#i decided after last week when i finally sat at the lunch table and everyone was like deadly quiet that i was just going to give up

[pr]

its sooooo embarrassing for me hearing the coworker next to me's computer constantly ping with teams message notifications 😭 like theres no way they dont have a group chat without me but like also 1. is this high school did yall REALLY need to make a separate group chat to be silly without the weird girl 2. why cant being quiet and weird just be something you tolerate instead of excluding me bc of it like i dont understand am i being rude for being socially anxious like is it really THAT bad jesus

[eand47]

Chapter III | Don’t kill me Mr. Ghostface

Summary: You moved to one of the biggest cities in the world - Grand Line to pursue filmmaking career. Soon enough your path will cross with the vocalist of upcoming band called “The Neighbourhood”. At first you decided to be just friends - because it would be easier, but sadly as everything in life sometimes by taking the easy path we regret a lot of things.

Main characters: Portgas D Ace x Reader (female)

Supporting characters: Nami, Usopp, Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, Law, Deuce, Shanks, Buggy, Sabo, Eustass Kid (more to be add)

Description: Modern AU | Musician Ace

WARNINGS: mentions of alcohol and drinking, mentions of smoking, mentions of weed, explicit language, sexual content, MINORS INTERACT ON YOUR OWN RISK (16+)

Word Count: 12,9K

<- previous chapter

NOTE: This chapter contains a lot of dialogues. More characters are being properly introduced. I don’t want to rush things between Reader and Ace as obviously by now it is a slow-burn story, but from this chapter on you will have more and more interaction between them. I still don’t want to let you entirely into Ace’s mind, as with time all of the things he does and says will have more logic as of why, I just hope that you will be patient enough until then. I’m sure a lot of you might have expected a smut for this chapter, but you will be disappointed, as we are far away from one at least for now xD. Please feel free to leave comments about how you feel about the story and the characters relationship. Also if you enjoy the way I write always feel free to request an image, one-shot or a headcanon and if I have the time I would love to write it <3 I really hope you enjoy the chapter ^^

“You were right about the picture for the exercise.” Usopp exclaimed when we were leaving class.

“I guess it is the same every year.” We were going to grab a lunch, as our lunchbreak started.

“Are we going back after?” he asked me. It was only him and I here from our assign group, everyone else was sick or not at university today, even Nami.

“Yes, I was going to ask you the same.” I thought for a second if we should go back or call the rest of the day off. We were not having any class with a teacher after, but we were supposed to start writing the story for the exercise today. “Let’s stay and do the story, as we can’t know who is coming tomorrow, and I don’t want to waste time, as we should be done with it by Friday morning.”

“Yeah, we should do that.” He agreed with me, opening the door to the cafeteria and letting me go first. “But what if they don’t like what we come up with?”

“Then they should have been here.” I snorted out. We grabbed some food and sat down in one of the corner tables. Usopp yawned, he locked so tired today.

“All good with you? You look so tired.” I asked him concerned. “Please, don’t get sick and leave me here alone.” I whined and he chuckled at my reaction.

“No, I’m not getting sick. Don’t worry.” He reassured me. “I just had so many things to do over the weekend and didn’t have much time to spend with Kaya, so I tried to make it up to her last night, and I’ve slept for like three-four hours.” He explained, running a hand over his face, trying not to fall asleep.

“Oh, you were making it up to her.” I tease him, wiggling my eyebrows playfully.

“Shut up.” He shushed me, throwing a napkin towards me as I was messing with him.

“What were you busy with this weekend?” I took a bite of my food, curios at what he had done over the weekend that took so much of his time and energy.

“First, I had to go back to my hometown. My mom needed help with moving and selling some old furniture, we had around the house.” He took a bite of his own food. “Then when I came back Luffy’s brothers called me and wanted my help for a song they are releasing at the end of this week.” A little smile twitched on my lips as he mentioned the guys, Ace’s face appearing on my mind. “But something happened with the program we were using for the final touches, so long story short, it took my whole day to restore the files. Ah, anyway how about you?” He brushed it off, not really in the mood to talk about it.

“Nothing interesting. I barely left my place; I was watching movies and napping.” I shrugged. My weekend was quite boring this passed week. Especially the day after I worked at the bar. Shanks made me stay extra time to help around cleaning. Speaking of Shanks, his words about Ace haven’t left my mind, neither did Ace. I caught myself thinking about him from time to time and the little interaction we had.

“Oh, I’m so jealous.” Usopp whined, interrupted my thoughts. He slouched his body on the table, crying for sleep.

“Come one let’s get you some coffee from somewhere.” I cooed, patting his head, making him get up from the chair.

“I’m telling you I almost fall asleep during class.” He stretched his body, trying to wake it up.

We took our stuffs and went to grab some coffee, from the near by cafe. Waiting on the queue to get coffee, we were discussing our project.

“Think about it – a tour in a medieval museum.” Usopp suggested, but I was still not convinced enough.

“I don’t know, I think quite lot of people have already thought of this.”

The weather was quite chilly today. I couldn’t stop shivering, but Usopp didn’t seem affected by it as he was wearing just a green hoodie.

“Yes, but we don’t need the most original idea.” He was right about this. We needed something simple as we were not sure if everyone from our group would be here for the rest of the week.

“How about a man who has nightmares of being tortured in his dreams, and he is calm at first, only to realise that this is actually real this time.” I suggested, as I was sure no one would think of it.

“Good idea, but...” Usopp paused looking at me. “Mine is better.” We said together, laughing at our inside joke. “Let’s get the coffee, and we will decide when we go back. You want one as well? He asked me as it was his turn to order. I needed something warm to drink, so I accepted his offer. He bought me one and I thanked him. As we were walking to one of the sound rooms in school, we saw a big poster hanged on one of the walls.

“Look, they are having a Halloween party this week in here.” I excitedly turned to look at Usopp. “I have lost track of time so bad I have forgotten that Halloween is this week. We should go!”

“Oh God, I forgot to tell you.” Usopp slapped his forehead. “Luffy told me to invite you to the party his brothers are throwing for Halloween. So, we are going to that one and you are coming with us!” He pointed his finger at me, letting me know that he would not take ‘no’ for an answer.

“But I have met them only once, Usopp. I will feel awkward just standing there not knowing anyone, at least here I know people.” I looked at the Halloween poster again. Here I have classmates that I know, even thought they were not as close to me as Nami and Usopp, it still will be less uncomfortable and awkward to be around them.

“What do you mean, you don’t know anyone there?” Usopp grabbed my shoulders and turned me to face him. “You know me, Nami and the rest of the group now. Luffy told me to invite you himself. On top of it you know his brothers and the rest of the band.” He wrapped an arm around my shoulder as we started to walk down the corridor. “Come on, Kaya is also going to be there. You will be surrounded by people who you know.” We entered the sound studio, leaving our bags on the side and taking seat on the chairs. “Come on (Y/N), that party will be ten times better than the one here.” He nagged me.

“Look I will think about it, okay? But no promises.” I tried to negotiate with him.

“Nah, I’m not taking a ‘no’ for an answer.” He wasn’t planning on giving up. “I’m letting Nami know, I’m too soft.” He pulled out his phone and started to text Nami.

“No, Usopp stop!” I grabbed the phone from his hands. “I will think about it – I promise.” I put his phone on the desk. “I will see, I might don’t go to neither of the parties, as I totally forgot that Halloween is coming up, and I don’t have any costume.”

“Nah, that’s it I’m letting Nami know.” He grabbed his phone from the desk again and I just gave up arguing about it. “Done – I sent her a message.” Putting his phone away, he looked at me seriously. “You gonna see, you will have a lot of fun, I promise you.” He winked. “Now back to work.” He clapped his hands, and I rolled my eyes at him.

Halloween is my favourite day of the year – of course I want to dress up and go to party somewhere. Especially the one I got invited to just now. Even without nagging me, I knew that Usopp was right. The problem wasn’t the party, it was the fact that Ace would be there. I wanted to meet him again, but I was also nervous. We have barely spoken, but there was something luring me towards him – something that I couldn’t put my fingers on what it was. It was more than the way he looks that was for sure. I really wanted to get the chance of knowing him. He might turn out like the other guys I have met before – a pretty face and nothing more, but I can’t know until we get to know each other. Just thinking about him made me both excited and nervous.

“Earth to (Y/N).” Usopp waved his hand in my face, bringing me back to reality. “You, okay?”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine.” I took out my laptop so we can start writing the script. “So, we are going with my idea, right?” I glanced at Usopp.

“Mine is better but, sure.”

*******

I opened the fridge and sighed deeply, seeing that I have nothing left in it. I hesitated for a second if I should order or go to the store. I needed to buy food anyway, so I grabbed my headphones, my keys and left.

The store was ten minutes walk away from my apartment. I was taking my time wandering through the aisles, it’s not like I had anything to do at home. Passing by the cereals I saw a familiar face. I wasn’t sure if I should go and greet him or not, as we have only met once, but he saw me anyway.

“(Y/N)” Luffy greeted me with a smile, taking his headphones off and I did the same.

“Hey Luffy, nice to see you again.” I smiled at him.

“Yeah, nice to see you as well. How are you?” He asked me.

“I’m good, a little tired from uni, but good.” I chuckled. “How about you?”

“Same.” He shrugged. “Going over to my brother Ace to play some games but stop to buy some snacks.” My body got goosebumps when he mentioned his brother’s name. I looked at the basket in his hands and it was overfloating with snacks.

“Damn, that’s a lot of snacks, are you throwing a party?” I joked.

“Nah, just us two but we eat for like ten people.” We both laughed at his joke. I took a better look at Luffy and noticed how much he and Ace look alike.

“Well, he better lives close by, so you don’t need to carry all of this.” I casually said, but I was curious if by any chance we might end up being neighbours.

“Oh, I wish Ace lived this close by but no, I will have to catch the metro to get to his place.”

“What are you doing in this part of town then?” I asked.

“I live here, my place is exactly next to the supermarket.”  

“Nice, we are almost neighbours.” I exclaimed.

“Cool.” Luffy smiled. “By the way, did Usopp told you about the party this Friday?” He got excited mentioning the party.

“Yeah, he did today, but I’m not sure if I will come.” I awkwardly smiled at him.

“What? Why? No!” He was not happy with my answer. “What do you mean, you are not sure if you should come? You are coming! You, see? Easy, peasy.” He bumped his fist on my shoulder, a grin spread across his face.

“As I said to Usopp – I will think about it.” I mocked his gestured.

“Ouch, you are strong.” Luffy massaged his shoulder, pretending to be hurt. “But come on, there isn’t much to think of it, plus if you really don’t like it, you can leave any time you want.” This was the second time we meet, but talking with him felt so natural – his friendly and carefree persona could make everyone feel safe and relaxed around him.

“We will see, Luffy.” He rolled his eyes at my response with a smile. “Well, I’m not gonna bother you any longer, as you have to go to your brother.”

“You are not bothering me at all, but yes I have to get going, as he has been waiting for me for at least two hours know.” He said it so casually like it was something that happens frequently. “But before you go, give me your Insta or something, we are practically neighbours, so we can go on a walk or hang out around someday.” He handed me his phone to put my Instagram on it.

“Of course, we should definitely do this.” I quickly typed my Instagram and followed myself. “Here you go.” I handed the phone back to him.

“Nice, see you around then.” He smiled at me one more time before he went away. I pulled my phone out of my pocket to accept his request and followed him back.

********

The doorbell rang like crazy; someone was playing with the bell on purpose to annoy Ace. Ace paused the game he was playing and got up to open the front door of his flat.

“Luffy.”  He yelled at his brother, pulling him inside as he locked Luffy’s head between his arm and body and started to ruffle his hair. No matter how old Luffy gets in Ace’s eyes he will always remains his little brother, for whom he has unconditional love.

“Uh Ace, stop that.” Luffy tried to escape his brother’s death grip, only to drop the bags he was caring on the ground. “Stop it, I’m not a kid anymore.” He protested, poking on his brother’s side making him release his grip.

“Yes, you are.” Ace bumped Luffy’s shoulder laughing at his reaction. Ace picked up the bags, from the floor to leave them on the kitchen counter. “What took you so long again?” He shouted from the kitchen, while Luffy was taking his shoes off.

“Nothing.” Luffy went straight to the living room, sitting on the sofa and grabbing one of the controllers. “I went to buy snacks and then I saw (Y/N), and we chitchat for a bit.”

“(Y/N)? Shanks’ niece?” Ace sat next to him, grabbing his own controller. Luffy nodded in response. “You know her?” His curiosity piqued. Until that night he didn’t even know that Shanks has a niece. Ace glanced at his brother who had his eyes focused entirely on the new game they started.

“Nah, I met her last Friday, when you were playing.” Luffy casually answered.

“Did you know that Shanks has a niece?” Ace asked; knowing that his brother won’t get suspicious at all at such question.

“Yeah, I was aware of that, but I had never met her before. She is also Nami and Usopp’s classma- YES!” Luffy yelled as he won the round. “She is cute, tho.” This caught Ace by surprise.

“Oh, is she?” His whole attention now on his brother. “Having a crush, hu?” The tone in his voice slightly changed. Luffy glanced at Ace for a second, shaking his head.

“Hell, no! Not like that cute” He exclaimed loudly. “I’m not crossing that line, there.” He shook his head in fear. “I don’t know which would be scarier – Nami killing me for hitting on her friend or Shanks breaking my neck if it even crosses my mind.” Ace just snorted at his brother’s reaction; even thought he remembered the way Shanks eyes warned him in the club when he interrupted their conversation. Not like it was going to stop him, but he did get the warning.

“I invited her to the Halloween party, by the way.” Luffy added, eyes not leaving the screen.

“Is she coming?” Ace attention taken away from the game when Luffy blurted that you were invited.

“She said that she is not sure, yet. But knowing Nami she won’t have much of a choice and she will come.” Luffy chuckled, thinking of Nami and how insistent she could be if she wants too. Ace smiled to himself. “What you smilin’ at?” Luffy interrupted his thoughts.

“At the fact that I’m beating your ass in this game.” Ace quickly lied; his attention directed fully on the screen now.

“Beating my ass? You haven’t won a single round since I came here.” He bumped Ace’s shoulder.

“No, I just let you win.” Ace laughed.

********

I got home and prepared myself a quick meal. I sat down to eat while scrolling on my phone. I saw that Luffy has posted a story and clicked on it – a picture of a TV screen with a game on it with a caption ‘Beat his ass’ and under it he had mentioned Ace’s profile. I paused the story for a second, before clicking on the mentioned button. Ace’s profile was public, and I stalked him for a little bit. He didn’t have much posted – four main posts and some highlights. He didn’t really had pictures of himself alone. His main posts were two pictures with him and his brothers, one from some music festival he had been too, and the fourth one was a picture of their EP album’s cover. His highlights were mostly of the band making music. The profile picture he had was nice – a black and white photo with his right-side profile, a hat was hanging on the back of his bare shoulders revealing his messy black hair and the red beams neckless around his neck. He was handsome to look at. A little blush appeared on my cheeks as I started to think about him again. My thoughts were interrupted by my phone ringing. I saw Nami’s name on the screen and I swiped to answer her.

“Hell-“

“Give me one good enough reason of why you don’t want to come to the party.” She wasted no time getting straight to the point.

“Yeah, (Y/N) hello to you as well, how are you doing?” I mocked her.

“Come on, you know why I’m calling.” She shushed me. “Please, come to the party it will be fun, I promise” At this point I started to get a deja-vu. She was the third person today who told me the exact same thing.

“I don’t have a costume.”

“So do I, we can go tomorrow after classes to search for something, we can even match.” She excitedly said.

“I don’t know Nami...why don’t you ask Vivi? You can match with her instead.”

“If I wanted to match with Vivi, I was going to speak with her now – not with you.” Nami responded to me sarcastically, and I could tell she probably rolled her eyes.

“Can’t I have some time to think about it fir-?”

“No!” She cut me off fast. “Because we don’t have much time to come up with the costumes.”

“We have like four days until Friday.” I groaned. This was starting to get annoying.

“Three.” She corrected me. “On top of it we have to think what we should match as and al-“

“Fine, fine – you know what fine.” I interrupted her. “I’m coming just so I don’t have to have this conversation again.” I sighed defeatedly. I removed the phone from my ear as Nami loudly squealed.

“I knew that you would say ‘yes’.” She mocked me, knowing that I got pissed at her.

“Yeah, yeah whatever.” I rolled my eyes.

“Think of ideas for matching costumes so tomorrow after class we can go shopping.” She told me before ending the conversation.

I sighed looking back at my phone screen, still on Ace’s Instagram profile. A tingling feeling boiled up inside of me, knowing that we will probably see each other at the party. I left my plate in the sink and went to lay in bed. ‘Maybe going to the party will be fun after all.’ I thought to myself, a little smile on my face. My phone rang one more time, my dad’s picture popping up on the screen requesting to facetime me.

“How is my little girl doing?” His cheerful, loud as aways, voice filled up the room.

“Dad why is your hair blue again; I thought you outgrew your Emo period?” I mocked him. He got into colouring his hair a few years ago, and sometimes the colours were outrageous.

“To represent my sadness and sorrow, as my precious daughter haven’t called her dad for almost two weeks now.” He faked a cry. I playfully rolled my eyes at his little act.

“I’m sorry, I was just busy.” I did feel bad that I haven’t called him in such a long time. “How are you? I saw on your profile that you have sold out all the shows till the rest of the year.” A big grin on his face appeared as I mentioned this.

“Yes, can you believe it? Your old man is a star.” He raised his chin acting like a royalty.

“My old man is a diva, not a star.” I joked with him. “I’m proud of you dad, there is no better comedian than you.” I told him, as both my eyes and tone were filled up with love.

“Oh, baby girl – my biggest achievement is being your dad.” I could see his eyes tearing a little bit. I have always known that it was not easy at all for him to raised me alone, but I will forever be grateful for it. “Enough for me, now tell me; how is school going, any guy catching your eye?” He teased me.

“No, school is great, and no guy has caught my eye.” I lied, but the small smile and blush on my cheeks gave me away.

“Lier, lier, pants on fire.” He called out my little lie. “There is someone. Is it just a crush or something serious?” He wiggled his eyebrows to which I giggled.

“It’s nothing dad.” I tried to brush it off, as my face was burning hot.

“If it’s nothing then why blushing like that?” He mocked me. “Tell Buggy – who got his little girl heart swept away?”

“It’s really nothing, just some guy I met only once and we talked for like ten minutes at best, so it’s nothing.” It was nothing actually, Ace and I have barely spoken, I was just attracted to his charm, that is all – I thought to myself.

“Is he from your class?” Dad curiously asked me.

“No, he is not. But it turned out that he is a friend of my friends.”

“So, what now? Are you in a contact with him?” Growing up I didn’t have many friends, as I was quite a shy kid, but my dad was always there – till this day he was my best friend and I’ve always known that my secrets were safe with him. Talking about boys with him was nothing new, but still, this was the first time that I really felt awkward about it.

“No, but there is this party on Friday that he and his brothers are throwing, and I got invited.” I got flushed again.

“Did he invite you? Are you going?” He started to throw question after a question at me.

“No, his brother who is Nami and Usopp’s best friend told them to invite me, and they were not taking a ‘no’ for an answer, so – yes, I’m going.”

“Is he going to be there?” He wiggled his eyebrows, teasing me.

“I hope so, yes.” I muttered.

“How did you meet?”

“The first time we met was at this coffee shop that I’ve told you about. I forgot my charger and saw that he had the same laptop as mine and I went to ask him if I can borrow it. Then he came and sat down with me, and we spoke for a little bit and then – omg dad you won’t believe it, he immediately got my ‘Fantastic Mr Fox’ reference.” I excitedly said my eyes filled with sparkles, my dad smiling at my reaction. “And then the same night I was working at Shanks’ bar, and he was performing there, as he has his own band and they are so good by the way, and he is such a good singer, and yeah we met again, and we started to chitchat, but Shanks came and destroy everything as always.” I didn’t realise that I was blabbing. “So yeah, it’s nothing as I said.” I brushed it off.

“Baby girl.” He chuckled. “It is not nothing. You obviously have a crush on the guy.”

“No, dad I don’t. How could I? We have barely talked; he is just good looking and I’m bad at reading guys, you know this.” I shook my head, disagreeing with what he was saying.

“We are all attracted by looks first.” He scolded me. “But sometimes we don’t need much to like someone, especially with the enthusiasm you were telling me your little story it does sounds and looks like you have a crush on the guy – so go get him!” He encouraged me.

“Dad, you know as a father, you should be grumpy and unencouraging when your daughter has a crush not the opposite.” I chuckled.

“Ahaa you see you do have a crush on the guy.” He mocked me. “And when have I been like the other dads?” He asked me seriously. “Plus, I want to see you happy, baby girl.” His voice filled with love. “And also, when you were little, you promised me no boyfriends until you were sixteen, you are five years behind schedule – as much as I’m glad about this I think it’s time for you to experience love.” Even thought he was joking; I felt the hint of honestly behind his words.

“I’m doing pretty good on my own. I don’t need a boyfriend.” I pause for a second. “Plus, he is surrounded by girls, I told you he is the vocalist in their band, so I’m just you know...” I shrugged. “One of the many.” This was something I was trying to ignore thinking about. I was not blind or stupid – I saw how many girls went and hit on him and his bandmates after the show.

“Every man who chose another girl over you, my precious girl, will be the biggest fool the world will ever know.” He has always found ways to melt my heart.

“Thank you, dad. I love you.”

“I love you, too darling. Take care of yourself. Next time we speak you better have some update on your crush.” He pointed his finger at the camera.

“Yeah, sure dad. Bye.” I waved at him and ended the conversation.

I looked at the time and it was already 10:47PM, so I decided to get ready to sleep. I brushed my teeth and put some oversized t-shirt on and got into bed. Today was a very tiring day.

*******

The next day only – Nami, Usopp and I showed up from our group in university.

“Well, at least is the three of us.” I said as we were looking for the equipment we were going to use for the project.

“True, we don’t need anyone else.” Usopp agreed with me picking up a few microphones that we were going to need to record the sounds.

“Please repeat – so we are going to record some sounds from outside, and then the rest of the sounds that we will need, we record in the sound room?” Nami asked again, as she was still confused of what our plan exactly was.

“Exactly.” Usopp and I responded at the same time.

“Okay, do we have everything?” She asked as we looked around to see if we were missing something.

“No, I think we are good to go.” I replied taking one last look around the equipment room before we left.

We went to the park that was close by our university. Walking around, looking for an aera where there weren’t a lot of people around, took us some time. After thirty minutes we finally found a place.

“Okay so...” I clapped my hands getting their attention as they were carefully putting the equipment on the ground. “I will do the sound recording, one of you will need to do the sounds we need for it and the other just can just chill.” I quickly explained.

“I can do the sounds. Nami can rest.” Usopp said.

“Perfect. Help me just connect the mic to the boom pole.” I asked Nami for her help. We quickly fix the microphone and connected it to the audio recorder. “Say something.” I put the headphones on and started to adjust the sound and the frequencies. Nami started to talk to the microphone until I was satisfied with it.

“Okay, nice we are ready to start. Usopp please stand where the big pile of leaves is.” Usopp nodded at me and went to stand where I told him to. I went and crouched a little next to him. “I want you to start stepping heavy on the leaves first.” I instructed him. “Nami, do you want to call the slates?” I asked her with a smile, knowing how much she loves to do this.

“Of course I want.” She came closer to us and crouched to the microphone. “Quiet on set please! Sound?”

“Rolling.” I said.

“Scene one, take one – Action!” Nami said and Usopp started to step on the leaves as I’ve told him to. It took us an hour to record everything we needed. From the of sound the leaves to the sound of some birds flying by.

“That was fast.” Nami exclaimed.

“Of course, with a professional actor like me you didn’t even need more than two takes.” Usopp patted himself on the shoulders, for the job he had done. We laughed at him and his cockiness.

“Before we go let’s record one take of you screaming here, as in the sound room it will be way too clean.” I stopped them from putting the equipment back. “I just want to have a record from here, just in case.” They both agreed with me.  

I held the microphone up close to Usopp face ready to record. He was about to scream but Nami stopped us.

“Wait, I want to take video of this, I have a feeling I will regret it if I don’t.” She pulled her phone up and gave us the thumbs up to start recording. I nodded to Usopp to scream whenever he felt ready. I jumped out of surprise of how loud Usopp screamed and dropped for a second the boom pole, hitting him on the nose with the microphone, before I was able to catch it. I removed the headphones from my head as my ears hurt from the volume of the scream. Nami couldn’t stop laughing hysterically.

“Usopp, are you okay?” I placed my hand on hid shoulder as he was holding his nose.

“Yeah, I’m good. Are you okay, what happened?” He looked at me confused.

“The headphones were on a full volume, and I didn’t realise it, and then you screamed so loud, I got startled, and the volume hurt my ears.” I explained. “I’m so, so sorry.” I apologised, feeling so bad that he was got hurt.

“It’s okay, it doesn’t hurt that bad.” He patted me on the shoulder reassuring me that everything was okay.

“Guys, guys.” Nami shouted running toward us. “Please, look at the video.” She couldn’t stop laughing. We looked at her phone and she pressed play. The video was hilarious – from the moment I almost dropped the microphone and my reaction, to the moment where it hit Usopp and he grabbed his nose. Even if we were planning to stage it wouldn’t have turned out this good and all three of us burst out laughing.

“This is hilarious.” Usopp fell to the ground holding his stomach unable to stop laughing.

“I’m posting this, I’m sorry guys but this has to be posted.” Nami opened her Instagram and posted the video on her story tagging Usopp and me. After we calmed down a little, we tried once again to record the scream, but this time without any headphones. We officially wrapped and went back to university.

******

“And it’s a wrap!” Nami announced once we were done recording in the sound room.

“I can’t believe we manage to do it in one day.” I was amazed by how fast we were moving on the project so far. “If we manage to edit it tomorrow, we will be free on Thursday, and just need to come on Friday morning for evaluations.”

“And then we go to party.” Usopp started to dance on his chair. “I can’t wait, you will never guess what Kaya and I are going to be dressed as.” He smirked at Nami and me.

“Like what? Super Mario and Princess Peach?” Nami raised her eyebrow.

“No, you wanna guess (Y/N)?” He spined on chair facing me.

“I-I don’t know. Barbie and Ken?” He shook his head ‘no’ at my guess. “Then?”

“Metro Boomin and Future.” He threw some gang signs at us, while Nami and I looked at each and burst out laughing.

“What? Why? How?” I was speechless. “How did you even come up with this?” I needed to know what born this idea in their minds.  

“Was it your idea Usopp? Oh, poor Kaya.” Nami huffed.

“Um, ladies – to your surprise it was not an idea that my mind came up with it, it was Kaya’s.” He raised his hands in the air like someone was pointing a gun toward him.

“I’m repeating (Y/N)’s question – how?” Nami asked him, we were both still in shock.

“She saw something in TikTok, some girl dressed as Future, and she sent it to me and said that she wants to be him for this Halloween, so I was okay I will be Metro then.” Nami and I looked at each other still a little confused then back at Usopp. “Why are you looking at me like this? At least our idea is original – who many other couples you know that will go as them?” He mocked us.

“Well, here you have a point.” I agreed with him. “You will definitely win most original couple costume of the night.” I mocked him.

“What are you two going to be? Do you plan to match?” He asked us.

“Well, we haven’t decided, yet.” I said.

“Something sexy for sure.” Nami winked, a smug smirk growing on her face. I looked at her knowing that she has had already something in mind.

“Oh no. You’ve already come up with something.” I was scared to ask what it was, as I had this feeling that I won’t like it.

“How about a dark and a light angle?” She suggested, looking at me expecting my reaction.

“Yeah...but no.” I shook my head not being very found of the idea.

“Why not?” She was surprised by my answer.

“It’s too basic, there will be at least four other girls dress the exact same way.” Last thing I wanted for Halloween was to wear a boring costume.

“Do you have anything better than that then?” I could see that she agreed with me on this.

“Actually, yeah. But I’m not sure if you gonna be down for it.” I smirked knowing that my idea was way better than hers. I took a dramatic pause before I tell her. “Donkey and Puss from Shrek, bam.”

“That is actually a super cool idea.” Usopp nodded at me, clearing liking my idea.

“As long as you are Donkey.” Nami pointed her finger at me, I laughed knowing that if she agreed I would have to be Donkey.

“Sure, I will be Donkey.”

“A sexy Donkey.” She winked at me, and I rolled my eyes at her.

We sat for a little bit more and chitchat while waiting for the recordings to save on my hard drive. Nami was on her phone and suddenly she burst out laughing. Usopp and I turned our heads towards her wondering what caused her outburst.

“Luffy just replied to my story.” She continued to laugh, holding her stomach. “He-he said ‘Usopp did a nice catch with the nose, Ace and I can’t stop laughing.” Usopp and I started to laugh, until Nami mentioned Ace’s name. I cringed thinking about him seeing my face and rection. The computer made a sound that the files were transferred so I fixed that while Nami and Usopp were texting Luffy.

“Okay, guys it’s all done now. We can go.” I told them, as I started to put my stuffs in my bag. “What time should we come tomorrow?”

“I say around 10AM.” Usopp suggested, and I nodded. They grabbed their bags, and we left.

*******

The rest of the days went by fast. Wednesday before I met with Nami and Usopp I stopped by my favourite coffee shop, part of me was expecting to see Ace there, but I didn’t. Today I gave it another try but it was the same as on Wednesday.

After we finished with our evaluations for the project, a few classmates asked me if I was coming to the Halloween party tonight, but I told them that for now I was not sure if I will be able to make it. They told me to come, as it would be fun, but I couldn’t make any promises.

“Why don’t we go for a little bit to the party they are throwing here in uni?” I suggested to Nami, as we were going to her place to get ready for tonight.

“Because we are going to a better one.” She scoffed.

“Come on, let’s go for just one drink and then we go straight to Luffy’s, please.” I nagged her, as I really wanted to go and hang up with our classmates for a bit.

“Okay, but only one drink.” She muttered. I squeaked happily and hugged her.

******

“Damn, we look good.” Nami exclaimed as we were checking ourselves in the mirror in her bedroom.

I was wearing a grey mini skirt with a silver corset on top, which Nami tighten a little bit too much, with a pair of black boots. I let my hair down as I was wearing a donkey ears on top of my head. Nami was dressed in light brown mini skirt with an orange corset on top and brown boots. On top of her long ginger hair, that was falling freely on her back, she had put cat ears. We took some pictures before heading to the party at university first. A lot of our classmates were already there when we arrived. I started to chitchat with some of them, as Nami went to get us something to drink. She came back giving me a can of beer.

“Sadly, beer is all I could find. We were supposed to bring our own booze.” She huffed, I could see that she was already eager to leave.

“Come on, at least fake it for me that you enjoy it.” I nagged her. She rolled her eyes but nodded. “Who gave you this by the way?” I took a sip of the beer.

“Some guy from year two.”

“Didn’t you take for yourself?” I was surprised, usually she never turns down things given to her for free.

“Nah, you know I’m not a fan of beer. But I will look around and see if someone has something stronger.” She patted me on the shoulder and left.

I continued to speak and laughed with some of the people from our class. We took some pictures and started to play some card game that took me some time to understand. I was having a lot of fun at the party here. Soon I finished my drink, and someone offered me another one, but I kindly denied their offer. I excused myself and went to look for Nami. She was sitting on one of the couches in school, talking with some girls from the second year; I got close to them and interrupted their conversation.

“Sorry for interrupting girls.” I apologised to them. “Nami, you want to go or stay a little longer?”

“Are you kidding me – let’s go.” She quickly got up and waved goodbye to the girls.

As we were walking to the metro station, I realised I have no idea where we were going.

“By the way I forgot to ask you, who’s house are we going to?” I was shaking a little bit because of the cold weather. I took a very tin jacket with me which wasn’t keeping me warm at all, on top of it my legs were bare.

“Deuce’s place. They usually throw parties at his house, as he is the only one who owns one.” She explained, and then looked at me. “Are you cold? You are shivering like crazy.” Her eyes were filled with concern.

“Yea, I’m freezing. I should have taken a long coat like you.” I wrapped my arms around myself, shivers running all over my body.

“Oh, come here.” She pulled me to the side of her body wrapping me in her arms trying to warm me up a little. “You are going to get warm once we get to the party.” She winked at me.

******

We finally reached the metro station and caught the metro. Twenty minutes later we were in front of Deuce’s house. The music coming from it could be heard from miles away. Getting closer I noticed that there were quite lot of people. Some of them greeted Nami as we were walking toward the entrance. Once we stepped inside everything looked crazy. Whoever took care of the decoration did a very good job. The place was a two-storey house. The hallway was leading to a very spacious living room on the left side, and the kitchen was right at the end of it. On the right side of the entrance was the staircase to the second floor. We looked around until we could find someone familiar.

“I will check the kitchen; you check the living room.” Nami yelled in my ear as the music was way too loud. I was going to protest and tell her to not leave me alone, but she quickly disappeared. ‘Great’ I thought to myself. I took my jacket off and hung it by the door, where it was already formed a big pile of jackets. I took a deep breath and started to walk towards the living room. Looking around searching for someone familiar, I was also carefully checking if anyone by any chance might be Ace. I felt like a lost deer in the middle of the living room. Someone bumped into me and didn’t even apologise.

“Ass.” I called out after him, but he didn’t pay me any attention.

I looked around once more until my eyes landed on the couch. There were two guys sitting on it dressed the same – black pants, tight black shirts defining their muscular bodies with Ghostface masks on. On both of their sided were sitting two girls. The one on the right side had his arm wrapped around the girl who was sitting with her legs on his lap, his other hand on the couch. While the guy siting on the left side had a guitar on his lab and the girl sitting next to him leaned on his shoulders. The two girls were dressed as a dark and a light angle, and I made a mental note to myself tell Nami – ‘I told you’. I was about to turn around when the guy holding the guitar caught my attention. It wasn’t him but the tattoos on his arms that did it, they looked oddly familiar. Then it hit me –  I recognised the tattoos, this must be Law, the guy from Ace’s band. I took look at the guy next to him dressed exact same, wondering who it might be. The girl sitting on his lap turned her head towards my direction and so did the guy. I quickly looked away realising that I was staring at them. I tried to make my way around until I saw a familiar green buzz cut.

“Zoro.” I yelled trying to catch his attention. Surprisingly, he heard me and turn around.

“Yo, wat’s up?” He greeted me, as he pulled me for a hug with his left arm. “Are you a donkey?” He eyed my costume.

“Yeah, Donkey from Shrek.” I grabbed my ears and moved them playfully. “Do you like it?” I spined around so he could take a better look.

“Ye, sure. You look nice for a donkey.” He nodded at me, his tone cool and unbothered as always.

“What are you dressed as?” I ran my eyes on his costume.

“Guess.” He challenged me.

“Hmm...” I took a better look at his costume until I noticed the symbol on his yukata. “No way, you are dressed as a samurai from old Wano.” He chuckled at me and nodded. His costume was amazing. “How did you come up with it?”

“You know, I’m into marshal arts, and I have some roots from Wano. So... yea, I decided to pay a little tribute to my roots this year.” He was quick and short with his explanations.

“Where are the re-“ I didn’t finish my question as I heard someone behind me.

“There you are.” Usopp shouted, pulling me for a hug.

“Metro, make it boom.” I shouted at Usopp checking him out. “Damn, Usopp you look good tonight, I think you should dress like this more often.” He was dressed exactly like Metro Boomin from his lates album cover – black suit and white shirt, the white bandana wrapped around his forehead, his hair braided and as a last touch he even wore the exact same sunglasses as him. “Where is Future?” I joked, looking around for Kaya.

“Future is in the kitchen doing shots with Nami and sent me to get you there.” He nodded at us to follow him. Before we leave the living room, I took a glance towards the couch. It was only Law sitting on it with the girl from earlier. His mask was lifted now, and I could easily see his face. He and the girl were too busy making out with each other. Part of me was wondering if the other guy might be Ace. But then this unpleasant feeling bubbled inside of me when I remembered the girl sitting on his lap and the way his arm was wrapped around her. I tried to shake the feeling away and focus on my friends instead. After all it might not be him.

As we entered the kitchen, I quickly spotted Nami and Kaya. Kaya looked at us and waved her hand. She pulled me in a tight hug once we were next to them.

“(Y/N), I’m so happy to see you.” By the sound of her voice, I could tell that she was already tipsy. Her usual shy persona was long gone.

“Me too, Future. Nice drip.” I complimented her, as her look like Future turned out pretty good. She was wearing this long thick faux fur coat, her eyes hidden behind round sunglasses, and her neck was covered in so many silver and sparkling chains – she did an amazing job recreating his look as well.

“Wake up, take a sip of Ace of Spade like it's water.” She started to rap his verse from Low Life and we all started to laughed as she started to throw gangster signs at Usopp and screaming in his face ‘If she catch me cheating, I won't ever tell her, "sorry"’. Usopp was looking at her in disbelief as we couldn’t contain our laughter. If someone told me earlier today that I would witness drunk Kaya rapping at her boyfriend how she would cheat on him while throwing gangster signs I would have never believe it.

“This is what I get for being a good boyfriend.” He grabbed her face and shushed her with a kiss. In her drunken state she wasted no time to deepening their kiss.

“Get a room, you two.” Someone cheerfully yelled at them, we all turned our heads to see Luffy’s big grin as he joined our circle. He was dressed as Spiderman. His skinny but muscular body was fitting the costume very good, he could play a real life Spirdeman man if he wanted to. The only missing part of his costume was the mask.  

“What took you so long guys?” He asked Nami and me, as he pulled us for a hug. “You two look great by the way.” He complimented us. “What are you a donkey and what? A cat demon from hell?” He poked Nami on the sides messing with her.

“Luffy.” Nami whined. “I’m Puss from Shrek, and (Y/N) is the Donkey.” She explained to him.

“Wow, nice. I like this.” He gave us the thumbs up. “(Y/N), you look too sober, let’s get you drunk. Nami you too.” He poured up three glasses with rum and coke, then before he handed them to us, he filled all the way up six shot glasses with vodka. “Everyone, grab a shot of vodka.” He shouted, as he raised one of the shot glasses in the air. “Let’s make this night memorable.” We all cheered and took the shots in one sip. The strong taste of the vodka was burning my insides as my whole body twitched from the feeling of it. Luffy handed Nami and me, the drinks he made for us and himself.

“Yo, Luffy we should roll one, now that everyone is here.” Zoro turned to Luffy.

“Hell yeah.” He shouted, agreeing with Zoro. “No wait, we are not all here. Where is Sanji? I swear I saw him.”

“Do we really need him?” Zoro snorted.

“He is upstairs.” Usopp said pointing at the ceiling.

“What is he doing upstairs? Someone goes get him.” Luffy said not getting the hint.

“He is banging some chick Luffy.” Nami clarified for him. Luffy’s eyes widen, and he grinned.

“Well, good for him. Get it Sanji” Luffy chuckled, and we all laughed. “Okay, Zoro come with me to find Sabo as I think he has some of the good one tonight.”

