#i considered waiting to finish it tomorrow but i convinced myself to do it now

[ghost-bleus]

lotftober day 7 yayay

@lotftober2024

[kylianswifey]

You're Perfect - Kylian Mbappe x Reader

Hi👋Can you please do one where kylian suggest to workout with his gf who is very out of shape and thank you😊

___________________ I was in the living room going through some papers for work. I woke up at 7am to start my shift, I work remotely. Kylian woke up two hours after me to go to the gym. I felt a soft kiss on my cheek and I looked at Kylian smiling.

"Good morning, sunshine. Did you sleep well? He sat next to me and took a look at the laptop. "Good morning, angel. Yes, you? You seem stressed." "There's a lot going on right now, I'm in a crisis. I need to get this done as soon as possible" "Why don't you take a break, you can't work like this. Come with me to the gym." I gave him a look, he never invites me to work out with him. I actually am not very active, I try to take walks everyday and watch my food intake, but that's pretty much it. I know Kylian didn't mean to offend me in any way, but I feel very self conscious about my body. I'm not in a very good shape, I consider myself to be a skinny-fat girl. "Hmm, okay. But, you'll have to give me a workout routine." "Sure, let's go get ready and leave." He gave me a quick kiss and stood up, I followed behind him. ___________ "You can go on the treadmill for twenty minutes and then continue with some light workouts since it's your first day" "Okay, Ky." I stationed myself to a treadmill facing the whole gym, I could feel eyes on me. This only managed to make me more uncomfortable. Kylian went along with his usual workout routine. Running gives you an opportunity to think about everything, especially what you're running for. I finished my running session and approached Kylian. "Hey, babe. I'm done with running." "Great, here's the yoga mat. Lay it next to mine and repeat my workouts. If you get tired stop and wait for me to finish my reps and do the next one." I nodded and did what he instructed. I began to get extremely tired after the second round, but I wanted to keep going. What if Kylian really meant to say that I need to lose some weight? I could feel him looking at me with a kind of concerned look. My face was really red and I was shaking lightly. "Babe? Don't push yourself too hard, okay?" "I'm okay, Ky. I want to do this. It's obviously going to hurt a little." "It's your first day, babe. If you burn out, you won't want to come back here tomorrow." he said and chuckled. Wow. It's clear to me now. We finished out workouts and got changed to leave for home. I waited by the car for him since I got ready before him. "Ready to go, honey?" "Yeah." "Do you want to stop somewhere to get food?" he said and we entered the car. I didn't feel like eating at all. "I'm not that hungry, Ky. But, you can get whatever you want for yourself?" he took his eyes off the road to take a look at me and went back to look at the road. He placed his hand on my thigh. "Babe? Is something wrong?" "No, why would you think that?' "I don't know, you just seem lost in your thoughts. Are you still thinking about work?" "Um, yeah, work. I'm thinking about work." he didn't seem convinced, but decided to let it go. We arrive at the house and I get back to my laptop. Kylian decided to hang out with his friends, he hasn't seen them in a while. I was glad he didn't insist on me joining him, I really didn't feel like going out. I was very confused about what I was feeling. Kylian was just being the sweetest person ever, he wanted to help me relieve some stress and here I am taking it the wrong way. After a couple of hours, I shut down my laptop and sighed. I was finally done with work and I was extremely tired and still sore from the workout this morning. I decided to wash my face and go to sleep. Suddenly, I heard my phone buzz, Kylian was calling me. "Hi, babe. I'm on my home. What do you want to eat? I still haven't eaten yet." "Hi, honey. Um, I ate an hour ago, I'm not hungry, babe. But you can get something for yourself since there isn't any leftovers." "Oh, okay, cool. I'll see you at home then." "See ya, Ky. Love you." "Love you too." _________ I heard the front door open and close, letting me know Kylian arrived. He made his way to the bedroom where I was laying on the bed with my back facing the door. I wanted to avoid the uncomfortable conversation so I pretended to be asleep. I felt the bed move next to me and I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Y/N, I can tell you're awake honey. Can you talk to me?" I decided to drop the act and I turned around to face him. He caressed my cheek with his finger and looked me in the eyes, waiting for me to talk. "Ky, am I pretty?" "What do you mean, baby? Of course you are." "Do I need to lose weight?" he sighed and shut his eyes. He finally connected the dots. I couldn't tell what he was thinking. He open his eyes and sat up on the bed pulling me into his arms, my back resting on his chest. "Y/N, I don't know why you got the impression that I want you to lose weight, but I don't. I invited you today because I wanted you to take a break from work. I promise, I never even thought about changing anything about you." "I know, Ky. I just couldn't help this thought. Thank you for being so sweet to me." "Y/N, don't ever think this, please. I'm being serious. I love you so much just the way you are." "I love you too, Ky. Can I join you at the gym more often?" "Of course, baby. Only if you want to."

[my-deer-history]

Francis Kinloch in Müller's letters to his family: Part 4

These extracts are from Johannes von Müller: Sämmtliche Werke, volume 7 (1810).

My translations here (with added paragraph breaks for legibility), original German transcriptions below the cut. This is the queerest part yet.

29 July 1776, to his father

The first cause of my silence, l. P.,* is that my regulated life really leaves me with little to write about; the other: that I am very busy. I read for a few hours with my friend, and that is almost the only time that I can devote to reading.

*For “lieber Papa”, “dear father”.

10 Oct 1776, to his father

You can guess the reason for my long silence, dearest father; when one is labouring on an important work, one becomes this work entirely; and in addition I finished a few more books with my friend Kinloch.

[...] A book seller from Neuchatel, Mrs B and I have convinced Mr B to put together a collection of his works. On account of this opportunity, he is working through all of them, and making additions and changes. Since he is not allowed to read himself, he wished to go through these writings with a friend who was already familiar with the contents. To that end, this summer we often read these and other writings for 2 – 3 hours a night in Mr Kinloch’s presence.

[...] My friend K is going to Italy. It is difficult; but the North American war and my work, which would be too disrupted, prevent me from accompanying him. This letter is not long enough to express to you how painful parting from him the day after tomorrow* will be for me.

[...] The loss of my friend makes me sad. Luckily, Kinloch is mine in every part of the world; our persons may be separated, but not our minds; I should care more about his perfection than about his presence; one day, in the long career that according to nature is open to us, we may well find ourselves together again**

*This places Kinloch’s departure for Italy on 12 October 1776.

**Original annotation: This friendship with Mr Kinloch remained unabated until Müller’s death. He received letters from him even in Cassel.

24 Dec 1776, to his brother

For myself, I seek nothing except that independence, which I consider to be the highest good of a human being, which I now enjoy, and will always enjoy through the generosity of my friend Kinloch and through the sciences.

Then I write my letters, rarely any others (except letters concerning business) besides those to my two friends, Bonstetten and Kinloch.

[...]Mr Kinloch sees Italy with the eyes of a man devoted to great occupations, with the sensitivity of a friend of antiquity and the fine arts. His letters are a diary of everything he sees, hears and feels. Through him and that other friend, I know Italy better than almost any other country.

April 1777, to his brother

When you wrote to him, I was in Lyon. My friend Kinloch, when he returned from Italy, wrote to me to find me at the lake below Genthod on a specific day, because he wanted to visit me; I however could not wait for him and took a cabriolet. I met him three hours from Geneva. He stayed with me for three or four days. 

He strengthened his admiration for the monuments of the ancients when he saw them; his love of free government when he saw the current state of the nation and the constitution; and through everything, history, art and intercourse, he strengthened his noble desire for rightful fame and great virtues: and as he saw so many others, he learned to estimate my friendship even more highly. And it really seems to me that we loved each other ten times more during these few posts, and the purpose of our friendship is always our mutual perfection; nor does Kinloch want any other friend, and I do not want any others besides Bonstetten and him.

When he left Genthod and we had read and spoken a lot together, it was not possible for me to watch him go; so I went to Lyon. [...] I am never happier or healthier, nor do I think more clearly or feel more vividly, than when I am travelling; hence, I made a lot of observations and at the same time did a lot of work, both with my friend and after we left Lyon - at the same hour but by different routes - and I drove back.

I read everything to him that I had drafted about Switzerland over the winter, then we read several works by Juvenal with endless pleasure, from which I am also learning several parts by heart, and then we read about the countries that we had seen, besides many chapters from Montaigne, whose masterwork is the chapter on friendship*

*Michel de Montaigne’s famous essay De l’amitié (On friendship) was written after the death of his beloved friend Etienne de la Boétie. Montaigne posits that a person can only have very few - or even just one - true friends, a position based on his profoundly deep love for Boétie, whose death just four years into their acquaintance devastated him. Müller and Kinloch would have seen a close mirror of their own relationship in this, built as both were on intellectual pursuits and mutual self-improvement, and with a subtle but present homoromantic undertone. Read an English translation of the essay here, where Montaigne outs himself as team-Achilles-was-the-bottom.

4 Sept 1779, to his brother

It was with unspeakable pleasure that I received news from Kinloch a few days ago that, after feeling forced by mortal danger to take up arms for Carolina, he had distinguished himself so much as aide-de-camp in Georgia and Carolina under General Moultrie that, in a letter to the Congress, the general named him a very brave youth and the pride of his fatherland, and this was printed in the newspaper. This fame that my friends acquire is a powerful spur for me.

29 July 1776, to his father

Die erste Ursache meines langen Stillschweigens, l. P. ist, daß mein einförmiges Leben mir wirklich wenig zu schreiben darbietet; die andere: daß ich sehr beschäftiget bin. Ein paar Stunden lese ich mit meinem Freund, und das ist fast die einige Zeit, welche ich der Lecture widmen kann. 

10 Oct 1776, to his father

Die Ursache meines langen Stillschweigens errathet ihr, liebster Papa; wenn man an einem wichtigen Werk arbeitet, so ist man ganz dieses Werkes; und denn vollendete ich mit meinem Freund Kinloch noch einige Bücher.

[...] Ein Buchhändler von Neufchatel, Frau B. und ich haben Herrn B. zu einer Sammlung seiner somtlichen Werke vermocht. Bei dieser Gelegenheit durchsieht er sie alle, und macht Zusäße und Veränderungen. Da er selbst nicht lesen darf, so wünschte er mit einem Freund diese Schriften zu durchgehen, dem zugleich der Inhalt geläufig wäre. Zu dem Ende haben wir diesen Sommer oft 2 – 3 Stunden des Abends diese und andere Schriften in Herrn Kinlochs Gegenwart gelesen.

[...] Mein Freund K. geht nach Italien. Es ist hart; aber der nordamerikanische Krieg und mein Werk, welches zu sehr unterbrochen worden wäre, verhindern mich ihn zu begleiten. Dieser Brief ist nicht lang genug, um Euch, auszudrücken, wie schmerzlich mir übermorgen dieser Abschied seyn wird.

[...] Der Verlust meines Freundes macht mich traurig. Zum Glück ist Kinloch in allen Welttheilen mein; unsere Personen mögen getrennt werden, aber nicht unsere Gemüther; seine Vervollkommnung soll mir mehr am Herzen liegen, als seine Gegenwart; endlich in der langen Laufbahn, welche der Natur nach uns offen ist, mögen wir uns wohl zusammen finden *..

* Diese Freundschaft mit Herrn Kinloch blieb ungeschwacht bis zu Müllers Tode. Er erhielt zu Cassel noch Briefe von ihm.

24 Dec 1776, to his brother

Für mich selbst suche ich nichts, als jene Unabhängigkeit, welche ich für das höchste Gut eines Menschen halte, deren ich nun genieße, und durch den Edelmuth meines Freundes Kinloch und durch die Wissenschaften allezeit genießen werde.

Alsdann schreibe ich meine Briefe, selten andere (außer Briefe die Geschäfte betreffen) als an meine zwei Freunde, Bonstetten und Kinloch.

[...]Herr Kinloch sieht Italien mit den Augen eines Mannes, der sich den großen Geschäften widmet, mit der Empfindlichkeit eines Freundes der Alten und der schönen Künste. Seine Briefe sind das Tagbuch alles dessen, was er sieht, hört und fühlt. Durch Ihn und jenen andern Freund kenne ich Italien genauer als fast kein anderes Land. 

April 1777, to his brother

Als du ihn schriebest, war ich zu Lyon. Mein Freund Kinloch, als er aus Italien zurückkam, schrieb mir an einem gewissen Tag mich am See unter Genthod zu finden, weil er mich besuchen wolle; ich konnte ihn aber nicht erwarten und nahm ein Cabriolet. Drei Stunden von Genf traf ich ihn an. Drei oder vier Tage blieb er bei mir. Er hatte sich beim Anblick der Denkmale der Alten in der Bewunderung derselben, bei Ansicht des heutigen Zustandes der Nation und der Verfassungen in der Liebe freier Regierung, durch alles, Historie, Künste und Umgang in der edlen Begierde verdienten Ruhms und großer Tugenden bestärkt: auch da er so viele andere gesehen hatte, hatte er meine Freundschaft noch höher schätzen gelernt. Und es scheint mir würklich, wir haben einander zehnmal lieber gewonnen in diesen wenigen Lagen, und der Zweck unserer Freundschaft ist allezeit unsere wechselseitige Vervollkommnung; auch will Kinloch keinen andern Freund, ich will auch keinen außer Bonstetten und ihn. Als er Genthod verließ und wir vieles gelesen und gesprochen hatten, war mir nicht möglich, ihn abreisen zu sehen; also ging ich auf Lyon. [...] Niemals bin ich freudiger noch gesünder, auch denke ich nie heller noch empfinde lebhafter, als wann ich reise; daher ich eine Menge Beobachtungen gemacht und zugleich sowohl mit meinem Freund, als nachdem wir Lyon zu gleicher Stunde, aber auf verschiedenen Wegen, verlassen und ich zurückfuhr, sehr viel gearbeitet habe. Ihm las ich alles, was ich diesen Winter über die Schweiz abgefaßt hatte, dann lasen wir mit unendlichem Vergnügen verschiedene Stücke im Juvenalis, aus welchem ich auch mehreres auswendig lerne, und dann lasen wir über die Länder, die wir sahen, nebst vielen Kapiteln im Montaigne, dessen Meisterstück das Kapitel von der Freundschaft ist;

4 Sept 1779, to his brother

Vor wenigen Tagen habe ich mit unsäglichem Vergnügen von Kinloch Nachricht bekommen, daß, nachdem er sich durch Lebensgefahr gezwungen gesehen, für Carolina die Waffen zu ergreifen, er unter General Moultrie als Aide de Camp in Georgien und Carolina sich so sehr ausgezeichnet, daß er von dem Feldherrn in einem Brief an den Congreß ein sehr tapferer Jüngling und eine Ehre seines Vaterlandes genannt worden ist, welches gedruckt worden. Dieser Ruhm, den meine Freunde erwerben, ist für mich ein gewaltiger Sporn. 

4 Sept 1779, to his brother

Vor wenigen Tagen habe ich mit unsäglichem Vergnügen von Kinloch Nachricht bekommen, daß, nachdem er sich durch Lebensgefahr gezwungen gesehen, für Carolina die Waffen zu ergreifen, er unter General Moultrie als Aide de Camp in Georgien und Carolina sich so sehr ausgezeichnet, daß er von dem Feldherrn in einem Brief an den Congreß ein sehr tapferer Jüngling und eine Ehre seines Vaterlandes genannt worden ist, welches gedruckt worden. Dieser Ruhm, den meine Freunde erwerben, ist für mich ein gewaltiger Sporn. 

[shizuokadivision]

ARB Birthday Special 2024: Reika Aichi

~~ February 13th ~~

“It did not occur to them that a woman could be dangerous. How foolish they were.”

Login Lines:

“Hm? What do you want? I'm quite busy at the moment. I don't have time to deal with anyone today.”

“A…gift? Ah yes, it's my birthday, isn't it? Seems like it's that time of the year again.”

Voice Lines: 

“Goodness thirty years old and yet I still look the same as I did at twenty. Not a wrinkle or blemish in sight. Unlike some people, I haven’t let myself go, not that I’m ever going to.”

“The girls at the recreation center were ecstatic to show me a dance they had worked on for my birthday. I gave them a standing ovation when they finished. It truly warms my heart to see them all having fun. To have a chance at enjoying life.”

“Once again, the upper class of Shizuoka has overloaded my staff with all the gifts they’ve sent. Amusing how they think that giving me all these gifts will save them from my wrath. They should know better than that.”

“I’ve been trying to convince Kanon to perform at my Valentine’s Gala tomorrow. I don’t care how much I have to bribe or blackmail her I will get her to perform because for a psychotic bitch Kanon had got one of the most beautiful singing voices I’ve ever heard.” 

“Speaking of psychotic bitch, hello there Kanon. Giving me a gift two years in a row? Oh my my. I always knew you loved me somewhere deep down in that dead heart of yours, Kanon. Yes, yes, I know how lucky I am. Now, what did you get me?” 

“Well, aren't you gorgeous? I wasn’t sure what I was expecting from you, but why am I not surprised? Only you would give me a king cobra as a present Kanon. Wait…what do you mean by created? …Leave it to you to create a deadly mutant snake, Kanon. I suppose you need a name then. How about Cleopatra? Oh, does that give me an idea. Now, how does it look?” 

“Sakura my dear. It’s so good to see you. Not making anyone sleep with the fishes, aren't you? Hahaha! I’m just messing with you, don't take it too seriously. Look at you, Sakura, taking the time out of your busy schedule to personally give me something. The big bad boss does have a soft spot. You love me for it.”   

“Really Sakura? A pair of brass knuckles? That's what surprises you about me. My cage fighting days? Pfft that's not even the most shocking thing about me. No, I’ve done things far more shocking than that. That’s for me to know and you to figure out Sakura.”

Kanon Lines:

“Happy Birthday, Reika. Seems like once again you’ve survived another year, but I digress. I came to give you a gift. You’re very lucky that I consider you one of the very few people I care for, Reika. Demanding and dramatic as always. Now, here, have this. It’s something I created just for you.” 

“I figured since you adore Kiyohime, you'd enjoy a second pet snake. Ah, yes, I've genetically modified it to be far more dangerous than the average member of its species. It’s intelligent to a frightening degree, and its venom is strong enough to corrode metal, let alone what it'll do to human flesh. Don’t worry about it biting you, I've accustomed it to your scent. I suppose wearing a live king cobra around your neck like it’s a necklace is quite the fashion statement.”  

Sakura Lines:

“Happy Birthday, Reika. You know, damn well as I do, that's something Hollywood made up. Besides, if I wanted to get rid of anyone, I'd hand them over to Kanon, not throw them in the Shizuoka Harbor. Anyway, I just personally came to give this to you. So here you go. Ugh, I should’ve known you’d act like this.” 

“Hey, I'm not the one who used to fight in an illegal cage fighting ring, Reika.  Which, by the way, is still the most shocking thing I know about you, considering how you act. Like what? Oi! Don’t walk away from me! Reika, you bitch come back here!” 

[hoomandoescosplay]

Too Much Love and Fire Whiskey | Albus Potter x Scorpius Malfoy

As I'm sitting at the Slytherin table in the great hall with Scorpius I notice Rose is making her way over here. I turn to Scorpius to see if he's noticed her as well and he gives me a look to show he's not sure why she's coming over either.

Rose takes a seat across from us at the table and tries to make small talk. "Hey Albus," she pauses then glances at Scorpius giving him a small nod, "Scorpius. You two must be excited for this year finally wrapping up." She exclaims.

I nod, giving her a questioning look. "Do you need something Rose? You don't usually just come by here to talk." I say trying not to come across as rude.

I can tell she's caught off guard from my directness and she replies slowly. "Well..." She starts, thinking over her words as it looks like she's considering the best way to approach this situation. "Since you're both in Slytherin I figured you both heard about the party happening tonight." She pauses and looks between Scorpius and I. "And I was wondering if you two were going to go to it." She gives us a big smile and I can tell that she's indirectly implying she wants us to go.

Scorpius pipes up. "Oh yeah, that party that's tonight? We're probably just going to chill in our dorm instead." He turns to me making sure we're on the same page. "Yeah," I start to say. "Parties aren't really our thing, you know that Rose." She pouts at our answer.

"Really? Not even for one last party before school gets out? It's the end of fifth year guys, we need to celebrate that." She adds trying to convince us to change our minds.

Scorpius takes some candy out of his robe to eat as I continue the conversation. "How about we'll see. I'm not making any promises but I know you'll stay here until you get something other than no."

I can tell Rose is still determined to get a yes out of us but she backs off for now. "Fine, fine." She says with a small pout still. "Well, if you end up changing your mind I think both of you will have some fun. It would be a great way to let loose especially after how much happened this year." She stands up after that saying bye to both of us and heading back to some of her friends at the Gryffindor table.

"Well she sure was determined to get us to go." Scorpius says continuing to eat some candy. I nod my head in agreement. "Yeah, I think she wanted to see us get a little more wild tonight than maybe we're up for. I think she was hoping to see a side of us that she hasn't seen before." I grin slyly and Scorpius chuckles.

I'll admit we definitely do have a wild and rebellious side but we don't show it off often. Especially with our reputation at Hogwarts we'd rather keep a low profile most of the time.

