, though,” he searches his pockets, pulling a standard - and well cared for - deck. “here.” he hands it to me.

“Thank you very much.” I cursty theatrically.

Jack runs back from God-knows-where with a black pen in hands. “Here, the pen. My dad said you could borrow it.” 

“Oh great! Thank you, Jack, and thank you, Aaron!” I raise my voice slightly at the end, nodding my head at Aaron and giving him a tight-lipped smile, which he mirrors.

“Okie, okie! Let’s start, shall we?” the boys exchange expectant glances and Spencer tilts his head, studying me and probably trying to predict my next moves. Hopefully, this will work. It’d be a shame failing in front not only of the boys - who, I’m sure, would never let me hear the end of it -, but also of Pretty Boy himself.

I shuffle the cards a little bit and open it, making a sort of fan with it and letting the faces and numbers face the ground. “Alright, boys, pick one card but don’t show it to me.” they both put their index fingers on the same card. “You can take it and let Spencer see.” the man standing to my left follows along and takes a peep at it. “Now, I want both of to draw whatever you feel like on it, ok? On the front.” 

As they take turns putting their art on the card, I turn to Spencer, who’s already got his curious eyes on me. “Be patient” mine tell him and he takes a sip of his wine.

“Done!” Henry looks up at me.

“Great, you can put it back on the stack then,” he does so. “Ok, now, to prove you I’m not cheating, Spencer’s going to shuffle the cards.” I hand them to him. “However you want and as many times as you wish.”

Once he’s done, I take them back. “So, now, I guarantee you the first card I show you is the exact one you’ve picked. Ready?” They nod along and I double-tap on the top of the stack. “Alright. This,” I lift the first card. “is your card.”

They immediately shake their heads negatively and my eyes go wide. “Wait, really?” Feeling Spencer smirking behind me, I turn the card to take a look at it. It really isn’t the one. “Shoot!” I exclaim disappointedly, sighing.

“No, no, it’s ok... It’s ok.” I quickly recompose myself. “The next will definitely be the right one.” with my eyes closed and my nose scrunched, I circle my free hand above the deck as if drawing in energy and conjuring magic. Double-tapping once more, I pull the card up, still not looking. 

When I open my eyes, I’m met with the boys’ scrunched noses and mischievous eyes as they, yet again, shake their heads no. “Oh no…”

This time, Spencer doesn’t even try conceiling his chuckle and has the audacity to comment “Oh, Y/N, you were too harsh on yourself earlier. This is much more entertaining than that little trick of mine.”, eliciting giggles from the kids. 

“No…” I pout. “Guys, have a little faith in me, please.”

I close my eyes and bring the cards, sandwiched between my palms, closer to my ear in an attempt to hear the magic somehow. “Oh!” I open my eyes. “Guys, come check this out!” with that, I pike their curiosity and they scoot closer to me. I turn the deck over, so all fronts are facing upwards, and open it completely. “The card is not here!” Henry gasps, noticing that their five of diamonds is missing. The boys take the cards from my hands and I fumble my fingers in the air as if trying to sense where their card is, humming in the process. 

“Ummm Jack, is there anything behind Henry’s ear?” The boy looks at me inquisitively and reaches for said spot. 

“Oh here!” he nearly shouts, pulling the missing five of diamonds and showing everyone. However, before anyone has the chance to celebrate my small victory, the absence of drawings on the card is brought up, shocking our spectators. “Where are our dinosaurs?” 

“Hey, Y/N, I hate being the party pooper,” ‘party pooper’? Coming from Dr. Spencer Walter Reid? Oh, this is news! “but it seems like you’ve just mixed two tricks and neither of them has worked.” Again, both boys laugh at it - at me -, siding with him.

“No, no, no! See, the thing about magic,” I narrow my eyes and tilt my head, gesticulating like the good Italian descendant my dad’s brought me up to be. “is that it requires a lot of concentration to work, and when you don’t focus enough on it, like I might have, it gets lost… Not completely lost, though! Uh, if we put our hearts to it, we can still find your dinosaurs, ok?” I crouch. “Can you help me out on this one?” I plead and extend my hands to them. They nod their heads and take my hands, we form something close to a circle, closing our eyes and letting magic speak. 

“Uh-oh! Oh, guys, I feel something!” 

“What is it?” and “Where are the dinosaurs?” are immediate and simultaneous reactions.

“Ummm, Spencer.” I turn to the man trying to contain his laughter at the scene that unfolds before his eyes. “Hm?” he tilts his head and raises his brows slightly, still smirking.

“Is there anything in your pockets right now?” 

“Aside from the silks, no.”

“Are you sure?” I tilt my head, contorting my lips a bit and squinting my eyes with curiosity, which he mirrors. He’s intrigued. Mission accomplished - I mean, not completely accomplished yet, but a success nonetheless.

“Well, you can check for yourself.” he opens his arms a little so I can inspect the inner pockets of his blazer. The right one is empty as expected. In the left one, my fingertips meet the colorful cloth and nothing else. 

“You’re right, Spencer.” I sigh “Only,” I start pulling the cloth out “the,” it’s now in the kids’ view “silks.” gasps and wows come from our audience. I turn to the two wide-eyed boys who are now rushing over to grab it from my hands. 

“How did you-?”

“It worked, Y/N! It worked!”

“This is so cool!”

I giggle, feeling Spencer’s baffled gaze switch between me and the dinousaur-printed cloth. I also hear applause coming from the rest of the team and a “they’ve beat Spencie at his own game! You go, love!” from the one and only Penelope Garcia. Glacing at the man in question, I catch him mouth agape, dazed eyes, and a smile threatening to take over his lips.

“Y/N/N, Y/N/N, can I keep it? It looks so pretty.” at this, I smile softly, shrugging a bit as I respond. “Well, it’s Spencer’s…” the three of us turn to the Good Doctor, who, pulled from his trance, nods vigorously and wets his bottom lip in the typical Spencer Reid style. “Yes. Definitely, Henry.” 

As the boys cheer, my dad, from the doorstep, catches everyone’s attention. “Dinner is ready, family.”

Strolling back to the house and quickly side-hugging JJ on the way, I sense a quite desperate, puzzled tall individual hot on my trail. In a breath, he catches up and starts walking side by side with me, causing me to smirk.

“How did you-” 

I don’t let him finish the much predictable question. “Oh, you don’t actually want to know the answer, Spencer.” while we cross the doorstep, I look at him from the corner of my eye, catching - once again - him already eyeing me. He opens his mouth before closing it and raises his hand before dropping it. In sympathy, I continue. “But, in case you do find yourself desperate for it, there’s something in your right pocket that might be helpful.” I can’t help smiling as the last words come out. And, without giving him the chance to question or ramble like he always does, I walk over to the dinner table, settling myself between Hotch and Tara.

As I sit down, I catch Spencer on the same spot I’ve left him, blushing as his brain processes - or at least tries to - what’s written on the little note. He quickly - yet carefully - folds it, puts it back in its original place, licks his lips once more - I wonder if he’s aware of how often he does that - and walks to the table. Our eyes lock and he smiles, in a slightly nervous - or is it excited? - way, taking his seat right across from mine.

Truth be told, Spencer’s known my number by heart for years now for I am my dad’s emergency contact. However, I was never the one to give it to him, just like he’s never been the one to call me. Hopefully, now that I’ve changed the former, the latter will also change.

[yuzukult]

candy stars || baekhyun & reader

title: candy stars pairing: reader x baekhyun genre: romance, soulmate!au words: ~5k+ prompt: soulmates unlock one of the five senses for people, some finally get the opportunity to feel, to see, to taste, to hear, or to smell. but what if you never find yours? notes: i decided i would make a soulmate story for each member of exo!! all stemming from a similar universe as city lights & under the moonlight. :) 

The wind that hits your face is brisk, the trademark characteristic for the November air, tinting your cheeks pink, pink like the juices of strawberries that you bite into, dripping onto your palms and sliding down your arms. But the pinks don’t signify the same thing— your cheeks are stained like a winter heather, growing in the colder months and bringing the only color in a garden with a white blanket that drapes over, and the strawberries are just a reminder of the warmer days, something that seems so out of reach.

Someone without a soulmate might lack this quality— to be able to see these shades or feel the changes of weather. But those senses weren’t absent from your life, but rather the taste of the strawberry, the sweetness that it spews and bursts on your tongue. Instead, there’s nothing. Emptiness is what fills you, without the understanding of what sugar is and what people mean when they crave the treats or when there’s a comparison to a love that’s like confectionery.

Cups filled with hot chocolate steams out from the covers, the scent saturating your nose. You knew what it smelled like, the sweetness, but once bringing the warm liquid to your lips, the expectations for the taste dissipates.

“You sure you don’t want to try some?” Chanyeol asks, lifting up the styrofoam cup in his hand, offering some of the delicious goodness to you. “It tastes good.”

“I assume that it tastes good. Did you already forget? I don’t know what sweet is, Chanyeol.” Rolling your eyes at the older male, you stuff your hands into the pockets of your puffy jacket. “You only have one younger sister and you don’t even remember what qualities she’s lacking?”

“Other than the fact you have no soul and you’re lacking the quality of being a decently nice person—“

You shove your older sibling as he winces, hand trying to stabilize the drink but fails, some spilling out. “Hey!”

“If you maybe weren’t so rude—“

“Are you two really fighting again?” A familiar voice chimes in, snapping both of your heads in the direction of the melodic sound.

There he stands, handsome as ever, with his amber locks flowing in the route of the breeze. Hearing his voice again brought chills down your spine, warming your claimed cold heart, causing you to swallow. “Baekhyun, you’re back.” He’s gifting you with his soft smiles, so beautiful that if it were awarded for the impact it brings into a room, he’d win.

“As per requested by two out of the three Park siblings, I am here. You wanted me in Seoul and you got me, so, what did the two of you have in store for me?”

Baekhyun was always Chanyeol’s best friend, from beginning to end, hopefully. They’d have each other’s backs like the friendship between two main characters of a sitcom, constantly glued at each other’s sides until University hit. Baekhyun decided to go out of his comfort zone, residing somewhere in the outskirts of the countryside. Chanyeol stayed near home, or your difficult mother would be left alone with you after your eldest sister eloped with her now husband.

There was always something inside of you that had crushed on Baekhyun, but you knew that being Chanyeol’s little sister meant it was off limits. Nonetheless, you kept your focus on finding your soulmate instead, eager to find sweetness on your tongue.

“Should we head out for a quick bite?” Baekhyun suggests, nuzzling his nose into the scarf that wraps around his neck cozily. “We can catch up and plan everything there.”

The two of you agree, following Baekhyun whilst he raves about a cafe that he encountered over yelp and instagram one day. He states, “it’ll make you rethink what desserts you actually like,” and you want to remind him that you can’t taste sweets, but the eager expression on his face halts you from doing so.

Entering in the cafe, the bell rings simultaneously as the door opens in invitation. The aroma of the baked goods inundated your sense of smell to that point you can almost feel yourself relishing in the flavors until you come back to reality, recollecting that it doesn’t exist for you. Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s expressions were opposite from yours, inhibiting pure bliss.

“Ah, I totally forgot. My little sister here, the party pooper, doesn’t have a sense of taste.” Chanyeol glances over at you, nose and cheeks red from the harsh winter weather, gaze hinting for desperate approval. “Are you okay with eating here?”

“Well, we’re already here, aren’t we?”

“We could always go for something else, if you want. Is it just taste in general or a flavor?” Baekhyun jumps in, eyes wary. “There’s a pizza place next door if you’d prefer.”

“No,” You shake your head in response, bouncing on the balls of your feet in order to gain some warmth. “We can eat here. I can’t taste sugary things. You guys seem like you want to try it, and I want to enjoy the looks on your faces.”

“What’d you order?” You and Chanyeol are seated beside each other, previously waiting patiently for Baekhyun to bring the tray of drinks and pastries. Your mouth waters at how beautifully crafted they are and the pleasant odor that fills the room.

“I got the famous strawberry smoothies for the both of us,” He says, sitting across from the two of you, placing the glass cups onto the table. “And for you,” he then gestures at the dark iced liquid that drips in condensation in your view, “iced americano. It’s bitter, but I figured you’d at least be able to enjoy something rather than... nothing.”

On the tray sits several different types of pastries, over salivating the mouths to those who have a sweet tooth. In the midst of the conversation, Chanyeol and Baekhyun discussed the ideas of where to go for their annual winter trip, and you couldn’t help but trail your eyes all over Baekhyun.

He’s aged since you’ve last seen him— he’s grown into those baby cheeks of his, well, kind of, but he has upgraded from cute to handsome. After he’d slip off his thick camel trench coat and hangs it over the back of his chair, you’d become aware of how even a plain black t-shirt is snug on his frame and the sight of him makes you breathless. Baekhyun was the epitome of a character in a film where he’s the main character’s brother’s best friend that is just a little too old for you, yet a guy everyone falls for.

In this film— he’s your brother’s best friend who’s overly kind, shooting warm smiles your way, and for some odd reason, always there whenever you need him the most. Baekhyun was a dream, a dream that would never come true, and you knew this because being near him never unlocked your sense of sweetness. There was a bit of disappointment when you came to that recognition but nonetheless, he was the candy on the highest shelf you’d come to admire, desiring it but knowing it was out of reach.

“What do you think of the raspberry croissant?”

“Who would’ve thought that people would put raspberry and croissant together? This is... truly an art.”

A light hearted laugh escapes from Baekhyun’s grin, shaking his head at your brother’s response. “Dude, it’s just raspberry jam and a croissant, I’m sure plenty of places have it. I’m talking about how they made this— like, how soft yet crispy it is and the jam alone is just...” fingers pointed and pressed together in his hands, he gives it a chef’s kiss, “... perfection.”

Tearing a piece of the pastry off from Chanyeol’s hand as your brother reacts with a whimper, he holds it by your mouth with his own open, gesturing you to do the same. “Open up.”

“Why?” You question, raising a brow. “Because, even though you can’t taste it doesn’t mean it hurts to try. Open wide.”

You think it’s pointless, Baekhyun’s pursuit, but you can never say no to him so you comply, mouth slightly agape as he pushes the pastry in between your lips.

And for a moment, you almost thought you tasted something new.

Your taste buds tingle, sparking something within before the sweetness disappeared, causing your heart to race. The two men watched you in complexity as you grabbed Chanyeol’s drink, attempting to regain that feeling again.

“What’s wrong?” Baekhyun asks, brows furrowed in confusion. “Did it have a funny taste?”

Sipping the smoothie through the straw, your expectations disappeared once again when the only outcome of it was the cold liquid going down your throat. “I... swore I was able to taste the sweetness.”

“How do you know that it was sweet?”

“It’s the only flavor I’ve never had before.”

“Oh please,” Chanyeol interjects, cheeks full of the pastry. “If you could taste that sense right now, that would mean Baekhyun is your soulmate. That could never happen!”

Walking down the streets of Seoul, Chanyeol stops by a shop, actively looking for a gift for his lovely girlfriend, leaving you and Baekhyun standing by the exit of the store, waiting patiently.

“Speaking of... I never knew what quality you lacked for not meeting your soulmate. What is it, Baek?” He hums for a moment, playing with some of the knick knacks that sit on the shop shelves. “I can’t smell.”

“Wait— you can’t smell? At all?”

He shakes his head, shoving his hands into the front pockets of his trench coat. “Nope, nothing. That’s why I wear a shit ton of deodorant and try to go easy on the cologne. I can’t tell what’s too much.” How could Baekhyun not be able to smell? He loved food— always moaning at what you assumed was the pleasant aromas that filled the room, but now when you think about it, you never noticed how he never talked about the scent of things.

“But... you always smell so good,” You blurt, cheeks flushing crimson when you realize what you said. “I mean... you smell good whenever you walk by and I get a whiff of you.”

He chuckles, voice smooth and thick like honey, music to your ears. “Do I? I never knew what ‘natural smell’ I had. I heard people have it but I’ve never been able to actually... you know, experience that.”

Your brother had a majorly contrasting experience compared to you and Baekhyun— he didn’t lack any of his senses. In fact, he’s part of the portion of the population that possessed a marking, resembling one that his own soulmate has. 

Chanyeol and Baekhyun were a textbook example of the outcomes of finding your soulmate. Chanyeol got to meet his, and despite the fact he rejected the belief that she truly was his mate, he eventually caved and fell in love with her. However, he never lacked anything. He just had a marking in resemblance to hers— the only identification he had to determine if she was his soulmate. But Baekhyun was the same age as your brother and hadn’t even gone close to meeting his. There were people who never got to meet their ‘the one’ but found love elsewhere, close in comparison. It wasn’t impossible to fall in love with someone who isn’t your mate, but who wouldn’t want to meet their soulmate?

“We found your soulmate.”

“What?”

You think, maybe it was a good idea you signed up for that research group on the flier that hung in the public bathroom stall of your university with a link to their website. If this was legitimately your soulmate, a session on the toilet was the beginning of how you found the true love of your life.

“Park...” The worker on the other line hesitated, reading what you assume is on the piece of paper resting in front of her before she says your name. “We are about 95% sure this person is your soulmate. But the problem is... he’s on his deathbed.”

“Excuse me?” Death bed? What did she mean? You’d just found out that someone knows who your soulmate is and they’re already telling you that he’s dying? “He’s... sick?”

“Yes,” she says, voice filled with concern and empathy. “It’s actually how we found out. His medical records are in the system, and we tried to match it to what was in your DNA from the research study you signed up for, and the soulmate component matched.”

You’re quiet for a moment, unsure how to respond with so much information being thrown at you. It was difficult to absorb. “So... now what? I lose a soulmate?”

“Well... we suggest you to at least meet him. Spend his last moments with him, and get to know who he is. He lacks the sense of taste for sweetness too, you know. Maybe... you both can get to experience it for the first and last time.”

First and last. All your life, you thought meeting your soulmate would lead you to the direction of feeling fulfilled— filled with awakened taste buds, traveling the world and being able to eat foods that you’d never been able to have before.