Nami made us four more shots, but Usopp told her to not give Kaya more, and that she needed some cold air, so they went outside for a bit.

“This is for us two then.” She handed me two shot glasses. “One after the other.” She warned me. I followed her orders without protesting and we quickly took the shots. We grabbed the rum and cola that Luffy made us and started to look around at the party. Some people were playing some card game, and we decided to join. They quickly explained the rules, which were simple, and we started to play with them. Nami rolled the dice first and it landed on blue, she took a blue card of the pile and read it out loud.

“Give this card to the person with the least bodies.” She looked around not knowing the people we were playing with. “Okay who here is virgin?” She asked and everyone laughed. “As I expected, okay who here has slept with more than one person.” They all laughed again as she was saying the funniest jokes on Earth. “Then, darling, this card belongs to you.” She handed me the card and I rolled my eyes at her. It was my turn now. I rolled the dice, and it landed on pink. It was dare.

“Take off your shirt or drink three shots.” I shook my head. “I’m taking the shots.” Some of the guys booed me, but I ignored them. Someone brought me three shot glasses full of some pink liquor. “It’s watermelon sour shot, they are harmless don’t worry.” The girl who handed me the shots reassured me. I thanked her and drank the shots. She was right they were rather sweet than bitter. We continue to play a few more rounds with them until Nami nodded me to move somewhere else. I could feel that I was getting tipsy. I got a hold of her hand and stopped her for a second.

“Nami, do you know where the toilet is, I really need to pee.” I asked her as I was holding it for a quite some time now.

“Yea, it’s upstairs. But please, hold it for a second so we can drink two more shots.” She dragged me with her to some table full of shots. She handed me two again.

“What is it in it?” I asked as I had no idea what I was holding. Nami lift it to her nose and smelled it.

“Oh, it’s Jägermeister – now chuck.” She already drank hers before I even lifted mine. I scrunched my nose at the smell of it – not being a fan of Jägermeister, but still drank it. I saw her pulling her phone texting someone. “Okay, everyone is at the backyard ready to smoke, let’s go.” She grabbed my hand and pulled me after her.

“No, Nami, wait.” I stopped her. “I need to go pee; you go outside I will find you.”

“Are you sure? I can come with you?”

“No, just go. I will be fine.” I waved at her making my way upstairs. As I was going up the stairs, I could feel that those two last shots were bad idea. I got to the second floor and there I was met with four doors, and I didn’t know which one was the toilet. I opened the first one on the right and it was just a small storage room. I tried with the second door on the right and when I opened it, I froze on the spot. The room was dark, but because of the open door some light got in and there was one of the guys with the Ghostface mask with one of the girls. One of his hands was wrapped around her throat choking her, while the other was pulling her hair. He was so focused on fucking her from behind that he didn’t realise what was going on until she screamed. The guy looked up and stopped immediately. I realised what just happened and quickly closed the door. I tried opening the first door on the left and finally it was the toilet. My heart was going to explode in my chest. Because of the dim light I couldn’t see who it was. ‘Did I just walk on Law having sex? Or it was the other masked dude?’ I thought to myself. I looked at myself it the mirror. My makeup was a little smudged at this point and my hair was messy, I sighed at the look of myself. I quickly peed and washed my hands. I was a little scared to go out of the bathroom, what if the guy got mad and he was looking to kill me know?

“I watch too many movies” I murmured to myself. I opened the door and there was no one. I quickly ran down the stairs which wasn’t a good idea as I almost tripped and fell but I got a hold of myself on the railing. I hit my knee in it and I hissed from the pain, hoping no one saw that. I stopped in the middle of the hallway as everything was spinning around me, the alcohol finally kicking in. It felt like there are more and more people in the house since we came, as if it was possible. I didn’t know which way the backyard was, and I felt a little lost. As I was looking around trying to focus my sight, I felt someone gently putting their hands on my shoulders.

“Are you lost, doll?” Someone whispered in my ear. Shivers ran down my spine. I turned around quickly to face the person behind me. It was the Ghostface masked guy. I stepped back, as I wasn’t sure if he was the one I caught upstairs just a few minutes ago. What if he got mad at me? He was quite taller than me, I was faced with him muscular chest. The tight shirt on him defining every inch of muscles he had on his body. I looked at his hands searching for tattoos but there were none, so it wasn’t Law, but why would Law call me doll in a first place? His arms were toned and veined and there was something on his left biceps. My eyes run up his left arm. On top of his left bicep was a tattoo, all I could of see was a crossed out ‘S’ and ‘E’. The guy was just looking at me with the mask on, without saying anything, like we were in one of the scenes in the movie ‘Scream’. I held my breath for a second, feeling intimidated but weirdly attracted by him. The alcohol gave me a big push of confidence, and I spoke first.

“You want to play a psycho killer?” I asked him the exact same thing the actress in the movie did, and he nodded just like the killer in the movie.

“Can I be the helpless victim?” I tease him the same way the actress did, and he nodded again.

“No please don’t kill me Mr. Ghostface, I wanna be in the sequel” I flutter my eyelashes at him. He came a step closer to me, and just ran his finger across my neck, as he was slitting it. The feeling of his fingers felt like they left a path of fire on it. My breath got caught in my lungs and electricity ran all over my body. The guy took off his mask, and I was met with Ace’s messy hair and charming smile.

“Hey there, beautiful.” His were eyes half lidded, but there was something in the way he was looking at me. “Are you lost? I can always help to guide you.” His voice was smooth and raspy at the same time.

“Ace.” My eyes widen at the sight of him. My confidence left me, when he was standing so close to me. “I-I no, no, I’m not lost, but I’m looking for the backyard.” I cleared my throat trying to compose myself.

“Relax, you will be on the sequel.” He joked with me. “Come they are looking for you.” He nodded me to go with him, as he put his hand on my waist guiding me. This simple gestured caused my cheeks to become flaming hot. We made our way to the backyard, and everyone were there, even Sanji and Ace’s other brother – Sabo with his girlfriend.

“Did you fall in the toilet?” Nami asked me sarcastically.

“Ha-ha, so funny.” I responded to her.

“Sorry (Y/N), we smoked the joints before you come.” Luffy awkwardly scratched his neck. “Next round I’m rolling you one for yourself only.” He giggled and I could tell that he was quite high at this point.

“It’s okay, I’m way too tipsy anyway.” I waved him off with a smile. Everyone started to chitchat something among themselves. Zoro and Sanji were arguing about something while Luffy couldn’t stop laughing at them. Usopp was making sure that Kaya was on her feet, as she had drunk too much alcohol, and now on top of it she was high. Nami was speaking something with Koala, who was leaning on her boyfriend Sabo. My body shiver slightly as the night was getting colder, and the alcohol wasn’t helping, as I stared to feel more tired than in the mood for a party.

“Are you having fun?” Ace came closer to me.

“Uh, yea... just l-little tired that is all.” I awkwardly chuckled, shivers ran down my spine feeling him so close.

“Looks like you are freezing. Do you want to go inside?” His tone was gentle.

“No, I need some air. Plus, inside is way too loud.” I brushed off his offer. “I will be fine, don’t worry.” A slightly blushed bloomed on my cheeks. I looked away trying to hide it. Alcohol usually gives people confidence, not the opposite, but tonight it wasn’t helping me at all.

“But you are freezing, doll.” He remarked, looking at my shivering body. “Let’s go somewhere where you can have both some cold air and be warm at the same time.” He whispered in my ear.

“Where?” I slightly tilted my head looking him in the eyes as he had bend over a little to meet my gaze.

“Come.” He just nodded at me to follow him, and I did. I turned around to look at the rest of the group but only Sabo was looking at us with a smirk. I lowered my gaze to the ground, as the blushed deepened on my cheeks.

******

Going back inside the house Ace got stopped a few times by some people greeting him. Some of them were girls, and the looks they sent my way weren’t very friendly. As we were going up the stairs Ace stopped and looked over his shoulder at me and asked if I want something to drink. I told him that a glass of water would be perfect, as I was feeling super thirsty. He nodded at me and told me to wait for him in the hallway upstairs. It didn’t take him long to come back. He handed me the glass of water and I thanked him. Ace started to walk to the second door on the right and as he was grabbing the doorknob to opened it, I stopped him.

“No, no, no. Do not open this door.” I still remember the scene from earlier when I caught the masked guy with the girl. Then it hit me like a truck – as I knew now that it was Ace and Law dressed the same, was it possible that I caught Ace there earlier. I looked at him a little suspicious as I let go of his hand. He raised his eyebrow at me, confused about what was going on.

“Why not?” He let go of the doorknob, turning all his attention to me.

“Well, y-you know w-why.” I avoided looking at him.

“No, doll I don’t.” He grabbed my chin with two of his fingers and making me look at him.

“I-I walked o-on someone... not l-long ago... h-having... y-you k-know...” His fingers were still holding my chin, but I avoided his gaze. He laughed at me for a second.

“Ah, don’t worry doll, if there is someone inside right now, they won’t be the first I’ve ever walked on.” Ace let go off my chin and opened the door. “Well, we are lucky there is no one in, come.” He got inside and waited for me to follow him. I hesitated for a moment but decided to trust him. The room was dark, but Ace quickly made his way to one of the corners and turned on the tall floor lamp positioned there. It was a bedroom. The walls were coloured in a cream beige nuance, some simple art paintings were hanged on them. The bed in the middle of the room was quite big, the sheets were wrinkled but still it wasn’t messy. The wall next to the bed had a big window door that were leading to a balcony. Ace closed the door behind me.

“You can sit or lay on the bed, and I will open the balcony doors.” He pushed the curtains and opened one of the doors. I sat on the side of the bed next to the opened door, and Ace sat next to me. I took a few sips of my water, my mouth dry and my mind was still quite foggy because of the alcohol. My heart was beating fast, as I realised that I was alone with Ace in the room. I saw him looking at me, and now on this dimed light I could take a better look at him. His cheeks were a little flushed, probably because of the alcohol, and his were eyes half lidded, but I couldn’t tell if he was high or not. His hair was messy because of the mask, at least I hoped it was because of it.

“Where is your company?” The question slipped out before I could even stop myself.

“What company?” He raised his eyebrow at my question.

“Y-you know that g-g-girl from earlier. D-did I w-walked o-n y-you?” I muttered, my eyes not moving from the water glass. “I-I mean, t-the g-guy w-was also wearing t-the s-same mask a-as y-you a-an...” Ace’s tongue-clucking interrupted me, and I locked at him. He had his arms crossed over his chest as he was shaking his head.

“Ouch, doll.” He tilted his head at me, a little smirk playing on his face. “I know we don’t really know each other, but don’t you think this would be kinda a big dick move? Like come on, fucking one girl and what, fifteen minutes later going to another one?” He snorted. I could feel that he was a little offended in the way his voice changed.

“Oh my God, no, no Ace I-I didn’t mean it like this, I-I’m extremely sorry.” I put the glass on top of the bedside table. “I-I swear I didn’t mean that, I-I thought i-if it w-was you, a-at least I can apologise for walking on y-you t-that’s all.” I babbled and didn’t realise that I moved closer to him and grabbed his arm by the shoulder.

“It’s okay, no offence was taken.” He brushed it off, his tone was cool. Being this close to him I noticed that he has freckles covering his face, especially his cheeks, which was adding a bit of cuteness to his otherwise very handsome face. I shivered again as the wind from outside filled up the room with cold air. I wrapped my arms around myself again.

“Let me close the door.” I wanted to protest, as the balcony door being open was giving me a sense of escape. It was making the atmosphere around us less intimidate.

“So, long time no see.” Ace sat back on the bed, leaning back on his hands. “You didn’t go for coffee this week?” He teasing smirk forming on his lips.

“I did actually, you just missed me.” A little smile forming on my lips.

“I will be a fool to missed you, doll.” He chuckled and I rolled my eyes at his lame comment.

“So what? You were looking for me or something?” My confidence was coming slowly back, and he just laughed at me. He eyed me from head to toe.

“I’m surprised you didn’t dress as a fox.” He reached with his left arm and wiggled my donkey ears.

“I’ve already been a fox for Halloween, I don’t like repeating my costumes.” I felt myself relax and I laid my body on the bed. “At least my costume is not a lazy one.” I mocked him.

“Hey, what do you mean?” He turned his body on the side facing me, leaning his head on his left hand.

“You know.” I shrugged. “Ghostface mask? Really?” I couldn’t contain my giggle, as I continued to mock him. Ace rolled his eyes at me playfully.

“Shut up. I’m not into dressing up anyway, so I didn’t even care.”

“Boring.” I murmured, glancing at him playfully as well.

“Damn, doll you switch fast – just a seconds ago you were all shy on me, and now you are bulling me, tc-tc.” He licked his lips, looking at me amazed.

“I’m not bulling you; I’m criticizing you.” I corrected him, and we both burst out laughing.

“So, now that it’s just us two, let’s finished the conversation we were having last Friday before your uncle interrupted us.” Ace said. “Tell me – what are you into the most?” I thought for a second back to our conversation a week ago before I answered his question.

“Directing for sure. I love filming, but it’s different when you are the director.” I explained.

“What got you into film making?” He moved a little closer to me, but I didn’t mind it, as I started to feel calmer around him.

“Well, I can say I was a little influenced by my dad. Growing up, going with him to different studios and theatres, got me into loving the idea of creating something with a camera.” I smiled to myself, remembering the days when I was little, and dad would bring me to every movie or show he was recording, even if kids weren’t allowed, he never followed the rules. “I took a gap year before I decided what I want to do for sure, and then I found the program here and yes... this is how I end up studying filmmaking.” I moved my gaze to Ace, he was looking at me with a smile on his face, listening careful to what I was saying.

“Is your dad also a filmmaker?” He asked.

“Ha-ha, no, no.” I shook my head. “He likes to be in front of the camera unlike me and he is a comedian.”

“For real? Is he famous or something?” Ace raised his eyebrow curiously.

“Mhm...” I bit my lip, nodding my head. “Have you head of Buggy the Clown?”

“No way.” Ace’s eyes widen in surplice. “Your dad is Buggy the Clown?” I nodded a big grin spread across my face, being proud of Buggy being my father. “My brothers and I love him; your dad is amazing. Damn, so you are the daughter he tells all these crazy stories about.” He chuckled at me in disbelief.

“Yea, I’m the infamous daughter.” I giggled at his comment, my cheeks blushing a little.

“Damn... I feel starstruck now, can I have your autograph or something?” Ace teased me.

“Of course, you can where you want me to sign.” I teased him back, winking at him.

“Don’t tease me like that, doll.” He chuckled a mischievous grin spreading across his face.

“What about you? What got you into music?” My cheeks got flaming hot again and I quickly changed the subject, but also, I was really interested to hear his story behind how we discovered his talent.

“Let’s say I was a quite troubled kid, and as a punishment my aunt made me attend the school choir.” His face frowning a bit from embarrassment remembering the days back in the choir. “I hated it, you have no idea how much I hated attending it.” I let out a giggle at his expression. “Anyway, the teacher saw potential in me and spoke with my aunt to sign me for private lessons. She couldn’t afford that as she had to take care of Sabo and Luffy as well, but my teacher took me under her wing and, yeah..” He awkwardly chuckled.

“Well, that teacher wasn’t wrong.” I said, our gazes locking. Ace snorted at my comment, but he didn’t say anything.

“And how about the guitar? Did you take lessons, or you are self-taught?” I asked him, my voice came out almost as a whisper. Our gazes met and I couldn’t move mine from his dark brown eyes. I made a mental note to myself that I haven’t paid attention till now what a deep shade of brown they were, everyone could get lost in his beautiful eyes. His thin but as dark as his hair eyebrows were adding to his bold but handsome face.

“Law taught me when we became friends.” He spoke in a low tone as he moved a little strand of hair from my face. His fingers were surprisingly soft, even thought they were barely glazing the skin of my face. His touched felt like fire. My breath got caught in my lungs, as suddenly the room became so hot. Ace moved even closer to me, his fingers now playing with the strand of my hair. “Do you know that you have beautiful eyes, doll.” The way he said it as a statement and not a question made my heart skipped a beat. I just shocked my head, unable to say or do anything, as my body froze, but my eyes never left his. He licked his lips, eyes moving to my lips. I slightly opened my mouth, my hands gripping on the sheets under me, heart beating faster. I closed my eyes for a second, trying to calm myself down, and when I opened them, Ace cursed under his breath.

“Fuck.” He shook his head and sat up straight in the bed, looking at the ground. I followed him, looking at him confused.

“Ace?” My voice soft, coming out as a whisper. “A-are you okay? D-did I do something?” The energy in the room changed quickly. If a few seconds ago everything felt hot, like it was caught on fire, now it was the opposite, I could feel the cold wind from outside again.

“I’m sorry, doll.” He slightly tilted his head to look at me again. “Please, forgive me and forget about what happened just now.” His voice remained low.

“Nothing really happened.” I tried to reassure him with a smile. I reached with my hand to touch his shoulder, but he grabbed my hand midair and looked at me seriously.

“I mean it, doll. Forget about what just happened.” His tone was stern.

“Ace, I’m really confused right now, and it’s not because of the alcohol.” I was so confused, what gotten into him out of nowhere. “Nothing happened we are just a little drunk that is all.” I chuckled trying to lighten up the mood.  

“Doll, you don’t get it.” He shook his head again, looking away.

“Then explain.” I snapped at him; even thought I didn’t mean to. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it to come out so har-“

“I’m not the guy that sticks around, (Y/N).” Ace interrupted me. “So, let’s not cross any lines, nothing more than a friendship, okay?” He snapped back at me. I lower my gaze to the ground and nodded. Ace sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Believe me, doll... I’m making you a favour.” He got up from the bed and he left the room.

*******

I sat by myself for quite some time not being able to explain to myself what just happened between Ace and me. Did he just reject me? Did I do something to make him react that way? I wanted to go and find him and ask what was all that, but my self dignity didn’t let me. Why flirt with me and then reject me like this? My mind was running with questions. And what was it with all this “I’m doing you a favour.”? All I wanted at this point was to go home. I stand up from the bed and went downstairs, looking for my jacket. I wanted to leave as soon as possible. I couldn’t find it anywhere, so I cursed under my breath and left the place. I was partly hurt by his behaviour and also little offended. My phone had only five precent battery left, and the metro was closed so I had to walk all the way to my place. Just before my battery died, I texted Nami, a quick message that I left as I didn’t feel good. I was passing by some club when someone called after me.

“Hey, brat.” The voice sounded familiar, so I turned around and saw Kid. He came to me and gave me a look. “What are you doing here all alone?”

“None of your business Kid.” I cut him off, continuing my way, as at this point, I couldn’t feel my body as I was freezing to death.

“I can drive you home.” He said after me. I stopped and turned back to him.

“I don’t need your help.” I snapped at him.

“Sure, if you say so. Now come, stop being a brat.” He nodded me to follow him. His car was parked close by, so we didn’t walk long. The drive to my place was quiet.

“Kid, can I ask you something?” I broke the silence. He just looked at me waiting for my question. “As an asshole yourself.” I started not sure how to ask the question. “How can I tell if one is into me? Like... help me understand this.” I couldn’t stop thinking about Ace and what happened. Kid side-eyed me and sighed.

“If he is into you...” He glanced at me before continuing. “He will keep telling himself that he is doing you a favour by staying away from you but... he won’t be able to.” He parked in front of my place, his gazing not leaving the road in front of him. We stayed silenced for a minute, and I noticed that Kid was lost in his own thoughts.

“Thank you, Kid. You know when you want you – you can actually be very nice to hang around.” I told him before getting out of his car. “Thanks for the ride.” I said closing the door.

next chapter ->

[moonydoodlez]

God, Shut Up

Pairing: James Potter x F!reader

Summary: You and James had always been close but you think he's in love with Lily. Turns out you were just too oblivious to see who he really liked.

Warnings: underage drinking

Wordcount: 1.4k

You and James had grown up with each other. Always attached at the hip, from the moment you met to now. After all these years you still remained the best of friends, despite your unrequited crush you've had for years.

The marauders sometimes found it annoying how you guys had your inside jokes and the secrets you kept. Well it was mainly Sirius but that's because he had always claimed the role of being James's bestfriend.

The week had been going slow so instead of paying attention to potions you stared at James who was sitting across the room. He was paired up with Lily Evans, again.

You didn't hate Lily, how could you. She was literally the nicest person you had ever met. It was no secret either that she was absolutely stunning too.

"You know, you should tell him" Sirius said breaking you out of your daze.

"What" You said confused looking at Sirius who was sitting in the chair next to you.

"Tell James that your in love with him... duh" Sirius says annoyed as his eyes wander off to Remus.

"Fine then tell Remus your in love with him" You spat back at him.

Sirius eyes narrowed at you before he scoffed and dropped the subject. Well at least you thought he had.

"You know I don't know where you got the idea I love Remus" He whispered to you.

"Really" You deadpanned before chuckling and going back to your reading.

"No really.. like where did you get that. I can have a best mate. Me and Remus are like you and James" he said before his eyes widened. "No that was a bad example.

"No it wasn't" You said laughing as you went back to reading the instructions.

Except it was a bad example because at least it was obvious Remus liked him back. James on the other hand clearly had no romantic feelings. How could he when he had Lily to fawn over.

...

The weekend had finally rolled around. Sirius continued to badger on about how you should tell James your feelings. Apparently he had a gut feeling that he liked you back. You just couldn't let yourself believe that no matter how much you wanted to.

"You coming to the game later" Peter asked looking at you as the five of you sat in lunch together.

"Of course" You smiled at Peter before briefly glancing at James who was sitting next to him. "I never miss them".

"James can i talk to you real quick" A flowery voice asked. You looked up to see Lily standing there as her long red hair glimmered in the light.

"yeah" James said as he stood up from his chair. "I'll be back" He said as you looked away from where Lily and James were. However when you looked back everyone's eyes were on you. James had told you specifically he'd be back.

"O- ok" You smiled not sure what else to say.

He followed Lily away from our table and out the great hall. You watched them walk out still confused on why he had pointed you out specifically.

"What was that.. did you finally tell him" Sirius said staring at you creepily.

"Um no".

"Tell James what" Remus and Peter said at the same time

"Nothing" You and Sirius said the same time causing the two of you too start laughing maniacally.

...

You hadn't meant to miss the game. You knew how much these matches meant to James, especially how much he usually wanted you there.

From the late nights of helping the marauders with there pranks to the lack of motivation you've had for the last week; your homework had started piling up. You decided that you could get some done before the game.

Of course that ended up being a terrible idea since you had fallen asleep whilst working on an essay. You woke up with your body aching and the feeling of parchment stuck to your face.

You had scrunched your eyes together expecting for the bright mid day sun to hit your face except there was no sun. It was completely pitch black outside.

Your face dropped as you heard the loud music coming from the Gryffindor common room. Shit.

You quickly ran out wanting to find James. Knowing him you knew he was gonna end up being upset. As you ran down the stairs. Sirius's voice boomed as he called out your name.

"Where's James?" You asked calmly even though you could tell he was black out drunk. He stumbled forward and you tried to help catch him despite him being much taller.

"Jesus ok" You breathed out trying to get Sirius to sit down. You pushed him down onto the couch. He grabbed onto your hand almost making you stumble onto him. Suddenly he yelled that he could see James as he jumped to his feet.

James head whipped toward you and Sirius. A smiled formed on his lips before his eyes drifted to you. His smile dropped as he stood up and grabbed a few bottles of beer and headed up the stairs.

"No James wait" You yelled as Remus came over to grab Sirius who was now laying on the couch looking dead. "Yeah can you um..." You start.

"Yeah of course" Remus said grabbing Sirius and taking him over to where there were water bottles and another couch. He sat Sirius down and unscrewed his water bottle making him chug the cold water.

Your ran as fast as you could and knocked on the dorm door rapidly. "James" You yelled knocking harder.

"What" He said opening the door slowly. Only enough where you could only see a sliver of his face. The light shined on his chocolate brown eyes and glowing skin making your heart race.

"I'm sorry... I know i told you I'd be there" you tried to explain. "Please I fell asleep, I'm so sorry" You said as your shoulders slumped. James made eye contact with you again.

"Just come in" He sighed opening the door all the way to let you in. James went to go sit in his bed and sulk as you stood there at the entrance of the room.

"It's fine, I just really wanted you to be there" he whispered after a few minutes, so quiet you almost didn't hear him.

"Was Lily at least there" You asked curiously. You knew that it was probably stupid to bring her up right now, but you had no clue what to say.

"Uh yeah" He shrugged. "What does Lily have to do with anything" He asked confused as he stared daggers into your head.

"I just wanted to know if you had the girl you like there" You blurted out but instantly regretting it.

"What" he blushed staring at you.

"Lily... you like Lily" You stuttered looking at his tomato red face. Had you been wrong somehow?

"No. No yeah uh no" He laughed awkwardly. He shook his head trying to come up with something to say to explain to you how he felt.

"Are you laughing at me".

"Yes" James said starting to laugh harder. The awkwardness had begun to fade as a smile peaked at your lips watching him laugh. Even though he was laughing at you.

"Lily's dating Mary... everyone knows this" He laughs as you blush beet read.

"Oh" You in fact did not know this.

"Plus the girl who likes me wasn't there" He admitted staring at you with a longing look.

"Oh sorry" You apologized feeling bad. "Oh" Your eyes widened as you realized he meant you.

"Oh god" He groaned. "You really didn't realize... honestly i thought the past year was you trying to nicely reject me" he laughed.

"I'm doing the opposite of rejecting you actually... wait what's the opposite, I'm open" You say. "Well that not right either" You laugh embarrassed as you tried to think of what you were actually trying to say.

James stalked toward you before grabbing your hips "God, shut up" He muttered before holding your body flush against his as he kissed you. His lips moved slowly against yours as his hands gripped your hips. A warm feeling flooded your body as he kissed you harder.

He pulled back breathless holding your face in his hands. "Thankyou" You smiled looking down at your feet.

He laughed lifting your chin up so you would look up at him. "Your welcome" he chuckled placing a kiss on your sweet lips.

Masterlist James Potter Masterlist

[it-was-summer]

Come In With The Rain- Part Two (Spencer Reid x Fem!Reader)

A/N: I'm so sorry this took so long. I could tell everyone everything that has been going on for the past couple of weeks but I fear that no one cares. I genuinely found solace in writing this, and I really hope everyone likes it! I have not proofread this very throughly, but hey partially proofreading something is better than nothing at all guys. I thought about writing a SFW and NSFW version but I feel like if you don't want to read the smut in this... just scroll down a little more and it'll go away. With so much love and gratitude, Em.

Link to the Ao3: Come In With The Rain

Part one -> You are on Part Two!

Yee olde masterlist

WARNING: Light cursing, pining, guilt up the wazoo, Spencer Reid being pookie again, death mentioned (its literally a part of Swan Lake don't worry), ballet talk by someone who sucks at ballet (me), SMUT okay?!?!?!?, the words cunt and cock guys!!! (I'm 22 I have free will), unprotected sex (STIs are no joke, believe me), fingering, mention of oral sex, slight dirty talk, female anatomy, dark house mentioned, joke of a heart attack, and a secret final thing (not proofread well enough probably).

Plot: Coping with your break-up was no easy feat. Luckily, Spencer is there to help. Maybe that's why he can't stop thinking about you.

Word Count: 20,043

Day Two Hundred and Five

After week two of the breakup, you decided you couldn’t sit around and cry on Spencer’s couch anymore. You weren’t ready to go out every night or date again by any means; you were still working on some things in the dating area. Dating someone for two years and five months will do that to you.

But you were ready to get back to doing things you enjoyed: reading novels, watching movies, baking, cooking, knitting, and spending time with a man you were grateful to call one of your best friends.

Spencer Reid was a godsend. He wouldn’t accept any money as a thank-you for letting you crash on his couch for a month, so you moved to your next best angle– spoiling the man. If he went to the grocery store, you went with him. You’d take control of the cart and grab items needed for breakfast, lunch, and dinner– you became a hardworking FBI agent’s dream. You’d make breakfast for the two of you, occasionally making lunch with too many leftovers, forcing Spencer to take some before he left for work that day, and then topping it all off with dinners. 

He had tried to get you to stop multiple times. He felt terrible and guilty for having a guest in his kitchen more than he was. You wouldn’t hear it, and the times you did, he would find a book he had mentioned last week on his bed the next day. 

He felt like he was losing his mind over your kindness. You were overcompensating when there was no reason to overcompensate. He kept telling you how happy he was to have you in the apartment, that you were safe, but you would just say a sweet “I know” before you’d be on his couch looking up a recipe for some elaborate jello dessert. 

You sat across from him at his dining room table, humming softly as you ate. Seeing your slightly happy mood made Spencer feel better. He assumed another reason for your ‘attentive’ behavior recently was that it was a coping mechanism for you. Struggling with the loss of a two-year relationship, he knew you were struggling— struggling with quite a bit, actually: your failed relationship, your upcoming move, being cheated on, and, the cherry on top, immense guilt. 

You felt like a burden above all else. You had told Spencer as such after apologizing for nothing for what seemed to be the tenth time two weeks ago. He threatened to find whoever taught you the word and ensure they never saw the light of day again, and that got a smile out of you at the time.

Spencer was starting to wrestle with some guilt of his own. It wasn’t that you had done anything to warrant said guilt. You were the perfect guest—a saint. Even when faced with situations that would leave anyone nearly catatonic for weeks, you were spoiling him. And he was eating it up, literally and figuratively. 

A rational voice inside of his head knew that being around you was a bad idea at the current time. Josh had accused you of cheating on him with Spencer emotionally, that is. It was a terrible time, and it couldn’t be a worse time for him to realize how strong his feelings were for you. It is not necessarily love per se, but perhaps it is an intense infatuation. He kept trying to rationalize his feelings over and over and over again. He knew you were nowhere near ready for that kind of revelation. He had to intellectualize and compartmentalize his emotions into a tiny box in his brain to protect himself and you. That was the right thing to do. 

So, he relished in these little moments while you were still crashing at his apartment, happily eating across from him—all while knowing he could not have you. You’d always take a few bites and then ask him how his day was. The simple ask made a smile appear on his face nearly every time. 

He shrugged a little, a small smile on his lips as he twisted some noodles onto his fork. “It was okay, thankfully, it was slow. Paperwork is a nice break from traveling for cases. Not that I don’t like the cases, they can just get…” He trails off briefly, looking down at the chow mein on his fork. “Overwhelming.” 

When he looks up, his heart nearly melts at the sweet, empathetic look you’re giving him. With you, it was never pity. You always looked at him with soft, compassionate eyes and a look that told him you felt for him. He remembers mentioning his struggles with his mother briefly as the two of you watched a movie earlier that week, a character being paranoid schizophrenic. You briefly expressed sympathy for the character and how hard it must be to live with something like that. Spencer can’t remember what came over him when he said, “It’s hard on a family– hard to watch.” 

You stared at him for a second before you blinked a little and reached for his hand, resting your palm on the back of his hand. You said nothing after that, and Spencer was happy you didn’t pry. 

You were good at listening like that, something he adored about you. You never bombarded him with questions; sometimes, you’d offer a soft “Do you want to talk about it?” but nothing beyond that. 

You knew you could be nosy with Spencer’s job, but sometimes you could look into those hazel eyes and tell when he did or didn’t want to talk about something. It was a superpower you had picked up in the almost seven months of knowing him. 

You poked at a carrot with your chopsticks after Spencer answered your question regarding his day, “Paperwork day for the guy who reads twenty-thousands words per minute has got to go by fast,” 

“You would think so, but sometimes, when I sit down for so long, all my energy leaves me. Has to be all the sleep I’ve been losing lately due to someone’s soft snoring in the living room.” He chuckles softly, a playful look in his eyes as he bites down on his chow mein. 

You gasp and glare at him playfully, “You said it wasn’t that bad!” You’re shaking your head in seeming disbelief as he chews, taking a moment to tease him more. “I can’t believe you, Spencer Walter Reid, would lie to me like this. How am I supposed to trust you?” 

He’s rolling his eyes as he swallows, his mouth opening to reply when a knocking at his door causes the two of you to cease all sounds of laughter and look toward the door. You watch as Spencer walks to the door, looking through the peephole. He sends you a sympathetic look over his shoulder and opens the door. 

You’re standing up now, walking away from the small dining room table to peer over who is at the door. You feel your knees become weak at the sight of them together. It’s a blatant attempt to get back at you, and it isn’t exactly subtle as Estelle wraps her arms around Josh’s arm. You watch as his elbow presses into her exposed cleavage, and you feel like laughing wildly. 

Josh is slow to see you behind Spencer, but eventually, his eyes land on you. You want to look away, but his eyes on yours have you frozen. You lick your lips nervously as you wonder why he’s here. Two weeks, almost three, of not even attempting to see you. And now he’s at Spencer’s front door. He’s probably sick with satisfaction at the fact that you’re here– you can see it in the way he smiles at you. 

You used to love seeing him smile, but this one causes your stomach to turn. He’s saying something, but it all sounds like static. You shake your head a little before you hear your voice whisper, “Sorry, what?” 

“I have a box of your things.” He repeats, and you see the cardboard box now. You nod a little and walk toward the door. Your hands are shaking as you take the box away from him. You look at Estelle, who is trying to avoid your gaze, as you take the box. 

“Why didn’t you text me?” 

“I didn’t want to see it anymore,” He maneuvers Estelle’s hand into his as you take the box away from him. “That and we were on our way out tonight. What’s wrong with two lovebirds visiting two other lovebirds.” 

Your tongue feels like sandpaper as you try not to yell, cry, throw up, maybe all at once. Spencer is the one who speaks up for you, “We aren’t in a relationship,” 

“Oh, so you’re just screwing my leftovers?” 

Spencer is trying to keep calm, but his grip on the edge of his door is tightening, and he can hear the anger in his voice as he says, “Have some respect.” 

He feels Josh’s laughter at his comment coarse through his veins like a non-luminescent flame; venom rises on his tongue before he feels a soft hand touching his arm. Your eyes are wide and sorrowful as you silently shake your head at him. It’s enough to make him stand down but not enough to stop him from attempting to kill your ex-boyfriend with a glare. 

“Thank you, Josh. I hope the two of you have a lovely evening.” You say as you motion for Spencer to close the door, and you let out a shaky sigh as he does, the door closing with a light click. “Thought I packed everything,” you whisper as you walk back to the dining room table, setting the box on the floor next to you. As you sit back in your chair to eat, Spencer stands awkwardly next to you for a second, his eyes looking at the box before he tears them away and sits in his seat. 

It is quiet, so quiet and tense that Spencer can hear everything. His senses are attuned to any signs of distress from you, but none do. You look up from your Chinese food after a while and give him a little confused look. He’s sure he’s looking at you strangely, so he decides he can’t handle the silence anymore. “Why are you still nice to him?” 

You look back down at your food as you poke at pieces of broccoli and celery. You sigh gently as your shoulders slump, “What’s the point of being mean? He has Estelle. He thinks he’s won whatever our break-up was. I can’t fight that.” 

“Why not?” 

“Can’t argue with someone who doesn’t think they’re in the wrong, Spence.” 

Spencer draws his lips into a tight line and looks at his food, slowly twirling some soy-covered noodles on his fork. “I guess not, but it still isn’t fair to you.” 

“None of this is fair, but I can’t control it. I can only control myself. He didn’t listen the first time, and he won’t listen the second time. I’d be wasting my breath.” You huff out sharply as you take a bite of soy-covered broccoli. Spencer raises his gaze to meet yours and smiles apologetically, but he doesn’t have to say the words as he watches you chew. You’re already shaking your head with amusement in your eyes. 

After a few more minutes of silent eating, you glance at the box by your feet and playfully ask, “You want to see what we got?” 

Spencer wants to tell you that it’s your stuff. You probably already know what is inside, but he figures you already know that. You’re just trying to make the situation less tense. So, he nods, “Yeah,”

You clap your hands together quickly before leaning down to grab the box. You look up at him and count down slowly, “Three… Two… One!” Your fingers open the box as you laugh. 

Spencer doesn’t need to lean over the table to see what is inside the box as you slowly start pulling items from the box and holding them up proudly. A half-read book, bookmarks, pens, earrings, necklaces, and then your fingers stall. You slowly pull out a photo of Josh’s family with yours, the two of you in the middle. You frown a little as you show Spencer, and he wonders what he should say in an attempt to comfort you. 

But you’re gently turning the photo back to you and tracing the edges. Then you smile, a genuine smile. It’s the last thing Spencer expects from you as you whisper, “It was a great vacation, you know? I kept asking for those cocktails with the little umbrella, and Josh’s mom and I kept talking about–” You cut yourself off.

You look up at Spencer, “Well, it was great.” 

Spencer wanted to grab you by your shoulder and shake you out of it, and he didn’t understand how you could be so happy to remember your time with Josh when the relationship ended so badly. How could you give Josh another one of your smiles? 

“I know it seems dramatic,” you sigh as you set the picture back into the box. “But Monday, I was just at work and felt free… if that makes any sense?” 

Spencer shook his head slightly, indicating he did not understand what you were saying. You bit your lip a little as you tried to suppress a smile, “When I took a second to think about Josh and me. I realized that…he hadn’t been the person I fell in love with for a long time. He hasn’t been that person for a whole year. That’s the funny thing about love: you’re supposed to love a person as they change. I think I’m still holding onto Josh from a year ago. The Josh from right before I moved in.”

Spencer nodded along silently, trying his hardest to relate. As far as he could tell, Spencer had only been in love once. He never got to the part that you were talking about. He barely got to meet her before she died. When you were still dating Josh, you asked Spencer if there was someone, and he told you a little bit about his someone– his Maeve. His headaches, her intelligence, their romance, and how he lost her just when he was about to have her. 

He remembers how you teared up and how easy it felt to hug you. He wasn’t fond of hugging people when he was upset. He wanted to protect himself from showing too much to most people, but you weren’t most people. You were the first person he could dream about again, making him hope for the maybe. 

But that hope for something more with you didn’t matter much when you were right in front of him, telling him you were holding onto a version of Josh long gone. He didn’t know what to say if he was being honest. Matters of the heart always make him stumble around a little, and he always feels like he says the wrong things. 

You shift in your seat before you say a sweet, “I’m going to okay, really okay.” And Spencer believes you. 

Day Two Hundred and Twenty-Five

Spencer helped you move into your new apartment at the beginning of the month. It was ten minutes from your old complex and, according to Spencer, ‘too far away for him to keep an eye on you.’ If you were being honest, you were happy to be alone for the first time since the break-up. 

Spencer was a great friend, the best friend, for letting you crash on his couch for an entire month. You got to see a more intimate version of him, too. You had told him that you’d felt like a burden initially, but by the end, you couldn’t end but feel ashamed of yourself. 

Spencer would come home and try to push you out of the kitchen as you made dinner. If he couldn’t, then he would insist on helping you. He would sit on the couch with you, and if you were interested in something he wasn’t a fan of, he would say, 'This could be the movie that changes my mind.’ He was so sweet, caring, and overwhelmingly supportive that you couldn’t help but develop a soft spot for him. It made you feel sick to think that maybe Josh was right– maybe you did have feelings for Spencer. So, you gave it a few weeks when you moved into your new apartment. 