I reach out my hand for a piece of candy and he gives me a few in return. "Thanks Scorp." Smiling he replies, "You're most welcome. I think sharing is the best part of having candy." He smiles then pops another candy into his mouth. It's also a convenient excuse to touch Scorpius a bit I think to myself without realizing.

Soon after, many students exit the great hall for many reasons. Some go to finish up last minute assignments, some hang out with friends before heading home for break tomorrow, while others find a nice place to relax.

Scorpius and I are some of the ones who choose to find a nice place to relax a bit before going back to our dorm. We ended up just choosing to relax in a quiet corner of the common room that's out of the way and has a couple of chairs.

I plop myself down into one of the chairs and look at Scorpius, waiting for him to join him in the other chair. Scorpius sits down a second after and starts to fiddle with his wand.

I quickly notice how I can't keep his eyes off of Scorpius, watching him fidget with his wand. I absolutely love observing Scorpius when he does these small things; it's sweet and playful.

I can't help but smile at him especially since it's clear he isn't aware of my observation as he continues to fiddle with his wand. I eventually speak up. "Do you think we should try going to the party? Rose has got the idea stuck in my head now." I sigh.

Scorpius takes his attention off his wand to look up at Albus. "Hmm..." He pauses for a moment debating it. "I mean we could go," he says, not entirely convinced. "It might be fun to get out and see what everyone else is up to."

I take a moment to think. "Yeah you're right. It could be fun I guess." I get more comfortable in my chair before continuing. "Worst case we could always just go to our dorm if we get bored." Scorpius nodded at the idea which made me smile.

"Yeah, that sounds great. We could try the party, and if we don't like it, we'll just go back to the dorm. We don't have to stick around if it sucks." Scorpius grins, thinking about how much fun they could have at this party which makes me smile wider.

"It's settled then. We'll be partying it up tonight." I say laughing at the thought as Scorpius joins in. "Yep, sounds like an excellent way to wrap up the year. Who knows, maybe we'll have the time of our lives tonight." He gives me a cheeky smile. His smile makes my whole body light up and I smile with him.

I stand up dusting off my robes turning back to face Scorpius. "Wanna head to our dorm to chill before they start setting up for the party down here?" I ask as he nods his head. "Sounds good to me." As he stands to start walking towards the stairs I follow him getting excited to go to a party with him later.

─── ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ ───

The music from the party is pumping even all the way back down in the Slytherin common room. It's obvious that this is going to be a very high-energy party.

I crack a smile as I hear the music, and Scorpius follows my lead. We walk down the stairs eager to go and see what this party has in store for us.

I quickly scan the room and notice that I recognize a lot of the people at the party; most of which are fellow Slytherins and some from other houses. It's interesting seeing everyone in a different light outside of the classroom.

"There seems to be a lot of older students as well as some fellow 5th year classmates." Scorpius says close to my ear making sure I could hear him. I feel my face heat up from our close proximity as I nod. "It's probably how they were able to get so much fire whisky for the party." I point out glancing at the drink table.

My comment makes Scorpius chuckle. "Yeah, I forgot that they wouldn't have as much trouble getting a hold of fire whisky, and it looks like they got an insane amount of it." Scorpius says, looking at the table with all the bottles.

We both notice that there's no shortage of students already taking full advantage of this free alcohol and getting pretty tipsy pretty quickly.

Scorpius's heart flutters as he feels Albus's hand on his. Something about their physical closeness is so exciting and thrilling!

"Hmm..." Scorpious starts to say, looking back over at the alcohol with a grin on his face. "It would be rude not to have a couple of drinks, wouldn't it?" He smirks back at me, making my heart flutter.

"Why yes it would be very rude not to have at least a few." I reply playfully. "Well, I guess let's start getting tipsy, shall we?" Scorpius says with a wry smile, holding my hand a bit tighter and leading me over to the table of free alcohol.

After we both grab a cup we walk towards one of the sofas to sit down and watch the party in full-swing around them. Scorpius takes a swig of fire whisky and I follow suit so we're both on the same level.

We both observe the people around us, many of whom are already noticeably tipsy from the fire whisky. "You know this isn't so bad. Watching everyone is actually pretty amusing." I say getting more comfortable on the sofa.

"Yeah it is," Scorpius agrees, taking a few more gulps from his cup. "People-watching is a fun activity, especially when people are getting a little tipsy. It's incredible what people will do when they're feeling the effects of the fire whisky and their inhibitions are lowered." I hum in response, taking another swig from my cup.

We continue to talk about random topics that come into our minds as we continue to drink more of the fire whiskey. I'm starting to feel a bit tipsy myself but I try not to show it too much.

I never thought I was much of a light weight until now. Scorpius has had about two more drinks than me and he's not even half as tipsy. "I never imagined I'd get tipsy so easily," I mumble from his place next to Scorpius on the sofa.

"Hmm? Sorry, what was that?" Scorpius asks me, noticing that I said something but not sure what. I blink a bit, realizing that Scorpius didn't hear what I said. I speak up a bit louder this time, slurring slightly. "I said I never imagined I'd get tipsy so quickly. This fire whisky is strong, you know?"

Scorpius gives me a warm smile. "Yeah it's definitely a bit stronger than usual." I lean my head on his shoulder letting out a sigh. "Mhm, very strong." I mutter.

Feeling comfortable I lean over a bit, moving my body to be even closer to Scorpius. Looking down at me I can tell he's noticed how tipsy I've actually gotten. In response, I feel Scorpius wraps an arm around me pulling me even closer to give me more support.

A few minutes pass with both of us just leaning on each other until Rose and James Sirius walk towards us.

I can tell Rose and James are also a bit tipsy from the fire whisky as they greet us with big smiles on their faces as they seem eager to talk. "Hey guys!" Rose calls out happily. She sounds a bit slurred but still mostly coherent. "I have to admit I'm shocked you both actually came to this."

I lift my head off of Scorpius and shrug. "We got bored and figured it wouldn't hurt to come for a little bit." I replied.

"At least you two had a choice." James says. "She dragged me to this against my will." Rose just rolls her eyes at his comment. She then smirks with amusement and nods at Scorpius and I.

"Boredom is certainly a good reason to come to a party. So how's the party so far?" She asks, her eyes taking in the scene and she takes a sip of her fire whisky.

Scorpius answers her question this time. "Not bad actually. We've actually been having a blast just watching everyone. Very entertaining stuff." He says making me laugh.

Rose seems to appreciate Scorpius's answer, as she chuckles as well. "Yeah, there's been a good amount of entertainment at this party so far," Rose says, looking around at all the people. "Plus there's plenty of drinks all around." She sips her fire whisky and smiles. It's clear that she's quite enjoying herself.

James agrees with the fire whiskey comment and takes another sip of his own cup. "This party is really kicking it up a notch," James says with a grin, holding up his cup of alcohol.

Rose smirks. "Yeah that's for sure, you can thank the older years for bringing all of this fire whisky. They really know how to throw a party." She turns her head at the sight of something and her eyes light up. "Oh one of my other friends just got here, let's go say hi." She quickly drags James off leaving Scorpius and I alone again.

The conversation seemed to sober me up a bit which is good. Tapping on the rim of my cup I look towards Scorpius. "So," I begin, sipping some more of my fire whisky, "Are we really just sitting here, watching everyone, because we don't know what else to do?"

Scorpius thinks for a second. "It seems like we are." He laughs. "Yeah... it does seem that way," I laugh as well and take another gulp of my fire whisky. I then pause for a moment, taking a second to think. "You know, in all honesty, I'm not complaining." I smile at Scorpius.

I look at Scorpius for a few more seconds before blurting out. "You have really pretty eyes by the way." I immediately get flustered by my own words as Scorpius lets out a small laugh and gets up.

"Wait, where are you going?" I mumble, not wanting Scorpius to leave me for too long. "To get you some water. You need some." Scorpius replies with a smile still on his face.

I can feel my cheeks burning even brighter from that smile on Scorpius's face. "W-well, I mean, yeah... but... you don't need to, I'm fine." I mumble, hoping that he'll just sit back down with me instead of leaving.

"If you give me your cup I'll sit back down." Scorpius bargains. My heart skips a beat as I hear this from Scorpius. I'm so focused on wanting Scorpius to stay that I almost immediately hand my cup to him. Realizing, I make sure to take a second before passing it off though in the back of my mind I'm waiting eagerly for Scorpius to hurry and sit back down.

Instead Scorpius takes the cup then reaches his free hand out. "Let's walk around a bit to get you to sober up." I blink a little as I feel my heart pounding in my chest, as all of this close proximity and the lingering effects of the fire whisky have me feeling so many intense emotions. I take Scorpius's hand without saying a word, letting him lead me.

─── ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ ───

As Scorpius leads me around the room all I can focus on is him and only him. I can tell the walking isn't helping as much as he thought it would because every so often another new compliment for Scorpius will come tumbling out of my mouth.

Each time I see the corner of his lips curl upwards into a smile. Eventually Scorpius stops walking as we near a mostly unoccupied corner of the room. He pulls me a bit closer to him and whispers in my ear. "You know, I could spend all of the rest of the night just looking at you." Scorpius whispers, letting his voice grow more flirty playing along with my tipsy state.

I'm left completely speechless as Scorpius's words and actions slowly start to race through my mind. Between the fire whisky lingering through my body and all these intense emotions before I know it I blurt out something I never thought I'd ever say out loud.

"I am hopelessly and utterly in love with you Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy and I don't know what I'd do without you." I say as I wrap my arms around him in a tight embrace. As I rest my head in the crook of his neck I register what actually just came out of my mouth and I instantly tense up.

Lifting my head from his neck I immediately let go of him and started rambling trying to explain what I meant without confessing anymore than I already have. Before I know it Scorpius's lips are on mine making me go silent. After a moment I close my eyes and kiss him back. My whole body feels as though it's on fire and every place Scorpius is touching makes my skin tingle.

Too soon he ends the kiss and all I can do is stare back at him. "And I thought I was the one that talked a lot." He says laughing while holding onto me still. I feel myself smile and my face turning even redder.

I internally curse the fire whisky I've had as I can barely wrap my head around what just happened. "Did you mean to do that? I mean- I'm not complaining if you did I just-" Scorpius interrupts me with a laugh as he says "Yes I meant to kiss you Albus. Did you honestly think I didn't also have feelings for you?" I blink at him a few times trying to force myself to sober up a bit more.

After a few seconds I grin and wrap my arms tightly around him in an embrace. "I really hope this fire whisky isn't making me imagine this." Scorpius wraps his arms around me tighter as well confirming this is in fact real.

The embrace could last forever and it wouldn't be long enough, as I continue to hold Scorpius close and tight. I'm reeling from the overwhelming feelings of love and adoration, finally getting to embrace the person I've crushing on and finding no resistance from Scorpius but instead only love.

I finally let go of Scorpius while laughing. "I guess this party was worth going to after all." I say making Scorpius laugh with me. I can only laugh from the sheer joy that this evening has brought me. This is everything I could have ever hoped for right now - this night, this party, and above all else, this boy.

"Oh, it was MORE than worth it." Scorpius beams leaning against the wall were standing near. I follow his lead leaning against it as well while reaching my arm out to intertwine our hands together.

We stand there for a few seconds in silent bliss until I hear Scorpius whisper something. "I am hopelessly and utterly in love with you too, Albus Severus Potter."

─── ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ ───

Bonus:

Rose and James were standing near the drink table talking about random topics jumping from each thought with a nice flow. From the corner of her eye Rose's head snaps in the direction of the opposite side of the room.

Her eyes widen as she slaps James's arm repeatedly. "Geez Rose what is it? Calm down will you?" He rolls his eyes at her sudden outburst and sees her silently pointing across the room.

He ruffles up his hair as he turns to look at where she's pointing. "Holy-" James stop's mid sentence utterly shocked. "Is that-" he starts as Rose continues for him. "Scorpius and Albus? YES!" She shouts the last part loudly making some Slytherins glare at them.

"Ahh they're kissing. Merlin, they're actually kissing!" She grins while jumping up and down excitedly. James laughs at her and at the fact those two finally confessed to each other. "Well, I did not expect that to happen tonight."

As Rose continues to celebrate what she just witnessed James leans against the table smiling genuinely happy for his brother.

─── ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ ───

[eadanga]

The Royal Romance Chapter 8 Part 2

Riley looks around the ice and sees the nobles falling all around her. She hold in her laughter as she watches Kiara slide across the ice on her stomach. A blur goes past her face “What?” The blur comes from the left then Hana’s smiling face stops in front of her.

“Looks like Olivia stole Liam from you”

Riley sighs then gives her a small smile “It’s fine Liam has obligations I don’t take it personally”

Hana smiles “That’s level headed of you” She twirls gracefully

“You’re really good at this where’d you learn to skate like that I know it’s not from all these people falling on their asses”

Hana laughs “Ice skating is one of the many things my parents sent me for lessons for”

“That’s an unusual choice I had soccer and basketball”

Hana sighs “It’s a skill I learned to appeal to suitors I was told a display of elegance can go a long way”

“Ice skating was apart of your training? That’s weird but do you like it?”

Hana shrugs her shoulders “Oh you know it’s ok”

“That’s not very convincing”

“When my parents were selecting my activities whether I enjoyed it or not wasn’t a factor they considered now I find myself with a whole set of skills that I haven’t much interest in”

Before Riley can respond Olivia skates to the middle of the lake with Liam “Ok everyone let’s hit the slopes!”

Everyone grabs their skis and rides the ski lift to the top of the mountain Riley finishes lacing up her skis and takes a deep breath Ok good thing that I went on that ski trip I remember how to do this

Drake skis up beside her “So Brooks you finally made it to the slopes”

She raises an eyebrow “What’s the matter Drake? You missed me?”

“Hardly was just getting bored”

“I didn’t see you out on the ice”

“Figure skating isn’t my thing”

Riley smirks “Really? I think you’ll good in a tutu”

Drakes shudders “Some mental issues aren’t worth the effort”

“So skiing is manly enough for you”

“I hardly call this skiing but I wanna change that how about a race”

Riley raises an eyebrow “What makes you think I can ski?”

“Maybe I’m starting to have faith in you Brooks”

Riley smirks “You’re scaring me with your niceness”

Drake chuckles “I’m scaring myself” He nods down the mountain “Anyway I’m gonna start skiing down this slope in a minute and if I get to the bottom before you” He smirks “Well let’s just say I’m calling that a win and I might not let you hear the end of it ready set don’t wipe out!” He takes off down the mountain

Riley sputters “Hey no warning or anything I wasn’t even ready!”

“I was ready!”

 Riley takes off after him and quickly catches up to him. Out the corner of her eye she sees Olivia and Liam skiing together “Oh Liam you’re so funny”

Riley grits her teeth and mocks her in a high pitched voice “Oh Liam you’re so funny” She smirks “Well let’s see how Liam likes this” She soars elegantly by them “Cowabunga!”

Olivia looks over shocked “What?”

Riley grins as she lands “Glad you enjoyed the show Liam”

Liam grins “Go Riley!”

Drake swerves around a fallen branch and calls out “Watch it Brooks!”

Riley spots the branch immediately then leans forward to pick up speed the jumps like a gazelle over it she lands with a huff “That was close”

Drakes eyes go wide “Wow”

Riley takes advantage of his distraction and speeds pasts him she stops then jumps up and down “I win!”

Drake looks at her still shocked “Not thrilled about it but if you make a jump like that you deserve to win” Drake smiles “Nice moves Brooks” He takes a deep breath “Trip hasn’t been bad so far half bad so far shame that tomorrow is back to waltzing and bowing and all that”

“At least I ski better than I waltz which is barely at all”

Drake looks at her surprised “Wait you can’t waltz I thought you danced with Liam”

“Yeah but he did a lot of the work is it important?”

Drake shakes his head “Oh what would you do without me Brooks there’s a ball tomorrow and the ladies are expected to dance the Cordonian Waltz”

Maxwell didn’t mention that to me She sighs “It’s fine I’ll figure it out”

Drake smirks “It’s very complicated”

Riley shrugs “No biggie I’ve survived this far”

“Whatever you say Brooks”

“But let’s say I’m curious how does one dance the Cordonian Waltz”

“Can’t help you there don’t know the steps you should ask Hana she knows everything backwards and forwards”

“Yeah maybe”

Olivia claps her hands to get everyone’s attention “It’s time to head to my spectacular lodge to warm up!”

Drakes nods “Thanks for the race I had fun”

Riley grins “You’re not as bad as you seem”

Drake chuckles “You’re getting soft on me Brooks”

They head back to the lodge with Maxwell and Hana they sit by the fire sipping a mug of hot coco

Maxwell smiles “Did you have fun today Riley ”

Riley grins “Today was super fun now it’s time for hot chocolate”

Hana grins “This is wonderful just look at the little marshmallows shaped like hearts”

Drake rolls his eyes “Yes just adorable”

Maxwell looks over “Watch out we’ve got incoming”

Riley sighs as Olivia struts in “Well hello my dear guests hope you’re enjoying my spectacular hosting”

Riley plasters on a smile “Oh it’s wonderful” She mutters under her breath Not

Maxwell nods “I always enjoy my time here with you Olivia”

Drake doesn’t look up “It’s something”

Olivia narrows her eyes at him “Did you see that we had eclairs Drake they always remind me of dear darling little Savannah She’d gobble it down like a saw through”

Drake frowns “Don’t talk about my sister”

“Why ever not she was such a fixture at court then she up and disappeared you never told us what happened to her and usually gossip is quick to spread”

“She left cause of people like you”

Olivia sighs “She was always a sensitive sort” She grins “Ladies like that don’t last long here”

Drake sets down his mug “You know what I just remembered something I’ve got somewhere I need to be excuse me”

He walks towards the door

Olivia tries to hold in her laughter “Oh wait Drake dear I wasn’t finished talking to you!”

Riley sets down her mug I’m so sick of this bitch She stands then pushes Olivia out the door

“What are you doing?! How dare you touch me?! You commoner! You” Riley slams the door in her face

Maxwell laughs “Never seen anyone who had the guts to do that!”

“Someone had to get rid of her”

Tags: @mfackenthal @indiacater @the-soot-sprite @twinkleallnight @princess-geek @gkittylove99 @iaminlovewithtrr

[blue-howlite]

Ethan McMillan x Reader

Type: fluff I guess.

Trigger warnings: mentions of blood and surgical operations, body transfiguration.

Yn= Your name

Author note: this mf is a workaholic and no one can convince me otherwise.

Your footsteps echoed down the empty hallway. The clinic was quiet, not even the usual cries of the patients could be heard.

But you knew where he was. You walked down the hallway, towards the elevator.

You inserted the key and selected the basement floor. You mentally prepared yourself for the sights that were waiting for you, even though you were used to most of it. But you never know, your boyfriend really enjoys creating new things and some are more concerning than others.

The elevator's doors opened and you got out, going to the reinforced door. His latest creature was behind it.

You knocked on the door, not too fond of the creature. You didn't have a mandrake to feed it so you didn't want to risk your life by just opening the door.

«Can I help you?»

You turned around, finding a black mask with red eyes watching you. Here he was, in his red military jacket and creepy mask.

«Oh, good evening, Colonel,» you said, smiling innocently «I was looking for my boyfriend. He has the bad habit of working until late, so I decided to come and get him myself before he drowns into his work.»

Now you were fully facing him, your back to the reinforced door.

«That is a very nice thought, but I'm not sure I can help you with that.» he answered, playing along. He got closer, now his body a few inches from your own. «There is a lot to do, new projects to start...»

«And is there no way I could convince you to give him a break?» you asked, bringing one of your hands to his chest. You saw him slightly relax at your touch, then tense up again a little.

«...I am afraid n-»

Before he could finish his answer you snatched his mask and kissed him. He immediately kissed you back, embracing you. He pulled you away from the reinforced door and against his body, holding you tight.

After a few more kisses you pulled back, smiling.

«What about now?» you asked, holding his mask behind your back. You weren't about to take "No" for an answer.

Ethan smiled apologetically.

«My love, I have to start the new project for Ruth. I already laid down all the details, I just have to fetch a patient and-»

«And your patients are going to be exactly where you left them tomorrow morning.» you interrupted him, staring into his eyes. Many wouldn't have the confidence to openly disagree with him like this, and the rest wouldn't survive to tell about it. But you were special, always have been, he would never harm you. He knows that what you do and say is for his own good.

«It will only take a few hours, I promise.»

«Ethan.» you called him, firmly. You held the side of his head with one hand, your thumb caressing his cheek. He leaned into your hand, closing his eyes.

«The bags under your eyes got worse. If you start now you might commit mistakes due to exhaustion.» you said.

Ethan stayed still, considering what you were saying. You weren't wrong after all, but he really wanted to finish that project.

«You could... stay with me? While I operate...» he asked, still trying to resist. It wasn't really convincing, especially since his whole body was leaning into yours, almost as if he needed support.

You shook your head, sighing.

«No Ethan, that's not the point. You should take a break. I mean, how much have you slept this week?» you asked, with a worried voice.

«...»

Of course he couldn't answer, he himself wasn't sure. Maybe forty hours in the whole week?

And of course you knew that, you were so worried about him for a reason.

«You see what's the problem now? You're overworking yourself. Now come on, Ruth's requests can wait a night.» you said, taking his hands in yours.

He thought about it for a few seconds. You could see him being conflicted about this, his expressions were like an open book for you. In the end, he sighed.