But that’s gone. All of that is gone. Your soulmate apparently only has 2 months left to live. You’d have to come to terms that once those two months are up, you really won’t be able to do those things again.

“How are you feeling?” Baekhyun asks, sitting on the stool by your kitchen island, fingers tapping anxiously against the granite top. He never fails to hop on the first train back to Seoul when you needed someone by your side. “You’re supposed to go meet him at the hospital this afternoon, right?”

“Yeah,” you sigh, drinking the tea that Chanyeol had finished brewing for you, deciding that he would be gentler with you today after finding out the news. “I was told he was on the verge of death the other day, but they were able to pull him out before they lost him. But after that, he told the doctors and nurses he didn’t want to be saved anymore. So... he has two months left.”

“Even when they told him they found his soulmate?” You nod slowly, tiredness evident in your eyes. “I guess it isn’t worth fighting anymore. How can I blame him though? He’s been sick for years. I can only imagine the pain and suffering he has been through.”

“Uh, hi.” You choke up after knocking on the window of the door quietly. “I’m.. uh,”

“My soulmate,” The man finishes, voice hoarse. He sounds gentle and kind, but his face shone exhaustion and ache. “I’m happy you decided you wanted to meet me, in spite of the selfish decision I made.”

“It’s okay to be selfish,” You retort, gifts in hand as you approach to the side of his bed. “You’ve been suffering for so long.”

“If only I met you sooner,” He says with a soft smile, and just the sight alone made it feel like all your worries had gone away. He’s beautiful, regardless of the state he’s in, and you could only imagine what he looked like when he was up and going. Skin pale as ice and lips chapped from the treatments, he looks cold and frozen, but right when he tugged the edges of his mouth upwards for you, you’re the one who melts. “Then there would���ve been something worth fighting for. Right now, it’s too unbearable. I hope you forgive me—“

“Don’t say that,” you quickly interject, taking the seat next to him. “I could never hate you. You’re my soulmate, how could I?”

“You won’t get to taste the sweetness again when I go.” He says shakily, eyes tearing up as you lean over to swipe your thumb against the skin of his cheek, the wetness smearing away, “It’s okay. I get to try it just for a little bit, and that’s all that matters. I got to see you, I got to taste the flavor that people describe good things as. When you are finally at peace, I go back to where I was before, yes, but I got to meet you and that makes it all worthwhile.”

You two of you spent almost everyday together. Eventually, he officially introduces himself as Cha Eunwoo, just a year older than yourself. He shares stories about how he used to be a rock climber, hands full of calluses to prove it, before he learns he has leukemia. He mentions how he developed the symptoms about a year ago, when the thing he loved the most became a chore— bones weak and tired, constantly getting chills and fevers occurring. He’d occasionally go climbing, despite his fatigue, and he’d find himself bruising easily compared to initially. Deciding to finally go to the doctor, albeit his efforts to avoid them by ditching his yearly visits, he’d been diagnosed with the cancer, his future deteriorating before his eyes.

You’d bring sweets for him almost daily, along with a meal. Whether lunch or dinner, you made sure your presence was known. Eunwoo deserved the best few months of his life, and knowing him for just a week made you realized how much of an impact he had on your life.

More than the first time the both of you try sweets.

“Let’s try it at the same time.”

“On the count of three?”

Both holding a cupcake in hand, wax paper already peeled off, you eye each other mischievously, ready to take your first bites of the dessert.

“One,” He says teasingly, waiting for you to continue.

“Two,” You continue onto his antics, a grin stretched across your face.

“Three!” With that and mouths open wide, as a couple, you chomp on the delight, eyes almost rolling to the back of your heads.

Chocolate cupcake with buttercream frosting— a classic that Chanyeol suggested— pretty much sparking inner fireworks on your tongue. You’d never experienced this feeling before; it had been a different kind of bliss, one you never knew you were missing out on. You finally understand why Chanyeol and Baekhyun were raving about the café you visited the other day; your brother texting his group chat of friends that they have to come here next time. With such a feeling from eating a cupcake from a franchise grocery store and obtaining this deep of a sensation— you could only imagine trying that café again.

“Holy fuck,” Eunwoo curses, bulging eyes and remains of the baked good on his face that exasperates a laugh from you. “That shit... is fucking good.” There’s a twinkle in his eyes that you catch, and your heart clenches at the sight.

You get why people compare their loved ones to sweets. How when old couples call their significant others “sweetheart” or “sweetie.” Or when Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s faces lit up in glee at the thought of inhaling those baked goods at that café a couple months ago, mouths watering at the thought of their tongues tasting the sweetness of the desserts. It was a feeling you never thought you’d long for until now.

Eunwoo was sweet, you think to yourself. His hair is dark as the chocolate in the cupcake, and his voice sounds as sugary and smooth as the frosting. The first bite of the common baked good is a reminder of how addicting being with Eunwoo is, like the taste of the cupcake and how you can’t seem to get enough of it. Your eyes trail to his lips— so plump and pink, just like strawberries and you’re suddenly curious on what the fruit tastes like, but your mind is flooded with the thought of how his lips tasted like. 

Bold is what you’re feeling today. You figure that if this was your last shot to make a move on him, you’d regret it later. And life... Well life is always full of regrets, but you didn’t want this to be one of them.

Seated on the edge of his hospital bed, his brows are raised questioning at the shift of atmosphere. “What is it?”

“I just... don’t move.” Pushing your weight on your arm that rests by his leg, you lean in, eyes fluttering shut since pressing your lips gingerly onto his.

Eunwoo didn’t just taste sweet, Eunwoo was sweet. 

Reality hits hard, even if you already know what the future holds. 

Your soulmate passes peacefully in his sleep a month ago, and the thought of him disappearing from your life is a constant indication that the nightmare was your reality. The memories of Eunwoo are embedded into your head, his face reoccurring in your dreams only made you mourn harder.

“Are you sure you’re fine? Your drink is melting.” A voice interrupts your thoughts.

Baekhyun invites you out for coffee, ordering you an iced americano like he did last time. It’s just the two of you for this occasion, and you don’t question the absence of your older brother from your mind being fogged up of the loss of Eunwoo.

“I’m... holding up. I’ll be okay later,” You assure the older male, attempting to pull the edges of your mouth into a smile. It’s harder to showcase your jubilance lately but thankfully Baekhyun doesn’t probe you to. “Thanks for getting this for me, by the way. I guess I’m still trying to get used to the fact I can’t enjoy dessert beverages anymore.”

He shrugs slightly in response, opening the plastic packaging off his blueberry muffin. “I know you’re going through a lot, Eunwoo sounded like a nice guy and I wish I could’ve met him. But... he’d want you to keep living your life. Don’t stop yourself from doing the things you want to do because you met him and he’s gone now.”

“It just feels... so wrong to do things without him because he’s my soulmate.”

“Well, I can almost guarantee that Eunwoo would be pissed if you weren’t at least trying to put yourself in a good mood.”

He... wasn’t wrong, but you’d never tell Baekhyun that he was right about anything. Maybe you’d try— just a little more for Eunwoo. You got to meet him, learn who he was as a person, and even though Baekhyun never met the guy, his observation and assumption of him was spot on. Straightening your slouching back in the seat, you lean over to take a sip of your drink, eyeing his selection off the menu.

Changing the topic at the sight of his drink, you burst out, “What... the hell did you even order?”

Baekhyun hums for a moment, lips pursed in thought. “I think this is a vanilla, caramel, java chip frap.”

“What?” He laughs at your distorted facial expression, peeling the plastic off the straw fore poking it into the top of the drink. Peculiarly, he brings the cup to your lips. “Try it yourself.”

“Baekhyun, what’s the point of trying—“

“I said try it, Park. Give it a shot.” Watching him doubtfully as you tilt your body toward his offering, your mouth opens in invitation as he brings the drink closer to you. Sucking on the straw for a brief moment, it hits.

It hits. 

The drink wasn’t only cold— it was sweet. 

“Is this— but how? This is so sweet, Baekhyun!” Taking a moment to let the taste sink in, your face winces in realization at how sweet it is. “Baek, why is this so sweet, I swear that just that one sip alone could give me diabetes.”

He watches you attentively, placing the cup back onto the table. “You taste it, right? You actually taste it?”

“Yeah, I do. But how? When Eunwoo passed, the taste disappeared. I thought I’d never experienced it again... unless...”

There’s silence between the two of you. Thoughts started to flood your head; what did this mean? Why did you suddenly get the taste back? Eunwoo was gone, and you were absolutely sure of it because you attended his open casket funeral. And why was Baekhyun so persistent with you trying sweets?

“I know this sounds weird, but there’s a theory.” Reclining in his seat, he takes in a deep breath before wiping his hands on a nearby napkin. “I’ve read somewhere that there are more than one soulmates to a person, and that possibly when one passes, it means the opportunity to meet your next one is... well, possible.” You don’t say anything but gesture your head for him to continue.

“My soulmate passed too. I never got to meet her but I found out that she passed because I joined that research group when you told me about it. They informed me that they found her in the system, but she had gotten into a car accident when she was young. I honestly thought I’d never get to smell anything— ever.” Pausing for a moment, he tightens his lips at the memory of a couple months ago. “Then... remember when we were here last time and you thought you could taste that raspberry croissant? That same exact moment, I actually... smelled that. My sense of smell was so strong in fact that I could smell Chanyeol’s fart that he passed moments after.”

“What are you saying?” You blurt.

“I’m saying, that moment we got our senses might be that very moment Eunwoo almost died.”

You recall the conversation you had with the woman on the other line when she delivered the news that they had found your soulmate. How Eunwoo was barely holding on, and days before he was on the verge of death before the nurses were able to save him. 

“It’s crazy, I know. I couldn’t stop thinking about it. And honestly, I couldn’t even stop thinking about you. Hearing Chanyeol constantly tell me about how you’re with Eunwoo almost everyday pretty much broke me, but I know that he’s biologically your soulmate, so what am I supposed to do?”

Did... Baekhyun just confess?

Unsure of what to say to his words, you abruptly grab his drink again, startling him as you slurp aggressively. Sweet, cold, sweet. It was disgusting, you had to admit, with all these flavors in one drink, but there was no denying how in awe you were that you could even taste it. 

“Baekhyun, this is disgusting.”

“I honestly only picked that drink because I wanted to test the waters.”

And with that, he was able to bring your lips into a beaming smile for the first time since Eunwoo’s death.

The thought of your brother’s cool best friend falling in love with you sounds like a cliche, something you never thought yourself could be reality. After meeting Eunwoo, it felt like the end, something that most people who lose the love of their lives feel, as though there isn’t a purpose anymore. But hearing Baekhyun pour his heart out to you, even knowing he had to suck up his feelings for you when he finds out you’ve met your soulmate, makes you believe again. Believe that there’s more to life, even when your mate is gone, and it’s worthwhile to keep exploring.

And although your wishes were to explore with Eunwoo, exploring with Baekhyun sounded just as good. 

Baekhyun wouldn’t replace Eunwoo, is what you learn. He’d occupy another part of your heart, loving you the way that Eunwoo would have, and honoring his previous role in your life.

“Chanyeol, you put way too much sugar in that.”

“I’m starting to miss when you didn’t meet your soulmate.” Your brother grimaces, swatting you away with his spatula. He was attempting to recreate your mom’s kimchi jjigae, which you tried to tell him that she doesn’t even put sugar in it, to which he argues that you’re not a professional in tasting things. “I also miss when Baekhyun was mine.”

You fail to notice Baekhyun’s feelings for you over time— his effort to travel from the countryside to come see you on occasion during his college years and incessantly telling Chanyeol to invite his little sister when he really didn’t want to. Even attending family gatherings as Chanyeol’s guest, when really he wanted to charm your parents in case he’d ever get the chance to win your heart one day. Chanyeol wasn’t supportive of Baekhyun’s feelings for you only because he didn’t want him to interfere with the opportunity to meet your soulmate— only late to find out that Baekhyun is your soulmate.

“Baekhyun is still yours, you idiot, or else we wouldn’t be here right now.”

“Are you telling me that you don’t want to spend time with your only brother?”

“Honestly, Yeol, I rather not—“

“Whoa whoa whoa, what’s going on here? Are the Park siblings fighting yet again?” As usual, Baekhyun enters into the kitchen, handsome as ever dressed in a simple basic t-shirt still hitches your breath. He slides his arm underneath yours, snaking it around your waist to pull into his embrace, resting his chin on your shoulder. “I thought we discussed not having a fist fight with Chanyeol this weekend and trying to be civil.”

Squinting your eyes at the taller male, you scrunch your nose despite softening in the warmth of Baekhyun. “I’m trying. But Yeol here isn’t great at compromising.”

“I told you. All you have to do is return Baek to me and we’re all good.”

“You have a girlfriend! Why are you trying to steal my boyfriend from me? Don’t you get enough love from her?”

“I want Baek’s love.”

“There’s enough love to go around, stop fighting!” In contempt of his tone, he was amused. His ego must be inflating that very moment. Chanyeol frowns, turning away to the sink to dispose of his utensils.

Precipitously, Baekhyun swings his head to face you, a mischievous smirk on his face. “What?” You furrow your brows questioningly before he surprisingly plants a kiss on your lips.

“Nothing... you just smell really good.”

And Baekhyun... tasted sweet like honey. 

Baekhyun is sweet.

[gabriel-agreste-has-no-rights]

Rating: G

Summary: While Marinette is helping Adrien and the boys clean up after the guys-only party, she accidentally crashes a kwamis-only party. (Party Crasher identity reveal fic)

Word Count: 3361

Notes: I haven’t written one of these in a while, but it was for an anon from the episode-divergent identity reveal fic requests.  I’ll probably still keep doing these periodically, but I still have a few mlbforblm commissions/prizes to finish up, so it might be a while.

XXX

“I can put those up!”  Marinette offered quickly as Adrien scooped up a pile of costumes.  It was hard to see so much evidence of the party she’d been locked out of, but she was determined to make the most of it now.

She’d gotten to spend time with Adrien in the end.  Hopefully next time she could do it without lying, but she couldn’t pretend she regretted it.

He shot her one of his award-winning smiles, the ones that made her knees weak.  “Thanks, Marinette.  You can just leave them in the closet. I’ll fold them later.”

“No problem!”  

She accepted the bundle of sequins and silk without a stutter.  It was hard to feel embarrassed when he’d seen her dressed as “Marino” and still wanted her around.

He’d seen her in her pajamas, bought her constipation medicine, let her sleep on his shoulder, and most recently, watched her dance to Station Nation as a mustachioed biker.  If all of that hadn’t convinced him she was completely insane, maybe he really could like her.

That thought had her walking on clouds as she rearranged the pile of clothes in her arms to open the closet.

When she turned the handle, the clothes promptly fell to the ground.

“Go, go, go, go!”  Kaalki was chanting as Plagg sprayed whipped cream into Xuppu’s mouth.  It would’ve been ridiculous enough even if they weren’t inside Adrien’s closet.

But they were.  Why?  How?  If anyone else had seen them here—!

Sass hissed at the others, trying to grab their attention.  Kaalki kept chanting until Marinette quietly shut the door behind her, leaving them in the dim lights rimming the top shelves.

“Marinette.”  Sass touched his arms together and bowed his head respectfully.  

“What’s going on?”  She finally demanded.  “I swear, Plagg, if you crashed Adrien’s party because you wanted cheese again—” 

“Y-yeah!”  Plagg tried to hide the whipped cream behind his back.  Considering the can was twice his height, it didn’t do much good.  “You know me.  Can’t resist a good wedge of Camembert.  I already ate it all though, so don’t expect me to share!”

Tikki flew out of Marinette’s purse.  Her antennae twitched with anger.

“You remember what happened last time you went across Paris to steal cheese!  You got us all captured by a supervillain!”

“Relax, sugarcube!  Hawkmoth already crashed this party once.  He won’t think to do it again.  Besides, Master Fu’s close enough to help if anything went wrong.”

“We rarely get out of the Miracle Box at the same time.”  Kaalki pressed her hooves together.  “Pleeease, Tikki, don’t be mad.”

“Aww, who cares if she’s mad?  Tikki’s always been a party pooper.”  Xuppu crossed his arms and stuck out his tongue.

“You mean she’s always had good sense.”  Wayzz stuck his head out from inside… a Barbie Dream House?  

Yep, it was definitely a dollhouse peaking out from under the hangers of shirts.  Marinette hadn’t expected Adrien to play with dolls.  The thought was adorable enough to make her grin before she remembered she was supposed to be angry.

“I can’t believe you, Wayzz,” Tikki huffed.  “You’re Master Fu’s kwami!  You’re supposed to know better!  Did Carapace corrupt you already?”

Wayzz gave a sheepish smile.  “Well, Master Carapace does know how to ‘let loose’… but in this case, it was all Kaalki’s idea.”

“Me?”  Kaalki looked aghast.  “I only wanted to see the inside of a house as glorious as Monsieur Agreste’s!  It was Xuppu who decided to throw a party.”

“Yeah, it’s my first time out of the box in a century!  I deserve to celebrate!”

Marinette’s eyes flickered between the kwamis as all of them—including Tikki—dissolved into bickering.

“Quiet!”  She said as forcefully as she could without raising her voice.  Adrien’s door seemed thick enough to block sound—she hadn’t heard the kwamis from outside, anyway—but she didn’t want to push her luck.  “It doesn’t matter whose fault this is.  The point is, I can’t let you all throw a party in a civilian’s closet.  It’s too dangerous.”

“More dangerous than Master Fu coming to a party here himself?”  Wayzz asked.

Marinette sighed.  She’d been surprised to see Master Fu today, too.  She supposed she couldn’t expect the kwamis to be better behaved than their Master.

“Do you all have your miraculouses?” She asked.  “Or did you leave them with your temporary holders?”

“I have been guarding them,” Wayzz said in resignation.  He flew back into the Barbie house and returned with a stack of four hexagonal boxes.