There was no way Josh was right. You tried to remember all the ways that Spencer Reid was off-limits. He was your best friend. He had seen you sob over Legally Blonde and then critiqued it until you laughed, face raw from tears. He had seen you cry over a burnt roast one stormy evening last week. Even if you did have feelings for Spencer, it was unlikely he reciprocated those feelings. You were too much of a mess. 

Being away from him helped you shove any feelings for him deep into the ridges of your mind and process everything. You didn’t have time to focus on Spencer or men in general. No, you need to focus on yourself for a while. 

You decided to avoid hanging out with Spencer until the ballet in two and a half weeks, and it didn’t seem like a bad idea. You could sort through your emotions to see if they were something real or an intense version of friendship—friendly affection and nothing more. 

With no Spencer, no one to come home to at night, and no one to embarrass yourself to, one thing was evident for the weeks ahead. It was going to be an incredibly dull two and a half weeks. 

Day Two Hundred and Forty-Five

You kept glancing at the clock at work. Friday night, tonight at six. The ballet wasn’t until eight, but Spencer and you had dinner plans. You canceled the reservation that was initially intended for Josh and you and changed it to a restaurant you actually enjoyed. And if you were being honest… you were excited to see Spencer, have a nice dinner, and see Swan Lake. 

It seemed like the perfect evening. After spending the past two and a half weeks mulling over your feelings and what they were toward Spencer. You decided you couldn’t do it. Spencer Reid was untouchable. He was your friend, and pridefully, you couldn’t let Josh’s accusations become true. It felt wrong, dirty. So you decided that no matter your feelings for Spencer, they would ultimately calm down and return to the good-natured platonic feelings they once were– if they were ever platonic, you didn’t know. You were still figuring that part out. 

The second you got home, you dove into your closet. Back in college, you used to joke that every location had a theme, and a part of you still believed that. You were careful when choosing your outfit. Black was a classic, and you had debated it against a different dress in a color that looked good against your skin. Ultimately, the elegant black ruched dress you had hanging up in your closet won. You had better shoes for it anyway. 

The way you were getting ready was a little frantic, accompanied by the fact that Spencer insisted on picking you up since you now lived closer to the restaurant. You were scared you didn’t have enough time. 

Primping and preening would have to be cut in half. Ultimately, you still had ten minutes to get ready before Spencer texted you to let you know he was on his way. Your hair was done in a stylish way that framed your face just right, your skin moisturized and glittering, and your makeup done to be clean and slightly romantic. 

You were pulling on a pair of low pumps when you heard his soft knocking at your door. You glanced at your bedroom door and let out a soft groan of frustration as you struggled with a strap on one of the shoes, “It’s open!” You trip a little as you rush across the room for your bag, so the words come out slightly stumbled. 

Nonetheless, Spencer hears it, and you can hear the front door opening. “You know, even if it is for my benefit, you shouldn’t do that.” You hear him call out from your living room, along with the sound of something rustling. 

You smile and shake your head as you try to pick between a pair of earrings, “But, it was for you. You can walk back out, and I’ll lock it again, just for you.” 

“Alright, I can drive home right now.” 

“And leave me all alone tonight? You wouldn’t dare.” You laugh out as you take one last look at yourself in the mirror and slowly smooth out your dress's fabric. A small voice in your head whispers, “Dates always make me nervous.” You feel your cheeks burn at the idea that this is a date–you remind yourself it isn’t. 

This is just two friends hanging out, platonically. You look at yourself in the mirror as you silently convince yourself that friends hang out all the time. You can hear Sabrina’s voice in your head; after you told her that you were going to the ballet with Spencer, she said, “‘Me and my hot friends always go on platonic dates that definitely won’t lead to anything, ever.’” 

You cringe inwardly at the memory, shaking off your anxieties as you open your bedroom door and step out. The first thing you notice is the bouquet of flowers in his hands—your favorite flowers mixed amongst baby’s breath and eucalyptus leaves. You gasp softly and give him a broad smile, “You got me flowers?” 

Spencer's eyes haven’t met yours yet as they trail down your body. He’s trying not to stare at you like a creep, honest. But it’s near impossible to pull his eyes away from how you look in that dress, his gaze meeting yours, hoping you didn’t catch him staring at you like a hungry dog. 

“Yeah. Yes, I did. I saw them at the store and thought you’d like them.” He’s a lousy liar. 

You smile wide as you take them out of his hands and go into the kitchen to find a vase for them. “Now, why did you just lie?” You call him out with a soft laugh. 

Spencer frowns a little, knowing he can’t give you the real reason. Because I haven’t seen you in two weeks and I didn’t think it was possible to miss someone who was only ten minutes away. Because I can’t stop thinking about you. Because I feel like I can actually think clearly when you’re around. Because you make my mind slow to a steady beat that doesn’t scare me… Because… Because… “Flowers can have a long-term and immediate effect on a person’s mood. Most of the moods associated with flowers are joy, empathy, hope, pride, and love, to name a few. I just wanted to make you,” he pauses as his lips form a tight-lipped smile, “feel the associated emotions.” And it is partially truthful. 

You like that answer enough as you cut the stems shorter, fill the vase with water halfway, and carefully slip the bouquet into the vase. “Well, I do feel happy…” You trace one of the stems with a feather touch. “And, I do feel pretty,” you pause as you sing a little, slightly off-key, “and witty, and–” 

“Please, no. I just got that song out of my head!” Spencer says as his hands fly to his ear dramatically. He can recognize that laugh in a pitch-black room; his smile hurts his cheeks. 

As you rearrange the flowers, you glance at Spencer’s outfit and feel something akin to butterflies in your stomach (maybe just a little lower). His look isn’t far off from his work clothes. The same dark plum tie against his light grape button-up long sleeve. Sometimes, he wears a cardigan with it, but he’s sporting a grey blazer right now. Same slacks, different shoes. Same Spencer, neater hair. 

“Did you get a haircut? It looks…” As you slowly leave the rearranged flowers, you trail off and walk to him, staring up at his hair. “Tame." you finish with a smile. 

Spencer looks down into your eyes and shakes his head slowly, “No, haircut. Just had a stroke of luck.” But he can see your hand coming up to his hair, and he’s too slow to stop you as you ruffle his hair lightly and gasp. 

“Gel!” You squeal as he grabs your right hand by the wrist and pulls it away from his hair. You’re giggling too much to notice how intimate this could look to someone on the outside. “Good luck, my ass.” 

“Apologies for wanting to look good next to you. I’ll never try again.” 

“I like your hair as it is.” You say as he drops your wrist and takes a small step back. “And we always look good together, excuse you.” 

He wants to tell you that it sounds wrong when you say it like that, but he doesn’t want to interrupt that smile on your face, so he just wordlessly nods before checking his watch. 

Before he can get the words out, you quickly grab your bag and say, “Reservation is in twenty. We must make haste!” 

The restaurant wasn’t too far, but you had a thing with time, and you didn’t want to be late for the ballet at eight, so when the hostess said your table was already ready when you and Spencer arrived— a wave of relief washed over your anxious bones. 

It was a fine dinner, with delightful conversation– witty banter and laughs. When Spencer left for the bathroom, you watched him as you happily sipped on your water. You felt a soft tap on your shoulder that caused your head to turn, a pretty woman looking at you with stars in her eyes. 

“You and your boyfriend are so sweet,” 

You felt hot all over, “Oh,” you shake your head a little, “He’s n-” 

“You two bounce off each other so well; I’ve never heard anything like it! Honey,” she looks to her girlfriend across the table, “Have you ever heard two people so good– Don’t give me that look. She thinks I’m nosy, never mind her opinion,” A sharp laugh comes from her girlfriend, “I just hope you know that the two of you are adorable!” 

You smile politely and force yourself not to sink into your chair, “Thank you,” you squeak softly. She nods with a large grin as she turns back to her dinner, and you awkwardly do the same, poking gently at your food with your fork. 

Spencer can see how you’re slumped a little in your chair, breathing heavily, as you slowly shake your head. He can’t help but wonder what happened in the five minutes he was away from the table. He places a soft hand on your forearm as he sits down and whispers, “What’s wrong?” 

Your eyes meet his, and you let the caramel color of his eyes bring you back to reality. “Just a bad memory,” You flash him a fake smile, gently pulling your arm away from his grip. You look down at your meal, then at him, “What’s the time?” 

Spencer’s pulling back his sleeve, his eyes holding your gaze before glancing at the time. “7:18.” 

You nod, taking another sip of your water, “It’s only fifteen away,” Your voice sounds off, and Spencer can feel his brows furrowing at the sound. 

“Did I do someth–”

“No,” you say quickly. Your gaze looks uneased, but your touch on his hand is soft with concern. “No, Spence. I’m just in my head, thinking too many things at once. I’ll be okay.” 

Spencer tries to relax over your words, but he knows something is wrong—something you don’t want to discuss with him. He slowly nods and says gently, “Okay,” And lets it slide. 

For a second, there is a beat of palatable silence, and Spencer can feel his skin itch due to the lack of sound at the table. He didn’t mind comfortable silences in rooms with you, but this was hardly comfortable. So he did the best thing he knew how to do, “You know,” your eyes land on his, “Ballet originated during the Italian Renaissance, the fifteenth century actually. However, it wasn’t until the sixteenth century that it was brought to France by Catherine de Medici.” 

You mouthed a soft ‘oh,’ Spencer continued before you could say more. “She showed the first ‘meal fork’ in court too!” Spencer said with a nod, taking his fork in hand and making an excited face at you. 

You smile wide at that and laugh openly at him, “Are you trying to cheer me up by talking about a dead Queen of France right now?” 

“That depends, is it working?” 

You shrug a little, playful and dismissive, “I haven’t decided yet.” 

Spencer liked his lips, and he stared at you for a second, “Catherine De Medici was notoriously Catholic and played a center role in the St. Bartholomew’s Day massacre, which was a ploy to wipe out Hugo-” 

“Are we ready for the check?” The waiter’s voice interrupted Spencer’s mini-rant. A slight frown appeared on your face as you looked at your almost-finished food and gave the waiter a slight nod.

When he walked away to grab the check, your hands reached for your purse, “Hey! Put the card down.” Spencer snipped at you as he smacked your card with his own, earning a chuckle from you. 

“Don’t tell me you’re going to pay, Spencer. It’s an expensive me-” 

“View it as a thank you for all the meals you ma-” 

“I’m the one who invited you out-” 

The waiter now stood at the edge of the table as he nervously set down the check, and your hand flew to it. Spencer’s hand is faster than yours as he grabs the check, slides his card in it without glancing at the cost, and hands it back to the waiter. When his gaze met yours again, you’re frowning at him—a playful kind of frown, but a frown. “What?” His voice cracks softly. 

“Curse you and your long, attractive fingers, Dr. Reid. I could have paid. I was happy too, you know?” 

“I know, I know, but I just couldn’t help but think about how kind you’ve been to me, and I– you think my fingers are attractive?” 

Your cheeks flush a little, suck in a breath, and shake your head. “I think you’re imagining things, Spencer. I said ‘hyperactive’.” 

He raises an eyebrow as you try to gaslight someone with an eidetic memory, but when he thought about teasing you further, all he could think about was your sad, distant face just moments ago. So, he decides that maybe he should keep his mouth shut– this time. “Hyperactive it is.” 

You know he’s being nice; he definitely heard you say his hands were attractive. But he’s a saint. He let you crash on his couch for a month and never expected any money out of it. He let you cry on his shoulder and monopolize his television—not to mention his free time. He was so compassionate and kind that he made it hard for you to deny the fluttering feeling in your chest as you look at him in the restaurant's dim light. “Thank you,” 

“Happy to do it,” His voice is soft as the waiter slowly returns with his card, but his eyes are glued to your face. The look in your eyes can only be described as appetency… no, tenderness, or maybe endearment. All he knows is that you’re looking around the restaurant with eyes shining with sweet and loving emotion, barely meeting his. 

The drive to the theatre wasn’t too long, and the two of you had managed to get a nice parking spot, considering the traffic. The seats were in the lower mezzanine section, a selection that was mostly for you when you originally booked it. You could still hear Josh’s voice as he questioned why you weren’t going for the closer, more intimate orchestra section. You liked seeing the dancers, yes, but you loved the stage work too. In your opinion, the view of all the dancers on stage, with the props complimenting their movements, made the show more enjoyable. 

You glance over nervously at Spencer as he sits down next to you. You shift in your seat a little as you whisper. “I’m sorry the seats aren’t closer. I like seeing the whole stage.” You motion to the stage with your hand. 

Spencer smiles and shakes his head before tilting his head a little lower to whisper back, “The seats are perfect.” Then he’s taking your hand in his and giving it a little squeeze, and you think you might explode. 

You feel a little nauseous, a twisting feeling slowly forming into a giddy excitement in your stomach. The theater's lights start to dim, but Spencer doesn’t let go of your hand. Instead, he maneuvers your hand to the armrest between the two of you and gently lays his palm upon the back of yours. 

You struggle for a second as you move your head to look at the stage. Your eyes are glued to the stage now, watching intently as the Prologue begins. 

The tension is almost forgotten about halfway through the pas de trois, but you can feel his breath softly against your ear before he even speaks, “Most ballet companies in America follow the 1895 revival. The choreographer’s, Marius Petipa, pas de trois remains nearly unchanged in most Swan Lake productions today.” 

You glance at him to see that his face is closer to yours than you’d like it to be, but you give him a soft sound of interest as your heart thumps in your chest. He seems grateful for the sound as he leans away from you, his eyes lingering on yours, and he reluctantly turns his gaze back to the stage. 

Slowly, you follow suit, replicating his movements, but not before you find your eyes dipping down to his hand on your still. You smile softly as you watch one ballerina get lifted off the ground for a second. 

During the first intermission between Acts, you told Spencer you wanted to get some fresh air. You felt hot all over during the scene of Odette’s reveal as Spencer went from placing his palm on top of yours to gently lacing his fingers through yours. When the first intermission started, you decided you needed to get outside and breathe. 

And it hit you. 

When you were with Josh for the last few months, you would feel an itch to get away, to run a floor down. When he missed the point of a joke, you’d make a mental note to repeat it to Spencer later. All the dates should have been with Josh: the foreign movies, the painting, poetry readings, this ballet. You felt a twisting in your gut as you realized that Josh was right. You had stopped wanting him a long time ago. You stopped seeking him out in a crowd. Instead, your eyes had started looking for a tall brunette with the sweetest smile you’d ever seen. Spencer was suddenly the person you thought about when you heard a lovely song, saw something interesting at the store, or had a bad day— not Josh. 

When did that happen? You felt like crying, breathing hard against the theater's outside wall. You felt thousands of questions racing through your mind, but one reverberated loudly: Does Spencer know?

You felt your mouth turn to cotton at the idea of Spencer Reid knowing you’re helplessly in love with him. Oh my god, you’re in love with Spencer Reid. 

When did you stop loving Josh? Did you stop loving him the second you ran up to Spencer in the apartment’s parking lot? Maybe it was when he saw that your shoelace was untied one rare late-night walk in the park together, and he stooped down to tie it for you? Or when he annotated Jane Austen’s Persuasion as a random ‘just because’ gift? When did your love for Josh stop and your love for Spencer begin? The answer didn’t matter much now because now you know. 

You’re in love with Spencer Reid, but he can’t know.

It was too risky a move. He was your friend above all else. Then, there was the matter of your pride and dignity. Josh was right, and you didn’t want him to be. You had unintentionally destroyed a two-year relationship; how could you let yourself be happy after that? How could you be happy after broken promises of marriage, growing old together? 

The lights flickered to signify the end of the intermission, and you slipped back into the theatre with a calm smile. Your cheeks were red when you caught sight of him again, and there he was, reading the program. As you got closer, it was like he could feel you in the air. His head lifted toward your direction, and his eyes met yours instantaneously. But how could you not love those eyes? Honey-filled irises that crinkled around the edges when he smiled. Wild, wavy, brown hair that curled around the edges of his face. You feel like crying again. 

He could tell. His expression shifted to concern as you took your seat next to him, “Everything alright?” His voice was barely a whisper. 

Forcing a smile, you nod and gently whisper, “Allergies,” as your weak excuse. 

Nonetheless, it worked for Spencer as he gave you a nod. At least he let you think it worked. His eyes drifted over to you occasionally as the next act started. Sometimes, his eyes would meet yours, and he would give you a sweet smile before staring intensely at the stage. 

He was sure he had done something wrong. He was sure it was how he held your hand during the previous act. He knew he shouldn't have pushed that boundary, but when you didn’t move your hand away from him the whole act, he felt ecstatic— shamelessly so.

Spencer tried to keep his hand busy when you left during intermission. He wanted to trace his thumb against your knuckles, feel the size of your palm against his, and know the lines of your palm forevermore. He was being selfish. So, the paper program was the best way for him to pass the time. 

But these feelings for you that he had just kept getting in the way. When you moved to your new apartment, he knew you were avoiding him. The why was the part Spencer couldn’t figure out. He wondered what he could have done wrong so often that he was sure he would grovel at your feet the next time he saw you. Then he saw you tonight, and he couldn’t understand why he ever let you leave his apartment in the first place. 

When he saw you step out of your bedroom, his heart sank, and he knew. He knew he couldn’t intellectualize these feelings away– couldn’t deny them any longer. His hands yearned to touch you like they yearned to turn the page of a good book. His eyes searched for you in every crowd. He thought of roaming through stores near your apartment, hoping he might run into you, though he talked himself out of it multiple times. You were the only thing on his mind these days. Last week, when the team was in Detroit, he saw someone who looked like you and almost grabbed their hand in the middle of the precinct. 

Spencer's eyes drifted to you again near the end of the second to last act. Two intermissions, almost three acts and you still seemed off. You still gave him a sweet smile and let him whisper little facts to you here and there, but you didn’t seem like yourself. It seemed like you were hiding something from him. 

During the last act, he was practically lost in thought as he watched the dramatic scenes of Swan Lake play out in front of him. He was sure his eyebrows were pinched together as his fingers rubbed circles on the armrest, eyes darting around the stage with the Swan Queen’s movements. 

That was until the final scene. Every ballet company was different, but this one decided they liked a tragic ending better. As Odette begins to throw herself into the lake, he feels your hands grab his. Spencer jumps at the feeling, his eyes darting over to you with a concerned expression, but you’re staring straight at the stage. 

Your hand held onto his tight as the lovers killed themselves, and you were tearing up. He couldn’t look away; you were so enraptured. Spencer felt guilty for not being as enthralled as you had been all night. He was so busy silently panicking over what was different with you that he forgot to be in the moment with you. He squeezes your hand gently as the music hits its crescendo. He could feel the music taking hold of him, grabbing him just as tight as you had moments prior. It wasn’t just Siegfried following Odette off a ledge. Spencer felt he would, too, if you asked him. Was this the caress of love?

He had to force himself to watch the stage as the lovers reunited in the afterlife, and then you’re letting go of his hand and clapping with a brilliant smile on your face. He claps, too, but he’s only looking at you– throwing silent praises to you. 

When the rows start to clear out, you feel better. The performance successfully gets your mind off your worries concerning Spencer, and as the two of you walk to his car, you’re linking your arm with him. “Can I share a fun fact?” 

You can feel the soft shake of Spencer’s diaphragm against your forearm as he chuckles, “When have I ever turned that down?” 

You shrug a little in response to his rhetorical question, “When Soviet leaders died in the eighties, the government would play recorded performances of Swan Lake on television broadcasts, unintentionally making the public associate the ballet with the deaths of their leaders and political instability.” You give him a silly little face of mock surprise at the end of it, and he’s laughing. 

Spencer leans closer to you under the parking lot street lamps, his car coming into view. “Can I tell you a secret?” 

You frown as you pull away slightly to look up at him, your feet slowing slightly, “You already knew that?” 

Spencer lets out a faux sigh of disappointment as he gives you a solemn nod of confirmation. You shake your head in disbelief as you let go of his arm and walk toward the passenger seat. Spencer follows you, intending to open your door for you, but you don’t seem to notice how close he is as you pull on the locked car door. “Move for me,” When Spencer says it, you feel your legs unintentionally becoming jelly at the tone of his voice: soft, deep, and cracking slightly. 

You step aside for him as he unlocks his car and opens the door for you. You give him an affectionate grin as you slide into the passenger seat and watch Spencer round the front of his car to the driver’s side. You had to give him credit where credit was due; Spencer Reid could be damn charming when he wanted to be. 

On the ride home, he continues with his persistent pursuit of unconscious charm, “Maybe we should go see Sleeping Beauty, or maybe Coppéila if you want to watch something comical?” 

You giggle softly at his suggestions as you give him a skeptical glance to the side, “I didn’t know you liked ballet so much,” 

Spencer’s cheeks feel hot, “I don’t,” he admits in a raw voice. 

You turn your head to stare at him with a gentle expression as Spencer’s hands tighten around the wheel, knuckles turning white. You observe him carefully as his bottom lip is nervously drawn into his mouth for a second, his eyes flickering over to you as he flashes you a meek smile. It feels like a sick joke, Spencer being in love with you. It was exhilarating, euphoric, excruciating, and unbearable all at once. You had already made the self-declaration that you would keep your feelings to yourself and decided that you couldn’t let yourself be happy with Spencer– not after what you had done to Josh. The guilt ate away at you as you stared at him, a lame ‘oh’ falling from your lips as you swallowed hard. 

“I just,” he began, “I mean–” he sighs out with frustration, “I just like going places with you.” He settles as he glances from the road to you, his grip on the wheel relaxing. You smile and nod in agreement. 

“Me too,” you whisper, and the conversation dies off for a second. 

Spencer rectifies the situation the only way he knows how "Coppélia was actually based on a dark fantasy about a man’s disastrous infatuation with a life-like doll called Der Sandmann, quite literally translated as The Sandman, by E.T.A Hoffman.” 

“Oh, so Pygmalion and Galatea.” 

“Yes! And Pinocchio, Frankenstein, Herbert West-Reanimator, My Fair Lady-” 

You hold up a hand, “Wait, My Fair Lady?” You question with delighted interest. 

“The play it was based on is called Pygmalion. Henry Higgins shapes Eliza Doolittle into a lady, and he falls in love with her.” 

The way Spencer says it sounds so direct, never demeaning or snobbish, you nod a little at the connection. “You ever listen to My Fair Lady?” 

Spencer opens his mouth to affirm that he has, but he falters. It seems like something his mother would have liked him to listen to with her, but they never have. “No,” his voice was quiet. 

You gasp and point over to him teasingly, “Uncultured,” 

“It’s one thing! I’m plenty cultured! The play Pygmalion covers-” 

“I know, but you haven’t heard of Julie Andrews!” 

“I have! Penelope made me watch all of The Sound of Music-” He’s cut off by the sound of you giggling softly in the passenger seat. “You’re messing with me.” 

“Just a little,” You snicker beside him, relaxing as you watch Spencer take the familiar turns toward your apartment. You stare at the passing streets as you let out a content sigh, eyes closing slowly. Silently reflecting on the night, pushing mini-panic attacks aside, it’s the first time you’ve felt so serene in a long time. “Thank you for tonight, Spence.” 

He beams at your thanks and mutters a sweet, “Thank you for allowing me to take you out,” 

You roll your head against the seat as he pulls into a spot, “As if I’d ever say no to you.” You whisper back to him, catching a love-struck look from him that has you sitting up straight, grabbing your bag, and opening your car door. 

You shouldn’t be surprised when Spencer gets out of his car and locks it. “Let me walk you up,” he insists gently. 

“I’m okay-” 

“Please,” His words are accompanied by his hazel eyes, both begging you so sweetly that you find yourself nodding wordlessly. 

This time, the silence sticks as Spencer walks by your side to your apartment complex. It’s a short walk from the parking lot to the second floor, and soon, the two of you stand outside apartment 240. You fidget with your keys slowly as you turn around to face him; you watch him awkwardly shuffle on his feet– seemingly unsure of what to do with himself, you were sure. 

“Well, this is me.” You feel stupid saying it, but you can’t stop yourself. You knew this wasn’t a date, so why does it feel like the end of one? 

Spencer licks his lips nervously and softly says, “Yeah, it is.” 

You give him a faint smile but can’t find the strength to step back from him and open your door. You should get inside. A voice in you is screaming Go inside! Don’t you dare! But you don’t seem to listen as you tilt your head to the side. “I had a great time,” 

Spencer grins and nods, his eyes looking at your door for a second before gazing back into yours. “Any notable moments?” 

Don’t say it, don’t say it, don’t say it. “Holding your hand through the first act was lovely,” Fuck you!

Spencer seems to perk up slightly, his heart beating faster as he takes a small step closer to you. “It was lovely?” He questions you carefully, noticing how your pupils dilate a little under his gaze. 

“I thought so. It was very” You swallow as you search for some smidgen of confidence “Charming. You’ve been charming all night, actually.” 

“I think you’re the only person in the world who thinks that,” He teases softly, a twinkle in his hazel eyes as he takes another step closer. 

You shake your head, a giddy grin spreading on your face. “No, a lady at the restaurant thought we made a pretty charming couple.” 

“Ah,” He holds up two fingers, “So two people.” 

You give him a sweet chuckle and hold two fingers with him. “And your mom, maybe, " you say as you hold up three fingers. 

“I should make a list,” 

“Your favorite hobby.” You say in a joking whisper. His body was close enough to touch now, and you were frozen– stuck between wanting to get inside and wanting to touch him in any way he’d let you. Your eyes kept trekking down to his feet, watching as they took careful steps closer before looking up at his eyes again. And for the first time all night, you let them dip down to his lips. 

Spencer feels his breath catch in his throat, his body already hyper-aware of your presence. He’s silently debating over closing the gap between the two of you, and he fears that seeing that– a physical sign that you want him the way he wants you, confirms that he should. Only, there's the matter of how. He wants to be romantic and bold. He just wants to grab your waist and pull you in, but he can’t. 

It’s you that initiates something, “The longest kiss ever recorded was fifty-eight hours,” 

Spencer feels like laughing, and he does—a small chuckle escapes his lips as he finds the courage to reach for your waist. When his fingers wrap around it, he gently pulls you toward him, his chest bumping against yours for a second. “Let’s not compete with that,” He whispers to you gently as one of his hands cups the side of your face, his nose bumping against yours slightly as you smile wide. The witty comeback that attempts to leave your lips doesn’t stand a chance as Spencer’s lips capture yours. 

Your eyes flutter shut as you lean up to get a better angle in the kiss. His lips are soft and smooth as they press against yours. He pulls away a little, but you reconnect your lips quickly. Spencer slowly presses into you, the hand on your waist pressing down in a way that sends electricity up your spine. 

Your hands reach for his tie, pulling him closer with a soft motion. The kiss deepens at that. A shaky breath can be heard from Spencer as he moves the hand that was cupping your cheek to the nape of your neck, his fingertips grazing your hair. 

You let out a soft hum as you pull at his bottom lip, pulling away momentarily just to kiss him again. Your breathing gets slightly heavier as you tentatively trace your tongue against his bottom lip. As Spencer slowly invites your tongue into his mouth, a door slams shut down the hall, and you pull away. 

Your eyes open as your hands leave Spencer’s tie and fly to your lips. You stutter gently as Spencer slowly pulls his hands away from you, his chest rising and falling heavily as he whispers, “Did I-”

You shake your head before he can finish, and you remember the keys still in your hand, holding them up, “No, I-” You stutter over your words gently as you turn to unlock the door, “I- I have to, I can’t,” you manage a shaky sigh, glancing over your shoulder at him, “Goodnight.” 

Spencer watches your eyes look away from his, slipping into your apartment before he can get a word in. He stares at the numbers on your door for a second, feeling a dreadful pit forming in his stomach. “Goodnight.” His voice is timid as he speaks to the closed door and turns, walking back to his car alone. 

Day Two Hundred and Fifty

Spencer has been out of it all week. He isn’t sleeping much or reading as much, and now, he’s lagging with this geographical profile. He excelled in this area, and he needed to focus on it. He needed to stop worrying about why you haven’t returned his calls all week—well, for the past four days, thirty-seven minutes—Focus!

He sighed as he traced a street with his fingers, a marker in the other, and focused on the previous dump sights. He mutters quietly as he outlines a district on the map, leaning back slightly as he lets himself get lost in his work. This feels good—almost calming. 

JJ touches his arm, indicating that she is talking to him, and he hasn’t heard a single word. “I’m sorry,” He sighs as he looks at her.

JJ shakes her head a little, a silent way of letting him know that she doesn’t take offense. “Rossi and Morgan just found another victim.” Her fingers point to a location inside the outlined area on the map, and Spencer makes a note. If he can focus on this case, he feels they might have a profile before the UnSub’s next kill. 

Day Two Hundred and Fifty-Nine 

It had been two weeks since Spencer last saw you. Since you last spoke to him, touched him, or kissed him. He felt like he was losing one of his best friends and someone who could be the love of his life all at once. It was devastating. He had occasionally been short with the team, always quick with his apology and briefly explaining that he was going through something personal.

He didn’t want to be this tall, awkward ball of misery. He hated this feeling. At the moment, fourteen days ago, you seemed to be happy to kiss him. It seemed like the fatal mistake that was killing his relationship with you. He had tried to keep his calls maxed out one a day, three a week. Instead, he called you seven times in two weeks. He was starting to feel desperate as he listened to your voicemail message for the seventh time. He sighed as he looked around the BAU break room. 

“Hey, uh, it’s me. I was just wondering if you wanted to talk… again.” He repeated parts of his last message as he groaned softly before whispering a gentle “I’m really sorry” into the phone. He hangs up in a hurry, seeing Derek rounding the corner. 

His phone clatters on the table as Derek gives Spencer an odd stare. It’s a stare that says, ‘To-talk-to-pretty-boy-to-not-talk-to-pretty-boy-that-is-the-question.’

Derek decides that he should talk to Pretty Boy after all. “Does the boy genius have any plans for the weekend?” He decides that casual conversation might be the best way to get Spencer to open up. 

Spencer shakes his head, dragging his gaze from Derek back to his phone on the table. Derek lets out a hum as he stares at Spencer’s phone. “Waiting on a call from someone?” 

“No, yes, I-” Spencer sighs as he slumps a little in the chair, “I don’t know.”

“Is that what’s been bugging you for the past two weeks? Expecting an important call?” Derek asks as he fills his coffee mug up. Spencer gives him a little annoyed look that slowly melts into one of uncertainty. “Reid,” Derek says his name with a grin, taking the seat across from Spencer. “JJ caught you mumbling something about some ballet two weeks ago in Seattle, and you got defensive when she asked why you were talking about the ballet. Then, when Hotch asked you what was happening in Tampa, you got defensive again.” 

He stares at Spencer with a kind smile, “If you need to get something off your chest, I’m happy to listen.” 

Spencer finds himself chewing on his bottom lip as he slowly nods, “I know. I’ve been avoiding talking about it with the team because I,” he pauses, looking at Derek. “I think I messed up.” It’s the best he can manage. He doesn’t feel like opening up when he knows he should, and he wants to be patient with his feelings. He wanted you to reach out on your own time, but he didn’t want to keep with this silent torture he kept experiencing day after day. 

Derek gave him a slightly concerned look, “Messed up how? Something with a case or worse?” Spencer stares at him for a second as he tries to read between the lines of Derek’s question. Once it comes to him, he quickly shakes his head ‘no,’ which makes Derek smile. “Is it..” He trails off for a second, his eyes trailing to Spencer’s phone on the table, and it clicks, “No…” 

Spencer feels his cheeks flush as he frowns at Derek’s Cheshire grin. He’s ready for some mandatory teasing when he hears JJ’s voice, “No, what?” She questions Derek with interest as she grabs a bottle of water. 

Spencer desperately shakes his head at Derek, but he’s already spilling what he thinks he knows, “I believe that Mr. Pretty Boy has found a Pretty Girl.” 

JJ releases an excited gasp and walks over to the table. “No way,” She mutters as she stares down at Spencer’s slightly red face, “Is this why you’ve been so weird lately? Trouble in paradise?” 

“It’s not like that,” Spencer retorts softly as he pulls at a loose thread on his button-up. 

“How’d you mess up?” Derek cuts to the chase as he takes a sip of his coffee. 

Spencer looks between JJ and Derek as he struggles to find the right words. His problems surrounding romance are sparse and, previously, tragic. He’s not sure how to go about this. “I, Uhm, might have kissed her.” 

“Kissed who?” JJ presses. 

Spencer looks at Derek, “Do you remember that friend of mine? The one Penelope and you met-” 

“In the bar, yeah. I thought she had a boyfriend?” Derek’s brows furrow. 

Spencer scrunches up his nose a little at the mention of Josh and sighs, “They broke up, and she had plans to see Swan Lake with him two weeks ago as an early anniversary date. She was going to cancel, but I offered to go with her so she didn’t miss out on it.” He continued slowly, looking at both of their faces for some show of emotion. “And at the end of the night, we kissed.” 

Derek sighs, glancing at JJ, who seems to be just as confused as he is. “Kid, that’s a great thing. How is that a mess up?” 

“I don’t know,” Spencer groans, “It all happened so fast, and she looked… perturbed. I think I messed up, and I’ve been trying to get a hold of her ever since, but..” His eyes look at his phone. 

“Maybe she wasn’t ready for it,” JJ offers with a sad smile. 

Derek nods, pointing a little at JJ, “Could be, but you should have seen her with him. All smiles and heart eyes for Reid.” 

Spencer frowns at Derek before looking at JJ pleadingly, “What do I do to fix it?” 

JJ winces a little, twisting her lips, “Spence, it's not something you can control.” 

“I know, I just can’t,” Spencer pauses for a second, looking away. “I thought she wanted to kiss me.” 

Derek laughs a little, earring a slight glare from JJ before he holds up his hands. “Okay, describe it for us.” 

Spencer snaps his head toward Derek. “What?” His voice sounds slightly higher than usual. “No.” 

Derek rolls his eyes. “Just the lead-up,” he explains further, moving his fingers in a circle through the air. 

“No,” Spencer insists again. 

JJ joins this time, “Maybe he’s onto something, come on.” 

Spencer hesitates as he considers it, ultimately deciding it’s worth a shot despite being humiliated. “I walked her up to her door,” JJ nods along, silently giving Spencer some points for being a gentleman in her books. “She said she had a great time, so I asked if any notable moments in the evening stood out to her.” 

Spencer didn’t want to say that he had held your hand through the first act of Swan Lake, but “She said that holding my hand through the first act was lovely.” Derek’s eyebrows raise at that, not expecting something like that from Spencer. 

“And she said I was charming. We briefly joked back and forth, and then it got quiet.” Spencer avoids eye contact, staring holes into the table beneath his fidgeting hands. 

After a beat of silence, JJ whispers, “And then?” 

“She said,” he smiles a little, his eyes still downcast. “That, well, the longest kiss ever recorded was fifty-eight hours long.” 

“Not what you said, what she said.” Derek jokes softly, Spencer’s eyes flicking up to him with a confused gaze. 

“That is what she said,” 

“Oh my god,” JJ covers her lips feebly to hide her smile. 

Spencer can feel the heat reaching the tips of his ears as Derek laughs. “She did!” Spencer whines. He rolls his eyes a little as the laughter continues. “I said that we shouldn’t compete with that, and we kissed. Happy?” 

JJ smiles openly now and nods, her hands moving as she talks. “I think that’s promising.” Spencer sends her a glare, thinking that she is joking at first, but after seeing the earnest look on JJ’s face, he calms down. “Maybe she’s just surprised,” JJ suggests with a convinced nod. 

“It doesn’t make sense, though. Why be so forward with wanting to kiss you just to ignore you after?” Derek's eyes narrow. 

JJ scoffs softly, “She’s scared of her own feelings, Derek.” 

Spencer repeats his question from earlier now, “So what can I do to fix it?” 

Derek and JJ are quiet for a second before JJ says, “We should talk to Penelope.” 

Spencer wasn’t exactly thrilled as two of his closest friends dragged him down the halls to Penelope’s office. Nor was he thrilled to repeat what he had said in the breakroom to JJ and Derek a second time. Now he’s stuck in an office chair with three of his closest friends throwing suggestions on what he should do on the clock when they should all be doing paperwork. 

“Send her a gift basket!” 

“I’m not trying to bribe her into being my girlfriend, Penelope.” 

Penelope coos softly, “You want her to be your girlfriend?” 

Spencer lets his head fall into his hands, leaving her question unanswered as JJ jumps onto the suggestion train. “Write her a love letter.” 

Derek lets out a breathy chuckle, “Just go to her apartment,” 

Penelope squeals in agreement, “Yes! A big declaration of love.” 

Spencer was sure that big declarations of love weren’t his thing, and he thought he fell into the range of quiet love. Whispers of adoration? Maybe. Annotated novels? Absolutely. Watching movies out of his comfort zone? Done. Acting out of his comfort zone? He could hardly imagine holding a boombox over his head and screaming your name. But he was running out of options. He had stuck in his comfort zone, and you were ignoring him. “How big of a declaration?” 

It was late. There was so much to do. You were pacing back and forth in your apartment with a book in hand, fingers thumbing at the pages occasionally. Soft music played from your laptop speakers as you ended the second week of ignoring one, Doctor Spencer Reid. 

You had listened to all of his voicemails, some multiple times, but had managed to resist the urge to call him back for two weeks. When your heart got the best of you, you did what you were doing now–listening to variations of dad rock, pop, indie, oldies, classical, anything to drown out the urge to call him back. 

The books were a new addition, as you had given up on making online private playlists last Sunday. 

After holding a conference call with Molly, Sabrina, Christina, and anyone else who would listen, you made a joint decision to keep your feelings to yourself. And by joint decision, you meant ignoring their advice. Sabrina brought up the point that if Josh could physically cheat on you and be happy, you could be happy, too. The rest of your friends agreed in one form or another with that, but you just… couldn’t. You were terrified. 

Josh had left his mark on you. He had cut deep gashes in your self-esteem. In the moments where you weren’t struggling with thinking you were too much, burdensome, or taxing to those you love, you were fretting over the idea that you were a terrible person. Sometimes, in moments of respite, you would reminisce on your time spent with Spencer. 

You wanted to know his opinion, and in another life, you would seek him out and ask for it—the phantom pains of past love gone wrong ghosted over your heart and cursed you. 

Maybe you could be happy with someone else who wasn’t Spencer. Is there anyone dead or alive as good as Spencer Reid? Your thumbs falter on the edge of the page as the thought crosses your mind, your eyes glancing over at the time. 

Setting your book face down on your coffee table, you glide across the room to the lights– you can read and ignore Spencer in bed. As you switch off the kitchen light, a soft knock on your door startles you. Tilting your head around the wall to stare at your front door skeptically, you wait for another knock. 

Two more knocks make you rush to your front door, leaning in to look into the peephole. Your breath catches your throat as you see Spencer Reid rocking back and forth on his heels on the other side. “Go away, Spencer!” You yell through the door, hand holding the locked doorknob cautiously. 

