#i feel awkward when ive been mia for months :/ | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

time-is-honey · 3 years ago

Text

coming home wounded (to childe)

hi! sorry ive been MIA recently, UK daylight savings happened recently and im still not used to living here (woah honey lore, ze moved to the UK a few months ago)

also u two aren't dating in this but theres some romantic tension because of course there is

warnings: blood, gore, swearing, mentions of undressing but it goes literally nowhere, childe’s real name used, not proofread

hes so concerned!!!

huge crush on u, hates seeing u hurt

geeeeeeeentle

makes u feel safe, constantly reassuring you

sleeps in ur room that night

“You don't have to tell me right now.”

God, fucking ow. Treasure hoarders usually aren't a big deal for you, just mind your business and walk by. Today was different though, for some reason. Some fucker in a mask decided YOU needed to be today’s target, so now you're stuck with a stab wound on your thigh and damn, it fucking hurts. You’ve never really been injured to this extent considering you're not much of a fighter, so your tolerance is practically nonexistent. Having to walk home isn't much better either, but at least you might have someone waiting for you. Your good friend Tartaglia has been your roommate for around two months, and it's honestly a 50/50 chance that he’s home to help you.

Fumbling with your keys, you finally manage to make it inside your house. By this point though, the pain was far too much, and you collapse, yelling in pain. You’re conscious, you know that, but it’s getting pretty hard to stay that way. Your prayers seem to be answered though, and your roommate rushes to your side.

“[Name]?? What happened?” He asks frantically, his usual confident facade is nowhere to be found.

All you can manage is a sob as he lifts you. He doesn't need an answer, honestly. All he knows is that you need help and that he has the supplies to help you.

“It’s alright, you don't have to tell me right now. I’ll get you patched up, okay? You're gonna be just fine.” He reassures you as he sets you down on the bathroom floor. You believe him, of course, since his tone of voice is the most genuine you've ever heard from him. You have to admit, being vulnerable around him when he’s like this doesn't feel that wrong. You wouldn't even mind crying right now if it wasn't for the fact that your leg had a fucking stab wound in it.

“It hurts, Ajax, it hurts so bad.” You can’t speak louder than a whisper at this point, that's how awful your pain is, but he hears you loud and clear. He pauses, not for long, but long enough to take in the fact that you just used his real name for the first time. He had more important things to worry about though, so he ignored the pink slowly spreading across his cheeks.

“I know, [Name], I promise that you’re gonna be okay. I've treated wounds like this many a time, so I know what I'm doing. You can trust me, I swear on it.” He gives a slight squeeze to your hand before getting to work.

“I’m gonna have to take off your pants. I know it's awkward but your wound is much too high up for me to be able to treat you properly. Is that alright?” You nod reluctantly, only hesitating because of how painful you know it’ll be.

He slowly unbuckles your belt and pulls them down, you wince and tighten the rock-solid grip you have on your sink.

"Sorry, I know it hurts, I'm being as gentle as I can.” You've never heard him speak in this soft of a tone, you almost wish he’d be like this more often, but considering the circumstances, it may be for the best that he’s not.

He treats your wound as if you could crumble under his touch. He’s never seen you as fragile or weak and has never treated you that way either. Until now, anyway. He’s constantly checking if you’re alright, hoping your pain is subsiding even a little. Tartaglia can't stand to see you cry, much less cry due to this level of pain. He can't help but take a break every few minutes when applying medicine just to hold your hand and tell you everything’s going to be okay. He’d never do this for anyone else, but something about you just makes him want to shield you from the world and keep safe.

As he wraps up your wound with the last of his bandages, his tone of voice becomes increasingly less worried. His normal cocky attitude slowly creeps his way back into his cadence.

“See? I told you you’d be just fine, I'm a master at treating wounds. Don't you just feel peachy?” Any semblance of vulnerability you both shared is quickly swept away, as expected from Tartaglia.

Of course, you need to quip back, “I’m sitting in front of my roommate with my pants around my knees and a fucking stab wound in my thigh. I’ll give you one guess as to whether or not I feel ‘peachy.’”

He chuckles at your response before lifting you in his arms once again, taking you to your bedroom this time.

“Get changed,” he says, his genuine tone coming back slowly, “or try to, anyway. I’m staying with you tonight whether you like it or not. I've gotta keep an eye on you in case I made a mistake patching you up.”

He’s lying, and he knows he is. Something in him is screaming to stay with you, even if he knows you’re completely set. You even have a feeling he’s lying.

“You sure?” your question through your closed door.

“Positive.”

His warm smile greets you as you open your bedroom door once again. You try to limp slowly to your bed, but feel the same arms life you yet again.

“Don’t put weight on your leg.” He gently sets you down on one side of your bed and climbs onto the other, facing the ceiling.

What seems like a few hours seem to go by, there's a noticeable amount of tension surrounding the two of you, but you seem to ignore it. Tartaglia, on the other hand, hates awkward silence.

“[Name]?”

“Hm.”

“You called me Ajax earlier.”

Shit. You so did. You REALLY hoped he wouldn't acknowledge it, especially considering how vulnerable you seemed to be.

“Guess I did, why are you pointing it out?”

“I’m not upset, don’t worry. I just keep wondering why you did specifically then.”

All you can manage in response is to clear your throat. He laughs quietly and turns toward you, grabbing your hand yet again.

Giving it a reassuring squeeze, his voice lowers to a whisper. “It’s alright, you don't have to tell me right now.”

The two of you stay that way, fingers interlocked with no intention of ever letting go. You two were just friends, of course, but here in your bed, relationship status meant nothing. You both knew you’d have to take on tomorrow like none of this happened, but for now, you both just wanted to stay with each other for as long as possible.

You closed your eyes not long after, you knew you couldn't manage to fall asleep any time soon, but you may as well try. The pain in your leg was still excruciating, but Tartaglia’s presence seemed to be far more relaxing, so maybe you have a shot.

A few moments go by before a light squeeze is given to your hand.

“I’m so glad you’re safe, I don’t know what I’d do without you.” His voice is no louder than a whisper. He plants a kiss on your forehead before turning over to get some sleep of his own.

His misguided authenticity only fuels you to do the unthinkable and mutter softly in his ear.

“Thank you, Ajax. I love you.”

Who knew all you needed was a stab in the thigh to finally say that.

SORRY IF THIS SUCKS ITS LIKE 6 AM AND I STILL HAVE YET TO GO TO BED AHHHH OK GN

tags:

#genshin #genshin impact #genshin x reader #gore warning #childe #tartaglia #childe genshin #tartaglia genshin #childe x reader #tartaglia x reader #angst? maybe #idk you get stabbed #comfort #still so in love with childe #its bad

62 notes · View notes

capaimagines · 3 years ago

Text

hwang hyunjin - m.i.a

Pairing: Hyunjin x Reader | Genre: exes to lovers, angst & fluff | Warnings: mentions of alcohol | WC: 1.3k

Request: Hi can i pls request a song fic, MIA by skz. ive been listening to it for a while now and the lyrics r just 🤌🏼✨ (Hwang Hyunjin- Angst to/and Fluff. Oh can u pls make it exes to lovers?🥺 if thats ok.)

A/N: Please note that these lyrics are from youtube music, therefore, some inaccuracies may be found

누가 봐도 어색해 뭔가 너무 복잡해

(anyone can see you're feeling awkward, what's so complicated?)

Hyunjin definitely was not in the mood to attend this party tonight, though one of his best friends Jisung would not stop nagging the poor boy to get out of his room and change sulking to socializing. It was time for him to move on from you and meet new people. But only if it was that easy.

The two of you had dated since sophomore year of high school and you were juniors in undergrad now. Unfortunately for the both of you, you had broken it off around two months ago and Hyunjin was still absolutely devastated. He wasn’t sure what had changed or what had happened. Just that you started being distant, stopped talking to him and slowly, you had slipped away in a blink of an eye.

As much as he didn’t want too, he reluctantly agreed to go and now here he was, a gross alcoholic beverage in his red plastic cup with music blaring around him and the smoke filling the room from the idiots smoking joints inside. Listening to his friends laugh and talk about random things, but not really listening nor paying attention. All because, he had seen you. With another guy.

In the short black crop top and black booty shorts that barely covered your ass cheeks. Makeup caked on to your face, clearly intoxicated and grinding on some random guy that was smiling widely at you. Hyunjin should feel hurt or angry, but if anything, he was more shocked. Then again, who was he to feel hurt? You had never dressed like that before. You used to make fun of people who did show so much skin and you constantly told him you hated wearing makeup, since you liked to be as natural as possible and he loved that about you.

But he wasn’t feeling angry or jealous because of your smile. It was awkward. He could tell you weren’t feeling like yourself and that you didn’t necessarily want to be dancing with the guy. It wasn’t your real smile. The one that only he knew. You were playing someone you weren’t, all because you were trying to hide your true emotions from the only person who could read you like a book.

Then your eyes met his.

뭔가 예전엔, 사소한 것까지 말했었던 너였었는데 멀어진 느낌

(you used to tell me every little thing back then but now I feel distant)

In all honesty, you also didn’t expect to see Hyunjin standing there with his group of friends. That was why you had gulped down your fourth drink without a second thought and grabbed the closest male to you and started grinding on him. He was a distraction. A distraction for you and a distraction for him. Hyunjin couldn’t know that you still had feelings for him. He needed to know you had moved on. Yet, you didn’t detect any jealousy is his features or anger in his eyes. He simply just stared at you, and you just weren’t too sure if that stung.

For as long as you had dated Hyunjin, you were never good at reading him, yet, he was an expert at reading you. He was an expert at masking how he truly felt. He used to tell you every feeling he had but now he couldn’t do that. You couldn’t even walk up to him and ask him how he was feeling or how he was doing. There was a distance between you two now. There was no more you and him.

It was him.

Then it was you.

다른 사람과 얘기를 하는 것 같아

어색해져 너와 있을 때

(feels like I'm talking to someone else, it feels awkward when I'm with you)

Sucking up his nerves, Hyunjin place his drink on the closest table before he walked towards you in a hurry and pulled you away from the man that he could tell you clearly didn’t know, but also clearly made you uncomfortable. To his surprise—and yours—you let him. You followed up the stairs and to some random bedroom.

“H-hey,” He stuttered out. The air was so awkward and both of you could feel it. He didn’t feel like your usual Hyunjin anymore and you didn’t feel like his Y/N anymore. But that’s how it’s supposed to be. You weren’t together anymore. It was time to make a change and move on.

“Hey,” You breathed back. His hand was still around your wrist and his touch felt like it was igniting your skin on fire. Neither of you moved to stop touching one another.

“How are you?” He asked quietly and you only shrugged, offering up an ‘okay.’ This was terribly awkward and you wished your legs weren’t numb so that you could spin on your heels and run away from this, run away from him.

This was never how you two would talk to each other.

But that was before.

널 보고 싶어 널 보고 싶어

행복한 ��이 귀에 걸린 널

(I miss you, I miss you, you who used to happily smile)

“W-well, I’m going to go,” You stuttered out, maybe slurring a little as you wiggled your wrist out of his grasp and made a bee line for the bedroom door. Hyunjin felt his heart clench. He couldn’t let you go this easily. Not again. He wouldn’t be able to. He loved you and he always would.

It was always you. It was always going to be you.

“Y/N, wait!” He called out, panicked. It was the panic in his voice that had you faltering your movements when reaching for the doorknob. Closing your eyes and swallowing down the lump in your throat, you turned to face him. To your surprise, Hyunjin was wearing every single emotion you were feeling on his face right now. He wasn’t hiding them. He was hurt. He was surprised. There was desperation. Pain. Love. How could he still love you after you left him?

“I miss you. I miss you so fucking much,” He whispered, with a crack to his voice, crossing the short space between you in only a few steps. His arms snaked around your waist, pulling you flush into him.

You squeezed your eyes shut tightly, inhaling deeply. The one sweater you hadn’t given back to him had faded. You missed his scent. You missed his arms. You missed his warmth. His lips.

You missed him, too.

Tell me what you want babe

다시 널 보고 싶어 (I wanna see you again)

“Please, don’t go,” His voice was shaky. You squeezed him tighter, taking a deep breath. How could you? It was always him. You don’t know why you tried to push that thought away. You don’t know why you let your fears of the future let you push him away.

It was always going to be him.

Without a word, you stood on your tiptoes and pressed your lips to his. It only took him a few seconds to get over the shock before his hand came to cup the back of your neck and his other one pulled you closer to him, deepening the kiss.