«Fine.»

You smiled and kissed his cheek, then pulled him. But instead of following you, Ethan pulled you against himself, holding you by your waist. He kissed you, then looked into your eyes, smiling.

«Thank you, my love, for dealing with my stubbornness. I don't know what I would do without you.»

[adoringhaikyuu]

they reject you and regret it afterwards

CHARACTERS: kuroo + iwaizumi + osamu + (gn!reader)

REQUEST: pspspsps i hope its okay if i drop my request here since i saw that yours are open :D can you maybe do how kuroo, iwaizumi and osamu rejects reader confession ( they are best friend ) because they have feelings for another person but later they regret it when they moved on? i love it when the boys realize it later how much the reader means to them but y/n took the chance to move on and have a sexy glow up ✋😩 yessss i wanna see them suffer at the end >:) • by anonymous

WARNINGS: dumb boys hurting your feelings and you hurting them right back :/

NOTES: i feel like i’m not too good at writing angst lol but i made these blurbs instead of hcs! 

kuroo let you down easy, not wanting to hurt your feelings––to be honest he did feel something for you, but he wasn’t sure if it was what you wanted it to be. he felt more certain of the feelings he had for someone else. someone you slowly watched him admire from afar until he worked up the courage to start joking with them, then offering to buy them lunch and so on. 

you still remember the awkward smile he gave you when you confessed to him, the smile that absolutely broke you because it showed you how much he didn’t want you the way you wanted him. not enough to give up his efforts with someone else. “i’m flattered y/n, but i’m sorry i just––you know i have a date this week...” 

you’d looked down immediately, unable to look him in the eyes longer and swallowed back the lump in your throat that was aching to come up in a sob. “yeah yeah, i’m sorry i just––let’s forget this ever happened, yeah?”

you gave him your most convincing smile and he agreed, wanting everything to be normal between the two of you.

but it wasn’t until he’d gone on a few dates with them to realize that it didn’t feel right. it didn’t feel familiar, the way he thought it would. it wasn’t the same comfort he felt in your presence. when they texted him, he didn’t feel the same burst of happiness he felt when you messaged him. he tried to wait it out, to see if things would change, but they didn’t. they just weren’t you.

it’d been a few weeks since you’d confessed and gotten rejected, but you decided to move on instead of dwelling on his unrequited feelings––it wouldn’t do you any good to wallow and weep over your best friend. you wanted him to be happy, and you deserved to be too. so you knocked yourself out of that sad headspace and changed yourself up a bit. you started to value yourself better than you did before, you dressed the way you wanted to but were always afraid of doing and everything about you just brightened up. and other people noticed as well. 

kuroo had kind of been too preoccupied to notice, if he was being honest. he didn’t realize what he had in front of him until he practically sprinted over to your place to surprise you and be honest about his feelings. you opened the door, already dressed up and kuroo took a step back, eyes widening as they took you in. did you always look this breathtaking?

“wow...”

you smiled gratefully, straightening out your clothes. “thanks, that’s what i was going for.” you walked back into your apartment to get your shoes, “not that i mind but what are you doing here?” 

he blinked out of his trance and stepped in, closing the door behind him. “oh i just––i brought us some food.” he raised the bag he was holding even though you weren’t facing him. “i was kinda hoping we could spend some time together...” he scratched the back of his head, “maybe talk about a few things...” he trailed off when something clicked in his head as he watched you slip your shoes on. “wait why are you all dressed up?” 

you turned and looked at him apologetically, “oh...i’m sorry kuroo,” you paused, “i actually have somewhere to be. can i take a raincheck?”

he opened his mouth for a few seconds as he watched you, but no sound came out. “oh um...well could i just––wait here? until you get back?” 

you looked to the side awkwardly bringing one hand up to hold your other arm. “it’s just that...i might not be alone when i come back.”

as soon as you uttered those words, he could feel his heartbeat falter in his chest, a faint ringing noise in his ears. 

“...a date?” 

you nodded with a smile and though it’s selfish, he felt a part of him dim on the inside when he noticed how excited you were. he didn’t really have a right to stop you now did he, not when you chose his happiness over your own what felt like way long ago. so he wouldn’t.

he nodded as well, “oh” he forced a smile onto his face and stepped back towards the door, “that’s exciting. i’m happy for you, really.” he turned the door knob, “i’ll catch up with you some other time then, yeah? you’ll tell me how it went.” he looked at you one last time, his gaze wavering under the undeterred happiness radiating from you.

when he finally stepped out and closed your door, all the emotions hit him at once. he didn’t know what hurt the most, the fact that he was too late, or the fact that you didn’t stop him, didn’t notice the pleading look in his eyes as he silently begged you to stay with him. 

iwaizumi froze when you told him how you felt. it was the smallest reaction you’d ever seen from him before, the calmest––yet it did anything but soothe you. you could see the hesitation in his eyes, the uncertainty of what to say next in the way his mouth opened but produced no sound. you already knew what he was going to say.

he will admit, seeing the tears in your eyes that you barely managed to blink back when he rejected you did strike a blow to his heart. but he just couldn’t tell you what you wanted to hear, he wouldn’t lie to you. “i––i’m sorry y/n i just...don’t feel the same.” 

his eyes were apologetic, almost pitiful as he watched you take a step back, “right, right. that’s––that’s okay.” you tried to smile but it felt more like a grimace. “i just didn’t want to keep it to myself, that’s all. i’m sure i’ll get over it soon.” he nodded but wasn’t sure what else to say. so he didn’t say anything. 

things were a little awkward for a couple weeks between the two of you, but you didn’t want to lose your friendship, so you eventually moved on. 

it wasn’t until one day you were at the café you always went to together that you noticed him taking longer than usual to bring back your drinks. you looked over to see him chatting with the barista, both of them with nervous smiles on their faces. he came back a few minutes later with a note in his pocket that you assumed was the barista’s number and a blush on his cheeks. he placed your drink in front of you, eyes looking down, and didn’t mention anything, probably since he didn’t want to rub it in, so you didn’t bring it up either. 

but you did wonder if they were the reason he didn’t feel the same for you––you wondered if they weren’t in the picture, if he would have fallen for you instead. 

he didn’t want to hide anything from you, so he told you when he had a date coming up. you wished him luck and told him you hoped he’d have a good time and that was that. 

they ended up dating but you didn’t mind. he seemed happy and you truly did want the best for him. you started focusing on yourself and eventually found a boyfriend, one who appreciated you and loved you and you couldn’t ask for more. 

iwaizumi was happy for you as well, but he couldn’t ignore this piercing feeling he felt when he first heard the news, then when he would see you two together, on your double dates, at parties, anywhere, really. something just ticked him off. he knew he didn’t have a right to feel this way, but he couldn’t help it, couldn’t make sense of it. he couldn’t even figure out what it meant. 

only once he realized the ache he felt in his chest when you smiled at your boyfriend the way you used to smile at him, the pull at his heart when you kissed his cheek, completely enamored. only then did he realize that he was jealous, that he’d made a mistake, that he’d lost the one chance he had of being with his soulmate. 

osamu had just gotten his new restaurant, he was achieving his goals, living his life without fear, and you took inspiration from that. you decided to be upfront about your brewing feelings and ask him out just as he put the finishing touches in the establishment.

he was wiping down the counter as you sat at the bar, swallowing your nerves as you watched him. “hey samu?”

he hummed and glanced up at you for a second before looking back to what he was doing. 

you took a deep breath, “would you maybe...want to go out to eat tomorrow?” 

he didn’t look up, but his brows furrowed, “yeah? why are you even asking?” 

you paused, of course he wouldn’t realize what you meant, you guys ate together all the time. you blinked a few times before clearing your throat, “um i just––i meant as a...date?” 

this time, he paused, well more like froze. he kept his eyes on the counter, his face blank, but you could tell he was internally processing everything. did he hear you right? “what?” 

you considered taking it back, but you had a feeling he did hear you, he just wasn’t sure how to respond. “um...i asked if you wanna go on a date? with me...”

he nodded and straightened up, “right.” he brought a hand up to scratch the back of his head, finally looking at you and the look in his eyes was enough to make your wavering confidence crumble. “i sort of have my eye on someone else right now...” you nodded, trying not to let the tears form in your eyes. he went on, “my new neighbor needed to borrow something and we got to talking...was thinking of asking them out, actually.” that was the final twist of the knife. 

“oh...” your voice was small ”thats––that’s great!” you smiled but kept your eyes cast down, “forget what i asked i just...wanted to see what you’d say haha,” you tried to play it off as a joke, “i got you!” 

he stared at you silently for a few seconds, clearly contemplating whether or not he believed you, but in the end, he let it go. 

you never brought up that night ever again, but you thought about it constantly. it haunted you, in a way. of course the one time you’re finally able to speak up about your feelings, it backfired. 

you were in a very upsetting and self deprecating headspace for a while, wondering if this was your sign to never make the first move, if you were the problem. it took you a little while to snap out of it, but once you did, you realized your worth and stopped looking at the world through a grey lens––you felt like you’d bloomed as a person. 

things didn’t go very far with osamu and his neighbor, but you didn’t take that as an opportunity to try again with him, you didn’t want to wait around for him, even though you thought about it for a second at first––you learned to respect yourself more. 

meanwhile, your best friend was beside himself, going through the process of reflection and realization. it’s not that he was desperate after a failed relationship, it’s more so that he suddenly realized he had someone perfect right by him all these years––it only made sense. but he was too stupid to realize that, to realize that he cared about you as more than a friend. he had foolishly mistaken his feelings for you as caring for a friend––you two had been inseparable since you were kids, he couldn’t even notice when his feelings shifted from caring for a friend to loving his best friend. 

he decided to talk to you about it, it’d only been a few months since you’d joked? about going on a date with him, but part of him felt confident that you might have meant it for real. he was sure you’d be open to it still. he called you during his break at work and found himself smiling as soon as he heard your voice. 

“hey samu what’s up?” 

he started to answer, but he trailed off when he heard you laughing at an unfamiliar voice in the background. “hey...just wanted to talk. what are you uh up to?” 

he heard you shush whoever was with you. “nothing much.” he heard you sit down.” i can’t stay for long but what did you want to talk about? i’m all ears.”

he was going to brush it off, maybe it was just a friend, but when he heard a faint ‘babe’ and what sounded like a small kiss on the other end, that was all he needed to confirm his suspicions. “yeah i just...i’ll actually call you back later, okay?”

you paused on the other end, most likely confused, but you let him go nonetheless. 

osamu sat there in his office at the back of his restaurant, surrounded by silence, complete disbelief and an indescribable ache running through his body. was he really too late? 

[danses-with-dogmeat]

Hey I love your blog! If it isn’t too much trouble, could you do one of the companions reacting to Sole getting an unsolicited dick pic?

FO4 Companions React to Sole Receiving an Unsolicited Dick Pic

So I know the ask said one of the companions, but I just did 'em all cuz I got carried away (as I always seem to). This was definitely an interesting one to think about, and suuuuper fun to write. Thanks for the ask!

I ended up doing a little scenario at the top that'll apply to all of the reactions, and just kind of give context for the fateful event to take place (since phones/the internet aren't really a canon element in FO, I put this scenario together instead.)

Given the nature of this ask, there's a just bit of NSFW under the cut!

Sole had woken up like any other day. Heading down the stairs of their Diamond City home to make breakfast, trying to be quiet in order to keep from disturbing their companion in the other room. However, as they passed their front door, they noticed something peeking out of the mail slot.

The paper isn't meant to come out until tomorrow...

Curious, Sole reached for the little white square of photo paper, and noticed some writing in the corner. There was an address and the words, "if you like what you see, meet me here tonight," accompanied by a little arrow pointing to flip the photo over. Their intrigue got the better of them, and Sole did as the writing suggested, turning it over for a brief second before immediately regretting it. They recoiled at the phallic image, their surprise evident in the small yelp they uttered in response to the sight before them.

They heard their companion stir from the other room, and then their footsteps sounded from behind as they approached questioningly.

"What have you got there?" They asked.

"Oh, it's nothing," Sole said, turning to face them, "just some mail, is all." Sole's words dripped with distaste, and yet... they felt an overwhelming need to share their unsightly discovery with the person in front of them.

"Wanna see?" They asked, mercilessly turning the picture so their companion could clearly make out the offensive image.

Cait:

*scoffs*

"What, they think that's somethin' te brag about? The damn thing's so wee, I almost couldn't make it out." She'd say with a smile, offering up her hand so she could take the picture and tear it in half. Cait effectively would make the decision for her companion in regards to the comment on the back of the photo. She knows this type of man, and she'd be sure that Sole wouldn't be meeting the asshole anywhere tonight. However, should she be able to sneak away while Sole is sleeping... Cait might just pay a visit to the specified location, where she'd surely give that asshole a piece of her mind, and at least one taste of her fist.

Curie:

Her eyebrows would furrow, and the synth would cock her head to the side in her confusion. Being locked away in a vault with three men for so many years, acting as their doctor, meant she had seen her fair share of the male sex organ. But now, Curie was confused, why did this man feel the need to send Sole a photograph of his penis? Was there something wrong with it? Did he want them to examine it? Sole was not a doctor...

"Why 'ave you received zhis, madame/monsieur? What does zhis man want from you?"

Once Sole explained, Curie would be quite upset by the concept.

"But... you did not ask for zhis, did not want it, and yet, he sent it anyway. Why would you want to meet someone like zhat? It seems very rude to me." She's still confused about it, and may ask a few more questions. Has this happened to Sole before? Does it happen often? Does anyone actually like to see such things when they are unprompted like this? If not, then why do these men continue to do it?

The scientist just wants answers.

Danse:

The soldier would physically recoil at the sight of the photograph, eyebrows raised high as he took in the image, before jerking his head and eyes away from Sole and the picture altogether.

"That-- that is highly inappropriate and an overwhelmingly vile display." He would say once he recovered from his initial shock, still refusing to look back towards Sole, "I suggest you dispose of that filth immediately. Why anyone would reveal themselves in such an unceremonious fashion is beyond me. You would do well to forget such graphic imagery. I know that I will certainly try."

He wouldn't even entertain the idea that Sole would go through with meeting the man behind the picture, but in the off chance that they decided to tell him they wanted to, Danse would spend the remainder of the day convincing them otherwise. He would almost be tempted to go to the location himself in order to lecture the man for his crude and inexcusable behavior, and blatant disrespect to his companion, but in the end, he decides that the man is not worth his time.

Deacon:

Ginger eyebrows would raise slightly over the frames of the glasses for the briefest of moments before he recovered his cool demeanor.

"Ah shoot, did the postman just put it right back into the mail slot? Didn't mean for you to see that, my bad. Here, I'll just deliver it myself."

The sarcasm was evident in his voice as he strode forward and plucked the photo from Sole's hand, examining it for just a moment, and grimacing a bit at the sight.

"Man, Dr. Rich Cockwood does not photograph well. I swear, it's bigger in person." He'd wink at them before glancing down at the picture again, scrutinizing blue eyes pausing to peruse the words on the back as he folded the paper up to put into his pocket. He'd quickly change the subject, trying to keep Sole's mind off the whole thing as he devised a way to sneak out that night and get some intel on the asshole who decided it was a wise idea to put Sole in this position.

Hancock:

*Squints*

"Oh shit. Looks like you've got an admirer there, Sole. " In his sleepy state, it took Hancock a minute to figure out what he was even looking at. Upon realizing that it was, in fact, what he thought it had been, he takes the picture from Sole's grasp and flips it around to glance at the back.

"Look at that, you've even got a date tonight. Must be somewhere romantic, I can tell this guy's old school." He nodded, flipping the photo over to glance once again at the offensive imagery on the front. "Yeah, real traditional, I'd say. Hmm... Mind if I tag along? Could be fun." There was a certain sort of glint in the ghoul's eye that made Sole's spine tingle.

Perhaps neither of us should go... Sole thought, noticing how Hancock's other hand toyed absentmindedly with his combat knife as he furrowed his brows at the photo one last time, before shoving the paper into the pocket of his coat. There was a certain sort of intent behind his actions that made Sole re-think even showing him the image in the first place. Hancock had killed people over less; that, Sole knew for sure.

MacCready:

"Ahh! What the heck are you doing?! I don't need to see that!" He'd squeeze his eyes shut just as soon as he was able to make out the photo, shoving his hands in front of him as though they would be able to push the image out of his mind.

"It's too early for this, what the heck is that guy's problem?" MacCready shuddered as he pulled his hands slowly from where they covered his eyes, glancing quickly at Sole before lowering them down completely, a relieved expression on his face as realized the picture was no longer in his line of sight. Noting his dramatic reaction, Sole considered toying with the mercenary a bit. They asked him what was wrong with the image, stating that perhaps they would pay this man a visit tonight. It had been so long since they had been out on a date, might as well go for it, right?

MacCready's eyes would simultaneously furrow, and widen at their words as he stuttered, finally finding his voice after a moment of shocked, choked silence.

"What?!" He exclaimed, "You're not seriously thinking of going, are you? That guy seems like such an ass-- Well, he just-- I mean..." He took a breath, and Sole had to bite their lip to hold back their grin. "Look, not that it's really any of my business or anything, but... don't you think you could do better than that guy? Like... a lot better?"

Sole couldn't hold back their grin any longer, but MacCready wouldn't meet their gaze. Instead he looked down at the floor, rubbing at the back of his neck with one hand, a nearly unnoticeable blush spreading over his cheeks.

"That guy just seems like a real jerk, and you? Well... Yeah, you deserve better than that, I think." He finished rather awkwardly, finally looking up to meet Sole's gaze before returning their coy smile.

Nick:

The synth would a have a brief moment of raised eyebrows as he took in the details of the photograph, and then the inevitable scowl of disappointment would spread across his face.

"You know, you'd think this guy would understand that no one in their right mind wants to see that particular... angle. You don't think that's his good side, do ya?" Sole would smile a bit at that, and as the synth turned to walk away from the offensive image, they told him about the writing on the back.

"Hey now, wait a minute. You're not thinking of paying this guy a visit, are ya? If so, that's a pretty poor decision on your part, I think."

Sole would shake their head, telling Nick not to worry as he fixed his inquiring yellow gaze on them. He nodded in response, seeming satisfied by their answer. In the next moment, a thought seemed to claim his attention.

"Hmm... I think I might just know the perp, actually. Ellie's got a few reports back at the office mentioning some similar events. Guess it's possibly one of the guards on night duty who goes around with these to see if he gets any takers."

Sole almost spoke up, but as they opened their mouth, Nick's words seemed to take their idea straight from their head. "On second thought..." He said, "You got any plans for this evening?"

Piper:

"Ahh! Blue! Why would you show me that!?" She'd physically cover her eyes with her hands, taking a few steps back and away from the picture for good measure.

"Look, I don't care what you do with it," she'd tell them, "just don't let me see it again!"

Sole would thankfully oblige, but before disposing of the image, they showed Piper the writing on the back. At the sight of the man's suggestion, Piper snatched the photo from Sole's hand, glaring at it furiously.

"Ohhhh no he doesn't. If he's sent crap like this to anybody else, I'm going to make sure no one falls for this."

And Piper kept her word, as the next morning's addition of Publik Occurrences contained a small piece written on exactly this subject, titled: To the Asshole who sent the Sad Little Picture to a Disgusted Citizen; No One Wants to See That! Sincerely, Everyone who has.

Preston:

"O-- oh! Um, that's-- okay. That's just wrong. Do you want me to get rid of it for you?"

Preston's face would wrinkle up in his clear distaste before bringing a a hand up to shield his eyes. When Sole had lowered the picture, he removed his hand, and looked them in the eye, refusing to pay the photo any more attention, but extending his hand out to take it from them so he could dispose of it properly.

"Are you... okay? I can't believe how rude some people are. Who would want to see that?" He'd flash a sympathetic smile at them, as he folded up the photo and prepared to throw it away. He didn't read the back himself, but if they told him about the words that were written there, he wouldn't even entertain the idea of Sole going, just shaking his head in disappointment at the man's poor and rude way of trying in vain to woo his General.

"Some people... The nerve. If you don't mind me saying, General, you deserve much better than that anyway."

X6-88:

His eyes would be locked to Sole's, but as they presented the photo to him, his gaze would fall to the image, and an ever so slight furrowing of his brows would take place above his silver eyes. A brief moment would pass, and X6's gaze would be back on his companion's face.

"Ma'am/ sir, why did you feel the need to show me this?" He's also quite confused, this was not a common occurrence in the Institute, and once Sole gave him an explanation, his expression would remain blank. For the most part, anyway. A small huff of laughter would escape him, prompting Sole to be the one giving him the questioning look now.

"If this filthy wastelander believes he can disrespect the future director of the Institute without facing consequences, he is sorely mistaken." He said, his gaze unbroken as he made Sole this promise, "Don't worry, I will take care of this filth at the specified meeting time and location. You will not hear from him again."

He doesn't necessarily intend to kill the man for his unseemly behavior; X6 is a courser after all, and he knew this man would be scared shitless if X6 were to so much as look at him the wrong way, but should the man make any... poor decisions in response to the courser's confrontation, well... certainly X6 can't be held responsible for the behavior, or the fate, of a mere stranger now, could he? Especially after his heinous actions.