You watch as his face falls into a heartbreaking expression, “Let me just talk to you,” 

“We have nothing to talk about.” 

“Please,” His eyes travel up to the peephole, his eyes somehow managing to make you breathless through the door. “I miss my best friend.” 

You don’t say anything to that, because you miss him too. You watch him silently. His maroon tie against that white button-up reminds you of how you grabbed him two weeks ago– hungry, desperate, starved. 

His eyes cast down to his hands for a second, his mouth opening and closing multiple times until he manages to get out, “Do you remember the first day we met? I helped you carry your groceries, and you asked me if I believed in fate.” His voice sounds shaky and muffled as your fingers play with the lock silently. 

“I told you I don’t, I still don’t.” He stammers softly, a hand combing through his curls roughly. You give up on watching him through the peephole, listening with your forehead pressed against the door. 

After a few seconds of fumbling with his words, he steadies himself. “What I’m trying to say is,” he stares at the door, scared to death you aren’t listening. He gingerly continues, “I don’t care if you need me to believe in fate, love at first sight, soulmates, or predetermined endings– if you need me to, I will.” His legs feel weak at the knees, “If Zeus split my soul in two, please be the other half. If there is a god, if someone created me for anyone, let it be you. If it was fate for me to meet you two-hundred and fifty-nine days ago, let it be fate. If it means I get to love you, I’ll believe in any theology, ideology, or philosophy you need me to.” 

He couldn’t hear anything on the other side of the door. “If you don’t want me, or if you don’t feel the same, I’ll never bring it up again. I’ll go back to being nothing more than your friend, no questions asked, and I’ll be happy to do it.” His chest rises and falls heavily as he finishes, staring holes at your door. He’s sure you’ll ignore him further, make him walk back to his car alone again, or worse, open the door and laugh at his confession. He feels all of his anxieties rising in his throat as he goes to say something else when he hears the rattle of the chain on your door. 

A few more clicks, and the door is swinging open. Spencer sucks in a breath as he catches the sight of you in your pajamas, staring at him a little tongue-tied. How were you supposed to follow that? You stare up at him in silent awe as deep, honeyed eyes meet yours for the first time in weeks. As you stare into his eyes, you realize he meant every word. 

Your eyes fall from his and take the rest of him in, looking from his head to his shoes and back up again. “How many times did you practice that on the way here?” 

“Three,” 

You crack a slow smile at that and nod slowly, not knowing what to say next. You do the only thing you can think of, act. Your left hand reaches up slowly, your feet moving in tandem as you hook your fingers in Spencer’s collar carefully. Your gaze locks on his as you slowly pull him closer to your height, pulling him inches from your face. You wanted to tell him that he didn’t need to believe in anything you, he didn’t need fate or soulmates, none of it mattered anymore, not with him right here in front of you. You focus on how his nose brushes awkwardly against yours for a second and how you can hear his breathing coming out quicker. 

You close your eyes before kissing him, pressing your lips to his softly, timidly. Despite his confession– his begging– you can’t help but feel like it’s all too good to be true. But then, he’s kissing you back. His lips move against yours with the same nervousness, his hands reaching up to cup your face. 

You smile into the kiss as you feel his large palms on your face, making Spencer pull away with a slightly concerned expression for a second, wondering if he’d done something to make you laugh at him. As he stares at your blissful smile, he quickly realizes that you aren’t laughing at him at all. You’re happy, effervescent even, shaking your head at him pulling away. 

He doesn’t make you wait long as he kisses you again, this time with a slight increase in force. A shiver runs down Spencer’s spine as he hears the way you hum into the kiss, the sound making him feel desperate to hear more. 

The two of you stand in your doorway like that for a second, kisses getting deeper and feverish as you pull Spencer to walk with you into your apartment blind. You stumble for a second as you walk backward into your apartment, your lips still locked with his. He pulls away a little at that, tilting your head up with his hands on your cheeks as his thumbs gently rub a single circle against the soft skin. 

“Are you real?” He whispers, inches away from your face. 

You give him a breathless laugh and nod, hands moving to his wrist, your fingers gently tracing the veins on his wrists absentmindedly. Spencer’s foot searches for the edge of the door to kick it closed, but he slips a little and looks at you with soft, doe eyes of apology. 

Pulling away from him carefully, you shut your front door and lock it. You don’t know where to go from here. You hadn’t thought about what you’d do once you had him inside. Music is still playing on your phone, and you can hear a soft, raspy chuckle behind you as Spencer playfully asks. “Is this Brahms?” 

When did this even come on? You sigh as you walk over to your phone to turn the music off, “I missed you too, you know.” You admit into the silent room, your eyes avoiding his. 

“I know,” He replies, and you can hear his footsteps getting closer. Your gaze stays fixed on the floor, looking up in surprise at the feeling of his hands grabbing your waist tentatively. Turning your body to look up, you give him a nervous smile. Spencer’s nerves are shot all over the place as he swallows down his anxieties. “I don’t mind waiting. If you aren’t ready or need more time, I’ve waited for you so long, what’s-” 

“No,” Your voice comes out louder than intended before you clear your throat. “No, I don’t need more time. I’m tired of not forgiving myself. I deserve to be happy, too. I’ve already spent so much time denying myself that.” Your body relaxes in his hands, your chest squeezing pleasantly as you move to be chest to chest with him again. “No more wasting time.” 

Spencer studies your eyes as you speak, searching for some hint of uncertainty, but finds none. He licks his lips nervously, eyes dipping to your lips quickly, “Did you know that men initiate more than seventy percent of kisses?” 

Taking this as an obvious sign that Spencer wants to kiss you again, you move your hands to rest on his shoulders. “Don’t have the exact number?”

“Seventy-nine point seventeen percent.” His voice raises an octave at the feeling of your hands holding onto his shoulders, your body pressing against his gently. 

You nod, half-listening, as you look at his lips, one of your hands sliding up the front of his neck as you hold his chin. The feather-like touch of your thumb on his bottom lip makes him feel dizzy as you whisper, “That’s nice.” 

Spencer’s lips are parted slightly as he gives you a weak-sounding ‘uh-huh’ as he participates in a statistic, gently brushing your thumb away to kiss you again. 

The start of this kiss isn’t nearly as tentative or timid as the last one. His head tilts to the side as he presses his lips against yours, a little needy now as your hands move to the nape of his neck, pulling him closer. His eyebrows raise in surprise at the feeling, how you so readily deepen the kiss, how intense this feels. 

Your movements sync with Spencer’s as you kiss each other with fervor. Your knees feel a little weak from a mix of anxiety, excitement, and arousal. The feeling makes your hands hold the back of Spencer’s neck tighter. Your body flush against his as the two of you kiss in the middle of your living room. 

An experimental movement from Spencer earns a sharp inhale from you as his tongue slowly brushes against your bottom lip. Your lips part into the kiss as he slides his tongue into the kiss with surprising skill. It doesn’t feel messy; instead, it’s incredibly controlled. You silently wonder how much practice Spencer has with French kissing and with who? 

The thought is secondary to a terrifyingly primal feeling of arousal that zips up and across your spine as you feel him start to suck your tongue lightly into his mouth. You press against him a little harder, causing the poor man to stumble and lose focus, his skilled lips stopping for a second—a slight pull away to check if you’re alright before he kisses you again. 

Now it's messy—an excellent messy. Not a slobbering mess that you want to pull away from, but a slightly erratic move against your lips that lets you know that he’s just as hungry for you as you are for him. 

Your feet stumble backward, the familiar route to your bedroom in the back of your mind as you try to pull Spencer with you. He follows but reluctantly pulls away, breathless, as he stops short of the doorway to your bedroom. His lips open and close nervously as he catches his breath. “It's not that I don’t, I want to, not that I’m expecting us, I just,” He closes his mouth, swallowing hard as he tries to make head or tails of the situation. “I don’t want you to think I’m only here for…” He trails off, his cheeks growing red as he flicks his hazel eyes over to your bedroom and then back to you. “Sex.” 

It’s terrible because you want to laugh. Spencer has been nervous around you before, but never like this. You’d seen him trip over his words countless times, but this time, watching him explain his intentions toward you, how sweet he looked as he explained himself. How did you go this long in your friendship with him without jumping his bones?

You press a reassuring hand to his arm, “I didn’t think you were.” You watch his shoulders relax a little, “We don’t have to if you don’t want to, just at the moment, I th-” 

“No!” he almost yells, the tips of his ears turning a little pink now. “No, I want to.” He reiterates, “I, well, I, Are you sure it’s okay?” 

Staring up into his eyes, you realize what he’s asking: Is this just a rebound from Josh? Is this the hormones talking? Will this mean anything after tonight? There was unspoken communication, but you had mulled over those questions for the past two weeks. 

Their answers were what scared you the most. It frightened you how ready you were to leave all your memories of Josh in the gutter and start something with one of your best friends. The scary part was how easy it was to want, care for, and miss him. You gave him a slow nod, “I’m not going anywhere you can’t follow.” 

Spencer’s worried gaze softened as the edges of his lips quirked up into a slight smile, leaning closer, “Stuck with you? Forever?” He sucks in air through his teeth dramatically, his eyes flicking around your face cautiously. 

You roll your eyes at his playful tone, “M’tired of talking,” Your lips close the gap before he can say anything back. 

Spencer doesn’t protest as he kisses you back—soft, slow, sensual movements against your lips. Pulling away here and there just to kiss you again, his lips gently pulling your bottom lip whenever he pulls away. You graze your teeth against his bottom lip, careful not to bite him as you cup his face, his large hands holding onto your waist. 

His hands press down on your hips, firmly keeping you in place as he pushes against you slowly. His chest presses against yours, his hands start to pull your hips closer to his. A soft groan can be heard, and you can’t pinpoint who makes the sound as your mind becomes hazy from the way he kisses you. 

You almost don’t register that he’s led you towards your bed. The feeling of your bed hitting the back of your legs makes you register that you walked with him to your bed. You pull away, inching back onto your bed carefully as soft panting fills the dimly lit room, staring up at him from your bed. 

You watch as he kicks off his shoes before crawling onto the bed, looming above you as you slowly slide your body up the bed. He’s pressing a hand near your head as the other brushes a stray hair from your eyes, his lips leaving fleeting kisses across your face, slowly trailing down to your neck. 

His kisses start to get deeper once he passes the area of your jaw, gently sucking on the area just below your ear before letting the sensitive skin go and dragging his lips lower to repeat the act. 

Soft, pleasured sighs escape your lips as he kisses and lightly sucks on the sensitive skin that is your neck. One of your hands reaches for his hair, tangling your fingers in his curls as he sucks on your collarbone. The hand that isn’t supporting his weight on the bed is trailing down your chest slowly, reaching the hem of your shirt as he tentatively slips the tips of his fingers under it carefully. “That okay?” he pulls away from your collarbone to look down at you. 

You let out a sweet ‘mhm’ before you smile up at him. Spencer smiles back as he leans in to kiss your lips again. Your lips part almost immediately so he can slip his skilled tongue into your mouth, and he does just that. 

His tongue carefully traces yours as his hand slowly starts to trail up your stomach, his touch making you shiver as his slightly cold hands inch toward your unsupported breasts, gasping softly against his lips at the feeling of his fingers slowly cupping your right breast. The movement of his tongue against yours slows for a second as his thumb traces around the taut bud of your nipple, gently rubbing and circling patterns until he earns a little whine from you, 

His lips pull away from yours, but he stays close, brushing against yours as he speaks. “Good?” 

You let out a breathless “Very.” before he repeats the pattern, his index finger joining now as he gently pinches the aroused bud. A shaky sigh escapes your lips, your lips trembling lightly against Spencer’s as he watches you, pulling his head back to get a better look. 

His eyes study your face—the way your nose sometimes scrunches up in pleasure, how dilated your pupils are when you look at him, and his favorite, how you gently pull your bottom into your mouth with your teeth in a vain attempt to hold in your quiet moans.

He watches as you give him an embarrassed expression. “You’re staring,” your voice is a sweet whisper, eliciting a shiver that crawls up his spine. 

He looks away with a mutter of an apology, giving you a quick smile. His fingers slip away from your chest to slide down to the hem of your shirt. He looks into your eyes as he fiddles with the fabrics. “Can I see you?” 

A quick nod from you gives him your answer as he quickly pulls your shirt over your head, his eyes quick to trail over your face down to your exposed chest. He watches the way your chest rises and falls with each heavy breath as he slowly moves his head down to place gentle kisses on your collarbone. 

Kissing a trail down to the valley between your breasts, he slowly makes his way over to your left breast, his eyes looking up at you as he gently places his lips around the bud of your nipple. 

Your eyes watch him as he gently flicks his tongue against the sensitive peak before sucking on it lightly. Your mouth falls open as you watch him, breathing heavily as you feel his free hand reaching up to play with your other nipple. 

Quiet, breathy sounds are all Spencer can hear now– a gasp here, a shaky sigh there, and occasionally a closed-mouth moan. He likes watching the way your head falls back as he adds a little more pressure with his tongue, rubbing wet circles around your erect nipples. 

He feels like he’s moving too fast and taking too long simultaneously. He wants to hear you, he wants you to relax under his touch, and he wants to take his time with you. On the other hand, he’s dreamt about this moment more times than he can count. He wants to tell you that it’s even better than what he imagined, but the idea sounds stupid, given he’s only sucking on your nipples right now. He hasn’t even been inside you, and he doesn't want to risk sounding inexperienced right now. 

He decides that pleasing you further speaks louder than words as he slides his hand on your other breast down your chest slowly, creeping toward the waistband of your pajama pants. His fingers trace along the edge of your pants as his lips keep sucking. 

You squirm under him as you move your hands down to start pulling your bottoms off as fast as you can manage, accidentally forcing Spencer’s lips off your chest in the process. He watches you briefly, laughing softly as he helps you out of your pajama pants before tossing them to the side.  

Spencer’s eyes focus on your thighs, his fingers tracing slow paths from your outer right thigh to your inner thigh. He is trying to focus on the sound of your breathing, testing out areas with his fingers to see which one excited you the most based on the hitching of your breath when he touches it. 

“Higher,” Your voice makes him jump a little, a small smile forming on your face as he does so. He swallows and grins, moving his fingers higher now inches from the edge of your underwear. 

“Higher?” He questions playfully, his deep caramel eyes looking into yours as he watches you nod. His fingers glide over to your underwear, pressing against the center, his fingers touching your folds through the fabric. 

You sigh softly as his fingers rub up and down the fabric, pressing in harder with each stroke. “You’re so pretty,” Spencer’s voice sounds strained, earning him a weak smile from you. 

“Just pretty?” You moan quietly as he slips his hand into your underwear suddenly, the feeling making you gasp. 

Spencer’s index and middle fingers do most of the exploring as he stares at you, “No, not just pretty. Gorgeous, beautiful, captivating, astounding.” His fingers find your clit, pressing against the bundle of nerves teasingly slow. 

You’re breathing heavily through your nose now as you move your hips against his fingers to let him know it feels good. “Is,” you relax your shoulders carefully. “Is astounding a look I pull off well?” 

“Very well,” he answers honestly, even though he knows you’re joking. His fingers begin to rub slow, tight circles as he leans in to kiss you again. The kiss swallows up any moans you start to let out as Spencer’s fingers make electric arousal build up in your lower abdomen, your legs feeling weak as you spread them further. 

Spencer hums against your lips as he quickly deepens the kiss, his hips absentmindedly grinding against your thigh as his fingers move away from your clit to yank your underwear down. You help him, kicking them away with your eyes closed, your tongue dragging along Spencer’s. 

His middle finger teasingly drags your wetness down to your entrance, pressing against the area quickly before hesitating. He pulls away slightly from your lips, but you’re already answering his question before he can ask it. “Yes,” You whisper against his lips, moving your hips down against his finger. 

He lets out a breathy laugh as he slowly pushes his index finger into you, his own eyes almost rolling back into his head as he hears the shaky moan you let out. He’s quick to chase that high as his fingers curl inside of you, searching for that spot that will make you let out more sounds for him to enjoy. 

Your brows furrow as your eyes flutter closed, chasing the needy feeling inside of you that is too desperate to wait for him to find your g-spot on his own. Your hips grind down, guiding him slightly until his fingers curl against the slightly rough patch of nerves inside you. A sharp gasp, followed by a breathy chuckle, leaves your lips as you open your eyes to look at Spencer. “Right there,” 

He’s always been so good at following instructions, so he knows not to change much regarding his fingers, curling and dragging against that sweet spot inside of you slowly. His lips kiss your collarbone softly, kissing up to your ear. “Wanna hear you,”

How could you deny such a sweet voice? Especially when that sweet voice belongs to the man you’ve been pining over for weeks. It also helps when he has his fingers inside of you. Your lips parted as you let out a soft groan, followed by a shaky gasp of air.

Spencer’s finger picks up the pace gradually, going faster and rougher with every sound from your lips. A cry of pleasure? Faster. A loud moan? Rougher. You wondered what sound you needed to make for him to add a second finger. 

It wasn’t a sound so much as simply having to tell him, “Add another finger,” You breathe out between moans, and Spencer is quick to push his index finger into the waves of pleasure he’s causing throughout your body. 

It’s not long before your hips are raising slightly, loud whines and groans escaping your lips as he brings you closer to your release with every curl and drag of his fingers. You could feel Spencer’s breath hot against the shell of your ear now as your eyebrows furrowed tightly, focusing on every feeling he gave you. 

He’s relentless, listening to how your breathing hitches and moans increase with specific tempos, learning the kind of pressure you like simply based on sound. Has a man ever done that before? You weren’t sure; all you knew was that you were getting closer to an orgasm. You wanted to be hopeful and think it would be the first of many.

Short gasps were escaping your lips as your head tilted back into the mattress, “That’s it.” Spencer’s lips are on your exposed neck now, gently sucking, kissing sweetly against your pulse point as you inch closer to your climax. “Sound so good.” His voice is a little muffled, not to mention hard to hear over the sounds of your moans, but it’s making your hips stutter as they grind against his fingers. 

Then you’re crashing hard. Your body tenses, shaking under him, you cry out as your orgasm rips through you. Small whimpers and moans are spilling from your lips as your hands fly up to his shoulders, gripping them until your knuckles turn white.

A groan leaves his lips as he watches you. It's a sight he wants to commit to memory. He wants to close his eyes and draw it if he can, memorize every shudder, every stutter of your hips, the way your eyes open to look at him afterward– pupils’ dilated and shimmering under a haze of lust. 

You whine a little when he pulls his fingers out of you, and Spencer wonders how he has so much self-control. He’s about to ask you how you’re feeling, to check in on you, but then you're grabbing his wrist.

You’re dragging his hand to your lips terribly slow, and Spencer feels his breathing stop for a second as he watches you drag his index and middle fingers into your mouth to suck yourself off them. His next breath comes out as a stuttering mess, watching as your tongue slides between his fingers, your eyes staring into his before fluttering closed. 

It’s his turn to whine when you’re done sucking his fingers clean. He was already painfully hard while he was fingering you, but now he feels like he might burst into flames if he cannot have you. “Please,” He whispers, his hips grinding against your outer thigh timidly. 

A part of you almost feels bad for him; he feels so hard against your outer thigh, and he still has all his clothes on. He has to be desperate– the thought makes your mouth water. 

Your hands are quick to help him out of his pants, undoing his button and zipper. As he pulls the pants down his legs, you’re sliding your hands under his shirt. You hum with soft desire as you feel the curves and dips of muscles on his surprisingly toned chest. He shivers at the feeling of your fingers dragging along his chest, inching closer to the waistband of his boxers. 

Your fingers stop before reaching his boxers, slipping out from under his shirt, and going for his tie. A tie already loose and halfway forgotten. You slip your fingers around the maroon tie, pulling it off quickly and with no complaint from Spencer as you do so. Your eyes trail up to meet his, looking up at him through your lashes. 

Spencer could feel your fingers thumbing at the buttons on his shirt, but he couldn’t pull his gaze away from your eyes. He’s so captivated by your eyes on his that he completely misses what you say. “What?” His voice comes out breathy as you undo the second button on his shirt. 

You let out a soft chuckle, looking away from his eyes to peak at his partially exposed chest. “I asked if it would be okay to leave some hickeys on your chest,” 

Spencer’s breathing hitches in his throat as he lets out a bashful “Yes.” He can hear another laugh leave your lips as his eyes trail down to your fingers working on the last button on his shirt, how they hook around the edge and pull the material away to expose his chest fully. He’s enraptured, caught in a trance as he watches you lean your head down to his chest, soft kisses sending electric shivers down his spine. 

You kiss down his sternum, trailing off to the left of his chest and sucking lightly. A breath is ripped away from him at the feeling, and he suddenly feels the overwhelming urge to whine. He fights the urge as he sighs again, your lips slowly sucking and kissing down his chest, leaving some light and dark purple spots in your wake. 

It’s hard to pull his eyes away from your work. Each time you leave a mark on his lower chest, Spencer’s eyes linger on it before they follow you to your next location. He feels sensitive all over, his body humming–tingling–with desire. He wonders if you’d think he’s pathetic if he begs for something more. 

But you catch on before he embarrasses himself.

You sit up straight as your hands rest on his lower stomach, looking down at his crotch before looking up into his eyes curiously. “May I?” You ask with a half-hearted chuckle like it’s funny. 

He knows you aren’t laughing at him; you’re laughing because you already know his answer. A soft whine is pulled from his throat as he says, “Yes,” 

Your eyes leave his, trailing down his body slowly as your fingers hook into the waistband of his boxers and start to pull them down. Spencer’s eyebrows knit together at the feeling, the material dragging against his hard cock slowly. 

As he kicks his boxers away, he is pleasantly surprised when you straddle his lap. Your hips hover inches from his as you lean down towards him slowly, your hands pressing against his chest for stability. Your hair falls in your face as you whisper a slow, seductive, “Does this work for you?” 

Spencer can feel his heart stutter lightly against his chest as he nods like a madman, cheeks flushed as he stammers out a little, “Ab-absolutely, anything you want, we don’t– I mean– we can do anything you want, I won’t mind.” 

His nervous rambling is cut off with a hiss of pleasure as he feels you wrap your hand around his cock, guiding it to your entrance carefully. The slow drag of his head against your folds has him letting out a stuttering sigh, his hands instinctively moving to your hips. His eyes shut tight as you sink down on him, a soft sigh falling from your lips as you slowly take every inch. He feels the urge to beg again. 

You’re watching him from his lap, a little smile gracing your face as you watch the way his mouth falls open as you adjust your knees slightly to fully sit down on his cock. A slight muffled whine can be heard from Spencer as his eyes slowly open to take in the sight of you bare and preparing to ride him– it makes him feel dizzy. 

It's your turn for your lips to part, a shaky sound of pleasure leaving your lips as you start to move your hips up slowly. He’s so hard inside of you that you’re sure you can feel his cock twitching inside of you as you slowly move up and down. 

You can feel the way his slender fingers start to grip your hips tighter, gently digging into your skin at the tortuous pace you’re beginning to set. It’s building, that’s for sure. You’re panting lightly as soft moans fill the room. 

You let out a soft yelp, feeling Spencer’s hips chase yours when you slow down slightly, looking down at him with a surprised expression. He sends you an apologetic look and whispers, “I’m sorry, I just need– I’m sorry.” His voice sounds strained like you’re putting him through the worst torture imaginable. 

You huff out a chuckle, shaking your head a little as you brace yourself on your knees a little more, “Greedy boy,” you tease him lightly as you press down harder on his chest with your palms, giving him a taste of the pace he so desperately craved. 

Spencer lets out a shaky laugh that dies away into a groan as your hips move at a slightly faster pace, his hands beginning to guide you down onto his cock. He’s trying to be respectful of the pace you’re setting every time– honest! This feels too much like a fantasy, like a wet dream he’s sure he’s had many times before, one that has every instinct in his bones telling him to go as hard and fast as possible. 

It's an incredibly tempting stupid instinct. He knows that the faster you ride him, the faster this moment is over, but it feels so good. The drag of his painfully hard cock against your walls– add to that the lewd sounds that keep escaping your lips whenever you give him an experimental roll of your hips. He’s panting when he feels you picking up the pace again, his fingers flexing against your hips. It’s still not enough. He’s not sure he’ll ever have enough of you. 

You’re breathing heavily as you flick your head to the side to get a better look at him. He’s starting to sweat a little as his eyes trail down your body. Whenever his eyes catch a slight of his cock disappearing inside of you, he licks his lips, dragging his bottom lip into his lip for a second as his eyes move back up to your face. 

You give him a quick, breathless smile as you whisper a saccharine, “You like that?” You begin, dragging your hips forward slightly on your way down his length. “ You like watching your cock disappear inside me?” 

Spencer’s eyes widen for a second as he gives you a quick nod, “Yes-” He lets out a whine, his hips chasing yours again as you slow down quickly, teasingly dragging your hips against his, driving him crazy. 

As you experimentally roll your hips, you can feel his head brushing against your g-spot, and you’re quick to ignore his pleasure to chase your own. You aim for the feeling again, your hands leaving his chest as you move them back to his knees, causing you to lean back slightly. 

The sight is intimate and extremely erotic as Spencer watches the way you grind your hips against his cock, gasping out harshly whenever it hits the rough patch of nerves inside of you. He elevates his hips slightly for you, his mouth falling open as he looks at you, completely starstruck. 

You give him another flash of a smile as you move faster down on him, friction wise it doesn’t feel as good as when you were riding him, but just seeing the way you’re getting yourself off on his cock has him feeling like he’s about to burst. 

He wants you to cum around his cock more than so desperately that he gives up on caring about embarrassing himself, stammering out dirty talk as fast as he can, “You look so good, so fucking good.” He gasps out, watching as your eyes close. 

The sound of his voice helps you chase that high as wanton moans accompany your movements, leaving him feeling encouraged. “Wish I could record you like this. I need to remember how you look right now. Would you let me?” He stammers out between his shaky moans. 

Your head is nodding before you can genuinely process what he’s saying. Your fingers digging into his skin lightly, “Feels so good, Spencer.” 

He’s sure that’s the prettiest sound he’s ever heard as he lets out a shaky, “Ye-Yeah? Do you want me to rub your clit? You want me to make you cum right now?” 

He’s asking for direction, but it doubles as dirty talk for you as your eyes open and meet his. You’re sure you’re saying the words ‘yes’ repeatedly, but you don’t actually hear the sound coming from your lips. The only thing you can focus on now is the way one of Spencer’s hands is sliding from your hip to your clit. His thumb dragging fast, tight circles on your clit. 

Spencer watches as your eyebrows crinkle together and gasps of air leave your lips. He feels your walls flutter around him. He’s careful to raise his hips to push deeper into you as you reach your second orgasm of the night with his cock deep inside you. 

Your walls squeeze around him so tight that he feels weak in the knees as you let out a high-pitched cry of pleasure, your body shaking on top of him. He’s happy to keep moving his thumb against your clit, helping you ride out your orgasm to your heart's content. 

Eventually, the shaking on your thighs calms, and you’re hissing out with overstimulation, whispering gently, “Wait, wait, wait.” You relax briefly, your hips still stuck against Spencer’s as he stops moving his thumb. Your eyes meet his, and your heart squeezes at the look he’s giving you. Something that was a mix of complete adoration and desire. 

His eyes flicker over your face nervously as he licks his lips slowly, his eyes still occasionally dipping down to your hips flush against his. You tilt your head slightly as you watch him, a small smile on your face as you lean forward, your chest pressing against his gently as you give him a soft kiss. 

It’s a short kiss, but Spencer still ends up following your lips by the end of it. “Should we switch positions?” Your voice is curiously sweet, and Spencer immediately nods at the idea. 

You lift your hips off of him and slide off his lap slowly, your legs only feeling a slight sting from riding him. You lay on the bed and watch as Spencer moves to hover over you. His eyes stare directly at your dripping cunt, and he looks like he’s lost in thought, something that earns a soft laugh from you as you shake your head at him a little. “Something on your mind?” 

It was a good-natured tease, but he answers honestly nonetheless, “Can’t decide if I want to eat you out or go back to fucking you.”  His eyes leave the dripping wet area between your legs to look into your eyes. 

It almost sounds strange coming from his mouth, you could probably count on your fingers the number of times he’s cursed in front of you. Nor did you expect something so… erotic. Then again, he did say some rather dirty things just moments prior. It didn’t phase you then because you had other things on your mind, i.e., cumming on his cock. 

You gave him a playful smile, his eyebrows raising slightly with interest, “Spencer Reid, are you… sexy?” 

He chuckles as he moves his body closer, slotting his body between your spread legs, “You tell me.” 

You laugh a little at that, and your eyes take him in—how he looks with his hands on your knees, gently pushing them to get you to spread them wider. With a wide grin, you whisper, “You are.” 

One of his hands is pressing into the bed to the left of you as he hovers over you, his other moving to your face to brush a stray hair out of your face gently. You can tell he’s trying not to feel embarrassed at the compliment as you gently move a hand up to his hair– fingers raking through his curls. “I vote you go back to fucking me.” 

Your words cause a slight shiver to roll down his spine as he lets out a soft “Mhm,” his hand leaving your face to guide his cock back inside of you slowly. He lets out a soft sigh as he presses into you, his gaze scanning your face for any sign of pain. 

He sees none as he watches your head tilt back onto the bed slightly, eyes closing for a second. The pace he starts is timid and gentle. He knows a slow build to a fast pace is better, wiser, and he’ll last longer. But it’s getting hard to remember with the way you feel around him, how deliciously you squeeze around him whenever he thrusts into you a little deeper than the time before. 

“Move your hips faster,” You mutter softly as your hips grind on his cock slowly, the slow pace making you feel embarrassingly impatient. 

He doesn’t mind, of course. He’s all too happy to start moving his hips faster. Soft moans fall from his lips as he picks up the pace, his hands moving from bracing himself up on the bed to the area behind your knees, gently lifting your legs up and apart, leaving them slightly bent in his hands. 

It happens so fast that you stare at him in awe for a split second as he readjusts himself to drive his hips into you again, and with the way he has you now, you can feel him thrusting deeper inside. You whine loudly at the feeling and nod quickly, a wordless attempt to let him know how good it feels. 

He shows you a half smile as he takes that as a sign to go deeper, grunts falling in time with his pace– seemingly becoming slightly ruthless. Your mouth fell open at the feeling of his cock reaching deeper inside you, quivers of pleasure racing through your body, your legs, everywhere. You’re sure you’re being too loud now, your cunt starting to squelch with every drag of his hips. 

Spencer feels like he’s in heaven, listening to your body respond to his, feeling your legs tremble under his touch, and watching how your eyebrows knit together when he picks up the pace slightly. He’s sure there is nobody, dead or alive, that makes him feel the way you’re making him feel right now. 

It’s exhilarating, intoxicating, and it’s making his orgasm get closer. Panting heavily, he moves your legs to wrap around his waist as he braces himself on the bed again, and he starts to roll his hips into you quickly. He lets out a breathless laugh when you yell a little, “Oh!” Pride fills his senses, knowing how good he can make you feel. 

“I’m getting close,” He rasps out with another sharp, fast roll of his hips. 

You nod quickly as you mouth a silent ‘yes’ to his warning. You’re not sure you can speak in coherent sentences with the way his cock keeps brushing against that spot inside you that has you gushing around him effortlessly. 

“Do you want me to pull out?” he stubbles out sweetly between his moans. 

You shake your head at that, “No!” You cry out, eyes locking on his as you moan out, “Inside.” 

He looks at you for a second, his hips slowing to a frustrating stop, “Are you sure, because missionary-” He heaves out a soft sigh, looking at the way you’re lust-filled eyes stare up at him, “Are you sure?” 

A gentle smile appears on your face, and Spencer feels like he’s staring at an angel. The feeling grows as you move your hands to pull his face to yours, brushing a light kiss on his lips with the soft, reassuring answer he needs to hear, “I’m sure,” 

Spencer grins against your lips, kissing you deeper as he starts to thrust his hips into you again. Your eyes roll back slightly at the rough feeling of his lips on yours and his hips snapping into you over and over again. 

Muffled moans came from both of you as you gently slipped your tongue into the kiss, eliciting a growl from the man thrusting into you. He pulls away to press his forehead against yours. Physical intimacy for Spencer always fell second to emotional. Now, feeling how your hands hold his shoulders and hearing you whisper strings of soft praise to him, he realizes that combined, they turn into the most ethereal experience he’s ever felt. 

Guttural-sounding moans are escaping his throat as he chases his climax like a madman, “You feel so good, so good.” Is all he can manage to gasp out between moans as your nails dig into his shoulders. 

You mewl under him as he gasps out a short, “I’m- god, fuck, I’m cu-” his erratic hips stutters against yours, thrusting as deep as he can into you as he reaches his climax. His breathing stutters as he lazily drags his hips in and out with his orgasm, doing his best to make it last longer for the both of you. With a final sharp thrust, he empties into you. 

Sometime after, he’s slowly pulling out and disappearing into your bathroom to get something to clean you up. You laugh as he insists on cleaning you up himself, his hands gentle as he drags the towel against your cum soaked folds. 

Once you fall asleep, Spencer finds him playing with the ends of your hair, watching how your chest rises with each deep breath. He smiles into the dark as he leans into your ear, not caring if you hear it in your sleep, “I’m going to marry you the first chance I get.” 

Day One Thousand Thirty-Three

“Spencer,” Your voice carries across the BAU bullpen, an unmistakable smile of amusement on your face as you approach his desk. “Spencer Reid,” 

After two years of being with him, he’s not sure he’s ever gotten sick of that smile. Dazzling, patient, sweet, and almost always constant when you’re around him– a permanent fixture on your face now that you live with him.  

“You are late, Doctor Reid. Hop to it!” You tap against his desk playfully. You’re already dressed for dinner tonight at Rossi’s– or that’s what you think it is anyway– and you look stunning. Even under the harsh lights of the bullpen, you look glowing, so gorgeous that Spencer feels like spoiling the surprise right now. 

“It’s barely past five. We’re fine.” 

“He’s gone already,” You move your hand dramatically towards Rossi’s empty office… most of the bullpen is empty now that you think about it. Why was your boyfriend the only one staying fifteen minutes after five? To be fair, he was waiting for you, and you were the one running late, so you feel a little guilty as you watch Spencer pack up his things. 

He looked especially good this morning, wearing one of his light brown suit combos that always had you messing up his tie before he left for work that day. You hum softly as you and Spencer walk side-by-side toward the elevators. “Do you know why Rossi said to dress up a little this time? Last time, everyone seemed pretty casual.” 

Spencer offers you a little tight-lip smile with a slight shake of his head, “No, he does have a flare for the dramatic sometimes.” He’s praying to whatever deity listening that you don’t catch on to the lie. 

You scoffed out a soft laugh, looking at him with a raised brow, “And you don’t?” 

“I’d like to think I’m more grounded in facts and reason than dramatics,” He defends himself with a laugh, hitting the button for the first floor. “Living with you has made me more dramatic. If anything, I’m mirroring you when I,” he does air quotations with his finger as he finishes, “Am being dramatic.”  

“You are so lucky you’re a federal agent,” 

“I am pretty hard to kill.” He says with a serious-looking nod, but the smile growing on his face as you walk through the parking lot to your car is telling. 

Your smile falls slightly as you nudge his shoulder softly. “Don’t remind me,” you tease him in a melancholy tone. More than two years ago, if someone had asked you if you’d be sad if Josh died tragically, you would have simply said yes. Now, with Spencer, if someone asked you that same question, you know you would start crying on the spot at the idea of the man next to you dying. 

It’s funny how people can affect other people. Through all his challenges, Spencer Reid was incredibly patient, kind, and devoted to his loved ones—including you. He was the air you breathed, and you were his. Every look he gave you, every smile he showed, and every touch confirmed it– you were going to grow old with him, one way or another. 

Spencer headed into Rossi’s villa first, and you grabbed some wine and the charcuterie board, something that the host himself requested. You were happy to help, considering he was cooking for everyone, but the lack of direction with the wine threw you slightly. Rossi loved food, loved hosting these team meals, and was… to put it bluntly, a control freak. 

You picked up a label you vaguely remembered him talking about once as you headed in after Spencer. The house looks… dark? You open the door, peeking your head in slightly. “Spencer?” A dark front room greets you. Your eyes quickly adjust as you close the front door behind you. 

You hear something moving from the kitchen, the hairs on your neck standing up as you tip-toe towards it. “Rossi?” you call out in a whisper. It definitely smells like food—chicken piccata. 

More darkness, you blink and mouth a silent “What the fuck?” Then, you catch a glimpse of some light from outside. You quietly set the board and wine on the granite countertop and head for the back door. 

From what you can see, the lanterns are on in the backyard, but more twinkling lights have been added along some trees. If you weren’t so terrified, you’re sure you would find it beautiful. But considering the team’s line of work, you were always afraid of something like this– well, whatever this was anyway. All you knew was that you no longer trusted dark houses at night. 

You made sure not to turn your back to the outside, carefully looking around and closing the door behind you. Now you knew they were out here. You could hear shushing. 

Then there he was, a big smile on his face, and everything clicked. Oh.

Oh.

“Spencer Reid, this better not be what I think it is.” 

He’s standing in the center of the backyard on a patch of patio tile, candles and flowers leading up to him. He laughs a little as you approach him. He can see tears forming in your eyes, and he hasn’t even started with the proposal. “I’m afraid it is,” he mutters as his hand slips into his coat pocket, pulling out a small, red velvet box. 

He bends down on one knee, staring up at you as you smile through tears, “I’ve had the pleasure of being with you for seven hundred and seventy-four days, but if someone asked me how many days I’ve been in love with you, I would have to tell them that I have been in love with you for one thousand thirty-three days.” His fingers are shaking as he opens the ring box, his eyes scanning your face carefully to see your reaction to the ring. 

Garcia and you often scrolled through Pinterest board together, an app that Spencer didn’t quite understand. Which explains why he asked Garcia to go with him to get the ring, because she didn’t want him to quote ‘mess it up, Aidan from Sex and the City style’ —whatever that meant. 

He was so calm when he bought it, but on the way home, he recalls looking over at Penelope in the car and asking, ‘What if she doesn’t like this one?’ in a terrified tone. 

Seeing your face now– the way your eyes light up as you wipe away falling tears and how you’re laughing through them, he knows he’s made the right choice. “I want to love you for twenty thousand more.  I want to love you through every wrinkle, every laugh, every bad day, indefinitely. I want to love you when our hair turns grey. I want you to be the rest of my life, and, at the end of it, I know I’ll see you flash before my eyes.” 

He’s watching the way you hike up your dress to your shins and get on both knees, cupping his face gently as you sniffle through happy tears. His eyes soften slightly as he becomes level with you, moving to sit on his knees. “My question is, will you let me? Will you marry me?” 

You let out a scoff, nodding quickly. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, in a thousand different languages, yes!” You laugh out sweetly as you kiss him. He smiles into the kiss, his arms wrapping around your middle tightly. 