Pulling away and breathless, you smiled at him to which he mimicked back, the light that had been missing from his brown orbs now ignited like fireworks. He knew that smile.

It was a real smile.

“I still love you,” He murmured, running his thumb over your cheek and wiping away tears you hadn’t even known fell. You looked up at him and smiled again, pressing his palm against your cheek.

“I never stopped loving you.”

133 notes · View notes

hermannsthumb · 4 years ago

Note

"newt isn’t sleazy and is also too busy wrestling with the ethics of hitting on his hot TA if the guy is 5 months older than him to even notice" pleeeease write this

Anonymous asked: "When I Kissed the Teacher" AU ft professor newt and his hot 5-month-older TA hermann

and coincidentally, this older one

Anonymous asked: i just rewatched mamma mia 2 and was wondering if i could request a "when i kissed the teacher" newmann fic?? love your writing!!!!!!

Ask And Ye Shall Receive. sorry ive been MIA 😔 concept from this post I made earlier this month. idk what class newt teaches that hermann would be qualified to TA for but just like, decide for yourselves

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

Newt’s never been a list-making kind of guy, or--for that matter--even really a planning ahead kind of guy, but certain circumstances have thrown his life more out of wack than usual lately, and he kind of needs the stability the like of things like lists offer. Desperate times and everything. Or, at the very least, Newt is desperate.

So Newt plans, and plots, and deliberates, and he even agonizes a little, but most of all, he makes a list.

On one half of the page, he writes pros. On the other, he writes cons. On top, he writes--what else?--Hermann.

The problem started in late August. Newt knew for months he was going to be assigned a teaching assistant come that semester--it was him, after all, who’d suggested it to the dean in the first place--but the Hermann Gottlieb of extensive, impressive, overachieving CV and overly-former cover letter was a far cry from Hermann Gottlieb in the flesh. Newt expected a dork, frankly. Someone too socially awkward to feel brave enough to thank someone for holding a door open for him. He expected a PhD student so eager to please he’d cater to Newt’s every whim, whether it was grading horrendous freshman lab reports or fetching him a sandwich from the commissary between class sections.

They met for the first time at the campus coffee shop. Hermann was dressed in an oversized pair of slacks, a threadbare green sweatervest, and honest-to-God saddle shoes; the buttons of his Oxford were done up all the way, from the collar to the cuffs, and an ornate cane was settled against his thigh. His haircut was tragic. “Dr. Geiszler,” he said, all clipped and English, and held his hand out to Newt. “Hermann Gottlieb. It is a great pleasure to meet you. I’m an admirer of your work.”

"Sup,” Newt said, and tried to bump their fists together.

Newt knew he was in deep shit then. It wasn’t just because Hermann was gorgeous (which he was, in a sort of weird, frumpy, ripped-outta-1945 way), or that the scowl he proceeded to level Newt with made his soul wither and his heart race a little bit too fast, but both of those things in conjunction with a big one: Newt was, and is, so fucking love-starved. It’s an unfortunate byproduct of being made a professor when he was as young as he was and completing a PhD before he completed puberty. His early twenties should’ve been spent dyeing his hair terrible colors and adding to his already impressive tattoo collection and having questionable hookups with other young twentysomethings; unfortunately, the only young twentysomethings Newt ever seems to come across are his students, and he has a very strict code of ethics. Not to mention it wasn’t like he was getting any action before that as a weird, gangly teenager with peers several years his senior. He was bound to latch onto the first genius hottie who crossed his path who wasn’t trying to flirt their way into bumping that B- to a B+. And better yet, Hermann is five whole months his senior!

The shit only got deeper when the semester started. No, Hermann was not the sort to fetch Newt sandwiches, or coffee, or Aspirin from his office, nor was he the sort to handle the dreaded lab reports (at least not unless Newt handled them with him), and he definitely wasn’t eager to please. Newt, anyway. If anything the opposite was true: he seemed to actively derive enjoyment from undermining Newt at every turn.

“Wrong,” he’d mutter during class if Newt screwed something up in a lecture, or “No, Geiszler, you’re doing it wrong again,” or “How in the blazes did you get three bloody PhDs when you can’t even do simple addition?” and snatch Newt’s dry erase marker away to scrawl his own answers on the whiteboard. It was less like having a TA and more like having...well, a bitchy, annoying co-teacher. Or, God help Newt, a colleague. And boy, did he wave those five months over Newt’s head like a fucking flag. Newt was immature; inexperienced; clearly not as serious about his studies--his completed studies--as Hermann. Meanwhile Newt’s class (bright young twenty somethings, taller than Newt, cooler than Newt, with more friends than Newt) would giggle and snicker, and Hermann would look smug.

It drove Newt fucking batty.

It also made him, like, super turned on.

The two can co-exist. Apparently. Hermann Gottlieb is already helping Newt discover new and existing concepts; what a fucking excellent TA he is. Someone give that man a raise.

So Newt draws up a list, and he writes Pros, and he writes Cons, and he writes Hermann. The pros are regrettably easy to come up with, because Hermann is Hermann, and (bitchiness and undermining of Newt aside) it’s unfair how many he has. Hot. Stupid sexy accent. Stupidly smart. This is crossed out and replaced with so smart he makes me feel stupid (in a good way), because it seems like an important distinction. Glasses on chain. Mysterious. (In a tall, dark, and handsome way. Sort of. Average height--which is tall to Newt, pale, and handsome. He still scowls more than he talks, which makes him feel mysterious. In a Bronte sort of way. Newt can picture Hermann drawing a billowing cloak around his shoulders and stalking some desolate moor in the moonlight, though in this case maybe’s more of a puffy parka than a cloak.) In tiniest font of all is makes me laugh, because Hermann does, goddamn it, with his snide asides and cutting remarks and sarcasm, often not even directed at Newt when it’s just the two of them alone in Newt’s office at night.

The placement of “is my TA” on the chart is acting as a particular annoyance to Newt, entirely on account of the fact that he can think of several pros and cons for that as well, and he’s not sure whether to nestle it between dark eyelashes and once called me a moron in front of my class and I got a hard-on or beneath sweaters smell like sweat and mothballs, has annoying tic of clearing throat when lost in thought, and the dick wins 86% of our arguments. Sexy forbidden fling. Abuse of power. Is older than me so it's not as weird as it could be? I’m his boss. The school’s paying Hermann though, not Newt, and it’s not like he’s going to scurry off to the dean and demand Hermann’s funding slashed if Hermann turns him down (which he’d most likely do). But it still feels like a breach of ethics.

On the other hand, Hermann is exactly the sort of guy he’d try to pick up at a bar if he still did things like that. (Tenure, rather than giving Newt breathing space to kick back and relax a little, has only increased his obsession with his work, and now when he gets a Friday night free to himself he mostly switches crap on the TV and falls asleep with his cat on the couch.) It’s about the experience, the impossible task of seducing someone who--by all accounts--is too straight-laced and tight-buttoned to indulge in something that debase. They were always the best in bed. Tension, Newt knows, has to snap at some point.

He’d like to wrap Hermann’s personal piano wire around his thumb and bang away at the keys until it snaps, too. Ethics, Newt thinks (folding up the list and stuffing it out of sight), his ass.

Newt sacrifices a Friday night with his cat and Unsolved Mysteries in favor of working on a solution to his Hermann Problem. Swamped with work, he tells Hermann over the phone, it fucking sucks, dude, I could really use your help in my office, and Hermann grumbles, and snaps that Newt should learn to be better prepared for his own damn classes, but declares he’ll be on campus in half an hour and that Newt will be ordering him takeaway for dinner as an apology.

The door swings open at half past five. Hermann is bundled in that heavy parka and scarf (which, even for a Boston November, still looks a little too warm), and his hair is damp. “Is it raining?” Newt says, perhaps stupidly, because there’s not a single droplet of water anywhere else on Hermann’s body.

Hermann makes a face at him and pushes the door shut with his cane. “No,” he says, tersely.

“Then why...” Newt touches his own hair.

“I was taking a bloody bath,” Hermann snaps. “I don’t work on Fridays, as you well know, Newton.”

The use of his full first name stings Newt oddly even as the notion of Hermann luxuriating in a bathtub excites him. “That’s Dr. Geiszler,” Newt snaps back, because goddamn it, he’s Hermann’s boss, he deserves respect, and then mentally adds a small, depressing tally to the Cons half of the board. Ethics, ethics.

“Oh, I’m terribly sorry, Dr. Geiszler,” Hermann says. He throws his scarf and coat viciously at the small couch in the corner of Newt’s office, then takes his usual seat across from Newt. “Well? Where are those papers it’s so crucial we grade?”

Hermann in a bathtub, Newt thinks. Hermann naked. Papers, Newt thinks. “Papers,” Newt says, and he shoves a stack at Hermann with twice as much force as he means to, causing several to flutter to the ground. “We need...to grade them,” he says. Hermann naked, in a bathtub, maybe some candles lit around him, some nice music on, daydreaming about that wretched professor he works for. Damn it. “I have a pen,” he says. “To grade.”

“What on earth are you saying?” Hermann says. “Be quiet. I can’t concentrate with your abominable prattling on.” Then he mumbles something that sounds like incessant, rips the top paper off the stack, and begins to slash at it in red ink. He doesn’t bother gathering the two from the ground.

Why did Newt invite him here, again?

Oh, right. He pushes his glasses up his nose and feigns casualness, pulling out another paper for himself to grade. “A bath,” he says. “Just to, uh, relax? Or...?”

Hermann narrows his eyes. “Or?”

Newt shrugs. “It’s Friday. Were you getting ready for a date or something?”

This time, Hermann’s mouth twists down into a frown. Almost suspicious. “Why do you care?” he says.

“I don’t,” Newt says quickly. “Just making small talk.” God, he could picture some stud of a computer science PhD candidate winning Hermann over with techno babble--or maybe one of his fellow students, ugh, maybe they made a study group together that meets Friday nights, and Hermann was getting all gussied up, goddamn handsome astrophysics grad students--

“I was relaxing,” Hermann says. “You must be aware at this point you cause me a great deal of stress, Dr. Geiszler, on a daily basis.”

“Oh,” Newt says.

He gives up on the small talk after that. Hermann’s promised takeout arrives--a small carton of pad thai--as does Newt’s--a large carton of the spiciest thing they had on the menu--and they eat in silence. They have about three-quarters of the papers to go when Hermann suddenly sits back in his seat with a groan and rubs at his eyes under his granny glasses. “Bugger,” he says. “I can’t fathom this one for the life of me. I’m too tired.”

“It’s getting kinda late,” Newt agrees. “Maybe we should--”

“It’s not that,” Hermann says. “I had a glass of wine earlier, and--oh, it doesn’t matter. Your students need to learn how to write in a way that’s actually bloody legible--it’s like chicken scratch.”

Newt hops up and leans over his shoulder, squinting down at the page. Hermann’s hair smells nice, like something floral, and his skin has a small hint of what could almost be cologne. Why is Hermann wearing cologne? “Okay, let me see it,” Newt says, struggling to keep from getting lightheaded at the close proximity to Hermann. “I’m used to that kind of shit.”

“No,” Hermann says, drawing the paper close to his chest. “I am perfectly capable of managing it on my own.”

“Dude,” Newt says, “let me look at it, seriously. Hermann--”

He manages to tug it away from him. The handwriting is pretty bad, but the math seems to be worse. “Didn’t they do the readings?” Newt mutters under his breath. “That’s not even the right equation for the diameter. I gave them a cheat sheet, man.” They’re junior year engineering students--they should know this shit.

“I know what the equation is,” Hermann snaps. “I can grade it on my own. Give it back.”

“I didn’t say you didn’t know,” Newt says, “I said this kid--”

“It’s the radius squared--”

“Hermann, dude,” Newt says, “I know you’re--”

And that’s when Hermann grabs him by his skinny tie and kisses him, hard.

They stare at each other afterwards. Hermann’s eyes are as wide as saucers; his mouth is hanging open. Newt’s tie slips from his fingers, which then fall limp to his lap. “Holy shit,” Newt squeaks.

Hermann is gone with a swish of his parka and a loud clack of his cane. And with a stack of papers Newt still has to somehow get through. Figures.