[handsomelyhiddleston]

The Cabin - Tom Hiddleston x Curvy Reader (Part 1/3)

“What’s got you so distracted?” Evans asked Tom.

“Sorry, I just…I had planned on visiting my family again during break, but most of them will be on a cruise for a family friend’s wedding. I know I saw them less than two months ago for Christmas, but I don’t get to see them often anymore.”

“Oh, damn!” Chris replied.

“I know, I’m considering whether or not it’s even worth it to deal with two incredibly long flights going to and from London if I’m not even going to get to see my family.” He said, opening the make-up trailer door for him and Chris.

“Where else were you thinking about spending break?” he asked, plopping down in the make-up chair to start having all of the Captain America washed off for the next two weeks.

“Honestly, I don’t know. I may just take a trip to somewhere much closer by myself.” Tom answered, running his fingers through his hair when his wig was removed.

“If that’s what you WANT to do, cool, but you should just come with me to the cabin.” Chris suggested.

“The cabin?” Tom asked.

“Yeah, my friend Y/N owns a huge cabin and I drag my family up there every few years.” He explained.

“Thank you for the invite, but I couldn’t intrude on your family’s time with you.” Tom politely answered.

“Come on. First, you know my mother loves you. Second, you aren’t intruding on anything.” Chris tried convincing him.

“I really don’t want to be a bother.” Tom felt guilty, knowing how much of a family person Chris was.

“That’s it.” Chris dramatically pulled his cellphone out. “Siri, call Ma!”

“You wouldn’t.” Tom said, struggling to keep a straight face.

“Calling ‘Ma’” Siri’s voice replied. The make-up artists were trying hard to keep their laughs to themselves at this point.

After a few rings, Chris’ mother answered the phone. “Hey sweetie.”

“Hey Ma, I’m here with Hiddleston and I need you to settle an argument.” Chris shot Tom a snarky ‘watch this’ look.

“Tom! How are you, sweetheart?” Chris’ mom Lisa asked.

“I’m doing well, thank you. How have you been?” Tom replied with a grin on his face.

“I’m good, I’m good. Now what are you two arguing about?” She asked.

“Well, Tom isn’t going to get to see his family over filming break.” Chris started to explain.

“Oh, I’m so sorry, sweetheart.” Lisa interrupted. “You should just drive up to Y/n’s with Chris! There’s plenty of room and you know I always make too much food anyhow.”

Chris gave Tom a cocky grin. “That’s exactly what I was telling him, Ma!”

“You’re too kind.” Tom laughed. “I suppose you’ve made an offer I can’t refuse.”

“Don’t be silly. You’re always welcome with us.” Lisa reiterated. “We’re getting ready for bed since our flight is so damn early in the morning, so I’ll see you two tomorrow!”

“Thanks, Ma! Be safe!�� Chris answered, hanging up the phone.

“Thank you.” Tom said, getting up from his make-up chair.

“I told you, it’s no biggie. We’re gonna have a blast.” Evans answered.

“When are we leaving?” Tom asked.

“Well, we’ve got a few options.” Chris answered as the two of them left the make-up trailer.

“Go on.”

“They aren’t expecting us there until tomorrow, but if we leave in the next few hours, we’ll actually beat them there.” Chris explained.

“I mean, I’m nowhere near tired.” Tom said, letting Chris know he was down for the drive.

“Same. I’ve been so excited for this trip, I feel wired.” He replied “Wanna pack and meet me at mine?”

“Absolutely.” Tom answered. “Anything specific I should pack?” He called loudly as the two had walked a distance apart.

“Dress comfy!” Chris yelled back. “And bring a jacket! It’s snowing!”

Tom waved and made his way to his trailer.

It was about an 8 or 9 hour drive up to the cabin, so the guys rolled up at about 3 in the morning.

“Is anybody else here?” Tom asked, as Chris navigated his truck up the snowy drive.

“Y/n’s here. She spends about half her time up here.” Chris answered, parking the truck and shooting you a text.

“Where does she spend the rest of her time?” Tom asked.

“Everywhere, really. She’s a writer. She’s even come and crashed with me while I was filming.” Chris answered, hopping out of the truck when he got your text reply.

“Books? Scripts?” Tom asked, curious what you wrote.

“Books, mostly. She’s got a few popular series, but she also has a few pen names that she refuses to tell me so I’ve always assumed she like consults or edits or something.” Chris answered.

“How mysterious.” Tom chucked, grabbing his bag and following Chris up to the house.

“Y/n!” Chris yelled into the cabin, leading Tom into the large home.

“Did you really work all day and then drive 8 hours?” you laughed, walking down the stairs.

“I just couldn’t wait to see that beautiful face.” Chris dropped his bag and pulled you into a bear hug.

“Sure. This definitely has nothing to do with you beating Scott to one of the big bedrooms.” You laughed, wrapping your arms around him.

“That’s just a perk.” He teased, introducing you to Tom. “I’m sure you know who this is. Y/n, Tom. Tom, Y/n.”

“Nice to meet you.” You replied, pulling Tom into a hug.

“It’s very nice to meet you too.” Tom said, happy to see that you seemed just as chill and down to earth as the rest of Chris’ friends and family.

“He had to bail on his plans to fly home for the break, so I convinced him to join our two weeks of amazing chaos and shenanigans.” Chris laughed.

“Amazing is right, bucko. I just got two hot tubs installed” you shared.

“Yes!” Chris half yelled.

“Also, mi casa es su casa, Tom. Make yourself at home.” You told him.

“Gracias.” Tom replied in Spanish.

“Any chance you two want to take a dip tonight before the rest of the pack arrives?” Chris asked, looking between you and Tom.

“Absolutely” you answered, walking towards the kitchen. “You both okay with Beer? I’ve got other options.”

“Beer for me.” Chris answered.

“Actually, a beer sounds rather refreshing at the moment.” Tom answered.

“I’ll grab the beer and you two can pick your rooms” you called from the kitchen.

“You down for the hot tub?” Chris asked Tom.

“I am, but I didn’t pack any swim shorts.” He answered.

“No worries, Y/n has a whole closet full of random stuff. Follow me.” Chris led Tom up the stairs. “Y/n’s room is at the very top, but there’s two rooms just below that. We can take those two. Let those with kiddos stay closest to the bottom floor.”

“Sounds good to me” Tom replied, dropping his bag on the bed before following Chris to your closet of misfit swim clothes, jackets, sleepwear, blankets, and other miscellaneous stuff.

When you made your way upstairs, you saw that the guys had picked the two rooms closest to yours. You weren’t surprised. They were the two biggest after yours and Chris never got to pick one of them because he was always the last to show up for his family get togethers.

“When you two get changed, head up to mine. The second hot tub is on my balcony.” You took the three unopened beers and went up the last set of stairs to get changed in your room. Your suit was a black balconette bikini top and a pair of black high waisted bikini bottoms. The top and bottom had a few strappy bits that accentuated your curves.

“Well hello there, sexy lady.” You heard Chris and his unending charm behind you as you were finishing getting your top all sorted.

“You guys get settled in?” you asked, nodding towards the beers.

Chris opened one and handed it to you. “We did.” As he opened another for himself and sat on your bed, he shared a bit about Tom. “I’m happy he tagged along. I don’t know what he’s got going on in his personal life because he doesn’t share a lot, but he needs a break like this.”

“Well, if I had to take a guess...” you took a swig of your beer. “You two get along great which makes me think he’s a down to earth, genuine person.”

“I agree” Chris replied.

“If you’ve seen any of the tabloids lately, they aren’t very friendly to the exes of the women he’s most recently dated. I’m going to assume he’s a bit overwhelmed and a bit worn out. It’s hard to stay genuine and down to earth when the media is writing about you as if you’re a scheming fuckboy.”

Chris took a swig of his beer. “I think you might be right. God, beauty and brains? Why won’t you marry me?” he teased.

“Like you could handle me” you teased right back.

“I’m going to go get more beer so we don’t have to leave the hot tub.” Chris stood and smacked your ass on the way out.

“How did I know you were going to do that?” you laughed.

Chris was laughing as he passed Tom. “I’ll meet you two up there.”

When Tom walked in, you opened the last of the three beers and handed it to him. “Pink suits you.” You noticed he was wearing the bright pink swim shorts from the closet.

Tom blushed and laughed as he took a sip of his beer. “It was this or ones with bananas all over them. I thought I’d make a bold choice.”

“Choice well made” you replied, opening the double doors to your balcony. “It’s going to be a short chilly journey to the hot tub, but heaven once you get in.”  

When you went to walk up the steps on the side of the hot tub to get in, Tom extended his arm so you could grab his hand. “Be careful.”

“Thank you.” You couldn’t help but smile.

“God, I leave for two minutes and you two are already holding hands.” Chris snarked as he joined the two of you on the balcony. You and Tom both laughed as you walked down into the hot tub and let go of his hand. “What’s he got that I don’t got?” Chris was fake sniffling as he climbed into the hot tub after Tom.

“Oh, sweetie. I don’t think you want to know the answer to that question.” You answered, finishing the beer in your hand.

“Now I really want to know” Chris replied, opening and handing you a second beer.

“Are you two always like this?” Tom laughed.

You and Chris looked at each other and answered “yeah” at the same time.

After the three of you had spent about a half hour in the hot tub just talking and laughing, Tom cleared his throat. “Thank you for this.”

“For what?” you asked. He was sat between you and Chris, the three of you looking out at the beautiful snowy mountain view.

“Chris, for inviting me. You, for having me. Both of you for forcing me to get out of my own head.” Tom answered.

“You don’t need to thank us.” Chris replied, slapping Tom on the shoulder.

“He’s right, you know.” You smiled, looping your arm through his and leaning your head on his shoulder, looking back out at the view. “You’re pretty great company if I do say so myself.”

“Well, if I can’t thank you, at least let me share my appreciation of you both.” Tom replied, pressing a quick kiss to the top of your head.

“Just wait until the whole pack shows up” Chris laughed. “It’s calm now, but you’re going to have plenty of distractions once the shenanigans start.”

“Remember, my room is the safe zone” you laughed. “No kids, it’s off-limits during games, and it’s the only access to this balcony.”

“I’ll keep that in mind” Tom chuckled.

Chris looked over and saw you cuddled into Tom’s side. “Why do I get the feeling you’re ‘appreciating’ Y/n over there a lot more than you are me” he teased.

You laughed and Tom looked over at Chris. “If you wanted a snuggle, that’s all you had to say.”

The three of you were all laughing, the lateness of the night sinking in. “If I snuggle anyone I’m going to fall asleep, and I have a feeling that’s not the best idea in a hot tub.” He stood up and hopped over the side, almost slipping on the icy balcony floor.

“What time is everyone arriving tomorrow?” you asked, not moving from your spot at Tom’s side.

“Well, they always grab breakfast down at that old little diner after they land, so maybe 11?” Chris answered, wrapping himself in a towel.

“You mean we actually get to sleep in?” you said with a bit of exaggerated shock.

“I don’t think it counts as sleeping in if you don’t go to bed until after the sun starts peaking over the mountains.” Tom teased you.

Chris laughed. “Hey, we’ll take it. Sleep is going to be a rare commodity around here for at least a few days.” He left the balcony and went back inside to warm up.

“I can’t wait.” Tom said.

“Me either. I love when they come up here. Always makes this place feel more like home.” You shared, moving to get out of the hot tub.

“I think the chaos is something I miss when I don’t get to spend time with my family.” Tom replied, once again grabbing your hand and making sure you made it safely out of the hot tub and onto the balcony. “I think having all of my nieces and nephews running around and the fact that there is always something cooking or baking…It’s hard to feel alone.”

You handed Tom a large towel and wrapped another one around yourself. “Well, if that’s your idea of a great time, you’re going to love your time with Chris’ family. They’re love and chaos and great food with a dash of an extreme love of competition.”

Tom followed you back into the house. “Well, again. I appreciate that I’m able to experience it.”

“Me too” you said, drying your hair a bit with your towel. “It sounds like you needed a bit of an escape.”

“That’s one way to put it” Tom said, drying off.

“Well, if you need anything just come find me, okay?” You could hear Chris coming back up the stairs to your room.

“Thank you, I will.” Tom replied, seeming to hesitate for a second. “I’ve enjoyed spending time with you tonight. Or this morning, rather.” He laughed.

You couldn’t help but smile as you threw your towel into the clothes hamper. You were a very confident person. You were proud of who you were, and you loved your curvy body, but all of a sudden you felt very naked standing there in your bikini. Tom’s genuine compliment and the way he confidently looked you up and down left you with goosebumps. “The feeling is definitely mutual.”

“Let me know if I can help with anything. Preparations and such.” Tom mentioned as Chris walked in.

“Don’t worry about that, Ma usually takes over when she gets here.” Chris laughed.

You shrugged. “True” you added, both grateful for and irritated by the interruption.  

“Y/n, I checked that all of the doors were locked. Our trucks are both locked too. I’m gonna pass out and shower when I wake up.” Chris let you know.

“Thanks” you replied. “I’ll probably hop in the shower before I go to bed so that I can help your mom sort meals and such out when she gets here.”

“Sweet. I’m going to bed.” Chris interrupted himself with a yawn. “I will see both of you in a few hours”

As Chris headed back down a floor to his room, Tom cleared his throat. “I really don’t mind helping.”

“You’ll eventually get roped into doing something, I promise.” You laughed.

Tom nodded and smiled. “Well then, I’m going to go shower and sleep. I’ll see you in a bit.”

As Tom turned to walk down the stairs, you spoke. “Try to relax.” When he turned to look at you, you continued. “You have nothing to worry about for two whole weeks. No schedule, no paparazzi, no expectations…just, let yourself enjoy it, okay?”

Tom smiled and nodded his head. He replied “I think I will” before continuing down the stairs.

Instead of your alarm, you were woken up by Chris crawling into your bed. “Y/n.” He was trying to wake you up gently. “Y/n!”

“Did my alarm not go off?” you asked, rolling over and snuggling into Chris.

He chuckled, wrapping his arms around you. “I underestimated my mother’s planning. Turns out they got to the diner at 8 this morning and they’re currently unloading the cabs downstairs.”

“What time is it?” you asked.

“9:30” Chris replied, the two of you hearing someone coming up the stairs.

“I’m going to need coffee” you mumbled.

Tom made it to the top of the stairs and saw you and Chris together in your bed. He tucked the thought away, making note to ask Chris about the two of you later. “Not a morning person?” he asked, laughing at your messy bed head and request for caffeine.

“I can be when I need to be, but we were awake and drinking on my balcony like four hours ago” you replied.

“Can I make you some coffee?” Tom offered.

You rolled over and sat up sorting out your messy hair. “I can make it. I just need to get dressed.”

Chris rolled out of your bed, going to your closet. “Bra, leggings, sweater, fuzzy socks.” Chris tossed your clothes onto your bed.

“You know me so well.” You laughed, gathering your clothes and getting out of bed. “I’ll be down in a few.”

“I think they’re finished unloading, but I’ll go see if there’s anything else they need help with.” Tom replied, heading downstairs.

“I’m offended that you two look like you’ve just had 12 hours of beauty sleep.” You teased Chris, pulling your leggings on.

“I think you’re underestimating yourself” Chris said, turning to leave. “You’ve definitely caught someone’s attention.” Chris had noticed the way Tom looked at the two of you cuddled up in your bed and planned on asking him about it later.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” you sleepily asked, but Chris was already gone.

You finished getting dressed in your long, oversized sweater and fuzzy socks and walked downstairs to greet Chris’ family.

“Y/n!” Chris’ sisters greeted, pulling you each into a hug, the three of you quickly catching up.

Then came Scott, who practically tackled you. “Bitch, it has been too long.”

“Agreed.” You replied, the two of you making plans to go get stuff for drinks tonight.

You’d said a few hellos and given a few hugs to various other friends and family and eventually you made your way to the kitchen with Tom and Lisa, Chris’ mom.

“Oh, my dear, it’s so good to see you.” Lisa pulled you into a tight hug, kissing both of your cheeks. “I can’t believe the boys showed up at three this morning!”

You laughed. “It’s good to see you too. And Chris warned me a few days ago that he would probably drive up after he finished filming.”

Looking over you saw Tom holding a mug of coffee out towards you. “For me?” You reached out and took the mug from him.

“It’s the least I could do. Lisa told me how you take your coffee.” He answered, nodding towards Chris’ mom.

You took a sip, humming to yourself. “Thank you, this is perfect.” You pressed a quick kiss to Tom’s cheek before hearing Chris’ niece call for you.

“In the kitchen, sweetie” you called back out, walking towards where you heard her call from.

As the adults started getting settled into their rooms, the kids were all starting to crash from the hectic morning they’d had.

“Let’s watch a movie in the den, guys.” You suggested, grabbing blankets and pillows and throwing them on the couches and floor so that the kids would spread out and nap.

“What are we gonna watch?” one of his nephews asked.

“Well, we’ve got Goosebumps, we’ve got School of Rock, and we’ve got Bedtime Stories.” You read the movies aloud, with the kids all picking Goosebumps. About 15 minutes in, all of you were asleep in various places in the room.

Scott, Chris, and Tom were bundled up in their jackets talking on the back porch as Chris set up your grill and got it ready to use.

“So how long have you guys known Y/n?” Tom asked.

“Oh, god. It’s been…I don’t even know. It’s been years.” Chris thought about how long you guys had been friends.

“Chris met Y/n one day in New York. She was there for a book project or something and Chris had ducked inside her apartment building to get away from paparazzi.” Scott laughed, remembering Chris tell him the story.

Chris let out a big laugh. “She was getting ready to walk out and I practically ran into her. When she realized why I so rudely shoved my way into the building, she asked me ‘Do you want to do something very immature but totally worth it?’ I had to, right?”

Scott continued the story. “She led him up to her apartment and ran inside. Chris just waited at the door wondering what he’d gotten himself into when she popped back out, holding a box of water balloons.”

Tom laughed. “Oh, please tell me you threw them at the paparazzi.”

“They did. They filled a bin full of them and went to the roof.” Scott replied.

“I have never made a friend so quickly in my life” Chris said. “We got through about half of the bin before they left. Even better, they never got a picture of me throwing the balloons. The tabloids alluded to the fact that it was me, but we never officially got caught.”

“I don’t know if she adopted us or if we adopted her, but she’s been family ever since.” Scott added.

“Either way, she’s the best kind of people.” Chris said, closing the lid on the grill.

“I can see that.” Tom replied. After a short pause, he continued. “Have you two ever…dated?”

Chris grinned, remembering how Tom had looked at the two of you cuddled up in your bed. “Nah, she’s one of my best friends. Possibly my actual best friend.” he answered, sitting down next to the other two guys.

“Even though I’m sure ma would love it if you two got together.” Scott laughed.

“I think ma just wants both of us to settle down and have kids like the girls did.” Chris replied. “She treats Y/n like a daughter.”

Scott looked back at Tom. “Why the interest in Y/n’s dating life, huh?” he teased him.

“Just curious” Tom answered with straightest face he could manage.

“I don’t know” Chris continued, continuing to tease Tom. “You two looked awfully cozy last night.”

Tom’s cheeks blushed a bit before he could answer. “If a beautiful woman laid her head on your shoulder, what would you have done?”

“Fair point.” Chris laughed. “She’s single, you know” he added.

“She is” Scott echoed, smirking. “And I have a date to go shopping with her if you want me to see if she’s interested.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves” Tom replied, failing miserably at hiding his grin.

“No rush” Scott answered, putting his hands up. “I’m just saying…”

“Give him a break” Chris interrupted. “He’s got two weeks to see where things go.”

“True” Scott replied.

Part 2

[inkandpen22]

The Princess and The Pogue (pt. 3)

Pairing: JJ x Female!Reader / Topper x Female!Reader 

Warnings: underage drinking, mild swearing, mentions of drugs 

Words count: 2k (it’s short but the next part is long) 

Part Summary: As the night dwindles away, JJ feels pressured to secure a place in your life. His chances grow times ten when Sarah arrives with some interesting news. 

Masterlist

You and JJ share a log around the fire. His arm rests over your thigh, his hand gripping your knee slightly. Your chin rests on his shoulder as you two exchange whisper back and forth, making the Pogues sick with how lovey-dovey you two already are becoming. 

“What are you doing tomorrow?” JJ asks, kinda hoping he could ask you for real date but he’ll understand if you already have plans. 

“Hanging out with you,” you cheekily answer, earning a blushing grin from him. 

“Oh! cool, cool...” He presses his lips together with a faint laugh, finding it hard to hide his childish grin. 

You giggle at his bashfulness. He’s so shy around you and you can’t help but find it adorable. 

"Here comes Sarah!" Kiara announces as he spots their friend's car rolling up the drive. 

You and JJ finally break your hype-focused attention away from each other. Almost to make up for the lack of verbal communication, JJ shifts closer to you and plants a quick peck to your temple. 

"Hey! Sorry for the delay!" Sarah announces as she walks over from her car. John B rises from his position, trying to intercept Sarah before she sees you and JJ. Once she reaches John B, she notices how you and JJ are sitting. Her brows scrunch together, but she does her best to mask her confusion. "My parents were having a hissy fit about me borrowing the car. I told them and Y/N's parents that we were staying the night at Kiara's since she doesn't feel well. I hope that's okay, Kie," she asks as she gets closer to the bonfire. 