The two of you only pull away when the sound of confetti starts popping on either side of you. You laugh as you watch Penelope step out from her hiding place with half the team following behind her. Moving your head to the other side, you can see Rossi clapping softly with the other half. 

You try to dry your eyes again as small strands of confetti reach your head, Spencer’s arms slipping away from you to carefully slip the ring on your left hand. He then looks over at Penelope, “You didn’t say anything about confetti poppers.” He says in a playfully stern voice, standing up slowly before extending a hand to you. 

She simply shrugs and squeals, “She said yes!” 

Then they’re all on you like a pack of wolves, hugging, kissing cheeks, laughing as you gather your composure. After a few moments of congratulations, all you can think to say is, “I almost had a heart attack.”  

The night begins and ends with laughter. On the drive home with Spencer, you can’t help but think that there are twenty thousand more nights to come and how none of them will ever measure up to this one. It’s one of those nights that linger in the air after everyone’s already said goodbye, and it’s perfect.

[thatguywhofedme]

Influencer to live piggy

I was browsing tumblr, looking through the same pages I followed, wishing the feeder in those stories and images was feeding ME into a food coma

I mean, I'm already gaining steadily by stuffing myself as much as I could, last time I weighed myself I was 225 lbs and that was a year ago

That's when I got the idea, why not make my own blog showing off my body, this will surely get the attention of a feeder who would like to stuff me silly

I instantly created my profile and decided to call myself deathbylard, thought this would be pretty clear as to what my blog would be about

After a couple of months, everything was going well

Everyone was loving my big belly, thickening thighs and fat juicy ass, I was now 274 lbs and was finally getting noticed, that's when he messaged me

His profile name was feedyoutodeath, little did I know it was literal

We began chatting and the more we talked, the more we discovered we had tons in common and when we decided to ask each other where we live, we surprisingly lived close by

We decided to meet at an all-you-can-eat buffet, I was waiting at a table when I heard the door open and recognized him instantly

He got to my table and told me how beautiful I looked and if I was ready to eat

I told him to fill me up while rubbing my belly

He instantly got to the buffet and came back with four plates full of the greasiest food he could find

He sat in front of me and began feeding them to me

There wasn't a lot of people, but the staff had a full view of someone getting fed mouthful after mouthful, getting messier from each bite

After I had miraculously ate everything, I was so full I couldn't get up from the chair and my big belly was in full view, bright red and hard like a bowling ball

He helped me from my chair, but not before whispering in my ear "I hope you enjoyed this little lunch of yours, because there's only going to be even more each time we see each other my little piggy"

I was so fucking turned on

We kept seeing each other at least twice a week if not more and he had me on a strict diet consisting of the most fattening and unhealthy food he could think of

After a year of this, I had BLOWN UP, I was so fat I needed a cane to walk the few hundred meters I could do without sweating and getting out of breath, my belly was going to my knees and my ass needed two chairs to support it

We decided to put me on the new scale he had bought me, it had a capacity of 750 lbs

When I got on the scale, I could hear it creak under my weight and after a moment, it beeped to signal it had finally weighed me

My feeder got under my belly and gasped, I asked him how much and he got behind me while groping my fat ass and whispered "614.57 lbs, you're officially my prized hog and only going to get bigger you massive pig"

He slapped my ass HARD, grabbed me by my hand and got me to the bedroom where I knew I was going to need another shake and a good fucking

During this time, my tumblr had exploded in popularity, I was getting so much attention from my huge body and they simply couldn't get enough of it

Some would even say that they wanted to be my feeder and would make me even bigger, but I knew they were only words and not actually fattening me up, I already found the one to do this perfectly

I told my feeder and decided it was time for him to take care of me and my blog while I relaxed and let myself go completely

I knew I was in good hand, being able to pig out while gaining as much weight as I wanted and getting fucked anywhere at anytime, what's not to love

I moved in with him and was surprised by the setup he had for me, bariatric bed with every life support machines I could need including a heart monitor, a fridge beside my bed, a 5 gallon jug high up from where my head would be and a trough !?!

I knew I was a pig, but that was a whole new level and I was simply loving it !!!

I was getting so turned on, that's when he got in front of me, put a pair of pig ear and a pig nose, he began force feeding me two boxes of donuts and said

"this will be your world from now on, you'll be in this bed or on all four eating like a true pig, only able to eat, get fatter and be my personal at home piggy

I've put cameras in your room for everyone on your blog to enjoy, they'll be able to see what a real fatty looks like and witness your disgusting diet, you'll be the star like you wanted from the start

I will make you the fattest person on earth and will continue making you fatter until that little heart of yours gives out for good, that's the only moment I will allow you not to stuff yourself until you pass out from eating too much

You better be ready because all of this starts right now"

I answer by putting my walker to the side, struggling to get on all fours and oinking like a real pig

He got into the kitchen and came back with a trolley full of my favorites, took all of them and throw them into the trough no matter what it was

"eat" is all he said

I obliged and began to stuff myself while moaning and grunting

He got behind me and forced my head deeper

"I don't want you to only eat at a normal speed, real pigs finish all of this in not time no matter what, so you better eat more before I force this funnel down your throat again"

I gulped and began eating faster, I didn't care if my mouth was full, I needed to eat faster to satisfy my feeder, that's what I was always best at and I wasn't going to disappoint him, not now or ever

Six years have passed and I was now permanently planted on my bed, hooked up on life support, my blood vessels being clogged up even more by each fattening feast that entered my greedy mouth and needing multiple pills for my diabetes, blood pressure and cholesterol medication just for me to be able to live a little longer each day

I was so fat now my ass was almost reaching the side of the massive California king size bariatric bed, I needed a crane fixed to the ceiling to move me so I could be taken care of

my body was now slick and sweaty all the time from the exertion of being in this massive body, my love handles, rolls of fat, underboobs and my swollen fupa were always sweaty from having lbs after lbs of fat creating a crease of unable to support all the humidity my body was creating, my three massive chins were coated with grease and crumbs from the multiple meals and shakes I needed in a day, it was the same story for my massive chest and enormous belly that now reached my toes all made it hard for me to breath, all my fat was ridden in cellulite all over, especially in my massive juicy ass and my belly was also covered in bright red stretch marks showing my feeder's technique of feeding me the trashiest food with no mercy for my weakened body while crushing my organs and I was really struggling to breath now, even my oxygen mask was barely able to feed me air and if I wasn't huffing I was wheezing like a pig while sweating like I had run a marathon

My feeder as kept his words, he made me the fattest person alive and we couldn't be happier about it, last time we checked my weight via the built in scale it said 1658.93 lbs

And just because I weigh this much doesn't mean we don't have sex, on the contrary

With the help from the crane, he would lift me up just enough to go under me and begin fucking my hearts out until I came again and again

He would also let me know how much he love me and my massive body, he would go on top of me while trying is best to avoid my massive swollen fatty liver that has gotten no rest in my years and unrelentless feeding and kiss me all over, sometimes he would concentrate a little more on my thighs, other times it would be my sagging ass, enormous thighs, my belly of course, he couldn't get enough of it and any other parts of my body really, he truly loves all of me

That doesn't stop him from teasing me by saying something like "look at what we did to your body, you surely are the fattest fuck anyone would have ever seen and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it" or "you know you're going to die on this bed and there's absolutely nothing you can do about it, all you can do is enjoy yourself while it last until your fat coated heart is tired of supporting your body and you get your fourth and final heart attack" he loved to tease me in the meanest way possible and couldn't simply get enough of it

Although, when I was horribly full, feeling like my stomach would explode at any moment, he would get mad and play with my oxygen tube until I agreed to getting stuffed even more

And if I was being an extra good hog, he would up the pressure on my feeding hose so more and more delicious lard shake would go to my stomach and make me even fatter by the second

Oh speaking of which, my viewers also couldn't get enough of me

I now had millions and millions of followers who would log in just to see myself get pumped even more full of lard and get even fatter by the day

I was able to watch all of this happening on the TV my feeder put in front of me

He wanted me to see all the damage we had done to my body and everytime I looked at myself from the live feed, I still couldn't believe I was this impossibly, enormously fat blob who was only good at swallowing lard shakes and letting it all transform into new fat cells that will make me even bigger and unhealthy than I already was

By the way my heart was slooooowly beating, I knew I wouldn't have long until my body gives up

I had reached pretty much all my goals but don't think for a second I don't have any objectives

I still need to get fatter and keep growing for my feeder

I'm always going to be his personal pig and only live to satisfy his need to force feed me the most unhealthy and greasiest food and shakes imaginable

I'll always want more and more and EVEN FUCKING MORE !!!!

Oink Oink !! 🐷

[justmeinadaze]

Still taking requests? Heres an idea i had if youd like to write it. Eddie and chrissy are finally together but chrissy refuses to be seen with eddie at school cuz of her reputation. Reader is the new girl at school and shes gorgeous she takes an interest in eddie while every guy at school is drooling over reader cuz shes the new eye candy. She doesnt know eddie is taken. But they become close and he never tells her hes dating chrissy so when she finally decides to sleep with him she wakes up before him she sees in his night stand chrissys hair scrunchie and a picture of them together she puts 2 and 2 together and leaves. She avoids him like the plauge at school and is super short with him. So when she finally confronts him shes super pissed and telling him that she never wanted to be "the other woman" and she doesnt trust him cuz hes a cheater. You can end it with reader and eddie together or reader getting with someone else like steve or something. Sorry if this was really detailed but its been on my mind for a while. I live for the angst with a happy ending for reader.

A/N: I bare you this story. Idk why this took me a hot minute. You gave a lot of detail to work with :) I hope this matches what you had in mind <3. I to live for the angst with a hopeful ending.

Warnings: A Cheating Eddie 😮 lol many an angst with friends to lovers.

Word count: 4158

Chrissy fiddles with her thumbs nervously before Eddie gently places his huge palm over her tiny hands. 

“Sweetheart, you’re going to be fine. You always get nervous before a pep rally and you always do fantastic.”

She flashes Eddie an anxious smile. He leans over to give her a quick peck on the lips but she quickly pulls back. “Oh, Eddie. It’s just we’re near the school…someone could walk by…”

“No. Um, yeah, I understand.” 

He did understand but that didn’t mean he had to like it. Eddie and Chrissy had been going out for a couple of months now even though no one in Hawkins knew. Everyone in Hawkins would definitely have something to say especially to her if they ever found out. She had already been through so much and he knew how vicious people in this town could be so when Chrissy asked if they could keep their relationship a secret he agreed. 

She looked around before hoping out of his van to walk the last mile up to the school. Eddie made sure she rounded the corner before starting the ignition and heading for the parking lot. He made his way to the gym and climbed the risers to the top corner away from all the kids. He watched with envious eyes as Chrissy talked casually with Jason Carver.

Eddie’s head turned abruptly when he heard heavy footsteps run up the steps and you laid between the risers below his feet. 

“You don’t see me.”, you whispered. One of jocks from the swim team game into view, eyes shifting from left to right as if he was looking for someone. Eddie kept his eyes forward making sure to not give you away. 

“Hey Freak!? Have you seen a girl run by here?”

Eddie shrugs his shoulders as he gestures around the room. “There are girls all over the place. Care to be more descriptive?”

“Ugh, never mind.”, the jock rolled his eyes as he left to look somewhere else. After a moment, you sat up, smiling at him. 

“Thank you…”

“Eddie.”

“Thank you, Eddie. Fucking people around here struggle with the word no. I’m Y/N.”, you extended your hand to him, which he shook. “I just moved into town last week.”

“Ah. So, that’s why you don’t look familiar.”

His breath catches in his throat when he hears your laugh. “Most likely. May I sit with you?”

##################

You two sat together through the entire pep rally talking about Hawkins and the town you moved from. You had mentioned how a lot of the boys here kept following you around constantly asking questions and Eddie couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy. He cared about Chrissy; he really did. But there was something about you that drew him. 

At lunch, he headed for his usual table with his friends when he was knocked to the side by a shoulder. 

“Watch where you’re going, Freak!”, Jason glared at him. Chrissy was by his side with wide eyes as they glanced up apologetically at Eddie before looking away. 

Suddenly, Jason was pushed forward as Chrissy cringed.

“Shit! Oh my god I am so sorry.” The popular kids turned around to see you now holding an empty tray. Eddie smiled slightly when he saw that their backs were covered in your lunch. “You know, I should really watch where I’m going.” You tone was laced with sarcasm. 

Jason huffed, taking off his letterman jacket as he stomped towards the door with Chrissy in tow. You turned around, watching them leave as you placed yourself near Eddie’s side. 

“People like that are the worst.”, you smile up at him. “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, I’m used to all that bullshit by now.”

“Hm. Not sure that’s the kind of thing you should be used to.”

“Y/N!” One of the party boys Eddie vaguely recognizes saunters over to where you are. “Hey! Cool. We have lunch together to. Do you want to come eat with us?”

“Oh. Um…no thank you, Martin. That’s a nice offer but… EDDIE here,” you loop your arm through his, “has actually already invited me to share lunch with him so…”

The boy looks Eddie up and down before rolling his eyes. “Pfft, whatever.”

“Please get me out of here.”, you giggle as Eddie smiles pulling your arm out the back cafeteria doors. 

##################

“You’ll be safe here. No one ever comes out here so at least you won’t be seen with me.”

You raise your eyebrow at him. “I just wanted to get away from the wondering eyes of men trying to get in my pants.”

As Eddie opens his lunchbox, he feels you sit next to him on the bench and place your hand over his own. “Is that normal? People not wanting to be seen with you?” He nods before offering you some pretzels from a zip lock bag. “I don’t understand. I mean, you seem like a nice guy.”

Eddie can’t help but chuckle. “You seriously don’t understand why the rich, preppy jock kids wouldn’t want to hang out with the poor, weirdo metalhead? Jesus, I want to move where you used to live.”

“I’m not one to focus on mundane shit like that. Who cares? None of it will matter after we graduate.”

“You see, Princess, the problem is I can’t seem to graduate.” Eddie gives you half of his sandwich that you gladly take. 

“I can help you if you want. I’m not great at Math but everything else I’m eh.”, you smile over at him. “Maybe we can hang out tonight or something. I can also buy us some food to pay you back for eating all your lunch.”

“Oh, you don’t have to pay me back.”

“Ok, then maybe you would just want to hang out with me?”

“Um, I don’t know if that’s a good idea.”, Eddie pulled out a cigarette, lighting the tip, and exhaling. 

“Oh. Um, ok. No that’s fine. Trust me. I get pushy people so I won’t push you.” You softly run your hand down his back. “Shit, I have to go but if you don’t want to hang out outside of school maybe we can meet during lunch and I can help you study.”

Eddie watches as you run off back towards campus.

#################

You and Eddie quickly became fast friends. True to your word you sat with him during lunch and helped him with some of his homework while Chrissy stayed with the jocks at their table. After school, while Chrissy was at practice, you both would go to the bench in the woods and smoke while talking about random things. You had started waiting for him in the parking lot, after he dropped Chrissy off a mile before campus, so you two could walk to class together. 

He loved being around you and the way you made him feel. Eddie was so used to people in the town talking down to him that to have someone actually enjoy his company in front of other people… he felt like he was being seen for the first time in a long time. 

“Hey, why don’t we go to the arcade together, hm?”

Chrissy looks up at Eddie from her place on his bed. They had been there since school let out; her reading something for one of her classes and him anxiously staring off into the void. She let out a small laugh as his eyes penetrated through her. 

“Eddie, you’re joking, right? You know we can’t do that.”

“Why? What would be so wrong about you and I being seen in a public place? I’m tired of hiding Chris…”

“I know, Eds. I know.” She leans up and tenderly kisses his cheek. “But it won’t be for much longer. Soon we’ll be out of here! Speaking of… I should probably head home. I’ll call you tomorrow?”

He nods his head, lazily kissing her lips as she scurries out the door. Eddie couldn’t stay inside any longer. He needed to get out of his trailer. 

#################

“Hey Eddie. Want a beer, man?” The bartender behind the counter slides him a glass of the kind he knew this metalhead enjoyed. Sighing, he chugged down half of his beverage before a familiar laugh caught his attention. 

His eyes scanned the bar until he found you with none other than Steve Harrington. You two were at one of the pool tables and his chest was leaning over your back as he showed you how to play the game. The jealousy he felt at the pep rally the first time he met you filled his chest. He hated the way Steve’s hands were on you and the fact that you allowed him to touch you. 

He knew he wasn’t allowed to feel this way. He WAS with Chrissy after all but you were special; special to him. Eddie’s feet took control of his body as he found himself in front you guys. 

“Hey Eddie.”, you giggled as he leaned into Steve’s chest. 

“Hey Munson. How’s it going?”

“Fine.”, his tone was extremely short which only you caught. “How do you know Harrington here?”

“Oh, I went to Family Video to rent a movie and he was working there.” Eddie made an overdramatic shocked face that had you narrowing your eyes. “He asked me out on date and he seemed nice so I said yes.” Steve beamed down at you as you spoke. 

“Ah. So this is a date?”, he gestured between the both of you. 

“Yes,” you cocked your head to the side. “Is that a problem?”

“Nope. No problem at all.”

“Steve, would you excuse me for a second?” He nods his head as you grab Eddie’s arm pulling him to the side. “Ok, what’s going on?”

“I said there wasn’t a problem. Go on. Enjoy your date with Steve the Hair Harrington. I’m sure you’ll both have a good time.”

“Eddie Munson, I hate games. If you have something to say, say it.”

“No game here. Trust me. I don’t care who you date, touch, or fuck, Princess. Have the most vanilla time of your life.” He turns on you, walking straight out of bar towards his van. 

“Hey!” Eddie doesn’t stop but he hears your sneakers pounding the pavement as you run after him. You reach for his arm forcefully turning him around. 

“I asked you if you wanted to hang out. You always said it was a bad idea so I just assumed you wanted to be friends. I’ve practically thrown myself at you and every time you push me away. You never make a move, Eddie. What do you want from me? If you want to just be friends that’s fine but if you want something more don’t be a coward. Just tell me—”

His hand flies out to grab the back of your neck, tugging your mouth to his. To his delight, you deepen it, pressing your body against his own. When you finally pull back, you’re both panting for air. 

“Get in.” Eddie gestures towards his van and you run around climbing into the passenger’s side as he hops in, starting the car. 

As he peels out of the parking lot, your lips are immediately back on his skin, kissing and sucking on his neck. His belt clinks as you unbuckle it, unbuttoning his pants, and pulling out his cock. 

He groans as you immediately envelop him with your mouth. You take as much of him in as you can, smearing the spit that falls with your hand. Eddie’s own palm comes to rest on the back of your head, softly guiding you. 

“Fuck, Sweetheart. Just like that. Your mouth feels amazing.”

You feel the van stop before his hips thrust up forcing him down to the back of your throat, making you gag. He suddenly tugs gently on your hair, bringing you to his lips for a sloppy kiss. 

When he pulls away you take note of your surroundings. 

“Where are we?”, your voice comes out hoarse. 

“My house. Well, trailer.”

Eddie gets out and, while holding his pants up, runs around to your side to open your door. You can’t help but giggle at the sight. 

“Your uncle isn’t here?”

He opens his door for you, gesturing you in.  “No ma’am. He’s at work tonight so it will just be you and me.”

You head for his room as he follows, kicking off his pants and sneakers along the way. 

Eddie comes up behind you, lifting you off your feet, and playfully tosses you on the bed. Your eyes meet his as you reach up with you finger to move a piece of stray hair out of his face. His lips softly come down to meet yours. You raise your hips, pulling your skirt down as he helps you by tugging them the rest of the way down your legs and on to the floor. 

He rolls to your side, moving out of the way so you can throw off your shirt. 

“No bra? Really?”

“Oh, like you really didn’t notice.”, you laugh at him as you kick off your panties. 

“You really went all out for Steve, huh?”

You reach for his hand, placing it between your legs. “Maybe but all of this,” you glide his finger between your folds, “is for you.”

Eddie’s eyes never left you as he brought his fingers to his mouth, sucking on them before inserting then into your cunt. You moaned at the feeling of him reaching that spot inside of your that your own fingers couldn’t manage to touch. 

“You’re really beautiful, you know that?”, his lips met yours again as his tongue danced with yours. His thumb moved to circle your clit as his fingers pumped into you faster. 

“Eddie, oh my god.”

He chuckled as he pulled away to watch your face. “You have done this before right? Because, Jesus, Y/N you are so fucking tight.”

Your hips buck up into his hand as you back starts to arch. Your mouth searches for his but he keeps it just far enough away to where you can’t reach. “Cum for me, Sweetheart. Cum so I can fuck you the way you deserve to be fucked. Way better than any of these other assholes that chase after you.”

Eddie thrusts his fingers into you at a rapid pace as the sound filled his room. You shouted his name repeatedly as you tumbled over the edge. He leaned down to your ear, whispering praises to you as you came down. 

He threw off his shirt and crawled over you to reach his bedside table. He hastily pulled out a condom, shoving his boxers down his legs. You watch as he fumbled over the wrapper. 

“You have done this before, right?” You giggle as you take condom from him and tear it with your teeth before handing it back to him. Eddie kisses your cheek before taking it from you and sliding it over his length. 

He positions himself between your legs as he leans back on his heels. His eyes marvel at your body as he places his cock outside you entrance. You both give each other a tender smile before he slowly pushes himself into you. Your mouth opens in a silent O as your head falls back onto his pillow. His calloused palms grip your thighs as he looks down watching his dick disappear inside of you inch by inch. 

“Fucking hell, Y/N.” Eddie groans when he feels himself bottom out. 

“Move, Eddie. Please.”

“Are you sure?”, he asks, his voice breathy and needy. “You’re, fuck, you’re really fucking right. I don’t want to hurt you. 

You laugh coyly. “You can hurt me a little, Eddie Munson.”

He smiles, lifting one of your legs over his shoulder as he starts to pump into you, gradually picking up a steady pace. You whimper at the feeling as he constantly hits that sweet spot inside of you. Your pussy flutters around him as you listen to him grunt in pleasure. He reaches for both your hands, pulling your arms for leverage as he thrusts into you harder. 

The sound of skin slapping is barely audible over your moans. 

“That’s it, Y/N. Such a good girl, taking me so fucking well. Let the whole town hear you. I don’t fucking care.” 

Your leg drops as he leans forward, encasing you underneath him. You wrap your arms around his shoulders, clinging to him as pounds into your body with purpose. The coil in your belly snaps as you scream his name. His head lifts to watch your face again as you cum. Eddie’s rhythm dramatically slowing as he fucks you through it. 

“You’re so gorgeous, Y/N. You’re pretty all the time but your especially beautiful like this.” Your eyes are closed but you smile at his words. He begins thrusting into again chasing his own high. 

“I don’t deserve you. I don’t deserve to have someone as beautiful as you in my bed.”

You open your eyes then meeting his focused gaze. “Yes, you do. You deserve to be happy, Eddie.” Craning your neck up towards him, you press your lips to his. You hold him to you as his hips sputter and he pulls away, moaning as he hovers above you, eyes squeezed shut as he cums. 

He delicately pulls out of you, taking off the condom and throwing it in the trash. When he lays back down, he wraps his arms around you before you both fall into a blissful sleep. 

When Eddie woke up the next morning, you were gone. He reached for his phone dialing your number but you didn’t pick up. He quickly got dressed with the intention of running to your house but as soon as he opened the door he was met with Chrissy’s tiny face. 

“Hey. You okay? You look frazzled.” She looks up at him with worried eyes. 

“No, um, was just going to head somewhere real quick but it’s fine. What are you, um, what are you going here?”

“I figured since I bailed last night maybe we could watch a movie or something.”

“Chrissy, we need to talk.”

#######################

As soon as Eddie drove up to the school Monday morning, he knew something was wrong because you weren’t there waiting for him. He searched for you everywhere but couldn’t find you. When he walked to the cafeteria during his lunch and saw your usual seat was empty, he turned right back around, heading for the woods. He had zero intention of pretending like everything was ok with his friends or even worse sitting at a table alone with all eyes looking in his direction. 

When he reached the bench outside, he was surprised to find you. 

“Y/N, where the hell have you been? I’ve been worried about you.” You made a little amused face as a small hm left your mouth. “Are you ok?”

“Yup. I am just fine.”

“You don’t sound fine.”

“I’m good, Eddie.” You grabbed your bag, jumping off the tabletop, and heading away from him. 

“Okay, ya hypocrite.” You stop walking but you don’t turn around to face him. “Miss I don’t like games. You’re obviously pissed about something. You were gone Sunday morning when I woke up. I called you but you didn’t answer. I’ve been searching for you all morning and when I finally find you, you barely talk to me, let alone even fucking look at me. What the fuck is wrong—”

“I got up in the middle of the night to use your bathroom. When I was washing my hands, I found a green Hawkins scrunchie. You know the ones the cheerleading girls wear? Didn’t really think anything of it until I noticed the picture of you and Chrissy Cunningham on your dresser in your room.”

You threw your bag at his chest which he blocked with his hands. Finally looking at him, you glared with angry, fire filled eyes. “How dare you stand there and call me a hypocrite, you fucking cheater!” You pushed his chest with your hands and he did nothing to stop you. You had every right to be mad. 

“Oh, you have nothing to say now, huh? You plenty to say when you pulled me away from my date Saturday night.” You shoved him again. “Three months, Eddie! We’ve been friends for three months and you never once mentioned her. I didn’t even know you two were together.”

“Because that’s how she wanted it. The first time we met, I told you people didn’t want to be seen with me.”

“Why would you stay with her then?”

“On some level I understood where she was coming from. You just moved here. I’ve lived here my whole life. You have no idea how cruel people in this fucking town can be. I-I thought I was fine with our arrangement until…”

“Until what?” He looks down at his sneakers and you push his chest again. “I deserve an answer, Eddie. Until what?!”

“Until I met you!”, he shouts, striding up to you till his chest bumped yours. When he spoke again his tone was much calmer. “Until I met you. And it wasn’t just because you are sweet, beautiful, and the coolest fucking person I have ever met. It was because you didn’t care who saw us talking to each other. You sat with me at lunch and hung out with me around town. You stood up for me when no one else did. Not even her.”

“I…”, you sigh, crossing your arms as you slowly back away from him. “I’m sorry she put you through that but… I just don’t know if I can trust you, Eddie. You should have been honest with me.”

“I broke up with her.” Your eyes met his. “I’m not saying that absolves me of anything. You’re right. I’m a fucking asshole and I should have been honest with you from the beginning. No matter what, it’s over and whenever you’re ready, whether it’s a relationship or a friendship, I’ll be waiting.”

###################

You sat behind the school with your head in your arms as you cried. The feeling of a tiny hand tapping you, startled you as your eyes watch Chrissy Cunningham hold her skirt as she sinks down next to you.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” you wipe your eyes, “I’m fine, Chrissy. Thank you.”

She looks at her hands as she nods. “He’s a good man. Eddie.” She meets your eyes and smiles. “I knew it was coming, the breakup. I was just too much of a coward to let him go. To be honest, when I saw you helping him study at lunch, I was glad he found someone to talk to. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen him smile the way he smiles with you.”

“Chrissy, I…”

“He told me what happened. I’m not angry but I can understand why you would be. I’m not here to defend him. I just thought, maybe, you could use my two cents.” 

“Thank you.” She smiled at you again as she stood up and brushed the gravel from her skirt. “You’re not a coward by the way.” She grinned again giving you a small wave before disappearing around the corner. 

##############

“Eddie!”

Eddie pulled the cigarette from his lips as he removed his headphones. “Jesus, Wayne! What!?”

“Don’t take that tone with me. Now put on a shirt because there’s a girl here to see you.”

“A girl? What gi—”

“Geez. It seems like you and I can never finish a sentence.” You laugh as his uncle moves a side so you can pass him into his nephew’s room. “Thank you and it was nice to finally meet you.”

“Pleasure is all mine. Edward, I’m headed to work. Don’t burn the trailer down.”

Eddie places his guitar to the side as he grabs a random shirt from the floor. He squishes his cigarette before throwing it over his head. 

“Hey. Hi.” You smile as he stammers, taking a seat at the edge of his bed. 

“What are you listening to?”

He hands you the headphones as he picks up his guitar again. Eddie starts strumming some notes from a Metallica song and you can hear them flow through your ears. 

“So I can practice without people complaining.” He grins as he takes the headphones you hand him, placing them on his stereo. “I, um, I’m glad you’re here.”

“I’d like to start over. As friends at first if that’s ok.”

“Okay. Can I… take you out to the movies on Friday night? Strictly as friends, course.”

“Oh, of course.” You both laugh.

“I’m really sorry for hurting you. Thank you for giving me another chance.”

Your hands cup his cheeks, turning him to face you as you place a soft kiss on his lips.

“I forgive you.”

[maccreadysbaby]

Project: Killcode

batfamily + oc insert

tw: barely touches sensitive topics but there isnt really anything triggering

wanna read more? here’s the table of contents!

want to read the first fic in the hundred days series so you understand what’s going on here? here it is!

finally got to write bentley alone with our boy 🥰

part twenty-six

❝ SOCIAL PRESSURES ❞

SATURDAY — JULY 28 — 12:10AM

BENTLEY WAS THE LAST ONE TO WAKE UP ON SATURDAY, FEELING JUST SORT OF… EMPTY. Like some part of him had been dragged away behind Tim’s vehicle when he rolled out of the school parking lot on Wednesday evening, and he hadn’t gotten it back since.

He didn’t do much after Tim took him back to the campus. It was in the middle of dinner time, so he just sat in the room until everyone got back, then talked to Asten, answered a phone call from Bruce, and went to bed feeling weird. It was that same kind of weird he felt when Bruce left for a business trip, or Dick went back to Bludhaven for a while, or Duke left for college, or when Tim finally moved out on his own. It wasn’t really homesickness, he didn’t think. Because he didn’t want to go home, he just wanted to…

Well… maybe it was kind of homesick, but not for the Manor. Just for the people in the Manor.

Bentley was homesick, and it hadn’t even been a week. He had, like, a lot of weeks left.

(Yay…)

Thursday, he still felt all empty, and Friday, too, and now, on Saturday morning, it was still plaguing him. He laid in his bed until noon, when Asten told him they were going to lunch. 

He decided he wasn’t very hungry. So he stayed in the dorm alone.

It was different when he was by himself, actually. Definitely more peaceful. The knowledge that he could do whatever he wanted without anyone knowing was kind of… new. And weird.

Even with that information and the whole dorm at his disposal, all he chose to do was sit on the couch in the living area and scroll aimlessly on his phone.

He wasn’t sure why he felt so much like doing nothing just because Tim came to visit. He’d thought it would, like, help him or something. But it had really only made him want to… leave. He loved Redwood, and school, but for now he just kind of wanted to be where they were, and he didn’t know how to shake it.

Ten minutes of an empty dorm later, and his phone started to ring in the telltale chimy tone of a facetime.

Dick! was the name on the screen.

Bentley aimed the camera mosty at the ceiling (but made sure his eyes and forehead were in it, too.) and then hit the green button.

Dick was not the one whose face showed up. Bentley creased his brow and peered down at the deep black hair and greenish-blue eyes that had appeared on the screen. “Damian?”

“Hi,” Was his response. Only about half of his face was on the screen, too, and it looked like he was in… Bentley’s room, actually. He could see his stand-up dresser in the background. “I confiscated Richard’s phone in response to getting unfairly grounded — he’s been in Bludhaven looking for it for three days. I’m taking refuge in your bedroom to hide from everyone.”

(Bruce had just recently started the art of grounding — mostly because he did it to Asten once after he snuck out and, of course, it went exponentially well. Asten never dared argue with Bruce after he took him in.)

(Bentley guessed he’d soon find it didn’t work so well with Damian, considering he’d already stolen a phone for three whole days.)

Bentley smiled faintly, sitting up a bit more on the couch. “Grounded? What did you do?”

“I… may have had an altercation at the school's open house. With that blonde haired disappointment to mankind who took it upon himself to traumatize you in your short time at Gotham Academy,” Damian replied nonchalantly, with a shrug. 

“So, you’re saying you got in a fight with Jesse Todryk?”

Damian shrugged again. “It was hardly a fight. I might’ve disemboweled him had it been socially acceptable. Instead, I settled for stabbing him through the hand with his own pen.”

“Geez, dude. Why did you fight him?” Bentley questioned, shifting on the couch so he was sitting criss-cross.

“He was slandering our father’s name. Spreading childishly crude rumors about our family, as if he doesn’t have a giant homicidal bird for a sister and stereotypical divorced parents who can’t get along enough to save their children’s egos,” He continued.

Bentley hummed with an amused look on his face. “What did he say? About dad?”

“It was…” A thoughtful look passed over Damian’s features, his greenish eyes bouncing here and there before he looked back at the camera. “It doesn’t matter, you wouldn’t understand it.”

At that, Bentley seemed to deflate, and he couldn’t help the tinge of venom that came through in his words: “Maybe I would if you’d explain it to me.”

“I…” Damian paused, stayed silent, and then sighed lightly. “It's inappropriate, Bentley. I’d rather not be the one to introduce you to that type of thing.”

Bentley huffed. “Okay…”

There was a moment of silence. Then: “Is your new academy acceptable?”

Bentley smiled tensely, faintly. “Yes, it’s great,”

Y’know, besides all the stuff that wasn’t so great. But Damian didn’t need to know about those things.

“I overheard Asten and father talking about how you’ve been acting strange since visiting with Drake,” Damian continued. “Did something happen while he was there?”

“No, of course not,” Bentley cringed, huffing lightly. “I just… miss you guys, is all. It’s weird to be away.”

He heard Damian sigh. “I have to admit, it is odd without you and Asten here. I’m not very fond of being the youngest in the Manor again.”

Bentley smiled a small, mischievous smile. “Is that a roundabout way of telling me you miss me, too?”

"If that is how you wish to take it,”

Bentley smiled, but he wasn’t sure why, because that same pang in his chest came and went that he felt when Tim was visiting. The pang that just made him want to go home.

“I knew you liked me,” Was what he said. Then a beat passed. “How’s patrol been?”

“Well, that degenerate Todryk bruised a few of my ribs at the school, so I’ve been benched lately. I think it’s been mostly quiet, anyhow,” Damian shrugged. “It seems as though father wishes to prohibit me from living my life.”

Bentley snickered. “I’m sure that’s not it.”

"All I'm allowed to do is go to school. It's practically torture,"

"Why don't you talk to him about it?" Bentley questioned, looking out the window at nothing in particular. "He was pretty lenient even when Asten was grounded."

"That's because Asten is sad and obeys him like a wet dog," Damian stated, and Bentley laughed so suddenly he made a pfft sound. "I, however, do not cave under the weight of my superior's authoritative hand."

With a shake of his head and an amused grin, Bentley deadpanned: "He's your dad."

"And even so, he will not so easily overtake me,"

Bentley found himself chuckling lightly. "You're so funny."

"I don't see why you find my keen ability to resist crumbling under social pressures amusing, but whatever makes you happy, I suppose," Damian continued, running a hand through his hair on the screen.

Bentley snickered. "Said social pressures being your dad grounding you.”

"In this situation, they happen to be that, yes,"

Bentley, with a smile, shrugged into the camera. "Y'know, when a kid does something bad while grounded, most parents usually just ground them for longer. You could be infinitely grounded."

“You’re trying to get me to obey father? I will not cave to your social pressures either! I do not deserve punishment for defending his honor!” Damian rambled with this miffed look on his face, and Bentley just laughed at him.

“You stabbed him through the hand with a pen!”

Damian scoffed. “You, of all people, know he deserves much more than that. He refuses to leave me alone, even in the summer. Perhaps he will give up now that I’ve injured him.”

“Perhaps,” Bentley repeated with a smile.

“I’d suggest that-“

In the background of the call, Bentley heard a door swing open, and then there was an exasperated: “Damian!” And the voice who’d said it made Bentley sad again.

“I will not cave to your social pressures, father!”

“Is that Dick’s phone?!”

Bentley just chuckled as Damian and Bruce bickered, and eventually, the phone was wrestled out of his brother’s hand, and Bruce’s face appeared on the screen.

He sighed, then smiled, his eyes going soft like they always did. “Hey there, chum.”

“Hey,” Bentley replied with a smile. “I tried to talk him into obeying you, but no cigar.”

“Thanks anyway,” Bruce sighed. “How are you today? Asten mentioned something about you being homesick on the phone earlier.”

Bentley huffed lightly, because of course Asten just had to go telling Bruce when he was acting weird. “I’m good — just kinda miss you guys, is all.”

“Well, we miss you, too,” Bruce smiled a kind of sad smile. “You’re always welcome to come back on the weekends, if that’s something that interests you.”

Bentley shrugged. It did sound nice, but he also didn’t want Bruce to think he couldn’t handle a boarding school. It was just boarding school, and they called every day, and Bentley wasn’t a baby, he was thirteen. So it was fine. “I think I’ll just stay here.”

Bruce smiled. “Okay. Well, I’ll let you go enjoy your Saturday so I can go deal with your brother — I love you, Bentley.”

“I love you, dad,” Bentley replied.

The last thing he heard before the call ended was a muffled sentence from Damian, “This house is a nightmare without you!” And then Bruce looked dead into the camera, blank-faced, shook his head, and hung up.

Bentley snickered, but immediately found himself empty again as soon as the caller ID disappeared.

That was a pleasant surprise, at least. He hadn’t really talked to Damian outside of brief greetings while he was on the phone with other members of the family. And he had to say — even if Damian wouldn’t outright admit it, it made Bentley feel accomplished that the assassin missed him.

And with that weird, empty, cold feeling creeping back in, he continued to scroll aimlessly. That is, until someone went: “Jesus Christ!” And Bentley jumped so hard he nearly fell off the couch, accidentally tossing his phone a foot or two at the abrupt exclamation.

His eyes snapped up only to meet the deep green ones that belonged to Rockie. He was standing in the doorway of his bedroom with jeans, a white t-shirt, and a leather jacket, looking like he was about to go somewhere. “I had no idea you were still in here.”

“I had no idea you were still in here,” Bentley replied, creasing his brow. “Why didn’t you go to lunch?”

Rockie shrugged, quickly scanning Bentley with his unnaturally green eyes. “Didn’t want to. You?”

“Didn’t want to,”

Rockie nodded to himself, walking over to the kitchenette where there was now a full coffee pot. (Where did they keep getting these random appliances?) “Great minds, I guess.”

Bentley nodded in response. He hadn’t actually talked to Rockie all that much — Asten had, because Rockie was more his speed, while Bellamy and Varian were more Bentley’s. So Bentley wasn’t exactly sure what to say to him.

Instead of speaking, he just watched Rockie pour himself a cup of coffee, shockingly smoothly for a kid with gigantic metal gloves on. He took a sip and sighed.

“I’m actually about to go into the city to pick something up, if you wanna tag along so you’re not just alone in here. I won’t argue with a little company as long as your down for it,” He continued, glancing over at Bentley.

Actually, leaving the school sounded like a great distraction from being homesick.

Bentley glanced down at his pajamas, which he’d oh-so-gracefully kept on for the entire day. “I’ll have to change.”

“No rush. I don’t chug my coffee, only psychos do that,” Rockie replied.