Their next few classes together are subdued. Hermann doesn’t interject any of his biting commentary or corrections, or even offer critiques of Newt’s lack of professionalism (when in the past his skinny jeans were such an easy target), and when the period is over, he practically sprints from the classroom before he and Newt can be alone together for even a second. It’s fine by Newt. Whatever. Maybe Hermann can get over it over Thanksgiving break, and Newt can try to get over the memory of Hermann’s strong fingers tugging him down, Hermann’s floral shampoo, Hermann’s chapped, wide lips against his, the little grunt of shock Hermann made as he did it, like he couldn’t believe his own audacity...

It’s not likely.

It’s December, the last week before finals, and Newt’s in his office bundled up in a sweatshirt (because the heat never seems to fucking work in here), revising a draft of an exam, and dreading the thought of trudging home in the snow, when there’s suddenly a knock at his door. Anticipating some overeager freshman here outside of office hours, he doesn’t look up as he says “Come in.”

A familiar clearing of a throat.

Newt shoots straight up to his feet. He knocks a mug of coffee to the floor in the process. “Hermann,” he says. “Uh. Hi. What--what are you doing here?”

Hermann shuts the door behind him, then takes a careful step forward. He’s back in his big dumb coat and big long scarf. “I thought I ought to tell you myself first,” he says, primly. “I’ve submitted a request to the dean to be reassigned to another professor next semester. Our research interests are far more in line, and I don’t imagine our personalities shall clash as much.”

“Oh,” Newt says, pretending his heart isn't sinking in his chest like a hunk of lead. Was he that bad of a kisser? He feels like he deserves a second shot at it--he wasn’t ready last time, you know, he bets he’d really wow Hermann if he had a fair heads up. “Are.. are those the only reasons why?”

“No,” Hermann admits. “They’re not.”

He crosses the room, and corners Newt against his desk before Newt even realizes what’s happening. “They’re not,” he says again, then adds in a murmur (lifting one hand to brush his fingers against Newt’s hair), “Dr. Geiszler.”

Neither of them talk much, after that.

#newmann #maria's fanfiction tag #thxstral

102 notes · View notes

toohardtoforgetcth · 5 years ago

Text

Too Hard To Forget

Chapter Three

Warnings: angst, swearing, hospital setting with medical emergency, SMUT

6,533 words

A/N: Friendly reminder that this fic still exists since I’ve been hella MIA for the last like month (hello selling my house, moving cities and starting a new job) BUT here’s chapter 3 for y’all! Feedback is so so so appreciated! :)

» » » » » »

Parker was working another night shift on Saturday night and it was slow. She was sitting at the front desk with a few other co-workers, chatting and passing the time. The clock ticked on, a few minutes before two in the morning. She had one patient, an elderly man that was scheduled to receive medication every two hours via IV, so she stood and began making her way to his room.

On her way there, she passed by Grace’s room and noticed her bed was empty. Parker’s brows furrowed in confusion—Grace should be sleeping at this hour. Parker worked in a hospital facility connected to the main hospital and emergency department. Parker’s patients were free to roam wherever they wanted, but they still required someone to keep a close eye on them. Grace had taken a bad fall and ended up with a head injury and a broken leg. She needed a caregiver while she was recovering from surgery, so she moved into Westhill because she refused to be a burden on Calum.

Parker checked around Grace’s room quickly. She noticed the bathroom door was closed, and there was light filtering from underneath it. She knocked softly on the door.

“Grace?” she called out. No answer.

“Grace,” she tried again, louder this time.

“Grace, it’s Parker. Is everything okay?”

Still no answer. Panic setting in, she pulled the master key for the bathroom door out of her pocket, fumbling it in the lock and pushing open the door. Grace was lying on the floor in the bathroom, convulsing.

“Oh, my god. Grace!” Parker dropped to her knees, rolling Grace onto her side to prevent her from aspirating. Parker hit the panic button on the wall, signaling an emergency to the other staff. Several nurses came rushing in within a few minutes, helping Parker lift Grace onto a stretcher. After five minutes Grace’s convulsions were showing no signs of slowing down. They rushed her to the emergency clinic entrance where a team of emergency nurses and a doctor took over.

Parker had a phone call to make, one that she was dreading. She hoped for Calum’s sake that Grace would be okay. And for her own, because if something happened, she had a feeling she knew exactly who Calum would blame.

• • • • • •

Calum’s dream was disrupted by the shrill sound of his phone ringing on his bedside table. It rang once, twice, three times, and he groaned, rolling over and swiping it off his nightstand.

“Hello?” he answered gruffly.

“Calum? I…it’s Parker.”

Calum sat up abruptly. Why the hell would Parker be calling him at 2:30 in the morning? And how did she even get his number?

“Calum, it’s Grace. She’s in the emergency room. I don’t really know anything yet, but you should come down here.”

Calum shot out of bed, tugging the first t-shirt he could find over his head and pulling his jeans on from where he left them on the floor the night before. “What happened?” he demanded.

“I found her in the bathroom a little while ago. She had a seizure. I—I have to go, I have to talk to the doctor. Just get here, okay?” Parker hung up.

Calum had never driven so fast in his life. He made it to the hospital in four minutes, easily a ten-minute drive if he had obeyed the law.

He hadn’t.

He wasn’t going to take any chances. Not when it came to Grace.

Calum stormed through the front doors of the emergency room. Eyes wide, he frantically searched for Grace or Parker or anyone who would tell him what the hell was going on. He spotted Parker, talking to a middle-aged man in scrubs and a white lab coat. He made it to her in a few short strides.

“What happened?” he interrupted, directing his question at Parker, his back turned to the doctor. “Is she okay? Where is she?” Calum’s hair was disheveled, eyes swollen from sleep and brows furrowed with concern. Grace meant everything to him, and he was about to lose his shit if someone didn’t tell him what the fuck was going on.

The doctor eyed Calum warily and turned to Parker, giving her a questioning look. “It’s okay,” she said softly. “This is Calum, Grace’s grandson. He’s her only family.” Calum stepped back, eyeing the doctor expectantly.

“She’s stable,” he said. “She had quite a severe seizure. We’re going to run some diagnostics to rule out the cause, but I suspect it has to do with the head injury she suffered when she fell. She’ll be moved to a private room shortly, and you can see her then.”

Calum opened his mouth, presumably to argue, but Parker shot him a disapproving look. “Thank you, Dr. Penner,” she said gratefully, shaking his hand.

Calum watched the doctor turn and leave before he sank down into one of the chairs in the waiting area. Parker sat down next to him. Calum leaned forward and dropped his head in his hands, elbows resting on his thighs.

He felt Parker’s hand come to rest on his back. His posture went rigid, unprepared for her touch. She pulled away, but ultimately decided he needed comfort, even if he seemed to be bothered by everything she did. She laid her hand on his knee instead, squeezing gently.

“Hey,” Parker said softly. “She’s gonna be okay.”

Calum lifted his head to look at her, but he could think of nothing to say as he stared into her eyes, so he looked away. It was easy for him to get lost in Parker’s eyes. She was compassionate, warm, gentle. Every second he spent with her, the feelings he had tried desperately to push down kept resurfacing, and he wasn’t sure he was ready to deal with them right now.

• • • • • •

Parker sat in silence with Calum for over an hour before a nurse finally came out and told them they could go and see Grace. The two of them followed the nurse into a small recovery room where Grace was hooked up to an IV bag and a breathing tube. Her eyes were closed, the monitor next to her bed beeping steadily with the rhythm of her heart. Parker noticed as Calum’s eyebrows drew together with worry, his jaw set and fists clenched.

“She’s had a rough night. You can spend a few minutes with her, but she’s exhausted, and the best thing for her right now is rest,” the nurse said gently, closing the door behind her.

“I’ll leave you two alone,” Parker started to say, but Calum’s hand shot out unexpectedly and closed around her wrist.

Their eyes met, and Calum jerked his hand back. “Stay,” he said quietly, almost pleadingly.

Parker had never seen Calum like this before. Figures it would take an experience like this to force him to show some emotion other than anger or irritation, but Parker wasn’t about to call him out on it. She would take what she could get, for now.

They stayed for a few minutes, Calum sitting on the chair beside Grace’s bed, holding her hand and talking to her, even though she couldn’t respond. Parker felt awkward, ironically like she was intruding on another private conversation between them, but Calum didn’t seem bothered by her presence this time as she leaned against the wall by the door.

Calum stood finally, pressing a kiss to Gram’s forehead. “Love you, pretty lady,” he whispered.

Parker followed him out into the hallway, and he stopped and turned to her, lips parted like he was going to say something. She waited quietly.

He gave her an odd look, like he was contemplating something, then shook his head.

“I have to go,” he said abruptly before turning and hurrying off.

“Calum, wait!” she called after him, but he ignored her, pushing through the double doors and leaving Parker stunned and confused.

• • • • • •

As soon as he was in the confines of the Charger, Calum allowed his feelings to take hold. He knew Gram would be okay, that she was safe here and well taken care of, but the scare of almost losing her rattled him. She was the only family he had and he wasn’t ready to lose her. He took a deep breath to calm himself down, and then he let his thoughts drift back to Parker. He had an opportunity to tell her how he felt. She was there for him when he didn’t deserve it, and he almost told her right there in the hospital, but he’d lost his nerve and bolted.

Calum sighed, running his hands through his hair. He needed to get his shit together, before he missed his chance. But right now, he needed sleep.

» » » » » »

Parker didn’t see Calum for a few days. Grace was still in the main hospital wing, so she assumed he had been visiting her there. Tuesday morning, she was doing some paperwork at the front desk when she heard someone clear their throat.

Parker looked up. “Calum—hi,” she said, surprised to see him. She stood, coming around the desk to stand in front of him. “Grace isn’t here, she’s still—”

“I know,” he said, scratching at the stubble on his jaw. “I came to see you.” He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his jeans. He was quiet for a moment as he looked down, contemplating his next words. “Thank you,” he said finally. “For saving her.”

“I didn’t—”

“Yes, you did,” he cut her off. “She wouldn’t be alive if you hadn’t found her when you did. Gram—Grace,” he corrected himself, “she’s all I’ve got. I’d be lost without her. So…thank you.”

“I—it’s nothing,” Parker blushed, shaking her head. “I care about her, too,” she added sincerely.

“I know,” Calum gave her a small smile. A real, genuine smile. “I’m heading over to see her now. Just wanted to stop by and say thanks.”

• • • • • •

Grace was awake and back to her usual self, albeit a little worse for wear. She was weak, but she had been cleared to go back to Westhill as soon as they finished running a few final tests.

Calum was seated cross-legged at the foot of her bed, staring into space.

“What’s on your mind, dear?” Grace prodded, commenting on her grandson’s distance.

Her voice snapped him out of his daydream and he focused back on her, smiling. “Nothing, Gram. I’m fine.” Truth is, he was not fine. He couldn’t stop thinking about Parker. His feelings for her were becoming more intense with every day that passed, and he didn’t have a clue what to do with them.

“You’re a terrible liar, baby. Always have been,” she mused. “It’s Parker, isn’t it?”

Calum sighed in amusement. He should have known better—he couldn’t hide a damn thing from this woman. She knew him so well it was scary sometimes. “Is it that obvious?” Calum asked. “How did you know?”

She chuckled, resting her bony hand on top of his. “Because I know everything,” she winked. “I know you better than you could ever imagine. I can see it in the way you look at her—she’s special.”

Calum grinned. “That she is,” he agreed.

“Why don’t you just tell her how you feel? It’s obvious you two have chemistry,” she pointed out.

“I don’t know if it’s that easy,” he sighed. “In case you hadn’t noticed, I haven’t been very good to her. She has no reason to trust me.”

“Oh, I noticed,” Gram laughed, squeezing his hand. “Just talk to her, honey. Be honest. She might surprise you.”

» » » » » »

Calum visited Gram every day for the rest of the week, and as luck would have it, Parker had worked the opposite shift for every one of those days. He was beginning to believe that fate was trying to keep them apart, until Gram gave him one final pep talk on Friday night while they were watching a movie in her room.

“She’s not gonna be available forever, you know,” Gram said nonchalantly. “And she’s not just going to throw herself at you—you have to make the first move.”

Calum rolled his eyes at the old woman. “You mean you don’t think she’s fallen for my charm?” He flashed her his most dazzling smile.

Gram shot him a dry look. “You scared the living bejeezus out of that poor girl. You’re lucky she hasn’t run in the other direction.”

“You’re kind of pushy, you know that?” he laughed.

“Nothing wrong with being pushy, dear,” she shrugged. “Being persistent gets you places. Or people,” she added with a wink.