"Yeah, no problem!" Kiara waves her hand, not caring at all. 

"Wait, so what's the game plan?" You ask Sarah, but also everyone else for their input. You're thankful for the group's help, but weren't exactly prepared for an overnight stay. You understand why Sarah did this nonetheless. 

"You all can stay here tonight," John B shrugs as the Pogues do it all the time. 

"Your parents believed it," Sarah assures you. "I would just text your parents to help it seem more legit." 

"Okay! I'll text my mom," you comply with enthusiasm. 

Hey, I told Sarah to tell you but in case she didn't, we're staying over at Kiara's tonight. I had to drive her home in her dad's car because we think she got food poisoning or something. I'll text you when I'm heading out in the morning. Sarah can drive me home or something :)

"Finally! It'll be nice not being the only girl! I was kinda hoping you and Sarah would stay over anyway," Kiara adds, offering you a kind smile. 

"That makes two of us," JJ whispers for only you to hear. 

"My folks were pretty pissed about me ditching on the party, so I feel no urge on going home," Sarah huffs, right as John B asks for her to help him inside real quick. 

You and JJ watch as John B escorts Sarah inside by the arm. They try to be nonchalant, but it's so obvious they're freaking out. Sarah's whispers aren't exactly quiet and John B's doing his best to fill her in on what he knows. 

JJ turns his face toward yours with a smirk, suppressing his laughter. "They're definitely talking about us." 

"Oh for sure!" You nod slowly with a snicker. 

You two share in your amusement as your friends slowly lose their minds. A Pogue from The Cut was caught kissing the Princess of the OBX. If your friends from the other side of the island found out they would have an even more dramatic reaction. 

Your phone buzzes in your lap and it's from your mom. 

Ok. Text me when you wake up. 

"All set!" You voice to everyone remaining around the fire. "I doubt they'll even care since "I'm still on the Figure 8,” you make air quotes. 

"Yay!" Kiara claps her hands. 

"I say we watch a scary movie tonight!" JJ suggests beside you. 

"The Conjuring!" You vote swiftly, earning a laugh from JJ. 

"No!" Pope instantly refuses. "Nope! Last time we watched that you guys made me sleep on the porch and I heard creeks all night!" 

"Aw, I'll stay with you tonight Pope," Kiara offers, reaching for her friend's hand with a pout. "I'll keep you safe from all the ghosties." 

JJ leans in brushes his lips against your ear. "You gonna keep me safe?" 

You smile softly, turning your head toward him as you nod slowly. "I'll have your back if you have mine." 

His beautiful eyes meet yours in the gold flickering light of the fire. "Always, Baby." He plants a kiss to your lips, this time slow and comforting, as though you two have been doing it forever. 

___________________________________________________________

All six of you are gathered in the living room, watching The Conjuring. John B and JJ insisted that all lights in the house must be off, much to Pope's dismay. Kiara and Pope are positioned on the carpet, their backs against the couch. Pope has been hiding in a ball with his face behind the blanket he shares with Kiara. Sarah and John B are sprawled comfortably on the couch, well invested in the movie. You and JJ share the old red recliner, tucked close in a ball under a comforter. Right before the movie starts to get interesting, you shift forward in your position. JJ whines, disappointed in the loss of contact. His pouty face makes you giggle and he playfully tries to keep you close by holding onto your wrist. 

"I need another drink, anyone else?" You offer quietly, making sure not to step on Kiara or Pope on the floor on the way to the kitchen. You receive various forms of declines as you do your best to navigate your way through the dark and unfamiliar house. 

Finally finding yourself in the kitchen, you make yourself a glass of water. The moonlight shining through the window over the sink acts as your saving grace. Suddenly, you feel a pair of arms slip around your waist, causing you to jump. 

"Hey, Gorgeous," the blonde whispers against your neck. 

"JJ!" You gasp your heart racing. 

"Did I scare you?" He chuckles quietly to not alert the others. 

You spin in his hold and nudge him on the shoulder playfully. "You did that on purpose!"

"Not really but-" In one swift motion, JJ picks up and places you on the counter. He parts your legs to stand between them. His palms glide up and down your thighs. "That I did mean to do," he smirks, biting down on his lip. 

"JJ! Y/N! You're going to miss the wardrobe part!" Pope shouts, his voice shaky with fear. 

"I wish I had spoken to you sooner," JJ confesses abruptly, completely his friend in the next room. All he cares about right now is you. 

"Dido," you smirk, placing your arms over JJ's shoulders. 

"Really?" He voices in disbelief. Despite how much you've reassured him or have reciprocated his affections, he still isn't convinced that you truly like him. 

"That first time I saw you at the Cameron's?" You recall with raised brows. "Um, yeah! You looked hot in that pale green Ron Jon shirt." 

"I can't believe you remember that," he shakes his head, leaning in closer to you. I thought there was no way you'd know who I am." 

"JJ," you say his name in a mild groan with a toss of your head. How can this boy not see how amazing he is? "You're definitely worth remembering." 

"It was at the Boneyard," he states a matter-of-factly. 

"What was?" You grin. 

"The first time I ever saw you," he tilts his head back slightly, relieving his sharp jawline. "You were dancing with Topper on the wall. The fire made your skin glow and shimmer like bronze. You wore a navy blue bikini with ripped white booty shorts. Your hair was half up and all I could think about was how much I wanted to run my fingers through it. You were the most beautiful girl I had ever seen," he tells you, never once breaking eye contact. 

"That was last summer!" You can't believe he remembers that. 

"I know," he replies as though it's completely ordinary. 

Your jaw drops, "you're saying you've been waiting to talk to me for a year?!" 

"Okay well, when you put it that way," he tries to play it off and be cool now. 

"Aw JJ!" You express a little too excitedly, bringing your hands to his cheeks. 

JJ is quick to press his hand over your mouth. "Shh, Baby. Before you alert everyone in the living room!" Mischievously, you plant a kiss on his palm, catching him off guard. JJ swallows hard, peering down at you with hooded eyes.  "Okay, now you're just teasing me." 

You place your hand over his and remove it from your mouth. "You make it too easy," you giggle in a whisper. 

JJ simply stares down at your lips as he bites down on his own. Before you have a chance to react, he hungrily presses his lips to yours. Ever kiss up until now has been gentle, new, and hesitant. Now, JJ is forgetting his nerves and is acting on impulse. He breaks away from you and moves his assault to your neck. You comb your fingers through his thick blonde hair, gripping the strands on the back of his neck. 

"JJ," you pant breathlessly as your eyes fall shut. "What are you doing?" 

"Making up for lost time," he breathes against your neck. I'm really kicking myself right now." 

"It's my fault too," you try to speak as JJ makes a track down your neck to your collarbone. "I could've at least said 'hi' instead of smiling like an idiot." 

"At least you were nice," JJ mumbles against your chest. "I was a statue. Plus, I always thought you and Rafe may be-"

"Ew! Don't even finish that sentence," you scoff in disgusts. 

"You were always at the Cameron's. He's always on top of you and watches you like a hawk," JJ explains as he pops up for air. 

"He's had a thing for me for a while now. I've turned him down," you inform him.  

JJ frowns in confusion. "Why?" 

You figured it would've been obvious, especially considering how much JJ hates Rafe. "He's an arrogant ass. He thinks he's invincible and I hate people like that." 

"Well, you can tell him you're taken now," JJ grins, leaning in to kiss you. 

"Oh, I am?" You question playfully against his lips. 

"Yep," the boy nods as he begins to glide his lips across your jawline. "You're mine... and only mine..." He whispers, making you bite your lip with anticipation. Boy, this kid knows how to get you turned on. "I'll make sure everyone in the OBX knows it too," he declares as he starts to suck on the sensitive skin on your neck. At the rate JJ is going, he's certain to leave a mark or two, just as he wanted. 

"You guys!" Kiara calls this time. 

JJ huffs with annoyance as he appears out from your neck. "Coming!" He shouts, completely unfazed by what he was just doing. "Got you're so sexy," he plants a quick peck to your lips. "I hope you know I'm going to be dying through this entire movie." 

Ever the gentleman, he grips your waist and helps you down from the counter. He slips his hand into yours and grabs your water with the other before leading the way back into the living room. 

"She couldn't find the sodas in the fridge. I had to grab a new box from the back," he conjures up as you two cross the living room toward the recliner. 

"Sureee," John B and Sarah say in unison with amusement. 

"Sorry guys, what did we miss?" You ask while you and JJ get settled. 

After you take a quick sip from your water, you place it on the side table between the recliner and the couch before getting comfortable again with JJ. 

"Nice water, Y/N." Sarah giggles as she peaks over from the couch at your hand, earning an eye roll from JJ. 

"The crazy demon lady jumped on the daughter. I hate this!" Pope rushes out to answer your question. 

"Oh my God! You're fine, Pope!" Kiara groans, not hiding her annoyance. 

"I wish it wasn't so dark in here!" Pope shouts dramatically. 

"I kinda like it," JJ purrs in your ear. 

You turn your head to the side and he plants a kiss on your lips. As the others watch the movie, you and JJ spend most of the time whispering back and forth or too caught up in each other physically to talk at all. Of course, you two are respectful of your friends and keep it PG. Yet, you can't get enough of each other. It's all so soon, energetic, and freeing. As the thought of tomorrow morning lingers in the back of your mind, you’re starting to dread the idea of parting from JJ. 

__________________________________________________

Masterlist 

Tags: @starkeythinker @bethii1 @thegunnerkelly @cc13723things

[babymetaldoll]

I've been working out a little bit (Spencer Reid/Reader)

Requested: Yes.

Summary: Spencer has been working out with Penelope, and they are doing their best to keep it a secret. Until (Y/N) finds out and tries to help. And though he doesn't want to because he is embarrassed about his poor athletic performance, somehow she manages to help.  

Category: Fluff

Warnings: Curses, frustration. Good old fools in love.

Word count: 3.8K

A/N: Hello, pretty people! I've missed you! I hope you like this little story. It's one of the last requests pending on my list. Tomorrow I can finally visit my grandparents, I'll be taking care of them for at least two weeks, and though I know it's hard work, I am just so happy I can be with them again!! I miss them! Take care, whenever you are! Love you!

Masterlist

                                    𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁𐄙𐄁

- "No fucking way, Spencer!" (Y/N) widened her eyes and laughed so hard tears filled her eyes. She was sitting at her desk at work, staring at her best friend, who could barely walk due to the two hours he had spent that morning training with Penelope.

- "Please, don't tell anyone."- he whispered and looked around the bullpen. He was too embarrassed already to let anyone else know he had to take the mandatory fit test. He wanted to avoid the jokes, especially Derek's.

- "Your secret is safe with me, as always, chipmunk"- (Y/N) smiled and bit her lips, trying not to laugh anymore- "But why on earth are you working out? You have enough case hours to cover a fit test!"

- "Apparently, I can't skip it this year. Both me and Penelope have to take it."- Spencer whispered and sat down very slowly, pain written all over his face.

His best friend stared at him reading the mix of embarrassment and physical pain he felt with each movement he made. (Y/N) smiled and opened one of her drawers, looking for the last Snicker she had hidden in case of need. Watching Spencer in pain was precisely the case. She stood up and handed him the candy, making his heart skip a beat. Spencer did his best to hide the blush on his cheeks and just looked away.

- "I can help you if you want."- (Y/N) whispered and cut him the most adorable smile she had.

- "Help me what?"

- "Working out."- she replied and bit her granola bar- "I can teach you how to kick ass, and I do look hot wearing sweat shorts."

Spencer nearly chook. He flushed and closed his eyes, trying to cover up his embarrassment. But (Y/N) giggled and turned around. Her job there was done. Now Spencer had to be picturing her in her sweat shorts.

Of course, he was. He couldn't stop, actually.

The two agents were the youngest of the team, and somehow sometimes in-between cases, it showed. Especially when they were on their own, and their conversations ended up in casual flirting.

(Y/N) was head over feet in love with Spencer, though she was never going to face it. God knows Penelope had tried to force her to deal with her feelings. But she was closed as an oyster. No matter how much Garcia insisted or how drunk they were, (Y/N) kept denying her true feelings in public.

Spencer wasn't indifferent. Not at all. As a matter of fact, he was in love with (Y/N). Everything about her bewitched him. Ever since the first time he laid eyes on her, he felt it. She was tailor-made for him. If only he weren't a nervous wreck each time he saw her...

After two years working together, Spencer had managed to overcome part of my shyness and awkwardness around (Y/N). They were best friends, and they would usually hang out in their free time. The little free time they had in the BAU. But even when they could playfully flirt all the time, Spencer was sure she didn't like him that way. He convinced himself she was just joking.

--

(Y/N) headed to the Batcave holding a large frappuccino and knocked on the half-opened door before walking in.

- "Penelope García, I had the feeling you were running caffeine low."

- "Oh my pretty little thing! How do you do it? You read my mind!"- the tech analyst nearly hyperventilated as soon as she held her ice and creamed coffee.

- "Reid and I were out for a little break, and I knew you would like one of these to cheer up your afternoon"- Garcia sipped her frappuccino and nodded. But as soon as she had finished savoring the perfect coffee, she asked.

- "So, you and Reid..."

- "We were out getting coffee, like the best friends we are."

- "But, there's coffee here in the kitchenette. There's no need to go out and get coffee unless you want to find an excuse to be alone with him."- (Y/N) raised an eyebrow and sighed. Garcia did that every single chance she got.

- "You and I know the FBI doesn't share our concept of "good" coffee."- (Y/N) looked at her friend and just smiled- "Besides, I told you, I felt you needed some extra sugar and joy in your life after your early workout session this morning."

- "That little snitch!"- (Y/N) chuckled and shook her head.

- "Don't get mad at Reid. He didn't tell me anything. I kind of figured there was something wrong 'cos he looked in so much pain just breathing."

- "Oh man, he is sored, but I am sure he would be way sorer if you train with him."

- "I offered myself to help him"- Garcia raised an eyebrow at (Y/N) 's words, and the young agent wide opened her eyes, blushing- "Stop staring at me like I'm a perv! I meant helping him train for the test. I could help you too."

- "Thank you, but no, thank you. I trained with you, and there's no way we are going to do all that boxing again."

- "Come on! You said you had fun!"

- "I did! I really did... but I could barely move the next day! And I had a date! I couldn't even dance, less doing... other... nevermind"- Penelope stopped herself in her tracks and shook her head.

- "Shit, PG!"- (Y/N) closed her eyes and chuckled- "Spare me the details."

- "Sorry... anyway... you and the little genius should definitely train in a more... horizontal way."

- "Garcia! Stop it!"- (Y/N) laughed and stood up- "I'm gonna go back to work 'cos clearly you have some hormonal issues today, and you are projecting."

- "Stop acting like you haven't thought about it!"- Garcia said and chuckled as her friend walked away.

- "I'm not telling you anything."

- "That means yes!"

- "No! it doesn't!"- (Y/N) was blushing; that's why she refused to turn around and look at Penelope.

- "Oh! It so does!"

--

The end of that day found Spencer even more sore, hungry and weary than he had felt in years. All he wanted to do was go home, eat pizza leftovers from the night before, and go straight to bed.

Until...

- "Hey, chipmunk!"- (Y/N) looked at Spencer, gathering all his things and getting ready to go home.- "Dinner at my place tonight. My treat."

- "I can pick the take out tonight?"- he said immediately and asked himself where did that come from if, a second earlier, all he wanted to do was to go to bed. Probably from the same place that kept coming back to the image of her in sweat shorts.

- "Even better. I'll cook"- (Y/N) answered and winked, playfully- "You deserve a proper homemade dinner after all the workout you did this morning."

Spencer looked at her and didn't even notice the silly smile on his face. If he had known how in love he was looking, he would have probably slapped himself. (Y/N) sighed and stood up.

- "I'm gonna take that silence as a "Great (Y/N)! Thank you! How considered! I'm so lucky to have you in my life".

Spencer rolled his eyes and shook his head.

- "Thank you, (Y/N). But I'll give you more praise if your food turns out to be eatable"- the young agent gasped, pretending to be insulted by his words, and hit Reid's arm with her knuckles.

- "Auch! (Y/N)!"

- "I'm being nice, and you are insulting me! I'm having second thoughts about driving you over!"

- "I can take the subway! You are such a slow driver I can actually be there faster."

Spencer stuck out his tongue at her and ran to the elevator, 'cos his friend widened her eyes and ran after him, probably to hit him again.

Morgan and Prentiss stared at the scene in silence, sharing a few looks, both of them thinking the exact same thing: "When are these two goofs ever going to hook up?"

- "They are annoying"- Rossi stood next to Emily's desk and crossed his arms on his chest.

- "They are in love"- she corrected, but David shook his head and sighed.

- "I know, and they are adorable, but it's so annoying staring at the same scene over and over again, waiting for something, anything, to happen between them."

- "Are you turning into a bitter old man who completely forgot about the charm of being young and in love?"- Prentiss raised an eyebrow and turned to Rossi. The Italian stared right into her eyes and shook his head.

- "I'm just saying someone should try to tell them something."

- "I've tried to talk to him about her a million times. But Reid is one private kid."- Derek said from his desk as the three of them stared at Spencer and (Y/N) getting into the elevator, still arguing and playfully playing.

- "And he is so insecure. He doesn't think she likes him."

- "Likes him? She is clearly in love with him!"- Prentiss said, annoyed- "I swear, if nothing happens between them this weekend, I'm going to intervene."

- "Now who is forgetting about the charm of being young and in love?"- Rossi joked and sighed- "Come on guys, dinner's on me."

--

(Y/N)' s dinner was a success. Spencer ate two portions of honey mustard-glazed chicken bake. She even managed to make him eat vegetables. And Spencer didn't even argue. Not only because it was delicious, and his body really needed some homemade dinner. But also 'cos (Y/N) got him wrapped around her fingers, even without knowing it. And if she asked him to eat veggies, Spencer (no matter how much he would argue) would eat his damn veggies. And he could actually enjoy them.

- "Ok, chipmunk, you ate all your food. You earned your dessert"- (Y/N) smiled and picked the dirty dishes from the table.

- "Let me do that. You already fed me. The least I can do is do the dishes."

Spencer followed her moves and took the dishes to the sink. (Y/N) didn't argue with that. It wasn't the first time Spencer cleaned the kitchen with her, after all. They had been good friends, close friends, for a long time, and they were used to being around each other.

But this time, it felt somehow different. Like there was something in the air warning them things were about to change for good.

- "Ok, doc. Do you wanna eat your dessert watching tv for a while?"- (Y/N) handed Spencer an ice cream bowl with chocolate chips on top and some whipped cream.

- "A smiley ice cream bowl?"- Spencer chuckled as he stared at it. He loved it.

- "Yes, you are never too old to eat food with a smile on it. And that's a life lesson, Spencer Walter Reid."- she said and walked to the couch, holding the remote control.

- "You are filled with wisdom, (Y/N)"- Reid teased her and sat by her side.

- "I know. It would help if you let me train you. You would pass your fit test in a blink."- she said and continued surfing channels.

- "Thanks, but no thanks. I wanna do it on my own."- Spencer glued his eyes on the screen and ate his dessert. (Y/N) just nodded and continued surfing channels.

- "Why?"- she asked him after a few minutes. They had been watching an old movie in silence, just eating their ice cream.

- "Why what?"- he whispered and looked at her just for a second. He didn't trust himself around (Y/N), especially under those circumstances: alone in her house. She had changed into leggings and an old extra-large sweatshirt. Her hair was in a messy bun. And Spencer didn't feel able to look at her into the eyes, 'cos he was going to cave in. He was going to grab her face with both hands and kiss her right there. No questions asked.

Which is why he avoided looking at her.

- "Why don't you want me to help you train?"

- "Just because"- he answered and glued his eyes to the screen. But (Y/N) knew better. She moved closer to him on the couch and held his hands. Spencer shivered right away at the sensation of her skin. It was so warm and soft. All he craved was some more of that. He wanted to feel her. Touch her. Taste her.

His head was going way too fast, and just because she held his hand.

- "Spencer, look at me"- she whispered and practically begged her friend to pay her attention- "I just wanna help. It's just a stupid fit test. It ain't hard."

- "For you."- he mumbled and looked down at his hand as her fingers played against his skin.

- "I didn't want you or anyone to help me 'cos I'm a fucking SSA who should be perfectly able to perform a simple fit test on his own. But no. I can't! And do you know what that means?"

- "That finally I know there's one thing you are not good at?"- she answered and smiled at him. Spencer raised his eyes and met hers. He knew his cheeks were all shades of pink, but for once, he just didn't care. He just wanted to look at her and see if she meant it. Or if she was just teasing him.

- "Right"- he snorted and shook his head.

- "I mean it, Spencer. You don't have to be good at everything."

- "It's a fit test. It's basic to be an agent. I need to be able to catch an unsub."- (Y/N) frowned and tried to understand where all that self-doubt and insecurity was coming from. To her eyes, Spencer had nothing to be ashamed of. To her, he was perfect in every single way.

- "You already catch unsubs, chipmunk. Everyday. You don't have to kick down doors to make a profile. And you don't have to run six miles to get the bad guy. Everything that you do every day at work is what an SSA is supposed to do. And you excel at it."