“Alright, everyone,” Marinette looked over each of the kwamis, “now I’m the party crasher.  It’s time you all went back to Master Fu.  No arguing.”

“That isss likely for the besssst.” Sass’s head hung.  “Until next time, Plagg. Tikki.”

He accepted his miraculous box dolefully, then flew out through the back wall.

“So not cool.”  Xuppu stuck his tongue out at Marinette one last time for good measure.  It was hard to blame him.  If he hadn’t been out in over a hundred years, how could he really understand how dangerous it was?

Except he’d been there for the incident with Kwami Buster.  So either he was lying, or he didn’t count helping Multimouse fight the akuma.

“At least let me take this fabulous ‘whipp-ed cream’ back to our world?”  Kaalki asked with huge, pleading eyes.

“Alright.  That can’t hurt.”  Marinette nodded.

“Oh, thank you, thank you!”  She nuzzled Marinette’s cheek before balancing the miraculous and the spray can together.  Marinette wasn’t quite sure how the kwami managed to get them through the wall, but she did.

“My humblest apologies for their behavior,” Wayzz said before leaving as well.  Maybe he was afraid that if he hesitated, Tikki or Marinette would chew him out again.

That only left one kwami hovering in front of her.

“Hehe.  Guess I should get back to Chat Noir.  Smell ya later, sugarcube!”

“Oh, no you don’t.”  Tikki grabbed his tail.  “I know that no matter what they said, you’re the one behind this.  You’ve been nothing but irresponsible since you’ve been out!  I know your owner is lenient with you, but you can’t keep doing this.” 

“Easy for you to say.”  Plagg tugged his tail back.  “I’m the kwami of destruction.  Rules are made to be broken!”

“Could you two be quiet?”  Marinette rubbed her temples.  “If someone hears you, we’ll all be in trouble.  Now just—use your head next time, okay Plagg?”

“Fine.”  He huffed before finally flying out through the wall.

“That was a close one,” Tikki said.  “I can’t believe they’d throw a party like that!  And not even invite me!”

Marinette raised her eyebrows, and the kwami giggled sheepishly.

“I mean… oh, I wish we could have parties too, Marinette.”  She slumped.  “But I know it’s not safe.  Even when we gathered together for Nooroo’s cycle, we left you and Chat Noir alone and created an opening for Hawkmoth.”

“Oh, Tikki.”  Marinette opened her arms, and her kwami nuzzled the crook of her neck.  It had to be lonely, spending most of her day stuck in a purse, never seeing her friends… 

In fact, it sounded all too much like the life Adrien had thrown this party to escape from.  Worse, because Adrien at least got to see their friends at school.  Tikki never got to visit the other kwamis.

“Maybe a surprise party is too dangerous, but we could see how Master Fu feels about having a few kwamis stay with us sometimes,” Marinette suggested.  “If I’m supposed to be the next Guardian, it would be a good idea anyway, right?  I’ll get to know the kwamis, you’ll get to hang out with your friends…”

Tikki’s eyes glistened in the dim light.  “You’d really do that for me?” 

“Of course I would!  I know we’re friends, but you deserve to see your other friends, too.”  Marinette crouched down, fiddling with the door of the Barbie house.  “Maybe I can even get you a cute dollhouse like this for you guys to have sleepovers in.”

It was huge; she would’ve killed to have one like it as a kid.  ...Okay, maybe she still would.  Not only would it be the perfect size for Tikki, but it would go well with her Ladybug and Chat Noir dolls, and…

Apparently Adrien thought so, too. A Ladybug figurine sat at the kitchen table with a model Chat Noir.  They both looked like top-of-the-line action figures.  Of course, Adrien could afford the best.

Curious, Marinette poked around a bit more.  A hot pink car with sharpied-on black spots sat in the garage.  The bedroom, oddly, didn’t have a bed—not a toy one, anyway.  It looked more like a black sock wadded up into a little lump.

“It is a sock.”

“Don’t touch it, Marinette!  It might be important to him.  What if he finds out you went through his things?”

“Oh, it’s not like this is the first time.  Besides, aren’t you curious what his fancy dollhouse is doing with a sock for a bed?”  She picked it up.  “I wonder if it’s supposed to be some kind of sleeping bag…?”

That was when she noticed the green embroidery along the toe.  It was haphazard and awkward, as if done by a beginner.

“Oh no.”  Tikki shut her eyes as Marinette finally parsed out what the embroidery said.  It was only one word long.

Plagg.

“Oh.  That makes more sense.”  Marinette laughed.  “Plagg must have left it behind after their party.  Of course Adrien wouldn’t have a sock in his dollhouse.  Do you think Chat Noir made it?  That’s really cute of him, actually.”

“Y-yeah, I’m sure Chat Noir made it.  You should just put it back.  I’m sure Plagg will come back for it.”

“But then Adrien might see him!  I should bring it back during patrol.  Then I’ll have proof that his kwami was off partying, too.”

Satisfied, Marinette was about to stick it in her pocket.  But then the door opened.

“Marinette?”  Adrien stood silhouetted by the outside light.  “Oh, good.  I was worried you got lost in here—”

His eyes landed on the sock in her fist.  He scrambled to shut the door behind him.

“Marinette, it’s not what you think!”  He waved his hands, but Marinette could hardly process that.  She was in a cramped closet with Adrien!  Well, not exactly cramped—his closet could’ve fit, like, five of hers in it—but still, it was just the two of them alone, and—what if her breath stunk?  He could probably smell it since he was so close, but he was busy staring…

At Tikki.

Oh.

Oh no.

“Marinette, you’re…”  He laughed and ran a hand through his hair, pointing his other between Tikki and her.  “You’re Ladybug.  You’re Ladybug!”

Marinette panicked.  Acting on instinct, she went to slap her hand over his mouth—forgetting that she was still holding Plagg’s sock.

Her soul left her body.  She’d basically shoved a smelly sock in her crush’s mouth!  This was worse than being outed as Marino, the mustachioed biker.  Probably even worse than Adrien discovering she was Ladybug.

“Adrien—I’m so sorry—I—Tikki, is there a Lucky Charm that can make it so that didn’t happen?”

“I’m not Sass.  I can’t turn back time.”  Tikki sighed.  “Oh, Plagg is never going to let me live this down...”

Adrien spat the sock out into his palm.  “It’s okay, Marinette.  I should’ve known better than to startle you.  And—and I’m really sorry, too.  I know you didn’t want us to share our identities.”

“But I already know you’ve been a superhero before.  When I gave you the snake miraculous?”  Marinette’s brow furrowed.  Maybe that was why Sass had felt comfortable hiding in Adrien’s closet.  But they’d barely been together for a few minutes, unless Sass also remembered all 25,913 time loops…

Adrien deserved a hundred parties after having to go through that.

Tikki slapped her forehead for some reason.  Adrien’s head tilted.

“That’s not really the same thing as knowing I’m Chat Noir.”

Marinette’s jaw dropped.  Adrien was… Adrien was…

Oh.  That… actually explained some things.  And left her more confused about others.

But Plagg flew out of Adrien’s overshirt, shattering whatever was left of her denial.

“Hey, sugarcube.  Long time no see.”  He grinned.

Tikki smacked her head again.  “We were so close.”

“Yep.  Your holder’s pretty stupid.  I really thought she wasn’t gonna figure it out.”

“Marinette’s not stupid!”  Adrien scowled at Plagg.  “She’s the perfect Ladybug.  Besides, she found out who I am because of your stinky sock!”

Marinette could barely breathe.  Adrien called her perfect.  

Adrien was also her partner.  Adrien made bad puns and knew how to moonwalk.  Adrien had tried to kiss her.

“Plagg’s right.  I am stupid.”

“My Lady, no.”  Adrien stepped forward to wrap his arms around her.  Adrien’s arms.  Adrien’s scent.  As if her brain wasn’t already fizzling out as it was.  

“It’s my fault,” he continued.  “I should’ve known better than to have you come in here.  Plagg’s Barbie house is more conspicuous than I thought, I guess.”  He winced.

“Oh, heh, about that…”  Plagg trailed off before pointing at Tikki.  “It’s sugarcube’s fault!”

“Plagg!”

“What?  It is!  Pigtails was never gonna put two and two together.  If my kid didn’t see you—”

“He already assumed Marinette knew, since she’s holding your stinky sock!”

“Should we just let them duke it out?”  Adrien whispered with a small grin.

Marinette giggled.  Maybe she should’ve been more worried, all things considered—but Adrien was Chat Noir.  And he was still hugging her.  She might’ve been a bit more lenient about their secret identities had she known who her partner would turn out to be.

Maybe Plagg was right, and some rules were made to be broken.

“If you think this is bad, you should’ve seen all the kwamis in here earlier.”

“All the kwamis?”  Adrien’s eyes widened.  “You mean, not just Plagg?”

“You didn’t have a clue, did you?  You weren’t the only one who decided to throw a party today.”

“I didn’t actually decide to. Nino and the guys just showed up.  But if you crashed a kwami party… I’m just lucky it’s you who came in here.”

That was true.  It could’ve been much worse if any of the other boys had found the kwamis.  They might have told someone, who could’ve told someone else, who might have been smarter than her and assumed Adrien was a miraculous holder.

She could still hardly believe she’d missed it.  In the dim lighting, she could paint Chat Noir’s mask over his eyes.  When he’d been Mister Bug, his irises had even been the same.

“Marinette?”  Adrien bit his lip.  “Is this… I mean, are we okay?  I’m glad you’re not freaking out or anything, but… are we going to have to give up our kwamis?”

Not give up their miraculouses.  Their kwamis.  Marinette didn’t miss how Plagg curled protectively into the crook of Adrien’s neck.  Plagg’s bright green eyes squinted out at her, as if daring her to try.

“No.  No, I won’t let that happen,” she promised.  After the incident with Feast, Marinette doubted the Master would dare try to separate them from their kwamis again.

“Me either,” Plagg said.

“I couldn’t choose another Ladybug,” Tikki agreed, snuggling up under Marinette’s chin.  With the two kwamis in between her and Adrien, it was like one big group hug.

“The Cat and Bug Team sticks together.”  Adrien squeezed her tighter.

“The Bug and Cat Team, you mean.”  She smiled, resisting the impulse to flick a bell that wasn’t there.

Yes, he was still Chat Noir.  She could get used to this.

“You know what this means, Tikki?”  Her smile turned sly.  “I won’t have to get you a Barbie house after all.  You can come sleep over in Plagg’s.”

“I don’t suppose there’s any chance you’d come sleep over too?”  Adrien wiggled his eyebrows, and she went bright red.  “I—I mean, that came out wrong.  Not that you can’t come over if you want to; I always leave my window open, but uh—”

She laughed.  He was definitely still her Chat Noir.  

“Maybe in your dreams, kitty,” she said automatically, and he smiled sheepishly.  “But… if you wanted to watch a movie, or play some video games, maybe…?”

He blinked.  “Are you… asking me on a date?”

She—she was!  Despite shoving a sock in his mouth, despite dressing up as a boy, despite—well, pretty much everything, honestly—she’d finally done it!

“Yes!”  She practically shouted.  “I mean—only if you want to.  No pressure.”  She grinned nervously.

“Are you kidding?”  He laughed and spun her by her waist; her feet knocked a few shirts off of their hangers.  “I’d love to go on a date with you, Marinette!”

She laughed too, a giddy sound that built from the deepest part of her lungs.  He said yes!

“We’re going to have to watch them be this disgusting for the rest of their lives, aren’t we?”  Plagg sighed.

“Hopefully.”  Tikki smiled.  Both of the kwamis had flown out of the way when Adrien had picked Marinette up.  “Aren’t you glad to see them so happy?”

“Meh.  Just don’t expect me to share my sock with you if you do sleep over.”  Plagg picked that sock off of the ground and bunched it up in the Barbie house bedroom.

Marinette giggled at them.  She would’ve giggled at anything, at this point; all the air in her lungs felt like helium.  She could’ve floated off the ground.

In an impulsive move, she stretched up on her tip-toes and kissed Adrien’s cheek.  The grin that stretched across his face could’ve lit his whole closet.

“This is the best day of my life,” he sighed.

Hers too.  Pleasant tingles ran all through her, and that was just from kissing him on the cheek.

“If it’s okay,” she hesitantly wrapped her arms around his neck, “I have an idea that could make it even better.”

His eyes softened, like liquid sunshine.  His head tilted down until their noses were brushing, until all she could see was him.

“You know I’m always ready to follow your lead, my Lady.”

With that permission, she surged up to meet his lips—

—Only to be blinded by light spilling through the doorway.

“Oh.  Uh, my bad.”

Marinette and Adrien sprung apart like magnets.

“Nino!”  She shouted.

“Fancy seeing you here!”  Adrien’s eyes were hysterically wide.  Thankfully, Tikki and Plagg had hidden as soon as Marinette and Adrien looked like they were about to kiss, so she didn’t have to worry about Nino discovering their identities.

“I was helping you clean your room.  You know, like everyone else?”  Nino said.  Adrien almost started to apologize, but Nino grinned.  “I was just looking for you because you disappeared all of a sudden.  But it looks like you’re busy.”

“I’m not—”

“We’re not—”

“I mean—”

“We’re just—cleaning the closet!”  Marinette lied.  Why was she lying?  Everyone already knew she wanted to kiss Adrien!

“Actually…”  Adrien bit his lip, then looked at hers pointedly.  “We were a little bit busy.”

Nino laughed.  “I told you she’d interrupt guy time.  But it’s all good, dude.  Just don’t forget Mylène and the girls are waiting on us!”

He winked, then closed the door on them.

“Oh my gosh.”  Marinette dropped her burning face in her hands.  “That was so awkward!”

“It could’ve been worse!”  Adrien hugged her again.  “It could’ve been Kim.  He would’ve told everyone.  Or Nino could’ve seen Tikki and Plagg.”

“Please, no one’s gonna see me.  I’m not coming out of my sock until you two are done sucking each other’s faces.”  Plagg’s voice came muffled from the Barbie house.

If Marinette’s face heated any more, she could fry eggs on it.  But she’d been more embarrassed than this before.  It wasn’t going to stop her from kissing Adrien.

“So about that face-sucking…” Adrien grinned.

She braced her hands and the edges of his jaw.  Her skin tingled at every place they touched.

“Kitty, just stop blabbing and let me kiss you.”

(He did.)

[myulalie]

On feedback

I made a post about modern comment culture on AO3 and how I felt about it, now it’s only fair to make a post about feedback and my thoughts on commenting!

I speak as a reader as well as a writer, so I hope it helps some people out there who want to leave comments but struggle to come up with things to say.

What is a good comment?

Any comment is good, as long as you’re respectful.

I share my work because I want other people to read it and hopefully, enjoy the experience! I have a lot of fun writing, and it’s always nice to know that someone read and cared enough to tell me about it.

Additional kudos or even heart emojis will always make me smile. Short comments are a bit harder to reply to as I can’t exactly react to what you said... I assume that short comments don’t expect lengthy answers.

Longer comments are easier to reply to because you’ve likely told me how you felt about something, or even asked a question. I will in turn let you know how I feel about your comment, and you might get some sneak peeks.

This is all nice and fun, but please let me make one thing clear: you are not required to comment. You should never have to comment in order to read more, and moreover, you deserve respect too.

Only leave comments if you want to!

Comment etiquette

As I mentioned earlier, respect goes both way. I don’t think a comment has to be positive, but I can only speak for myself. Some authors might not be interested if you don’t have anything nice to say. If you’re worried, here are some guidelines I find useful about constructive criticism:

In order to know where the author stands, you could ask questions. Depending on their answers (are they dismissive, or do they reply at length?) you should have an idea of how interested they are in discussing their story.

I suggest you ask if they’re open to concrit before offering any, if only to save you the trouble of writing a lengthy message for naught in case they decline.

Once you’re having a conversation and they agreed to receive concrit, please give concrete examples of the issue you raised. I assume you intend to be helpful, and the author might ask for suggestions on how to fix it.

About “more” comments: some people don’t mind, some people cannot stand them. I will admit it feels a bit lazy, as far as comments go. In four letters, you can also write “love” or “kudo”, which are just as positive, without sounding demanding.

Beggars can’t be choosers though, I’ll take “more” over no comments at all, because this person cares enough to want more. They like my writing to some extent, it’s all that matters.

How to comment

Authors might not be interested in concrit, and readers might just want to enjoy the story in peace! It’s understandable, and you’re probably better off this way, worrying about plot holes tends to be a party pooper in my experience.

If you want to leave a nice comment, here is how I do it: I like to thank the author for sharing, and telling them what I liked the most.

It comes pretty naturally to me, maybe because I’m also a writer, and I think practice makes perfect! The first comment might be the hardest, and it only gets easier from there.

Here are some tricks to help:

- simply tell me you’re looking forward to the next chapter, or that you're going to read my other stories.

- pay attention to author’s notes as well, some authors will ask questions you could reply to.

- quoting the story back at the author with your reaction!

- how the characters/scenes make you feel and why? (alternative: comment on their actions/what happened)

- what do you think of the plot or the world building? (alternative: what you think will happen next, questions about the world building)

- what do you like about the author’s style and why? (alternative: the way this scene was written, the description of this place or character)

- what did you notice in the story? (alternative: your opinion on recurrent themes and ideas)

- about canon, fanon and headcanons: have you ever seen this, did you like this headcanon?

- tell me about you, how you feel and what the story brings to your day (I love to make your day better)

About hate

To be perfectly honest, I’m not "part of the club" yet. I have never received anon hate.

I believe some comments are mistakenly labeled as hate, when they’re in fact misunderstandings or strong opinion expressed awkwardly. Not everyone is a writer, and some writers are very clumsy in their choice of words anyway.

Sarcasm doesn’t always translate well, and it’s easy to clear things up if you reply politely to the person.

Language is sometimes an issue for non native speakers, as well as cultural differences. Some people seem rude to you, but they don’t mean to be.

Last but not least, it’s important to bear in mind that what the author meant is not always what they actually wrote. You, as the author, might need to put things into perspective and question yourself before telling a reader off.