» » » » » »

Parker was cleaning her apartment, Wake Up Sunshine playing from her speakers when she heard a knock at the door. She wasn’t expecting anyone, and Jenna usually let herself in. She was not prepared for who was standing on the other side when she opened it.

“Hey,” Calum stood in her open doorway, dressed in his usual attire of black boots, black jeans and his leather jacket. “Is this a bad time?”

“No, not at all,” Parker replied, surprised to see him at her door. Thank God she’d had the sense to shower and change out of her pajamas this morning, despite not having anywhere to be. “What’s up?”

“Sorry to just show up,” he apologized. “I didn’t have your number, but I knew you were off today and I needed to talk to you.”

Parker waited quietly, eagerly awaiting his next words. She wondered what was so important that he couldn’t wait.

“I—ah, fuck this,” Calum said abruptly, taking two steps forward and closing the distance between them as he took Parker’s face in his hands and kissed her.

Parker went rigid for a second, her brain slow to communicate with the rest of her body. But then she relaxed, bringing her hands up to rest on Calum’s stomach. She hadn’t realized until now how badly she’d been wanting to kiss him. She could feel the planes of his abdomen through the thin material of his black t-shirt. Calum moved his hands down, winding them around her waist and tugging her close as he deepened the kiss. She moved her hands up his stomach to his chest, then behind his head where her fingers tangled in the dark curls at the back of his neck. Parker’s head was spinning. Her body was weightless—she felt like she was floating. She hadn’t been prepared for this, but she would be lying if she said she hadn’t dreamt about it. Calum’s lips were soft and warm, polar opposite to his harsh exterior. When he finally pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers, both of them breathing heavily.

“Fuck,” he swore, lifting his hand to brush his thumb over her bottom lip. “I’ve been wanting to do that for a while,” he confessed.

Parker lifted her eyes to his. His dark brown eyes were warm, sincere. Nothing like the cold brown ones she had stared into so many times before tonight. “That was...unexpected,” she breathed.

Calum smiled. “I’m sorry I’ve been such a dick,” he said quietly. He trailed his finger up and down her arm, leaving goosebumps in its wake. “I’ve never felt this way about anyone before. I didn’t know how to deal, so I tried to push you away, and I’m sorry.”

Parker wanted to be mad. He was a dick. But she had feelings for him too, and right now, she didn’t care about anything that had happened in the past. All she cared about was right now, and how it felt to finally have Calum’s lips on hers.

“Are you busy today?” Parker asked him.

Calum grinned. “I’m all yours, angel.”

• • • • • •

Calum and Parker spent the afternoon walking aimlessly downtown. They took a walk through the park, talking and getting to know one another. Calum wasn’t about to divulge his life story to Parker, but he tried his best to answer her endless stream of questions. She was surprised at how easy he was to talk to, once he opened up. They stopped for a late lunch, then ended up going to visit Grace for a little while. Grace was delighted to see them together, but she didn’t say anything about it when Calum gave her a warning look. The two of them ended up back at Parker’s apartment around seven, just as it was starting to get dark, stopping at her front door.

“Thanks for today,” she said, looking up into his brown eyes. “For letting me get to know you a little better. I had fun,” she smiled.

“Yeah, me too,” he returned her smile.

They stood in silence for a moment. Parker was unsure of what to say next, and Calum became fascinated with staring at his boots, waiting patiently for her to make the next move.

Finally, Parker spoke. “You wanna come in? We could order some food, watch a movie...” she trailed off.

Calum looked up. “Yeah, sure,” he agreed, following her inside.

“You can pick a movie, I’ll order the food,” she said, swiping the remote off the coffee table and handing it to Calum. He kicked his boots off and settled on the couch, flipping on the TV as he put his feet up on the coffee table. Parker smiled at the way he made himself comfortable, his confidence radiating off him. He was quiet, but Calum was anything but shy or nervous. He didn’t care about people’s opinions of him—he reminded her of Jenna that way.

“You feel like Thai?” Parker called from the kitchen, digging through a pile of takeout menus.

“Sounds good to me,” he called back. He selected a thriller from the Netflix menu, pausing it to wait for Parker. As he waited, Parker’s little grey cat jumped up on the couch and perched himself on Calum’s lap, purring and rubbing his face on Calum’s hand.

Parker smiled, watching from the kitchen as Calum scratched Loki’s ears and rubbed his head. He must really love animals, Parker thought, since Loki was usually standoffish with anyone except her.

After she ordered their food, Parker joined Calum in the living room. He glanced up at her. “What’s his name?” he asked, Loki sitting very comfortably on his lap. Parker could hear him purring from where she stood.

“Loki,” she answered, smiling. “He likes you. He doesn’t even like Jenna,” she laughed. Her eyes drifted to the TV. “What are we watching?” she questioned.

“Insidious,” he answered. “Is that okay?”

“Uh—yeah, sure,” she lied. It wasn’t okay at all—Parker hated scary movies.

Calum gave her a quizzical look. “You don’t look sure,” he chuckled. “We can watch something else.”

“No, it’s fine,” she lied again. “I’m just gonna go change.”

If they were going to watch a scary movie, Parker at least wanted to be comfortable. She closed the door to her bedroom and slipped into an old band tee and leggings.

Calum was shrugging off his leather jacket when she emerged from her bedroom. He looked unbelievably good in that jacket, but he looked even better in the fitted black t-shirt underneath it, showing off his biceps and several of his tattoos. He also had a thin gold chain around his neck that glistened against his golden skin.

Parker paused for a moment to admire him shamelessly without his knowledge, then plopped down on the couch beside him.

Calum glanced at her, taking in her outfit change and smirking. He liked that she seemed comfortable with him now. It seemed like their night at the hospital with Gram brought them closer, taking the tension and awkwardness out of their relationship. It made him feel better about his shitty behaviour over the last while, knowing she wasn’t afraid of being herself around him despite how mean he had been to her. Calum was used to the girls he dated dressing to the nines, wearing too much makeup and trying too hard to impress him. Parker was refreshingly opposite, and he liked it a lot.

Their food arrived twenty minutes into the movie and they ate in silence. Parker was not enjoying the movie, not in the slightest. When they finished eating, she settled far back into the couch, tucking her legs under her for comfort. Calum glanced over at her every so often, taking in her wide-eyed, almost pained expression, noting how she would cover her eyes and peek through slightly at the really scary parts.

“You don’t like scary movies, do you?” he asked, smirking.

Parker didn’t look at him. “It’s fine. I’m fine.”

“Why didn’t you say something when I asked if this one was okay?” he questioned. “I told you we could change it.”

She shrugged. “I guess I thought I could handle it.”

Calum chuckled, shaking his head. He lifted his arm and tilted his head, gesturing for her to scoot closer. “Come here.”

Parker just stared at him.

“I don’t bite, doll,” he laughed, so she wiggled closer, tucking herself under his outstretched arm. He leaned his head down and whispered in her ear. “Unless you want me to.”

Parker blushed at his comment. He didn’t see her face, but he didn’t have to. The way she tensed under his arm was exactly the kind of reaction he wanted. He thrived on making her squirm, catching her off guard. He thought of it as payback for the way she walked into his life—coming out of nowhere and knocking him on his ass. Even if his feelings toward her had changed, he still lived for the blush that crept up her cheeks when she was embarrassed.

Parker spent most of the movie with her face buried in Calum’s shoulder. His arm tightened protectively around her, and even though she knew her fear of the movie was irrational, she felt safer being close to him.

Parker shifted slightly in her position, the collar of her t-shirt sliding down slightly and exposing the bare skin on her neck and collarbone. Calum dragged a finger along her skin, her t-shirt slipping further down her shoulder. She shivered at the contact which didn’t go unnoticed by Calum. His free hand rested on her knee, sliding up a few inches and stopping at her mid-thigh.

Parker sucked in a sharp breath and Calum smiled to himself. He loved how easy it was to rile her up.

They sat like that for the rest of the movie. Calum turned to her as soon as the credits started rolling.

Parker panicked, standing abruptly. “I’ll be right back,” she squeaked, rushing off down the hall.

She closed herself in the only bathroom in her apartment. She turned on the tap, splashing cold water on her face. Calum’s touch burned her skin—it was like she could still feel his hands on her. She stayed in the bathroom for a few minutes, trying to collect her jumbled thoughts, then opened the door.

Calum was standing in the doorway, arms crossed and leaning against the frame. Parker screamed in surprise when she saw him standing there, an exaggerated reaction resulting from the movie they just watched.

“You scared the shit out of me!” she shrieked, heart pounding.

“Meant to,” he grinned. He pushed away from the door, taking a step towards her, eyes hooded and a determined look on his face. Parker stood perfectly still, watching him. Her heart hammered wildly, threatening to burst right out of her chest. Calum seemed to pick up on it, too. He leaned down, running a finger over her jaw. He pressed a kiss to her shoulder, then her collarbone. Painfully slowly, he left a trail of kisses up Parker’s neck, stopping at the spot just below her ear.

“Do I make you nervous?” he whispered.

Parker almost passed out from the mix of emotions running through her head.

“No,” she hesitated.

Calum took her earlobe between his teeth, causing just enough pain to make her react, but not enough to actually hurt her. “Don’t lie to me, doll.”

Parker whimpered. She loved it when he called her sweet names—it made her insides all fluttery and warm. “Fine, yes,” she breathed. “Yes, you make me nervous.”

A wicked gleam shone in his dark eyes. “What if I do this?”

Calum moved to stand behind her. Parker watched in the mirror as he hooked a finger in the collar of her shirt, pulling it down her shoulder and taking the strap of her bra with it.

“Or this?” He grabbed her roughly by the waist, spinning her around to face him and pushing her back against the countertop.

Parker’s throat dried in anticipation of his next move.

“What about this?” Calum slipped his hands under the hem of her shirt, resting them on the bare skin over her ribcage. His thumbs brushed over her skin in a gentle motion.

Parker’s body was on fire. Calum’s touch was electric, igniting every inch of her. It wasn’t a lie—Calum did make her nervous. A little frightened, even. But her body betrayed her. She needed him. Craved him. Wanted to feel him everywhere.

So Parker kissed him. Forcefully, lips crashing to his in a desperate attempt to relieve some of the tension she was feeling. Calum returned her kiss, forcing her mouth open with his tongue and tangling it with hers. He pressed himself against her, leaving no space between their bodies. She could feel him digging into her hips, hard and ready for her. She moaned loudly into his mouth, and he wasted no time in ripping her t-shirt off and unclasping her bra. His hands were all over her bare chest, squeezing and pinching and then his mouth was on her, taking her nipple into his mouth and sucking and biting while his fingers worked the other one. Calum lifted his head to meet her lips once more, sliding his hands around her thighs and lifting her easily onto the counter. Parker reached down and tugged at the hem of his shirt, and he yanked it off in one swift motion, tossing it onto the floor next to hers. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and before she could protest, he was carrying her down the hall, into her bedroom. He dropped her down on the bed, crawling on top of her. His eyes were black with hunger. Calum kissed her again and again, hands roaming everywhere. He sat up, hooking his fingers in the waistband of her leggings, sliding them down her legs, followed by her panties. He spread her legs wide, slipping a finger inside her.

“Fuck, you’re so wet,” he growled. “I need to taste you.”

Parker’s head fell back onto the pillow. Calum moved down, dropping his face between her thighs. He wasted no time with teasing as he flattened his tongue along her entrance, licking a long strip all the way up to her clit. She arched her back, already feeling her stomach twisting in knots. He sucked her clit into his mouth, adding a finger, then two into her entrance. He pumped them in and out rapidly, and she couldn’t hold it in anymore. She came undone around Calum’s fingers, spasming and shuddering. He licked her through her orgasm, stopping only when she relaxed again. He crawled back up, straddling her.

He held his fingers in front of her face. “Suck,” he commanded. She obliged, opening her mouth and accepting his fingers, coated in her orgasm. Tasting her own sweetness on her tongue sent a fresh wave of wetness to her core. She reached down for the button on Calum’s jeans.

“Please,” she begged.

He grinned wickedly. “Tell me what you want.”

“You,” Parker whined. “I want you inside me.”

“Condom?”

She shook her head. “Birth control.”

Calum groaned as he let her undo the button. His hard length sprang free when she shimmied his jeans and underwear down his legs, kicking them off and grinning as Parker’s eyes widened at the size of him. He lined himself up with her entrance and pushed in, filling her up completely. She cried out at the feeling.

“You okay, love?” he asked her, concern crossing his features.

She nodded. “Please,” she begged. “Fuck me.”