Bentley snickered and, with a stretch, got up and went back into his room. He made himself look more like a human and less like a dumpster pretty quickly, by changing into real clothes (a hoodie and jeans, but hoodies were real.) and putting some water in his hair. He also grabbed his phone and put some money in the case, if he needed it.

Mister I-don’t-chug-my-coffee was done with it when Bentley came out five minutes later, and was already washing his mug in the sink.

Rockie glanced back at him, then turned the sink off. “Ready?”

“Yep,” Bentley replied, popping the p for added effect. Rockie dried his hands and grabbed his phone off the counter, then headed to the front door. Bentley followed suit.

They went the same way off campus as they did when they went to Layla’s house — between their buildings and through the parking lots back there. Bentley almost wondered why it wasn’t more secure, but then again, the campus was massive and it would probably cost a fortune to try and fence the whole thing. Not that he was complaining about it being easy to sneak off.

“We can go wherever you want. We have a whole Saturday to burn,” Rockie said as they made it to the actual New York sidewalks, where the tall buildings started. “Have you been to Times Square? It’s pretty cool.”

“I rode through it once,” Bentley shrugged. “But I’ve never walked there.”

“It’ll take a little longer, but we can cut through it on our way,” He replied. “I’m headed to a pharmacy on the other end of Manhattan.”

“Oh,” Was Bentley’s utterly intriguing response.

Rockie didn’t seem to be one for much talking, because he was pretty quiet while they walked unless he was pointing out something cool. Bentley didn’t mind — he picked up on the other things he was doing, like intentionally putting Bentley on the inside of the sidewalk away from the road, or making sure he was always in his peripheral, never straying too far ahead. Bentley also caught the way his eyes seemed to linger on the people that went by — mostly men — like he were sizing them up or assessing their threat level. Sometimes he even went about grabbing Bentley’s arm if they passed someone particularly sketchy looking.

It was kind of nice. Y’know, to walk around with someone without having to talk the whole time, but still being able to tell they genuinely cared about his wellbeing and enjoyed his presence. It was almost like being with Tim, again, in a way.

Bentley tried not to feel empty about it.

“So, you survived the first week. Do you think you like it at Redwood?” Rockie asked after a while. They were walking on more crowded sidewalks than they had been, and Bentley could see bright lights in the distance.

“Yeah, I think so,” Bentley replied. “Much better than homeschool in Gotham. Where are you from?”

“Here. New York,” Rockie replied, gesturing to the street they were walking on. "Home sweet home. I usually board at the school year-round, though."

"Oh. Why?" Bentley questioned, glancing up at Rockie. He watched him inch closer to him while passing what looked like a homeless man that smelled like weed, and then separate again once the coast was clear.

Rockie shrugged. "Home just... isn't really a place I love to be."

"Oh," Good job, doofus. "Sorry."

"No sweat, kid," He replied with a shrug. "Everyones got a story -- mine just isn't the prettiest."

"Mine, either," Bentley replied, and when Rockie looked over at him with a strange expression, he continued: "Before Bruce, I mean."

"Gotcha," He said with a nod of his head. "We're coming up on Times Square now. Not that you could miss it."

He and Rockie took a left turn, and they were suddenly in the brightest and most colorful place Bentley had ever seen. There were people everywhere -- hundreds, at least, which was only slightly freaking him out. Even in the daytime, the electronic billboards shined down and turned the sidewalk different colors, the sounds of cars and overlapping chatter making a loud sort of white noise effect that never went away.

"Whoa," He muttered, taking a second to look in a full circle. Rockie just stood off next to him, watching, hovering kind of like Bruce did.

When he looked back over at him, Rockie had a goofy smirk on his face.

Bentley pouted. "What?"

"Nothing," Rockie shook his head. "I just love seeing peoples reactions when I bring them here. It's my favorite place. There's so many colors."

Despite his smile, Rockie got this strange, far-away look in his green eyes for a split second before he forced them to obey. Bentley acted like he didn't notice, but he did notice (thanks to John Whittaker, he physically couldn't miss the most minute of changes in people's expressions.) and he wondered why it was at that moment, of all times, that that look showed up. When Rockie was talking about colors. Maybe he lived in a circumstance where he wasn't able to see many colors, before Redwood?

After all, Bentley had said the grocery store was his favorite place all those years ago because he'd never seen so many colors until then.

"It's so cool here. I think it's my favorite place, too," Bentley replied, glancing down the sidewalks and through the crowds of people. There were so many different kinds of people, with so many different kinds of hair and clothes, with different styles and different vibes that they gave off. It was nothing like Gotham, where everything was just like... grey. And rainy. And sad.

Okay, maybe not that sad, but it definitely wasn't like New York.

Bentley watched a girl in a skin-tight, lime green, super log dress pass. She had blonde hair the length of her arms and bright blue makeup on her eyes. The odds of seeing a girl like that in Gotham were, like, zero.

He watched another girl pass -- in a sports bra and these really tight shorts, with a ball cap. She looked like she was going for a run. People didn't really do that in Gotham, either. (But he did avert his eyes quickly. He still wasn't sure why a lot of girls in New York liked to go places without shirts.)

As he moved his eyes away from the running lady, they immediately snapped onto the brightest color in his vicinity -- a girl in a bright yellow dress, or something, that was walking away from him.

Only, that didn't really look like a dress. He stepped forward a bit, and squinted. No, not a dress. It looked like... a cape? It had a yellow hood that went over her head.

Bentley squinted some more, watching her move through the crowd. No one payed her much mind. At one point, she even took her hood off, and her hair was-

Platinum...?

Bentley gasped and whirled around in tandem when Rockie's gloved hand landed on his shoulder. His grin was gone and now he looked... concerned, and confused. His eyes flicked over Bentley's shoulder to the street. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Bentley was quick to respond. Too quick, probably, but he couldn't really take it back. He turned back around and scoured the street for the yellow, but despite all the bright colors, it was gone. "No, yeah -- I'm fine."

Rockie hummed, moving up closer to Bentley's side. He could feel his green eyes lingering on his face. Bentley didn't look at him. He just watched people pass, his eyes flicking from here to there and back again in search of the yellow, bringing his hands up to fiddle with the strings of his hoodie.

"See someone you know?" Rockie asked slowly, in this sort of detective-y tone that was kind of similar to Bruce when he asked a question he already knew the answer to.

Bentley pulled on his hoodie string. "I... thought I did. But it was... someone else. Sorry. It freaked me out because they're..."

He glanced up at Rockie, and their eyes met, brown on green.

Bentley looked away. "... they're dead."

He heard Rockie let out a breath, and he gently squeezed Bentley's shoulder with his metal glove. "I'm sorry."

Bentley glanced up at him to ask why, but then promptly remembered Rockie probably thought it was, like, a family member or something that Bentley had lost. That was a much better route to take than trying to come up with a detailed lie on the spot. So he went with it.

"It's okay," Was all he said, keeping it short and simple and kinda quiet, just to sell whatever he was trying to sell.

Rockie bought it. He just squeezed Bentley's shoulder again and sighed: "Do you wanna move on, or stay here for a bit? I don't mind either option."

Bentley glanced around the colorful place again, but really, he was looking at everything yellow. She wasn't alive. She was dead. She was dead. Bruce saw it. Bruce wouldn't lie to him.

"We can go," He replied. Without an argument one way or another, Rockie let go of his shoulder and carried on walking, and Bentley stayed right by his side.

She was dead.

Bentley and Rockie walked through Times Square and down more crowded New York streets, glancing in shop windows and restaurants as they did so. Bentley kept a sharp lookout for anything yellow, but he never saw her... or whatever had looked like her, again. Maybe he was just jumpy after his nightmare, or something. Not that jumpiness meant hallucinating, but whatever. Maybe it did. This once. Because the Secret Keeper was dead.

They walked in the quiet again, apart from Rockie pointing out cool graffiti or stores -- and after a good while of that, he slowed in front of a large drug store built into the bottom of a tall building. It looked sort of old, with big, fading red and white striped awnings on the front and peeling white paint on the bricks. The door was glass -- the whole front wall, really, because there were huge windows -- but they didn't look like they'd been cleaned in a long while.

"This is my stop. It's kinda old and rough, but you'll have to suffer through the yellow tile and water stained ceiling, 'cause I'm not leaving you out on the street," He started, glancing at Bentley before he moved to the door.

"That's fine," Bentley replied. Not that he had another choice, anyways. He also wasn't going to leave himself out on the streets of New York. Yeah, he'd probably be able to defend himself using superpowers, but then the police would get involved, and Bruce would be called, and he'd know they snuck out, then would come things like jail time and foster care and Bentley wasn't down for that.

So he followed Rockie into the sketchy store.

Which was even more sketchy on the inside. The tile was yellowing, and the ceiling was stained, just like he'd said. The giant florescent lights were doing little to light the place up. There were shelves lining the building filled with off-brand products that all looked sort of fishy, if Bentley had anything to say about it.

"You can look around, if you want to. I think there's candy on the other side. I won't be long," Rockie said. Bentley just followed him back toward the back, where a pharmacy counter was, but he didn't want to intrude on his private stuff, so he drifted over to some shelves and looked at said candy. It was all sweets that he hadn't heard of, and he might've actually considered trying some of it if there wasn't a high probability of that whole store being drugged.

Bentley looked around at a few more things, trying to stay out of the way but also not get himself kidnapped out of the store. The more he tried to not be nosey, he more he ended up listening to bits and pieces of Rockie’s conversation with the pharmacist against his will, and within those bits and pieces, he heard the word Fluoxetine.

Which weirdly enough, he’d heard somewhere before. 

Fluoxetine. It was definitely medicine. He wracked his brain for instances when he’d been reading pill bottles. Maybe he’d seen it in Tim’s bathroom, on occasions when he’d stolen taken ibuprofen from his room?

Wait a second. He was pretty sure that Fluoxetine had been… 

That it was…

Tim’s old depression medicine?

Did that mean Rockie was…

Bentley said nothing and hovered near those shelves until Rockie came to join him with a little brown bag. He sighed lightly, taking a moment to scan Bentley calculatively. “Hey, you ready?”

“Yeah,” Was Bentley’s response, and he made sure to act extra normal because Rockie probably didn’t know he knew what Fluoxetine was. It wasn’t his business. It so wasn’t his business. (Why was he so good at hearing things that weren’t his business?)

As he and Rockie walked through the pharmacy, he tried to make himself feel better by telling himself surely that wasn’t all the medicine was for. He whipped his phone out, turned his brightness down, and googled it on the way out, to make himself feel better.

The Internet told him it was also used to treat bulimia (an eating disorder where people threw up their food, he thought.), obsessive compulsive disorder, and panic disorder.

He swiped the tab away and internally cringed at himself.

(That didn’t make him feel any better.)

What sounded like a Christmas bell jingled when Rockie opened the door and held it for him, and Bentley stepped back out on the sidewalk, into the warm New York sun.

“We can go back to the school, or we can grab lunch somewhere if you want,” Rockie suggested as they walked, making sure to put himself between Bentley and the road. “I’m down for whatever, it’s your call.”

Bentley really didn’t want to pick, so he shrugged instead. “I’m good with either.”

“That doesn’t help us make a decision,” Rockie snickered. Then, he dug around in his pants pocket as they walked. “Heads, we eat, tails, we go back.”

Bentley watched as Rockie pulled out a quarter and positioned it on his thumb, then flicked it in the air, caught it, and slapped it on the back of his hand. 

George Washington’s face was staring up at them.

“Ah, the president thinks we should eat,” Rockie continued, shoving the coin back in his pocket. “What do you like, Bentley?”

Bentley shrugged again. “I’m not very picky. Do you have a favorite place?” 

Rockie hummed in contemplation. “Yeah, I think so. Georgia actually works there.”

It took so much willpower for Bentley to hide the massive cringe that tried to force its way onto his face.

“-But she isn’t working today, because of the dance, I think,” 

Bentley exhaled lightly. At least he had that going for him.

“Sounds good,” He said, tapping his fingertips on his pants. “I’ve actually been there before. It’s where Asten and I first met her.”

“Oh, nice. She never told me about that,”

Bentley hated the way he just so nonchalantly said she never told me about that. Like he trusted her with his entire being and didn’t even have to wonder what else she didn’t tell him about. Like it wasn’t even a thought that crossed his mind.

Bentley exhaled. “Are you… going to the dance?”

“Me? No,” Rockie shook his head. “Are you going?”

Bentley shook his head. “No.”

“Again, great minds,” Rockie replied, tapping his temple. “I think the diner is up here.”

Just like he said, the diner was only a few blocks past where they were. They sat and chatted about school and life with a waitress that, thankfully, wasn’t Georgia. All the staff seemed to know Rockie, though — because they called him by his name.

Bentley got good old fashioned chicken, Rockie got nachos, and they talked for a while. And as they were leaving to head back to the school, Bentley realized something that made him sort of second-hand anxious about the whole Fluoxetine thing.

Rockie had picked and shoved his food around the whole time, but Bentley never saw him take a single bite.

--

tag list that never works lmao

@fleur-alise @sarcopterygiian @gayboss-too-close-to-the-sun

@xiaonothere

@skylathescholarly @flyrobinflyy

[astra-ella]

𝐙𝐎𝐄𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐏𝐄 - 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧

fandom: haikyuu ship: nishinoya yuu x oc/reader status: complete ao3 link

"I think you're really pretty. Will you go out with me?" That was the first thing he's ever said to her. And needless to say, Amari Chiyo was not impressed. So as promised, Nishinoya Yuu will get to know her better and confess again. And again. And again. And again. It'll take 6 years and 9 confessions, but he'll get there. Eventually.

⌦ content: fluff, light angst, love at first sight, friends to lover, slice of life, haikyuu manga spoilers

⌦ note: you are free to insert yourself into Chiyo, just keep in mind she has her own character/backstory. i know some people don't like that, so just a heads-up.

story masterlist | previous chapter | next chapter

The seventh time he confessed was near the end of their second year — during their overnight school trip to Tokyo.

Nishinoya had already been to Tokyo once. Due to the Karasuno volleyball team somehow coming in first during the Spring Tournament preliminaries, securing their spot as representatives of the Miyagi prefecture. Alongside the rest of the school, Chiyo went to the final qualifiers match to cheer them on. She wanted to do the same when they headed off to Tokyo but had to stay back because of school. So the only thing she could do was watch the live broadcast at home, sending the occasional encouraging text message to Nishinoya right before a match.

They did surprisingly well, losing in the quarterfinals and ranking Top 8 in the country. Chiyo made sure to congratulate Nishinoya by making him a feast of his favorite foods once he got back to Miyagi. And as he sat at the table, telling stories upon stories of the rivals he faced at the large-scale national tournament, Chiyo could tell that Kaito was becoming more and more intrigued.

Maybe to some extent due to Nishinoya's influence, Kaito began to demonstrate great interest and talent in volleyball. He even joined a youth volleyball class at the local community center and became a star member after two years of playing. Perhaps one day, he would go on to play at a national tournament just like Nishinoya did. 

Regardless, spring was right around the corner. The current third-years would be graduating in three weeks while Chiyo and Nishinoya would be moving into their final year of high school. So before their students can get too wrapped up in another wave of examination hell, the school sent them off on their final school trip — the last chance to truly let loose before exam prep starts.

“Hey, Amari-san!” A girl from her activity group called out, waving as she descended the staircase to the subway platforms. “What’d you get for lunch?”

It was the second day of the school trip, and they were on their way to visit the Tokyo Skytree when the teachers decided to stop in the metro station to let everyone take a quick lunch break. 

“Just an onigiri from the convenient store,” she swung the little plastic bag in her hand. “I’m not that hungry.”

Her classmate peered into the plastic bag. “Really? I’m absolutely starving.”

“That’s because you skipped breakfast, Kikuchi-san,” Chiyo pointed out. She was about to say more when she heard a familiar voice call out.

“Oh, it’s Chiyo!”

She turned around to see Nishinoya standing at the top of the stairway, waving at her with one arm while carrying a large collection of snacks in the other. Chiyo smiled a little and waved back.

A train pulled into the station and the metal tracks let out an ear-piercing screech. Chiyo held a hand up to her hair, holding back the long red wisps that threatened to get caught up in the heated gush.

“Nishinoya-kun from Class 2-2, right?” Kikuchi said, just loud enough for Chiyo to hear over the ensemble of footsteps of white-collar workers making their way onto the platform and up the stairs. She eyed him from head to toe. “You know, I’ve been meaning to ask you, Amari-san. There’s a rumor going around that you two are dating. Is that true?”

“N-No!” Chiyo immediately shook her head. “We’re not! We are not dating!”

“Really?” Kikuchi hummed, eyes wandering back to Nishinoya. She watched as he did his best to weave his way against the flood of people heading upstairs. 

“Then, can I have him?”

Chiyo’s eyes widened.

“Have him?” She repeated under her breath. “What do you…?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about,” Kikuchi met her gaze pointedly. “He’s good-looking, has a cute personality, and he’s part of a sports team which is totally up my alley. Unless… he secretly has a girlfriend?”

Chiyo looked down, her grip tightening on the convenience store bag. “N-Not that I know of…”

“Then that’s perfect!” Clasping her hands together, Kikuchi’s face brightened. “Hey, will you help me put in a good word with him? I wanna try getting some alone time during the school trip.”

Chiyo’s lips parted. Suddenly, all she could see were flashes of the rest of the trip. And whenever she looked in Nishinoya’s direction, Kikuchi was somewhere nearby. She sucked in a harsh breath.

“No,” the words came out harsher than she would’ve liked, but her tone was resolute. 

“Hm?”

“You can’t have him.”

“Wha-?” Kikuchi looked confused. “But you’re not even his girlfriend. He’s not yours to give-”

“He’s not anyone’s to give,” Chiyo cut her off, her free hand clutching onto the hem of her jacket sleeve. “But even so… To me, Yuu is… special. Which is why I won’t give him to you!”

Her words were simple, but it felt as if it took all her energy to speak them.

After what felt like forever, Kikuchi finally broke the silence with a hum. “So you do like him,” she mused and by the time Chiyo looked up she was met with a smug grin.

“I figured.”

Chiyo’s face flushed a bright red. “T-That’s not what I was trying to say!”

“You know, Amari-san, you shouldn’t patronize your romantic rival like this.”

“But-!”

Kikuchi held up a hand.  “A maiden with a broken heart doesn’t need your pity,” she said with a wink.

“Hey!” By that point, Nishinoya had finally made it past the crowd and stepped onto the platform. “You wouldn’t believe what I found,” as he approached, he shifted his backpack around and began rummaging through it. “There’s this little store just a few blocks outside the station, and they were selling Calpico! I know you love this stuff so I bought two. A regular one and a peach one-” As he plucked one of the two bottles out, his brown eyes darted between the two girls, finally picking up on the awkward tension that loomed between them.

“Did something happen?” He asked.

“Nah,” Kikuchi waved nonchalantly before gently patting Chiyo on the shoulder. “Nice to meet you, by the way. My name is Kikuchi Sora. I’m part of Amari-san’s activity group.”

“Nishinoya Yuu, Class 2-2,” Nishinoya returned her greeting with a cheerful one of his own as he secured his backpack over his shoulders once more. “Thanks for taking care of Chiyo.”

“Why are you the one saying that?” The redhead raised an eyebrow and Nishinoya gave her a thumbs-up.

“Because I can!”

A loud chime echoed underground, followed by a cool female voice telling passengers that the subway doors will soon close.

“Oh,” Nishinoya glanced up at the fluorescent lights. “Let’s get on. Don’t wanna be late,” he said as he readjusted his backpack and stepped into the subway cart.

“Wait, Yuu,” Chiyo reached out after him, subconsciously taking a few steps forward. “We’re supposed to meet the teachers on the platforms, not at-”

“Doors will now be closing.”

“Amari-san!”

“Huh?” Chiyo’s eyes widened at Kikuchi’s voice. She spun around just in time to see the subway doors shut behind her. She could see her classmate staring through the glass with panicked eyes. Quickly, she pulled out her phone and mouthed ‘text me’ as the vehicle began to move.

“I can’t believe you,” Chiyo grumbled as she and Nishinoya stood by a telephone pole on the bustling streets of Tokyo. “Were you even listening to the teachers before they let us out? We were supposed to meet on the platform! Not the skytree!”

“Honestly, no,” Nishinoya admitted bluntly as he took another sip of his energy drink. “I was so hungry I could barely think about anything besides food.”

“You-!” Chiyo tried to find the words to scold him but ultimately settled for a sigh of resignation. There was no use scolding someone for a genuine mistake or someone who’s already apologized a million times. “We’re just told to meet them at the Skytree for real this time,” she scrolled through Kikuchi’s messages with an awkward laugh. “Apparently, we’re in a lot of trouble.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Nishinoya hummed. “I’ll just tell them that you only came after me 'cause I was being stupid.”

“Won’t your punishment be worse if you do that?” Chiyo pointed out and he shrugged.

“It’s the truth anyways and we have Kikuchi to back you up,” he then glanced back with a reassuring smile. “Besides, you’ve never been to Tokyo before, right? I want you to enjoy your time while you’re here.”

“But-”

“I was literally just here,” Nishinoya cut her off with a cheeky grin. “And I’ll be back this fall and the spring after that,” he paused for a second to examine Chiyo’s troubled expression. “My point is, I’ll have plenty of time to explore this city. But you only have this trip until you’re swamped with exam prep. So let me try and take the blame for this, yeah?”

Chiyo’s brows furrowed, she was about to open her mouth to protest but held her tongue. “Alright, alright,” she relented, figuring that even if she were to resist, Nishinoya would still somehow find a way to direct the teachers’ indisputably harsh punishment towards himself. “Let’s try to find a way to get to Tokyo Skytree first.”

“Yeah,” remembering their current predicament, Nishinoya rubbed the back of his neck and looked around. “Uhh, I honestly have no idea where we are right now.”

“Really? I thought you were the expert on Tokyo, considering you’ve been here once already,” Chiyo teased with a small smile tugging at her lips.

“I’ve never been in this area before, that’s all,” he retorted with a laugh. He briefly skimmed the crowd. “Want me to ask around?”

Chiyo nodded. “You do that. I’ll try to look up some directions.”

“Alright, go team!” He gave a small cheer before hurrying off, quickly finding someone to ask for directions.

“Hey, excuse me! Do you know how we can get to the Tokyo Skytree?”

Chiyo narrowed her eyes at the options her phone presented. She was about to pick the route with the fastest travel time when a familiar voice stopped her short.

“Take the Ginza line towards Asakusa and get off at Ueno station. It’s a five minute walk from there.”

“I see. Thanks!”

Chiyo looked up, easily spotting Nishinoya’s bleached tuft of hair in the crowd. And sure enough, before him stood a very familiar woman. 

Chiyo felt her entire world stutter to a halt. She couldn’t move, nor could she think. All she could do was stare blankly as the woman pointed to various spots on Nishinoya’s phone.

Sure enough, the woman soon noticed her gaze and glanced up. Her bright blue eyes widened with recognition. 

“...Chiyo?”

The world began to move again and Chiyo suddenly became acutely aware of the sea of people that crossed the little distance that separated them. She soon found her voice again and the words came out in a choked squeak.

“Mom…”

“Here’s your Sprite,” a waitress set down a tall glass on the table before him.

Nishinoya didn’t know what to do. One minute he was asking some random stranger on the street for directions, and the next he was sitting in a cafe with said stranger and Chiyo, neither of whom said a single word since they’ve sat down.

He had no clue the woman who sat before them was Harada Yuuka, the mother of the Amari siblings. But upon closer inspection, the similarities became more apparent. She had the same brown hair as her children, and her brilliant blue eyes hidden behind her metal-rimmed glasses shone with intelligence. In terms of the way they carried themselves and their overall presence, Chiyo probably resembled her the most.

“You dyed your hair red,” her voice was even, perhaps a bit robotic.

“Yes,” Chiyo replied quietly as she poured some milk into her tea. “I did it last year.”

“You should get rid of it. Universities and businesses won’t accept a delinquent with colorful hair.”

Chiyo didn’t say anything. Instead, she picked up the small, provided spoon and began to stir.

“How have you been?” Yuuka glanced at her. “Everything alright?”

Chiyo nodded as she set the spoon down and took a sip. “Yeah.”

“And your siblings? How are they doing?”

Chiyo nodded again.

“That’s good then,” Yuuka took a sip of her coffee. “As long as you’re all doing well, that’s good.”

Nishinoya shuffled in his seat. He took a sip of his drink, trying to find something to do amongst the awkward tension.

“Chiyo,” Yuuka set her cup back down onto her saucer, effectively shattering the momentary silence with the light clink of porcelain meeting porcelain. “I’ve been meaning to contact you soon, but this is perfect timing,” she set her hands down on her black pencil skirt and looked her daughter dead in the eyes. “I’ll be leaving for Iceland soon. I want you to come with me.”

Nishinoya’s eyes widened.

“Huh?”

“I’ve built some pretty strong connections there through my company. A position opened up at the main branch and I accepted it,” her eyes were clear. “Iceland is ranked second in the world in terms of education. With your exceptional academic performance, I can secure you a better future than you’ll ever get rotting away here.”

“You ran back to your father once, but I trust you see now how that was a mistake. Taking the easy path and staying in Miyagi will do nothing to help your future-”

“Hold on now-!”

Nishinoya was about to interject but Chiyo held him back with an arm over his chest.

“I still don’t think you understand,” her voice was almost as sharp as her mother’s. “I didn’t go back to dad because I was scared of going to school in Tokyo.”

Yuuka remained silent, as if asking her daughter to elaborate.

“Mom, why didn’t you ever come back to visit Hotaru and Kaito?”

Yuuka blinked a few times. Her eyes then trailed out to the large cafe window, watching as a group of rowdy schoolchildren ran past.

“I figured if I came back to visit, I’d just disrupt their adjustment to living with a single parent.”

“Then why didn’t you at least take Hotaru or Kaito?” Chiyo’s voice cracked. “I would’ve been fine. Why out of the three of us, you chose to take me?”

“When your father and I separated, I realized I couldn’t advance my career while taking care of three children. I took you with me because I didn’t want to uproot Hotaru and Kaito’s lives while they were still so young. And besides,” Yuuka turned her attention back to her daughter. “I saw the most potential in you .”

Nishinoya felt a chill run down his spine. He briefly glanced at Chiyo, whose eyes only widened.

“Hotaru is too naive and Kaito is too blunt. Neither of them would survive well in a business setting,” she interlaced her fingers. “I wanted to be sure I was making an investment that would pay off. Besides, I figured you would use your success to support your siblings anyways. So I didn’t need to worry.”

Nishinoya took it back. Chiyo was nothing like her mother after all. Throughout the years he’s gotten to know Chiyo, no matter how much she’d scold either him or her siblings there was always an underlying sense of love that accompanied her harsh words. But when Yuuka spoke, there was no tone in her voice. There was no scolding, no love. Only a cold calculating chill. It was as if she were staring at pieces on a chessboard rather than her own flesh and blood.

He figured Chiyo must’ve come to the same conclusion because he saw her lips quiver as they pressed together. Under the table, he instinctively reached out, placing a hand over her trembling one. To his surprise, she immediately latched on like he was her lifeline.

“So take your future into account and-”

“No,” Chiyo said after taking a deep breath and Yuuka’s expression soured. “I’m not going with you, mom.”

The shock was only momentary however, as a tinge of annoyance soon reflected within Yuuka’s deep blue eyes.

“Be rational, Chiyo,” she tilted her head a little. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. An exceptional secondary education will get you into a good university. And graduating from a good university will secure you a good job that pays lots of money.”

Those words rang familiar in Nishinoya’s ears. Those were almost the exact same words Chiyo repeated to him every single time the topic of the future came up. Sometimes she said it with so little enthusiasm that Nishinoya even wondered if she truly meant what she said.

As if to confirm his longtime suspicions, Chiyo gently shook her head.

“But… What if that’s not a life I want to live?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

Yuuka’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

“What if that kind of life scares me, mom?” Chiyo replied, a little louder this time. “What if I don’t want to be trapped in an office for eight hours a day, working a job I don’t even care about?”

“What do you want to do then?”

“I-I don’t know,” Chiyo shrank a little under her mother’s sharp gaze. “Maybe I’ll travel or do something creative,” for the first time while talking about the future, Nishinoya saw a small smile playing on her lips. “Maybe I’ll open a small restaurant or bakery-”

“You do realize none of those options will make you happy, right?” Yuuka cut her off. “I’ve told you this before. Money makes the world go round. In order to be happy, you need to be successful and make money.”

“Who says?” At that point, Nishinoya had enough. He felt a light squeeze on his hand and soon he found the words tumbling out of his mouth without a second thought. “Who says you need to make money to be happy? My gramps and I aren’t loaded, but I’d say we’re doing pretty well.”

“Doing well is very different from succeeding ,” though she looked a little annoyed at his interruption, Yuuka turned towards him with a pointed look. “Doing well is being able to put food on the table, meeting the bare minimum of a person’s needs. Happiness and success is to be able to live in the lap of luxury. Do you and your grandfather have the luxury to eat out at expensive restaurants? Can you buy name-brand clothes or bags? Can you buy whatever you want, whenever you want?”

“But that’s just your idea of happiness, isn’t it?” Nishinoya retorted. He could see Chiyo watching him from the side, but he didn’t want to break eye contact with the older woman. Now that he was looking straight into them, they came off as a little empty. In comparison to Chiyo’s which were filled with warmth.

“Each person has their own idea of what happiness looks like. Even if you’re Chiyo’s mom, hers can be completely different from yours,” he said, absent-mindedly tracing his thumb over Chiyo’s knuckles as if to soothe her. “I don’t think it’s right for you to force your ideals onto your daughter like they’re facts.”

Yuuka opened her mouth to say something, but Chiyo beat her to it.

“Mom,” she took a moment to study her mother’s neutral expression. “Our family… what we want in our lives isn’t success… or a perfectly planned out future,” her voice choked a little and Nishinoya held onto her hand even tighter as if to encourage her. “What we really needed… was a normal mother who would love and accept us for who we are.”

Yuuka’s eyes widened. They wandered to the side, as if she were in deep thought.

“I do love you though. All three of you,” she said in an even tone. “If I didn’t, I wouldn’t care if you three were sweeping the bathroom or the streets.”

Nishinoya frowned, he glanced over at Chiyo who took a long stare at her mother before pressing her lips together.

“Let’s talk about this when I’m older,” she sounded defeated. “Thank you for the drinks, mom.”

Nishinoya watched the back of Chiyo’s head as she focused on her phone, trying to follow the directions they received from her mother towards the Tokyo Skytree. They had since parted ways with her, apparently she had a meeting to attend soon.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, not sparing him a glance.

Nishinoya didn’t sense a lie in her voice, nor did he hear it quivering. But for some reason, he was met with an intense desire to see her face. So he grabbed her wrist to stop her in her tracks. Chiyo spun around, her face reflecting a sense of exhaustion that squeezed at his heart.

“Are you okay?” He asked again.

“I’m fine, really,” Chiyo said. “That’s just how she operates.”

“For the record,” Nishinoya took a step forward and looked straight in her eyes. “I think your plans for the future are great.”

“Thanks,” she gave a half-hearted laugh.

“No, I’m serious,” his grip tightened on her wrist, as if to convey his sincerity. “You should do what you wanna do. Not what your parents or siblings, or whatever anyone else wants. Not even me.”

Chiyo’s eyes widened.

“Be it a restaurant or bakery, or hell, even a lemonade stand on the side of the street. Whatever makes you happy,” he gave her a warmest smile he could muster on that chilly, early spring afternoon. “And you know what? If you ever get lost and don’t know what to do, I’ll be there to support you.”

He leaned down and planted a soft kiss on her knuckles. “Because that’s the least I can do for the kind and capable girl I fell in love with.”

Chiyo’s cheeks were dusted bright pink as he made that final statement. She averted her eyes downwards, but the corners of her lips soon curled upwards. “Thanks, Yuu,” she murmured before meeting his gaze with a weary smile. “That means a lot to me.”

Nishinoya hummed. She didn’t look happier, per se. But it seemed like some of the worries she’s been carrying for years had finally been relieved from her shoulders.

“Now let’s go,” releasing his grip on her arm, he nudged his head as if telling her to keep up. “We’re already late.”

Chuckling a little, Chiyo nodded.

“Okay.”

story masterlist | previous chapter | next chapter

[its-an-obsession]

Anti-Hero

Stranger Things Masterlist | Full Masterlist

Summary: Loving yourself never comes easy to anyone. For some people, it's harder to understand. After coming out of a relationship, you never fully loved yourself until you met Steve Harrington. He was the one that has always reminded you of how perfect you are. On one particular today, you don't feel like yourself, but Steve helps you remember how perfect you are.

Notes:

Y/N/N: Your Nick Name

Y/L/N: Your Last Name

Warnings:

Trouble with self-image

Angst (maybe???)

Steve Harrington x-reader

Steve, Robin, and I sat together. I was trying to help Robin study for her calculus final this Friday. She has been a nervous wreck all week. "Okay, what's an integral?" I asked, flipping through her notecards. Her chin sat on her hand, her fingers tapping the table.

I have this thing where I get older but just never wiser Midnights become my afternoons When my depression works the graveyard shift All of the people I've ghosted stand there in the room

Steve looked up from his textbook to see if our friend knew the answer. "Um," she cleared her throat, "the reverse operation of a differentiation?" Robin looked at me for approval. I smiled and nodded my head. My friend sighed and leaned back in her seat. Steve chuckled to himself and went back to 'writing' his notes for our next assignment.

I shifted in my seat, wishing I hadn't worn this sweater. I had just gotten it and probably should've washed it before wearing it. "You okay?" Steve said quietly. "Yeah. This sweater is just really itchy," I complained. "Well, you could just take it off," Steve winked. I rolled my eyes and shook his gaze.

Robin's face scrunched at Steve's expression. She dropped her face when Steve glanced at her. Every once in and awhile, my boyfriend looked my way as I began to feel uncomfortable in the sweater. He leaned over and spoke so only I could hear. "I think you look very pretty," he muttered. He nudged my shoulder so I could look up at him.

He kissed my forehead just as the bell rang. The three of us stood up to head to class. Steve and I had our Biology final, while Robin had her Art final. "Good luck, Robin. I know you'll do great," I said. She thanked me and went down the opposite way. Steve put an arm around my shoulders. "You okay?" he asked.

I nodded. Steve dropped it, and we walked into class. He sat on the other side of the classroom while I went to the other. Our teacher decided to separate the groups to see if that would help us concentrate, but I'm not sure if that'll help. "Good afternoon, class," Ms. Smith greeted, "You will have two hours to complete this exam. After you are finished, bring the test to me and go back to your seats."

She took out the packets from her desk. Our teacher separated them by rows and handed them to the people at the front. Everyone passed them back. I pulled out my pencil, leaning over to ask Erica to hand a pencil to Steve. My boyfriend looked over his shoulder and thanked me with a smile.

I winked at him and started my test when our teacher waved us to begin. It was intimidating to see everyone else finishing the test before me, but I was able to finish with just thirty minutes to spare. I began drawing on a separate sheet of paper.

I should not be left to my own devices They come with prices and vices, I end up in crisis I wake up screaming from dreaming One day I'll watch as you're leaving, 'cause you got tired of my scheming

I hadn't realized that the bell rang. I was in my own little world. Steve walked over to me and tapped me on the shoulder. "Hey," he said, "You ready for lunch?" I nodded and stood up from the desk.

______

(Later)

"I don't know what's wrong. I'm worried about her, Nancy," Steve said, running a hand through his hair. "Worried about who?" I asked, joining our friends for lunch. He looked up from his pasta. He glimpsed at Nancy. "Oh, he was telling me that he's worried for Robin," she said.

I nodded and took out a sandwich my mom made for me this morning. "I don't blame her. Calculus is hard," I said, taking a sip of my water. Nancy nodded in agreement. She smiled as Jonathan sat down.

Robin soon joined the other side of me, her plate covered in different types of food. I looked at her with raised brows. "What? Art class brings an appetite out of me," she shrugged. "How was that final, by the way?" I asked. "It was fine. I'm hoping my sketches were good enough," she answered. For the rest of lunch, we talked about our midterms and what we were doing over the weekend.

My boyfriend and I planned to take a trip to Lovers Lake with Nancy and Jonathan. Nancy had been talking about it all week; she wanted to provide the snacks, meaning she and her mother would be making them.

"Y/N, Steve. How did the Biology exam go? I need the details before I step foot in Ms. Smith's classroom," Jonathan asked. "It was easy, surprisingly," Steve replied, "It was just those graphs we studied, and we have to label some cell parts." Jonathan nodded, taking a bite of his lunch. I thought it was a little easy. Biology was kind of an okay subject for me.

It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me At tea time, everybody agrees I'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero

When it came to different terminology or finding the correct definitions, I'd always get stumped. Nancy had helped Steve and me study for the midterm. I just hoped that was enough to get me a better grade in the class.

Steve noticed that I had grown quiet after the mention of our Biology midterm. Lunch ended, and it was time for us to head to the library, given that we had a free period. I wanted to head home, but I knew my parents wouldn't like me leaving early, especially during midterm week.

The two of us walked back to the library. "Are you sure you're okay?" Steve asked, sitting down across from me. I nodded, not wanting to worry him. But something tells me that even saying I was fine probably made him more worried. Steve knew what went through my head regardless if I told him or not.

He was aware of my problems with self-image, I was getting better, but some days were harder than others. I had a great support system, and I thanked Steve for that every day. Today, for example, wearing this sweater that I thought I liked was really putting me in a different mood.

Sometimes I feel like everybody is a sexy baby And I'm a monster on the hill Too big to hang out, slowly lurching toward your favorite city Pierced through the heart but never killed

And Steve could tell just by me zoning out or the constant nodding in assurance or words such as 'I'm fine' and 'I'm okay' with an unconvincing smile. At times, it felt like I was my own anti-hero, taking myself down for no reason. My mom always told me that those thoughts were the cons of growing up.

I mean, I guess she's right. We grow up in our bodies, so why do we treat ourselves badly? I pulled out my textbook to finish my study guide; that way, I wouldn't have to do it when I got home.

Steve promised he would help my brother practice for Lacrosse tryouts, and he asked me to be the ref. Steve never played Lacrosse, but his father did in college, so he's learned a thing or two.

Steve did anything but look at his book. Steve smiled at me when he saw my head stuck in my book. He pulled the edge of the book towards himself, but I brought it back to me. "Don't study too hard. Your eyes will pop out of her head," he teased.

He chuckled when my eyes met his. The corners of his mouth lifted, smiling at my nose scrunching at his comment. "What's wrong?" I whispered. "Nothing. I just think you should take a break," Steve thought. "Steve, we've been in the library for five minutes," I clarified.

Steve rolled his eyes and leaned back in his seat. He tapped his hands on the desk, acting like the table was a drum set. I looked over my shoulder to see the librarian scowling at my boyfriend. I hid my laugh with a cough. Steve sunk in his seat and sent a look my way. "Shut up," he muttered. "Make me," I replied, flipping to another page in my book.