The same goes for readers. Fanfiction, as the name implies, is a work of fiction. What the author wrote about might not be what they think, or might not conform to their opinions.

I'll also mention that ultimately, writing is a deeply personal endeavour and some authors will pour a lot of themselves into their stories.

Commenting about the story might feel like commenting about the author themselves. Be mindful, always.

Comments can encourage the author, but they can also discourage them too.

[borrovved]

dream state of mind

Summary: bulleted scenario, in which you drunkenly end up kissing hyunjin at a party, and everything makes you feel like you're on a high

A/N: non idol!hyunjin, non idol!au, and underage drinking (plz listen to “tkm” by boy pablo when u get to the kissing part!!! it makes the reading experience really lovely uwu)

warnings: oral (female receiving)

ur both invited to this party by a mutual friend, jaemin

at frst u were all like “u gotta give me some sort of incentive to leave my bed, i’m not just going bc ur telling me to”

“there’s free alcohol”

“but i don’t even drink.”

“hyunjin is coming”

“..........go on”

“that’s the incentive pal, so go gussy up and look hot for your mans”

“ok first of all if i rolled up sporting salsa stained sweatpants all of these hoes would fall for me, so i don’t need to gussy up...but fine...i’ll do it for him”

“sick” 

you already take a long time getting ready but this time it takes a little while longer

you want to look flawless as humanly possible, but not so much so that intimidates him and makes him run off. your rbf already does that for you.

you arrive and hear the heavy bass and see the swarm of warm bodies up against each other, half of the ppl have drinks in their hands already. it’s not quite 10 yet, only 9:32 pm.

might as well grab a drink to loosen the nerves, you think

you go to the source of the drinks, and enter the semi crowded kitchen. right away, you see hyunjin.

you must’ve been eyeing him too long bc his eyes seem to shift to your figure. it’s probably the atmosphere of the place that gives you a little bit of some extroverted power, bc you wave at him.

..........he waves back, and smiles that grin u swear u fall for all over again each time you see it

r u smitten? mayhaps.

r u down to talk to him tonight and at least score his number? ye

but first, refreshments.

you’re not the best bartender in the whole world, but you try to eyeball the whole drink mixing to create your own understated cocktail.

a whooole lotta pepsi (or coke...or dr pepper... whatevr it’s brown and it’s good) and an ounce of what you assume, vodka, gets poured in your red cup

the whole thing burns the living shit outta ur throat but it’s definitely making you blitzed in the best way possible.

you casually look over your shoulder to hopefully meet hyunjin’s eyes once again, but is bombarded by a smiley jaemin

“jaem! hi :)”

“:D Y/N! welcome to the jamboree! did you uhhhhh talk to him yet?”

“not quite. but i waved and he waved back so i totally got it in the bag”

“what bag?”

“it’s a metaphor, jaem”

“oh”

“r u drunk”

“hehe mabes.”

“anyway, i need to casually sneak over and strike up a conversation with him but he looks busy and i have no idea what to say to him.”

“leave it to me chum”

“yeah don’t ever call me chum ever again or i’m hitting you”

“well ok party pooper” jaemin then grabs your hand and strides to hyunjin’s direction.

panic finally begins to set in the pit of your stomach and you stop in your tracks.

“wait! jaem, idk if i can do this.”

“:o”

“:/ i want to make a good first impression, but i don’t have a clue as to what to say. i wanna look cool..and hot..but also be an amazing conversationalist.”

“ur actually in good hands. i spoke to him earlier and he asked if you were coming.”

“:o”

“yeah i know! let’s go”

he finally lets go of your hand, and you stroke the fabric of your midnight blue crushed velvet mini dress, the one where chenle blushes at the sight when you wear it

aaaaand here is chenle blushing and stopping mid-sentence and looking at you, jaw practically dropped.

hyunjin turns around to see as to what he’s looking at and he understands completely why.

you look ravishing, to say the least

lowkey gulps a little bc erm ur hot bb

and you feel really hot

“hyunjin, hi” your voice sounds a little sultry, not that you were trying

“hey” he says really cooly. you shiver at the sound of his voice, so melodic even through the loudness of the party

“HEY chenle can you help me move the ping pong table in the basement?”

“but me and jisung already-”

“welp we gotta move it again” and then chenle picks up as to whats going on a lil and is all like aight imma head out

hyunjin takes a sip of his drink and almost chokes a lttle bit when you suggest going somewhere more secluded to hang out

“like where?” he asks

“i’m not quite sure actually”

“how about a spare bedroom upstairs.” your eyes widen at his words and you short circuit a teensy bit.

he realizes this then stammers out a response “u-unless you don’t want to then-”

“that’s actually perfect”

internally sweet bb boy hyunjin is just “:o” bc he doesn’t know what will happen

he has heard some stories about you where you’re incredibly wild but at the other hand he has also heard that you’re just as much as a homebody as you are a party goer

“ok cool”

you lead the way and have to pull down your dress to prevent it from riding up so damn high and hyunjin can’t help but stare at your thighs

like, yeah it would be dope to be in between them but do you know what’s even cooler? resting his head in your lap

he’s a pure boy for the most part

both of you enter the spare bedroom and he shuts the door while you plop down on the bed. both of you are still holding cups, both pretty full

you’ve only spoken to him a few times, but enough to get a general idea of him

he’s soft spoken, a bit dramatic, is a lovely dancer and you noticed he has nice ass hands that could choke I MEAN hold your more petite hand

you blush at the idea

he finally sits on the bed beside you and opts to put his drink near the bedside table, you would rather hold yours, gives you something to do with your hands

“hi” he starts off

“hi” you say back

at first it’s a normal conversation

he asks how ur doing, you ask him the same

he says parties are kinda obnoxious

you partly agree and say “depends on if you’re with the right people or not really”

he hums in agreement

it’s back and forth conversation for a few minutes

and then you guys start drinking more in between responses

you don’t know when it happened but now the two of you are right beside each other, thighs touching, both tipsy from your drink

at some point you ditched your drink and got curious as to what his drink tasted like, and he offered you to sip. it’s fruity, and quite sweet

“fair warning tho, chenle suggested adding a lot of other alcohol in it so you might feel a buzz” he says

you’re slightly too far gone because you’re a giggly mess,

it’s ok, he’s giggling too

both of you are lightweight drinkers and get blitzed off of one cup sdjfhsdf you really should get better friends to supervise the two of you at all times

at some point you put your hand on his thigh

at some point he puts his hand atop of yours

you have always seen that cute freckle underneath his eye but up close and personal, it seems more cute

 “ur staring” he says

“i know”

it’s okay, he’s staring at your mouth

you finally notice his staring and out loud say “your lips look really kissable”

he smiles, and caresses your hand with his thumb

“i get that a lot. you have really pretty eyes.”

you smile softly, eyes somehow seem prettier in the dim light of the bedside table lamp.

both of you lean in at a slow pace, not wanting to rush

with all of the liquid courage you can muster you finally close the space in between you two

the kiss is so delightfully soft, so delicate

he cups your cheek with his hand as he kisses you

you don’t break apart just yet

you savor the feeling of the sensation of his lips molded into yours

he can taste the mango lip balm as he gently swipes his tongue against your bottom lip

you shamelessly moan and part your lips slightly

he smiles at the sound

he brushes his nose against yours, and then tugs at your bottom lip carefully with his teeth

your heart is beating rapidly, yet time seems to stop around you

hyunjin has been wanting to know what your lips would taste like for a while, and tonight he finally got the chance to know. it’s sweet, it’s soft, it’s dreamy

it all seems like a dream

you suddenly had the urge to bite at his bottom lip, and when you did, he released a guttural moan, and you take the chance to pass your tongue against his

he tastes like a daydream, and you feel tingly all over

you’re snapped out of your trance when he asks if you could straddle him

you nod your head yes, not trusting the sound of your voice

he lays back down on the bed, and you put each leg on either side of his body. you lean down, and once again, press your lips against his

he stops and asks “can i touch you?”

“yes, touch me anywhere you want”

he softly cups your breast in his hand, and begins to kiss you

your dress is definitely riding up, and you can feel wetness pool in the middle of your legs

hyunjin uses his other hand to softly stroke his fingers against your clothed clit

you hum into the kiss in appreciation, and he takes that as a sign to apply a bit more pressure

this time, the feeling takes over you and you hide your face in the crook of his neck, panting

the hand that was on your breast is now resting on your thigh, and gripping it rather harshly

“is it okay if i eat you out?”

“please”

he then grabs at your waist to set you on the bed

he pulls you closer to the edge of the bed and places your legs on each side of his shoulders

you pull up your dress while he pulls down your black lacy underwear

“you look so cute like this baby”

you giggle, and search for his hair to grasp on while he pulls his administrations on you

he kisses the inner part of your thighs, then places the flat of his tongue against your heat

he probes the tip of his tongue in your tight hole while using his thumb to rub agonizingly slow at your clit

moans fill the room, the sound echoing back to his ears, making him more determined for you to cum

he rapidly licks at your clit while inserting two fingers in you

he knows exactly what he’s doing, and because of that, you cum in only minutes

he puts your underwear back on and pulls down the skirt of your dress

he lays back down beside you and licks his fingers clean, looking right at you

your cheeks are flushed and ur a panting mess

“wonderful weather we’re having, hm?” you grab a throw pillow and hit him with it, to which he laughs

he places a hand on your hip and says “I don’t have your number”

you scour around the room to find your purse, which has fallen onto the ground

both of you exchange numbers, cuddle

a few hours pass by and both of you sober up, going your separate ways, but not before leaving a lingering kiss on each other’s lips

everything feels a bit hazy, like it’s a dream. but no, it happened.

he’s your biggest dream to come true

[atinysaurora]

[00:35] "OH GIRLS THEY JUST WANNA HAVE FUN!"

You would admit it, it would be a little embarrassing if you were to see yourself from another person's perspective considering your dance moves. But you had gotten maybe a drink more than you originally had wanted and you couldn't care much about how others looked at you.

You had looked forward to this party for days, wanting nothing but to just drink and dance and meet new people. So far you could check two of those wishes off your list. The day had started up by meeting at the house of the party, helping the hostess set up everything the party would need.

Drinks were what you had stood for and you didn't like to brag, but everybody seemed pleased with your choices of beverages available. It gave you a little extra pop to your steps and made the smile on your face a little wider.

And my dear did you have someone completely whipped for your smile. Seonghwa's hand almost shook as he tried to take a ship of his drink, hoping a little bit extra alcohol could help me muster enough courage to walk over to you and just speak to you.

The two of you had had the same class for around half a year now, and all you two had done was speak a few times. But it was enough, more than enough for his poor, weak heart.

Maybe it was the alcohol or the hand from a certain Yunho who pushed him forward a little too rough that had him walking towards you. He was doing this, he was going to talk to you and hopefully start something, whether it be a possible friendship or something more. Seonghwa would be more than happy with either possibility.

Fate had another thing planned for the poor two. As you were drowning out the people around you, giving in to the music and throwing your arms around lightly to the beat while he determined walked towards you. You turned a bit too quickly, he walked a bit too fast and it happened.

"Oh my god no, are you okay?" You tried shouting over the loud music. Who had turned it up that high?

He tried his best to blink the tears away, holding his nose and that was when you noticed the blood that seeped through his fingers and you realised what you had done.

"Fucking shi-" You didn't finish your sentence before you hurridly gripped him and lead him to the less crowded kitchen, where you knew would be a first aid kit underneath the sink, just in case you had done a little more damage than you honestly believed to just be a case of a bloody nose.

"My God, I'm so sorry." You said while guiding him to the counter so he could slip up, so you could easier look at the damage you had done to his nose. "Please just hold on for a bit while I get some tissue and a wet washcloth, okay?"

He simply nodded, a little scared of what could happen if he tried to speak. Even without opening his mouth he knew he had blood running down over his mouth considering the metallic taste on his tongue.

You ran around the kitchen, getting everything you needed as fast as you could so you could help him. You felt horrible for basically punching him in the face, did you really have to let yourself get so unfocused on what was around you? Stupid, stupid, stupid.

"Alright, you can move your hand so I can see how bad it is," you said and he slowly moved his hand and it was a bit worse than you expected, cause blood started to drip down on your shirt since you stood pretty much right under his nose, "Oh! I'm sorry if this will hurt!"

You quickly grasped the cool wet washcloth and held it around his nose, so any blood would be picked up by the washcloth but you still had enough fabric to wrap around his nose and put pressure on the sides to help the blood stop.

"Please tell me if I press too hard, but I sadly have to apply pressure to get the blood to stop."

Seonghwa nodded, but if he should be honest, he had no idea what you said. He was too focused on the fact that you really stood in between his legs while taking care of him. He had bled on you! How weren't you grossed out and leaving him to do this himself? Seonghwa wanted nothing but to crawl inside some hole in the floor and never come out.

"I'm going to take a look, but sit still." You removed the washcloth slowly as it had begun to warm up a bit from your warmth and wouldn't be cooling the blood down the same way as it would cold.

You tried leaning in under him to take a look up his nose to see if anything seemed to flow out but Seonghwa tried to lightly push you away.

"Please don't do that, I don't want to bleed on you again."

God, he was adorable, wasn't he?

"Hey, uhm uh-"

"Seonghwa."

"-Yeah Seonghwa, please don't feel bad," you gave him an apologetic smile, "I punched you in the face, and it wouldn't be the first time I have handled a bit of blood on a piece of clothing so don't worry about it."

"So, please just let me look okay?" You looked up at the boy, who was wearing a beautiful pink colour over his cheeks. You were so close he could feel your breath on his chin as you tried to take a look at the situation with his nose.

"It doesn't seem to be flowing any longer, but that doesn't mean it is completely done." You patted his thigh lightly with a chuckle. The pink on the cheeks spread to also capture his ears in the torture. "I don't mean to be a party-pooper but it would be best if you went home for the night, just in case it starts again."

"Yeah you're probably right," he nodded and gave a sign to wanting to jump down, "I'm quite tired anyways so I had been considering leaving soon."

You moved away from between his legs and gave him room to jump down, but stood by his side nonetheless.

"You're not alone, it is starting to get quite late." You adverted your eyes from the boy now standing in front of you. "Would it maybe be okay if I walked with you?"

Seonghwa looked at you with big eyes, and his ears began to blush once again.

"Well, of course."

"Great!"

God, if Seonghwa could stop the time to take a picture of you right now, with that wonderful bright smile that had caused his heart to jump several times before.

The contrast was striking. Going from a loud and bright atmosphere at the party to the quiet and low light from the streetlights. The only sound to keep the two young one's company was the sound of their shoes hitting the sidewalk.

Seonghwa couldn't help but wonder where you lived, cause so far you two had walked side by side and you were nearing his road where he lived. He wasn't that comfortable thinking about letting you walk home, especially not considering how late it was becoming.

But before he knew of it, you were at his road and he stopped to turn to you to say goodbye, and maybe ask if you needed him to walk you home.

"So, this is my road then," he looked down the familiar street, "but if you still have some to go, maybe I could follow you home, just in case anything could happen?"

He was quite sweet-looking, standing there badly lit up by the streetlight. You were a little surprised by his suggestion, didn't he know?

"Seonghwa it's very sweet of you, but I live on this road too."

"Huh?" To say that he was confused was to put it lightly. Why hadn't he noticed?

"But, I have never seen you here?"

You chuckled at that but gestured for the two of you to continue down the road towards your houses.

"I usually go through my backyard cause on the road right behind our road lives one of my friends, and we go walk to school together."

"Oh." And there it was again, even in this light his face and ears shined bright red.

And silence fell over the two once again, only for their footsteps to be heard. Seonghwa beating himself up in his head while you were looking at the boy beside you, him not noticing at all. And then you stood in front of your house, while Seonghwa still had a few houses to pass.

"Well, this is my house then."

"Yeah, well," he took your hand in his and you looked up at him with a little smile, "thank you for helping me."

"I had to help you Seonghwa, I punched you in the face." You said and you two were brought to laughter over the whole situation that had caused you two to stand where you stood now.

"But still, thank you." He fiddled a little with your hand, looking at his shoes doing his absolute best to gather enough courage to ask you a burning question.

"Can I maybe ask for your number," you looked at him and gave him once again that wide smile, "Seonghwa."

How did you do it? How did you make his heart jump like that?

"Of course!" He said happily, glad that he could save some courage for another day, maybe for the day he would try to ask you on a date.

And then it was time to say goodbye, you walked towards your door and he waited for you to be near it before beginning to walk to his house.

"Hey, Seonghwa!"

He turned to look at you, you had never looked as beautiful as you stood there underneath your porchlight, showcasing the heavy redness on your cheeks as you shouted the next thing that almost had his poor heart give out.

"You are really cute!"

[omgjasminesimone]

Community

Logan x MC

Word Count: 1400

A/N: The Choices Tumblr community has alerted me that it is @brightpinkpeppercorn​​’s birthday. Happy birthday Mar!!! Thank you for always being such a ray of sunshine in this Choices Tumblr community! Here is a Logan x MC fic I hope you enjoy as a gift!

“Wow Logan, look, it’s the mascot!” Ellie exclaims, tugging on his hand, which as always is perpetually laced with her’s, to head in that direction. 

“He must be miserable.” Logan notes. He definitely doesn’t envy the poor kid in the giant Westwood Community College Wildcat costume in the Dallas heat.

“I’m sure it’s an honor! At Langston, there were very competitive auditions to become the Langston Lion.” Ellie lets out a nostalgic sigh. “I miss college.”

“You just graduated.” Logan reminds her. 

“Yeah, but after working full time for two months, I’m already nostalgic for the good old college days.”

“Good old college days? What about all those late nights in the library? And days you would call me crying because you were sure you failed that test?” Logan counters.

“...I guess I mostly did tell you about the bad things. But there were really good times too! Like the late night Target runs, and movie nights in the dorm.” Ellie reminisces. 

“Well on the bright side, you have free weekends now since you don’t have to study.”