The blackness was back in his eyes. He reminded her of a wild animal. He was pure, raw power. He pumped in and out of her a few times, setting a fast pace. There was no way her neighbours couldn’t hear her screaming, but she didn’t care. He felt so good. He fucked her hard, hooking one of her legs over his shoulder so he could push deeper. It wasn’t long before Parker felt her release building again.

“You gonna come for me, doll?” he growled, pumping harder. “Let go for me, baby. I’m close, too.”

His words were all it took for Parker to fall over the edge, and Calum followed immediately after, groaning as he spilled himself inside her.

Calum stilled, pulling out carefully and rolling to the side. He lay there beside Parker, both of them panting heavily for a few moments.

Then out of nowhere, he leapt off the bed and scooped Parker into his arms, carrying her out of the room.

“Calum! What are you doing?!” she shrieked, trying desperately to wiggle free.

“Stop squirming—you’re making a mess. We’re going to take a shower,” he stated simply.

He turned sideways to squeeze them through the door of the bathroom and set Parker down feet first in the tub. He cranked the water up high and stepped in after her.

“Stand under the water,” Calum instructed, settling his hands on her hips and moving her so the hot water beat down on her skin. He reached behind her for the soap, lathered it up between his hands, then starting at her shoulders, massaged her skin, taking extra time with the sensitive parts. Parker closed her eyes, fully enjoying the feel of his slippery hands all over her body. When he was finished, she did the same to him. Then she scrubbed his hair, raking her nails over his scalp. It felt heavenly.

Calum didn’t know what was happening to him. He’d never showered with a girl before, much less took the time to massage her body in the intimate way he was doing with Parker.

Come to think of it, he did know what was happening to him.

He was falling for her.

They stepped out of the shower, drying each other off, then Calum followed Parker back to her bedroom where she tugged his t-shirt over her head. She looked damn good in his shirt, Calum thought to himself. He pulled on his boxers and sat on the bed, leaving plenty of room in invitation for her to sit with him.

She did, sitting cross-legged and resting her elbows on her knees while she stared at him. “You’re…kind of amazing,” she said, smiling. “Not what I expected.”

Honestly, Calum wasn’t expecting it either. Being with Parker was easy, effortless. He just sort of fell into a natural rhythm with her and it felt...right.

“And why is that?” he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“Well, for starters, you’re kind of an ass,” Parker laughed, but then her tone turned serious. “Why the sudden change of attitude? You hated me before,” she looked down at her hands, picking at her nail.

Calum slipped his finger under her chin, forcing her head up to look at him. “I never hated you, angel,” he said honestly. “I just didn’t know what to do with how I was feeling. I’ve never really been in a relationship. I don’t trust anyone but Gram and my boys. I’ve felt different about you since day one. It freaked me out, and I handled it badly. But I want to make it up to you,” he added.

“So what made you come to your senses?” she asked again. “You went from the world’s biggest d-bag to, well, this,” Parker gestured between them, thinking of how sweet Calum had been today.

“Grace,” he stated simply. “I was sure you’d never give me a chance. ‘Cause I was such a d-bag,” he laughed, mimicking her use of the word. “But she convinced me otherwise.”

“Remind me to thank her for talking some sense into you,” Parker grinned.

Calum rolled his eyes, flopping down on his back. Parker lay down next to him, staring up at the ceiling. He lifted his arm and slipped it around her, pulling her close to his bare chest. She sighed contently, nuzzling closer to him.

» » » » » »

Calum woke the next morning with his arms wrapped around the sleeping blonde, legs tangled with hers.

Damn, he had it bad for her.

Calum had never stayed the night at a girl’s house before. It was one of his two most steadfast rules. But he had been so relaxed with Parker last night, he’d drifted off effortlessly.

For the first time in a very long time, Calum had been happy.

He pressed his face in between her neck and her shoulder, breathing in her scent. Parker stirred, humming sleepily as she rolled over to face him. She smiled lazily, burying her face in his chest.

“Good morning to you, too,” Calum chuckled. Parker mumbled a response, but it was muffled by Calum’s chest.

“I can’t hear you, love,” he smiled. If Calum didn’t already think Parker was cute, she was downright adorable in the morning.

She turned her face slightly to the side so he could hear her but didn’t pull back. “I said it’s too early. I’m not ready to be awake yet.” Parker yanked the duvet back over herself, moving closer to Calum and burying her face once more.

Calum would have loved nothing more than to stay in bed all day with her, but he was starving. “Not even for breakfast?” he asked.

It was amusing how fast she sat up, eyes wide in excitement. “Colasanti's?” she questioned.

“Fuck yeah, that sounds amazing.”

• • • • • •

An hour later, Parker and Calum walked side by side into the little buffet-style restaurant, sitting down in a booth by the window. Another thing Calum had never done with a girl—gone out for breakfast. It seemed he was experiencing lots of firsts when it came to Parker. Part of him felt overwhelmed with all the new experiences, but he knew it wasn’t a bad thing—it was just different for him. He was enjoying his time with her.

Calum followed Parker to the buffet table, watching as she filled her plate unashamedly with what seemed like every type of breakfast food the restaurant had to offer. It made Calum smile knowing she didn’t give two shits about what he thought of her food choices. He made a mental note to take her out to eat more often.

They sat at the table after their meal, talking as they sipped on their coffees. Calum watched her intently, taking in and studying every little detail about her face. Her short, blonde hair that she always wore tucked behind her ears, the gorgeous colour of her eyes—grey with flecks of blue, and her bright, white smile that lit up her entire face. She was the definition of warmth, Calum thought. It was a little bit scary how he went from being a cynical asshole who never saw the same girl twice to doing a complete 180 with Parker—sleeping over at her house, cuddling, going out for breakfast. He never thought he’d be that kind of guy, and here he was, being that guy, all in the span of less than 24 hours.

After breakfast, Calum walked Parker home. He leaned against the door frame when she opened it but didn’t follow her inside. “I should get going,” he stated, running a hand through his dark hair. “Wanna go visit Gram before I have to get to work.”

“Okay,” she nodded. “Are you gonna go back to hating me again?” she teased, but part of her wondered if he would. Calum was unpredictable that way.

Calum frowned, obviously sensing the undertone of insecurity in her voice. He reached his arm out, grabbing her by the hip and pulling her roughly towards him, winding his arms around her waist. Parker looked up into his eyes, and he looked sincere. “I’m done being a dick, I told you that. I meant it.”

Parker said nothing, because she was scared to believe him, scared of having her heart broken. Calum could read the wariness on her face, so he tried again.

“You’re not getting rid of me now, angel,” Calum promised. “I plan on having many more repeats of last night,” he murmured, pressing a kiss to her jaw.

At his words, Parker’s mind flooded with images of their intimate evening, making her blush.

“And this morning,” he added. He ducked his head down so his eyes were level with hers. “I want you. All of this, with you.”

She hoped he meant it, because she wanted him, too. There was no use denying it anymore. “So when will I see you again?” she asked.

“What day do you have off this week?”

“I’m off all weekend,” she replied.

“Friday, then,” Calum stated simply, pressing a kiss to her lips. He lingered a moment, but pulled away before he could get too wrapped up in her. “See you around, love.” He pressed one last kiss to her forehead, and he was gone.

• • • • • •

Calum couldn’t keep the smile off his face as he entered the room at the end of the hall. Gram’s face lit up when she saw him.

“Hey there, pretty lady,” he grinned, bending down and giving the old woman a kiss on the cheek.

“Hi, baby. You’re in a good mood,” she observed.

“Can’t I just be happy to see my favourite girl?”

“You don’t fool me for a second, young man,” Grace scolded playfully. “Now tell me. What’s got you all giddy?”

Calum’s face broke into an ear-splitting grin, and he told Grace all about his weekend with Parker. He left out the nitty-gritty details, of course, but she was too wise for him.

“So you showed her a good time, then?” she winked, nudging him with her elbow.

Calum groaned. “Jesus, Gram. You’re sick,” he laughed, shaking his head.

“What?” she shrugged, feigning innocence. “I’m old, dear, I’m not dumb. I remember what it was like to be young and in love. Your grandfather was quite—” she paused, tilting her head, “talented, in the be—”

“Ooo-kay, I’m not interested in this conversation,” Calum cut her off, jumping off the bed. He kissed her on the cheek. “Get your mind out of the gutter, yeah? You’ll get yourself in trouble,” he laughed.

Grace just smiled. “You seem happy, dear. It looks good on you.”

Calum shrugged on his jacket as he made his way to the door. “Love you, pretty lady,” he said with a wink.

taglist: @treatallwithkindness

82 notes · View notes

jackandmarksavedme88 · 6 years ago

Text

Anything But Average

TW: Alludes to some violence. @weirdmixofweirdness i had a brain and thought: why not pull up desktop mode ONTHEFREAKINPHONE. DUH 😂🙈

Formatting sucks but. Yeah.

@ashphoenix06 @nekob00

**************************************

Chase sat at the bar, his second glass of whiskey in his hand. He didnt want to go home, JJ and Jackie would want him to talk. And he just didnt feel like talking now. Itd been so long since she left it seemed...but seeing her today, across the street, holding hands with some guy theyd gone to school with, it seemed she was his just yesterday.

"Oh suck it up. She didn't want you. Youre here drowning your sorrows, and shes onto the next dick..deal with it" he thought to himself, draining the glass and waving for another.

"Ya know. Thats the cheap crap. You really wanna get blasted theres better stuff.." The bartender said "Yeah well. Im just drinking. Not getting crazy."

His phone buzzed and he looked down, laughing to himself at the meme Jack had sent him. Then a text came through from Alison She was Jacks friend that had become close with the Septic guys over the last few years. Based in Texas in the US they didnt see her in person much, but Chase and her communicated almost daily

A:Heyyyy. Whats up?

C: *picture he took of Stacey and her boy toy* Thats a guy we went to school with 😑. They were 'friends'

A: Dude. Thats a downgrade. Although she was never good enough for you anyway. Only good thing was the kiddos

C:yeah. It still hurts like hell though.... I need to run away. Get out of here. Theyre going to her moms for a month or so for school holidays and i dont want to be here.

A:well. You could always come here? My Dad and step mom are leaving so i have my cabin on the ranch plus the main house to myself for like a month. You should come!

Chase sat and pondered this. Him go to Texas? With horses and a lake and a bunch of land to explore with fourwheelers....that sounded like heaven

C: Are you for real? Because i could seriously use that lol

The phone rang with Alisons ringtone "Hello?"

Alison: Hell yes im serious! Itd help me out because i don't really want to be by myself out here that long. And you sound like you could use it. Seriously. Fly in, ill come get you and we can tear some shit up

Chase laughed 'alright. Be careful what you ask for Allycat"

Her laugh echoed across the line "Ohhh im shaking Mr Brody. Figure out a flight and let me know!"

Chase told her ok and hung up with her, immediately finding a flight that left in a couple of days "I am outta here" he said

************* 'Wait. So youre going for a month??' Jackie said in shock , 'Just like that??' He was standing in the bedroom door watching Chase pack. He had to be at the airport in about 2 hours

"Yeah. I need to get outta my head and Ali offered. So Im going. I think it'll do me some good. She has a computer and Stacey said i could skype the kids, they wont be in town anyway... I just need this Jackie" The hero stared at him knowingly and then nodded 'ok. Just be careful.... Hey..She ever say anything to you about her going MIA a while back?'. Chase shook his head. Thats one thing he hoped to get out of her. Even Jack had tried to get her to tell him where she'd been, but no dice. 'Hm. Ok. Well, let us know when you get there man...'

Chase zipped his suitcase and grab his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. 'I will bro. Thanks for understanding' he hugged his brother hard and then grabbed the suitcase and left.

******* Chase sat in the passenger seat of the truck, still speechless at Alison's appearance. He was expecting the Alison hed seen two years ago; but shed been training and gained muscle and holy hell. She was dressed in cutoff red shorts and a sleeveless black shirt. When she ran up to him at the airport hed almost stepped on his own bottom jaw. Her auburn hair gleamed in the sun as she talked about everything she had planned for this weekend

"Uh...chase..you ok? Awful quiet there bud" she looked over at him. Chase shook his head to clear his brain 'yeah. Yeah im good.... Hey. You look incredible!"

Alisons face flushed 'aw. Thanks' she laughed. "So. Here we are" she pulled the truck up to a gate and punched in a code. As she drove onto the ranch Chase stared out the window.

'Holy hell Alison. This is gorgeous.' They drove for another fifteen minutes, passed the huge main house and pulled up to a log cabin.