(Y/N) sighed and smiled at her best friend, trying to push aside the urge she felt to kiss him. His golden-brown eyes looked so big, like honey pools, she could stare for a lifetime. Spencer didn't know what to say. He really wasn't good with praises. He wasn't used to them. Not in that way.

- "Besides"- (Y/N) added after a few seconds of silence when she realized she might have said too much and started panicking.

- "It feels good to finally know there is one thing I am better than you at."

- "What are you talking about?"- Spencer answered right away, in the sassiest tone of voice.- "Just because I suck working out doesn't mean you are better. Even at my lowest, I'm still better than whatever you can do in a gym."

Reid was obviously joking. He knew (Y/N) could kick ass. Not only had she saved his life many times on the field, but also, he had seen her working out. And she could definitely kick his ass if she wanted to.

That didn't mean he wasn't going to tease her just because.

- "You take that back, Reid!"- she threatened him and

- "No"- he sentenced and crossed his arms on his chest

- "Last chance. Take it back, or you will pay for it."

- "Make me."

And that was it.

In a second, (Y/N) was on him tickling him, and trying to practice a chokehold on him. But Spencer was faster, and somehow, stronger than her. Maybe it was because he was struggling with himself. A part of him wanted her closer, and a part of him didn't want her too close, 'cos he knew his pants were going to start feeling too tight if she did.

Whatever the reason was, after two minutes of wrestling, Spencer had (Y/N) pinned down against the couch. And the way she panted against the fabric of the cushion wasn't helping him with his pants.

- "Spencer, it hurts"- she cried and tried to move from his grip, but he didn't let her go.

- "If you want me to release you, you have to say I am the best agent in this house."

- "Never!"- (Y/N) quickly answered and continued struggling.

- "Just say it, I've got you held, and I'm not going to let you free until you say it."- something in his tone of voice, it was teasing but also... sexy? (Y/N) knew Spencer wasn't trying to act that way, but it was working for her in a way she hadn't imagined. He would be so soft. And now, there he was, acting like a dominant man, holding her tight, not letting her move, literally pinned against the couch.

If only it were all happening in a different context.

- "Let me go, Spencer Reid!"- (Y/N) battled against his arms, but it was useless

- "Just say it"- he leaned in and whispered in her ear, and (Y/N) sword she could almost feel his smile as he spoke.

- "You are the best agent!! There, happy?"- she mumbled, making her best to sound annoyed and not turned on. Spencer released her, and she quickly sat down properly, rubbing her left wrist.

- "Did I hurt you?"- Spencer whispered and noticed how flustered she was. That was a first.

- "No. But I gotta tell you, you are stronger than I thought."- she said and stuck out her tongue to him, trying to be playful and innocent, though you could feel it in the air. That moment was anything but innocent.

- "Yeah, I've been working out a little bit."- Spencer answered and chuckled at his own words.

- "Well, you are going to have to learn how to control your new strength, 'cos this is going to leave a bruise"- (Y/N) whined and showed him her sore wrist. Spencer winced, ashamed he had been so hard on her without meaning any harm. He moved closer to her and held her wrist carefully. (Y/N) just looked at him as he kissed her wrist a few times.

That man couldn't be real. He was such a tease.

Did he know all the things he was, in fact, doing to her with that simple touch?

He surely had to know. Otherwise, there was no explanation, she thought.

- "Thanks"- (Y/N) whispered and fixed her eyes on his lips, still landing small kisses on her wrist.

That was when she stopped breathing. Spencer was literally breathtaking. He smiled at her, and she just couldn't help it anymore. (Y/N) leaned in and kissed him. It was a soft, short peck. But she had dared to do the unthinkable.

She kissed her best friend.

Spencer widened his eyes, shocked, and looked at her, not saying a word. They just stayed still for a good thirty seconds until Spencer finally made his move, cupping her jaw carefully with both hands and pulling her face against his.

The way she moaned into the kiss made him feel more in control than he had ever been before.

It was a soft kiss but intense. Spencer's lips rubbed carefully against her mouth, and his tongue moved carefully, making its way until he could taste her. (Y/N) moved closer to him until she was basically sitting on his lap, and his arms wrapped around her body, locking her against him.

They were in heaven.

Until it was over. Their phones buzzed at the same time, breaking the spell, ending the charm. (Y/N) jumped from Spencer's arms and grabbed her phone.

- "We've got a case"- she whispered and turned to him. He was agitated, his cheeks were red, his pants felt tight, and he was starving for more of those kisses.

- "Ok."- he replied but didn't move.

- "I'm gonna change, then we can go."- (Y/N) added, but he didn't say a word. To be fair, Spencer wasn't processing what was going on. He was still trying to elaborate a coherent thought. And most of all, he was fighting the boner in his pants that didn't let him stand up.

You could blame all the sugar in his body after the massive bowl of ice cream, or all the praising (Y/N) had given him, but Spencer found a new level of courage in that kiss. He decided it was time to stop overthinking it. It was time to act on his feelings.

- "(Y/N)"- Reid knocked on her bedroom door and heard her from the walking closet.

- "I'm almost ready. Did you talk with Garcia?"

- "No, but I don't wanna leave things like this. I wanted to talk about what just happened."

(Y/N) sighed and took a look at herself in the mirror. She could still feel her cheeks burning after that kiss, after feeling her best friend hard underneath her body, holding her against him. But she wasn't sure she wanted to hear what Reid was about to say. Most of all, because she was sure it was going to be something along the lines: "That kiss was a mistake, you are my friend. I don't wanna ruin this."

- "That kiss was..."- he mumbled and walked to her as soon as she showed up in the room, but words were hard to find when she looked at him that way.

- "Spencer, I..."- she tried to speak, but he just continued.

- "Would you like to..."

- "Pretend it didn't happen?"

- "Go out on a date with me?"- the two of them said at the same time and widened their eyes in shock.

- "What?"- (Y/N) questioned and stared at her best friend in shock- "You want to go out with me?"

- "You want to pretend it never happened?"- he asked her, scared he might have rushed to the wrong conclusions.

- "No, no, no, I don't... I can't pretend it didn't happen"- (Y/N) quickly answered and held Spencer's hand, afraid she might have ruined everything.

- "I was just scared you were going to reject me or..."- (Y/N) bt her lips and dared to look at him- "I wanna go out on a date with you"- she whispered and watched his whole face change as a big silly grin drawn on his lips.

- "Really?"- he murmured, still not sure it was actually happening. He asked her out. She said yes. He was sure that was never going to happen in real life.

- "Really"- she assured him and leaned in slowly to kiss him one more time. But her phone rang again, and so did his. This time it was a message from Hotch. Wheels up as soon as they reached the FBI.

- "But after we catch the bad guy."- (Y/N) added, and Spencer chuckled.

- "Sounds like a plan."

Spencer Reid’s taglist: 

@calm-and-doctor @all-tings-diego

Requested by @shilohpug​ 

[well-its-not-human-anymore]

Hi! Could I get HC from the guys? 👀 How they would always react to catching the reader seeing them "badly", in addition to the fact that he usually avoids them, but with his brothers it is incredible and they feel bad because they think they do not like him.  But she actually likes them and she looks at them like that because she "studies" them to draw them and she is too clumsy and shy to talk to them, that's why she ends up avoiding them. Until finally he catches her drawing them with lots of hearts or maybe they'll find her notebook with lots of portraits of them.

It's kind of funny because when I study people to draw them, they think that I look at them with hatred xd maybe I should increase my glasses prescription

God, glasses are such a pain in the ass but I have to wear them. If I don't anyone within my near vicinity doesn't have a face. But why they gotta get dirty so easily???? Makes me wanna explode or something

TMNT Headcanons

The boys w/ a quiet reader who is fine with his brothers but acts cold around him and stares a lot

Michaelangelo

mikey couldn't describe his disappointment upon realizing that you didn't want to be friends with him

well, you never actually said that to him

but he was pretty sure it was the case

you'd never made an effort to be friends with him

stared at him an awful lot though, but there was always something off about your gaze when you looked at him

like you were sizing him up, scrutinizing him, like he was an opponent

it kinda worried him

to add to that, you didn't even attempt to look embarrassed when he caught you staring

you'd just stare harder

on your end it was quite the opposite

you always found the brothers fascinating and you LOVED studying their anatomy, you'd confessed this to Donnie early on and he happily indulged in your questions

and you loved how easily you got along with the boys

well, except for Mikey

but it wasn't for a lack of trying

whenever the orange sporting turtle came around your normally flamboyant personality crept back into its little corner and hid

any words of excitement that had previously been with you died in your throat

for the longest time you didn't understand it

and you hated not understanding things, so you turned to your only outlet

that's how you ended up with an entire sketchbook full of the youngest brother in vastly different styles and poses

you had a separate book for the others, none of them as detailed as this

and when you stared to analyze you'd fallen into a habit of not looking away when caught

by your logic, if you stared back hard enough he'd look away first or just assume you'd zoned out

he didn't

and on one hectic day you'd left your sketchbook open on the kitchen table in your rush to get to work

you hadn't even noticed the slip up until Leo texted you to let you know during your shift

instant panic

in truth, Mikey was the one who discovered the book upon waking up from his nap and he'd spent the next three hours analyzing every drawing

when you finally dropped in after work to grab your book the turtle was waiting for you with it in hand

he'd asked you if you hated him

you told him no and accepted your sketchbook from him

he was relieved and screaming excitedly, just in his head

"Do you maybe wanna hang out sometime?"

You sighed in relief and nodded

"If you're cool with it- you don't think I'm weird do you?"

"I mean- you are talking to a turtle..."

you lightly shoved his chest and smiled, although it faded within a second

"Oh hush, 10 o'clock tomorrow? I'll bring snacks."

he was so stunned he could only shoot you finger guns in approval

Donatello

Donnie genuinely couldn't understand your unease around him

he'd followed all the proper expectations of holding a conversation

he was polite and engaging

so why wouldn't you talk to him?

this boy has read so many social blogs to try and figure out what he was doing wrong and he just couldn't put his finger on it

you were fine with the rest of his brothers, you'd stay up for hours laughing and gaming with them

you'd even sat still long enough to listen to Leo explain some old Japanese myth that he'd read about in a book

but with him it was always a quick, cordial greetings and farewells with bland small talk in between

Donnie had picked up pretty quickly that you weren't interested in any sort of interaction with him

and he convinced himself that that was okay

but that didn't explain the staring

he'd caught you in the act several times, eyes narrowed and locked on him

especially when you were alone with him in a room or just in the lair

the poor turtle just couldn't put his finger on it

then he caught you drawing, he noticed early on that you always carried a small sketchbook on your person but he didn't think much of it

and it wasn't so much that he caught you drawing, in fact, he wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't snapped at him while he was trying to do a sudoku puzzle

"Damn it Donnie! Stop moving! If I fuck this arm up one more time I'm gonna decompose!"

he'd quickly moved back into the position he was in prior

"sorry?"

but you'd gone silent again, occasionally glancing up from your work and running your eyes along his frame before looking down again

nearly twenty minutes later Donnie had finished the puzzle and it seemed as though you had finished your drawing

"Uh- can I ask what are you-"

"I'm drawing you but you kept moving your arm and making me mess up. You always do that when I draw you so every damn picture I have of you stays a sketch because you always come out looking like a fucking octopus."

He just stared

"Sorry, I uh- I didn't mean to explode on you like that. I'm just- I'm really bad at talking to you okay? It's so easy with everyone else but you've just gotta be so damn smart all the time and I worry that you'll think I'm boring so I just... don't talk to you?"

Donnie is stunned™

You refuse to show him the drawing until you can complete the line art and color it

But at least he knows that you don't hate him

Leonardo

To be completely honest Leo didn't mind that you were distant from him

You created an aura of calm when you were around and you always managed to distract his brothers while you were present

And he enjoyed the alone time

But after a few months that calm acceptance turned into jealousy

Not that he would ever admit it

He would just push it off and ignore it, that usually seemed to work

So why wasn't it?

And your obvious staring problem didn't help at all

Leo didn't spend much time considering his appearance but something about your gaze made him self conscious

And he hated that with a passion

Why was it that you could hold entire debates with his siblings? Even his dad for gods sake. You'd have hour long conversations on almost everything but whenever he tried to say hello you'd make up some lame ass excuse and scamper away

He just wanted an explanation

It appeared that the answer resided in your sketchbook

You'd left it open on the couch when Raph had called you away to spar with him

Leo very delicately flipped through the pages, careful not to disturb some of the polaroid pictures of his brothers

He was admittedly surprised to find pictures of himself among the pages

One of him in a handstand, another of him meditating, there was even one of him mid sneeze that you'd recreated with pencil and paper

The image of his eyes was the most startling, but the book held no polaroid of his eyes

You drew them from memory

And he was shocked when you returned to the room and didn't immediately panic

But that might have been because he didn't try to withhold your book from you

"It took me three months to color them, your eyes. I could never get the shade of blue just right."

"I'm gonna be honest with you y/n, I really thought you didn't like me."

You had the nerve to roll your eyes and follow it with a laugh

"I don't. I mean- I do but no, you just remind me a lot of myself and I haven't exactly figured out why yet. I thought that maybe if I drew you it'd be easier to figure you out..."

"Well did it help?"

You grinned

"I'm talking to you, aren't I?"

Raphael

If there was one thing Raph hated it was not understanding something that was right in front of him

which is ironic, as a much younger version of himself probably couldn't care less

and a part of him wishes he didn't care about it so much

he wishes that your blatant avoidance of him didn't upset him

but shit, it got under his skin better than any needle ever could

was it too much to ask for you to just tell him what he said or did wrong?

was he asking too much of you?

but on the same scale you'd never shown obvious dislike towards him, you were never rude and you sure as hell didn't talk shit about him to his brothers

you got along great with them

in fact it was getting more difficult to remember a time before you became a part of his family

he'd become so used to your presence that it no longer put him off when he found you hanging around the lair

but in another sense he was certain that you hadn't spoken more than three sentences to him in your time knowing him or his family

so what was the reason

several months in he finally caught onto the staring, your narrow, glassy gaze locked onto his body and refusing to look away

he stared right back at you

this annoyed you for several reasons

because within five seconds your very peaceful drawing session had turned into a staring contest and your eyes were getting VERY dry

then you exhaled in a half-sigh and looked back down at your paper

"Huh, I guess your head is more of an oblong shape..."

he took offense to this

"What tha' hell is that supposed t'mean?"

now your eyes held more of an amused silent judgement, you begrudgingly held up your sketchbook

"I'm drawing you, you fucking walnut."

"Oh..."

now you rolled you eyes and tossed the book to him, he nearly dropped it and fumbled with the pages

your annoyance was quickly growing

"Careful with that."

He flipped through the pages at a snails pace, assumingly because he couldn't quite believe what he was seeing

you had some real talent

when he looked back up at you he was wearing that crooked smile

"and here I was thinkin' that my eyes were just green."

Hope I was able to get this down pretty well! I really enjoyed writing this one! Thanks for the patience!

-Mars 🌠

[earth-ambassador-jim]

More troll adopting humans and Vice versa

A Helping Hand

AO3 - Fanfiction

How about a wizard adopting a changeling?

~~~~

~~~~

What had been shaping up to be a rather boring day at the market takes a turn when a young boy darts behind Douxie’s herb cart. Douxie, who had almost been asleep, blinks uncomprehendingly as the boy stares up at him with pleading eyes.

“Don’t tell them I’m here,” He whispers.

The young wizard doesn’t get a chance to say anything because at that exact moment a group of city guards rounds the corner. They are brandishing spears and breathing hard as if they’d been running for a while.

“You there!” One of them barks at Douxie. “Have you seen a boy run by? Brown hair, green tunic?”

At his feet the boy presses up against the cart. He’s shaking now. Douxie makes a snap decision. He doesn’t know what the boy has or hasn’t done but he’s not about to hand a child over to a group of armed men without knowing why.

“I haven’t,” Douxie says leaning casually against his cart.

The man lets out a disappointed huff and then turns to his men.

“Split up. We can’t let him get away.”

He turns back to Douxie.

“If you see him, tell us. He’ll be sporting a burn mark on his cheek. You can try to catch him yourself if your feel up to it -there’s a reward- but be careful because he’s very dangerous.”

Douxie resists the urge to look down to see if his stow-away has a burn.

“Sure,” He says. “But what’s a kid done to warrant that if you don’t mind my asking?”

“He’s a changeling,” The guard growls. “No one suspected him until he got kicked by a horse this morning. The iron shoe revealed him for the demon he really is. The guard who was close by tried to grab him, but the little monster bit him. We’ve been chasing him all morning.”

“A changeling here huh?” Douxie says. “Crazy.”

The guard grunts in agreement and then heads off down the road, leaving Douxie to ponder his best course of action. He glances down at the boy. Sure enough, there’s a burn mark on his cheek. He looks to be about five or six.

Douxie comes to a decision.

“I was just fixing to head out for the day,” He tells the boy. “Why don’t you hide in my cart and I’ll get you out of this place?”

The boy stills.

“You… you’re helping me?” Then his eyes narrow. “No. You’re going to hand me over aren’t you? You want the reward.”

Douxie huffed.

“Kid. If I was going to hand you over, I would have already done so. You can take my offer or leave it but do you really want to run around out in the open?”

The boy hesitates, watching him warily for a moment. There’s a shout in the distance and he flinches. He climbs quickly into the cart and covers himself up with the canvas.

Douxie packs up his herbs and then they’re on their way. He takes the south gate out of town because the guard there is always lazy and doesn’t check carts very thoroughly. He makes it through with no hassle.

Once he’s about a mile away from the forest he turns off the main road into the forest. His passenger notices the change in terrane and his head pokes out.

“Where are we going?” He demands, trying to quickly get out of the canvas but getting tangled up in his haste.

“To my camp,” Douxie says.

He slows down and then stops as the boy keeps struggling.

“Need a hand?”

The boy flinches when Douxie reaches out to him, so he withdraws.

“I just want to help you,” He tells him. “You don’t have a place to go, right?”

“No,” He admits. “But what’s in it for you?”

“Nothing really,” Douxie says with a shrug. “But…”

He hesitates. His own secret is almost as dangerous as the boy’s.

He looks into the fearful green eyes and then thinks: What the heck?

He holds out his hand and lets some of his magic gather around it. The changeling’s eyes widen as they follow the wisps of blue light.

“I’m a wizard,” He says. “Let’s just say I know a thing or two about getting chased out of towns by an angry mob.”

The changeling doesn’t quite loose his wariness.

“Do you need something from a changeling to make a potion?” He asks, finally getting himself untangled. “I heard that wizards sometimes use changeling bones for stuff.”

Douxie groans and drags his hand down his face.

“For the last time, I just want to help you out,” He says with a sigh. “Look if you find out I’m lying feel free to steal all my gold or whatever and run off into the forest.”

The changeling considers that and then settles back down in the cart.

In about ten minutes they reach the cave where Douxie has been staying. Once he’s out of the sun, the changeling side-eyes Douxie and then transforms into his troll form in a flash. He’s a little green thing, with big brown wings that look much too large for him.

“A changeling,” A voice says from the back of the cave. The kid’s wings flare out in alarm. “Really Douxie?”

Archie, in dragon form, emerges from the shadows.

“The town guard was chasing him around in a mob, okay. If they’d caught him they’d try to torture the location of his familiar out of him and you know as well as I do just how pointless that is.”

“Perhaps,” Archie says. He looks like he’s going to say more but Douxie shoots him a pointed look.

“Fine,” The familiar huffs. “I’ve caught dinner. I imagine you’ll want to cook it.”

“Definitely,” Douxie says going to a corner of the cave to get the wood.

~~~~

“So what’s your name?” Douxie asks his guest over dinner.

The changeling stiffens at being addressed.

“Waltolomew Stricklander,” He says.

Douxie blinks.

“And I thought my name was a mouthful,” He says. “Mind if I call you ‘Walt’?”

The changeling slowly nods.

“Excellent. I am Hisirdoux Casperan, but you may call me Douxie and this is my familiar Archie.”

“Nice to meet you,” Walt says in an automatic sort of way.

“Likewise.”

Looking at his clothes, Douxie figures that he probably belonged to a good house before he got outed as a changeling.

“So Walt,” Douxie says, figuring he ought to try to get to know the kid a little better. “What do you like to do?”

Walt slowly finishes chewing the bite he’d taken out of the rabbit leg.

“I like reading,” He says slowly. “My… familiar’s father was teaching me how to play chess.”

That confirms Douxie’s theory that he had been planted in a well to do house. It’s definitely best for the kid if he gets far away from here. More money generally means more people will be hunting for the runaway.

“Nice,” Douxie says. “I’ll have to see if I can make us some chess pieces then.”

Walt blinks at that.

“Why?”

“Why what?” Douxie asks, absently stroking Archie who has settled across his lap.

“Why would you make chess pieces? I’m not going to be around that long.”

Ah… That’s what this is about.

“Are you leaving?” He asks.

The changeling shrugs.

“Well, if you decide you want to have some company for a while. You’re welcome to stick around,” Douxie says. “It’s always just me and Archie.”

Archie gives him a look which he chooses to ignore.

Walter’s wings are just slightly wrapped around him. He’s still keeping the fire between them.

“Think about it and let me know in the morning,” Douxie says with a shrug. “I’m going to be moving on tomorrow.”

Walter nods.