“But I like studying.” Ellie counters. 

“....I’m trying to find a silver lining here for you El but you’re making it very difficult.”

Ellie laughs, clutching his arm and forcing him into the line for photos with the mascot. “The most important silver lining is you coming home, moving to Texas for me, us getting an apartment together, and being able to hug and kiss you as much as I want. Like right now.” She releases his arm and cups his cheeks, pulling him down to her waiting lips and kissing him soundly. 

Logan still can’t believe his luck as he wraps his arms around her waist and lifts her slightly off the ground. To somehow end up here in a community college quad kissing Ellie Wheeler after everything that happened with the Mercy Park Crew is nothing less than miraculous.

...

..

Logan went to Tijuana from LA after everything went down. It seemed like as good a place as any to avoid the FBI. But without Ellie, he felt like he was existing, but not really living. Every day, he had to fight his urge to call her. Stop himself at the last second when he had his keys in his hand and wanted to drive to Langston. 

One day, he just couldn’t fight it anymore. He called her from a burner phone. “Hello?” His throat closed up, hearing her voice for the first time in two months. A sharp intake of air from Ellie. “Logan?” She asked hopefully. He still couldn’t say anything. “Logan, it’s you, isn’t it?” She prompted. Then, she started crying. And his heart broke at the sound of her loud desperate sobs. 

“I’m sorry.” He apologized before hanging up, his head falling into his hands. He shouldn’t have done that. His phone rang. Ellie, calling him back. He ignored it, and went to turn it off, but before he could a text message from Ellie came through. ‘I still love you. I still want you Logan’

And that’s when he knew he was going to turn himself in. Because there was nothing he wanted more than her.  

He went to LA, and went to the Feds. And to his surprise, they were actually sympathetic. After all, he had come from the foster care system and had few options which explained why he turned to crime. He was also a minor when he committed most of his crimes. And most importantly, he ultimately helped take down Jason and his criminal enterprise. And he had turned himself in, he didn’t make them come find him. 

He was offered a deal. Since he didn’t technically have a criminal record attached to him, with them only knowing his first name when Ellie roped in the FBI to take down Jason, he had the option to enlist in the army and avoid any jail time. 

He jumped at the opportunity. And made it through basic training with flying colors. And only then did he allow himself to call Ellie. To explain everything. To tell her that he was still in love with her, and wanted to come to Langston to see her before his first deployment, Japan. 

He felt euphoric relief when she said she wanted to see him. 

For four years, they made it work long distance. They navigated the time differences so they could Facetime when he was in Japan, and then South Korea, and finally Iraq. Ellie wrote him countless letters, and sent pictures and care packages that he treasured. She also sent a GED prep book, which was invaluable in helping him get his GED. 

Between each deployment he’d sublet a room near Langston’s campus, and he and Ellie would spend every day together making up for the time that they were apart. 

But now, he’s served his four years and he’s free to use his GI bill to enroll in classes. Free to finally really start a life with Ellie. 

..

.

Ellie breaks away from his lips, smiling up at him. She hugs his waist, burying her face into his chest. “I love you.”

“I love you more.” He insists, placing a kiss to the top of her head. “Do we really have to wait in this line for a picture? I don’t want one.” He admits after patiently waiting several minutes. 

Ellie pouts. “You’re such a party pooper. Orientation is supposed to be fun!” 

Logan checks the email the community college registrar sent him. “Pretty sure it’s supposed to be about getting my student ID card troublemaker. Now that will be a line worth waiting in.” 

“Fine, but if we come back later and there’s no line for the mascot then I’m getting a picture of you with him.” Ellie promises, or more so threatens. 

“Deal.” Logan acquiesces, because he knows there’s still going to be a line later. He slips his hand back in her’s and walks them over to the Student Bookstore, following the map given to him when he checked in. 

He gets his ID while Ellie browses the store. She insists on buying an overpriced Westwood Community College sweatshirt. “Now I can wear this when you wear the Langston College sweatshirt I got you.” She reveals, hugging him from behind as he buys the community college edition textbooks required for his classes. They’re not available online, which seems like a scam. 

A student orientation volunteer announces a tour of campus is starting in 5 minutes, and Ellie quickly drags him over to wait for it. “I already have a map though.” Logan argues. 

“That’s not the same as walking around in person. Plus, it’s an opportunity to make friends.” Ellie looks around at some of the other new students. “He looks nice Logan! Why don’t you go talk to him?”    

“Okay mom, relax. I can make my own friends.” Logan retorts, but he softens that slight jab with a fond smile.

Ellie blushes. “Sorry. Am I being really overbearing? I just want school to be a really good experience for you. I know how nervous you are about this.”

Logan sighs. “It’s just been a really long time since I was in school. And the fact that I’m only going to be able to work part-time makes me a little anxious too.” 

“I told you that you don’t have to work Logan. I’m making good money. You can just focus on school.”

Logan shakes his head no. “No way. I’m paying half the rent.” He insists.

Ellie sighs. “You’re so stubborn. Is this about what my dad said? Because he doesn’t even know you.”

“Well, I don’t love that your dad called me a leech, but it’s more about me. I don’t like to depend on anyone. I’ll just feel more comfortable with my own money.”

“But what’s mine is your’s.” Ellie insists. 

“As sweet as that is troublemaker, you’re not going to be able to get me to change my mind on this. I’m keeping the part-time job at the mechanic shop.”

Ellie sighs. “Fine, but school comes first.” She replies. 

“Am I grounded if I bring home bad grades?” Logan retorts playfully. 

“Okay, okay, I’ll stop. Not trying to be your mother.” Ellie backs down. “In the spirit of being less domineering, what do you want to do after the tour?”

“We could find the best spot in the library to fool around.” 

“Logan!” Ellie exclaims with a blush as he laughs. 

...

..

taglist:  @debramcg1106  @choicesarehard @brightpinkpeppercorn @regina-and-happiness @drakexnadira @flyawayboo @fairydustandsarcasm @alesana45 @maxwellsquidsuit @lahelable @god-save-the-keen @mrsmckenziesworld @paisleylovergirl @iplaydrake @sinclaire-made-me-sin @choicesgremlin @lovehugsandcandy @blades-of-light-and-shadow @justdani14 @emceesynonymroll @emichelle @badchoicesposts @client-327 @riverrune @liamzigmichael4ever @princessstellaris @mskaneko @anxious-arliah @zaffrenotes @iam-ankita @ohsnapitzlovehacker @desireepow-1986 @lilyofchoices

[apollosvotive]

a fanfic about the cinnamon salt cinnamon characters written for the writeblr fic exchange for @apricotwrites. i chose to write about jay because i felt like i could grasp his character the best, but i dont know a lot about the characters so hopefully there arent too many inaccuracies aaaa. hope this is okay!

-------------------

Borneo is white sand shifting underfoot. Fat winged insects sluggishly dragging their heavy bodies from one flower to the next, the audible thrum of their wings. It’s the muggy air, the heat of the glowering sun as it pitches itself at the highest point of its trajectory. It’s the constant need to slap himself on the limbs multiple times to ward away a stray horde of hungry bloodsuckers. But still. Anywhere is better than home.

Jay lounges in the shade of a coconut tree, a hand beneath his head, listening to the sound of waves lapping against the shore. Even with his eyes closed, he can tell the rest are off a little ways down the beach from the loud splashing and occasional squeals of laughter. Sohla’s voice is clear and distinct. She’s shouting at Ruben something along the lines of ‘You have approximately half a brain cell in your head, Ruben, and that’s me being generous.’ Then comes Ruben’s indignant remonstrations and Birdie’s light, high laughter and Jay starts thinking all over again about how chance, how fortuitous, that the universe might allow the paths of these seven people to cross and become what they are now: together. A ragtag team of misfits, a family.

When he first set foot onto this island, it would have been impossible for him to even think about the fact that he might find a group of people who understand him on such a level. Of course, when he first set foot onto this island, he was still angry and alone and blameful, thinking thoughts about his leg or, more accurately, the lack of it. But then he met these guys, and he saw shy and quiet Will, prone to smiling to himself and listening, really listening when someone talks as if to make up for the fact that he cannot see them. Ruben, who, for all the clumsiness of his left foot, manages to banish any impressions of awkwardness with a simple, urbane smile. Or unpredictable Alison, lover of Shakespeare, Shelley, Dickens, names of the dead. She’s always got that strange smile playing on her lips as if she knows something he doesn’t. She keeps her thoughts close to herself, never one to wear her heart on her sleeve, but he has come to know to find glimpses of her in little things, like in the way her eyes are always roving, looking for her brother, never allowing herself to let him out of her sight.

Come to think of it, there’s one voice that he doesn’t hear, floating up to him from where the rest of them are.

“Why so antisocial?”

Warmth lands on his face, flooding the darkness of the back of his eyelids with orange. He cracks an eye open. Alison is in front of him. She has shifted a palm frond away so that it no longer blocks the sun from his face.

“Not my thing,” Jay says simply.

“No?” She folds her arms in front of her. “You’re the only one not down there. How about for once in your life, don’t be a sad ass party pooper?”

“You’re here with me,” he counters.

“Only so that you’re not up here withering by yourself,” she shoots right back, without missing a beat. She isn’t looking at him. Her eyes are directed at a spot on the sand. “Oh, look at me. I’m Jay, I’m so cool, too cool to go down to the water and have fun with the others. Sorry to ruin your daydream, Jay, but from down there, you don’t look like you’re in a 1080p montage shot in a Fincher-esque style with emo music playing in the background. From down there, you look like a sad… ant.”

“Ha-ha,” Jay deadpans. “And that’s all an English lit student can come up with? Now put back my leaf. And go find your brother.”

Alison gasps in mock-affront. “Do you bite your thumb at me, sir?”

“I do,” Jay says very seriously. “I do bite my thumb at you.”

“Unbelievable! Incomprehensible!” she cries. “Hell is empty and all the devils are here!”

Finally, she succeeds in wresting a laugh out of him. She’s obsessed with Shakespeare. She’s memorised hundreds of quotes across all his plays and she enjoys quoting it back at him to annoy the shit out of him, which is, evidently, an effective method in getting him to do things. He shakes his head, unable to stop the upward twitch of his lips, and he pointedly ignores the smug and satisfied look in her eyes.

“Come on, Jay.” She jerks her head in the direction of where the others are. “I won. Let’s go.”

He covers his eyes with his arms stubbornly.

She sighs. “What’s going on? Are you homesick?”

“Homesick?” He scoffs from beneath his arms, as if it's an absurd concept. “No.”

“Woah, okay. Must you say it like the Bubonic plague originated in the tiny town of Laurels, Maine?”

“Laurels, Maine,” he repeats slowly. Just saying the name brings back to mind the feeling of inexorable boredom. Days of endless repetition. Just work and sleep and work. Days of friendlessness and hushed whispering and guilt-filled glances at his leg. The problem with a small town is that everyone knows everyone. This means that everyone in the little town knows that it was an accident that took Jay’s leg away from him when he was twelve and everyone knows he’s never been quite the same since. “More like ‘Bumfuck, Middle of Bumfuck Nowhere’. Wouldn’t go back if you paid me to. I am perfectly happy where I am now, thank you very much. It’s up to the rest of them to not go all Lord of the Flies and start killing each other.”

“Oh, considering that out of the seven of us, the only person to not scream at the sight of spiders is Will and it’s because he’s blind, I wouldn’t put my money on it.”

“I don’t scream.”

“I saw your face when there was that spider in the toilet the other day. Face of a pants-pisser.”

“You’re dysfunctional.”

“Aw,” she says. “Thank you.”

“C’mon, Jay.” She tries again. One more attempt that sounds as though its approaching finality. Sometimes Jay wonders how many times he can push others away before they stop coming to him altogether. He’s spent so long in Laurels angry and alone, convinced that no one else in the world could understand him, that finding this group of people, on the island of Borneo, of all places, feels like a rare stroke of luck he isn’t meant to have, the only thing the universe has done right by him. And the thought of losing them, that he might push them away enough times for them to not bother anymore – it makes him scared.

There. He said it. It does. It makes him scared.

“They’re waiting for you. ”

After a moment’s hesitation, Jay moves his arms away. He squints against the light flooding back into his vision, then his vision settles and his eyes come to rest on the black silhouette blocking out the rest of the light that is Alison.

She extends a hand to him. He takes it and allows himself to be pulled up.

“This better be good,” he tells her. She makes to place a hand on his back to support him but he shakes his head and moves away. All these years with a prosthesis and he’s gotten used to it even over tricky terrain. In fact, it feels no different from his old leg until he looks down.

“Come on, cranky old man,” she says. “Let’s go.”

They walk down the beach to where the rest of them are. Perched contentedly under a large beach umbrella, Will and Nolan sit, listening to music. They share Nolan’s headphones. Each one holds the muff to their ears as they quietly listen to whatever’s filtering in. Depending on who has control of the aux, the song is most probably either a romantic ballad or an orchestral score. Nolan turns one of his stimming toys over and over in his other hand. Lying next to him is a half completed drawing of the beach. Down by the surf, Ruben has sand packed on top of his entire body so only his head is visible. Birdie and Sohla stand on either side of him, and the three of them appear to be bickering lightly.

“Make me a mermaid!” Ruben is saying. “Give me a sweet pair of conch-covered tits and a cool tail.”

“No,” Sohla says. “Make him a mole rat. Give him grabby claws and a skinny tail.”

Ruben’s head swivels around frantically to look at Birdie. “Don’t listen to her, Birdie. Do not make me a molerat.”

Birdie quirks an eyebrow at him. A lopsided smile spreads across her lips. “You know I can’t do that.”

“No!” Ruben’s protests are nearly drowned out by the sound of Birdie and Sohla’s laughter as they begin patting the sand surrounding Ruben into a rodent-like form. “I am the sand guardian, guardian of the sand! Poseidon quivers before me!”

“Clam it, Stuart Little,” Sohla says lightly, inciting a string of rapid-fire protestations from Ruben, and Alison turns to look at Jay and Jay – well, Jay can do nothing more but smile.

[sunsetcurve]

we’ll come together (state of the art)

Summary: Before, she'd gotten so caught up in all of it—trying to stop Captain Man from erasing her memories, then trying to get his back—that she hadn't really had time to process this. And now she does. And it's making her head hurt.

Because, well. Henry is Kid Danger.

Fandom: Henry Danger

Relationships: Henry Hart & Piper Hart

Word Count: 1,640

A/N: it took every ounce of willpower i had not to title this “Hart to Hart”. 

(actual title is from one of my favorite songs by my favorite band ever, kids in the dark by all time low). 

anyway, here it is, the “piper and henry have a talk” fic that i really just needed to get out of my system. this was really fun to write, but keep in mind that my general motto when writing hd fics (and fic in general, really), is “fuck canon i do what i want” so this is really cheesy and somewhat ooc. it’s fine. sort of. i had a good time, and that’s what we’re here for, right?

Dedications: i’m gonna tag some of the wonderful people here, but no pressure to read it at all! @rorythevambire @up-the-tube @ciara-knightly @cactus-con @mychenrymadness @charlottepage @henryhearts @bijerbear @taylorswiftrulestheworld @just-a-j-reallly

if you want to be tagged/untagged in the future just let me know! enjoy :)

* * * 

When it's over, the Man Cave is quiet.

This is a strange, sharp contrast to the chaos that Piper had fallen into before, but now Captain Man's—Ray's—memories are back, and he's sleeping off the side effects in his room, and Henry, Charlotte, and Jasper are upstairs in the store and Schwoz is...somewhere. He went off with a vague explanation, and he's sort of a strange man so Piper's not really sure she wants to ask questions.

(Come to think of it, she's pretty sure she's seen him before—the German 'neighbor' who came to Henry's birthday party, the 'plumber' who came to fix their sink—she thinks she's even seen him around at the high school. Which makes a lot more sense now, but is still mildly unsettling.)

Piper tugs the headband out of her hair and fiddles with the bow in her hands. She's probably ruined her hair, and really the outfit isn't complete without the accessory but she can't really bring herself to care. She needs something to do with her hands, and her mind is running in circles that are way too fast to be satisfied by scrolling mindlessly through Instagram right now. There's too much to think about.

Before, she'd gotten so caught up in all of it—trying to stop Captain Man from erasing her memories, then trying to get his back—that she hadn't really had time to process this. And now she does. And it's making her head hurt.

Because, well. Henry is Kid Danger.

And if she really thinks about it, it's not that hard to reconcile the two. They've got the same hair, the same smile, the same stupid sense of humor—the same bravery that Piper pretends she doesn't see. And, if she really thinks about it, there's a part of her that's known for a while. Since he broke his arm, maybe. Or even before then.

But she never wanted to believe it. The difficulty comes when she tries to put Henry in that position in her mind. She's seen Kid Danger fight off villain after villain, take punches and be shot at and thrown into walls and god knows what else that wasn't broadcasted on TV, and she's always known that there was a teenager behind that mask but realizing it's been her brother this whole time is something entirely different. Something that's hard for her to wrap her head around.

She wonders how many times he'd snuck out and come back in the dead of the night without any of them noticing, wonders how many injuries he'd hidden just to pretend things were normal. She wonders why she and her family never even asked about his disappearances. She wonders, briefly, how many times Henry has almost died without them knowing anything about it, and then stops that train of thought before it goes too far.

That's not something she wants to consider.

Piper rubs at her eyes with the heels of her palms.

Then, the elevator dings, and she makes a show of putting her headband back into place and trying to look like she's just re-adjusting her hair and not her entire view of the world. Henry steps out, and there's still glitter in his hair and on his cheeks—the bubblegum-ploy Ray had come up with had been less than successful. He looks at Piper, sitting on the steps near the elevator, and tilts his head curiously as he takes a seat next to her.

"So I'm guessing you were never actually the playground pooper?" she says first, because she's not really sure what else to say.

Henry laughs, sounding a little relieved, like he was expecting something else. "Nope. I swear on my life I have never pooped on a playground. Or broken my arm doing it."