'Alright. Let's go in.' She grinned and stepped out of the truck. Chase smiled and followed her. She walked up the steps and unlocked the door. As Chase walked in he laughed. A Sam pillow and Pink Mustache pillow decorated the couch on either end.

'Really Alison?' He said, picking up Septiceye Sam "Hey! Yes really!' She said laughing. 'Just because im friends with them doesnt mean im not going to buy their shit!' He shook his head, all awkwardness gone.

There was the Alison he knew, a goofball with an affinity for Markiplier and Jacksepticeye.

She walked into the kitchen and opened the fridge, pulling some steaks out. 'You hungry?' Chase nodded. 'Hell yes, ive been needin some of your cooking!' He said, his smile lighting his face. 'You know. Im gonna have to teach you how to cook Mr Brody.' She grinned at him. And he looked at her wide eyed "um..alison. You sure you wanna do that?' "Um. Yes" she said. Grinning at him. 'First lesson..music!' She pulled up an app on her phone and music began drifting through the room. Chase shook his head. Yep. Still Alison

****** Chase watched as Alison danced in place as she cut up some vegtables and potatoes. She was barefoot, singing along to the beginning notes of 'Small Town Boy' by Dustin Lynch, he smiled as he stood up from the barstool he was sitting on... Vegatables could wait He walked up behind her and took the knife from her hand, she turned to him 'what are you-?' Chase grabbed her hand and pulled her to the open kitchen floor and started dancing with her. She threw her head back and laughed as they swayed and Chase sang along

* I'm a dirt road in the headlights I'm a mama's boy, I'm a fist fight Kinda county line, kinda cold beer Little hat down, little John Deere I kinda give a damn I kinda don't care You see that girl standing right there She loves a small town boy like me She's my ride or die baby She's my cool, she's my crazy She's my laid back in the front seat She's my with me to the end girl My turn-it-up-to ten girl....* Alison laughed and sang with him. She was in trouble if her stomach and heart were going to continue playing Zoo escape with him here. Shed been friends with the guys a while. But this was out of left field. She hadnt expected her heart to try to beat its way out when she saw him standing there at the airport. His green hair had been replaced by a natural brown and his eyes shone as blue as ever. When he saw her and smiled as she started to run toward him for a hug, shed almost fallen over. This would be a very interesting visit.

*********** They were sitting on the back porch after dinner. Chase was watching Alison animatedly talk about training with some of the guys in her Dad's work, laughing when she knocked over her water glass when her hands flew into it 'Oh shit!' Alison cried out. Then she just started laughing and Chase couldnt help but laugh along with her as he went inside the sliding glass door to the kitchen and grabbed a towel and handed it to her. She mopped up the mess and then sat back down, still giggling.

'Well. Still gracefull as ever i see Miss Calaway' Chase said teasingly She stuck her tongue out laughing 'oh fuck off Mr Brody' They laughed and then sat in silence, watching the lake.

'So.' Alison said quietly 'how are you...really?'

Chase smiled at her 'you know.... Earlier this week i was in hell. Seeing her with him opened old wounds...but being here now i feel a little better. Like i can breathe. It hurts still. But i can breathe' Alison nodded and reached over and squeezed his hand 'im really glad you came. I needed some company...'

She dropped her hands to her lap and stared out at the water. The energy around them shifted and Chase could sense something hed been feeling all evening. Something was weighing heavy on her. 'Alison....whats going on? You never told me what happened that two week span you quit replying to anyone..and ive left it alone this long but.. i can tell now sitting here it wasnt a case of being too busy with fun stuff to look at your phone' Alison looked down, a mixture of sadness and guilt shadowing her face. He was talking about last year. Even Jack had tried to get out of her where shed been...but she hadnt told a soul. Only her family knew. Tears welled in her eyes... that had been during a bad time for Chase...she remembered the pain in the drunk texts from him that shed read when she got the phone back...

She stood and walked over to the railing. Trying not to cry and failing 'Hey...alison im sorry. I didnt mean to-..' Chase stood and walked up beside her and put an arm around her shoulders. She turned to face him and burying her face in his chest, silent tears rolling down her face for a moment. Then she took a deep breath, stepped back and wiped her face 'Sorry...its just... I never apologized for not being there for you. I read those texts a million times after the fact and... Im so sorry Chase'

Chase stared at her shocked 'thats whats upsetting you? Alison, i send angsty texts to my brothers every time im freakin drunk' he laughed. "You dont need to apologize. It was a bad point but nothing for you to feel guilty for being absent for... But i would like to know where you were. We all know when you reappeared you were different." Alison stared into his eyes, hed had never noticed how green they were. She was searching...but for what? 'Chase.... Not even Jack knows what happened...' She took a deep breath '....i was in the hospital.' Chases mouth dropped open in shock 'What?! Why???'

She stared at her feet and was quiet for a minute. 'Do you remember Chris?' She asked. Chase grimaced at the name, he remembered Chris. He also remembered the broken nose and black eye he gave him a couple years back when he saw him shove Alison to the ground "Yeah. Your boyfriend that no one liked?' She nodded 'yeah. That one.... God i shouldve listened to yall. ' Chase put his hand under her chin and lifted her gaze to his and spoke softly 'what did he do ali?' She swallowed hard. 'Short version? Got mad that i wanted to leave the country to come see yall.... Tied me up and used me as a punching bag for 3 days....'

Chases eyes widened in horror 'what the fuck....howd you get away???' She snorted 'my Dad came to find me.... Imagine for yourself how pretty that was' Chase knew it hadnt been.

Her father was famous for being called The Undertaker. Almost seven feet tall and 300lbs...and Alison was his little girl. His first daughter. His pride... Oh lord that couldnt have been good....

'So' she continued 'i was in the hospital for a good while... Actually the first time i texted you i was still there for another week.... ' Chase pulled her into a hug 'Ali im so so sorry..my God if i had known...' Alison laughed 'if you had known you wouldve been deported and arrested for murder...no i didnt want anyone knowing. Im the one who stayed when yall told me to leave. I'm the idiot.' Chase leaned back, arms still around her. 'No! Its not your fault. I dont care what we told you to do. You want to see the good in people. You want to believe everyone is good and thats an amazing trait. You should never think thats stupid' She smiled and leaned into his chest savoring the warmth and safety.

Later, after they had said goodnight and gone to their rooms, Chase lay there awake. He could still feel her head on his shoulder, feel the warmth from her, and his heart skipped. "What the hell is going on ??' He hadnt felt that since high school...that first skip of the heart when you find someone.... 'Oh grow up Brody. Shes your best friend and doesnt need your damaged ass complicating her life..' Little did he know she was in the room at the opposite end of the hall thinking along the same lines...

****** A week had gone by, they danced around the flirtation and the obvious tension that lay under their banter. The day before it had rained, creating mud puddles everywhere. Now it was sunny and muggy out. Alison excitedly threw a pair of 4-wheeler keys to Chase and grinned as she pulled her ponytail through the back of the hat she was wearing. Chase watched as she bounded down the front steps and followed suit. They were both in jeans. The day before Chase had bought a cheap pair of boots he could get muddy. They were heavy but at least it wasnt his sneakers. They headed down the path between Alison's and the main house. Chase studied her as they walked. He hadnt been as brave since the first night. He wanted to say something....anything. But he wasnt sure where to start. 'You good ?' Alison stopped walking and looked at him, his face flushed slightly "Yeah, im good. Ready to tear up the mud' Alison laughed 'well the shed is right over here. I keep mine here since its closer to my place' They rounded the bend in the path and came upon the metal shed. She unlocked the door and walked in, pulling the tarp off the two four-wheelers. She threw a michevious grin at Chase as she climbed on hers "You ready to get dirty?' She laughed Chase grinned 'Hell yeah!' He climbed on his and they roared to life, Alison shot out of the building and took off, he threw his head back laughing and started after her

****** After about an hour or two of flying through mud and water puddles, they were sitting on the edge of the lake on a blanket Alison had laid out under the big umbrella. Chase had his shirt off as it was wet and muddy. He looked over at her and couldnt help but laugh. She had mud streaked down her arms and some on her nose.. The only part that wasnt spotted was her legs. Shed taken off the jeans and was in her swim shorts that had been under them.

'What?!' She said

'Youre a little...uh...dirty there girl' She laughed 'you should see yourself, your floofy hairdo aint cuttin it kid' she said as she reached over and messed up his hair, dirt falling out 'Hey!' Chase cried and grabbed her hand as he chuckled 'you leave my hair alone. Youre just jealous' Alison laughed and rolled her eyes. 'Yeah. Ok' They sat next to each other in silence, her knees pulled up and arms wrapped around them. She leaned against his side and looked like she was ready to fall asleep on his shoulder. Chase scooted over to the far side of the blanket and laid back, then pulled her down so her head rested on his chest and an arm was around her. His pulse raced and she easily fit in his arm and curled against him.

She sighed contentedly 'hey Chase... Anytime i need to lay with someone im gonna find you. Because youre really comfortable' she said giggling. He laughed 'ok. But youll have to come across the pond a lot' 'Hmm' she said thoughtfully 'ok. Im good with that. Ill come over there for some Brody cuddles' He squeezed her and smiled. 'Hey....Ali?'

'Yeah?' She shifted her head so she could look up at him. Her heart raced as she caught his eyes. Shed been having trouble concentrating on anything since he took his shirt off and this wasnt any easier.

'What are we avoiding here?' He asked... He hadnt meant to be so blunt but it just kind of came out that way. 'I mean. We're good and normal and then other times its so freaking awkward..i dont get it' 'I-.' Alison didnt really have an answer for that. She knew what she thought she was avoiding. But she wasnt 100% sure. 'I dont know.. I mean... I think its obvious theres something to talk about. But neither of us wants to say it'

Chase stared into her green eyes intently 'Well if you want to say what i want to say, then fuck this silence. Tell me'

Alison sat up and looked the other way and he followed. 'Its not just that easy for me Chase.... I dont know what you want...i dont know what im supposed to do..i dont know wh-'.. '

He grabbed her chin and turned her face towards his 'what i want is for you to shut up and kiss me...what youre supposed to do is stop rambling and let me show you'

With that he pressed his mouth to hers and kissed her. Slowly at first and then harder. She sat up on her knees and wrapped her arms around his neck as she kissed him back. They pulled away breathless and stared at each other.

'Now alison' he said, his voice husky "Whyd you wait so long to do that?' He grinned and pulled her to him again and kissing her deeper, laying back, her laying halfway across his chest. After a moment she pulled away and laid her head down on him and laughed 'Holy crap' He laughed out loud, 'yeah... Thats one way of putting it' He kissed the top of her head and wrapped her in his arm, they both drifted off..

****** It was a month and a half later. Chase stood by the front door. Nervous. He didnt want to leave. They hadnt been what youd call official..neither of them labled it . Sure they had held hands, slow danced with each other, kissed and gotten close..but it wasnt like *that* was it?... And now he was going home. He wasnt supposed to feel this way. His heart wasnt supposed to ache like this....

Alison stood in her room making sure she had her keys and phone...stalling. "What the hell...why is this so damn hard. Hes my best friend....a great kisser...but my best friend! Its not supposed to be like this' she thought to herself. Walking out she caught his eyes and saw her sadness reflected there

'Are you ready to go?' She inquired, trying to sound happy

"....you want the truth or the answer thatll make you feel better?' He chuckled.

'Chase...' She stood by him and grabbed his hand... 'I know, i know. We live a million miles from each other... I just didnt think it would-' 'Hurt this much?' She said, staring up at him He sighed and wrapped an arm around her, pulling her in and kissing the top of her head. 'Yeah' She opened the door and they walked out to the truck.

******** 'Seriously. Come out sometime, the boys and me will show you a good time' Chase said Alison smiled at him ' Definitely...ill miss you. Thank you for coming. I had a blast'

Chase smiled and her 'And stop standing so far away.' He grabbed her hand and pulled her close 'its harder to kiss you goodbye from over there....if thats okay.... Just one last time?' She smiled and nodded as a blush crept to her cheeks he leaned down and kissed her, both of them holding on longer than they intended. 'Alison...dont be a stranger' he said. Hugging her one last time and picking up his bags. 'I..i wont Chase. Tell everyone i said hi'

She waved goodbye and watched him walk toward his gate, then turned and headed for her truck. When she got inside she let go of her control and cried. The tears didnt stop until she was back to her place. She walked into the room Chase had been staying in and found one of his worn shirts folded on the bed with a note and a small bottle of cologne. She smiled and cried a little reading it

'I know its not the same as falling asleep on me. But this is the cologne i use, you can wear the shirt or use it as a pillow case... Ill miss you' She laid down on the bed and could still smell him as she drifted to sleep

******** 'Dude. You were supposed to go over there to get happier. Now youre just more mopey. What the hell happened?' Jackie asked Chase

They were in the living room, Chase sprawled on the couch. It had been almost two weeks since he came home 'Jackie. Just leave it alone man. Ok? I dont want to talk about it'

'Chase, you need to talk about it. I havent seen you like this ever. When Stacy left you cried and drank and talked about it... You dont even drink anymore. You just sit and watch tv or sleep' Jackie said, worry coating his words.