Did you hear my covert narcissism I disguise as altruism Like some kind of congressman? I wake up screaming from dreaming One day I'll watch as you're leaving And life will lose all its meaning

He lightly kicked my leg, causing me to jump at the touch. Steve smirked to himself and finally grabbed his notebook. I shook my head in amusement and went back to my own little world where I escaped every now and then. Another thing my mother would always point out, "Sometimes going into your own reality isn't always a good thing, honey."

I'd roll my eyes at her comment. My father would disagree and claim that's where I get my most thinking done. He's always been someone who has supported me. He's got this carefree and jumpy personality that my brother and I loved, including Steve. Then, my mind goes to another part of my reality that reminds me of how different I am from my family.

I've never been an active person. Sure, I did dance and soccer when I was younger, but now that I'm getting close to college. I have no clue what I want to do with my life. My parents often say that I should do whatever I want with my life, but it's kind of hard to figure that out at age eighteen. Steve tells me not to beat myself up about it.

It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me At tea time, everybody agrees I'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero

The last bell rang for the day. Finally! It was time to head home. Steve's arm found its place on my shoulders on our way to his car. We said goodbye to our friends before driving to my place. My brother was still at school, but Steve wanted to set up my yard for Timmy, my brother.

My fingers tapped on the armrest as the radio played. Steve turned up the volume, noticing me bopping my head to the melody. He glanced at me and smiled. We pulled into the driveway and walked inside. "I'm gonna get changed. I'll be right back," I told Steve.

He gave me a thumbs up, stepping into the kitchen to grab a snack. I changed into my father's sweatshirt and shorts, immediately feeling more comfortable in these clothes. I loved the way the soft fabric of the sweatshirt touched my skin. It almost felt like I getting a hug the whole time I wore it.

I rubbed the side of the sleeves as I walked into the kitchen. Steve leaned against the counter, eating an apple and reading a book. I chuckled softly. "What?" he looked up with a portion of the apple in his mouth. "You look so philosophical," I said. His leg was propped on the cabinet, and he wore his favorite red sweater.

Steve looked at his position and attire before looking back at me. He caught on and put the book down. "What were you even reading?" I walked over to him. I noticed it was my grandmother's old cookbook. I let out another laugh. "What? It looked interesting," Steve defended himself.

"The art of making squash soup sounded interesting to you?" I held up the blue and green book. "Yeah," he said, taking another bite of the fruit. I wiped a bit of juice the apple had spread. Steve leaned into my touch.

I have this dream my daughter-in-law kills me for the money She thinks I left them in the will The family gathers 'round and reads it, and then someone screams out, "She's laughing up at us from hell"

He looked like he was going to ask me something but didn't know how to properly say it. I took my hand off his face and thought of getting something for myself. I opened the fridge and scanned over the shelves. "Y/N/N, can I ask you a question?" Steve set his foot on the ground.

"Sure. You can ask me anything," I said, picking up a small bottle of orange juice and a cheese stick. Steve sighed and turned to me with his side against the kitchen island. "I know I've asked this all day, but I'd like to get a true response," Steve said, "We're always honest with one another, but today I feel like there is something that you're not telling me."

I closed the fridge, partially knowing what he was going to ask me. I leaned against the appliance with my eyes on the tiled flooring. I traced the triangle pattern along the edges. "Is it something that I've done? If it is, tell me, and I can fix it," Steve stepped towards me with open hands. I shook my head and looked up at him for the first time since getting my snack.

It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me It's me, hi, everybody agrees, everybody agrees

"I don't think you can fix this," I said. Steve's brows furrowed. I looked up at the ceiling fan to prevent myself from getting emotional. Steve stood beside me but made sure to keep a good distance. "Today's been hard," I spoke, "I know I'm getting better at not looking at myself as the anti-hero, but some days that idea just can't seem to escape my head."

Steve watched me as I expressed what was going through my head all day or all the time. He hesitated at first but laced his hand with mine. "I know you said I can't fix this, but I sure as hell am going to try and fix it," Steve said. He reached down and kissed the top of my head.

"I love you for you," he said, "I love your smart brain. I love the way you look at things differently. And I especially love how you go along with my shitty pickup lines. Robin might think they're stupid, but you never stop to make me smile with your comebacks." He wrapped his arms around me tightly. "I love you too," I said, earning another kiss on the forehead.

It's me, hi, I'm the problem, it's me At tea time, everybody agrees I'll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero

Taglist: @b-ritney @ramaalkayyali @midnightstar-90 @nix-rose

[bisexualbumblebee-writes]

Discounts and Discomforts- Eddie Munson x OC

Eddie Munson x Misty Hawthorne

Description: Misty becomes insecure after learning that Eddie has been dealing to a very pretty girl. 

Word Count: 1.4k

It was one of those rare days where Misty had decided to sit with the Hellfire Club at lunch. It had been a while since she had, and so she thought it would be nice to catch up with them and talk about their latest session (though she still couldn’t fully comprehend some aspects of the game). As usual, Eddie sat at the head of the table while Misty sat to his right, between him and Justin, one of the club members. Things were going well enough until Gareth and Jeff finally arrived at the table together, trays in hand. 

“So Eddie,” Gareth greeted, sitting down on the other side of their leader. “Jeff here was just telling me that you’ve started dealing to Suzy Harmon.” Everyone at the table went quiet, the other club members looking at each other in shock while Misty’s eyes widened. Meanwhile, Mike and Dustin just looked confused. 

“Who’s Suzy Harmon?” The latter asked. 

“She was a super popular girl like two years ago,” Jeff explained. 

“Like, head cheerleader before Chrissy Cinningham took that spot, class president and always threw amazing parties that everyone attended, type of popular,” Gareth added. “She was basically the ‘it’ girl, the Queen of Hawkins High.”

“She graduated before you guys even got to high school,” Misty concluded distractedly before looking at her boyfriend. “Since when are you dealing to her?” 

“Since last month,” Eddie shrugged, finally speaking for the first time since Gareth had gotten there. “We meet every Tuesday. The real question should be why Jeff knows who I’ve been dealing to.” He shot his friend a pointed look, but Jeff just shrugged. 

“My neighborhood is on the other side of the woods. Sometimes I just cut through them to get home quicker. I just happened to be nearby during your deal with her last week.” Eddie seemed to accept that answer based on the way his lips pursed as he nodded, and he continued eating. Misty was still confused, though. 

“You started dealing to Suzy Harmon and you didn’t think to tell me?” She asked curiously. Her boyfriend paused mid bite, eyes focusing on her. He quickly swallowed then answered her.

“Well, you don’t like hearing drug talk so I try not to talk about it a lot, or really involve you in general. You know that, babe” he explained. “Besides, it’s not like she’s the only one I’ve started dealing to. Michael Dunham, Maya Lynch and Rosie Stiles have approached me for weed, too. It’s not a big deal.”

“Yeah, but Rosie, Michael and Maya haven’t been trying to get deals out of you,” Jeff pointed out. His comment made Eddie turn and shoot him a warning glare shortly before Gareth leaned over and smacked the back of his head. 

“Wait, what? What do you mean ‘deals?’” Misty did her best to not sound distraught, but based on the looks that the rest of the table was giving her, it wasn’t working very well. 

“Babe, it’s seriously nothing,” Eddie soothed her quickly, grabbing her hands. “Yeah, she’s been trying to get discounts the past few times we’ve seen each other, but none of them have worked. And any future attempts will continue to fail.”

“What has she been doing?” The girl demanded anxiously, confusing the boy. 

“What?” 

“What’s she been doing to get a discount?” She clarified. 

“You don’t need to worry about it, it’s nothing big.” He didn’t look at her as he responded, and his answer did not make her feel any better. Why was he avoiding answering the question? Misty almost didn’t want to know why, and before she even realized, she stood up. 

“I’ll see you guys later,” she muttered, not giving anyone any time to respond before she grabbed her bag and walked out of the cafeteria. 

The rest of Misty’s classes were filled with thoughts about Eddie and Suzy. Despite her boyfriend’s reassurances, she still felt uneasy. Now, logically, she knew she had absolutely no reason to be jealous. Eddie wasn’t exactly Hawkins’ most wanted bachelor, not many people were just dying to be in her position. But, Suzy was older; as a matter of fact she was the same age as him. What Eddie realized that he wanted someone more mature? The fact that he was still dealing to her despite the fact that she was continually (and desperately, based on the way Jeff said it) trying to get a deal out of him did not help. 

When the final bell rang Misty immediately headed to her locker to put away her textbook. It didn’t take her long to do so, but when she closed it she was nearly scared to death at the sight of her boyfriend. Eddie was leaning against the locker beside hers with his arms crossed in the typical “cool guy” fashion one would see in the movies. She flinched away with a surprised gasp as her hand flew to her chest. 

“Jesus Eddie, you almost gave me a heart attack,” she complained, adjusting her bag on her shoulder. A small chuckle left his lips as he pushed off the locker. 

“I need to talk to you,” he spoke, which made her eyebrows shoot up. 

“Oh?” She responded, already beginning to walk out to his car. “What about?” 

“Suzy Harmon.” The name made her stop in her tracks, which in turn almost made Eddie run into her if he hadn’t (thankfully) caught himself. 

“There’s nothing to talk about,” she answered after a moment, continuing to walk. 

“See, why do I not believe you?” The boy asked, jogging to catch up to her. 

“I wouldn’t know,” Misty responded simply with a shrug. “I can’t see what’s going on in that awfully big head of yours.” She didn’t even have to look at him to know that he was rolling his eyes. 

“Well, I think it’s because you haven’t talked to me since lunch, when you found out about me dealing with Suzy,” he said, stepping in front of her once they were by his van and grabbing her hand. “And I now know for sure that you’re upset about it, so I think we should talk about it. Talk to me, Misty.” He almost sounded like he was begging by the end of his sentence as he squeezed her hand gently. Misty visibly hesitated, then sighed. 

“I just- I don’t know… The entire situation makes me uncomfortable,” she finally admitted. The boy’s brows furrowed in confusion. 

“Why?”

“I don’t know,” she answered exasperatedly. “It’s just that she’s super pretty, and she’s your age and she’s popular and…” she trailed off at the end, not wanting to say it. 

“You think that I’m gonna leave you for her?” There was no judgment or offense in his tone, just genuine curiosity. He was genuinely trying to understand what was going on. 

“I mean, it would make sense,” she answered awkwardly. Immediately Eddie shook his head as his arms snaked around her waist, pulling her right against his chest. 

“Babe no, no, no, no no,” he soothed gently. “I would never do that to you.” Misty still wasn’t sure.

“But-” 

“But nothing,” he cut her off, looking directly into her eyes. “I’ve got eyes for you, and only you. I love you Misty, and absolutely nothing will change that. Not even some old high school graduate that wants drugs from me.” That made the girl feel a bit better. She offered him a weak smile as she rested her hands on his shoulders as he continued. 

“If it would make you feel better, you’re more than welcome to sit in on my deals with Suzy. Or, better yet, if you don’t want to be a part of it at all, I can just stop dealing to her.”

“Eddie, no. I’m not gonna make you lose business just because I’m feeling insecure,” she answered instantly, receiving a comforting smile in return. 

“Stopping one person from buying from me won’t make me lose much,” he retorted. “I have a much larger clientele than you would think. Besides, your peace of mind is worth way more than twenty dollars a week.” That made Misty laugh as she shook her head. 

“Still, I think I’ll be fine as long as I sit in on your deals. I can make an exception for Suzy,” she spoke softly. 

“Too bad I can’t,” Eddie joked, the two of them laughing afterwards. And just like that, things were back to the way they were. 

[chellyisacreampuff]

Friday, 11 Oct, FallA Week 2

Woke up on time today (yay), so I had some time to eat the breakfast that I had prepared last night. Oats with avocado, cheese, and a sausage.

And I dunno why, I know class starts at 8:40am. But most of the time, when it's 8:30am my brain keeps thinking I still have fifteen minutes until class starts.... Anyways, off I went to my Intro to Global Issues class, two periods in a row. As the topic currently is municipal solid waste, in the second period, we were divided into groups and had to work on a group work. We were supposed to choose a solid waste incident (so e.g. Landslides due to a landfill) and describe the case, causes, regulations that followed after the incident and the outcomes... We have to make presentation slides, though we don't have to present it.

After that class I tried to quickly get some lunch. Wanted to try out one of the cafeterias I haven't been to, so I decided to go to Soup Factory. I got a "West Coast Chicken Ball Chowder" - basically creamy soup with chicken meat balls inside. Unfortunately the preparation of the soup took longer than I had thought, so I had to rush a bit and burnt my tongue a bit... I also couldn't resist trying out a muffin - only 200¥ for a really big one! I thought I could eat the blueberry as a snack in my lunch break but there was just really no time. So I kept it for later instead.

My next class was again a two period class, about Renewable Energies. It's another joint course with the National Taiwanese University (NTU) and today the lecture was taught by a Taiwanese teacher, so he was online and we just watched the livestream in our classroom... The teacher had extremely bad time management, so our break in between classes was too long, so that he thought he would have to rush through the lecture contents - but in the end we finished twenty minutes early and left confused, as we just skipped too many slides....

After that I just rested for a bit. Until 6:30pm when there was the Omochi language Club in the nearby community center. When I went there, I just sat down at a random table and we started chatting with the other international students. After a bit, the club leader gave us a prompt to talk about, which today was "something weird (that you experienced) about Japan" and it shifted very quickly to maid cafes at our table..... We continued chatting, until we were mixed up again and put at different tables. This time, we were supposed to try speak in Japanese and everyone at my table did their best, even though we had all no idea xD We mostly just introduced ourselves and talked about hobbies... There were three Japanese girls at my table, so they tried to help us out. After the meeting the others went to have dinner together, at several different retsuarants, but I didn't feel like joining, so I went home instead.

Had this sweet potato bun as a snack first. Tasted good, though pretty sweet, and it left a weird feeling on my teeth. 3/5. Then was enjoying myself watching the League of Legends Worlds.

Later on I finally ate my blueberry muffin, together with some nice cocoa.

And off to sleep I went 😴

[sporadically-writing]

Being Steve Harrington’s Sibling and Dating Eddie Munson Headcanons

A/N: This is the first one of these I’ve ever done so I am gonna try my best here!

Warnings: None, just some fluff

Gender Neutral

Let me know if you enjoy!

                                                              ***

Being a year or so younger than Steve, that slots you as being comfortably within Hawkins High’s ‘86 graduating class.

Having spent the last handful of years going through the same things your brother has, you’ve surprisingly been given quite a sense of freedom actually. You don’t go around fighting secret monsters two years in a row without some of the rules of society looking a little weird to you. There are much worse things to worry about than who you’re going to prom with or what group you sit with at lunch.

Besides, if your older brother taught you anything, high school kids kind of really suck. You may not necessarily be above any nastiness that may or may not come your way, but you shoulder it well considering that, in the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter. You’ve got a tight group of friends across multiple ages that you know have your back the same way you have theirs. 

The point is, you hang out with Dustin a lot. He’s practically your nephew and now that you attend the same school (if only for a year), you two sort of fall naturally into spending time together. 

It is you driving Dustin to and from said school, that led to your first meeting with the infamous Munson boy.

At the end of one fateful school day, Dustin approached you. You asked him if he was ready to head home and he informed you that actually, if it was okay, he was going to stay after for something called the Hellfire Club. You told him it was fine, you’d hang around doing some homework and get him when it was time.

About the time Hellfire was supposed to get out, you packed up your stuff and wandered towards the exit by the auditorium, where Dustin said the club would be. You got there in time to see Mike, Lucas and Dustin all being affectionately bullied by none other than Eddie Munson who looked up at you.

“Is this your ride Henderson? You didn’t tell me a Harrington was taking you home.”

Eddie would continue to make comments like these whenever you came to pick Dustin up, but you were used to people poking fun at your family name. It went on for a few weeks before you finally decided you would poke him back.

“What’s up Munson? You obsessed with me or something?”

Eddie was thrown off guard by the comment but smiled. “So the younger one fights back too.”

After that you and Eddie would continue the cat and mouse game of who could tease the other more. It drives Dustin crazy and that only encouraged the two of you further.

One day, at lunch, Eddie passed you in the hall to get a comment in early but you kept up with him, refusing to give him the upper hand in whatever game the two of you were playing, and you sat down at The Hellfire Table for the first time. From then on, that’s where you sat, it just felt right. 

You got to know everyone else in Hellfire as well, surprisingly fitting in to the group well. You even used that hereditary Harrington fighting instinct to scare off anyone *cough cough* Jason *cough cough* who had anything “smart” to say to the group.

After about a month of this, Eddie showed up at your locker, something he had never really done before. 

“Hey Harrington.” “Hi Eddie, need something?” “Well,” he said leaning more of his weight on the metal door, “I had something I wanted to ask you actually.” “Oh yeah?” This ought to be interesting. 

Eddie shifted into Dungeon Master Mode, doing his best job impersonating a royal messenger, “I would like to cordially extend an invitation to you, [Y/N] Harrington, to join the esteemed table of The Hellfire Club.”

Smirking, you shut your locker and said, “I sit with you all everyday anyway, I think we’re well past invitations.”

Eddie’s shoulders dropped, “C’mon [Y/N], you know what I mean.” “Do I?” Whether he knew he was doing it or not, Eddie’s eyes took on a puppy dog quality and you caved somewhat.

“I don’t know the first thing about DND Eddie, I’d just slow the group down.” Eddie lit up just a little, “I could teach you! It’s really not that complicated!” Then he mumbled something else.

“What did you say?” Knowing he couldn’t weasel out of it, Eddie said, “Look, you’re really smart, and I think you’d be great at it.”

You smiled, “I’m flattered. And, for the record, you’re really smart too, school just isn’t for everyone.” Then you got an idea. “How about this. You can teach me how to play DND so I don’t feel like a total dingus at Hellfire and maybe I can help you with some of your subjects. We can tutor each other!”

And that is how you two ended up meeting every other week at his trailer or at your house. You would help him out with a concept he was struggling with and once that was done, you learned a thing or two about wizards, dragons and dice with twenty sides. Even after you had gotten the hang of the game, and showed up to the joy of the rest of the club, you would still meet back and forth to tutor Eddie. The progress had stalled a little bit after that however. Teaching you about DND had been part of the reward system for Eddie and without it, things were getting harder. However, it didn’t take long for you to (albeit accidentally) find a solution.

You two had been working really hard on the same concept for two weeks now. Something about it just refused to click for Eddie and you were having trouble teaching it a different way than the way you learned it. It looked hopeless.

That is until, after a bit of a break, Eddie stared at the paper for a moment and then timidly asked you a question, checking to see if he had gotten it right, and he had! He asked you again to be sure and you assured him that he had. After both of you working so hard to figure out a way for him to get this, you were just so incredibly proud that he had done it that without really thinking, you grabbed him by the shoulders and kissed him. 

To be fair to you, you had been vaguely aware that you had been slightly pinning for him for a little while, you just never really thought about it. But it looks like, you had been thinking about it more than you wanted to admit to yourself. You were both frozen for a moment, neither of your sure what to do.

“Harrington?” “Yeah?” “Did you just kiss me?” “Yes?” Eddie was quiet for a little again, staring at you. He pinched his arm and said, “Good.” And before you could blink he was kissing you again.

You two did very little to hide your relationship after that. Neither of you really cared what anyone thought. The Hellfire Club were happy for you both, Dustin most of all. He had been tired of the two of you dancing around each other. Everything was great, and then Steve found out.

Steve was happy that you found someone to make you happy. However, this was Eddie “the Freak” Munson and what older brother didn’t give the shovel talk. He even pulled Dustin in to do it with him. 

Now listen, Dustin may love his Dungeon Master to pieces, but he knew you and Steve first. You were his “mom’s” sibling, his “cousin”, he had to at least say something.

As well intentioned as Steve was, he constantly forgets that his track record with fights of the less supernatural kind is less than stellar. So basically, for most of the talk, Eddie was the physical embodiment of the Knife Cat meme almost 30 years before it entered popular culture. 

He assured the boys that he loved you more than his guitar (don’t tell her that) and that he wouldn’t even dream of hurting you. 

“Aww, Eddie!” “How long have you been standing there, [Y/N]?!” “The whole time, hon. Nice speech boys, but if he ever hurt me, I’d be the one with the shovel.” “Noted” Eddie gulped.

It was nice to know that all your boys cared about you.

[idkthisisjustforfanfic]

The Emmy's, 2022

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When your alarm went off on Monday morning you squeezed your eyes shut. You knew Mia was already awake and you knew she’d be pushing the door open momentarily.

You heard Jason clear his throat, shifting atop the sheets beside you when his right hand flopped over and landed on your thigh.

“Good morning,” Mia cooed once you managed to hit your phone, make it stop. She came in quietly, pushed one of the curtains aside to let some light into your hotel suite.

You’d gotten home late, another party last night to kick off the celebrating with friends and producers and now you were regretting the four glasses of champagne you’d downed before midnight.

You opened your eyes, sat up slowly and blinked a few times. Game day.

Not for you, luckily. For Jason. He’d long accepted now that Mia would show up at sunrise on days like these, coffee and pastries in hand before you had to spend hours in a make up chair.

He had plenty to do today too. They’d all been preparing for the Emmy’s for weeks, hopeful they’d get to celebrate again but equally as excited to shower their showtime counterparts with praise.

“Getting old, huh?” Jason smiled up at you when he rubbed his eyes. He sat up beside you, Mia set down a Starbucks tray on a table across the room.

“I can never keep up when I try to drink with Juno and Hannah,” you admitted with a guilty smile, comforter pooled in your lap.

They both laughed, Jason stood and stretched, made his way to the bathroom when you read through the text messages and blinked the sleep out of your eyes.

Mia stood by the floor-to-ceiling windows, her eagerness floated across the room when you padded over.

“Want me to run through the schedule?”

You nodded, reached for your coffee and took a sip when you stared out over Los Angeles. There was noise in the living room, the main door to the suite opened and closed when Cara appeared.

“Carpet starts at 3pm—Jason’s expected right at the end.”

Cara waved and smiled when she came in quietly, dropped off a few things on the table as Mia kept going.

“Your hair is 10am, make up at noon when you finish lunch. Drinks and everything in the Lerner Room with cast and crew at 2pm–everyone has different departure times so time on the carpet is staggered. You and Jason are last.”

You nodded, it’d been a stressful few weeks. Headlines and opposing sides and finally he decided it’d be best to minimize the risk.

You’d walk after the last call, a warning voice would come through speakers and that’s when you’d take your seats. Better to skip the carpet than get sucked into the spotlight and inadvertently fuel a fire that neither of you started.

Cara sipped from her own coffee, apparently sensing the hesitancy that hung in the hotel room like the morning gloom over LA. “You guys just need to focus on celebrating the show and everyone’s hard work.”

You nodded and let her words linger, the clouds wouldn’t last all day and Jason came out from the bathroom looking much more awake than a few minutes earlier.

“Ready to dazzle tonight?” Cara teased, her lips in a challenging smirk, one that must have developed over the last five years of working with her boss.

“Something like that,” he joked. He was whisked into the living room, briefings and breakfast before your suite became a makeshift headquarters for one of Hollywood’s wildest nights.

A FaceTime call with his kids and his parents, you showered and tried to ignore the anxiety that now fogged the mirror alongside steam.

He swore he wasn’t expecting to win, too much of a fan of the other shows and actors to think he’d beat them out.

But he was excited, saying for weeks that he was thrilled to be nominated alongside some of the greats. Even better, the show was back in the Microsoft theatre. No need for zoom calls or tie-dye or anything like that.

When Justine put moisturizer on your face a few hours later, there was finally a moment for you to exhale.

“How do you feel?”

“Good,” you nodded slightly, careful to let her fingers rub over your forehead. “Kailyn’s more nervous than I am probably.”

Justine smiled. Your team was close-knit, years of working together meant years of handling rumors and celebrations alike. “What’s she saying?”

“Just some gentle reminders to have fun and ignore the rest.”

She giggled at your borrowed language and turned back to her palettes.

Kailyn was right. No sense in getting involved in something that wasn't really your business, even if the ring on your finger now dragged you into headlines right beside them.

So you knew that no matter what happened or what the interviewers threw his way, you’d make it out alive and wake up to the same sky and the same guy beside you. That was a good reminder.

Which was what you repeated in your head when you followed behind him, a security detail by your side, all the way by the reporters, inside, past the bars, into the theatre, and to the table.

The room buzzed with excitement and you waved at familiar faces when you wove through, a few friends were interspersed throughout and excited to see you. The rest of the cast and crew in attendance were already seated, Hannah and Juno and Jeremy and drinks secured in hand.

You smiled and hugged them, heard the announcements begin when the lights flickered in warning.

The opening sequence was smooth and energizing, someone delivered drinks and you clinked your glass against his, a quick wink at you in the dark before he leaned and cracked a joke to Brett at the table nearby.

The night went like that, peaceful and uneventful, despite a few losses for the team. You chatted with other friends during quick commercial breaks and told them all about the end of your tour, I can’t believe it’s finally over!

An hour in, your hand smacked his chest when his name echoed the event space. His eyes went a little wide when he stole a glance at you, the whole table laughed and he didn’t mind all eyes on him. I beat Jason Sudeikis!

But the real moment of the evening was when his name echoed again, met with applause a look of shock that had you tugging him up and cheering.

He blinked and shook his head in disbelief, tugged you into his side and pressed a kiss to your cheek before Brett slung an arm over your shoulder, holy fucking shit.

He uttered your name in a string of others, people he loved and thanked and celebrated. And then he did it again, deja vu in the theatre when they all clamored up and stood on stage together. Your hands on your chest and the threat of tears in your eyes, you could feel the camera on your face and for a second, you wondered what a journalist would make of it: Y/N L/N cries like an idiot at Jason Sudeikis’ Emmy wins!

You sipped your cocktail during the commercial break, giggled when Selena came and sat beside you. The people, the dresses, you whispered with your friend and relished in what felt like a normal moment. Eventually security fetched you and pulled you backstage.

They stood in front of another backdrop at the end of the night, photos and awards passed around and you stood with Cara and Mia when the rest of the cast stepped off.

Jason answered more questions, they cheered him on and you stayed towards the back, careful to give them their moment without overstepping.

But you were congratulated too, finally the cameras were off and there was more hooting and hollering like last year as you clamored into a party bus.

This time, you sat up front.

**

The rooftop terrace was glowing, string lights overhead as Apple Execs mingled with their front line actors.

Juno tipped back her glass at the afterparty, finished the champagne in her flute and then placed it on the tray of a server nearby.

“Alright,” she nodded her head with determination. “I’m finally drunk enough to mingle.”

“Best wishes,” you teased, a nod of your chin out to the crowd: plenty of people to choose from.

She’d rated outfits with you from the refuge of a high top table, but now drifted out into the sea of jewels and gowns.

Alone for a second and you glanced over at him, a glass in hand when he listened to someone you didn’t recognize. Butterflies pooled in your belly at the thought of joining him, no way you could saunter up and join a conversation with men twice your age.

But a shot of tequila with Hannah got your mind off of it, a slice of pizza when someone ordered delivery. He found you mid-bite.

“I knew I could find you here,” he smirked, a quick glance at Phil and Juno who were stood beside you.

You swallowed, talked around the cheesy goodness. “Where there is food…” you joked.

He reached behind you for his own piece, brought a napkin to spare his suit from any drops of grease. “So,” he took the first bite. “What’s the game plan?”

You looked at Phil and Juno, bowing out of the decision making with a single glance. Not my night, not my call.

“Game plan?” Phil asked. “What are you talkin’ about?”

“It’s almost midnight,” he noted, letting his voice drop to a whisper when he glanced around to make sure he was in the clear. “When do we wanna ditch?”

“Ditch?” Phil was confused but Juno’s eyes lit up and she grinned.

“Are we ditching for what I think we’re ditching for?”

“To hang out at my house in sweatpants and smoke weed?”

Phil’s eyes went wide at the picture you painted, a single nod when he confirmed: “I’m in.”

A slice for the road and a quick ride back home, he steadied you onto the driveway of the house you’d rented over the summer.

It makes sense to have a place here, you’d decided with him one night at dinner. For both of us.

And while you’d been asleep in your hotel suite, the house in the hills was decorated and prepared for the after party of all after parties.

Casual, of course.

Popcorn and slushee machines by the pool, drinking games and a set of pajamas for all of them. Goodie bags with toothbrushes and toiletries, and by 2am you sat at the fire pit on his lap.

Joe and Hannah were on either side of him, laughter floated towards the stars and Jason leaned forward to kiss your shoulder.

You turned slightly to see him, voice quiet when Brett told a story about his parents.

“I think we stayed out of the limelight today,” you decided with a playful smile. “Aside from winning.”

He scoffed a little, one that rolled into laugh when he shrugged. “We’ll see what the internet thinks.”

You let out a breath, took in the detail of his face. He was tired, relieved, but happy. “Fuck the internet,” you reassured, pressing your lips to his forehead.

“—they’re in their own world, completely unaware,” Hannah’s voice burst your cozy bubble. Jason shifted when he heard her, face lit up with an antagonizing smirk.

“Oh calm down,” he laughed. “Once upon a time you were the number one fan of our PDA.”

“Yeah?” Your eyebrows rose when you looked to Hannah for an explanation, the others watched on in amusement.

“When I had to force him to make a move,” she defended. “He was happy as a clam every morning when he’d walk into work and gossip about his nights with you. Probably never would have gone out for your birthday if I hadn’t smacked him upside the head.”

Her words brought back the memory: early summer in New York, the cupcake and the blooming trees and the party at Blake and Ryan’s.

You looked down to Jason, the new detail from Hannah brought a new level of confidence.

“And why did you need the support from our dear friend Hannah?”

Brett answered for him, teasing his friend mercilessly: “because he was so certain you were out of his league!”

“Oh, I am,” you reminded the group seriously. He laughed and pretended to drop you off his lap, jostled his knees just to make you flinch.

By 3am a few people had dipped out, Juno’s boyfriend had a joint between his fingers and passed it to you.

“It’s nice to have our little ritual,” Juno said with an innocent smile, her eyes scanning the circle that seemed to be symbolic.

“What’s that?” Jason asked, watching as you took a puff and then held the joint in midair. He brought it to his lips, took the end of your hit with eyebrows raised.

“Before Y/N was around the nights just kind of trailed off. Now we always smoke weed in a circle and someone says something incredibly cheesy.”

“Like you are right now?” Brett challenged, earning himself a playful glare from Juno.

“Great,” you laughed, “so I’m like, the stoner friend?”

“No, no,” Juno smiled. “I mean, it’s either you or him, but…”

They all laughed, Jason shrugged, I can’t protest, but then he shifted gears when a text came through on his Lock Screen. “So, Cara’s the greatest ever and just sent us In-N-Out delivery.”

That was music to their ears, so you made sure everyone was well fed and had a bed or a couch and finally, you sat on top of your mattress with burgers in hand.

He took off his watch and set it on the nightstand, settling on the mattress before he flopped down. He stared at the ceiling for a second.

“I’m hungry enough to eat yours too,” you threatened.

That made him sit up fast, an outstretched hand before you handed him the paper wrapped burger.

“Does this count as breakfast?”

You looked at the clock nearby. 4:03am.

“I think so.”

He laughed, took a bite and then smiled up at you.

“Thanks for coming.”

“Thanks for having me,” you fluttered your eyelashes.

“I really didn’t think I was gonna win.”

“I know.”

“You know?” He eyed you skeptically.

“You didn’t believe in yourself.”

He let out a tiny laugh at your play on words, smiled when he looked up at you. “You’ve really gotta stop watching that show.”

story page | talk to me/join the tag list | the playlist

[absolutepokemontrash]

MC is Half Demon and They’re- Oh Crap They’re Barbatos’ Kid!

This is the second part of that one request I answered for Dia and Barb’s possible kids. Sorry this took so long! Writer’s block, y’know? Anyhoo~ enjoy, everyone!

This story didn’t start on the first day of the exchange program, it started five days before in Barbatos’ room at three in the morning with the poor butler waking up in a cold sweat.

Oh dear, it appeared the exchange program would be up in a bit of a tizzy. He had… a child? Oh my… Barbatos hoped the young master wouldn’t be too miffed about the student not being a totally normal human.

On the day of the exchange program, Barbatos insisted he had to be present for the event, he carefully pushed a cushioned sofa in the drop zone before opening the portal. The child fell right out of the sky and landed perfectly on the couch, they were already wearing a helmet and looked quite shocked by the cushioned fall.

Well, it was a big shock to the assembled crowd, but the child gave everyone a lopsided smile and removed their helmet.

“So, I assume I’m here for the exchange program?”

Dadbatos

Well, this child was incredibly… what was the word the kids were using? chill? They were quite chill considering the situation, and was surprisingly prepared for the sudden drop into hell.

“Oh, I had a dream that this was going to happen, and I dream about the future n’stuff. I thought I’d come prepared.” “Ah, that’s very sensible.”

Diavolo recovered quickly from his shock and was positively delighted to meet this little munchkin. He insisted that they had to stay with their dad.

MC was polite, if not a bit overly calm about a lot of things. They didn’t run off to start trouble, and they didn’t seem very impressed by the Devildom itself. It was sort of like this child had a very low maximum level of excitement. Barbatos was glad his child wasn’t some little hellraiser.

He was never a child himself, so he’s a bit clueless about what children actually enjoy. Here child, have a… have an old torture weapon. Don’t use it on anyone who doesn’t deserve it :)

(I’m kidding, Barbatos is too responsible to give one of his instruments of torture to a child. That’s for when they’re older.)

“MC,” Barbatos knocked on his child’s door. “Have you done your homework?”

MC answered the door with a grin on their face. “Yep, done this week’s and next week’s. I’m getting a head start on the potions project due next week.”

Barbatos almost breathed a small sigh of relief. Thank the stars his child was responsible, it already took a big chunk of his energy to make sure Diavolo didn’t get distracted from his paperwork. Though, his stress levels did rise a tad when he got a glimpse at the mess in MC’s room.

“Are you going to clean that?”

“Nah,” MC shrugged. “It’s whatever. I know where everything is and nothing’s a fall risk. See you at dinner, father.”

And with that, MC shut the door. Well… no child was perfect.

As much as MC’s lack of cleanliness bothers Barbatos, he knows his kid isn’t being maliciously lazy, just for the love of the Demon King please stop leaving cups on the coffee tables without a coaster!

Oh yeah, Luke has a big sib. Sorry- little sib, because Luke isn’t some chihuahua child, he’s a totally mature grown-up Angel.

Barbatos is the type of father who will let his child go off and have whatever kind of fun they want as long as they don’t slack on their important duties.

Barbs also has a goddamn torture dungeon so we here at Stupid Headcanons inc. do NOT recommend trying to eat MC. Doing so may result in you wishing you were dead.

Don’t fuck with the butler.

Lucifer

…out of literally everyone in the room, the last person Lucifer expected to have a secret scandal baby… had a scandal baby. Damn.

At least the human wouldn’t have to live with him and his brothers. The last thing Lucifer wanted was for Barbatos to be even more aware of the chaos that went down in that house every single day.

MC and Lucifer have a healthy level of respect for one another, but Lucifer just can’t shake the feeling that this kid is messing with him somehow.

Just, little things… MC offering him fruit and loudly assuring him that it was just blackberries and nothing poisonous, asking if the RAD uniform suits his tastes, proclaiming that the dirt was high quality-

SOMEONE TOLD MC ABOUT LUCIFER’S FIRST VISIT TO THE DEVILDOM!

MC wasn’t exactly visibly goading him, they said everything with an innocent smile on their face.

When MC starts getting nosy with the attic, he’s not terribly sure how to deal with it. He was going up against a child that could at least partially tell the future. After the first time Lucifer told them to scram, they never went back to the steps… at least not when Lucifer was there to guard it…

After everything goes down, Lucifer is glad that MC wasn’t hurt or anything. He’d come to like the child and it’d be awful to lose the only person who could get his more hyperactive brothers to calm down.

Mammon

Mammon wasn’t present for the meeting, but when he was informed later, the news was met with an eloquent: “the fuck? Huh, wild.”

He isn’t too interested in MC at first. At least until the little runt saved him from getting busted for skipping class. Mammon was just eating his lunch in the courtyard when MC passed by and calmly told him that if he skipped class he should not hang out in the west staircase because Lucifer was going to walk down those steps during third period.

At first Mammon tried to brush off the warning, but ended up listening to the kid anyway, and what do ya know! He didn’t get caught by Lucifer!

That’s when it clicked that MC could see the future, right? Right?! Ya know what Mammon could use that for?! Right?!

Gambling! Scams! Schemes! General shennaniganery!

MC wasn’t terribly enthused about the entire situation, so they may have messed with Mammon a little. Just a bit.

It’s not like Mammon ever listened when MC told him to cut his losses and leave the casino anyway 🙄

Leviathan

First reaction? Thank the anime gods that there wouldn’t be another normie living in the house with him…

Reaction upon hearing that the MC was Barb’s kid? Really? Barbatos? Wow… well, to be fair Levi totally understood why someone would be attracted to Barbatos, I mean, Levi’s watched plenty of anime involving butlers, but Barbatos actually having a living breathing child? Damn.

But still, Levi wasn’t going to hang out with some normie brat. He had better and nerdier things to devote his time to.

Whenever MC visited, Levi was up in his room. But once MC decided to poke their head in the door while Levi was in the middle of gamer raging.

They calmly sat Levi down and explained to him that he could be upset about whatever happened in his game, but lashing out wasn’t going to fix anything or make him better at the actual game.

…damn it… they were right.

Slowly but surely Levi and MC built up a friendship, and the brothers rejoiced at the lack of rage related Lotan summons.

Satan

Out of everything Satan could have possibly expected from the second exchange student, this was not one of them.

Satan began to wonder exactly how MC’s powers worked, he didn’t exactly have any concrete data to compare them to because Barbatos was so mysterious

Hm, how very interesting. Satan decided that it was up to him to satiate his own curiosity and began to study MC. To be honest, MC wasn’t being terribly interesting.

They were a pretty normal kid all things considered. MC went to class, made friends, did their work, very very normal. Well, except for the fact that they seemed to dodge practically every unfortunate thing that could have happened to them.

They’d stop at the perfect time to avoid something accidentally being spilled on them, they always had pencils ready, and they always seemed to know exactly when a teacher was coming… mad sus.

Satan eventually confronted MC about this, and they just shrugged and explained that they tend to dream about what was most likely to happen the next day and would adjust their actions accordingly.

It may have been anticlimactic, but MC did inform Satan that there would be a cat in the courtyard in fifteen minutes.

HE NEEDED TO GO!

Asmodeus

Asmo had genuinely been looking forward to the new exchange program, he was excited to have a new face around the house to shake things up! He loves his dear brothers but spending thousands of years with them makes their shenanigans become a bit… well, a bit boring.

But my oh my, the new face was being obscured by that tacky bicycle helmet… the new face looked an awful lot like Barbatos…

Once Asmo registered what was going on, he was positively enchanted with the little half human. They were just so cute! They looked like a baby Barbatos with those adorably chubby cheeks!