"That's kind of a shame," she hums. "It was really good blackmail material." This gets him to attempt at bumping her in the ribs with his elbow, but she dodges before he can and sticks her tongue out at him. "It was also a pretty shitty excuse, y'know," she adds.

He scoffs incredulously. "Uh, first of all, it was Jasper's idea, and also, you fell for it," he retorts, defensive.

Piper sort of glances at her feet, then, furrowing her brow just a little. "Yeah, but I shouldn't have." She shakes her head. "I should've figured it out a long time ago."

"I was worried you would," he says after a moment, and scoots closer to her. "All the disappearances, right?"

"Yeah, and your terrible lies, like...the 'makeup excuse'? You can't do a decent wing to save your life."

Henry scoffs at that but doesn't argue, and then it's quiet for a beat and Piper tries to figure out how to say what she wants to. She's not good at this part; she's honest and bold and unwavering with her words, always, but this is different. This is trying to voice the mixture of pride and worry and frustration and fear that's been sitting in her chest for the last few hours.

She takes a breath. "And," she starts, without really knowing where she's going, and she sees Henry look up out of the corner of her eye but doesn't meet his gaze, "I should've known that your stupid junk store was just a ploy."

He opens his mouth to respond, but she keeps going; it's hard to stop now that she's started. "And I should've known that your boss was way too intrusive for it to be normal, and I should've known your watch was suspicious. And you never let anyone near your bubblegum, I should've figured out that there was something weird about that a long time ago, and I should've—" her breath catches, and then her voice quivers a little and she hates it, "—and I should've known you'd be the only teenager dumb enough to risk your life every single day—"

"Piper," Henry says, and puts his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Piper, it's okay—"

"Don't say that!" She stands up, trying not to have a full-blown meltdown, because those are reserved for Jana Tetrazzini and Wi-Fi crashes, but then again, she decides, this outscales both of those things by miles. Her hands are shaking. "What if you had died? What if someone had—and we wouldn't even have known, and don't—" she says when his mouth opens, "don't try and tell me that you were fine; I've seen the news, I've seen you fight villains, I've seen people shoot at you with-with actual guns and you're not like Ray, you're not indestructible—"

"I know that, okay?" And Henry's standing now, too, and his voice is sharp—not angry, really, but frustrated, and maybe just tired. Piper deflates a little.

"I know," he says again. "But, Piper...Ray needs me. Swellview needs me. Someone has to do this, and...it just happened to be me, okay? This is my job now." He pauses, and then his lips quirk upward into a small smile. "I might not have the 'great power', but I still have the—"

"If you finish that sentence, I will hit you," Piper warns, and he shuts his mouth.

She's never seen him look this serious about anything, though. It's strange to her, that she could've missed a part of her brother that's so big, and now that she knows it feels like the mask couldn't change a thing. There's a voice in the back of her mind that wants to tell Henry to put his suit up for good, walk away while he's still living and breathing and okay (because maybe she'll never admit it, but her love for Kid Danger is significantly outweighed by her love for Henry Hart), but the rest of her knows that it wouldn't matter either way. He'd still be the same; brave and reckless and stupid, and her brother.

And she's trying to decide if she hates him for it.

"You're such an idiot," she says finally, and hugs him. She feels his laugh more than she hears it, and his chin comes to rest on top of her head and she's sort of trying not to cry, especially because she thinks her makeup looks good today and Henry's wearing something that isn't a flannel for once and she really doesn't want to ruin it.

"So...are we cool now?" he asks hopefully, after a moment passes, and she shakes her head against his chest.

"Nope. No way. We are so far from cool, Henry."

She doesn't let go, though.

Neither does he, and they just stay like that, and she can't remember the last time they've hugged like this and she would never say it out loud but she missed it. When they finally pull apart, he grins at her and tousles her hair like he used to do when they were kids.

"Come on," he says then, and steps up the low stairs. "I want to show you something." There's a familiar glimmer in his eye, the same look he gets when they sneak out to watch R-rated horror movies or pull pranks on their parents together, and she lifts an eyebrow.

"Show me what?"

He gestures for her to join him. "Just, trust me." His voice is tinged with fondness, and she scoffs as he continues, "It's like, a rite of passage."

Piper hesitates a moment longer before going to stand next to him. Henry glances at the ceiling, and then positions himself on the floor, and then tugs Piper close to him. She tenses, but wraps her arms around him. "Um. What are we doing?"

"You'll see," he says, and then looks up again. He clicks something on his watch, and a glass tube descends around them, and Piper yelps. Henry laughs. "You're gonna love this part. Ready?"

"For what?"

"Just hold on tight," he grins, and then, "Up the tube!"

[alilpunkrock]

Secrets Out (part 1)

A/N: ahhh it’s here! I’ve had this idea for a fic in my head forever and now it’s born! Eventually there will be more Ryan mentioned. As always, feedback is greatly appreciated! 🖤

I stirred in my bunk. I heard nothing but yelling coming from the front lounge of the bus. For a second, I panicked. What’s happening? Who’s being killed? Have the rest of the guys finally turned on Chris because of his god awful dad jokes? I waited for another minute until I heard laughter. I let out a deep breath to calm my heart rate.

I finally decided to climb out of the bunk and stretched upward, cracking my back. I followed the sound of the guys and was met with four of them on the couches playing a video game both the TVs. That explains the yelling. I walked over to the fridge and pull out a water bottle and an apple and sat down next to Ricky. He wasn’t playing the game but he was watching intensely. He turned his head when he felt me sit down.

“Morning sunshine.” He said laughing after he saw the look on my face. I grumbled out a small “shut up”.

This caught the attention of the rest of the guys.

“Hey Y/N! Got any plans for our day off?” Vinny asked me. I shrugged.

“Maybe.”

“Ohh mysterious,” Justin raises his eyebrows. “You got a secret boyfriend or something Y/N?” I rolled my eyes.

“Or something.” AJ snickered at my answer.

Today was the first day off in a month which meant no having to help the boys get ready for stage and not having to work the merch booth. I do a little bit of everything on this tour thanks to Ricky. My last job had to let me go due to downsizing and Ricky quickly offered me a job working on tour with the rest of the crew. So far, it was the best job I’ve ever had. Thankfully, our day off ended up being in my home town. Ricky knew what I was doing today, so did the tour manager and the crew, but the rest of the guys? Well they were about to learn a lot more about me.

“I’m going to visit some family I have here. My grandparents still live in town and so I my aunts and uncles.” I explained to Justin. The guys nodded their heads.

“Do we get to meet any of them?” Justin asked.

“Maybe.” I said once again, taking a bite of my apple.

My phone buzzed on the arm of the couch and I saw it was a message from my mom. Her and my dad were in town also, while I’ve been away they’ve been watching Gunner, my son. That’s who I was seeing today. For the first time in a month. Oh my god I missed him so much. The plan was to meet up with my mom, dad, and Gunner, get lunch, hang out for a bit, then bring Gunner back to the bus to meet everybody. Hopefully they’d be okay with having a 4 year old on the bus. AJ and the rest of the crew said they were more than okay with it. And Ricky was so excited to see his godson again.

Ricky and his family were friends of my mom and dad. He’s almost 10 years older than me so I looked at him like an older brother.

I stood up and walked to the bathroom on the bus. I washed my face and brushed my teeth, deciding just to put my hair in a bun. I walked back to my bunk and pulled out some clothes. I decided on a pair of tight black jeans and and oversized Van Halen t shirt I think might belong to Ryan. I grabbed my makeup bag and headed back to the front.

By the time I got back the rest of the band was in the lounge. Chris was eating a bowl of lucky charms and Ryan was sitting at the table playing on his phone. I put my stuff on the table next to him and he scooted over without hesitation. I sat down and started my makeup.

“Man, are you sure there’s no secret boyfriend? You don’t ever wear makeup if you don’t have to.” AJ questioned, genuinely confused. I felt Ryan’s eyes on the side of my face but I refused to look. I was the most nervous for him to meet Gunner. It’s kinda known around the crew that Ryan and I are more than friends but we haven’t talked about if we’re dating or not. I was worried he’d be mad for keeping Gunner out of all our conversations and he’d lose interest once he knew I come with more baggage than he thought.

“No secret boyfriend, I promise. And I wanna look nice because I’m seeing my family today.” I explained putting on mascara.

There wasn’t any comments made for the rest of the ride to the RV park we were staying at tonight.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Okay everyone! I’m going to head out now, I’ll be back later tonight!” I called out gathering my purse and phone. Ryan was the only one who came into the lounge, a small smile on his face.

Man, I love his smile. He doesn’t do it often enough.

“See you after a bit,” Ryan said hugging me around my shoulders. “By the way, that shirt looks better on you than it ever did me.” He kissed the top of my head then let go. I ducked my head to try and hide the blush creeping up my face.

“See ya later.” I waved goodbye before stepping off the bus and meeting my mom at her car.

The car ride with my mom consisted of her asking question after question about the tour, the guys, more specifically Ryan.

“Mom,” I blushed. “I don’t know. I like him and I think he likes me but I’m afraid of his reaction about Gunner. I haven’t told anyone except for the crew about him. Obviously Ricky already knows.”

“Do you think he’d tell if the guys start questioning him?” My mom asked. I shook my head.

“No, Rick knows how important it is to me to be the one to introduce them.”

We made it to my grandparents house after a while and it was all I could do not to jump out of the car before it stopped. I opened the front door of the house and immediately heard the sound of Gunner’s little feet running towards me. Tears welled up in my eyes as I saw my little boy round the corner, a giant smile on his face.

“Mommy!” He yelled. I crouched down to his level and opened my arms for him to run in to.

“Hey bub!” I said picking him up and kissing his face over and over. “What’s going on?” I asked.

“Cookies!” He yelled pointing to the kitchen. I followed his finger and walked in to find the rest of my family around the island in the middle of the kitchen.

After hugs and greetings, I sat on a stool at the counter with Gunner on my lap. We shared a cookie and he tried to tell me about all the things he did with grandma and grandpa while I was away.

“No way! You went to Disneyland? How was that?” I asked, pretending I didn’t already know everything he was telling me.

He told me all about Star Wars and captain America and the fireworks like it was the greatest thing he’s ever seen.

The day carried on like that. Visiting and story telling. And pretty soon it was time for Gunner and I to leave.

“Are you ready to see uncle Ricky?” I asked Gunner as he sat in his car seat, holding his stuffed bear. He swung his legs back and forth obviously excited.

I, on the other hand, was nervous. I had texted Ricky telling him we were on our way back and he sent back a thumbs up. Both my mom and my dad were in the car this time, they wanted to meet the rest of the guys.

When we pulled up to the bus, the guys had set up a grill and lawn chairs outside and were laughing about something. I took a deep breath and unbuckled my seatbelt.

“Uncle Ricky!” Gunner yelled when he walked out of the bus.

“You ready to meet the guys I work for?” I asked everyone in the truck. My dad parked and opened his door.

I saw Ricky coming over, hugging my dad and my mom once she came around to the drivers side. I opened my door and hopped out, already on the drivers side. I reached in and unclipped Gunners car seat, pulling him out of the truck and onto my hip. As soon as Ricky saw him he took him from me.

“Hey little man! How’s my favorite kid doing?” He asked kissing his cheek.

“Good!” He yawned. Party pooper. I chuckled and rubbed his back.

“Tired already bub? The party just started!” Ricky said. The rest of the guys started to come over, AJ was the first to say anything.

“Hey! It’s so nice to meet you guys!” AJ said shaking hands with my parents. He came over to Ricky and held his hand up for a high five from Gunner. “Hey bud! Remember me from FaceTime?” Gunner nodded his head giving him a high five.

Everyone else said hi and introduced themselves to my parents, then the stood around waiting to be introduced to the little boy.

“Guys this is Gunner, my son. Gunner this is all the guys. That’s Chris, Vinny, Justin, Bryce, and Ryan.” I said focusing on Ryan’s reaction. He didn’t seem to have one, at least he didn’t show what he was thinking.

“Um, I hope it’s okay, but he’s going to be joining us for a little bit.”

After my parents left, Gunner and I sat outside with the guys until he could barley kept his eyes open. I picked him up and took him to the bus to lay him in my bunk. Ricky and I switched bunks because mine was the second one up and I didn’t want Gunner to roll out of mine. He stirred a little when I laid him down but fell back asleep just as fast. I left the light of the bunk on Incase he woke up. I kissed his forehead before I got up and closed the curtain. Making my way out into the lounge, i saw Ryan standing with his hands in his pockets. I leaned up against the counter and waited for him to say something.

“We need to talk.”

[slutforgoodliterature]

Steve Rogers x Reader - Flustered

Steve doesn’t think you’ve noticed the lingering stares or the odd pants-readjustment whenever you guys trained together, but you have. And you’ve made it your mission to get Steve to act on it. 

Warnings: (eventual) smut, teasing, clueless steve, angst, virgin!Steve, first time

Hold onto your hats coz this is a long one! (but all the juicier...)

He thinks he’s being subtle, bless him, but you couldn’t help but notice the way his eyes would linger on you as you walked away, or how he would straighten up when you entered the room.

You especially noticed when he had to, ahem...self-adjust... after a one-on-one training session. You always had great banter, and sure, you had a major crush on the guy, but who didn’t? 

It didn’t help that Natasha was certain he was into you too, but you never let yourself think that, lest you get hurt in the process. 

But then one training session, everything changed. 

You and Steve were sparring in the gym, your second favourite thing to do with him, directly after teasing. Sometimes you got lucky and could combine them both.  Those were always the best nights, so that’s what you were doing.

“Come on, pretty boy. Show me what you got.” You smirked at Steve and beckoned for him to come at you with two fingers. He rolled his eyes at the nickname, but there was no malice behind it. You’d been calling him that since the first time you met him: when he pulled you out from beneath the rubble of a Hydra base in eastern France. 

He shook out his shoulders and attacked, but you had him pinned instantly, his cheek pressed against the mat and his arms held by you behind his back. You huffed in annoyance.

“You never go hard with me. You’re not going to break me, you know.” He let out a strained laugh. 

“My momma told me never to hit a girl.” He retorted, and you pushed down hard on his back in response, constricting his air flow.

“But what if it’s in self-defence? What would your momma say to that?” You countered, frustrated at the Captain’s composure that never seemed to slip. 

“There’s no disagreement that cannot be settled with stern words.” He joked, knowing damn well that good uses of a well-aimed punch, but he still refused to give in to you. 

Smirking, you leaned over his broad back until your lips brushed against his ear. “Well, what if I’m the bad guy, and I really want to hurt you?” You asked, feeling his muscles tense beneath you. “Heil Hydra.” You hoped it would tip him over the edge, but you weren’t prepared for him to suddenly flip the two of you until you were the one pinned under him.

He gripped your hands above your head with one hand, his other was gripping your jaw mercilessly. His hips pinned your own to the mat, and you could tell you weren’t the only one extremely turned on. 

His wide eyes showed that he was also shocked at himself for losing his cool, but you were too ecstatic to care. 

“That’s what I’m talking about! There’s the soldier I’ve heard so much about.” You grinned, and his hands on your wrists and jaw loosened. 

“I...I’ve got to go.” He mumbled, pushing himself off you with great speed. “I’m sorry.”

“For what, exactly?” You questioned, sitting up on your elbows to fix him with a harsh glare. “Sorry that you are bailing out on our training, or sorry that you can’t even treat me with the same respect you treat everyone else?” 

His mouth opened and closed as he tried to find an answer. “I do respect you, that’s the problem! I respect you too much to...” He trailed off, running a hand through his hair. 

“What? Take me seriously?” You pushed, getting to your feet and stalking towards him. “You respect me too much to even treat me like an equal? Is it because I’m a girl? Is that what this is about?” 

“What? No, Y/N-”

“Because you seem to have no issue sparring with Natasha... or even Wanda! So what is it, Steve?” You were so riled up at this point, you didn’t notice him becoming more and more frustrated and angry with each word that left your mouth. “What is your problem, big guy? What is your problem with me?” 

You attempted to poke him angrily in the chest, but he grabbed your hand and tugged you closer, sending you crashing into his chest. His other arm snaked around your waist, holding you against him roughly. 

“Stop putting words in my mouth.” He grunted, staring you down, but you didn’t relent. 

“Make me.” You shot back, and with a growl, he grabbed the back of your neck and pulled your lips to his.

You barely had time to process what was happening before you could feel him pulling away. Unable to handle that, your arms unfroze and you wrapped your arms around his neck, rising onto your toes and pulling him flush against you. 

As quickly as it began, he ended it by pushing you away, leaving you breathless as you stared after his retreating figure.

What the fuck just happened?

That was two days ago.  

For two whole days, Steve had been avoiding you at all costs. He even went as far as ‘accidentally’ not inviting you to the team meeting this morning.

That was the last straw. You decided you were going to make him notice you. 

“Stark’s hosting a thing tonight,” Natasha told you as the two of you took swings at one another. You tried not to think about the last time you were on this mat, with a certain someone...

“A thing?” You sounded unimpressed. Tony’s parties always ended up with someone drunk crying, usually Thor, and someone else dancing on the bar, also usually Thor. 

“Yes, a thing.” Natasha reiterated, “And you’re definitely coming.” Her tone left no room for argument, but you thought you’d try anyway. 

“You know what, I’ve got a book calling my name, and I would hate to keep them waiting-”

“Mr Darcy can wait, Y/N. There’s another man who is in need of straightening-up tonight.” Her remark caught you off guard and her fist ghosted your jaw. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You deadpanned, to which Natasha sighed. 

“Look, all I know is that Steve walked out of your last training together with a massive tent in his pants-” Your jaw dropped and your eyes widened, “and that when I went past his room later that night, I could hear him...” 

“LA LA LA LA...” You blocked your ears, too embarrassed and shocked to hear the rest of her story.

“...your name...” 

“Ok! Enough!” You kicked out your leg, sweeping her feet out from under her and sending her tumbling to the ground.