Chase sat up 'look man. Im an idiot and i caught feelings at the wrong time and the wrong place. Ok? And it hurts because i cant be where i need to be and where i want to be at the same time! I dont drink because then i dream about her and....'

His words drifted off Jackie came to sit by him and put an arm over his shoulder ' you always dream about Stacy though. I thought the sleeping pills helped with that'

Chase put his head in his hands 'Bro. This isnt about Stacy. I never thought id say this but i think this hurts worse'

Jackie was shocked. He couldnt believe what had just come out of his brothers mouth 'Then...who? And what did they do that was so bad???'

Chase shook his head 'thats just it. Nothing bad. It was all amazing... But.. Damnit man. I just wish it wasnt so fucking far, you know?' Jackie thought for a minute and his eyes widened and mouth dropped as he caught on

'Holy shit you mean Alison???' Chase's head shot up 'Jackie if you tell anyone so help me ill strangle you' Jackie put his hands up 'No no. I wont..but..what happened?' Chase laughed 'nothing like that... We just kissed and cuddled a lot and... I really think i fell for her man and i dont know how to process it... I feel like I'm losing my mind.' Then he opened up and told Jackie everything about the trip. His brother just sat and listened.

*************** Two weeks later...

'Alison!' Jack ran over to her, shed begged him to pick her up at the airport but hadnt wanted anyone to know. Hed been happy to oblige. Confused. But happy

'Jack!' She ran over to him and hugged him hard. Shed missed this goofball

'Ok so are you going to tell me whats going on?' Jack said as they grabbed her bags and walked outside to where the Uber was waiting for them

' um.... Its a little hard to explain. But.. I just had to come ok? Im actually meeting my Dad tomorrow. Theyre here because of a movie shoot. We are all staying a month or so.'

Jack shook his head 'i know when youre lying. Theres something youre not tellin me Ali' She looked at him. Knowing hed either laugh or help her... Well only one way to find out

'Jack....when Chase stayed with me for that month... We..I.... I fell for him ok? And i think he feels the same way. And this last month has been hell because i cant stop thinking about him. I know it sounds crazy but i had to come see him, and yall. ' it came out in a rush.

Jacks mouth dropped open in shock. 'You mean...youre the reason Chase has been so mopey? Thank God i thought he was on about Stacy again' and he laughed 'So. Wanna suprise him?' His smile conspiratorial Alison grinned. She shouldve known she could count on him.

*********** 'Well why do i need to go Jack? Why dont you?' Chase whined into the phone 'i dont feel like talking to anyone about filming man. I dont have it in me' 'Chase. Youre going. Trust me. Just meet the agent at the park. Theyll be by the river. Itll be a good opportunity for you man' Jack said on the other end of the line, trying to keep from laughing. 'And what about the others? Jackie and everyone left the house today. They said they were staying with you tonight because you were filming some stuff. Why cant i help?' Chase questioned 'Look Chase. I need you to do this for me. Ok? Please bro?' Chase rolled his eyes 'fine. But this better be a good meeting' Jack hung up the phone and laughed 'oh trust me Brody. Youll love it' he said to himself. Shooting alison a text. 'Now we wait'

At the house Chase threw the phone. He wanted to be mad but he knew Jack was just worried. Hed been holed up in his room since he came back, hadnt touched his skateboard in a month, hadnt even looked at his PS4.. All he could do was go through the photos from his trip. Hed talked to Alison on facetime and she seemed to be happy, was training and riding horses. She had sent him phtos of her and her Dad and little sisters... He felt like he was lying to her. He said he was okay, just more tired...but the reality was he wanted to beg her to come to him. He wanted to tell her he thought he loved her-- but he just kept a smile on his face because as long as she was happy, thats all that mattered

****** Later that night Alison sat on the bench. Nervously playing with the hem of her dress she had bought that morning. He should be here any minute.... What if he was mad...what if he didn't want her here? What if.... She recieved a text from Jack

J:Hes there.

Her heart pounded. Now what? She sat and waited...hearing footsteps

* Chase could see someone on the bench by the water and headed that way. As he walked his eyes focused on the figure. Their hair was an auburn color... That thought made his heart ache as he remembered brushing Alisons from her face... He got close enough to the bench and the figure stood and turned toward him. His heart jumped and he almost fell down 'Al-alison?' He whispered. Not believing what he was seeing. 'Chase..' She said softly. Her face broke into a smile as tears filled her eyes. She ran to him and he embraced her. He finally let go and looked down at her grabbing her face with both hands "ali what the hell are you doing here?!' Tears rolled from her eyes 'Chase....i couldnt stay away anymore. Im sorry...i know i shouldve told you but i didnt know if you wanted me here and-' her words were cut off as he kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back. When they pulled back he looked at her for a long minute and then spoke as he wiped her tears 'Dont ever apologize for making me this happy...ever. Of course i want you here. Its been hell just talking to you on FaceTime and not being able to say what im thinking. My God Alison i missed you more than i thought possible' She smiled and kissed his cheek and hugged him again. Savoring the feel of his arms around her

'Cmon. Lets go talk' he said pulling out his phone to call a ride 'I got it' she said grinning 'My dad loaned me a driver for my trip' she called someone and said whered they be. As they walked to the road Chase saw a black limo waiting and laughed 'Well. That beats an Uber'

As they rode he just stared at her. She was looking out the window. His heart beat faster. She came....she missed him so much that she came all the way here. He smiled to himself and then shot Jack a text

C:'Youre an ass for letting me walk into that unwarned....but thank you man'

J:no thanks needed. I did it for both of you. You both deserve smiles on your faces man. Now put the phone down... Also Jackie said to tell you 'stay in your own room' 😂

Chase laughed out loud and covered his face. He was going to have to smack him Alison looked over 'whats so funny?' She reached for the phone and snatched it before Chase could stop her 'alison i wouldn-' he warned laughing 'Oh my god.... Im gonna have to smack him when i see him' she said laughing as her face turned red. They both giggled and Chase grabbed the phone and turned it off after sending 'tell him i said ..' Followed by a couple of middle finger emojis

***** They walked into the house and Chase locked the front door before grabbing Alisons hand and kissing her again. He couldnt believe she was here. Alison leaned into him and kissed him back and then said smiling 'i cant believe im standing here' Chase laughed 'i cant either! I mean...why would you come all this way??' Alison locked eyes with him. 'Because... I never knew i could miss someone so much Chase. Honestly it was driving me nuts. I got tired of having the pictures from your trip and FaceTime with fake 'hey buddy' bullshit..... But i wanted to say it to your face.

Chase nodded. He knew exactly what she meant.

** Alison had been there a week and couldnt get over the fact that she was with him. Chase was sprawled out on the other side of the king sized bed and snoring. They had both decided to stay in the hotel room she had reserved for her time here. Chase wasnt used to such a huge bed and Alison laughed thinking back to his face when he first laid on it. She laid her book down and reached over, brushing his hair back and smiling. He stirred and blinked at her sleepily "Ali-- you ok babe?" Her heart jumped at that name. She felt a blush spreading as he sat up and his bare chest became visable. "Yeah- yeah. Was just admiring how cute you were when you sleep" He chuckled and ran his fingers through his hair "what. Are you saying im not cute when im awake? " "Well....when youre asleep youre much quieter" she said laughing. His mouth opened in fake offense and then he grinned mischeviously "Oh. Okay.." He rolled over and caught her and tickled her and she laughed and squealed. 'Chase! Chase! Okay i give i give!!" He stopped and looked down at her as he laid across her and laughed 'youre pretty cute yourself Alleycat " he kissed the tip of her nose and she craned her mouth up. He smiled and leaned down to kiss her and she wrapped her arms around him. He still wasnt used to the sparks that went through his brain with her. That first night hed stayed with her they... Caught up.. quickly. He was still addicted to the taste and feel of her even after as many times hed experienced her. "Ali-" he whispered as he placed his forehead to hers "Yeah Chase?" "I...i think... This is gonna sounds insane' he laughed She pushed him up so she could look in his eyes "Baby...what?" Chase stared into her green eyes. Never having been more sure of what he was about to say...knowing if he didnt hed never sleep "Alison..... I love you...and i know thats crazy. I never thought id ever say that to anyone with this feeling behind it after her....but honestly if she walked up to me right now and asked me to come home...id say no. Youve made me feel whole. You make me the man i want to be. Even my kids when i saw them yesterday asked why i was so happy... ' He stopped and grinned sheepishly "i kinda talked about you a little...they want to meet you. I told them maybe in a couple of weeks..but thats up to you..Stacy was cool with it if you are..' She stared at him, not knowing what to say. A smile broke across her face and her eyes misted over "Chase...id love to meet them..." She pulled him to her and kissed him before saying quietly 'and Mr Brody...you should know. I love you too.." *****

16 notes · View notes

notsoguiltykpop · 7 years ago

Note

I would love to read a ghost's Yoongi or maybe JK POV but that level of angst would probably shatter my heart. (I would read, enjoy and love it anyway lol) - 🍑

I feel like you probably didn’t want this, but here you go~

The Ghost in Apartment 1403 drabble from Jungkook and Yoongi’s point of view

Jungkook slid the door to Namjoon’s hospital room open slowly. Yoongi had gotten a phone call almost as soon as they had set foot in the building, giving him some time alone with Namjoon. It was always weird visiting him like this, seeing the IV stuck in his arm, hearing the whirring of the machines and the beep-beeping of the heart monitor. Jungkook didn’t think he’d ever get used to it.

He hoped he wouldn’t have to.

He knew it was stupid to keep hoping that Namjoon would one day open his eyes and life would return to the way it had been. The doctors had been very clear that that was highly unlikely, and that even if Namjoon did wake up one day, he probably wouldn’t be the same person he had known. People didn’t often recover from this sort of thing, Jungkook knew that.

“Hey, Namjoon.” He said as he pulled a chair over so he could sit by Namjoon’s bed, it had become something he didn’t even think about anymore over the last five months. “It’s me, Jungkook. I’m here just like I always am every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Are you sick of me yet?” He paused as though waiting for a response.

“That girl–the one that knew us in highschool that I don’t remember taking a math class with? She showed up at the studio today, I think she must have missed you. I showed her around, she’s really nice and kind of cute. I still can’t believe you never mentioned her.” Another pause.

“You and Yoongi must have fought over her. That’s why she said she and Yoongi have a complicated relationship, right? She picked you over him, so maybe that’s why you never talked about her. I’m surprised we never run into her here, though. She clearly cares about you, so she must visit.”

“Anyway, enough about her. Work has been crazy busy recently. Yoongi and I have been picking up as many jobs as we can, but we can’t keep up. And I think Yoongi still blames himself for what happened, thinks if he hadn’t lost his temper with you that you somehow wouldn’t have gotten hit by that car. He doesn’t talk about it much, but I can tell. But don’t worry about us, Namjoon. We’re managing. It’d just be easier if you were here.”

Jungkook looked down at his hands for a moment before reaching over and holding Namjoon’s limp one; he read online that was supposed to help. “You’ll get through this. You have to.”

It was then that Jungkook thought, for just a second, that Namjoon’s hand slowly and slightly gripped his own.

Three weeks later, there was no improvement. Jungkook had wasted no time in calling a nurse, and the next thing he knew he was shoved out into the hall as a doctor hurried in and tests were done. He wasn’t technically family, so couldn’t over hear anything to do with Namjoon’s medical records. Taehyung came to wait with he and Yoongi only for the three of them to be told hours later that it probably didn’t mean anything.

“They’re going to monitor him closely. There was a spike in brain activity, but he still isn’t responding to his name or acting on command.” Namjoon’s sister had told them. “The best thing we can do is keep visiting him and talking to him like we have been, and not jump to any conclusions.”