~~~~

Douxie wakes up at some point during the night to Archie poking at him. He shoots a blank glare into the dark but gets up anyway. The fires still glowing so Douxie heads over to it, dragging his cloak with him.

He pauses when he spots a small form curled up in the corner. It looks like Walt is finally asleep. Douxie hesitates a moment and then walks over to him. The changeling looks so small curled into a ball with his wings wrapped around him. Douxie wonders how old he actually is. Changelings are always older than they look, in part simply because of the rate trolls age at, but this one seems young. He could just be a good actor of course.

Douxie wraps his cloak around the small figure and returns to where Archie is waiting by the fire.

“So why are you trying to convince a changeling to travel with us?” The dragon-cat asks irritably. ‘Do you want us to get sold out to his comrades at the next town we get to?”

Douxie huffs.

“Look Arch,” He says. “I couldn’t just leave him there. They were going to kill him!”

“Rescuing is one thing, but you didn’t need to bring him here, let alone ask him to start traveling with us. What are you thinking?”

Douxie sighs and stares into the fire.

“He reminds me of myself. Okay?”

Archie blinks and then cocks his head.

“I…” Douxie starts awkwardly. “Back when my magic first manifested my town… my family… they didn’t take it well. I told you about that.”

Archie nods but doesn’t say anything waiting for him to continue.

“Seeing Walt today, on the run for something he ultimately didn’t get a choice in reminded me of that.”

Douxie shivers. He remembers the cries of “witch!” The fear in the eyes of the people he’d grown up with. The hatred.

He doesn’t realize he’s scratching at his scars until Archie buts his head against his hand. He gives his familiar a grateful smile and starts stroking his head.

“I didn’t have anyone for a long time after that. Not until I met you,” He continues. “It… It was lonely and scary and… I guess when I saw Walt today.” There’s a lump in his throat. He remembers the changeling’s familiar scared eyes looking up at him. He swallows hard. “I thought that it would be nice if he didn’t have to go through that.”

They sit in silence for a while. The soft night noises filter into the cave and the fire flickers gently.

Archie sighs.

“Very well. If… Walt… wants to stay he can. I will support your decision.”

Douxie grins down at his familiar. He swipes quickly at his eyes and then pulls him into a hug.

“Thanks, Archie. You’re the best.”

His familiar’s quiet purrs belie his grumbling.

~~~~

When Douxie wakes up in the morning. There’s a second set of wings wrapped around him. He cracks open his eyes and finds that Walt has cuddled up to them during the night. The little changeling’s head is pressed up against his chest and his wings are wrapped around him and Archie. Douxie’s cloak is over the three of them.