“Jeez, ok! I’m done.” She assured you. “But you should still definitely come tonight.”

You pretended to struggle considering it, but the truth was: your mind had been whirring with a plan since she first mentioned it. 

It’s show time.

“Y/N! I’m soooo happy you decided to come!” Tony slurred at you as you walked in, and you could tell by his rosy cheeks and glazed eyes that he had been on the drink for a while now. 

“Yes, my sweet lady! You have graced us with your presence!” Thor swept out his hand in a grand gesture, sloshing his super-powered Asgardian drink onto Bruce, who did not look happy with that at all. 

You saw Steve staring at you from the corner of your eye, but you ignored him and instead sauntered over to sit next to Thor. 

“Looking good tonight, Y/N,” Sam remarked, taking in your cropped shirt and tight jeans appreciatingly. You sent him a playful smile, but not before you heard Steve let out an angry humph. 

“Just tonight? You insult her!” Thor slurred, settling an arm across the top of the couch. You rolled your eyes at him, knowing it was definitely the alcohol talking. 

You tried to source out Natasha but quickly realised she had let with Bruce to help him change after being doused in god-knows-what from Thor’s flask. 

Hopefully, she would help him change out of his clothes, and then...

Your thoughts were cut off by Steve’s harsh gaze as you made eye contact with him from across the circle of couches and bean bags. However, you pretended you didn’t notice him.

“Let’s play a game,” Tony announced abruptly. 

“God, how old are you?” Steve muttered.

“Younger than you, grandpa.” Tony retorted, making everyone laugh. 

“And some people actually like having fun.” You added, daring Steve to respond. “Do you know what that means, Captain?” You taunted, to which he replied:

“Yes. I do.” Stiffly, he shifted in his chair to face the centre of the circle. “Let’s play.”

“Y/N, truth or dare or drink?” Sam slurred, having gleefully chosen ‘drink’ for his last four turns. 

“Dare.” You giggled, feeling only the slightest buzz from the alcohol, but the overall atmosphere of the group was making you feel insanely light. 

“I dare you...to give Steve a lap dance!” He declared, obviously thinking it was the smartest idea in the world.

“I second this,” Bucky chimed in, clapping a flustered Steve on the back. “Poor kid has never been blessed with a-”

“That’s okay!” Steve interrupted, “Y/N doesn’t have to do that.” 

“Party pooper!” Tony roared.

“Come on, Steve, it’ll be fun-”

“I said that’s enough.” Steve shut down the protests with a glare, still nursing his glass of water. Sam, Bucky and Tony shut up, looking dejected. 

“Alright then, Y/N, give one to Thor,” Sam added, to which Thor’s eyes lit up. 

“Fine,” You stood up and turned towards Thor, “Guess this is just for you, my lord.” You joked as you began to straddle Thor, who looked like he had just seen the gates of heaven. “We all know Steve is afraid of fun.” 

“Wait!” Steve’s voice rang out, halting you in your movements. You turned your head to see that Steve was looking at you with a pained expression. “I’ll do it.”

You rolled your eyes at him, “Well, don’t sound so excited about it.” You grumbled. “You’re really not making me feel wanted, you know.” 

“Yeah Steve, you missed your chance. She’s mine now-” Thor placed a large hand on your waist, but Steve’s loud voice stopped you once again. 

“The dare was to give me a lap dance, was it not?” He argued, avoiding your eyes and stumbling over the words ‘lap’ and ‘dance’. 

“He’s got a point, ya know?” Bucky pointed out, making you steel yourself and saunter over to Steve. Thor let out a sad sigh behind you, but all your focus was on the man in front of you.

And he wouldn’t even look at you. 

“Eyes up, soldier.” You commanded, gripping his chin and forcing him to meet your eyes. You were shocked to see them so lust-blown and found yourself drowning in their ocean-blue.

“Are you two just gonna stare at each other or what?” Tony interrupted, jolting you out of your reverie. 

“It’s too awkward. I can’t do it.” You said, suddenly feeling like the walls were closing in on you. 

“You were ready to jump Thor a minute ago-” Sam chimed in.

“I said I can’t! Not here.” You stepped back from Steve and wrapped your arms around yourself. 

“So go to Steve’s room. It’s just down the hall.” Natasha suggested, appearing out of the blue.

“When the hell did you even get here?” You cried, fixing her with a stink eye. She replied with a sly wink. 

“I don’t mind,” Steve muttered so quietly that only you seemed to hear.

“See! Steve doesn’t mind! Off you trot.” Make that you and Sam heard.  

Steve sought out your eye to see if you were ok with it and after you nodded, he stood up and the two of you made your way to his room. 

“Don’t do anything I wouldn't do!” Natasha called out after you guys.

“Sweetheart, that’s not much.” Bruce’s words were the last thing you heard before Steve closed the door behind you.

“I’m not-” 

“Just sit there.” You pointed to the loveseat in the corner of his room. Obediently, he sat, his arms pinned to his sides and his back rigid. 

“You know, I didn’t get you in here for you to actually give me a lap dance.” He stated as you lowered yourself onto his lap, running a hand along his chest.  

“What can I say, I’m a woman of my word.” You muttered, avoiding his eyes. It was so much more intimate just the two of you, and whilst you were usually happy to tease him, after the last incident, everything felt so much more real.

“Y/N, listen to me.” He gripped your hips tightly, stopping them from their slow sway. 

“No, Steve, you listen to me.” This time, you were the one who gripped his jaw and held him in place. “I understand you’ve got some misplaced chivalry thing that means you can’t hit a girl, or whatever, but I’m sick of it. You have to trust that I can handle myself and that you won’t break me. Comprenné?” 

“It’s not so much as a ‘not hitting girls’ thing as it is a ‘not hitting you’ thing.” He admitted, looking deeply into your eyes. You faltered, you grip slackening, but he didn’t move. “If I hurt you, even accidentally, I...” he shut his eyes solemnly and shook his head.

“As romantic as that is, pretty boy,” you leant your forehead against his, causing him to look back into your eyes. “You’re just going to have to deal with it. There’s no way you’re getting rid of me. Not now.” His eyes widened. 

“But-”

“No buts.” You cut him off, running a hand through his hair softly. “You either have me completely as I am or not at all.” You could hear his intake of breath, but he answered without hesitation. 

“You. All of you.”

With that, your lips crashed down to meet his, which he returned with equal force. Your hand began gripping his hair, causing him to groan and pull your hips towards him. 

As you straddled him on the seat, you could feel him becoming more and more aroused, and you ground down into him. A moan tumbled from his lips. 

“I want all of you, too.” You told him between kisses. You reached for the hem of his shirt and lifted it over his head, leaving you marvelling his chiselled features. Yours followed soon after and he stared at you in awe.

“You’re gorgeous, Y/N.” He praised and began trailing kisses along your collar bone to the tops of your breasts. You gripped his hair in both hands, unable to contain the little noises his mouth pulled from you. 

After struggling with your bra for several moments, he eventually gave up and pulled back from your neck. “Get. It. Off.” He panted, and you happily obliged. Once you were bare before him, he dove back into your neck, kissing softly all the way down to your breasts.

For someone so damn old and inexperienced, he sure knew how to make a girl feel good. 

“Jesus!” You swore as he circled your nipple with his tongue and used his fingers to knead the other. “Where did you learn all this?”

“Technology is a beautiful thing if used correctly.” His voice was muffled, but you couldn't help but laugh. 

“You call watching porn using technology ‘correctly’?” You mocked, but your laughter quickly turned into moans as his hands travelled around your waist and down to your ass, where you gripped you tightly through your jeans. 

“Well, there’s not exactly an encyclopaedia of ‘tips in the bedroom’ lying about.” He huffed so you grabbed his head and brought it back up to you. 

“You could’ve asked me.” You pointed out. “This,” you gestured to your grinding bodies, “Could’ve happened ages ago.” 

“I know.” He sighed, trailing a finger up and down your spine, sending shivers down your back. “But I’m an idiot.” 

“At least you admit it.” You smirk before placing your lips back on his. One by one, the rest of your clothing articles disappear until all that’s left separating the two of you is the thin fabric of his boxer briefs. 

You palmed him through the fabric, causing his hips to stutter into your hand. You loved seeing the effect you had on him: his flushed cheeks, his wide eyes, his swollen lips and the little noises that escaped from his perfect mouth as you continued to grind into him. 

He had one hand fisted in your hair, and the other one around your waist, pulling you impossibly closer. 

“I want these off.” You tugged impatiently at his underwear. He responded by picking you up from under your thighs and carrying you to the bed and placing you on it gently. After he removed his boxers, he crawled back on top of you, covering your body with his.

“I always wanted to know if that super serum worked on all aspects of your body,” You said, a little breathlessly, “I guess now I know.” 

He chuckled at you, pushing your hair back from your face so he could place kisses across your temples, down your cheeks and following your jaw. “Do you have any idea what you do to me?” He groaned.

“Actually, yes.” You admitted, and his head shot up, eyes wide. “You’re not very subtle, pretty boy.” 

He dropped his head onto your chest, completely embarrassed. “And here I was thinking I had mastered the art of subtlety.” 

“You’ve got a long way to go, mon chéri,” You stroked the back of his neck tenderly, “You are lucky I find you so damn cute.” 

With a renewed vigour, Steve returned to your lips and kissed you passionately, pushing you into the mattress. You slipped a hand between you and gripped his member, eliciting an obscene moan from Steve. 

“I...I haven’t done this...before.” He murmured, avoiding your eyes, but you cupped his cheek with your other hand and guided his eyes back to yours.

“I want you as you are, no different, remember?” You reassured him, and he kissed you gratefully. With you guiding him, he was able to slowly slip into you.

His size was like no other you had experienced, so in a way, it felt like your first time all over again. He placed his arms on either side of your head and dropped to his elbows, covering your mouth with his. You wrapped your legs around his waist, inviting him in even further.

“Just... don't move for a second.” He groaned after you started writhing beneath him, feeling so incredibly full. You stilled and waited for him to begin thrusting. 

“Mm...just like that.” You moaned as he drew back and slowly thrust back in, completely stretching you out. “Fuck, Steve.”

“Language.” He muttered, his brows furrowed and sweat gathering in his hairline. You couldn’t help but laugh, which he didn’t appreciate. A particularly hard thrust shut you right up, and after hearing your load moan, he picked up the pace and beginning moving a bit harder and faster.

“You feel...god!...incredible, Y/N.” He stuttered out, his eyes trained on you to gauge your reactions. 

“It’s all you, baby.” Your back arched as he reached a place in you that you didn’t even know existed. “Holy...fuck!” 

“I’m close, sweetheart.” He warned you and feeling the need to finish with him, you snaked a hand between you and began rubbing fast circles on your clit. He saw what you were doing and nudged your hand away. You were about to protest when he replaced it with his own hand, sending stars behind your vision.

Curses kept falling from your mouth as you both climbed to your peaks.

“Shit, I can’t-” Steve swore and if you weren’t in the middle of mind-blowing sex you would have pointed it out, but as it were, it went unnoticed. 

“Let go, baby.” You groaned and he didn’t waste any time, spilling into you with an animalistic groan, the feeling of him finishing inside you and his talented fingers pushed you over the edge immediately after. 

Your legs trembled around him as he continued to work you through your orgasm until you had to grab his hand to make the torturous sensations stop, lest you black out. He slipped out of you, making you feel suddenly empty, and placed a sloppy kiss of the corner of your mouth.

“Wow.” He breathed out after collapsing next to you, tucking your head under his chin. 

“Wow.” You agreed, stretching out across his chest and intertwining your legs with his. 

“I’m sorry it took me this long to make a move.” He sighed, running his hand through your hair. “If you can call being forced to receive a lap dance by my best friends ‘making a move.” He added with a chuckle.

“I should definitely send them some flowers.” You hummed in agreement. “Or a card.”  

“I don’t think that’s necessary.” Steve huffed, pulling you closer. You laughed and then smiled in contentment as you listened to the beating of his heart under your head. 

“Does this mean you’ll actually train with me now?” You asked, stifling a yawn.

He thought for a bit, then answered: “Yes, I will.” He placed a chaste kiss to your hair, “But no promises it doesn't end with this.” 

“I think I could work with that.” You sent him an adoring smile before the two of you drifted off in a peaceful sleep. 

[helloalycia]

almost [one] // carol danvers

summary: you've always had something for Carol and one night, both of your feelings come to light after hanging out and reminiscing on old times.

warning/s: none.

two | three | masterlist

"Don't even think about it," I mumbled, earning a sigh of defeat from behind me.

"I told you it wouldn't work," Maria chuckled.

I turned around and saw Carol and Maria walking towards me with their helmets balanced under their arm. Maria was watching Carol's defeated expression with amusement and I cracked a smile at her adorableness.

"Do you really think it's a good idea to jump-scare the person who is fixing a plane engine? The same plane you'll be flying in a few weeks?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow as I met Carol's brown eyes.

Her defeated expression transformed into a grin as she patted me on the shoulder. "I know nothing will go wrong when you're the mechanic fixing it up."

I rolled my eyes playfully and got back to what I was doing in hopes of hiding the blush I could feel heating up my cheeks.

"We did come here for a reason," Maria said, nudging Carol in the side playfully. "This one just doesn't know when to stop."

Carol laughed and I suppressed a smile at how happy she looked.

"We were wondering if you wanna join us for drinks tonight," Maria said with a smile. "I've got my parents to babysit Monica until nine, so we have a few hours after work to unwind. What d'you say?"

I stood up and wiped the grease from my hands on my cloth. "I don't know... What if the arseholes are there?" I was referring to the male majority of our team – the ones who looked down on Carol, Maria and I because we were 'women in a men's world'.

"Don't worry about that, Y/N, we'll just ignore them – sit in a corner or something. C'mon, it won't be the same without you," Carol tried to convince me, smiling at me hopefully.

She knew I couldn't resist her ask – I would literally do anything she wanted me to. So when I sighed and glared at her, she grinned and fist-pumped like a little nerd.

"I'll see you guys in a few hours, but right now, I need to actually get some work done," I said knowingly, but they were both smiling at me and I couldn't help but smile in return.

---

"Over here," Maria said, leading Carol and I to a booth in the corner, away fro-

"Hey! Look who it is, everyone!" the arrogant arse known as Tom yelled obnoxiously.

"So much for ignoring them," I mumbled to myself, following the others.

"You girls come for a drink after a long, hard day of doing nothing?" Tom continued to mock, earning laughs from his colleagues.

We ignored them as we tried to reach our booth, but of course they tried to intimidate us by giving us a narrowed path to cross.

"Hey, Tom, are you always this much of an idiot? Or do you just show off when we're around?" Carol said with a cheeky grin, watching Tom's face drop with offence. A few of his friends snickered and I couldn't help but bite my lip to suppress an oncoming laugh.

Carol looked over her shoulder and winked playfully, making my stomach flutter with butterflies, before grabbing my hand and leading me to our booth, following Maria as she sat down.

"One day that humour of yours is going to get you into trouble, Danvers," Maria said, though she was smiling with amusement.

"Can't wait," she said confidently, smiling widely at Maria.

We spent an hour of our time simply chatting and having a few drinks between us, enjoying the break we had from work. It did get a little difficult since the guys were still a few booths down, scattered all over the bar and surrounding tables and acting like idiots, but we managed to try and pretend they weren't there.

When it got to a point where we couldn't even get a game of pool in without them mocking us, I decided to take matters into my own hands.

"I heard through the grapevine that Tom and Grady have been arguing lately – something to do with one of their girlfriends flirting with the other guy or something," I shared to the girls with a suppressed smile.

"And you're telling us this because...?" Maria questioned, exchanging confused glances with Carol.

I grabbed a peanut from the tray on our table and lined myself up with Tom's head a few tables down. "Because you need context for when I get the guys kicked out of here in less than two minutes."

Both girls subtly looked over their shoulders to see what I was looking at, and Carol finally caught on, looking back to me with a challenging smirk.

"I dare you."

I smiled back at her innocently. "No need."

I focused on Tom's head carefully before throwing the peanut directly at his face. He flinched when it hit him on the cheek and patted his face before spotting the nut on the table. I contained my laughter as he tried to piece together what happened before seeing Grady sat in front of him, eating from the tray of nuts on their table. Grady was distracted by a conversation he was having with one of the other guys, but Tom was already accusing him.

"Are you serious? You're gonna hit me with a peanut? You think that's funny?!"

"What are you, five? Why would I throw a peanut at your head?" Grady's voice was rising with anger as Tom glared at him.

"I thought we were good after everything that happened, but obviously you're still acting like an arsehole!" Tom yelled back, standing up and slamming his hands on the table, getting everyone's attention.

"Wait for it," I whispered, watching the fight about to take place, as Carol and Maria held their laughter in.

"What did you just call me?!" Grady stood up, too, his chair knocking to the floor behind him.

"An arseho–"

But Grady had already punched Tom in the jaw before he could finish, making the girls and I flinch, feeling the pain from here.

At this point, the two were in a hand-to-hand brawl, with their friends trying to break them up, but it seemed to be getting them nowhere.

"Out of here! All of you! Now!" the bartender came round from the bar and dragged them out himself. "I don't tolerate fighting in my establishment, arseholes!"

When they had all left, the rest of the people in the bar were quiet with anticipation. Meanwhile, Carol, Maria and I were laughing our heads off at what just went down.

"You are actually a genius," Carol complimented, raising her glass. "To Y/N!"

Maria raised hers too and they both stared at me expectantly, leaving me no choice but to also raise mine and clink my glass with theirs.

After that, the three of us could actually enjoy our time together without having to put up with sarky comments in the background. We were having so much fun that when it was nearing nine, we were sad to have to part ways.

"Look, I don't wanna be the party pooper, so you guys stay and I'm gonna head home," Maria compromised after we tried to convince her to stay.

"You sure?" Carol asked.

Maria nodded as she put her jacket on. "You got your key, right?" Carol nodded. "Awesome. I'm sure Y/N won't mind giving you a ride back when you're done for the night."