Yoongi visited him one late night after a fight with Jungkook. He couldn’t believe how naive Jungkook could be sometimes. To have let a complete stranger into Namjoon’s office, to believe such a stupid lie like they knew each other in high school… Though, maybe that was on Yoongi, too. You hadn’t been the only one to lie to Jungkook that night.

Yoongi had known perfectly well what an impact his words had on Jungkook. Ever since they first met, when Jungkook was still an awkward middle schooler and Yoongi was going through his angsty-punk phase, Jungkook had always taken his older friends’ words to heart. Yoongi knew this, knew that if he said it was true that Jungkook likely wouldn’t even question it, and he had lied to his face.

Yoongi wasn’t sure why he couldn’t bare to speak the truth that night. Maybe it was because while talking to you, Jungkook had looked the closest to happy that he had been in a while. What was the harm in letting him think you were an old friend?

And he had known you in middle school, so you weren’t just some stranger. Back then, you were sweet, cried easily, and the only time you made a fuss about anything was when you were standing up for someone else, even for Yoongi one time. You couldn’t stand injustice. You didn’t have a malicious bone in your body back then, so how bad could you be?

But a lot could change in the years that you hadn’t seen each other. Yoongi certainly had. It hadn’t taken him long to realize that people would crush anyone they thought they could get away with, so Yoongi had made himself as prickly as possible to make it clear to the world that he wasn’t someone to mess with. In the process, he had pushed people away and closed himself off. It was something Namjoon was always lecturing him about, saying that he should be kinder, give people the benefit of a doubt sometimes.

“Hey Namjoon, it’s Yoongi.” He said as he dragged a chair over to sit by Namjoon. “Namjoon, I…I can’t do this.” He said as he propped his elbows on the bed and sunk his head into his hands. “I’ve been trying so hard to look out for them, I have. But Taehyung has been MIA for the last three weeks, he’s been ignoring Jungkook and my texts and calls. The only reason we know he’s okay is because Jimin ran into his mother at the grocery store. She said being around us is just too hard for him right now. I guess I get that.” Yoongi took a shaky breath. “I think he and Jungkook fought about something before he cut us out, I don’t know about what, though. You’ve always been better at sorting out that kind of thing than me. They talk to you.

“I just make things worse. Like tonight, when I should have been telling Jungkook that everything would be fine, that we’d figure it out somehow, what did I do? I blamed him. Oh, by the way, your album has been leaked onto the internet under a different name, and it’s my fault. None of this would have happened if I’d been honest with Jungkook. But I was just trying to protect him, Namjoon. That’s all. I didn’t know.” Yoongi gritted his teeth, he needed to pull himself together. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Namjoon.”

Yoongi’s phone started ringing, and he was about to send it to voicemail when he saw who it was.

“Jungkook.” He said, bringing the phone up to his ear.

“Yoongi, it’s me.” He recognized your voice instantly. “Look, Jungkook is here–in my apartment, I mean. He’s drunk, and I don’t think he knows which way is up let alone where he lives. Can you come get him?”

After retrieving Jungkook from your apartment–he still couldn’t believe you were living where Namjoon used to, it took your stalking to a whole other level–Jungkook suggested getting something to eat. He still seemed a little on the tipsy side, but at least he could walk on his own.

Yoongi stopped right before they entered the restaurant, looking down at his shoes. “Jungkook.” He said, and the younger turned around, tilting his head to one side and raising an eyebrow quizzically.

“Yeah?”

“I’m sorry.” Yoongi said. He had asked himself what Namjoon would say he should do, and the answer was simple: apologize. “It wasn’t your fault, not at all. I never should have said it was. If anyone is to blame, it’s me.”

Jungkook studied him for a moment. “If you want to point fingers, it’s her fault the songs leaked, not yours or mine.” Jungkook said. “But that isn’t the only thing you’re saying sorry for, is it?”

That was the unnerving thing about Jungkook; he could read Yoongi even when he was sure there was nothing to give away what he was thinking or feeling. “Sometimes I still wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t lost my temper with him that morning.” Yoongi said quietly, still not looking directly at Jungkook.

“And I’ll probably always wonder if she would have gotten those files if I hadn’t literally unlocked Namjoon’s door for her.” Jungkook slung an arm around Yoongi, something that had always mildly annoyed the elder. It was a reminder that Jungkook was a good head taller than him, and wasn’t something Yoongi appreciated. “But we can’t beat ourselves up over ‘what if’s.’ We’re doing our best, and you know what? I think Namjoon would be proud of us.”

Yoongi nodded. Jungkook was right, they were both doing their best in the situation, and that was what counted. That was what Namjoon would have cared about, and there was nothing more that they could do.

“Let’s get some lamb skewers, I’m starving.” Yoongi said, ducking out from under Jungkooks arm and heading for the door to the restaurant. “You’re paying, by the way.”

“Hah, no way. You owe me.” Jungkook snorted, sending a text to Taehyung to meet them there. Maybe he’d show up, or maybe he wouldn’t, but it had been too long since the three of them had seen each other outside of a club or the hospital. If there was one thing Jungkook was sure of, it was that Namjoon would want them to be happy, and that was what Jungkook wanted to be that night.

#the ghost in apartment 1403 #drabble #namjoon drabble #rapmonster drabble #the ghost in apartment 1403 drabble #jungkook drabble #yoongi drabble

41 notes · View notes

flcshbanginarchive-blog · 8 years ago

Note

Five times kissed 8)

kissed

i )

truth be told? he didn't care much for the strike commander. not that he disliked him, per se — he brought up the same level of annoyance just about anyone would towards their superior, anyway, without disliking him as a person. not that he really knows him well enough for that — blackwatch might run next to overwatch, and sometimes with them, but that doesn't mean he gets to run into the commander an awful lot of times, the most he did is when gabriel happens to have him around when morrison wants something from him. (gabe, obviously. not jesse. who'd want anything from jesse?)

jack morrison is... someone who exists. not necessarily anywhere close to the same space he occupied (or even in the same galaxy, for all it counts). he supposed the commander does a well enough job, and the few times he had run with overwatch he'd given clear enough orders, easy enough to follow, and gabe likes him, which is enough in jesse's book. he's twenty-two and as ana liked to point out, he still doesn't know shit, so running with whatever gives seems appropriate enough.

(nobody asks for his opinion, anyway. so what if he found the older man oddly attractive? nobody ever had to know.)

and even if someone did ask, nobody ever takes him serious. so, blowing kisses in the general direction of the strike commander as he makes his way out of gabe's office, gaining irritated looks from said man?

nobody questions that. it's just jesse being jesse.

ii )

he's twenty-five, and he still doesn't know shit, and he's made mistakes. bad mistakes. one of them is currently causing a rather large amount of blood to flow freely out of his body and mix with the dirt underneath. his head feels light. maybe because he hit it when he fell after getting shot. maybe because he's bleeding out. probably both.

been an easy enough missions. the one with overwatch usually are — at least compared to the blackwatch ones. nobody expected any actual fighting to happen, he's just there to make sure nothing gets out of hand. like agents getting shot. and bleeding profoundly on the ground. that's probably exactly the sort of thing he was there to avoid, but he underestimated the situation, and it doesn't matter that the guy who put lead into his side got his fair share into his forehead if nobody comes along quickly.

he's pretty sure he asked for someone. it's hard to tell, with the dizziness in his head and the black that starts settling in on his vision. it's equally hard to make sure he did and ask another time, just for sure. he can't even tell if he presses the damn button on his comm or not. hell, for all he can make out, he's trying to phone with a frigging brick.

can't tell, either, who it is that finally comes. blonde, he makes out. probably angela. she's not been around as long, but she does a damn good job. maybe she can fix his mess.

he tries to sit the exact moment someone leans in to touch his face (whatcha gonna do, doc, check if i'm still breathin'?), lips smacked against rough leather. does mercy wear leather gloves? either way, it counts as the most awkward hand kiss he's ever given. not that he does go around and give a ton of them.

passes out while he still tries to figure out who the fuck hovers over his face there.

iii )

reyes isn't in when he moves into his office (unannounced and without knocking, as he usual does — he's pretty sure the man is slowly training him to be his second, anyway, even if it's all but official, so he spends most his day around the other man anyway), and he knows he isn't, because reyes is off to a short mission and left him to deal with smaller business, but someone else is.

his hand freezes on the door. he's not meant on walking in on morrison leaning over the desk, obviously upset. it seems odd. private, almost. it feels like something he is definitely not meant to see. (who's ever meant to see their boss in a position of.. weakness? he's not sure.)

he retreats, silently, and almost makes it before jack speaks up. tells him to stay. reluctantly, he closes the door as he moves back into the room. with years passing, they have been moving in each other's orbit more often — but he's still nowhere in a position equal to the other man. sometimes he wonders if morrison even knows his name. sometimes he wonders if he wants him to know, anyway.

turned out, reports just came in that several agents went mia. knowing the details of the mission, it was safe to assume none of them would return, at least not in one, breathing piece. turned out, it might be because of some misinterpreted data. turned out, jack didn't expect him to come around, and would retreat to gabriel's office instead of his own to have a moment to think without people banging up his door to blame him. jesse doubt anyone would. he's seen the data. they all came to the same conclusions. besides, even if overwatch did the prettier jobs, they all still knew they put their life on the line each day. willingly.

he says none of it. for once, he keeps awfully silent. he knows when words wouldn't do any good. instead, he moves to comfort — something he's done in the past, with various people.

doesn't matter if jack doesn't care about him. he's here, and touch is a soothing thing, a wonderful escape, if only for the moment.

what he feels at it is entirely irrelevant, and nothing anyone will ever ask for.

iv )

he's not been to the funeral. for various reasons.

one is that he's not even been close to swiss when it happened. a poor excuse, but one he can give himself. just as he can give himself a thousand excuses for leaving when he should have stayed. he knew something was up, was wrong. knew things weren't going as they were supposed to. instead of doing something about it — anything at all — he ran.

maybe he could have prevented some of this. maybe he couldn't. one way or another, it feels like his bones belonged beneath the earth, too. feels like he should have been there.

should have. wasn't.

another is that people are looking for him, and this, surely, would have been the first place to look at. despite his yearning for a death that didn't come (a feeling that roots in guilt, and will, ultimately, fade, albeit never entirely), this would be wrong. it'd dirty both their memory. and it'd dirty all the others that actually are there.

he wonders who's left. he wonders if anyone will ask for him. it doesn't matter. all people that did matter are below the ground now.

he comes late. months late, in fact, when he's sure nobody will check for him to come anymore. he visits either of them. spends too much time sitting in front of a stone. the ground is wet and sticks to his clothes, but that hardly registers.

before he leaves, he presses his lips against the stone. saying all the things he never would to the one alive.

cold.

just what did he expect?

v )

it's odd, he thinks.

it's odd being back at gibraltar. it's odd being back at overwatch. it's odd watching someone he mourned years and years ago move above the earth, not under. the movements are different. yet, it's recognizable, burned into his head. he didn't know immediately. but now that the realization is there, he can't fight it away anymore. he wants to punch the man. knock that stupid ass visor right of his face and yell at him. for all those years gone.

he doesn't. he has no right. he never had any. jack morrison is his own man, as is soldier 76. maybe they aren't even the same, aside from the body shared. he doesn't know. he doesn't know if he wants to know. besides, he doesn't need to — because the thing is coming off all on it's own, and if he felt sick before, he feels like dying now.

he does nothing. not because there's a lack of will, but there are too many things that paralyze him altogether. and maybe he's scared that, if he speaks up now, it'll turn out a bad dream. it'd not be the first one. mocking him. guilting him.

he just stands, and stares, and his own body betrays him. trembles. and maybe something more — maybe it started to rain. maybe that's why his face is wet. maybe.

it feels different, and similar, and a whole lot of things he cannot point out when the other man moves towards him. he wants to tell him to fuck off. he wants to tell him to get off him. he doesn't. he can't.

this time, it's jack that comforts him when instead of yelling, he lets his head drop against his shoulder. hides away from the world. hides away from jack's gaze. still, he doesn't shush away from the arm around him, or the kiss on his hair (when did he lose his hat? doesn't matter).

he doesn't know if he could, even if he wanted, so he just presses close, taking for as long as he can take.

#lifereturned #long post #cut for length #oh boy this got a LOT sadder than i intended it to #also uuuh #death tw #suicidal thoughts tw #injury tw #??? i guess????#jack tag tba.#;; SHOOT DARLING. (ask.)

2 notes · View notes