~~~~

~~~~

Author Notes:

Walt was listening in when Douxie and Archie were talking.

I'm trying to get caught up on my asks. This has been in my inbox for a while. Hope you find this Anon!

Some fun thoughts on this AU: ~Douxie kind of ends up being Walt's father figure in this. ~Walt doesn't usually call him "Dad" though unless he's feeling particularly emotional or being sarcastic. ~Due to their appearances Walt sometimes has had to pretend that he's Douxie's father, which is always weird for them. ~Walt ends up becoming Douxie's apprentice and learning magic. ~He isn't connected to the Janus Order because they think he got killed when he was exposed. He's fine with that. ~When he finds out about Jim being the Trollhunter he tells Douxie (who was out of town at the time.) ~Jim and Toby are very confused when they ask about how Douxie and Strickler are related and Strickler says that Douxie raised him. Their graying history teacher referring to what looks like a 19 year old as his father does not compute.

[whatwouldvalerydo]

Summer break - part 3/3

Last part of the summer break spent with Phil Baker. Hope you enjoy this one @samshogwarts as much as I enjoyed writing them ❤️💚

By nightfall they finally made their way back to the small rented apartment, one super tired, the other one super hyped up on energy drinks. Scarlett scoffed as she discarded her shoes, her feet sore despite actually wearing comfortable ones. Making a beeline to the bathroom in order to shower, her only solace being left on the kitchen table in the form of alcohol, one that Phil was left behind with in order to place in the refrigerator, Scarlett only hoping he would not drop any. It was hard enough to find a wizarding shop as it was.

She honestly couldn’t wait to be 18 and get all that “you’re still a kid” shit out of the way.

The Muggle world still had its limitation, Scarlett actually leaning towards the Wizarding world for the first time in her life, just because she was considered an adult and she could actually do what she wanted. Looking at her reflection in the mirror as she wiped away the steam, she smirked, she could actually do whatever the fuck she wanted.

Coming back in the living room, he lifted his eyes from his phone as he just finished scrolling through some items he still wanted to buy. His logic, which was a good one she had to admit, was that with tomorrow being the last day, most prices would go down. And somehow Phil who spoke nerd actually managed to convince several people from the various stands to save some items for him for tomorrow, actually managing to negotiate a good price.

As he also went to freshen up, Scarlett mixed some drinks for them, Phil finding her sitting at the table, eyes lost somewhere in the distance as she gazed out the window “You alright?” She did not reply to him, instead pushing his glass towards him, Phil taking a seat as well “What’s wrong?”

“I saw just thinking.” She admitted with a soft sigh, her voice barely audible “What if I drop out of Hogwarts? There’s nothing now to force me to stay.”

Phil went pale all of a sudden, taking a sip of alcohol just to try and push back all that he felt “I know you hate it. But you have people there who actually care about you and would be sad to see you leave.”

Looking over at him, she frowned, reaching out to ruffle his hair “Don’t give me that look. It’s just a thought. I’m not stupid you know.” She added taking a large gulp from her glass “I know that if I quit now then I’m doomed since I would have no Muggle education and no Wizarding one. And I love money too much to compromise myself.”

With newfound hope, he tapped his glass against hers “Well money is important in order to survive.”

Scoffing, she shook her head “No, money is the most important thing. I don’t care about feelings and relationships, a family or anything else for that matter apart from my own comfort.”

Biting down on his lip, he asked, partially out of curiosity, partially out of trying to convince himself of the constant reminder he set – she would never he with him “Why are you trying to date then?”

Tapping her nails against the glass, she gave him a serious look “Because I need to learn in order to never let anyone hurt me or have an advantage over me.” The questions in his eyes were there, but she chose to ignore them and if he dared ask she just wouldn’t answer him “Maybe you should try it too.”

“I’m not interested in that, or girls aren’t interested in me.” He shifted on his chair, Scarlett just shaking her head.

“Don’t be stupid and don’t lie to me. Of course you’re interested.”

He felt as if suddenly the spotlight was on him, a small sense of panic building up inside his chest, Phil not knowing if he suddenly felt hot because of the alcohol or because of the possibility that she might have actually figured out he had a crush on her “Well I am a guy after all.”

“Yeah believe me Baker I noticed.” She chuckled when his brows shot up, her not expanding on the previous statement. Instead she finished her glass, put on some music as she prepared another and just started dancing.

She did not wish to think about anything in particular, it was better that way. Turning to him, she pulled on his hand and the boy to his feet as she lifted his arm above her head and twirled around, smiling bright, almost spilling her drink. Taking another sip for good measure, she placed it on the table, letting the music fill the room as they both enjoyed it. They didn’t fit when dancing, they were so different in many aspects, but as long as she was laughing and so was he, it felt good, no matter how silly it was.

As they held hands and spun around, their heads dizzy from the motion and alcohol, it mattered not what was outside of that room. It was simple. It was normal as they fell to the floor panting while still giggling. They were young. They were free.

And most importantly, they had no supervision. They could go out, which they did around two in the morning, searching for a fast food joint, laughing as they took pictures, talking about nothing in particular.

The following morning went by so fast, them waking up late, running to the convention in order for Phil to get a few things, then making it back in time to take the train back to his house. Taking out of his pocket a small chibi figure, he proudly presented her the key chain “She looks like you.”

“Why because she’s angry looking?” Scarlett asked picking up the present, turning to look at Phil who also held up one of his own “Yeah, that one definitely looks like you. It even has the messy hair and goofy smile.”

“I have a goofy smile?”

She nodded, placing the keychain on her own keys “You do, but you have a cute laugh.” Groaning, she felt like smacking herself “Forget I said anything.” Taking out her headphones, she placed them over her ears, not even looking at him for the duration of the train ride.

Back at his place, his parents greeted them, the two dividing them in order to have a talk. In the living room Phil’s mom asked him how the trip was, if they had fun, her gently taking the discussion to where she wanted to “Honey I need to ask you this, did you use protection?”

Phil looked at her confused “Well we did play this game and I protected her…”

“No, no, I wasn’t talking about that sort of protection. Not a game, but real life. I was talking about condoms.”

“MOM!” his eyes widened, hands lifting to cover his face “Nothing happened.” He mumbled.

“Now, now.” She patted his head “There’s no need to be embarrassed, it’s natural, but I just want to make sure you know what you’re doing.”

Inside the kitchen, Scarlett just finished making a coffee for herself and Phil’s dad, the man putting the copy of the Daily Prophet down in order to thank her. As she sat down, she heard Phil yelling something out, but she ignored it since the man at the table was giving her a look. Cocking a brow, he cleared his throat.

“About that morning before you left.”

She smirked in her cup before placing it on the table “If you want to have the talk about the birds and bees don’t worry, I know how it works.”

“Right.” He was clearly uncomfortable, but it looked like he wasn’t going to back down soon “Well you’re not my daughter, but I just wanted to ensure you’re being wise about everything.”

Exhaling through her nose, Scarlett suddenly raised her voice “Phil could you please tell your dad we didn’t sleep together?”

Hearing running down the hall, Phil appeared in the door way, red in the face “Not you too.” Taking hold of Scarlett’s hand, he pulled her after him, Phil’s father shaking his head when his wife came in to check on him.

“The audacity of that child.”

Trying not to laugh, his wife spoke “I thought they were adults.”

Inside his bedroom, Phil stammered an apology, Scarlett cracking up with each syllable that left his lips “Your parents are funny. What did your mom ask you?”

“What did my dad ask you? I am so sorry, this is so embarrassing.”

She sat down on the bed, a smile still shaping her lips “For you yes. But they are just probably worried since a weird girl was in bed with their darling baby boy.”

Groaning, Phil rolled his eyes “You aren’t making me feel any better.”

“Who said I wanted to make you feel better? This mood suits you far better.”

Before he could reply back, they heard the doorbell ringing, Phil’s mother calling back down stairs for pizza. Scarlett skipped down the stairs, Phil practically dragging his feet as to take up as much time as possible to reach the same space as his parents.

They appeared to be in good spirits, his mom taking out plates and some soda, her attention directed to Scarlett “So dear, are your parents Muggles or Wizards?”

“Mom.” Phil tried to take the attention on himself, however Scarlett’s face already dropped for a second before she shook it off.

“Mom is a Muggle, she sells big houses for rich dude with big pockets and big” her eyes met Phil’s, panic clear “egos.” She added, a forced smile on her face.

“And your father?”

She hated it, this attention on her, the fact that she needed to at least be somewhat polite “I wouldn’t know. He died a long time ago.”

Phil’s father nodded his head, a wave of sadness washing over him “Did he die during the second war?”

Scarlett scoffed loudly, shaking her head as her hands closed to fists “From what I understood brave men and women fought in the war. He was no brave man.” Getting up, she left the kitchen without adding another word.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” Phil’s father looked over at his son with an apologetic look.

Phil just nodded, eyes glued to the table before him. It was no secret Scarlett hated talking about herself, however he also didn’t know her father died. Everyone just assumed the man alongside her mother was her actual father. Slowly getting up, he excused himself, heading straight to speak to Scarlett.

She was in his room of course, fuming mad, something he did expect. Looking at him from her phone, she threw it against the pillows enraged “How can there be no trains or buses at this hour?”

“You want to leave?”

“No, I want to teleport. Actually…”

Taking her hand he shook his head “No, you don’t know how far you can actually go. You live hours away Scarlett. I won’t ask. I won’t make you talk about it if you don’t want to but just don’t do something reckless.”

“Reckless is what I do Phil.”

No, he was wrong, she was not mad, she was hurt. She was sad and wanted to do anything in order to get away from the feeling “Yes, you do and it’s fine. But you can do it here.” She removed herself from his hold, sceptic eyes looking up at him “You’re leaving tomorrow morning, what do you have to lose?”

“So much, so so much.”

“Not with friends you don’t.”

Inhaling sharply, she forced a smile “Yeah, but you’re still a…” she stopped herself, Phil only nodding.

“A guy yeah, born one actually.” Causing her to laugh, finally breaking the tension in her shoulders “Now, how about I show you my new character in…”

“No” she covered his mouth “hard pass from me. Fuck that. Show me what you bought while I had that stupidly expensive yucky coffee.”

She watched him leave the room, Phil taking some time to come back with the items. Scarlett sat down on the bed, running her hands through her hair, swearing as she tried to take control of her feelings. It was fine, it had to be fine she repeated like a broken mantra inside her head.

For the first time since she arrived at his house, they actually went to sleep early, each in separate rooms, absolutely exhausted after the several late nights spent together. In the morning there were no more questions addressed her way, no silly discussions, all apart from a small apology from Phil’s father. She quickly dismissed it, saying it’s not his fault and to leave it at that.

Phil took her to the train station, Scarlett actually looking impatient as she stared in the distance waiting on the train to arrive “Hope you have fun with the girls.” He said trying to calm the situation they were in.

“Mhm.” She muttered, not looking at him, chewing on her gum impatiently.

When the train was announced she could not have jumped up faster than she did. When the train came in the station, she waved at him, not making eye contact, Scarlett taking a few steps, ready to hop on. Instead, she stopped, turned around, looking at Phil lowering his hand as he waved her off without her even bothering with him. She crossed the distance between them, pulling him by the shirt, placing a kiss against his lips “Enjoy the rest of your vacation.” Giving him another small peck, she finally ran to the train ringing its whistle, turning around once on it to take her phone out and snap a picture of him, showing him the middle fingers “That’s the most embarrassed you’ve been all summer.”

As the train left the station, he laughed to himself as he sat down on the bench, whispering to himself “So cute.”

[syndxlla]

More To Love

Part two of the More to Love series

Summary: As you start adapting to Mandalorian culture and life in the palace, you have to start thinking whether or not you’ve made the right decision.

Word Count: 6.2k, NO USE OF ‘Y/N’

Warnings: Non-Consensual kiss, mentions of loss of pregnancy

Author’s Note: Wow wow wow, the support I’ve gotten for this fic already has been so awesome thank you so much especially to the people who have direct messaged me you’re all so kind I love you guys!!!!

Part One here

“Good-morning, Your Highness.” A Handmaiden said as she pulled open the heavy curtains, letting the bright morning light shine into your elegant room. You softly moan as the sun hits your eyes, and roll onto your side to try and sleep more. “Today you will be having brunch with Her Majesty the Queen and a few members of her court and we have set aside a bit of time for you and The Prince to get to each other this evening before dinner in the library.” Her accent was thick like the Prince’s. You sigh and roll around onto your back, letting your limp hand rest by your face. “I trust you slept well?” She asked as she walked towards your bed, in her hands was a golden tray with a teapot on it.

“Not enough sleep.” You groan, trying not to sound annoyed but failing.

“Would you like to sleep longer, Highness?” She asked.

“No, I’ll be fine.” You sigh before scooting to sit up in your bed, and she places the tray on the table by the mattress.

“I wasn’t sure what type of tea you liked, so I brought a chamomile, do you have a preference?”

You stop to think for a moment, “Chamomile is fine for today, but do you have any hsuaberry tea?” Hsuberries are native to Corellia, and you could use a little taste of home.

“I’m not sure, but I will check for tomorrow?”

“That would be lovely, thank you.” You nod.

“I’ll return in a half-hour with the other maiden’s to prepare you for the day then?”

“Alright… Miss?” You stop her as she turns to leave. “Do you have a name? What can I call you?”

“Oh… of course, Lady Soniee would be fine.” She smiles. “Thank you for asking.”

“It’s my pleasure.” You smile in return. “Lady Soniee, is my guard outside?” You ask.

“Yes, he returned to his post with my arrival, in the night we have the night guards patrolling so our individual day guards get some time off.” She explains.

“Would you… Would you send him in, please?” You ask.

“Yes, Highness. Is there anything else you would like?” Soniee asks.

“No, that’s all, thank you, dismissed.” You released her from her duty and she turned to leave the room. As her back was turned to you, you rub a bit of the sleep out of your eyes and run your fingers through your hair in an attempt to tame your bed head. You wanted to look presentable for the knight. Truthfully, you haven’t quit thinking about him since last night’s endeavor. You fell asleep picturing what he looked like under his armor, and brainstorming what his name might be. You even wondered if you dreamed about him, but it’s all gotten hazy now. You knew this was inappropriate, and that you were here for your wedding with another man, but something about the secret relationship the two of you were forming was exciting, you were addicted to it. You sigh deeply as she closes the door behind her and then quickly looks down at your nightgown, proceeding to pull the cap sleeves down your shoulders a bit to show more skin and more of your collar. You laugh slightly to yourself, “You are ridiculous.” You mumble, chuckling. Before you could consider anything else, however, he walked in, his stature at attention.

“Is there something wrong, Your Highness?” He asked.

You felt your cheeks heat up in his presence, “I just wanted to thank you again for last night.” You tried not to gush as you spoke.

“Oh… Yes, anything for you, your Highness.” He nodded in response. Your chest filled with warmth as you looked at him.

“You’ll be accompanying me today, correct?” You ask.

“Of Course, Your Highness.” He nodded once again, you really wanted him to call you princess again.

“Wonderful, I hope you slept well last night.”

“I did, Princess, did you?” You smiled a little too wide at the title, and tried to cool your cheeks, not wanting to look like an absolute child in front of him.

“Yes, I did, thank you once again, I’ll see you later.” You sigh in response. “Dismissed.” That word felt like poison to you, you didn’t really want him to leave but didn’t know how to keep him around longer. This was an accident waiting to happen, and you had the power to stop it in its tracks, the only problem is that you didn’t want to.

—

The Gardens were even more beautiful in the daylight, the sun shone spectacularly off the fountains and the various statues scattered throughout the estate contrasted lovely with the bright flowers. You sat at a round table ornately decorated with various different pastries, teas and sandwiches on it. Around the table was the Queen, the women of her royal court, yourself and of course the Elf. You really wanted to speak to the elf, unfortunately, you asat across from her, and was forced to mostly converse with The Duchess Wren and another woman you had never spoken to before. The Queen introduced her to you last night but you were having a hard time remembering her name. The women weren’t in such heavy gowns this time, and none of them wore the jeweled headpieces they had on the night before except for the queen. You wore a light beige and white dress which ruffled at the sleeves and had a scooping boat neckline. It was very beautiful, however the corset back didn’t go nearly as high this time as the last dress did, which meant you couldn’t use it as an excuse to spend more time alone with the silent knight. He stood a few feet behind you away from the table, watching over the event. Every now and then you would turn to glance at him, ceiling every time you laid eyes on his armor.

The tea was fine, not as good as the winter teas you had back home, they were far more bitter. Mandalorians clearly enjoyed more bitter-tasting food as you noticed the longer you’re here. Once again, you were being mostly ignored as the Women who knew each other talked about drama within the Mandalorian Royalty. It was all much more conspicuous than anything you would talk about at home, and you found yourself quietly listening in on the various conversations instead of applying yourself to them. The women most likely thought you were some sort of strange claude, not social enough and far too boring for their culture. Again, you tried convincing yourself that you were overthinking, but you had a hard time believing yourself.

“And what about you, Your Highness?” The Elf spoke up, interrupting your deep and self-centered thoughts.

“Huh?” You were not listening.

“What do you think about the conduct to come out of Coruscant?” One of the fatter women sitting by the queen asked.

“Oh… I think they’ve rather lost their integrity since the assassination of their Emperor…” You clear your throat. You were just saying what you remember hearing your father say, attempting to fit into the conversation and hopefully gain some affection, knowing how much Mandalore despised Coruscant (you were rather indifferent, however).

“Couldn’t have said it better myself.” The Queen smiled, “I believe you will be well suited for the politics of Mandalore.”

“Oh yes,” you began, “I had been preparing to be Queen of Corellia my whole life, I find politics rather exciting.” You admitted.

“Hm, I prefer to leave the politics to the men.” The fat woman scoffed and sipped her tea.

“I nearly forgot, you’re the only hair to the throne of Corellia, aren’t you?” The elven queen asks.

“Yes, I am.” You nod in response.

“Ah yes, your mother got sick and lost a baby-” The fat woman laughed. Your face dropped and went pale.

“Excuse you-” You began.

“Lady Aryn, have you no respect?” The Queen frowned.

“There’s nothing wrong with it, just a rumor I heard.” She shrugged, not seeming to care that she offended you or The Queen.

“Well it’s not a rumor.” You swallowed thickly, wanting to put her in per place for such an inappropriate comment, “My mother lost a baby when I was all but five and you have the audacity to bring it up like there’s nothing rude about it.” You spit out.

“Well who is to take the throne once you marry the Prince?” The fat woman asked as she sipped her tea. Many of the other women involved stayed quiet, timidly watching the drama play out.

“I don’t believe that is any of your business.” You chuckle out of frustration.

“It is my business, whomever rules Corellia during the impending war will directly affect how Mandalore responds to it. Considering my husband is the Grand General of the Mandalorian Army, it is very much my business.” Lady Aryn raised an eyebrow and dread washed over your body as she finished.

“I believe that your Cousin will be taking the throne?” The Elf Queen vouched for you and you were thankful she did, but still found the entire situation rude and out of hand.

“It should be me, but I’m being married off and getting my title stripped away from me.” You blurted out and immediately regretted what you said. You looked around at the faces of the women at the table. Each one showing a different expression of shock or betrayal, everyone but the Queen. The Queen’s face was stern, her lips dangerously straight and thin and her eyes dark as the two of you made eye contact. You had offended the Queen of Mandalore, you had offended the most powerful and wealthy monarch in the world. You sighed, and closed your eyes for a moment. “May I be excused, Your Majesty?” You asked with your eyes closed, waiting to open them until you finished speaking. You looked up at her through furrowed eyebrows, awaiting her response. The air was deathly thick, the tension grew as the court looked around at the scene. Your anger was justified, the remark on your unborn sibling was out of turn and incredibly rude, and after feeling ignored and unwanted for twenty-four hours by the very people set up to be your family, you snapped.

“You are excused.” The Queen said quietly, almost too quiet to hear, and you slowly stood from your chair before turning to leave. You looked to your knight as you did, and he followed. After you made distance between yourself and the other Mandalorian women, you could hear faint whispers. That went so much worse than you could have ever imagined. You want to disappear, you want to go home. You swallow a tear and sigh of relief when you get back into the Palace, strolling the halls until you found an empty sitting room. You sit down on one of the blue sofas and bring your fist up to your mouth. The Knight waited at the door, watching your every move. You felt ridiculous, and the absolute last thing you wanted to do was cry in front of the only person who’s shown you any decency since you arrived in Mandalore. You look over to him with dewey eyes before clearing your throat.

“I apologize for my conduct, I didn’t want you to see me like this.” You shakily sigh out. He didn’t reply, and you laugh once, “I suppose you have your code to uphold here.” You look down as you place your hands in your lap.

“No, I’ve sworn to protect you, that comes before the code of arms.” He takes a step forward and you were almost startled at his voice, you weren’t expecting him to speak up, but you were incredibly happy he did. You look up to see him a little closer, and smile just slightly at his gesture. “I didn’t protect you out there, I’m sorry.” He nodded his head.

“There’s no way you could have known,” You shrug, you didn’t want him to blame himself for your mistake, “Besides, I wasn’t in any danger.”

“Maybe you weren’t in any physical danger, but.. I really shouldn’t say this but that was out of hand. You’re family with the Queen now, she should have defended you.” He continued to step closer to you. “I deeply apologize for being so careless and allowing you to be hurt.” He bowed after saying this, and you smiled.

“Your apology is accepted, Sir Knight.” You slightly teased. “Thank you.” Your chest and stomach was filled with that warm and welcoming feeling again, and the negative endeavor from outside was forgotten even for just a moment. You knew you would have to face it eventually, and formally apologize to the Queen for offending her, but until then, you would allow yourself to feel okay for now. “You’ve been the kindest to me since I arrived.” You tilt your head, “You have no idea what it’s meant to me.”

“As I said, I vowed to be there for you, I will honor that vow.” He said, you didn’t want to feel like he was only being nice to you because he had to. You suck your lips in for a quick second as you absorb his response, unsure of how to respond. “But-” he interrupted your thinking, “It has truly been a pleasure to serve you, and I would be happy to undress you when you ask.”

Your eyes widened, “Excuse me?” It’s not that you didn’t like what you said, you just weren’t expecting it so casually.

“That- came out wrong, forgive me.” He corrected himself. “I mean, I’m happy to help you with anything you like.” He clears his throat and you smile, blushing at his sheepish correction.

“I understand.” You look down at the floor again. “I’m sorry they only give you the nights off.” You switched the topic, not wanting to linger on the last one in case someone was walking by or overheard anything.

“That’s fine, I... enjoy my time with you.” He stopped mid-sentence to consider what he was saying. You smile and laugh a little again.

“It must be tiring, wearing the armor all day, standing at attention, only getting a handful of breaks every few hours…” You think out loud.

“I’m used to it,” He shifts to his weight on one leg, lightly poppin his hip out as he speaks to you. “It’s not so bad, anymore.”

“Is the armor heavy?” You ask, trying to distract yourself.

“Yes, but that’s another thing we get used to. Our bodies adapt to it.”

“So… are you saying you’re strong under all that metal.” You raise and eyebrow, flirting just a little. You could hear a light chuckle come through the helmet when you said this.

“I guess you could say that.” It was like you could hear his smile.

“I’ve found that all Mandalorians are very attractive, do you fall under that assumption?” You knew very well you were playing with fire, that this was uncharted territory and everything was screaming at you to stop before you got too far but you couldn’t. Everything about him was so intriguing to you.

“I’m.. I’m not from Mandalore, actually…” He slowly responded.

“Oh?” You tilted your head, “I thought you had to be in order to be a part of the guard?”

“Well, in a way, you do. You have to be either born in or taken in as a foundling, and that’s what happened to me.” He shrugged.

“Oh, I didn’t know that.” You blinked, “Where are you from? Or can you not tell me…”

“The Nevarro frontier.” He responded, “I probably shouldn’t have told you that.” He groaned. You felt a shiver run down your spine at the sound of his rough voice groaning in such a way. You swallow your thoughts.

“You’re a long way from home.”

“I guess you could say that.” You smile at him again after he says this before turning and looking behind you, taking in the room. This was a larger sitting room, and there was a baby-grand piano in one of the corners. Outside of the windows you could see a courtyard, not the same courtyard that the garden is placed in, but one that was stoned and had a large tree in the center of it. There was so much of the palace you hadn’t seen yet, it was far larger than the Corellian one. You stood up to walk over to the piano, feeling a bit better now, and sitting at it. “Can you play?” He asked.

“Yes, I learned at a very young age.” You bring your hands up to keys and begin playing a song, one you have memorized. It was your mother’s favorite song. You played it with such emotion that the Knight was drawn into it, relaxing from his attentive stature and enjoying the sound.

“You’re... very talented.” He nodded.

“Thank you.” You said, looking up at him from the instrument. “I’m a bit rusty I must admit.” You shrug.

“I know someone who would really love it, no matter how rusty you say it is.” He explained.

“Who?” You ask as you stop playing, wondering who he may be talking about.

“I-I shouldn’t say, I’ve already broken the code so much-”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, I fully understand.” You interrupt, “But just know that anything you say is safe with me, If you vowed to protect me from both physical and emotional harm, the least I can do is keep your secrets.” You nod. He sighs, you can’t hear it but you see it in the armor.

“My.. Uh, my son.”

—

“Soniee, do you know if any guards are fathers?” You ask as the handmaiden tightens the corset on a different dress, tying it to your body. You were preparing for some time alone (chaperoned) with the Prince. You knew you promised the Knight you would keep his secret, and you would do everything in your power to uphold that secrecy, but you figured there was no harm in asking a few questions here and there. As far as anyone is concerned, you’re just curious about the customs and traditions of your new kingdom.

“Well many of the Knights have families of their own, some have illegitimate children as well.” She said behind you.

“So, they don’t have an oath of celibacy?” You ask, hoping it didn’t sound too strange or specific.

“What? No,” She laughed as she said ‘no’, “No, marriage and families are incredibly important to Mandalorian society, the only thing stronger than power or war is love and family. Blood before anything else.” She explained, she had clearly said those words before.

“Maybe that’s why everyone is so cold towards me.” You sigh.

“Maybe.” Soniee confirmed, “But I also believe any new member of house Kyrze is going to be given a hard welcome.”

“And why is that?” You ask, wincing afterwards due to a tight pull of the corset.

“Well it’s taught in every Mandalorian history class: House Kyrze is the royal bloodline, but it wasn’t always that way…”

“What do you mean?”

“There was a civil war some years ago almost immediately after the assassination of Queen Satine. A bad man came in and tried to overthrow Queen Bo-Katan. He was successful in his endeavors for a while, and that's why the Elves and the Queen are so close-” The handmaiden explained.

“I never knew about a Mandalorian war that happened among themselves?”

“It’s shielded from the outside world, we fear that if it gets out, people will stop coming to us for their wars out of speculation that we are not strong enough to fight them if we can’t control each other.” She finished the corset and took a step back, admiring the beautiful dress. “Many Mandalorian’s blame Queen Bo-Katan for the civil war even though she gave up everything she believed in to protect the royal family. You see, she used to be on the side of the Bad Man, but switched after her sister’s death. Many see her unfit for the crown, including members of her own Court.” You didn’t need any more explanation from Soniee to assume who that might be. Considering your previous endeavor this morning, the fat woman probably did not approve of the queen.

“That is why it’s essential that this marriage happens. The people love Korkie, they always have. He is the true heir and the pride of his mother, who was revered and loved throughout all of the kingdoms. When he is back on the throne, not only will anyone who disapproves of Bo be silenced, but they will also see it as one of her many successes. Having to raise and prepare a child who isn’t even yours is not easy.” Soniee concluded.

Great, another weight to be placed on your shoulder based on your ability to fall in love.

“I had no Idea any of that happened.” Your eyebrows furrowed together.

“Personally, I believe that is why you’ve received such a harsh welcome, Korkie is the golden boy of Mandalore, and many will not see you fit for his wife.” You sighed, your belly filling with stress.

“Highness, the Prince is waiting for you in the library.” Your Royal Guard interrupts the conversation, and you smile at him.

“Thank you, Lady Soniee, you’ve been incredibly kind and helpful.”

“Of course, Princess. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.” She curtsied and you walked out of a your suite into the hallway.

This dress was simpler than the last, a soft pink with embroidered flowers running up and down the smooth tulle and puffy sleeves. It was very beautiful, one you brought from Corellia that was gifted to you a few years ago. You wore pearls from Naboo, and had a soft look to your ensemble. You wanted to be perceived in a specific way by your fiancé, pure of heart, and genuine.

You open the doors to the hallway, and your guard is standing at attention.

“Would you escort me to the library?” You ask, smiling with your lips afterwards. He nods and holds his arm out for you to take, looping your own arms round his and walking down the hallway.

“You look very beautiful, your highness.” He said quietly through the metal, quiet enough that you were the only one who would hear it if anyone would be listening in. You got the lightest touch of goosebumps at his deep and gruff whisper in your ear.

“Thank you, do you think The Prince will like it?” You ask, looking up at his helmet with beady eyes.

“He would be a fool if he didn’t.” The Knight responded, and your stomach filled with butterflies. You blushed as you experienced the addictive feeling of his presence, and pulled him just a bit closer to you. The two of you walk in silence for the remainder of the journey to the beautiful library. This was a part of the palace that you had never been to before, and it was just as stunning as the rest of the castle. Books from all over the world in countless languages sat upon towering bookshelves that reached the tall ceiling. There was a large fireplace and in front of it was a number of red velvet armchairs and sofas. As you entered the quiet room, your eyes immediately found the Prince, who sat in one of the chairs reading a book, his head resting against his fist. You and the Knight walk towards him, and as you pull to unhook your harm, you feel him stretch his hand out to feel you for as long as possible before the contact breaks.

“Prince Korkie.” You curtsie, interrupting his reading. He looked up from the book and smiled, standing and bowing to kiss your hand once again.

“Your Highness, You look lovely.” After he compliments you, you turn to look at the guard, smiling.

“I hope you weren’t waiting for too long.” You as he takes your hand and guides you to sit on a sofa.

“Not at all.” He reassured, “Allow me to introduce you to Lord Vaughn, he will be chaperoning us today.” He gestured to a man sitting across from you.

“My pleasure, Princess.” He stood from his seat to bow.

“The library is beautiful, as is everything else in the palace.” You compliment.

“It’s less beautiful when it’s been your classroom growing up.” The Prince teased and you chuckle. “If you would like, please feel free to take any books at any time.” He nodded.

“Thank you, but I’ve never been very into reading.” You admit. “I much prefer music.”

“Ah yes, I play the viola, my mother taught me when I was a boy-“ Somehow he always made it about himself you noticed. You didn’t think he tried to, but conversations are rather boring when you’re just listening. He talked for nearly a half-hour about playing for the Queen of Naboo as a twelve year-old and being revered as a child prodigy for the early part of his life. You sat quietly as he bragged, telling the story to both you and the chaperone instead of keeping his focus on you. You even caught your mind wandering every now and then, glancing over to your knight to make a little face of boredom in an attempt to make him smile. You know you wouldn’t be able to see him if he had smiled, but the thought of it was enough to keep you occupied. After the Prince bragged about his viola skills for close to an hour, he finally asked what you played.

“Piano, actually. It’s my muse, if you will.” You smile, happy to have finally been included, although it was short lived. The prince then continued to talk about how the Queen could play piano but got sick of it after her sister died and hasn’t played in a very long time. He went on and on about it, and you were starting to wish you had picked up a book on your way in to pass the time.

“Allow me to show you to my favorite section of the library.” The Prince said, forcing you to snap out of your little trance as he held your hand out. You clearly hadn’t been listening for a while because you had no recollection of the previous situation, his voice was very tune-out-able. “I’ve asked the Chaperone and Knight to stay here while I do.” He smiled, and you take his hand, standing from the chair.

“Is that appropriate?” You ask.

“I’m the Prince, I can do what I want.” He shrugs and then proceeds to walk you towards a corner in the library. You look over your shoulder to the Knight one last time before you’re pulled around the corner. “This hall is where I would go when I was mad, isn’t it beautiful?” He asked.

“Yes, it is.” It had mostly desks and only a few bookshelves, but was covered in mirrors on both sides of the walls, showing an endless reflection of thousands of copies of yourself.

“I wanted to give you this, as an engagement present.” He held out a small box wrapped with a blue bow.

“Thank you…” You take the gift out of his hand.

“It was my mother’s.” He said as you untied the bow and opened the box. Inside was a beautiful necklace of a sapphire stone with a gold halo.

“It’s beautiful, thank you.” You held up the necklace to your eyes, watching how it sparkled in the light.

“May I put it on you?” He asked. You nod and hand him the jewelry. Turning around and pulling your hair to the side, you feel him hook the necklace, letting the heavy gem sit against your collarbone. You looked down at it.

“It’s incredibly beautiful, Prince Korkie.” You turn around and smile.

“Please, just Korkie.” He said before forcing a kiss on you, pushing his lips into yours forcefully and holding you in place. It startled you, you hadn’t expected this from him, especially considering how kind he had been before. This was your first kiss and was less than pleasant. You push him off you, and look at him in disbelief. You didn’t want to offend him, but couldn’t mask the look of shock and beytrayal from your face. Your stomach filled with regret, it was customary to not kiss one another until your wedding day, why had he broken that tradition? You felt as though it was your fault he forced himself onto you, and you swallowed back the feeling of anger and distrust. If anyone found out you had kissed him before the wedding, they would all blame you, regardless of who initiated the kiss. You both knew this.

“Excuse me…” You huff passed him, returning to the main room of the library and walked towards the door, you heard your Knight follow you close after, and in a fit of confusion and flusterment, you storm as fast as you can towards your room.

When you two got to a more private part of the palace, closer to the suite, you heard him speak up, “Princess, princess what’s wrong?” You hear your knight say, and before you can ignore him, you feel him grab your hand. It isn’t forceful and it doesn’t hurt, but he’s strong, he wouldn’t be letting you go unless he had to. You turn around to show a tear running down your cheek. “What did he do?” The Guard asked. You swallow thickly and try to look away, darting your eyes behind him, “Look at me.” He said.

“I can’t see your eyes.” You sniffle.

“Please, did he hurt you?” He took a step closer to you, your bodies almost flush against one another.

“We can’t do this here-“

“Did he hurt you?” The knight repeats himself, sterner this time.

You look at his helmet and sigh, “No.”

“Then why are you crying?”

“It doesn’t concern you.” You were embarrassed, and pull your hand away before walking away, trying to get to your room before bursting into tears. You heard him pick up his pace to catch up and then suddenly he was cutting you off with his body, firmly grabbing your shoulders.

“As your Royal Guard, it does concern me. I told you just this morning that I promised to protect you, and now you’ve gotten hurt twice because of my mistakes.” He said, startling you just a bit. No one had ever spoken to you this way, no one had ever shown that they care this much.

“It’s not your fault, really.” You reassure.

“But it is. What did he do to you?”

“It’s… I’m embarrassed. It’s silly and I’ll-“

“Nothing you say could ever be ‘silly’ to me.” He said, his voice hushing as he did, giving you those little goosebumps again.

You sigh, looking up at him and trying to get out your next sentence, “He-he kissed me. I wasn’t expecting it and he broke tradition and it was all so… so forced.” You admit, feeling as though he would blame you for the kiss.

“He what?”

“You’re really going to make me repeat myself?” You scoff and push passed him, you were almost to your room, if you could make it just a little further-

“He kissed you?” The knight asked.

“Yes. I told you it’s ridiculous but-“

“It’s… not. Ridiculous, that is. It’s not ridiculous. Did he ask if he could?”

“No…” You reply, “I didn’t think he had to.” You raise an eyebrow. “I just wasn't expecting such a stark betrayal of tradition and it startled me and if anyone else find out, they’ll all blame me-“

“He has no right to lay a single finger on you without your permission. He hurt you, and therefore I’ve failed at my job.” He interrupted you.

“Oh-“ You mutter, finally arriving at your door. He had done that without your consent, he had hurt you. The knight was right all along and you were stupid to not accept his help right away. You wipe a tear away from your cheek and open the door. You take a step in, and hold the door open for him to join you. “I have over an hour before dinner… I’ll have to see him again.” You swallow before closing the door.

“I’ll be there by your side, I won’t leave you again. I won’t let him hurt you like that ever again, I promise.” He was firm and confident with his words, giving you a little wave of relief as he spake them.

“Thank you.” You whipser. You take a deep breath and look at him, “You said he can’t do anything without my permission?”

“Yes. That’s how you protect yourself. Don’t give him power he doesn’t deserve.” The Knight explains.

You exhale sharply, “I had never been kissed before.” You admit, looking down at the floor. “It wasn’t what I expected, to say the least.”

“I’m sure it wasn’t… kisses are special, sacred.” He sounded pained as he said them, like it was hard for him to get the words out.

“Have you kissed anyone?” You ask, considering he had a son, you assumed he had, but never really know unless you ask.

“Yes, once, a long time ago.”

“So you haven’t had that helmet on since birth?” You lighten the mood just a little. You hear him chuckle and your stomach is filled with warmth at the noise.

“No, I haven’t.”

“Can you ever take it off?” You ask, walking over to sit on your bed, listening intently, he takes a step in that direction, too.

“Yes, I take it off to eat and bathe and sleep and sometimes I take it off to talk to my son…” He sighs, “But at work, in the palace, in the eyes of other people, it stays on. Always.This is the way.”

“I still don’t understand why.” You tilt your head.

“It… protects us, it keeps our knighthood separate from our manhood, an it’s an ancient tradition practiced by Mandalorians, we do it to respect the culture.” He nods as he speaks.

“Hm, I half expected you to say it was just because you were ugly.” You giggle, and he shakes his head. This time, you knew he was smiling under all that metal.

“Compared to you, I am nothing.” You could hear his smile in his words. You blush and the butterflies in your stomach only grow. You pause for a moment, carefully considering what you were going to say next.

“Will you… will you kiss me?” You ask, looking up at him, he goes still.

“What?”

“Will you kiss me?” You repeat yourself. He doesn’t respond at first, and for a moment, you fear you’ve made a terrible mistake. You wanted him to, you wanted to know what he meant by “kisses are sacred”. He had plagued your mind ever since you first spoke to him and you already have far more affection in your heart for the Knight than for the Prince. You wanted to kiss him.

He sighs in response, and nods once, “Close your eyes, and keep them closed.” You blushed at his agreement.

“Okay.” You say, slowly closing your eyelids and patiently awaiting his next move, feeling triumphant that he agreed. Your body fills with adrenaline as you wait, trying to slow your heart rate with deep breaths.

“Promise to keep them closed?”

“I promise.” You whisper and a few seconds after, you hear the sound of metal hitting metal, and the hollow echo of his helmet being placed on the mattress by where you sit. It took everything in you not to open your eyes, you wanted to look at him, wanted to see his eyes. But you made a promise, you had made promises to each other and had to keep those promises.

Then, ever-so-gently, you feel his warm and forgiving lips against yours.

They’re soft and light, like he didn’t want to hurt you. You melted into his touch, and against your soft skin you felt his stubble run against it. It was rough in the most satisfying and loving sensation possible. He was much kinder than the Prince, so gentle, so true. It wasn’t a very long kiss, but it was more than a peck, and held more passion and intimacy in it than any of the hours you spent with your fiancé combined. He moved just slightly against you, and you felt his bare hand come up to hold your jaw in place as he deepened it for a split second before pulling away. As your lips parted from his, your breath was taken right with them, and you had to consciously remind yourself not to open your eyes.

“Keep them closed, okay?”

“Okay.” You nodded, trying to remember the feel of his kiss. “Thank you.” Your voice was broken, and you wanted another, but before you could ask, you felt the helmet lift off the bed and the sound of gloves being pulled onto hands.

“Open.” He said after a moment, and your eyes fluttered open to see the knighted figure in front of you. “You’re welcome.”

Part three here