Carol and Maria looked to me with hopeful expressions and I rolled my eyes at the fact that they even needed to ask.

"When have I ever said no to giving you a lift?" I asked Carol with a knowing look.

Carol pretended to think before countering with, "Perhaps that time when you drove off when I was in the bathroom and you were supposed to be my ride?"

I snickered at the memory. "To be fair, I completely forgot you were still here. And I came back!"

Carol rolled her eyes jokingly as Maria shook her head judgementally.

"You," she pointed to me, "don't forget about her, and you," she pointed to Carol, "don't make too much noise when you get back later. I don't want you waking Monica."

"Aye, aye, captain," Carol said with a salute, winding Maria up.

"God help me...," Maria mumbled, before walking away with our giggles sounding around her.

When Maria left the bar, Carol turned back to face me with a devious smile on her face.

"You thinking what I'm thinking?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

She didn't break eye contact as we both shouted: "Ice cream!"

Our childish grins mirrored each other as we both stood up to leave.

"After you, m'lady." She motioned for me to walk first.

I was unable to lose my smile as I walked ahead, feeling her presence behind me. We both got to my car and I drove us to the nearby ice cream parlour, AKA the one we frequented quite a bit.

We chose our flavours and paid before taking a seat on one of the tables. It wasn't too busy this evening, so there was no need to be wary of certain people coming to ruin the fun.

"I'm curious," Carol said, and I looked to see her eyeing me mysteriously behind her ice cream cone.

I quirked an eyebrow. "About...?"

She sat up straight and eagerly leaned on the table, a devious smile on her lips. "What was your first impression of me when we first met?"

I breathed out and sat back in my seat, smiling nostalgically. "Wow... when was that – two years ago?" I thought carefully as I said, "It was when Dr. Lawson was setting up our team to help her test her work. I was in the hangar with her and Maria. Maria and I had just met... yeah, and then you walked in."

I bit my lip as I remembered seeing Carol for the first time. She walked in, light on her feet with excitement. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she was wearing her signature bomber jacket and denim jeans. I had never seen someone's smile radiate that much energy and I remembered thinking how beautiful she was.

"And...?" Carol pressed, a pursed smile on her face.

I chuckled. "You walked in and you must have been really excited to be there because you just couldn't stand still. Dr. Lawson introduced you and you gave us all a nervous but eager wave. Almost poked your own eye out."

"Oh, god... did I really?" Carol's cheeks heated up with embarrassment, but she was smiling through it.

"I thought you seemed nice enough. You were definitely determined – anyone in the room could see it," I continued, reminiscing happily. "You were the perfect addition to our little team."

Carol stared at me, her gaze softening. "Thanks, Y/N..."

I felt frozen in place, in a good way. Her eyes looked golden as they kept their hold on me, making me forget where I was, what I was doing. Just like that first day, something stirred inside of me.

"You know, I thought that I was late to the party when I walked into the hangar," she suddenly said, a small smile on her lips. "I saw you all and thought you'd all bonded or something without me."

I laughed as she licked around her ice cream cone to stop it dripping before continuing.

"You looked friendly though," she added confidently. "I remember thinking that I couldn't wait to work with you, especially because I was told you were a mechanic and I thought that was really cool."

"Really?" I asked, eyes wide teasingly. "You've never told me that you thought that."

She rolled her eyes and licked her ice cream, trying to draw attention away from her red cheeks.

"You had a really pretty smile," I blurted, catching her attention. I licked my lips and decided to keep going with it, even though I regretted telling her. "I mean, you still do, but yeah. You wouldn't stop smiling when we were introduced and I thought it was really..."

"Pretty," she repeated.

I smiled. "Yeah."

A momentary silence developed between us, but it felt different. Like uncharted territory between us and our friendship. She avoided my eyes, eating her ice cream, and I did the same. But somehow, we both remained smiling to ourselves. I knew why I was, but I wondered why she was, too.

---

"I had fun tonight," Carol said as we pulled up outside of Maria's house.

"Me, too," I replied, turning to look at her, and she was already smiling my way.

She looked beautiful and I had a sudden urge to lean forward and kiss her. But I knew I couldn't, shouldn't. So instead I cleared my throat and broke eye contact.

"You should get inside...," I said, instantly regretting it. I didn't want her to leave.

Carol pressed her lips together, looking down at her lap. She nodded and said, "Yeah. Thanks for the ride."

I watched as she jumped out of my car and waved to me as she went to the front door. I was about to set off and leave, but I realised she had forgotten the ice cream we had bought for Monica.

"Carol!" I shouted quietly from my rolled down window, getting her attention. I grabbed the ice cream and went to Carol, making her realise what was wrong as she saw the ice cream in my hand.  

"The ice cream," she said pointedly, a smile on her lips.

"The ice cream," I confirmed, handing it to her.

She accepted it and then searched for her key. I watched with amusement as she patted down her pocket for a good minute, before finally pulling her key out of her inner jacket pocket.

"You good?" I chuckled quietly.

She nodded, playfully rolling her eyes. "Thanks again for the ride, Y/N."

I gave her a smile, meeting her sparkling brown eyes. I tried to ignore how good she looked under the stars tonight. "Anytime."

Her signature smile was on her lips as she pulled me in for a hug. I accepted the embrace, letting her wrap her arms around my shoulders as I did so with her waist. She was warm and comfortable and I found myself smiling contently.

I knew I had to pull away eventually, so I reluctantly did. I offered a small smile as I attempted to step back, but Carol had pulled me back towards her again, this time pressing her lips against mine.

I didn't really think about it as it was happening – I kinda just kissed back, enjoying the feeling of being this close to her. It had been a long time coming and her lips moving against mine drove me crazy. She was still holding the ice cream – I could feel the chill of it against my back as she held me in place. I had my arms wrapped around her, not wanting to let go. This was almost too good to be true.

The porch light switching on was what made us jump apart from each other, acting as if we hadn't just made out in front of Maria's house. Speaking of Maria...

"Damn it, Danvers, I thought I told you to be quiet when you came back," Maria chastised, yawning soon after as she hung by the doorway.

I caught my breath and managed to risk looking at Carol, feeling my cheeks heat up at the thought of being close to her only a moment before.

"Sorry, I was just heading in now," she apologised to Maria, before glancing at me. A heartwarming smile was on her lips as she nodded my way. "I'll see you tomorrow, Y/N."

My lips twitched into a smile, suppressing so many emotions I was feeling now. "Er, yeah. Tomorrow. Goodnight." I cleared my throat, looking to Maria. "Both of you."

Maria was too tired to notice anything different between Carol and I, so she went back inside, followed by Carol who waved goodbye to me before closing the door behind her. I headed back to my car calmly before sitting in the driver's seat and taking a moment to catch up.

Carol kissed me.

I grinned as I drove home, unable to wait for what the following day had to offer.

---

The next morning, I didn't get chance to greet Maria or Carol because Dr. Lawson had a list of things for me to work on. I got cracking on the list as soon as she asked, but I was still impatient about seeing Carol. Would she change her mind? Realise I wasn't what she wanted after all? Would she pretend like it didn't happen?

I hated having those negative thoughts, but I couldn't help it. The longer I waited, the more I worried. Second-guessed everything. I mean, did we even kiss last night or did I imagine it?

But I couldn't have imagined the butterflies swirling a storm in my stomach as she pulled me close to her, or the tingling on my lips as she pressed hers against mine. Impossible.

I was closing the panel on the jet I was working on when I heard my name being called from behind.

"Yeah? Oh, Carol... hey." I smiled nervously, setting down my spanner as she approached me with a grin. She was alone, but in her overalls. She must have just finished a test flight.

I expected her to say something to me when she reached me, but once again, she took me by surprise as she leaned forward and kissed me. I felt my back hit the jet, but that didn't stop her as she had one hand on my waist and the other cupping my cheek. I managed to hook my fingers through the belt loops of her overalls and keep ahold of her waist as I returned the kiss.

This one was different to last night – she was more confident, desperate, excited. Yet at the same time, she was gentle, caring, careful.

Eventually, we had to pull apart for air, but that was fine as when we took a small step back, I found myself grinning back, my head fuzzy and my heart warm.

"I'm really hoping nobody walked in whilst I did that," she breathed out, making me laugh. She glanced over her shoulder before nodding with confirmation. "We're good."

"Carol..." I contained my happiness in a suppressed smile as I rested my hand on her chest, pushing her away gently. "We need to talk about this obviously."

She nodded in agreement, a grin still on her lips. "Right, yeah. That's why I came here. But then I saw you working and I remembered last night and I just really wanted to kiss you again."

I rubbed my forehead, glancing down at my shoes as I tried to hide my embarrassment.

"Don't do that because I might end up kissing you a third time," she admitted sheepishly.

I met her gaze and tried to be stern, but her warm brown eyes made me melt on the spot. She was looking at me a certain way, a look I hadn't noticed before. Probably the same way I had been looking at her.

"We need to talk," I got out without stuttering.

She nodded, pursing her lips. "Okay. Well, I guess all I have to say is that I like you a lot and I know I shouldn't, but I can't help it. I thought if I played this out long enough, I could get over you. Anything to keep you in my life, even as a friend. But last night... we had fun and I realised I want that to be like always. I really want to be with you."

I breathed out slowly, feeling my heart rate pick up. "I– wow."

Carol seemed momentarily nervous. "That's what you wanted to hear, right? Otherwise this whole thing is going to be very awkward."

I shoved her in the shoulder gently, chuckling. "Of course it is, Carol. That's the thing. It's exactly what I wanted to hear."

She stepped forward, lessening the gap between us. "So, you wanna try this? Us? It doesn't have to be a big thing if you don't want it to be. Only we have to know. And Maria if you want her to."

I opened my mouth to speak. I was trying to agree with her, but she made me feel nervous because of how close she was. It didn't help that I could feel her breath tickling my skin and she was giving me that flirty smile she always did whenever she knew she was right.

"You're not answering," she pointed out, moving closer and closer. Her eyes darted from my eyes to my lips. "It's completely up to you, Y/N. There's no hard feelings if you just want to be friends."

I licked my lips as I looked at hers.

"Though being friends would definitely be strange from now on," she argued jokingly.

I looked to her eyes and saw she was staring right at me. I could see she wanted this and it reassured me that I wasn't alone. This wasn't wrong. So, I nodded.

"I want this," I agreed. "I want us."

Despite how confident she was coming across, I could see the relief flood her expression as she smiled at me.

"Well, there's only one way to seal this deal," she whispered, glancing up at me.

I waited for her to lean forward, but she suddenly pulled back and extended her arm. "A good ole' handshake!"

I raised both of my eyebrows and shoved her in the shoulder, harder than before.

"Are you kidding me?!" I asked with disbelief, partially embarrassed for falling for that so fast.

Her laughter echoed all around us as she watched me. She glanced over her shoulder before grabbing my hand and yanking me towards her. Her arms hugged my waist as she pressed a quick yet gentle kiss to my lips. I saw her look down at me with a picture-perfect smile and adoring eyes.

"I think we made the right choice," she said confidently.

I smiled up at her. "I do, too."

[bamby0304]

Spanner in the Works- Ch.3

Series Masterlist

Summary: Your car breaks down, leaving you stranded in a small town. Waiting for your car to get the all clear, you find yourself getting closer to Sam Winchester, the handsome mechanic working on it. Will he be able to break down your walls? Or is this just a pit stop before you continue to run?

A/N: Thanks to @sculptorofbeginnings for looking the chapter over, and thanks to my dad for helping out with the mechanic stuff!! Check out the scent Sam from @scentsfromthebunker for a next-level fanfic experience :)

Warnings: Angst. Panic attack. Lil’ bit of fluff.

Bamby

Sam was an early riser. He was up before the sun and ready to go for a jog. You pretended to be asleep, trying your best not to overthink the fact that you could feel him glancing in your direction as he drank his juice. You just stayed silent, curled up in a ball, hidden underneath the layers of blankets.

By the time he returned forty minutes later, the sun was peeking over the horizon. You could see the beautiful golden colours streaming through the kitchen window from where you sat on the fold out couch.

“You’re awake,” Sam seemed surprised as he walked into the trailer, finding you sitting up in bed, knees tucked to your chest.

Tucking your hair behind your ear, you nodded. “Yeah… I don’t sleep much.”

He didn’t comment on that, but instead chose to move into the kitchen. “You want anything to eat or drink? We got coffee, juice, milk… I could make you a smoothie.”

“Wouldn’t that wake your brother?”

Grinning, he shrugged. “Yeah, and?”

You couldn’t help but chuckle as you shook your head at him. “Thank, but no thanks. I think I’ll just take a coffee.”

“Party pooper.” He winked at you and turned to grab you your drink. He didn’t see the look that crossed your face as you practically died.

There was just something about Sam that made you weak in the knees. Add that wink on top… you suddenly felt like you needed a cold shower.

“So, when do you want to head down to the garage?” he asked as he came into the living room, carrying two cups of coffee. “The shop doesn’t open until nine, but I can start early. Check out what’s wrong with your car and hopefully fix it.”

“I don’t want to be an inconvenience.”

“You’re not. Really.” Stretching over your ‘bed’ he handed you one of the coffees. “I like to get to work before everyone else. I can get some paperwork done. The place is always so noisy during the day. And I also get to clock off early.”

“You picked me up at 1:30 in the morning… that doesn’t sound like you clock off early to me.”

“I was on call. Dad, Dean and I take turns,” he explained, lips tugged up into an amused grin. “So when do you wanna head out?”

Once you were at the garage Sam got to work. He set you up in the office with blankets and coffee, to keep you from the chilly morning air. He didn’t seem fazed by it, though, as he started to check your car over.

You were flicking through a magazine, barely paying attention as a cloud of anxiety began to gnaw on your chest. Not knowing what was wrong with your car, and not knowing how long it would take to get it fixed, was starting to make you worry.

Unable to handle waiting any longer, you dumped the magazine onto the desk and placed your coffee mug down next to it, before getting up and leaving the office.

Dressed in more overalls, Sam was leaning over your hood and  looking into the engine. There was more rock playing in the background, barely audible over the clanging and clunking coming from Sam working.

“Hey,” you called cautiously, not wanting to worry him. “How’s it looking?”

Sighing, he pulled back and turned to you as he wiped his hands on a dirty rag. “I’m not gonna lie, Y/N… it doesn’t look good.”

You’re face fell. “How bad is it?”

“Did you gas up not too long before your car started making the noises?”

“Uh… yeah.” You nodded. “A couple of hours beforehand I pulled into a gas station. Place was in this out of the way town, no one was around, it was a little creepy. But I was practically running on empty.” Frowning, you looked from him, to the car, and then back. “You think that might be the problem?”

He eyed you for a moment before asking, “How much do you know about cars? Or your car?”

“I know more about you,” you answered honestly.

Chucking lightly, he then made an awkward noise as he turned back to the engine. “Long story short… the motor is shot. It needs replacing. My best guess is that the gas you got was bottom of the barrel crap. It’s an honest mistake. Most cars have fail safes that’ll prevent the debris or whatever from ruining the motor. But your car…” he shook his head, saying nothing else.

“How much is it going to cost?”

“Between five to seven grand.”

It was like a kick to the chest. Taking a deep breath and closing your eyes, you nodded. “And how long will it take?”

“I can’t work on it extensively right now. We’ve got other customers. Dad’s a stickler for running things smoothly, and he’s all about order. He probably won’t mind if I work on her on my off hours, though.” His face scrunched up like he was getting ready to flinch. “But I’m going to have to order the part in… so it’s going to be at least a week.”

You couldn’t breathe. Turnings away from him, running a hand over your head, you felt your throat tighten as a familiar panic set in.

“A week? That’s a week I have to pay for a motel. A week I have to pay for food. I don’t have enough money for all of that. How am I supposed to pay to get my car done? Five to seven grand? Does that include labour? Does it include the part? It’s probably cheaper to buy a new car. Knowing my luck, there won’t be a car for sale around here. Not one I can afford. What am I supposed to do for a week? Get a job? I’m not fit for a job. I freak out at the drop of a hat. I’m a walking talking ticking time bomb waiting to explode into a full blown panic-”

Hands suddenly grabbed your shoulders and turned you. “Relax Y/N. Breathe,” Sam told you, looking into your eyes with concern but control. He was determined to get you to calm down.

Shutting up, you took in a shaky breath, keeping your eyes locked onto his as you did.

“Good.” He nodded. “And again.”

For the next few minutes, the two of you just stood there trying to get you to calm down. Sam didn’t seem to mind, he was very patient and very kind. Slowly he began to smile as he saw and felt you really start relax.

“Better?”

All you could manage was a simple nod and small hum.

“Now… I know I’m a stranger, and I know you don’t know me, but I have the fold out couch. Or, if Dean is gonna be too much of a dick about it and you’d rather avoid him, Mum and Dad have a spare room.”

“I couldn’t-”

“You can,” he insisted. “But if you really don’t want to, I can talk to Garth. He owns the motel with his wife, Bess. They’re friends. They won’t mind doing some kind of deal. Or there’s Ellen, she owns the bar. You could work there and earn your keep, maybe get some tips to help pay for the car.”

Staring up at him, you found it amazing that he had so much faith in these people. You found it amazing that he was being this nice. It’s not that you hadn’t met people like him, it’s just that they very rarely paid you much mind.

When he was sure you wouldn’t freak out, he spoke again, “Okay?”

“O-okay.”

“Good.” His lips pulled up into a smile. “Why don’t you go back into the office? Crash on the couch and watch something on the computer or TV. Help yourself to coffee, or any cookies if Dean left some in the jar. I’m just going to do a couple of things out here.”

“Okay,” you repeated, stepping back. “Thank you, Sam.”

He nodded. “Of course. Now go on. Make yourself at home.”

Doing as he said, you turned on your heels and headed back into the office. Once inside you flicked on the television and sat yourself on the couch that looked like it was from the 70s. Flicking to an early morning news show, you let the voices distract you from the panicking all over again.

Bamby