Oh Barbatos~ he just had to let Asmo babysit!

When Asmo managed to sweep MC away for a fun day with shifty uncle Solomon, he was reminded of all the shenanigans that he, Barbatos, and Solomon used to get up to.

*sigh, Barbie was always so busy… no time for a fun night of torture, chaos, and revelry

Anyhoodles~ MC was always such a relaxed little thing. They let Asmo vent whenever any awful tragedies occur, like when Asmo finds a sweater that isn’t in his size… *sniffle*

Beelzebub

A child of Barbatos? The best cook in the three realms Barbatos?! …hey kid want to hang out with cool uncle Beel?

Beel tried everything in his power to get MC to make him food. I mean, the genetic disposition for making good food has to have been passed down from father to child!

When MC finally made Beel food, he was ecstatic!

…Until the food touched Beel’s tongue and he realized it wasn’t good, it was just… okay. Average. Passable.

Aw man… but the kid looked so excited to have made something for Beel…

Beel really hammed up his reaction to make MC feel better. Beel was like “Wow. So good. Amazing.” “Thanks Beel.”

Very sweet child, they don’t mind being used in place as a dumbell.

Belphegor

Damn, and here Belphie was, thinking Barbatos has standards. Apparently not!

When MC went and walked up the attic steps, Belphie was almost bouncing on his toes in anticipation. This human had been a pain in the rear to call up, so he was excited to finally get a good look at them. And lo and behold, a half demon child of Lord Diavolo’s butler.

MC grinned and greeted Belphie first, using his name and asking why the Avatar of Sloth was stuck up in the attic of his own home when he was supposed to be in the human world. Belphie was flabbergasted and didn’t exactly know how to respond.

He came up with a new plan quickly. Belphie didn’t exactly know how this kid’s powers worked, so he’d continue with trying to trick them into opening the attic door. Allowing Belphie to end their miserable little life and thus ruining the exchange program.

The child continued to visit Belphie up in the attic, relaying the events of what was going on, and Belphie continued to play the part of prisoner. Until one day in particular…

MC appeared in front of the door, looking a tad more unkempt than normal, they weren’t smiling their usual carefree smile either. Their eyes bore holes into Belphegor’s skull as they flared at him.

“How long have you been planning on killing me?”

MC had seen the future where they died at Belphie’s hand, and they sure as hell were not going to let him out of the attic after that. Though, they did tell Belphie about Lilith’s true fate before they left, and assured Belphie they had no reason to lie to him about something he wasn’t directly involved in.

So, Belphie did get let out of the attic eventually, and even though MC smiled and welcomed him back all the same, there would always a barrier between the two. Broken trust wasn’t easy to mend, after all.

[violettelueur]

— RYOMEN SUKUNA || LET ME MARK YOU THEN

↳ featuring : ryomen sukuna from jujutsu kaisen

↳ warnings : mention of sex, mention of hickeys and grammar issues

↳ form : imagine

↳ published : 22 january

↳ pronouns : she/her

↳ word count : 3.7k

↳ synopsis : (modern!AU) after your lectures, you decided to pay your tattoo artist boyfriend a little visit only to then be persuaded to let him draw a tattoo design on you even though you never actually wanted a real one to be marked with.

↳ barista’s notes : just a little gift to you all before today’s episode and the reset the ‘coffees in progress’ list (wip) when i get enough sleep and after my disgusting online classes, i hope you enjoy the free cup of coffee everyone ʕ•ᴥ•ʔﾉ♡ - also i feel like this is the longest imagine i have ever posted ʕ ㅇ ᴥ ㅇʔ

Having a morning full of tedious lectures was not someone’s ideal day and it was definitely not yours. Although, there was nothing you could do but pursue them through with as much enthusiasm and determination that you could possibly muster while being impatient about the hands on the clock taking forever to move a single inch.

However, at this moment in time, you were able to escape the suffocating lecture hall after many hours for today and was now walking down the busy streets of Tokyo with a white plastic takeaway bag in one hand while the other was occupied with your tote bag that was resting on your shoulder, which surprisingly kept hold of some of your textbooks as well as your laptop giving you some reassurance that the bag that your boyfriend gave you was going to last for quite some time.

Looking around the busy quarter of the capital, you began to notice a few high school students roaming about here and there with some hanging out with their friends - mostly likely going to a cafe or to the nearest karaoke lounge that they could find - while other were either rushing home as they entered the station or to their part-time jobs that they had managed to obtain for a few extra bucks to save up for their next step in life. Noticeably, there were also a few adults out and about with some working as street-food vendors selling delicious treats that you would be craving if you weren’t so full while others were dressed extremely professional with their laptops out on their cafe/restaurant table to what seemed like they were on their lunch break.

‘He should be on his lunch break right now, but if not, I’ll just put his food in the shop’s fridge’

Continue walking to your destination, you finally reached to a quieter area with the city leading you to then stand in front of a glass order with a ‘closed’ sign in front along with another extremely noticeable sign proudly stating ‘Malevolent Shine’ to which if you had said that to any tattoo fanatic within Japan, they would instantly know what you were talking about.

Opening the door, there was a sudden noise of a ring being heard leading you to immediately look up to see the silver bell that you told him to arrange since he always got annoyed about the number of potential clients popping up without his acknowledgement only to tell him that they didn’t book an appointment at all causing him to become more irritated - and as a matter of fact, you couldn’t blame him at all.

Looking around the tattoo shop that you had entered, there wasn’t a single person in sight leading you to come to the conclusion that you were right about his lunch break since his assistant would be at the front desk if they weren’t. Although there was no one to greet you, the dark atmosphere did. It gave an odd sense of comfort with its hints of red that could calm a customer down if they were worried about the tattoo they were committing to having on their body or if it was their first - especially when it came to him.

“Oya~ ain’t you a sexy customer? But I’m afraid we’re closed, but I don’t mind giving you a private session if you want, kitten” someone smoothly stated, leading your eyes to slowly shift to the person who was leaning against the desk with a confident smirk on his face. There he was, the mastermind behind the whole shop itself.

“Well, I’m not coming in for a tattoo but I am here to give a little gift, Sukuna,” you mischievously stated, as you lifted the white bag with the takeaway you had ordered for the man himself, leading him to look at you in surprised before tilting his head indicating you to come to the back with him.

Following his lead, you placed the bag on his table once you reached the backroom before placing your tote on the floor beside the table’s leg so it didn’t fall, letting any of your precious studious contents to be lost as well as avoiding any damage to your laptop.

“I’m surprised you’re using the bag, kitten,” Sukuna suddenly commented, as he sat on his chair while pulling out the white styrofoam box of Thai food that he always ordered along with a bento box that was wrapped in a black cloth.

“Well, how could I not? You did buy it for me,” you quietly mentioned as you took off your black longline coat before placing it behind your chair since there was nowhere else to put it.

“Did you make this?” Sukuna quickly questioned as he lifted the bento box causing you to nod at his question once you saw what he meant leading you to state, “I didn’t know if you were going to stay back tonight, so I prepared some food for you in case,” causing Sukuna to smirk since you were right about your assumption and it did catch him by surprise since he didn’t mention it to you today when he left your shared apartment.

“Thanks,” he quietly muttered before pulling his chair closer towards you so he could place a lingering kiss on your cheek to show his appreciation towards you. “How was class?” he then asked, as he began to unwrap the cloth of the box to your surprise since you bought his favourite item from the Thai restaurant but made no mention of it.

“Annoying, it was suffocating in there but the lecture was interesting so that’s a plus,” you answered, as you began to scan his messy desk that displayed the many drawings that he was working on. Some of the designs that Sukuna was drawing were almost complete, while others were in the same situation but for some odd reason, it was crossed out as if he was unsatisfied with the outcome that it was going to have which lead you to be perplexed since some of the drawings were incredibly detailed and beautiful. However, you didn’t have the eyes of an artist like your boyfriend did, instead, you had the eyes of someone that was able to analyse things exceedingly well hence why you decided to pursue a career as a criminal lawyer.

“How has the shop been while I was away?” you asked, as you carefully picked up one of the designs that the tattoo artist seemed to have scraped leading him to answer with an annoyed huff. “A pain, there’s been so many dumbass people coming in thinking they could just walk in and get a tattoo done immediately without even booking a meeting,” Sukuna answered before taking a bite of the soy-glazed fried chicken you made as he then continued with, “it was a good idea to get the bell since I could see if it was a customer I knew or not,”.

Looking at your boyfriend, you couldn’t help but smile at the man as he continuously munched the context in the box as if he hadn’t eaten in the past week when in reality he had been raiding the fridge back home only just this morning. Slowly, you turn your head back to the paper that you were holding as you continued to admire the work of art right in front of you. 

To be honest, it was quite simple compared to all the other ones that were lying about on his work desk but that didn’t mean it wasn’t beautiful. The light sketch depicted a short section of a branch or stem decorated with different types of beautiful flowers and next to it was the same design with the only difference of it being coloured lightly in case the client wanted to have options.

“What happened here?” you asked before tilting the paper to the side, letting Sukuna have a glance at the design he decided to discard.

“Oh, the client cancelled since I wouldn’t have sex with her,” Sukuna casually stated leading you to nod before taking another look at the design with a small smile on your face. Sadly, it was such a waste since the design was beautiful and it was disappointing to not see Sukuna put this beautiful art into life.

Some people might wonder why you were so calm about the statement he had just given you, heck even his younger twin brother Itadori Yuji thought it was weird that it didn’t bother you as much as other girls would have been. The reason was that you were so used to him having female attention as well as male attention and it wasn’t a surprise when people would book an appointment with him just for a fling or hoping for something more than just that - and even though you were calm, there was also a hint of jealousy and fear within your heart that you couldn’t help.

It was like the first time you saw him in your second year of high school.

                                               ꕥ 

Stretching your arms, you had finally finished the last sheet of the budgets for the school clubs leading you to carefully clip the pile of sheets into the folder as you then stood up from your desk before quickly heading out of your homeroom, so you could give the documents to the student council president, who was a third-year within your school.

However, as you were walking past a few classrooms with some people greeting you with a smile, you came to a sudden halt when you saw a whole crowd of female and males students in front of you leading to a blockage of the halls and a blockage of the classroom you need to go through to hand the documents to your senior.

“Did you hear, I heard he was back?!”

“I can’t believe he’s back, I missed him so much!”

“I like Yuji’s kind and goofy personality, but how could you not love a bad boy like him?”

‘Bad boy?’

Carefully, you managed to find a gap between the sea of students and forcibly made yourself fit within the gap before badly struggling to make it through the arc of the classroom door leading you to nearly trip the second you got the chance to push through the gap to ender the class. Quickly looking around, you found your senior sitting next to someone who looked like your friend and basketball club member Itadori Yuji - well more like a mature replicant of the boy you were used to. However, unbothered by the sudden appearance of the new third-year, you speedily made your way to the council president and handed him the booklet that he needed today leading you to receive his gratitude.

Yet, before you could even take a single step away from your senior, you unexpectedly felt someone grab your wrist causing you to quickly turn around to find Itadori’s replica behind you leading to a few gasps coming from the students from the outside as well as in the homeroom.

“Is there an issue?” you firmly asked, as you looked down at his hand that had a tight grip on your wrist causing you to have a small glance at the two black bands that were tattooed around his wrist - even though it was prohibited to have any in your school, you weren’t the type to scold someone for having them since you weren’t sure on how the teacher’s thought it affected someone’s education.

“Have you ever thought about getting a tattoo?” the salmon-haired third-year curiously asked, as he began to admire your wrist by gently turning it for your veins to come into view before beginning to trace your skin with the tip of his thumb causing a light shiver to go down your spine due to the ticklish feeling as well as his deep voice which was the complete opposite to what you thought it was going to be.

‘So this is the infamous Sukuna everyone was talking about’

“Not really,” you answered as you looked at him causing his eyes to look back at you before you continued with “I don’t think it would suit me at all,”.

“I disagree,” Sukuna counteracted, as he went back to admire the blank canvas of your wrist that he wanted to draw on so badly. No not draw. Mark. “I think you’ll suit something, maybe something on your neck or collarbone at best actually,” Sukuna mentioned leading you to give him a confused expression before he then proceeded with his speech by saying, “I’ll convince you one day and mark you brat”,

‘What...did….he….just….call….me..?’

“Ah...good luck with that idiot,” you stated in an annoyed tone leading to a few of the admiring student to gasp at your wording as well as sudden confident as they were scared on what was going to happen to you now since Sukuna wasn’t the type to tolerate insults in a nice way no matter what gender you were. However, exceeding the audience’s assumptions, Sukuna began to smirk excitedly at your attitude as he suddenly found you more interesting than any other girl he has met at the back of the school.

“Be prepared, little kitten”

                                               ꕥ

‘That nickname….’

Back then Sukuna was known to be a playboy from what you could recall, every week there was news on the new girl he had managed to convince to meet at the back alley of the school while you were just being a model student with the dream of going to law school. However, during the middle of the school year, you began to realise that the common scandalous news that seemed to be popular enough for it to be on the front cover of the newspaper began to gradually fade as Sukuna slowly pushed himself into your life since you were close with his twin brother due to your friend being part of the basketball team as the assistant coach - she even mentioned that ever since Sukuna came into your life he had stopped his acts and change slightly because of you to which, of course, you denied at the time.

It was during the first term of your third-year that you agreed to give Sukuna a chance since he was constantly annoying you by popping up at the school gate after school to ‘walk you home’ ever since his graduation - when in reality it was to take you out somewhere - without fail even when you had to stay in a few hours. However, you had given him three conditions since you were still conscious of the consequences of dating someone with such a disgraceful built reputation - much to his dismay, he shockingly agreed.

If you are going to have a fling with someone behind my back, don’t think about seeing or talking to me again.

I know you are sexually active, but you have to wait until I’m ready.

Don’t tattoo me.

Let’s just say that Sukuna had managed to keep condition number one in check and you didn’t have to worry about it at all, while with condition number two he didn’t have to wait that long for you to give in to your desires which you could tell he certainly enjoyed when you finally gave him the ‘okay’.

Number three though...

“Do you want to try that design out?”

Breaking from your daze, you quickly turned your head to find your boyfriend staring at you - with the bento box practically empty at this point - while tilting his head to the paper that was still within your grasp.

“I think you giving me hickeys are enough in my opinion, babe” you jokingly mentioned leading to both you and Sukuna laughing at each other slightly.

“I mean, do you want me to draw it on you to see how it looks?” he then asked, causing you to look at the floral design one last time before giving him a hesitant nod.

‘Trying it out won’t hurt right?’

“I need a confident answer little kitten, where did that feisty attitude of yours back in high school go?” Sukuna teased, causing you to give him the side glance before giving him the verbal permission that he wanted, leading him to smirk at you since knew his mockery would get you to give him what he wanted since you were also the stubborn type - a side that he always loved to play with.

Grabbing his pen and a black pot full of his thin-tipped coloured skin markers, he wheels his chair even closer to your before pausing, leading you to look at him in confusion since you had already pulled your wrist in front of him, the same area he had grabbed back in high school.

“You’re wearing a lot of clothing today,” Sukuna muttered as he began to fiddle with the collar of your white silk dress shirt causing you to look at him with extreme confusion before mentioning, “well it is getting colder since the Autumn season is coming around,” leading him to hum in an understanding tone as he continued to play with the smooth fabric.

“I want to draw on your collarbone area, I don’t want to draw on the area where the client wanted it to be,” Sukuna stated as he lightly pushed away your wrist leading you to realise why he paused. “You can,” you quickly mentioned leading the tattoo artist to look at you to see if you were lying, only to see nothing but the light of the trust within your eyes.

Slowly, Sukuna began to reach over to the top button to then unhook it from its loop before continuously doing the same with the others until enough skin of your shoulders were exposed with the top half of your shirt resting on the side of your arms to which then he slowly moved away the right-hand side of your bra strap to fully expose the canvas that he wanted to mark so eagerly.

Admiring the skin that was in front of him, Sukuna began to trace the area with his thumb before leaning in to place a chaste kiss on the same side of your neck before cradling your face on the other side with his other hand - as if it was a way for him to say ‘thank you’ for letting him do this.

Regrettably pulling away, Sukuna quickly grabbed his black pen as he then leaned in towards your collarbone to start drawing the outline of his design on his now favourite canvas causing you to shiver somehow due to how ticklish and weird the sensation felt when the ballpoint pen continuously gently gilded upon your skin. However, what got you shaking the most was the constant feeling of your boyfriend’s breath being felt on your upper body now that your shirt was basically off - it wasn’t completely off to the same feeling when you were underneath him the first time you allowed him to make his claim on you.

“Baby, it feels ticklish,” you commented, the second you felt a different sensation upon your skin leading Sukuna to glance up to check if you were alright like you were an actual client before placing another kiss on your jawline in a way to comfort you since he had switched to his skin markers to colour in the design he had drawn on you.

“You’re being a good kitten though, you’re not moving a lot then I thought you would,” the tattoo artist whispered leading you to quiver as his deep voice was not helping so much with your beating heart - erratic to the point where you thought he could hear or even feel.

Due to Sukuna concentrating, you couldn’t help but keep silent to help him continue with his work causing you to glance around your room with your eyes before landing upon a wall where there was a multitude of messages written leading you to carefully scan the writings that were visibly presenting themselves.

As expected, there were messages of encouragement - not that the arrogant Sukuna needed it to be honest, but it was nice of the client to do so - and a few drawings from other tattoo artists that Sukuna had famously done. However, not to your surprise, there were a few numbers here and there causing you to sigh since you couldn’t help it - you couldn’t blame your boyfriend for being an extremely handsome man.

Unexpectedly, you felt another kiss being placed upon your cheek causing you to look towards your boyfriend with a smile on your face - it was as if he knew what you were looking at. “I’m finished by the way,” Sukuna announced, causing you to look at him with widened eyes since the drawing session was a little faster than you had anticipated.

Reaching over to a drawer in his desk, Sukuna suddenly pulled out a mirror before passing it to you, leading you to lift up the little instrument to see the result that was drawn on your skin.

“You changed the design,” you quietly stated, as you began to tenderly trace the design with your index finger as you began to admire the piece of art that was masterfully drawn on your collar bone. The tattoo beautifully depicted a single strand of a blooming lavender across your collarbone with each petal in different shades of purple while the buds that weren’t in bloom were in a slight pale pink shade making you smile more since Sukuna drew this straight from his head causing you to have a hint of proudness for him.

“I wasn’t going to give you that previous design, it doesn’t suit you one bit,” the salmon-haired artist mentioned as he continued with, “I’m not going to let that disgusting design touch your skin, especially since this is the first time you let me mark you somewhat,” as he then moved behind you before placing his chin on your shoulder to look at you through the mirror you were holding.

“I might let you mark me permanently then,” you suddenly announced causing your boyfriend to look at you with a surprised look on his face leading you to giggle at his reaction.

“Yeah, let’s break condition three then, you can mark me this one time,” you informed him as you turned to look at him, causing Sukuna to give you his classic smirk before possessively grabbing your chin leading him to lean closer to you.

“Let me mark you then”

© violettelueur 2021 : written and published by violettelueur - do not steal or repost

[waitimcomingtoo]

Trial Run

Part one and three 

Pairing: Peter Parker x Reader enemies to lovers!

Synopsis: last week you hated each other, this week you’re making out in his bed.

Masterlist

Since you and Peter weren’t exactly friends before, you didn’t have each other’s numbers. You had no way of communicating with him once you went home. Meaning, you had no idea what you’d be walking in to on Monday. All you knew was you made out with your former rival. You didn’t know what it meant to him; you barely knew what it meant to you. So when you saw him at the lockers upon entering school, you had to brace yourself.

You walked up to your locker and kept your head straight as you unlocked it. You could feel Peter’s eyes on you, just as you could feel him fumbling for words to say.

“Hey.” You said casually without looking over at him. You were doing your best to play it cool, when you were internally freaking out around him.

“Hey.” Peter said immediately, overly excited that you were the first to speak. “How are you? Um, how was your weekend?”

“Good.” You said simply. “How was yours?”

“Good.” Peter nodded. He stared at you for a minute as he worked up the courage to say something better.

“I thought about you a lot.” He said quietly, adverting his eyes so he wouldn’t lose his nerve. You sucked in a sharp breath, hating how easily he could fluster you.

“Did you now?” You asked without looking at him.

“Yeah.” He smiled shyly. “I really liked it when you kissed me.”

You couldn’t help smiling at his words, despite you trying to fight it. You looked at him, saw his signature shit eating grin, and rolled your eyes.

“I liked it too.” You said quietly, not wanting to give him the satisfaction.

“Okay, good.” He nodded happily. “We’re on the same page.”

“I guess we are.” You looked at him as you shut your locker.

“In that case, do you want to be my girlfriend?” He asked hopefully as he twisted his shirt around his fingers. For once, you found his nervous behavior to be cute. You wanted to say yes, but you had to make sure he was all in first.

“Not yet.” You decided. “I said I’d be willing to give this a try. I can’t commit to anything until I know what kind of boyfriend you’d make.”

“How can I prove to you that I’d be a good boyfriend?” Peter wondered. You pursed your lips as you thought about it, not having thought that far ahead. You looked down at the books in your arms and held them out to him.

“Carry my books.” You instructed.

“Okay.” Peter took your books from you and walked with you when you moved.

“I like old fashioned romantic gestures.” You explained as you walked together. “Carrying books, opening the door, asking the father for permission to date, things like that. I want a gentleman. I wouldn’t date anything less.”

“Okay.” Peter nodded as he made a metal note. “I can be a gentleman.”

“Walk faster.” You commanded, and he picked up his pace. “I don’t just want you to be a gentleman though. You have to be rough with me sometimes. Tell me when I’m being ridiculous and shut me up with a kiss every now and then.”

“Nice. I finally know a way to shut you up.” Peter joked.

“Cute.” You narrowed your eyes at him. “I’m telling you all of this now because I think communication is the most important thing in a relationship. This is what I want in a relationship. If you can’t give it to me, then we’ll just be friends. No harm done.”

“Okay. Gentleman, kisses, books. I can do this.” Peter hyped himself up.

“Good.” You smiled and stopped walking. “So what are your conditions for a relationship?”

“I don’t know if I have any.” Peter realized. “I’ve never been in a a relationship before.”

“Well what do you want from me?” You asked him. Peter thought about it for a minute before making a decision.

“Can I hold your hand?” He asked, and you fought back a smile at his innocence. You looked down at his free hand and frowned suddenly as something dawned on you.

“Are you still gonna like me if I start being nice to you?” You asked without looking at him.

“What?” He asked. “Of course I will.”

“I don’t know.” You shook your head. “What if you had some underlying degradation kink that I was fueling? And if I stop being mean to you, you’ll stop liking me.”

“I liked you before you were mean to me.” Peter assured. “And I don’t have that kink. At least, I don’t think I do.”

You looked at him for a minute, unsure of what you wanted.

“I don’t want to start this if you’re gonna break my heart.” You said quietly.

“Hey.” He said comfortingly. “I won’t do that. I’ve never broken a girls heart before.”

“Didn’t you say you’ve never been in a relationship before?”

“Yes.” He realized. “But even if I had, I wouldn’t have broken anyones heart. Not on purpose, at least. You have just as much of a chance of breaking mine.”

“I’ll try not to.” You smiled a little.

“I would appreciate that.” He told you. Your smile widened as you fell just a little bit more for Peter. You let out a dramatic sigh and looked up at the ceiling.

“You can hold my hand.” You said like it was inconvenient for you.

“I appreciate that even more.” Peter grinned as he took your hand. You continued walking to class, hand in hand.

You reached your classroom and stood outside of it, hesitant to go inside. You’d only ever sat in that class as Peter’s rival, and now you guys were almost dating. You looked at him holding your books and squeezed his hand gently.

“Just so you know, I want this to work.” You told him honestly. Peter’s cheeks turned pink as he gave you a small nod.

“I do too.”

“Good.” You smiled. “Now get inside. I don’t like being late.”

You and Peter walked into the classroom hand and hand with his books still in his arms. Before you could take a seat, your teacher stopped you.

“Wow.” She folded her arms and smirked. “It looks like my plan worked.”

“I’m sorry?” You asked.

“Making you guys partners seems to have paid off.” She pointed to your books in Peter’s arms.

“Peter was just taking a break from his usually monkey brained self to do something polite.” You stammered.

“And Y/n couldn’t carry her books because she’s too busy carrying the weight of being the most obnoxious person in this part of New York.” Peter followed up.

“Mhm.” She nodded. “And the hand holding?”

“It was his idea.” You said at the same time as Peter said, “She let me.”

“Right.” She clicked her tongue. “Take a seat you two.”

You and Peter took your usual seats and kept quiet the entire class. The rest of the class was quick to notice the absence of the typical taunting banter that usually occurred between you and Peter. In its place, much to everyone’s surprise, was your dangling hands holding each other’s under the desks. His left hand was reaching forward while yours was reaching back, meeting in the middle and staying that way throughout the period. You didn’t know why you let him hold you hand the entire time. He didn’t know either. All you knew was you liked the feeling of his hand in yours.

At lunch time, you found yourself walking towards Peter’s table instead of sitting with your other friends. You had no idea why you wanted to sit with him, but you felt yourself missing him throughout your classes. You silently put your lunch down next to him and began to eat. Peter and Ned exchanged a look and Peter nearly choked on his food.

“You’re sitting here?” Peter asked with a mouth full of food.

“Is there a problem?” You asked as you looked between him and Ned.

“No.” Peter shook his head. “I’m glad you’re here. I’m happy to see you.”

“Shut up, loser.” You snickered as you leaned into him. He leaned back before wrapping an arms around your shoulders. Ned stared at the two of you in shock, usually accustomed to you going at each other’s throats. When Peter told him you’d kissed, he thought he was kidding.

“So are you guys like a couple now?” Ned asked, interrupting the moment. Peter didn’t know how to answer, so he looked to you.

“We’re giving it a test run.” You shrugged. “For now, we’re just casually dating.”

“When will you know if you want to be a couple?” Ned continued.

“I kinda had the same question.” Peter said sheepishly. You thought about it for minute, not exactly sure of your answer.

“Tell you what.” You decided. “If I ever look at you and feel an overwhelming need to kiss you, thats when I’ll know.”

“Okay.” Peter nodded. “I can work with that.”

“So how’s your project going Ned?” You asked as you changed the subject.

“Well, Gwen and I haven’t started dating, so not as good as yours.” He joked.

“Yeah, well. She’s missing out.” You winked at him.

“Not really.” Ned shrugged. “I’m exactly like Peter, just without the abs.”

“And I’m like Ned without the beautiful Hawaiian complexion.” Peter complimented back.

“Woah. Didn’t realize sitting here meant I’d be third wheeling on your date.” You joked.

“You’re not.” Peter didn’t get the joke. “You can sit here whenever you want.”

“Not that I care”, you prefaced ‘“but did you say Peter had abs? As in defined abdominal muscles?”

“Yeah.” Ned nodded as Peter’s face went red. You looked at him with a knowing smile and he knew exactly what you were thinking.

“Don’t.” He warned you.

“I knew you were on steroids!” You said excitedly. “I called it and I was right.”

“I am not on steroids.” Peter whined.

“I knew it.” You insisted. “Your arms got bigger practically overnight and now you have abs?”

“I work out.” Peter lied.

“No you don’t.” You snorted.

“I’m Spider-Man.” He tried again.

“I’d believe you work out before I’d believe that.” You told him, much to his relief.

“Then I guess we’ll never know.” He shrugged, sneaking a knowing glance at Ned. “Do you want to come over later? We can continue working on the project.”

“Sure.” You shrugged, feeling nervous butterflies in your tummy. “I’ll meet you by the lockers after the last bell.”

“Don’t be late.” He smiled.

“Don’t tell me what to do.” You deadpanned, making his smile fall.

“I’m just kidding.” You smiled. “God, you’re so gullible.”

“You don’t like to make things easy, do you?” Peter joked as he leaned on his hand to stare at you. The way he was looking at you sent a wave of butterflies into your tummy, causing you to look away.

“Hm.” You grinned. “No I do not.”

~

“Hey May.” Peter called as he set his keys down by the door. Your heart rate quickened when you heard footsteps coming into the room.

“Hey, Peter. How was your -oh! Hello.” May stopped short when she noticed you standing behind him.

“Hi, Miss Parker. I’m Y/n.” You introduced yourself since you didn’t meet her last time you were over.

“You’re Y/n?” May asked. “The one from your physics class?”

“Yeah. Peter and I have a few classes together actually.”

“Is this the one you called a b-“

“Beautiful, sweet Angel.” Peter cut her off and smiled at you. “Yes, this is her.”

“Oh.” She was surprised. “Hi. You can call me May.”

“It’s nice to meet you, May.” You smiled as you shook her hand.

“You too. Wow.” She laughed. “You’re nothing like I pictured.”

“May.” Peter said warningly.

“What?” She asked. “The way you described her, I figured she had horns and a little tail.”

“Oh, I do.” You nodded. “I just hide them well.”

“Peter.” May said pointedly. “She’s not nearly as bad as you told me. What are you guys doing here anyway?”

“We have a group project.” He said.

“We’re also dating.” You followed up. Peter looked at you in pleasant surprised, feeling very happy that you said that.

“Finally.” May scoffed. “I knew you liked her. No one whines that much about a girl he doesn’t like.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Peter rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment.

“Well, I’ll leave you guys to it.” May said. “Do you guys need anything before I go? Snacks? Drinks? Condoms?”

“We’ll take some condoms.” You said casually. May raised her eyebrows as Peter choked on his saliva.

“Kidding.” You said through an awkward smile. “That was a joke. Thank you, though.”

“We’re gonna go to my room now.” Peter quickly ushered you out of the room. “Bye May!”

“It was nice meeting you!” You called as he pushed you into his room. As soon as his door was closed, you put your hands on your hips.

“You told you aunt I was a bitch.” You pointed at him accusingly.

“No.” Peter pointed back at you. “I told her you were a brat.”

“Oh.” You relaxed. “Well that’s not that bad.”

“Is that a deal breaker?” Peter worried. “I kinda told her we hate each other.”

“Peter, you have to stop being so worried about messing this up.” You said as you rubbed his arms. “I told you, I want this to work. You have to relax a little.”

“Okay.” He sighed. “I’m sorry. I’m just having a hard time believing you like me back.”

“I like you some of the time.” You shrugged before cracking a smile.

“Hey.” He whined.

“I’m teasing.” You told him. “I’m just getting used to being nice to you. If it makes you feel better, I’m starting to like you a lot more.”

“I guess that does make me feel better.” He mumbled.

“Good.” You smiled and patted his cheek. “Now stop whining about it, brat.”

“You’re the brat.” He scoffed playfully as he put his hand over yours. You sucked in a breath at how close you were, hearing your heartbeat in your ears. Peter’s eyes fell to your lips before going back to your eyes.

“Can I kiss you?” He asked softly.

“Shut the fuck up.” You matched his soft tone with a harsh one.

“Okay.” He backed up. “Sorry.”

“I’m kidding.” You assured him as you pulled him back to you. “You can kiss me.”

He rolled his eyes at you before cracking a smile.

“You’re mean.” He mumbled as he put his hands on your face.

“Yeah, but you like that.” You whispered as you leaned up to kiss him. He pulled your closer by your face as you slid your hands under his shirt. He was a surprisingly good kisser for someone who had never been in a relationship before, and you wanted to test his limits. You dragged your fingernails down his stomach and just as Ned told you, he had abs. He groaned at the unfamiliar feeling and began to move backwards. You followed him until you both fell on the bed. Peter rolled on top of you and continued kissing you, slipping his fingers through yours to hold your hands. You licked his bottom lip and he took the hint to open his mouth. His kisses were clumsy and awkward, but you absolutely loved them. You made out on his bed just like last time, your project long forgotten. Neither of you had any idea how much time had passed before you both collapsed on his bed to catch your breath. You rolled over and rested your head on Peter’s chest, feeling his rapid heartbeat beneath you. You rested your hand on his stomach, mindlessly playing with the soft material of his sweater.

“Hm.” You pouted as Peter wrapped an arm around you and rubbed your shoulder with his thumb.

“What’s wrong?” He wondered.

“I really like you.” You realized as you made a disgusted face.

“Is that a bad thing?” He chuckled.

“Yes!” You exclaimed. “I don’t want to have feelings. Especially not for you. We’re supposed to be enemies but…”

“But what?” Peter asked when you trailed off.

“But I never want to leave this bed.” You mumbled as you you held him closer. Peter laughed again and kissed the top of your head.

“It’s okay.” He insisted. “I really like you too.”

“Gross.”

“If I have to stop worrying about messing this up, you have to stop worrying about letting this happen.” He reasoned. “It’s okay that we like each other. I didn’t see it coming either.”

You let out a sigh and gazed up at him.

“I hate when you’re right.” You mumbled.

“You’re gonna have to get used to that.” He told you as he stroked your face.

“Why would I get used to something that only happens once a month?” You asked. He gave you a look so you smiled.

“Kidding.” You told him. “We can still bully each other, right? Or does that have to stop if we’re dating.”

“It depends. You said you need communication, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.” He nodded. “I don’t like it when you make jokes about me being on steroids. I’m scared people are going to believe you and then I’m gonna have to pee in a cup in front of the principle. I’m very pee shy.”

“Thank you for letting me know.” You laughed. “I won’t make those jokes anymore.”

“What about me?” He asked. “What’s off limits?”

“Well unlike you, I can take a joke, so nothing is off limits for me.” You shrugged, always taking the opportunity to tease him.

“Hardy har.” He said sarcastically.

“Actually, wait.” You thought of something. “Don’t call me a bitch. Brat is fine but bitch crosses the line.”

“That’s easy.” He said. “I only ever called you that in my head anyway.”

You gave him a look and he laughed.

“Kidding.” He mimicked your voice. “You have my word. I won’t ever call you that.”

“All right.” You sighed in content. “I feel better now.”

“Does this mean I can start calling you my girlfriend?” Peter asked.

“Not yet.” You decided. “I haven’t decided if I want to do this for real yet. I’m still weighing my options.”

“Okay.” He nodded. “Take your time. No pressure.”

“Well that makes it sound like you don’t care either way.” You whined as you sat up.

“I do. I do care.” He assured you as he sat up. “But I don’t want to rush you. I really want to give this a try, but only if you do too.”

You looked at him for a while as you processed what he said.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” He wondered.

“You’re making it really hard to justify not liking you all these years.” You told him, and he couldn’t help but smile.

“Good.” He shrugged. “I want you to like me.”

“I got my heart broken pretty badly in the past.” You whispered. “Because I liked someone a little too much.”

“I already told you, I’m not gonna break your heart. I’m not like that.”

Your lips tweaked into a smile before you leaned in to kiss him.

“You better not be.”

~

You continued casually dating Peter throughout the week, getting closer to telling him you wanted to be his girlfriend every day. He carried your books for you, opened your door, and shut you up with kisses, just like you asked. By Friday, you were ready to make it official. You found him in the hallway between classes but before you could tell him what you decided on, he started to speak.

“What are you doing after school today?” He asked as he bounced on his heels.

“Volunteer Club was cancelled so nothing.” You answered. “Why?”

“I want to take you somewhere.” He explained. “But it’s a surprise.”

“I knew it.” You shook your head. “I knew you and your cult were gonna kill me.”

“There is no cult.” He huffed. “Just meet me here after school, okay?”

“Okay.” You looked at him skeptically as he broke out into a grin. “But what-“

Peter cut you off with a kiss before telling you, “It’s a surprise! No more questions.”

He quickly scurried away before you could ask him anything else, leaving you a blushing mess in the hallway.

~

After school, you walked with Peter’s hands over your eyes to an unknown location. The walk was pretty far and his hands we’re starting to get sweaty on your face. If you didn’t like him so much, you would have complained.

“Okay.” Peter announced. “We’re here. You can look.”

Peter uncovered your eyes and let you look around. When you realized he had brought you to a cemetery, you looked at him for answers.

“I was doing a little research, I hope you don’t mind.” He prefaced. “This lot is closest to the Grey Sloan Memorial hospital, so it’s where they put most of their car crash victims.”

“Yeah.” You nodded as you kept your eyes ahead. “I know.”

“This is where they buried your parents, right?” He asked quietly. You looked at him, impressed that he was able to find out where they were, and nodded.

“Yeah.” You said softly. “It is.”

“Can you take me to them?” He asked politely. You opened your mouth to speak, but found no words. Instead, you took Peter’s hand and lead him to your parents graves.

There was a pile of roses laid in front of the headstones, all in different stages of decomposition. Peter took his backpack off his shoulders and pulled out two roses. He handed one to you and kept the other in his hand. Before you could say anything, Peter got down on one knee in front of the headstone.

“Mr. and Mrs. L/n, it’s an honor to meet you.” He began. “My name is Peter Parker. I’m sure Y/n has complained about me a few times to you guys. I’ve definitely given her a lot to complain about.”

You chuckled at his words as tears came to your eyes. You thought what he was doing was sweet, if a little morbid. You knew his intentions were pure and that’s what mattered.

“I came here today for two reasons. The first was to meet the parents of the most unpredictable, intelligent, and beautiful person I have ever met. She’s also super annoying. Like, you would not believe how annoying this girl is.” He joked. “Or I guess, maybe you would. In my opinion, she gets a little easier to endure everyday.”

Peter looked back at you to see if you were still listening, and you gave him a thumbs up.

“My other reason for coming here was to formally ask you for permission to date your daughter.” He continued. “I know it’s ultimately her decision, but she likes old fashioned romantic gestures. So here I am, asking for your blessing.”

You covered your mouth with your hand as happy tears fell from your eyes. Not only had Peter remembered what you listed off to him, he followed through with the most thoughtful romantic gesture you’d been given. He turned around again to look at you, shielding his eyes from the setting sun.

“They’re kinda quiet.” Peter joked. “Do you think they said yes?”

“Peter?” You said weakly.

“Yes?”

“I’m feeling that overwhelming need to kiss you right about now.” You told him with a tearful smile.

“I bet you are, loser. Can you give me a minute? I’m in the middle of a conversation.” He rolled his eyes before turning back to the headstone. “So, you guys enjoying the weather?”

You let out a laugh and wiped your face free of tears.

“Peter. Stand up right now.”

Peter obliged and stood up to face you.

“You said you liked romantic gestures.” He began to apologize. “It was either this or I pull out a ouija board and-“

You cut Peter off by throwing your arms around him and kissing him. He kissed you back immediately, stabilizing you as you stumbled into him. Something inexplicable made this kiss feel different from the last ones. This time, you were letting yourself feel everything you wanted to feel for Peter.

“Wait.” You pulled away suddenly and held him back from you.

“What’s wrong?” He worried.

“I don’t want to get caught making out with my boyfriend in a graveyard.” You told him. “That’s too weird. Even for you.”

“You called me your boyfriend.” Peter smiled happily, ignoring everything you said except that.

“Did I?” You played dumb. “I didn’t even notice.”

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